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jazzfishOh hey, it's been a minute.
ADHD
In the event the sleep disruption from the dexadrine didn't go away, and turned out to be a Problem. A couple of weeks ago I made a quick appointment with the ADHDoc to talk about that. During the week I was waiting for the appointment I also started losing focus-ability. I'm inclined to attribute that to the lack of sleep but who knows. Anyway, she put me on Concerta (which is NOT "Allegra" which is what I keep wanting to call it, because music terms), and that's been working out much better. Sleep is mostly back to normal for me, which is not great but doable, and in the last week-plus I'm better able to focus on things.
I say "mostly" because I'm going to bed later and finding it difficult to get moving in the mornings. Small sample size, and the effect might just be due to the wintergrey, but I ran my light-alarm a couple of mornings and it didn't help much. May need to start enforcing a bedtime instead of "eh i'm not really tired yet."
Two effects have been consistent across both drugs. First, the aforementioned ability-to-focus. It's not a cure-all: I -do- still have to make good choices about what I'm focusing on. But it's basically removed the hours of sitting in front of the laptop(s) and not doing anything because I know I need to be doing schoolwork but my brain is saying "nope".
Second, I'm no longer hungry. I'd thought I wasn't really hungry before and I was just eating at the same times because that's What The Schedule Says. Turns out there was in fact some physical signaling going on, and that's beem muffled. I've only missed two meals since starting the drugs (and one was lunch on the first day, when I took a pill and sat down and didn't get up for six hours). But mealtimes have definitely been sliding later in the day, because I just don't notice that it's mealtime.
Keeping an eye on things, but this one is promising. I've a longer appointment with the ADHDoc in a week and we'll see what she has to say.
CLASSES
Are going well? Cartography with Tony from last term is fine: frustrating, because graphic design is not my passion, but fine. ArcGIS 2, not with Tony, is likewise fine. More of the same, but with a bit less guidance, which is I think a good thing. Remote Sensing, aka "interpreting satellite data", has the potential to be really interesting and also really complicated. The software we're using is not an ArcGIS level of complexity but it can do A Lot.
As for Technical Issues In GIS... this class. It's lecture+homework every other week, and the one homework assignment thus far has been a sort of very baby research paper on compression methods ("describe three, go into a bit more detail on one"). Alternate weeks are for work on the Big Group Project, with assigned groups and very vague direction. Assigned groups, whatever, probably fine since I think all of us have some work experience and aren't slacker freshmen. I am not fond of vague direction. Need to contact my group members and say "so ... anyone got any ideas?"
Arc2 and Remote are both taught by the same instructor. Her lectures are not great (reading off the powerpoint and associated notes) but at least the powerpoints and notes are fairly comprehensive. I think I'll be alright there. Will see how the midterm exams go.
MR TUPPERT
For the last few months I've made some dedicated time every day to play red-dot. That has helped, I think. He gets to run around a bit and be less bored, and so he's sometimes more affectionate. In particular, when I'm sitting on the chair talking on the phone or laptop he'll come sit on the ottoman and demand attention. He's also taken to lying on my hand when I get into bed for the night, which is sweet and pleasant but makes it hard to read a physical book or sleep.
I ordered a USB-chargeable laser pointer last week and that's been a big hit. He's especially taken by the patterns it can throw (there's a mouse, a butterfly, and a couple of others), to the extent that he's started to ignore the red dot and only chase after the patterns.
He's not a snuggly cat, and he's not an overly friendly one, and I'm getting used to those. He'll still go into Jerk Mode sometimes and attack my hand or ankles. He's also uninterested in toys other than the red dot. The felt spider on a string that my mother made he mostly just ignores; the wire with cardboard on the ends and the sloth-onna-string he'll actively run away from. I'm chalking that up to pre-me trauma of some kind. Attack the thing, cat! It is not gonna hurt you!
TRIPS
For the first time since 2014 I'm not going to the Gathering in Niagara. It is Expensive and Long and During School, and out of the country so I can't draw EI while I'm there making it more Expensive. I relinquished my hotel reservation back to the convention block today and told Jeroen I wasn't going to be there, so I guess it's official. I'm mostly sad/frustrated because I've been planning to go this year in particular for around five years now: there's a total solar eclipse over the hotel a few days beforehand.
Instead I'm flying to Cleveland for the weekend, to see the eclipse with Steph and her cousin who lives in Akron. Better than nothing, but still not all I'd been wanting.
Next weekend I go up north to see Erin for a week, and also to catch a few performances at the Coldsnap Music Festival in Prince George. I'm quite looking forward to that, both the Erin and the musicking parts.
Overall? Things are good, I think. I'm worried about money and the future but that's a future problem. Right now I'm ... mostly happy. It's nice.
ADHD
In the event the sleep disruption from the dexadrine didn't go away, and turned out to be a Problem. A couple of weeks ago I made a quick appointment with the ADHDoc to talk about that. During the week I was waiting for the appointment I also started losing focus-ability. I'm inclined to attribute that to the lack of sleep but who knows. Anyway, she put me on Concerta (which is NOT "Allegra" which is what I keep wanting to call it, because music terms), and that's been working out much better. Sleep is mostly back to normal for me, which is not great but doable, and in the last week-plus I'm better able to focus on things.
I say "mostly" because I'm going to bed later and finding it difficult to get moving in the mornings. Small sample size, and the effect might just be due to the wintergrey, but I ran my light-alarm a couple of mornings and it didn't help much. May need to start enforcing a bedtime instead of "eh i'm not really tired yet."
Two effects have been consistent across both drugs. First, the aforementioned ability-to-focus. It's not a cure-all: I -do- still have to make good choices about what I'm focusing on. But it's basically removed the hours of sitting in front of the laptop(s) and not doing anything because I know I need to be doing schoolwork but my brain is saying "nope".
Second, I'm no longer hungry. I'd thought I wasn't really hungry before and I was just eating at the same times because that's What The Schedule Says. Turns out there was in fact some physical signaling going on, and that's beem muffled. I've only missed two meals since starting the drugs (and one was lunch on the first day, when I took a pill and sat down and didn't get up for six hours). But mealtimes have definitely been sliding later in the day, because I just don't notice that it's mealtime.
Keeping an eye on things, but this one is promising. I've a longer appointment with the ADHDoc in a week and we'll see what she has to say.
CLASSES
Are going well? Cartography with Tony from last term is fine: frustrating, because graphic design is not my passion, but fine. ArcGIS 2, not with Tony, is likewise fine. More of the same, but with a bit less guidance, which is I think a good thing. Remote Sensing, aka "interpreting satellite data", has the potential to be really interesting and also really complicated. The software we're using is not an ArcGIS level of complexity but it can do A Lot.
As for Technical Issues In GIS... this class. It's lecture+homework every other week, and the one homework assignment thus far has been a sort of very baby research paper on compression methods ("describe three, go into a bit more detail on one"). Alternate weeks are for work on the Big Group Project, with assigned groups and very vague direction. Assigned groups, whatever, probably fine since I think all of us have some work experience and aren't slacker freshmen. I am not fond of vague direction. Need to contact my group members and say "so ... anyone got any ideas?"
Arc2 and Remote are both taught by the same instructor. Her lectures are not great (reading off the powerpoint and associated notes) but at least the powerpoints and notes are fairly comprehensive. I think I'll be alright there. Will see how the midterm exams go.
MR TUPPERT
For the last few months I've made some dedicated time every day to play red-dot. That has helped, I think. He gets to run around a bit and be less bored, and so he's sometimes more affectionate. In particular, when I'm sitting on the chair talking on the phone or laptop he'll come sit on the ottoman and demand attention. He's also taken to lying on my hand when I get into bed for the night, which is sweet and pleasant but makes it hard to read a physical book or sleep.
I ordered a USB-chargeable laser pointer last week and that's been a big hit. He's especially taken by the patterns it can throw (there's a mouse, a butterfly, and a couple of others), to the extent that he's started to ignore the red dot and only chase after the patterns.
He's not a snuggly cat, and he's not an overly friendly one, and I'm getting used to those. He'll still go into Jerk Mode sometimes and attack my hand or ankles. He's also uninterested in toys other than the red dot. The felt spider on a string that my mother made he mostly just ignores; the wire with cardboard on the ends and the sloth-onna-string he'll actively run away from. I'm chalking that up to pre-me trauma of some kind. Attack the thing, cat! It is not gonna hurt you!
TRIPS
For the first time since 2014 I'm not going to the Gathering in Niagara. It is Expensive and Long and During School, and out of the country so I can't draw EI while I'm there making it more Expensive. I relinquished my hotel reservation back to the convention block today and told Jeroen I wasn't going to be there, so I guess it's official. I'm mostly sad/frustrated because I've been planning to go this year in particular for around five years now: there's a total solar eclipse over the hotel a few days beforehand.
Instead I'm flying to Cleveland for the weekend, to see the eclipse with Steph and her cousin who lives in Akron. Better than nothing, but still not all I'd been wanting.
Next weekend I go up north to see Erin for a week, and also to catch a few performances at the Coldsnap Music Festival in Prince George. I'm quite looking forward to that, both the Erin and the musicking parts.
Overall? Things are good, I think. I'm worried about money and the future but that's a future problem. Right now I'm ... mostly happy. It's nice.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-26 10:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-27 05:08 pm (UTC)