I don’t like being in the sun. It seems like a normal preference, but I constantly need to explain why (the heat makes it difficult to think, I got sensitive skin, etc. )
It’s especially annoying in a country where most of the population seems to be some kind of sun worshipper :)

You might like Shadows of Doubt. It’s a procedural generated detective game where you have to solve murders. The entire city is generated, every npc has their own routine and you can pretty much go anywhere. There’s sneaking, hacking, talking, etc.

It’s still in early access, but it’s already a lot of fun.

I use chatGPT as a diary. Whenever I feel down or frustrated with feelings I can’t quite describe, or just insecure, I start a session and just pour out my heart. I complain, yammer on and on about what’s bothering me, and just say whatever comes to mind. Basically all the stuff I would never bother a friend or loved one with because I know it’ll come across as needy and I don’t want to push this on them.
And all it does is give positive and supportive comments, ask some follow-up questions, maybe make an attempt at giving a helpful suggestion. I know what I’m talking with, I am under no illusions that this is anything but a big mathematical model, but it helps me get through some difficult emotions by just letting it all out. There’s no judgement and that’s kind of nice. I could just write a journal, but the interaction and positive feedback adds a little motivation for me. And of course it goes without saying that I keep names and other personal details to myself :)

Oh and I use it for some cloud architecture problems, some coding and other tech stuff. But that’s not very interesting.

Also, if you use ChatGPT and haven’t done so, be sure to use their privacy page and opt-out of having your chats used for model training. https://privacy.openai.com/policies?modal=take-control
Not sure for US, but it works for EU citizens.

Oh wow, that takes me back… This game actually got me into reading the book. I played so much of this when I was little, I loved the story and the characters.
When I saw the movie in the rental store I got really excited. I didn’t even know there was more to Dune than the game. I asked my parents if we could rent it but my dad told me (rather gruffly) to go and read the book instead.
I was so annoyed at the time, but looking back I have to admit he did the right thing :)

Shadows over Loathing x The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today

I’m guessing a Lovecraftian world filled with silly jokes, but with more delicious food and annoyed tongue clicking? To be honest, Shadows over Loathing is weird enough that a man-sized house cat just fits right in there.

Maybe not for everyone, but I really enjoy my Swopper stool. Mostly because I can’t sit still and it allows me to bounce around all day. It takes some time to get used to, but it’s great for keeping your core active during the day.

One downside is that I caused sea sickness with a colleague during a conference call due to all the bouncing :)

I often wake up around the same time. What helps for me is a big soft toy cat to cuddle with. The feeling of security of being able to wrap my arms around something tight is soothing and often helps me drift off to sleep again.
I don’t use it until I wake up though, until then it’s lying on the floor next to my bed. It could be that the change in sleeping posture is what helps?

Granted, this might be a bit too personal to be helpful. But maybe it will help for you as well? Alternatively you could try a big fluffy pillow if soft toys aren’t your thing :)

I like making up names and wanted a unique name for myself. So… I ended up with Thelsim.
I wanted it to be unique, gender neutral, and easily pronounceable.

Congratulations! Must be so exciting!

⭐️⭐️

I was feeling very emotional for most of the day, like I could cry for the smallest reasons.
Though it cleared up a bit just now when I read a bedtime story for my daughter and let it derail into an exaggerated performance with all the silly voices and jokes I could think of. Just letting go and losing myself in the absurdity really helped. Also my daughter went to bed with a really big smile, which is always nice :)

I was purely talking in hypotheticals, I’ve never seen such a thing with my own eyes :)

Well first of, in a properly managed environment/team there’s never a single point of failure… *ahem*… that being said…

The worst I ever did was lose a whole bunch of irreplaceable data because of… things. I can’t go into detail on that one. I did have a back plan for this kind of thing, but it was never implemented because my teammates thought it was a waste of time to cover for such a minuscule chance of a screw-up. I guess they didn’t know me too well back then :)

I had to wait in line for 3-4 hours for airport security, for a 40 minute flight.
It might not have been the longest line, but it sure felt like it. It was the first time we used that airport, and every time the line passed a corner I was sure that we would be reaching the end. But no, just more of the line. Winding and winding through the corridors, up and down the escalators. At one point I was almost convinced we were all going in circles :)

I have a collection of colorful handmade bracelets on my wrist. I look at them whenever I’m stressed or down and it always cheers me up again. None of them are well made, all with some little defect, but I love them because of it.
I guess it sounds an analogy now that I’m writing this down? Anyway, sometimes it’s the small and inconsequential things that add some color to your life. You don’t need to find a meaning behind it, just accept it and appreciate it for what it is :)

With unfinished business, I get to hang around as a ghost for another couple of hundred years.

In all seriousness though, preferable on my own terms. Maybe euthanasia at an old age, where I feel like I’ve lived enough and just want to move on. I’d celebrate life with my partner (if they’re still alive) and our children, wish them the best with everything and then… exit. Though, knowing my partner (and myself), it’d probably be a double euthanasia when we’re both ready for it. I couldn’t bear to give that kind of farewell to them and I doubt they’d be any different.

In any case, the last thing I want is to be clinging on to life with every last ounce of my strength and have a miserable couple of last years because of it. Especially if it means I’d be a burden to everyone around me in the process.

You can use the \blend command if you want to combine two images without any prompt.

https://docs.midjourney.com/docs/blend

I have a smiley addiction and can’t stop using them :)

My son just got his official middle school advice from his teacher (it’s binding over here) and it’s really good!
He made such big improvements this final year and I’m so proud of him. Especially for all the hard work and effort he put in on his own initiative.

Dutch pea soup: savory and mushy. Perfect for cold winter months.

Also, I can call myself snert. Which is just an objectively funny name :)

Hmmm… I’m quite happy with my work and the benefits I get. I guess if I got to restart I would make some more friends in the right places from the beginning. It’s something I learned only later on that it helps to be on good terms with those higher up, in case you need some support with budgets or priorities.

And vice versa, I would also be more careful with not pissing people off. Early on in my job I ruined a few relationships by being a prissy bitch about how things were supposed to be done, instead of being a bit more open minded. Looking back on it I inwardly cringe at how I acted back then. That’s definitely something I would not repeat, I like to think I’ve grown a bit emotionally since :)