Still alive, yes. Winter sucks.
I've gone too long without talking to this blog!
We got a new 3d printer over christmas, it's a kit you assemble from super cheap parts. We've been lucky so far that nothing is broken or catching fire, LOL. These kits are not safe in that regard. it helps we're saavy with electronics. We improved the connectors and such as that. I haven't printed a lot with it yet. I have to learn how to instruct the software to set up the print instructions properly. The makerbot we already own has very little complications that way. Less features as a result, but much easier to use. Just take the model file and plop it into the makerbot software. Tweak a setting here or there and hit print. Now I have to open the file in software called cura, go over a whole bunch of different settings to tweak it, after finding out what fails, resave the printer file from it and upload the improved file to the printer via the raspberry pi we set up, then print it. If it works, great. LOL I've made a lot of "spaghetti" lately. That's where for some reason something goes wrong and the extruder just spits out plastic that doesn't stick to anything just curling and noodling around on the bed. I also have a bunch of parts that are too thin, weak, and rough textured to use. I'm quite proud of getting the raspberry pi working as a print server. It gives us more functionality and I just bought a web cam to plug into it so I can check the printer without having to get off my chair.
My stoma is an asshole. Why isn't anyone working out ass transplants for people like me? A plastic bag essentially glued to my belly is not an upgrade! 4:20 am and I'm not smoking dope, I'm waking up in a hot flash to discover my stoma is popping out turds into it's bag. You can't sleep on that, it'll keep popping them out and if you don't reach down and massage them to the bottom of the bag they'll literally build up pressure and burst. Usually by working under the glue layer and coming out all over my belly but once it popped off the snap-on bag. so I spent the next 90 minutes watching videos on the tv up there (thank god for that tv in my bedroom) while waiting for the stoma to go back to sleep. Then slept over late and screwed up my day's shedule and made myself feel crappy physically from poor sleep habits. I did manage to get out and do errands. it had warmed up to nearly melty after two weeks of terrible cold. I'm super sensitive to the cold though, and even in this "warm" weather had twitchy face and needle fingers from just getting the car out of it's garage and later, putting it back in. I'm also getting fatter again. ~sigh~ up to 140# and counting. I can't get enough exercise with the chemo and the cold but I am fed up with counting calories, all that listing and measuring. I don't do well at starving myself unless i'm proper stressed out either.
I do have appointments to see a physio nurse who'll help me with my pelvic exercises. I still can't tell when my bladder's proper empty and it'll continue to leak after I get out of the bathroom. Very annoying. Old lady problems, eh? Well, more like cancer patient problems, really. A woman of any age who'd been through my surgery would be struggling the same.
Vlogmas went okay. It was kind of fun talking to the camera every day. But now I'm down to weekly or less and it's harder to remember to stay on it. The motivation is low too because I get so few views. However, I did one of my fiddling with a torn down extruder. I couldn't get the filament out so took it apart. That video inexplicably got 150 views! I need to make myself do a dashcam video too, but I'm not sure I can find music for it. I hate the way youtube handles music. I've even tried getting permission direct from the artists sometimes only to find that because the artist is trying to sell cds through CD baby or similar, the rights to use the music belongs to same and I still can't use it!
So I tried making some myself. I have instruments. But you see, I've got no musical talent. I can carry a tune, remember a song, freestyle lyrics to an existing melody, but I cannot compose. I have no sense of rhythm. I don't under stand chords. it sounds like horrible clashing chaos. it amuses me when I hear it, but in that "so bad it's hilarious" way and that isn't a good accompaniement to dashcam video. You know? LOL I really need to learn how to pic soundcloud artists I can safely use for video tracks.
I have been pretty actively seeking a new dog. I thought I found one locally in Prince Albert but she got adopted before I could consider driving up there to see her. I saw one in BC that's a xolo, my preference, she's the right size, age, and gender, but the rescue thinks she wouldn't want a home with another dog!
I think that's too easy sometimes, and a real shame, because most dogs would ultimately be happier with other dogs around if the human does her job right. I ought to check email, maybe they've gotten back to me? I never remember to do that.
I've been knitting every so slowly working on a sweater that started on the cheap little lap loom, moved to the nice table loom, and still wasn't enough fabric for a whole sweater. So I'm knitting the missing sections. With no idea what I'm doing. Well maybe some.
I also ordered fabric from Spoonflower that I plan to make into a trench coat. A friend who is a wardrobe mistress/seamstress in theatre is letting me use her cutting tables and she can make sure I pin the fabric right so the coat hangs right. I even made my own buttons to go with it. I clogged the hell out of the makerbot extruder and had to void it's warranty to unclog it because I painted the filament with ink and it got scraped off and plugged the extruder throat. However it did give me awesome buttons and I'm hoping the new printer can handle the ink better. It's more robust that way. If so, I could possibly find myself with a product I could sell.
We got a new 3d printer over christmas, it's a kit you assemble from super cheap parts. We've been lucky so far that nothing is broken or catching fire, LOL. These kits are not safe in that regard. it helps we're saavy with electronics. We improved the connectors and such as that. I haven't printed a lot with it yet. I have to learn how to instruct the software to set up the print instructions properly. The makerbot we already own has very little complications that way. Less features as a result, but much easier to use. Just take the model file and plop it into the makerbot software. Tweak a setting here or there and hit print. Now I have to open the file in software called cura, go over a whole bunch of different settings to tweak it, after finding out what fails, resave the printer file from it and upload the improved file to the printer via the raspberry pi we set up, then print it. If it works, great. LOL I've made a lot of "spaghetti" lately. That's where for some reason something goes wrong and the extruder just spits out plastic that doesn't stick to anything just curling and noodling around on the bed. I also have a bunch of parts that are too thin, weak, and rough textured to use. I'm quite proud of getting the raspberry pi working as a print server. It gives us more functionality and I just bought a web cam to plug into it so I can check the printer without having to get off my chair.
My stoma is an asshole. Why isn't anyone working out ass transplants for people like me? A plastic bag essentially glued to my belly is not an upgrade! 4:20 am and I'm not smoking dope, I'm waking up in a hot flash to discover my stoma is popping out turds into it's bag. You can't sleep on that, it'll keep popping them out and if you don't reach down and massage them to the bottom of the bag they'll literally build up pressure and burst. Usually by working under the glue layer and coming out all over my belly but once it popped off the snap-on bag. so I spent the next 90 minutes watching videos on the tv up there (thank god for that tv in my bedroom) while waiting for the stoma to go back to sleep. Then slept over late and screwed up my day's shedule and made myself feel crappy physically from poor sleep habits. I did manage to get out and do errands. it had warmed up to nearly melty after two weeks of terrible cold. I'm super sensitive to the cold though, and even in this "warm" weather had twitchy face and needle fingers from just getting the car out of it's garage and later, putting it back in. I'm also getting fatter again. ~sigh~ up to 140# and counting. I can't get enough exercise with the chemo and the cold but I am fed up with counting calories, all that listing and measuring. I don't do well at starving myself unless i'm proper stressed out either.
I do have appointments to see a physio nurse who'll help me with my pelvic exercises. I still can't tell when my bladder's proper empty and it'll continue to leak after I get out of the bathroom. Very annoying. Old lady problems, eh? Well, more like cancer patient problems, really. A woman of any age who'd been through my surgery would be struggling the same.
Vlogmas went okay. It was kind of fun talking to the camera every day. But now I'm down to weekly or less and it's harder to remember to stay on it. The motivation is low too because I get so few views. However, I did one of my fiddling with a torn down extruder. I couldn't get the filament out so took it apart. That video inexplicably got 150 views! I need to make myself do a dashcam video too, but I'm not sure I can find music for it. I hate the way youtube handles music. I've even tried getting permission direct from the artists sometimes only to find that because the artist is trying to sell cds through CD baby or similar, the rights to use the music belongs to same and I still can't use it!
So I tried making some myself. I have instruments. But you see, I've got no musical talent. I can carry a tune, remember a song, freestyle lyrics to an existing melody, but I cannot compose. I have no sense of rhythm. I don't under stand chords. it sounds like horrible clashing chaos. it amuses me when I hear it, but in that "so bad it's hilarious" way and that isn't a good accompaniement to dashcam video. You know? LOL I really need to learn how to pic soundcloud artists I can safely use for video tracks.
I have been pretty actively seeking a new dog. I thought I found one locally in Prince Albert but she got adopted before I could consider driving up there to see her. I saw one in BC that's a xolo, my preference, she's the right size, age, and gender, but the rescue thinks she wouldn't want a home with another dog!
I think that's too easy sometimes, and a real shame, because most dogs would ultimately be happier with other dogs around if the human does her job right. I ought to check email, maybe they've gotten back to me? I never remember to do that.
I've been knitting every so slowly working on a sweater that started on the cheap little lap loom, moved to the nice table loom, and still wasn't enough fabric for a whole sweater. So I'm knitting the missing sections. With no idea what I'm doing. Well maybe some.
I also ordered fabric from Spoonflower that I plan to make into a trench coat. A friend who is a wardrobe mistress/seamstress in theatre is letting me use her cutting tables and she can make sure I pin the fabric right so the coat hangs right. I even made my own buttons to go with it. I clogged the hell out of the makerbot extruder and had to void it's warranty to unclog it because I painted the filament with ink and it got scraped off and plugged the extruder throat. However it did give me awesome buttons and I'm hoping the new printer can handle the ink better. It's more robust that way. If so, I could possibly find myself with a product I could sell.
So that's where I'm at. Kind of sleepy today. Also, raspberry pi makes an awesome media pc. I want to buy another board and put a screen on it to use for that, also be able to plug it into the tv. However, I must curtail spending, We got a $5k bill from the accountant and haven't yet faced the gst bill we're going to get for the goverment. How in hell we'll finance what is likely to be 10-15k in costs by the end of may? I dunno. Not with my bus fund, i can tell you that much, but I'll have to really cut back on spending all around just the same.
One thing that's cool, I've been getting crazy amounts of compliments for my bright coloured clothes. I don't understand people in that regard. Ten or fifteen years ago it was criticism. I'd bet once Trump is fully logged into office and doing his dastardly deeds to conservativize society, I'll get criticized again for it, LOL I used to get bullied in fact, the bullies thought that because I "looked like a clown" I was free game for their abuse. That's likely to return to me I guess. I worry about it. I love bright colours and love to think I'm cheering up the people around me but it's a finicky thing.