Finals are done! All As and a B so far but still waiting on the Biostatistics grade. That one has a lot of potential to bring me up, or to ruin me, so it'll be fun. Parents are in town this weekend. They'll be meeting my partner, which is a first for them, so that's going to be interesting. In a week and a half, I'll be in bumfuck to help with an infection prevention role at a rural nursing home. It's kinda near Jimmy Carter's birthplace, so maybe I'll go there one weekend and run into him. I hear he spends a good bit of time out and about in his hometown, but he's also slowing down a lot and I don't expect to see him. Thesis is starting to take shape. It's going to be looking at Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy (OPAT) among Veterans. Don't know exactly the breakdown of everything just yet, but it'll probably be looking at age differences, outcomes, risk factors, etc. It's going to be fun for sure.
And also with you. One thing I like about Hubski is that the conversations aren't "me & anon". I have been thinking about that. I have no desire to make Hubski big or popular or to make money. I am seriously considering closing the open signup process, and doing the following: Thoughts? 1. If you want to join Hubski, write a small blurb about yourself. No identifying details, just your hobbies, favorite reads, what you'd like to discuss, etc. 2. Hubskiers with a Hubwheel can see this feed of apps, and approve new users as they like.
I love the fact that hubski people have personalities and I know many of us and I too would not like it being a massive site, so thank you for being dedicated to keeping it thoughtful. However, it's a very quiet website and I think more people would be good. Years ago when there were more people, there was more discussion and I miss the deep, complex, long-lasting discussions. I think making the sign up process more difficult would reduce the number of spam, but it'd also drastically reduce the number of potential newbies coming in. And speaking of newbies, I know there's been discussion from newbies (Daffodil that I can think of recently) that because the lack of action on Hubski, earning a hubwheel is a lot more difficult, and since there is functionality attached to that, being a new person is that much more difficult. It's already daunting since we've all been here for years. Are there plans to fix that should you change the sign up process, or even leaving the sign up process how it is?
We have very few newbies coming in, and I doubt changing the signup in that way will reduce the numbers. In fact, I suspect it might have the opposite effect. Also, spam is a massive pain in the ass. Just three regularly engaged users can have a significant impact on this place. Signaling from the outset that Hubski is clearly more interested in users than growth might be beneficial. I can definitely tweak the rate at which a hubwheel is earned.
It’s definitely one of the more creative solutions you’ve come up with. Far cry from the old days when we’d get up in the middle of the night to make sure that people were being engaged! I honestly have no clue of this is a good idea, but I don’t think there’s any harm in trying. This whole website is one big experiment, so this seems like it’s in the spirit of the place.
Can't find it, but pretty sure I suggested vouching back in the day, inspired by Blinkenshell system, and was universally ignored. I'm all for it now still.
It is an unusual model to ask people to 'apply' for an account on the site ... so I like it. I always like iterating on things and trying new things out. From the newbie's perspective, though, it seems like they should have a way to see our 'applications' as well. Scan through the participants on the site, their little mini-bios, and decide if this is the community they want to throw their hat in with. Maybe the 'application' blurb appears on each of our profile pages? So newbies can figure out the difference between WasOxygen and mike and b_b, etc?
This is an appropriate Hubski idea and can be the next installment of #writebetterdammit
Green beans were the easiest part of my garden the last couple years but they never came up this year - old seed probably. I planted the rest of the seed I had this week so hopefully some will come up. I'm starting to experiment with pottery - I wanted a new very tactile hobby. It's been fun, I've been coil building bowls and stuff. For now I'm sticking with low fire earthenware I can do myself. I know there's a maker's space with a real kiln nearby but I'll cross that bridge later.
Got my 2 art projects approved! 500$ for a sunflower poofer and 1000$ for a spinning seesaw. Now I actually need to build it before the end of june. Our broken trailer-room at the countryhouse is worrying me a little, because I don't see when we have a spare moment to go fix it in the foreseeable future. Took that antisocial pandemic life for granted I guess. Same with my garden i've been meaning to start for the past week. On the plus side, got a cute side piece with a cool truck. Things have been simply, easy, pleasant. Just what I needed in my love life. I've also told my boss I will quit come the end of fall. While I enjoy a lot of my work, certain things have been a problem from the start and I don't see them getting better. I don't think we'll ever agree on the exact source of our frictions, but Iet's just say my boss is a demanding and hard person to work for. All my dedication to the project is not enough to compensate for the emotional toll it's been taking on me. Maybe I'm a bad employee, but I don't have that workaholic drive to keep pushing. And my boss is a great person, I feel our friendship could recover significantly once we're not working together again.
Inside. Honestly, I'm not being glib. Until you know who you are, and what drives you, you cannot be a good partner, and you cannot find the answers outside of you. At one point in my life I realized I lived a very "noisy" active life. There was never any silence or time alone, just me and my thoughts. I was constantly generating noise/activity to avoid having to look inward and do any self-discovery. It took me a year of quiet contemplation, living in a foreign country, largely alone, before I became truly comfortable just being with myself. Everyone's journey is different, and only the few who truly dedicate themselves to it will achieve their goal of internal calm and confidence. But the process is worthy, no matter how far you take it.
Medication is like the third option. First is talking to a professional. They can help identify the issues, techniques for growth and managing those issues, and measurable milestones you can track to move forward. A key component of that will probably be dietary, honestly. Adjusting what you are eating, the quantities and variety, and addressing any underlying health issues (diabetes, fatty liver, IBS, or whatever), through dietary changes can fundamentally adjust your mentality. It's only after all of these options are exhausted that medication even enters the conversation. Because the docs have to know how your head and body are functioning, to figure out which medications might even work for your specific situation. So it isn't, "I'm bummed out", and the doc says, "ok, take this drug for the rest of your life". There's a whole process that addresses all of the different factors that go into making this bag of skin and bones operate optimally. But first you need to see a therapist and get the "head work" started. We are here, and we support you.