Outbreaks

[Trielelvan]

Early morning thoughts that I've kind of been asking of everyone I know, this place not to be excluded since you guys are from all over:

Last week, a long-time friend of my husband's from highschool lost his 10 year battle with cancer. We went to the memorial service this weekend, getting a chance to speak with some old buddies, family, etc.

There are, at last count, 8 people within the last 3 months we know personally who have all been diagnosed with cancer, most of which have already started chemo, one of whom is on his last round.

8...

What. The. Fuck?

Of these people, three of them are under the age of 30.

I'm not even counting the number of people that have dropped dead since the beginning of the year...

Have any of you similarly experienced this crazed rise in death and sickness in people in you know? These aren't just acquaintances I'm talking about either - these are close friends and family.
I'm starting to feel like a goddamned plague has been unleashed or something.

Thoughts?

[Spazz]

The air we breathe water we drink and food we eat have all become poison. Autism and sterility is on the rise as well. Its not a biblical end of the world or anything its just greed, wreckless industry and a huge world population. With everything in the world now seeming to be linked to cancer I dont really think its avoidable.

[Gaazy]

its kinda been the same here.

And on that note, I really really really need to quitting dipping ><

[Spazz]

Aye I been trying to quit smoking the last few weeks. It sucks and I have a few a day sometimes but overall its goin well. Its my love of Kfc and crunch wraps thats prolly gonna kill me though.

[brinstar]

The air we breathe water we drink and food we eat have all become poison. Autism and sterility is on the rise as well. Its not a biblical end of the world or anything its just greed, wreckless industry and a huge world population. With everything in the world now seeming to be linked to cancer I dont really think its avoidable.

yep

for example, cancer rates downstream from tar sands mining operations are 43% higher, and similar spikes in hyperthyroidism and lupus have been recorded

we're all just more meat for the meat grinder ;\

[leah]

welp, looks like i can't read this thread anymore... it made my pulse race with anxiety. :\ stuff is really starting to freak me out.

[Gaazy]

leahhh needs to hump onto the xaney bars

[leah]

leahhh needs to hump onto the xaney bars

i don't know what that meeeans

[Spazz]

You wont feel upset anymore and will feel relaxed and sleepy I think is what he said

[Drem]

eat organic!

[Trielelvan]

eat organic!

...and grow myself. I wish the growing season here in MN was longer. I want to build a fully self-sustaining aquaponics system, but the weather here is so frigid come midwinter, it just isn't possible, at least not in a way I've found yet.

We try to buy local and organic only, but it's not just the food. I'm convinced it living in the filth of cities that is causing a lot of problem. Between subpar food and stress, human immune systems take a huge hit daily. Combine that with the scores of free radicals and other toxins we're exposed to everyday, and it's really a wonder we aren't more ill than we are.
I want to move somewhere out of the city on a big piece of property so I can have my own farm.

I think I should start by trying to get back to sleep lol.

P.S. Gaazy - yes. You do. Spazz, keep at it. I swear, it will get easier after a while. The first month completely quit just sucks, but it will get better.

edit: p.s.s. Leah, I'm sorry I freaked you out. It scares me too ><

[Jay]

Aye I been trying to quit smoking the last few weeks. It sucks and I have a few a day sometimes but overall its goin well. Its my love of Kfc and crunch wraps thats prolly gonna kill me though.

Ever consider E-Cigs? A bunch of my friends switched and haven't looked back and they did it with ease. E-Cigs aren't 100% safe since you'll be inhaling Propylene Glycol, but it's better than what's in a cigarette.

[Harrison]

Propylene glycol is about as inert as inert gets.

If you're going to kill yourself I'd rather inhale that, than be an idiot and do it with burning plant matter and toxic additives.

[Spazz]

Yea it sucks. Im doin alright most days im not having any some days I have a few but overall adjusting to not smoking as best i can.

[Tossica]

I've had like 2 cigs in the last 2.5yrs. You can do it.

[Spazz]

One thing I like about it is that i can taste foods again and have an appitite for food again without getting high first. I also seem to be using my inhaler less. The hardest part about it is that everyone I know is a smoker and smokes menthol so i always want one. If everyone around me smoked reds or something It would be a lot easier.

I pack a lot of one hitters when I cant take it anymore but I gotta get into growing the dispensery is really expensive

I gave up pills when I started thinking of them as my precious... after being sick it wasnt to bad but quitting smoking is really hellish to me.

[Trielelvan]

Spazz, you will also find that once you have completely quit, the smell of cigarette smoke will start to become nearly intolerable and you will become really sensitive to it. Despite the cravings that would hit early on, the idea of taking a drag made me sick to my stomach from the smell alone. That helped a lot.

Also, I quit while living in a house with 3 other smokers. If I can do it, you can do it man.
I'll tell you the secret that worked for me, if it'll help you at all: Just quit and don't tell anyone you are. Keep a pack of cigarettes in a normal place on you or around you. I had the same pack of cigs on the coffee table for a month without touching one and told no one I was quitting. I think if someone had asked me constantly, "So, how's it going? You feeling ok?" I might have caved, a time or two.
I also didn't get a lot of the withdrawal symptoms though - I got off easy on that.

The mindset I adapted while quitting was: "I haven't told anyone, so no one will know but me if I slip... but if I slip now, I have to start all fucking over again. Screw that shit. I can make it another day." and I just kept on like that until I didn't even have to think about it anymore. I've been quit 7 years now.

[Tikker]

.

[Narrock]

Sorry for your loss Triel.

[Spazz]

I need to start all over again .

[Trielelvan]

Post necromancy so I have it for posterity.

Fucked up shit just got quantified x10.

While working on family tree stuff, I went to look up genealogy information and just happened to discover DUH DUH DUUUUUUH!!!!

......... my grandmother died on October 2nd.

I found it on an obituary. On the internet.

No phone calls. No letters. No nothing.

I called the funeral home, because I KNOW if my mom had been informed that she would have called me.
Spoke to one of the directors there who pulled up her file.
Guess what was listed as Next of Kin!

"No surviving family members"

I have no idea who closed down all her accounts, who's house it was she got apparently moved into sometime this summer which she told NO ONE about, and where all her things went to.... like my dead uncle's Marine Funeral Flag.

Yes. This goes down in history as one of the more "interesting" days of my life.
The things you don't expect to have happen... like finding out a relative died by way of the internet.

So, I've still got a good portion of vodka left. I'm gonna go finish making friends with it now, then go blow the fuck out of things for a while because something ELSE needs to die... LOTS of something elses.

This year? This year can suck it.

[Tikker]

.

[Drem]

yeah jesus christ. hope it all gets worked out