I'm going back to a more organized topic-based post style as I'm sure some readers don't care about my curling adventures or my gaming or whatever.
ADHD Update
I lost 11 lbs in 18 days because the appetite loss thing with my meds made me entirely forget to eat lunch on most days. I figured it wasn't entirely terrible on my low activity days. If I felt light-headed, I took that as a sign that I probably needed a snack. I grazed most of the day until the evening when I actually got hungry. This can be normal with ADHD meds for the first month, so I wasn't too worried about it. {I should've been worried about it}
Overall, my mood was improved. I'm pretty sure the last couple years of dealing with untreated ADHD coupled with having to fill multiple roles at work had me burned out. It's no wonder I couldn't create much or complete some of my other goals.
Some days, my meds made me quite sleepy and a nap was just the thing. Yeah, maybe it's weird to some that I can nap on a stimulant, but that's actually a common ADHD thing as it calms the beehive* that is my regular brain experience.
My ability to plan things was better, but not execution. Execution at work was OK, but not anywhere else.
I had some of the dangerous "stop taking this immediately" side effects on Vyvanse, including hallucinations, so I am currently waiting to get on a different med. I have an upcoming Monday afternoon appointment.
I can absolutely see how people get addicted to substances after being on it though. Despite feeling ill on it, it was also giving me euphoria. Physically, I felt like I was declining, but mentally and emotionally, I felt great for quite a while until I felt like I was becoming dumber.
It's important to note that not everyone reacts like this to the meds and there are a lot of different med options. I'm not a fan of people shaming others for choosing to use them or not use them.
Curling
On Tuesday, all I really wanted to do was my test throws to figure out if I could play on the weekend. My physiotherapist cleared me for both and gave me some strengthening exercises to ensure I would be ready for the game. The resistance band smelled like rubber with a hint of candy, which is . . . interesting. I was worried I would be behind the class at GSL from the time off. I got there safely despite the bad weather and I went easy on the sweeping. I snuck my curling rock in behind those of the other team. It was a beauty of a shot. Unfortunately, the other team put one right in front of it and then my last shot was too light to get points. No one stayed late to chat as we didn't know if the freezing rain would worsen. Sleep is extra important when healing anyway.
Sunday's game was in my least favourite timeslot, but I looked forward to it anyway. It was a nail biter as both of our teams were evenly matched. We ended up tying 4-4.
Something neat at the club this week was a trophy that was recently won:
Decluttering
On the slow days, I was able to write up that list of things I need to do around my condo. There is quite a lot on there. I had originally intended to get to it right when I got home on Monday, but I was quite tired. Thursday's plan was to get a few things done around the house including making sure my area looked good for a work Pride trivia event I presented on Friday afternoon. Between work, life, socializing, and the whole bad med thing, I didn't get far on my list.
Gaming
I made it further in Diablo IV with my Barbarian. I only died a couple of times. I'm hot on Lilith's heels, but I decided to try and finish everything that is Act I to level up more and ensure I don't miss the side quest content. I know in previous versions, I couldn't go back and I don't want to confirm that the hard way. I don't know what I'll stream after it, but maybe something brighter and happier. I'm getting way ahead of myself as I often do since I'm level 33/100 ;)
I happily joined a one shot for Pathfinder on the weekend. It had been ages since I last did tabletop RPG because every opportunity over the last decade fell through. Often it was a case of adult schedules not aligning, but one attempt had far more issues that made it impossible to get going. I forgot how fun role-playing can be! We all made it out alive. Surprisingly. Hopefully, we'll do it again sometime. My character is a Jinxed Tengu Oracle. Healer classes are OK for me in tabletop games but terrible in video games. People die far more in video games if I'm the healer. I don't have the attention span needed for long raids.
After work on Wednesday, I learned that my hometown neighbour died of a heart attack from shoveling snow! I've since read that men 45 and older shouldn't be shoveling. Pushing snow with a scoop is far less taxing on the heart than throwing it overhead. It's also important to warm up before and have water nearby to stay hydrated. Having a machine is great, but some people do die using one because pushing it is exercise too. And exercising in the cold is part of what kills people. It also leads to more injuries like muscle tears. The other reason why people die shoveling snow is that after 45, the likelihood of an underlying heart issue has increased. Slower is better if you have to remove snow manually. {End PSA}
2SLGBTQIA+
For quite some time, I've been working on a trivia presentation at work as part of the Pride Committee. It was initially given to me as a Jeopardy slideshow, but we couldn't get it to function like Jeopardy should. So I pivoted and turned it into a more regular PowerPoint, added photos and transitions to up the fun level, and my colleague made a JotForm to gather responses for the gift card we gave away.
And I figured, why not add more gay to my day, so I went to the Lez Go Billiards event in the evening to catch up with my non-sporty lesbian friends. I vastly prefer these to the dances because I can actually chat with people and I prefer metal, punk, rock, blues, and jazz to hip hop and pop. It's lucky that I went as there was a helpful woman there who assured me that I was not having normal side effects to my ADHD meds. Who knows how much worse it would've gotten otherwise?
I enjoyed my friend's monthly studio stream this week. It's always interesting to be a fly on the wall and hear the different choices made by her producer as they work on her albums. I'm itching to get a specific midi keyboard. It wasn't on sale for Black Friday, so I'm being good and holding off for now. I'll have enough saved for it soon, but I may wait to see if I have gift cards after Christmas to put towards it. I like my little Akai, but it really is small to properly learn with. The one I want also has shorter keys with a natural response like a piano to cover dynamics. My plan is to get more into practicing in the winter months after getting a lot of my condo cleanup done.
*Credit to Connor DeWolfe for that analogy.
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