Deathless

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Fri Dec 04, 2020 5:10 pm

New phone all setup, just need to connect the Bluetooth to the cars. Thankfully, one side effect of so many people working from home lately is that many of the customers have made it much easier to reactivate your 2FA without being onsite. Several of them had self-service portals allowing you to do it, the others you still had to call their help desk and have someone send you a link or set a flag so it would prompt you to re-enroll the next time you logged in.

Post by **Mike** » Fri Dec 04, 2020 9:24 pm

Whoo! Accomplishment!

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Fri Dec 04, 2020 10:09 pm

Kyle still alive? Now that I do not see the other humans except through this little panel, many of them report illness and various brushes with crisis or death, or live in places rife with plague, and it is always nice to see the regular proofs of life. I guess for some more than others, but generally, yes, proof of life good.

Post by **Mike** » Fri Dec 04, 2020 10:41 pm

Probably.

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Sat Dec 05, 2020 5:04 am

Good morning. Life goes on. Usually.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Sat Dec 05, 2020 6:45 am

Good morning! I am still alive! Everyone has turned the corner and are on the mend. I haven’t had a fever for awhile and am feeling much better. All seven of us in the family have it, but three are symptomatic with their only symptom being extra tired.

Post by **Mike** » Sat Dec 05, 2020 8:05 am

Yay! Victory!

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:15 pm

I'm glad you're all feeling better!

Post by **Mike** » Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:43 pm

You didn't ask ME if I'm feeling better.

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Sun Dec 06, 2020 4:48 am

Found out early this morning that my former boss died. Him and his wife were like second parents to my wife and I, when we moved from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest right after college. Had it not been for the pandemic, we would have gotten out to visit them again over the summer, but now we've been robbed of that chance.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:07 am

Sorry Tahlvin. That sucks.

Post by **Mike** » Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:48 am

No kidding. That's tragic.

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Sun Dec 06, 2020 9:15 am

It's weird because I had an urge to call them this past week, and I thought I'd put it off and try to reach them over the weekend. Guess I need to pay closer attention to my urges along those lines.

DMDarcs · Post by **DMDarcs** » Sun Dec 06, 2020 9:23 am

Don't feel like you need to call me.

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Sun Dec 06, 2020 2:57 pm

I have been worried about you and Mrs. Darcs. I hope you are both doing well?

Post by **Mike** » Sun Dec 06, 2020 11:05 pm

Present!

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 4:33 am

Apparently, I really need to pay closer attention to those urges when they hit. It sounds like he had a bit of a fall a couple weeks ago, and when they took him to the hospital, the hospital was worried they didn't have enough staff (thanks to the pandemic) to help him get around safely, so they over-medicated him to keep him still. So it sounds like there may be a bit of medical malpractice involved. I've had these urges before, and sometimes act on them with interesting effects, but usually think people will think I'm crazy if I contact them out of the blue on a whim, so I don't act on it.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 7:16 am

Good morning! In brighter news, my family is feeling much better and today is the first time in almost two weeks that one of us is allowed to leave the house!

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 8:03 am

Glad to hear you all are improving!

Post by **Mike** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 10:08 am

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 1:04 pm

YARP!

Post by **Mike** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 1:51 pm

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 1:58 pm

So tomorrow is freedom day! FREEDOM DAY! I'll go work in my satellite office, still isolated and still not around other people (although i could be!), but out of my house! FREEDOM!

Post by **Mike** » Mon Dec 07, 2020 2:19 pm

Freedom, freedom, freedom, OY!

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 4:44 am

They may take our land, but they'll never take our FREEDOM! But we'll still be fucked.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 5:52 am

Basically. Yes.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 6:31 am

FREEDOM DAY!

Post by **Mike** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 7:02 am

You can crush me, but you can't crush my spirit!

OW! MY SPIRIT!

DMDarcs · Post by **DMDarcs** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 8:30 am

Kid asks me if we're not having the concert tonight because we had to pivot to remote teaching for today. No kid, we're not having the concert because the stage is full of all the desks and chairs that have been taken out of the other classrooms, there is no room that can hold performers that need to be 12 feet distant from each other and have an audience, and we've never met together as a group to rehearse anything. Duh.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 10:00 am

I'm out of my house! I'm in my satellite office! Life is good!

Post by **Mike** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 11:17 am

Whoo! Now trash the place!

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 11:25 am

DMDarcs, they just aren't teaching critical thinking skills nowadays, are they?

DMDarcs · Post by **DMDarcs** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 2:13 pm

Tahlvin wrote: ↑Tue Dec 08, 2020 11:25 am DMDarcs, they just aren't teaching critical thinking skills nowadays, are they?

I'm the one who usually does this.

The kids are learning remotely today and tomorrow. Staff are supposed to go into work to teach remotely, but I'm not allowed to teach remotely from work, because I haven't been cleared, so I have to teach remotely from home, even though in both cases I'm not interacting with anyone. It feels very catch-2020.

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 4:31 pm

Yes, 2020 can suck Schweddy balls.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 8:42 pm

I like the way they glisten.

Phoebe · Post by **Phoebe** » Tue Dec 08, 2020 8:54 pm

Very glad all are well and out and about! Progress! Glistening!

Very sorry to hear about Tahlvin's boss and the unfortunate timing of not being able to meet with him one last time. I tend to think "weird" experiences like the urge to call people in cases like this are actually "natural" things that science hasn't explained yet, so maybe we will get the explanation someday, or maybe that's to be left to future scientists we will never hear from in our lifetimes, but there has to be an explanation, right?

Like T. was saying: "I've had these urges before, and sometimes act on them with interesting effects, but usually think people will think I'm crazy if I contact them out of the blue on a whim, so I don't act on it."

These are the experiences that, ah, shake my understanding of the universe. You know, you can go down the list of cognitive errors and bad inferences and such, and it comes down to "that was so weird, and I don't know if it's going to ever be explained to me". Stuff like this is a regular feature of life and I don't get it. Same with some of the other most hard-nosed rational people I know, like my dad and husband. They have no idea either but they experience it regularly.

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 4:49 am

Who knows. Maybe the idea hits every once in awhile and you just shrug it off, but when something bad happens afterwards, that time really stands out in your memory, so you think you have ESP or something like that. But to really experiment on that, I should respond every time I get the urge to contact someone and just see if anything weird is occurring in their life at the time. Science!

Post by **Mike** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 5:29 am

And it's not even important that you follow up on those urges. You just need to write all of them down. If you don't remember to write it down until after it becomes significant, then it doesn't count.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 6:36 am

Good morning!

Post by **Mike** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 7:45 am

Good morning!

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:25 am

Y'all- I can't tell you how different things are now that I'm not worried about getting Covid. It DEFINITELY wasn't worth it- having Covid was fucking awful. But the silver lining is not having to worry about going to the store or constantly being worried about exposure. It's such a weight off.

Eliahad · Post by **Eliahad** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:44 am

But you're like, still using a mask and shit, right? Festivus for the rest of us and all that?

Eliahad · Post by **Eliahad** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:44 am

Actually, scratch that, I'm going to break the rules to say, "Please don't use shit." Thank you.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 9:56 am

I'm still using a mask and social distancing and all that- if for no reason than to encourage everyone to follow the protocols. But it's nice to not be worried about it.

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:36 am

I'll wait for the vaccine.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:48 am

Tahlvin wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:36 am I'll wait for the vaccine.

I get that, and that was my philosophy before I got Covid, right? I was super cautious and didn't go out if I didn't have to. But it's nice to know that I don't have to have those concerns for a few months. There's a weight that comes with those concerns.

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 11:03 am

Oh, I get that. It's just that I've been hospitalized before because of asthma and pneumonia, and I don't want to go through that sort of stuff in order to get that feeling of freedom on the other side, especially not if it comes with the potential of not making it through in the first place. But I'm happy you are on the mend, and congratulate you on getting to feel that freedom without significant (that we know of, yet) side effects.

Kyle · Post by **Kyle** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 11:42 am

Tahlvin wrote: ↑Wed Dec 09, 2020 11:03 am Oh, I get that. It's just that I've been hospitalized before because of asthma and pneumonia, and I don't want to go through that sort of stuff in order to get that feeling of freedom on the other side, especially not if it comes with the potential of not making it through in the first place. But I'm happy you are on the mend, and congratulate you on getting to feel that freedom without significant (that we know of, yet) side effects.

I want to be clear- as I said before- it's not worth it. I'd rather not have been laid up for 10 days with a fever and sleeping 16-18 hours a day. I'd rather not have had the anxiety of monitoring my oxygen saturation level to see if I needed to go to the hospital. It's not worth it.

That doesn't mean there isn't a silver lining.

Tahlvin · Post by **Tahlvin** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 12:52 pm

From a distance the world looks blue and green,
and the snow-capped mountains white.
From a distance the ocean meets the stream,
and the eagle takes to flight.

From a distance, there is harmony,
and it echoes through the land.
It's the voice of hope, it's the voice of peace,
it's the voice of every man.

From a distance we all have enough,
and no one is in need.
And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease,
no hungry mouths to feed.

Post by **Mike** » Wed Dec 09, 2020 10:24 pm

FIRE!