Super General Advice (the thread for advice without making a thread)

If I'm only a mediocre writer who's got a detrimental fear of writing should i drop the creative writing elective that managed to get
(My uni has a pre enrollment class getting system that gives classes on a raffle to those who signed up to try to get it)

Like don't get me wrong I enjoy writing but it's that perfectionist fear (so I have a hard time starting) and an anxiety about research (I'm worried about getting information wrong or not getting any of the information i need)

So like I failed a previous English class because I never turned in any essays at all

 

If it helps any with the anxiety part, I will guarantee you that no matter how mediocre you think your writing is, any English teacher will have seen a hundred times worse.

In terms of writing, the best way to get better is to practice and learn; people don't sign up for creative writing electives because they're already professional authors.

But if you think you're likely to get in over your head and jeopardize your grade, I'd recommend going to the first couple of classes so you can get a sense of what it's going to be like, and dropping the course if you think it's going to be too much stress. Most schools have a period in the first couple weeks where you can drop classes with no penalty.

 

I think that if you are committed to improving your writing for your own edification, you should totally go for it. The practice you get in the class, as well as the feedback you get from the teacher and other students, will probably be extremely valuable in helping you become a better writer.

But if you feel like it's gonna be more spoons than you have to spare for writing right now, drop the class without shame. Not because you're not good enough (if you were perfect, that would defeat the entire point of taking the class), but because you don't need to pile another anxiety experience onto something that should be an enjoyable hobby if you estimate that it will do your self-confidence more harm than good.

 

Does anyone know a good way to find masonry/chimney work contracts aside from googling “masonry contractors in [location]?”

 

if you have a chimney sweep service you normally use, or even that you know of, they can probably refer you to a mason! (source: my dad is a chimney sweep but doesn't do masonry so he knows the local masons in order to refer people.)

 

sadly we don’t have a chimney sweep service we usually use. There’s like... two in or community. Thanks for the suggestion, maybe they would know people.

 

My memory is insufficient and I need to make it better. How can I do so?

 

Is there a specific type of memorization you're trying to do?

 

Remembering things I’ve done and the names of people I’ve met.

 

Is another reason I always has a puter wih me.

 

Yeah - easiest thing to do there is carry a phone around to make notes. If names are particularly difficult and the people you need to remember are ok with it, taking photos and tagging them with their names can be really helpful.

Taking notes like that might be difficult in itself to begin with since you need to remember to do THAT, but once you’ve developed it into a habit it should be easier.

 

Vastderp once suggested using siri to make appoint/errand reminders immediately after you learn that you need to do the thing. It’s worked pretty well for me, and I bet it would work for remembering things you already did too. Just say “new note - I did the dishes this afternoon” or whatever and you’ll have a dated reminder that that thing got done.

 

Anyone know anything about computers?
I wanna play the game Tacoma, but when i try to run it, I can hear the game sound but the game screen isn't showing up
The icon is on the lower bar

I tried restarting my computer and that's really the extent of what i can do with confidence (because I'm worried about poking around files or something)

 

Did a quick search, This sounds like it might be the same issue.

edit: this game looks really good, added to wishlist.

edit the second: Double check that your setup meets the min system requirements, but it from reading the steam discussions this seems to be a known bug.

Spoiler: System reqs

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  
• OS: Windows 7 or higher, 64-bit
  
• Processor: 1.9ghz Intel i5-equivalent processor or higher
  
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
  
• Graphics: Onboard or dedicated graphics accelerator with 1GB+ of video RAM
  
• DirectX: Version 11
  
• Storage: 11 GB available space

 

thank you, i'll read it when i'm in a place where steam isnt barred

 

Earlier today I submitted an application for a job I'm very interested in. I know it's probably way too early to follow up tomorrow, but I was thinking of calling on Monday to follow up. That said, I'm not sure if that's proper protocol. I know some places REALLY don't want you calling them in the middle of a workday and interrupting them - they'll call you if they're interested. The job ad didn't specifically say not to call, but. I'd be calling a woman who is doing the direct hiring for this position and who, at least to my knowledge, also has a million other things on her plate. It's not a fancy job, just a student position.

Should I follow up, or would that just be obnoxious?

 

Considering that:
-Hiring is being done by one person who is likely very busy
-This is not a very high-stakes job
-Monday is the beginning of the work week and they may have not even looked at your application by then
I would say not to call, at least not that soon. Give it a week at least

Unrelated: is there any possible way to distinguish whether or not I’m experiencing visual disturbances that involve the eye itself, actual hallucinations, or imagining things because I’m anxious and freak out about my physical and mental health constantly?

 

I was told that if you cover one eye and then the other, and they're both affected equally by the visual disturbances, the brain is probably "helping" somehow. If it's just one eye, it could be either an eye thing or a brain thing.

Source: went through diagnostic process for visual disturbances a couple years ago. My bright slithery blue visual thing only appears in the right eye, so I saw an ophthalmologist to rule out eye-related stuff, then a neurologist.

Hope your vision stuff clears up! Much sympathy.

 

What I am supposed to eat if I want to lose weight? Aside from “less.”