One of the best things about this place is that if you are dealing with something difficult, someone will immediately offer tangible, concrete help, in addition to compassion. This is, I think, what separates this social media from every other. People here support each other in genuinely holistic ways: in each other's emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health, and even in each other's interests. Frogs or photography, windows or waterfalls, trees or tech, it's all not only welcome, but often commonly shared. You can say "Look at this cool leaf!" and not only does no one make fun of you, but many ooh and ahh and agree. We've had a few trolls and spammers of late, but we all work together to limit them. So, give yourselves a pat on the back. You're doing something meaningful here.

I am worried about the uptick in people here saying that they've been laid off. Many more posts than usual, and it's a global pattern.

The FX channel on TV has decided to run ads for ICE. I have decided I can't watch FX. I contacted them, and I hope others do, too. My feedback message: Hi, My mom and I watch movies together on FX every single week. But, then she saw those ICE recruitment ads, and it upset her so much that we can no longer watch our favorite channel at all. It's disappointing. Just thought you might want to know that heavy handed ads tend to turn people off, and then the other advertisers lose viewership, too. If it were a political candidate ad, I could see your having to run those, because it's the law. This, however, is a choice.

California Sees 17 Times Monthly Rainfall in 2 Days: 'Insane' - Newsweek

Newsweek

California sees 17 times monthly rainfall in 2 days: "Insane"

Heavy rain caused some flash flooding in Yosemite, California, over the weekend, with some weather alerts still in place.

Am I off-base or does it seem like the ultra wealthy know that there is about to be a global scramble for basic resources, so they want a lot of us out of the way, to reduce competition? If you've ever seen the limited series "The Peripheral" you know what I'm talking about.

Just finished reading HELL, by Kathryn Davis, a dizzying but worthwhile experience. I would describe the genre as slipstream meets literary fiction. The surreal narrative is loose, challenging, and often confusing. The story parallels different characters over time, rooted to the same place. The plot seems secondary to the act of description itself. The characters are seen via their emotional states, their flaws, the spaces they inhabit, and their connection to objects. Davis has a uniquely effective way of presenting the familiar, and an equal talent for describing that which we have never even thought to define. This, along with the utilization of both heavy symbolism and a plethora of literary references, serve to elevate the level of the writing. Some of the sentences this author has crafted are just pure art. I could not pass those by too quickly, because that would be like rushing through a museum. And just like in a museum, we don't always understand all the art, but we still recognize it as art. @bookstodon group

Post ER visit update: Managed to get one of the less common side effects of Flagyl: shortness of breath. Gonna delay or skip next dose to see if it resolves. Still have Cipro to fight the infection. Lord, it just couldn't be easy, could it? Oddly enough, at the exact same time as my (suspected C Diff infection) my cousin developed a Norovirus infection. I wonder if Climate change plays a role, here, making it easier to get sick? I know that this is the worst fatigue I've experienced since I had a reactivated bout with Epstein Barr (18 years ago).