things that you need to work up the courage to do.

[rovingjack]

I feel like this is at least as worthy a topic as Gahhh, and things that make you happy or laugh.

For me, right now there is a list:

Apply for a job that maybe I'm not perfect for, and it's not perfect for me either.
Keep putting in for housing assistance.
Make a- Milk Ash Blood (MAB) painting.
Make a- Golden Satire painting.
a youtube video about AI artwork
a creative manifesto of sorts.
start editing the makerspace videos and posting those again. with an apology and explaining why I stopped.

[von Corax]

Ditto on the job thing.

[frances]

I've been scammed by a builder.  I paid him to do work which he did not do - that is the short story.  I have been emailing him after he did not turn up about every week.  He has not ever responded.  I have sent all the information to the agency I got him from and they have just replied and said they cannot help me.

I have to pluck up the courage to phone the man up.  I have not been able to do this over the past 3 months.  Oh dear.  I really must do it.

[Cora Courcelle]

I absolutely hate confrontation too.  Try pretending that you're phoning on behalf of someone else while you're on the phone to him; that sometimes helps me.

[frances]

Thank you for the advice Cora.  I'm still ducking out of it.  I plan to write to him at his accommodation address giving him the opportunity to do the work or give me my money back.  I'm ever optimistic.

[SeVeNeVeS]

I've been scammed by a builder.  I paid him to do work which he did not do - that is the short story.  I have been emailing him after he did not turn up about every week.  He has not ever responded.  I have sent all the information to the agency I got him from and they have just replied and said they cannot help me.

I have to pluck up the courage to phone the man up.  I have not been able to do this over the past 3 months.  Oh dear.  I really must do it.

Do you have a receipt? Try citizens advice see what they can advise then maybe small claims court to try and get your money back. It will be long winded, you will have to sue him I think.

[frances]

Yes, you are right.  sigh.

[rovingjack]

to get back on the horse after getting thrown off.

[rovingjack]

I need to start small I guess. work back up to functional.

I'm going to go see the D&D movie tomorrow night.

spring clean

talk with the housing assistance people to get help applying in a way that doesn't risk me getting kicked out a year before I can get another place to live.

get sleep meds.

and see if I can pick up a few days work a week to help with at least stop spending my savings to make ends meet.

[rovingjack]

I'm thinking of going to NYC in a bit over a week, it'll cost me maybe $150, and be a 24 hour day for me. But I'd get the chance to interact with some folks, visit the lego store, and attend an event.

If I dare be hopeful I might even be able to network for some leads toward art commissions.

I will crash hard when I get back. and a day and a half later be assertive and advocate for myself with the neurologist.

Some time in the weeks after there will be two weeks of workers redoing areas in our space. so I expect to be sleep interrupted and basically unable to live here most of those days.

then going to syracuse NY for my collage age nieces first big show as dramaturge.

hoping to also get some progress toward advising me on how I might be able to do some of my own art and game making for income. and get a sense of options for art therapy and tutoring options as well.

[RJBowman]

I'm thinking of going to NYC in a bit over a week, it'll cost me maybe $150, and be a 24 hour day for me. But I'd get the chance to interact with some folks, visit the lego store, and attend an event.

If I dare be hopeful I might even be able to network for some leads toward art commissions.

I will crash hard when I get back. and a day and a half later be assertive and advocate for myself with the neurologist.

Some time in the weeks after there will be two weeks of workers redoing areas in our space. so I expect to be sleep interrupted and basically unable to live here most of those days.

then going to syracuse NY for my collage age nieces first big show as dramaturge.

hoping to also get some progress toward advising me on how I might be able to do some of my own art and game making for income. and get a sense of options for art therapy and tutoring options as well.

I'd want to have more that $150 for a day trip to New York. Especially if I were going to the Lego store.

[LukeHogbin]

NYC has a vibe. It's not for everyone, and the general mood of the city can be described as "moderately miserable". Granted, I haven't been there in 20 years, but you might want to pack some more money, especially if you plan on going to the LEGO store. That stuff ain't cheap.

[J. Wilhelm]

About 12 years ago when I went to San Francisco for the Sony laptop contract I gave myself $300 in discretionary spending for food, tips and whatever, and that was a two day trip with hotel and plane ticket paid!

Big cities aren't cheap.

[rovingjack]

I overwhelmed myself trying to organise the bus schedules to get tickets to nyc. Tickets from my state to NYC only come from one city, and take 7 hours + with a transfer along the way. for a 4 hour drive by car. But I'm not going driving my car into NYC traffic and finding parking and then driving back in a day. so looking at bus from my state to a middle point city and then transfer to another bus for the rest of the trip... only has a couple of options for times that are less ideal, and the 30 minute transfer makes me nervous that the first bus could get caught in traffic or be late and I'll miss my ride to NYC. (Might have to just get over that anxiety).

If that all works bus costs there and back come out to about $130. I'd get there around 3-4pm be able to get subway pass. and have a few hours to go a few places.

The main event for my trip starts at 7pm. ends after 10pm.

I can catch a midnight bus to the midway city by 5am... but my butthole states bus stations don't have any buses back for 4 hours. so I'll be hitting the 24 hour mark before I even get to my car again. and that all depends on the night before not giving me insomnia issues.

maybe I could nap on the bus rides.

the money mentioned was just the travel cost, not what I'd spend while there. though I tend to be frugal when I'e been in the past.

first trip was more than 15 years ago, went for a Met exhibit for hatshepsut, got mugged by a clown, good times. That was a 24 hour bus round trip, it was brutal.

the second time I went to world makerfair, bus down air bnb for a couple nights, bus back. that's one where I got there 5 hours before I could check in, and got digestive flair while wandering around NYC with my bags hours before most anything opened and there was no public restrooms at the bus/subway station. and the bus back was delayed 4 hours and made me miss the transfer and the mid point and have to wait 5 hours for the next one, where some bleepity bleep bleeps were being absolutely too noisy the whole way back so I ended up 37 hours awake.

third time, I drove down, parked I don't know where while I attended the maker fair again. drove outside the city and slept at a rest stop. and drove back for the second day, and then left via car for other places. That was by far the easiest travel to MYC I've ever had, sleeping at a rest stop was not ideal and would be much harder now, but maybe still doable. but I wouldn't even have to do that. It's a 4-5 hour drive, and I could leave the city on my schedule. But I'd have to drive in NYC, park, pay tolls and gas and put 600 miles on the car in a day by the time I drive back for 8-9 hours of driving in that day.

[rovingjack]

booked the ticket for the bus trips. it'll be about 26 hours total, and the bus ticket alone are about $150.

I'll leave the house around 8am, bus leaves at 9, get to the major hub around 1030, next bus leaves at 11 gets to nyc at around 4pm, event starts at 7 ends after 10. bus back takes off after midnight, gets back to the hub at 530, my next bus takes off at 620 gets me back to my car around 8, half an hour drive back to the house.

theres a little slack in the timing. but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried that somehow one of these buses is going to be late and make me miss the rest of them.

I'm also feeling guilt and anxiety about spending probably $200 on this trip. I'm stressed about how my sleep the night before could make it harder, and that I might not be able to nap on the bus back.

I've got some time to get comfortable with the idea, and plan some other things to check our while I'm there. but right now I feel like I need to get up and pace the room a bit.

[rovingjack]

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this...

It's a day trip. I've got sandwhiches and pita chips for safe foods for the whole trip. I've got a nifty new rainbow umbrella, a coat with a hood and warm liner that has multiple zip pockets that I can keep important stuff that I don't want to lose like ID, bank card and phone. I know what clothes I will wear and their are ready to go (maybe pack some emergency backup trousers). Set an alarm for every part of the trip and will charge the phone tonight.printed my tickets, and making the intinerary and maps for where I'm going. Sort some cash to have on hand if I need.

I'm eating carefully today and will take sleeping meds tonight way earlier than usual bed time so they are out of my system when I get up hours before I need to be at the first bus.

How the heck did I travel to 48 states in the us in 6 months. That seems impossible. Soomebody else must have done that.

[Sorontar]

Happy trails, rovingjack. I hope you enjoy the experience.

[rovingjack]

trip is a no go. I've been awake for 20 hours, took a trazadone and a benedryl 5 hours ago, and I'd need to be up in 4 hours, and the trip would have me awake for 24 hours if I'd been able to sleep, but since I haven't it would be 48 hours awake, trapped in NYC with nowhere to rest which would set off my digestive issues while trapped in the city.

I cannot in fact do this.