Random thing you loathe right now.

I have to replace the cable on my VR headset that connects it to the PC.

That I don't loath - that headset is coming up on 5 years old and has seen quite a lot of use in that time. Perfectly reasonably for that cable to have worn and broken.

The thing I loath is that it costs SIXTY BUCKS for the replacement!!! One cable! Is it made of unobtanium?

It can't be proprietary, is it?
There's got to be a generic alternative. Is it HDMI? USBC?

No, not a standard cable. Proprietary connectors.

There are 3rd party options. Those are FIFTY bucks.

Bummer. I thought the whole thing of modern VR headsets was that they used off the shelf components from laptop and mobile phone tech.

Which VR system, Jonman?

Vive Pro

Yeah, wow, all those companies using USB-C and HTC uses proprietary... Ouch.

I have spent the last few months prepping my parent's home for accessibility support and care, gutting the clutter and hoarded items, setting up repairs, purchasing new hardware and appliances, and getting to the areas of their home and life that have deteriorated to neglect so they can better weather my dad's current decline along with any future changes for them due to their advancing age.

I don't have the bandwidth or the skiils to gentle-parent my folks through their Big Feelings on top of everything else. I wish I did. I wish we all weren't neurodivergent/autistic and struggling to build our own toolkits since theirs will likely never go examined, diagnosed, or acknowledged. They want the results but are resistant to doing the work. Sometimes...you gotta pick your battles and this isn't the one for any of us.

Just introducing the language of compromise as grown adults instead of a parent-child lecture has been a weird shift for them. Unintentionally, I didn't make any effort to acknowledge or walk on eggshells around my dad's peculiarities like we did most of our childhood, and it feels disrespectful even though it's not. I'd just forgotten. He's grown accustomed to being unchallenged and unquestioned and having everyone accommodate the environment around him. I came in like a tornado doing communication the same way I do it everywhere else, and it made me realize how we behaved at home for so long was so...compliant. complacent. No wonder we all found ways to bolt and go wild elsewhere for a bit.

My dad's not a tyrant or terrible person at all. He's been nothing but encouraging and supportive of everything we've ever chosen to do, and has been proud of us every step of the way. He's just a man of a different era in a mixed-culture household used to being the authority and final say in everything that goes on around him until very recently.

I hear ya, Amoebic.

I'm in a similar situation and moving back in with my parents who are in declining health, and need help but are also stuck in their, very out of date, ways. It's a challenge and not one I have the energy for everyday.

Likewise, Shifter. This is the part of adulthood nobody can really set you up to be ready for.
If you ever need to chat that side of things, my dm's are welcome to ya.

Amoebic, you demonstrate an understanding of your relationship with your parents that I don't think I'm capable of and written it out extremely well. It's honestly very impressive.

I haven't had to go through this just yet but will soon. I know that understanding isn't the same as dealing with those feelings but it does help. It's certainly better than just pushing everything down and not dealing with it.

EvilHomer3k wrote:

Amoebic, you demonstrate an understanding of your relationship with your parents that I don't think I'm capable of and written it out extremely well. It's honestly very impressive.

I haven't had to go through this just yet but will soon. I know that understanding isn't the same as dealing with those feelings but it does help. It's certainly better than just pushing everything down and not dealing with it.

You nailed the dad thing for me. Same environment.

I have 8 hours of training/meetings every day for the next three days.

He's just a man of a different era in a mixed-culture household used to being the authority and final say in everything that goes on around him until very recently.

I want to piggy back on this because it doesn't have to be a parent "of a different era".
My dad is "of a different era" but the problem stems from being accustomed to a level of authority of constant delegation responsibilities.
He had been a tech executive for 30+ years. Now he is heavily involved in Rotary but the quantity of advice sought has diminished 10 fold.
He is of able mind and body and is so desperate for business strategy that he is hyper focused on the one project he still advises. He is one of the nicest men on the planet but this has caused him to become bitter at the slightest hiccup. (with family and close friends)
My sister has noticed that he is also donating more money than he should, just to keep the door open on his opportunities to influence.

I am mentioning this not to counter anything Amoebic said. But to hopefully prepare or connect with other GWJers who are caring for aging parents. Do we already have a thread for this?

Supply chain issues with adderall. Aderal. Adarol. Medication I take but cannot spell!

MaxShrek wrote:

Supply chain issues with adderall. Aderal. Adarol. Medication I take but cannot spell!

This may - or may not - be of interest.

My Bluetooth headset's play/pause button also redials the last number on my phone on a double-press, which is extremely easy to do by accident.

Who thought that was a good idea? Who's redialing so many phone calls in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty Three that they need it to be one of exactly three things they can do without pulling their phone out of their pocket?

Sorbicol wrote:
MaxShrek wrote:

Supply chain issues with adderall. Aderal. Adarol. Medication I take but cannot spell!

This may - or may not - be of interest.

Yeah, my shrink was saying it may be made in China, or it could also be th adults being diagnosed, getting a scrip, and selling the pills illegally.

Given the last few days I think my body is gonna go full exhaustion mode and migraine this weekend or Monday morning. While we wait for the inevitable crash and burn, more caffeine!

Tooth problems and the overly-long waiting period for dental insurance.

Can't they fix it now and have you pay when the insurance comes through?

I can ask, but I don’t know if any dentist would wait for three months to bill me.

Robear wrote:

Can't they fix it now and have you pay when the insurance comes through?

That's now ANY of insurance works.

Deadmonkeys wrote:

I can ask, but I don’t know if any dentist would wait for three months to bill me.

Are you in the US? Sounds like billing and insurance works very differently where you are.

Depends on your relationship with the dentist, but yeah, 3 months is stretching it. Couple of weeks, I've seen that happen.

Having surgery Monday to reattach a torn muscle in my shoulder. Dealing with quite a bit of pre-op anxiety, mostly about how long I'll be out of commission from working out/playing guitar/living my normal life.

Of course it's in my dominant shoulder, so it's going to suck learning how to do everything with my left hand.

PM me if you wanna chat about workout options with one shoulder down, Sally.

I picked up a rotator cuff strain a few months back because I'm middle aged and took a trampolining class, but kept running (and working hard during) my weekly garage gym session for my friends during recovery and rehab, so I've been thinking about adjustments/alternatives for one-arm workouts.

Obvs a much less significant injury than something that requires surgery, and you'll likely have at least a little bit of time of no workouts post surgery, but there's a lot you can do even with an one arm in a sling.

Will do, buddy. I have been working out for 20 years and at 42, I don't want to lose any gains. Working out is such a part of my routine that it gives me anxiety to not have it as part of my day. I'll definitely be doing as much as i can with my one arm.

I hear you man. With no hint of exaggeration, exercise is my anti-depressant.

Which makes injuries suck even worse, of course.

Fire alarm went off at 5:40AM and had to get dressed and get out in a hurry. Turns out there was a burst pipe in the basement.

We were able to get back into our units about 30 minutes later, but now the water is shut off for who knows how long. Good thing I thought of filling the bathtub before it was shut off, in case I have a bathroom emergency. It also means I won't be able to shower.

The one good thing is that it happened today, when it was -14C outside, rather than yesterday, when it was -31C.