[Moose72]

I went to the grocery store today. Got a cooked chicken and had part of it for dinner. I also got some Zevia cream soda. No calories. Doesn't taste like cream soda with sugar, but it doesn't taste bad. I got some sour cream to make ranch dip. I had part of the dip with cheddar puffy "natural" Cheetos. Odd combination. N1 came over to see my place and get some mail of hers that I had. We ended up talking for an hour about nuclear energy and politics. Mostly the presidential race and outcome. She brought me a iced latte from Starbucks! It was a nice conversation. I listened to a CD today while I played on Facebook. Posted a political Meme that was meant to be funny, but then my friends started replying in support of Biden's winning and other friends came and complained that "its not all counted yet" and "let the courts decide" so there was a bit of back-and-forth between my friends. (I wouldn't put it past Trump to invent votes- just like he said Biden would do! He tends to project.)

[Moose72]

I've got ants! I have see 3 of them. I got rid of them, but ants follow chemical trails left by other ants. Thing is, I don't have food open nor is any on the coffee table. I even wiped the coffee table down with rubbing alcohol. I had brought the outdoor furniture in because they were checking the balconies so I thought maybe they came from there so I put the furniture back outside. Tomorrow, I think i'll sweep, mop, and vacuum.

[bizi]

Originally Posted by Moose72

I've got ants! I have see 3 of them. I got rid of them, but ants follow chemical trails left by other ants. Thing is, I don't have food open nor is any on the coffee table. I even wiped the coffee table down with rubbing alcohol. I had brought the outdoor furniture in because they were checking the balconies so I thought maybe they came from there so I put the furniture back outside. Tomorrow, I think i'll sweep, mop, and vacuum.

We have tiny little ants every now and then, we have 3 cats and don't want to worry about poisoning them.
bizi

[Moose72]

Originally Posted by bizi

We have tiny little ants every now and then, we have 3 cats and don't want to worry about poisoning them.
bizi

If vacuuming doesn't help, I'll think about getting ant traps. Do you think ants come inside out of the cold? It wasn't cold today, though. Plus, last night, I saw a spider crawling on the side of the oven, then it went behind it. Also, ant traps temporarily increase the ants as they follow the other ants into the trap and leave and take the poison back to their "house".

I'm up watching Saturday Night Live. It started late because football went into a 2nd overtime! Then they played the news and THEN SNL was on.

[Gabyunbound]

My mother had a total meltdown this morning and kicked out her current caregiver and then the one who came to replace her. My mother can't take care of herself, she can't even stand up by herself.

She is very depressed and anxious, and I'm convinced this is at the root of everything.

Her caregiver called an ambulance for lack of anything else to do, because she was refusing care and can't take care of herself. But the ER found her 'oriented' so I don't think they will consider her confused, which might otherwise get her admitted, or in any case, more care in the ER. I don't think they're going to do anything but they can't discharge her without care...

Anyway, my emotions about this are all over the place.

If you pray, can you please pray for my mom? that she finds peace, that she accepts help?

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by Gabyunbound

...
If you pray, can you please pray for my mom? that she finds peace, that she accepts help?

You got it, Gaby

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by Fuzzybear

Much love to you bpcyclist

I'm behind with the posts (couldn't log in for a few reasons) but wanted to reply to this.

I hope you're safe and sleeping and will be back soon. Much love

Trigger Warning

(I'm just quoting the post)

Hugs and love


[trigger]

cyclist hasn't been around for days I'm really concerned, since he was a frequent poster here.

[daladico]

In a crash/low after a wonderful little bout of super productive hypomania. My body is absolutely exhausted. Mood really sad. Trying to take care of myself and give myself grace through the low. Taking a bath and drinking a coffee (my fave). I have to be social today which is so hard in the lows...

[Soupe du jour]

Originally Posted by WildcatVet

Anyone else ever lived in a socialist society? You'll find out why there have been so many emigrants arriving from countries that are.

Are you mistaking the word socialism for communism? There is a difference. As for living in a country that has some socialized systems, then yes. The United States of America. Think Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. These are systems that most all Americans not only benefit from, but would NOT want to do without. That includes most Americans who vote for Republicans. But are there other highly desirable socialized systems most would like and benefit from that the US doesn't have? Yes, universal health care. Though we do have Obama Care (Affordable Care Act), that is not a fully universal healthcare system. It's a shame. I think the US should eventually adopt one. I know that even the average Republican would end up preferring it. Why don't they? Because right-wing propaganda misleads them into thinking it's bad and something it really isn't. That's called false education. Meanwhile, most of Europe, Canada, and many other nations in the world have it, or something much closer to it than the US, and they like it. If you asked them if they'd want what the US has, most all would say "Heck no!"

Universal health care is a big reason why my husband and I are moving to Czech Republic soon. Czech Republic has it. I am still happy that the election in the US went as it did, but even with Biden, fully universal health care isn't yet on the horizon. Biden is a generally conservative Democrat. Plus, Republicans fight like hell against universal health care. Not because it would be bad for citizens, but because they much rather prefer to support the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries because such for profit industries fund their campaigns. These industries want power. They do similar for some conservative democrats, as well. That is why misinformation about universal health care is spread. Money/profit. Not with any real concern or interest in the health of the American people.

Propaganda equates socialized systems to autocracy. That's false. Again, the US has had some well-liked socialized systems for a long time. Franklin D. Roosevelt created some to get the US out of a depression and support Americans. He was a well-liked president.

A reason many are happy with the result of the US election this week is because the current president has strong autocratic leanings. Even fascist type, to a degree. That's anti-democracy and frightening to those who really understand what's been happening these past almost four years.

One can easily have socialized systems (like the US Social security system) and be highly democratic. In fact, not having some socialized systems can be undemocratic and frankly, cruel. Supporting one another (love thy neighbor) is a good thing and one some religions preach. If all work to support one another, it is akin to one huge family. Also, in the end, it becomes less expensive for the vast majority. Right now, an extremely small percentage of the US population has a disproportionately large amount of money, and are not taxed suffiently. That reflects a capitalist system, which isn't a totally bad thing, but it has been unchecked for a long while. The gap is only increasing. Rich getting richer, middle class smaller, number of poor rising. Rich have indeed been getting more and more powerful. So powerful that the system is less and less democratic. In Russia, an equivalency to the ultra powerful rich are the numbers of oligarchs there. Meanwhile, in most western and Central European countries (and select others) wealth is much more evenly distributed. There are real numbers to back this up. The facts are facts.

[*Beth*]

Tired. One of my cats kept waking me up all night because she was convinced that another cat was going to attack her. After awhile I'm going to sleep some more.

I bought an exercise bike, which I'm enjoying. Still, I need to be walking more. I keep avoiding walks because the AP I'm on makes me feel weird in my head when I walk. Also short of breath. Not exactly vertigo, but "off balance" feeling. The sensation is frightening because I feel like I can easily miss a misalignment in the sidewalk and fall. It's a problem, altogether.

Immensely relieved and feeling hopeful after the speeches last night!

Moose, I worked in a cafe for 15 years. We'd get ants in the winter. What we did is take a large plate or pie pan and put a mixture of sugar and baking soda in the pan. Mix it up and place it where the ants are. The ants are attracted to the sugar, but the baking soda kills them. Be prepared, because it's icky how so many dead ants there will be on the plate or pan.

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by Soupe du jour

.......

Thank you for your excellent definition.

[fern46]

I do not identify with either side politically even though I am American. However, the abundance of political discussion here has led me to speak.

At any given time there is roughly half of the nation that feels their political and moral positions are not supported by the leaders in office. Roughly half of the people feel their views are not respresented or respected properly. That is a high level of dissatisfaction and both sides argure the views of the others as false and propaganda machines. It was sad to me when the democrats were on the losing end and it is sad to me now that the republicans find themselves in the same boat. While I am happy that so many of my fellow Americans are enjoying the feelings of victory and relief, I am mindful that many are now feeling the same fear their counterparts felt four years ago.

That said, I feel it could potentially be beneficial to all of the views represented here if we could leave the political discussion out of this thread. It is one thing to check in with feelings of joy or relief. It is another to express one's opinions in detail.

In the event people wish to discuss politics there are a wide variety of outlets. I'd even support a dedicated political thread. There may even be one on PC already. I just feel like what is possibly intended as 'education' or a correction of other's viewpoints could also be said to be completely subjective. There are infinite counterpoints and positions to adopt - hence the fact we live in a nation so divided.

This thread has historically been a place of support and a place to just be. There is typically less judgment of views even though it happens from time to time. I sense things are swaying out of balance to an extent and wanted to ask that we all consider the needs of everyone who might participate. I recognize some will disagree, but wanted to toss that out for consideration.

[Soupe du jour]

Hi Fern. I understand your concern, and definitely do not wish for such discussions to cause anger. However, we as people with mental health issues are greatly affected by politics. I know that many here do not have the income and support that others, without major health issues have. In my case, my husband's and my quality of life and security are affected, greatly. I see that as a crucial conversation. I also see not discussing it as dangerous, to varying degrees. In fact, some of the most dangerous things are muting people and misinformation and lack of education. I'm also talking about suppressing votes or free speech.

Unfortunately, too often the suppression is more often focused on the weakened and poor, and those who don't keep themselves informed. Such suppression is the cornerstone of autocratic systems. I know, having a husband from a former communist country, and having studied about others at university and in high school. I even have a degree in Chinese studies. I have also traveled in, and briefly lived, in countries where communism existed, or still exists. So, I respectfully disagree that such topics should be suppressed. I do, however, agree that anger should be avoided. Healthy debates, in my view, are crucial. Adults are capable of them, and even younger people should learn about them, in my view.

You may be right that PC doesn't like political discussions. If not, they can delete such posts. I was even a member of a different bipolar forum that prohibited any talk at all about the issue of suicide. People felt suppressed by that prohibition. I agreed because it kept the topic in the dark, as if it was taboo to talk about.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by Soupe du jour

Hi Fern. I understand your concern, and definitely do not wish for such discussions to cause anger. However, we as people with mental health issues are greatly affected by politics. I know that many here do not have the income and support that others, without major health issues have. In my case, my husband's and my quality of life and security are affected, greatly. I see that as a crucial conversation. I also see not discussing it as dangerous, to varying degrees. In fact, one of the most dangerous things is muting people. Suppressing votes or free speech. Unfortunately, too often the suppression is more often focused on the weak and poor, and those who don't keep themselves informed.

That's exactly why I made it clear I support you in discussing it. I am just not convinced this particular thread is the place for it. My comments were in no way meant to take away from the importance of your views. I see them as truthful and right for you. I respect that fully. However, I also see those same views as nonimportant or even conficting with others. I respect their positions equally. My hope is we can maintain that balance.

I'm not angry.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by Soupe du jour

Hi Fern. I understand your concern, and definitely do not wish for such discussions to cause anger. However, we as people with mental health issues are greatly affected by politics. I know that many here do not have the income and support that others, without major health issues have. In my case, my husband's and my quality of life and security are affected, greatly. I see that as a crucial conversation. I also see not discussing it as dangerous, to varying degrees. In fact, some of the most dangerous things are muting people and misinformation and lack of education. I'm also talking about suppressing votes or free speech.

Unfortunately, too often the suppression is more often focused on the weakened and poor, and those who don't keep themselves informed. Such suppression is the cornerstone of autocratic systems. I know, having a husband from a former communist country, and having studied about others at university and in high school. I even have a degree in Chinese studies. I have also traveled in, and briefly lived, in countries where communism existed, or still exists. So, I respectfully disagree that such topics should be suppressed. I do, however, agree that anger should be avoided. Healthy debates, in my view, are crucial. Adults are capable of them, and even younger people should learn about them, in my view.

You may be right that PC doesn't like political discussions. If not, they can delete such posts. I was even a member of a different bipolar forum that prohibited any talk at all about the issue of suicide. People felt suppressed by that prohibition. I agreed because it kept the topic in the dark, as if it was taboo to talk about.

I can only speak for myself, but for me personally I have had trouble not getting too caught up in certain political battles in the past. It became unhealthy for me mentally and contributed to my breakdown. I work really hard to stay away from it now because that is a big part of my recovery and stability plan.

My own personal issues and triggers shouldn't impact anyone else, but I wanted to toss that out to offer some perspective as to why a check in thread which is meant to be friendly to all may not hold its intended purpose if it continues to allow for in depth political discussion. I can certainly go elsewhere, and I may but I felt the adult thing to do would be to just raise my opinion that the balance was shifting and see how the group feels about it. If I am not in alignment with the views of others, that's ok. I am comfortable to agree to disagree. I really do not want to debate the supression of the survival needs of others. My thoughts are not an attack on freedom of speech. That's nowhere near the intent of my comments.

[Soupe du jour]

Fern, I agree that a politics thread would seem best, but the sad fact (evidence shows) that only the folks with stronger or extreme views go to such places. The loudest voices are usually the most extreme. In the meantime, some (not all, I know) who are complacent, less interested, or triggered only dwell in certain places, or choose to skip reading certain things. I am glad we can choose to ignore. I know that is good for some, but it can also unintentionally hurt others and ourselves.

The political discussions here will surely fade away soon. Then they may pick up again some other time. That's how it goes, right?

I'm glad you are not mad at me. I am not mad at you, either. I don't see anything I wrote as deserving of anger, nor do I see yours as deserving any. In fact, you brought up an interesting point of discussion. Is it best to keep certain topics limited, segregated, or avoided? As I wrote earlier, some on that other website I referenced thought it crucial not even to type the word "suicide" and yet many have dealt with thoughts of it, or even loss because of it. I have on both ends.

A while back, I strongly thought that most "off topic" threads should be moved to other forums here on PC. I even asked for a couple to be back then, and some were. However, I have since started to better understand how/why it is important for some not to always be. I see some write "Moderators, please don't move my thread. It is important, for a reason, to keep it here." Well, I think that about these posts I wrote so far today. And any that present other opinions.

Once I was terribly triggered by a particular thread topic, and became upset it was even created. I angrily told the thread author. But in the end, I realized I was wrong to want that topic suppressed. I did/could choose to ignore it. I even eventually apologized for my behavior to that member. Of course I do know some topics are too dangerous, though.

As an aside, that other website I mentioned went under, despite having been extremely popular at one time. I believe that eventually the site owner struggled too much with maintaining a proper balance in rules. Members started leaving.

This post is on page 100 of the thread. I expect it will be locked soon. If people wish to continue the discussion, I guess a decision will be made to do so or not.

[fern46]

Originally Posted by Soupe du jour

Fern, I agree that a politics thread would seem best, but the sad fact (evidence shows) that only the folks with stronger or extreme views go to such places. The loudest voices are usually the most extreme. In the meantime, some (not all, I know) who are complacent, less interested, or triggered only dwell in certain places, or choose to skip reading certain things. I am glad we can choose to ignore. I know that is good for some, but it can also unintentionally hurt others and ourselves.

The political discussions here will surely fade away soon. Then they may pick up again some other time. That's how it goes, right?

I'm glad you are not mad at me. I am not mad at you, either. I don't see anything I wrote as deserving of anger, nor do I see yours as deserving any. In fact, you brought up an interesting point of discussion. Is it best to keep certain topics limited, segregated, or avoided? As I wrote earlier, some on that other website I referenced thought it crucial not even to type the word "suicide" and yet many have dealt with thoughts of it, or even loss because of it. I have on both ends.

A while back, I strongly thought that most "off topic" threads should be moved to other forums here on PC. I even asked for a couple to be back then, and some were. However, I have since started to better understand how/why it is important for some not to always be. I see some write "Moderators, please don't move my thread. It is important, for a reason, to keep it here." Well, I think that about these posts I wrote so far today. And any that present other opinions.

Once I was terribly triggered by a particular thread topic, and became upset it was even created. I angrily told the thread author. But in the end, I realized I was wrong to want that topic suppressed. I did/could choose to ignore it. I even eventually apologized for my behavior to that member. Of course I do know some topics are too dangerous, though.

As an aside, that other website I mentioned went under, despite having been extremely popular at one time. I believe that eventually the site owner struggled too much with maintaining a proper balance in rules. Members started leaving.

This post is on page 100 of the thread. I expect it will be locked soon. If people wish to continue the discussion, I guess a decision will be made to do so or not.

I feel like perhaps you misunderstand and there's a lot projected that isn't accurate for me. This went in a much different direction than I intended.

Yes, there is a natural ebb and flow to things. To me, that represents balance and I enjoy that aspect of the experience. I was pointing out the possibility that the balance is potentially off lately. I never suggested suppression. It was more about the frequency and intensity.

I don't see it as my role here to educate others politically or to know what is helpful for them in that regard. I trust everyone to seek out what they need and avoid what they find harmful as designations of harmful and helpful are wholly relative and subjective.

This is the last I will say on this topic. I'll let things go where they will from here. It isn't my way to seek moderator support on things like this.

[*Beth*]

100 pages! Time to start a new Check-In Thread!

btw, There is a political discussion group on PC that anyone can join

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Here's the new thread:

Bipolar Check-In Thread #52