the MIA thread....anybody heard from (fill in the name) lately?

[missy]

I miss JewelFreak
Wherever you are Laurie, I hope all is well and life is treating you sweetly.

 

[AGBF]

I miss JewelFreak
Wherever you are Laurie, I hope all is well and life is treating you sweetly.

I echo this. Laurie was a fabulous addition to Pricescope, so knowledgeable about so much! I used to enjoy her in discussions about silverware, fine china, and dogs as well as in discussions about jewelry. She was so well rounded, cultured, and amusing! I hope that she posts here, at least once more, some day!

 

[OoohShiny]

Has anyone heard from @OoohShiny? He hasn't been online at PS for months. If you are reading this @OoohShiny you are missed.

Hello missy,

Thank you very much for thinking of me, I appreciate the kind thoughts.


I and the wider family have all been fine, I have just been taking some time out because, if I am totally honest, and to reference a comment I saw @Dancing Fire make while skimming through the forum earlier, the unrelenting negativity against those unwilling to take a Covid vaccination at this moment for a variety of reasons is something I simply ran out of time, energy and inclination to deal with, and the bling was not enough to counteract it.

It is not just PS, of course - such discussions are taking place on forums across the internet - but it gets to the point that it feels like 'Peer Reviewed Paper Top Trumps', and there is only so much time in the day and so much energy one has to deal with everything life throws at them, without adding to that list voluntarily.

I have therefore just been trying to absorb as much as I can and keep up to date with what is happening, such that I can try to feel as informed as possible. For the record, my concerns around the levels of coercion and manipulation being seen are only increasing, and my position remains that I will wait until longer term outcomes are known before I or the family partake - cognisant that this may make our lives increasingly difficult or even subject to prosecution/persecution in the near future.


(I did also start a new job and move house, both things that have been stressful, especially when I still have yet to meet anyone I 'work with' after six months of staring at a screen in the spare bedroom.)


On a perhaps related note, this past week my father has been taken into hospital. His prostate cancer (that we thought was low-level and being managed) has spread to his spine and an organ, and they've also discovered an unrelated cancer elsewhere. He is now barely able to walk to the toilet without a frame and is in pain whenever he moves. The oncologists will be reviewing his scans at the start of this coming week and will meet us to discuss the outcome, but we expect that it is highly likely he will be given weeks to live, perhaps a few months at best. We are already discussing the will, DNR notices, what happens to his wife with dementia, and similar aspects of the situation.

Our focus now is on getting him comfortable and into a location where he can have suitable care - and where he can have friends and family around him, without dehumanising masks and PPE and 2-hour visiting windows that only allow one single nominated person to visit him. I will carry him out of that hospital with my bare hands if it means he doesn't die alone in a cold and lonely side room, like some seemingly have over the past 18 months 'because Covid'.



I know I am far from alone in my situation, and that many others have faced, and are facing, much worse, so I am not seeking sympathy - rather, I am just trying to detail my current situation and the imminent challenges that are informing my thoughts.

I hope that we can all return to normal, and that we can regain/reacquire our rights to once again mark the defining events in life in the manner they deserve.



I also hope that you and all on PS are good - a lot can happen in 6+ months since I was last on, so I am sure I have missed some news. I see lots of positive things happening around the forum so I am going to try to visit more often and focus on those.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Sorry to hear about your father @OoohShiny. I do have to say though congrats on the new job and house, both are wonderful accomplishments.

 

[OoohShiny]

Sorry to hear about your father @OoohShiny. I do have to say though congrats on the new job and house, both are wonderful accomplishments.

Thanks very much, YadaYadaYada

I don't feel like I've performed highly enough to keep the job past the probation period, so I am not yet confident of the future, but I remain hopeful that the universe has a plan for us.

2020 panned out exactly as it needed to for me to be able to help a family member rescue their child from an abusive ex-partner through the courts (the most stressful thing I've ever done) and I had another weird experience recently where the universe came to my rescue with something so unlikely as to be unbelievable, so I think I really do believe what my Gran used to say about the universe having a plan for all of us even if life deals us difficult hands sometimes.

 

[Dancing Fire]

@OoohShiny , Sorry to hear the news about your dad. Well wishes to him.

 

[OoohShiny]

@OoohShiny , Sorry to hear the news about your dad. Well wishes to him.

Thanks DF

The Doctor we met with to get an update the other day did mention Chemo, but TBH he is so weak that we are pretty sure the only realistic option will be palliative care.

If it is, say, 3 months without Chemo but 6-12 months with, and those longer months will involve a lot of feeling sick and weak and having a low quality of life, I think I know which I personally would choose.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Thanks DF


If it is, say, 3 months without Chemo but 6-12 months with, and those longer months will involve a lot of feeling sick and weak and having a low quality of life, I think I know which I personally would choose.

Yes, Me too.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@OoohShiny, you know I can relate about the job struggle but we are also are own worst critics.

How wonderful that you were able to do something to get a child out of harms way, not everyone would step up and help. I am right there will you about there being a plan and what some here would say is hocus pocus, however it is my firm belief that there is a path, sometimes it takes a few missteps but we find it eventually. My best wishes to you.

 

[OoohShiny]

@OoohShiny, you know I can relate about the job struggle but we are also are own worst critics.

How wonderful that you were able to do something to get a child out of harms way, not everyone would step up and help. I am right there will you about there being a plan and what some here would say is hocus pocus, however it is my firm belief that there is a path, sometimes it takes a few missteps but we find it eventually. My best wishes to you.

lol - yes, agreed on the self-criticism front

It frightens me to think what might have happened if things didn't happen the way they did - the child could have been trapped with the other party for all the months of lockdown, away from the eyes of anyone - so I am extremely grateful that we were given the chance and were able to achieve what we did.

May the universe see us all to better times on our paths through life!

 

[OoohShiny]

Yes, Me too.

I know miracles can happen... but I am a realist! lol

Let's see what next week brings and we can go from there.

One thing that is definitely true is that none of us are getting out of this alive! so we definitely need to make the best of it

 

[jp201845]

Good to see you back @OoohShiny want to thank you for helping me educate myself as a newbie on PS. Sorry to hear about your dad and hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

 

[missy]

@OoohShiny I am so sorry about your dad.
We missed you and I am glad you are back and hope you stay.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Hello missy,

Thank you very much for thinking of me, I appreciate the kind thoughts.


I and the wider family have all been fine, I have just been taking some time out because, if I am totally honest, and to reference a comment I saw @Dancing Fire make while skimming through the forum earlier, the unrelenting negativity against those unwilling to take a Covid vaccination at this moment for a variety of reasons is something I simply ran out of time, energy and inclination to deal with, and the bling was not enough to counteract it.

It is not just PS, of course - such discussions are taking place on forums across the internet - but it gets to the point that it feels like 'Peer Reviewed Paper Top Trumps', and there is only so much time in the day and so much energy one has to deal with everything life throws at them, without adding to that list voluntarily.

I have therefore just been trying to absorb as much as I can and keep up to date with what is happening, such that I can try to feel as informed as possible. For the record, my concerns around the levels of coercion and manipulation being seen are only increasing, and my position remains that I will wait until longer term outcomes are known before I or the family partake - cognisant that this may make our lives increasingly difficult or even subject to prosecution/persecution in the near future.


(I did also start a new job and move house, both things that have been stressful, especially when I still have yet to meet anyone I 'work with' after six months of staring at a screen in the spare bedroom.)


On a perhaps related note, this past week my father has been taken into hospital. His prostate cancer (that we thought was low-level and being managed) has spread to his spine and an organ, and they've also discovered an unrelated cancer elsewhere. He is now barely able to walk to the toilet without a frame and is in pain whenever he moves. The oncologists will be reviewing his scans at the start of this coming week and will meet us to discuss the outcome, but we expect that it is highly likely he will be given weeks to live, perhaps a few months at best. We are already discussing the will, DNR notices, what happens to his wife with dementia, and similar aspects of the situation.

Our focus now is on getting him comfortable and into a location where he can have suitable care - and where he can have friends and family around him, without dehumanising masks and PPE and 2-hour visiting windows that only allow one single nominated person to visit him. I will carry him out of that hospital with my bare hands if it means he doesn't die alone in a cold and lonely side room, like some seemingly have over the past 18 months 'because Covid'.



I know I am far from alone in my situation, and that many others have faced, and are facing, much worse, so I am not seeking sympathy - rather, I am just trying to detail my current situation and the imminent challenges that are informing my thoughts.

I hope that we can all return to normal, and that we can regain/reacquire our rights to once again mark the defining events in life in the manner they deserve.



I also hope that you and all on PS are good - a lot can happen in 6+ months since I was last on, so I am sure I have missed some news. I see lots of positive things happening around the forum so I am going to try to visit more often and focus on those.

I am very sorry to hear the sad news regarding your father. My father passed away of prostate cancer 7 years ago. Sending you much strength and hoping you can have many happy moments with your father and build strong memories.


I am sure your new employer will see what a gem they have in their team now!

Buckets of PS dust to you and your family!

 

[VRBeauty]

Thanks DF

The Doctor we met with to get an update the other day did mention Chemo, but TBH he is so weak that we are pretty sure the only realistic option will be palliative care.

If it is, say, 3 months without Chemo but 6-12 months with, and those longer months will involve a lot of feeling sick and weak and having a low quality of life, I think I know which I personally would choose.

My mother was a nurse, working mostly in a post-op care unit. She had her DNR orders in place. But when she came down with cancer and had to make real choices about her own care, she opted for chemo and radiation. She kept saying she “just needed three months” - three months to teach my father to take care of himself (aka cook) and to organize “things” so those of us left behind wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Well, my father had no interest in learning how to cook - he was perfectly happy with the prospect of eating fast food or TV dinners and in fact was probably looking forward to it. And of course us kids didn’t want her to spend what little time and energy she had left trying to organize “stuff”.

The chemo is very hard on my mom in ways that she probably hadn’t anticipated. I think it also led to increased tensions between her and my dad. I suspect that if she had been able to see what the chemo would be like, and the impact it would have on her life and those around her, that she would have chosen not to go that route. We’ll never know for sure, of course. But, in a year or so later when my brother was faced with the same choice and a treatment that was guaranteed to extend his life for a few months but probably not longer, he chose hospice care. And he never regretted that choice. And I think his decision was influenced by what my mother had gone through.

Best wishes to you and your father.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I bought two new bras the other day and thought of @Begonia . Where you at, girl? Hope you are well.

cheers--Sharon

Bump @Begonia

 

[Begonia]

Bump @Begonia

Hey @canuk-gal!
Hahahaaaa, here I am

 

[Dancing Fire]

Hey @canuk-gal!
Hahahaaaa, here I am

And still alive!!

 

[Begonia]

And still alive!!

Hey @Dancing Fire! How're things? Wife and kids and grankiddies ok?

 

[Dancing Fire]

Hey @Dancing Fire! How're things? Wife and kids and grankiddies ok?

Hey Begonia We are all alive and are doing fine. That's all it matters!!.

 

[Calliecake]

I miss @YadaYadaYada. I’m thinking of you and really miss your presence on Pricescope. You are a wonderful kind person and sometimes I got the sense that you didn’t know how valued you are here. I hope things are going well for you and your family.

If I in any way contributed to your decision to take a break I am sincerely sorry. If this had anything to do with the vaccine, I truly believe most everyone here completely understood your feelings and your reason for the choice you made. I hope you are well.

 

[stracci2000]

I miss @YadaYadaYada. I’m thinking of you and really miss your presence on Pricescope. You are a wonderful kind person and sometimes I got the sense that you didn’t know how valued you are here. I hope things are going well for you and your family.

If I in any way contributed to your decision to take a break I am sincerely sorry. If this had anything to do with the vaccine, I truly believe most everyone here completely understood your feelings and your reason for the choice you made. I hope you are well.

Yes, she left PS because of the vaccine discussions.

 

[Mreader]

Yes, she left PS because of the vaccine discussions.

Oh my gosh I did not know that she had left. I do hope that she will come back soon.

 

[stracci2000]

Oh my gosh I did not know that she had left. I do hope that she will come back soon.

I hope so too.
I know that she was sad and upset by some of the hurtful comments made in those threads.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Yes, she left PS because of the vaccine discussions.

I hope not. You guys can attack me all you want but don't attack her.

 

[nala]

I hope so too.
I know that she was sad and upset by some of the hurtful comments made in those threads.

Omg! That totally sucks! Especially bc I feel like she revived the antique jewelry forum and that thread she had going!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Hey guys, this thread was brought to my attention so I didn’t want to leave people wondering what was going on. It has been hard to stay away, I’ve really missed PS a lot.

I considered PS like my second home and many of you like a second family. So it was really upsetting to read some of the comments in this thread:

99.2% of recent US Covid deaths were unvaccinated people

What sacrifices? Washing their hands, wearing masks, physically distancing, refusing a free vaccine that will save their lives and the lives of others? We should not view engaging in common decency expected of everyone as sacrifices. It's ironic that these petulant people become their own...

www.pricescope.com

In this thread, those who refuse a COVID vaccine for ANY reason, who do not qualify for a medical exemption were labeled as:

Mentally ill

Lacking critical thinking and reading comprehension skills

Racist

Unworthy of medical care

Etc.

It was also really upsetting that people I thought were my friends “liked” these comments. I thought well this is just not a safe space for me now, so I left. Not to make a big spectacle about it, I put in my signature that I was leaving because I didn’t want anyone to think something awful happened, pandemic times and all.

Thanks @nala @Calliecake @stracci2000 @Mreader and @Dancing Fire for asking about or thinking of me, means a lot.

 

[Dancing Fire]

It was also really upsetting that people I thought were my friends “liked” these comments. I thought well this is just not a safe space for me now, so I left. Not to make a big spectacle about it, I put in my signature that I was leaving because I didn’t want anyone to think something awful happened, pandemic times and all.

Don't let "the herd" get into your head. They had always attacked their oppositions and many had left PS b/c they can't take the heat. They had been attacking me for the past 15 yrs and I'm still here fighting them...

 

[MamaBee]

I missed you too @YadaYadaYada..

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I missed you too @YadaYadaYada..

Aw thanks, I’m going to dip my toe in a bit and see how it goes. Maybe avoid Hangout since I don’t seem to have a thick enough skin for it