[Mountaindewed]

It feels like I'm in the alaskan tundra. This cooling comforter isn't going to work out for the colder months.

[mar dhea]

Seems anywhere I go
I'll find a land mine
and blunder my way onto it.
Doesn't seem to take too long either you know?

You'd think I'd know better
after all this time
and stay out of certain fields.

Perhaps I should be grateful for this dumb-stubborn heart.
It tends to take a bit of damage
but still has me marching on.

Becoming more difficult though
to remember that swift confident step
back when I was worry free, unwitting
and whole.

[rechu]

Why is it that some people have to be so negative? I participate on a forum for expats living in the country where I live. I posted a picture of this lake my husband and I visited. It had been completely dry and now is filling up again after years because we've gotten a lot of rain. It was beautiful and it's great the lake is recovering.

Some guy had to respond with a rant about how he'd never go there because there are a lot of nice/expensive houses and the camping places charge money and it shouldn't be like that. Really? What's his problem?

[nonightowl]

Originally Posted by rechu

Why is it that some people have to be so negative? I participate on a forum for expats living in the country where I live. I posted a picture of this lake my husband and I visited. It had been completely dry and now is filling up again after years because we've gotten a lot of rain. It was beautiful and it's great the lake is recovering.

Some guy had to respond with a rant about how he'd never go there because there are a lot of nice/expensive houses and the camping places charge money and it shouldn't be like that. Really? What's his problem?

Which is why I don't post much stuff, because even seemingly innocent comments get twisted around. I doubt if the things people say online is something they'd say to the person face to face. It's the anonymity of the Internet that does it. Not all forums have a lot of moderation. I've even seen mean comments to others about their experience with a spam or scam phone call/text!

Really I don't have the thick skin or stomach to do too much online. Even a site I used to go for WEATHER buffs got taken down because of members getting into arguments (not about weather!) and dragging others into it as well.

[rechu]

Wow, arguments on a weather forum. That's just sad.Good point, nonightowl in general about people posting things they wouldn't actually say. That forum is pretty small and most people have participated for a while, so things are usually quite civil.


The thing is, this guy has made enough comments about his life, that you can tell he has quite an elite life himself. He gets paid a US-type salary. From comments about his house, it's about twice the size as mine. He just bought an electric car, which he loves to virtue signal about. Electric cars are extremely expensive in this country. Maybe he can't buy one of those houses that overlook the lake, but he's living a pretty privileged life compared to most people who were born in this country. I guess he's sort of like our government. They try to act like they are some sort of Che Guevara revolutionaries, but they come from upper class backgrounds.

[nonightowl]

Originally Posted by rechu

Wow, arguments on a weather forum. That's just sad.Good point, nonightowl in general about people posting things they wouldn't actually say. That forum is pretty small and most people have participated for a while, so things are usually quite civil.

The thing is, this guy has made enough comments about his life, that you can tell he has quite an elite life himself. He gets paid a US-type salary. From comments about his house, it's about twice the size as mine. He just bought an electric car, which he loves to virtue signal about. Electric cars are extremely expensive in this country. Maybe he can't buy one of those houses that overlook the lake, but he's living a pretty privileged life compared to most people who were born in this country. I guess he's sort of like our government. They try to act like they are some sort of Che Guevara revolutionaries, but they come from upper class backgrounds.

Yeah, a WEATHER forum. One guy took issue with another's avatar, of which he was offended. It just spiraled out of control. For awhile just the forums were removed, you could still view beautiful weather pictures such as rainbows or clouds. Then the site went away altogether. It was okay for a few years, but it did attract a lot of spam too.

There's a real person on the other end of any comments you see online. Funny those comments coming from someone who's privileged himself---I think that's hypocrisy??

Speaking of comments, I used to be able to view comments on X (formerly Twitter) but now I have to sign in to do so. I never looked at much, just a quick glance. Now I can't see even one comment. Maybe that's a good thing.

[Mountaindewed]

My family and therapist were telling me it was just a routine nationwide test alert, the FEMA thing, and not to worry. But there was all this dumb stuff on Twitter and TikTok about #end of times. So I'm freaking out for a week and I'm a mess all this morning. Then 45 minutes ago it was literally like a 5 second thing and then it was over. TikTok needs to go shove it and I need to learn how to majorly calm down and focus on whats really going on in the world.

Honestly, it was bothering me quite a bit because I do feel a ton better now.

[nonightowl]

Originally Posted by Mountaindewed

My family and therapist were telling me it was just a routine nationwide test alert, the FEMA thing, and not to worry. But there was all this dumb stuff on Twitter and TikTok about #end of times. So I'm freaking out for a week and I'm a mess all this morning. Then 45 minutes ago it was literally like a 5 second thing and then it was over. TikTok needs to go shove it and I need to learn how to majorly calm down and focus on whats really going on in the world.

Honestly, it was bothering me quite a bit because I do feel a ton better now.

That alert almost gave me a heart attack but this time I recognized it for what it was, though I didn't know about it in advance because I don't read/listen to much news-----from ANY source. I was hoping it was just a test and it was.

We are living in troubling times to say the least but this end of the world stuff is going too far. It does feel apocalyptic but those online posts just cause a panic....

[rechu]

Once we got one of those for a tsunami alert - in Antarctica! Yes, our country claims a piece of Antarctica and there are some bases there, but it's thousands of km from the mainland. I don't even live near the coast. Most of the country got it and it freaked a lot of people!

[Nammu]

Got the text alert while playing cards at the senior center. Everybody’s phone went off and it bought a pause to playing cards, then everyone had a good laugh about it and life went on.

[nonightowl]

Originally Posted by rechu

Once we got one of those for a tsunami alert - in Antarctica! Yes, our country claims a piece of Antarctica and there are some bases there, but it's thousands of km from the mainland. I don't even live near the coast. Most of the country got it and it freaked a lot of people!

If it just increased in volume gradually instead of a sudden, loud, prolonged BEEEEEEEEPPPPPP, it would be more tolerable! I know they want people to pay attention and the volume can reach the hearing-impaired. But we ought to be able to control the volume.

I can turn off the sound but I don't want to do that. On the TV or radio I can mute it the few seconds it goes on.

Nammu I'm perplexed some people can laugh it off, it's alarming to me. It's a TEST and during a real emergency that's when it's time to stop and listen. At that point, life will not go on as usual---the kind of disruptions we could have make my skin crawl. Even extreme weather is something, more common now than before.

[Nammu]

It was a test, we knew it was a test, and we knew it was coming. No one really thought more deeply about it than that. Growing up, all of us lived though the Wednesdays alarms. Most people at the senior center lived here growing up. This isn’t a place people move to. Here in my home town every Wednesday the siren went off at noon. It was just a test. It was kind of comforting to know it was working and in place. Back then I lived in the country not town but you could still hear it. It was for tornados or air raids. The few times it went off not on a Wednesday everyone knew it was serious and turned on radios to get the news. I guess we thought of todays test the same way. It was a shared moment.

[hiddenaway]

God, I love Drew's smile.

[Mountaindewed]

I feel like people can sometimes take advantage of zoom now.

Also do I want my hoodie on or not. I don't want to get panicky hot 20 minutes after. Maybe the cold won't bother me.

Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep....

[nonightowl]

Originally Posted by Nammu

It was a test, we knew it was a test, and we knew it was coming. No one really thought more deeply about it than that. Growing up, all of us lived though the Wednesdays alarms. Most people at the senior center lived here growing up. This isn’t a place people move to. Here in my home town every Wednesday the siren went off at noon. It was just a test. It was kind of comforting to know it was working and in place. Back then I lived in the country not town but you could still hear it. It was for tornados or air raids. The few times it went off not on a Wednesday everyone knew it was serious and turned on radios to get the news. I guess we thought of todays test the same way. It was a shared moment.

I didn't know it was coming until I read about it on NPR, after it went off. Here we don't have Wednesday alarms. Or alarms any day. Everytime I hear it (rare), I do stop to listen and HOPE it's a test. Supposedly they test every 3 years, which doesn't seem often enough to me.

Sadly there's not that kind of sharing at my senior center or city.

[unaluna]

In our area, air sirens are tested first tuesday of every month at 1pm.

Other tests come thru on the tv usually at the crucial dialogue!

[divine1966]

We were about 15 of us in the room when alarm went off. Everyone’s phone. Imagine the noise. I forgot about it and it startled me. It’s working so it’s all good. No reason to get upset about it. Everyone laughed at me getting startled, including me. I get startled easily. It’s an inside joke at work.

[MuddyBoots]

Found fox scat in the backyard. I knew those holes weren't from the groundhog!

[Crazy Hitch]

On a scale of 1-10, I wonder what degree of tired I am.

[Exoskeleton]

I don't like how early the sun sets now. I miss the longer evenings already and it's only going to get worse over the next couple of months! Not to mention the end of Daylight Savings Time which will mean it gets dark shortly after 5 pm. Ugh! Our State voted to make Daylight Savings Time permanent several years ago but we still change the clocks back every Fall!