It's Personal...

Morat · Post by **Morat** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 6:52 am

Avoraciopoctules wrote:Major lightning storm in Oakland, CA (USA) right now. I'm posting from a covered enclosure outside while the elements pound around me. Pretty cool.

Every half-minute or so the whole area gets lit up by lightning. You can hear the thunder 3-4 seconds after, usually. I went for a walk earlier and my shoes got soaked even with me hopping over all the streams of water running down streets and sidewalks at high speed.
EDIT: I had a pretty decent umbrella too.

On the other side of the bay, the thunder was setting off car alarms. The thunderstorm was hugely impressive, but the man-made accompaniment...not so much.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:45 pm

ishy wrote:This does remind me of some pictures I saw of public restrooms after a festival day. I was actually quite amazed at how shitty people appear to be at taking a shit.

Yesterday, I saw a philosophical discussion on the nature of man on the toilet paper dispenser.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 1:48 pm

Morat wrote:
Avoraciopoctules wrote:Major lightning storm in Oakland, CA (USA) right now. I'm posting from a covered enclosure outside while the elements pound around me. Pretty cool.

Every half-minute or so the whole area gets lit up by lightning. You can hear the thunder 3-4 seconds after, usually. I went for a walk earlier and my shoes got soaked even with me hopping over all the streams of water running down streets and sidewalks at high speed.
EDIT: I had a pretty decent umbrella too.
On the other side of the bay, the thunder was setting off car alarms. The thunderstorm was hugely impressive, but the man-made accompaniment...not so much.

Making a deal out of that makes me smile. I live in an area where thunderstorms are common. Rain itself even more so.

I just checked the 30-year average of annual rainfall for my city--66 inches (1,680 mm, for folks with non-insane systems of measurement).

It wouldn't ever occur to me to pay especial attention to a thunderstorm apart from "Oh, that was a bright-ass flash of lightning, I'd better cover my ears RIGHT NOW."

erik · Post by **erik** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:34 pm

Heh, we had some ~1 inch diameter hail outside my house a couple weeks ago. No biggie. We might have had larger, I only saw the ones right outside the window. Didn't feel like walking out to look for larger.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Fri Apr 13, 2012 3:24 pm

As a Bostonian, this:

Lewis Black wrote:"The weather in this country is completely out of control and nobody seems to care about it. I knew we were in trouble when I was in Boston, MA and in 4 days in February, I experienced 5 seasons. It was 30, it was 60, it was 90 and it was 12. And on the last day, there was thunder, purple lightning and snow together. And I had not done drugs.

Cause when you're lying in bed, you hear thunder outside, and you get up to look, you have an expectation. And it's not snow with purple lightning behind it. That's not right.

They don't even write about that kind of weather in the bible. And I imagine if a prophet had seen that kind of weather, after he wiped the poop out of his pants, he'd have told us about it. I was supposed to work that night, I said I'm not coming in. I'm scared to death, cause I know what the next season's going to be....locusts."

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Wed May 09, 2012 2:15 am

It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic. They were testing the fire alarms at work.

And I got stuck in an elevator

With the fire alarm going off

For half an hour.

It was a crowded elevator, too--about half of it was filled up with the stuff I use for doing floors.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Thu May 10, 2012 2:29 pm

So... the landlady decided she wants to sell the place, so won't be renewing the lease when it expires in September. That's okay, we were thinking of finding something closer to the city anyway. So we started looking, thinking over some possibilities, and my employment agency could have swung me a short-term job to help cover that.

Then we got a call from Dad, and his cancer is back. Last time (the third time), the chemo damaged his kidneys - he's on dialysis several times per week, and can't get chemo again. So this is it. If he doesn't get an infection, he's looking at a few months. If he does, then maybe a week.

So soon we're going to go visit for a few days, and then next month we're moving back there. It's cheaper to live in SA, even if it really is a shitty state. I'll have no more social life or sex life, and employment options are even dryer (on the other hand, our parents know basically everyone in the town they live in, so I may be able to get work that way), but having somewhere cheaper to live might take the stress away for a bit, and we need to be with him for the last few months he has left.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Thu May 10, 2012 3:11 pm

I'm sorry, Koumei.

I've got a relative who's got terminal cancer (last of my grandparents). My answer has been...pretty much the same as yours. "Go on and spend time with 'em".

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Thu May 10, 2012 3:16 pm

I'm sorry to hear about that. Hopefully you can make his last days better.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Thu May 10, 2012 3:31 pm

They're already working out the details of the funeral, too. Dad's approach is "I don't fucking care, I won't be there." but he doesn't get a say in it. My stepmother wants a quiet family affair. But his sister and others will likely want to make a circus of it.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu May 10, 2012 4:30 pm

I've always liked the Irish way of doing funerals, which is to say wakes. Booze, music, and reminiscencing about the dead guy. Hell it's what I want my friends to do.

Sorry to hear about your dad, Koumei. Take whatever time you need.

erik · Post by **erik** » Fri May 11, 2012 12:32 am

Take care Koumei, I'm sorry for your bad news. =-(

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Fri May 11, 2012 2:30 am

So I finished my Stage Makeup class today. I just need to turn something in on Tuesday. I made a DevArt folder for all my makeup photos.

A few choice makeups:
Orc

Lich

Cenobite

Post by **fbmf** » Fri May 11, 2012 11:12 am

Sorry to hear, Koumei. Take care.

Game On,
fbmf

RiotGearEpsilon · Post by **RiotGearEpsilon** » Fri May 11, 2012 2:48 pm

Good luck, Koumei.

JigokuBosatsu · Post by **JigokuBosatsu** » Fri May 11, 2012 3:29 pm

Sorry to hear. Best wishes for you in this rough time, Koumei.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Fri May 11, 2012 9:18 pm

I'm sorry, Koumei. <hugs>

Darth Rabbitt · Post by **Darth Rabbitt** » Fri May 11, 2012 10:28 pm

My deepest sympathies, Koumei.

Doom · Post by **Doom** » Fri May 11, 2012 10:32 pm

Condolences.

DSMatticus · Post by **DSMatticus** » Sat May 12, 2012 12:21 am

I'm really sorry to hear about your father, Koumei. I lost my mother that way. Cancer is a shitty thing to go through, and I can't imagine what it's been like going through this three times already.

I'm wishing you and your family the best of luck in making the next few months as happy as they can be for him and yourselves.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Tue May 15, 2012 5:27 am

New word on Dad's condition: the cancer is more aggressive than they first thought. The dialysis is pretty much keeping him alive, but he only has a few weeks left. So we're racing off to see him on Sunday, not sure for how long, and there's a high chance that he'll have passed away by the time we permanently move next month.

Blasted · Post by **Blasted** » Tue May 15, 2012 5:47 am

That sucks. GL.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Tue May 15, 2012 6:27 am

My sister is most upset and sad about it. I'm feeling angry about it. Which is stupid. It's not like anyone went and gave him cancer*, and the doctors pretty much did/are doing all they could/can, I don't believe in magical sky faeries that have mystic voodoo powers of healing and affliction...

So from a logical perspective, being angry about it makes no fucking sense.

*I feel safe in ruling out the possibility of KGB agents with polonium briefcases, or a Deathnote.

violence in the media · Tue May 15, 2012 1:05 pm

That's awful, Koumei. My condolences.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Tue May 15, 2012 1:42 pm

Koumei: I feel absolutely horrible for what you are going through. All my heart and wishes for you and the family.

I can understand the anger and the frustration. When my mother went through her quadruple bypass (and consequentially when my father went through his shoulder surgery) I was angry at why this happened. I still feel this over my own situation. But I've never known who to be angry at especially with my own disbelief/uncaring in FSM et al.

In a way this is a normal part of the grieving process and it will pass. But I will be honest, it can be there for a while and be present when you think about it in the future long after you would think that you are past it. All you can do is grit and get through it.

I hate to pass on shit-news like this during what you are going through but I'e always felt that honesty in situations such as these is most often the best approach.

Again, all my love and wishes for you guys.