The MoFo Support Group

Maybe it's just me but Outpatient Ivy sounds like something from a b-grade horror fillum to me
Hope it all goes well for you anyway bud!

Keep us informed Cricket. You'll be fine of course, but we care about you so let us know.

There's a few hot nurses and a hot trainee doctor at my hospital

Had just two days of IV and it looks 90% better so going on strong oral antibiotics for a week. Lyme disease still not ruled out but was told I'm doing well either way and will have a follow up in 9 days. Back to work Friday.

Is it the red ring they suspect?

I'm glad you're responding to the course of treatment.

The blood test came back positive but they said it's often a false positive so they have to wait until it's lab tested. The day I was bit, when I sat down to take my shoes off, there was one crawling on my knee that I quickly killed. It's also not uncommon for us to find them on our dogs so we always have to check them good. We have woods around the house and plenty of deer that visit. Strange though, because I never saw one before this year. I found one yesterday crawling on Rudy's ear after my wife brough them in. They get front-line plus every month at least, but I've never used any kind of protection. I often come in the house bloodied from head to toe because I'm out there half naked cutting down thorn bushes. I'm going to start being more careful.

@cricket Has the weather been wetter than usual this time of year? I noticed more ticks here too. Wondered if it was maybe weather related.

We've been getting some consistent rain, and plus there's lots of leaves they like to hide in. I'm also always out in the brush and woods keeping shlt trimmed down.

Soon it'll be too cold for them anyway, but if it's like this tick-wise next year, get some of that anti tick oil that smells like furniture polish. Stinks, but I suppose that's the point.

They still survive and come out on warmer days. That's why dogs must get year round protection.

I wish the OP (SC) was here to engage in this... but I'd like to ask the group:
How do you combat your fears?

Also - does this resonate with anyone: constant low-level anxiety?
The feeling that there is always, always, always something wrong in your life, and even if it's not a huge thing, it's something that's always present and is never going to get any better and will just keep on coming? The feeling that you can never truly relax, let your guard down or enjoy life fully with a true sense of freedom? The feeling that, even if things seem to be going apparently well right now, it's just a sign that the other shoe is about to drop and a new nightmare is just around the corner?

If SC was here, his answer would be this:

'Steel, you don't want an answer to your question, you want to tell us about your anxieties....So what are they?'

Yes to Capn Steel and haha to Citizen

I'm surprised theres not more MoFos answering this...I'll see what I can do That's a tough question and pretty broad. If you care to explain more I will reply. All I can say right now is everyone has fears.

I think a lot of people can feel that way from time to time. Is there an underlying concern or problem that you're facing? I remember you had the landlord issue with a forced move, and that would stress anyone! Has that been resolved? If not that could be laying in the back of your mind causing some concerns.

Yep. Set for end of this month. My days are numbered.
After the last time I moved (10 years ago) I kept saying that was something I could never do again - mentally or physically.

Now I have to and I'm 10 years older than I was then.
I just can't seem to get myself to make all the necessary preparations. When it comes to packing my own stuff - I have some kind of "hoarder" like mental blocks - I don't know where to start.

And the irony is, last time I was moving from a difficult apartment situation into someplace desirable - my own little house where there would be no noisy neighbors above or below me and I'd be the one making decisions about my living space (and yet I still had something like a nervous breakdown beforehand) - this time I have to put everything I own into storage (having no idea if it will all fit) and will be leaving over 30 years of a relatively independent lifestyle to go take care of my mother and mentally ill brother in a house where there is no room, no privacy, no quiet, nowhere to park my car, no online access.

Part of the reason my brother is ill is because my mother moans, cries and screams through the night with physical pain and emotional anguish... every night.

I can't even imagine what life will be like (I actually can't allow myself to imagine it because that will only make things worse).

Well that explains your anxiety. Anyone would feel anxious in that situation.
You'll be OK Just don't think about all the future stuff that might happen and be bad. Just focus on the day, and set a goal for yourself. Say like packing one area of the house in a day.

As far as getting rid of stuff, yes it can be hard. Here's what I do. Make three piles when you go through stuff. One pile, is the keeper. The other pile is the stuff you get rid of...And the third pile is the stuff you can't decide on. That will help! believe me. Because it's the indecision that makes going through personal items hard, hence the third pile. Once your done with an area or a closet, then you can go back through the third pile and get rid of more of it.

I have some other advice, you don't want to be paying monthly storage fees for a bunch of stuff. Get rid of anything that is big and not deeply sentimental. Small stuff no biggie it don't take no room, but those months of storage will add up and all you'll be storing is a bunch of stuff you didn't really even need. The Goodwill and Salvation Army takes donations.

Thanks, Rules.
I did take two large boxes of books and donated them to the library tonight.

Wow, I thought your move happened last year. I must have missed part of the story.

Very stress\ful time, moving. I've read a number of times the three most stressful times are Death, divorce, changing environment. Goodluck with it.

Can I ask a personal question and please know it's ok to tell me to mind my own business. Are you a bit of a collector? I remember you saying something like having years of stuff in your house and in storage?. If so, that's got to be hard to break. I've been going through a bit of a toss out here of stuff I've had for years and havent even touched the books yet that are all under the stairs in boxes. I used to get very attached to books now I wonder why (apart from some first editions I have from a well known aussie author). I'm finding it stressful to toss things out and I dont have the added stress of moving so I cant imagine what you're going through. I acknowledge your anxiety about it.

Yes, Dani. If you look back at my Frugal thread (plus being a conservationist) - it's kind of linked to that philosophy.

I'm not a hoarder, but I save things that can be used rather than buying things (as much as possible anyway).

And as it happens, when I throw something out, usually within a week I need the perfect odd-sized bag or box or whatever that I just got rid of.

I have no problem throwing out garbage - but I am anal about anything going to waste. If it can be used, but can't be sold, but that someone in need could use, then I'd rather give it away or donate it rather than having it add to a landfill.

Plus I'm a compulsive recycler - so it's not like I can just jam a hundred cardboard boxes into a trash can - I have to flatten or cut them all to preferable size and then tie them up in bundle sizes acceptable to the township - it's a lot of work.

I have a hard time dealing with paperwork (documents / receipts / records) - I used to work with a guy who said he saved everything paper going back at least 7 years - he actually warned me "never get rid of ANY paper documents - as soon as you do, you'll need them or have the IRS calling you!" I said, if I did that, I'd need to fill up my home with file cabinets!

I also sell on eBay (or I did) so I collect boxes, cardboard, plastic bags, bubble wrap & those air-filled balloon things for packing & shipping.

The only thing I really collected were comic books (which I've been selling off for years). Last summer I took a couple boxes to a comic shop - I'd estimate I spent about $400 on the various contents and estimate it had collector's worth of about $600. What did the comic shop give me? $60.00 was the most they'd offer - it was heartbreaking, but thought I was moving at the time so I went with the deal. So I went back to trying to sell what's left of my Bronze-age stuff on eBay.

Capt, I think I understand what you're going through. I'm a collector, so I have stuff all over the house, and I can't even imagine what I'd do if I were forced to move. As I look around the room, I think it would be overwhelming to try to pack the whole room all at once, so I would probably just start at one corner of the room, and carefully pack things a little at a time, and then move on to the next section. That way I'd at least see some progress as I moved on to each new section.

And as Rules said, you have to decide what's worth keeping and what's not, and just donate whatever you don't want to keep. (We usually donate stuff to a local Cancer Care thrift shop.)

It's a shame about your comic books, but sadly most vendors will only give you pennies on the dollar for your old books, unless you have something rare and/or desirable, like a first appearance of someone.