I could have sworn I posted a comment about somehow I didn't put the Pequod and Ishmael together until recently despite knowing that the Pequod is the ship in moby dick dude but I guess I didn't (idk how I missed such a detail)

So, my dad got laid off last week. And with that comes the end of his benefits which included health insurance. If you're unaware how American health insurance works when it's provided through your workplace, if you're laid off/fired you are-- in most cases-- able to hold on to those benefits until the end of the month, and then if you so wish you can go through something called COBRA to still retain those benefits to some degree until you're fully covered again (a gross oversimplification). 

HOWEVER through some HR wizardry, the company managed to weasel out of providing that coverage so we're in the lurch until the COBRA goes through, and even then we would likely not be staying on that plan (it's very expensive) so I can't get anything important done until we figure out the plan going forward. I've been able to get some basic stuff done but uhhhh

Ishmael wrote:

I love chronic pain I am so excited to be moving upwards of 60 pounds of things down two flights of stairs while moving out this will definitely not have long term consequences for my physical health yes whoohoo yippee

Remember this? This wasn't just chronic pain! I have been most likely walking on a cartilage tear in my knee for the better part of 4 years  

In order to know for sure, I need an MRI, which I can't get until our medical insurance situation stabilizes, which probably won't happen until at least February or so. It's not like it's an emergency, I've been walking around and doing physically strenuous activity for this long so my knee probably won't explode or anything but I'm,,,, A Little Frustrated that I can never seem to have things go right when I'm trying to address my myriad chronic problems 
 

Yeah, we love corporate greed!
I can't say much that would be helpful, just that you should probably take it easy, and I hope your dad gets his job back soon
We love Murican health insurance lol

-Galaxian-

It's good to hear that you're still alive! Good to hear those sorts of updates indeed.

Heya Ish! Regardless of login frequency, it's always nice to see you and your updates.
Are you on vacations? I assume that you're busy based on your post, so I hope that things can be sorted out without classes loading up your schedule. It's hard to commit to several things at the same time and more so if it's something out of your control. So, seding good wishes and hope you can figure out what is the best course of action to take. Stay safe!

SpecterTheGreat wrote:

Heya Ish! Regardless of login frequency, it's always nice to see you and your updates.
Are you on vacations? I assume that you're busy based on your post, so I hope that things can be sorted out without classes loading up your schedule. It's hard to commit to several things at the same time and more so if it's something out of your control. So, seding good wishes and hope you can figure out what is the best course of action to take. Stay safe!

My pattern of behavior is that I'll slide back in here with ridiculous activity at the start of a semester, but the millisecond my midterms roll around I completely forget about doing anything here and then the anticipatory dread stacks up until 10 days turns into 4 months lol. I've been doing trips and stuff, like going up by the Great Lakes and disappearing into the woods of Michigan's upper peninsula for a couple days (if y'all ever find yourself near a designated dark zone where the night sky is really clear, I highly recommend going out of your way to find a spot to stargaze). I'm not going back to camp this summer-- looooooong story short, I have no desire to align myself with the council anymore, so I have more free time on my hands than I've had in 4 years. Trying to take some things slow and focus on my health but I really need to nail down a job with the same kind of engagement I'm used to that also isn't completely soul-sucking

Yeah stargazing is nice. I don't know anything about stars and the city usually swallows them up, but when they have the opportunity to be out at night they're nice.

Though usually I think they're best paired with a lovely scenery as well, plus a quiet spot.

I know I talk about camp and it's usually the Big Events that are Pretty Bad, but I cannot stress enough that that's only like 10% of my experience and the other 90% is highly enjoyable but not very interesting to talk about

one day ishmael is just going to disappear into the forest and we're never going to hear from him again

lmao Ish update

knee injury: nothing showed up in the scan but I'm in pain every day so that's Fine I guess. I now have a cane at the ripe old age of 22

college: in my senior year, dying but I'll probably make it. Staring down the barrel of a 20 credit hour semester in the spring.

in general: got a tattoo on my calf! It's an emperor moth in front of a sword. It has many meanings and also none at the same time (I got it for a reason but I find a lot of enjoyment in asking people what they think it means + what it means to them) so she's got layers to her now. In getting it, it appears that it sort of reset the nerves in my leg, so I no longer experience chronic pain in my knee (the one I injured like 5 years ago, not this summer). No one really knows why that happened??? I'll take it tho

I'm also taking horseback riding lessons and having a swell time! I really enjoy learning about horse behavior. 95% of communication (horse-to-horse and horse-to-human) is about pressure and presence, which is something I just innately understand and apply to the majority of animals I handle anyways. I'll be continuing through the spring too! 

Hit people with the cane :3

Happy holidays and merry Christmas to those who celebrate! I hope y'all are doing well. Have a great new year, too!