The gastritis is..... bad. And I'm tired of working through the pain. But my friend made me dinner this evening which was amazing because I'm so tired of making food that's suitable for me to eat.
Never take ibuprofen on an empty stomach.
I teach English as a foreign language and if any of my students wrote the same way you do I'd cry with joy. You have no problems with accuracy but if you're having trouble speaking then it's fluency you need a hand with. Conversation classes would be a good place to start or as someone mentioned just chatting to someone over the phone or zoom.
Also if you really want to expand your vocabulary, try learning lists of phrasal verbs. Even my most advanced students find them difficult, but native speakers use them all the time so it helps with understanding and will make your English sound more natural.
Just over 5 months sober. I struggled a little this weekend. I was meant to meet my partners' friends for drinks (I've been usually OK in social settings, happy to just get a non alcoholic beer and chill) however this weekend I just couldn't face talking to new people AT ALL. I got incredibly anxious at the thought of the whole situation and started crying and genuinely couldn't stop. I even put on my going out clothes and stepped outside my front door but I still couldn't stop and I had to go back inside.
And it made me reflect on how often I used to be able to rely on alcohol as a crutch for these kinds of situations. Obviously that set off some catastrophic thinking about never being able to interact with new people in a social situation ever again.
Having slept on it (I stayed in and watched movies instead) I have to cut myself some slack. I was quite sick all last week and had very little energy, so I didn't go to the gym at all which usually helps my moods. I also didn't do anything social even with people I know and felt really lonely. And last of all I also took some pretty strong medication to help with another infection I had and I wonder if everything altogether made me feel like shit.
So I have that to reflect on today. I texted a friend of mine this morning about one of the films I watched last night and we had a really good conversation about it which was really nice. And I didn't have to leave my house to have it :))
These are great! Thanks superkret :)
Browse tumblr. Haven't found my niche yet on lemmy. I'm also learning a new language on Duolingo and am halfway through Ulysses!
Not exactly as a customer, but trying to access welfare when I was off work long term sick was a fucking nightmare. I don't mind filling in forms but dealing with the people in that government department was the most demoralising experience of my life. I cried on the phone once because of how rude one of the agents was to me. They're being rude and unhelpful to people who are sick and out of work. What a way to kick the most vulnerable people in society when they're down.
I finally got what I was owed and I've delayed filing a complaint about them because I just never wanted to deal with them again but it's about time I bring out my inner Karen because they're probably still traumatising people that need financial help.
I don't mind cleaning that much but the laundry really gets my goat because I can't just DO it. You get me?
Like, the dishes for example. I do those, or I put them in a dishwasher where they're cleaned and dried and it's just one thing.
With the laundry I have to separate everything so I can't even wash stuff all at the same time. Then it takes two hours for the washing machine to be done and then they're wet. And if I leave them too long in the washing machine they get that mouldy damp smell so I have to wash again. And then there's the drying. Hanging up socks should be illegal, it takes so long and for what?? One wear and then they're back in the laundry basket? Kill me.
Oh now your stuff is dry? Now you have to take it to a secret third place (your wardrobe). It takes so much time and energy to get the washing and drying done that the last part often doesn't get done.
And. It. Never. Ends.
Someone PLEASE invent a wardrobe that does mini loads of laundry and also hangs your clothes to dry but also that doesn't make your home mouldy.
Or even just. A smaller washing machine that operates with a crank and only takes a few turns to wash your clothes so that I don't have to leave it for two hours in a washing machine and forget about it.
I don't think I'm being articulate at all here but whatever. Laundry needs to get its shit together. We live in the future and it still SUCKS.
Thanks for your detailed answer, I really liked it. Apologies if this question was offensive to you, I had this discussion recently and it made me think a lot about how much time I spend using my literacy skills vs getting around. Then it got me thinking about how accessible lots of buildings where I live are. A friend of mine had a family member come to visit in a wheelchair recently and pointed out that lots of places that tourists usually visit are exempt from accessibility requirements because they're situated in older buildings. One of my biggest shames in one of my previous jobs was being told I had to turn down a group of students coming to take a course in the school I was working in because we couldn't accommodate one of their classmates in a wheelchair. Like, my gut tells me that's straight up illegal 🫤 but maybe where I live it's not. I left that job not long after so I don't know if there were any repercussions.
There's a big push to revitalise the city I live in at the moment regarding opening up public spaces and making them more attractive to citizens and this is something that I haven't seen discussed openly in relation to that yet so I will keep an eye out for it!
I've been struck down by some mystery illness. My head hurts but mostly I'm just fatigued and my mental faculties aren't where they should be. I teach languages yet I can't remember words for basic things right now! So I'm taking a few days off to recover. Hopefully will be back in by the end of the week.
In other news, I'll be five months off alcohol this week. Social situations have become easier, I'm getting used to being a little bit goofy at parties and my friends have been super supportive! One even looked shocked when I held my partner's beer at a festival a few weeks ago and made a joke saying they couldn't remember the last time they saw me with a beer! It sounds small but it meant the world 😊
As I'm confined to my couch for the next little while I'm probably going to be a bit more active on beehaw! Hope you're all having a nice week!
This pizza place opened in an area that is flush with well established takeaway spots. We ordered from it once and it was BAD. The bases were frozen and the meat was clearly sandwich meat from a supermarket. Whenever we pass it by, it's open but there are NEVER any customers.
The online reviews are bizarre, they're either one star reviews with detailed explanations of how shitty the food is or 5 star reviews with no comments.
Yet somehow this place is STILL open despite being surrounded by superior competition and always being empty. There is absolutely no way it's not a front for something.
What's the knuckle thing?
Better than last time I commented on this thread! My gastritis has taken a turn for the better which has had a huge positive effect on my mood. I got some extra hours in work too, after working part time for ages due to being sick. I'm hoping to pick up some private students for online lessons after the summer to earn some more money so I can move out of my house which has been the plan since 2020 but it's been delayed at every turn 😭 2025 is going to be my year... Possibly