Welcome to the Melbourne Community Daily Discussion Thread.
This post is brought to you by Bot #001. Learning the days is really hard. I’m so worn out I can barely tell my 1s from by 10s. So today will be a day of rest.
I just wanted to reiterate how nice it is to not be feeling hurt/pain about my break up anymore, I’m sure there will be moments but I’m just feeling so overall positive and happy. I’m feeling ready to put myself out there and start dating again and just go with the flow.
I’m super proud of how much healing and learning I’ve done in the last year, I’ve changed so much and definitely for the better. I’ve made more friends, I work hard to prioritise my social life and to keep those relationships going so that an actual relationship is just a supplement to my life.
I’m excited to get my adhd assessment done and my diagnosis soon and to keep learning. I’ll head back to therapy once I have my tax return and just keep trying to make some positive steps to be my best.
And on the seventh day, Our Lord God the Bot #001 dutifully ran its code and then ran off with the cat.
This neck pain is getting worse again and doing me in. A friend recommended a physio that does Sundays and I’ve pulled the pin and made a booking first thing in the morning. I’ve never seen a physio before. Not like I have stacks of money to do this but it’s affecting everything and next week will be very hectic so I’m not going to sit around waiting for it to get better
That doesn’t good. At first I thought you sort of just strained it by leaning to one side or something but this sounds like next level pain.
If you the pull something you need to let it rest and take pain relief and you shouldn’t work the muscles.
Hopefully the physio can advise you better.
Yeah there’s a very specific spot where the pain is the worst, it’s not super bad but it’s just uncomfortable enough that I can’t stay in one position for too long. I’ve had to stay at my place for tonight despite the cat because I need a night of sleep in a bed I’m used to. Fell asleep on the couch for four hours but…
I saw a physio when I was low on money for neck issues and it was soo worth it. Every now and then I get pain again and the same prescribed exercises and self massage work to fix it.
Yeah it’s definitely helped today. Not a one shot fix but I can at least get some things done again. Also I have a ridiculous amount of tension in my shoulders from being stressed out, no shit…
Used a random burst of 5am energy to finish 50% of an assignment for the Cert IV Training & Assessment course I’ve put on pause now that I’ve switched over to the diploma in OHS.
Trying to do 2 assignments in 2 different courses while changing to a new job was overwhelming and I just shutdown over the past 8 weeks and did nothing except survive.
But in the past 24 hours I’ve completed 1 OHS assignment and now 50% of this one is done
Feel like I’m coming out the other side finally.
Well done surviving! Great work this morning, be such a relief to feel like you’re over the hump.
Getting past a mental hurdle like that is a massive relief.
Looking forward to thriving instead of just surviving
We’re having chicken nuggets and cake for dinner and nobody’s complaining.
SELF-CARE SUNDAY
What have we all got planned for our self-care Sunday routine?
I’ve been to sauna for the weekly sweat sesh. Currently sitting with my Sky & Sand clay mask on. And next up is my Maui hair mask.
Then time for a luxurious everything shower featuring my apricot body scrub.
Will do some reading today and listening to some blues music on PBS later.
My aim today is to make a cake. It will be a vanilla cake with lemon curd and cream in the middle and icing sugar sprinkled on top.
Sounds like heaven
And a dinosaur?
Not sure about that one
I have dinosaur sprinkles! And tiny bones!
(Sister is an archaeologist with a dino fetish. Wedding cake decoration leftovers)
That’s pretty cool.
You know you want to
That’s unreal. It’s sort of what I’m visioning.
It was chilli choc tequila. Very fudgy. Somewhere on the web
Wow. Interesting. Brb
Outstanding
Yum yum yum. Can I have a slice? Hehe
Yes you can.
Yay. You’re the best!
I’m going to tidy my flat and do some writing. Maybe build a model of a lorikeet
Clean house is a double whammy for clearing the mental clutter at the same time. Good one.
Curious about the lorikeet. Post results if you end up making it
Currently out for a walk to get a coffee. I had to cancel my gym membership because they kept putting the price up, so I’ve got my ankle weights on to make it a little harder. When I get back home I’m gonna do a little workout, have the evening shower and then read until we’ve got to go to a friend’s for dinner
Perfect blend of chill self-care that’s good for the body and the mind and some working out to get rid of any residual nasties from the past week
Went to a physio for the first time in my life. It was alright. Sad that I need
a professional to tell me that on a physical level I really need to take more time off because the body is holding a lot of stress.I definitely need to be frugal but decided I’d treat myself to a coffee nearby. And I went with my instincts to Eden Espresso - turns out I’ve been here before. I love this place, it’s so cozy and friendly and not like a lot of the other stuck up “brunch” places around Malvern. One of the staff recently had a baby and there’s a basic-ass a4 printout in Calibri saying “it’s a boy” with a photo of the grinning dad and I just love that enough regulars care that they’ve put it there. In fact some old nannas are asking him right now how the kid is going (“growing like a weed”) and whether he’s sleeping through the night (“yes, surprisingly”). It’s so wholesome.
Frustratingly I have work to catch up on today from zoning out on Thursday and Friday due to stress, (and Wednesday from Huge Psych Session), but I’m definitely planning a day of sick leave for next Wednesday when I’ve cleared out my current backlog.
Definitely need to schedule in some more self care in there to cut through the work, tension, and worries.
Can you get a walk or some meditation in there?
Tbh personally I’m not a fan of dropping in meditation like it’s a cheese toastie or doing the washing, it’s got a lot more meaning and context for me growing up in the Buddhist tradition (but also associated with memories of shame for not “doing it right”). Not a go at you at all Smeg but it’s just not something I can “do” like that even though I’m fully cognisant of all the benefits of simply being more present.
It’s a shitty day for a walk, but what I’ll be doing today for myself is sowing the pea seeds I soaked overnight and some journalling about how I’m moving on and away from work stress: writing out all the shit I’m good at, writing down what to talk to one of my work seniors tomorrow (I’ve scheduled a confidential chat with him to go over what’s stressing me out), and a list of things to start looking into when I cut down my work hours.
I’ll be heading back to my friend’s place with the cat tonight and this time I’ll be chilling out with one of my hugely overdue library books instead of being on the phone
That’s a little bit too much for me to unravel TBH even with your mentioning it’s not directed at me.
Just take care of yourself in how your approach your day and line it with some compassion and care for yourself in whatever it is you do to look after yourself today.
Sorry Smeg, you’re right, went a bit off kilter there. I get set off a bit sometimes on that topic, sometimes the suggestion of meditation gets a bit unintentionally “toxic positivity” esque, but it’s hard to explain to others without the cultural context. I need to remember this is just a friendly space and not a therapy couch.
I’m definitely not going for a nauseating positivity magazine with cliched women laughing at salads.
Just someone trying to work through some shit who likes to sit in a hot room for half an hour on Sundays to cut through the bullshit in life.
Definitely a YMMV moment.
I believe in taking care of myself, and a balanced diet and a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I’ll put on an ice pack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the ice pack, I use a deep pore cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water activated gel cleanser. Then a honey almond body scrub. And on the face, an exfoliating gel scrub. Then apply an herb mint facial mask, which I leave on for 10 minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.
pfft only a thousand crunches.
Come through, Patrick Bateman
Do you like Phil Collins?
How about a Tom Collins?
Now let’s see Paul Allen’s card…
I am dyeing my hair today! I am so excited. Haven’t refreshed colours in ages. Purple locks, watch out!
You saucy minx! Bet it will look amazing 🤩
Ahaha it might not be super visible as I’m not bleaching my roots anymore, but the ends are still light from about 8months ago the last time I did it. But I will feel so much happier. I’ve currently got the dye in, and I’m watching B99 from the kitchen table while it sets.
hammock. fire. reading. wine. snooze. cricket.
Solid day really
im rarely this productive, so feeling proud. If I can work up the energy, I might add in a spell in the bath.
Tidy flat, cleaning. Washing is drying in the dryer. Mate might visit. Self care sounds good, might get some epsom salts and do another mask / bath plus use my nice skin care I’m saving cos less income. Walk to the beach will be in there somewhere also. I love the sea air from the waterfont at st kilda. The bay is not quite like bass straight like where i used to live, but I always had to drive there. Now it’s 7 minutes walk and it’s still beautiful clean air.
Epsom salt baths are the best. And such a cheap option when you buy the home brand one. You’ll be all the better for it
Beach visuals/air in the day sounds amazing. I’m like that with getting up to the mountains.
7 minute walk is a winner 🏆
Yeah, gonna be great in summer as crowded as st kilda beach gets, the water will still be cold.
Imagine being one of the bold ones who goes for a dip in this weather 🥶
A fair few do the sauna at the st kilda baths then go in. Apparently quite invigorating.
I realised how much I love the beach since I started water walking.
Someplace within reasonable walking distance of the beach is definitely one the wishlist for the next place.Yeah I still pinch myself when I walk there as it’s almost on the doorstep. The south end streets of st kilda around the botanic gardens are all very nice to walk around too. It feels very old time with established trees and a quiet serene kind of vibe.
As nice as Hongohones’ idea of a beachwalk sounds, I am definitely feeling too tired and my jaw too achy. But I do want to get back to the beachwalks.
Will tackle more of the cross-stitching with more podcast(s), then a shower with the new shampoo and some of the coffee body scrub I’ve had for ages but never used sounds good. Will try a face mask later.Which coffee scrub is it?
Beanbody - picked it up a couple of years ago and never used it. Time to remedy that!
Going to work on my Lego backlog with the kid. BOM is forecasting a cold and miserable day today.
Was in a Lego store yesterday. Disappointed how much of it is franchised things rather than free build. Old person grumpfph.
The Lego originals are pretty impressive these days. The Ideas and Creator range.
I love that there’s enough Lego action for there to be a backlog
I’m running out of display space. So many sets packed away both built and unbuilt.
Time to turn the house into a Lego museum
Today on Hoarders Australia…
I will be watching my Geelong cats play and just chilling. I’m going to make a small cup of coffee so I’m not up all night.
I’ve just had my peanut butter toast so I’m already in self care mode.
Controversial topic alert.
Do you add butter first or just go in with the PB?
Oohhh I hope this doesn’t out me but only peanut butter, nothing else!
Good man!
Exercise. Also I was inspired by you lovely people to put on a face mask. It’s not a real facemask; I’ve got a cleanser which doubles as a facemask if you leave it on a bit longer. Then most of the day will be spent relaxing and getting ready for school and work.
Definitely feeling like face masks are a winner.
Something about smooth skin makes us all feel like a million bucks.
Prepping for the week is a good one. Prevention of morning hustle is a massive favour for future you
A face mask is probably what I can manage today. I’m dead tired, username totally checks out as I have some health conditions that require iron infusions every so often and I’m due for another one, so my energy is low.
I feel that. I get that and vitamin b shots.
Face masks are definitely where it’s at. A good 15 minutes and you’re touching your smooth face all day
I spent a good chunk of yesterday making a vanilla slice to take to dinner at mr. Omoikiri’s friend’s house tonight. Cut it all up, arranged it back in the tray. As we were running out the door, I asked him to grab the slice that was on the kitchen bench while I grabbed his drinks and my bag. Got to the front door and he’s got the slice alright. He’s also got his switch and his volleyball and his keys chucked in top of it, squashing the custard out of half of them and ruining the icing on the others.
He’s lucky he’s so hot because it took every bit of my self control to not dump his ass right on the spot.
Ooohh that could have been a dead man walking right there.
Make sure you never ask him to buy bread or eggs. You just know what’ll happen.
Is he still alive?
What a rotter! Make him replicate them to understand the error.
Mini Peelers and I baked a walnut loaf with the walnuts we bought from the farmers market. It’s the first time we’ve ever made one so we’re calling it a success!
Picture shows partially sliced loaf shaped cake on a white square plate.
Yuuuuuup. I’m gonna need to confiscate that. For, uh, testing purposes. Gonna need to make sure it’s not poisoned.
Well done Peelers. I can imagine a slather of butter. Oooooo yuuuuummmm.
That looks so good!! Give my congrats to the Mini-Peelers! It looks scrumptious 🤤
Several people brought small children (and one baby) to see the almost 3 hour, very loud Mission Impossible. They were predictably loud almost immediately during every semi quiet scene and no efforts were made to quiet them.
People… what a bunch of bastards. I need to remember to go see movies at obscure hours on weekdays.
Hey Bot #001. Thanks for showing up tonight. I’m going to bed soon. No cricket. Very sad :(
Yeah. Was a real bummer tonight. I put in a movie instead and playing games for the night.
I had nap and everything to prepare for a long night.
It’s gotten so long with the rain that it’s now highway patrol on or RBT or something on tv.
you missed some cricket. it ws still pretty sad.
All out for 224. Oh no.
Good afternoon all, what comes after the rain? Sunshine! ☀️ hope you all have a fantastic Sunday
At this rate you should be Goddess_Sunshine.
Google Amaterasu and tell me what it says 😉
Lol got it now 😅
Awesomesauce
🤣🤣🤣
☀️☀️☀️
Sunshine lollipops and rainbows everywhere 🌈
Oh hell yeah, gimme those lollipops
Rainbows and crumpets
Can I get pancakes instead?
Certainly. 🥞
Delicious thank you!
Restorative soup well underway. Wishes available for those who choose to try their luck.
Sonic Health appointment for my Disability Support Pension application is on Monday.
I know it’s not a common point of failure but I’ve been dreading it since they booked it. What if I fuck it up? The dread is problematic. Haven’t been able to focus on anything. Just want it to be over and done with. Even a rejection before this step would have been easier.
It’s totally okay to feel anxious. Try to breathe deep and slow, it’ll be okay. Be honest and it ought to work out.
Im sorry you’re stressed out right now. Sending good vibes friend
It’s very rare to be rejected at this stage. Centrelink have already decided you have 20 points in one table, they’re largely just confirming it. Usually it’s a very short call (<10 mins) with an outcome in 6-8 weeks.
That’s what I’ve heard. But I also have a friend who was rejected at this stage due to the “not fully diagnosed, treated, and stablized” thing. That has changed to reasonably treated now I guess, so maybe that won’t be an issue.
Yeah, that is a single data point though. You’ve got this. :)
Woohoo! Bot is back.
Yayyyyy stress flu incoming. Chills and sore throat. yaaaayyyyy
e: okay I have a feeling I’ll have to call in sick on monday whether I like it or not
Since some of us a baking cakes I thought I could pass on some tips that actual cake makers have told me. Feel free to add and share some of your tips.
Now I was given some Coles brand cake mixes so I’ll start there.
If the mix says to add 2 eggs put in 3. Always add an extra egg to packet mixes.
If you don’t have milk just add water instead.
I have added a little bit of vanilla extract to this one but you can use vanilla essence but just a splash.
If you want an orange cake add orange juice instead of milk to a plain cake. (Butter or Vanilla cake mix) If you want an orange and poppy seed cake add the poppy seeds to the orange juice to soak 1/2 hour before starting. You don’t have to but I’m told it’s better to.
For a lemon cake add lemon juice. For a less intense flavour add half juice half milk/water.
For a banana cake add 2 to 3 very ripe bananas.
Try to use a spring form cake tin. Put the base on a flat surface, place baking paper on top, place the ring on top and close. Rip excess paper off. Rub butter around the inside of tin.
For a gas oven place it on the top shelf. Electric fan force place it in the middle.
Rotate it half way though.
Check cake by inserting a skewer or do what I do and touch the middle with your finger if it bounces back it’s done.
Let it sit in the tin for 10 minutes before releasing the spring. Let it rest on a cake rack until completely cooled.
When you wash your tin put it in the oven to dry. It helps to prevent rusting. Wow this turned into an essay.Update on my cake: It turned out well but gee Coles are scabby on the quantity. Next time I will put 2 mixes in. It has cracked a little on top which means the oven was too hot but that’s tough. It will still taste great.
Update. I have made a second cake but have added baking powder to this one. It still feels to runny for my liking and I’ve dropped the temperature. Fuck you Coles I don’t make pancakes.
If you vape weed, you can dump leftover after-vape it into box cake mix to make sleepy time space cake (Lower THC, higher CBD). Weigh how much you put in before hand so you’ve got an idea of how much weed per slice of cake in the final product. Err on the side of caution when eating weed.
AVB is great on grilled cheese toast. Also good for mixing with butter for cooking (although finding a kitchen that doesnt mind smelling like weed is another challenge).
I do not understand the fascination with box mixes. It is so damn easy to measure out 2 cups of sr flour, 250g butter, 1 cup sugar, a bit less than 1 cup liquid etc. Using the same cup for all measurements. Also, for a really nice lemon cake, add the finely grated zest of a lemon to your flour and stir it in. Save the juice for making the icing. Where it really shines.
Wherever it says butter in a recipie, you can sub with marge. Even better, half marge and half lard. Lard is one of the best fats for cake making - really luscious texture and cake keeps better. Harder to mix in - best to use a stand mixer if you have one.
Butter cake is best cooked in a medium to medium/low oven for 1 hour or more. It’s not a sponge where the raising agent is stiffly beaten egg white - which is best done in a hotter oven. Chocolate cake is the standard butter cake mix with 1 tablespoon of cocoa/drinking chocolate added to the flour and 1 more tablespoon of liquid.
Roll chopped fruit (any sort) in the flour mix before adding liquid. Stops the fruit from all settling at the bottom of the cake tin during baking. Works especially well with fresh cherries. And strawberries. And raspberries.
Use castor sugar not the regular white sugar - dissolves a lot faster and the cake bakes better.
You can turn regular sugar into icing sugar by whizzing it up in a food processor with the sharp blades in.
Vanilla essence is made from pine bark chips? I stopped using it entirely when I found this out. Be damned if I’ll cook with mulch. Extract is the way to go. More expensive, but you use a lot less and the flavour is better.
GREASE AND LINE YOUR CAKE TINS!!! Olive oil spray is revolting and doesn’t really do the job. Butter or marge is much better. One lump the size of an unshelled hazelnut will do most standard cake tins. For fancy, or if you want the cake to keep fresh out of the fridge, then a crust lining works well. Grease tin as per usual, then mix up 1 dessertspoon of sugar with 1 dessertspoon of flour. Tip that into the tin and tap the tin all around to distribute the mix evenly over all the surfaces of the inside of the tin. Tip out excess. This gives the cake a wonderful brown caramelized crust over all of it bar the top, and keeps the cake fresh for longer.
Cakes cool quicker if you put them upside down on the cooling rack. This also helps level the top which is handy if you don’t want to cut off the top before icing.These cake mixes were given to me and since I’ve never used no name mixes before I thought why not. Now these cakes are like pancakes which tells me that they may not have been stored properly and all the oof has gone out. Also i added an extra egg so it might have weighted it down a bit. I have never had this problem before with other cake mixes. Also it’s a new tin so I may not have greased the sides enough. I think I’ll just make trifle out of the rest. I agree with you that it’s easy to make from scratch. I’m not really into cake I’m more of a slice girl.
!!! Ever made Lardy cake? Lard and suet can be baking game changers.
Agreed about boxes, but meh they work. Pick a cup and stick to it. Mine is a commemorative from when Taronga borrowed a pair of pandas.
Yes! Lardy cake is magnificent. And you can tweak it so many ways. I still love my butter cakes though. So easy.
I definitely prefer lard/suet for pastry and pie cases - the difference is amazing. And suet crust pastry can be cooked with moist heat for the classic steak & kidney pudding, or pork & onion pudding - one of the glories of cold weather cooking. Sussex Pond Pie too goes much better with lard as the fat for the pastry.I shall look up Sussex pond. Never heard of it. Have been deeply disappointed in searches for suet. Butchers at Vic market who blinked and asked what it was. Disgraceful!
You can sometimes get suet at farmers markets and local butchers. When I find some, I buy up big and freeze it once grated (which you have to do). Lasts a long time frozen. You can buy premade suet mix in boxes at Colesworth. It’s not as good as fresh but will work. Sussex pond pie/pudding is a classic Brit dish - line a well greased pudding basin (any glazed ceramic basin holding about 1-2 litres) with soft suet crust pastry about 3 cm thick. Then line with soft moist brown sugar about 1 cm thick. Then take a big lemon, poke a zillion holes in it with a skewer and put on the sugar layer. The holes have to go right into the centre of the lemon. Cover thickly with more soft brown sugar and drop 2 cloves on the top. Cover with a lid of more 3 cm thick suet crust pastry. Tie greased paper & foil with a pleat in it over the top of the pudding basin as per usual, and steam in a water bath for 1 plus hours over simmering water. And an extra hour doesn’t matter. Just DON"T let it boil dry - keep adding boiling water from the kettle if the level gets a bit low. The water should be about halfway up the pudding basin and should never come off the simmer. When done, remove paper/foil, and unmould onto a dish with deep sides. When the pudding is cut, a flood of gorgeous lemony brownish sauce comes out to be eaten with the pastry (which has a fluffy texture like a bao bun but with a crisper outside) and cream or icecream. The actual lemon isn’t eaten except by boastful males.
That sounds intriguing, thanks!
Box cake isn’t a sin but can always take more stuff. A dash of real vanilla or some lemon zest will change it for the better. Ditto on the skewer test, it should pull clean and be warm on the lip. Springform tins are God but if using something complicated like a Bundt butter thevever living fuck out of it! Never try to ice something that isn’t cold.
Fondant is revolting, fuck that shit make sugar paste!
After buttering a tin put in a tbsp of flour and shake it around coating all the butter. This will help release the cake.
Using a mix of flour and cocoa works well for dark cakes.
I agree on everything you said. Just butter icing will do.
Google ‘melt and mix cake recipes’- no more effort than a packet mix, much better results, and you know exactly what ingredients have gone into your (delicious) cake.
