If you’ve had covid, it’s done a number on some young people’s cardiovascular systems. I know a person in their 20s who was very healthy, got covid, and was shortly after diagnosed with POTS. I’ve heard of several other people being diagnosed with POTS after getting covid.

I worked at [generic big-name eyeglass store/optometrist] for a few months and we weren’t allowed to adjust any eyeglasses that weren’t purchased at our store because if they broke while we were trying to bend them we couldn’t just get another frame and replace them, but also it was 2022 and they only paid me $12/hr so if someone came in and seemed chill I’d always be like hey, I’m obviously going to try really hard to not break your glasses, but sometimes shit happens and if it does you are on your own because you didn’t get them here and I’m not allowed to do this, and would just adjust them.

Ooh, can I share a sweet story instead, because this made it pop into my head and it’s a memory of a wonderful person that I wish everyone could have known?

I used to work at this small business when I was younger, and one of the employees was an older guy in his 80s who had retired and worked a few hours a week just to keep busy. He loved us teens and twenty somethings and we adored and respected him.

As time went on, the assistant manager left and I ended up being promoted to assistant manager. And eventually daylight savings happened and the clock changed. This employee came in for his first shift after the time change and looked half dejected and half embarrassed and he quietly explained to me that he didn’t know how to change the time on his watch, that the previous assistant manager had always done it for him, so now he was trying to deal with his watch being an hour off. I happily changed the time for him, and after that I changed it for him every time change. Even after he retired for good he would come in during my shift and give me his watch and I’d set it forward or back the hour so it could be right and he’d be thrilled every time.

Medieval combat. I’d love to learn how to sword fight, like genuinely sword fight.

Do YouTube series count? If so, the boys from Adventures in Azerum are on their way to go get the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller for the Greybeards.

Thanks! This is all good information and I appreciate you taking the time to write it all out for me!

I know you’re talking alcoholic cider, but you just brought back one of the few happy memories of my childhood. There used to be a small (nonalcoholic) apple cider making business relatively close to where I grew up. Every fall we’d compile a whole bunch of empty gallon jugs and make the drive over there. They had a giant keg of apple cider that they’d fill all the jugs from, and since I was just a kid the employees used to let me help them fill up the jugs. The smell of that place was absolute heaven. We’d leave with about 10 or 15 gallons of apple cider that we’d freeze for the rest of the year and a small jar of apple butter.

I want to be able to live in a small place with a backyard facing woods, hills, or water. I want to be able to pay my bills with enough left over for some savings, some fun stuff, and maybe a short vacation once every year or two. I want to go hiking on the weekend and I want to sit on my back porch at night and drink tea while wrapped in a blanket and I want a gaming room with a big window so I can play games late at night looking up at the sky. Why are my dreams so unattainable?

I did google it, and found a bunch of articles about dual booting with windows 7. I didn’t know if it was still possible or if it would be smart to try for someone with no experience with Linux, so I thought I’d come to a sub where there are tons of people who use Linux daily and could give me some advice about whether I should try it or not. Thanks for the input :)

Thanks! I’ve been interested in Linux for awhile now. I don’t plan on sharing files between the two OSes, and I’m religious about my backups. If I don’t have at least 3 or 4 backups I don’t consider my data backed up :)

I have no idea. I’ve known it for years. All my computer knowledge is self taught so random things I’m fairly knowledgeable on and then there’s things that are common knowledge I’ve never heard of. I’m doing my best out here! I was a sheltered kid who grew up into an adult that doesn’t know anyone tech savvy!

Thank you! This is all good advice. I’ve never actually used a VM but will have to do more research on installing and using one. When you (and everyone else here) say shrink the partition from inside windows, do you mean from within the disk management software? I’m familiar with that, having added extra drives on my other computers. I actually have 3 computers, 2 laptops and a gaming rig I built, but they both have Nvidia GPUs and I’ve heard so many bad things about Nvidia and Linux and I don’t want my first Linux experience to be fighting it out with those. If I like Linux I’ll probably switch one of my other computers over to Linux either entirely or on one of the second drives (both my other computers have 2 different drives).

“We must stop eating!” cried Toad, as he ate another. “Yes,” said Frog, reaching for a cookie, “we need will power.” (Frog and Toad Together)

That’s me when I have good cookies.

That’s why I’d only go there if money wasn’t an issue :) otherwise I’d rather be in a Nordic country. It’s a shame to see countries look at the US and think we’re something to emulate.

I dream of being in New Zealand or a Nordic country, but I’m a broke American loser who’s too poor to even go visit those countries, and so they don’t even want me there in the first place. I will keep dreaming, and die with my dreams unfulfilled. Maybe next life.

Same. Grew up very sheltered, under-educated, and brainwashed. Got out into the real world, started learning, started seeing how things actually worked. Realized that it wasn’t just “sluts” having abortions for convenience. Realized that even though I was super careful and in a committed relationship, getting pregnant would ruin my life and I’d probably seriously consider an abortion and I’d better re-think my stance or have to accept I was a genuine hypocrite. Got into EMS, started going out into people’s houses… the poverty I’ve seen… the way we allow people to live in this country… it’s appalling. Not only am I incredibly pro-choice, I’ve gone from conservative/libertarian to so far left/pro social services. I think anyone who wants to sit on their couch and talk about how people don’t deserve abortions or don’t deserve social services should be forced to go talk to these people because I met so many people who were unfortunate enough to be chronically ill and unable to work or who worked harder than me but in low-paid jobs and who had no hope of ever getting out of the hole they were in.

I was cleaning out awhile ago and found my first ever smartphone, a Galaxy s3. Boy, the memories… that phone sure wasn’t perfect, but I think it’s still my favorite phone, and it was literally the perfect size for my tiny ass hands. I hate hauling a small tablet around.

This is adulthood…

Married 8 years. Worked my butt off when we were dating/engaged and never managed to go to college, but he did. I’ve always wanted to go. We finally got somewhat stable the last few years, so I enrolled. A little over a year of FT in, I’m busting my ass again, not working at all since I started, because he told me “don’t work, just focus on studying and getting good grades, and finish as soon as you can.” I’m a fucking idiot. He left me last week with literally no warning. I have no job, no money, no friends, and the only 2 family members I have are 1000 miles away. Been going to classes because I have no idea what else to do but fuck.

Im a broke woman with chronic health problems in a red state who may be homeless soon and who sure as hell can’t afford to leave and go somewhere better. I guess I’ll just keep trudging along and hope that somehow we’re all being hysterical and things won’t actually get that bad but if they do and if I lose what little social assistance I have I guess I’ll just tap out and call it a life, ya know?

Crying and trying to work on school