+13
John Boy Walton
vIv
BGwaves
Michael K.
Nick
Gene Bootcut
Duff...
Ned Braden
jesus jones
coyote
undo
zappo
WP64
17 posters

    going through some shit right now

    WP64
    WP64
    Mystery Thread Deleter


    Posts : 3650
    Pizzas : 65
    Join date : 2013-09-02
    Age : 30
    DispositionIntransigent

    going through some shit right now Empty going through some shit right now

    Post by WP64 Sat Mar 07, 2020 4:23 pm

    Thanks everyone. I will get through this little stretch.

    I am really, really sorry to hear about your insurance issues Zappo. Thankfully I am healthy and even though I am uninsured my primary care physician gives me a huge discount on visits so it is still somewhat affordable for me to see him even without insurance, so I should not really complain. Fuck Blue Cross. If it ends up where you actually need help paying for your insulin for a couple of weeks because of this mix-up, let me/us know! Just make sure you don't start rationing or anything like that, please.

    And Nick, right after I made this post yesterday I went to Edwards Health Club to go lift weights and try to clear my head. I parked next to this white SUV and when I got out of my car I happened to notice they had a bumper sticker saying, "Free Tommy Robinson." As in the British Neo-Nazi who regularly harasses and abuses Britain's Muslim minority population. They had a bumper sticker saying that HERE in OUR Naperville. I literally still can't believe it.

    Anyways, I know you have kids or whatever but if you ever just lose it completely and want to meet up sometime we can go looking for some Nazi/Confederate sympathizers to fuck up together. I am always ready!
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:49 pm

    Bro, I rationed insulin/only ate when necessary for years, pre-ACA.  I'll be fine.  No need to worry about me.  But thanks!

    And I don't want to get too deep in the weeds about the insulin stuff, but I'm here and it's on my mind.  So why not?  Shit's fucking expensive!  I thought it was pretty pricey back in 1999, when I was first diagnosed--about $180 for a month's supply.  Today, for shittier insulin (biologics of the same stuff I used to take) with shittier and literally immeasurably more error-prone injection systems (side effects include but are not limited to death), the cost is at least $1500/month.  I'm playing down the difference by several hundred dollars so as not to sound too unbelievable.  That doesn't include the cost of checking my blood sugar (minimum $350/month for accurate numbers, which is surprisingly only about $50 more than in '99; admittedly, there are now MUCH cheaper choices, but they all sacrifice accuracy for price, meaning that I can spend like $30/month if I don't mind being ten times more likely to wind up in the ER because I'm basing my dosing on imaginary numbers...if I live long enough to make it to the ER, of course) or the needles to inject the insulin or the alcohol swabs or the lancets or the emergency hypoglycemic incident stuff.  And don't even get me started on the cost of bloodwork!  Who knew that a vial of my own blood and a single test could cost $600???


    Last edited by zappo on Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:43 pm; edited 1 time in total
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Sat Mar 07, 2020 5:50 pm

    Call me crazy, but it almost seems like I'm more of a dollar-sign than a human being to Eli Lilly and friends!
    WP64
    WP64
    Mystery Thread Deleter


    Posts : 3650
    Pizzas : 65
    Join date : 2013-09-02
    Age : 30
    DispositionIntransigent

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by WP64 Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:07 pm

    zappo wrote:Call me crazy, but it almost seems like I'm more of a dollar-sign than a human being to Eli Lilly and friends!
    If history is to bring us any justice, you will one day recount these stories in your old age to people and the younger ones in the room literally will not believe that such a situation could have existed in a "civilized" society.
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:42 pm

    Global warming will see to it that I/we don't make it that far, but that does sound like a cool Beyond Thunderdome kind of deal.
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Sat Mar 07, 2020 9:45 pm

    But for real, can you go back to Italy? If so, when? If not, why not? I'm asking these assumptions based on the outbreak being contained. Like, what happens then? For you?
    WP64
    WP64
    Mystery Thread Deleter


    Posts : 3650
    Pizzas : 65
    Join date : 2013-09-02
    Age : 30
    DispositionIntransigent

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by WP64 Mon Mar 09, 2020 3:36 pm

    Well, first of all it is unlikely that they are able to contain the virus anytime soon. They have effectively put one-fourth of the country into complete lockdown. Bologna, where I was living, is about forty kilometers from the affected areas but even there basically everything is closed down. My friends send me pictures everyday of the streets and it is basically deserted during the day. All non-essential travel is strongly discouraged. Even taking these drastic measures, it is unlikely that they will be able to entirely contain the spread of the virus and the only short-term hope is that the summer weather will temporarily kill it off..

    For a bunch of complicated reasons, I am still unable to re-claim my Italian citizenship. I only have one more possible solution before I have exhausted all my options. Without citizenship or a visa, I would only be able to stay in the country for three months at a time. I had applied to Johns Hopkins SAIS and was admitted, which would have meant at least one additional year in Bologna (with a student visa) and then one year in Washington D.C. I had spent the last several months talking to students, attending informal guest lectures at the campus, and basically getting myself mentally and financially prepared to accept their offer. Last week they sent me an email saying that I do not qualify for any financial aid, which was a huge surprise and gut punch. That means that in order to attend the institution for two years I would have take on almost six figures in additional student debt, which is not feasible.

    I reached out to a Professor who I had established a somewhat friendly connection with and he told me to contact a specific administrator and maybe something can be done. So now I am just kind of waiting to see if they might change their decision or if the COV-19 outbreak might end up meaning less students accept their offer and additional scholarships will become available before May 1st, when I would have to accept or decline.

    All of that might seem very minor, and it basically is. But one year ago when I decided to move to Italy by myself, I took a big risk and it really was not so easy. I didn't know what I was going to find or what would happen. I was really afraid that I would just be wasting my time and delaying the inevitable of needing to come home and work some job that I hated to afford rent, healthcare, etc. Through a bunch of happy coincidences I ended up in Bologna where I have made a bunch of really good friends and it really felt like the risk that I took had paid off and I was moving in the right direction and kind of self-actualizing or some shit. That no longer seems to be the case and I am living in a pretty incredible period of personal uncertainty and confusion, which is funny because it is lining up perfectly with what feels like the end of the world as we have grown accustomed to knowing it.
    undo
    undo
    Internet's Busiest Music Nerd


    Posts : 6421
    Pizzas : 1133
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Location : small craft on a milk sea

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by undo Mon Mar 09, 2020 4:02 pm

    The past few months have been insufferable. I wouldn't say it lines up perfectly with January 1 or anything but really every day since Christmas has just been a struggle to get through. I don't even have the language for it, I don't want to hyperbolize everything because I know things could get a lot worse than they already are.

    Sorry you've been going through such a difficult time, wp. I have no advice for you, but I will say that following your posts over the last few years in particular, I've envied your willingness to live your life to its fullest, to see the world and pursue your goals and get the most out of this time in your life rather than just settling down and accepting whatever falls in your lap or whatever.
    WP64
    WP64
    Mystery Thread Deleter


    Posts : 3650
    Pizzas : 65
    Join date : 2013-09-02
    Age : 30
    DispositionIntransigent

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by WP64 Mon Mar 09, 2020 11:46 pm

    That is nice of you to say, but really the only reason I have the ability to pursue any of these things is because I have amazing levels of support and encouragement from my family. That and I am incredibly fucking stubborn and refuse to accept the idea that some people get to do certain things because of their class, inherited wealth, or social status. I was raised upper-middle class but always identified very strongly with the social struggle of my grandparents and their ancestors. I don't really know why that is...
    coyote
    coyote
    A classically handsome man's man in the Huey Lewis mold


    Posts : 506
    Pizzas : 99
    Join date : 2012-12-26

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by coyote Tue Mar 10, 2020 2:23 pm

    Sending good vibes to you all. We can all get through our struggles. It’s hard I know Sad
    jesus jones
    jesus jones
    Tub of Lemon Chobani


    Posts : 803
    Pizzas : 259
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by jesus jones Tue Mar 10, 2020 11:09 pm

    i don’t know why i keep waking up
    Ned Braden
    Ned Braden
    Yawn Yeller


    Posts : 4647
    Pizzas : 988
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 41
    Location : The Windy Apple
    DispositionRock Guitars

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by Ned Braden Wed Mar 11, 2020 5:13 am

    Comments: "getting racists fired."

    You waking up makes the world better for the rest of us.
    I don't know if it helps, but I love you guys. The world can be super shitty, and I hate to see it being super shitty to all of you. Hope things get better.
    WP64
    WP64
    Mystery Thread Deleter


    Posts : 3650
    Pizzas : 65
    Join date : 2013-09-02
    Age : 30
    DispositionIntransigent

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by WP64 Wed Mar 11, 2020 1:14 pm

    Yeah, interacting with you guys for the last decade or so has literally made me into a better person.
    WP64
    WP64
    Mystery Thread Deleter


    Posts : 3650
    Pizzas : 65
    Join date : 2013-09-02
    Age : 30
    DispositionIntransigent

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by WP64 Thu Mar 12, 2020 12:50 pm

    I finally got assigned something at work but I have no idea how the fuck I am supposed to get literally anything done right now... I just have a constant state of very low-level, almost ambient anxiety about literally everything. Fuck this shit.
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:57 pm

    Word just came down. Damn it. I should expect to be mostly out of work until the summer. Not entirely, but the thought is that I'll be working for a total of a few days, as opposed to a few months, until then. Motherfucker!
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Sun Mar 15, 2020 2:58 pm

    Owing to my Type 1 diabetes, there aren't many other avenues left open to me, at this point, as I would be risking literal death by attending any interviews or doing any work that is not 100% remote. To say nothing of the deaths of my even-more-immune-compromised immediate family members.
    undo
    undo
    Internet's Busiest Music Nerd


    Posts : 6421
    Pizzas : 1133
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Location : small craft on a milk sea

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by undo Sun Apr 05, 2020 1:35 pm

    Day #2 of my neck and left shoulder feeling really sore and screwed up. I didn't do anything to hurt it! Just slept wrong the other night and nothing's been the same since.
    undo
    undo
    Internet's Busiest Music Nerd


    Posts : 6421
    Pizzas : 1133
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Location : small craft on a milk sea

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by undo Sun Apr 05, 2020 1:36 pm

    zappo wrote:Word just came down.  Damn it.  I should expect to be mostly out of work until the summer.  Not entirely, but the thought is that I'll be working for a total of a few days, as opposed to a few months, until then.  Motherfucker!

    You mentioned you working in the standardized testing industry? Am I thinking of someone else here?
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Sun Apr 05, 2020 3:24 pm

    You're thinking of me. I was one of the last three people working (more than 1500 were already sent "home," by then), but we officially ran out of anything at all to do on Tuesday morning. Nothing on my plate for a long, long, long time, now.
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Sun Apr 05, 2020 3:24 pm

    I'm/I was working on the SAT, these days.
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Thu May 28, 2020 2:02 pm

    Had to get a cortisone injection, yesterday, in hopes of helping a bad joint enough to avoid surgery. It seems that one of the one-in-a-zillion side effects of such an injection is getting the worst case of hiccups in your entire life. Over 24 hours, now, and happening every 5-10 seconds. I did fall asleep, last night, but only for a few minutes at a time.

    So I'm going to be committing suicide, this afternoon. Nice knowing y'all!

    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Thu May 28, 2020 2:03 pm

    undo
    undo
    Internet's Busiest Music Nerd


    Posts : 6421
    Pizzas : 1133
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Location : small craft on a milk sea

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by undo Thu May 28, 2020 2:10 pm

    Does holding your breath help?
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Thu May 28, 2020 2:27 pm

    No, the only thing that can fix it is the elimination (over time) of the steroid from the system. In the days before diabetes, I simply had a small spoonful of sugar to cure the hiccups in about one second; never failed! But I really shouldn't do that, no more, so I've gone with the also-undefeated big-ass spoonful of peanut butter.

    I knew that something was up when I somehow hiccuped twice literally while swallowing the peanut butter. I just have to ride it out until the background check on the firearm sale completes. Then I can finally be free!!!!!!
    zappo
    zappo
    Supermasculine Menial


    Posts : 4478
    Pizzas : 870
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by zappo Thu May 28, 2020 2:28 pm

    I wouldn't even wish this hell on Ken Burns!

    Sponsored content


    going through some shit right now Empty Re: going through some shit right now

    Post by Sponsored content


      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:07 pm