Welcome to the Melbourne Community Daily Discussion Thread.

  • PeelerSheila @aussie.zone
    13·
    11 months ago

    I’m not the sort of person who shares memes but it encapsulates my current view and why I’m doing all this. Also it just really struck a chord.

    Day 7 is complete and I’m feeling stronger than an ox. Well, I was born in the year of the ox so I guess it fits. Still off the alcohol and Mr Peeler accepts that there’s no tipple to be had during the day. It’s doing us all good!

    Have a great day all!

  • CEOofmyhouse56@aussie.zone
    13·
    11 months ago

    Oh mah gourd oh mah gourd oh mah gourd. Tonight’s dinner was incredible and I got 4.5/5 yum yums from the family.

    My dinner

    Image of a bowl of homemade beef pho with noodles, bean shoots and coriander.

  • Hongohones@aussie.zone
    12·
    11 months ago

    Quitting vapes has been easier than I thought. God what a fucking waste of money. GP bulk billed my telephone appt. Amazing weather. Cats are happy. Friends have been in touch, they’re both related to my old workplace so I do have some nice memories and reflections of it finally. I still have daily violent fantasies of kneecapping or bashing the brains in of the person there who sexually assaulted and harassed me and also undermined my work but I think that’s part of the healing process. I hope I don’t see him though. I’m a pacifist and he can probably fight, but it might be ugly.

    Work was good, took my colleague for some driving practise before their license test tomorrow. She’s another trans woman and working with and chatting with her has been fantastic. I’m not saying cis people are an issue to work with as my boss and other colleagues are also wonderful, but talking to someone who gets almost every bit of what I’m experiencing because they’re experiencing too is really nice. She’s also not at all the stereotypical trans woman either so we can also bitch about the gatekeepers and the lack of a real trans “tribe”.

    Another kinda busy night of aa and such and some food, then bed before 9. Fuck it’s nice to feel like I’m in control of my future and my plans keep coming up milhouse.

    Thanks for reading.

  • bull⚡@aussie.zoneEnglish
    11·
    11 months ago

    Bought myself a bag of dim sims to steam at home so I’m not paying $2+ each for them from the places near here. Had some for lunch. Am pleased *cabbage fart*

    • Duenan@aussie.zone
      3·
      11 months ago

      Yup. I agree. How did you end up cooking them?

      I like to air fry them to make them a little bit crunchy but not too much.

      Unconventional but I do enjoy them like that.

    • the_procrastinata@aussie.zone
      3·
      11 months ago

      The worst farts I’ve ever smelled in my life were from our old dog after we gave him a dim sim to eat. They nearly peeled the wallpaper off the walls.

    • SpinMeAround@aussie.zone
      6·
      11 months ago

      Doing good! Wish I was out in the sunshine but am thankful I get loads of blue sky viewing from my desk. Reckon I’ll go to trivia for the first night in over a month tonight. I haven’t missed it, but wouldn’t mind a pub feed and a chat with the randoms.

      How are you going?!

    • TinyBreak@aussie.zone
      5·
      11 months ago

      Struggling today a bit to be honest. Just a bit flat and over it all. Bit of a nervous energy in my shoulders and just… yeah dunno. Dont wanna sit still.

      • danwritesbooks@aussie.zone
        2·
        11 months ago

        Sorry to hear that. Take some deep breaths, think about the good things or something upcoming you are looking forward too.

        • TinyBreak@aussie.zone
          1·
          11 months ago

          Cheers! Yeah I did the Apple Watch breath thing that was tough but helped a lot till some dickhead started an argument anyway haha

    • Seagoon_@aussie.zone
      3·
      11 months ago

      Okay. Wondering whether to do stuff at home or go to the art shop and buy a bunch of brushes.

      I am wrecked from so much housework yesterday and the sun outside is nice. Maybe I’ll catch the tram and sit and read on the way to box hell.

  • Electronic_Owl@aussie.zone
    11·
    11 months ago

    Finished my ten sessions with the psychologist last week, they sent a report back to the GP with a recommendation that I see a psychiatrist for an ADHD diagnosis. The GP gave me a referral and I followed up. It’s $1000 just for the initial consultation, and hundreds for each subsequent appointment. WTF! Plus I can’t get in until at least December. Is it any wonder there’s a bit of a mental health crisis in this country when support is so expensive.

    • Pilk@aussie.zone
      8·
      11 months ago

      In case you (or anyone reading) didn’t know, many people can get up to 5 further rebated sessions with a psychologist through a GP Management Plan + Team Care Arrangement. Your GP needs to set it up but should be familiar with the process. The rebate is a bit less than the MHCP one.

    • landsharkkidd@aussie.zoneEnglish
      6·
      11 months ago

      If you’re in the SE, I can recommend my psych. My initial appointment was free under the Medicare thing, and then every appointment is like $150 something I think? It’s more than $100 but less than $200. Wait times are I think maybe a month or so? But it could’ve changed since then as he only does appointments every 2nd Saturday which is annoying tbh.

    • just_kitten@aussie.zone
      5·
      11 months ago

      I’ve been playing the psychiatrist waiting game too but strongly recommend getting as many referrals out there as possible at least starting with general psych and not just ADHD specialists. I got lucky after pushing my GP to send more referrals out, ever though it was just for general psych it turns out there are other psychiatrists that don’t advertise as specialising in ADHD per se (because they’d be swamped), but can still actually do the assessment and prescribe medications accordingly, and are reasonably familiar with differential diagnosis. (I quite specifically didn’t want to start off with a specialist but somehow have ended up on this track) I got my first appointment within 8 weeks of my renewed push, x1 followup after 3 weeks and final assessment 6 days after ( next Monday).

      Two things - firstly check what MBS item number each appointment will be under. The actual diagnosis appointment where they give you a treatment plan should be an Item 291 which has a much higher Medicare rebate - $427.75. That might make the fee less scary, if that’s the $1000 appt… If it can’t be done in one session they may use a combination of Item 296 (rebate of $246.00) and Item 306 (rebate of $173.60) first.

      Second, don’t forget to check your Safety Net threshold for the year by logging into Medicare. It’s easy to hit it reasonably quick if you’ve been doing psychology sessions with large out of pocket fees. Once you hit it the psychiatrist sessions are heaps cheaper. I hit my threshold in June so was out of pocket $45.80 for my first psychiatry session (item 296) and $60.25 for my second (Item 306) - both over an hour long, and very extensive, cost $475 each.

      • Electronic_Owl@aussie.zone
        4·
        11 months ago

        Thank you so much for taking the time to write that and for sharing your experience. The response I got from the psychiatrist’s office did mention the Item 291 rebate, and that was in the context of an “opinion only” referral, which, if I understand correctly, means the GP manages the medication going forward. If I have follow-ups with the psych it’s $375 a session, with $125 rebated. I’ll check out the Safety Net, I wasn’t aware of it. Thanks again.

        • just_kitten@aussie.zone
          4·
          11 months ago

          De nada, it’s such a confusing mess that I’m happy to share what I know. You’re absolutely right about your original point that it’s still so cost prohibitive to get mental health support thigh.

    • Hongohones@aussie.zone
      4·
      11 months ago

      ADHD&BED clinic

      Check this place out, it’s still expensive, but at least their waiting period is only two weeks.

      • Electronic_Owl@aussie.zone
        3·
        11 months ago

        Thank you! Will check it out. I’m at the point where I need answers and help, I’ve lived with this for too long, mostly unknowingly because I spent a decade between '97 and '07 getting off my tits on stimulants. That’s not a thing in my life now and the reality has come crashing down in recent years.

        • Hongohones@aussie.zone
          3·
          11 months ago

          I was in that place when I asked my gp for a referral and by the time I’d heard back my adhd had settled down a lot, to the point where I wasn’t in such need of treatment. Knowing if it does flare up again I can see someone quickly is also very reassuring. I’d check landsharkkidd’s option first though, saving 1200 dolareedoos…

          I’m at some stage this year going to look at coping mechanisms. Also definitely going to look at going to that SE clinic mentioned above, as I might also be on the autism spectrum but 2 grand is not really something I want to fork out when neither of my potential neurodivergences are really getting in the way of living a good life at the moment and I’m dealing with being in the early stages of transition and that definitely has had impact on mental health in unexpected ways.

  • landsharkkidd@aussie.zoneEnglish
    10·
    11 months ago

    I think it’s time to take my first mental health day off or something. Or maybe it’s just the overstimulation from cooking. I just… Yeah

    • calhoon2005@aussie.zone
      4·
      11 months ago

      Do it. If you can notify by email do it now, but set to deliver at start of business tomorrow. Then you’ve got the rest of tonight off too.

      • landsharkkidd@aussie.zoneEnglish
        2·
        11 months ago

        I’ll see how I fare up. Iunno, maybe I just need to see how I feel tomorrow + tomorrow night. Leaving early so I can watch Gran Turismo early for my other job.

    • mysticgreg@aussie.zone
      11·
      11 months ago

      When gas prices are this high I guess it’s a good idea to start making your own :|

      (Also apparently I’m twelve).

      • StudSpud The Starchy@aussie.zoneEnglish
        5·
        11 months ago

        Beans, beans, the musical fruit
        The more you eat, the more you toot
        The more you toot, the better you feel.
        So let’s have beans with every meal!

            • MeanElevator@aussie.zoneEnglish
              3·
              11 months ago

              I’m not 100% sure. In an established area there will be a gas main to connect to, so I suppose one could apply for the permits and get it connected.

              New estates wouldn’t have gas mains (or very limited ones) so that’s a bit of a moot point.

            • Rusty Raven @aussie.zoneM
              3·
              11 months ago

              They will not be allowing any new connections. So if there is a gas connection you could get a new stove, but you couldn’t connect gas if it wasn’t already there. If you build a new house on the same spot you also won’t be able to connect gas, even if there was a connection for the previous house.

              I think economically a gas connection would be a very bad choice at this point - it is no longer the cheaper option to run anything, and it’s only going to get more expensive over time.

              • heyheyitskay@aussie.zone
                1·
                11 months ago

                Thanks! This is all really interesting as my level of understanding about energy stops at ‘we have an energy crisis’ 🫠

                • Rusty Raven @aussie.zoneM
                  2·
                  11 months ago

                  We have an everything crisis, really. As far as energy goes I think it would be a safe bet to assume that sometime in the near future everything will be electric, including cars. At some point I expect you won’t be able to buy gas appliances, and then some time after that they will shut down the gas network. The same situation for petrol cars and wood stoves & heaters. It won’t be overnight, but that’s the way things are headed.

  • TinyBreak@aussie.zone
    10·
    11 months ago

    Older blokes: is it a requirement where you have to grunt and groan your way through a visit to the office toilet? I swear to god some of them sound like a match at the Australian open!

  • Rusty Raven @aussie.zoneM
    10·
    11 months ago

    My new commercial portable hotplate arrived yesterday, so I’ve been testing it out this morning. It works really well with my pressure-canner, so one of my biggest concerns about a gasless cooking future has been solved. Because it’s portable it also makes my preserving setup a bit more flexible which is nice.

  • wscholermann@aussie.zone
    9·
    11 months ago

    After a frustrating search for a new pillow I’ve finally found the right one - Bas Phillips memory foam gel infused pillow.

      • wscholermann@aussie.zone
        4·
        11 months ago

        Not as scientific as it could have been. Few more dollars wasted than I care to admit. But sleep is important.

        • Duenan@aussie.zone
          5·
          11 months ago

          A perfect pillow for you is worth a million dollars if you ask me.

          Having a good sleep is so important and with pillows it can be hit and miss if you can they the right one.

          Worse than is if gives you neck aches and no sleep combined.

    • Electronic_Owl@aussie.zone
      4·
      11 months ago

      May I ask what you paid for it? I looked it up and Harris Scarfe has it on sale at $34.99…a massive drop from the $199 RRP. Tempted!

      • wscholermann@aussie.zone
        4·
        11 months ago

        Yes 34.99 is what a paid. As for the original RRP, I’m skeptical that’s what it usually is. I think Harris Scarfe is lying.

    • just_kitten@aussie.zone
      2·
      11 months ago

      I’m guessing you tried it in person? I used to be fairly meh about pillows but after this last neck and shoulder nonsense I’m now far more sensitive about a pillow with good support but also enough loft to keep my head elevated enough that I have less chance of reflux

      • wscholermann@aussie.zone
        3·
        11 months ago

        Yeah they had a sample one out of the box in store that I lay my head on briefly. I know that’s gross but gotta do what I gotta do.

        When I got home with the plastic still on I tried it on my bed and that gave me enough confidence to confirm once and for all to unwrap and I’m happy with it.

        • just_kitten@aussie.zone
          2·
          11 months ago

          Well, I bit the bullet and decided to get one as well - the place I’m at has a memory foam pillow that is so much nicer to sleep on (I used to hate them) and I’m sold. Curious about how the whole gel thing works though.

    • just_kitten@aussie.zone
      4·
      11 months ago

      My interstate relatives think this is some kind of funny melburnian game where we decide to fool everyone with our temperatures this year

  • CEOofmyhouse56@aussie.zone
    9·
    11 months ago

    I’m making beef pho for dinner tonight so I’m making the bogan stock now and it’s pretty fucking good. I have surprised myself.