[02:58] <valorie> hmmm, wxl expired from the team
[02:58] <valorie> anyone seen Walter around lately?
[02:58] <valorie> I miss him
 me too :/
[03:52] <valorie> @tsimonq2 you haven't heard from him?
 I have his phone number but it's been a while
[03:52] <valorie> if not, maybe give him a call?
[03:52] <valorie> I mean it's coming up on Thanksgiving
[03:53] <valorie> time to reconnect
 Indeed
 Speaking of reconnecting... valorie!!!!!!!
[03:57] <valorie> {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
[03:57] <valorie> how are you these days?
 just when I think it can't get crazier, it does...
 That's been about the last year :P
[03:57]  * valorie is pretty much doing genealogy or working with my societies 90% of the time
[03:57] <valorie> ah
 Otherwise I'm doing well, yourself? :)
[03:58] <valorie> family issues, college, or ?
 *
[03:58] <valorie> got it
[03:58] <valorie> I'm happy and healthy and working lots
[03:59] <valorie> backing out of most of my foss work
[03:59] <valorie> but keeping the friendships
[03:59] <valorie> :-)
[03:59] <valorie> sort of moving from twitter to masto
 I've had to do a bit of restructuring myself, to say the least heh
[04:00] <valorie> I'm sorry about what's happening to twitter
 It would be good to see you around more often, but I also get Life is a thing
[04:00] <valorie> for sure
 Tbh, I've just been eating popcorn and watching heh
[04:00] <valorie> well, I liked it
[04:00] <valorie> also, mmmmmm popcorn
 Yeah, Elon is quite a character
 in many respects...
[04:01] <valorie> he's a wrecking ball
[04:02] <valorie> he's forgotten that what makes great companies are PEOPLE
[04:02] <valorie> he's treating them like toilet paper
[04:02] <valorie> *used* tp
[04:03] <valorie> possibly a bit late for him to learn that now
[04:03] <valorie> oh, well
 I agree with that... also, Twitter has definitely become more free on the site itself since then
 less people to moderate, more bs
 let's see how this turns out :P
[04:04] <valorie> not sure we'll have to wait very long
 right ... heh
[04:05] <valorie> so how are you spending your time these days besides eating popcorn?
 Just recovering from COVID... but, *usually* I work on OpenEMR for $dayjob during the day and Ubuntu after hours, with the occasional partying or passing hobby in between :P
 Honestly, I've started to read a lot more lately. Going through some of the "classics"
[04:07] <valorie> you are done with college, or that's where you are reading the classics?
[04:07] <valorie> I've been reading more history
 c) decided I was done taking out student loans and decided to punt it back a few years... actually turning out to be a decision full of opportunities
[04:08] <valorie> cool
[04:09] <valorie> I mean, I went in my 40s
[04:09] <valorie> which turned out to be great
[04:09] <valorie> the more you educate yourself, the better
[04:10] <valorie> until you decide that it would help to have someone help in that quarter
 that's fair :)
[04:14] <valorie> that's why I went to college and then uni
[04:14] <valorie> and why I started study groups in my society
[04:15] <valorie> one of which is kicking my ass
 oh yeah? :D
[04:15] <valorie> latest tech I learned was airtable, which is a relational database
[04:15] <valorie> geeeeez
[04:16] <valorie> but it works well
 oh wow :D
 what did you like about it?
[04:17] <valorie> I had a template so I didn't have to fiddle with the relational fields
[04:17] <valorie> lol
 hahahaha fair enough
[04:17] <valorie> but I think I could do that now if I had to
[04:17] <valorie> now that I've set up and am using one
[04:19] <valorie> that's the thing - you can learn to do anything if you really wanna
 That's something I learned over the last few years that I wish more people knew, that is for sure
[04:21] <valorie> the problem with school is that too often you *could* learn some things but because you don't *want* to, you don't
 I'm a fairly good case study on how you can ignore high school and still score high on standardized testing if you're stubborn enough ;P (would NOT recommend)
[04:22] <valorie> lol
 high school sucked... we really need more money in our public schools
[04:22] <valorie> yep
[04:22] <valorie> and treat teachers much better
 bingo, that I can get behind
[04:22] <valorie> imo the problem is that most of the money goes to admin
[04:23] <valorie> and most of those people could disappear
[04:23] <valorie> just give it to the teachers and let them hire the admin
[04:24] <valorie> same with hospitals
 too much bureaucracy overall imo
[04:24] <valorie> take out the admin
[04:24] <valorie> let the docs and nurses hire the admin
[04:25] <valorie> this is why I think medical insurance is a horrible way to get care to people
[04:25] <valorie> because all that does is admin and suck up the money
 the entire medical system in the US is kinda screwed :/
[04:26] <valorie> public health would be much better -- as long as it doesn't grow too much admin
[04:26] <valorie> yup
 taxpayer money lining pockets it shouldn't be... incentivizing high drug prices... the list goes on
[04:26] <valorie> we used to have a vigorous public health tho
[04:27] <valorie> until politicians sidelined it for insurance
[04:27] <valorie> which is great for cars and houses
[04:27] <valorie> not good for medical
 reform is something I think we can agree on :)
[04:32] <valorie> yup
[04:33] <valorie> sorry to hear you had covid
[04:33] <valorie> I hope your recovery is progressing
[04:33] <valorie> not sure you heard that my brother-in-law died a bit over a year ago of covid
[04:34] <valorie> a high school friend of mine
[04:34] <valorie> :(
 I can only take my dad's "there's no such thing as being sick" motto so far on this one :/ wasn't nearly as bad as Mono but a little worse than a normal flu
 I'm sorry to hear that :(
[04:34] <valorie> my sister almost succumbed but recovered
[04:34] <valorie> now she's a widow -- younger than me!
 you haven't had it, right?
[04:34] <valorie> they both refused to be vaxxed
[04:34] <valorie> she still isn't 
[04:35] <valorie> I have not
[04:35] <valorie> I was the only one in a mask tonight in the restaurant
[04:35] <valorie> Do Not Want
[04:36] <valorie> Colin got long covid, even after being vaxxed.....
[04:36] <valorie> covid suuuuuuuuucks
 I'm only double-vaxxed, nothing more... after my brother found out he has a genetic heart condition I got scared for a day or two :/
 2/10 would not recommend
[04:37] <valorie> I've had both my boosters
[04:37] <valorie> and flu shot
[04:37] <valorie> and trying to be careful 
 flu shot 100%, my doc flat out told me I didn't need boosters heh
 yes, please be careful :)
[04:37] <valorie> well, if you had it, sure
[04:37] <valorie> but get the next one
[04:38] <valorie> natural immunity doesn't last as long as the shots
 this was directly before I went to Prague when I asked my doc if I should get a booster before going into the heart of Europe
 he looked at me and said "nah, you're fine"
[04:38] <valorie> I would have anyone tbh
[04:39] <valorie> anyway, I mean
 good to talk to you but I need to write an announcement for Lubuntu :)
 stay in touch, will ya?
[04:43] <valorie> I'm always here!
[04:43] <valorie> {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
 ditto the hugs :) I hope LFNW is in person next year!!!
[04:43] <valorie> could be.... and maybe I would attend
[04:44] <valorie> my calendar is mighty fully these days.....
 yeah you're telling me :)
[04:50] <valorie> I mean, we could live in Buffalo NY
[04:51] <valorie> life is good, in comparison
[04:51] <valorie> :-)