My Dad has a wood pellet stove. The wood pellets come in 40 pound bags, which is too heavy for my dad to bring in from the garage. So usually every Sunday when I visit, I bring in 8-9 bags. Well this Sunday they were predicting a nasty Nor'Easter. So I called my brother (who lives in the same town as Dad) and asked him to go over and bring in the pellets as I might not make it over because of the storm. He said he would.
So Sunday morning, the storm is really raging. I could have made it, but I didn't want Dad out driving, even the short trip to the train station to get me. So, I call him to say that I'm not coming. I also ask if my brother had come to bring in pellets. My Dad said that my nephew was over (This nephew is in the Marines and on leave right now) Dad said he told my nephew not to bring in any pellets as I would do it. It is our (mine and Dad's) system. Dad also said that he didn't even think about the storm. ARGH!!!!!!! I then told Dad that if anyone ever offered to bring in pellets, to let them. I also told him that I had called my brother to come over and bring in some pellets.
I should call my brother back so he can go over and bring in more pellets.
We had to have a new water line put in from the meter into the house. The existing line was polybutylene pipe which was the subject of a class action suit because it was faulty - it gets dry rot of all things. To make it more fun, whoever built our house ran the water line under where they laid the driveway, and up under the slab and into the house... somewhere. So a whole new line had to be laid leading into the garage and up over the ceiling into the utility room. My in-laws picked up the tab for now (really makes you feel good) and we'll pay them back over time. We can still apply to get a payout on the class action suit, I think. Sometimes I miss living in an apartment, yes I do.
Originally posted by Spellbinder: When I saw moaning and groaning in the thread title, I foolishly assumed it was going to be a thread of a different type
Somebody was bound to make the assumption. I might as well have been you.
OK, so I got a pair of those combination mittens/fingerless gloves (where you can flip the mitten part over the fingers and take it off when you need to use your fingers for something) And I find that when I take the mitten part off, my fingers feel much colder than when I would take my whole glove off.
I have several theories to explain this. 1) because my hand remains in the glove part, my fingers feel colder by contrast with my hand that remains warm, or 2) the mittens keep my whole hand warmer than the glove did, so I didn't notice much difference when taking off my glove.
On my way to my school library there is a <span style="font-size: 55px;">+</span> intersection. The street running vertical is one way heading from south to north. The left hand street is one way heading away from the intersection. Cars on the vertical street can turn right unto the right hand street, which also has cars traveling from the right to the left (either going straight or making a right turn). The right hand street has two lanes for those traveling left and one lane for those turning into the street. It is a tight turn.
The lights and walk signal for this intersection work amazingly well. The cars on the right hand street go first, then the cars on the vertical street go (either going straight or making a right turn). Finally all cars are stopped and pedestrians can cross.
And now here is the vent. Some people stand in the street right where the cars on the vertical street make the right turn. Some people cross the right hand street while the vertical street has the green light and the "don't walk" sign is on. This will screw up the traffic. What annoys me the most of these jaywalkers is the ones who just amble along as if they are the only ones on the street.
Now I have jaywalked this street myself. However, I make sure there are no cars coming to make the right turn.
People who stand in the aisle having a chat or examining the merchandise, oblivious to everyone around them, with their cart in the middle of the aisle so no one can pass them on either side.
Expired products on the shelves. I have found products on the shelves that have been expired by months! Does no one check for these things, or do they hope we won't notice? I shop in a very popular and busy market, so there's no excuse for it!
I love the people whose carts are all the way on one side of the aisle, yet they have to reach out and strech across to the other, so they make sure to block the whole aisle.
I have better luck on expirations, although a tiny supermarket I used to go to had a problem with that.
I also dislike people who have to come to a complete stop once making it through the exit door, completely blocking those behind them. The rest of us would like to get out, too!
And then of course the people in line ahead of you that have to make a mad rush for that one forgotten item, leaving everyone else waiting because they are 3/4 rung-up, so the cashier is stuck, too. Some people do that in the express lane, too!
In Department Stores. People who stop at the top of the escalator's to look to see where they want to go. Comming up fast behind them with nowhere to go I am sure one of these days I am going to just knock em over and cause a pile up.
Move away from the top of the stairs godammit, then you can look around in peace.
The bloody rain, and flipping cold winds screamin off the north sea! I just hate them, there's no other word for it, I hate hate hate them. Winter is horrid to people with long hair!
If I didn't know it would make me look shorter I'd get a crew cut and wear a woolly hat.
Originally posted by Faraway Lad: In Department Stores. People who stop at the top of the escalator's to look to see where they want to go. Comming up fast behind them with nowhere to go I am sure one of these days I am going to just knock em over and cause a pile up.
Move away from the top of the stairs godammit, then you can look around in peace.
I was a couple of people behind a couple who did this exiting the subway once. And it is not like the people behind them can stop going up.
It rained today. Now, I like the rain. A lot. But I have to walk to school. It took twenty minutes. IN THE RAIN. With cars NOT stopping for me and lots of general WETNESS. Twenty there, twenty back. I was tre bummed. And wet. My poor jeans...
Originally posted by Caliente: It rained today. Now, I like the rain. A lot. But I have to walk to school. It took twenty minutes. IN THE RAIN. With cars NOT stopping for me and lots of general WETNESS. Twenty there, twenty back. I was tre bummed. And wet. My poor jeans...
After coming in all wet from the rain, there is nothing like a nice hot shower, then getting into dry clothes and relaxing.
My current beef is this: If you live in this country you shouldn't be allowed to work in customer service if you don't speak English! Yes, I know I am politically incorrect and no doubt a class-A bigot, but I do so hate needing help somewhere and I can't understand what the service person is saying! I live in Kentucky!
Originally posted by Lance's realm: My current beef is this: If you live in this country you shouldn't be allowed to work in customer service if you don't speak English! Yes, I know I am politically incorrect and no doubt a class-A bigot, but I do so hate needing help somewhere and I can't understand what the service person is saying! I live in Kentucky!
Thanks for listening.
You know what is also frustrating? Watching a customer and a customer service person, for whom English is a second language, but have different first languages.
The guilt-inducing moaning, groaning vent: my 17-year old cat is in failing health and has taken up residence on the kitchen counter, which I find really annoying but then I feel so bad for her, I just work around her. Some days she looks like she's on death's door and I think about putting her down, then the next day she'll perk up.
She needs a tiny pill daily and it's a battle every time. If she weren't so feeble she'd probably shred my hands to pieces.
Originally posted by Caliente: [b] It rained today. Now, I like the rain. A lot. But I have to walk to school. It took twenty minutes. IN THE RAIN. With cars NOT stopping for me and lots of general WETNESS. Twenty there, twenty back. I was tre bummed. And wet. My poor jeans...
After coming in all wet from the rain, there is nothing like a nice hot shower, then getting into dry clothes and relaxing.[/b]
don't skip the taking-off-the-soaking-wet-clothes-on-the-back-porch-and-enjoying-the-rain-for-a-few-minutes-the way-nature-intended step
Originally posted by Fat Cramer: The guilt-inducing moaning, groaning vent: my 17-year old cat is in failing health and has taken up residence on the kitchen counter, which I find really annoying but then I feel so bad for her, I just work around her. Some days she looks like she's on death's door and I think about putting her down, then the next day she'll perk up.
She needs a tiny pill daily and it's a battle every time. If she weren't so feeble she'd probably shred my hands to pieces.
Sorry to hear about this. This is one of those really hard decisions.
I remember one dog we had who developed arthritis. Dad would give her an aspirin a day. After a while she realized that the pill made her feel better and would take it with no problem.
Originally posted by Fat Cramer: The guilt-inducing moaning, groaning vent: my 17-year old cat is in failing health and has taken up residence on the kitchen counter, which I find really annoying but then I feel so bad for her, I just work around her. Some days she looks like she's on death's door and I think about putting her down, then the next day she'll perk up.
She needs a tiny pill daily and it's a battle every time. If she weren't so feeble she'd probably shred my hands to pieces.
Cramer.
Its hard postion to be in Nancy. My Ex told me this week that she had had to put our 15 year old mutt to sleep. Still waiting to tell our daughter as she'll be distraught.
Oh FC, I'm so sorry! The uncertainty is the hardest part. And feeling like your punishing them when you're trying to help. Trying to get Leroy to take pills was a nightmare too. I had to try and give her human antacid to calm her stomach so she would eat, but of course they're all minty and she hated the mere whiff of it. Have you tried mashing the pill in a bit of butter? Or they sell Pill Pocket, hollow treats that you can put the pill inside. Best of luck!
OK, so last Sunday I called my brother and told him that our dad need some more wood pellets for his stove. My brother said he would get them. Wrote himself a note. I didn't tell Dad that I called him, so he would look good for remembering. I go today and no pellets. Grrrrr!!!!
Annoyance du jour, part II: Those irritating scrolls across the bottom of the screen, which either remind you of what program you're watching (for those with short attention spans) or promote something coming up (just in case you're bored with what's on the screen).
Npt really moaning or groaning. just letting people know where I've been.
Last Week my dad went into the hospital to get a colonoscopy. He has been complaining abut gassy cramp like pain. So I was at his place (no internet) to take care of his dog. He's been out of the hospital since Thursday, but still feels weak and still with the cramps. They did take out four polyps when they did the colonoscopy. They think that his bowels have contracted due to age so, the gas can't get around or through his stool. Hopefully with fiber supplements & stool softeners, he'll be OK, but it will take a bit of time for them to work. And dad is not a patient man when he gets sick (I should be well now!!!!!!)
I don't know how long I'll be staying with Dad. But rest assured, that when I am back, I'm looking to take the top poster spot from Cobalt Kid.
OK, so I am sitting in my school library, posting to Legion World and playing spider solitaire when the libarian comes up to me with a security guard and the head of the maintenance. She says "I have to ask you to leave." And in my mind, I start to panic. What did I do that was wrong???
She then adds "Lexis-Nexis reported some heavy use and they traced it to you." So immediately I say "I don't use Lexis-Nexis here." (I actually don't use it anywhere else either) So she asked for my name. When I told her, she apologized and the three of them went off to another area. A few minutes later, I saw them exiting with an older gentleman.
There's a limit on Lexis-Nexis use in a library? Why don't they just time-out the session instead of coming down on people with security guards? I'm moaning and groaning about all this security stuff that's spreading everywhere.
Lexis-Nexis is a very expensive database and libraries that purchase it get rights to a limited number of searches. This explains why public libraries almost never have access to it.
That being said, security guards do seem a little extreme.
I really shouldn't have anything to vent about. I have my health. I have a roof over my head. I make enough money to get by. I have friends. I have a good relationship with my parents, who live only ten minutes from me, and they've helped me through some tough times in the last few years. I don't have a significant other and I don't have kids, but I'm at a point where I don't want -- and I mean REALLY DON'T WANT -- either of those things, so it's probably better that I don't.
That's why I don't understand why I feel so empty, why I, a supposed adult, often backslide into petulant teenager mode, why I take everything personally, why I worry about what other people think of me (especially when they laugh at me just because I make an effort to not look like everybody else -- especially living in a place where most people are such stupid, shallow sheep that they base their appearance on what they see on TV.) But I do. And it hurts. And it frustrates me.
Stealth, If it's any consolation, I didn't stop caring what others...even strangers... thought of me until I was thirty. And that was because a friend who was about a year older than me said something like, "I just don't care what people think. I'm 30!" Somehow that stuck with me and I applied it to myself. I wish, when I was 19, that someone would have said the same thing about being 20. Of course, it probably wouldn't have sunk in.
I have gotten new neighbors next door. They seem to all be young early 20-somethings.
OK so Sunday night around midnight, I go to bed. I can hear the TV from next door. However, the white noise from my fan blocks it enough so I can sleep. (when I woke up briefly at 5am, I could still hear the TV going). One of them also plays rap music loud during the day.
Last night (Monday), I again go to bed at midnight. I again hear the TV going. This time the fan doesn't block the sound enough. So I get up and get dressed and head next door. I assume that since I am on the third floor, the TV is on the third floor.
As I approach the house, I see a young woman entering it. So, I go up and ring the doorbell. I can hear people on the third floor deck. I ring several times, but no one comes down. A guy opens the door to the first floor. SO I explain to him that I am from next door, that there is a TV being played too loudly, and I can't sleep because of it. He doesn't say anything, but I leave thinking maybe he will go up and say something.
Nope. So after a few minutes, I go back down. I ring the third floor bell again. This time two young guys (I'd guess around 18-19) come down. I again explain who I am and why I was there. The one in front goes "Oh the TV's too loud." I say "thanks" and head home. After about 5 minutes, the TV is still going at the same volume. So back I go, but this time I take my phone with me & with the number for the police on it.
I ring the bell. This time a young woman comes down. She answers the door with a "yeah what do you want?" I say again that the TV is too loud. She responds with "I can watch my TV in my home when I get home from work. Call the police." "Maybe I'll call the police and say you are harassing me." So, I step down off the porch and proceed to call the police.
She starts talking to the people with her. "oh look the fat idiot is doing it" & "My uncle's a Boston City police officer, so it'll be OK." To me "Don't you know that the police have murders and fires and robberies to deal with?" Pretending to be me "Oh the TV is too loud". Eventually they go back inside, And I remained waiting for the police. (side item: She is smoking and flicks the butt onto the sidewalk. The sidewalk in front of their house is littered with cigarette butts. I also noticed that there were 5 names over the 2nd floor mailbox and 4 names over the third floor mailbox. And all the mailboxes were open)
So I am thinking "Great! Who knows what these people will do to me after this?"
In about 15 minutes, the police do arrive. You could hear the TV from the street. So I give my story to the police. I stay on the front porch to my house while the two police officers go and rng her bell. She is more courteous to them. They go up into her apartment. They come back down in a minute and go in the area between the two houses. They shine a flashlight up to the second floor window. Apparently the TV was on the second floor. The police ask her if she knows who is in the middle room on the second floor. She says something about it being "Derek's room". She is also on the sidewalk now and I ask her, "You can hear it now, can't you?" She didn't say anything.
Eventually the police get in and the TV is shut off.
The woman then says to me "I told you it wasn't our TV." To which I replied "No you didn't. You just said to call the police and then you started insulting me." The police officer just goes "Well it is off now. and If this happens again, just call us." The woman kind of apologizes. I also kind of apologize by saying "I wasn't trying to bother you, just trying to get that TV turned down."
Anyway, all these neighbors seem young and I am hoping that means they are transient and will be gone by the end of summer.
More neighbor problems, but this time from the other side. About 3 houses down there is an autistic boy. And at times he will wail loudly for hours on end. I can hear him now even though the windows are closed. I feel sorry for him and his parents, but goodness is it annoying.
I don't really have much to moan about...however, my job is beginning to bring me down. Due to its location and my schedule, I have to be away from home for a two week streach of time. I've been here for almost a week now and i'm really homesick and miss my wife.
Quis, I sympathize with your plight...I have an Autistic cousin and she used to do the same thing when she was a child.
I am really really bummed out that Prop 8 passed in California. Not to mention bans in Florida & Arizona and prohibiting gay people from adopting in Arkansas.
There is absolutely no valid reason not to allow gay couples to get married. It is pure prejudice and ignorance to vote otherwise.
OK, so I've told you about my next door neighbors who play their stereo & TV too loud. Well last night the people on the other side had a party. Lots of young people. The music wasn't too loud but their talking was very loud. It even woke up my roommate. He also called the police twice.
He went back to bed and tried earplugs. I just went to bed. This was around 11 pm. At 1:30, I was woken up by the sound of a fire engine siren going down my street. Awake, I stayed up a little. They were still talking loudly. I went out on to my front porch and watched them. The people that ususally make the noise were also on their front porch. I think they were more amused by it.
Anyhow, two of the guys were having a shouting match, with a young woman trying to get one of them in a car. Eventually, one group get into their car and drive off. However, they drive around the block and the guy threw a bottle at the car. After that his friends managed to get him in a car and they drove off. I went back inside. Minutes later I hear a pop pop. I've actually heard fire crackers that were louder, but assumed it was gunfire. I immediately dialed 911, but as I was talking to the 911 operator, 6 police cars pull up. Of course by this time all the party goers were gone.
One of the guys on the other porch said the gunshot sounded like it was a 22 caliber. I think they were enjoying the fact that the police weren't call for them.
This morning when my roommate got up, I told him what had happened. He got very upset. About a month ago, he was held up at knife point walking home from the grocery store at 2 in the afternoon. So this afternoon, I here a yell from his room. I called out to see if he was alright. No response. About 5 minutes later he comes out yelling "this is a shithole!" And he is mad at me because he thinks I am not upset about what happened.
I do have to say, that I am not terribly upset about what happened. I am bothered by it and a little concerned. I mean I have lived in my neighborhood for 13 years now and this is the first time I've heard gunfire. He did come back out of his room about 40 minutes later to apologize for yelling at me.
The contractors who were putting new siding on the building my condo is in were partway done when we were hit by two days of severe weather. The new siding was soaked and my interior kitchen walls have visible damage.
Add to this a young man who works for me posted on Facebook that he has an interview for another job tomorrow. He didn't even have the decency to tell me himself. If he leaves his job, it will be months before it's filled.
Throw in that after 48 years of marriage, my parents have decided that the best thing for their marriage would be to live in different states. Mother is moving here this fall, which is a good thing, but still sad that they are splitting up.
Also, the choir I'm in is having some issues that are too convoluted and confusing for me to try to explain.
Ugh. First of all, s all around. Quis, someday I have to tell you my favorite "but-marriage-is-just-for-straight-people" story. It probably wouldn't help today, though. It needs alcohol to really work right. (Or maybe chocolate if the involved parties are in recovery.)
Anyhow: Yeah, it's great that I've got three days of work coming up this week. The people are nice and the work is easy. It's not even a painful commute. Except for the endless turmoil this creates with the career peabrains at the Unemployment office. Really, I thought their neighbors on the Northern border were impossibly dense until I had to move my claim down here to the state of my residence. Basically this week will push me into the magical range for the second week in a row that disqualifies me for aid, just barely. That means that a week from today, I'll probably have to restart the entire claim from scratch all over again.
I might add that they ask a great many stupid and redundant questions that prove conclusively their inability to understand that "Temp" work is exactly that: TEMPORARY. Some weeks there is work but many more weeks there is not.
Aaaarggghh. There is a 12% Unemployment rate here right now. (Officially, which means off the books, it's much higher, of course.) I'm gonna' kick the next inspirational lecturer/wannabe' Herbert Hoover somewhere tender, believe me.
Originally posted by Rockhopper Lad: The contractors who were putting new siding on the building my condo is in were partway done when we were hit by two days of severe weather. The new siding was soaked and my interior kitchen walls have visible damage.
Rocky, I don't know if you have homeowner's insurance or not, but in my state, rain coming in through an open window and doing damage is covered-you may want to check into it.
Originally posted by Arm Fall Off Boy: Rocky, I don't know if you have homeowner's insurance or not, but in my state, rain coming in through an open window and doing damage is covered-you may want to check into it.
The condo association will take care of this one. It's very clearly their fault. It's just the fact that it must be done when it was totally preventable that bothers me.
Yesterday I was in Halifax, walking down one of the main commercial/restaurant streets. It was really hot, lots of people were out, some with their dogs. The sky was still hazed over with fog and some clouds. Suddenly, this really gigantic roar started, and increased. My first thought was that some airplane was about to crash on the street, and I was just immobilized and trying to think, where do I go? and looked for the plane to break out of the haze. In true brave superheroine fashion, I grabbed my husband's arm... :rolleyes:
It was a fighter jet doing an extremely low flyover. That totally pissed me off. I suppose they were saying, we're in control and we'll do whatever we want here.... People on the street didn't seem that disturbed by it, but my heart was pounding and I had a terrific headache. A few minutes later, another one did the same thing, really low then zooming straight up. That one set off all the car alarms and I saw two dogs totally freaking out (fortunately they were on leashes).
People in Labrador complained for years about these low flyovers. I can't imagine this on a regular basis. I guess it was part of some military show, but it seemed stupid/arrogant/reckless to do it right over the downtown core. They usually have these things out at airfields.
Originally posted by cleome: Aaaarggghh. [b]There is a 12% Unemployment rate here right now. (Officially, which means off the books, it's much higher, of course.) [/b]
Wow, you guys are actually doing pretty good.
Halibutt in Halifax. When jet plane fly overhead, dive into bar. Yeah, that one. I forget it's name, but it's a pretty good one.
Spent hours getting my syllabuses ready, sent out welcoming email with a leeetle assignment for the students to fill out and bring with them Monday.
Got a couple emails back asking if they couldn't wait until class on Tuesday. "Waits" I says to myself, class is on MW. These students must have changed sections, so I check the on-line rosters.
Well.... someone assigned me TR classes. I NEVER do TR classes.
Took 3 hours and an embarrassing email correction to edit my coursework.
Ohmygod, so I like get back from the beach today and some like sadistic, over eager, teacher is like sending out homework assignments by e-mail two weeks before school even like starts...
They're being complete jaggoffs at the Unemployment Office. Again.
I have a bad wisdom tooth, and with things like they are, the "treatment" will consist of aspirin and those vile numbing drops and chewing on the "good" side of my mouth for a very, very long time.
Are you near a dentistry school? They're supposed to offer cheap treatment by students, closely supervised by the teachers.
I've wondered why there aren't garage dentists who offer super cheap treatment. Well, there are, but some of them are suspect, not even real dentists. Maybe a wisdom tooth is difficult, depending on the tooth, but a lot of dentistry is pretty simple stuff, just drill and patch work. I pay a small fortune to a woman who is trained for all sorts of complications as well as administration of anaesthetic to a wide variety of clients, when 90% of my dental work could be done by a less-expensive technician.
Anyways, dental problems are always top of my moaning and groaning list. I hope yours gets resolved soonest.
I have gone to a dental school in the past. They charged costs only, but depending on the procedure, that can still be $$$.
I did like the service I got there. However the appointments would last pretty much half a day. For example: filing a cavity. The student would drill and clean out the tooth, then have to get the instructor to inspect. After approval from the instructor, the cavity would be filled. Again the instructor would have to check out the filling work. Of course there were about 20 other students who needed to have the instructor check their work, so it could be a wait for the instructor.
The wait aside, I was very pleased with the work done.
Originally posted by Fat Cramer: Are you near a dentistry school? They're supposed to offer cheap treatment by students, closely supervised by the teachers.
The last time anyone suggested that was when I had hopes of getting my couch re-upholstered in lieu of throwing it out. Maybe it works better with dentists than upholsterers, though.
There are occasional "dental fairs" here where people literally line up for a hundred shots at free basic care from dentists who donate their time. Those are generally intended for people that are capital-I impoverished, though. Also, I'm guessing they couldn't tend to a bad wisdom tooth, since that requires more than a half hour while dozens of other candidates stand around waiting.
Oh this group of kids have started hanging out in front of the house across the street. They can be quite loud and periodically you can hear a shriek. It is fairly cold out at night now, you would think they would be indoors. My roommate and I wonder where their parents are. Hopefully when it gets real cold, they will stay indoors.
I get that I'm lucky to have any damn job at all, and that it's not the worst job that I could have nor am I the most stellar employee that ever lived, but still... [deep breath]
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Is it too much to hope that once in a while, my employers could thank me for fixing some small but recurring problems that would cost them money and make them look bad to their customers if the customers saw them? Y'know, not dinner, flowers, and a great big hug but maybe just a "nice catch, cleome." Really? Just once... now that I've been there on and off for nearly six frickin' months?
If they can't manage that, could they at least refrain from snapping at me when I try to fix problems that would cost them money and make them look bad to their customers?! Gahhhhhhhh!!</span></span>
I apologize in advance for spoiling everyone's happy warm anniversary fuzzies with my grumbling, but I so need this off my chest right now...
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">At 9 AM this morning, the temp agency calls me to come back to work at the warehouse first thing Monday. Great. I said "fine." I complain about this job when I'm on it, but the truth is that I have done and doubtless will do much worse.
Then fifteen minutes later, they call back again to tell me they've changed their minds and that I can forget about it.
I head out of the house at 9:30 AM to go help mr_cleome with some of his work downtown-- as I'm known to do on occasion. Since nobody is looking for me, we go have lunch with one of our mutual buddies and have a nice time. I reach home at 1:30 PM to a message from the agency. It's about another job that they wanted me to report to by noon today. FWIW, it was way out in the boonies, and I never would have made it there on such short notice without an automobile. However, if they'd only called sooner, I probably could've roped mr_cleome into giving me a lift out there and then picking me up in the evening when the job was through.
I am so sick of having to kiss the butts of so-called professionals who never seem to behave like professionals! Gah!! WTF, people! If I'm organized enough to work your lousy jobs, how about being organized enough to stop playing these obnoxious bait-and-switch games with me! Sweet Aunt Petunia! What the hell do they pay you for, anyway!?</span></span>
Okay, now I feel well enough to go finish out the week's online grovelling for work with less of a headache. Carry on, LMB.
I've put up with more crap from my current $7.50 part time job than I did at much much better paying ones. Been treated like crap by my boss, who thinks he's funny putting people down all the time, while not liking it if you even remotely joke back at him.
I am feeling like crap, so I called off as to not potentially expose anyone else to what I might have...he gets an attitude and wants a Dr.s not. Which in all reality is fine and not something I have a problem with. Thing is the other time I have called in sick is when he came to work sick for a week solid, then I got sick. He got an attitude when I called in then as well...even though I was running a 101 fever.
I will go to the clinic and get a note, after I can drop the kids off at my in-laws. I am tempted to drop the note off and put my notice in...but I probably will not.
Oh yeah, he's also lied to me about getting a full time position...just to get me to do more during the holiday season.
So, my brother-in-law and his girlfriend are living with us. They are not paying any rent, don't pay bills and rarely buy thier own food. Of course we don't get a word of thanks for this. They never clean, can't even manage to get their dirty dishes into the dishwasher most days. The girl spends every waking moment playing world of warcraft and screaming at people on her headset. Despite having his own computer, late at night it's mine that gets used. Which in and of itself is not a problem, except he frequently does stuff to screw up my settings. Last night he managed to get a nasty virus onto my laptop that completely messed it up. Not even system restore would work. So I just had to restore the system to factory defaults, losing all my info on the laptop.
I've had it with these kids and can't wait for them to leave.
Never feel bad complaining...it's all relative. I'm going in tomorrow, no matter what I feel like. They can, and probably will, send me home shortly thereafter.
Prayers for the family C. Cancer is never a fun thing, evenif it's beatable. Seen too many friends and family deal with it. Lost some good ones along the way, and seen some miracles. One is my daughters best friend.
Originally posted by Dev Em: Prayers for the family C. Cancer is never a fun thing, evenif it's beatable. Seen too many friends and family deal with it. Lost some good ones along the way, and seen some miracles. One is my daughters best friend.
That's great about your daughter's friend, though.
The friend on our end is my FIL's girlfriend. They've been together seven years, more or less. The docs are trying "aggressive, last-ditch" treatments and trying to keep her comfortable;they're hoping she'll get a few more months from them, at least.
Thanks again for the nice words. You guys are the best.
[ETA- She passed away early Tuesday afternoon. Damn. ]
She was very devoted to her pets in life, so I sent a little money to a Pittsburgh no-kill shelter in her name. They sent a condolence card to the FIL, who's also a big cat-person.
Ugh. I just found out that for the next month (after this coming weekend) that my off days are going to be Wednesday and Thursday! Normally, I wouldn't care except that next week is my birthday and I was going to go out of town to celebrate that weekend.
So, one of the delightful little scamps that play on my street has taken to making loud cawing bird sounds. He's been doing it for a week and a half now.
Any hunters want to shoot some birds on my street?
Ugh, had to go in on my offday for additional training. I had already had this training less than a year ago but it was decided that all managers should have it again.
I am salaried so it's not like I even got paid for it.
OK. When you have an ex, eventually in the course of thing if you are mature you become friends again. I whole hearredly agree that is the way it should be, if possible.
But then, the person the ex left me for decided to friend me on facebook and wanted to chat (!) with me as if we had been best friends forever. The things he knew about me were very telling (things that happened after the break=up that I told my ex in confidence).
NOW I get to watch as my ex gushes over the IPAD his new man bought him. I don't usually care enough to get jealous, but I really really don't care to see how happy they are and how much disposable income they have.
I know Im probably being childish here. I'll get over it. Just wanted to let it out somewhere...
Not that you asked for advice, but as a big fat knowitall, here's what I say:
Defriend his ass pronto. Those wounds are still too new.
The love of my life and I broke up in 1996 (14 years ago this month, actually), and I can ***still*** get a mild twinge of jealousy over whatever is happening in his life.
And I certainly don't care to speak at all to his current whatever.
Not to make light of your situation, Matt (it does sound very annoying and very thoughtless of your ex), but when I first looked at this thread, I just sort of just scanned your post at the top of this page and saw:
"ex" and
"decided to friend me on facebook"
for half a second I thought, "Oh, no... what did I do to him?"
Its no secret... I got the diabeties. And now I can't eat, basically.
I'm 6'4" and have a solid build. The metformin I'm taking can have a very certain... side effect, which it apparently does for me. Add to that I'm only allowed so much food... and dammit, I'm hungry.
I'll do everything I'm supposed to, I'll stay away from the hidden sugars, the fatty foods, the popcorn that made certain things in life bearable... but I could eat a honkin' big grilled steak with bell peppers and onions smothering it and a real glass of tea like nobody's business.
Add to that I've reached my forties and my eyesight is suddenly going to hell. My arms aren't long enough to hold the books far away enough for me to read, the glasses I bought to help are not that great and give me headaches, I can only read about thirty minutes before I have to quit....
This getting old crap is for the birds. It damn sure ain't for the weak.
Originally posted by Mattropolis: It was. But it was long ago. I'm stronger than that. I had a small mini tantrum, but Im ok now
I suspect that you still might be more mature than me, Matt. One of the main reasons that I avoid Facebook is out of dread that some ex might suddenly decide to Friend me-- and then get all huffy when I either ignored them or told them to go cram it.
Originally posted by Exnihil: Not to make light of your situation, Matt (it does sound very annoying and very thoughtless of your ex), but when I first looked at this thread, I just sort of just scanned your post at the top of this page and saw:
"ex" and
"decided to friend me on facebook"
for half a second I thought, "Oh, no... what did I do to him?"
LOL Your post made me smile. Sorry I made you think that.
Originally posted by rickshaw1: Its no secret... I got the diabeties. And now I can't eat, basically.
I'm 6'4" and have a solid build. The metformin I'm taking can have a very certain... side effect, which it apparently does for me. Add to that I'm only allowed so much food... and dammit, I'm hungry.
I'll do everything I'm supposed to, I'll stay away from the hidden sugars, the fatty foods, the popcorn that made certain things in life bearable... but I could eat a honkin' big grilled steak with bell peppers and onions smothering it and a real glass of tea like nobody's business.
Add to that I've reached my forties and my eyesight is suddenly going to hell. My arms aren't long enough to hold the books far away enough for me to read, the glasses I bought to help are not that great and give me headaches, I can only read about thirty minutes before I have to quit....
This getting old crap is for the birds. It damn sure ain't for the weak.
Yeah, it does suck reaching a certain age. I am lucky that because I have lost weight I am still able to do certain things now that I never could before. Even so, I hear you about the eyesight.
&@#*$%@ fireworks! I live on a pretty narrow city street and yet people are setting off fireworks right outside my house in the street. I hope the house does not catch fire.
Don't get me wrong. I love the big organized fireworks displays.
Originally posted by Mattropolis: [b] It was. But it was long ago. I'm stronger than that. I had a small mini tantrum, but Im ok now
I suspect that you still might be more mature than me, Matt. One of the main reasons that I avoid Facebook is out of dread that some ex might suddenly decide to Friend me-- and then get all huffy when I either ignored them or told them to go cram it.
Cleome, I was trying to not gross everyone out but lets just say that what I can eat, doesn't hang around very long, and I ain't talking about a return trip. Doc warned me about it. Seems like if there's a side effect, I'm gonna be in line for it.
I spent this afternoon playing 18 holes of golf with my son with me and when I checked it earlier, I was at 240. So, I'm thinking the metformin might not do the job, but its still early on and I an not gonna be spending money all the time on Imodium.
Originally posted by rickshaw1: Cleome, I was trying to not gross everyone out but lets just say that what I can eat, doesn't hang around very long, and I ain't talking about a return trip. Doc warned me about it. Seems like if there's a side effect, I'm gonna be in line for it.
I spent this afternoon playing 18 holes of golf with my son with me and when I checked it earlier, I was at 240. So, I'm thinking the metformin might not do the job, but its still early on and I an not gonna be spending money all the time on Imodium.
Oy. Sorry to hear that.
Well, if it doesn't work, I hope you can lean on the doc to keep searching until you find something that does work.
mr_cleome is taking something that's probably in that same family of meds. They warned him about the same type of side effect, but he's not having any problems. OTOH, one of his buddies had to quit the same medication because he was having them. (Needing frequent bathroom breaks when you drive a bus for a living is naturally not a good thing.)
No, tisn't, lol. And I spend most of my day in a truck driving to timber tracts as well. Course', I'm out in the rural areas where there's a bathroom behind every tree. But then we get onto the Redbug subject again, lol. And trust me, they are bad enough on my legs....
NOW I get to watch as my ex gushes over the IPAD his new man bought him. I don't usually care enough to get jealous, but I really really don't care to see how happy they are and how much disposable income they have.
I know Im probably being childish here. I'll get over it. Just wanted to let it out somewhere...
Matt, I think I found the perfect song for that situation -
I am trying to apply for a job I really, really want in the worst way.
I have been staring at the application for an hour and for the life of me, can think of nothing to say.
I have to hand it in tomorrow morning, because Saturday's the deadline and we're going out of town in the morning for a day-trip.
I honestly don't know how to convincingly write on an app that I am golly-gee-whiz-teh-awesomest-splendidest-bestest-employee-EVAH-who-you'd-be-INSANE-to-not-hire!; Really, I've tried it 4,000,000,000,000 times in the last two years and it NEVER flies!
At best, my current job, which is no great shakes even in the current pathetic-butt job market, won't last past next February. I need to get off my duff and WRITE SOMETHING IN THE SPACE!!11
It really stinks trying to write coherently while spaced out on anti-inflammatory meds. I'll be taking them for the rest of the week, thanks to the fact that I re-injured my left foot Thursday.
I'll be lucky if I can limp to work tomorrow and manage to not crash into a wall or a forklift in the first hour back. I already blew work off on Friday because I was in too much pain, but temps don't get paid sick days and now I'm gonna' have to soldier on.
Stupid traitorous mutant feet. I hate you.
Also, the Feds are trying to reel me in for jury duty again this Tuesday. Last time turned out to be a false alarm. They didn't want me, and I desperately hope they don't want me now. Sick days + jury duty does not = popularity with managers.
I've been on the road so much for work that I'm feeling awfull lonely lately. I miss my wife and I really miss my baby. This was a lot easier before I was a father.
I'm almost through my heavy travel season...just a few more trips.
I make the best of it and enjoy, and I put on a front for my friends because I know people who have something real to complain about. But I miss my family.
it's too complicated to get into the details leading up to it, but I had a six year emotionally disabled kid spit in my face today... not just a raspberry but a big ol' blob of spit right below my left eye... a lot of folks think working with kids is great cause "they're so cute" and the whole summers off thing, but sometimes... well, sometimes you get spit in the face...
Originally posted by Cobalt Kid: I've been on the road so much for work that I'm feeling awfull lonely lately. I miss my wife and I really miss my baby. This was a lot easier before I was a father.
I'm almost through my heavy travel season...just a few more trips.
I make the best of it and enjoy, and I put on a front for my friends because I know people who have something real to complain about. But I miss my family.
Home late tonight and them back out on Sunday.
Almost there...
Hang in there man, you're doing what is best for your family...making a living. Trust me, I had to travel when Jon was only a couple weeks old. It sucks majorly...and there is nothing to feel bad about if you need to vent about it. It's what you're going through...and it's a good thing to miss the wife and baby...shows the love is still real and growing.
My grip on my emotions is stretched so freakin thin right now it isn't even funny. The slightest thing is going to set something in motion that may not be a good thing, and may be the thing I need most.
Originally posted by Dev Em: My grip on my emotions is stretched so freakin thin right now it isn't even funny. The slightest thing is going to set something in motion that may not be a good thing, and may be the thing I need most.
I need something to give...
Hope things are easing up, Dev. Also hope comics, movies and other forms of escapism are allowing you to do exactly that, even if only for 5 minutes at a time.
I'll add that being sick as a dog on a beautiful Fall day is pathetic. I managed to pull myself together enough this morning to make brunch, but that's about it.
(And at least my supervisor was nice to me at work yesterday, and thanked me for coming in even though I wasn't feeling well.)
oh .... ouch. that makes the time my dog chewed up the remote seem like no big deal.
we just got pet insurance, after some long debate, as i am from the country and we don't insure no animals .... or usually have health insurance ourselves ... ;P
but after getting lab results on a tumor removed from my big dog i sided with my bf .... since the lab results cost twice as much as MY lab results do. yes .... the dogs lab results are more expensive than mine. and he cost 40 bucks at the pound. and he's a mutt.
Power Boy, unfortunately the money that could've gone to things like pet insurance goes to things like human insurance. And credit cards.
And, yeah, The Sid is much better. We are determined to train him to stay the hell off the kitchen counter, though. Bought an extra spray bottle for that purpose, and now mr_cleome and I have to take turns listening for his trespassing and spraying him with water. <span style="font-size: 11px;">Little jerk.</span>
Guys, do you ever have those days when you realize your birthday is coming up, and it frightens and/or depresses you that you're getting older.
In 2004 the next few days after my birthday and the approaching New Year I got depressed realizing how old I was.
The first time it happened was when I was really little, and I started crying because I didn't want to get older.
I don't know if it's just the empty December atmosphere with no Christmas decorations but, I realized, I'm turning twenty. I opened a letter in the mail from weeks ago that I said I, myself, owed 300 dollars to a dentist. The thought terrified me, even when my mom explained she and dad were the ones who were supposed to pay it.
I'm turning twenty and that scares me.
...
Huh, I guess all I can do on the internet is whine about trivial things.
Originally posted by MLLASH: Child, call me when you're turning 40. We'll talk.
I'm more startled at the swiftness of time passing than I am particularly obsessed with how old I am. It actually feels kind of neat to have made it this far.
One thing I miss at this time of year is the childhood excitement about snow, presents, time off... the whole nine yards. Last week I wasn't really thinking about how neat it was to get time off from work. I was mostly thinking about how tough THIS week would be, because I'm not compensated for time off.
I just walked to the gas station-- BRRR, it's cooled off! Checked the forecast, it will get down to 31 tonight with a high in the lower 40s tomorrow. FINALLY.
Cleome, one thing I have realized while doing pretty much nothing the past 8 months... time has moved by EVEN FASTER. Weirdness.
You ever notice how time seems to just stand still when you keep going back to look at a clock, but you largely ignore the clock and hours could by in what feels like no time at all.
So at the locker room at my gym, there are usually towels left on the floor or the benches. How hard is it to carry a towel 7 steps to the used towel bins? Another thing I see that bugs me there is people who leave the locker door open. Are you so fatigued by your workout that it becomes too difficult to shut the darn door?
About ready to explode...I'm letting too many things get to me, and not doing enough to change them. Time to make changes in my life...and a lot of people are not gonna like them.
How come every time I spend 15 minutes waiting in a line the person in front of me has to throw salt in the wound by having 11,000 items to be rung in? And then proceeds to ask the cashier " do you have this, and do you have that...?" "Can you get someone on the floor to check the price of this for me?" "Oh and can I have...". AAHHHRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Oh well, my fault for braving the craziness of retail on Boxing Day I guess.
Something else else that bothers me is when you are in line at a fast food place. They have the menu on the wall above the register and it can be seen by everyone in line, but the person in front of you waits til they are at the register to think about what they want.
Originally posted by Quislet, Esq: So at the locker room at my gym, there are usually towels left on the floor or the benches. How hard is it to carry a towel 7 steps to the used towel bins? Another thing I see that bugs me there is people who leave the locker door open. Are you so fatigued by your workout that it becomes too difficult to shut the darn door?
I may be able to top this one.
In the warehouse where I temp, we get tons of goods in carboard boxes. Almost all the cardboard boxes have an extra sheet of cardboard placed atop the goods before a box is closed for shipping. It's nicknamed a "slit" and it's the first thing that we have to remove from the box so we can get to the items to fill the orders. Presumably it's placed in the box in the first place to keep items or their shipping bags from being sliced open when the recipients (ie- us) cut open the box after it's shipped.
Almost everyone just takes the "slits" out of the boxes and throws them on the floor. This drives me nuts! It's both a nuisance and a safety hazard; because you could step on one of the things and skid and lose your footing on the floor.
It's just as easy to throw them on the cart or into the bin with which you're gathering items and then throw the "slits" out as soon as you pass a trashcan or recycling bin.
Of course, some people don't throw them on the floor. They throw them behind stacks of unopened boxes where they attract tons of dust and/or snag on the shelves and make it that much harder to pull the new goods forward when it's time to get a new box. Oh, and some winners just raise the "slit," pick an item out of the box and leave the cardboard over the remaining items: where it'll be in the way of the next poor slob that has to go and pull an item.
Gah. I get that a warehouse is not the place to expect Martha Stewart-levels of Neat 'N Clean, but c'mon, People!
This is something that has bugged me for years, but I just saw the most extreme example of it today so...
Why is it that whenever I see someone selling comics outside of a comic-specific venue (i.e. at a garage sale, a flea market, an antique store, etc.) the asked-for prices are just sooooo ludicrous? It is though non-collectors just assume, "Hey... I heard that comic books are valuable; I'm going to make a bundle off these."
I could understand if someone bought a price guide and decided to price all of their books at suggested "Mint" prices because they didn't know about grading, but it's never even that simple. It just always seems completely arbitrary.
I was in a mall today and there was a baseball card show going on (so one would assume these dealers are not entirely unfamiliar with the concept of price guides) and one fellow had a few boxes of comics. I started flipping though and I was just astounded at how ludicrously priced these were. It is not as though they were even uniformly high priced (like every book for $5 or something), they were individually priced at ridiculous prices.
Of the couple that caught my eye, he had a few mid-eighties Who's Who's for $10 apiece, some Byrne-era Superman for $40 apiece and the one that I actually was interested in, Adventure 345 - the second half to the Nardo story - at $120!
Now, I happen to have a price guide right here (admittedly from 2001... but let's take a look)... OK, Adventure 345... in Near Mint ... $30, in good (which is closer to what the book in question was) ... $3. So either that book has quadrupled in value over the past 10 years, or this guy is yet another example of someone who has no idea what he's doing.
The real irony of the situation to me is that I can't imagine who the target buyer would be in this situation. Someone who has no idea about comic value I wouldn't imagine would casually drop $120 on some random back issue, and someone who does would never pay that price.
I just wonder whether these fellows ever move any of their books, and, if they don't, do they ever question why that is?
Not in an overly rude way, but when he asked me if I saw anything I liked I said, "Yes, but these seem a little high." He replied that sorry, most people thought they were fair.
I was going to try to negotiate, but, honestly, we were coming from such completely different mindsets (the majority of what I would have asked about, I would have been prepared to pay only between 25 cents to a dollar for), I didn't want to waste either of our time.
Perhaps the price of # 345 has indeed quadrupled since Lash has been using Nardo as his avatar.
I think the seller either was ignorant or was expecting his customers, casual buyers in malls, to be ignorant. If you know nothing about comics and you see an issue with a $120 price tag, you might assume that the seller knows what he's doing . . . particularly since it may be your only chance at procuring such a treasure for yourself!
Years ago, I was at a store that sold collectibles of various kinds, including a fair-sized collection of cheap comics. There was an issue of Crisis on Infinite Earths (# 10, I think) with the name "Dick Giordano" written across it in felt-tipped ink. My first thought, of course, was it was an autograph from Giordano, the DC bigwig who had inked Crisis. I bought the comic--it was less than three dollars--even though I already had a copy. The only reason I bought it was because of the hope, however slim, that the signature was real.
I never tried to sell the issue, however, as I came to realize how silly and greedy my thinking was. What difference would if make if it was Giordano's signature? He was hardly the superstar that penciller George Perez was. Also, I have no way of authenticating the signature, so any attempt to persuade a buyer that it's genuine would be dishonest.
However, the incident taught me a valuable lesson: fans such as me tend to perform mental cartwheels when we think we've stumbled upon a hidden treasure.
So I'm basically venting here because I don't feel like arguing with the people involved.
This morning on Facebook some friends (well, people I know from High School) were complaining about "greedy" songwriters who expect you to pay everytime their musics is performed, and how they used to copy tapes all the time but now musicians all complain about "illegal downloading".
The thing is that I know a lot of working musicians who basically are lucky if they break even on their music. For many independent artists, *if* almost everyone who acquires your music actually pays for it, then that means that you can basically recoup the costs you put into making the music and it won't be cutting into the money that you make at your day job as a UPS worker or something. Even the vast majority of musicians who manage to devote themselves to music aren't exactly making tons of profit off it, and illegal downloads or illegal use of copywrited material seriously lessons the likelihood that they actually can survives off their craft.
Of course, my frustration with these folks on Facebook is heightened by the fact that they (or at least most of them) are self-proclaimed "right-wingers" and "Reaganites" who think Obama is a "socialist" and complain about "redistribution of wealth", etc. But apparently when it comes to some product that they want but don't want to pay for, it's all "from each according to his ability, to each according to his [want]".
Things like that on facebook drive my wife crazy. I generally ignore any comments by anyone online unless they are funny or ones that I already agree with!
Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: So I'm basically venting here because I don't feel like arguing with the people involved.
This morning on Facebook some friends (well, people I know from High School) were complaining about "greedy" songwriters who expect you to pay everytime their musics is performed, and how they used to copy tapes all the time but now musicians all complain about "illegal downloading".
The thing is that I know a lot of working musicians who basically are lucky if they break even on their music. For many independent artists, *if* almost everyone who acquires your music actually pays for it, then that means that you can basically recoup the costs you put into making the music and it won't be cutting into the money that you make at your day job as a UPS worker or something. Even the vast majority of musicians who manage to devote themselves to music aren't exactly making tons of profit off it, and illegal downloads or illegal use of copywrited material seriously lessons the likelihood that they actually can survives off their craft.
Of course, my frustration with these folks on Facebook is heightened by the fact that they (or at least most of them) are self-proclaimed "right-wingers" and "Reaganites" who think Obama is a "socialist" and complain about "redistribution of wealth", etc. But apparently when it comes to some product that they want but don't want to pay for, it's all "from each according to his ability, to each according to his [want]".
I sympathize with the musicians. But then again, almost every creative person I know gripes about this sort of thing. Most musicians who turn even a modest profit do so by touring, not by selling CDs or merchandise or what-have-you. And the ones who reap a modest profit usually do so by going out without the dubious blessings of a record label.
I myself do not buy new music. I borrow it or buy it used, when I can afford to, which is rarely. Not only are new downloads on Amazon and its ilk hideously overpriced, there's the recent unpleasantness with large corporations going after Wikileaks. I can't stomach the thought of even using PayPal any more; their behavior is so vile. There is nothing, alas, I can do about Visa. I'm yoked to them for eternity, basically.
If somebody goes to my art site and wants to do a click-and-save on my work for free, there's nothing I can do about that, either. When I sell an original work, it's stipulated that the new owner owns only the original, not the right to copy the image and sell it for profit. But the truth is that if somebody did that very thing, I might never find out. Even if I did, it's unlikely that I'd be able to stop them unless I had a pod of lawyers handy-- and something to pay them with.
Speaking of FB, some of my friends just give too many updates! My best friend took a plane flight today and had a separate wall post (not replies to the first) with every changeover he made and several updates aboard the plane and a few that detail different stages of being at his destination (including getting his rental car, etc.)! A total of TEN DIFFERENT wall posts! He does that crap all the effin' time!
I know this is a minor annoyance at worst, but when I click the "home" page to see the latest updates it's really annoying. He does this crap all the time! Some of my other friends are just as guilty. If you're gonna be prolific in your wall posting, at least be as entertaining as Lash, for Chrissakes!!!
After having no health problems for years and years, I am now plagued with one infection after another, with even more antibiotics. Next Tuesday, the root canal starts!
And amid all this, my husband announced he wants us to move to Ireland. I already live in a broke, messed up province, why move to a broke, messed-up country?
Originally posted by Chief Lardy: Speaking of FB, some of my friends just give too many updates! My best friend took a plane flight today and had a separate wall post (not replies to the first) with every changeover he made and several updates aboard the plane and a few that detail different stages of being at his destination (including getting his rental car, etc.)! A total of TEN DIFFERENT wall posts! He does that crap all the effin' time!...
It's too bad that airlines don't really serve meals anymore. He could emulate one of my favorite cartoonists and link you to amusing hand-drawn diagrams of whatever crap/haute cuisine they gave the passengers to eat and drink.
Originally posted by Chief Lardy: [b] If you're gonna be prolific in your wall posting, at least be as entertaining as Lash, for Chrissakes!!!
YES! For gods sake...YES![/b]
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that kind of anal/share everything ad nauseum pattern of posting (like what my friend I referred to does, not what Lash does) more appropriate for Twitter? Should I encourage him to Tweet instead since I have absolutlely ZERO interest in Twitter and won't continue kinda-hating him because he has, like, TEN new wall posts every time I click "home"?
Definately Lardy. I have a few friends that are like that, and I have blocked a few from my feed. I do not need to know every detail of your life as it happens. hell, I don't even want to know the details of my own life that well half the time.
I am enjoying my grand jury duty except for some of my fellow jurors, especially the woman sitting next to me. While people are testifying, she is either texting ot doing a Sudoku. And yet she complains if we have some downtime between cases. (granted she only complains when the downtime is a half an hour or more) Why are you complaining, you are only going to ignore the person testifying. And the guy on the other side of me also texts while people are testifying. At first I thought it was related to his real job, but one time I looked over and he was looking at coats. He also will read a magazine while someone is testifying. I understand that is is boring when you have the 10th witness describing the same incident, but it is the first time that witness has been before us. I find it disrespectful to the witness, to the Assistant District Attorney presenting the case, and to those of us actually listening.
And during downtime we do chat with each other, but when an Assistant District Attorney comes in, you know they are there to present testimony in the form of a witness. Stop talking. But no some people continue to talk.
And then there are videos we are supposed to be looking at during the downtime. Usually it is a videotaped interview of a child who has been sexually assaulted. And the audio is not the best. Yet there are people who are just chit-chatting away. One time I asked 3 times for people to be quiet so that those of us watching the video could hear. Even after the 3rd time people still were talking. And a couple of them have those voices that you can pick out even in a noisy crowded room. And we do have a breakroom right there. If they really wanted to talk rather than watch the video, go in there.
And these are not young 20somethings. The woman next to me is 29. I think one other woman is in her mid 20's. Everyone else is in their 30's, 40', and 50's. Everyone is an adult!
Quis, I'm surprised they are even allowed to play around like this while hearing testimony! I did the Grand Jury thing about four years ago, and the only thing we were allowed to have while hearing testimony were small notebooks that the court provided. We had to take notes on the testimony, then the court collected those notes at the end of each day for their own files.
I bet if those people were on trial, they'd want the jurors to pay attention.
I've never gotten to serve on a trial or grand jury, but when I hear stories like this, I think of the classic film "12 Angry Men" . . . a film that makes me realize just how precarious our legal system is, and how the fate of a person can depend on jurors who bring their own prejudice, indifference, or personal problems with them.
Yet at least there's hope, as the film demonstrates, that one brave, patient, and intelligent soul can convince the jury to do what it's supposed to do.
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">So I just spent two weeks temping in the Southwest suburbs of Portland. This entailed getting up at 5:15 in the morning, running my rear off for the majority of the day, and (if I was lucky) getting home from work by 6:15 in the evening.
I accepted a pay cut to take this job. What choice did I have?
Our main supervisor was an obnoxious ass who was rude to everyone, including most of his own managers. He had a "down-home" accent (think Boomhauer from King of the Hill) so damn thick that half the time I couldn't understand what he was telling me to do. But if I needed clarification on an order, of course I was the idiot.
The place was badly ventilated and full of chemical smells and dust. My allergies were bad when I arrived, and they were about ten times worse by the time the job was completed. Nobody ever propped open a door because they were concerned about theft. Nobody ever turned on the air conditioning.
:rolleyes:
New temps arrived on the job without being given proper safety briefings. Yesterday, one woman was using a safety ladder to stock store items 8'-10' feet off the ground without its "brake" properly engaged. She'd never done manual temping before and couldn't understand why the ladder kept wobbling and moving around, so I called her down, explained how to properly use the ladder to her, and took over the stocking job. Since she was understandably a little freaked out, I gave her a sheaf of price tags I'd been pasting on a rack by the front door and we switched tasks.
The manager came over and growled at us for "chattering" when we should have been working.
Later on Friday, this [bleep] sent me out to the store parking lot to pick up litter. Mostly the cigarette butts he'd been throwing everywhere during the two-week run for this job. (I love how it's just sooooooo hard for smokers to stub out their damn cigarettes and then throw them away somewhere!) Somehow this major chain store had not thought to purchase dustpans to keep its store clean. So it was myself and some poor sap in his twenties, on our hands and knees in the parking lot, picking this [bleep] up bare-handed. It took us well over an hour. The only saving grace was that it wasn't windy or rainy out there.
Wait. Here comes the best part: somehow the manager didn't get our time cards in to the agency on time, so my two-week stint with him is complete, but I have no money.
I swear. Hell will freeze over before I ever shop at this effing chain. EVER. I plan to tell everyone I know to avoid it like the plague, too. At this point, I'm so angry that I'm seriously thinking of writing a letter to their corporate headquarters... Just as a friendly reminder that, yeah, I have no soul and no dignity while I'm working. But once I'm done working I'm a consumer, like everyone else. And there is such a thing as word of mouth, and if you treat people like [bleep], what you reap is bad, bad word of mouth.
I think the Wal-Mart employees get together and laugh at people who work at this place and call us a bunch of beaten-down inbred rubes who likely don't bathe.
Let's just say electrical problems in the minivan have been added to the list of about 534 problems that conspire to give me a headache/migraine daily.
So, I was going to have my great nephew and his friend come up to Boston for the day this coming Saturday. The Boston Library has a Civil War collections and they give tours on Saturdays. My great nephew and his friend are into the Civil War.
However, the Bruins won the Stanley Cup. And they are having a victory parade for them on Saturday. The parade ends at Copley Square. The library is in Copley Square. I am sure that if the Bruins had known about my plans, they would have thrown the game.
Luckily the exhibit is running through the summer. So I called my niece to move the date back a week.
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">So I volunteered at our local co-op for nearly six years. I was also a founding member when they were still just a tiny buyer's club meeting in the basement of a church fifteen blocks or so up the street-- back in 1999. Over the years, I've invested who knows how many thousands of hours and thousands of dollars in the place. When there was a labor dispute there last Spring, I gave the employees verbal and written support. I went to meetings to try and let the managers know that the customers were on the workers' side in the dispute.
But our relationship overall has gradually gone south over the last year or so. I was, in a very passive-aggressive, high-handed way, shuffled out of my regular post there so they could bring in somebody else-- who I guess was a "hipper" brand of artist than myself. They didn't have the decency to do this to my face or set anything else up for me. It was up to me to scrounge around for other work and beg other people to find it for me.
Then the one board I was still permitted to letter and illustrate once a week got smaller and smaller, until I was working in a space that was maybe eighteen by eighteen inches.
I applied for regular work there twice in the last year, when they were hiring. Though they've known me for years and once even voted me a "Volunteer Of The Month" I never got called for an interview. Never even got a form rejection or any acknowledgment of my application.
This is the kind of behavior that's par for the course with large businesses, but it's a huge slap in the face coming from people who claim to be a local concern that cares about its members.
The other day I showed up for my shift to find that somebody else has taken over the tiny bit of space that I was still so generously permitted to letter. Something else else just snapped. I walked out ten minutes into my shift. Yesterday I resigned from my post by email.
I'm taking a week away to cool off, but I don't think I want to shop there or be a member anymore. They wanted my money and my time, but they don't want me. Eff 'em. I might as well just go shop at the damn Mal-Wart, which I at least always expected callous, predatory behavior from.
Damn it. I admit it. I actually went home and cried. I was that upset.</span></span>
In other news, The Sid has needed two more trips to the vet in the last three weeks.
So much for whatever scant headway I've made paying down the credit cards in the last three months.
:rolleyes:
I should just max everything out fixing up the house, going to the doctor, buying myself some new eyeglasses (that I could actually see out of) and maybe that fancy juicer I've always wanted-- and then declare bankruptcy. What the hell? Everyone else is doing it.
I get that construction on our roads needs to happen in order to improve quality, etc. I also get that it needs to happen in the nice weather such as spring, summer and fall ... so far so good.
My biggest beef is WHY OH WHY does the ministry of transportation reduce a 3 or 4 lane hightway down to just ONE lane? And it's not even 10:00P.M. yet when they do???
It's summer, people are out visiting/travelling, AND malls are open until 9P.M. as well anyway!
Some of us are just trying to get home from work ya know!!!
Get'an offroad vehicle. Cut through people's yards. Run over garden gnomes. Crash the rail at the mall and send people running... EMBRACE YOUR INNER VILLAIN AND SPREAD DESTRUCTION UPON AN UNSUSPECTING POPULACE..... and get home in time for dinner.
*post said only in humor. Homeland security need not launch an investigation.
Originally posted by rickshaw1: Get'an offroad vehicle. Cut through people's yards. Run over garden gnomes. Crash the rail at the mall and send people running... EMBRACE YOUR INNER VILLAIN AND SPREAD DESTRUCTION UPON AN UNSUSPECTING POPULACE..... and get home in time for dinner.
*post said only in humor. Homeland security need not launch an investigation.
Wow, I guess I must be slowing down. Why didn't I think of all that???
God. I need a vacation. Not gonna get one though for who knows how long.
Laptop is out of commission...gonna have a friend (in the IT biz) look at it Monday to see if it can be salvaged...I hope so.
Just got my daughters room open...the door knob snapped inside...fun to pry everything away enough to jimmy it.
Yep...no time off for me anytime in the foreseeable future...cannot afford it. Living paycheck to paycheck (when you're about three paychecks behind) is really not any way to live.
Dev, amigo, I hope it gets better. Broke this weekend because a contract that would either let me buy gas for next week to work on or pay a payment to the loan company arrived on saturday instead of friday. Oh, and my and Carol's anniversary is next week, so one way or the other, gotta figure out how to get her an anniversary gift.
hang tough amigo. Just remember, someone, somewhere, is living the good life and laughing at us.
Congrats to you both for your upcoming anniversaries!
It was 16 years (20 total) for Cathy and I on the 11th. Wow did it really fly by, it actually only feels more like 8 or 9 years went by, not 16!! I guess that means I'm having a good time, right? I can't say the same for my wife though!
It drives my wife nuts. I knew before she did that she was the one for me and vice versa. I knew befoe she did that she was pregnant. I was the one that knocked her (not physically, mind you) speechless with my proposal.
and I never let her forget that it was her choice of pastor that included "and obey" in the vows that she agreed to, lol. *But only in a fun, loving way.
OK I know that not everybody has a cell phone, but there seems to be an awful lot of friends of my neighbors that don't have cell phones. Why else would they beep their car horns repeatedly?
Besides my pet peeve about society's poor driving habits, my other, less serious one would have to how people at work leave their half empty water bottles lying around! Either drink it and get rid of it or else take it with you when you leave. I don't want to be cleaning up after you, and neither does anyone else!
To add to that, I hate when people waste perfectly good food. I can understand if they're full, but I've seen people throw out whole sandwiches. Good grief! Don't go complaining about not having enough money when you can't even save a sandwich for later.
I am scheduled for a job interview on Monday. The agency (which I think is run out of its owner's living room) didn't tell me the name of the company that's hiring until after we scheduled an interview.
She said I sounded "like just the person they were looking for." It's unfortunate that after she hung up the phone, I did a little detective work with Google maps and discovered that the job locale is almost one mile outside the range of local mass transit. And I don't drive.
:rolleyes:
Of course, I still have to waste everyone's time by going to the interview tomorrow. The last thing I want to do is explain to Unemployment why I was scheduled for a job interview and then never showed up for it.
Originally posted by future king: Besides my pet peeve about society's poor driving habits, my other, less serious one would have to how people at work leave their half empty water bottles lying around! Either drink it and get rid of it or else take it with you when you leave. I don't want to be cleaning up after you, and neither does anyone else!
Happens all the time at the college. People leave water/juice/sports drink bottles all over our lobby. Some empty, some half empty and some full. Annoying.
If you drop off paperwork for myself or my boss to complete, and I tell you that we will call you when it is completed so you can come pick it up...calling me 2 to 5 times a day is not going to get it done any quicker. Not going to drag my feet on it, but things happen and sometimes other things do not get done as quickly as you would like.
Originally posted by Dev - Em: ...calling me 2 to 5 times a day is not going to get it done any quicker. Not going to drag my feet on it, but things happen and sometimes other things do not get done as quickly as you would like.
Yeah, despite the adage, greasing squeaky wheels is not in my job description, nor is it in my list of life values.
So, my roommate hates the hot weather. But he keeps his room sealed up tight which makes the temperature in his room 5 to 7 degrees hotter than the apartment. He does have an air conditioner in his window, but will give various "reasons" not to run it. "It's too noisy" . And tonight, it is because the outside temperature is 69 degrees and the AC manual says not to run the AC when the temperature is below 70 degrees.
I don't have AC for the rest of the apartment, but I get by just fine with fans and keeping the windows open. Yesterday I came home and 2 windows were shut. The reason was that the neighbor on that side just put in an AC unit and it was loud and sounded funny and it was bothering him. Yes it was a bit loud and sounded like it was on its last legs, but not enough to close the window and stop air from circulating in the apartment.
Also in the hot weather, I always try to get on the shady side of the street. But he always walks on the sunny side. The other day we were both going to the subway. The half of the stairs going up to the station was in the sun and the other half shaded. I went up the shaded side. He went up the side in the sun.
And yet I have to listen to him complaining how hot it is.
Originally posted by future king: [b]Besides my pet peeve about society's poor driving habits, my other, less serious one would have to how people at work leave their half empty water bottles lying around! Either drink it and get rid of it or else take it with you when you leave. I don't want to be cleaning up after you, and neither does anyone else!
Happens all the time at the college. People leave water/juice/sports drink bottles all over our lobby. Some empty, some half empty and some full. Annoying. [/b]
This reminds me of my pet peeve at my gym. In the locker room lots of guys just leave the towel they used on the bench or floor. What are you too tired from working out that you can carry a towel 3 feet to the used towel bin? If so maybe you better cut down on the routine.
Also they leave the doors to the lockers open. And then there are those who don't shut off the shower all the way. Sometiomes it is just a drip, but sometimes it is a flow of water. Grrrr...
Thank you, former temp job, for aggravating this condition originally and thus giving me a reason to always remember you. Even though you left me high and dry without so much as a "thank you" seven months ago.
I've been icing it down for a few minutes every hour or so. I probably need pills to bring the swelling down, but since it doesn't hurt I balk at the thought of giving the bloodsuckers at my HMO even one dime in co-pays. Grrr. If it doesn't go back to normal by next week, I'll have to, I suppose.
Also, I don't want them to tell me that I should forgo riding my bike. It's A) the only physical fitness I can afford at the moment and B) about the only thing that gets me out of the house and keeps me from losing my mind.
Why do people think that they can wait until a week before classes start trying the entire process (applying, getting financial aid, meeting with a counselor) and then get mad at us because we tell them it is not going to happen.
I lived with my Grandma for about 6 months after my Grandpa died. Only thing that comes close to being a regret is not staying with her longer...maybe she would have stayed more independent if I had...
Never an easy choice Lash. But it can be a rewarding experience...
Originally posted by Dev - Em: Why do people think that they can wait until a week before classes start trying the entire process (applying, getting financial aid, meeting with a counselor) and then get mad at us because we tell them it is not going to happen.
I think you just answered your own question. It's a time-consuming, annoying process, so some people will postpone it for as long as possible. But, yeah, obviously that's not your fault.
The disease is also called self entitlement with some of them. They think that because they are there right at that moment...they should be taken care of right then. Never mind the hundreds of others that came in with the same expectation that are still being worked through because more and more people keep coming in and trying to get in late.
I can literally get a call from someone, who I am working on a problem for three to ten times a day. If I stop to answer every call, I will never get to your problem...which actually takes me time to work through. Then, when presented with the facts of the situation, they deny that they actually did wha they did. Case in point. A young man registered and was dropped for non-payment. He came back in and got back into his classes (signed the paperwork to do so) and got a hold placed on his account because he was part of the government sponsored retraining program.
A year later he calls up and says that he should not owe money because he was dropped from his classes, and never went to them. When presented with the facts of the situation (I actually have the signed paperwork putting you back into classes...with your signature on them) he says that he does not remember that and wants to see the 'paperwork'.
I said fine, and told him to come in any time. That was weeks ago. Nobody wants to take responsibility for their actions. You do something...there are results. Some good for you, some bad.
Like my boss always says...reading is fundamental.
A person should not work 112 hours in two weeks and yet, at the end of those two weeks, STILL not have a dime in their pockets and STILL be using credit cards to pay for food and transport.
Monday is a Federal holiday. The earliest moment at this point where I might actually be solvent is Wednesday.
Drop dead, Temp Agency Du Jour. I really hoped you were different than all the others, but apparently you aren't. Seriously. Hanging is too good for you. Jerks.
I'm looking for work again. Didn't even manage to get in a full three weeks of temping before the axe fell again at 9AM Thursday. I wasn't terribly surprised. But of course I still look like a fool and that's what really matters, right?
I have another interview this coming Wednesday. I can't wait. Every job experience somehow manages to be worse than the last, though this shouldn't be possible beyond a certain level of abuse. After this most recent horrible experience, what could a worse management style possible consist of?
Maybe my future manager will make me submit to a strip search every day. Maybe he'll be a raging psychotic who'll punch me in the face when I don't work fast enough. I can't wait to find out.
In other news, mr_cleome was in a car accident yesterday. Nobody was hurt, but the other driver didn't have collision insurance.
to everyone venting on this thread. I'm glad Mr. Cleome is alright!
Right now I'm pretty confused at work, too. Apparently I'm supposed to be responsible for directly interfacing with our contact abroad, yet my boss keeps reviewing my work and my email drafts. But he blasted me for NOT taking more initiative. Then, when I talk to him about it, he's all "I understand" with a big smile on his face, and apologizes to me because he was in a bad mood.
This is really confusing, and I'm totally going to bring it up on Monday because I have no idea anymore what exactly is expected of me.
I also spent the last two weeks working 12-hour days, and my body clock is now completely messed up.
Originally posted by future king: I'm glad Mr Cleome is ok too!!! I think the 3 of us work the longest shifts of anyone on here. (Unless more do but don't speak up about it!).
Not anymore, I don't.
That's what floors me. I bent over backwards to do whatever the creeps in Management wanted, no matter how grueling, unsafe, or just plain suspect/contradictory it was. Made no difference. I still got humiliated and kicked to the curb. It happens over and over again in the climate of 9+% unemployment. We aren't human beings, just chattel. And the people in charge make damn sure that we never forget it.
I took the civil service exam again several months ago, even though I once swore I never wanted to be in the Government work culture again. But if they end up offering me work at this point (it could still happen. Public service wheels grind verrrrrrry slowly.), I'll jump at it.
I give. I wave the white flag. I surrender. Whatever the right term is.
I'm sick and tired of managers who are incapable of acting responsibly or even with simple decency towards me. Union shops aren't perfect, Lord knows. But at least I'd get some modicum of protection from this never-ending horde of stupid, exploitative, pathologically lying a-holes. Grrr...
Thanks, IB. Honestly, I consider it some kind of miracle that I got out of that place and away from those smug creeps on Thursday morning without ending up in jail on assault charges. In the back of my mind somewhere was the thought that for three weeks I'd been treated like a petty criminal or an extremely stupid animal on a very short leash, so what difference would it really make if I acted like one?
Thankfully, I managed to gather up my stuff and get out of there without incident. I'm still not sure how I did it.
Those managers you're thinking of are obsolete. They got chucked in the trash along with benefits, the living wage, and all those other hallmarks of civilized behavior.
I hear you, I hate it when they jump on you for small, honest mistakes and go all like, "Why the hell did you do that?" Hey, if I'd known it was the wrong thing to do, I wouldn't have done it.
Perhaps it's time to go entrepreneurial. Or start our own colony on a beautiful island far, far away from civilization.
By the way, I was going to post on your flicker, but I couldn't figure out how to do that without registering for an account. I'm a bit lazy about signing up for it, since I don't plan on sharing any photos there at all
Love how you have so much going on in the collages without making them too overcrowded!
Originally posted by Invisible Brainiac: I hear you, I hate it when they jump on you for small, honest mistakes and go all like, "Why the hell did you do that?" Hey, if I'd known it was the wrong thing to do, I wouldn't have done it.
Oh, come now! If you aren't psychic, what made you think you were qualified for such a prestigious job in the first place?
Quote
Perhaps it's time to go entrepreneurial. Or start our own colony on a beautiful island far, far away from civilization.
Hey, I'm already an entrepreneur! I sold three cards last month! I would have made a net profit of almost fifteen bucks, except my Art Rep. spent her own money for gas to ferry all our stuff around, so I decided to let her keep eight out of the fifteen.
I'd rather export our overlords to an island while I stay here. All my comics are here.
Originally posted by Invisible Brainiac: By the way, I was going to post on your flicker, but I couldn't figure out how to do that without registering for an account. I'm a bit lazy about signing up for it, since I don't plan on sharing any photos there at all
Love how you have so much going on in the collages without making them too overcrowded!
Thanks for looking. (And I think flickr does have friends 'n family-only settings, if you ever change your mind about joining. I never use those settings, but it's good to know they're there, right?)
You make an awfully good point there. You'll be the first to know if I ever do decide to sign on
Quote
Originally posted by cleome45: Hey, I'm already an entrepreneur! I sold three cards last month! I would have made a net profit of almost fifteen bucks, except my Art Rep. spent her own money for gas to ferry all our stuff around, so I decided to let her keep eight out of the fifteen.
I'd rather export our overlords to an island while I stay here. All my comics are here.
Well, this calls for a celebration! Let's pass around the tequila. I heard the cactus they produce it from is dying out, so we should enjoy it while it lasts.
Yes, I think our thick-skinned and thick-headed overlords would greatly enjoy living in Antarctica. We don't have a big enough ship, though, so I hope they like making the voyage in a crowded cargo hold.
Originally posted by future king: I know it's November 3rd and we are well into autumn and all, but does it really have to get so dark by 6:15 every night??? I'm just sayin'.
And as of this Sunday it will be getting darker even earlier.
Every night since I got my cat, when my roommate comes out of his room to brush his teeth before bed, she starts crying the most pitiful meows for no disernable reason. She would have been curled up, but once he comes out - meow meow meow meeeeeeeooooowww. And pacing throughout the apartment, sometimes coming to me. And then the minute he goes back into his room, she settles right down. It drives me crazy!
And because she is a cat and not a dog, I can't just tell her to be quiet and she'll be quiet.
Originally posted by Quislet, Esq: AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Every night since I got my cat, when my roommate comes out of his room to brush his teeth before bed, she starts crying the most pitiful meows for no disernable reason...
I have another temp job on Monday and the thought is making me a nervous wreck.
The agency that found it for me is the same agency that found me my last job. That last job was so horrible that I'm now trying to get into therapy. (Unsuccessfully, so far.)
It would be really nice to have an Xmas where I could gift my long-suffering spouse with something other than a kiss on the cheek and a large Diet Dr. Pepper, but... I'm really not optimistic about this. Bosses suck and temp agencies just plain can't be trusted any further than they can be thrown.
If I can actually keep this job through 12/31, Baby, just remember: any pair of socks you want from the Fred Meyer Supercenter is yours!
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">Yes, even if they have glitter AND My Little Ponies on them!</span></span>
I'm up way too early with very little to do today!! I had a yummy SuperSonic breakfast burrito breakfast already, nothing much is going on here or at Facebook as is normal for Sunday morning.
Right now I'm having the worst left-hand carpal tunnel of my life. Most of my left hand is literally numbed/without feeling for a huge portion of the day. My fingers are also frequently sore. (Yes, I am typing this almost entirely with my right hand. Now you have a clue why my contributions here have been so sparse this week.)
I do a ton of hand-transcribing at my current temp job, and now I may lose even this pitiful drop of income, because my right hand won't ever have the speed and accuracy of my left.
Also: No paid sick time + no willingness to spend all of Saturday waiting at Urgent Care = No getting this looked at until a week from today, at the very earliest.
Sit it out, Doll. A little flab around the middle is still easier to deal with than bronchitis. (Which I've gotten a couple of times by dragging myself back to work before I was really ready. Ugh.)
One morsel of good news, at least: Back in June I posted here about resigning from a long-running volunteer gig because I was sick of being treated like crap.
In late Summer, one of the staff took me aside while I was shopping, and wanted to know why she rarely saw me around the place anymore. So I told her. She seemed very unhappy and confided that there had been "procedural problems" as the org was continuing to grow and that she'd mention my frustration to the rest of the staff.
Well, long story short: Last week another staffer informed me that they'd removed the old volunteer supervisor from her post. So I could re-start as a volunteer in 2012 if I wanted to.
I'm still thinking about it, but these rare moments when somebody in a work or work-type environment/position of authority looks to have been telling the truth are worth noting for posterity, right?
Stay tuned for the flying pigs and the river that runs backwards!
Thanks, Quis. I spoke on the phone to the nurse, and she persuaded me to come to Urgent Care tomorrow instead of letting this marinate for a whole week more.
7 AM is when they open. :rolleyes: So much for my leisurely Sunday. But I've decided to tell them it's a Worker's Comp claim, which might at least stave off a huge bill down the road.
A day of not having to grind out 40-50 pages of numbers in eight hours time has already made it feel much better. I'm eternally grateful that the jobsite is too stingy to demand mandatory overtime, unlike the last place I temped.
I don't feel comfortable saying this on Facebook -bitchy queens get to making shit up, you know- but I am pretty sick right now... It's been a DREADFUL weekend... I'm on antibiotics (today -Monday- is day 5 of 10) but they have been slow to kick in it seems, and things are just rough right now. I'm trying to keep the old spirits up but I am pretty miserable.
Thanks y'all! I very VERY stupidly was still taking Nyquil to help me sleep and realized earlier this evening- that contains ALCOHOL, DUMMY... which inhibits antibiotics. Which is partially why I am up so late (it's 3:30am here)... When I realized that, I *really* about freaked out that I had ruined my likelihood of getting better in 10 days!
It's too bad that I'm not either a friend or partner of any managers at work. Then <span style="font-size: 16px;">I</span> too could get away with blowing off a third of the day's work and constantly distracting other people actually trying to get sh*t done with my endless personal drama on my portable phone-- which I would then re-enact over and over and <span style="font-size: 16px;">over</span> again in exhaustive detail for all the other workers whether they cared to hear about it or not. Everyone would just laugh it off and I'd never, never be fired.
Work would be great if it didn't involve co-workers. Really.
So... I've just learned that Jim Shooter wrote a story about Ms. Marvel being raped, giving birth to her rapist, and the Avengers are all peachy keen with her going to live with him because they're a couple of "love birds".
I once read an article in a fan publication, I think, which suggested that this was Marvel's way of getting rid of Ms. Marvel, who had become something of an "embarrassment" to the company.
Like many characters, including Dazzler and Silver Surfer, Ms. Marvel was designed to capitalize on a trend, in this case the Women's Lib movement and the popularity of "Ms." as an address. When that term became passe in the early '80s, Marvel was left with what to do with character and so they chose to write her out.
The article argued that the way in which she was written out was meant to re-establish male dominance and put women in their place.
Whatever Marvel's motives, the sequel partially redeems the story by having the former Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, sharply criticize the Avengers (and, by extension, the creators of the original story) for not questioning her decision to run off with Immortus. Ironically, however, Carol had already been stripped of her powers after an unfortunate run-in with Rogue, so she was still "in her place".
By the way, I can't help noticing that the scene of Carol's confrontation with the Avengers takes place at Xavier's pool, and that she and every other female character is wearing skimpy bikinis(including Wanda, whose costume always resembled a bathing suit).
While sex appeal has always been a part of super-hero comics, it seems greatly misplaced here. Yes, female empowerment takes another hit, thanks to the cheesecake factor.
SK, FYI, Claremont then went on to feature Carol in X-Men for about two years as a supporting character before making her Binary and a member of the Starjammers. He spent quite a bit of time 'restoring' Carol in the role of a strong, female character that could move on from Avengers #200.
I thought it was funny (as in "eye-rolling") that Claremont was angry at the Micheline rape-pregnancy story;angry enough to pen a whole annual that rebuked it. And yet Claremont did some amazingly awful things to other female characters both before and after that story appeared. There was a gratuitous and unnecessary rape in his Epic Marada comic, and Dani Moonstar was psychically raped by "evil" Xavier in the oh-so-regrettable-on-every-level X-Men/Micronauts crossover mini. To name just a couple of cringeworthy "fridging"-type events that happened years before Gail Simone helpfully coined the term.
I got a form letter from my dentist yesterday, which helpfully informed me that I could have a horrible gum/jaw disease and not know it. <span style="font-size: 15px;">MY TEETH AND JAW AND ENTIRE FACE COULD FALL OFF TOMORROW UNLESS I COME IN FOR A CHECKUP ZOMFG!!11 LIKE RIGHT NOW</span>
Every few months, this dentist's office calls me to tell me I need to come in for a cleaning. And every time it's the same. I tell them I'm broke, jobless (or underemployed), and can't afford to come in. Apparently it hasn't sunk in for them, because now I have the scary, scary form letter which talks to me like I'm a five-year-old who doesn't understand that humans need dental care. They have "penciled me in" for the first week of April, because, you know... stupid people like me clearly don't understand how appointments work.
I know from previous visits that there's no way I can ever get in and out of their office for less than a hundred bucks. Perish forbid they should offer me a discount. You'd think that they'd be thrilled to see uninsured patients. Imagine the hours and miles of stupid, pointless paperwork that we save them. But-- no.
I left them a snappish message on their answering service last night, saying that no, it does me no good to be pencilled in for a service I can't afford, and could they MAYBE have mentioned somewhere in their ooga-booga scary form letter lecture what the procedure costs these days, at least?
Also, a very important function/program on my computer just died over the weekend, about half an hour after I'd fixed another problem with it.
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">And on top of everything else, ALICE FAYE GOES TO THE BIG CITY AND LOSES HER VOICE!!
<span style="font-size: 10px;">(I threw that in just in case He Who Wanders is reading.)</span></span></span>
Originally posted by cleome45: Also, a very important function/program on my computer just died over the weekend, about half an hour after I'd fixed another problem with it.
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">And on top of everything else, ALICE FAYE GOES TO THE BIG CITY AND LOSES HER VOICE!!
<span style="font-size: 10px;">(I threw that in just in case He Who Wanders is reading.)</span></span></span>
Okay. Having a cast n your leg is bad enough, especially when it almost goes to your knee...then having the furnace stop turning on the AC just makes everything more freakin miserable.
Ah well...at least the convention was air conditioned this year. Cut down on the funk that usually accompanies gatherings like that.
Originally posted by Dev - Em: Okay. Having a cast n your leg is bad enough, especially when it almost goes to your knee...then having the furnace stop turning on the AC just makes everything more freakin miserable.
You sound like Jimmy Stewart in "Rear Window!" Watch out for any Raymond Burr lookalikes in your area.
So, while we were sleeping in this lovely Sunday, a fissure opened up in our water heater and flooded the crawlspace. Managed to shut off the water main, eventually, but not before the water began lapping the furnace. We bailed some of that, but I suspect there's already been damage.
:rolleyes:
Happy effing Three-day weekend.
[ETA- The plumber just came and declared the water heater DOA. So we're off to look at new ones.
I guess on the plus side, no plans for the holiday = no ruined plans for the holiday.]
When I came home last night, he says to me "Make sure you lock the door when you go out. You did today. But when I was going out I heard the kids across the street saying 'We should just take it.' and then when they saw me coming down the steps they were all like 'Shhh! Don't say anything.' "
He is always worrying that people are looking at him and know that he is gay. If someone on the subway laughs, he is half convinced that they are laughing at him.
My back porch is enclosed (and on the third floor). In the pantry is a small window to the back porch. A child could fit through it, but not so much an adult. In the summer I like to leave it open so my cat can go out to the back porch when she wants to. He is worried that robbers will enter the apartment through it. Even though I pointed out that a robber would have to climb to the third floor and break in through the enclosed porch before reaching that small window and that more likely, a robber would just break down the back doors, he still worries about someone coming into the apartment through that window.
And while I am venting about him another thing. I noticed that on my cat's left rear leg, her fur was getting all knotted and it looked like some was missing. So, I call the vet and make an appointment for this Tuesday. I then ask him if he'll be around Tuesday to help me get her into the traveling case. He says "I don't know what's wrong with her and I always catch everything." So, I said "Well you could just hold the case. I'll put her in." He replied "Can't you just toss a treat in there?"
Originally posted by Quislet, Esq: porch is enclosed (and on the third floor). In the pantry is a small window to the back porch. A child could fit through it, but not so much an adult.
You better not mention Verne Troyer.
Sorry that your roommate is so paranoid, Quis. It must make living with him difficult at times.
Originally posted by He Who Wanders: [b] Sorry that your roommate is so paranoid, Quis. It must make living with him difficult at times.
Hopefully, the sex is good enough to make up for it, Quis!
j/k [/b]
Oh he though I was coming on to him at one point. Even though I told him I wasn't and he seemed to accept that, I am sure in the back of his mind he still believes I was coming on to him.
For the moanin' groanin' thread...I'm tired'a moanin' and groanin'. Literally. I'm tired of being so sore that when I sit down for a few minutes, my body literally stiffens up to the point standing up or walking is painful. I'm tired of being tired, and I'm tired of working seven days a week 12 hours a day or better.
Yeah, it's for a great cause, building our house, but I'm ready to be finished and in.
*side note, the only way we can afford the house is if I do this, so i'll keep doin what I'm a'doin, but I'm tired.
Okay. Furnace still not working. So no AC. 89 inside the house right now. Feel like I have a lead weight on my leg (cast).
...and on top of it all, after over a year of having no neighbors, we finally have some. They finished moving in today, and are now sitting on their deck smoking and smoking one Cig after another. Earlier there were about 5-6 people puffing away at one time. The problem with this...the fan in my kitchen window is pulling in the smell. Not terribly strong, but it is there.
All sympathy to my buddies who are wading hip deep in it.
I have a job interview in 90 minutes. The agency never got around to telling me the hours, the pay, or what I'll be doing. All I know is that it's part-time temporary and in a locale where I'm royally screwed if my shift begins or ends anytime between 9 AM and 1 PM.
But I still have to dress nice, be all happy and perky and CAN-DO, BOSS! and go out there and put on another humiliating show. (Oh, and pay for freaking cab fare home. See my above comment. The bus line has "dead hours" in the middle of the day and I have no desire to sit in a parking lot twiddling my thumbs for four hours once the interview's over.)
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">I DON'T WANNA' DO THIS ANYMORE!! FOUR YEARS ON THIS FREAKIN' MERRY-GO-ROUND IS MORE THAN ENOUGH, DAMNIT! FOR THE LOVE OF DOG! WHO DO I HAVE TO TRIP, MAIM, OR KILL TO PLEASE JUST MAKE IT <span style="font-size: 20px;"><blink>STOP!!</blink></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 10px;">And when I get home it's more trawling, more useless attempts to tweak my resume, more repetitive apps that nobody ever answers, more groveling and begging. Of course.</span>
Also, UGH! I've been reading Puella Magi Kazumi Magica and the latest chapters aren't online! I haven't been positively full of suspense about a comic in years!
I realized something not to long ago, and it continues to play itself out.
I took phone calls from a friend of mine at very late hours helping him thorough a very tough time. He said that if I ever needed to talk about anything he was there to listen...anytime.
Well, he has answered two calls of about 35 in the last two months. I then usually see him posting about what he has been doing...which is usually not something that he couldn't stop for a few minutes to talk. Oh yeah, and one of the times he answered it turned immediately into what he was going through, instead of picking up where we had left off the other time he answered and said that he wanted to continue what we were talking about because he had a thought about it.
Just feeling really f'ing alone sometimes...and really unappreciated.
Yes, I know there are people here that are here for me...but some things require certain knowledge of situations over time...
Ok, I am not the best housekeeper and I can let the dishes pile up for a couple of days. But my roommate has let his dishes (which are actually mine) go for a couple of weeks. He had dirtied all the bowls. He'll wash one to use in the morning.
So, this morning I said to him "Could you wash the dishes you used in the sink? I wanted to use a bowl last night but they were all dirty." He responded with "I just use the bowls." & I said "Yes, and they are all dirty."
A few minutes later, he comes out of his room. "You know the reason I haven't been doing the dishes is my plantar warts which you gave me. It makes it hurt to walk or stand." I was like "That I gave you???" "You purposefully infected me with the virus." He then went and washed some dishes. (I haven't looked to see how many he washed) And is now in his room.
The optometrist told me today that if I don't like taking off my glasses to see up close then I have the option of bifocals. I knew it was coming but... bifocals?
Originally posted by matlock: The optometrist told me today that if I don't like taking off my glasses to see up close then I have the option of bifocals. I knew it was coming but... bifocals?
They call them "progressive lens" now. There is no line like bifocals used to have.
Well, I just talked to my roommate. I just don't know about him.
When I asked him if he really thought I purposely infected him with the virus that causes his plantar warts, He replied "Well I didn't have them when I moved in and I don't know who else could have given them to me." I responded with "I don't have the virus. BUt I am very offended that you would think that I would purposely infect you." He was like "well I would hope you wouldn't. But I remember watching TV with you once and a guy had penile warts and you were laughing at him for having penile warts." Me; "I don't remember that at all." plus it doesn't sound like something I would do. He then went into a lament about all the things wrong in his life and how others have done worse thing to him. In response to my saying that I would not do anything like that, he said "I would hope not."
I also told him that I didn't like his silent treatment. He did say that he can be like that to others too, not knowing how to respond (which is true). But really, your roommate walks in to the apartment and says "hi" and you don't know how to respond?
The conversation ended with me saying again how much it offended me to have him think I would do something like purposely infecting him with a virus. He again said that he would hope not and that he was sorry. I did say "If you really think that I would do anything to hurt you, maybe you shouldn't live here. If someone was trying to hurt me, I wouldn't want to be around them."
We shall see how things are for the next few days. I don't want to kick him out because he really doesn't have any place else he could go to. But if he makes me feel uncomfortable in my own apartment, then he will have to go.
Originally posted by Power Boy: How does one give another plantar warts? Just asking.
Well according to some medical web sites, they are caused by HPV (Human Papillomavirus). The virus can infect from direct contact, such as communal showers. So really if anything, he could be giving them to me seeing as we use the same shower.
You have kind, compassionate, and patient soul, Quis.
Have you tried establishing boundaries? For example, you could tell him, "I want you to continue living here, but you're going to have to do x, x, and x" (such as "not hurl false accusations at me," "not give me the silent treatment," etc.) Perhaps he will respond well if someone sets boundaries for him or lets him know his behavior has consequences. If he does not agree to your terms and moves out, then a) you've lost nothing, and b) you know where you stand.
Originally posted by Power Boy: [b] How does one give another plantar warts? Just asking.
Well according to some medical web sites, they are caused by HPV (Human Papillomavirus). The virus can infect from direct contact, such as communal showers. So really if anything, he could be giving them to me seeing as we use the same shower.
Why he thinks I have HPV, I don't know. [/b]
I went looking up that info yesterday after reading your previous post, Quis.
Honestly, even if you felt real malice towards this guy (which I know you don't), it sounds like he'd have to have pretty poor personal habits himself to catch plantar warts from somebody he was living with.
I hope you can work it out, but I wouldn't blame you if you got fed up and told him to pack his bags.
I did say that I did not want the silent treatment. I said "you don't have to be the life of the party or engage in deep conversations, but just acknowledge me when I say 'Hello'."
The thing about the false accusations, he said he was sorry and that he hopes I wouldn't do things like that, but that last bit makes me think that he is still thinking it. There was no "yeah, I don't know what I was thinking to have thought that."
I really do have to think about if I want him to keep living here. As it is only my name is on the lease as being responsible for the rent. He is listed as only living here.
BTW, wayyyy back on 6/12, I vented in this thread about going on another job interview.
On Thursday, I heard back from the agency that sent me (after they'd ducked my calls for ages) saying basically: The woman who interviewed you liked you. She was overruled by a superior, but the person the superior liked didn't work out. So now that superior has relented and we want you to report to work on Monday.
I'd like to rejoice, honestly, but I'm too jaded and stressed from being jerked around by these places as many times as I have been. Plus, it feels wrong to be excited when some other poor slob, possibly through little/no fault of their own, had to be canned so I could get a crack at this job. (Which is still only part-time and temporary, though the hourly wage is enough to make it worth doing-- for reasons beyond just keeping Unemployment off my tail.)
Please, do rejoice! Don't let your past experiences cloud your expectations of this job. It could be a blessing in disguise.
Also, don't feel too sorry for the other person, as you'll likely never know what truly happened. It's just as possible that he or she didn't show up for work, didn't do the job, or had a lousy attitude.
I would say that it being a part time temp job, it would more likely than not have to be the employee's fault for getting fired rather than to give you an opportunity to do the job. Or she/he could have quit.
Hopefully, you'll be reporting to the woman who liked you and wanted you in the first plac.
Okay. I put up with a guy at work who is basically Andrew Dice Clay Jr. Same hairstyle (does the comb thing...really), talks like him with the same accent. I just have not heard the nursery rhymes from him yet.
Anywho...Last Thursday, he bring me some things that need to be tested. They are not fully done (another in a string of things that his group has not completely finished before giving it to me, of which I have sent most back lately to be completed). The ground wires are not there from the door of the box to the box itself to the panel mounted in the box.
He looks at me and says...seriously, he sauid this..."yer jus gonna have to bite the bullet on this one and do em."
Now, I would normally have done what I am about to do anyway, but this sent my brain into a migraine immediately. I let myself calm down until Friday, while I got the ground wires ready, and completed the two boxes I had with me and gave the rest of them to the woman wiring the other boxes and she put those on for me.
Now, Mr. (If I can talk louder than you I am right and you will do as I say) was in the back of the shop getting a pop (soda) when I had to go back and grab some terminal jumpers for the remainder of the boxes from this group, because all of them were missing them. So I see him and roll (remember, I'm on a scooter) over to him. I get uncomfortably close to him on purpose (about half a foot from his face) and I say in a low tone "Blahblah, between you and me...I'd appreciate it if you never ever said that I need to bite the bullet and do something that your group forgot to do ever again." I open my hand and show him the terminal jumpers. There are 6 in my hand which need to be cut in half and both halves installed. "See these?" I say, "I'm going to be installing these because your group didn't again. I do this kind of s#!t for you all the time, and I do not need you to F'ing tell me what to do."
With that, I turned around and scooted away to continue my work. I left him standing there with his mouth hanging open like someone told him his puppy just died.
Then, Saturday...he was really really nice to me all day.
Originally when I went on the interview, I literally knew nothing about the job other than where it was and the name of the interviewer and her company. The agency hadn't bothered to tell me anything else, no matter how many times I contacted them asking for details.
I didn't know the hours, the wage, the type of work I'd be doing. I was trying to have my game face on, and the whole time, I felt like a complete fool. Then the agency wouldn't talk to me post-game. I figured this meant they'd never seriously thought I was good enough to do the work, but they had some quota to fill and they knew I couldn't refuse an interview no matter what their agenda was.
I was so furious that I was happy to avoid them for a couple of weeks in favor of one of their competitors-- even though the competing agency paid lower wages and sent me to overall crappier jobs. (Yogurt squeezer/Wal-Mart flunkie, anyone? :rolleyes: )
So this could be some kind of miracle or it could just be the prelude to one more clusterf*ck. But there's no way to find out without actually reporting to work.
Yes, wine is called for. Maybe in an hour or so after it's had time to chill.
So this could be some kind of miracle or it could just be the prelude to one more clusterf*ck. But there's no way to find out without actually reporting to work.
Just as I think it's better to err on the side of compassion, so, too, do I prefer to err on the side of miracle.
Hi cleome and Dev and Quis. I'm following your stories and hoping the best for you and applauding your efforts and successes. I'd add more but, hey, HWW is saying it all so well! :-)
My turn to vent (though this is not even on the radar screen of problems, compared to some vented here) . . .
Several months ago, a filmmaker asked to interview me for a documentary he's making on comic book fans. Since I'm an adjunct professor, he thought "the academic perspective" on comics would add something to the film.
I agreed to the interview, and even obtained permission from my dean to film in a classroom, but the filmmaker's schedule and mine did not coincide. I heard nothing more from him for six months.
Then, last month, he emailed me and said he was making a longer version of the documentary and still wanted to interview me. I said yes and gave him the contact info for my dean so we could reserve a classroom. I heard nothing more for about a month.
Then his director of photography emailed me to set up the interview. As I'm currently teaching on a different campus, I had to get permission from the administrator here. No big deal. We set up the interview for last Tuesday.
The guy didn't show up.
I got an email from him saying he was on his way to interview me when his car broke down. Okay, that's understandable. He wanted to reschedule the interview for today. I agreed.
Guess what.
Still no show.
I'm sitting here waiting when I could be at a coffee shop, drinking coffee and writing the next chapter in my novel-in-progress. (I could start writing it here, but I'd hate to get in the groove and have to stop, should he show up.)
Minor annoyance? Yes. My life won't end if this interview does not take place. Still, it would have been a fun and novel experience, and perhaps a chance to promote myself as a writer (maybe even show on film the comic book I published and still sell).
Looks like Tom Cruise is going to have to wait another day for the rivalry of my film debut.
Originally posted by Legion Tracker: Hi cleome and Dev and Quis. I'm following your stories and hoping the best for you and applauding your efforts and successes. I'd add more but, hey, HWW is saying it all so well! :-)
Thanks, LT. You're a doll.
(Though at this point, if anyone gives me any grief, I'll just call in Dev.)
Originally posted by He Who Wanders: I'm sitting here waiting when I could be at a coffee shop, drinking coffee and writing the next chapter in my novel-in-progress. (I could start writing it here, but I'd hate to get in the groove and have to stop, should he show up.)
So, stood you up twice? And not even an explanation the second time?
I thought we here on the Left Coast had the market cornered on that level of flakiness.
Originally posted by He Who Wanders: [b] I'm sitting here waiting when I could be at a coffee shop, drinking coffee and writing the next chapter in my novel-in-progress. (I could start writing it here, but I'd hate to get in the groove and have to stop, should he show up.)
So, stood you up twice? And not even an explanation the second time?
I thought we here on the Left Coast had the market cornered on that level of flakiness.[/b]
The first time, he emailed me after a couple of hours to explain that his car had broken down.
Originally posted by Legion Tracker: [b] Hi cleome and Dev and Quis. I'm following your stories and hoping the best for you and applauding your efforts and successes. I'd add more but, hey, HWW is saying it all so well! :-)
Thanks, LT. You're a doll.
(Though at this point, if anyone gives me any grief, I'll just call in Dev.)[/b]
cleome, I really hope the job situation resolves itself soon. I've been temping at the same place for over a year and I'm about at my wit's end. I have a 2nd meeting with my boss about getting on full time. I don't think they realize how grueling it is to have no job security or benefits but be expected to function the same as a regular employee. Good luck!
Originally posted by matlock: I don't think they realize how grueling it is to have no job security or benefits but be expected to function the same as a regular employee. Good luck!
Oh, I'm sure they realize it. They either 1) don't care, or 2) feel bound by the "system" in which they themselves have achieved some measure of success (if success is defined as a full-time position, a decent salary, and benefits).
As an adjunct professor, I face a similar situation. I have no benefits, no health insurance, etc. (though, now that Obama's law has been upheld, I wonder how I will afford this mandatory "tax"). I also have no guarantee that I will be employed from semester to semester. Our college recently went through changes which have resulted in a domino effect, meaning fewer class offerings for adjuncts. I'm lucky--because of my seniority, I'm on board for two classes next spring. Six or seven adjuncts who came after me may simply have no classes. (No classes=no paycheck.)
Even being "on board" is no guarantee. Should a full-time professor's class get cancelled, guess whose class they will be given to fulfill their teaching load? That's right: an adjunct's. This has happened me in the past.
I always try to balance this situation against the positives: I love to teach, and my college treats adjuncts fairly well (unlike certain other colleges I've taught at, where adjuncts were regarded as a necessary evil, like employing undocumented workers to do the jobs you think you're too important to do.) I genuinely love teaching, and I love the college where I teach, but the system itself is inherently unfair.
(The assistant dean who hired me, since retired, admitted during the job interview that the system was exploitative. This, in my experience, has been true of most jobs.)
Bottom line, I guess, is that the people who make these decisions have their own concerns, their own jobs to do, and their own bosses to please. It is not their job, they may argue, to do what we may think is fair. That's why the government makes so many regulations--and we all know how that works.
The answer, I guess, is that we can't rely on any employer to do what we think is right. The old model from my grandfather's day of working for the same company for 30 or 40 years and then retiring is, plain and simply, obsolete. Somehow, we've got to think outside the box to get what we want in life.
Originally posted by Legion Tracker: Hi cleome and Dev and Quis. I'm following your stories and hoping the best for you and applauding your efforts and successes. I'd add more but, hey, HWW is saying it all so well! :-)
What LT said And to HWW, too.
Dev, good for you telling that guy off. He sure sounded condescending.
Cleome, I hear ya. If only all interviewers would give feedback to the applicants who pass through them.
HWW, that sounds plain rude of that guy. If he's going to flake he should at least let ya know.
Quis, thank goodness your roommate was mature enough to listen to you.
Re employers - I agree, employment is more of a stepping stone in today's world. Job security ain't all it's cut out to be now, nor is it reliable. And employing companies are mostly run by people who are, themselves, employees - which doesn't give them the best of motivations for caring about employee welfare.
Originally posted by Dev - Em: Okay. I put up with a guy at work who is basically Andrew Dice Clay Jr. Same hairstyle (does the comb thing...really), talks like him with the same accent. I just have not heard the nursery rhymes from him yet.
Anywho...Last Thursday, he bring me some things that need to be tested. They are not fully done (another in a string of things that his group has not completely finished before giving it to me, of which I have sent most back lately to be completed). The ground wires are not there from the door of the box to the box itself to the panel mounted in the box.
He looks at me and says...seriously, he sauid this..."yer jus gonna have to bite the bullet on this one and do em."
Now, I would normally have done what I am about to do anyway, but this sent my brain into a migraine immediately. I let myself calm down until Friday, while I got the ground wires ready, and completed the two boxes I had with me and gave the rest of them to the woman wiring the other boxes and she put those on for me.
Now, Mr. (If I can talk louder than you I am right and you will do as I say) was in the back of the shop getting a pop (soda) when I had to go back and grab some terminal jumpers for the remainder of the boxes from this group, because all of them were missing them. So I see him and roll (remember, I'm on a scooter) over to him. I get uncomfortably close to him on purpose (about half a foot from his face) and I say in a low tone "Blahblah, between you and me...I'd appreciate it if you never ever said that I need to bite the bullet and do something that your group forgot to do ever again." I open my hand and show him the terminal jumpers. There are 6 in my hand which need to be cut in half and both halves installed. "See these?" I say, "I'm going to be installing these because your group didn't again. I do this kind of s#!t for you all the time, and I do not need you to F'ing tell me what to do."
With that, I turned around and scooted away to continue my work. I left him standing there with his mouth hanging open like someone told him his puppy just died.
Then, Saturday...he was really really nice to me all day.
Point Dev.
Simply awesome. Metaphorical punch to the nuggets. Good for you.
For me, I guess it's the fact that every day I work with a fellow that is effed in the head after too many redneck years of smokin' "perk" and other abuses.
In many ways, he's a stand up guy. You mistreat a kid around him, he'll take your head off and not give a damn about it.
In other ways, he's the worst stereotype of jerk, he was taught construction by others, one of whom was my grandfather. And one of ole' Alfonso's stories that he taught this guy, and tried to teach me, was to treat "ladies like a whore and whore's like a lady". He has one thing and basically one thing only on his mind for twenty two hours a day, the other two involve smokin weed or fishin, or comibinin' the two.
I love my family and friends and would almost anything for them, but this guy is the reason I'm gettin into heaven. I haven't killed him yet.
He means no harm, but he never. ..ever.. .ever. ..ever shuts up.
Sometimes, I need quiet. Peace. A few minutes to get my diabeties meds mind in gear. Never happens. I finally had enough the other day and lowered the boom on him and about five other people. Since then, it's been marginally better, but not a lot.
Ahhh, but one day... one day I will have my small one man boat, and I will have my truck, and a lake... and the cell phone will be shut off.
Course, that's when pop will be rushed to the hospital, my step father in law will crash out, mom will be frantic, and the wife will be in tears. I'll feel like such an ass I wont even be able to enjoy five hours of quiet on the lake.
I remember a line by Superman in JLA Heaven's Ladder. Superman's idea of heaven was "going to sleep with the feeling that anything that I had to do... could wait."
Hope ya get your little slice of "heaven" soon rick!
Originally posted by matlock: cleome, I really hope the job situation resolves itself soon. I've been temping at the same place for over a year and I'm about at my wit's end. I have a 2nd meeting with my boss about getting on full time. I don't think they realize how grueling it is to have no job security or benefits but be expected to function the same as a regular employee. Good luck!
Aw, matlock.
Yeah, honestly. After being fired with zero warning and crapped on by my last "permanent" employer, then four years on the temp merry-go-round, my sympathy reserves for these people are beyond exhausted. I don't feel bad for them, I don't go the extra mile for them, and I don't waste valuable time/energy considering any of them my friends. It's remarkably freeing, all told.
The current job market has given most of them a hugely inflated sense of importance, and my usual coping mechanism when dealing with them is an inner chuckle and the thought that one day the hammer will fall on them, too. Then they'll finally learn something.
Originally posted by He Who Wanders: ...Somehow, we've got to think outside the box to get what we want in life.
So far as I can tell, "Think outside the box" is just code for higher-ups who want to screw everyone underneath them and get a fat golden parachute for doing it.
IRL, the majority of people who endeavor to work for themselves without first earning the good graces of authority figures mostly find themselves ruthlessly crushed by authority. It's to the credit of some people that they don't give up, but honestly: if I ever succeeded in figuring out a way to work effectively around the people in charge, the last thing I'd do is bring it to their attention by crowing to the press or on the internet about it.
And I've already gone on record about my utter disgust with President Hope and his healthcare bailo-- er, "reform." So I'll spare everyone that for today. <span style="font-size: 11px;">Except to say once again how happy I am that I never voted for the jerk, and I won't be doing so this time out, either.</span>
Well, cle, I'm in no way a "higher up" and I don't want to screw anybody out of anything. Yet I do believe it's not up to employers or the government to take care of us or do what we think is fair. It would be nice if life worked that way, but it doesn't.
So, what are we left with? A cynical outlook that nothing we do matters and those in power just want to get us? I'm not sure if that's what you're saying, but that's how it comes across. I reject that notion. Buying into that philosophy leaves me nowhere else to go except the bottle or suicide.
In some ways, where I am now is the result of thinking outside the box. You see, I was supposed to grow up, get married, get a good-paying job (it didn't matter what kind of job--any good-paying job is the only kind of job that matters, I was told), have kids, etc. College was a means to a specific end (good-paying job, again), nothing more.
For various reasons, I never fit into the mold of what I was supposed to do. I wasn't good at sports. I wasn't popular with other kids. Heck, I was such a social misfit, I couldn't finish high school in the traditional way. In other words, I lacked the "foundation" for doing what I was supposed to do: you know, get a good-paying job, get married, have kids, etc.
So it's really quite surprising to me that I'm where I am: teaching at the college level, writing a book, keeping a blog, etc. None of this fits into the "box" I was given.
It's not a perfect outcome. It doesn't mean all my problems are solved. But I do think I'm a lot happier than I would have been had I struggled to conform to the mindset I was taught.
(Oh, and by the way, the "box" would have required me to outgrow comics at some point, probably during my adolescence when other kids started making fun of me for continuing to read them. Yet, here I am, three decades-plus later, chatting about the Legion and similar topics on the Internet with like-minded individuals who also didn't "outgrow" comics. Take that, box!)
Thinking outside the box is not a cure-all for anything. Nor is it an empty catch-phrase. To me, it expresses the idea that life is never what we expect but it is what we make it.
Originally posted by He Who Wanders: Well, cle, I'm in no way a "higher up" and I don't want to screw anybody out of anything.
I wasn't referring to you as a "higher up," HWW. It's just that in my memory, the phrase "Think outside the box" showed up in the public consciousness during the era of massive downsizing and internet bubbles-- from high-paid tastemakers and corporate marketers. I don't recall it growing organically at the ground level, or being particularly popular with people I knew doing local activist/community work. I've always bristled especially at the "we." Those who first popularized the phrase pretended to think collectively by using it, but generally it's a cover for them doing the opposite of collective thinking: To act on their own behalf first and to hell with everyone else.
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Yet I do believe it's not up to employers or the government to take care of us or do what we think is fair. It would be nice if life worked that way, but it doesn't.
Well, in that case, I'd have to say the people who are living the furthest "out of the box" would be War Tax Resisters or those who practice civil disobedience. Unfortunately, the same government and business barons who want all the onus for decent/responsible behavior to be on our end don't react well at all to that kind of thinking.
And I don't call that observation "cynicism." I call it realism.
For the record, I think you should feel proud of your accomplishments and for the chances you took. But not everyone who stepped off the familiar path ended up managing so well. There are just too many variables involved, many of them completely outside the individual's control, for me to say that "Thinking outside the box" is going to fix what's wrong with the country.
I also don't want it to be a continuous get-out-free card for people (elected or not) to grab whatever they want and to hell with who their greed hurts. I don't want it to be a continuous excuse for people who want the perks and ego gratification of authority (elected or not) without any of the attendant responsibility that comes with it.
But, again, I wasn't referring to you personally when I started grumbling about it. Sorry.
I don't know when "thinking outside the box" became a popular catchphrase. You could be right about its origins. I've adopted it more or less as a personal slogan, something that describes what I said: acknowledging that life isn't what we expect but we can still make the best of it.
If the phrase itself is a stumbling block, let's look beyond it and get at the heart of what we're saying (or at least what I'm trying to say).
I'm finishing up a book called "How Do We Know When It's God?" by Dan Wakefield. A novelist and former TV writer (he created the TV series "James at 15"), Wakefield describes his return to Christianity after several years of atheism. The book, I stress, is not an indictment of atheism but merely an account of one person's journey and grappling with the persistent question, how do you know what God wants you to do (or, if you don't believe in God, how do you know what the right course of action is in any given situation)?
What stands out to me is that, even after his return to Christianity, Wakefield made choices he knew were not in his best interest--including his third marriage, which lasted approximately six months. Sometimes, discernment is the problem. We do what we think is "right" or "best," and we look for signs from God (or the universe or whatever) to support the choice we've already made.
Late in the book, Wakefield writes, "Trusting in a God we do not understand is where faith comes in. And that's why it's so hard. I suspect we make it harder than it has to be, though. I know I do. As I look back I see that in the struggle to 'know when it's God,' the simplest rule of discernment is probably best, and is probably all we need. . . . Whenever I feel shaken in terms of a crisis, when a decision I'm about to make or the struggle to make it brings mental and physical rumblings (thoughts in chaos, pulse rising), it is 'wrong' or not the will of God" (199-200).
Again, this is one man's interpretation of how to discern what is right for him. Later in the book, he describes several positive life changes he's made (moving from Boston to NY, from NY to Florida, etc.) that felt right, even though they came out of the blue and were choices he wouldn't have made a few years earlier or were choices frowned upon by some Christians (e.g., taking Zoloft for depression and anxiety).
Wakefield expresses what I think of when I use the term "thinking outside the box." This term does not equate with working for oneself or civil disobedience, though, for some individuals, it might involve those actions. Rather, the term means being open experiences and opportunities that fall outside the norm of what we've been led to believe is acceptable or even possible.
The Wright Brothers were thinking outside the box when they invented the airplane.
Bill Gates thought outside the box when he revolutionized how we use computers.
But one doesn't have to make widespread changes to the world in order to improve one's own life. Sometimes, the hardest changes to make are personal ones because they involve our own private risks. They invoke challenges to our cherished beliefs or conceptions of ourselves, including our limitations. They involve looking beyond the limitations imposed on us by politics and our present jobs (which is not to say we shouldn't work to improve those things).
So, for me, the phrase takes on a much more personal dimension than it appears to do for you. This may be because I see the hand of God in many of the events of my life. (I'm going to go out on a limb and say believing in a higher power is the most radical form of thinking outside the box--it flies in the face of much of what our contemporary culture teaches about faith.)
The term "thinking outside the box" is ultimately meaningless (though I still like it). What really matters is discerning the best course of action for us (individually or collectively) to take.
Oh, and by the way, I didn't think you were referring to me personally in your previous post, though, since you were responding to something I wrote, it seemed that I should attempt to clarify where I was coming from.
Not a huge earth-shattering vent here or anything, but just... ugh.
I just read an article referring to the "Indiana Jones Quadrilogy".
I freaking hate that word. I first saw it about ten years ago on a DVD set for the "Alien Quadrilogy," and I wanted to scream.
It is a completely made-up word based on nothing but sheer laziness on the part of Marketing people. The correct word for a series of four works is a "Tetralogy" - "logia" being a Greek word that should be preceded by a Greek prefix, not the Latin equivalent.
- We don't call the Department of Defense Headquarters the "Quintagon".
- We don't use web colors based on "Sextadecimal Code".
- We don't call smooth jazz guys from the 1940's "Sep Cats".
OK... fine... that last one doesn't make any sense... but, seriously, "Quadrilogy"?
That reminds me of the United Negro College Fund's slogan, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." It annoyed one of my professors, who said a mind is never a terrible thing.
True . . . but language is flexible, constantly changing and adapting to the needs of the people who use it. I don't think marketers are necessarily lazy when they use "quadrilogy". They probably know most of their audience has no idea what a tetralogy is. On the other hand, most people can figure out "quad."
Marketers are not in the business of educating people (unfortunately). They are in the business of selling products to people who don't know better.
That said, my pet grammar peeve is when people use "whenever" instead of "when": "Whenever I went to the store last night . . ."
Originally posted by He Who Wanders: ... language is flexible, constantly changing and adapting to the needs of the people who use it.
It's funny... about an hour after I wrote my little vent, I started thinking that - particularly as a Legion fan - I might be being a bit hypocritical. Somewhere out there, there is probably a grammar minded comic fan who dies a little every time he hears a Legion fan say, "3-boot".
On a completely different note, I have decided that the phrase "Hep Cat" does indeed contain the prefix for 7.
Follow my logic:
- The jazz slang for somebody out of touch with the current trends was "square". - Another way of saying that was to say they were an "L 7", basically making a square out of the two shapes. - But why "square" at all? Well... because the number "7" is the number traditionally associated with perfection... but if you were to reflect that back on itself you'd get the opposite... ergo the "L". - So those who weren't square were "7" or - using the prefix - "Hep".
If anyone plans on telling me that the prefix is actually "Hept" and not "Hep"... I will not stand for having my beautiful hypothesis slain by your ugly facts.
It makes just as much sense as "Quadrilogy," and more thought went into it.
Originally posted by He Who Wanders: That reminds me of the United Negro College Fund's slogan, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." It annoyed one of my professors, who said a mind is never a terrible thing.
But they are not saying that a mind is a terrible thing. Wasting it is a terrible thing. Your professor is annoying me now.
It's my day off. I left the house this morning planning to stop at the bank and then meet a friend for lunch. I'm about 3 minutes on the road when the car's temperature gauge rises to the red zone. I call my friend to cancel lunch and drive to the mechanic.
They're busy and can't check it till late this afternoon. So I call my boss, he picks me up and takes me to our office, where I stay the rest of the afternoon. (So much for the day's plans.)
A call at 5:10 says my car is ready. It was a leak in the coolant hose. $240. But the fan isn't working either, and I'll have to bring it back Monday.
I pick up the car. The mechanic wants me to drive it over the weekend to be sure the head gasket isn't blown (he doubts it) before he works on the fan. So my mind is not at ease as I drive away.
I stop to get gas. After filling up, I drive toward the station's exit to get onto the highway. There are 3 cars waiting in line. Now, I'm facing straight toward the exit, while car #3 has come from my right and is angled from that direction. A big gray truck slides in behind him.
As the first two cars pull onto the road, I pull in behind car #3, since it's "my turn" as next in line. But big gray truck doesn't think so. He apparently thinks he's in the "official" line and I'm a usurper...plus I'm just a little Honda. So he keeps pulling toward my car as if he's going to hit me. I can't see the driver, but I can see a kid in the passenger seat, about 11 years old, looking at me as if he's scared to death. The truck keeps coming...there's already nowhere else I can go...so I put out my arm in a stop signal. The truck is inches from my car. Just then the car in front of me moves, and I pull out onto the road.
The truck follows me half a mile until we get onto the interstate ramp. There are two lanes on the ramp. I take the right one, he flies up on my left. The lanes merge on the ramp, and although I have the right of way, he keeps barreling beside me as the lanes merge until he's no more than 5 inches or so from my car. I hit the brakes and fall back.
Once we get on the interstate -- 4 westbound lanes -- he gets in the far right lane and seems to be in no hurry. In order to keep up with traffic flow, I get in the next lane and glide past him. We look at each other for the first time, and I just shake my head.
I wonder if he feels like a big man in front of his kid.
- The jazz slang for somebody out of touch with the current trends was "square". - Another way of saying that was to say they were an "L 7", basically making a square out of the two shapes. - But why "square" at all? Well... because the number "7" is the number traditionally associated with perfection... but if you were to reflect that back on itself you'd get the opposite... ergo the "L". - So those who weren't square were "7" or - using the prefix - "Hep".
Originally posted by He Who Wanders: [b] That reminds me of the United Negro College Fund's slogan, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." It annoyed one of my professors, who said a mind is never a terrible thing.
But they are not saying that a mind is a terrible thing. Wasting it is a terrible thing. Your professor is annoying me now. [/b]
Actually, it would be correct to say "It is a terrible thing to waste a mind."
So one of my Facebook friends posts that she had just bought some kettle bell weights and that she did not know how to use them. I went on Google and started typing "Kettle Bell exercises" got an automatic fill in of "kettle nell exercises for women". I copied the url and pasted it on to her Facebook entry.
Originally posted by Quislet, Esq: So one of my Facebook friends posts that she had just bought some kettle bell weights and that she did not know how to use them. I went on Google and started typing "Kettle Bell exercises" got an automatic fill in of "kettle nell exercises for women". I copied the url and pasted it on to her Facebook entry.
Google is your friend!
I don't know what this says about me, but I was sure this was going to end with Quislet saying that his Facebook friend was confusing "Kettle" with "Kegel."
I find your posts more humorous than political, Kent, though politics are certainly involved.
There are certain others that are just mean spirited. As much as I agree with the left side of things, demonizing the right, Romney, and the Tea Party serves little purpose other than perpetuating the narrow-minded and self-serving antagonism that already exists. Portraying others as ignorant, buffoonish, and corrupt does little to address the very real differences in world views and fears people have and which lead them to vote as they do. Such attacks, in short, preach to the converted.
So, you don't need to block me, but thanks for the offer. Chances are, the true offenders would never see themselves as such.
I find it annoying that some of my friends will call me up on a Tuesday to invite me out on a Wednesday evening. On Tuesday I tell them I may not get off work in time on Wednesday, so I can't commit.
On Wednesday I keep them informed of my schedule and advise them it might be best not to wait for me, but they insist on waiting. And when the evening rolls around, and I'm still tied up at work, they call the meeting off - AND they get mad at me! I warned them, didn't I?
yes. It does. I do not use it ... I like to browse the racks, for fun, seems more romantic than just picking up a package. also I like to drop or add comics due to any tantrums I might spontaneously have (usually resulting from guest pencillers.)
I may have to start using a pull though as I'm getting busier.
My dog rolled in otter poo this morning. It's not as bad as skunk, but it's pretty bad, even after a good rinse. And of course she wants to get all chummy now and sit in my lap and spread the joy.
Originally posted by Power Boy: yes. It does. I do not use it ... I like to browse the racks, for fun, seems more romantic than just picking up a package. also I like to drop or add comics due to any tantrums I might spontaneously have (usually resulting from guest pencillers.)
I may have to start using a pull though as I'm getting busier.
Having a pull list doesn't mean you can't still browse the racks. Even if I buy a title not on my list, I still get the pull list discount. Plus my shop always asks if I want to add or drop any titles when I go to pick them up.
I imagine that if you don't do the "I don't want to buy this particular issue" move too often, then the CB shop shouldn't have a problem with it.
I've found that most shops are good to their pul list customers because they know that those customers will buy on a repeat basis.
Originally posted by Fat Cramer: My dog rolled in otter poo this morning. It's not as bad as skunk, but it's pretty bad, even after a good rinse. And of course she wants to get all chummy now and sit in my lap and spread the joy.
Our dog does that a lot too, FC. He also pooped on two of my backpacks the other day. Ugh!
Spent a lot of time at the drawing table tonight, with only minor time out for chores, but... I'm going through one of those patches where nothing will jell the way I want it to.
[grumble]
I need to get out of this hyper-critical frame of mind I've been in now for, oh, over a bloody YEAR and just finish something already.
I just don't understand my roommate's thought processes at times.
He likes the blinds down so that the neighbors can't see into the apartment.
In the summer, I have the windows open, including the one in the bathroom. The window is right over the tub/shower, so I pull the shower curtain for the window aside to let the air in, but pull the other shower curtain half way across to block the view of the toilet. Yet my roommate, who is afraid of anyone looking into the apartment, pulls that shower curtain back so that both are open and the neighbors on that side have a clear view into the bathroom.
Oh, there are other things I can do, and the trip was free anyway.
I don't mind going back to Macau just to bungee jump, but it sure seems like a waste of plane fare. So bright side is, next time I go to Macau I'll use it as a stopover to somewhere else in China.
I am so sick of political postings on FB. I wish people would get their heads out of their own asses for more than a second and think about things logically.
Take the latest condemnation of Obama over apologizing for a movie stuff that is currently clogging my feed.
First off, the U.S. embassy in Cairo issued the statement about the movie, before the main attacks happened. There had been protesters, but no outright attacks from what I have been able to find. Why, you may ask is this little nugget important? Let's see. You're sitting in the middle of Muslim territory, with protesters outside. These protesters have been known in the past to get violent...what the hell are you going to say? I mean seriously...I'd be saying anything to try and calm anyone I could. Then Romney gets on his high horse after the Embassies are attacked and spouts about how they should have been condemned...the whle freakin point of what the Embassy put out was to try (even if was totally in vain) to stem what they thought could happen.
Coming out and telling them that they should get over it and go home, would not have helped the situation. It probably would have made it worse than it actually was. Or maybe not...but either Romney or Obama using this as an election point is showing me that this country is in trouble no matter what happens in November.
I am not a huge fan of Obama, nor was I a huge fan of Bush. Hell, I have not really liked most Presidents during my lifetime. But his election seems to have brought about blind hatred towards people running for President. A lot of it is ironically coming from my Christian friends...which I thought was supposed to be about loving your neighbor as God loves you. Maybe the stuff I have learned over the years as a Christian is somehow wrong...I do not remember Jesus giving any disclaimers about loving your neighbor. It was pretty plain and simple.
Sorry, but this election has really gotten to me. I am sick of both sides, and will be really happy when it is after the election, so then the posts will drop by about 5%...cause no matter who wins, the other side is going to be having a field day attacking the other side.
I may start dropping friends (or at least blocking people from my feed on FB at that point.
Re Facebook, I consistently hide the newsfeeds of people who annoy me. I've seen the silliest of opinions and the craziest of flame wars (here, it's the RH Bill).
I also block the feeds of people with awful self-absorbed postings, like this one guy I know who begins every invite with "who wants to join this pretty face in...". What a loser.
Yeah, but everyone else would clog my page with comments about what a great face I had for radio.
(I admit to having a somewhat morbid fascination with the political circus at this moment. Since I'm a registered Green and have been for years, my usual sentiment seeing these staged brawls between the Big Two Party Flacks is Good. I hope you beat some sense into one another, but I won't hold my damn breath.)
I like Facebook because I have been able to get in touch with friends that moved away that I would never had had a chance to find again.
People that fall out of your life for various reasons, but not due to not wanting to talk to them, just busy with life stuff. I have a friend that lives in Japan with his family now that I had not talked to for years. Now we can chit chat and interact.
I also can't stand either of them. But I'd at least agree our foreign policy has way bigger problems than whether or not to issue an official apology over a Grade "Z" biopic.
There are a great many legitimate reasons to dislike Obama as far as I'm concerned. As there would have been McCain had he been elected. Especially when it comes to foreign policy. Invariably there are no major differences between the two parties in that regard. Only cosmetic ones.
I would agree with you on all these points Cle. I am pretty middle of the road with leanings both ways on certain subjects.
Originally posted by Dev - Em: I like Facebook because I have been able to get in touch with friends that moved away that I would never had had a chance to find again.
People that fall out of your life for various reasons, but not due to not wanting to talk to them, just busy with life stuff. I have a friend that lives in Japan with his family now that I had not talked to for years. Now we can chit chat and interact.
That's why I do it anyway.
I understand, Dev.
I just like to give people a hard time.
mr_cleome loves FB for that same reason. Also he's a liberal in a liberal stronghold, so I'm guessing he wolfs down the election year stuff like it's potato chips.
I'm not a liberal, so national politics is one of those things we really have to avoid conversing about at this time of year. It's the same deal when my Mom calls me. If she starts in about politics, I just hand the phone to mr_c.
<span style="font-size: 10px;">I'm way too Left for most of my friends and family, but the internet is vast and wide. There are certain political junkies out there who think I'm a Right winger...</span>
Got a problem with a neighbour? Why not suggest they move to Amsterdam's Scum Village .
Amsterdam is to create “Scum villages” where nuisance neighbours and anti-social tenants will be exiled from the city and rehoused in caravans or containers with “minimal services” under constant police supervision.
Holland’s capital already has a special hit squad of municipal officials to identify the worst offenders for a compulsory six month course in how to behave.
Social housing problem families or tenants who do not show an improvement or refuse to go to the special units face eviction and homelessness.
STILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL in the process of moving into the new house. It's been since before thanksgivin and I am really, truly, completely sick of the move. Pluss, there's still things to do on the house. Carol finally told me to take December off some, but there's still to effin much to do.
Gotta agree with Rob on this one. Annoying neighbors are a problem, but I gots to say that the government being allowed to force you to move outta your home because someone doesn't like you...that's bullshite!
No kidding. I can just imagine how my neighbors feel about the crappy exterior of my house and yard. It looks that way because I'm broke all the time, not because I want to spite them.
:rolleyes: Some people do, in fact, equate lack of money to keep up appearances with willful "antisocial" behavior.
Originally posted by cleome46: [QB]No kidding. I can just imagine how my neighbors feel about the crappy exterior of my house and yard. It looks that way because I'm broke all the time, not because I want to spite them. [QB]
The outside of my place is somewhat in disrepair as well, though not due to finances. But when we bought the house it was a real fixer upper and making the inside nice (and comfy) for wifey and girlie girl is a higher priority than making sure the outside is pretty.
I don't think the neighbors should have any complaint, as long as your roof isn't crushing their car or falling into their yards. Although some people are just too nosey for their own good...
The concept of Scum Village is quite horrifying, like a modern penal colony. Of course it will be used to settle scores. Also, it's probably easier than the old Soviet gambit of sending political dissidents to psychiatric facilities.
Most communities have an "unsightly and dangerous premises" bylaw, which may be used in personal vendettas or by picky people with nothing better to do than complain.
When I lived in a Montreal suburb, I had a lot of grief from a particular neighbour and the Council about my vegetable garden. It didn't conform to the manicured lawn standard. They would have liked to send me to Scum Village but I fooled them and moved to Nova Scotia (which according to our Prime Minister, is one giant Scum Village, but that's another story. And since this is a moaning thread, I don't like Stephen Harper either.)
Oh heck, Ibby, just say it like it is. Some people are petty, small minded assholes that deserve to get their comeuppance any way others can hand it to them. I may not like Old Man X, but I'm damn sure not gonna cost him his house because of it.
Along the lines of Fat Kramer's vegetable garden, My father got upset when he read about a homeowners association that prohibited people from having a clothes line.
HOW THE HELL DO YOU MAKE NEW FRIENDS IN YOUR 30's?!! HOW!?
(This does not apply to all of you, as it really *has* been nice to make new online pals)
People tell me all the time that I need to make new friends and maybe go out on a date. How does one DO that? Where do I go to meet these new and exciting people?
That's it...I'm doomed. Label me Forever Alone.
(Thanks for letting me indulge in that pity party, thanks.)
For what it's worth, I'm 49 and the best friends I've made have been after I turned 40. I made them through a writers group, a comic book creators group, and church.
Ugh. I hate having to make friends. The worst part is that the more you're actually intentionally trying to make friends, the less likely it is that your going to end up making genuine friends.
But, really, the best thing is, as HWW suggests, find activities you're interested in, and get involved.
I've also found myself drifting apart from childhood friends, and friends I've made in college, due to lack of shared interests and values. I just genuinely find that we don't have much to talk about anymore. On the other hand, my childhood friends are among the first people I'd go to if I really were in a major bind.
I hate having to meet new people too - most just turn into acquaintances who clog up your social networking sites but whom you will probably just talk to once a year to exchange birthday greetings
I guess the best thing is, as others have suggested, to get involved in activities you genuinely find interesting. Then choose which relationship to keep maintaining.
Originally posted by Conjure Lass: HOW THE HELL DO YOU MAKE NEW FRIENDS IN YOUR 30's?!! HOW!?
(This does not apply to all of you, as it really *has* been nice to make new online pals)
People tell me all the time that I need to make new friends and maybe go out on a date. How does one DO that? Where do I go to meet these new and exciting people?
That's it...I'm doomed. Label me Forever Alone.
(Thanks for letting me indulge in that pity party, thanks.)
I agree with what others have said. You just have to get out to places where other people are likely to have shared interests with you, and then see what happens. There's no "winning formula" that I know of.
Also, as with romantic relationships, I think it's okay if everything doesn't stay new and exciting forever. Longevity brings other compensations, IMHO. I have tried not to be one of those people who just swaps out friends like they're shoes that don't feel as comfortable as they did when I was Twenty.
I am still sick after two weeks. I slept in until 2 today and yesterday ... I am still hanging on to my work schedule though since I can do most of it anytime I want and fortunately my meetings have been in the late afternoon!
Okay...so, my group at swork has enough to do to work 12 hours a day till the end of the year. Yet, because the main group has not much to do we got put back on 8 hours a day again today.
Yet they want me to finish way too much work in a week...oy.
To be fair though, I am loving the frantic aspect of my job right now.
Re car repairs, I also hate when they say they'll have your car ready by next Monday, and you end up waiting until Friday! Don't make promises you can't keep, pal!
Re work, been pulling a lot of overtime lately too - 2 straight weeks of 12 hour days. It's physically tiring, and I hate not being able to run errands/work out because I'm too exhausted, but I do love my job. And it's only temporary because of this big project we have right now.
At end of day, I saw a former student in the halls, I knew to have withdrawn. He had been involved in a couple violent happenings (been shot, been in fights, gang association). I notified the Principal that the kid was in the building.
He said
"Maybe he's coming up to your classroom to shoot you."
Yes it was before. No he did not. I'm still deciding whether or not to file a grievance. The union rep (friend of the Principal) didn't supply the paperwork three days after I requested it. When I asked her why, she said she didn't think I had anything to grieve, there were no witnesses (there actually was but it was another FOP).
Last year I found myself alone in midst of 20 boys about to fight because he ignored my warnings about students roaming the building and letting outsiders in. Inexplicably, they backed off "teacher voice." One kid was going to try something but thought better after "teacher glare." lol
Teacher glare > thug behavior.
I'm not the type to file "grievance." Rather just bury my head and try and get out of the school, which I would need his recommendation to do. I'm not sure I look forward to this.
My dad won't stop bothering us about something he was supposed to get in the mail so he can conduct fire drills at the nursing home he works at. We're not responsible for his mail, it's not supposed to come here anymore, but it still frazzles me because my brother moved all this mail we kept on top of the microwave during Thanksgiving and he doesn't know what he did with it. My dad is threatening to come by the house while we're not here to look for it himself.
I'm stuck between my dad and my brother because my brother's right and we're not responsible for his mail but I'd be a hypocrite because I just asked him about something involving insurance.
This is a little old, but just came back into my mind.
Went to a local eating chain for a carry out. The girl behind the take out counter was helping someone so I stood a respectable distance back and waited. The man sat down, and I moved forward a little and the girl looked at me and then started doing something on the register/computer. Fixing something from the looks of it.
I waited about 5 minutes whole she finished. I again took a step forward and she looked at me and turned and walked away. She went and talked to someone, came back, looked right at me again and turned and walked away again.
I asked the next worker I saw for the manager, who it turns out had come up when the girl was working on the problem to help her with it.
I explained the situation and added that I would have been fine if the girl had said one acknowledging word to me that she would be with me as soon as she could. But she said nothing. I made it clear that I was there to order, yet nothing.
The manager did what she should and aasked me what she could do for me to make it alright. I know full well that I could have gotten my daughters meal for free, but I simply said to her that I would not be coming back there and that she had lost a regular customer because her employees had no customer service training apparently. ]]I can handle people being busy. I can handle people needing to go get help for something...but acknowledge your customer and let them know that you will help them.
Did not want that girl to loose her job or anything...but I also do not want her to ever treat another customer like that. I saw the manager talking to her as I got in my car to leave...the manager did not look happy. Hannah loved the pizza I got her though.
I fell asleep on the floor at what I assume was 8 or 9 ... woke up felt like I slept for ages ... heard a baby crying ... saw that the tube was open ... and assumed it was morning but still dark ...
it was 11:22pm! I can't sleep now feeling totally rested. argh. what a bad time to take a nap.
Originally posted by Power Boy: I fell asleep on the floor at what I assume was 8 or 9 ... woke up felt like I slept for ages ... heard a baby crying ... saw that the tube was open ... and assumed it was morning but still dark ...
it was 11:22pm! I can't sleep now feeling totally rested. argh. what a bad time to take a nap.
YEsterday, I put my kids in quiet time and decided to lay down for a few minutes before starting some chorse. This was about 3 in the afternoon. My daughter woke me up about 6:15 because she was getting hungry for dinner. Felt lethargic for a few hours and then had trouble falling asleep thlast night. Oy...
Originally posted by Dev - Em: This is a little old, but just came back into my mind.
Went to a local eating chain for a carry out. The girl behind the take out counter was helping someone so I stood a respectable distance back and waited. The man sat down, and I moved forward a little and the girl looked at me and then started doing something on the register/computer. Fixing something from the looks of it.
I waited about 5 minutes whole she finished. I again took a step forward and she looked at me and turned and walked away. She went and talked to someone, came back, looked right at me again and turned and walked away again.
I asked the next worker I saw for the manager, who it turns out had come up when the girl was working on the problem to help her with it.
I explained the situation and added that I would have been fine if the girl had said one acknowledging word to me that she would be with me as soon as she could. But she said nothing. I made it clear that I was there to order, yet nothing.
The manager did what she should and aasked me what she could do for me to make it alright. I know full well that I could have gotten my daughters meal for free, but I simply said to her that I would not be coming back there and that she had lost a regular customer because her employees had no customer service training apparently. ]]I can handle people being busy. I can handle people needing to go get help for something...but acknowledge your customer and let them know that you will help them.
Did not want that girl to loose her job or anything...but I also do not want her to ever treat another customer like that. I saw the manager talking to her as I got in my car to leave...the manager did not look happy. Hannah loved the pizza I got her though.
One of my pet peeves is when the cashier at the grocery store talks with the bagger while ring up my order.
I usually use the self-check-out now.
I also have extreme patience with a customer service rep who is busy, but working.
Okay...seriously peeved off right now. Yesterday, I needed to refill my insulin prescriptions. We have a $40 co-pay for these so my wife went with $80 to get them. The Cashier at the pharmacy told her the total was $200.
Now...I called Medco, because my insurance is only open bankers hours during the week, and they said that it was due to the cost of the medication going up.
Went on to the providers site and found that if the price went up, it was less than 10%...as opposed to the 150% my co-pay went up. So not buying that.
Now, here's a more likely option. My plan requires that we see a Dr. and have paperwork sent in to receive the maximum benifits. Found out late this week that neither of us had had our paperworkk sent in by our Doctors office. That would probably explain the jump in prescription prices...and is not going to bode well for them when I get off work tomorrow and go up to their office to ask them what they are going to do about screwing me out of $120 the week before Christmas because their staff is incompetent.
I won't yell or scream or do anything that could get me thrown out, but I will leave with some sort of plan from them as to how they are going to rectify the situation...if it is indeed their fault.
Don't feel alone. one diabetes med... $200 for one month. the other, $16. So, my doctor gives me a card that is supposed to cut it to ten and four, affordable, right?
Nope, walmart says the card is only in conjunction with regular insurance, which I no longer have because Carols' former company, Monster, is cutting jobs left and right as they head into the crapper.
Ric...check with the the drug makers. They may have a prescription assistance program. My two insulin's did and I got them for free when I did not have pharmacy coverage.
Turns out it was indeed the Doctors Office fault for screwing up our forms. Now everything, including Hannah's 2 Hospital stays and other 2 E-Room visits have to be resubmitted.
I also have a long road trying to get reimbursed for the Docs screw up costing me 120 more than it should of right before Christmas.
Just FYI, not preaching: many diabetics have gotten off their meds by following a plant-based diet with no added fats. Some info here .
The movie Forks over Knives is very informative on this subject as well. Dr. Neal Barnard is another advocate of this diet to eliminate diabetes.
Following this type of diet sent my cholesterol, blood pressure and weight plummeting - to very healthy levels - in the course of four months. Just something to look into (and probably wait until after Xmas, 'cause there's no turkey, no butter and no apple pie - but I couldn't believe how much fantastic food is allowed.)
Actually I'm reading Linda Bacon's Health At Every Size right now, with its "Eff All Diets" philosophy. I only wish I'd discovered it twenty years ago, before I got pulled into stupid fad diets and disordered thinking about food that, if anything, probably made me fatter in the present than I would have been otherwise.
Via wiki's page about the book. (There are copious footnotes, BTW.)
Quote
...Recent evidence from scientific studies have provided rationales for a shift in focus in health management from a weight loss to a weight-neutral outcome.[5] In 2005, a study of around 3000 Finns over an 18-year period showed that weight loss from dieting can result in increased mortality, while those who maintained their weight fared the best.[6][7] Similar conclusion is drawn by other studies where intentional weight loss is found to be associated with slightly increased mortality for healthy individuals and the slightly overweight but not obese.[8][5][9] This may reflect the loss of subcutaneous fat and beneficial mass from organs and muscle in addition to visceral fat when there is a sudden and dramatic weight loss.[7] Intentional weight loss appears to be of benefit only to those classified as unhealthy.[8]
Long-term studies of dieting also indicate that the majority of individuals who dieted regain virtually all of the weight that was lost after dieting, regardless of whether they maintain their diet or exercise program.[5]
To be clear, Bacon is not a fan of the quasi-compulsory meat-eating that's such a big part of U.S. culture. Nor does she dismiss the negative impact of excessive fast food on the health of North Americans. But she takes considerable pain to do what few other experts on food issues do when talking to the public: She de-couples the supposedly obvious link between a spare tire around your waist and an early grave.
I found this noteworthy, because both mr_cleome and I are overweight, but neither of us currently suffers from high blood pressure, heart trouble, or diabetes.
Another study I checked into when reading Bacon's book and related works was one that pointed out extra weight as a protective factor in certain diseases. PKD, for example, which I inherited from my late father, has better survival rates in its later stages for patients who have a little extra fat on our bones.
About 6 months ago I started eating mainly greens, raw or steamed vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and fish. I've been exercising more regularly too. I've lost 20+ pounds, and I just found out today that my cholesterol has dropped to a good number and all my other numbers are good as well.
My starting point was Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book Eat to Live. There's no "diet'; just learn what's healthy to eat and season it in healthy ways. The surprising thing was that (1) I really like healthy food prepared well, and (2) I don't crave the unhealthy food I used to eat. I used to eat 2 to 3 cartons of Ben & Jerry's a week; now I don't even desire ice cream. That said, I don't feel guilty for eating a little ice cream or anything else now and then. I'm just satisfied with having a little of it.
Dr. Fuhrman's another good one, pretty much the same as McDougall and Barnard, and he has a new book out on eliminating diabetes (haven't read it).
A lot of us (especially women) have spent a lifetime on one diet after another, with little regard to health. I don't see anything wrong with extra pounds if your health is good, but these things have a way of catching up with you in middle age.
The good thing about changes is that, once they become a habit, they really stick. So once you get past the initial 66 days of testing you willpower, it gets significantly better.
I used to love eating fried foods and processed meats, but now I find myself a little bit nauseated when encountering them!
so this last couple of weeks have really sucked. My dad was told the lung cancer is in remission. Great news. Except that two days later he's in the hospital with pneumonia. two days later he's on an intubation tube because he's gone into respiratory arrest. he gets transferred to another hospital and he's been there since, sedated and on a tube. Lungs are getting better, and his heart is still strong, but we are concerned about the kidneys.
And here's the topper. Some complete waste of humanity stole his lawn mower. Its a big one, he got it after his settlement. It's not just a lawnmower, but it's also the thing that he uses to get around outside the house. It had to be someone local, because they knew he was in the hospital and waited for the place to be empty.
They better hope to hell the police find them first. And thats no bullshit.
How the hell do they think they're going to hide a freakin' LAWNMOWER?! What a bunch of lowlifes. Seriously. With luck the police will find it before your dad get's home, rick. Still, if I found them first they'd be seeing the business end of a baseball bat. People these days...
Thanks folks. He's doing a bit better, they've taken him off versad and put him on morphine. I'm trying to get it wrapped up before he gets home. considering he's still down, but getting better, I've got a shot at it. depends on the popo, some folks I've got checking on things, and the insurance company.
Yeah, baseball bat justice sounds tempting for that one, but probably better to let the cops handle it. Sounds like you've got your hands full with your dad.
Last Thursday, I had two separate job interviews scheduled on the same day. There was one at 10 AM wayyyyy out in Suburbia-- and another one at 4:30 PM in downtown Portland.
I've commuted all over the place as a temp, so I didn't want to risk being late: I left home at 7:50 in the morning. No lie: I still made it out to the morning interview with only about twelve minutes to spare.
Then I lost another few minutes trying to find the proper locale in the middle of a giant, elaborate industrial park. Finally made it upstairs to the proper office and checked in.
The woman interviewing me came out, introduced herself, shook my hand. Told me she had a quick errand to run and that she would return shortly.
Almost a half hour elapsed. I drank (very good, free) coffee and chatted with a dude in his Fifties who was also waiting to be interviewed by somebody else.
Finally, the woman came back and said (I swear I'm not kidding): I'm sorry for the delay, but I ran into a friend in the restroom and we were talking.
<--- (Was doing this in my mind all through the damn interview.)
Ah, the privilege of employers . . . getting away with insensitive, rude, and time-wasting behavior they would likely not tolerate in an employee or applicant.
Oh ... boy .... I'm sorry but that is FUNNY Cleome.
bwahahaha.
At least she eventually did show up for the interview ... I've had a few where they didn't even show up.
There are a couple insulting interviews I can remember one where ... the interview was going well ... for an hour ... and then I gave them my rate and they didn't negotiate ... they ... just started insulting me ... saying there wasn't any passion in my work! They turned on a dime!
I just assume people are expressing their unhappiness one way or the other when they behave badly and it was a good thing I didn't work there.
However, If you get the job ... feel free to hang out in the ladies all day. 'cause that's cool.
so this last couple of weeks have really sucked. My dad was told the lung cancer is in remission. Great news. Except that two days later he's in the hospital with pneumonia. two days later he's on an intubation tube because he's gone into respiratory arrest. he gets transferred to another hospital and he's been there since, sedated and on a tube. Lungs are getting better, and his heart is still strong, but we are concerned about the kidneys.
And here's the topper. Some complete waste of humanity stole his lawn mower. Its a big one, he got it after his settlement. It's not just a lawnmower, but it's also the thing that he uses to get around outside the house. It had to be someone local, because they knew he was in the hospital and waited for the place to be empty.
They better hope to hell the police find them first. And thats no bullshit.
Man ... stealing your dad's lawnmower ... that is low.
Well, the good news is that Pop is home. Been a crazy two weeks.
Bad news is.... I've found a witness, gotten a description of the assholes that stole the mower, gotten a license plate for them, and actually had the asshole flag me down, try to implicate someone else to cover his ass.
At each step along the way I've reported the information and events to the Williamsburg county sheriff's department. At each step, they make a note, and maybe it gets to the appropriate person, and maybe it doesn't. And I know this because I've been to the station TWICE in person. What I got was, ignoring the eye witness, they had another counties' deputies saying it was someone else that did it. After I got the investigator to actually look at the information i had found for them, she said to me "Well, we are accountable for everything we do...".
My answer was "Well, I know my old man, and either you can do it, or when he gets out, he'll get his truck and shotgun and he will handle it. And if I have to go hunting, I make no promises.".
Still, trying to be a good citizen, I called again today. Surprise surprise.... I haven't gotten a return call.
they have until friday. so far, I figure what I'm planning will cost him about five times what the lawnmower costs. Or a hand. I don't much care which at this point.
thanks for all the well wishes. Hope everyone else is having a better time.
What those guys did was low alright... I really hope the sheriff's office does something. I mean, them handling it will help ensure there are less complications for you and your dad after... course, if they were doing their jobs there wouldn't be any reason for you to have to consider doing the job yourself...
Your anger is definitely justified, but please be careful rick! Wouldn't want anything to happen to ya!
^^What they said. I feel your anger and frustration, Rick. But taking matters into your own hands would only make things worse, particularly since you've tipped off the sheriff's department to what you might do.
Well...just don't get caught, rick! XD Seriously though, do what you need to do, just think things through.
Personal rant: why, just because I'm turning 33 is everyone so concerned about when I'm going to get married?! I'm not planning on it. I don't want to. I don't want kids. Why is that choice soooooo confusing to people?
Throw a party. Smoosh some wedding cake into someone's face. Problem solved.
Anyone else have a problem they need solved? I'm available as long as the previously discussed solution fits the problem. I'm kind of the Jeopardy version of Dear Abby. You job is to fit the problem to my solution.
Why does one inch of snow on the ground seem to mean to some that it's okay to zoom all-hours, any hours, through the neighborhood park on four wheelers and snow mobiles?
Conjure lass.... if you aren't wanting the hassle... just put out the word that you are reeeeaaaallllllyyyyyy looking to get married. Guys will break their necks running.
As to being careful, I'm currently willing to let the authorities handle it.... provided that they actually DO handle it. If not, I promise, I won't get caught.
So, i an effort to stave off the flu and cold season, I've been doing something I don't normally do. I've been taking B complex and Vitamin C tablets. Funny thing is... my blood sugar has been spiking through the roof. Seemed odd that it coincided. Did a little research online. B complex good. Vitamin C... reallly not. And considering that I've been hitting the 1000mg instead of the recommeded 75 for men without diabetes... no freakin wonder. And the by products of it for a diabetic are pretty much the exact things we are looking to avoid by regulating our blood sugar. So, for the last two weeks, while trying to be healthy, I've been poisoning myself. Whatta marroooon!
so, Vitamin C is offffffff the table. I really freakin hate this effin disease. It turns you into a slave to your next meal. Ain't nobody got time for all that.
I've also had a sore throat and fever that keeps going away and then coming back. A couple of tablets, some raw garlic, a honey-ginger-citrus mix and a couple hours of sleep are usually enough to get me better, but as I said it keeps coming back. Hopefully my sick leave today will solve that.
Hope everyone gets better! Maybe we should have a health-food party where we can sip healthy mixed fruit shakes, gorge on salads and laugh about how many times we've gone to the toilet in the last 24 hours.
Okay. The jack-@$$ that I work with hit a new level of crap today.
A dual drive unit that I had tested and turned paperwork in on that it was ready to ship was used by him as an example of how they should look when wired. Shipping and Receiving wanted to ship them, but we were 1 short. We found it...here's the thing though, it was taken apart so I had to put the drive covers back on. I went to put the document bag back in and noticed that there were coffee stains in the bottom of the box. Not just a little drop mind you, but a good sized stain.
After letting loose with a stream of expletives that would make most blush, and being thankful that he had left for the day at that point because things would not have gone well, I cleaned it up and took it back to S&R.
Now, if someone else had found it and just threw it back together without looking over it like I did, the customer would have gotten it that way and it would have came back to bite me in the ass. I talked to my boss about it and I think he understands my feelings. Even though we have a history of butting noggins over the way he talks to and treats people, this one was bad even for him. Hoping he has a legit explanation for the mess...but I am not all that hopeful.
Well, it's the moanin' groanin' thread, but I'll update. Pop is headed to have his left lung drained again, hopefully it will take this time.
The other news is that the warrants have been cut for the two guys that stole his lawnmower. Right now, I'm waiting, having checked out about three places he might be, for him to return home. as soon as I see his truck, I call the cops. So far, the only thing they've had to do is get with the witness we found and get a description, and put out a warrant.
I'm thinkin' of chargin' the county for my services.
still, if this gets it done and it takes some of the worry off Pop, I'll take it.
All this after having driven from my home to wilmington, NC this morning to drop my mother in law off at the airport. Been up since four am. Fun day.
I swear to God my brother complains about my haircut "he has to live with me" I didn't get a haircut just to make life bearable for him. I don't care if he's sick!
I swear to God my brother complains about my haircut "he has to live with me" I didn't get a haircut just to make life bearable for him. I don't care if he's sick!
Sounds a bit like my roommate who thought that when I had a cold and was coughing, I was cooughing to annoy him.
Wikipedia says, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DaylightSaving-World-Subdivisions.png
New Zealand, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Iran, Morocco, Libya, Namibia, Turkey, portions of the Middle East, most of Europe (especially Western and Central), large portions of Canada, almost all of Greenland and Mexico, about 1/4 of Australia, and some Pacific Island nations.
I think if I had to follow DST I'd end up forgetting to change my clocks all the time.
Time is tricky Ibby. It seems to be just chugging along leisurely and then suddenly it's 20 years later. Once that's happened to you, you encourage younger folks to plan ahead.
That is true, SS. I suppose what annoys me isn't the hurry, it's the overwhelming number of people automatically assuming that an MBA is what I want. Not that it isn't, but...
So the whole extended family and all my folks' well-meaning friends keep asking when I'm going to get my MBA.
I would love to get an MBA abroad one day, but does everyone have to be in so much of a hurry?
Don't be. I went to college more out of familial duty than any real desire to be there, and it showed in my work habits for the duration.
If I had it to do all over again, maybe I'd go. Maybe I wouldn't. But I didn't stand up to my family and tell them I was going to make up my own mind. I should have. But I had no idea what I wanted, so it was easier to just let somebody else decide for me.
One thing I DON'T regret is dropping the MBA. Took a few courses and decided it was so mind-numbingly boring, I couldn't face the rest. Of course, now my ex-roomate is a VP at Goldman Sachs, and I'm sort of at the bottom of the barrel, but still convinced an MBA would have been a terrible direction for me.
One thing I DON'T regret is dropping the MBA. Took a few courses and decided it was so mind-numbingly boring, I couldn't face the rest. Of course, now my ex-roomate is a VP at Goldman Sachs, and I'm sort of at the bottom of the barrel, but still convinced an MBA would have been a terrible direction for me.
Just seconding this. I couldn't face getting my MBA. And truthfully, I don't regret it. It's not for everyone. And really, i'm starting to feel like higher education is just another business anyway and isn't really interested in teaching anyone anything at all.
Going out and getting groceries, comics, hitting a book store, etc. and coming home to discover that my zipper has been down, all day. Hello! Am I already so old that I need someone to dress me?
I dislike hipsters intensely. Why are things only worth liking if they're obscure and "non-mainstream"? Can't you just like what you like whether it's popular or not? Isn't that being truly yourself and not some poser?
I dislike hipsters intensely. Why are things only worth liking if they're obscure and "non-mainstream"? Can't you just like what you like whether it's popular or not? Isn't that being truly yourself and not some poser?
I dislike hipsters intensely. Why are things only worth liking if they're obscure and "non-mainstream"? Can't you just like what you like whether it's popular or not? Isn't that being truly yourself and not some poser?
Ugh, I encounter this so often. Music is the worse it seems. The odd thing with the music hipsters is they spend so much time finding that obscure band, then they promote the heck out of it to all thier friends and then suddenly, if the band becomes well known, the band sucks and were never any good.
But even in other stuff I encounter the horrid hipsters. I had some moron on facebook try to argue with me that Corel Paint was superior to Adobe Photoshop. Really?
And a certain relative of mine has aspirations of being a game developer...for a big company making AAA games. Yet insists on using the type of low end engines that indy developers use, rather than something like say "Unreal Engine" that is almost an industry standard (And has a free license for personal use)
It seems to me that hipsters delight in loving garbage so when they fail completely and utterly at whatever they try they can point the finger elsewhere.
It was snowing this morning. But like a good worker bee I trudged into work. The snow became rainish as the day wore on. Home I go. Looks like people have cleaned off their sidewalks. Except for that one house up ahe... That's my house! And my roommate was home all day. And with the addition of the rainishnss, the snow is 2-3 times as heavy as if it was just snow.
I actually was expecting to have to shovel when I got home. And my roommate's excuse (if I asked him) would be that he has a bad back.
I HATE ADULT ACNE. I HATE IT!! When I was a teenager I would DREAM of the day that I grew up and would finally BE RID of it. BUT HERE I AM. 33 DAMN YEARS OLD. STILL BREAKING OUT. I feel so embarrassed looking at myself sometimes. Like everyone is staring. And nothing helps! Nothing I try gets rid of it. UUUUGGGHHHH.
Conjure Lass: Love yourself for who you are. Stop giving a damn about how other people perceive you. If you love yourself, your perceived "flaws" will not be so important.
HAHA! Awwwww, you guys are the best! I know, in my brain, that no one is staring. It's just me being a whiny baby and wishing I were perfect. XD I need to give up the mirror for a month or something.
THERE IS A FOOT OF SNOW OUT THERE. I measured it. A solid foot. I know for northeasterners thats no big deal...but this is Missouri. Thats a lot of snow.
I am 33 years old. Why do my parents still insist on calling me screaming and drunk and abusive. That's WHY I LEFT HOME AT 19. I hate imagining what mom is going through. I'm a terrible daughter. But sometimes I wish my dad would get liver cancer. Just so he'd be as miserable as he's made me and mom over the years. I just...having a bad day.
everyone has been offering me excellent food lately. Mom, The Wife... problem is, I got no willpower right now cause my sugar is off, so I eat it all, which doesn't help. People gotta stop with all the excellent food.
Thankfully, some of my work is being offloaded to another team member. I still feel a bit harassed, though. Probably will for the next two weeks until said person gets up to speed (I have faiht in her though!)
So, I haven't been able to purchase my diabetes med for over a month. I bought a book on reducing it/eliminating it. 59 pages in, and the muthahumpa still hasn't said anything on how to do it, other than the vague "diet and exercise, with supliments". yeah, I get that, but, what's the effin formula. I don't need the history of how you got there for thirty pages, I need to know NOW! Tell me or I'm gonna get mah damn cane and beat you to a pulp with it! AGGGGGHHHHHHH! Damn filler writers. They should be stabbed with the pen of brevity and truth! Repeatedly.
Note... this has nothing to do with this place; it's just a work thing.
"Wow... somebody must have a lot of time on their hands."
...
I'm sorry... what did you just say?
I must have misunderstood, because - clearly - you didn't just look at the thing that I poured myself into... the thing that required not only a creative, non-traditional approach in its conception, but also an extremely dedicated focus in its execution... and - with that casually dismissive statement - suggest that the only reason I undertook it was because I had idle time to fill?
I know that can't be your suggestion because - quite honestly - I think if you gave yourself a moment to think about it, it would become almost self-evident that I explicitly don't have a lot of time on my hands. I would think - from the level of effort evident in the thing you're looking at - that you might imagine that I'm the type of person that doesn't take assignments lightly and, instead, becomes so engrossed in the challenge of the thing - any thing, really - that any "free time" I might have otherwise had, is very quickly consumed.
Or, maybe, what you're actually saying is that you disapprove of the fact that I chose to spend time on this particular thing. Perhaps you think, in lieu of this thing... the thing that I found mentally challenging, creatively enriching, and which - upon its conclusion - filled me with a sense of pride and accomplishment... my time would have been better spent on some other thing.
I suppose that's valid... what would you suggest? What things are you spending your time on? Clearly, since you're saying that my work suggests I have "a lot of time" on my hands, your own time must be simply packed to the gills with amazing accomplishments and valuable contributions... let's have a look.
Oh.
I'm sorry... I guess I just assumed. You mean you don't spend your time challenging yourself in new endeavors? You don't seek out different forms of expressions in an attempt to grow as a person? You're just satisfied to cycle around - day after day - performing the same tasks, in the same completely predictable way, until every single thing you produce is a bland near-replica of every other thing you've produced... none of which require the slightest bit of effort on your part?
That must be sort of boring. On the plus side, though, that must free up hours upon hours when you could have been trying something different. Wow... I guess somebody must have a lot of time on their hands.
Yeah, I almost do wish it was some hobby thing, because then I wouldn't care one way or the other what somebody thought.
Without getting too deep into the details, long story short is that I designed an impact analysis system for hardware and software changes, so we could make more informed decisions about the effects of our changes, instead of just relying on anecdotal opinions. But, to put it into place requires a process change, and there is this bizarre section of the culture in the corporate world (usually long-term employees) who are deathly afraid of any change whatsoever.
It's not so much that this particular jerk didn't like my system - criticism I can handle - it's that he just dismissed it out of turn with a phrase that implied I was foolish for even suggesting it.
It's my experience that "someone's got too much time on his hands" is verbal shorthand for "wow... I'm actually impressed with the hard work that you put into this, but to admit that would be to admit that I'm either incapable or unwilling of doing the same, so - instead - I'm going to belittle your accomplishment by way of saving face."
I'm in the same boat Ex. The co-ordinator position I've been working has been hellish, mostly due to poor document control and distribution.
I have ideas of how to fix it and made some demos...the only support I've gotten is from my supervisor...reaction from upper management and even other operators (who's jobs would be easier with my ideas) think its a waste of time
I've seen the "deathly afraid of changes" from the other side.
I don't work in the 9 to 5 world anymore but I recall being fine with improvements, but changes often weren't, at least not in city government. Just things coming down from on top so they could feel like they were doing something, unfortunately that something was adding unnecessary work that had side effects ranging from minor to disastrous.
And of course reasonable suggestions from someone like me rarely had any attention paid to them. Why listen to advice from the guy you're always remarking is the only efficient person in the office?
I'm in the same boat Ex. The co-ordinator position I've been working has been hellish, mostly due to poor document control and distribution.
I have ideas of how to fix it and made some demos...the only support I've gotten is from my supervisor...reaction from upper management and even other operators (who's jobs would be easier with my ideas) think its a waste of time
Haters are gonna hate is my motto. its all they can do. they cant compete.
Criticisms, or snarky comments, they're just trying to slow us down because they are slow and lazy.
If people spent half as much time on their work rather than ways to procrastinate, or slowing others down through snarky comments and trying to make themsleves *SEEM* better ... the world would be awesome.
People just try to throw you off, intentionally, or just because they suck and only negative sucktitude comes out of their mouths.
I just imagine clicking on them and dragging and dropping them ... all their comments ... into my *bullshit* folder on the computer of my life.
otherwise, they're either just slowing me down from doing work, or making me pissed off so i cant enjoy my free time. THEY DESERVE NEITHER!!!!
You know haters. Because they feel inept and incompetent, they tear down those who are trying to actually accomplish something!
Big egos in lazy people... At the very least they should offer something constructive. If they honestly believe it won't work, they should offer a reasonable alternative.
Well to be fair, you can know what's wrong with a plan without having a better plan.
It's just as wrong to ignore valid criticism as it is to offer invalid criticism.
Criticism motivated by one's own jealousy is not likely valid. The "time on your hands" one X-O got would seem to fall into this category. As well as the "it's over my head but I won't admit it" category.
It's all in the delivery. If they shoot down your plan but point out what's wrong with it, all well and good Course, there are some people who adamantly refuse to consider even though you've tweaked your plan over and over.
I've had a sinus infection for the last week. I still worked, still did what I needed to do, but I've felt like shit for over a week now. Got sunburned friday when I was working in the yard all day, and yesterday decided to try my old standby, alcohol and warm wraps to break the fever and snots. di'nt work. So, today Im at work again, and still feel like shit, with only about three solid hours of sleep last night. Grumblermuttergripbitch.
Comet the cat has survived (no surprise) and kept his eye (yay!) and has promised to reimburse me the $275 it cost for the operation. Fortunately, it was actually right under the eye, not piercing it.
And it turned out it wasn't a quill, but a piece of wood. Even the vet thought it looked like an old quill at first.
I'm tired of loved one and friends acting like complete and total assholes. I get no time off from work to deal with the latest dramatic oh shit moment. I'm tired all the time, and life is about as enjoyable right now as a wire scrubbing pad enema. I don't know why its become asshole season, but I've about had enough.
Honestly, if I knew I wouldn't have asked. I don't read every thread and sometimes I miss some in the threads I do read, so as many times as you may have mentioned where you are I've missed it.
Or forgot it. Repeatedly. I am quite capable of this.
I thought Phillipines, but you said no longer, and your location is currently listed as "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Sorry about that, Shiny. I am indeed referring to Manila. I was just being cheeky (and quite a bit thoughtless considering I was coming off two consecutive 14-hour work days). Have a virtual bottle of beer with me as a peace offering?
On an unrelated note, I dropped my external Hard Drive and now it's busted I'm thinking hard about which files I had in there that are irreplaceable.
On the plus side, it's got me thinking about more reliable means of stroage. Now I'm taking pics of all my trust fund certificates and uploading them onto a private album, so at least I'll always have copies.
I am in the Philippines. I'm not sure when I mentioned that I wasn't, but it was probably during a short trip.
That would be earlier this week, here. Clearly you left the Philippines just to make sure I'd be wrong. My, the expense you go through to win that game.
I'm sure you're right about the IDL and all that, but I have no idea why you brought it up. ::
I'm referring to my post that the next poster will be posting from the Philippines, and you said nope, but you are from the Philippines.
So did you skip out of the country earlier this week?
Oh, I thought you were referring to the post re the IDL and Prime Meridian, since the link you posted went straight to the last page! My bad It's probably my settings too, I think I have 25 posts per page. I was scrolling up and down looking for which post you were referring, but didn't see any on that particular page.
I remember the Philippine post now. Actually, what made your post wrong was the spelling - Philippines has 1 "L" and 2 "P"s. I made the Ls and Ps bold in my reply but I guess it wasn't that noticeable
The traffic situation here in Metro Manila has got me up in arms. First, the rains are coming and even a little rain causes pockmarks in the road and the streets to flood. The streets flood because of illegal settlers who dump their garbage in the drains and rivers. The illegal settlers are lured there by shady politicians who pay them for votes; they're not relocated yet because the politicians requested the relevant government agencies to wait until after the elections!
At the same time, the traffic problem is exacerbated by undisciplined public utility vehicle drivers who stop in the middle of the road to drop off and pick up passengers, and who swerve like they didn't even notice the vehicles beside them! Drivers of private vehicles aren't always much better as some of them beat red lights, crowd intersections even though they can't get to the other side of the street, and act like they own the road (who the hell needs to go 70kph when traffic's at a crawl?!)
The worst part is we pay plenty of taxes only to see most of them get pocketed by politicians who have the temerity to reallocate the unspent portion of their budgets as "Christmas gifts" to each other!
And in our last senate elections nearly all the winners were relatives of other government officials. Over half of those with a decent track record (and all of whom I voted for) failed to get in. Among those who won are previous coup plotters and candidates who ran under two OPPOSING political parties (they ran under both the administration AND opposition slates, what the hell!)
I feel bad for those upright politicians we do have as they're facing a major uphill battle just trying to change all this crap!
Wise choice. I would have done the same. Getting take out is easier than buying new clothes. I can ignore the messy kitchen more easily than my own smell.
My apartment is so small .... well its a fine size but the kitchen sink is so small my kitchen is always messy because I eat in basically every meal but feel I should only have to do dishes once a week. The policy dosn't reflect reality.
I remember when I was living with my teammates in a rented house in L.A. I was the only one who bothered to cook my own food - but I stuck to it because I wanted to keep eating healthy.
When I came back from LA I was the skinniest I had ever been. Everyone was shocked because usually, when someone stays in the US of A for a couple of months they feast.
"Inclusion" is the thing now in education, apparently mandated. It's placing students that used to have their own limited size classrooms into traditional classrooms. Usually there are some accommodations involved in testing. If the students are hearing impaired, an interpreter accompanies them, whether or not the interpreter can interpret subject matter or not.
Apparently new to this year, inclusion now also comes with a "Special Education" teacher that comes and goes when he pleases, if he comes at all, and who gets really, really important phone calls on his gadget that must not be ignored.
Now maybe I'm biased since this is a guy whose class I visited last year during my free period, to pick up a t-shirt he was selling for the football team. He had only two students. They were watching a feature film and as I entered he was hanging up his cell with a "great doing business with you."
Armed insurgents taking innocent citizens hostage in Zamboanga City.
Dozens of senators and congresspeople implicated in a scam to funnel away taxpayer's money to fake NGOs.
And one of our highest-ranking government officials, who imposed tough traffic laws in his home city, had the NERVE to run a red light and make a left turn in a no-left-turn intersection, using the excuse that he has a lot of appointments.
Our city government is busy proving how big and bad they are by walling off a major park downtown (creating a traffic/pedestrian hazard in the process) because of course homeless people are yucky and need to go sleep somewhere else. The beautiful minds of our "progressive" leaders must not be troubled by these things! Never mind that we all pay taxes to keep public spaces open and well-maintained.
Actually, I have to think our city government is on the improvement track.
We have a two party system here. Democratic One and Democratic Two. It was so dominated by a single party influence that our long term Congresswoman decided she didn't even need to debate her opponent.
That was the day I switched my voting card about ten years ago. I think I wasn't the only one.
We now have two business minded but socially liberal Republicans on counsel and in the recent preliminary voting for mayor, two Independents won over a Dem One and a Dem Two.
Even so, all the $^*@#$!s that left the city because too many blac... uh because they had a great desire to mow 4 acres of lawn every weekend, will still snipe from afar about how the city unions and the democrats ruined their businesses...
The laughable part; we were and are heavily blue color. Those snipers were in the union. That's how they got the money to move out, leaving the old properties to decay and buying up rentals to build their neglected section 8 slums (their businesses) in the city.
Our city government is busy proving how big and bad they are by walling off a major park downtown (creating a traffic/pedestrian hazard in the process) because of course homeless people are yucky and need to go sleep somewhere else. The beautiful minds of our "progressive" leaders must not be troubled by these things! Never mind that we all pay taxes to keep public spaces open and well-maintained.
Aw cleome. Sometimes I think policymakers don't consider the consequences of their actions well enough.
It also irritates me when they don't plan and prioritize properly. Of course, it also irritates me when they take forever to decide, but I'd rather they pu t careful thought into it than jump the gun.
Originally Posted by Blockade Boy
We have a two party system here. Democratic One and Democratic Two. It was so dominated by a single party influence that our long term Congresswoman decided she didn't even need to debate her opponent.
We recently elected a Senator who declined all debates during election season because she wanted to save them for when she was in the Senate. My eyes couldn't stop rolling. It's a symptom of the awful personality politics here.
I'm glad things are getting a bit better for you though, BB.
[quote=Blockade Boy]We have a two party system here. Democratic One and Democratic Two. It was so dominated by a single party influence that our long term Congresswoman decided she didn't even need to debate her opponent.
We recently elected a Senator who declined all debates during election season because she wanted to save them for when she was in the Senate. My eyes couldn't stop rolling. It's a symptom of the awful personality politics here.
I'm glad things are getting a bit better for you though, BB.
I'm not a party line voter so it's always nice to have a choice of perspectives. I'm not sure how we got in a situation where we had two competing Democratic Parties, whether they were backed by different Unions or economic strata or what.
What's interesting (to me) is that our current Mayor, a former Fire Chief will be running against a former Police Chief. With all the for charity competitions between Fire and Police, if Toledo can't have fun with THIS election, then fun can't be had.
Mr. Inclusion cut out of class again. I teach the material, give the seatwork assignment then walk around helping the different groups. Then I hear, "Mr. BB, Mr. BB, we need help," coming from several groups that aren't sure how to do a problem. I look for my teaching "partner." He's no where to be seen.
The guy doesn't - make a single lesson plan. - grade any papers. - teach.
Yet he makes more than me and is never in the room. I've a feeling the Admin hired another buddy to coach a sport, at a school that has produced two (maybe three) athletes to go on to major college sports in the last 50 years.
TRUST ME:
Education Admin is not only one of the EASIEST degrees to get, it's lucrative and has almost no potential for consequence as all those grading you are those being graded by you.
at myself. I should just change this to teacher self-pity/vent thread.
Mr. Inclusion: I thought to go to the state about him. We're a Title I school (high poverty) which means Federal money has started to come in. I'm pretty sure Admin used that money to hire themselves a wrestling coach/buddy who has a Special Ed certificate.
With "inclusion," now some students are taking tests same as "less" disabled students. My included students are not cognitively disabled. They're what used to be called severe behavior disorder, which USED to mean, they often couldn't control violent physical behaviors. There's some interference with learning ability but that's not their main difficulty. That's how these kids are classified but it's a bunch of hooey. There's some frustration difficulty. That's about it. I think a lot of these "special ed" kids are getting classified to keep a powerful special ed teacher lobby in business. JMHO.
So anyhow, they can get teacher help on tests. They can take their test in other quieter rooms. From a teacher perspective, that means I'd be responsible for putting my name on work I did not oversee. I brought up that maybe that's not kosher.
Mr. Inclusion had a fit. The guy who rolls his eyes when our BEHAVIOR DISORDER kids aren't quite on task. The guy that couldn't be bothered to come to class, pulls the old, "well I advocate for my kids" routine. I'm the one coming to school at 6am and he's the advocate. sheesh. Apparently, he doesn't want HIS students' performance on HIS roster. OR, I'm thinking there's something stinkier at play here having to do with that Title money.
Didn't see him here for Open House either but maybe he was here and I'm piling on.
I'll leave off Mr. Inclusion. At least he's been coming to class, after a little mention to the bosses that'd I'd noticed their pet couldn't be bothered. Should have gone to state/fed with this.
Open House:
I think I had my first "two daddies" parents. I don't pry but it was unusual to have two males show up with a kid. Two females, all the time. That's not rare in poorer neighborhoods. Smart kid. Not as open as he is in class so there might be some embarrassment. One of the Dad's had an unusual accent. I should have asked. That's always a conversation opener. Kid's smart AND interested in school.
Two former students came by. Both still babies, wheeling in their babies. Another, a boy, came by earlier in the day. He has some trouble staying out of trouble. But it was nice he stopped by the school to say hey to his former teachers. Gives us hope they'll figure out their problems when they're still wanting to visit the old school. That's a joy of the job, when former students come by. So far no one has named their kid after me. Blah. lol. Blockade Boy is a good name. Specially for a girl.
So, the real reason I'm venting.
I have two brothers in the same classroom. Either one or the other comes to school. Rarely both at the same time. Usually this means parents are making their kids babysit or work. Not in this case. Couple parents came to open house with a girl I have in a different hour. Turns out, all three kids are siblings. So many last names around here, it's difficult to make connections.
Never had parents so negative about their kids, the boys that is. All the kids are well behaved, if not academically inclined. All are polite. Respectful. Wouldn't know it from Dad's description. If I said something nice about the boys. He countered with something negative. It was IMPOSSIBLE to tell him something nice about the boys. Never had that happen. Not sure what if anything to do about it. One of the boys and the girl are bright. The other boy, obviously struggles. According to Dad, that one's weeding.
I'll be working straight through next weekend (the company is moving down the road and needs to be open for business the morning of 10/1). Which means I really need to get up off my big rump and go do some chores. But I don't wanna'!!!!
My cable/internet/phone went out Sunday night. Called the company and they said it would be back on in an hour or so. Went to bed. Next morning, Monday, still no cable/internet/phone. Called the company again at 8:00 AM. They said they would have to send a technician out...WEDNESDAY...and I would have to be here. I grumbled and set up an appointment.
Tonight (Tuesday) I came home and everything is working fine. Called the company. No, there was no record that any work had been done. Do I want to cancel the appointment?
Hmmm...we don't know why it went off for two days, we don't know why it came back on. I'm wondering, will it happen again, and if so, will it take two days to get a tech appointment?
I kept the appointment. I'll leave work to be here. They'd better find a reason for this, and it better be free.
So, I polluted yesterday. Not a little, but a HUGE (as in millions of dollars in fines and provincial and maybe federal investigations)
I can't give exact numbers, but for example: If I am allowed 1ton per hour, I put out 64 tons in a little over 5 minutes.
Why did I pollute? Someone accidentally shut down a critical pump in my plant. How did that happen? There was no coverplate over the the on/off switch. Why was there no coverplate? There should have been...we noticed it was missing months ago and put in a notification to have it repaired. It just wasn't repaired because the people who decide what gets fixed first (who btw have never stepped foot out of an office) decided that IT WASN'T IMPORTANT
So, a week before my license was up, I had to renew my bond. Go to the bank, wire transfer the money. They get the money, say the bond will be overnighted. Way they say it, it would go straight to the DMV. No problem. Today, DMV investigator shows up, they haven't received the bond. Get on the phone. Bond was sent to Scranton, PA instead of Scranton, SC. Insurance company had called DMV and informed them of problem. DMV set it aside. Only they didn't inform the investigator, a really decent fellow that still has a job to do. So, my license is suspended until I can get the bond to them, which is supposed to be here tomorrow.
Sorry to rant about work AGAIN but I just got the news on the lovely new "retention" package the company rolled out.
So, its a great package if you bought your first house after 2005 or are renting. Fantastic really, a $1500 payment/month directly onto the principle of your mortgage.
Now the thing is, most people (myself included) buy whatever they can afford to start, then in 2 or 3 years sell that place and buy a good house...which is what I (and about 75% of my co-workers) have done.
And if you are in a second (or third) home, you are not qualified. So, basically a guy can get hired of the street, make the same wage as me (excluding plant qualifications) and get a mortgage subsidy, while I and almost everyone else who are saddled with the same outrageous mortgages get a slap in the face and a kick in the nuts.
Fuck you Suncor, applications going in elsewhere as soon as I confirm my references. Have fun running an upgrader with a bunch of 19 year olds straight out of school who don't know which end to hold a valve wrench by
Speaking of work, I can't believe I'm saying this. But... I have to start looking around again.
I have now temped at my current site for over a year. That's more than enough time for them to, uh... poop or get off the pot. I like my hours, my work, and almost everyone I work with. The wage is generous to a point that I'm likely to never see again in this lifetime.
But... My boss is clearly going to leave me dangling until that split second when some budgetary ruling from on high commands her to pull the plug. In all this accrued time I have not earned one single minute's vacation time, nor one second of sick time, nor... much of anything really, except a slight cessation of my monstrous personal debt. (Hey, my minimum credit card payment per month is now seven dollars less than it was at the beginning of this year! Go, Me!)
Also, she generally leaves me alone, but she is nasty as hell to several of the other employees, and honestly: Watching other people being treated like crap makes me feel crappy.
In the current job market, to wait until I'm fired/laid off to start looking would be suicide. So I have to start now. I am SO not looking forward to this.
On the other hand, you do have a significant advantage. Since you are still employed, you may find something better. And if you don't lose your job, you'll have lost nothing for trying.
I do not like it in a house I do not like it with a mouse I do not like it in a car I do not like it at a bar I do not like it with a Christmas tree I do not like it on a ski
I do not like winter.
(although I have to admit that falling snow can look very pretty)
I always seem to run into bad luck on vacations abroad. I thought I'd broken the curse with my second-to-the-last trip, but the last one restarted the chain of unfortunate events.
Well, as Time Trapper Rickshaw1, when I get the flu, bad things happen. For one, all the whiskey turned to turnip juice. When I sneeze, little bullets of dandelion shoot out my nose, and once, when I pppharted, Imsk was moved eleven degrees over. Problem was, it was so small by then, a passing trash ship warped over it and unloaded a shipment of Vantha-pee.
So, where's Drura again? Got a lil' sum'in sum'in for her.
So, I haven't been here much lately, and some of you are probably thinking.."Aw damn, he's back?" But, there's been reason.
First up, our lease at our business was up, well, actually a sublease, and neither we nor the guy we subleased from was willing to go on the hook for five years, with the possibility that a portion of the place we had might be sold off. And that was the portion of the lot we showed the cars on. So, for the last few weeks it's been all hours of the day and night working to get the new office ready. Almost there.
Still have to get the official paperwork done for the move (you wouldn't believe the regulations for a car dealership in SC.) as well as a few minor things, but it's nearly done.
The great news is that we've moved out to my home, so my morning commute is "walk out front door of house, walk 100 feet to office, enter office."
Now for the real thing to vent about. This Saturday will be the start of the forth week that my dad has been in the hospital. Honestly, we are at the end game as near as we can tell. He has congestive heart failure, went into the hospital for flu and pneumonia, and his kidneys have shut down. Every time he manages to rally, there's two more setbacks. We aren't giving up the fight, but honestly, he's tired and worn out. As long as he fights, we fight for him. But when he's done fighting, either to come home or to finally Go Home, we are going to respect that.
No one wants to lose a parent, but I don't want him to suffer either. That said...
It pretty much blows.
I've been through this with all three of the living grandparents I knew (my Mom's father passed before I was born), and it pretty much blew then as well. I'm not looking forward to a life without my Dad in it, but life does go on. I'm still blessed with a Wife and Son that are beyond great, and a mother and sister I love with all my heart.
But my dad wasn't just my dad. I got to really know him as an adult because he was always working when I was a child. I got to see what it took to pay the bills, to do the work, to get the job done. He has taught me that, and I gained an adults respect for a person. We were work partners as well as father and son. I won't get to have that kind of adult relationship with Sam because that boy has a brain and he's gonna use it instead of using himself up the way his dad and grandad did. But, I'll be here when he gets home from school now, and part of that is because of his grandad.
Pop isn't gone, but in all honesty, I don't think it will be long. So, this is my vent. Tired, worn out, heartsick... and zero Christmas cheer this year.
So, I haven't been here much lately, and some of you are probably thinking.."Aw damn, he's back?" But, there's been reason.
First up, our lease at our business was up, well, actually a sublease, and neither we nor the guy we subleased from was willing to go on the hook for five years, with the possibility that a portion of the place we had might be sold off. And that was the portion of the lot we showed the cars on. So, for the last few weeks it's been all hours of the day and night working to get the new office ready. Almost there.
Still have to get the official paperwork done for the move (you wouldn't believe the regulations for a car dealership in SC.) as well as a few minor things, but it's nearly done.
The great news is that we've moved out to my home, so my morning commute is "walk out front door of house, walk 100 feet to office, enter office."
Now for the real thing to vent about. This Saturday will be the start of the forth week that my dad has been in the hospital. Honestly, we are at the end game as near as we can tell. He has congestive heart failure, went into the hospital for flu and pneumonia, and his kidneys have shut down. Every time he manages to rally, there's two more setbacks. We aren't giving up the fight, but honestly, he's tired and worn out. As long as he fights, we fight for him. But when he's done fighting, either to come home or to finally Go Home, we are going to respect that.
No one wants to lose a parent, but I don't want him to suffer either. That said...
It pretty much blows.
I've been through this with all three of the living grandparents I knew (my Mom's father passed before I was born), and it pretty much blew then as well. I'm not looking forward to a life without my Dad in it, but life does go on. I'm still blessed with a Wife and Son that are beyond great, and a mother and sister I love with all my heart.
But my dad wasn't just my dad. I got to really know him as an adult because he was always working when I was a child. I got to see what it took to pay the bills, to do the work, to get the job done. He has taught me that, and I gained an adults respect for a person. We were work partners as well as father and son. I won't get to have that kind of adult relationship with Sam because that boy has a brain and he's gonna use it instead of using himself up the way his dad and grandad did. But, I'll be here when he gets home from school now, and part of that is because of his grandad.
Pop isn't gone, but in all honesty, I don't think it will be long. So, this is my vent. Tired, worn out, heartsick... and zero Christmas cheer this year.
I'm really hoping new year will be better.
You and your family are in my thoughts.
End of last April, my Ma went to the doc on Thursday, into the Hospital on Friday and I held her hand until the last breath on Sat. After a long battle, a cousin passed the next week of the same thing as my Ma, small cell cancer of the lungs.
The family had a party the next weekend. First time since Gramps died over ten years ago, everyone had gotten together. Even saw a long lost brother I hadn't seen for about 30 years.
Hope you don't lose your cheer. It's a time for old and new memories and get-togethers. As hard as they can be, I hope you cherish your last moments together with your Father.
Hi folks, since I told you here, I thought I'd take a moment to update everyone about my Dad.
If you've ever heard the term "Tougher'n a lightered knot", then you know what it means.
We thought we were losing him, and my mom and I made a Do Not Resuscitate decision. We were still doing everything we could to help him, making sure he got dialysis, making sure they were watching and taking care, and two out of three floors did a fantastic job. One nearly did him in.
but, as of this morning, he is off the intubation, he is awake if not really alert because he's fighting off over three weeks of sedation. He has had a congestive heart attack, and his lungs were in bad shape due to the flu and pneumonia, and his kidneys had shut down. Well, his kidney function is coming back, though we are doing maintenance dialysis. He's lost a lot of weight, mostly fluid. But, for the first time, the doctors are giving us some hope that he will come home.
To all of you that wished us well and prayed for us, I thank you more than you will ever know. He's not in the best of shape, and if/when he comes home, it will be a lot of work for my family to keep him with us, but he never quit, and we didn't either. Some prayers do get answered. Thank you all.
Rick, that is the greatest news I've heard all year!! Thank God! God love your dad and keep him well, always. Peace be with you and your family this holiday (and all the rest too).
Poor rickshaw1. You'll have to settle for a long-distance hug, though. I already had the leaping crud in December, and the ensuing cough only finally went away last week.
I read somewhere that the typical cough lasts an average of THREE weeks/18 days, no matter what antibiotics you take. The one I got in December certainly did x_x
Companies should start offering a cough leave. 3 weeks off!
I'm gonna' try and check in more frequently, Doll. I'm glad you're feeling better, too. Maybe we can ship some of that miracle tea over to rickshaw1's place...
The garden is in hibernation right now, but Spring's only a couple of months away. I'm actually looking forward to all the work. (Well, I'll have help from mr_cleome, so...)
I may be leaving new comics behind. after the last two years, I just don't love collecting any more. I've mainly been a DC fan since I can remember. That was my comics home. I had a few flirtations with Marvel way back when, but it just read too much like bad soap opera. DC had characters that actually acted like heros and not spoiled brats.
But the new 52 has been a major disappointment. The books I was actually looking forward to were awful (I'm looking at you Hawkman, Hawk and Dove) and the books that I had been reading were cancelled (Secret Six, so many others).
now, DC is cancelling Nightwing. I've given a fair amount of time, I feel for DC to find it's footing. But the interminable crossovers, loss of Legion, bad storytelling (I'm looking at you, Lobdell) have just about caused me to cancel my pull. Books like WF and Birds of Prey are okay (well, WF is pretty great), but just don't have the feel of the characters.
Add to that the fact that the current JL just feels like a jumbled mess (the book is barely two years old, and once again they remove the stars for months, and now Johns is gonna Black Adam/Sinestro the league? Find another well, man. You've been to that one way too much.
It just isn't fun right now. It seems kinda...mean, and empty. I tried the Superman books at the beginning of the new 52 just because I hadn't in years. Perez' stuff seemed void of the usual depth he added, and we find out its because of editorial. And the only good thing I've found to come out of the new universe is Aquaman. that's not a great track record of interest for me.
E2 is okay, but it seems more and more like an elseworlds book and not the JSA I wanted to read.
Even my LCS is talking about it. it's worse than Marvel. What's next, Justice League Taos? Justice League Birmingham?
This bites. I've tried a few of the independents, but they cancel the ones I like there as well.
There are still good comics that aren't done by the big two that go strong and don;t get cancelled. Despite the history of the big two, if I want consistency it's in the non DC and Marvel tittles, and has been since way before DCNu.
Invincible, Savage Dragon and BPRD all have long runs now.
There's plenty of non cape titles too. There's probably more quality there than ever. The Big 2 seem hopeless at it, so it's enabled other publishers to pick up the reins.
I always like the sense of wonder that was in the Weisinger/ Schwartz edited books. That sense of adventure on a large scope with characters, no heroes, that could inspire.
But these are few and far between. So there are archive editions, comic sales, TPBs and trying out new things.
So, yeah it's a pain that the characters we grew up with don't have any spark left at all. I do miss that. But there other options and plenty of real gems out there. While we all enjoy that, DC will turn once again and provide enough quality to make them worth buying again.
I just read the latest Fables novel and I wasn't thrilled. That has me worried that I'm in the same state as Rickshaw, losing my taste for "comics."
However I still seem to enjoy most of the non-DC (I don't have any Marvel) books I've picked up but not being thrilled by the last Fables has me worried. Could it be the coming apocalypse?
I was reading Buck Rogers, Tried to find The Bionic Man, Green Hornet, and several others. Right now the only independents Im getting is Warlord of Mars (there's a shocker from this old ERB fan, I know).
But I haven't been captured by any Batman stuff. Nightwing was finally moving away from the batverse a little and I was liking it. Batgirl...I've tried but it lacks something. Same with BoP.
GL is down to just GL and none of the ancillary titles. Superman I quit because of Lobdell's horrible writing, along with Superboy. But I'm trying Pak (not great there either). E2 is not the JSA and the only reason I'm still there is because of Nicola Scott. WF is very good, but kinda schizzo. Aquaman is the only really good, consistent book so far. Justice League... well, less said about that the better.
It's just sad. And waiting for the turn can be fruitless if they don't have anything to bring me back. This jumbled crossover currently running... I can't even tell you the name of it, I care so little.
I can recall books from my childhood better than I can remember last months issues. I still love comics. I just don't like what they are doing linewide right now, and it's a bummer.
But what do you do when you've caught up on all the back issues you wanted? That's the problem. It's tough for me to find those issues I want, like old Flash, GL, some low number runs like freedom fighters. I live way the hell out in the country and odds are if they don't come through my LCS, I don't get them.
DC is just so damn shitty right now. It feels like the implosion all over again.
Diversifying into other companies means I can still get a monthly comics fix. There's more than enough coming out from Dark Horse and Image alone to try a few new things.
What like are TPBs from your LCS, to try out older comics? Digital is possibly worth considering as the available issues expand.
I had big problems finding gaps in my Legion back issues too, I can imagine how hard it must be if you want to collect multiple titles. I agree Digital is a good option. Amazon and other such sites might be helpful, though you'll probably have to pay shipping costs for your purchases.
There also comes a point where back issues you've already read can be reread and enjoyed. I'm trying to think what DC titles fall into that category, other than the Legion.
for me, original doom patrol, GL, Flash, Batman from the early seventies. I even used to like the old Batman and Superman familiy titles.
Justice League back when it was good. I've got originals or copies of the JSA from the seventies. I've got about 15 to 20 thousand comics, not to mention all the novels I've purchased over the years.
There's just a limited run, no matter how you look at it.
I'd say from the start up to #200. Things seemed to fall apart after that. They wanted to be the Avengers instead of the Justice League, it seemed to me. I bought after 200 mainly for the JSA crossovers.
There was always some fans who were bored with either seeing the big guns overshadow the others, or not overshadow the others as they had been dumbed down.
There used to be editors that didn't want their heroes to be overexposed or handled differently too.
I suppose that some writers preferred working with the lesser heroes as they offered more scope to do things with.
Then there's the old JSA approach of removing people that already have their own book. Which is hopeful that there are enough good characters left to support everything.
In the end, they lost everyone who even had a hint of their own series and that was that.
After issue 200 it would be a very, very, very long time before the JLA would again be filled with DC's most powerful and most well-known heroes. They tried, but editorial interference (and developments in their own individual books) meant a lot of heroes remained unavailable - after Legends, Captain Marvel lasted less than a year and Wonder Woman's membership was aborted at the last minute.
A lot of lesser-known heroes did have good moments though. But it was certainly a big departure from the original League.
Havin' tha worst day. Carol fell this morning and hurt her back. Mom just signed the DNR for my Dad, unfortunately. My computer is still giving me issues. Historic freeze supposed to be coming. Been all over heck and creation this morning. Some days just suck.
Hope the wife heals. Difficult thing for Mom to have to do. Been through it as the request of my own Mom and wouldn't wish that decision on anyone. Put the computer outside and teach it a lesson.
Sorry for the rough time. I'm sure you're in everyone's thoughts.
HI folks. Well, unfortunately, it's over. My father passed away tuesday night/wednesday morning after a long battle. Basically, total organ failure due to infection. He was fighting his way back when this all started on December 1st, but he was left on his back too long, developed a sore that they had to cut out, and things spiraled down from there.
He fought harder than anything I had ever seen before, but ultimately, his own body just couldn't fight any more.
I haven't posted much recently because I just haven't felt to fun or jolly, but you folks have been a bright spot, along with my family. I may not be posting much for a while as now the things I had to let slide will be coming home to roost and it will take a lot of time and energy. But this is a great place with amazing people.
Thank you all. your well wishes and kindness are greatly apprecaited. Love you all.
I've been humbled before in life. Today it happened twice.
First, my eight year old son decided, on his own, to get up at his grandfather's funeral and speak. It was simple and moving, and he did it all on his own. I don't know what I ever did to deserve him in my life, but I imagine I'll spend the rest of mine trying to live up to him. I am very lucky.
Second, a friend I've met exactly once before in life, but spoken with many times here and elsewhere, traveled literally hours one way just to attend my fathers funeral, because he was concerned for and cared for me and my family. I was only able to spend a few moments with him, but those moments meant a lot. Philip, thank you for being a better friend than I have any right to expect. You are a genuine class act. Carol and I were touched more than we can say.
Those are both very touching and powerful instances, Rick. Thank you for sharing these moments. Your son is wonderful, I am sure he gets it from you and Carol.
Whenever I share posts on Kickstarter campaigns and charity groups, I hate that it feels like I have to personally bug people about them to get their attention. I'm starting to wonder why I bother because no one ever seems to care.
I have reblogged the same post about the same GoFundMe campaign to help an artist get to Oregon for a good job opportunity at least ten times in the last month and there are still only two contributors and I am one of them.
Seriously I can't stand this! Like is it so hard to even just reblog something that might help someone's financial situation? I already feel bad enough talking about this stuff because it's like I have to shove it into...
And I'm just noticing the last comment on here was me complaining about the exact same thing.
While this is indeed a thread for moaning, groaning, and venting, please respect the fact that everyone at LW (and everyone everywhere, I am told) has their own set of interests, obligations, and concerns.
WTF is it with the modern entertainment industry that everything they've been doing for the last twenty to twenty-five years just gets further and further from what I find entertaining?
Or am I the problem? I don't think that's the case, I've tried a lot of stuff I've ended up disliking with an open mind.
I've always felt out of step with my own generation, and now they're the ones running the show.
I can't wait 'til the next generation takes charge.
WTF is it with the modern entertainment industry that everything they've been doing for the last twenty to twenty-five years just gets further and further from what I find entertaining?
Or am I the problem? I don't think that's the case, I've tried a lot of stuff I've ended up disliking with an open mind.
I've always felt out of step with my own generation, and now they're the ones running the show.
I can't wait 'til the next generation takes charge.
In other words, "Get off my lawn, damn whippersnappers!"
In some ways, the next generation already runs things. I remember hearing on a podcast how an executive at one of the major television networks would show all the pilots (even those aimed at adults) for new shows to his 5 year old daughter and if she liked it, then it would get picked up.
WTF is it with the modern entertainment industry that everything they've been doing for the last twenty to twenty-five years just gets further and further from what I find entertaining?
Fanfie, I think the key to your question is found in the words I've highlighted. The entertainment industry does not exist to entertain you (you personally or you as part of a particular audience, take your pick). It exists to make money. As long as there is an audience for these things, the manufacturers will keep making them.
It could be that you've changed, as well. Sometimes the first sign a person has changed is that the things he or she used to enjoy are no longer appealing.
My completely unsolicited advice is to stop looking at the usual channels (comics, films, whatever) if they no longer satisfy you. Look elsewhere: plays, novels, poetry readings, activities of some kind, classes in different subjects (many of which can be taken for free) . . . try different things.
Also, I don't know if you volunteer, but that can help, as well. Helping others puts our own needs and wants in perspective and reduces the irritation caused by things out of our control.
I just vote with my wallet and my paws. It's a pain to just want to be entertained and finding so much that doesn't. I just look elsewhere. There's certainly no shortage of things to have a go at/ look to enjoy instead.
SOOOOO I have the best job in the world. I'm a professor. I teach a bunch of classes on health (Health Communication; AIDS, Cancer & Dying) and on culture (Intercultural Communication; Rhetoric of Comic Books; Erotic Bodies - porn). BUT I'm at a university that is not research-oriented so my research doesn't get adequate support. AND I have just been told that since the numbers in my department are low, I may not get tenure just because of that (my classes are full, I publish a lot, and my teaching evals are good). The tenured people in my department feel like I need to DO MORE in the department to recruit students, etc.
I am so frustrated ... I enjoy being in academia but this is ridiculous. So I guess I get to go on the job market next year. AGH
I work for a for-profit university, so there is no tenure. However, we have quite a bit of professional development, which, for the most part, I don't mind--but it's something else to keep track of and to do.
For me, the most difficult part is keeping up with discussion boards. We're an all-online institution, so the way student engagement is measured is by how many faculty posts are made relative to how many student posts are made. Never mind that most students wait until Tuesday evening--the last day of the week--to post, so there's no chance they're going to read the instructor's thoughtful and individualized (as opposed to "canned") comments. And never mind the fact the most make their three required posts and then they're outta there, negating the goal of having a real conversation. It's a numbers game, man.
But there are plenty of bright spots, and there are never any guarantees. Enjoy it while you can.
By the way, HHW - that communication count sounds inane ... All jobs have their weirdness though, no?
Yep. I understand the theory behind it. Our bosses have to know that we are doing are jobs, and they have to show to various stakeholders (including accreditation bodies) that students are engaged in the classes. The way they show that proof is through numbers and various things that can be measured.
I hate when my sibling's response to anything I do is "You're adorable" in that condescending, mocking tone of voice.
I ask if they've heard of a band I've developed a little interest in, and they laugh. If they don't like them they could just say that, but don't laugh at me when I ask their opinion on something. Otherwise, they shouldn't wonder why I don't show any interest in the music they like when all I get from them is laughter and condescension. And at least I'm respectful and keep my mouth shut about their music.
Sounds as though they have some insecurity issues there. As long as you don't stoop to that level.
Also, finding friends who don't always agree with you but who respect you and offer constructive thoughts of benefit to all involved is best. Oh wait...that's here.
Hey, Sarky. Same thing happened to me all my life with my folks. I tell myself it's a good thing I never had children, because I would probably end up doing the same thing to them.
It's even worse when my sibling or my mother talk about my hair or my face or my clothes. They think they're complimenting me when they say things like "You have such a nice face but you hide it behind your hair" or how my sibling's got friends who'd kill for my hair but I never do anything with it. Or my clothes. Or how I smile whenever she takes my picture and she has to force me to do it, and I end up looking like an idiot or a serial killer.
God I wish everyone would just shut up about the way I look or the clothes I wear? Neither of them can get through their heads no matter how many times I say it that
A: I LIKE my hair like this.
B: I DON'T like to smile when I have my picture taken because I don't like the way I look in any picture I've ever been in.
C: I will smile when I FEEL like it.
D: I wear the clothes I am comfortable in.
E: If I have to tie my hair back for job interviews I will but I don't like experimenting with my hair, I don't like brushing it because it's like I'm getting a rake dragged across my head, and I won't comb it when it's wet because then it looks like my head is a freaking oil slick!
Why can't the two of them just shut up about my appearance? Even when they think they're being nice it just hurts.
I hate whenever someone orders something on the store's eBay page and then they send messages saying the book came damaged, because that stresses me out wondering if it was my fault, the mail person's fault, or something else, and then it makes me worry about coming into the store the next day and getting yelled at by my boss because of this situation.
Assholes driving while holding the phone to their mouth looking like they are about to eat a bite of pie or a pop tart, not paying attention, and then cutting in front of a rig that is moving 80,000lbs and thinking, if they think at all, that we can stop as easily as they can.
No, you stupid fucking morons, we can't. And when we squash you like a bug because you ate up the lead space we had created to stop in, it wont be our fault, because we have CAMERAS in our trucks to capture YOUR FUCKED UP DRIVING!
Oh, and we get you on the phone and your license plate number on the camera.
Ooh, Ooh, traffic groans. Trucks camped in the middle lane forcing faster traffic to venturi around the artery blockage on the left and on the right. Move to the right, thank you. Entering traffic has been merging for a 100 years, they still know how to do it and the entrance isn't for 5 miles anyhow.
And GPS. People used to signal and casually change their lanes. Now, it's like emergency lane change when the nearest exit is still a mile down the road. I'm convinced it's them obeying those talking GPSes.
So I wrote out four new posts for my fanfic this morning and went to post them and my flipping iPad crashed. Of course, I hadn't saved the folder so have lost about three hours work.
Blockade Boy, no, they don't. I deal with that every day. People do NOT know how to merge. They speed up, get beside us when we are in the right lane, and then cannot decide whether to slow down and drop behind, or gun it and run down the side strip.
And since we are automatically assumed to be guilty until we can prove otherwise, we move to the center lane FOR YOUR PROTECTION!
Some individuals MIGHT know the correct way, and act accordingly, but we can't know which ones have the sense god gave a billy goat and which ones shouldn't be allowed to brush their own teeth for choking themselves. Hence, we get in the center lane. It gives them a chance to merge with others that don't know how to drive, and us a chance to create a buffer zone from their stupidity.
Blockade Boy, no, they don't. I deal with that every day. People do NOT know how to merge. They speed up, get beside us when we are in the right lane, and then cannot decide whether to slow down and drop behind, or gun it and run down the side strip.
And since we are automatically assumed to be guilty until we can prove otherwise, we move to the center lane FOR YOUR PROTECTION!
Some individuals MIGHT know the correct way, and act accordingly, but we can't know which ones have the sense god gave a billy goat and which ones shouldn't be allowed to brush their own teeth for choking themselves. Hence, we get in the center lane. It gives them a chance to merge with others that don't know how to drive, and us a chance to create a buffer zone from their stupidity.
Then let them meet Darwin.
It's not for MY protection if it's creating a more dangerous situation. Normal operating shouldn't become a meet Darwin. One of those things we could probably go round and round on I suppose but it is the venting thread, lol.
These middle lane trucks that I am talking about are camped. I'm not talking about those that are just moving to the middle in order to open an easier entrance lane then returning to the right. But even those shouldn't be changing lanes if it's cutting off traffic already on the highway. Probably everybody needs cameras in order to avoid that "presumed quilty" thing you're talking about.
I have friends in the business but don't drive myself. Flat out, they're saying those trucks camp because they like the extra space and they don't want to deal with the right lane.
My opinion, they didn't open the highways to a third lane to give truck traffic two of them. They did it to move traffic along. I respect trucks and truckers. Was raised they are the first to help when you get in trouble but when the truck is camped in the middle, cars are passing some on the left, others on the right, then the ones on the right are merging to the middle to avoid slower traffic and those on the left are merging towards the middle as they're supposed to. That's a problem because they're forced to merge blindly (due to size of truck) into the same space. From an engineering aspect, it's a clogged artery.
Another vent is the slow passer. Two trucks side by side with a half mile of empty space behind them and a seriously clogged far left of every car on the highway that had to move there in order to get by.
I'd like to see the state treat the slow passers and the middle lane camper the same way they treat cars that camp in the left lane. Ticket city baby.
Trucks, slow moving vehicles to the right. Let the mergers beware.
Sounds great until you realize that someone gets pancaked and killed. Then we would have to deal with "evil trucker runs over and kills innocent family and their little dog, too" stuff.
It's no fun for us, either. We get folks that think it's all about how we are jerks for actually looking out for the safety of people that do NOT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE.
Instead of an automatic reupment ever four or five years, people should have to take the test again to prove they know how to operate a vehicle. Most folks only see what pertains to them, we have to see everything around us. We are looking out for you when you are a quarter mile ahead, thinking about exits that will not get people in cars but are pretty much guaranteed to kill us to make sure you don't die. Cause moving at 65 miles an hour with 80,000 lbs means that when we run off the road because some vapid idiot cuts into a lane and then slams on brakes we are gonna flip, head on into dirt banks, or trees, or walls. And 80,000lbs don't stop on a dime.
Sounds great until you realize that someone gets pancaked and killed. Then we would have to deal with "evil trucker runs over and kills innocent family and their little dog, too" stuff.
It's no fun for us, either. We get folks that think it's all about how we are jerks for actually looking out for the safety of people that do NOT KNOW HOW TO DRIVE.
Instead of an automatic reupment ever four or five years, people should have to take the test again to prove they know how to operate a vehicle. Most folks only see what pertains to them, we have to see everything around us. We are looking out for you when you are a quarter mile ahead, thinking about exits that will not get people in cars but are pretty much guaranteed to kill us to make sure you don't die. Cause moving at 65 miles an hour with 80,000 lbs means that when we run off the road because some vapid idiot cuts into a lane and then slams on brakes we are gonna flip, head on into dirt banks, or trees, or walls. And 80,000lbs don't stop on a dime.
Organization and predictability prevents accidents. Chaos causes them. Trucks -->
There's nothng can be done about the "vapid idiot," they're nothing to make rules over and there's many driving trucks too. It might be old man memory but it seems there were fewer poor truck drivers in the day, those that cut you off, change lanes suddenly or tailgait. I don't ever recall problems with trucks in the day, you could always count on them to help you out (pre-cell phone), give you room on the road..... Now it seems rare to make a long day trip without encountering at least one that treats me as if I'm in the way and I nearly always am in the right lane going the speed limit.
Way I see it, most trucks by far see fit to stay to the right, so why are a few blocking up traffic for miles by camping in the middle? When the roads were only two lanes, trucks remained in the right and people merged just fine.
I think there's some regionality to it too. On the Ohio pike, I rarely see a truck camped in the middle. In Michigan it's tough to get away from them. Heading to Cleveland just a few weeks ago, a truck was camped in the middle. Another passed on the right while I was passing on the left. After passing, I returned to the middle lane. The truck passing on the right didn't even look and started over into the middle, got half-way into the lane before realizing and did a sudden jerk back to the right and sent his trailer swaying. Same trip one of those double trailors got hit by the wind and almost knocked me out of my lane.
In general, truck and truck caused accidents seem to be going up. I think maybe the more predictable they remain, stay in the right, stay on the cruise, the fewer the accidents. When they merge over into main traffic in the middle and left or do the slow pass, then less professional drivers (the rest of humanity) are forced to cope with situations for which they are not trained.
Spent the day shuttleing 25 miles one way three times just to get a one page fax from my doctor to the OHS to get my medical card for my CDL because someone at the damn office didn't know how to operate a freakin fax machine!
I was not happy. Carol can attest to this because I said things I never say.
I work in a department with an incompetent chair. And of course he can't hear any feedback or criticism. He just demanded I apologize because I confronted him about a mistake HE MADE that impacts my paycheck
I hear you, Andy. When I worked in a county library, one of my supervisors for a few months was a full-blown psycho (being the Dr. Karla "Moonstone" Sofen wannabe that I am, I have a hunch she was bipolar but had been improperly diagnosed.) And she never took responsibility for her own mistakes and emotional outbursts and racist blurts. She. Never. Ever. Did. She also couldn't control her own flatulence. I'll bet that explains a lot about why I post so much about bodily functions.
Bad bosses are still the number one reason why people leave their work... My sympathies, Myg and Fanfie.
Originally Posted by rickshaw1
Spent the day shuttleing 25 miles one way three times just to get a one page fax from my doctor to the OHS to get my medical card for my CDL because someone at the damn office didn't know how to operate a freakin fax machine!
I was not happy. Carol can attest to this because I said things I never say.
The bureaucracy is strong there... Sigh, I hate all that red tape. And the stupidity of the office for not knowing how to operate a fax machine!
Maybe they think the kitchen sink is too easy to steal.
I am at a bank now. Air conditioning is broken, no ventilation whatsoever, not enough seats, long ad terribly slow queue. For non withdrawal/deposit transactions there is no organized queueing system. I hate it. In a few months I will close my account and gladly take my business elsewhere
Just got two rejections today - one for an article, one for an award. It's been a couple months of steady rejections.
It's strange - I'm not down like I would have been in the past - I'm glad I at least write and submit stuff cuz so many people don't even bother with that bit. But I'm also thinking that I need to readjust what I'm doing and how.
Rejection is never easy--I've gotten quite a few articles rejected over the year; can't say I've been up for enough awards to be rejected for one--but it can indeed show you where you need to adjust your priorities.
Had a grievance meeting Monday about the packing in of students into my classroom. There are only 16 inches between the desks. My union rep fed them a line I had handed him in an email, "Mr BB is the only one in this room that could come even close to fitting between those desks. The three women were particularly not pleased with the comment, though one on the admin side of the table did kind of nod agreement, lol.
Admin seems to think that "7 square feet" are what is required." Now for the Math challenged, that is NOT 7 feet by 7 feet. That is seven normal sized floor tiles. Try that for 50 minutes, seven times a day.
Talking to my grievance rep, I noticed all the political signs out front of the union building, there wasn't one for county commisioner, two of the biggest names in local politics. Asked why no endorsement? My "rep" said, "....one can't control his wife and the other is always looking into peoples' business (meaning, keeping an eye on things)"
sigh
I want a new union rep. I want a new union.
A couple years ago, the Superintendent sent out a mass email, thanking all the teachers for their hard work. One wonk wrote back, "show us the money." I looked her up. Spec Ed (about 2-5 students per hour with the help of a para) making 70G.
So my ex-husband popped back into my life because he had a horrible car accident and wouldn't be able to get a new car, leading to him losing his jobs, etc. He thought suicide was an option.
So I put the down payment on a car for him. I realize I will not get the money back (nor any of the money owed in the relationship). But I felt like this was the last time I would have to deal with him.
Tough one Andy. You don't want to enable and get further ensnared, but it sounds like he really did need a helping hand. It's your Christmas good deed! At least you accept that you're not getting the money back, so we won't see you on Judge Judy.
Picked up a new chainsaw to do some hurricane cleanup. Made two cuts with it and did something I've never done before, jammed the blade. Couldn't pull it out without bending the blade. Tried lifting the limb and letting the boy pull it out, but couldn't lift it high enough. Had to chop it out so naturally I busted the chain and the bar doing it.
I teach at a private university on Long Island. I have been having a bad year with my department chair - whom I find incompetent. This chair has made every choice possible to undermine my tenure prospects - not through malice, but because he doesn't understand how the university is run.
The year before we go up for tenure, the university issues a letter that gives the financial prospects of your tenure - that is, can the university afford your line for 30 years. My university is very tuition driven.
I got my letter today. It's a bad letter.
I am Teacher of the Year at my school. I have published 9 articles when we only need 2.
I'm over it.
While I could go back to my former career as a health executive, I really do love being a professor. The pay is crap but the breaks are fantastic and I can generally do what I want.
Also, this means I'm going to have to move since New York is a hard nut to crack into the universities
I teach at a private university on Long Island. I have been having a bad year with my department chair - whom I find incompetent. This chair has made every choice possible to undermine my tenure prospects - not through malice, but because he doesn't understand how the university is run.
The year before we go up for tenure, the university issues a letter that gives the financial prospects of your tenure - that is, can the university afford your line for 30 years. My university is very tuition driven.
I got my letter today. It's a bad letter.
I am Teacher of the Year at my school. I have published 9 articles when we only need 2.
I'm over it.
While I could go back to my former career as a health executive, I really do love being a professor. The pay is crap but the breaks are fantastic and I can generally do what I want.
Also, this means I'm going to have to move since New York is a hard nut to crack into the universities
Myg, you might want to try some Mid-West colleges. I went to a small private college, and I really enjoyed it and most of the professors seemed to have fun too. I also got an uncle who does Career Services (like resume reviews) for a living, so feel free to send me a PM if you would like any help.
Andy, don't be afraid to look at some other teaching options. I teach at a for-profit institution, and it is by far the best place I've ever taught in terms of how faculty members are treated and how the focus remains on the students.
The best part is that, as an all-online institution, we have faculty scattered all over the country and even overseas.
Myg, if you are doing what you love, fight and don't give up. Being stuck in a job you hate is soul deadening. Moving isn't always bad, so I'm wishing you the best.
I'm a bit late here Andy, but I couldn't agree agree more with the others. It's clearly something you love doing. and if you're willing to make that move, there's every likelihood of more fruitful opportunities ahead. If they can't keep their teacher of the year, well, it will be someone else's gain, I'm sure.
This isn't really a vent, but a bit of a moan. My youngest cat, Roswell, died from a blood clot. At 8 am she was fine, by 10 am she was gone (euthanized). The vet said it's fairly common, although I'd never encountered this. She suddenly lost the use of her back legs and was crying, so I feared she had somehow broken her spine (and figured there wasn't any hope for her with that). Took her to the vet, hoping it might be something fixable, but the vet felt her back legs, which were ice cold, and knew right away it was a blood clot (cold legs since no blood circulated there). She said there wasn't any chance of recovery, even if they broke up the clot, it would just keep happening. Poor little soul.
My husband seemed more upset up than I was, so I told him, better her than you, which hopefully gave him pause for reflection. Fortunately, we could break the frozen ground so we buried her under the spruce trees in the back.
Good thoughts for Belinda, Quis. I've gone through a few big surgeries for cats and it's always filled with anxiety, but each one has come out perfectly. It's amazing how quickly animals endure these things so stoically and how quickly they recover.
Cramer, I'm so sorry I didn't reply to this earlier, but I usually only read the first few words of the new posts in this thread on the Active Topics screen.
These past several months have been very hard on us cat lovers, both within and without Legion World. In addition to your loss, Cle and Thoth have suffered similarly, and so have my best friend, who lost the cat she had adopted, literally from off her doorstep, back in 1998!
I've never owned a cat myself, unless I count a borderline feral male kitten whom a schoolmate gave me around age 10 after his cat gave birth. Short version, he ran away after a few months. But I am still definitely more of a "cat person" than a "dog person," and I offer my condolences and sympathies to you, Cramer, as I had before to all the other cat owners I've mentioned in this post.
So, I dropped Belinda off for her surgery. They will first do a CT scan after 9. Then the vet/surgeons decide how to proceed with the operation and then operate. She definitely will be staying over night, but I can see her between 6-7. Also they will be calling and texting me during the day.
They have to go over all the things that might go wrong. I understand that, but it does make it feel a little hopeless. Still, I am hoping for a good outcome and that the mass is benign.
So, not good at all. The CT Scan showed that the mass is right around some vital organs and the radiologist thinks that more likely than not, it is cancer. So, I made the decision to stop the operation. They will treat her with some pain medication and eventually she will have to be euthanized. The main thing is that she doesn't suffer too much.
That's really sad news, Quis. I think you made the right decision to stop the operation, minimize the trauma. It sounds like you have some very attentive vets, which helps.
We know or expect that our pets are going to die before we do, but it's still really difficult to face. Maybe it makes us appreciate them even more, each day they're with us.
I got hit on the Northeast side of Atlanta ...AGAIN! That's twice in the last four months. This time it was because a person was driving at less than 20 mph in the right hand lane and another car ran up on it. The duallie couldn't go right because of concrete barricades do to road work. So he hits the slower car and then hits me.
People...USE SOME DAMN SENSE!
You can't drive that slow on the interstate in Atlanta ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE ARE PLACES TO PULL OFF THE ROAD EVEN WITH YOUR DAMN BLINKERS ON!
Thank goodness I was using Trucker driving sense and was on the inside right lane instead of the extreme right lane. The driver would have been dead, not just had a sore back.
To all my Legionworld friends, please remember, large truck can move up to 80,000 lbs. We are not nimble. We are not quick. Leave us our safety gaps.
I got hit on the Northeast side of Atlanta ...AGAIN! That's twice in the last four months. This time it was because a person was driving at less than 20 mph in the right hand lane and another car ran up on it. The duallie couldn't go right because of concrete barricades do to road work. So he hits the slower car and then hits me.
People...USE SOME DAMN SENSE!
You can't drive that slow on the interstate in Atlanta ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE ARE PLACES TO PULL OFF THE ROAD EVEN WITH YOUR DAMN BLINKERS ON!
Thank goodness I was using Trucker driving sense and was on the inside right lane instead of the extreme right lane. The driver would have been dead, not just had a sore back.
To all my Legionworld friends, please remember, large truck can move up to 80,000 lbs. We are not nimble. We are not quick. Leave us our safety gaps.
Thanks, Quis. I was fine. Honestly, I didn't even notice that it happened except for the sound. Seriously. It wrecked that duallie, tore the rear axle out, murdered the front end. I bent the ladder on my tank and had a slice of rubber out of the sidewall of rear tire.
Honestly, if that duallie had gotten just a little more under the rear of the trailer, squashed driver.
We try to leave gaps between us and other drivers because we just aren't that nimble. We constantly look for "outs" because people will sit in our blindspots, they will gather round us because we are slower. Truckers like to run in groups of trucks or alone for YOUR safety. If we get in a wreck at 70mph, odds are we aren't coming out of it. We just don't wanna take anyone else with us.
Belinda is no longer suffering. The vet said that he thought it was the right thing to do also. I have to say, last night and this morning were very hard. When she would start purring while I petted her, I doubted that it was the right thing. But feeling her bones, seeing her struggle to eat something made me wish it was already over. While taking her there, I got urges to just run away with her.
I did hold her while the vet administered the drugs. She was at peace in a matter of seconds. I did go for the general cremation rather than an individual one in which I would get her ashes.
I will get another cat, but not right away. Thank you all for your sympathy at this time.
Deep condolences to you, Quis. If she was struggling to eat, it would only have gotten worse for her. That's a hard blow nonetheless and you must still feel her presence in your home.
You were a great companion to Belinda. She was lucky to be adopted by you.
Deep condolences to you, Quis. If she was struggling to eat, it would only have gotten worse for her. That's a hard blow nonetheless and you must still feel her presence in your home.
You were a great companion to Belinda. She was lucky to be adopted by you.
Thanks FC. Especially knowing that you are going through the same with your dear Roswell.
Man, I'm so sick of filling out internship applications. I've counted my spreadsheet and I've applied for 56 positions in the past few months, from private to public sector, for-profit to nonprofit, paid to unpaid. Just give me a job already, dammit!
Thanks, guys. Fortunately, my roommate put in a word for me at the company he worked at last summer so hopefully that pushes my application up a little.
Being single is old for me . . . in whatever year.
I'm in my 50s and probably look older. (Hey, I get the senior discount at a local restaurant, so it's not all bad.) Romance is overrated. Take that, Valentine's Day.
If we were an adult film franchise, I could say that I'm too busy waiting on the repair guys to have time for romance in the evening-- and it would be bragging.
Instead it's true, and as mundane as you'd expect.
I would post, but someone gave me the job of repairman's assistant and I just spend all my time now in doorways watching hot (and cold running) plumbing action.
Besides "Cleome: The last word in cool" has a nice ring to it.
Sometimes the same people pry favor after favor out of you over a short period of time, and you start to feel like you're being taken advantage of. But you don't dare say anything.
I had to sit through the most abusive department meeting today. I put on the agenda that my letter indicating that I would not get tenure based on department enrollment (my department is the only one that utilizes department enrollment as criterion for tenure) and my chair used the opportunity to criticize me, tell I've been short, snitty and non-collegial with him (because I say no to demands on my time to work on tenure), demand a public apology, and then pointed out that collegiality is part of tenure
I took a breath.
Then I told him that this whole tenure situation is happening to me, not him. That I was not responsible for managing his feelings. And that I am tired of the tone-policing when I have worked hard only to be told that I'm not tenurable based on our department numbers (where my classes are PACKED).
Yes, I deeply understand that universe is trying to tell me to get the hell out and change schools. I interview next week in San Diego.
So.... My shower has been unusable for 5 days due to a leak. So I've been using the shower at the gym. This morning I don't want to get my butt up to go to the gym to shower. BUT I have to teach all day.
My LCS is getting out of the comic business. They've always been a used bookstore first, and then had comic subscriptions business that ebbed and flowed, but now the US exchange rate has finally forced them to drop comics altogether. I've been shopping there for over 20 years, so it's a bit sad. They also had the advantage of being a few blocks from my house, and opened at 8:00 am, so I could pick up Wednesday's comics on my way to work and read them at lunch.
The only other game in town is inconveniently located downtown, doesn't open until 10:00 most days, and has exorbitant mark-ups on their books (guess in the long run it was a smart move for them, but stinks for me).
My LCS is getting out of the comic business. They've always been a used bookstore first, and then had comic subscriptions business that ebbed and flowed, but now the US exchange rate has finally forced them to drop comics altogether. I've been shopping there for over 20 years, so it's a bit sad. They also had the advantage of being a few blocks from my house, and opened at 8:00 am, so I could pick up Wednesday's comics on my way to work and read them at lunch.
The only other game in town is inconveniently located downtown, doesn't open until 10:00 most days, and has exorbitant mark-ups on their books (guess in the long run it was a smart move for them, but stinks for me).
To add to my previous rant. We were given a letter on the 1st explaining the situation and what the transition would look like and were assured that our pull lists would be filled until the end of the month.
Well, I arrived today to find no new books and a notice that due to people not clearing out their files, they've decided to stop receiving shipments immediately. So no new comics with no advanced notice at all. My subcription starts at the other place at the first of June, but now I have to find the missing stuff from this week and next in the interim. I recognize they are in dire straights, but feels like a kick in the teeth to a long-time loyal customer.
Related: our favorite Friday Night Nachos joint has undergone managerial overhaul. Price hikes, portion shrinks, and in a hilariously petty turn, they've decided not to give out free chips when you come in. You've gotta' pay for them.
They literally printed on their new (less diverse) menu that they'll be adding a mandatory charge to all bills this summer because the state has hiked Minimum Wages.
Y'know... all I can say as an ex-server is, quit whining, Management Clowns. Raise prices outright, like everyone does, and deal. Stop pinning your woes on people who are trying to make a living in one of America's most expensive cities.
I could go on for 20 paragraphs, but you get the picture.
mr_cleome and I sat there on our (likely last-ever) visit, glumly picking at our tiny, now-crappy portions of food and noticing that we didn't even recognize any of the servers anymore. They probably all quit in disgust or got sacked.
Sigh, it's sad when favorite places experience such a big negative change.
Especially when businesses think cost-cutting is the only way to go. Not everyone has to compete on low prices.
My own little vent - I'm involved in organizing a fairly big event, and am in charge of publicity and communications. I'm good at writing messages but hamstrung by lack of creative talent. The target audience apparently hates the organizing institution, and our team lead seems to think that everything can be solved by spamming people with emails thrice a week - but I've said again and again since the start, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO COMMUNICATE WHEN THERE ARE NO DETAILS TO COMMUNICATE??? We even got feedback directly that people were offended that we communicated the event price without including a detailed agenda for the day or the dinner venue...
... and he still says, "don't bother with the details, just send an email again. Anyway, every time we send an email some new people register."
Engage with your target audience and, in the absence of being able to provide any information, get your audience to let you know what *they'd* like from such an event. Be sure to put your leads e-mail addy for all that great feedback!
I thought of that (great minds think so much alike ) problem is, he is even more up-to-date on his emails than I am... and will just forward everything to me!
Sigh, it's sad when favorite places experience such a big negative change.
Especially when businesses think cost-cutting is the only way to go. Not everyone has to compete on low prices.
Yep, and this place was never going for dive bar clientele anyway. Dive bars can be fun, of course. But this has always been a spacious, well-lit room with stuff for families on one end: even a little playroom for kids. On weekends, they even turn part of the space into a mini-dance studio. Maybe keeping those extras will keep bringing customers in. I just won't be among them.
Originally Posted by Invisible Brainiac
My own little vent - I'm involved in organizing a fairly big event, and am in charge of publicity and communications. I'm good at writing messages but hamstrung by lack of creative talent. The target audience apparently hates the organizing institution, and our team lead seems to think that everything can be solved by spamming people with emails thrice a week - but I've said again and again since the start, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO COMMUNICATE WHEN THERE ARE NO DETAILS TO COMMUNICATE??? We even got feedback directly that people were offended that we communicated the event price without including a detailed agenda for the day or the dinner venue...
... and he still says, "don't bother with the details, just send an email again. Anyway, every time we send an email some new people register."
:bangs head on wall:
I wonder how many new people register each time versus how many want to kill someone.
In my last few months in the Philippines, I also came to develop some favorite hang out spots... The ambience counted for as much as the food and drinks. I'm sorry this place has changed so much, cleome.
This event I am helping organize will be done in a month, and all I want is for it to be over
Summer tourist traffic. Today I had a "sudden decel event being recorded". Why? because at mile 92 on I20 I topped a rise at 68 mph in a 70 mph zone and traffic on the other side of the hill was at a dead stop. Why? Because some dumbasses FIVE EFFIN MILES UP THE ROAD had been pulled for drunk driving and open containers. When I finally got there the traffic was opening up and their forties and empty bombay sapphire gin bottles were on top of the car. There was no wreck. Cops weren't diverting traffic. Just fuckin' lookyloo's slowing everything to a damn standstill so they could gawk at the people on the side of the road.
At least I was smart enough to go through Chattanooga and Knoxville and not Atlanta. Had another sudden decel event there YESTERDAY not because I was doing anything wrong, but because some pissy little wannabee fast and furlorn decided to cut me off and fill the space between me and the car in front of me. Buffer zones are there for YOUR PROTECTION, dumbass. Not mine.
I'm not sure how it happened, probably sunspots or something. BUT my multi-year art block suddenly ended a few weeks ago. I pulled a bunch of small, never-completed roughs out of mothballs, and got them assembled, corrected, sealed... the whole thing. I borrowed $60 on credit and updated my art account (same one in my sig line) so it'll show all the stuff I've uploaded.
Also, I raced around like a Filing Demon for almost two weeks in my little corner "studio" space: Organized, cleaned, improved... the space is looking better than it has in a long time.
So... the venting part: last month I'd tested out our old scanner to make sure it would work. I was all psyched Friday morning to finally upload my newly completed stuff. BUT... all of a sudden the scanner and my Mac aren't on speaking terms anymore. Tech support couldn't help... the manual couldn't help... and the Mac store never returned my message.
So, for the day after Thanksgiving, my organization has a skeleton crew. If you have off, you get paid. If you work, you get a day off at another time of your choosing (within 60 days) So, in one of the departments on my floor, this new woman started. She was the only one in her department. She said how she was told that she could also have taken the day off if she wanted to. At about 10 (we start at 9) she says to me and another person working "You won't tell anyone if I leave right?" I thought she was joking, but later when I brought the mail over to her, she was gone. So in effect she is getting 2 paid days off.
My oh my! I just heard more things about this woman. Apparently she takes 2 hour lunches when the big boss is not in. She comes into work 9:30, sometimes 10 (work officially starts at 9, but some people have flexible schedules) Her position includes doing murder phone duty on Thursdays from 8:30 to 4:00. Dolly who is in charge of it just told me that when she was training her, she didn't take notes and got a call on her cell phone which she answered and talked on a bit before saying to the caller "I'm in a meeting". And when she gave her an intake form and said these are the important information you need to get. Dolly handed her a yellow highlighter. She said "Do you have a pink highlighter?"
Woke up today a bit grumpy. Don't know why Did a couple admin things. Over-reacted to an email from the chair of my dept about my fall schedule (luckily I did not respond to this email) Have to head into a department meeting Really want to be rid of the grumpies
Woke up today a bit grumpy. Don't know why Did a couple admin things. Over-reacted to an email from the chair of my dept about my fall schedule (luckily I did not respond to this email) Have to head into a department meeting Really want to be rid of the grumpies
So, for the day after Thanksgiving, my organization has a skeleton crew. If you have off, you get paid. If you work, you get a day off at another time of your choosing (within 60 days) So, in one of the departments on my floor, this new woman started. She was the only one in her department. She said how she was told that she could also have taken the day off if she wanted to. At about 10 (we start at 9) she says to me and another person working "You won't tell anyone if I leave right?" I thought she was joking, but later when I brought the mail over to her, she was gone. So in effect she is getting 2 paid days off.
I'm thinking that she might not last too long.
Further on this new co-worker. In the previous office she worked in (same organization, different city) she had her own office rather than a cubicle. She is just an administrative assistant both there and here. So, she has been complaining about the draft and actually left work early today due to a sore throat. Well, now it appears that she is getting an office. Not quite a private one, but still an office. Right now there are three interns working there. Not sure if all three interns are being moved or just one.
I don't say this about many people, heck about most people, but I do not trust this woman at all.
OK. Co-worker again. She has been in her "office" for a couple of months now.
Here a couple of us rotate mail duty. This consists of bringing mail down to have postage put on it (done twice a day) and then pick up any mail for the floor (3 departments) and pass it out. Office co-worker handles the mail for her department, so all the mail for her department goes to her. She sent out this email:
Good morning everyone,
I have a another mailbox located right across from the printer in case my door happens to be closed feel free to drop my mail in there as well either one works fine.
Got thrown under the bus by a classmate. We made a decision together and announced it to the people we work with.Then she reverses her stand in public (though she does apologize publicly for changing her mind unilaterally, despite us having discussed otherwise earlier). Damage has been done though.
16 hour days constantly are starting to wear on my old ass. Got in last night at 2am and woke at 6am. Haven't gotten to do any of the things I needed to do, today's Sunday, agri supply is closed and the lawnmower don't go without a new drive belt. Time for my 3 month diabetes doctor stop, and instead of a quiet, calm, relaxing day, gonna be up to my armpits in shite!
I love swimming, but hate how it messes up with my ears. I have to take this medication to control earwax build up. It works wonderfully, but sometimes I have to wait a few hours for it to work. During that time my ear feels uncomfortably full, and my hearing is impaired
This has been bothering me for a long time, and even talking about it with Rhino hasn't seemed to help abate this (I'm sorry Rhino, it's not you, it's me)
Lash didn't deserve to die without at least having the comfort of enjoying a new Legion comic before it happened. Neither did Dev.
It often annoys me when I see something that I know Lash would really have enjoyed that he's not around to see it. I have the thought at least several times a week that "If he were still here, we'd be talking about this..."
That's always going to be the case no matter when we depart, however. There's always going to be some experience that death cheats us out of. That's the nature of the beast.
Then again, maybe there's a whole slew of super-groovy Legion comics waiting for us in the afterlife (written by Ed Hamilton and other departed Legion creators), and Lash is sitting there thinking "Too bad EDE isn't here to enjoy these!"
Sometimes I still feel like one big, sentient raw nerve.
These last few days have been one of those times.
I just seem to careen recklessly from complete and utter apathy to moderate but unsatisfying creativity and/or enthusiasm.
And nothing gets done! Not the things I want to do, nor the things I have to do!
Here's the nasty irony -- a few weeks ago, my psychiatrist increased my nightly dosage of -- let's call them "calming pills" -- by 1 gram.
So I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't! Too much of the stuff, and I'm lethargic; too little of the stuff, and I want to kick a hole in the wall. And either way, things don't get done!
To quote one of my favorite lyrics, from Suzanne Vega's "Penitent," where she directly addresses whatever higher powers are out there,
And just when I thought things could not get any worse...
The state-run job placement agency changed counselors on me without even the courtesy of telling me! Today, I get a phone call out of the blue from a number that is not in my contacts, and the @#$% on the line gets all pissy when I asked what the nature of the call was (because of scammers and such -- I firmly believe you can't be too careful these days.) As if I was supposed to read her mind over the phone that she's my new counselor? And after that bad start, it just got worse. I generally dislike people with abrasive, authoritarian personalities, and this person's lack of social graces and lack of phone etiquette definitely fit the description.
I called the agency's ombudsman, who was a very pleasant woman who told me I have the option of calling the counselor's supervisors and requesting a transfer to someone else. But seeing as I've already been yanked around the way I have, I'm tempted to tell the whole agency to go f**k themselves! If I wasn't so desperate, I would have already done just that.
Sometimes, when people struggle to find words of support, they reach for a record. Something else else that expresses their sympathy. Something else else that shows they understand.
So, I've picked Daniel Powter's "Bad Day." Actually, I've picked up a crate of them, and I'm going to let you have first go with the flamethrower.
Ah, see the air fill with shallow, saccharine lines and listen to the briefly catchy chords fade into the crackling of the fire...
And just when I thought things could not get any worse...
The state-run job placement agency changed counselors on me without even the courtesy of telling me! Today, I get a phone call out of the blue from a number that is not in my contacts, and the @#$% on the line gets all pissy when I asked what the nature of the call was (because of scammers and such -- I firmly believe you can't be too careful these days.) As if I was supposed to read her mind over the phone that she's my new counselor? And after that bad start, it just got worse. I generally dislike people with abrasive, authoritarian personalities, and this person's lack of social graces and lack of phone etiquette definitely fit the description.
I called the agency's ombudsman, who was a very pleasant woman who told me I have the option of calling the counselor's supervisors and requesting a transfer to someone else. But seeing as I've already been yanked around the way I have, I'm tempted to tell the whole agency to go f**k themselves! If I wasn't so desperate, I would have already done just that.
I am deeply unhappy.
Not everyone is made out for customer service. And that counselor's job does involve customer service.
Hopefully she can get you a job soon and you don't have to deal with her anymore.
Thank you, my friends. I knew I could count on you. I particularly appreciated the levity from Rick and Thoth. Laughter truly is the best medicine.
After sleeping on it, and giving it some extra thought, I've decided that before I do anything drastic, I will wait until the next time she calls (which will probably be tomorrow,) and if she makes a better impression, I will give her a second chance. If not, I'll follow the ombudsman's advice and find out how to get transferred to a different counselor.
Perhaps someone with their head screwed on straight heard her call with you, and appropriately chewed her out on her bad counseling behavior.
"I'm sorry, Miss Sourpuss! We cannot allow you to continue as a counsler! Your low scores on our super-phone calls indicate your behavior is too awful for our profession!"
Perhaps someone with their head screwed on straight heard her call with you, and appropriately chewed her out on her bad counseling behavior.
"I'm sorry, Miss Sourpuss! We cannot allow you to continue as a counsler! Your low scores on our super-phone calls indicate your behavior is too awful for our profession!"
So for the second time in 2 years at this job, the Chair of my department has insinuated that my politics around my sexual identity are inappropriate. Last year she wondered why so many male students hug me. This year she said my "job was on the line" because of a student complaint that I talked about my "gay sex life" (obviously just the gay bits though) and pornography for a 3 hour lecture.
I had to point out that if I had done that for 3 hours in the second week of the semester, that I was surprised only 1 out of 150 students complained.
She went though her investigation (including asking for a ridiculous amount of explanation from me) - and I indicated that 3 students audio record the class due to accommodations. Instead she decided to treat this as a legitimate claim and I needed to be "worried" about my job. Although of course she was "on my side" and protecting me.
I'm unconvinced.
It sucks because I really like the students here and I'm starting to make friends in San Diego and could see making a home here. But I don't want to have this person come at me every year with some crap. And I really don't want to go on the market again.
(For context, the Dean of my College just resigned in a public statement about the homophobia and transphobia on campus -- her partner is trans and they've faced some crap here).
I would think finding out how long the lecture actually was would be the first step in investigating this complaint. And have 3 students who have to audio tape the lecture makes it seem like an easy thing to do.
This year she said ... that I talked about my "gay sex life" (obviously just the gay bits though) and pornography for a 3 hour lecture.
I'm concerned that you may have been taking performance pills to have made it last for three whole hours Andy.
She sounds like a gem, Andy. Supporting you all the way to your dismissal. Protecting you from the slings and arrows of distorted things that she gleefully makes sure are in your file. If that's the second year of this, then it's a decent bet that it will continue. Perhaps she puts fear into many members of staff (let's call it the Weisinger approach ) If it's a wider cultural issue, then it becomes more targeted. At best, just enough to keep you worried. At worst, all building up to something more serious. Lots of folks do have bosses on the "at best" side of this. So, it doesn't always mean there's a definite move to get you to leave.
Having handy students who record everything, is a very good step in the right direction.
I was just about to rephrase "cover your butt" when an English cricketer was interviewed on the radio and said "it's important to know when to pull out at the right time." I fear even your venting has side effects.
This year she said ... that I talked about my "gay sex life" (obviously just the gay bits though) and pornography for a 3 hour lecture.
I'm concerned that you may have been taking performance pills to have made it last for three whole hours Andy.
She sounds like a gem, Andy. Supporting you all the way to your dismissal. Protecting you from the slings and arrows of distorted things that she gleefully makes sure are in your file. If that's the second year of this, then it's a decent bet that it will continue. Perhaps she puts fear into many members of staff (let's call it the Weisinger approach ) If it's a wider cultural issue, then it becomes more targeted. At best, just enough to keep you worried. At worst, all building up to something more serious. Lots of folks do have bosses on the "at best" side of this. So, it doesn't always mean there's a definite move to get you to leave.
Having handy students who record everything, is a very good step in the right direction.
I was just about to rephrase "cover your butt" when an English cricketer was interviewed on the radio and said "it's important to know when to pull out at the right time." I fear even your venting has side effects.
Yes, Thoth - you've hit it on the head I think there's a wider culture this person wants to enforce to make people feel precarious and that she is the only one who can save them. I'm glad that this is her last semester as Chair and I never have to speak to her again. Although I'm sure that she'll come at me with something next year too (which is the last year she really can - as I'll have tenure and therefore more protected in the US).
She didn't even ask for the student audio records. I was like "oh, this isn't real; you're just making a big deal out of it to get me worried".
I also openly disagree with her and call her out. She showed up 30 minutes late to a department meeting - no explanation or apology. When we got to the end of the meeting, she said "well, because we started 30 minutes late, I'm extending the meeting by 30 minutes". Everyone was like "we?" I sent her an email telling her she was disrespectful.
Soooo I'm strategizing with the other pre-tenure faculty (there are 5 of us, 1 more in the fall) about these attacks (she's come after each of us in different ways).
I really wanted to buy a condo this summer, but if I'm going on the market then I may want to rethink that... sigh
And yes I would need pills for that kind of performance.
I would think finding out how long the lecture actually was would be the first step in investigating this complaint. And have 3 students who have to audio tape the lecture makes it seem like an easy thing to do.
Agreed. I think she's being a bit ridiculous. And not having my back (for sure).
Too many days off work because they don't have enough runs. I hate changing jobs, but...i'm looking. And then today, no directions, the destination was hidden, so I wound up driving down a gravel lane though a bottom and up the other side onto a red clay dirt road. This was after calling another driver and getting mixed up directions. So, I had to back a 60' trailer half a mile down a hill on a road that was only one lane with soft shoulders and steep drop offs. Significant pucker factor. I don't think I broke half a mile an hour doing it.
Tired of bad runs, no runs, low pay and aggravation.
I need to win the lottery. prob'ly help if I played it.
I think spamming should be turned into a criminal offense punishable by death!
I swear, when I think of those smug little pale, acne-ridden twerps, smirking to themselves within the womb-like safety of their nerd-caves as they unleash new sources of stress and paranoia to millions of innocent people, all of my humanistic principles go out the window!
I find it amusing and annoying, how some people just shove their noses into one's personal business in the most irritating way.
Person: "what are you doing now" Me: "At work" or "With some friends" Person: "I'm not used to people replying while at work" or "shouldn't you be paying attention to your friends?"
I reply:
"Wow, are you my conscience???"
"Maybe you can be the floor supervisor and catch people texting during their work coffee break."
"My friends are so happy that you care so much about their feelings, really. Oh, by the way, they yelled at me for looking at my phone while waiting in line for the toilet."
I find it amusing and annoying, how some people just shove their noses into one's personal business in the most irritating way.
Person: "what are you doing now" Me: "At work" or "With some friends" Person: "I'm not used to people replying while at work" or "shouldn't you be paying attention to your friends?"
I reply:
"Wow, are you my conscience???"
"Maybe you can be the floor supervisor and catch people texting during their work coffee break."
"My friends are so happy that you care so much about their feelings, really. Oh, by the way, they yelled at me for looking at my phone while waiting in line for the toilet."
What a creep.
Oh, Internet, see what you have wrought upon peoples' ability to socialize with one another!
I don't mind the spammers too much. Most of it gets caught by my spam filters anyway and the rest is just a quick delete, just like throwing junk mail out of my letter box. It's the telephone calls I hate. "This is Microsoft and we have detected a fault with your computer." Although I did get the better of one once.
"How are you feeling today sir?
"Actually I'm feeling pretty sad."
"Oh?"
"I'm sad that you feel the only way to earn money for yourself is to scam other people."
"Uh...."
"I feel very sorry for you. There are so much better ways to live."
My cat Comet was euthanized yesterday. Took him to the vet thinking he had some parasite and a pill would fix everything, but it was a huge tumor swelling up his belly. Having been through the cancer routine with another cat (dreadful for both of us!), I decided to end it. Sad day, he was my favourite since the original Cramer. (Unhappiness alleviated by a hopelessly cute baby goat wobbling around the vet's office, having been rejected by her mother and being bottle fed.) Now I'm left with the psycho border collie and a real pesky old cat.
My cat Comet was euthanized yesterday. Took him to the vet thinking he had some parasite and a pill would fix everything, but it was a huge tumor swelling up his belly. Having been through the cancer routine with another cat (dreadful for both of us!), I decided to end it. Sad day, he was my favourite since the original Cramer. (Unhappiness alleviated by a hopelessly cute baby goat wobbling around the vet's office, having been rejected by her mother and being bottle fed.) Now I'm left with the psycho border collie and a real pesky old cat.
Soooo... it's midterms and I feel like the students are going a bit loopy.
Last week, I kicked out a class because they had not watched the movie assigned. This week, I had four students walk in late altogether, disrupting class and popping attitude when I questioned them. Then I graded a midterm and two students copied each other.
I'm left thinking, am I doing something to provoke this?
sorry to hear this, Myg. Those are some irresponsible and disrespectful students.
And it must be distressing to not know why, especially when you're concerned about giving them a good education.
Even during my MBA - where you'd expect people to take things seriously - a lot of my MBA classmates were pretty bad students, showing behavior such as this. Someone tried to copy from me during our French language finals... and we had one class where almost everyone copied homework for French too...
are there any diligent students in class? Maybe you could ask them for insights. Or perhaps have a colleague sit in and observe? Two of our professors did that and would share feedback to each other.
That must be so frustrating. I suspect they're like this in all their classes and life in general. Have you talked to other profs about this? I doubt it's just you.
I'd be quite open as they acting up, what the consequences would be, and fail them accordingly. The trick is doing it without defensiveness or anger. They will either learn (which being there to do just that should be a huge clue) or continue to fail. Their disruption sets a tone for others to follow, and gets in the way of those who *do* want to learn.
If there's ongoing attitude from people coming in late, there is a point where the class is simply cancelled. It's a last resort, but allowing it just encourages it. Peer pressure can kick in here (and that's something I've seen happen)
If it's the whole class not watching a movie, I'd look to understand why. There may be something in particular about it. It's very easy for teachers to have massive blind spots to things they have a passion for. "Sure the combine harvester does kill all those orphans in graphic detail, but you have to appreciate it in the wider context. A harvest comes for everything, and that's what the writer was looking to reinforce. Here, have another bucket." But if there is no good reason, then they can all fail together. It's up to you whether you continue to hand out the coursework relating to the movie anyway. Never let it be said that you didn't follow the course, or provide the material or support.
People cheating, and this seems to be a lot more widespread than I would have thought, is an insta-fail. That's completely on them.
Lurking in the background, of course, is that extensions of such things can reflect on the teacher, the course and the institution (something the institution will make painfully aware to its teaching staff). I've not seen many prospectuses that say "20% of last year's final year students passed!. That's because they were complete arses! You'll do better!"
I'd be quite open as they acting up, what the consequences would be, and fail them accordingly. The trick is doing it without defensiveness or anger. They will either learn (which being there to do just that should be a huge clue) or continue to fail. Their disruption sets a tone for others to follow, and gets in the way of those who *do* want to learn.
If there's ongoing attitude from people coming in late, there is a point where the class is simply cancelled. It's a last resort, but allowing it just encourages it. Peer pressure can kick in here (and that's something I've seen happen)
If it's the whole class not watching a movie, I'd look to understand why. There may be something in particular about it. It's very easy for teachers to have massive blind spots to things they have a passion for. "Sure the combine harvester does kill all those orphans in graphic detail, but you have to appreciate it in the wider context. A harvest comes for everything, and that's what the writer was looking to reinforce. Here, have another bucket." But if there is no good reason, then they can all fail together. It's up to you whether you continue to hand out the coursework relating to the movie anyway. Never let it be said that you didn't follow the course, or provide the material or support.
People cheating, and this seems to be a lot more widespread than I would have thought, is an insta-fail. That's completely on them.
Lurking in the background, of course, is that extensions of such things can reflect on the teacher, the course and the institution (something the institution will make painfully aware to its teaching staff). I've not seen many prospectuses that say "20% of last year's final year students passed!. That's because they were complete arses! You'll do better!"
Great points, Thoth.
For the film, I asked and no one thought I would care if they didn't watch it. Which is mind-boggling for a Media Studies course. One student suggested I put in weekly quizzes for the film. I'm now tempted, but I loathe quizzes. My thought has always been "it's your education" and "you make choices". I have never bought into quizzes as an accountability model (which gives me my answer as I ramble).
I'm fairly shocked at the cheaters and the attitude students. I made appointments with some this week. We'll see what comes of it.
That's the way I saw education, Myg. You are paying for it, one way or the other, there's no free lunch. So, if you are paying for it, why in the hell would you shortchange yourself? I'd want more than just the hour they spend in class. It's like eating out and paying. I'm not gonna fill up on nachos and leave my fajita's on the table.
Since I woke up today, my best coping mechanism has consistently been my sketchbook.
In the last 12 hours, I've designed a Pre-Crisis JSA poster, re-imagined the Crime Syndicate, homaged the cover to JLA v1 #22 (the one with the two Green Lanterns freeing their teammates from cosmic cages,) and prepared a pin-up of my beloved Pre-Crisis Queen Bee.
My greatest source of comfort is knowing that all us Legion Worlders are here to support each other.
Now that I've vented in the post above, I realize I'm being selfish and small-minded, and that the needs of the many must supercede the needs of the individual in a real-life crisis of this magnitude.
Now that I've vented in the post above, I realize I'm being selfish and small-minded, and that the needs of the many must supercede the needs of the individual in a real-life crisis of this magnitude.
It's not venting if it was done any other way. That reminds me that my book is due back tomorrow. I've not even started it. The request pool in my area is really limited, particularly for comics. I hope I don't get there to find a closed notice. Online won't let me renew it on the day it's due.
Originally Posted by Ann
I'm only human.
But if *you're* human, then who is....>gasp!< Tune in for... Attack of the Hebibots!
I know I gotta be smart and avoid close interactions with other people, but damn I just want to hang with people in real life. I've had maybe 5 minutes of actual F2F human conversation in the past 5 days.
It's normal to be initially upset and angry at these things, so don't beat yourself up too much, Fanfie.
The important thing is being able to get perspective after it, which you have.
Absolutely. Well said Ibby. Anyone who is remaining completely calm and collected all the time in the current situation is doing unbelievably well.
indeed!
Originally Posted by Kappa Kid
I know I gotta be smart and avoid close interactions with other people, but damn I just want to hang with people in real life. I've had maybe 5 minutes of actual F2F human conversation in the past 5 days.
hugs, pal. yeah, I thought working from home all the time would be amazing, but it's starting to grate on me a bit, too. if I hadn't moved in with my new guy (for the duration of the measures), I would be going nuts now.
It's also a bit selfish of me, but I was initially a little bit upset about all this because I was looking forward to 3 trips this year -
a) visiting a friend in Stockholm b) a friend's wedding in Chile, and I would have passed by Peru to see another friend there c) a friend's wedding in Mauritius
I have never been to any of these 4 countries, and I was super stoked to finally go.
Of course, this must all be even worse for my friends who are getting married. What do they do? do they move the dates?
I signed up for a local volunteer thing which is helping get food to people who have to stay in.
Naturally, as usual in these situations, I heard nothing back from them. Because, as usual, I don't have any skills or talents people need. (In particular, I don't have a car.)
It's a drag going to my dopey job, and it's a double drag knowing that I better keep at it until they close the building and I'm forced to stop... Because I have nothing else to offer people in need but money, modest though it is.
I signed up for a local volunteer thing which is helping get food to people who have to stay in.
Naturally, as usual in these situations, I heard nothing back from them. Because, as usual, I don't have any skills or talents people need. (In particular, I don't have a car.)
It's a drag going to my dopey job, and it's a double drag knowing that I better keep at it until they close the building and I'm forced to stop... Because I have nothing else to offer people in need but money, modest though it is.
cleome. making collages is a talent, you know. as is your delightful sense of humor and warmth
Originally Posted by Myg - Andy S
I'm going to hang out with a friend and his family on Monday. We've been together since the start of this and we're all going a bit brain-mush.
My new boyfriend and I take walks every day to cope with the lockdown. We also take regular phone breaks so we don't feel forced to make conversation all the time.
Thanks, IB. I appreciate my hordes of loyal fans (all 10 of them) but alas that don't put the grocery money in needy people's pockets if you get my drift.
yeah, alas. When I was younger I wanted to explore a career in acting or theater, but mama and papa (and grandma and grandpa and all the uncles and aunts) said nope! that won't pay the bills!
Thanks, IB. I appreciate my hordes of loyal fans (all 10 of them) but alas that don't put the grocery money in needy people's pockets if you get my drift.
Ten hordes is quite a lot. Why, with less than that I swept down from the steppes and conquered lots of Eurasia...
... yeah, thanks Ghengis...
The collages *are* spiffy.
Instead of deliveries while I was on annual leave, I found myself doing check up calls to elderly friends of my parents, and a few of my own, running a few errands and providing information sources. That was while the local lot got their organisation in place, and set time aside for important tasks...like selecting committee members. Not getting a response often says volumes about the organisation and the people in it, than the people volunteering.
Good on you guys for wanting to help others. It's encouraging for me and I am sure others, even if you can't help as much as you want to. Same for me. We all do what we can and any action that is not self-centred in this current fear laden environment is like a light shining in the darkness.
Good on you guys for wanting to help others. It's encouraging for me and I am sure others, even if you can't help as much as you want to. Same for me. We all do what we can and any action that is not self-centred in this current fear laden environment is like a light shining in the darkness.
I certainly applaud anyone who's willing to go out there and help people amidst this crisis. Kudos as well to anyone helping with their wallets or time even from home while staying safe. (which helps keep others safe) I've been occupied more trying to keep my own house in order and safe and keeping the lights on, etc. but I just saw a charity that's feeding all the hospital workers here in NYC while they're going through hell, so I plan to look into that when I feel a little more financially secure.
I hope you guys are keeping safe and healthy in body and mind! I am lucky to not be totally alone through this, but my wife is definitely getting stir-crazy. I hope you are all finding ways to cope with the stress and isolation! I dropped in here for a touch of that as well, since Legionworld has been part of my life for --wow, 17 years?!?!
Now that I've vented in the post above, I realize I'm being selfish and small-minded, and that the needs of the many must supercede the needs of the individual in a real-life crisis of this magnitude.
I'm only human.
Yes - you are human, and we all acknowledge that any one person's anxiety or troubles during this time is just as valid as anyone else's. There will always be somebody worse off, but you're entitled to take care of yourself as well! And that's what a place like Legion world is for - we're all friends here. Nothing wrong with venting.
Ok - two weeks into social isolation I spent the first week numb the second week depressed
The parks, beaches and some of the hiking paths around me are all closed with police
Online happy hours with friends are getting stale. Working via video conference is also just blah blah blah No new DC, Marvel, Boom, Dynamite comics this month - printed AND digital
Hope you're all finding ways to be good to yourself
I started this period thinking it wouldn't affect me all that much because I lost much of my ability to leave the house and socialise with others years ago. Now two/three weeks in to the isolation period and the feelings and worries are starting to get to me a bit too. Even knowing that I am so fortunate living in a western nation with excellent medical care while much of the world is not wealthy enough to socially isolate, to lockdown, to stock food for more than a day - this has not elevated me but depressed me.
One thing I had to learn a long time ago. Even if we are still well off relative to others, it is normal to mourn the loss of what we previously had. This is a time when the correct response is a bit of grieving and fear for the future. That doesn't mean that there isn't hope as well. The world will go on. Most of us, by far, will survive. Life might be different out the other end, or not, but it will still be life and that is something to look forward to.
Indeed. and even if we are already better off than others, well, our point of reference is our own past - not someone else's life. and I believe in the adage, take care of oneself before taking care of others, because if we ourselves are not well, how can we expect to make others well?
I just have the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" from Monty Python's "Life of Brian" going though my head, but that might not be the cheeriest... (although there's something appropriate about it)
The pandemic's clearly screwed up most of our jobs, and I'm on unemployment until at least the middle of August. Both my jobs at Yankee Stadium and the census were put on hold and I've just been anxious about the future to the point I started filling out job applications online.
I actually heard back from a nursing home near me and I was scheduled to do orientation, but then I... called them back and told them why I couldn't do it after all. Everyone keeps reminding me I'm making more money now on unemployment then I would in a regular job, and they keep suggesting I worry about another job when my weeks are almost up. Plus, I realize a job in a nursing home is not safe right now because I could potentially be exposed to the virus and since I live with my mom and brother I can't put them in that position. I wouldn't even be able to go back to the store because I could infect my boss who has breathing problems.
I just... I don't know if I did the right thing or not.
I'd also agree with what the others have said. Minimising the risk to your family is the most important thing at present. Working in a higher risk environment such as a nursing home, when you don't have to, wouldn't achieve that aim. I'd stick to the guidelines where you are. Be prepared to apply/interview in advance of them easing so that you're working when it's safer to do so, and so you don't lose out on financial support.
If your store boss has breathing difficulties, it may be he doesn't open as quickly as others. So it might be prudent to look elsewhere in advance of that happening.
In most of life and in the current situation in particular it is often not a case of a right decision and a wrong decision but rather choices, each with good and not so good consequences. In this case you put the continued health and well-being of your family over the future value of having worked during a period when many can't. That sounds like a good decision to me.
Personally I would have made the same choice.
The unemployment money is there not only because many people can't work but also because so many people have to make the exact same choice and decide not to work for health reasons. I applaud your continued search for employment and as this all moves on potential future employers are likely to look favourably on your attempts but choosing the health of your family over that sounds quite wise. My son, who lives with me, is working but it is as a gardener so outdoors, rarely meeting people and only working with his boss whose daughter is a nurse and is making sure he takes all the precautions he should. My sister on the other hand is a teacher but is not working because she provides a lot of care to our elderly mother and so made the same decision as yourself.
Be at peace. You may not have made a right or wrong decision but you made a good decision.
The other reason why this bothered me so much is, well...
My grandpa had a stroke last month alongside COVID and he recovered from both amazingly, but it opened up a lot of questions about the future I had to discuss with my mom and brother. I've been praying almost every night we make it through at least one more day with him, and that he overall makes it through the pandemic and we have a few more years with him before he passes on.
I've been saying during that time I'd do my best to work harder to bring more money to the household to either make Grandpa and the rest of us more comfortable, or to go towards wherever we'll end up after he's gone. I got anxious because I felt like turning down the job offer sort of goes against what I've been saying I'd do in my prayers and I was afraid I'd jinx things. I guess, I was scared Grandpa would take a turn for the worse like it was some sort of punishment for me being insincere.
But I guess the best thing I can do is worry about making sure I get through this pandemic first and then worry about earning more money, huh? I'm no good to anyone if I get sick.
Working at a nursing home seems like a terrible job under normal circumstances, and is definitely something I'd only consider as a last resort under present circumstances. So I have to agree that you made the right call. Keep yourself and your family safe.
To me prayer is more a conversation than an oath or something. In the Christian Bible even God changes his mind sometimes and does something different to what he initially said he would. Circumstances change and decisions change with it. It is not insincere if all through you are making choices based on your love for your family, even when those choices lead in different directions because of different situations. Those are the sorts of decisions that God praises.
So glad to hear that your Grandpa came through both those trials so well. That's great news. Be happy and enjoy every extra moment you have with him because each one is a gift.
Be happy with yourself. Lots of people would be more concerned about themselves than their family. You're a good person.
Sarky, from experience (and also from good theory/people practice):
1) Honesty is the best policy. You don't need to volunteer this information in an interview or job application - but If you ever get asked, be honest about why you made such decisions and what you considered.
2) Openness and communication. Be proactive and honestly tell the hospital why you are deciding to decline. They should understand.
3) If any future employees do NOT appreciate and understand your reasoning, then they don't deserve you as an employee. Well-being should come first.
Sarky, from experience (and also from good theory/people practice):
1) Honesty is the best policy. You don't need to volunteer this information in an interview or job application - but If you ever get asked, be honest about why you made such decisions and what you considered.
2) Openness and communication. Be proactive and honestly tell the hospital why you are deciding to decline. They should understand.
3) If any future employees do NOT appreciate and understand your reasoning, then they don't deserve you as an employee. Well-being should come first.
Well here's the screwed up thing. He got tested again somewhere else and the results were negative, which means the nursing home messed up the previous test and could very well have made similar mistakes.
And now my Grandpa's in the hospital AGAIN because he needs a pacemaker, while I'm worried about my brother going to work at Trader Joe's in Union Square because he might get caught in the crossfire with the police if there's another protest near the store.
Sounds like a good plan to me. I do think it's important to discuss the state of the industry - and I admit to not knowing much as I haven't been following the news. And I agree, tread very carefully re HOW opinions are expressed.
Yesterday I had to say goodbye to my companion of 15 years - Ace. He was a great traveler and excellent in the classroom. He also was a 7 lb terror when there was food around.
The money was good, but Lake City, SC to Ohio, to Portland, OR, back to South Carolina in 11 days in a truck that only does 65. Places out there were the speed limit is 80 and I had people cutting in front of me by mere feet on clear interstates because they were pissed they had to go around.. Okay, go ahead. And when you have a blowout right in front of me and I've no time to react, enjoy being a piece of road pizza in hell, fucking assholes.
That's why I say people should have to re-qualify every three years. Re-take the written at least. It's like High School, they learn it long enough to pass the test and then they forget it.
I just feel so frustrated, so helpless about everything. And I'm barely clinging to my last bit of hope.
I want to believe that bad people always get what's coming to them in the end, but I see too much of the opposite to have peace of mind.
And, yes, I do believe that some people are just plain bad. I've struggled for my entire adult life with a low amount of empathy. And every time I think I finally have enough empathy to get by, I get a new challenge.
I think I'll go pound on a pillow and imagine certain characters (both fictional and real) getting brutally beaten.
I just feel so frustrated, so helpless about everything. And I'm barely clinging to my last bit of hope.
I want to believe that bad people always get what's coming to them in the end, but I see too much of the opposite to have peace of mind.
And, yes, I do believe that some people are just plain bad. I've struggled for my entire adult life with a low amount of empathy. And every time I think I finally have enough empathy to get by, I get a new challenge.
I think I'll go pound on a pillow and imagine certain characters (both fictional and real) getting brutally beaten.
My days, half the time I'm just doing my thing and then it's wishing God would just kill me because of how badly things are getting and I can't fix it. I get you.
Thank you, Sarky. And I'm not feeling suicidal either. There's a big difference between a person wanting the Earth to open up and swallow them (as I feel frequently, including right now,) and a person wanting to end their life by their own hand.
I get that, Sarky, Ann. I was depressed for several years until a bit ago. Not the crippling depression of some,but still. I can't tell you how to get out of it, but I can say that sometimes, you have to stick it out. I started looking at the little things. My kid asking me to watch cooking shows with him. My wife's smile when I get home from the road. The happy look on my mother's face when I get in, my special needs sister as well. Even my dog being happy to see me. I started to build on it. And, to be honest, I cut out watching the news, politics, things that I had no control over but always felt depressed about. in short, I cut myself a break. I was always harder on me than anyone else could even think about being.
I don't know if it wont come back. From what I understand, the odds are better than average that it will. so, I'm trying to adopt a "such is life" attitude.
I stopped following the news from the Philippines a long time ago, and I've stopped checking Facebook and its horrible comments. Too many conservative, cruel, dismissive, arrogant idiots from there. It's helped a lot.
I used to daydream a lot, back when I was still there and life was much sadder. I don't do it anymore.
I just don't know what to do because even when I get one thing fixed there's still so much like the water damaged in the basement hallway and in the basement itself and I don't even wanna guess what nightmare awaits in the backyard, toolshed and garage but I know I can't keep putting it off and I just wish this guy would move in downstairs to start the repairs before things get worse
I've been quite frustrated with my health lately and the things I can't do because of it. Somedays I just decide to ignore it and push through anyway but that always leads to disaster and a physical crash.
This morning I managed to turn my viewpoint around. There are always things we can't do. No-one gets to do everything they want. My situation may not be ideal but it is only bad in comparison to how I think it SHOULD be. If I look at my situation as challenges and opportunities that most people don't get or face, the chance to try out different ways of living, overcoming each days challenge in its own right, then it all looks and feels much more positive.
Dunno if it will last but it's a viewpoint I am trying anyway. No idea if that helps anyone.
Hang in there Sarcky. You're not alone. We can't fix your problems for you but we can tell you that you are not alone. And I agree, crying can be helpful. Happened to me this year too, a little while back.
As a child, one of my favorite cartoons was the reruns of "George of the Jungle."
The one time I didn't like it was when Super Chicken took a hard blow to the head and developed amnesia. And his sidekick, Fred, exchanged costumes with Super Chicken to try to catch the villain. Almost all my anxieties and neuroses about unstable identities are rooted in that segment of Super Chicken. The producers really should have vetoed that script. A lot of supposedly "harmless" cartoons and comic books I saw as a kid disturbed me deeply. To allow that stuff to be seen by kids under 12 is tantamount to child abuse, in my opinion. A lot of the people who created that crap must have been really bitter and hated children.
You'd think that at my age, I'd have let go of this stuff a long time ago, but...I haven't.
But at least I'm fully aware of my problem.
Hopefully that means I'll get some closure someday before I die.
Things that we experienced as kids is often the hardest to get past as it forms so much of how we view the world around us. Later we can rationalise elements of it but changing the emotional foundation can be very difficult. Being aware of the incidents is a big step to at least being able to control how much it influences our lives today.
So no I don't think it's surprising that you haven't let go of this stuff. I think your attitude is very appropriate and you are trying to deal with it as best you can. That's a real positive.
I'm the same way Ann, I know exactly how hard that is and I'm sorry you're dealing with it.
...
The way the parasites on eBay have been desperate to hype up any potential Yara Flor first appearances has pretty much diminished whatever interest I might've had in Future State and further convinces me we as a species should've been wiped out ages ago.
Well, work has been a lot better lately, but that's because I haven't had to deal with the dipshit dispatchers from Ohio. That changed this week.
Left Tuesday for West Virginia. Takes longer in trucks because we are climbing mountains and pulling 47,500 lbs. But, Okay. Standard run. Get there with about four hours left on my day. This is where it all goes kablooie.
I am now at the mercy of the Ohio dispatchers. One decides that me, a guy from South Carolina, can grab a load at my delivery point and deliver it to Somersworth, NH. This will mean driving Wednesday to deliver. Just ONE little problem. It takes over 12+ hours to make the drive in a car. I'll be in a truck, once again crossing the mountains. I tell the dispatch I won't make it by close of business wednesday. Not enough time since we are limited to 11 hrs drive time a day.
"Well, with your remaining time you can get several hours down the road and should make it no problem."
"No," I reply. "Im at the start of this offload, pushing it across half the plant. Guy here tells me it takes several hrs to deliver this load. I will be out or nearly out of time when I'm done."
"Just grab the preload and get as far down the road as you can. We'll make it up later tomorrow."
Now, I know this is bullshit, I'll be out of time. And I was when I finished. I had to personal use eight miles to the nearest safe haven, which happened to be our terminal there. I sent message that I couldn't legally deliver load on Wednesday, Thursday would be the earliest. Then we speak on the phone and he cops an attitude. Okay. Fine. I send the message that unless told otherwise my 10 hr break would be up between 3 and 3:30 am and I would be rolling. "10.4" was the reply.
So, I was. and I rolled for New Hampshire, knowing that they wouldn't be open on thanksgiving day and while I'd be paid for the layover, still not worth missing family. But, the load paid $950 and as I support two households, I could use the money. Well, I get into Maryland and stop about 8am so I could get something to eat. Message on my tablet. "The customer will not be accepting anything until Monday. Return to terminal."
No shit. So, I went from a decent payday to a prorated payout for time driven. A little over $100 bucks. And, after I returned to the terminal, I picked up the same trailer to return home to reload for the same west Virginia customer. This meant that I wouldn't get home til thanksgiving day. I was up at 2am to leave so I could get home and spend time with the family, but I was naturally beat when I got home.
I didn't have a problem working over the thanksgiving holiday, I'm still one of the low men on the totem pole, and I get the runs that the senior drivers don't want. But, I lost out on a lot of money, and I lost out on time home with the family because the asshole dispatch didn't listen to what I was saying. I spent another night on the road when it wasn't necessary and could have been home with the family a day early.
And none of that included the aggravation of having to travel through the New York/Jersey/Boston corridor to get to the delivery point.
So when you see a driver that looks hollow-eyed and worn out, there's a reason he looks that way.
The one time I didn't like it was when Super Chicken took a hard blow to the head and developed amnesia. And his sidekick, Fred, exchanged costumes with Super Chicken to try to catch the villain. Almost all my anxieties and neuroses about unstable identities are rooted in that segment of Super Chicken. The producers really should have vetoed that script. A lot of supposedly "harmless" cartoons and comic books I saw as a kid disturbed me deeply. To allow that stuff to be seen by kids under 12 is tantamount to child abuse, in my opinion. A lot of the people who created that crap must have been really bitter and hated children.
You'd think that at my age, I'd have let go of this stuff a long time ago, but...I haven't.
But at least I'm fully aware of my problem.
Hopefully that means I'll get some closure someday before I die.
I didn't have a problem working over the thanksgiving holiday, I'm still one of the low men on the totem pole, and I get the runs that the senior drivers don't want. But, I lost out on a lot of money, and I lost out on time home with the family because the asshole dispatch didn't listen to what I was saying. I spent another night on the road when it wasn't necessary and could have been home with the family a day early.
And none of that included the aggravation of having to travel through the New York/Jersey/Boston corridor to get to the delivery point.
So when you see a driver that looks hollow-eyed and worn out, there's a reason he looks that way.
i'm really sorry, Rick. sounds like asshole dispatch didn't even apologize... all I've driven are sedans and a family van, and 1.5 hours stuck in traffic used to drive me nuts, I can imagine that 10-11 hours driving a truck must be way tougher... so not cool how they treated you.
i'm really sorry, Rick. sounds like asshole dispatch didn't even apologize...
You can bet your cotton socks that the dispatcher considers him/herself completely in the right, and is peeved that Rick couldn't bend the laws of physics so they could ease through their day. Because anything that challenges their day must be wrong.
Rough time Rick. Assholes will be assholes. I cringe when I remember the occasions when I've been the asshole. Hopefully learning better.
On a side note it reminds me once when my wife was pissed off and declared that the world was full of assholes. I commented with a slight smile "I can't argue with that." She almost hit me in the head even though I was driving, but she did have a small smile on her face so I think it helped.
That sucks, Sarky. One of my co-workers is positive, too. On the heels of major surgery earlier in the fall, and a close relative who needed heart surgery.
I have several family members who got it and recovered as well. Quite sobering. I've stopped seeing some acquaintances whom I know are being extremely reckless (i.e. joining parties in the woods)...
A buddy of mine moved away from this neighborhood because she kept begging her roommates to stop bringing multiple folks over for parties and such... but they ignored her.
One of the orgs which does a lot of business with ours is apparently going to have an in-person business convention in Cancun next month for its sales force.
I don't understand humanity. I really don't.
Maybe Cancun will build a wall. There's still time.
Sigh. I also recently cut off someone who insists on attending illegal rave parties in the woods. He's absolutely not scared for COVID. Nope, keep yourself away from me.
Sarky I am so sorry. I remember how you wrote about him earlier in the year and how much he obviously meant to you.
Words are often inadequate at times like this but I'm a wordy kind of guy so here goes anyway. I hope they are a tiny bit helpful.
In the longer term, based on your earlier comments, he is in a better place and you can look forward to seeing him again someday, something I do with a few special people I have lost. I like the phrase the Salvos use of someone being "promoted".
In the short term grief is the right response. Your loss is real and appropriate. I pray that you and your family find comfort in each other.
Grandpa was the only grandfather I had in my life. My dad?s dad was nonexistent and when he died I didn?t care. From what I heard of him, I didn?t really like him.
Grandpa was the most consistent person in my immediate family. After Mom, Dad and Qhris left it was just me and him in this house.
Grandpa... I don?t know how to really describe him. He?d sometimes drive me to school when I was younger, and on vacations to Wildwood I?d prefer going home with him in his car so I could play my TV episodes recorded on cassettes. He?d sometimes drive to the store at Cross County during the summer. Pizza on Fridays was largely because of him. He?d been giving me and Qhris money every week for years as a sort of allowance, but we both stopped doing it a couple of years ago.
In these last few years I would spend most of my time in his part of the house, in his living room with my laptop. He?d be there, but we wouldn?t really talk. I knew he was there. I preferred the silence and knowing he was there.
I wasn?t always a good grandson, and in the last few years I felt myself getting more frustrated. I dunno. I dunno if I should?ve done more or if all I cared about was getting money and stability from him.
I'm so sorry, Sarky. I know this is a profound loss for you. All relationships are imperfect, and regrets are often among our memories. But from what you've reported in other posts, it sounds like you and your Grandpa were there for each other through a lot, and I suspect he treasured you more than you can know. Remember and ponder what you gave to one another. From my experience of loss, I expect you'll be learning from this for a long time. I'll be remembering you.
I just feel tired. Drained. I only cried when I called Candle last night.
I don't have any energy to focus on finishing writing for anyone and I just want to splurge on myself, which I feel disgusted by because it's Christmas.
I spent the entire day sleeping except at 12:30 when my jackhole boss called, having not seen the email I sent saying I would not be in Friday because of what happened. As soon as he started bitching about a big spender who showed up at the store after I left because of the snow, I wanted to reach through the phone and snap his goddamn neck. It took everything I could to not keep screaming at him beyond "I REALLY DON'T HAVE THE ENERGY TO CARE ABOUT OMI BECAUSE MY GRANDPA DIED."
We're not apologising. We're sorry for what you are going through. It sounds really rough.
You said that it was just you and him in the house in more recent times. I hope there are others you can be with who miss him too. That can help.
As for feeling selfish, don't worry about it. This is a rough time for you and you need to look after yourself. Some time in the future you can be the one who helps others in their rough time. For now just look after yourself. Be with others who care when you can and share with each other the good times you remember from being with him.
I hate that hospital, because they're the ones who let him walk around when he shouldn't have been and that was why he fell and fractured his face.
I hate Trump and the federal government because they allowed the COVID pandemic to get to this point and if they had contained it back in February my Grandpa wouldn't have gotten it which made things worse.
And I hate myself because if I had just taken him to the emergency room as soon as he said he fell the first time back in November the entire timeline would've been changed and it's likely he wouldn't have been allowed up again.
Sarcky, you said how you enjoyed just sitting in the same room with him, not talking just being there. Might he have not felt exactly the same about you being there? Older people get very lonely because most of their friends have moved away or already died. Just having you around is very likely to have been a great comfort to him.
As for selfishly using his money, before you were talking about your memories of the things he did for you and bought for you. It is extremely possible that he gained a lot from being able to do that for you. Don't spoil his memory by blaming yourself for things he did for you and quite possibly was pleased he could.
My wife's dad also had a fall after which his health went down and eventually contributed to his death. It was sad and we wondered if there was more we could have done, but my wife has a background in nursing and she says that old people often fall and as much as we want to protect them we can't put them in a cage and fence them in and they wouldn't want us to.
Sorry to hear this, Kid. Losing family you actually care about sucks. And it sucks sometimes that life goes on. And it's also fantastic that life goes on. I still miss my grandmother and dad to this day. But you have to look at the good things in life as well and realize that if they truly cared about you, they wouldn't want you to get lost in that sadness. They would only want the best for you.
I can't wallow in self misery right now. I can be upset, but I can't do this to the rest of my family especially my mother. I lost a grandpa, she lost a dad.
Good thought, but just remember that emotions do crazy things when going through grief. It's not a pleasant ride. It never goes completely away but the highs and lows of it do tend to mellow a bit over time. Hang in there and don't be too hard on yourself.
Good thought, but just remember that emotions do crazy things when going through grief. It's not a pleasant ride. It never goes completely away but the highs and lows of it do tend to mellow a bit over time. Hang in there and don't be too hard on yourself.
I don't even have any problems today. I just stopped by to sign off on this.
It happens this time of year. Business slows down and the runs dry up. Sucks as I was needing this run, but that's the way it works for truckers. And sorry to hear about your birthday, Sarky. Guess I missed wishing you a happy one. Sorry it wasn't.
The test results are back tomorrow so we have no idea how severe it is or if it spread too far.
She's been in the hospital since last Tuesday and for the last couple of days she's been doped up on pain killers. My brother called her earlier but she just wasn't coherent.
Oh man. That's horrible news. Life really seems to have been dumping on you a few times over the last couple of years. I am so sorry. Thinking of you (and praying, for both you and your mom).
I don't know what to do! I can't stop thinking about her! I just wanted to relax and try not to think about it by doing shopping for commissions but I'm just...! I can't think of who to contact. I can't think of what to pick. The people I want to commission aren't taking commissions and I'm here by myself and... FUCK!
I don't know what to do! I can't stop thinking about her! I just wanted to relax and try not to think about it by doing shopping for commissions but I'm just...! I can't think of who to contact. I can't think of what to pick. The people I want to commission aren't taking commissions and I'm here by myself and... FUCK!
It's okay to take a break, even from hobbies. Sometimes you just need a change. Plus, I think it's best not to make important spending decisions when you're upset. Wishing you and your Mom better days. (My mom had breast cancer but she's been in remission now for about 12 years.)
It's fine. I have a monthly budget set up for commissions and it's only a couple hundred. Even then, I have no desire to spend thousands or anything. Commission shopping's one thing to help me take my mind off things because I can get engrossed in setting up details and hearing what the artist thinks.
Mom had her tests yesterday but the results aren't back yet. The stint was put into her and I spoke to her briefly today. She was tired and exhausted but more coherent. We still have no idea what this thing on her liver is, if it's malignant or removable or whatever it was spread.
This isn't something I was prepared for, mentally or emotionally. My mom's only 61 and the suddenness of her diagnosis came out of nowhere, really. If anything happens to her I'm screwed because I don't have access to where she pays bills and everything else. My responsibility was helping to keep the house going, giving money to pay for stuff when she needed it and keeping an eye on things she couldn't.
I'm angry because, for mom, she deserves better than this. She wasted so much time stuck with my dad, then when she finally got out her boyfriend died like five years later from cancer himself. Then five years after that she gets it.
For myself, I'm angry because... look people can tell me over and over she's an adult and can make her own choices, but what does that make me? I'm 30 and I make my own choices, and I chose to not bring her to the hospital sooner despite offering twice and seeing her put it off. You can tell a person not to blame themselves, but when that person's the only one in a position to do something and they don't then what is the answer?
I feel like with my family we just wait until things get more horrible than they needed to be before doing something. Part of me wanted to scream at her for acting like Grandpa did and putting off going to the hospital sooner despite knowing she wasn't feeling good, but what right do I have to do so when I didn't work harder at convincing her to go earlier.
Lots of things flit through my head to say but I'm not sure any of them are appropriate. Whether we say anything or not we are still here for you Sarky.
Over the last three days I've spoken to Mom at least once a day. She's exhausted, tired, but more coherent. The doctors said something like "you're not dying" but the results aren't back and whatever's on her liver is like 10 centimeters.
Today before I even finished brushing teeth I saw yet another goddamn squirrel got into the house. I called someone over to help me get it out and it turned into him putting a panel over an opening in the roof's crawl space, because that's the only place I can imagine they've been using to get into the house. Because that's just what I need, more squirrels invading while Mom's in the hospital.
Since last summer I still get anxious wondering if I'm going to come home and discover there's a new hole in my bedroom ceiling after the last two were repaired.
No wonder my mom got sick. That house is poison and it could've only made her worse.
The squirrel we found in the trap was a completely different one. Thank God I kept her door closed before I left for work or that little bastard would've trashed the house.
At least you found the little beast, and maybe fixed how they were getting in. Hang in there, Sarky. I don't know if things will get worse or better but eventually they will change. Nothing lasts forever.
I would like to take a moment away from serious matters to carp loudly about the existence of Bloatware.
It was a much more computer-savvy pal who introduced me to the term.
Bloatware means: programs you don't understand or feel any need for, baubles you don't want and don't use (not once in my entire history using computers have I ever bothered to open a Chess program), and outdated crap (Quicktime? Who the blazes still used Quicktime after Bush II's first term?) which sucks up storage space and cannot be safely removed. (I can't do it myself, and pros will not: because it makes the computer more vulnerable to viruses and other damage: at least that's the official story.)
My primary reason for owning a computer is to have ample space for art and music. Now (after owning this particular used computer for about 1 1/2 years), I'm nearly out of usable storage space. I have to discard various things which I'd rather not. It's true they're backed up on thumb drives, but I still feel resentful because that's an extra expense and a nuisance. I hate it. Imagine buying a used car and then having to buy a trailer to attach to it, because the trunk was crammed full of useless trash but you were not allowed to get rid of it? That's what this is like, for anyone who lacks the savvy to build a computer, or the money to hire a competent builder.
tsk. So they have a need, but the need is so niche and poorly-explained that we can't understand it how annoying... I do remember my personal laptop of a few years ago, getting really really slow because oof all the bloatware. And age, but the bloatware played a part for sure
I get why they do it, but its always seemed like a punishment, as there are/have been (not sure if they still exist) PCs that don't have the bloatware but you have to pay extra.
I'm assuming you're using some kind of cloud storage as well (i.e., OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive)? You'd have to spend time paying attention to what you keep synchronized on the PC, but it may help alleviate your storage woes. And when you get a new computer, you can still easily access your information.
Hi, I don't wanna take the discussion away from what cleome was talking about but honestly I'm not sure what's going on with my mom. She's being discharged tomorrow and we still haven't gotten the test results back.
Sunday was a nightmare because my brother chose the worst possible time to try and talk to her about the house and everything and she almost ended up in tears, and I stupidly went along with the discussion.
Today (Tuesday) was a big blur because I thought she was being discharged today and I had to spend a couple of hours before work trying to clean her bedroom before she got home.
At the very least she sounds like her usual self. They're supposed to be putting a metal stint in her for her liver, but I don't know when. Thank God for her friend Maria helping me and my brother through this.
I get why they do it, but its always seemed like a punishment, as there are/have been (not sure if they still exist) PCs that don't have the bloatware but you have to pay extra.
I'm assuming you're using some kind of cloud storage as well (i.e., OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive)? You'd have to spend time paying attention to what you keep synchronized on the PC, but it may help alleviate your storage woes. And when you get a new computer, you can still easily access your information.
I admit that the thought of cloud storage pisses me off, though I get that it's not really expensive. I can never stop thinking about how the promise of a personal computer was once, "Hey let's get all your stuff nicely consolidated in one place." But now it's, "Hey let's charge you for this device and then price and locate a bunch of necessities separately so you have to think about that all the time, too." Leaving aside the overall creepiness of entities like Google. For now, I'll just stick with the thumb drives, which I've already paid for anyway.
Of course, when I'm working on a project and need to pull something from a thumb drive, I have to play musical ports because there are never enough for the drive, and the scanner, AND the drawing pad, and... feh. Technology as a whole was a huge mistake, frankly. Time to become a neo-primitive and go live in the woods with just a club and a chicken or two.
I get why they do it, but its always seemed like a punishment, as there are/have been (not sure if they still exist) PCs that don't have the bloatware but you have to pay extra.
I'm assuming you're using some kind of cloud storage as well (i.e., OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive)? You'd have to spend time paying attention to what you keep synchronized on the PC, but it may help alleviate your storage woes. And when you get a new computer, you can still easily access your information.
I admit that the thought of cloud storage pisses me off, though I get that it's not really expensive. I can never stop thinking about how the promise of a personal computer was once, "Hey let's get all your stuff nicely consolidated in one place." But now it's, "Hey let's charge you for this device and then price and locate a bunch of necessities separately so you have to think about that all the time, too." Leaving aside the overall creepiness of entities like Google. For now, I'll just stick with the thumb drives, which I've already paid for anyway.
Of course, when I'm working on a project and need to pull something from a thumb drive, I have to play musical ports because there are never enough for the drive, and the scanner, AND the drawing pad, and... feh. Technology as a whole was a huge mistake, frankly. Time to become a neo-primitive and go live in the woods with just a club and a chicken or two.
I've been feeling this recently myself, with my phone. Every day I get a notification that it won't fully back up to iCloud, and would I like to pay for more storage... no thanks.... when I had to transfer to a new phone a couple of months ago, I was not able to load much of that data. But, there was an option to Bluetooth the old phone data to the new phone data. That's probably what I will do next time.
Have they said when you're likely to receive the test results?
thank goodness for Maria indeed, for helping ease the stress on all of you.
Happy your mom seems to be in better spirits, too.
They apparently want to keep her another day because they might've done the tests wrong.
She just called and was crying because she wants to go outside.
I hope she only needs to stay another day. Can't she at least take a walk around outside? If they were going to release her from the hospital, then surely she can walk around on her own...?
I hope she only needs to stay another day. Can't she at least take a walk around outside? If they were going to release her from the hospital, then surely she can walk around on her own...?
I was just going to say this. My mom had a pancreatitis scare a few years ago, but I think they at least let her get up and sit in the sun when she was more ambulatory. So hoping for good news!
I admit that the thought of cloud storage pisses me off, though I get that it's not really expensive. I can never stop thinking about how the promise of a personal computer was once, "Hey let's get all your stuff nicely consolidated in one place." But now it's, "Hey let's charge you for this device and then price and locate a bunch of necessities separately so you have to think about that all the time, too." Leaving aside the overall creepiness of entities like Google. For now, I'll just stick with the thumb drives, which I've already paid for anyway.
Of course, when I'm working on a project and need to pull something from a thumb drive, I have to play musical ports because there are never enough for the drive, and the scanner, AND the drawing pad, and... feh. Technology as a whole was a huge mistake, frankly. Time to become a neo-primitive and go live in the woods with just a club and a chicken or two.
I like Douglas Adams' further contention that we never should have left the oceans.
Yeah, its funny that back in the seventies, most compuiting was done on the mainframe, which was a shared environment, then we went 30-35 years or so in the PC world, now we've split again so that we have all kinds of devices, but most everything is done on the cloud, i.e., the new mainframe.
I'm in the industry, so I basically depend on cloud storage due to the sheer number and variety of device types and platforms that I have to work on or with on any given day, but I will say its really convenient to be able to take notes on my phone, then sit down later at my desk to flesh out an idea, or vice versa. And have it backed up, etc etc.
To your point though, we are generating and using SO MUCH MORE data on a daily basis, that even the seemingly endless cloud storage capabilities are starting to shrink.
Originally Posted by Invisible Brainiac
I've been feeling this recently myself, with my phone. Every day I get a notification that it won't fully back up to iCloud, and would I like to pay for more storage... no thanks.... when I had to transfer to a new phone a couple of months ago, I was not able to load much of that data. But, there was an option to Bluetooth the old phone data to the new phone data. That's probably what I will do next time.
Technology: can be both a pain and a blessing.
We had this issue with the household iPhones as well - I just paid for the storage for everyone so that I'm not hassled, but I'm not happy with Apple squeezing cash out of its customers like that. They can a) offer more storage out of the gate - it aint expensive, especially if they use that as your default phone backup option, or b)_be more selective about what gets backed up a little easier. I will admit that having a full iPhone backup in the cloud available for restore when you get a new device is pretty convenient.
I have no idea what the hell is going on with my mom and she doesn't know either. Is it cancer? Is it something else? This whole situation is messed up, and she's home now and there's another doctor's appointment and I just hate everything about this.
This is a mix of sad and funny, in a roll your eyes sort of way...
I had to euthanize a cat yesterday, kidney failure and some mass in the lungs, just in bad shape after a long life and I wasn't awfully upset. So I'm handed the consent form to sign and along with consenting to euthanize there was "I acknowledge that I understand the process can not be reversed". Trying not to laugh, because it was a solemn occasion, but I really wanted to ask what prompted them to include that on the form.
Sorry Cramey. I understand that it was not unexpected but I am sure you will still miss your feline friend.
As for the phrase, yeah, pretty incongruous (is that the right word?). Unfortunately I can imagine that there might be some who are being a bit less bright or caught up in emotion may suddenly change their minds and in our world to day it seems everyone has to cover their backsides when performing in a professional capacity. Like Ibby I wonder if the staff have experienced others bursting out in laughter, perhaps even shared in the "mix of sand and funny" as you say.
I wonder if that passage is included for when an older pet owner might have to explain euthanasia to a child or grandchild. But apart from that, I've got nothing.
Oh Sarky. So sorry. I've been wondering if you had any more news. From what I've read ductal cancer usually means it hasn't spread elsewhere yet. Does this mean that the growth on her liver was benign? Still praying for you both.
Yeah it seems the growth on her liver was a byproduct of what was happening to the bile ducts. Mom has a 2nd doctor's appointment planned along with the chemo to get a second opinion. They mentioned her numbers were drastically down compared to when she was in the hospital, even though they hadn't begun any treatment for her so maybe the 2nd opinion might have different news. I don't know.
Temps have rocketed up here into the 110-120 F range.
We had three days of drenching cool rain last week, so that's some consolation. However, every time I hear some yob the next block over already shooting off their damn fireworks, I just want to die.
Gets on NextDoor and yowls:
"Are you pea-brained jaggoffs TRYING to burn down the whole neighborhood?! What the bloody hell is WRONG WITH YOU?!?!"
I really hope we get some serious rain between now and the Fourth, otherwise I'll be writing to you all from a tent somewhere in the Yukon.
The stress with my mom must be getting to me. I have a stomach bug and need to stay home from work today. I woke up feeling achey and nauseous and was genuinely scared I had the Delta variant. The COVID test was negative, thank God, but I can't take chances. I work at Yankee Stadium AND I know her immune system will be shot due to the chemo.
Oh God it's already begun. My mom told my brother to buy her stuff to eat but she didn't specify what would be okay for a Chemo patient, and he can't send her photos because the store he's in is underground.
She just begun her Chemo and he called me crying because she was accusing him of making things difficult.
One of the most frustrating things about my mom having cancer is that I literally have to BEG my brother to not engage with her until I tell him it?s okay
Sometimes I really hate those two because of their shitty, messed-up relationship and this is just bringing out the worst of it
I appreciate the understanding of my friends, but I should specify that it's my work computer I'm raging about here. Every time the office pushes through new Windows "improvements" it seems like it's harder and harder to just get the simplest [redacted] done.
At home, I have a Mac. Which isn't perfect but it's still better.
When I was librarian in the early noughties, I had a lot of bad experiences with computers, which were just starting to evolve from the big, clunky models to the smaller, more streamlined ones. It was...an adjustment.
That's hard stuff. I can understand why you found it hard to deal with. Still it was thoughtful of her to set things up ahead of time. Whether it is needed sooner (hopefully not) or later, not having to figure it all out at the time can be a blessing. Sign of a good mom. Something to be grateful for.
Yeah, its a really ****y subject, but when my father died out of the blue many years ago, we had no idea what to do. If you can plan out in advance these kinds of things, it will absolutely reduce your stress level once the time comes (as odd as that may seem), but like Ibby says, its OK to not feel great about that subject now.
Thanks all. Its that time of year, so the property manager can't get someone in to look at it until Wednesday, unless there's a cancellation, so hopefully there will be!
And then its either a simple problem to fix, or they need to replace the entire system - either way, getting parts for AC units has been difficult for at least a year.
I had to call an ambulance for my mom today. She's been delirious since this morning, doing things like trying to wash her feet in the washing machine and using her lighter on her cellphone because she couldn't remember the pass code.
I think she's been using too much of her medication, or they gave her too much to use.
I felt like garbage when I left her at the emergency room. She kept asking for one of her pain killers and I wouldn't give her one. I let things get like this and I am a horrible son.
No. A horrible son doesn't call the ambulance in the first place and gives her painkillers when you know she shouldn't. A horrible son doesn't give a damn and would feel no guilt. If you are feeling like you could have done better and wish you had then you care and that is the moist important aspect of all.
I don't know of anyone who hasn't felt guilt about thinking they've not done enough, that they've missed opportunities or feel they got things wrong. In tough moments, hindsight works overtime to connect up points where we think there were opportunities to have changed something, anything. But that's not how it works in the present. As stile says, we can only care for others, look out for each other and learn as best we can as we go. Doing that, which is just what you've done, makes it so much better for those people you care for than any number of other scenarios. She's with the people best placed to treat her. Beating oneself up about it is what pretty much everyone does in these situations. So bear in mind you're not alone in doing it, or that it's a unnatural way to be feeling, or that in some way that you've done worse than anyone else. Because you haven't. Take care Sarky, and let us know how your mom is getting on.
+2 to both replies above. You're not the medical expert here, how would you know she's been using too much meds / they gave her too much, without seeing obvious signs like this. You called the ambulance when you had to... and giving her painkillers is a medical call. You did what you had to.
She has an infection in her bloodstream, coupled with a fever is probably why she's been acting this way. I thought it was just her cancer meds and... other stuff she's been taking, but I guess that was part of it.
She checked herself out of the hospital Monday night and it was a giant screaming match between me and her.
Tuesday morning the hospital called and told me about the infection and that she needed the rest of the antibiotic treatment or this might kill her. I somehow managed to get her up and got a friend to bring her to a hospital in the city connected to where she receives chemo. I told the assistant of the cancer doctor she sees about what was going on over the phone. I visited her last night and she was exhausted, but she knew what was going on.
She has an abscess on her kidney and needs a blood transfusion. I'm B- but I don't know if mom shares my blood type, and my brother doesn't know his type because he's useless.
Okay so mom says they won't need me for a transfusion so they can probably handle it, but mater and sibling are both getting on each other's nerves and that means they're on MY nerves.
Y'know, working in retail really sucks these days. Apparently, no one wants to work. Applications trickle in. Most people who apply don't answer the phone or return your calls. People don't show up for interviews. Some call to say they can't make it for the interview or have found something else on the same day they applied. Others disappear after getting thru various stages of the hiring process. Existing associates call out a lot. You worry about the reliable ones feeling overworked and possibly having enough.
What is going on? Are people gaming the unemployment system? I thought that was being rolled back. Is it the checks people are getting for having small children?
indeed, hang in there, Sarky.take time off for yourself too, so you can be fresher for your mom.
Lardy, I sympathize and empathize - it's especially annoying when someone applies and ghosts. At least they should have follow-through, it's very tough and disrespectful to a potential employer.
I remember reading up about it - apparently a lot of people took time during the pandemic, to realize they can make money in other ways + that many retail customers are terrible, so they're looking elsewhere. It's an industry problem. it's not just the low pay, some people are moving to jobs with equal pay - but the conditions are better (i.e. more control over their time, less exposure to demanding and potentially dangerous customers).
In my industry we have videos from people at the top, kindly interupting their golf, pointless meetings and schmoozing events to get us to transition back into office life. After all, why should we get to enjoy anything that they have? I've not missed any of it for a second.
I found that CEOs who are all ?nobody can be productive at home? - are extremely out of touch. Like, not everyone can afford to pay for cleaners and servants and chauffeurs? some of us have to do our own laundry and cleaning and cooking!
This year is just garbage. My grandmother who I was living with and taking care of died over the summer, my mom had to put my childhood dog down a few weeks ago, and I recently found out my other grandmother had a minor stroke. I would like everything to stop happening at once.
So sorry to hear what you're going through Supragirl. Any one of them would be tough, but to have them all together is really rubbish. Postive thoughts heading your way...
Fair warning for a rant building here. So I haven't used this forum for personal biz, but here goes.
Against my better judgement I re-joined Twitter again a few months back, mainly to see what's going on in the world of comics in a more real-time fashion to be able to hear about things more real time and maybe even expand my view into the world of Legion fans. As I've said elsewhere on this board, I tend to avoid social media generally, as I watched most of the platforms turn into cesspools of misinformation. But everyone's there.
So anyway, I start the new Twitter account and I scope it down pretty well by just following Legion & comics related users. And I had a great newsfeed. Super positive, actually, showing that if you curate your newsfeed well enough, you can have a pretty decent experience. I *did* have a bit of a run-in with ComicsGate folks but they were easy enough to ignore and move on. But it was going great - hell, I even got re-tweeted by Gail Simone and Neil Gaiman a couple times.
Then on Sunday, I noticed that one Legion fan I follow retweeted, with a comment about Dawnstar, the message from another Legion fan whom I followed but I couldnt read, and I go to click the source and the guy has blocked me. The guy who literally references the Legion in his screen name blocked me. And I have no idea why. Politics seems to align. I'm a big Legion fan, and he posts great content. I haven't seen one negative discussion about the Legion in the last few months. People saying they don't like this or that, but nothing offensive from what I've seen. I certainly don't think I posted anything offensive and CERTAINLY nothing truly worthy of being blocked like the Comics Gate folks. But mostly I'm disappointed that some guy who calls himself a Legion fan would give me a digital F U when I literally did nothing except (from what I can tell) comment that I didn't think Bendis was all that. And I thought I was specific enough to say that I was talking about his WRITING. I could care less about the character redesigns. And that's what I'm assuming this is all about, but I just don't know.
Whomever you are out there, you can get bent. If someone loves Bendis' Legion, that's fine, do your thing. But don't cancel me just because I'm not the perfect Legion fan in your eyes. For someone who calls themselves a Legion fan to cut someone off from participation about the Legion is fairly immature for a grown person. Its called diversity of opinion. As far as I'm concerned, this Twitter user isn't a Legion fan at all, and he should be ashamed for calling himself as such.
On a social media platform, if you believe in what the Legion stands for, you block misfits like the Comics Gate jerks. You don't block other Legion fans for no reason.
I'm sorry GL, and big being blocked is always an unpleasant experience, I find that many people nowadays overuse and misuse it. I've had some annoying experiences on this and that dating app too...
it's a them thing, not you. you know you are A-OK in our books!
I?ve seen some awful Legion fans as well. I just tend to expect better, as the Legion (in my mind) always stood for acceptance and diversity (The Reboot mentions this several times). so I get the disappointment
(Disclaimer: I don't use Twitter. I am basing this on what I have been told by someone who does.)
It is quite possible that you have been the victim of a bot block list. I am told a lot of people get overwhelmed by the responses they get from totally unknown contacts largely through retweets. A common response is to use use a bot list. You see a list promoted that says it will block users who have a particular persuasion/opinion/stance/history of racism or sexism or whatever, and you can use that list to block anyone on it. Great in terms of reducing the garbage. However someone has to make up those lists and you are relying on their judgement. More than this, users can end up on lists like this not because they themselves did anything but because they follow a person who once did something that someone didn't like. It can even go to deeper levels where you follow some one who follows someone who follows someone who was once offensive to someone, and then the person making the list followed the follows and added them all to the list.
So someone can end up being blocked for nothing they did but just because they ended up on a list created by someone else to deal with a different issue entirely.
Anyway that's how I have heard it described. I sometimes listen to a guy on YouTube (Perch) who has different opinions but strongly encourages discussion etc. I tried to find the video where he explained this but couldn't exactly (he posts about 3 short videos per day - I sure don't listen to them all) but this one on comic creators blocking comic shops has some of the useful information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vW6W4iffueI
So someone can end up being blocked for nothing they did but just because they ended up on a list created by someone else to deal with a different issue entirely.
This is why I tell people that I get more from Twitter as a lurker than I ever did as a participant. I still read it too much, though. It takes a conscious effort to remember that I don't need to read every redundant comment or repetitive GIF in a 3,000-post dogpile. As a news aggregator, it can be useful. As a "community"? No. And it's noteworthy to me that I'm more likely to be wasting time on there if I'm already fatigued or in a bad mood.
November 1st will be my 4-year account-deletion anniversary. No regrets.
I mean, I'm blocked by the same guy for unknown reasons too. I always assumed it was because I was either a) too much of a Bendisboot hater on main, or b) got caught up in a blocklist.
I preferred the days when we fought Robotica to the social disapointment of being snubbed by them.
Physical pain is more bearable than emotional pain!
I was pleased when I talked the chainsaw wielding maniac attacking me down to criticising my choice of slippers. I found that pretty bearable.
Don't knock it. Even in jest. Emotional abuse is a horrible thing. I know because I have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I barely survived those traumas. Think about that.
Thanks all. Without responding to specific posts, I will say that the conversation here is definitely better AND more in depth. But I have been able to connect with a few people that I hadn't heard from in a long long while, so that's nice.
And interesting comments about the block-bot. I didn't know such a thing existed. So it may be that. I do know that there are a decent amount of Legion fans online that have this weird connection about the Bendis Legion being the "woke" Legion because of the character redesigns, and therefore any criticism of the Bendis Legion is a criticism of "woke" culture, when the reality is that we are criticizing the writing and characterizations.
It's a bit ironic that these so-called "woke" fans, are immediately associating criticism of writing and characterization without criticism of new designs. Ugh. I don't think I've once complained about the character designs themselves, despite my heavy dislike of the writing.
And to be clear, I don't have a problem with folks who consider themselves woke. As with anything, something taken to an extreme can cause unintentional harm.
So I had this thread idea a few weeks back which was something like "The Rest: Not Woke Enough for the Current Legion?" but I decided that even though it really amused me, it probably wasn't worth the potential risk of someone who didn't get the joke taking it the wrong way.
In the Super-Stalag of Space story, there's this scene where Brainy is introducing the freshly captured Legionnaires to other prisoners in the Super-Stalag, and after introducing Weight Wizard, Plant Lad, Blockade Boy, and Shadow Kid, he finishes with "...And The Rest". Presumably, this is meant to indicate all of the other prisoners that he's not introducing, but when he says it there's only one other prisoner in the scene, who happens to be lying on top of a bunk bed. This character has thus been nicknamed "The Rest" by Legion fans (at least here on Legion World). Not much is known about him, other than the fact that his powers clear involve some sort of super-resting.
That is brilliant! A hero who doesn't actually do anything (as far as I remember) called The Rest! I've been looking for ideas from old stories to mine for my fanfic and I might steal this, it's totally brilliant!
My aunt is dying. She's not the aunt that I've talked about so much in these forums, that's the middle sister. She's the oldest sister, and I never got as close to her as I could have. She's a complicated person. The worst part is, she lost consciousness before my mom and I could call her to say goodbye. I'm devastated, and my mom is barely hanging on, though she's being strong and stoic on the outside. And I have to leave for work at the job I just started a couple weeks ago, but when I'm done I'll be at my mom's side.
She's still being watched. We're simply awaiting the inevitable.
I am full of regret for all the chances I wasted at getting closer to her. She had nothing against me, but I had problems with the way she treated a lot of close family members, and I also held a grudge against her for not being there for me during my early twenties. Young and foolish I was. My mother told me later that, at that time, my aunt was mediating between her son and her husband, and it really had nothing to do with me. Too late now for anything. Sigh.
Thank you, Ibby. I can't afford to take off another day from work, but I'll be going in knowing that my wonderful co-workers will be comforting and acommodating me.
My sympathies as well Annie. You continue in my prayers.
Thank you, Stile.
Originally Posted by cleome55
Sorry, Sweetie.
Of course, we're here for you, but if you need to take a break and spend time with the family, I totally get it.
Thank you, Cleome. I might do that at some point, but for the moment it's very therapeutic and cathartic to keep on posting here in these beautiful forums.
Guys, hey. I, this is the only place I felt I was able to talk about this in the open.
My mom's situation has gotten worse. Ann can tell you guys I've been dealing with my mom being hospitalized twice this month due to an infection caused by a bile accumulation. They drained like eight liters out of her last week, which is like someone shoved four whole bottles of soda into her abdomen. Last Saturday was horrible; I had to leave work five minutes after clocking in to stop her from trying to leave the hospital.
And today they dropped a bombshell. My brother and I went to the hospital and sat down with our mom as the doctors told us how the cancer has spread in her abdomen. It's now near her colon, and the growth on her liver's nine centimeters long. They can't do chemo until they take care of her infection and the leakage near the drain they put in her, but, they're not even sure if the chemo will be effective.
I had to hold my brother while he cried in the hospital hallway.
Hey guys. Thank you for the kind words and thoughts but it turns out she has less time than we thought. I'm in the hospital with her right now and they told us yesterday she's now experiencing renal failure. I don't even think she's conscious right now.
We don't know. I didn't even think she would make it through last night.
I'm just so tired, and all I'm worried about what to do with the house, if we can sell it or about the mortgage. I have a GoFundMe going I set up to help mom but she didn't give me any access to the accounts for the house so I don't know what to do.
I'm just so sorry to hear your news Sarky. Words don't really say how tough and heart breaking a time this is.
As to the house/ accounts, locate your mother's documents. If they're not organised, it's not a disaster. You are just looking for ones relating to the property and bank accounts. Contact your bank/ mortgage lender/ lawyer to make them aware of the situation. These guys are the professionals, and are there to support you. They'll let you know what documentaiton is required regarding gaining access to financial information/ status of the property so that you know where to start if things come to that.
They deal with such enquiries regularly, so don't feel that there's massive barriers in your way about dealing with them.
Take some time, make sure you and your brother are taking care of yourselves. I know you're thinking of all the admin stuff, but you don't need to get to it right now. Let yourself process too, so you do not get overwhelmed.
I'm sorry you're going through this loss, Sarky, and illness too. I'm praying for strength and comfort for you. Remember to let yourself rest, physically and emotionally, as much as you can. You are loved.
I was just checking in to ask how you were, Sarky, and saw the above.
It's not a rare thing for relatives to uncover any number of things being kept secret for reasons that are now lost. But that doesn't lessen the impact and the additional emotional turmoil on those relatives. That's a really horrible one Sarky.
Words on a forum don't really work when it's things like this. Just remember that you've friends supporting you. Do what's needed regarding your mom. Take the rest in stages, and give yourself time to breathe. It can seem overwhelming, but there will be solutions down the path.
I can only repeat what everyone has already said, Sarky. It's a lot, so please also take care of yourself and try to give yourself time. Rely on the experts and others who can help make it less confusing and overwhelming. And give yourself time and space to grieve.
My mother's priest cousin and two spinster sister cousins set up a mass for my mom for this upcoming Saturday... without asking me, my dad, or my brother for any input or if it was okay at all.
I haven't felt this betrayed or violated in a long time.
Yet another delay with the JL vs LSH series, .... this time with issue #4 set to come out June 14. You know, I've forgotten what the story's even about!!! ???????????? lol
Yet another delay with the JL vs LSH series, .... this time with issue #4 set to come out June 14. You know, I've forgotten what the story's even about!!! ???????????? lol
I passed on the last one. Perhaps one day I'll see it in a TPB sale. That could be a few reboots down the road. There was a poll here recently rating the GDS. A little later I thought that however you rated it, it was so much better than this tepid attempt.
Yeah, its really frustrating. Last time Bendis talked about the delays, he basically put it at Godlewski's feet, saying he needed more time. Not sure what the deal is this time, but it sure is frustrating when you wait for two months for an installment and you finish reading it in like five minutes.
And to drag things out even more, we have to wait for the end to see what the Legion plans are! We'll know in 2023 at this rate...
Keep being watchful, GL. It's the after effects even more than the original illness that can be a huge problem for a lot of people.
mr_cleome is determined to fly next month and I'm super-displeased about it. But at least I'm on his case about getting boosted the proper two weeks before he goes.
Ah man speaking of COVID, my boss tested positive today and I have no idea if I caught it. I immediately went to get tested and it was negative, but what if it's too early to detect it?
Thanks all - I'm slogging through. Every day the fever gets better, and I get a bit tired midway through the day, but its mostly good.
Cleome - I'm sure he's gonna be masked, and he'll be fine. I've flown twice since the mask mandate was lifted and I was fine - ironically its after not flying for a couple months when I got it!
Sarky, definitely test again in a few days, just to be safe.
At least you’re getting better! For my man the worst of the fever lasted 3 days. For me it was the sore throat that lasted a bit. We both recovered fully in about a week and a half
I guess technically I'm on day 3 and had a slight fever, but its not the debilitating kind from day 0-1, so I'm sure the medicine & vax is helping there. And that (plus fatigue) was/is the worst of my symptoms.
Glad to hear it hasn't lasted too long for most of you. Still need to be careful. My son (20s) caught it early this year and he was out bad for two weeks, but even after that for the next several weeks he was exhausted and going to bed at 7 every night.
Queen Elizabeth II passed away yesterday. While I haven't thought about her as "my" leader or whatever for years, as a kid we sang "God Save the Queen" as our national anthem before it was changed in the 70s, and her picture was all over the place. She's just sort of been there all my life. Not unexpected but it feels weird. How is it for the others of you from the UK or Commonwealth countries?
It does feel that we've lost part of our national identity. The respect she was held in by so many around the world, was across generations. Her dignity and duty over long years made her the face of our country, through good times and bad. Regardless of views on the monarchy, she was an incredibly popular queen.
The constant obsession in the U.S. with royalty is a massive headache to me.
That includes U.S. "Royalty," by the way.
I tried to tell my Mom once that some pol here she worships as some kind of heroic go-getter magical girl was just another scion of a wealthy family which already had political office before Magical Girl was even born, probably. Mom basically la-la-la-ed at me and said I "made up" information which anyone can find on Wiki.
I mean, obviously you have to click on Wiki footnotes to find primary source link, but Good Gravy! Who is this woman? She's not like the one who raised me. I don't even know her.
This is probably one of the many reasons my Mom has stopped speaking to me at all.
I fele you cleome. Philippines inherited that too... a huge portion of our broadsheet newspapers are still devoted to, ugh, celebrity news.
Western Europe is much more sensible. Actors here are more like normal people. Politicians, too. Even the Dutch princess could walk around Amsterdam without getting too much attention.
Yeah. I wish the world were like a Lifetime Movie and you could comedically badger your way back into the non-communicating person's life. And after a couple of teary margaritas together and a TON of sappy background music, everything would be okay again.
But that's probably why those movies are so popular. They don't remind you of how real life actually is.
Yeah. I wish the world were like a Lifetime Movie and you could comedically badger your way back into the non-communicating person's life. And after a couple of teary margaritas together and a TON of sappy background music, everything would be okay again.
But that's probably why those movies are so popular. They don't remind you of how real life actually is.
I think the biggest problem with pop culture is that it swings from one extreme to the other. Either 95 percent of everything is too escapist, or 95 percent of everything is one-dimensionally grim.
I think it was Joan Baez who said that one day early in her career, she realized that she was playing too many murder ballads in a row. People were doing what she called either "Church Face" or "Sermon Face." In other words, they were involuntarily smiling or laughing because the onslaught of grim, sad, narratives was too much for them. So she started adding jokey renditions of doo-wop songs or just pithy one-liners. So people could have a breather between the sad stuff. It seems obvious in retrospect, but when you're really young and just starting out, it might not be.
3 months only on my cdl medical because I have white coat syndrome. BP normally around 130 over 72. Not great, but not bad. However, my cdl, thus my ability to earn a living and take care of my family, depends on my stats at the physical. I explained to the place that I have it, that "meditation" doesn't work. I don't like doctors, I don't like being checked out, and I get more than a little stressed thinking about it. Drives up my bp.
So, this chippy comes in and says I get three months instead of the standard year (Limited to a year max because of diabetes). Three months.
Which means for the next 2.5 months I gotta stress over this shit. Can't drive without a physical. I've seen 400lb guys dragging oxygen tanks around behind them and can't walk from the truck to the Pilot without stopping and resting, but I get this shit.
No, Ibby, I'm fine other than a smashed thumbnail and the standard aches and pains being 55. But since I've had doctors try to cut my leg off, nearly give me a heart attack with Tramadol, and several other incidents over the years, I don't really trust them. Which agitates me, and that causes my blood pressure to rise. I tried to tell them that, but...paid by big corporation doctors don't care about that.
Thanks Ann. I appreciate it. I think we all deserve better than what we get in this country. Billions of dollars over history and they can't do the simple basics.
I know this woman who I used to go out with. I get along with her very well. Maybe I'll marry her someday. However...
In the past few years she has been stricken with 3 different types of cancer. She's beaten two of them, and is working on the third. She married young and wealthy, and then divorced, and then did not do well with her finances. She has some rare neurological disorder and can barely walk. She has nothing. She lives with her mom, and cannot work because her health is so poor. A few weeks ago one of her daughters was out for a walk and was struck by a vehicle and killed. She was 23.
Her life has gone from riches to...well, it's horrible. I guess she just survives. But nothing more than that. I feel so bad for her. I would crumble under that weight. I continue to be her friend, but that's about all I can do. And whenever I want to complain about my life, or the poor decisions I've made, I think of her.
Lance, the realization that sometimes all a person can do is be a friend is a sure sign of maturity. A friend of mine is having a lot of problems at the moment, though not to the same extent as your friend. I do my best to be there for her. Your post is something anybody can learn from. Thanks.
Some people's lives are just shit. For most of us it's a mixture of wonderful and horrible and most of the time something in between, but some people just really seem to get the worst. So sorry to hear of your friend's ... issues? problems? struggles? None of those words seem appropriate. At least we know she has one good thing in her life, you. Like many on this forum I have my own long-term health issues and I can tell you that sometimes just having a friend who will listen, or just be there, or just show an interest, can make all the difference. Praying for you and your friend.
I'm close to breaking point. My mom has had all manner of health problems since the beginning of June, all of them centered around her back. But today, she just told me that the recent removal of a foot callous revealed an infection in her foot.
And on top of all this, my air conditioning unit needs repairs, although at least I caught the problem before it could do serious damage to the rest of my condo.
Hey Ann. Wishing your mum a speedy recovery with the infection, which at least got picked up. And that her back issues, which are invariably rubbish, improve.
As for other stuff, someone told me recently that mindfulness helps you take a step back and refocus. And as I patted down the last bit of earth on their shallow grave of tree hugging nonsense, I realised it had indeed taken my mind off things.
Hang in there, Ann. There's a saying about hell and keep going and all, but while yer going it's real shit. But you are a good person and while we may be far away, this is the place to get it out. We friends here and we're here for you.
My mother in law passed away last night. My wife and son are crushed right now. I'll miss Ms. Carolyn, but watching them hurt is the worst. Ms. Carolyn was a live wire, but had had some health issues the last few months. Still, she was feeling better, we had thanksgiving with her, and then just two nights later...
Rick, Sorry to hear about your family's loss. I agree, watching your loved ones suffer is often the hardest thing in life, but highlights your own love for them. I hope they can draw strength from knowing your care for them.
The manager is taking a well-deserved vacation this week. Unfortunately, that also means I'm working a double-shift today with no one else except my least favorite co-worker, the one I mentioned recently in the Crow thread.
Please send me positive energy and prayers, so that I stay professional no matter what challenges lie ahead.
Thank you.
EDIT: I also had to reschedule my seasonal flu shot for tomorrow, so please pray none of the customers today make me sick.
Sending you positive energy... and the schematics to your building. If you're alone with this person and *have* to hide the body quickly, they will come in handy.
I just stayed behind as my new manager wanted to validate my figures. Sigh. All fine.
Still to book my flu jab. I'm off tomorrow, which is just as well as everyone else seems to have at least a cold. They can find their own moaning, groaning threads about that. This thread is for me having to be near sneezing people.
My mom's health has been declining since last spring. Now she's been diagnosed with diabetes. This on top of back problems, leg-twitching and the resulting lack of sleep, swollen legs, a foot infection...plus the screwed up health care system and the Big Pharma crap with side effects on top of side effects.
I tell myself I can handle it, but I keep worrying she's going to lose the will to keep living. I do my best to help her, and my dad is a rock to her, but I'm afraid ultimately it's not going to be enough. I know death happens to all of us, and I know we're never prepared for when it happens to a loved one. I'm sure when she does go, whether it's in a week, a month, or a year, it's going to be the minute I let down my guard. I accept that, but I'm having trouble coping -- it gets harder every day.
It's a really tough, prolonged thing to be going through Ann. As the issues seem to pile up, they can really overwhelm the person, never mind their carers and wider family. But I've seen as many people respond well mentally as they respond to their treatments. While there were times they looked to be losing the will to go on, they did get better, and improved mental state was definitely part of that process. Your mom has you and your dad as great support for a start, and that's going to be a massive help to her. While you can certainly plan and prepare things well in advance, I'm not sure you can prepare emotionally really.
So, after Carol called me to tell me the water was out at the house and I got diverted over a rr crossing that busted my bottom line on the tank, I get to within fifteen miles of my destination and Carol calls me back.
Seems like, with the water out, mom decided to burn off a patch of grass.
Burnt down the barn.
Commercial sized zero turn kubota, gone. Replica Shelby Cobra with a 427 side oiler, gone. Generator for emergency power, gone. Baby Harley, gone. All my scuba gear, gone. All my tools, gone. Some passed down from my grandfather and father. Brand new compressor to replace the one that just went out, gone. Two different craftsman lawnmowers, gone.
Now, having said all that, my Mom is physically okay. And yes, when Carol called, that was my first question. The barn and everything, now matter how much I used or needed them for upkeep on the place, are just things. Mom is okay. That's what matters.
Problem is, at 74, I'm having to start worrying about her mental condition. She isn't taking in information on simple things like phone calls. I know she's lost a step at her age, but now i have to worry if it isn't something more.
And when I finally got home, all I could do was give her a hug. She's my Mom. Love her. But, age is starting to show rapidly. I've been through this with my grandparents, and I went through it with my dad. Mom...never really thought about it with her. Now I have too.
oh gosh, I'm sorry Rick, and kudos to you for prioritizing your mom above it all. you and Carol are awesome. this is a big curveball and a big life development... wishing you all well
have had similar with the elderly in my family too, I empathize
Your mom is okay which is the important thing. And it didn't spread to anything else.
But definitely a worrying event. Not just for the present, but because your mind will be thinking through all the potential future problems too.
For every time I think my folks are losing a step, or simply having some trouble taking on certain new things, they come back and surprise me. Sometimes it's just their hurdles to it take a different route to get round. Hoipefully, it's the same for you.
Is there any insurance covering some of the losses Rick?
I resigned from the Census yesterday before I was assigned work. I just couldn't handle the stress of potentially working three jobs on top of everything else. The money would've been nice, but I feel like I would've destroyed myself from exhaustion.
Guys I'm really starting to worry about Candle. I've been trying to call her for weeks and it keeps going straight to voice mail, but just now I dialed the number and I got "WELCOME TO VERIZON WIRELESS. YOUR CALL CANNOT BE COMPLETED AS DIALED."
What do you do, how do you react, when you've done something for someone. Something good. And then that person dies, and you think "At least I was able to do this." And then someone else manages to completely invalidate the thing you did and makes you into a liar.
That's a blow for sure, especially for someone who is now beyond your help.
There's a number of sayings for this kind of thing. "You did your best." "It's the thought that counts." "At least you tried."
They may seem shallow but they also have truth behind them.
I'm not sure from what you wrote if what this other person has said/done invalidates from their perspective or your own. There are times to listen to what others think and there are times to ignore it. Ultimately the only per son whose judgement of yourself counts is you. Even if what you did was not as good as you hoped, you are still the person that tried to help.
50 hrs in three days. Delayed at shipper 11:45 due to their poor planning. The last two days Moncks Corner, SC to Hamlet, NC over the roughest roads because somehow, some way, allllllll that lottery money goes to Columbia, and the i85 corridor instead of the desperately poor counties in SC. Surprise surprise...poor black counties get shafted again. Who'da thunk it. Right now my back is trying to lure me into a dark alley to slit my throat and boot stomp my tired old ass. Oh, and the run from Hamlet back to Moncks Corner to preload today? No product at the plant that's closing down, and wasn't supposed to load until sunday anyway.
Yeah, my old ass is tired. But, Carol has air conditioning and Midge, Abby, Piglet (spaz), and Gin Gin all have kibbles. So, that's something.
Rick, I-20 from Augusta to Columbia has felt like a miles-long speed bump experiment for years, but they're working on it. I hate to imagine what you're dealing with elsewhere in the state. Glad you're home and safe. Enjoy the weekend!
Thanks, LT. I mostly spent it cutting grass, but that's a good thing so it went well. I know i20 at Augusta stinks right now, but that bridge was in such bad shape something had to be done.
One thing that never gets easier is getting along with co-workers. There's one who is prone to mood swings, but I had thought I'd sussed out the best way to read her moods and avoid triggering anything.
Was I ever wrong!
Last Saturday night, I triggered a fucking nuclear explosion just because I couldn't remember a computer command. What happened next is still too hurtful for me to have fully processed, but the short version is that I left feeling that she had abused her authority over me as the senior worker.
I texted my feelings to the manager, but I haven't yet had a chance to discuss the incident with him in person. That's going to be tomorrow. The manager has proven himself many times in the past to be fair-minded and reasonable, so I'm guardedly optimistic that he will deal with it in the best possible way.
But right now, I'm still hurting bad. I'm trying to feel sorry for her instead of hating her -- not there yet.
It's going to take time to get away from that strong a feeling Fickles. Personally, I don't do feeling sorry for people in the workplace, when it's somethign like this. It's a professional environment, and that comes with expectations. If they can't meet those, then that's on them. I'd definitely recommend professionally explaining to your manager why their approach was incorrect, and then show the impact that this had on you. That way you're showing that your communication skills are better than this other persons, and that you are a team player. It's just going to take a bit of time to go down through the stages, but that will come. It's a ituation that you can use to get some strength out of.
Funnily enough, I had someone come up to me, whille I was in the middle of fixing some MI today. I was distracted, so was just surprised at the tone they were using, and very well aware that my first response wasn't suitable for the ears of the people around me. I answered briefly, with just a little edge on it. 2 minutes later, after they'd had a moment to think about it, I got a return visit, that it was nothing at all to do with me after all, and an apology. Still really badly communicated, but then that's more on the standard of keen, but very raw, employee we have.
Today's a year exactly since my mom died. It feels like yesterday was the actual day because May 15th was on a Sunday last year. Mother's Day and the anniversary being back to back, I mean, you'd think it'd be excruciating. I feel I prefer it this way because every other year there's going to be a bigger divide and that'll make it more painful.
Yesterday we ate a Mexican place in Brooklyn my brother thought she'd like. I paid for the bill. The only problem was my allergies. It doesn't help that last year I had COVID as a result of all the time I spent maskless in the hospital with her, so I can't help but worry.
I took off from work today because I can't be thinking about my mom while I'm with my boss. I don't have it in me to deal with him or I'll just say something I probably won't regret, but he will.
Lots of emotions at the time of an anniversary Sarky. They can come out of nowhere and you just have to accept them as they come, and deal with them the best that you can. Lots of Legion World hugs, specially delivered from a covid and allergen free future.
Okay, so I bought a used zero turn mower after the shed burned to have something to cut with. Little problem but I narrowed it down to the ignition coil. Not a problem. I look up model, get what is supposed to be the correct ignition coil pack of two for it and then have to wait for a day off that isn't raining to work on it. Finally get that today...
Yeah, ignition coils have the wrong prong for the wiring. So, I can lose another couple of weeks waiting trying to find the correct coils, or i can jury rig a solution this coming weekend.
Reminds me of a friend who bought a DVD collection of their fave show, only to find out the DVD was for another region or something like that... commisserations Rick
I don't want to risk jinxing my plans by saying too much about them, but I will say I hope to have stuff to crow about in the Crow thread one year from now. Some good thoughts and positive energy would be greatly appreciated.
Do you have any idea what it feels like when you pour your heart and soul into an idea, for something that was very important to you, in the hope that someday if you work hard enough you can see it become a reality and finally share it with the world at large...
And then someone comes along and not only uses your idea but does it badly and you can't even say you were ripped off because you've never even spoken to this person.
Because that's how I feel after seeing that Green Arrow preview.
It started with prosthetic replacements for my corneas to treat cataracts Then bariatric surgery to install plastic sleeves in my digestive tract, to assist on losing weight, to prepare me for: Cobalt-chromium metal knee replacements, which took a year of surgery and physical therapy (and the left one still doesn’t work properly) I am now part of the internet My Google watch sends reports of my heart rate, sleep patterns, exercise routines, and more health data to my physician And I now have a continuous glucose monitor, which reports to my physician, and to a second health organization, my moment-to-moment blood sugar levels in an attempt to control my diabetes
I am becoming more and more a cybernetic organism You will be assimilated Resistance is futile
So I just spoke with her. The doctor says it's not a fracture, but a bruise. She'll still need care, but thank the higher powers above for small favors!
So, The Atlantic posts on FB this nice nostalgic article from 1957 by the great Steve Allen where he's expressing concern about where the next generation of comedians will get the necessary experience to hone their craft or something like that. Pretty cool, and a welcome change from so much of the annoying stuff the Atlantic page posts over and over again.
Except, of course, the comments section. Dude complaining about how the "woke, progressive left" won't let you produce real comedy classics like "American Pie" any more.
And the utter absurdity of this is driving me nuts at the moment. I mean... I haven't seen everything that Steve Allen was in, but I'm almost completely certain he never felt the need to have sexual intercourse with baked goods in order to be funny. And I really feel the temptation to post something like that in response to him, but also.know that engaging would be a waste of time, so I'm venting here.
- Some folk will find a way of getting the same pet hates out, regardless of the topic at hand. - Some folks have no alternative view, but just like to hate things. - Logic and supporting information will not register with most of these folks. They just get in the way of the above.
Thanks, guys. I'm pretty used to avoiding/ignoring rude jerks with opinions online, but there's just something so bizarre about the fact that the position of self-proclaimed conservatives/right-wingers/whatever has apparently shifted from "Modern Hollywood has way too much vulgarity and sex! Why can't they make wholesome family-friendly entertainment anymore?" to a nostalgia for the raunchy teen sex comedies of the 90s/00s, and seeing it blatantly juxtaposed with an article about Steve Allen, exactly the kind of wholesome figure "conservatives" used to champion, that just triggered this whole feeling of the world just not making sense anymore.
I hear you, EDE. My pet peeve is the right wingers attempt to claim the legacy of Dr. Seuss. He would have been horrified and outraged! He was as opposed to fascism (and especially the Nazis) as anyone is capable of being -- he did Anti-Nazi cartoons and animation, for gods sakes.
I haven't encountered this but I'd be willing to bet they get upset over Superman not using the phrase "the American Way" anymore, despite the fact the phrase was originally meant to.contdemn the kind of nationalist/"America First" politics that they represent as "anti-Anerican".
I used to think that if someone was nasty to me, it was my fault. Now I just think that some people are naturally nasty, it’s them and not me. It ain’t always my fault or problem
I spoke to my parents, and my mom's been having a bad day from the moment she woke up. On top of all her other problems, now her right arm is sore and stiff. At the worst possible time, too, because today's my dad's birthday.
I'll be seeing them later, of course, and I'll do my best to make it a happy day for all of us, so that my follow-up post can be in the Crow thread instead of this one.
Some positive energy would certainly help, and it would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Cramer. 
Aw, thanks EG!
I get that I'm lucky to have any damn job at all, and that it's not the worst job that I could have nor am I the most stellar employee that ever lived, but still... [deep breath]
<span class="spoiler_containter"><span class="spoiler_wording">Click Here For A Spoiler</span><span class="spoiler_text">At 9 AM this morning, the temp agency calls me to come back to work at the warehouse first thing Monday. Great. I said "fine." I complain about this job when I'm on it, but the truth is that I have done and doubtless will do much worse.
Dev Em, $7.50 an hour for this?!
![[Linked Image]](http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f185/MLLASH/07-01-2010115843PM.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2872440860_c55ec6c0b1.jpg)
I'll bet that explains a lot about why I post so much about bodily functions.
![[Linked Image from cdn.saintsweb.co.uk]](https://cdn.saintsweb.co.uk/monthly_2022_09/FB_IMG_1662677650222.jpg.324f84de63ca894dab77e6ecfb07bdfa.jpg)