Methylphenidate, day 1-2, and bridge collapse

[cimorene]

The stimulants I've been given for ADHD are relatively short-acting and you're allowed to take them at both breakfast and lunch. I didn't take it until 11:00 yesterday, though, so I only took one half dose.

I didn't notice any physical side effects: mostly I just felt an energy to do all the things that I usually have trouble starting on, and some proportion of that can be placebo of course. I got a bunch of stuff done, but I did switch tasks a few times, so it didn't create a focus that prevented my other twenty-five trains of thought from happening. It's a good thing I didn't take a second one, because at one am I was still awake rearranging the to-do list on my phone.

I got up even later today, so I only took one (half) dose again and did a bunch of painting and other stuff related to painting projects. I need to try to wake up earlier tomorrow, because I start work next week, and also because we need to go to Ikea this weekend so we can't sleep half the day —

1. We tried to order stuff delivered as we have in the past and their website wouldn't accept orders from Firefox on Android, Chrome on the Chromebook, or Chrome on Ubuntu Linux. Wax sent a chat message to notify them of the issue and the poor CS worker said "Can you try in Edge?" After we got done laughing, Wax said No. Edge's market share is 5%. Chrome's is over 60!!! It might be a problem with our account somehow, though. It's only about 45 minutes' drive, so it's probably better to drive it than use mail because we need some large bookcase components.

2. Going to Ikea will be more dangerous than usual because the larger of the two bridges that connect us to the mainland has damage to the suspension and is reportedly constantly under too much strain. They're building the new bridge as fast as they can, but it takes time, and people are driving vehicles that weigh too much over it. There are ticket cameras and speed detector signs on the bridge that show a red frowny face if you're going too fast, but people are continuing to take loads heavier than allowed over anyway. They need to just put cops out and actually stop traffic and hand out fines! Obviously people are like "we can't shut down shipping" but you know what would be way WORSE for shipping than a checkpoint and having to split their loads up to weigh less? If the bridge fucking broke with a bunch of people on it and the ENTIRE archipelago became reachable only by boat until they finish the bridge next year!!

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

Good luck with the bridge adventure. Sounds scary!

[cimorene]

Right? Some serious reinforcement for our tendency to go nowhere...

[devon]

the bridge sounds awful. maintaining infrastructure is hard, but ffs I hope they can keep the heavy loads off of it.

I'm trying Adderal lately. I started with half pills and switched to quarter pills. I also wake up late, so I try not to take it after about 2-3pm. I mean, even on days that I don't take it, I can't fall asleep until 2am, so I can't blame that on the medicine. My main side effect is loss of appetite, which is a problem because I'm already not very motivated to eat. It helps a reasonable amount with getting things done, but I think I might do better on one of the newer meds. I'm waiting to see an ADHD doc so I can get the blood test or whatever it is that's supposed to figure out which medicine will work.

[cimorene]

I don't really have insomnia, but I find it hard to fall asleep when I'm like... interested in something. I sleep early and easily when I've been physically exhausted or had to see lots of people typically, but this situation of doing tasks I enjoy that aren't strenuous leaves me able to keep reading till 2am and it's very hard to stop reading and lie with eyes closed waiting to fall asleep when you know the fic is right there!

[phosfate]

Unless you have, like, three cops, a checkpoint would be easy and sensible and, y'know, stop people dying for no reason.

[waxjism]

I'm not sure how many cops there are, to be fair. Like for this town? Not that many, especially considering it's a giant spread out archipelago. But the district can probably spare a few for a major industrial thoroughfare in danger of catastrophic failure, and it sounds like they have some plans. I say, optimistically.

Probably the worst case scenario isn't actually a bridge collapse (since the situation is being monitored very closely) but instead economic disaster because the whole town gets cut off from the mainland when the authorities are forced to close the bridge. The new one should be done in 2026, good luck running an industrial town with only a ferry...

[lilysea]

That bridge thing sounds terrifying!

and yes, they need to enforce the weight limits on the bridge!

there are old wooden heritage bridges in New Zealand with weight limits where they make the truck stop, get all the cows out of the truck, walk the cows across the bridge, and then drive the (now empty) truck across the bridge

because the bridge could not cope with the combined weight of truck + cows

[cimorene]

I love that idea. And I really wish they would force each truck to unpack. They probably wouldn't have to do that for long before the companies would send smaller loads on their own.

[lilysea]

in the New Zealand example, people were doing the right thing without being monitored/policed

because they were local farmers

and if they broke the bridge

they (and their families) would be cut of from schools, hospitals, groceries etc etc until the bridge was fixed...

[cimorene]

Yeah, that makes sense. Unfortunately it's freight trucks that are the big issue here.