SpruceWillis's recent activity
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
SpruceWillis LinkI got an interview for a promotion at work. Normally I'd be happy but I'm very "meh" on it. Just last month I had an interview for a promotion at work, I prepped like crazy, aced it, and got the...I got an interview for a promotion at work. Normally I'd be happy but I'm very "meh" on it.
Just last month I had an interview for a promotion at work, I prepped like crazy, aced it, and got the job. However, it's a 2-year secondment, so after the 2 years are up I'll end up back in my old role losing out on money in the process, which sucks.
My senior manager was sad to see me leave the team I'm in, but she told me there were jobs coming up at the same pay grade as the secondment I've got. She even spoke to HR and one of the directors on my behalf and found out if I went for it and got the role I could do my secondment and then just take up the new role in two years time.
When the role came up I almost felt like I had to go for it. It is a role I want don't get me wrong, but I'm burned out on interviews, especially since I went all out on the one I got. Either way, I applied and got an email today confirming that I've been offered an interview next Wednesday at 9am. It'll be competency based and I also have to give a 5-10 minute presentation.
I genuinely have zero desire to do all this again, my weekend has disappeared under interview prep, and I just feel no drive to work on it but I'm gonna drag myself to do it anyway.
Sounds stupid and it is, I should be happy, but in my head I can't get into it, I'm just done for the time being. I want to sit back and enjoy the work I put into getting my new role, instead it's like I'm being told I can't just take a moment to relax.
Other than all that, it was my daughters 2nd birthday yesterday, we went to a safari park and she loved it seeing the lions, monkeys, tigers, rhino, and giraffe.
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Comment on Knocked Loose - Suffocate (ft. Poppy) (2024) in ~music
SpruceWillis Link ParentI hadn't heard it, thanks for letting me know, it's great. That riff is groovy and the breakdowns crazy, didn't realise Poppy had that in her.I hadn't heard it, thanks for letting me know, it's great. That riff is groovy and the breakdowns crazy, didn't realise Poppy had that in her.
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Comment on Knocked Loose - Suffocate (ft. Poppy) (2024) in ~music
SpruceWillis LinkThat breakdown is wild! Knocked Loose are hitting it out the park, also nice to see Poppy's descent into heavier and heavier music.That breakdown is wild! Knocked Loose are hitting it out the park, also nice to see Poppy's descent into heavier and heavier music.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
SpruceWillis LinkBeen going to my GP the past few weeks after my yearly blood pressure check a few weeks ago showed that my blood pressure was indeed quite high. After some monitoring and further check ups I was...Been going to my GP the past few weeks after my yearly blood pressure check a few weeks ago showed that my blood pressure was indeed quite high.
After some monitoring and further check ups I was placed on a daily dose of 1.25mg of Ramipril last week. I had bloods taken yesterday to check that the Ramipril isn't damaging my kidneys and another blood pressure check which showed that while my BP has dropped a decent amount its not quite where the doctor wants it to be so my Ramipril dosage has been doubled and I've been placed on the waiting list for a 24hr ECG to make sure there isn't something wrong with my heart.
It's worrying, especially at 33 years old, but I don't think there's anything wrong with my heart if I'm being honest. My mums side of the family has always had huge issues with blood pressure related diseases (with my own mum having suffered a stroke, that she survived, 6 years ago) so I reckon it's just dodgy genetics and the doctor just wanting to rule out any other conclusions.
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Comment on Ukrainians contemplate the once unthinkable: Losing the war with Russia in ~misc
SpruceWillis Link ParentI don't really know what you expect then, turning into a bit of a cyclical argument here. You're arguing that Europe isn't doing enough compared to the US, however in pure monetary and hardware...I don't really know what you expect then, turning into a bit of a cyclical argument here.
You're arguing that Europe isn't doing enough compared to the US, however in pure monetary and hardware terms its impossible for any country to compare to the US. However, if you look at per capita figures, a lot of European countries are contributing close to or more than the US but you say this comparison isn't fair. So to make it fair a poster compares some of the biggest contributors in Europe against the US and suddenly that's not a fair comparison so the goalposts move again.
Then suddenly it's that comparisons aren't the point and it suddenly becomes a call to emotion talking about how you just want more weapons and hardware on the ground in Ukraine.
We all want that to be fair, I won't argue with you there, but weapons, ammo and shells don't just magically appear. Europe's defence industries have been lazy, granted, but by next year there'll be a tenfold increase in the number of shells that can be made monthly and defence spending has been increasing massively across Europe for the past 7 or 8 years, never mind the past two once Russia invaded.
You're also forgetting that Europe isn't a hive mind. Within my own country, the UK has been training and arming Ukrainian soldiers since 2014, MI6 was right there with the US warning that Russia was going to invade in 2022 from the get go and has almost definitely been offering classified intelligence to Ukraine since then, and our special forces like the SAS, SBS, and probably even E Squadron have possibly been in Ukraine for some time offering support if reports are to be believed.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
SpruceWillis Link ParentHalo might be, in my opinion, one of the greatest metal songs ever written, it's so good.Halo might be, in my opinion, one of the greatest metal songs ever written, it's so good.
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Comment on What did you do this week (and weekend)? in ~talk
SpruceWillis LinkWent out with some uni friends last night for pizza which was great fun, we try to do it every month or two and it's always nice seeing them. Got my brother in laws 30th birthday tomorrow, so free...Went out with some uni friends last night for pizza which was great fun, we try to do it every month or two and it's always nice seeing them.
Got my brother in laws 30th birthday tomorrow, so free lunch and then D&D later Saturday evening with friends.
I also went for a follow up with my GP yesterday on the back of my annual blood pressure check. After monitoring my blood pressure for the past week they've agreed that it's regularly quite high, averaging around 145/100.
I've now been placed on 1.25mg of Ramipril to manage it. It was always gonna happen, my family has got a horrible history of high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke but I'm glad it's been picked up now at 34 and not at 60 after decades of damage or after potentially collapsing at home or something.
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Comment on What have you been listening to this week? in ~music
SpruceWillis LinkI met up with a couple of uni friends the other night for pizza and a catch up and we started chatting about great metal albums and we settled on The Blackening being Machine Heads best and one of...I met up with a couple of uni friends the other night for pizza and a catch up and we started chatting about great metal albums and we settled on The Blackening being Machine Heads best and one of the best metal albums of all time. So naturally, I've been listening to it a bit since then, such an incredible album,
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Comment on In Berlin, I experience icks I never thought possible in ~travel
SpruceWillis Link ParentCouldn't believe it when I read that, has to be satire of some sort, surely. She'd freak out at my job, I get 42 holiday days a year with the ability to build up and use 20 flexi days a year and I...Couldn't believe it when I read that, has to be satire of some sort, surely.
She'd freak out at my job, I get 42 holiday days a year with the ability to build up and use 20 flexi days a year and I can carry a maximum of 8 days over. So if I played my cards right, I could maximise my holiday time and get 70 days off a year!
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Comment on Parenthood venting thread in ~talk
SpruceWillis Link ParentYeah, Still Game was and still is incredibly popular here. I went to see the Still Game live shows at the OVO Hydro arena in Glasgow, not as good as the TV show but still really enjoyable. If you...Yeah, Still Game was and still is incredibly popular here. I went to see the Still Game live shows at the OVO Hydro arena in Glasgow, not as good as the TV show but still really enjoyable.
If you haven't watched it, the TV sketch show, "Chewin' the Fat" by Ford and Greg (Jack and Victor) is also very funny and is where Jack and Victor got their start.
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Comment on Parenthood venting thread in ~talk
SpruceWillis Link ParentHaha, close, Scotland actually!Haha, close, Scotland actually!
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Comment on Parenthood venting thread in ~talk
SpruceWillis LinkSounds like you've had a complete and utter shitemare, it's horrendous and while I don't think I've had the same run of bad luck you have, me and my partner have had those moments of just utter...Sounds like you've had a complete and utter shitemare, it's horrendous and while I don't think I've had the same run of bad luck you have, me and my partner have had those moments of just utter despair. What made it worse for me was people saying "it'll get better" which doesn't really help when every day feel's like a fucking marathon and a week feels like an insurmountable challenge never mind months of sickness, regression, frustrations etc.
I'd say the period between 8-13 months was just hellish for us, our little ones reflux was horrendous to the point where any food that wasn't blended and watered down to a liquid would immediately springboard out of her stomach along with whatever milk she'd had, the living room and her bedroom were like makeshift medical wards covered in plastic sheets, old towels on the ready and me and my partner basically existed in old ragged clothes lest anything nice was ruined by a torrent of baby vomit. We got that under control eventually with omeprazole.
This was compounded by her starting nursery at 9 months, once my partner went back to work, and bringing back every virus and bug under the sun. Every one of which was passed to either me or my partner so we ended up having to take loads of carers days and sick days which resulted in my partner being given an official warning by her employer.
Her sleep was, as you can imagine, almost no existant during this period. If she slept for a three hour stretch it was great, even better if she was waking up for a feed and not because she'd been sick all over herself and her bed or had horrible diarrhoea.
Thks was all topped off with her getting incredibly frustrated with her inability to crawl and then when she began crawling she very quickly got frustrated with her inability to walk.
I'm not even gonna lie, I can't actually remember much being great during that period, it was just horrendous, not even Christmas and her 1st birthday were safe, she had horrible stomach bugs during both.
She's great now, coming up for 2 in a couple of weeks, we still have the odd bug, the odd week where her sleep goes to pot but on the whole she generally sleeps through the night, she's fun, her language and social skills are coming along great, it's nice to see now.
Good luck getting through the rest of what you're going through and I wouldn't worry too much about development, especially at 6 months, they're still so young at that age. Our friends kid, similar age to our own, started crawling quite early at 7 months and then just didn't bother walking, didn't care for it. The parents were really worried until at 18 months he just got up on his feet and cracked on with it, he's a great wee walker now, runs all over the place like he's been doing it for a year rather than just 6 months.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
SpruceWillis Link ParentThanks! Just had a look and it seems up my street and only 280-ish pages too.Thanks! Just had a look and it seems up my street and only 280-ish pages too.
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Comment on "Dune: Part Three" in the works, in addition to Denis Villeneuve adapation of "Nuclear War: A Scenario" in ~movies
SpruceWillis LinkReally interested in the nuclear war film. I still think films like "Threads" and "The Day After" are some of the most harrowing films I've seen depicting the actual nightmare of nuclear...Really interested in the nuclear war film.
I still think films like "Threads" and "The Day After" are some of the most harrowing films I've seen depicting the actual nightmare of nuclear apocalypse.
It's very grim and while I think they're great films and culturally important they are showing their age now and a new film showing the brutal atrocities of a potential "What if" nuclear war scenario are sorely needed.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
SpruceWillis LinkI read and finished Shutter Island over the course of three days which is relatively unheard of for me after becoming a dad but I genuinely couldn't put it down, I loved it. I'd held off on seeing...I read and finished Shutter Island over the course of three days which is relatively unheard of for me after becoming a dad but I genuinely couldn't put it down, I loved it.
I'd held off on seeing the film because I wanted to read the book first and I'm glad I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Now I've moved on to fantasy again with The Lies of Locke Lamora, so a bit more substantial than my previous few reads clocking in at nearly 700 pages. Heard good things about it being a really fun fantasy heist novel and I'm enjoying it so far at around the page 100 mark. About to head up to St Andrews with the wife, kid and dog for a long weekend tomorrow so I'm hoping I'll get plenty of time to batter through it.
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Comment on What are you reading these days? in ~books
SpruceWillis Link ParentI've heard great things about On Stranger Tides, it's been on my Good Reads list for a while, glad you're enjoying it. I remember loving Treasure Island when I was much younger and was in the mood...I've heard great things about On Stranger Tides, it's been on my Good Reads list for a while, glad you're enjoying it.
I remember loving Treasure Island when I was much younger and was in the mood for a swashbuckling pirate novel so looked up some recommendations and it was on a lot of lists.
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Comment on What are some of your favorite PlayStation 1 games? Any odd or unique ones worth playing? in ~games
SpruceWillis LinkLoads of great games already mentioned like Final Fantasy 7-9, FF Tactics, Metal Gear Solid, Die Hard Trilogy, Twisted Metal, Chrono Cross, Spiderman, Medievil, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Parappa,...Loads of great games already mentioned like Final Fantasy 7-9, FF Tactics, Metal Gear Solid, Die Hard Trilogy, Twisted Metal, Chrono Cross, Spiderman, Medievil, Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Parappa, Parasite Eve, Resident Evil etc.
Not sure if Dino Crisis has been mentioned but it's great fun, like Resident Evil but with dinosaurs instead of zombies.
Alundra is a fantastic Zelda-like adventure game, I had great fun playing that back in the day and I'm pretty sure it still holds up pretty well.
Syphon Filter was another game I had a lot of fun with, 3rd person shooter, the taser weapon that set enemies on fire was crazy!
Jackie Chan Stuntmaster was also pretty slick if I remember right, went through a phase of playing that non stop.
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Comment on What are some of your favorite PlayStation 1 games? Any odd or unique ones worth playing? in ~games
SpruceWillis Link ParentYeah, I'd say the good thing about Chrono Cross is you don't need to have completed Chrono Trigger to still enjoy CC but playing Chrono Trigger will definitely enhance that enjoyment and give you...Yeah, I'd say the good thing about Chrono Cross is you don't need to have completed Chrono Trigger to still enjoy CC but playing Chrono Trigger will definitely enhance that enjoyment and give you a greater understanding of the lore.
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Comment on Favorite hobby / subculture YouTube channels? in ~hobbies
SpruceWillis (edited )LinkA lot of the same ones I watch have been brought up like Tasting History, Sci Show, Summoning Salt etc. so I'll add a few that don't seem to have been mentioned. Townsends - Channel about...A lot of the same ones I watch have been brought up like Tasting History, Sci Show, Summoning Salt etc. so I'll add a few that don't seem to have been mentioned.
Townsends - Channel about 17th/18th century living, mostly centered around cooking but he covers how people lived off the land, where and how they lived and what they got up to on a day to day basis, really interesting and John seems to be a very nice man.
HCBailly - Classic old school YouTube JRPG Let's Player. He just does what he does best and hasn't really changed much in the 12+ years he's been doing it. Plays through JRPG's like an absolute expert while confirming background on the games systems, player and enemy stats, development, secrets and all topped off with pretty rubbish humour. He's like a comfort YouTuber for me now, can just stick his playthroughs on in the background.
A Film in 3 Minutes - A great little channel that puts out very short video essays/reviews on films that don't run longer than 3 minutes. The channel has very few subscribers but I've been following him for a while now and have picked up on a ton of films that I hadn't watched before that are firm favourites now.
The Why Files - I'm enjoying this channel less than I did and haven't watched it in a few months but I'll get into that. It's a channel that explores topics surrounding UFOs, cryptids, conspiracy theories etc and then looks at the evidence surrounding the case and debunks them where possible. It's got a very Art Bell, theatre of the mind style presentation and AJ is a fantastic host alongside his sidekick and foil, Hecklefish, who almost plays an at times hilarious devil on the shoulder style character. However, more recently, his videos have gotten lazier and the debunking hasn't really been happening, he tends to just leave the videos on a "make up your own mind" note which doesn't do it for me, the debunking was always the best part if the videos for me as a way of grounding the videos in reality after hearing some crazy, out of this world story about Templars, the Ark of the Covenant, Bigfoot and extraterrestrials from Zeta Reticuli. Great outro theme though!
Yeah, the last interview I did for the secondment I just got was difficult, felt drained after it and now I've got to go through it again for a job I won't actually do for two years.
Having the security that I'm not gonna drop back to my old role and pay after the secondment is over will be good and it is nice to know the senior manager and director she spoke to think that highly of me that they've looked into sorting this for me.
However, like you said, it's so stressful and putting myself through this again is just making me anxious. Thanks though, fingers crossed its not for nothing.