this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
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[Outdated, please look at pinned post] Casual Conversation

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Title should explain it. What are you working on? What are you excited about? Looking to make new friends, so πŸ‘‹ and let me know you're alive. πŸ˜€

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[–] thorbot@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I sculpt creatures in 3D and print and paint them for my campaign games with my friends. Here’s the most recent one I sculpted and printed, it’s called a Living Doom

This is what my games look like when we are playing them.

[–] Mog_fanatic@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yooo that looks awesome. I wish I had a good group to play a solid campaign with. This looks like it would be so fun. Nice job!

[–] thorbot@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Thank you! I have two groups, one of them is doing an expansion to Gloomhaven called Crimson Scales and the other group is playing Frosthaven. It’s my opinion that Gloomhaven & Frosthaven are the best coop board games ever made!

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sweet! I've of course heard of D&D but never played. What's going on with the board?

[–] thorbot@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks, it’s a game called Gloomhaven, it’s a board game that comes with cardboard standees for the monsters, so I 3D print and and paint the monsters, walls, and I make 3D furniture. Normally it looks like this right out of the box:

And this is how it looks after I upgrade it:

The board is part of the game and it has hexes for movement and targeting. You play cards that let you move and attack and you work together with your team to defeat the monsters before you run out of cards or die. It’s actually not like D&D at all, it’s more of a tactical strategy game!

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Wow! Sounds exciting! Hopefully you got some play time this week!

[–] daemonkat@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I just started knitting my first pair of socks after 25 years of doing other projects. Super excited to make a pair of socks from a World War One pattern.

Nifty colored yarn, think "halloween colors" (magenta/purple, slime green, black, forest green, sparkly purple threads). Might be using the wrong size needles but eh, let's go for broke!

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I love the attitude! The best kinds of projects are the ones when you go in knowing you're doing it wrong. Haha. What's meant by a WWI pattern. Was it a pattern used by the military for military socks?

[–] daemonkat@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

https://www.hjsstudio.com/redsocks.html It is a pattern distributed by the American Red Cross organization, looks like a magazine from 1917 - Modern Priscilla Needlework.

[–] MiddleWeigh@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

πŸ‘‹ I'm alive..I think.

I'd like to know more about your financial quarantine if you don't mind. I've been in similar situations, if I catch your meaning. I'm sort of in a similar situation now, now that i think about it, as I live in a decently rural area, with no drivers license, or public transportation. /:

I'm excited about just about everything though. My life was utter shit till about a year ago. Lately I've been writing songs. It takes me about 4 months to finish and record one. I have 3 or 4 now! I've been in a situation where human contact was largely impossible up until recently. (I don't really have friends tbh. I am or have been a hermit ftmp. But I'm still figuring out who I am.)

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Yeah, just been looking for sustainable business opportunities for about the past 2-3 years. I think I might be able to leverage my network this week to give me a bit more breathing room. Most folks don't want to hire me because I come across as a freelancer since that's what I've had to do the past couple of years for survival.

I've been working on digging myself out of a "life hole." I was making strides during covid, but when everyone went back to "normal" I found I haven't been able to adjust to what 90% of people feel is normal. Contracts fell through, my network failed me, and I was left to fend for myself. Makes me feel left out and alone. I want to get married and live where I want. It's like everything says I should be able to, I believe in myself and my abilities, but the season I'm in now makes me feel stuck. Not only that, but it feels like all the progress I made during covid has been lost.

But I keep taking it one day at a time. Some days I feel like waking up is an accomplishment.

That is so awesome you're excited about your life, Middle. I hope it continues to head that way for you. Do you mind if I join you on the mountaintop soon? 😝

[–] MiddleWeigh@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Ofc! But be warned, there is no mountain top. The up and down motion is the best part ime.

I am also a freelancer of sorts. I am a tradesman and me and pops have a tiny little business that we started a few years ago.

I was addicted to drugs, and my dad lived in a jeep. Now were doing OK, looking out for one another, and others if we can. Anything past dead for me is icing!

During covid, I was in a very bad way. I couldn't even afford to go get vaccinated, In and out of court etc...but the PUA money allowed me to get bare necessity and my shit together more than I would have without it. So it was a blessing in disguise, as much as I hate to say it, but finding some good in even the worst of situations is all I know, out of necessity, I just look for it naturally, as a coping mechanism I guess. Sigh.

I think you are probably doing the best you can. I look forward to sharing the ride with you (;

[–] reflex@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I think I can empathize with some of what you're saying, so with all sincerity: keep up the good fight, bud.

[–] 31415926535@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

I'm in the same boat, you're not alone. Well, you are, kind of, but a lot of us are alone, struggling, trying to make it work. One just has to keep trying, so good on you

[–] Addv4@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Just started a new job a few weeks ago, feels super nice to be able to get groceries without constantly budgeting on everything. I was in a similarly financially quarantined situation to yourself for about a year (honestly that term might be the best way to put it), so it is a really nice change. This weekend I have been doing some repairs, some grocery shopping, and am hoping to trip tomorrow, provided I have an empty house (still live with my parents until I can earn enough to go lease somewhere).

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yay! Yeah, any time I've started work and got that paycheck, man it was a relief. Glad you're able to spend extravagantly on groceries. Hope you continue to do that.

I've learned out how to get creative. The added challenge is that my landlord & his wife often commandeer the kitchen (hey, their hose, so it's only fair). I try to be out of their was much as possible, so it's mostly PB sandwiches. I splurge on gluten free bread since my body doesn't like gluten that much.

But I try to turn trips to the food bank into an adventure. What tasty goodies will be in the cart today? Who can I meet standing in line? There was even an internet sales rep sitting at a table for a promo offer. I was able to find out their corporate app sucks and offered to get in touch with his boss to fix it for their employees.

[–] Addv4@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Good luck with the corporate app, the ones that suck really always need help (sometimes it's a mess, but if they're paying it wouldn't be too huge a deal). I always have loved making some good salads from garden greens (I have always enjoyed gardening, so I would get cheap seeds from dollar general or a feed store), generally pretty quick and easy to clean up after. Does your nearby food bank have any greens?

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Basically the guy I was talking to was a grunt worker, so nobody with executive power, though he did say he'd pass my email off; I'm not putting too much hope in them reaching out, but just figured--hey, what the heck, got nothing to lose.

With greens it's kinda hit & miss. Especially since I can only go there twice a month, so if I do get greens I basically have to eat em (or get REALLY creative with em) within a couple of days.

[–] Addv4@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, maybe you'll get lucky, nothing really to lose by it.

That sucks about the greens though, they're such a good way to provide some variety to your diet. Hopefully there will be plenty closer to the end of the season.

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Yup, exactly. Yeah, I definitely love me some greens. I mean, ideally I'd connect with the right employer who's ready to rock and roll on starting making some money!

[–] safesyrup@feddit.ch 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Heading off to the wacken open air on monday. Pretty hyped, although itβ€˜s likely going to rain a lot.

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nice! No idea what a wacken is, but sounds fun. Stay safe in the rain. I've found events are actually a lot more memorable with uncharacteristic weather. 🀣

[–] sadbehr 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's an open air metal (music) festival! But there's a lot of 'underground' metal bands. I live far away from it but it'd be wild to go.

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That sounds totally awesome! What do you like best about metal?

[–] sadbehr 3 points 1 year ago

It's gotta be 1) the positive energy it brings and 2) the people.

I've been in a few different scenes, and metal heads were the ones that didn't care what bands t-shirt you wore. If you were there for a good time so were they.

Point and case is Corpsegrinder, the vocalist of Cannibal Corpse. The dude plays skill tester arcade games while on tour and donates all the toys and stuff he wins to kids in need and posts about it on instagram.

[–] Today@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

That sounds really fun. I'm not a big metal fan but live music is always good. Even if it's bad i appreciate people putting themselves on a stage for something they're passionate about. I recently learned about the metal show running in circles thing and watched a bunch of YouTube videos. Learned about the rings/areas where you choose what level of 'engagement' you want. I love watching these kind of organized, chaotic, ritualized activities! Hope you have fun and don't get punched in the face!

[–] sadbehr 2 points 1 year ago

Na but that's the thing right, everyone in the pit/circle is there by choice, and most of the time if someone gets knocked down they get picked up by others.

If you really wanna check out some wild stuff, look up Obscene Extreme Festival, it's like Wacken but smaller. Everyone's just there for a good time aye.

Wow that sounds awesome. I'd love to be able to go there sometime. Unfortunately it's over 1300km from where I live. Enjoy your shows!

[–] nieceandtows@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Heading to Barbie. Let’s see if it lives up to the hype

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Nice! I've heard some people love it and some people hate it. I'd love to know how it compares to Nolan's other films like Inception and Interstellar.

[–] BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

This might sound strange but Lemmy is exciting for me. I am excited to build something new. I was part of an ancient social media platform where I was one of the first users and it was so beautiful to be part of its early days.

Also I watch a lot of opera if you ever wanted to know about that.

[–] 31415926535@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Past month, started working with oil pastels, had to stop cuz homelessness past 8 years. But now studio apt, trying to get back on feet, art starting to take off. Fab dream last night, trying to find a safe place in a homeless shelter that was also an art school.

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Dude, that story is so inspirational. Thank you!

[–] cizra@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

πŸ‘‹ There are so many things to do for free.

Take a walk in nature, if it's in walking distance - or cycling, if you have a bicycle. If you don't, can you find a beaten-up old bike somewhere (local recycling station?) and fix it? Internet is full of instructions on fixing bikes. Get Duolingo and start learning a foreign language. Install a new operating system (Linux runs on Mac hardware too. If you're on Linux already, check out some flavor of BSD). Learn some coding, or a new programming language. Take some online course on Coursera or such. Call your mom on phone and ask about something old-fashioned she's good at (how to make saurekraut, or such), then try it out. Take up gardening. Repair something - take a stock of tools available and be creative. Install LineageOS on your phone, if supported. Music is free on YouTube and adblockers are free to - find a new music genre - if you can sing, imagine how difficult it must be to sing Magnificat by Arvo PΓ€rt cleanly, in tune. Find an old Android phone, install Termux or Nix-on-droid and set it up as a free, low-power-consumption webserver with a built-in UPS. Listen to Orff's Catulli Carmina and read lyrics+translation in parallel (hoo boy, these Latins were a wild folk). Take up woodworking, if you have scrap lumber - build a bird feeder out of scap boards, perhaps a shipping pallet or such - again, basic tools cost a couple of lunches, and if that's out of reach - there actually exist people who practise flintknapping, and you can find instructional videos online. Take apart the siphon below your sink and clean it so water would drain faster. Read a book on https://gutenberg.org - they're all free and legal. Or find where z-lib has hidden itself, books over there are free too, though less legal. Start growing sourdough culture - it'll take a week or so until it's ready for baking.

Hoo boy, I wish I had time for everything that's interesting to me.

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah, I've definitely been trying out various books on Project Gutenberg to get my brain away from opportunity-searching.

Unfortunately restricted on what I can do for free since I'm a tenant. But good thoughts, nonetheless.

[–] Nerd02@lemmy.basedcount.com 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Uhm... not really. What the hell is a financial quarantine? Not enough money to leave the house? Can't you just... walk?

[–] PlanetOfOrd@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yeah, but I've had plans of moving from my state for my entire life. I was making strides during COVID and then seemingly lost all the progress I had made when the "normal" returned for most people. I thought I had broken through, but I think I was randomly just lucky during that time, since I've been unable to adjust to what people consider normal (this was the case before COVID, too). So even walks feel like a prison since they remind me of where I live and my failures. Of course, I do try to focus on positives, like kitties that like me enough to say hi, chatting with neighbors (I've found most people in my area are coldly aloof and it takes a lot to get through someone's wall). I realize I'm not defined by my failures, too.

Really sorry to read that. Reminds me of a similar situation I've been going through lately, only it went the opposite way. Life used to be great before COVID, then went down the drain during it. From there it's been going better for a while, then worse, then better again and so on. I have a feeling this is just how life is supposed to go.

Anyway, best of luck for your moving endeavors. Say hi to those kitties for me!

[–] odium@programming.dev 4 points 1 year ago

In many rural areas, no. Even midsized us cities have some neighborhoods you can't leave by walking. These neighborhoods usually have only one or two exits and the exits are things like highways or other high speed limit, no sidewalk roads.