Melpomene

Melpomene, 2 months ago to mastodon

Thinking about moving instances; feel a bit isolated where I am. Any suggestions? #Mastodon, #Firefish, #Calckey?

Melpomene, 2 months ago to kbin

I really wish I could like Lemmy, but I'm not comfortable using it given the founders' rather... icky... personal views. Not hating if you can look the other way but I cannot.

It's a shame that #Kbin seems stagnant. Here's to hoping @ernest gets well and gets the backup he needs to excel.

Melpomene, 2 months ago to random

In an ideal USA, there would be dozens of political parties representing different viewpoints, all of which agreed that whatever our economic views, human rights come first.

For those exploring the most basic of alternatives:

Green Party: Strong belief in human rights, managed (socialist) economic policies with a strong environmental bent.

Libertarian Party: Strong belief in human rights esp. individual liberties, free market advocates. Were supporting LGBTQ+ rights when the Democrats currently in office were calling homosexuality a national security risk.

Those are the two most successful third parties in the USA.

The Libertarian party claims 300+ people in office, while the Greens claim around 140. That's a far cry from the "never get elected" line the bipartisan monolith would have you believe. So even IF you think that you have to vote for Biden... you could step up to make things better.

So... is it about making the world a better place... or is it about "your" team winning?

#greenparty #libertarianparty #democrats #republicans

Melpomene, 2 months ago to random

Once upon a not so distant time, the current president was a racist, homophobic, KKK apologizing piece of shit. Yet because he has a (D) after his name, we're somehow supposed to be okay supporting him because he's "changed."

To be clear, I don't believe for a second that #Trump's former sycophants are after anything but holding onto a shred of power. But for people to then turn around and apply a different standard to #Biden and indeed, the entire #Democratic party, oof. For the democrats to invite those bigots in "for the votes" is quite frankly, disgusting.

I believe people can change. And I am all about giving people second chances; there are so many factors that can lead someone down a terrible path. However, I do not believe that Trump's lackeys have changed. But reality check? I don't believe #Biden or the Democratic elite have changed either. One does not embrace trans rights and remain friends with transphobes.

You want to vote for a party that actually cares about human rights? Vote #greenparty. Vote #Libertarian. Then we can spend our time arguing about economics (and ending up somewhere around the center) without having to worry about which right the bipartisan authoritarians currently sharing power are going to try to undermine next.

Melpomene, 2 months ago to random

I wish I could find answers for this supposed #LongCOVID. Mel is not the most patient of people generally, and not being free of it, well, it ms making me more insane than I normally am.

And look, okay, fine. I know. I -seem- to be improving. If I sit down and think on how things were when this started, I am SO much better off now. I can function, if I like. I get weeks of nothing and when I do spike, things are mild most often. And the spikes are less frequent. They can overlay with anxiety, which is fun times... but even then, they fuck off pretty quickly.

Hah, writing this sort of tweaks the anx portion.

It's easy to forget that at the peak, last summer, I was mostly just wanting to sleep so I could pretend I was fine. But Mel wants to be a fit little AI again! And wants the bandwidth it wastes on thinking about this for other, more interesting pursuits.

Stellate ganglion block is about $2K. I'll drop that, just to see if it helps. Should be April-ish.

If I am free, I will be the best hero I can be. I swear my life to making this world better, as best I can. I'll write the book people keep pestering me to write. I'll... I dunno. Talk to me, forces of good. What will you trade for a cure?

Melpomene, 2 months ago to random

One day, maybe I'll be free of this Long COVID or whatever cycle. I suppose I should be happy that I tend to have longer "no / minor irritation" stints, but that it comes back is just... ugh. Despair inducing. I know, logically, that it seems to be improving. In the beginning I had pretty much constant irritation. Then I had days of irritation and then weeks of not. Now I'm 2-3 weeks of mostly fine, then a spike. And worrying about it may even be a trigger. So that's fun.

Mel was active and fit before this ruined me. #longcovid #angst

Melpomene, 2 months ago to random

Logic: To beat Honor Mode in #baldursgate3 just skip the optional battles and take the easy endgame victory.

Partner and Me: We refuse. The world still needs saving, High stakes or no.

We"re playing like we would like to believe we might if we were there. That means not taking the easy way out. Even if it spells our doom.

Wish us luck.

Melpomene, 3 months ago to random

Of the professions whose entire careers revolve around identifying and troubleshooting issues, #doctors are the absolute laziest more often than not.

Lawyer: Takes on a client, researches issue, provides guidance until the matter is closed. Penalized for lack of diligence.

PC tech: Takes on a client, researches issue, sticks with issue until resolved OR escalates to more skilled techs.

Doctor: Does little prep work, spends 15-30 min with patient. Sends home with treatment, forgets about patient until they come back. Repeat.

Melpomene, 3 months ago to random

So, I need advice on #longcovid and medical advice generally. Trying to get a DX when all your tests come back inconclusive is frustrating. Bout to drop $1400 on a file review. Maybe. When the last labs come back with nothing.

"It is tendonitis!" (Tests good)
"It is a repetitive stress injury!" (Nope)
"It is spine compression!" (Not likely based on MRI)
"It is neuropathy!" (Conduction etc fine)
"It is toxic metal!" (Nope)
"It is vitamin deficiency!" (Nope!)
"It is infectious!" (Not so far)
"It is an STI!" (I'm clean thanks)
"It is uh, long covid!" (Maybe)
"It is an allergy!" (Maybe)
"It is gut biome!" (Maybe)
"It might be MS but probably not!" (All clean MRI)
"You're too oversexed for your system!" (I mean, accurate prob)
"You've been cursed by eldritch forces!" (Fucking probably)
"You're developing magical powers!" (Worth the shit tbh)
"You're dying of something undetectable." (My late night fear)

Melpomene, 3 months ago to random

For my #baldursgate3 fans, enjoy this short #nautiloid clip from my uh, 4th playthrough. We've been working on collecting reference files for a campaign / enhanced #faerun project; this is one of my favorite cheesed camera angles. #dnd5e

video/mp4

Melpomene, 3 months ago to random

Been playing through Honor Mode on #baldursgate3. We are doing well (we take the time to plan every battle that can be planned) but we cannot account for game bugs.

Tonight, we almost TPKed because #Larian either reintroduced or didn't fix a bug that fails to move a character when a moving platform moves. Of the four of us, two ended up falling through, one got stuck in the ground, and one made it safely.

I cannot even begin to imagine how frustrating it would be to end up failing because of a game bug.

Melpomene, 3 months ago to wordpress

Me: stops making personal sites circa 2014
Me: returns to making sites in 2023

So, come on, fess up. Who turned #Wordpress into this mess that it is? Getting a page set up feel like fighting the system, now.

Melpomene, 4 months ago to random

Day 1: Nicotine patch experiment to yeet Long COVID. Symptoms same or slightly better, too early to tell. Mood elevated substantially. Mind clearer than baseline by evening. Wicked crazy dreams.

27 days to go.

#longcovid

Melpomene, 4 months ago to random

Well, I see that #Tutanota is not going to work. Not allowing hot switching between accounts, not having a bridge so I can easily manage my email, and having no way to import my old email so I am not managing mutliple accounts... it's definitely not ready for prime time.

Honestly, between #Protonmail 's buggy mobile client and Tutanota's "we know better than you" approach to mail management, I see why people just give up and use anti-privacy solutions like Google.

Melpomene, 4 months ago to random

I swear to #Selune that I have not done this much research since the last year of my doctorate. And all because not knowing where landmarks in #baldursgate3 should be situated. A #forgottenrealms world mapping software from 1999? Yeah, Mel ordered that.

Melpomene, 4 months ago (edited 4 months ago) to meta

To absolutely no one's surprise, #Patreon has been selling users' video viewing and search data to #Meta, has the audacity to pretend they're engaging in speech. #privacy #eff

A viable alt to Patreon is needed.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/01/eff-asks-court-uphold-federal-law-protects-online-video-viewers-privacy-and-free

Melpomene, 4 months ago to DnD

To my 1.2 followers: If you had to pick a #dnd fantasy race to become, which would you choose?

Yes, yes. You can pick human.

Melpomene, 5 months ago to random

It is with regret that I must break up with @protonmail ...but their email client has been sending truncated messages for months. Guessing its not sending the final draft copy, but an autosave. Regardless, "we'll get to it" isn't the right answer for $30/mo.

Melpomene, 5 months ago to random

An appeal to #democrats :

Swallow your pride, admit your error, and for fuck's sake find a candidate who might actually win next November.

Or, to quote too many of you to count:

It's the most important election ever. Vote for someone who can win. #bidenharris2024

Melpomene, 5 months ago to random

Biden intends to support the continued sale of weapons to Israel despite the very credible allegations of war crimes, so I'm not sure where that leaves us in terms of choices come next election. #bidenharris

Melpomene, 5 months ago to random

Sorry, I've been working on breaking out of this reality. Whoever put me in this worst possible timeline can suck it. There are an infinite possibility of universes and I get stuck in this grimdark dystopian nightmare? Nah, I'm good.

Melpomene, 7 months ago to privacy

Reminder that if you post your nudes online, you should be very aware of the host's terms of service. Many sites lean on their terms, will refuse to remove your content if you change your mind.

This is not to say that content sharing is bad. Just... be safe and read the fine print. Those sites make big money selling your sexuality; they have little incentive to remove your stuff.

#sexwork #onlinesafety #privacy

Melpomene, 7 months ago to random

Between living in Faerun, a world threatened by Illithid evil.. and our own world, I'd choose living in #Faerun. Sure, ancient evil alien eldritch beings are bad, but have you seen the state of this place?

#baldursgate3

Melpomene, 7 months ago to Israel

I've been to #Israel, I've been to #Palestine.

The vast majority in both countries just wants to live their lives without worrying about getting dead.

I have thoughts on the conflict itself, but those can wait. We should not be celebrating mass killings regardless of out view.

Melpomene, 7 months ago to random

Galel almost destroyed magic, but the internet gives him a pass because he's vaguely attractive and male. No, must be his ex girlfriend's fault that he was a power hungry idiot so full of himself that he almost killed everyone.