Activity from hippybear
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I lost the cancellation email. Any chance of recovery without it?
I booked a flight on Southwest. I cancelled the flight on Southwest. I edited by inbox a bit carelessly. I now cannot find either the booking or cancellation emails from Southwest. This means I don't have the magic code that references my cancelled reservation which would get my funds freed up for me to use on a new flight. Am I completely out of luck? Did I throw away money with my mouse? I think I know the answer.. but I'm asking out of an abundance of hope.
Baker's Cyst treatment experiences
My 86 year old father has been suffering from Baker's cysts for a while and they affect his quality of life quite a bit. The one guy he's been seeing is telling him that he needs knee replacement to cure them. The CDC's website says nothing about a knee replacement for treating this condition. I would like to know what treatments people have for this condition that have been successful, and how they managed to get them.
Stretching exercises to help release stored body tension?
I have an anxiety disorder that presents with a lot of arm and leg tremors. My therapist today asked me if I could touch my toes and I have never been able to touch my toes and he suggested that maybe I could find release from some of the tension I'm carrying in my body if I can find good stretching exercises. He offered no recommendations so I'm coming to you, dear hive mind! Do you know of stretching/flexibility exercises for someone with zero ability to do any of this that might release stored PTSD tension? Videos, classes/programs, reading... I'll take anything!
Experiences with Lasik, plus cost/benefit analysis
I'm shelling out $600 for new glasses lenses for the Nth time in my adult life. I have what my first ophthalmologist from 50 years ago called "galloping myopia", which means every 2-3 years my prescription gets worse by about -1/2 diopter in each eye. I'm wondering if getting laser corrective surgery such as Lasik might reset my vision to the point where I could maybe get insurance-covered lenses, saving me money in the long run. Also, testimonials about such surgery.
Mental Health Care Intake Appointment Tips And Tricks?
So, I'm pretty brain broken, and am finally on a Medicaid plan that is going to maybe let me get the mental health care I need to heal. I'm going to be having my first real intake appointment interview with enough backing to get me the care I might need. I have PTSD conversion disorder shit involving body shaking and a lot of other things to the point where I'm out out of work for over a year. Any advice on how to talk to the doctor?
Why should I log in to YouTube?
I watch YouTube a lot, but I never watch it logged in, mainly because I have weird feelings about Google and data collection. Anyway, I think Google/YouTube is collecting plenty of data on my watching habits because my suggestions page always has the new content from the channels I enjoy watching. So I'm wondering, what benefits might I get, aside from commenting on videos and subscribing to channels, would I get if I started to actually use a YouTube account for watching videos?
My cat has itchy bumps and I want to help
My cat, I think he's seventeen years old, has a lot of itchy bumps on his body. He licks at them a lot. I'd like to help, but don't know how. Advice?
Do the thing or not do the thing?
Okay, so, plans made with a decades old friend are beginning to feel awkward, and I don't know what exactly is going on or even how to find out the truth.
Killing time between SEATAC and Climate Change Arena
So, I'm off on a weird trip early next month, into SEA early on a Sunday morning, attending a concert in the evening, and then flying back out of SEA the first flight the next morning. I'll be taking the light rail up to Seattle and am wondering, are there any stops along the way I should explore? I have a full day to kill before the show, and will get a day pass for the train so I can get off and on as much as I want. This would be only for the daytime on a Sunday. I could kill an hour or two or more at a few stops heading north, so recommendations for anything are welcome.
What is your experience with live TV streaming services?
We've been multi-decade DISH customers, but at this point we're paying for their top tier just to access the Turner Classic Movies stream. We can get TCM content through another subscription but not the actual channel. This post comparing live TV streaming services [CNET] has me thinking we could save money. Does anyone have any experience with any of the services that include TCM in this article? I'd like to know what the user experience was like, or just a general review.
I can't read the display on my tuner. Help?
I have a Sony STR-K700 tuner/amplifier. It's a great unit that continues to serve me well. The only thing is, the display on it has gotten less easy to read over the years. I don't know if this is because the plastic in front of the LEDs has darkened over time, or if the LEDs themselves are more dim than before. Is this something I can fix by maybe putting a new piece of plastic in front of the display, or does the display need replacing? And can that be done? Any information about fading LED displays on old stereo tuner/amplifiers is probably helpful.
Is HVAC training a good decision for me?
I was a driver for 25 years and I can't possibly do it any more and I want a new job path to carry me to retirement and I'm wondering if HVAC might be right for me?
Queer Women In Music
I'm hoping to spend June, Pride Month, doing a series of posts about Queer Women In Music. I have a short list already in my mind, but I don't have anywhere near 30, and so I'm asking for names and suggestions. I'm happy to do research but if you have publicly available documentaries [YouTube or other sources] to include with your suggestions, that would be awesome.
SuperDrive having problems with outer rim data
I have an iMac and an Apple SuperDrive as an external data drive. I've had this setup for quite a while, but this is new: ripping a CD starts to break down about halfway through the disk. I can reinsert the disk and try again and get the rips to progress, but by the time I'm at the final track or three (those closest to the outside of the CD), the drive stops working. It will eject the CD and show the disk still in the computer in iTunes and Finder, and will rip 10-30 seconds off the outermost failure track. This is not useful. I've found a similar problem in this Apple question, but it's from years ago, with no good resolution. Does anyone have suggestions, or at least have experienced the same problem?
Dead father, mother with dementia, dealing with the situation
This came into a chat for friends of mine. I'm wondering if others have advice or articles or anything they could share that I could share with my friend to help them navigate this really difficult time? Details under the fold.
Looking for parts for an old range/oven
We have an old Westinghouse range/oven that came with the house and might even be close to original for the property, which was built in 1952. It's a 40" (!) double oven and it's really great, except it isn't heating properly anymore. I'm trying to find replacement parts for it.
Canadian wants to come to US, lacks ID, in limbo
So, an online friend is from France, and just became a Canadian citizen. As part of the naturalization ceremony, they made him tear up his work permit card, so he has no Canadian identification until he gets his passport. In the gap before he's expecting to get his passport, he has an event he wants to attend in the US, but he isn't sure how the border situation will work given his lack of passport for his new country. Any experience with this or suggestions on how to get a passport expedited or how to cross into the US and back without problems? He would appreciate the advice.
New job, New Pain! Help!
I have a new job, what I would call a robot caretaker. I'm having new body pains due to this job, and could use some advice.
I think my cat is having joint pain, can't really tell, want to help
I have a male cat who is, um... maybe 13-15 years old, who is fairly overweight and is very sedentary. And I'm starting to think his sedentary state is because his front joints hurt when he walks. mr. hippybear says he doesn't see it, but I spend more time with him, and he seems to be really moving differently and not very happy about it. I'd like to know how to be more clear if he is in pain, or not, and what I can do about it to help (food additives, OTC medications) that might help before restoring to a vet visit.
Cost/Benefit of United Club Pass
I'm doing some air travel later this month, and have a 3 hour layover at O'Hare. I tend to eat and drink during layovers in airports, and airport food and booze can be expensive. The United Club Pass is $50, and offers free drinks and food. I don't know what kind of drinks and food are offered in United Club Lounges, but I'm considering buying a Pass to save money. Is this a thing that would work?
Strategies for talking to hospital about errors in bill
I spent a couple of days in the hospital a couple of months ago, and my bill has errors in it. I'm going to have to call to dispute these charges, and I would like to have some strategies or approaches to use that will lead to more likely success. Any suggestions and stories of success or failure would be helpful!
Can anyone help me understand what is going on with my body?
I have a lot of weird issues going on right now, and I'm sure some of them are interconnected, but this one feels like a very specific thing that happens to me from time to time and I don't understand it. It involves vomiting up long trails of mucous over several hours that comes on and then goes away, and it is not fun while it is going on. (Gross but informative and hopefully diagnostic details inside.)
My twitter has become a freakish half-brained, out of sync thing
My desktop twitter account has stopped displaying any images at all. Well, maybe a couple of the account circles are filled in, but it's mostly a landscape of gray circles and colored squares and white non-playing video squares.
This is disturbing enough, but my phone's twitter feed is not only fully populated with expected images but also has entries in it which are not part of my desktop feed first time ever for that.
Any experience with this? Also weird deletions of tweets as I was making them. So surreal. Feels like gaslighting. Help?
New iPhone SE 2020. Essential apps?
I just got a new iPhone SE 2020 and my previous smartphone was never my friend so I didn't do much with it. Suggestions for apps that might be useful or fun or distractions, that are essential, cheap/free... and other ways I can be friends with my fabulous new hand computer?
Thinking about upgrading my cell phone experience
My cell phone has never been my friend, but I'm thinking about changing that. The new iPhone SE has me interested in getting a much better phone than my crappy old LG phone. Along with that I'm thinking about moving from TracFone to an actual cell contract. I'm curious what people have to share about what cell plans and cell companies they have that they like that aren't hugely expensive. I'm not a household bundle sort of person, the contract would be just for me.
I've had sciatica for a while but this is new and terrible
I've had a herniated disk for decades and have had sciatica related to this, mostly years ago until I learned new movements and core strength and got mostly rid of it. I did something a week ago that reactivated it, and it's mostly okay and manageable except I get these moments of excruciating, screaming (literally) pain that last for usually under 10 minutes. They come on without any evident stressors that I can tell and they are really debilitating but then they let go and I'm back to just having my sciatica acting up, which is a pain I'm familiar with. Anyone know what is going on with me?
Buspirone questions
Hi, I'm taking 10mg of buspirone 3x a day (I was offered Paxil at the same time). I'm taking it because I have an abnormal panic disorder presentation because my body is in panic while my mind is not. I've been taking this for over a month after taking 5mg-3x/day to start off. I feel like I'm living my daily life on the edge of Bad Things, and I have extended-release propranolol to take for bigger maintenance and also 1mg lorazepam to take when things are truly bad. How much should I be expecting from this dosage of buspirone, are there any negatives to report, and yes my other meds work but they are as-needed measures not daily (3x-a-day) tablets, and I want accounts of taking this and what I might get from more or less.
Single sided nausea?
So, I have this PTSD thing going on with a lot of presentation of physical symptoms when it's bad. Part of those symptoms are nausea and vomiting. One particular thing that I have a question about is... I'm a side sleeper. When my symptoms are being bad and I'm lying on my left side to sleep I'm fine but if I change to be on my right side I'll be up and vomiting within 60 seconds. This doesn't happen if I'm not having nausea as part of my expressed symptoms but does happen about 99% of the time when I am. Is this indicating something I should have investigated (like a known symptom of a disease) or is this just part of the annoying raft of symptoms that my PTSD is presenting?
Don't want to offend... but is this out of line
Do, I recently switched healthcare "groups" from one to another. I filled out a form to get all my medical records transferred. I was a walk-in patient a few weeks ago and the PA who is my assigned medical care professional noted he had a file that "had a lot of pages". I'm going in for a follow-up appointment next week. Is it out of line for me to call a couple of days beforehand and suggest all those medical records be reviewed before my appointment?
I have questions about EMDR
I talked with a therapist today about doing EMDR therapy to try to work out some rather egregious physical symptoms I'm suffering which might be traced back to an incident in which I was smashed against the side of my delivery van by a semi rig sliding sideways on an icy road. She said some things today which have confused me a bit, and I'm hoping people can help provide some broader information.
I need lodging recommendations
So I'm flying into Burbank airport in early Dec on a Saturday, going to a show at the Palladium Sat night, and flying out on Sunday. I'll be using Lyft to get around. Given this set of information, anyone have any good lodging recommendations for me? Near airport, near venue, someplace reasonable in-between, I don't care. Just someplace that will work for that kind of in-and-out weekend. Also, I'm not fancy.
Help me talk to my doctor about my symptoms
I'm having this sensation of vibration coming from the center of my torso which is mild and ignorable at first but then gets stronger over a while until it manifests in things like hand tremors so strong I can't write or type or eat, or also my legs nearly giving way under me when I try to walk. As the trembling gets stronger, a sort of mental fog takes over me making it hard to function. Then over time it fades out until it is just a slight internal tremor or is actually gone for a while.
Artist friend wants to know how to find an agent
I have a friend who is a laser show artist. He's won multiple international laser show awards, and he does really good work. He wants to take his art to the next level, start doing big projects and getting paid real money for his work. He'd like to find an agent. I joked with him and suggested he contact CAA, and that led him to ask me to ask the hive mind: What are strategies and tips he could use to find an agent for his art to help him forward his artistic career?
Gay as a pejorative?
A gay 20-something that I know used the phrase "fuck this gay earth" in a tweet. I challenged him (as someone who came out in 1990) for his use of the word "gay" as a pejorative, and he said "it's an established meme, it's okay for me to use it that way". How do I combat this?
One Weekend In LA (not the extended LA, the central LA)
So, I'm going to be visiting Mr hippybear who has been working in LA for a while. While I'm there we will have about 2 unscheduled days and we might want to explore. Read more inside for details about the advice I'm looking for.
What are "essential" apps for a new smartphone owner?
Okay, so I don't like recurring monthly bills. I've had a TracFone flip phone for a few years but they're discontinuing 2G service. Their upgrade program allowed me to get an Android smartphone for a decent price, so I've done that. I really am not wanting to use the phone for much, but I would like it to at least be a bit more augmented than it currently is. What apps should I consider?
Unofficial evolving MetaFilter group sing-along chord-and-lyric songbook
Problem: You're at a campout or other casual gathering with a bunch of MeFites. Some people have guitars and maybe other instruments. People want to have an old-fashioned sing-along. Sadly, nobody knows all the words or all the chords. What are good resources that can be brought together and cherry-picked to create a printable-for-sharing evolving, unofficial, fun songbook for such an event?
2 month long sinus infection won't go away
I got the 3rd ever sinus infection in my life in mid-November. I finally went to a doctor about it in mid-December. I'm now on my third round of antibiotics to deal with it, and it won't go away. Help!
Head Lice And Long Beards
I just learned that some kids I was visiting over the holiday have head lice.
I have a beard that goes down basically nipple length.
I'm going to get The Shampoo Of Shame for my head, but do I need to use it on my face hair also?
Current Kid's Magazines, physical copy edition?
When I was a kid, I got Ranger Rick and Dynamite and Highlights and Cricket and a bunch of other magazines in my name, and it was thrilling for me. Well, Christmas time is rolling around and I have a couple of new kids in my life, a girl age 5 and a boy age 8, and I'd like to get them actual physical magazine subscriptions because that's fun and exciting. What kids magazines actually still exist today as physical get-in-the-mail products? Im looking for a wide range of interests so I can work from a broad pool of possibilities.
Indigent living and mental health support in Waco, TX
A series of events that I don't want to get into in detail has my sister living in Waco, TX without a job and without much social support and in need of mental health care. Does anyone know of any specific resources there that she can use?
Mailing from Mexicali or Calixeco
So, I have a friend who lives in Mexicali, Mexico, and he's having a dickens of a time getting mail to actually be delivered to the US. What can he do to make that work better?
How can I keep my beard healthy, soft, manageable, and generally happy?
I need some advice on products I can use on my beard, because using beard oil is going to drive me to the poor house.
Temporary dyeing of beard
I'm thinking about trying to temporarily dye my beard green. I've been reading up on how to do this with food coloring. I'm looking for advice or personal anecdotes which can help!
Tips and Tricks for living in a shared house
If you've lived in a house with a lot of other people in it, what has helped keep the peace and made things run smoothly for the household, short and long term?
DIY sling stand/frame plans and component supplies
I'm looking to put together a portable sling stand without paying upwards of $300 for one. Any suggestions on plans or materials?
Why do the bottoms of my feet feel hot when I pee?
The bottoms of my feet get hot when I pee. Why does this happen? Does this happen to anyone else? Should I be worried?
Long Or Short? The Beard Question
Should I trim down my beard for a job interview?
Staying Flea-Free, Cats And Home
What is the best strategy to keep my cats and apartment flea-free?
How best to interview a musician about his career?
Looking for tips on interviewing a celebrity musician about his career to write liner notes for upcoming re-releases of his catalog.
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