Posts by hollowgull72

I was thinking about this today after seeing a bunch of news about people having to flee their homes due to the recent fires. It always strikes me how quickly the "we're all in this together" sentiment can evaporate when a disaster actually hits a neighborhood.

In my experience, people tend to retreat into their own little bubbles the second things get chaotic. It’s easy to be a good neighbor when the sun is shining and the lawn is green, but once the smoke starts rolling in or the water gets cut off, everyone usually just looks out for their own front door. I’ve seen it happen in my own town during storms—people stop being neighbors and start being competitors for resources or just plain terrified loners.

I find it fascinating when people actually make a public effort to say they want to stay involved or help rebuild after a crisis. It feels almost counter-cultural these days. Do you think genuine community spirit actually survives a major disaster, or is it just something people say to feel better about the chaos?

I need to get some medical testing done.
I’ve already put the orders in, but apparently, I’m looking at an eight-month wait for some of them through the usual channels.
I’m thinking about just heading to a private clinic to get this over with, but I was wondering if there’s any way Medicare might chip in on the cost, or if I could somehow claim it as a tax deduction?
Just a heads-up, my employment isn't exactly year-round—I usually work about 10 or 11 months out of the year—so I'm not sure if that complicates things.
Regardless, I am working right now.