On another subject, I have to say this is the most strangely and curiously upbeat song about suicide I've ever heard.

Had my 3-month checkup at the doctor's office yesterday, and as it turns out, since last summer, I've lost nearly 40 pounds, and I am stymied! I've struggled with weight since I hit my double digits, and I've tried in vain just about every diet plan or exercize regiment under the sun you can imagine, and the pounds just wouldn't come off - and if they did, it would only be temporary. The most weight I can remember losing at any point in my life in a particular span of time was almost 30 pounds, but 40, I am just ecstatic!

J_Scarbrough wrote:
Had my 3-month checkup at the doctor's office yesterday, and as it turns out, since last summer, I've lost nearly 40 pounds, and I am stymied! I've struggled with weight since I hit my double digits, and I've tried in vain just about every diet plan or exercize regiment under the sun you can imagine, and the pounds just wouldn't come off - and if they did, it would only be temporary. The most weight I can remember losing at any point in my life in a particular span of time was almost 30 pounds, but 40, I am just ecstatic!

Congrats man!

Thanks!!

Aw dammit, looks like Clipconverter.cc got shut down . . . don't know of any other legit video downloading platforms left out there, they all always end up getting shut down.

J_Scarbrough wrote:
Thanks!!

Aw dammit, looks like Clipconverter.cc got shut down . . . don't know of any other legit video downloading platforms left out there, they all always end up getting shut down.

dirpy dot com?

Well shit! I just learned that the AOK YouTube channels has been shut down - no wonder it's been so long since we've gotten new content from them. Shame, they were one of the only mainstream YouTube channels I even enjoyed, especially their childhood raping series like ARTHUR THE ADULT and CAILLOU THE GROWNUP.

J_Scarbrough wrote:
their childhood raping series

Ooooooh the wording we use to describe popculture stuff is so dodgy sometimes hahahaha!


I remember the shocked faces of a bunch of people looking on at a conversation between boys on the train… this kid was saying “I'm gooona rape you! You can't handle it man, I am totally gonna rape you, just you wait…” and so on.
It even took me a moment before I realised he was talking about an FPS game.

Either that or he was channeling his inner GRAPIST!!!

I've just had a personal Mandela Effect . . . I could have sworn that the Yoshis in Super Mario World had different colored shoes like they do in other games, but it turns out, they all just had red shoes - even Red Yoshi.

J_Scarbrough wrote:
I've just had a personal Mandela Effect . . . I could have sworn that the Yoshis in Super Mario World had different colored shoes like they do in other games, but it turns out, they all just had red shoes - even Red Yoshi.

I know from memory that green Yoshi wore red shoes. I was too distracted by blue Yoshi’s wings, red Yoshi was too destructive and left coins in place of Koopas, yellow Yoshi was my home slice. I could ride that sand cloud producing, buttercup yellow dinosaur until the cows came home.

I've been trying to get ISBN numbers for my webcomic series released as an e-book graphic novel. I've been trying that since last week, but unfortunately they won't help, because a “fantasy name” can't be given as the publisher. I'm in the process of trying to explain to them, that giving my real name as the publisher defeats the purpose of using a pen name and is practically doxing myself, but I doubt they care much. It wasn't an issue registering a pen name as publisher before, but then again, my content didn't include LGBT+ characters and religious satire before either. I'm quite irritated atm because of this.

I want to get my stuff into at least a local book database online, where people could actually review it and hear about it, but without an ISBN, that's not an option and obviously, it doesn't matter how much I'd pay, a US or any other agency wouldn't give a number, because it all has to be done locally, through that one office. Wonder if anyone got into a similar situation before or what's the solution to this. I've heard of Amazon publishing having different number other than ISNBs, but I can imagine they wouldn't want it published everywhere for free, making it available for free and they'd probably take issue with royalty-free anc CC content in it as well. So I'm still waiting for an answer if they can suggest something actually constructive and helpful instad of just telling me, that my “fantasy name” is not good enough (anymore). Do I really have to build a website for this and pay people to read it and review it to get a fair shot, like books in online databases, simply because I don't want to dox myself to just about anyone under an oppressive **** government? :(

update: nope, they literally don't give a shit. I have to write my own name, or they won't give an ISBN number. So I guess, that's it.

Jeez…I don't know anything about that book publishing stuff but it's another sign of how our freedoms are being eroded. Anonymity is important. There can be no true freedom of speech without it.

I'm trying to contact someone else in the office. Maybe it's not an actual new regulation and the person answering my mail was just discriminating against me because of the contents of my comic. But I doubt I'll be lucky, ‘cause even if the other one will be professional, he’d have to admit the mistake of a co-worker to some nobody like me. I'll probably end up spending a small fortune on ISBN numbers and renting a PO BOX for a local address in another country (where I'll probably have to travel with my ID to rent it in person) and that is IF said country's ISBN agency does allow a higher degree of public anonymity than this one would grant. All that so I could get extra eyes on my comic possibly a review or two and get it recognized as a book series by others. Will probably see in the upcoming months, idk. It's depressing, because if you live in a country where literature featuring LGBT+ relationships or characters is widely seen as propaganda poisoning the minds of minors and to a degree is even criminalized as such, you could either just limit your artistic expression to suit the comfort of the public or you could risk getting harassed over it. Basically, these are the two options they offered me. Aside from… you know, not releasing my stuff officially in e-book format and just limiting my entire readership to active members in communities like this. Forever. (Not that I'd consider pulling it from the Duck even if it would mean financial gains. It'd take a lot more than that and I'll release them on the side, for free even without an ISBN. I just think, that when you work on something for more, than 7 months, day and night you're entitled to at least the same treatment as anyone else would get, even if your content happens to be controversial.)

I wish you a lot of luck with that Inkymoondrop!

—————-

I've just finished making something out of steel. It's such a frustrating but satisfying process.
The first piece I made was 20 years ago; I taut myself how to make armour with nothing more than a vice, hammers and hand-made tools and I made money from it. I didn't even know that I COULD make armour, I just knew that I could make the shape out of paper or cardboard and that steel would hold that shape much better. I'd seem engravings of Emperor Maximilian in his workshop so I had an idea of what I needed to use.

Anyway, I did a sexy photoshoot with a model wearing a cyberpunk outfit I put together in red gear. Another model wanted to do a shoot and I thought I'd revisit the cyberpunk theme but in black instead of red.
So I needed a black helmet.
I managed to get an old full face motorcycle helmet but I don't like the shape so to make it more cyberpunk I need to add mecha bunny ears to it and a chin piece. Unlike other cosplay people I don't use foam, it's squishy and fragile and I don't trust it. So I made custom additions to the helmet in steel.
I have much more to do still but I'm halfway done now <3

Once a blue moon I pop in here. The reason why this time: I made a lyric video of one of my songs. This time I used a couple Linux applications to make it: Cava and Project M for the visualizers, OBS Studio to capture them both, and Kdenlive to edit it all together (a little chroma-key to overlay Cava over Project M, text, and a clean audio file, all while syncing everything up).

Hellhole in the Sofa video

OMG! I thought the lyrics to that song was a joke until I looked up the story of Lacey Ellen Fletcher… Holy shit!!!

elektro wrote:
Once a blue moon I pop in here. The reason why this time: I made a lyric video of one of my songs. This time I used a couple Linux applications to make it: Cava and Project M for the visualizers, OBS Studio to capture them both, and Kdenlive to edit it all together (a little chroma-key to overlay Cava over Project M, text, and a clean audio file, all while syncing everything up).

Hellhole in the Sofa video

Nice job on that original track. Still feel terribly sad for Lacey, difficult to believe she was fed foam.

lothar wrote:
OMG! I thought the lyrics to that song was a joke until I looked up the story of Lacey Ellen Fletcher… Holy shit!!!

I wish it was a joke. The story is like something off a Cannibal Corpse album.

I have the worst toothache I have ever experienced in my life thus far.
It's not even a toothache, it's a bone ache… in the jaw under the took. The pain when it comes is almost unbearable. Codeine does nothing at all.
It feels like I've been knocked in the face with the pointy end of a rock-hammer. In fact I getting really close to just doing that because it would actually feel better that this pain.

Probably going to need an extraction of lots of antibiotics if I'm lucky.
God knows what I'm going to need if I'm not.

Ozoneocean wrote:
Probably going to need an extraction of lots of antibiotics if I'm lucky.
God knows what I'm going to need if I'm not.

Root canal surgery? Not popular, but a walk in the park compared to that pain. I just wish I hadn't opened my eyes at the exact moment the guy was lighting a blowtorch.

Ironscarf wrote:

Ozoneocean wrote:
Probably going to need an extraction of lots of antibiotics if I'm lucky.
God knows what I'm going to need if I'm not.

Root canal surgery? Not popular, but a walk in the park compared to that pain. I just wish I hadn't opened my eyes at the exact moment the guy was lighting a blowtorch.

Had my extraction back in January. Now I have to wait until June to get the replacement tooth. So I'm walking around with only one front tooth. Constantly biting my lip because never realized how a missing front tooth throws off your bite.

Ironscarf wrote:
Root canal surgery? Not popular, but a walk in the park compared to that pain. I just wish I hadn't opened my eyes at the exact moment the guy was lighting a blowtorch.

That's what the dentist was to give me… but I might just eave it was an empty socket XD
Cheaper.

DAMMIT! My sciatica is flaring up again! This is the fourth flare-up I've had in less than a year! This is seriously becoming rote!

It finally happened. I was offered a permanent job (one with benefits and everything). Naturally, I accepted. It also seems like a nice place with interesting history, a small staff, and the type of work I like (giving tours of a historic home, staffing a visitor center, and writing).

But I have to move out of state. And I'm overwhelmed. I was offered the job Monday. By Tuesday I was pre-approved for a home loan and the soon to be employer started a background check. Yesterday, I met with a realtor who told me to get the house ready to list by Saturday and the soon to be employer told me they want me to start (tentatively) June 4. I spent literally all day packing things. I have more I need to pack before it's suitable to list. My Dad is renting a moving truck to haul stuff to their storage tomorrow.

It's really… It's a lot. I'm so sore. I don't think I worked so hard in my entire life.

I moved over twenty times growing up; don't want to do it ever again.

I never understood why some jobs are willing to uproot people and disrupt their lives (and even the lives of their family) just for the sake of a job.

J_Scarbrough wrote:
I moved over twenty times growing up; don't want to do it ever again.

I never understood why some jobs are willing to uproot people and disrupt their lives (and even the lives of their family) just for the sake of a job.

I've been working seasonally for fifteen years. I had to move twice a year for most of it. Once to the job location and then to my parents'house in the off season. I hate moving. I lived in a camper for a while so I wouldn't have to pack as much. But I had to hire someone to move the camper and find a suitable campground.

Anyway, there are many reasons why I have been desperately longing for a permanent job. That's one of them.

I miss eggs.
There are literally no eggs in the stores. Maybe if I woke up early and went shopping before noon I might find some. Haven't had an egg in weeks.
I guess it's cuz they had an outbreak of bird flu and killed most of the chickens here. Also, chicken became hella expensive.

Anybody else have this problem?

Not to that extent, but yeah, eggs are incredibly expensive right now - nearly $5.00 a dozen!

I'm selling all my chickens so I can move. 🙁 I'm going to miss them and their eggs.

I know who would love to buy your chickens!