Had a long walk last night as part of my plan to get HDL Cholesterol up and my LDLs down.

Part of my walk involved going through a park near my place.

And in that park is a small bay with a pedestrian bridge.

And last night as I was going on the bridge, I saw a young guy standing on the railing and looking down... and that set off alarm bells in my head

I looked at him as I was walking... and as I walked past, turned around and said "You okay?"

He didn't say anything.... and I repeated it 2 more times before he responded with a 'no'.

So I walked to him and asked him what was going on... and we started to talk. He came down from the railing and we talked more.

Essentially he was thinking of killing himself. The whole Covid thing, losing his job, not being able to see friends has gotten him seriously down and feeling like he has no purpose.

We had a long talk and I essentially shared some of my own experiences and what I learned over the years in terms of how to get through difficult times and stay sane.

I also told him that if he hurts himself, he's also hurting everyone who cares about him and that as bad as things seem, it will pass and it will get better... and then cited how vaccines for everyone are on the horizon and other things.

And I also pointed out that as a young, able-bodied guy, before he departs this world, he should do a list of things first... including asking a girl he likes out... me saying "what do you have to lose? If you try and fail, you're no worse off than you were before. But if you try and succeed, then you are better off... unless she turns out to be psycho. If she's psycho, then dump her and move on".

Incidentally he actually did ask the girl out while I was there and he now has a date for this Friday.

Though I warned him not to build up this girl and the date too much in his mind... and then we had a discussion about dating and how dating is tougher for guys when they're young, but it usually gets easier for guys as they get into their 30s and 40s (as long as you're of sound mind and body).

I also talked to him extensively about the worst time in my life I had in the past and how I got through it and what I learned.

We exchanged info, let him know he could call/text me any time and I walked with him for part of his way home (he lives in my area).

After we parted and I was heading home, there was another guy I crossed paths with. He seemed to be in good spirits.
We said hello... and he asked me if I was okay and whether I was homeless (I supposed this was due to me walking at 11:30pm at night)... I told him I was fine. I would have chatted with him, but it was getting late and I had plans to watch SNL with my daughter (which I was already late for).

I have to say... it was one of the more unusual walks I've had.

And I got in a total of 18,223 steps yesterday.

And now I shall give you two songs that helped me through the most difficult time I had:

@aestheticsinmotion

Sounds like her motion damaged the building's aesthetics...

So… I’m up at the cottage for a week and I went into town to do shopping for the week… for 9 people.

I set a new record for both the bill length (about 4 feet) and bill amount:

And that didn’t include the alcohol…

@aestheticsinmotion said in Career stuff:

I want a boat

@hammerheadfistpunch said in Controversial opinion time:

Galaxy Quest is unwatchable.

You are wrong!!! It's a comedy CLASSIC!!!

And I say that as a Star Trek fan!

I got a phone call and when I answered, it was a fax machine.

That is all.

BMW E38 with a fax machine, VHS, car phone and TV for your time:

@essextee said in I love myself a big, wet, throbbing...:

Why, what did you think I was gonna say?

Carp!

@rallydarkstrike

If you want to really improve on your fuel economy record, look into drafting as well as pulse-and-glide.

Doing these techniques at least some of the time results in me getting into the low 5L/100km range with my Fit on my best-mileage tanks (and achieved in warm weather)

@sweedsinthestable said in *Diesel noises ensue*:

@manwich I don't know why I watched that. It was awful. That trucked sounded like shit and the guy reminds me of my neighbor (who I strongly dislike).

Well that's what old diesels run like when you start them up on a cold winter morning (7 degrees F) without using the block heater.

@ranwhenparked said in Ford E-Series V10 U-Haul Micro-Review:

@manwich Still better than Ford's 3v 5.4 V8, though.

I don’t have any experience with those… but I’ve heard some stories.

@smallbear said in Perlatics - Kinda but not really, which is why it's getting posted here - Mostly comedy - And perhaps, a car thing - This is also a long headline for testing purposes - Did you know you could do headlines this long?:

@manwich Worth a shot. Anybody's blood in particular you would recommend?

Well it you’re feeling fancy, go for some AB Negative

@jarrett

Yup… on a short move I did with the same truck… CAD$90 in fuel.

And I was driving that POS gently.

In my experience, trucks with the old GM 8.1L vortec v8 get noticeably better fuel economy.

The Ford 6.8L v10 is a crappy motor

@long_voyager94 said in The fix that hides in plain sight:

The 12.5 volts that shot through my hand and up my arm pointed me in the correct direction.....

Sounds unpleasant… but at least it helped you fix the root issue.

Glad to hear you found the root issue.

@smallbear

I think you need to switch from coffee to blood.

@jarrett

Sounds like the moving truck I rented a few years ago in the same configuration… which included the CEL being on and the dreadful fuel economy.

Since that experience, I avoid any moving truck with that stupid v10 engine

@essextee

The smoke coming out of the exhaust and the noise reminds me why I HATE these old diesels.

And I say that as someone who has asthma and has a daughter with asthma.

I'm looking forward to the day that long range electric trucks are common and they make the big diesels redundant/pointless

And this was part of tonight’s dinner… some nice Rainbow Trout