My niece says my mom's surgeon is OKing her dropping the opiate and just taking Tylenol and ibuprofen. She has really not been liking the side effects.

I hope she does well on just OTC meds!

Me too! It's what she was taking before the surgery and it was working well. Hopefully there's not too much more pain to be dealt with now.

Timelies all!

The furnace has been fixed. Luckily, this past week the nighttime temps have been in the 60s, so not having the furnace has been fine for us.

I also have a new Bluetooth mouse. (Hey, it's the little things.)

This weekend we are going to the local folklore society's annual retreat. I need to figure out what to pack, given that it's supposed to be cool and rainy for much of the weekend.

Ok, it’s been longer than I planned, for no good reason.

Are you mostly remote, Calli? How often do you have to be in office? 1.5 hours is a long drive.

Yes, I’m mostly remote. I’ve gone in about once a mont so far, which is totally doable. Also, t-, I’m glad your mom’s surgery went well.

Debet, I’m sorry work is awful, and I hope you’re in a better situation soon.

Tom, I’d love to hear more about the bookbinding class. That’s something I’ve been interested in learning about, but the timing/opportunity just hasn’t happened for me yet.

Hi, all. I've been reading and nodding and feeling sympathetic thoughts for those struggling, but I realized I haven't typed much in...awhile. So hi. I'm still here. I'm sorry I'm not being very responsive. I'm using all my spoons for work and personal stuff.

My hormones are just a hot mess. I've been on BC pills since I was 16 because of PCOS (now called PMOS, much more accurate), so my perimenopause symptoms have been mostly masked. It was funny to me when — despite not changing doses AT ALL — my PCP started labeling my pills HRT rather than BC last year. I have the occasional hot flash, especially at night, but not much else. Well, I have brain fog, but that is also ADHD so...chicken? Egg? However, my body has decided that it wants to keep on having those monthly periods and nasty headaches DESPITE my being 51, which is just Not On. My gynecologist said she would switch my current dose down once I hit 52 since that's the average age for American women to have menopause. Is that right? That seems like it can't be right. But I may just be bitter.

I'm 50 and bitter that I'm not done.

I'm 50 and bitter that I'm not done.

I'm 55 and ready to see if one of those Etsy witches can make me be done. The longest I've made it without a period was 222 days. I'm back at 199 days as of today. I can be done! I'm not using it!

I'm 58, and started menopause in the spring, so YMMV. I've been on HRT since then.

OOOF no. I don't want to do this for another six-and-a-half years!

nope nope nope