Saber Forum

Venting a great way of releasing stress and so a few rules so we don't flame.

1. Follow forum law.

2. Do not release anyone's name. I.E buinesses,personal names...etc!

3. Vent!!!! keep it forum friendly, but vent any thing.

So wile surfing one of my meany star wars fan sites. I came upon a thread, for people having issues with a certain company... browsing through this page I find this:

"Ok I no this is kinda off topic but I am going to say this for people who come here looking for reviews of sabers.  ** is another buyer beware site. I got a saber used here and sent it to them to add some thing. They mixed up address labels and got two orders confused. When I e-mailed them about this they said there was a note in every saber they ship BS! I did not get a note in my box nor the other guy his (his phone number was on the shipping address when he sent it to them and i called him.). I had to get the other guy to e-mail them as well and both of us had to get a bit rough. Will never buy from again no matter what!!!
I have never bought from ** and both ** and these comments are turning me away from the saber community."

 :o There were some meany hateful things I wanted to say to him, please use your imagination.  >:(

This is a great idea :) Point to you for setting this up. If I ever do need to vent, I'll definitely do it here.

I saw that thread.  I'm not in the Rebel Legion, so I can't post there, but the post is simply BS.  Since when do we take used sabers and do mods to them?  Sounds like that person has us confused with another company with the words "Ultra" and "Sabers" in their name.

I saw that thread and was annoyed too. Sounded sorta like the guy bought a used US hilt, then sent it in for sound or LED change or something, but I don't know the details. I only sort of lurk over there to pick up tips, tricks, and resources for costuming. Wealth of knowledge there! BTW Ultra, I do believe you can register on the RL forums without joining the Legion itself and just be a forum member. I used to have an account (changed my email, lost the account on accident, never bothered to fix it) and I know ThreadJack was talking about having an account there awhile back. Just sharing the info. ;)

Personally.... I have nothing to vent about currently. I'm annoyingly tired.... but tomorrow is my day off, so since it's quitin' time now... I guess it doesn't matter. lol

Thank god that its not true. But its those things that get to me I know Ultra sabers has an awesome product. 8)

Vent ...vent... :D

Venting does help relieve stress.  I often find that solutions are much more effective. 

People in general need to think more often.  There is a wealth of information out there but it does zero good if it is not used wisely. 

This is my story:  I found Ultrasabers while searching for a unique present for myself when I achieve Black Belt.  I lurked on the forum and watched videos and found a great deal of favorable reviews as well as about five unfavorable reviews.  When I began listening to what was said on those five vids and then researching, I found that these five were not being fair as they made criticisms that could not be backed or were unreasonable.  Before I made the conclusion from five vids that US was not the company for me, I did research and found the unfavorable reviews to be completely inaccurate. 

Since that time, I have purchased four already built sabers. I am very happy here and satisfied but what would have happened if I let five unfavorable reviews overshadow the 126 (at that time) that were very favorable?  Not everyone is going to be happy.  Some people have realistic expectations and some people do not. 

Of the people that I have seen complain without proper explanation or proof, when challenged, they often go into a hate filled diatribe concerning things that have nothing to do with the product, the company, or anything rational for the most part.  A rational person will never convince an irrational person they are wrong. 

If given time, the irrational turn the blaster on themselves.  I watched my greatest enemies get discovered as closet bigots when their fan club began a campaign of racial and other hatred.  Now I rarely hear those named mentioned much.  I'll see a dislike button pushed or a cryptic comment on my vids but not near the degree it once was.

As Ultrasaber customers, our best solution is to let the market and the sabers speak for themselves.  Detractors only become distractors.

Thanks for letting me vent.

This has absolutely nothing to do with Ultra Sabers or Star Wars in general :D It's actually about music....

If there is one thing I've prided myself on, it would be my open-mindedness and willingness to view things equally and without bias. Though unfortunately I have come to realize that this purity is just impossible to maintain with everything that life has to offer. When I think of music, I think of art, because that is what it is, art. Art is the single most subjective thing in the world, bar none. However, I just can't fathom how modern pop music can be considered art. All modern pop artists want is money. They don't care about making art, and they most certainly don't care about composing meaningful songs. No, they just write simple, contrived songs simply so that they can make cash and become popular.

For me, art is art. If it's fake, it's not art. It's as simple as that.

I love all music. I love metal, I love rock, I love baroque, I love folk, I love jazz, I love blues, I love, I love, I love.... However, if the person composing the music isn't creating it with proper intentions, than it doesn't matter what genre it is, for in my eyes, it's just garbage.

I know I'm generalizing, and I just now realized this :D I'm not aiming at pop music specifically, I'm pointing the finger at anyone in any genre that makes meaningless songs for a quick buck. Yes, even the people in my beloved genre of metal. Though I also have to admit that there is only one pop artist I can think of who isn't in it for the money.

---

Thank you for letting me vent *bows and leaves*

I'm really getting sick of all the political posts on Facebook! (That's all I will say on that.)

If there was a button that would allow me to give you 100 points for that vent, I would.  Thank you for that!!!

You're welcome. lol.

To continue that vent a bit, there are places I can go if I want to see that stuff. I don't want to see it on Facebook, that's not why I'm on there!

I think it might be less of "modern pop" and more of "those annoying cookie-cutter pseudo artists who can't sing, or dance, or write songs, or have any appeal other than a passing attractiveness that is overhyped and oversold until said pseudo artist has gotten old (read: become a full grown adult) and is desperately trying to regain their former lack of glory by incessantly reinventing themselves, thus proving that they, indeed, should have never been in show business to begin with."

That works too...

:D

But in all seriousness I do agree.

So my vent to day is people and used tickets. I am a Authorized Ticket Dealer here in FL. 
My biggest headache are the tourist who come on vacation, expecting to pay $20 to go to any one of the numerous themed parks we have here.
 News flash they're not $20 and if you bothered to look online you would see that.
Then there are the scalpers. Who lie to the tourist an give them "tickets" for say $50ish dollars.
Only to not have them work when they get to the gate.
Now your out $50 dollars per person and you have the wonderful choice of paying full price at gate,so you can try and enjoy your day.
Or your second option, go with the officer and take him/her to the ticket scalper and hope he/she's there and get your money back.
Sad thing is the tourist are more willing to take the scalped tickets, then they are the legit tickets.
Then they come crying to me only to find out what they already know. Which is that I can sell them tickets but they are at full price.
 >:( Then they get mad be cause they bought them yesterday for $50 and they worked just fine.
Well that was just *KIRFIN* luck, unfortunately if you want to gamble with your families vacation time and money by all means.
But don't come crying to me still looking for that "discount." When you know dang well that there isn't one unless you go on a timeshare tour. >:(

End of VENT. :)

Yall, lets be careful not to let our good natured venting turn into rage posting, which of course is not allowed.  So far everything is fine; I'm just offering up a friendly reminder: don't post when you're angry.

Customers suck! There's various reasons for their suckitude, and some of them aren't all that bad, but they mostly all suck.

I wouldn't go that far, but I would say there are far to many of them that are exceedingly annoying. Like the ones that walk in every week and say EXACTLY the same thing.... though the fact that they ARE paying customers does help one to count ten. ;) lol

I must now say people who do not do things themselves annoy me. How difficult is it to check the database for gaps yourself? Why must you ask somebody else who is busy and on a tighter schedule than you are to check for you? Is not doing your own job a simple concept? I fail to see the difficulty... :P

Being Thankful.  By Blue.

As I stepped to a vending machine yesterday, I noticed that a candy bar was stuck.  I put my $1 in and pressed the button for that slot.  I received two candy bars for the price of one.  I was very thankful for that event but got me to thinking.  Someone somewhere put $1 in that machine and did not receive the candy they wanted. 

Nothing in life is truly free.  Someone else paid for it if you did not.  Be thankful for small things in your life.  I did not believe that I deserved a 2nd candy bar.  I was thankful that I did.  I wish that the person that paid for my 2nd candy bar was near so that I could thank them or at the very least, offer to return the favor.

I see too much entitlement thinking.  I have the ability to speak my peace on this forum because Ultra created the forum, the mods regulate it, and some people had the foresight to create an arena that allows me to do what I am doing now. 

These may not be the best examples that I could provide but I thought it was worth mentioning as this does cause me to vent sometimes.  Think about everything you do.  Your actions may not cost you anything but it could cost someone else. 

Wishing all my saber forum friends a great weekend as I work TH, FR, and SA nights.

Blue

Point. An excellent post, Blue. Well said. Well said. :)

I guess my vent is more of a personal nature. I recently broke up with my boyfriend, someone who I was first bestfriends with for over a year before dating. Naturally, I thought I could trust him. We had so much in common, including our huge interest in reptiles and all things Star Wars. However, this past Friday I found out that he was seeing someone else behind my back. Needless to say, I was crushed. When I confronted him about it, he denied it for over an hour while we argued before finally admitting to it.

After a very rough weekend, I realized I was more angry about him trying to hide it than just admitting that he was interested in someone else. I know most females are more emotional about things but he knows that I am more open to reason about certain things, including relationships. Why can't people just be honest and open, rather than trying to hide and lie? All it does is hurt people. He wasn't being fair to me or to the other girl he supposedly cares for. Ugh. Not appreciating males right now. (no offense to anyone on here - you all seem wonderful)

end of venting.

It's not just males that do it, it's also females. It really boils down to the individual themselves, not the gender.

But anyway, I'm sorry :( I hope you feel better soon. I will say this though: this is exactly why I never date. My ex screwed with my brain and I just had enough of it. Than again it was never a good idea to date during high school; nobody is mature enough to handle it, and education is a thousand times more important. People shouldn't date until college. Not talking about you though. I'm just ranting about past experiences :D

Though it does apply to most people....

In any case, karma will hopefully pay him a visit. Just try to stay sane; it's not worth fussing over. Move on and find someone else, because there will always be someone else.

<-----Not in high school. XD But I'm inclined to agree with you. I'm focusing on the new guy in my life, my little bearded dragon. :) It's actually helped a lot. I just wanted to get that vent off my chest. Thanks Hobbit.

Yeah, that's why I said I'm not talking about you :D

Glad you have a new guy in your life :) My dog keeps me sane. More of a brother than a pet though.

All I can say on all of that is:

Humanity, holding the universal record for most messed up species for several thousand years, and still trying hard. ;)


It truly is a blessing to find an exceptional human being for a friend, they're quite rare. Always have been too.

Ugh that sucks Sinya :'( He doesn't deserve you anyway.

*hugs* I'm here for you

Thank you RogueLeader. *hugs back*

I'm sorry sir, you're not the only customer in the world. There are lots of other customers, and they all buy things too. That's how we sell out of things.

My quickie vent before I fix the problem.

I'm working on a Friday (I volenteered to support the overtimers, no big deal). So I wander across the building to a snack machine, and behold, Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bar.

JACKPOT rings through my head as I insert 80 cents into the machine to purchase said granola bar (yeah $.80 is too much for one, but I'll live). The vending machine dispenses it, so I mosey over to the coke machine and purchase a 20oz of bottled ambrosha, better known to other people as Dr. Pepper.

I then walk all the way back to my area across the building and sit down and realize I already have an opened Dr. Pepper, so I quickly down it so I don't look crazy with two bottles of Abrosia on my desk at once. I then open the granola bar only to find its the crap with all of the nuts and stuff put on top of yogert. I hate yogert, it doesn't taste good to me (unless its frozen yogert and I'm pretty sure I'm mispelling yogert over and over again but I'm venting, I'll get over it).

So alas, I am hungry, I am $.80 poorer, and I am about to wander across the building once more in search of sustinance.

That sucks. My short vent to day is Hotel guest are the worst. >:(  They expect that even though your desk says tickets, that you have towels or toothbrushes . ::) I just take a deep breath direct them to the front desk, or nearest mini mart and laugh as they walk away. ;D

Really? I had three. Only one of them still cares me about me though. I really let those guys down  :'( Every day I think about trying to get in touch with them again. I doubt they'd want me back.

Perhaps you're underestimating them, time tends to make people for get and it does heal little by little. :)

I hope so. Thanks buddy :)

I'm still your friend Hobbit :)

Thanks Rogue. That means a lot.

I don't have any friends. Though admittedly, that's probably because I hate everyone. XD

That is a complete load of crap  ::)

But anyway, I found out I still had a few months left on my Xbox Live membership, so I decided to get back in touch with my old friends. One of them missed me like crazy and told me to never, ever leave again. Another one told me that I'm a whiny, selfish, arrogant *BLEEP*

I feel so loved :D...

In any case, things just don't feel the same as they used to. Wasting my days away playing video games just doesn't interest me anymore. Though I don't want to lose the one friend I still have (on XBL) so I would need to keep gaming. What a dilemma....  :-\

get them on saberforum = problem solved  8)

Only game two nights a week? It could work.

He's not that interested in Star Wars, haha. Good idea though :)


That is a really good idea. Thanks! There are two day that I don't have classes on so it'll work.

Bah. You've got me, Wingmate. ;)

I see lots of love here....  :-* carry on!

In the realm of love and relationships, I have learned that no matter how crappy others have been toward you, there is always someone out there for you.  Just have to keep looking.  With the exception of Jedi Rel & possibly Solinus, my relationships with women have been pretty sad and horrendous.  I was the guy that was there to keep away loneliness until the next "hot" guy came along.  I pretty much developed the attitude quickly that once I am done with someone, I am done with them.  No second chances when dealing with emotional relationships with me.  After having a horrible first marriage that put my life in extreme danger, I finally found someone that I could create a home and family with.  Of course now all those fair weather girlfriends are searching me out on Facebook like crazy and telling me how crazy they were to let me go.  Just feeds my ego and kind of fun to see how their lives are crap.

Don't give up but don't go back either.  There is someone who appreciates you for you.  Who knows, we might have a match here on Saberforum and they just don't know it yet.  A Star Wars themed weddind anyone????  With Ultrasabers for gifts?

Not much of a vent but an inspiration to help those seeking love to not give up.  The problem is that not that women are idiots or men are jerks, it is that the right people are not meeting the right people.  These wrong people need to stay with their kind and leave people looking for a seriously relationship and not just another notch in the belt alone. 

Check out Ultra's anniversary story sometimes to learn that there are happy endings.  Jedi Rel can give you some inspiration as well after escaping the Dark Side free of his Sith Ex-Wife. 

Very well said, Blue :) The fallout with my first ex was kind of my fault as well. It was an internet relationship, and as we all know, those NEVER work out. We met on Runescape and dated for around two years. Anyway, a billion things happened in the span of those two years, and it all ended with her hacking into my level 131 account. She deleted everything, then got it banned, then later deleted. It took me years to get to such a high level (it was seven levels away from max level) and you might think it's silly, but it was no laughing matter. It felt like years of my life was stripped from me. I will never forgive her. But I lived and let go, so it doesn't really matter anymore. I never think about her.

My second ex used me. She was scum. Even worse than the lowliest of maggots. That's all I'll say about her.

There is something to be said, certainly, for knowing someone well and looking them in the eye before dating them. Put it this way: If you start dating someone, and later find out you were both dancing around trying to get up the guts to ask each other out, you've probably got off with a good start.

 :) You all are great. My vent tonight is not my guests or my love life. But of costuming.
I have spent the last two years looking at material, scrutinizing good costumes from others good costumes.
To only come to realize that I still haven't picked one Ideal costume for me. Frustrated as I am, I can't seem to settle on just one.
The biggest problem is time and money. None of which I have at the moment. Yet I'm torn between the bills I have to pay, and the money I could save...(if only I left my fiance.)
To which the bill's always wins, and at this point in the relationship 5+years I don't want, nor need to leave her. So ends my vent.

Really? You waited that long to tell us we could close early!? There's only a hurricane outside, nothing dangerous or anything! Oh, but we can't miss out on a couple of $2 sales. Corporations suck.

I hope every thing is ok and that you and your family are safe. :)

Rezeb: Save your loose change. It'll take a long time, yes, but then again you'd be surprised how fast those little dimes add up. ;)

TJ: I concur. Any corporation that makes you work in a hurricane is very likely to be high on the suck-o-meter. :P

Wont say much because it would turn into a rage post but..... lucas sold star wars to Disney......  there are no words

Join our discussion,

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=9973.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=9973.0)

It's healthy. ;D

YAY! I found an ally.

Do not wish to rage post, am attempting to remain as calm as possible, but I must say this, and say it once.

Negativity pisses me off. I'm seeing WAY too much negativity out there with the buyout announcement, and I'm just being honest, it's not been 12 hours and already I am sick of seeing 'Disney will destroy Star Wars!' posts, comments, and rants across the web.

*hugs and gives Manny some freshly baked cookies in the shape of an X-Wing*

I Agree. If any wish to vent your hate for Disney. Then please do so as Manroon has short and sweet.

I dislike this change and wished it had never happened. end vent. ;D

I agree. end vent

Thank you Hobbit, I will preserve and frame these for posterity. After eating one or two, of course.  ;) *counts out a squadron's worth for preservation* lol

And thanks to the rest of you on keeping the vents short, sweet, and to the venting thread. I very much appreciate it. :)

Haha, I figured you would do that  ;D

It has come to my attention that the red cross and other services...  >:( Are taking there sweet time getting to our fellows out in the Sandy disaster area's. In short I'm thinking of going on a mission up north to give aid if possible. If only to bring some relief to those who need it.
 end vent.

This is the perfect song for you...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHiqGqoIGII#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHiqGqoIGII#ws)

  ;D thank you. much needed. ;D

Your welcome :D

Everything is working at a snail's pace up here, but part of the problem is the limited manpower and the condition of the roads.  My apartment is still out of electric, so my girlfriend and I continue to lead our nomad lifestyle... but just to be clear, I am NOT complaining, because I know there are people out there in MUCH worse situations right now.  My thoughts and prayers are with those people...

I will, however, express my sadness at the devastation of the Jersey shore.  In case you haven't seen, the Seaside boardwalk now looks like this:

(http://www.brooklynvegan.com/img/indie/hurricane-sandy-seaside-boardwalk.jpg)

I'm sure most people hear Seaside and think of "The Jersey Shore", but to the REAL New Jersey residents this was one of the places you visited during the summer, from the earliest years of your childhood.  Pretty messed up.

So sad to hear about all the destruction. Hope you guys are okay up there!

Ouch. Your rollercoaster is now a water ride, that's horrible. I think I can remember seeing that place in some old movies, it was around for a real long time, wasn't it? I hope they rebuild it. I hate to think of old icons like that being lost...

I'm real glad you guys are okay, Nero! :) Thankfully landmarks, unlike people, can be replaced.

Here's hoping Sandy took the "cast" along with the pier.

Sigh. I really don't like my guitar class sometimes. I have a quiz on Monday and the professor only gave us five days to learn several new exercises and songs. It's too rushed. I mean, if this was math, or some other subject, and if it was just basic review, then I would be fine with it. This isn't though; these are brand new things that I have to learn. It's also music, which can't be rushed like that. Ugh.

It'll make me a better musician in the end, but is that really worth getting bad test scores simply because I didn't get enough time to properly learn, memorize, and digest all of the new information?

Well, I suppose it is a college class and they do need to know if you even learn anything, but still, this is music that I'm learning, not some basic general education course. One size does not fit all in this case.

I know what you mean man. Hold in there and don't get too discouraged. Like you said, it'll make you a better musician in the end; just keep that in sight :) Besides, music is something that you love. Don't let some tests and hurried learning take that love away from you by replacing it with worry/frustration.

BTW, I don't know if I'm coming off as encouraging or not. I'm trying to lol, but it's 3:15 AM here and I am zonked. Anyway, keep your head up. You'll be alright :)

Thanks :) You're right. I guess I'm just being silly. Still, it's really stressful when you only get to hand in a unfinished product. Well, not unfinished, but unrefined. Meh. I'll just go with it and do my best to make sure it'll come out good. I'll just read your post again tomorrow before I start practicing and I'll be good :)

Oh, and you're being encouraging, no worries :D I know what you mean there.

Venting and Support is what this should be called. ;D

::bangs head against his desk repeatedly::

I just realized I've been working on a render for 4 hours straight with the exact same issue. I think I'm going to shoot someone.

On the bright side, I'm about to go out and eat breakfast with the most beautiful woman in the world.

Whose render is it? :)

Hope it's not mine being that difficult! lol

Wait.... you're having breakfast with my GF? Why was I not informed of this?  :P ;) :D

He is actually having breakfast with MY GF ;)

...Wait

I sense the Dark Side at work here....

Nah, I actually don't have a GF. No one wants an introvert  :'(

Abeloth has escaped :o

Wait... what is on topic? How do I on topic? ;D

On Topic: Maintaining a line of conversation that connects with the OP.
On Topic RE Luna: Posting in the MLP thread.

XD

Darth Nekesus, although half of the force users are going to be using the same robe that's been giving me the issues, but I think it was the pose that was cuasing all of the issues. Well that and the robe isn't designed for this actual model I'm using, which may be causing it.

Venting and such, if your not venting then your giving support, if your not giving or venting then ...ya please read and leave.
Unless you want to vent or give support.  :)

Happy to report that I got a 100% on my second quiz last night :) Had to do a written test, then play three songs (Au Clair De La Lune, Amazing Grace, and Will The Circles be Unbroken) with her. Messed up on one measure in the first song but thankfully she didn't dock points, knowing that I was just a bit nervous.

Congrats man! Point.

Stop crying on Facebook! I want Facebook to go back to NORMAL!!!!!!!

Thanks :)

Fixed that for you.  ;D

NEVER fix my posts!

Been in the library for pretty much the past 2 days studying for my LOWER DIVISION Global Politics class.

But of course, lower division is a relative term.

With the 3 books to study on top of having to know all the countries and their capitals of Europe and Asia, an essay question to research [which can be subject to change or modified] and a plethora of multiple-choice questions; I'm surprised this isn't an upper-division course which would almost seem more appropriate.

I'm sure that doesn't seem "all that bad" especially in consideration to 2nd and 3rd world countries and what other people may have to go through, but out of all the courses I've taken, this one takes precedence as being one of the most difficult.

I don't know why I'm stressing out about this.  I've done worse, I think.  I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelor's in History where I had to write many research papers all the while progressing on a Quarter-System and participating on the Rowing Team, and yet this lower division course which is supposed to "help" me with my general course-work to being a Single-Subject Teacher is totally kicking my butt.

Seriously, don't listen to counselors.  When they said they "recommend" I don't take the CSET and instead take the coursework, I should have known it was all for money, which is what it seems like.
Counselor's don't know what they're talking about.  True many school districts aren't looking at the CSET and it does make sense to take course-work then just a test, which doesn't really prove anything, but it's hard to weigh that factor when the stress and angst take precedence.

Still though, if I had taken the CSET and not these other courses, I would have never had time to take Ballet, Social Dance, meet my current girlfriend in Economics, and just learn a plethora of knowledge about myself, my significant other, develop a more rigorous study method, stopped playing video-games like Minecraft or Heroes of Might & Magic, joined a Saber-group, engage with other people of the same religious affiliation, among a number of things I cannot even fathom, such as merely growing up.

So basically, the opportunity cost is pretty high, and yet, strangely enough, I'm almost better off now then I had I done my own thing.
As Phong once said from ReBoot: "The ReadMe of fate is a complicated file." Or something along those lines.

I just hope that all of my studying will pay off and I pass with good grades otherwise it will all be for naught and I'll be working at the local McDonald's down the street; or more appropriately, doing another profession / career that is a bit less rewarding...  :-\

That sounds rough, Wax.

I actually sat down with my college adviser today and she helped me out immensely. It's not the same thing as a counselor, but close enough :D My counselor did help me out, though, when I first got registered for classes. I don't think they're all that bad.

In any case, a ton of my stress has been lifted today and I now have two full semesters planned out :)

Hah. I have two letters for you. J and C. We don't have counselors. We have a filing service with the word counseling office on the door. Their words to us at orientation were something akin to: we're not here to help you out or tell you what you need. You figure it out and bring it to us, and we look at it and file it. Which I never did. Even my high school counselor wasn't that bad. lol

Wow. That's harsh.

Today's work related venting:

I walk by someone working on an iPhone. First things I notice 1) he isn't grounded, and 2) he's using a metal screwdriver to unplug the batteries. I tell him that he should be grounded and should probably use the plastic pick we give them to pop the battery contacts up because it can start a fire.

The guy rolls his eyes at me, plugs in his wrist strap and switches to the black stick. So I talk off to finish fixing a computer. I finish up the job and walk towards the line with senior doofus on it. His wrist strap is once again unplugged and he's again using a metal flathead. I am about to again, repeat myself when 'BAM' his battery goes up in a huge flame.

So I roll my eyes, walk over to the cage and grab a new ESD mat and get it ready. I replace the now melted ESD mat and I take away all of his metal tools and he gets an attitude with me.

But I get the last laugh, I wrote up a nice little report on what happened and he's not coming back to work tomorrow. But god I hate people who think they are smarter than you are and then act like they didn't do anything wrong when they cause an issue.

Like for example, microwaving aluminum foil. :D

I have nothing to vent about today! This is despicable! Can you believe that things are going so friggin well, I can't have even one TINY little thing that peeves me enough that I feel the need to complain about it on the internet! God, this world is so screwed up sometimes!

Did you just vent about not having anything to vent about? When in fact you did....

Ventception  :o

Huzzah! I've been sick for three kriffing weeks now!

Something smells.

If I had to vent about anything It'd be about the state of teens :P
I'm a senior, up here in Kanahda. And I look around, and boy, it just makes me sad.
Life to everyone right now is eat drink and be merry. Who cares about grades, just smoke pot and drink til you pass out and wake up pregnant.
Bleh.
And so many people (Especially the cliquey girls) Are full of themselves. It seems like they've never had anything in their life to remind them of how grateful they should be to have life so easy, or if they do, they don't listen to it. I feel like this little humble but happy mouse while everyone around me is disgracing the name teenager :P
and one more thing, it just urks me when people can't get through 2 sentances without cussing up a storm. I honestly don't care if people swear, I choose not to, but it gets ridiculous after a point.

End of Vent

Amen.

Testify, brother!

I read about a brilliant idea to put people of both sexes in the same self defense classes. It's brilliant because, let's face it, men and women would understand each other a lot more. Women would also be apply what they learn against male partners, which is so much more productive than pitting two women against each other who don't want to hurt each other. It would also help prove once and for all that women are not going to break if you punch them, that they aren't made of fragile glass, and that they truly can fight back if they know how. Men would also be able to finally prove that they aren't the enemy, and that women need to learn how to trust their male counterparts.

I said all of this and much more to a female friend of mine who is in a women's self-defense class, and she just straight-up laughed in my face. I asked another female friend and she just stared at me. I then asked a male friend of mine and he agreed that it would be a very good idea.

At least somebody agrees with me :D

Not as much a vent as it is just a rant, but it's close enough.

It does seem somewhat counter-intuitive to have a women's self defense class with only women, when you think about it.  The stature and methods used by an attacking male will be much different than a female, not to mention that those classes are often designed with male attackers in mind.  I'm of the belief that this kind of split is pretty discriminatory, and while my tendency is obviously to avoid hitting women (darn chivalrous instincts), I think men and women should be regarded as equals in this matter.

I don't believe in hitting anyone, haha. Also, men and boys do need to learn self defense as well. Who knows what could happen on the streets? Another good thing is that, since a lot of females going into these classes have had... um, really crappy encounters with the opposite sex, they could also include trust-building exercises between the males in the class and the females in the class. They can slowly build that up before moving on to the actual self defense stuff.

I think it's a good idea.

I like it. We should start one.

Hooray for female approval :)

Thanks :)

I really dislike how so many people take things for granted :( My dad has been unemployed for over a year now, and he used to be one of the top workers in a computer company in California. When we moved to OR, the company even begged to have him work at home so he could stay with them. That's how important he was to them. Then they went belly-up, and my dad was forced to work in sales for a freaking stroller company. Yeah, he sold strollers for a living. Then his boss went all psycho and fired everyone, and my dad was one of the few people left before she fired him too.

I don't have a job either though. I can't, since I need to focus on college. But that makes me think about November. My birthday is on Thanksgiving, and once again, I am going to be doing nothing. I'll have no big dinner, no presents, and no family over, since nobody in our extended family lives in OR, and I have zero friends. Now, don't take me for a spoiled brat, because I'm not, but that is a really sad way to go. It's going to be the same deal for Christmas.

Then I turn around and look at all of the kids these days who's parents have awesome jobs and who constantly whine and beg for shiny presents, and can go to concerts whenever they want, and can do whatever pleases them. There is no worrying about money with those families.

Bleh. I don't mind being poor, it's taught me many great things, but I really wish I could shake some sense into people.

I know what you mean. I was at Wally World last night attempting to scrape together cheap snackage for the week with my old man, and right there in the isle is a stack of large doll sized robotic ponies for $99 Each. I'm trying to budget out enough food for the month, in the holiday season, and Wal Mart is charging a hundred bucks for a lousy robot toy pony that to most kids is gonna be a throw away toy. Heck, awhile back I was in Game Stop and saw a mom picking up her THIRD Nintendo DS Lite that year.... because her 3 year old son broke another one. Consarn it, when I was a kid NOBODY under 8 had games except for Candy Land! This world is seriously kriffed up.

That is really sad. Really, really sad.

This world is seriously kriffed up indeed.

A DS? When I was 3, the only video games I had were those cheap $5 handheld arcade game thingies.

Ooh, anyone remember the handheld arcade games from McDonald's and places like that? Those games weren't too fun, but were so interesting. Ah, my childhood....

When I was three, I was barely even allowed to WATCH people play video games. The closest I got to video games was the occasional game of Forumla One at the local arcade at that age. And then I mostly just stood there and played with the wheel and pedal cause I spent my quarters on the plastic egg machine and a box of Jr Mints. lol

I get home this morning after 13 hours.  I open my mailbox and I find a letter that is not a bill.  The outside is handwritten so I am thinking this might be interesting.  It was a letter from a local business that spent three pages telling me why I am not worthy to get a loan from their store. 

1.  I did not ask this business for a loan.
2.  The reasons they gave for not even being interested in giving me a loan were hilarious.
3.  At the end, they say that if I am interested in other products they offer, give a call or pass their business card to others that might be interested in a loan.

I know the business and I know the person that wrote the letter.  After being told what a low life POS I am, they have the nerve to ask me to be a word of mouth reference?  Is there a new movement on the horizon of people attempting to bankrupt their businesses that I was not informed existed? 

What a waste of a stamp, paper, and a golden opportunity to gain a potential customer. 

Vent done & heading to bed shortly.

Oh god, don't get me started on kids with expensive gadgets... My 8 year old cousin owns a 3DS with at least 10+games, pretty much every skylander available and a mother freaking tablet. What the hell does an 8 year old need a tablet computer for? I didn't get my first gadget/games console until I was 9, it was a GameBoy Colour with one game (Pokemon Red) and it kept me amused for hours on end. Kids these days have the latest toy for a couple of weeks, get bored of it and break/loose/leave it. How are these kids supposed to learn the value of money and possessions (and later in life, budgeting) if they're being bought such ridiculously extravagant possessions as the norm..?
I feel so old venting about "kids these days"... I'm only bloody 20!  :P

Back in my day, I did have a Game Boy Color and I did eventually get a Gamecube, but my main source of entertainment was always in LARPing with my friends. Back in those days, you didn't have these fancy schmancy, new-fangled gadgets and video games with 1080p resolution and all that hoopla.

Amen. Most of my childhood was spent in the woods having stick fights and building dens

Right here! 21 and my first two game systems were the N64 Episode One Special Edition and the Gameboy Color in Teal, that I eventually got two games for, and the N64 had.... more than that, but not too many. Less than 10. Heck, I don't think I've ever owned more than 10 games for any system except my computer! We either played sports or pretend, that was IT! We didn't HAVE computers! We had to use our parents comps until we were in Jr High for the most part, and then it was a luxury to have your own 1st generation iPod. Now people are getting rid of tech because it's 1 year out of date. My first comp was several years out of date when my sister got it, years before I got it!

So I went to a friends house a few weeks back to visit. She has a beautiful 4 year old boy. Wile we were their he didn't so much as say hi to us, due to the video game he was playing. Later we all went to dinner and that's when things got weird. He started crying and begging his mom for her phone to play a game. We hadn't been there more then five minuets when it started. After a few he got quiet, but the second any of our phones came out, it was back to the begging and crying to play a game. I swear it was like he was going through withdrawals. Kids thees days almost need a rehabilitation clinic for video game withdrawals.

This is a boundary problem.  I see this happening with adults as well.  Recently, I was in the bathroom (clearly marked men's) and I hear a click and then in walks a female security officer.  Well of course my back was to her but standing at a urinal, most can imagine what is being exposed.  She walked into the next stall, dropped her pants exposing herself to me and begins to do her business. 

Not a huge problem for me but that is what one can expect if boundaries are not enforced beginning at around age 1.5.

Dude. So I'm a karate instructor, right? And kids are supposed to respect you, right? Yeah. No. So yesterday, kids started complaining. I wasn't actually on the floor teaching, but I was watching. The instructor leading the class told them to do thirty push-ups and I watch one of the girls doing pushups out of the corner of my eye, counting. Every time an instructor looked at her, she'd start doing pushups and when they looked away, she'd stop again. When everyone else started to stand up, she stood up. I counted. She did fifteen. I confronted her about it, and she said that I was lying or counting wrong. I think no. And this isn't the first time she's given me trouble either. But since we're not a fully traditional studio, we have to cater to the kids and keep the parents happy, so I can't do anything concrete about it without reprisal. T___T
I hate it when people cut corners. The rest of us do the amount of pushups we are told to do. Just do the kriffing things and get it done with. So what if it takes you longer than other people? Do them and get better at it. We wouldn't be telling you to do these things if we didn't have a reason. Sometimes I wish I could kick people out of class. I CAN. But the reason has to be amazingly good.

It's probably because of your age. Karate instructor or not, you are still too young for a lot of kids to take you seriously, since you practically are still a kid yourself. Just tell the other instructor about it and have him/her deal with the kid.

We had one similar to this.  He kept telling his parents he was being picked on.  We signed the parents for free.  After a week of seeing his tamtrums, they took him out of class due to embarassment. 

Also, I have people not doing pushups all the time.  The chief instructor allows older students (those 25+) to choose who we want to spar.  I always choose those that don't do the push ups correctly.  I don't hit, I just block really hard.  After about three blocks, they complain that I am hitting too hard and the chief instructor says, ok I'll watch.  After blocking only, he tells the other student that he hasn't seen me hit only block and to please continue.  The kid or adult usually bows out rather than look like a further idiot. 

You are correct that push ups are important to develop that upper body strength.  There are always ways to get the message across.  You just have to be more creative.

I agree with Kashi that it's probably because of myage, but most of the kids think I'm in my twenties anyway. I look older than I am. Idk. The thing is, I don't want to have to run to my coworkers every time I have a problem with one of The problem kids. I feel like it's something I should be able to deal with myself.

Be strict with them! If the parents don't like it... well, um, crap. I wish I could help  :-\ Maybe inform her parents that she isn't working hard enough? They might agree that certain actions should be taken.

Next time pull her aside, and make her do 40 push-ups in front of you. The embarrassment of being singled out, plus the added push-ups should ensure that it doesn't happen again. If it does, simply repeat as many times as necessary.

Do you know what irritates the living bantha fodder out of me?

Someone has a computer error, and once I finally talk them into leaving the error up long enough for me to read what it is, they totally ignore what I say the cause probably is. But hey, what does someone with the Masters in IT know?

Then two days later when the DBA gets there and works on it for 20 minutes before coming to the same conclusion I had two days earlier and the entire issue takes 2 minutes to fix.

Error codes, they are helpful, especially when they say "cannot find I:/blahblah/blahblahblah/blahfile.btw" perhaps its because the file its looking for is not there (or the filepath is typed in wrong in this case).

I feel better now.

Yeah, that's just stupid people. They will be stupid, and we're here for you to vent to.

And what I figure with my situation... I'm leaving in January anyway, so I'll tell her what I think when I leave and I'll never see her again. HA. She already asked today if I was going to be on the elite team, cos she was like, I'M ON THE NORMAL TEAM. And I'm like, HA. You wish you were on the elite team, don't you. *eye roll*

Take that issue, apply it to anything else in life, and you have my main frustration with people.  I don't like to toot my own horn, but I'm a pretty smart guy... more of my friends should just listen to me when I give them advice!

I think that applies to many.  If 20 of my childhood friends had listened to me more, half would still be alive and the other half would not be in prison. 

Here's my vent, I hate careless hunters. I am a hunter, but I never take a shot unless I know I have the kill. I've let two deer go this year already because I didn't want to risk a deflection by shooting through the brush. I was raised that you never shoot at something that you don't intend to, and can't kill.

So, I really hate it when people are careless and don't hold to that same standard. Tonight I watched a young doe that had an arrow sticking out of her hind leg. The leg was rendered completely useless and she had a vary hard time getting around. Whenever she tried to turn toward that side, the leg collapsed under her, and she fell down. She was obviously in pain. Legally, I couldn’t put her out of her misery because I don't hold a doe license.

I HATE being in a situation like that! Either I break the law, or I leave an animal in pain and hope for the best. If people are going to be so careless that they miss a shot and only wound an animal, they should track it down and finish it off! Although there shouldn't be a time where your target is only wounded; I have never merely wounded what I've shot at.

I just feel sick watching something like that. People should be more careful and kill what they shoot at!

I can get behind you on that Ben.

Here's my vent: I HATE ARMOR ABILITIES IN HALO: REACH. Seriously, I get consistently good K/D ratios, but the armor abilities screw my game up a lot. When people use jetpack near you, it takes forever to find them since Halo is played with a controller and not a mouse. They also have the advantage of getting extremely easy headshots. Then there are the armor-lock spammers who are impossible to kill because they always activate the invincibility armor every time something happens. It's especially awful when they are running in teams and you can't run away so you try and get at least one kill, only to have them lock up at the last second. Ugh. Then there is sprint, which makes it super easy for sword and shotgun users to run up and kill you.

*sighs*

And somehow I never go negative.

There seems to be a lot of those around here. I felt bad enough a couple of weeks ago, when I hit a deer with my car, and only wounded it.

I also hate people who hunt where they're not supposed to be hunting (we have a lot of those around here too). The law says you have to be at least a mile from any residential or commercial property for a reason.

*sigh* Teenagers. What can you do? Going back on Xbox Live these past couple of days, I've been reminded of just how frustrating teenagers can be. Going into party chat, I could hear my ex friends arguing about the most trivial things, swearing left and right, etc. It seems that the majority of teenagers all have: 1) A superiority complex 2) The brain the size of a pea 3) The vocabulary of a sailor.

Sad to say that I too got mixed up in all the fighting and whining, which is why I left Xbox Live for several months. I was so angry back than. I told them all, "I'm going to college. I'm going to be doing something with my life. What are you guys going to be doing? Sitting on your butts all day, every day, eating cheetos, playing video games 24/7, and whining about who cheated on who? Because you're all doing a great job of that now." Something like that.

I'm glad I returned though. Out of the wreckage I still have two amazing friends at least. I also refuse to get into arguments because teenagers just aren't worth the trouble. I go on XBL to have fun, not to lose my sanity. Also, I know I'm generalizing. I know that not all teenagers are like that, but even the mature ones can turn immature in an instant. I've seen it happen  :-\

Also, if anyone has a gamertag and wants to play, that would be nice.

...I'm probably going to regret posting this.

Lol. I agree, teenagers swear like sailors. I'm a perfect example of this. =P I'm hopefully going to be getting an Xbox in a few months, so if you haven't gotten sick of me by then, we can do some Reach matches. =)

Ben: I've only killed two mammals in my life, a squirrel and a chipmunk. The squirrel was killed with a close range shot from an air rifle and I hit it in the body rather than the head and I had to sit and watch it struggle and die. One of the worst moments I've experienced. Anyone who could do that to such a beautiful animal as a deer needs help. The warning from my dad to only take the shot if it was good is one that I'll take with me for the rest of my life. "Hunters" who don't do that need to have their licenses/permits taken away.

Please use private messaging when swapping gaming tags. ;D I'll need to get my xbox live back up and running. ;D

That would be awesome. Unless you get Halo 4 and abandon me, haha.

Oh, I'll be getting Halo 4, but I won't abandon you. =P

Oh well. I'll get it eventually. I kind of have to, lol... I'm too in love with Halo. Plus me and my best friend still need to run through the campaign on legendary. It's a tradition that we never break  8)

Ugh, I hate it when my math professor never tells the class what exactly the next quiz will be about. Seriously, he just tells us to study a couple of chapters, but what part of them am I supposed to study? What am I looking for? I'm not going to waste my time learning things I don't need to know, but I don't know what those things are. I get huge anxiety attacks when this happens. I NEED a structured course outline, not super vague instructions. It's driving me insane right now because I don't know whether to continue studying new sub-sections in these chapters or to just review old sections or to just say, "Screw it" and play Halo: Reach.

He never answers his e-mail either, and he's always "too busy" after class to respond to any questions.

*facepalm*

Sounds like a less than ideal Prof. to me. My sympathies. :-\

Thanks, Manny.

Oh well, I've still got an A in this class, and I've never sunk below a B+ on any of the previous quizzes, so even if I bomb this one it won't matter :D It's the final quiz of the term anyway. Well, final before the finals, which I hopefully won't need to take.

No probs.

Found sweet thumbscrew. Wrong size for sabers.... *sigh*

ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHH! Just finished my college group power point presentation and we went 15mins over the 30min limit. hope we don't get to bad of a grade for going over.   :'( :P

That sucks, Boss  :-\

Also, I think my professor is planning to stuff three chapters of math into the next quiz.

Are you freaking kidding me?

I've got one. It happened a while ago but it haunts me and will still haunt me until I put it out there. I've been with the same girl for almost two years. She's amazing. The only flaw is if she tries to cook every smoke detector goes off. She'd burn water trying to boil it. No worries though, I enjoy cooking. Basically what I'm trying to say is she's basically my idea of perfect. Well I had one ex back as a friend after a few years. She tried to get closer and closer to me. I was completely oblivious until she came onto me. I almost cheated on my perfect woman. I didn't though, severed all ties with the ex, and told the current about it. I'm still wracked with guilt over it. Basically I'm constantly looking for some way to atone for it. My lady forgave me instantly and was very understanding but I feel like it's undeserved forgiveness. It happened WELL over a year ago and I still feel guilty about it. Probably always will. I figured I'd write this and decide if it didn't change anything I'd just delete it but I feel a lot better. Nowhere 100% but getting there. I'm fairly religious, not an avid church goer or anything but I know where I stand. Being that way and almost going with temptation scared me a lot. Can't bare to imagine what would have happened if I gave in. Thanks for letting me vent guys.

Feel free to vent whenever you want :)

I find that in situations like this, its best to just talk to someone. I mean, actual face-to-face conversations. Just let a good friend know of your plight and see if he/she can offer up any advice.

Also, maybe spend more time with your lady, that could help too.

Not sure what else to say...  :-\
 

Spent enough time together to make most people lose their minds. I just needed to vent where someone can't stab me in the back.

Look, man, the facts are simple: You were tempted to cheat, and you resisted. It's that simple.

If you feel guilty because you almost cheated, then remember that you were strong enough to say no.

However, if you feel guilty because you were tempted, then truthfully you need to get over it.

I know it sounds harsh, but I say it for a reason: EVERY man is tempted to cheat. EVERY man will look at other people. EVERY man will entertain lecherous thoughts of another person. It's how men are. What makes the difference is how we ACT on those thoughts. It's no different than thinking how you'd like to kill someone. Thoughts do not equate guilt outside of an Orwell novel or a Tom Cruise movie.

You acted with honor and dignity in this situation. Never forget that.

VERY well spoken, Jev! That's excellent advice.

Also, I sent a PM with my own advice, Abaddon. :)

And so it begins. My vent to day is of cookies. Every year my mother inlaw and fiance bake way to meny cookies of all difrent types and sizes. Now this to any one would seem wonderful but it is not I asure you. For once they start they don't stop for almost a week. Soon they'll be so meny cookies well have no room to put them. A yes we give them away, but the mother inlaw cant bare to let go of her cookies. And no matter how meny we get rid of, more take there place. We have cookies for so long that they last almost till march.  :P By this point I cookied out, and I'm still not looking forward to having no room in the pantry. This year till next. Yes I've asked them not to make so meny but this dose not change. They'll make way to meny and we'll hand them out to friends and family. only to have still way to meny this year till next. :P

end vent.

I hear that the Saberforum likes cookies...

Well...I just might have said some thing to day that might have worked, in stopping the cookie hoarders. But as I fear there it is all ready  to late. They have 3, 1 1/2 lb bins full of cookies, and enough cookie dough to put the kebler elves out of business. so if it works and cookie progress doesn't continue. I'll stop venting. If not... well I'll be sending cookies out and if you all want some I just might think about sending some to you all after the first of the year. So if you are interested, send me a pm if you want cookies. Keep in mind that only if we have cookies left then I'll send. Plus they'll cost packaging, shipping, and handling. ;D

With all the things going on around me I'm not sure any more.. To start I'll be spending more money on tires this week. followed by an empty bank account, no food, and no way to pay my bills. To top my list the money I have been saving for my costume has now been redirected towards the tiers and possibly other things if there is any left. A mischievous cycle of trying to save money only to have something come up is occurring constantly. If only I could stop or brake the cycle I would but it seems unlikely.  :-\  Have a good weekend all and vent if you need too. :(

I seem to be stuck in the same cycle, rezeb. It sucks.

That it dose. Might have to sell my light sabers and swords so I can get back on par.

I have a total love-hate relationship with college. I haven't exercised at all for the past two days. Yep, I'll admit it. But seriously, my entire week has been so physically and emotionally draining and I don't have the energy to exercise any more. Heck, I can't do anything. There is so much homework to do, so much to study for, and all of my time is spent on doing all of it. It makes feel like they want me to not have a life, and that they want me to live like a hermit one of these days.

On the other side of that coin, completing the work can be very satisfying, and I know that the only way to get smarter is by doing the work. At the same time, nobody gets anywhere with out doing hard work, and having a social life isn't as important, but seriously, could they at least tone it down a notch? A social life actually is an important thing to have. You need those social interactions for work, after all. But how do we get that social interaction if we spend so many years of our lives cooped up in our bedrooms doing homework all the time? As for the work itself, there is NO breathing room whatsoever. Everything is rushed. You got to do this, whilst studying for this, quiz is at the start of next week, oh, but you have to do this as well, and you have an essay to do, and you need to memorize the entire Japanese Hiragana syllabery in under a week, on top of all of the other crap that you have to do.

...Seriously?

(http://www.writeourmovie.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/all-work-and-no-play.jpg)

It's like the education system was just designed to make us all a bunch of compliant drones.

I feel ya, Hobbie. I feel ya.

Hirgana and Katakana were easy for me :P The trick I used was to envision a picture out of the symbol to help me remember.

For instance:
KA = and old lady bending over with her walker, with a crow behind her attacking her (KA! KA!) [Crow noises B)]

*brohug*


I do that as well. For Ku, I imagine a bird going "Ku, ku." Looks like a bird's beak too. Pictures don't really help me for any of the other ones, though.

Wow, had 3 years of Japanese in High School, sadly, that was 20 years ago, so my knowledge is broken... I've subconsciously written a few thing in Hiragana and Katakana over the years, and have managed a few basic translations of a some things, but I can't really recall any of it if asked.

Wonder if hypnosis would help me recover that knowledge?

I took three years of latin, and I didn't remember any of it when I was still in the classes! LOL Though for some reason, I seem to recall random bits of it, a couple phrases (the ones I used to get out of class  ::) ), and and can translate the inscriptions on a lot of foreign coins. And not all of them are even in latin. lol

It's probably a tad bit easier than the ones you guys mentioned, but I took German for a year in HS. I only remember random bits of it now. Like how to ask to go to the bathroom. :D

Yep, one week is definitely not enough time to learn the entire Hiragana syllabery. I still have eleven more characters to memorize, and the quiz is tomorrow. This is so kriffing stupid.

Speaking of college. Thanks to my high school math teachers I now have to take an EXTRA math class this summer. I got a 43 on my college placement test in elementary algebra. My algebra teacher was a horrible teacher and nobody in her class got more than a C myself included. Then the next year my Geometry teacher didn't even attempt to teach. He handed out papers and crayons to color. So thanks to the "glorious" teachers of the W-B area district, and I say glorious sarcastically, I now have to pay extra money to learn what my parents' taxes failed to teach me. The worst part is both years I chose to go to regular math classes. They sent me to the "applied" classes anyway and wouldn't let me switch...

Bottom line is now I have to pay extra money through no fault of my own...

 ;D Maybe you should have colored inside the lines in Geometry...

J/K I had a teacher like that, refuse to actually teach anything, we spent most of the year watching socially relevant movies like... well, nothing comes to mind, but it was supposed to be an Algebra II class.  He was "retired" the next year.

Only managed to memorize 3 more characters. School starts in an hour. Bleh. I was also apparently supposed to read through the first few sections of the first chapter in the textbook. How was I supposed to do both of those things at once? Well, I'm going to fail.

PM the symbols you cant figure out tricks for, and I'll give you mine.
I have all of them for katakana too, btw.

The education system is broken. I'm constantly swamped with homework. I have no time to study. I'm constantly tired, depressed, and angry. I don't care if I flunk my classes, because, honestly, I'm not even being given a fair chance here. I can't wait until I get some competent professors. I just want to scream, and I probably will. End of rant.

You're in college?  Not asking to sound incredulous, more asking to ensure I have things correct.

If I may - what is your major, and how many hours of classes are you taking?  Do you have scholarships that you have to take a certain number of hours to maintain?

I highly advise you speak with an advisor in your school - they might be able to help.

Ugh, I'm so sorry. I'm still trying to get into the habit of writing these things out in private whenever I get upset. I could really use a punching bag, too. That would definitely help.

Yes. This is just my second term, though.

Computer Science is the major that I'm going for, but I'm not even sure if that's what I really want or not. I'm taking 11 hours of classes each week. No, I don't have any scholarships.

I've spoken with an advisor before. My main issue is just having professors whose teaching methods don't click with me, at all.

Hey Hobbit.  Here is what I learned from my 4 years in undergrad and my 6 years in grad school:  Undergraduate always sucks.  I think the professors, especially during your freshman and sophomore years, are trying to weed out non-hackers so that only the truly dedicated will survive.  Some would argue that the school would want to keep people around longer for more tuition funding but in all honesty, the professors I have encountered had too much ego to just take money and send you on your way.  They are testing you to see if you can adapt and overcome challenges that await you after undergrad has ended.  To me, it is just a sick form of hazing where you are paying money to be tortured.

Once I entered grad school, even the most difficult of my professors were way more chilled.  I had cleared all the hurdles and then they were ready to make sure they were more mentors that worked hard to see me succeed.  As you progress, you will see that things will get a little easier especially when people begin to change majors and drop out of college all together.  Just hang in there and you will make it.  Listen to some of our military guys on the forum that have survived boot camp.  They should be able to give you some pointers for succeeding because what I have described under grad is what boot camp is except college is mental torture and boot camp is physical torture.  Torture is torture and survival tips can always be modified to help you overcome and adapt. 

Also, everyone on the forums knows that you have the talent as long as you continue to believe in yourself.  Also, that punching bag never hurts.   ;D

Thank you, Blue.

I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to make it. I never have time to study, because my homework is always getting in the way, and I never have time to finish all of my homework because there is always too much to do. I'm getting horrible grades too. You're right, it's torture. I could definitely use some pointers. I just want to give up at this point. High School never prepared me for this. It's like trying to run a marathon after only one day of training.

I unfortunately hear this too often from current college students:  high school is not preparing for college anymore.  Honestly, you may have to repeat a course or two. 

Here were my survival tips: 

1.  Get organized as fast as possible.  What is the most important task on the table at the moment?  Identify it and place top priority on it.

2.  If you made straight A's in high school, don't expect to do so in college.  Shoot for the passing grade.  Calculate which assignments have the highest weight assigned to them and complete them.  Others can fall by the way side.

3.  Caffeine is your friend.  You can no longer find the concentrated caffeine capsules I had in college but you can find stronger coffees. 

4.  For every one hour you spend in hard concentration and work on your assignments, take a 15 minute break. 

5.  During the week, sleep around 6 hours and catch up on your sleep on Friday and Saturday nights.

6.  If you have to sacrifice a subject and repeat it, let it be a basic and not a major course.  Repeating something in your major just means you'll have professors trying to turn up the heat even more.

7.  When reading new material, use a highlighter.  Usually you have a sentence that really stick out in a paragraph, highlight that sucker as soon as you find it and move to the next paragraph.  That way when you need to do some harder digging later, you can find the paragraph you want faster. 

8.  If the professor says something more than once, write it down and memorize it.  It is good sign that the professor cares deeply about what he has said.  Like when I write on the forums, I have said one thing consistently throughout this entire forum and without me mentioning it here, anyone with greater than 50 posts should know what I love most in a lightsaber.

9.  Running a marathon after one day of training is not about winning, it is about surviving and also about learning.  Failure can be just as great a teacher as winning.  I don't count my successes, I count my failures.  If I am learning why I fail, then the successes will simply come more naturally as I am removing the causes of my failures.  Don't be afraid to fail.  Luke went from not believing the Force could move an X-wing in the swamp to creating a New Jedi Order. 

10.  Learn to think through things.  Memorization is fine but if you are able to look at a problem and think about it you will find that your thinking skills will translate to subjects faster than your memorization skills.  Don't just know that 2+2=4 or that Red and Blue make Purple, think about why 2+2 = 4 and why Red and Blue make purple.  The answer will shock you and the skills you develop is like learning Basic in the Star Wars universe.  No matter what species (or college subject) you encounter, once you have master Star Wars Basic you can speak with any species (and work though any college subject problem) with ease.

Hope this is a huge starting point for you.  Most important thing to take away from here:  Never be afraid to fail and don't ignore the lessons you can learn from failing.  Thomas Edison paraphrased: "I learned one way to make a light bulb but more importantly, I learned 1000 ways not to make a light bulb."

Hm.  I can't say I relate much to comp sci as a course, as I'm not sure what goes into it.

Are your classes all core classes?  Things to do with your major?  Or do you have some electives in there as well?

Have you gone to office hours with your professors, or the TAs?  You might be able to ask them if they have a tutor they could recommend, if the interaction in office hours can't/doesn't work for you.

As much as Blue may be correct about some Professors being tormentors, it's not universally so.  Part of being in the adult world is being able to admit when you're approaching your tapped status - and in college, if you go to your professors and tell them you WANT to succeed, but can't seem to find the balance, they may be able to help.  It doesn't look good for their records to have a lot of failures in a class - and while you may not do well in their class, most teachers don't want someone to fail utterly.

What, exactly, is "too much to do"?  Too much class?  Too much class + other stuff?  Friends demanding an unreasonable amount of time?

Again, I ask because of experience.  I had friends from high school who wanted to "hang out" and decided that the best time to announce such to me was Wednesday at 2 a.m., when I had an 8 a.m. class (which one should never take if possible.  Really, nothing before 10.).  I had to make a hard choice there - these were dear friends, but high school was over.  I was in college, and that was my job.

Point for Ed.  He is right.  Never take a college course prior to 10 AM if at all possible. 

That's what I kept telling my dad! He didn't listen though. He kept telling me that a 9 AM class won't kill me. Well, it did screw up my sleeping schedule, for sure. I'm never fully awake during that class. I'm always about to fall asleep.

Also, thanks for the tips, Blue. I need to read through them again later, when my brain isn't so fuzzy.

Ed, two of my classes are core classes. The other one is Japanese.

I've gone to my math teacher (she doesn't like to be called professor, but I guess it doesn't really matter) for help. That's it, though. I've always had a very bad issue with not being able to ask for help, though. I'm extremely stubborn, more than most I would guess. I pretty much refuse to ask for help. It's stupid, I know, but it takes a lot for me to be able to actually ask someone to help me with something. I can admit to myself that I need help, but that's as far as I get. Well, of course, that doesn't apply to my friends, since I ask you guys for help all the time (probably a little too much).

Too much homework. I get buried in it. Three classes are fine by me, but the homework I get from those classes is just too much to deal with. I have no social life, though. I'm a fat geek (nothing wrong with being a geek, I'm just saying that's who I am) who sits in his room all day. Though, to be fair, I wouldn't have time for a social life anyway, because of college.

I've also never had good friends in High School, either. Was always the loner.

I became the largest that I have ever been in my life during undergrad.  I topped 300 lbs.  Social life did not occur until I was a Junior honestly.  Once you have that degree in hand, you can work on your size and social life.  Those that stand by your side during college will honestly be the people you can count upon for the rest of your life. 

OK.

Well - you need to be able to say when you're feeling buried to your professors, at least.  If you say nothing, they have no indication that you need anything, and no impetus to assist you at all.  If electronic media are a place you're comfortable, see if there's a forum or the equivalent for your class or student resources.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with needing help.  It's not weakness to be able to say you need more - it's a strength.

How much homework are we talking about?

I really hate looking for a job! I had an interview recently, the guy was an ass. He asked me the basic questions, "Why do you want this job?" etc. But then he basically just gave me excuses as to why he didn't want to hire me, and I do mean EXCUSES, not legitimate reasons. His main excuse:

"You live 45 minutes away."

He kept harping on this one too. He must have mentioned it like every 2 minutes. I wanted to just be like, "Well you're not the one who has to make the drive, so why the hell do you care!" I kept telling him that I don't mind a commute, and even enjoy it in a way. And that I was planning on moving if I got the job, and would happily move closer, but no. He said he'd call me with his decision(implying he'd  call either way) in the next week. It's been 3 weeks, and still nothing. So basically I lost out on a good job just because I live 45 minutes away.

That's kind of ridiculous.

Reminds me of a boss who got upset when I didn't have a car, because other people had to go fetch stuff for the office.

My thought process was, "Gee, I don't recall a car being a part of my job description..."

I was quite non-plussed.

I doubt they would do much.

About 30 math problems each day, along with two full pages each day from the Japanese workbook, and also constant work on research essays. Math is my weakest subject, and I can solve the problems if I'm given enough time, but I'm absolutely horrible at it. For example, I just now finished my math homework for the day. Guess how long it took me? From 1 PM all the way to 9:20 PM, only stopping to watch a 30-minute long TV episode, to eat, and to rant on the forum. I'm not even kidding. I haven't even gotten started on my Japanese or English for the day, but I can't do those because my head is throbbing from the math, and I'm way too tired, both physically and mentally. So I'll have to do them tomorrow... along with all the other crap I have scheduled for tomorrow.

I have a thesis w/ subtopic statements due for English on Tuesday, which I doubt I'll be able to complete. I have to study for a Japanese quiz for Monday, which I still haven't done yet, and I also need to turn in several pages from the workbook. For math, I am actually a little behind on the homework, and I still have two more sub-sections to do from the chapter. They are also due on Tuesday.

Yeah.

OH, and that math that I finished today? Yeah, I started it yesterday and it took me the whole day just to finish less than half of it. At least I was able to get my Japanese done. Had no time for English, though.

Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so. People keep telling me to call him, but after thinking about, I don't think I even want the job anymore. He seems kinda like that boss you mentioned above. Not the type of person I want to work under.

OK, you need a tutor, stat.  Take advantage of the resources for which your tuition is paying if you're having that much of an issue.  There are, I would guess, student resource centers and the like - USE THEM.  Did you explain just how long you're working on these things in your mathematics course to the professor?  If you're struggling that much - maybe you should get yourself tested, find out if you have some sort of learning disability that's increasing your time to that degree.  Other people have struggled before - that's the reason all those resources exist in the first place.

What level of math are we talking about, here?  Calc, pre-cal, algebra, multi-particle physics?

And while you can doubt that they would do much, without you saying something, there's no way you can know for sure.  NEVER assume - assumption is the mother of all f***ups, to quote Under Siege 2.  I had a professor (History) who, on the first day of class, walked in and said, "Some of you may have heard a rumour (Extra u added because he was Welsh) that I am a misogynist, that I hate women.  This is false.  I am a misanthrope - I hate you all."  Now, that might terrify a lot of folks, but as it turned out, I found the guy hilarious.  I frequently saw him outside of class, because I had another history course that year that I usually arrived early for, thanks to the bus schedule, and the professor and I ended up talking about various sci-fi books when he saw that I was reading Dune.

That guy needs to watch that type of interviewing.  It could be akin to profiling (I am not going to hire you because you live in X part of town.)  If sued, he better have a great reason why he asked that.  Did the job require you to take call because most employers that require you to take call ask that you live within 30 minutes of your job? 

Yeah, I'll see a tutor now. Definitely. I have talked to my math professor about it, but she said that I just need to time myself and work faster. Also, I was diagnosed with aspergers at a very early age. I didn't want to go through college and get special treatment, though. I wanted, for once in my life, to do things the hard way.

But really, it's tough for me. All my life, I've been put into "special education" classrooms. By the way, I absolutely hate that wretched term. I'm not special at all. But anyway, I always knew I could do better. I do know that asking for help and getting special treatment are two totally different things, so that has never been my issue. My issue is that I'm completely socially awkward, which is the main disability that aspergers has left me with. I have barely any social skills. I feel like I'll end up being too distracted by my awkwardness to actually focus on the math.

Blue, I can't thank you enough for these tips. #4 was especially helpful. I used to not have a set schedule, so I would end up taking breaks constantly, and could never get myself into the mindset needed to do my work for long periods of time (well, I could, but then I would just give up). #4 really helped me get more work done, while still being able to recharge my batteries a bit. Also, tip #5 will surely help, as well. I'll try and use the rest when I go to class today. Oh, and #1 was also really helpful. Helped me pry myself away from math long enough to finish my Japanese, which is due today. Yikes.

Also, as per usual, I had several very motivational songs looping throughout the day. It's pretty much always the same songs each day, but it helps me so much. I actually had this one song on loop the whole day, yesterday ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZeglDY3aHg#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZeglDY3aHg#ws)

But thanks :) Thanks to Ed, as well. I'll try talking to my Japanese professor today.

Nothing was ever mentioned about taking calls, so I assume no. It was a car salesman position, so I highly doubt it would have too many emergent calls if it did.

My weekend consists of Sunday and Monday... normal
people hate returning to work... I'm excited, I work at Fedex
and I have a pkg filled with sabers due in tomorrow. I cant
wait...

So a few months ago I learned why some things about me are the way they are. It makes me REALLY FREAKING MAD at life, but something like that is expected. I learned I had klinefelter's syndrome. I HIGHLY recommend you don't look it up on the internet unless you're really curios. It's not something I want to tell everybody, but here we can vent things and I just HAVE to tell someone. Oh, I also have asthma, but I've got that pretty much under control. So that's what I'm venting about.

I work in the medical field so I know exactly what this is.  I honestly look at life like a game of Texas Hold 'Em.  You have no control over what cards are dealt to you.  You can only control play the situation and with enough confidence and a little strategy, you can turn any bad hand into a huge amount of money. 

Sorry to hear about the asthma though.  Breathing problems really do suck.

Blue

Wow, my professor is harsh. The grade he gave me for my essay? "D/C (Borderline)" Apparently, all of my English teachers, as well as my counselors, and my sister, have been lying to me all these years every time they told me I'm a very good writer with lots of natural talent. I'm never going to recover from this semester. I just want to give up. The term is halfway over and my grades are absolutely -insert expletive here-.

Did he give any specific problems with it? I didn't see anything. Then again, I haven't been through college so I have no idea what professors like to see....

A lot of problems. His handwriting is barely legible, but you might be able to read it. I can take pictures and send it to you, I guess. I don't actually blame you though, I was joking before.

Actually I blame myself. I should have asked you to read the rest of it when I finished writing it all.

I know you don't blame me, but I can at least help figure out what went wrong. If you could send me his critiques that would be great.

I'll have to send it to you later, unfortunately.

Your college should have a writing center - they can help by showing you what professors expect in writing.

Unfortunately, raw talent =/= what people want to see.

Does he have office hours for you to go over the material so you can learn what you did incorrectly and improve?

They do have a writing center, but I'm pretty busy. I have a lot on my plate already.

He does, but he left before I could ask.

Thankfully, my dad just told me that he agrees that I've been completely overworked this semester. He says I should take two classes next semester and take it easy for a while.

So my dad is in another state on a business trip, eating breakfast with his coworkers, and some FREKING JACKALOPE (words are censored and other similarrily same worded words are put in place for the children) SON OF A WHITCH stole all the stuff he brought (clothes, work laptop, work stuff, phone [deactivated now] etc.) except the clothes on his back, work phone, and wallet. So this is the second robbery our family has had in the last 4 months. Why the heck are people such freaking terrible people? I have no answer, and nobody else does either. So that's what I'm venting about.

Wow, that sucks. I've been robbed more recently myself, so I know how you feel.

This is probably very wrong of me but I am about to explode if I don't get this out.  I have a neighbor who has been a major D.B. since the day my family moved into the neighborhood.  Without delving too deep, he just doesn't like my religion and has gone out of his way to make every effort to make me feel unwelcomed. 

Well, his mouth (or should I say keyboard) just got the best of him.  He has admitted via the neighborhood Facebook account that he has been killing neighborhood pets for the past 13 years and failed to realize that he posted it publicly rather than on his own Facebook page where it would only viewable by his friends.  The neighborhood is in an uproar to the point his wife has left him and taken his daughter with her. 

I am actually happy to see him get this treatment even though I have been scolded by others for being happy.  I just cannot help myself as I have been a huge believer in Karma.

So, this is nothing like as serious as some folks, but still. I've been looking for a new job for a while now. I'm happy to have a job, of course, and am not going to lose sight of how lucky I am in comparison to so many others. Nonetheless, the pay isn't what it could be and I have a long commute. I thought I found the ideal job in my home town - a much shorter commute, a 10%+ pay rise and seemingly quite a bit less work too. It seemed ideal... unfortunately I was one of several dozen who thought so (and I work in quite a specialised field, so that's unusual). Long story short, I haven't even got an interview.

It's my own fault for anticipating I'd at least get that far, but I never imagined there'd be anything like the level of interest in the job that there was. I'd allowed myself to make plans for the extra money (you can probably guess what...), even if I should have known better.

There are more important things in the world... I'm just annoyed about it. Jobs in my field in my area don't come up very often, and now seemed like a good time to move on. Oh well...

I sure hope he enjoys the taste of his own knee, given that's how far he's stuck his foot into his mouth. I assume that the police will be notified about this and he will be prosecuted under multiple counts of cruelty to animals. It's a felony in every state except North and South Dakota (where they are top tier misdemeanors).

Sorry to hear that.  It is very rough looking for jobs these days especially in specialized fields.  I hope that this leads you to a path that will be better than the one you didn't get.  Best wishes to you.

@Jev:  I am pretty sure they will be reporting him as one of the neighborhood board members is a LEO.  As for me, I am simply staying away from it.  I don't want to give him any outs at all.  If I get involved, I am sure he will have an attorney that will try to say it was me trying to seek revenge on him.  The less involved I am, the more likely the charges will hopefully stick.  I was just shocked to here that his wife grew a backbone and actually left him.  I never though that would have happened. 

That's just horrible. He's getting what he deserves IMO, so you shouldn't feel too bad about being happy to see that. As far as I'm concerned, he did it to himself when he decided to kill neighborhood pets. Does anyone know what reasons he had for doing that? Does he not like animals? Or was it some sort of revenge against their owners?


I've been there a few times myself. In fact the interview I had recently, I did that. It sucks, but luckily it's fairly harmless, as it just means I can't make that stupid purchase I planned on yet. :D It's pretty natural to be highly(sometimes overly) optimistic about your chances of getting a job you apply/interview for.

Everybody's got their breaking point, man. It's no secret that people who torture and kill animals for fun can move on to humans relatively easily. She is most likely trying to protect her daughter.

Get screencaps of the animal killer's post before he tries to delete it.

People who get easily offended at others' kindness are usually just jealous and incapable of kindness themselves. At least that's been the case with the major DBs I've put up with... Yay for justice, though! Thanks for sharing, Blue. I always like to read that animal killers get theirs, though I admit that I would prefer to hear that nobody's killin animals! At least this story sounds like it will end favorably.

@TJ, He is a little bit of the neighborhood vigilante.  He likes to do the "I have my rights under the Constitution" bit whenever anyone from the enforcement committee pays him a visit yet he is the first to make a stink about how others need to obey the rules when it suits his purposes.  There were complaints about some dogs barking at 3 a.m. about three years back that came missing.  Then there was the issue with a guy keeping poisonous snakes in his garage.  One gets out and it is found shot on the side of the road.  Not a bad thing overall but it was done in the middle of the neighborhood and no one heard or saw anything at the time.  A man recently adopted three river otters and was keeping them as pets and two mysterious died by being "run over" perfectly in the middle like they were lain in from of a set of tires.  When our local animal wildlife professor ask to take a closer look, he found that they had been shot.  If I had to guess, revenge and self righteousness honestly.  In all of the above named incidents, he was the one screaming loudest that something needed to be done to them.

@Jev, That is the weird thing about her.  I have seen her child running into traffic while she sat on the front porch reading a book.  Her daughter has also walked outside of the neighborhood and was found about 3 miles away from our front entrance by neighbors.  She never knew she was gone.  We recently had a neighbor pull her from walking on thin ice at one of the local lakes.  Neither parent knew she was missing.  She literally watched her husband kiss another woman at a block party and laughed it off while everyone else was very weirded out by it.  Just struck me as super unusual as she would stand up for him no matter the situation. 

@Ed, the neighborhood's forum is linked to several media sites and you can post through a variety of means.  The girl that created it is a former software developer turned stay at home mom and she set it where only the administrators can remove the posts.  His post is there permanently.  He has no way to remove it.  He has done stupid stuff like this before such as making a comment about a pet pot bellied pig that the owner refused to keep in a fence and how he would like to eat some home made bacon.  I am pretty sure that the admins are going through all of his posts to see what they can piece together.  I had one of the board members approach me tonight in Kempo class and state that two of the five members had already decided to press charges and thought a third would be on board as soon as he got off work.  My only request to Bill was that he not add my list of complaints to this particular situation so that R.P. could not make this into a religious battle.  I figure animal cruelty alone would be enough to take the guy down. 

@EE, I certainly hope it ends favorably.  I am often amazed at the stupidity of some people. 

Boy they are certainly raising the bar for parent of the year eh?

It certainly looks like he can go down for animal cruelty. How heavy of a sentence does that carry your way Blue?

Like I said, everyone's got their breaking point. Maybe this incident wasn't the cause, but perhaps it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Perhaps she saw no way out before, and now that he is most certainly facing felony charges, she realized that this was her chance to save her and her daughter.

http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/cruelty_laws.php (http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/cruelty_laws.php)

From Jev's chart, it appears the most he would face would be 5 years or $10,000 fine.  According to the ASPCA website, I live in a state that ranks in the top 5 worst for prosecuting animal cruelty offenders.  From past experience with personally dealing with issues with this guy, I am not totally hopeful.  My joy came from seeing his happy little existence being destroyed and his standing in the community drop so low. 

That's just the animal cruelty charge, however.  Folks who believe that they lost a pet to this sicko could take the case through civil court and just wreck him financially.

In my experience the people who hide behind the Constitution, and play that card often, are always the ones that A) Actually know very little about the Constitution, and B) Think it applies only to them, and are the first to advocate taking other's rights away.

He sounds like a real winner to me....

I want to take this time before I head to work to thank everyone for their support.  I really thought I was going to have the Karma card flipped on me for taking so much joy in seeing the neighborhood turn on him with so much ferocity.  Glad to see that I am not alone in my thinking and that many of you feel the same.  Have a great week, stay safe, and happy sabering.

Blue

Honestly Blue, I'm happy for you.

My grandfather is on his way out of that door. He's been fighting cancer since the summer. He is a tough man but it's a fight he is about to lose. We don't expect him to make it through the night. I'm filled with all sorts of emotions right now, mostly frustration. I'm frustrated because I have NO idea how to deal with this. The last person I lost was my uncle quite a few years ago. I didn't know how to deal with it then either. I was just a stone. I idolize my grandfather. He's the kinda guy who would stop on the side of the road on his way to church to help you change a tire and never accept anything in return. He taught me lessons all through my life. My parents raised me just fine, it's just that I always had that special connection with him that I've never had and never will have with anyone else. He was always firm but fair to all of us. To be honest I don't know what I'm going to do without him. I know he doesn't want me to feel sad about this but I can't help it. I went to see him on Sunday. He recognized me and everything, but because of the medications his mind was all over. I tried my best to look strong for my grandmother and my sister but it was just a punch in the head to see him like that. He fell down the steps and punctured a lung, all he did was laugh about it in the hospital, that's how strong mentally and physically he was. Now he isn't even all there anymore. If you ever met him, you would see what I'm saying. He doesn't deserve to go this way. To be quite honest it pisses me off. I'll probably go to the range tomorrow to ease myself but I can't go to the range every day. I just don't know what to do. I'm not asking for any "I'm sorry to hear that." or anything like that. I'm asking for suggestions on how to deal with this. We're going to have a service and his ashes are going to be spread on the farm.

This reminds me of my wife's grandfather, who passed as a result of asbestosis.  He went out much the same way.

I didn't know him as well as my wife, of course; but I'd heard many stories about him from her.  Stories about his charity, his stability, his quiet stoicism and bearing of loads that, frankly, I don't know that younger people can bear.  Seeing him in the hospital bed at the end was immensely tough.  I bore it because I had to - this was simply a person I knew.  He mattered of course, because he was important to my wife.  To my wife - this was a figure who had lived next door to her for her whole life that she would not be able to see again.

It is difficult to see a person that you idolize as vulnerable.

My best advice is this:  Is your grandfather the sort of man who would want you to mourn what he has become in his disease, or is the sort of man who would want you to celebrate him for the whole of who he is?  I would bet the latter.

Will that celebration come immediately?  Absolutely not.  Nor should it.  Grief is a natural thing, and each of us must come to it and pass through it in our own way.

I have heard it said that funerals are not for the dead; they are for the living.  They are a way for us to express that sense of loss.

Talk to whom you must.  Take solace where you can.  Cry as you need.  Ultimately, celebrate your grandfather - his life, his wisdom, all that he was to you, and all that he might yet be.

I just want to put this here because of the style of this topic:

I have spent a little over the month being grounded by my obscure family. Yes, grounded. At the age of 21. I have not been permitted to use my things for personal amusement or practicality aside from schooling in college (as in my laptop/computer). Unfortunately these are things that I rely heavily on my life in, and though I could do without this material things, my career and social contacts are pretty much confined to these machines. Most of my friends, both long distance and people I personally know can only be reached through these machines by me. Outside of a few minutes at college of brief socialization which is quickly consumed by my classwork, I have had little to no social contact at all. There are friends I have not spoken with for about a month that I cherish deeply, yet I have no idea what is going on in their lives, or even if they are okay.

I have seen that the forums I co-administrate have fallen into a state of desolation, where all if not many of the members have left. I worked hard for the jobs I hold there, as a forum administrator of a website many people used to go on and talk about hobbies and daily matters on an average basis. In fact, it took me five years of dedication and leadership to work towards this unpaying yet satisfactory job in these communities. They are now gone, because I have not been able to maintain my duty as a resourceful and active administrator. I feel as if I have let these people down, let alone myself because of the work it took to get these jobs.

I have run out of things to do that entertain me. I look at my limited quanitity of hobbies due to my overbearing family life. I have done everything I can to occupy myself in these confined quarters. And it is driving me up the walls. The only thing I can do to keep me entertained is swamp myself with my college work, and of course that stress alone cannot sustain one for very long in a postive manner; especially since work is piling on more and more as the semester ticks down to Spring Break, which will soon enough tick down to finals. My games bore me. My television? I never watch Television. Nothing interests me on it anymore because, admitted by most people I know, television sucks (of which I wholeheartedly agree). My art? I do enough of it as it is through college, so there is little time to spend on personal art at the moment (not to mention a relative lack of supplies due to funding).

My family is driving me insane. Well, rather, mad. Insane would be the wrong term hence its definition. Many people would hark on me, calling out how I complain so much about them. They gave me life, education, money. You know, the works. But, what I would do to trade that all away for a normal family. Yes I realize families have their fights, arguments, and quarrels. But my family, it's sickening. For how normal "we" seem, it is nothing but a mask to show off to the world how "normal" they want to appear. Through this month of absence I have meditated on my personal life, focusing on my family alone. I always question myself, and my motives. Why do I feel this way about them? Then when I am not distracted by my petty machinery and hobbies, I can see why. I am bullied, pushed around, and blatantly humiliated by them. I am made into the enemy because of the general, "why not?" And I am gradually growing more sick of it each day that passes. Each month. Each year. At the age of twenty-one, I should have far more repect than I recieve from my family. Yes, I do not currently hold a job. Yes, I am not perfect. Yes, I made mistakes in my youth. But there is no reason to hold these things against me for all of eternity. I work hard, as hard as I can, and balance what I can when I can balance it. No matter how hard I work, it is never good enough. I am always, "irresponsible, stupid, ignorant, arrogant, naive, lazy, etc". Many words have gone through my ears to describe how worthless I apparently am to my family. All of this comes from my grandmother, who constantly picks and scratches at old wounds and things just to make them into sins of my existance (at least by practicallity it seems). My mother? She never stands up for me. She's gotten tired of it, but defaulted to my grandmother's side just because grandmother happens to rule over the family with an iron fist. I am constantly controlled, manipulated because I have no other choice. People tell me to move, to report it, to do something about it. But it isn't that simple. To simply answer this, it is a war of attrition. If I lose, I live out on the street and die. If I win, it is because I held out for the time I've spent with them.

But this is grating. Grating on my nerves, on my patience. I am patient, but there are limits. I am tired of my things being taken from me. I am tired of being bullied by my family. I am tired of appearing worthless. It needs to end. And at this point in my life, I am going to push harder than ever. My family will learn that one day, because of all of this, they pushed me as far away as they possibly can. I will win. I will continue to fight this. I am sick of being emotionally abused.

@Kitsune:  I am hearing and feeling you at the same time.  I have been there and it does grate on your nerves and will eventually turn you into the biggest cynic.  I'll do my very best to help you through this before you become 38 and finally realize what you have missed.  To disarm your opponent, sometimes you have to go with them.  If they punch forward, you learn away in the opposite direction.  When you are called lazy, just say "Yes I am" and wait for the next insult.  Before long, you realize that all your grandmother and family are throwing at you are just words.  Look up George Carlin and the seven words on youtube.  It was a comedy routine but his comments about words are what brought me to the point that I can now pretty much endure a plethora of insults will very little concern. 

Everyone makes mistakes and unless you have been given a life sentence, the punishment cannot last (or should it last) forever.  I have been exactly where you are and I still clash with some family members to this day.  What I can say is that when I became a father, I knew what my daughter should not be exposed to on a daily basis and I have made many efforts to prevent that from happening.  This experience will make you a great leader one day.  It sux big time to be going through it now but when you have that "black belt" of surviving insults in your arsenal, you will be a resource to help others along the way.

We are here for you.  One last thought:  Jobs don't describe you as a person.  Only you can do that.

Blue

Well, finals week is coming up, and the good news is that I'll definitely be able to pass Math and English if I continue to fight for it, but Japanese is a lost cause, and there is no way I can make it. My mid-term grade came up to about a C, and I still have a homework assignment that I haven't done yet, and I haven't had any time to work on the final exam assignment either, so I'm essentially screwed. Unfortunately, I completely missed the withdraw date, so I'll have to go on, but I'm probably just going to stop early and spend my time focusing on getting the best grades possible in Math and English, without even bothering with Japanese anymore.

I'm planning on talking with a counselor this coming week, as well as an academic advisor. I'll explain to them that I have aspergers and that the majority of the classes I took in high school were special education classes, so I was extremely unprepared for the insanity of college, which is definitely the truth. I was in way over my head here. Hopefully I can find some way to get a pass, but if I don't, then I can at least say that I tried my best and did everything I possibly could before failing. That's what counts, IMO. And yes, I know, it can be argued that I haven't done everything since I'm planning on giving up early, but honestly, I'm technically failing my math class, as well, and my English grade is kind of on a slippery slope, and the last thing I need is for one doomed class to take up my time and drag me down even further. It's better to just fail one class than to fail all three.

The tough part will be explaining this to my parents, but I'm sure they'll understand. I'll be sure to tell them that I'll try harder next term, especially since this term has really trained me to not only manage my time better, but also to utilize all of the resources at my disposal. I'm still going to get lectured, but that just means that they care, and I'm used to it....

*takes deep breath* Thanks for letting me vent. I just had to get all of that off my chest before I start studying, because otherwise I'll be thinking about it constantly, and I won't be focused as a result.

During the lecture you are going to receive, remind them that it was better to fail only one class than all three.  Sometimes the best generals have to know which battles can be won and which ones are a lost cause.  General Custer thought he could win them all and died as a result at Little Big Horn.  If he had let his quarry go, he might have lived long enough to actually try to run for President.  Best of luck to you on Math and English. 

Just remind them, you gotta do what you gotta do. Sometimes it's a lost cause, and admitting that is part of being an adult.

The battle is lost, giving up is the best option. At the Battle of Gettysburg, General Lee knew when to quit. After Pickett's Charge had failed miserably, he knew it was better to leave now rather than lose more men in a battle that could not be won. Even though his men wanted to charge again, he would not send them to a needless death. He simply pulled out and went on to fight another day.

Thanks, guys. That really helps to put things into perspective for me. I don't feel nearly as nervous about telling my parents :) It actually is better that I fail, because I don't really understand the things that I am taught during class, so now I can just take it again and hopefully get a better understanding. I don't want to give up on learning Japanese, despite how badly I screwed up this time around.

I would bring up that rather than dwell on the one class and cause yourself to fail all 3, you realized where your efforts were best spent.

Perhaps another way of learning Japanese might benefit you?  Rosetta Stone, or something similar, while you get yourself fully readied for what college expects of you?

I know you've already taken Japanese, an most likely need a foriegn language to graduate, I'd recommend taking spanish or German it you are struggling that much with it. I took German in highschool and desided to change it up with Chinese in college and Chinese was so much harder, luckily for my GPA I had a new professor trying to get more people into the program so the grading was rather lax.

Well, I still need a few more credits to fill in the requirement, and they need to be from a second language course. The reason why I was struggling so much with Japanese was definitely because it is a difficult language to learn, but also because I'm horrible at time management, and I never got much time to work on it. I'm sure if I had more time I could pass the class. I'm thinking that maybe I could take only two classes for one of my next few terms, to lighten the workload and put an emphasis on Japanese.

But then again, you guys are probably right. Spanish would definitely be much easier, and I could then learn Japanese on my own and focus on college instead. The thing is, is that I want to one day visit Japan, and maybe even move there. Well, my grandpa would probably kill me since we are Chinese, and you know how that goes.... But yeah, I'll think about it carefully.

Anyway, I'm going to let my dad know that I'm going to fail Japanese. Wish me luck.

Good luck.  Believe me, you will survive.

Good luck Hobbit.

In a way, that's one of the paths of life, to find out what works and what doesn't work, but especially in college.
Even though it may be hard, and at many times stressful and scary, it is those kind of experiences that help us grow and live another day to improve ourselves and possibly conquer it in the future.

For the longest time I thought I enjoyed Renaissance History.  In reality, the only thing I like about the Renaissance was the Renaissance Faire's and Renaissance Art.  The history, in my personal educated opinion, was one of the most boring periods [obviously debatable], but of course, it took me two C's and a D in three college level classes, one of which was a seminar, to realize that.

In the end, don't stop what you enjoy doing, but at the same time, it's important to understand your limitations.

I hope thing's work out in the end.  :)

Okay, I told my dad. He was pretty disappointed, but was ultimately very understanding, as well. Unfortunately, brilliant ole' me decided to bring up another issue too, which is the fact that I was upset because he and my mom never taught me Chinese when I was a child. That's when things went completely downhill. He told me that I would have never used it anyway since we live in America, and then proceeded to make me feel really guilty for blaming them for it. I wanted to tell him that I'm sorry, but it's extremely difficult for me to swallow my pride around my parents, so I just left.

He is right about everything. I am an idiot, and that just proves that I never think anything through before I say it. I really need to fix that.

Anyway, I'm going to work extra hard now to pass Math and English.

You're not an idiot.  You're young.  Young folks say things without thinking of the consequences.  It's actually part of the adolescent brain that doesn't turn off until you're 25 or so.

I'm making this a positive vent.

I'm flabbergasted at those who have gone out of their way,
to help those who are having or are going through a tough time.
Over all it has warmed my heart.
I hope that this continues and that those who need help will always find it here.  :'(
This is also the longest thread I've ever started, most of my threads die after 3 or 4 pages.
So I thank all of you that have posted, and have helped those that needed the help. I'm proud to call you all my friends, and hope that this Venting thread will remain open to any that need it.   :'( ;D

In life, their is always a positive and a negative.  It is what you look for that makes the ultimate difference.  You may have started this thread to blow off steam of a negative situation but as more people began to see the positives, the thread became a positive force.  To me, there is very little good and bad, mainly just differences in opinions and points of view. 

Trust me Hobby. You aren't an idiot. If I got a penny for every time I said something stupid or rude without thinking, I wouldn't have just gone through two job interviews. Along with that if I had a penny for every ten times I refused to swallow my pride, you might as well call me Bill Gates. It happens. Trust me, I don't think your dad's gonna hold a grudge for a silly mistake like that.

Well, I still have a long way to go.


Thanks for the reassurance. True, he doesn't hold grudges, thankfully.

Honestly I am well weathered for what they due to me. It isn't just insults. I've been blatantly told that I am not appreciated, and that I am unloved. My mother is less vile, but she takes my grandmother's side because she can't do anything about it. However after so long, it's time to stop. While I can sit and wait it out, I am getting too old for the disrespect. I've made mistakes like any other person does in their life and existance, but I'm treated like shell. If I could move out of this nonsense I would, but I can't because I do not have the capability to support myself yet, nor do I have anybody to go to temporarily for assistance. The money, I wouldn't have any. The only reason I stick through this bullcrap is because I am in college, and I MUST finish it so that I can be appeased with my future and feel the gratification of success in my life.

It's a long and tough road, and I tread over it in bare feet. But sometimes, it just gets to me. But believe me I appreciate the words of comfort, because I need them sometimes. I have the willpower, but I lack the self-esteem.

Not to be rude, but your grandmother sounds like she may be B.P.D. and I support you 100% that as soon as you get the chance to get out, get out.  No one, and I do mean no one, should ever be told they are unloved.  That is a blatant lie if I have ever heard one.  Sounds like grandmother is trying to be a manipulator and she has apparently succeeded with your mom. 

Really sorry to hear you are in that situation.  To show you that you are loved, I am awarding you a dark side point for your tenacity in this situation.

In the words of the sith:

Peace is a lie! There is only Passion.
Through Passion I gain Strength.
Through Strength I gain Power.
Through Power I gain Victory.
With Victory, my Chains are Broken!
The Force shall set me Free!

Would anyone be overly offended if I vent about a few vegans I know later?

Since you will be commenting on specific vegans and not vegans in general, I'm sure that won't be an issue.  ;D

<--- not a vegan

Very well put, it's kind of like this.

But I see this ^, as a lie from ones self. Passion can always lead you to some thing that will give you strength.  Strength can give you power, but always at a cost. The cost might break your chains, but it is an empty victory. Only "The Force" shall set you free.

No skin off my nose.

Nope go right ahead. That's why this is here, just don't mention there names. 8)

Jehovah's Witnesses! You wake me up at noon, by driving my dogs crazy?! THIS IS WHY NO ONE LIKES YOU!!!!!

If you answer the door and explain that you used to be a Jehovah's Witness but left the church, they'll leave you alone.  They can't talk to those who have left the church.

Got fired from my job just a week ago. Sucks. Jerk head cook wouldn't even give me a chance to prove myself! Didn't even get to cook much on the line either! I think he just didn't like me, which is weird because I was really nice to everyone there...except the dishwasher, but no one liked him anyway (possibly a crackhead). Yeah but I know I'll find something else. Maybe a job as a banquet cook at the restaurant on the Holiday Inn. I'll go in and apply there on Monday!

You sir, are a genius.

Good luck. You'll find a new job eventually.

So I finally had another spat again with my family about how power abusive they have been with my privilages (rather, practicalities). My mother finally stood up for me with me, and explained to my grandmother that she is taking away both my friends and my future career (I haven't been able to work on my graphic design portfolio in over a month, which I need so I can land a job). Being away from the computer has taken away my social contact with my small group of friends (ones I know IRL but have no other means of talking to them) who are all being hurt by me not being around. I still get emails from them asking if I am alright, begging me to come back online. And it's hurting my college work and career because I'm not able to use it for practicallity very efficiently when I'm not allowed to use it.

But she's bent on keeping me grounded.

Until I'm 54 years old. Like, okay. Yeah she can't do that because I'm not going to be around that long in this house. But seriously, cut me some slack. People make mistakes, but people also move on from them. It's time to stop being so controlling over me. But because she has financial control, there is nothing I can do.

Mother will be trying to pay for the internet now and giving me back my things because she understands. But it is unfair to her because she hardly has any money as it is (it all goes to medical bills and stuff). That's an extra $60 every so often out of her pocket, which makes me feel bad because my grandmother is basically making everyone miserable because she's a miserable old hag but nobody can do anything about it. Can't afford to move, I have to worry about finishing college, and now this stupid family drama that is more trivial than anything I can think of.

This is so ridiculous. I wish she'd get over her angsty 15-year old mind stuck inside of a 68 year old woman. All of this stuff she holds against me, is from my teen years when I was a bit of a rebel. All of these punishments? I'm 21 ****ing years old. I don't have time for this crap.

Darth Kitsune: pm incoming.

The VAWA makes me angry.

I totally forgot about my vegan woes... :D

As you can probably tell, I got over it.

Perhaps you could vent about s4 of mlp, and how it wont be comng untill late november now.

Hopefully it just means that they're putting more work into the season than they did for S3. It also seems like Equestria Girls won't be seeing the light of day anytime soon (they announced their 2013 lineup and EG wasn't listed), so I'm fairly happy with The Hub at the moment.

The hiatus will suck, but it'll probably be worth it.

Wow. A happy fan. Everyone take pictures, this won't last long. :D

We're becoming more and more rare... hold on, I'm taking a pic of myself ;D

Vent of the day.... My Xbox 360 isn't letting me play, multiplayer online minecraft. It also doesn't show any thing, in the games that you're supposed to be able to join section. Even though I have friends on and playing minecraft. >:(  :'(

I think its because they are all in private games.

Vent of the day to get it off me. I have to carpool to high school every day with a van full of girls. Really loud, screechy girls who I can't stand sometimes. They're my cousins and their friend. It's really only their friend I don't like. She's jealous of anyone who takes Leah's (My awesome cousin) attention away from her. She's extremely needy, low self confidence, and very very judgemental. She said she lost all her respect for this new girl in our church (I'm LDS) who goes to our school and sticks with us, only because her hair is dyed blue. She said that she doesn't respect people who dye their hair. And this new girl is SUCH a sweet person. She's super nice and funny. And she's Leah's age too, so I wonder why this girl is so not liking of her. Oh yeah, it's because she's possessive with Leah.
I really don't like this girl, so I barely hang with the group of girls at school, and when I do, Leah usually moves over with me and my brother's GF (Who's my best friend at school) and I can see Brittany's judging in her eyes.

Now I don't hate her, I just don't like hanging around with those kinds of people. I believe there's a right way and a wrong way to judge people. All I know is that the good way is to look at their actions. I definitely know the kind of person this girl is just by observing her actions.
The good thing is Leah is aware and bugged by her behaviour, and is slowly trying to seperate herself from this girl.

But I just needed somewhere to spew.
SPEW.

Alright, I'm good.

Never mind.

 ::)

I know the type.

That is like, totally uncool.

I don't want to go to work today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmTZ0mSuIIA#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmTZ0mSuIIA#ws)

Listen to this and count all the blessings in your life :) And all the awesome people helping you through it

Random vent for me since I've never post on this one yet. I want a new lightsaber already. There is a new Dean guitar for the year that I want that I know I won't get. The new Straight Six series. And I want my divorce to be finalized already. xp April is taking too long to get here. Did I mention Ultra Sabers is awesome? Lol. That's not really a vent though just saying. xp Glad the forums has a venting thread now. Oh and did I mention making you guys custom sound fonts is murder?

I. Want. SPRING. Already! Old Man Winter needs to just go away, I mean it's the end of friggin March already,  and we STILL can't get out of the 40's! AND to top it all off, it friggin snowed yesterday! I'm tired of cold. I WANT WARMER WEATHER!!!!!!!

Shush TJ, I like living on Hoth.

Oh, you think you have it bad? Come to Oregon. We deal with this crap all year round ;D

Feel your pain my Brothers.  It's only been 4 months, but it feels like 900 years since I was on my motorcycle...  :(  We got 5 cm (~2 in.) of wet sloppy snow last night.  Fortunately, most of our winter's accumulated snow is gone and it'll only take of few days of above freezing temps for me to get back on two wheels.   ;D

You would.  ::)

Call me Mr. Wampa, I can make your taun-taun drop.  8)

Still having a "meh" week and not wanting to go to work...  If I had another job lined up, I'd have already quit...

Lockups and clashes drive me to drink, dude... fortunately for me, I'm a homebrewer!  ;D

ditto! I've just finished uni, got my degree, want a job in the career I've been training for. But so far all my job searches have found are jobs requiring '5 to 10 years experience in the area'- and environmental science is a very broad area, with many specialty areas! And the companies who's graduate programs I want to apply for don't open applications until august/september
 On top of that I'm sick of working in my retail job, as I've had enough of the store being run badly, and enough of the customers- 'where can I find such and such?''its down so and so aisle, halfway down on your right' 'well can't you show me it?!' *I'm on front counter and there's another 3customers lined up behind them* or *I'm looking busy, customer approaches 'i need engine oil for my car what one do I need?' *customer is standing right next to the engine oil guide book which is very obviously there on the shelf* 'ok for what car?' 'a ford' 'what model?' 'ford sedan' 'yes but what model and year sedan is it' 'i don't know, does it matter i just want engine oil!'. Or the best one was yesterday a guy told me 'id thrown a spanner in the works for him coz I couldn't tell him what steering fluid he needed for his mercruiser boat- we are a car parts and accessories store. Or last week one set of lights in the store stopped working and we were waiting for the electrcian, and a customer accused us of trying to save money by turning of lights and that all it did was lose us a sale coz he wouldn't buy from us as a result. And he wouldn't listen to me when I said we had an electrical fault and were waiting for the electrician.
wow big rant! End rant!

tomorrow is my last day of physical therapy (hopefully for good) then after April 5th (last doctor's appointment) I can put my whole knee surgery and recovery behind me.  Thing is, I'm creeping closer and closer to 40 (turned 38 earlier this month) and I'm doing the same job I was doing when I was 18.  Granted, I came and went from the company several times, but I never burned the bridge so I always had it to fall back on.  I'm realizing I don't want to be a 40 year old pool boy.  The pay sucks, the hours are long, the benefits are minimal, and no one appreciates what you actually do for them.  Ok, I don't clean the pools, I do the actual repairs, and mainly the last couple of years have been exclusively hot tubs for me, but I'm getting tired of barely making ends meet each month.  I want to retire eventually, and I've got nothing put away for it.  Unfortunately the economy is still in the toilet, so places I want to work, that I keep sending in my resumes to, keep telling me "I'm overqualified for the position."  or "I'm not valuing myself highly enough."  Honestly, I think I'm a better judge of my qualifications than they are, they have a job opening, obviously I meet and exceed their requirements for that position, what makes them knowledgeable about how I feel about doing the job, I mean, obviously I'm interested in it, I applied for it didn't I?

JES, try this:

Dear sir or madam,

Thank you for your letter of March xx. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me a position with your company.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite your outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time. Therefore, I will assume the applied for position in your company this coming month. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,
........

LMAO!  Ben, that is awesome.  May I use that?   ;D

Point for you Ben, that made me smile!

Anyone can use it if they'd like. It wasn't mine originally, but I changed it to be more...generalized. Originally, it was sent by someone applying to be an assistant professor to a university. Glad it brought a smile to faces though!

Haha that's funny! Made me giggle!
fortunately in Australia our economy is doing pretty well. Things are getting more expensive, but new climate change policies, increase amount of fly in fly out workers in the mining industry having more money, and I'm sure a myriad of other reasons are responsible (lets face it, prices always tend to rise over time). I only work part time (I think if I worked full time here I'd go insane!), my other half works full time and we can support ourselves quite nicely while paying off a car loan and credit cards. The amount of rent we pay sucks, but the rental industry is like that everywhere here.

hope a company accepts your application soon! Rejected coz 'overqualified'. Pfft! I know id prefer someone overqualified to someone under qualified!

thats gold ;D

Sounds a lot like where I work......


I'm pretty much having the same problem. Everyone keeps telling me "you're in your mid-20's now, you need to start putting a little away for retirement." The problem is, I don't have anything to put away. Everything I get to save is saved for when the company cuts my hours from decent to practically nothing, and I have to live off it(news flash, even if I still live at home an 85$ paycheck(after you cut my hours to practically nothing) isn't enough to live off of.)

And diddo on the applying for jobs/resume thing.

Sounds like my first decade after college, ended up taking a paycut to leave retail, but it has been so worth it, it helps that I moved to a company with advancement oppertunities and the abiltiy to vastley increase my salary even if I don't get promoted. But man those years in retail were tough, especialy working for a dying company, when you and most employees even the high school kids could easily identify the problems that company execs said weren't there.

Oregon rocks.

Got to almost 80 here yesterday.

Over 25 cm (10 in) of snow here in the last few days.  Got the motorcycle blues...  :( :'(

*high five* ;D

Yep, and I'm loving this warm weather. It puts me in a good mood. It's also a bit uncomfortable, though, since I'm so used to the coldness, but oh well. I'll get used to it.

(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S43m_Aq582U/UKOXEoFgd6I/AAAAAAAAPjI/DNQPnWtLbkw/s1600/19cb52_ancient-aliens.jpg)

(Sorry, had to. :P)

This may seem like an incredibly shallow rant, but I have to let it out somehow. So I have 2 dresses I'm considering for prom; one is at home and the other is at a store with a no return policy. My mother will not let me take the dress at home to the store for some odd reason so I have no way of seeing what they look like back-to-back under the same lighting. Thanks, Mom.

I really need to learn how to control my anxiety.

That's okay, I've made a few shallow rants. Heck my last one was about the weather. lol. If it frustrates you, it frustrates you.

I wouldn't say its a shallow rant, (yes long view its not important, but then again what is). It seems a weird thing for your mom to object too. Taking a dress to a store to see what it looks like compared to the other, seems perfectly reasonable.

The joys of being a man, a tux is a tux, unless for your wedding the shop puts you in a medium vest when you are obviously a large and it looks like a five year old dressed you after you take off your jacket on a 99 degree day. Not that I'm bitter about spendin $10,000 on a day, $1,500 on a photographer and for myself and the groomsmen over $600 on the tuxes to have us all looking horrible. To top it off getting attitude from the teenager who took time off his busy task of talking to his girl friend who was there the three times I went to the shop after that disaster, telling me I couldn't leave until he confirmed we had returned the tuxes on time.

Okay my shallow rant is over.

Tonight, I finally go and get professional help for an issue that has recently come to the surface (again), but one that has been a persistent source of anxiety and depression my whole life. Tonight, I arm myself on how to break free from a bully that has controlled me and mentally abused me my whole life. Tonight, I break the cycle and take my life back. Tonight, their abhorrent actions are not going to be my fault. >:(

It sucks when the ones who are supposed to be one's greatest allies turn out to be one's biggest threats to happiness. I've never been so unmotivated in all my 35 years on this planet.  ???

Hey Ee'.  Sounds serious.  Sorry to hear, but glad you have a plan.  Best of luck my friend...

Thanks Saint.  :)

I have an army of friends and [other] family [members than the ones causing the issues], so I'll be in good hands. It sucks to breathe in the meantime though. Anxiety is a powerful thing. I had forgotten...

I wish I lived closer to you, I would send you all of my left over Tums.  Sounds like you really need them right now.  I hope everything gets better.  Fighting with family is the worst!

How do you fight against someone you love more than anything in the world? I think it's the sense of betrayal that hurts even more than the tossing of insults based on a perverted memory of a dead parent. Yeah, they've brought their mental abuse to the level of insulting me using a dead dad. I swear... is Timbuktu nice this time of year? A chamomile/lavender tea sounds good right about now. Not even swinging a saber around brings the joy it should right now. I love Tums!  ;D

Thanks, Blue. Time is needed here, and it will solve the issues. Professional help and a little faith will carry me to the goal.  :)

goodluck eerock. my thoughts are with you!

i will whinge about my sore back and tooth. i think i pinched a nerve in my back on sunday, been in pain ever since, was that bad couldnt work monday :( and it still hurts. made my leg hurt too. least its getting better though!
and i really really really have to face my anxiety about going to the dentist, wisdom tooth is getting bad again (way way waaayyy overdue for removal). but i cant even pick up the phone and ring for an appointment, stupid anxiety issues!

Thanks man. I saw the professional yesterday and man! This guy is good and knows how to get me to talk. I have barely an thoughts about the problem today, and I'm optimistic that my situation can resolve itself with time and a massive battle. I'm ready. I thought that this wouldn't be for me, but I now realize that I've put off seeing a professional for too long. It's empowering and stabilizing!

Good on ya my man.  You rockk!   ;D

Whats the deal with airline food?

Because.

"Your poor planning is NOT my emergency..."

hehe
(http://i.qkme.me/evx.jpg)

Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout!  Thanks Ee!

As the wife, kid, and I were heading to shop for groceries today, I took my dogs outside to pee.  A neighbor's dog jumped the smallest one and swung him around like a chew toy.  Upon initial inspection, I only saw 2 puncture wounds but my wife kept insisting that I take him to the Emergency Vet.  I am glad that I did. 

The vet shaved Sam to get a better look at the wounds and we discovered a total of 8 puncture wounds.  One of the wounds was herniating.  I got to assist with the surgery that followed and learned first hand the damage that dogs can do to each other.  Sam's peritoneal cavity was torn and he has small intestine and spleen sticking through the rip. 

During the surgery, his heart stopped once and a quick dose of atropine sulfate brought him back to us.  He is currently sleeping off the affects of anesthesia at the vet's home and getting regular doses of antibiotics and pain medications.

I do miss him but I was super thankful that my neighbor took the time to train the dog to respond to basic commands.  When ordered to drop Sam, the dog obeyed and backed off.  I would probably be burying Sam in two pieces had this dog not had some training. 

I get very angry when people do not take the time to properly train animals and exercise them.  The training of the dog may have saved Sam's life but if she had been exercised rather than allowed to run within an invisible fence, this would not have happened. 

Power breeds require a lot of work.  I don't know why people believe they can own a power breed and not take the time to exercise.  What eventually happens is that the dog has so much pent energy that they explode on someone and eventually get put down due to owner negligence. 

Sam weighs 7 pounds.  The dog that attacked him weighed 70 pounds. 

I lost a dog when my daughter was 30 days old due to an incompetent surgeon giving the wrong anesthesia.  I was having huge flashbacks to that day when I sat in the vet's office.  I don't know why the vet asked me to assist but I am glad he did.  I swore an oath to my animals that I would never leave their side and I kept that oath through it all today. 

I cannot vent anywhere else but here on Saberforum.  I told several people that the visit was no big deal to keep peace with my neighbors and prevent my wife from having to relive another nightmare. 

I don't want to have to deal with this type of stress or burden for at least 7 years.  I am keeping an unusual calm demeanor when I want to explode and destroy. 

Thanks for reading and providing a place to vent.  Heading to bed.

Blue

Hey Blue, I'm glad Sam wasn't hurt more than he was. That's an absolutely awful day to live through. Take care of your buddy and get him feeling better :)

Sorry  that had to happen to your doggie :'( hope he gets better soon

I know how you feel blue!! My old dog George accidentally got out the gate and darted across the street. We spent the rest of the day at the emergency vet. Had to have surgery on his rear hip. And the nursing him back to health the fallowing weeks. Are pets are members of are family. It hurts when when something like that happens! I hope little Sam gets better soon!!!

Poor Sam. Thoughts are with ya, Blue.

My CIS (Computer Information Systems) class has such pointless quizzes. They are taken online, and all of the questions can be answered with the textbook. The quizzes are also 2 hours long each, so you can take your time looking up all of the answers. You can also retake each quiz once, so if you fail on the first try, you can still get an A. So there is no point in taking notes, or doing anything, really. They even tell you what you got wrong after the first attempt, so you can just write down the correct answers for the next attempt (they are all multiple-choice questions).

Ugh.

(http://geek-news.mtv.com//wp-content/uploads/geek/2012/11/picard-facepalm2.jpg)

Hope your dog heals quickly blue, I'm sorry your little buddy got attacked like that. They can be pretty hardy, I'm sure he'll come thru fine.

hobbit- I hate pointless classes like that! It just makes it so useless, no real incentive to put in the extra effort. And if you do put extra effort in over some of your classmates, its not reflected in your marks

Just got Sam home.  He will have his drain removed on Saturday and his stitches next Wednesday.  The vet told me he was a "tough little booger."  He doesn't want to go to the yard at the moment as he is afraid of seeing the dog again.  I know I look weird with my functional kitana at my side but I am wanting to do everything I can to protect his dog in the interim until he is fully healed.

Thanks for the well wishes and hope that everyone is having a great day.

Blue

Exactly! :(

Question: why do you NOT use dripping wet paper towel around wall sockets?
answer: coz water drips into the socket, shorts it and in the process causes the computer server attached to that socket to stop working. Which means no POS computers no eftpos, nothing.
well done to my boss! *we need a slam heel of palm into forehead emote*
what a way to start a Monday

For the past few days, Saberforum has been really aggravating. The pages will always load at unbearably slow speeds, and will either load properly after a while, or, and this is usually the case, crash. I've cleared my cache, deleted cookies, deleted my histories, and checked to make sure that no proxies are turned on, but Saberforum insists on crashing on me every chance it gets. This doesn't even happen with any other website.

Anyone have a solution?

I find somedays it keeps giving me errors, if I hit refresh it usually works again  :-\

Unfortunately, that never works for me :-\

I'm not really upset, just a bit agitated and down.

Right now my family keeps bothering me about everything I "do wrong". Especially since I just let out of college for the summer. Hell, three days after my finals I was being gripped at because I didn't have a Summer job yet. I'm also being constantly complained at for not having finished the extraneous  amounts of yardwork that I have to do all by myself. I shouldn't complain but I'm not exactly fond of working on four acres of property by myself since I'm the only one that can do it and I don't even get a "job well done" because of it. In fact, if something isn't done perfectly I get the scolding of a lifetime. I feel like a freakin' male version of Cinderella.

Aside from that, trying to get a Job is providing to be just as difficult as always. As soon as I mention being in college I get turned down because the local hiring forces here aren't looking for people who are students and who can't dedicate all of their time to a job. And I really need the money too. There are some things I'd like to buy for myself and pay for on my own instead of my family having something to hold against me as usual.

On another note, one of my best friends had recently gone missing. He was found, but somehow he ended up in New York City and was having an emotional breakdown, and apparently he needs psychological help now.

Just some things weighting on my mind.

Haim Saban is a cheapskate who makes George Lucas look good.

Ugh, that sounds awful. Just remember, we're here if you need us.

My dog died this morning...

the whole family is not taking it well...

I can't imagine what that must feel like. I'm sorry :(

***

In other news, my CIS class is completely useless. Currently, some guy is playing Minecraft on his laptop, another guy is watching videos on Facebook, a girl is watching MLP (no, I'm not kidding), and I'm on here, typing. Oh well, free credits I suppose....

Oh....

 :'(

I am so sorry to hear that. If there's anything we can do, let us know.

its never easy losing a loved pet.. as most pets, are not pets.. they are a part of the family.. i know its going to kill me when my cat dies... im getting  lump in throat thinking about it.. your fellow saberites are here for you..

I'm really sorry to hear that JEStucker.  Really, that breaks my heart just thinking about it.  :(

All I know is JEStucker, from personal experience, the outdoors are going to feel a lot more lonely for a while.
You have my condolences.  :(

---

I wrote a 23 page Signature Assignment paper for my teaching credential course on Multicultural Education.

After turning it in and asking my professor if she's pleased about the 23 pages she tells me she won't read all of it because it's too long.

This was confusing to me because on the rubric it clearly said a minimum of 5 pages.  The professor then tells me that was a typo and that it was supposed to be a maximum.

-TOTAL FLIP OUT COMMENCES AND I LOSE IT-
 ??? ??? ??? >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(

Professor tells me she doesn't like the tone of voice that I'm speaking to her [which was in a sarcastic yet annoyed tone, no rude language was used].  She says it's disrespectful to her culture.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for multicultural education and making "culturally relevant pedagogy" by I absolutely despise it when people use their culture as a means to appropriate a situation.
Maybe I should have said that it was part of my culture to flip out like I did.

Ugh, I hope everything will be alright.  I literally did nothing else but work on that paper for an entire week, neglecting the 3-4 lesson plans that are due by this Thursday evening.

I don't usually lose it, but right now I am losing my mind on the amount of work and stress that is accumulating.  I'll get it done, no question about it, but it's going to be a very uncomfortable 48 hours, that's for sure...  :-\ :(

I hate that. In fact, nothing earns my ire more than someone not saying something like "thank you," or "job well done," after I do something for them, or help them do something. In fact, when someone helps me out, I always make it a point to at least thank them for their effort, even if they don't do a good job.

Seriously? She's just being stupid. I would drop that class if I were you. >:(

Hahaha, yeah right, drop the class and I fail out of my program.  :(
All courses for the teaching credential must be passed with a grade no lower than a B.

She even sent me an email earlier today talking about how my "tone" will not be tolerated.

Again, this is the problem I have with multiculturalism.  One person's tone of voice is considered disrespectful to another person's ideal concept of culture but what if that tone of voice is representative of that person's culture?  Who is right?

Basically, it's like I can't argue against her or else she could just say I'm being prejudice against her cultural standards.

This is clearly a miscommunication between her and I, but I just don't understand why 20 page papers cannot be accepted?  I have a lot to talk about and a plethora of research to cover.  I mean, when I graduated as an undergrad I was literally "dogged" by my professors to crank out 20 page research papers because that was apparently the "Standard" and was accepted and rewarded on a professional level.  To top it off, the professors at both the undergrad and teaching credential course level would have us read 20 page documents written by them and other professionals.

So why is my 20 page paper considered "less than" other 20 page papers?  Because it's not published or didn't earn some prize?

Ugh, just 1 more week... 1 more week.
/Frustrated.

well, cant find a AAA battery "housing" unit anywhere on the net.. looks like im gonna have to create one.. not happy at all... cant find it on the net... and very much wasted most of the day searching for this item... like the AA pack holder that comes wit the obsidian sound setup... i just need a x1 AAA holder ... but there are none online... and it seems that they dont exist at all.. so im gonna have to cut up something.. to makeshift one ... >.>... tv remote.. no.... stereo remote... no...... -.-... crap.... this is gonn drive me insane looking for a AAA holster for my project....


 CURES YOU BATTERY GODS!!!!!  CURES YOU!!!!!!

Know anyone with a 3D Printer?  I needed some oddball things from time to time and a buddy has access to a 3D printer, it's been a godsend to just make what you need.

-.-.... **big sigh** nope, dont know anyone with a 3d printer, but it cant be that hard to find a battery "holster for a AA li-ion... worst case, ill just have to krazy glue and screw holes into some plastic to fabricate the darn thing... well, guess ill be hitting lowes tomorrow then... man. sooo close to having an initiate v2 with sound!!!!

Resurrecting this thread to... well, vent.

I was informed today that my aunt is hosting a memorial dinner for my father tomorrow (it's been quite some time now since he passed, so it's a little odd to begin with).

Tomorrow.

Then she went into great detail about how I wasn't initially going to be invited because apparently I was a terrible daughter and he wouldn't have wanted me there, but she was a saint and decided to invite me.

Then she totally lost the pretense of saintliness and started hurling random insults at my mother (who she never knew) and very personal insults at me (how the hell she knows so much... private... information about me is beyond my understanding), so I chucked the phone out the window. I hate phones.

Now, the reason for the animosity towards me is obvious - my father's will reflected his view of the rest of the family (they got almost nothing). They're all wealthy as it is, so it's not like he left them in a ditch or anything. They're just greedy, selfish dolts.

I'm so angry that I'm strangely calm, although I have enough common sense left to not show up tomorrow (if there's even an actual dinner).

I do have the terrible urge to rearrange her face, though. It's like everything, including my own brain, is conspiring to put me in a straightjacket by the end of the week.

That sucks! I've dealt with a lot of stuff, but nothing sucks as much as family issues. These people are supposed to be your safe haven, the people who love and have your back no matter what. When your family is the one who is the poisonous thorn in your side, it's such a bummer.

I'm really sorry that you're going through this, I hope that things get better with time.

Thanks. I hate having no way to distance myself from my own enemies. It's like having a nail in my skull.

Now that I think about it, I recognize exactly what's going on. She was probably tasked with inviting people to the dinner, so obviously she wasn't going to call me. However, she's a terrible liar, so she called me as late as possible and insulted me to be sure that I won't come, but she wouldn't be lying if she was asked about whether or not she contacted me. I still have a few begrudging allies in my family, but if I don't show up to this dinner I will no longer have a single supporter within my family and my aunt will have "won" her campaign against me. I still don't understand how she knew so much about me, though. That's just creepy.

So I'll be attending tomorrow.

Never underestimate the power of bitter people. They try to make the rest of the world as bitter and miserable as they are.

I am truly sorry about that though, it bites to be put in a situation where a family member is trying to "win battles" against you, especially if you're the type of person who doesn't want to "win" against your family. I'd love to see the look on her face when you show up.

Strength comes from within, as do the meanings we assign the BS that flies at us. You know, maybe that little boy in the Oracle's waiting room was right; there is no spoon. Maybe all the BS is just someone flapping away for attention, and instead of dumping loads of it on you, maybe it's a bunch of nothing at all. Nothing will tend to pass through you with no effect, other than the fact that your brain acknowledged it. This makes the one flapping away seem extremely ridiculous compared to the resilience you're showing, and that will get noticed. "I'm sorry you feel that way" is a good thing to say instead of drawing the blade and seeing purple. :)

I'm at the stage now where I don't even 'wear my armor' because I expect that no battles are even possible. Peace is coming again; I can feel it.

Some folks have a martyr complex.

This is your aunt setting you up so that she can play the wounded card.

My wife's grandmother would do the same sort of thing.

From an outside point of view:  if this is to honor your father, then the rest of the family's slings and stones to attempt to deter you, especially with everything that has occurred for you personally, matter little.  It's awfully petty of your aunt to attempt.

This is a quandary.

On one hand, if you go, you are playing right into her hands, giving her the opportunity to belittle you in front of the rest of your family. On the other hand, if you refuse to go, she has more ammunition to say that you are a terrible daughter for not showing up (because I sincerely doubt that she shared her dilemma about whether or not to invite you with anyone else).

Hmm... the best option, in my humble opinion, is to go to the dinner. Remain calm the entire time, even if she starts in on you. If she starts insulting you or your mother, calmly refute her claims. Above all else, have a serene smile on your face, as this will drive her insane. Let her show everyone else that she is the crazy one, and if it gets to be too much for you, politely excuse yourself, hug everyone else goodbye, and leave her place with these parting words to her, spoken in a sincere and loving tone: "I sincerely hope that I can grow into a kind, sweet, loving person. The kind of person that you are not."

Well, I dunno what to say, but go, at least for a little while.
try to stay calm and polite, that'll throw it in her face!
and hugs! You sound like you need some hugs

You're walking into the lion's den going to that dinner, and with all the baggage associated with family, this must be a difficult trial for you. Not to jump onto the Yoda bandwagon (repulsorlift?), be calm, charming, and polite.

That being said, I noticed that you're using a lot of terms like 'enemies,' 'allies,' 'winning,' 'campaign.' It sounds like you're very much in a fight-or-flight mindset regarding the dinner. Going to a function held by a hostile host will do that, but in feeling cornered, your aunt has an advantage even before you walk through the door, and it may prove difficult for you to maintain composure for the duration of the dinner. All she has to do is just casually throw a couple personal insults your way and she gets a desired response from you to her satisfaction. So how to deal with that...

Some suggestions that might be helpful:

• Before you arrive at her house, treat yourself to something you like - listen and sing along to your favorite music, watch a funny clip from Comedy Central, treat yourself to a scoop of your favorite ice cream flavor. Set the mood within yourself before walking through the door. Take a couple deep breaths, put on that smile, even if you still don't feel like it, even if you're greeted by a frown, and head on in.
• Smiles and grins are infectious, fake it even if you don't even feel like it. Not saying that you have to have a permanent Cheshire grin, but when starting a convo, do it with a smile. Just doing that can set the mood, and it's almost an instinctive thing, other people will become more receptive toward you.
• Body language is very important in dictating and indicating how you feel. If you have time, watch this:
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc#ws)
  
• It may be good to be engaging positively with the others attending, regardless of how you think they feel about you. Just doing that can set the mood so that if/when your aunt makes snide remarks at you, other members of the family will experience some cognitive dissonance compared to their experience with you.
• If none of the above works, and she does start making your rage boil, recognize that she's trying to get a rise out of you. Mentally tell yourself, and recognize, that you are getting angry. And then let it go. If you're the visual type, picture that rage like a campfire, and then imagine yourself pouring a gigantic tank of water to douse it. Think of the soft gurgling of a clear stream on a bright spring morning. Whatever positive images/sounds/tastes etc. works best for you. Take a deep breath, think before you speak.

Hope you have a successful evening.

Meh, listen to Gene Wilder:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_prsgZnPMQg#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_prsgZnPMQg#ws)

Decide weather it's worth the effort. It isn't always.

Lol did you just use a blazing saddles excerpt for advice? I think you're the best type of person!

Mel Brooks is a genius I swear.

Our lives are Blazing Saddles...it's wisdom is eternal...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB1E0oAAc-w#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB1E0oAAc-w#ws)

amen to that! I haven't seen blazing saddles in years. watched spaceballs not all that long ago, now that's funny!

but on topic, hope the dinner works out for you

I'm not sure if this can be topped... Point!

My family is very competitive, and every member of my family (including myself) is sadistic in one way or another, so relationships are always tense. I think I'm the only one who hasn't tried to destroy another relative's life.



I tend to be that way, but when it's family it's really hard to ignore :-\ Especially now that she's made it personal... Normally family business is really business-like and cold, but she's made it into a personal vendetta against everything I am and everything I have ever done, which is a first.



Petty is exactly how I would describe my family. They would kill someone just to one-up one their siblings.

So I'll go and focus on the memorial aspect of it rather than the fact that I'm surrounded by evildoers.



I think I'll just act like nothing happened and pretend that I dropped my phone (which isn't really a lie. I dropped it violently ;)). My etiquette will be as flawless as ever and I won't break character even slightly. She's probably expecting me to either not show up or to show up and break someone's nose, and serenity will confuse her greatly - probably too greatly for her to react very well. It might actually be entertaining to see her caught off guard.



Thanks, I definitely need hugs these days :(



Like I said earlier in this post, my family is very competitive and cliquish. Even the only trait we all share - sadism - places us in distinctive groups - the psychological sadists (my aunt) and the physical sadists (me), and they'll even use that difference to demean each other. Terms like enemy and ally are generally replaced with less harsh terms, but they're practically used in casual conversation when referring to other relatives, and although "campaigns" are normally too clandestine to be discussed openly, their existence is accepted and apparent. It's like I was born into a family of socialite Sithies...

Anyway, that's all great advice and I'll keep it in mind (and I'll watch the video in a bit). Especially the last point about controlling anger... Normally my first instinct is to calm myself down by smashing whatever is on hand (often a phone, although I hate them in the first place), but I'd never really considered thinking of water.

Speaking of water, I'm hoping that she did something illegal to obtain the information that she had so that I can take her to court. That would be great.



In this case, I think it's worth the effort... I've got nothing to do tonight anyway, and if worst comes to worst, I can squish her like a bug (she's maybe 5'4" and frail, and I'm around 5'11" and fit) ;D

Lol I have the life proof case on my phone so I can throw it in anger when I need to.

I'm a huge proponent of the philosophy, sometimes you've just got to break something. Always makes me feel a little better.

Speaking from personal experience, it's absolutely hysterical to watch someone go apes**t when they try and fail to get a rise out of you.



You get plenty of hugs from us, dear.



Well, petty revenge and physical violence won't really help matters, and will likely get you tossed into jail.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_blOQEu9ws# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_blOQEu9ws#)



This is why I love my Otterbox Defender case...

My obstacle were my parents also, and it was hard to change my mindset because I cared so much. In fact, I'd fill in the verbal abuse that she missed - I helped her! I still care a great deal, but I've recognized that nothing she can ever say will have that same impact again. For the same reasons that I love and care about her, I will never again take her negativity to heart. I had to see a professional to help me see this, and it was the best thing I could have ever done.

Stick with the allies that are present with you, however begrudgingly on your side they might be. :)

I had to deal with a pretty messed up situation when I told my parents I was getting married. They flipped out, and the entire engagement/first 2 years of marriage were hell because of my parents. During the engagement we pretty much yelled at each other on the phone daily. There were some pretty gnarly fights. There were times when my mother would be laying into me and I would just set the phone down and walk away. Then I'd come back a minute or two later, and she'd still be ranting. She didn't even realize I'd set the phone down lol.

At one point, my Father-in-law, had a talk with me that really helped. Basically he just told me to stay calm, don't engage in their pointless yelling battles, and they wouldn't have anything to say.

I implemented that the very next conversation I had with my father, and it blew them away. They were angry, and I could tell they were angry that I wasn't participating in the fight.

It's taken years for our families to move past this, and I hope someday your family will move past it too.

Well yes, but those are virtual hugs. I'll go tackle Luna at some point.



I was mostly joking, but I was referring to the possibility of her actually starting a physical fight, not just knocking her lights out randomly (although that would be fun) :)



I feel bad for having never seen the show before... Is there anywhere I can watch it online?

Also, I can never get a case because it would make destroying my phones pointlessly difficult ;)

I'm off to decide on/buy my attire for the dinner, I'll read the other posts when I'm back. Thanks for all your help, guys and gals :)

Good luck!

Hopefully, we won't be seeing something about a 5'11" girl getting arrested for assaulting an older relative with a chicken leg on the evening news.

I would hope she would use her lightsaber.  ;D She is the Sword of the Jedi after all.

I'm sorry to hear about all your family troubles SotJ :( hope the dinner goes well. Let me know igf you need anything.

Holy flurking schnit (to quote Kang and Kodos) - I could really use some more folks on my team at work.

Working like crazy, and can't get it all done, and work wants to add more to our plates.

Exhausted.

Oh an even better one... It's 5:00 and I'm getting ready to head out for the day when one of my coworkers stops me.

Him: "Hey, Patrick? I was wondering if I can get you to help me finish these drawings. They gotta be done by the morning. Can you help me out?"

Keep in mind that he's been working on these for two days and has gotten six drawings done.

Me: "Sure thing. How many drawings are there in total?"

Him: "Forty."

At this point I sigh, sit down, and boot my computer back up.

Worst thing? He finishes up the drawing he was working on AND LEAVES FOR THE NIGHT!

I have to pick up the slack on what has to be done. It's a quarter to nine and I'm STILL here at work.

I'm not gonna do more than ten drawings, because I've no idea what the others consist of.

He'll probably be pissed in the morning, but oh well... that's what you get for abandoning your duties and pawning it all off on someone else. I will be sure that the bosses know what happened too. I am NOT taking the blame for this. Period.

Sucks to suck for your co-worker.

The fact that you got more done in a few hours than he did in two days says loads.

Can you do the other drawings as stick figures?

Thanks, I appreciate your support :) The dinner wasn't that bad, so that's a huge relief.


Fortunately, none of that happened.

My aunt was only there briefly for whatever reason, and she avoided me surprisingly well. Her husband (yes, he's my uncle, but I'd like to forget about that) was also absent, so everything was confusing and everyone left pretty quickly. I ended up going out to eat with some younger relatives of mine who I hardly even knew existed. They aren't half bad, but their parents are some of the worst of the bunch.

So thanks for all the advice and support ladies and gentlemen, but it turned out far better than expected 8)

Ummm... technical drawings. Y'know, electrical schematics and the like.

It took him two days to do six of them? I remember school when we'd have the schematics drawn, have it done in a breadboard, then actually build it. We did 2-3 of THOSE a day. It must be nice to only have to draw out 40 schematics. That could easily be done in two days, Your co-worker sounds like a lazy jackass.

Oh he is, though he does get a pass from me based on the fact that his mother just passed (as in a week ago)...

Anytime I ask him a question (I'm not 100% on drawing up schematics), he takes the circuitous route including all theory behind why something is the way it is, and he often makes mistakes, and he can't really explain things very well. In short, a question that should take no more than two minutes to answer winds up taking 30 minutes or longer. I usually just wind up interrupting him by saying "Look, I don't need a full rundown of the damned thing from start to finish, nor do I need a lesson in electrical theory, especially when we're on a rapidly approaching deadline that you can't hit on your own. All I need is either a listing of terminals on this piece of equipment, or the part number so I can look it up myself."

Of course, when I am asking questions (specifically when I'm challenging him (he may have the knowledge of what needs to go where, but I have the knowledge of how to make it happen in AutoCAD Electrical)), he tends to fall into the rhetoric of "I don't have time to answer your question right now."

My response is usually "Well, you'd better make time, otherwise your drawings aren't gonna get done, and I'm not taking the blame for it."



Simply put, he knows a lot about what we do, but thinks he's way smarter than he is when it comes to putting it down in AutoCAD.

Another thing he asked me today was how we could show a power distribution block that has a three phase input and six outputs per phase. I told him that he'd have to create the block independently, as none of the PDB blocks that came with AutoCAD Electrical reflect this 3 in/18 out capability. His response was "Oh no, there's gotta be a way to do it with what we have! We shouldn't have to create a new block for this!"

Damnit, this is what I went to college for! Don't you DARE insinuate that I don't know what the hell I'm talking about!

Of course, the solution that he drew up isn't electrically sound, and an audit of the drawings proves this.

Am I gonna change it? Hell no. Let the failure rest upon his shoulder. When he starts complaining about how he can't get the drawing to work right, I'll tell him flat out "You should have listened to me. But no, you didn't want to take twenty minutes to create a new block, and because of that, you're gonna have to take that twenty minutes now, in addition to the hours spent fixing the drawings to put the right block in. Congratulations, you just cost the company more manhours of work because you refused to listen."

My other cat is happy to hear that.  ;D
(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff407/EeRocKK/DSC00500_zps59fcf300.jpg) (http://s1234.photobucket.com/user/EeRocKK/media/DSC00500_zps59fcf300.jpg.html)

Yay! so happy for you ;D *hugs*

I second this! Hugs!

Well it must be nice to be able to get through life with the IQ of a potato. Just let him take the heat for his failures. He'll learn quick, and if not, he should be out of a job. I don't want to insult you, and I'm sure it's a lot harder than it seems. But from what I know about it (I'd be able to just sneak by) it doesn't seem like that hard of a job to do. Especially if there is the option for team effort. If you don't know how to do something, and you ask for help... If he doubted you he should have at least tried to look it up before royally effing up. Schematics are NOT that hard, be it anywhere from a simple electrical job to a data processing center and anywhere in between. I've done both and worked on both hands on and everything there is in between. As boring as it is to me, it's a lot easier drawing stuff out than building it. I'm assuming it's on a computer? We had to draw everything with a pen and ruler.

I've come to the conclusion that no one at work wants to discuss anything, no matter how important, ever. "Now's not the time." Well it never seems to be the time. No wonder the store is such a mess(physically, as well as in other ways).

I got a D in all of my classes.

What. The. Fudge.

Always look at it this way... you passed!

What do you call a straight D student from Medical School... Doctor of course.

I wish we would get some more guys working regularly at my work, atm half the week we have four women on and no guys, and I work in an automotive parts and accessories store. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for women in workplaces that are traditionally male dominated etc, but customer will often expect there to be guys working in auto parts store. That, and in general we women aren't as strong as guys. I'm one of the stronger gals there, which isn't saying much since I've lost a lot of my strength from my Taekwondo days and atm I can't do heavy lifting coz of my ankle. The other three regulars are fairly small or not particularly strong. And lets face it, things like air compressors, roll cabinets and engine cranes can get pretty damned heavy and if the gals keep insisting on man handling items far too heavy for them (the boss keeps doing this, she gets pretty uppity about being as strong and tough and capable as guys when shes not and she won't listen when I say she shouldn't lift those things on her own) someone's gonna get hurt.

I had someone ask me a few questions today. This person has known me for a while, and I don't mind when this happens, I just notice this happens to me all the time.

A bit of a background, I'm an extrovert, and that is putting it mildly. I meet people easy, but to this day. Aside from my wife and son, I really don't feel connected to anyone in my life. I give a lot of myself to people, I'm always a listening ear, and I love to give compliments, and I try to genuinely be there for people.

This person asked me a few questions and quickly realized she still knows nothing about me. Never bothered to ask me anything. What it translates to is this, there are a lot of people I can tell you a lot about, and a lot of people who would say they know me, but I would say there's only a handful of people who actually ever cared to try to understand me, or legitimately cared about me. I feel like I must be really un likable.

90% of the time, I'm so upbeat it doesn't matter to me. I've come to the conclusion that I will never make many emotional connections in this life. It just sort of got to me today.

hugs. At least there are some in your life you have that emotional connection with

Feel free to shoot me a message on Facebook or here, LC.  I have held people's deepest and darkest secrets for years, sometimes to my own job loss as a result.  Family is great but sometimes you need someone who is willing to listen and not judge you.  Nothing is wrong with carrying that heavy pack  because you know you can do it, but sometimes it is nice to have someone who is willing to help when needed. '

Now for my vent:

I was very happy to post on Facebook alerting the idiots in my neighborhood that they should not be expecting assistance from me in the tracking down of the person(s) that are currently breaking into houses.  Two years ago, I tried to alert my neighborhood that I chased off an intruder that tried to use his "federal employee" status as a postal worker as a validation for breaking into my house to retrieve a letter he had left here.  I was thrown off my neighborhood enforcement committee and only a handful of them will speak to me until they started having break ins. 

When a person (like myself) has taken the time to help you, be thankful.  Calling someone paranoid, crazy, dramatic and such does not motivate a helper to be more helpful but less helpful.  I make it a point to never look down on someone, especially someone willing to help me.  I don't have the "coolest" friends, but I do have the most helpful friends.  I'll take loyalty over cool any day of the week. 

Vent over.

Have a great day and happy sabering.

PS @ Blondeange1:  Whether you pee standing or sitting, I greatly assume that those working in an auto parts store know cars or they would not continue to work there.  Team lifting is something everyone should practice and it does not signal you are weak, just smart.  Have a great day.

Sadly you don't need to know anything about cars to get into a very retail based auto parts store like where I work- all you need is the retail skills, and a slight interest in cars. Though I've seen some ppl come through and you think now are you just working here coz you think it'll sound cool to say you work in an auto parts shop?! You don't even know what a wiper blade is! Least I have a little practical knowledge, I've worked on cars and even done an engine swap, and my other half is a mechanic so thats helped me improve my car knowledge and I help him work on our car (though since he is the mech and knows what he's doing I supervise and do the little jobs mainly these days :P). Personally I can't see why you'd work in an auto parts store and not have some interest and knowledge on cars, it'd be like me working in a shoe or clothes store :-\

and I agree- I'll always prefer to ask someone else for help with heavy or awkward lifting, rather than risk injuring myself to try and prove a point, its just not worth it.

and stupid postie  >:( thankfully my current neighborhood is nice, our neighbors went up and down the street warning about multiple break ins that happened a couple weeks ago, and then our local gov sent out info about preventing burglary etc. It was good to see awareness raising action taking place so quickly

Thank you! I feel much better today, but like I said, some days it get's very annoying.


Thanks! I really don't have any dark secrets per say, I just have a lot that I don't readily volunteer to people, until they want to know something about me.

For instance, I was adopted at the age of 4 because my mother was a drunk, and an addict. She wrecked with me in the car because she was drinking and driving. I don't have a problem talking about it, I just don't blast it to the universe either. It seems like people are usually too busy talking about themselves to ever bother to learn anything about who they're talking to. It's totally understandable, and I'm sure I'm guilty of it at times too.

and I saw that on Facebook! Ah sweet vindication! Lol, seriously I don't understand what people's problems are with listening to someone. If you have no prior situations of paranoia, then when you do actually speak up about something maybe people should pay attention.


I'm sorry about your situation, and I'm sure you have to deal with guys not wanting to ask you automotive questions because you're a woman, which is also frustrating. Pshh, I don't care who's in the store, I always need help lol! I'm the idiot that tries to lift everything on my own, so good on you for getting help!

As some of you may remember, I mentioned my aunt possessing very private information about me.

I did a little thinking, and the solution was simple enough... she contacted one of my exes (the only person who would've known all of that) and somehow got the information from him. It's not like our relationship ended on good terms (he tried something stupid and I defended myself appropriately), so I doubt she had to do much convincing.

It's not exactly comforting, but it's good to know exactly how far she would go to insult me ::)

On another note, I may be admitting myself to a hospital at some point in the next few days. I'm not eating or sleeping and I appear to be suffering from psychotic depression.

I'm sorry to hear that! I really hope you feel better soon. I don't know what to say other than you are in my thoughts and prayers.

yer we do, and women can actually be as bad- one time I had a lady ask me to get one of the GUYS (she emphasised guys quite a bit) to fit her wiper blades for her, I was available to fit them so after I put the sale through I walked around the counter with the wipers and side cutters and she looked at me surprised and all haughty and said "oh, I was expecting one of the GUYS to do it for me" I just shrugged and said "I can do it". after I fitted her wipers quickly and efficiently, she started going on about how wonderful it was a woman could do a mans job. its not worth getting in an argument about. its annoying yes, id prefer you judge me on my knowledge and abilities, and if you still find me lacking, then that's fine. but don't instantly dismiss me coz im female. but as I said, its not worth getting in an argument about. the other girls get so up in arms anytime people make comments like that, they get all defensive and aggressive about it, but its not worth it! get in an argument with a customer, and you aren't solving anything.- one time I let rip at one of my management staff (after the customer left) when they were new coz a customer made a slightly sexist comment, and she started accusing the customer of being sexist and rude. and then she told the guy the wrong thing, I had to try and correct her, partly proving the customers comment right  ::) I then had to deal with the customer and calm him down saying it was an honest mistake she was new, thankfully he was very polite to me coz the entire time id been dealing with him id been polite and gone out of my way to try and help him.
politely respond to such sexist comments with something non committal, give them good customer service, and they might change their minds about women working in automotive. though the funniest is always when guys come in, ask me a question, they clearly aren't happy with my answer, so they go hunt down one of the guys who are working who either give the exact same answer or better yet send the customer back to me coz for the most part im the most experienced and knowledgable person at my store  8) we have a lot of middle eastern, Asian and African customers and I mean absolutely no disrespect, but I get the impression their different customs mean that they sometimes automatically dismiss advice given by us females when it comes to cars (im not trying to break forum rules, and by no means trying to insult anyone and I could be very wrong, this is just my impression working behind the counter, they have different customs and ways of life and I respect that). ive also had some of these customers (and plenty of Caucasian customers too, its by no means limited) make very sexist or racist comments (one guy accused me of being racist coz I wouldn't do something to help him coz he was middle eastern. he refused to listen as I tried to politely explain that we don't offer that service, and continued to insult me. that peeved me off quite a bit!). but ive also had some of those customers choose to talk to me over some of the other girls, coz ive not gotten all defensive and talked back and been rude back to the customer, rather ive just done my job- given as good customer service as I can- which means asking others and finding out more info if I need to. or sending the customer to the competition if they have something we don't. customers tend to come back if you give them good customer service
imo, its far more satisfying to smile sweetly, help the customer, see their reaction when they realise that yes I can help them, then wish them a nice day while they are trying their hardest to be unpleasant. and then have the fool come back another time and be much more polite coz they need help with something else.

and sotj, hope you can get everything sorted out! my thoughts are with you!

I'm not sure, but I think that could be grounds for legal action.

I am very sorry to hear about your problems and I will be keeping you in my prayers. :)

I second the notion for prayers. Sorry for your pains. Mental pain can be the worst. :-\

Hope you feel better soon!

I apologize for my ridiculously long essay of a post, didn't realize id written so much! I kinda like to babble a bit (in case you hadn't noticed  :P). Hope everyone's day has gone well :)

It's okay. Customers suck, it's true. I had one today ask me about a lawnmower. When I answered his questions he just said, "You need to do your research." and began pointing out why I was wrong. Well, if you're such an expert, why did you ask me in the first place!

yep, gotta love it when they do that  ::) or for me a common one is they come in wanting a specific part for their car, but can't tell you what model or year it is! A ford hatch is not enough for me to go on. Worse still, same situation but being told 'umm I dunno its a white car? Will that help?'. Are you kidding?! Then they get angry at you coz you can't tell them the part they need

That happens to me too.

Customer: "Just look it up in your book!"

Me: "I'm sorry sir, I don't have a book that tells me which spark plug fits 'a red tractor.' I can't help you."

It happens in the medical field as well.  They come to the ER wanting "X" drug for the pain.  The doctor tells them that "X" drug cannot be used to treat their pain because they have built a tolerance.  When they argue, the doctor simply, says, "Okay, have it your way.  I can only legally give you "X" amount of "X" drug.  We'll let you sit here until your pain disappears or until you are willing to let me treat you."  About 4 hours later, they are willing to listen to the doctor who gets them up and moving in about 15 minutes and then refers them to drug treatment services. 

You should try that with the lawn mowers next time.  Do it their way and then remind them you have a return policy and that you are happy to give them what they actually need when they return. 

Works wonders!

when I have customers like that I prefer the return policy that states "we do not normally give refunds if you simply make a wrong decision or change your mind"- we are usually pretty lenient at my work, but sometimes its satisfying when you can tell an annoying customer sorry, no return. esp when they've special ordered something in and signed the terms and conditions stating "no return unless manufacturers fault" (or incorrect part given that the correct details were given in the first place) and then try to return it coz they no longer want it coz its gonna cost them too much to repair their crummy car. otherwise we get stuck with a part thatll sit there and never get sold, used to be a big problem before we enforced the signed terms and conditions thing.

Must vent

ok so normally I'm the measure twice cut once type (or rather measure many times cut once). Today I think it was a combination of being tired and impatient, cut something I've been working on for my costume and cut it wrong. Stupid stupid stupid mistake! Not something I could salvage either, had to start from scratch. Sooooo angry with myself over it! Its also meant I'm now short some of the materials I needed. Not pleased at all! Already quickly running out of time with this and had a few set backs sigh.
I want to turn back time and restart this week, I keep having bad luck

That sucks! I'm so sorry, it's awful when you lose out on materials like that.

Its not the end of the world, was just damned annoyed. Many non forum safe words were issued lol

anyone heard from sotj? Hope things are going well for her

I got into an argument with my friend (who is a HUGE football fan), and the topic was centered around e-sports and whether or not they can be considered "real sports." Obviously I am a very opinionated guy, but at least 90% of the time I can keep things to myself and whine about them later in private. However, this argument was the missing 10% for me; it just got me so fired up.

Yes, I do think e-sports are real sports. In fact, one of my dream jobs is to become a professional Halo gamer. It's always been a thing that I've tried to strive towards. Though, the process would be much easier if I actually had people to play with. But that's beside the point.

Eh, whatever. The world is constantly changing, and things that have been deeply rooted are gradually being uprooted day by day in order to allow for more modernity. I just need to be patient, and work on being less opinionated :D It used to be at a straight 50% or so for me. Yikes.

But I guess that's all just part of growing up.

Nothing wrong with being opinionated- its knowing when to keep opinions to oneself that can be difficult   :P and if you can recognize that you are an opinionated person that's half the battle

for me its bossiness- I'm terribly bossy. Sometimes it comes across as me looking like a know it all, a my opinions worth more than yours, I'm right/ your wrong. I don't mean to sound like that, and I often try to apologize if I realize I've been like that. I also used to be a very chatty person, and in an effort to try not to sound too bossy I back off on chatting. And then get told I'm a very distant serious person by my work colleagues and that I need to lighten up. Lol can't win :P

@Hobbit:  I feel you on that.  People get angry with me when I state that I cannot watch professional sports as I have had a high school friend in Pro Football and met a very well known MMA fighter who both told me that sometimes, these "real sports" are rigged.  The MMA fighter left because he was asked to toss a fight for $5000 and this got him to wondering if someone had thrown a fight that he though he had won.  He now only fights in amateur events for charity and trains others but always encourages them to stay away from the professional scene.  I have had your same type of argument with football buffs on whether or not cheerleading is a sport.  Some of the things those girls do with twists and turns and leaps convinces me it is a sport. 

My personal opinion is that anything that has a championship game in which cash prizes can be awarded (or cash equivalent prizes), it is a sport. 

@ Blondeange1:  I have a daughter who is very opinionated and people have referred to her as bossy.  Those that refer to her as that often times know that she is simply pointing out the obvious that should already be happening.  I personally would much rather have opinions (especially those from females) on the table so that I know how my employees or peers feel.  Nothing is more infuriating to me as supervisor, teacher, husband, or friend than to be guessing what is on someone's mind.  I would much rather prefer you to express your opinions even if they hurt my feelings than to have you or someone else bottle them up.  It is not fair to you because it denies you an avenue of expression and it is not fair to me because if I believe things are all good and later learn they are not, I feel a little betrayed and lied to. 

I hope so too. :-[

Hope you are feeling better too rogue  :)

@B1ondeange1: Yeah, you're right. I have the exact same issue that you have, actually. I try not to sound like a know-it-all, and I know that about a year ago, I managed to thoroughly frustrate one of my good friends on here, and that wasn't even my intention :( So since then I've worked on toning it down... by a lot. Actually, come to think of it, this site, as well as all of you, have helped me work on a lot of my issues. lol. Go figure.

@Blue: Huh, I never thought about the possibility of sports being rigged, but that is definitely a cause for concern. I too believe that cheerleading is a sport. If only I could get my friend to play a game of Halo, or watch a match from MLG (Major League Gaming), just so that he can learn to appreciate what the pros do. Oh, and as for expressing opinions, it's nice to know what someone on the other side of it has to say about the issue. Thanks a bunch.

I think I broke my ankle today at work... went to the work comp doctor and they didn't see any break, but I am in miserable amounts of pain... I think I want a second opinion...

Did you get xrays? Maybe you could get a ct scan if they can't see much on the xray. Second opinions are often a good idea .
feel for you, ankle injuries suck big time. Even soft tissue damage can be incredibly painful. Hope you have a speedy recovery!

When am I gonna learn not to be such an idiot, and finally get my ass in gear! I blew yet another opportunity, just like I always do.

*hug*

Attention Business Contact:

I swear by Almighty Zeus and on Odin's beard, if you don't learn how to use the "Reply All" feature on your email, I'm gonna rip your vocal cords out through your rectum and then use you like a puppet!

I seriously need a new job...

My ankle is severely sprained, I'm on Doctor's orders for "seated work only" (which of course can't seem to be accommodated) until I see the Doctor again tomorrow.  My boss has copies of these orders, his boss has copies of the orders, the owner of the company knows because he had to authorize the treatment in the first place.  Daily, mind you I'm on crutches and can't drive (right ankle,) I get phone calls "We need you to come in, you're really screwing us by being off for this."  Now, again, this is Work Comp, these are Doctor's Orders, but everyday I'm getting cussed at because I got injured at work.

I'm so ******* tired of doing the work of three people, while I have coworkers who take their company vehicles home daily and spend HOURS at their homes while on the clock (yes I do lunch at home from time to time, but never more than 45 minutes.)  Yet I'm treated like crud even though I come in when I'm sick and always try to do everything that's ever asked of me...

If I didn't need the money I'd quit in a heartbeat, but I don't have another job yet.  I seriously need to hear back from one of the resumes I've sent out so I can get out of that negative environment.

Yesterday me and all the other maintenance personnel got our asses chewed out by the managers because of what the other shifts refuse to do. We bust our asses to get the place spotless, and everyone else screws us. Today is the day the inspectors come in to check if we are doing our jobs. Most of us worked our asses off today, but one girl lied right to us and said we didn't need to clean in one area because she already did it. Well my coworker and I checked while we were getting the trash and she didn't even touch the place. I went back and confronted her about it and she blatantly lied to my face about it. She then said she would go do it again... AGAIN. She never touched it. Well I went to check again and it was a half ass job done. Mind you, I had to do a walk by because everyone, including myself, was swamped with work for 9 hours straight. She had one job... ONE! So now we're gonna hear about it tonight when I go into work.

We also had to clean up paint near the compacter because some dumb ass decided to put four gallon buckets of paint in the dinkiest trash bag they could find. So we mopped it up, and being that it was latex paint being cleaned up with stripper and water, there was NO way it was going to stick to the bucket. Well my coworker left the mop in the bucket with the paint water because we had more important things to finish first. He had every intention of cleaning it. He even brought it up as we were walking back to the maintenance closet. Then one of the other guys, who just the other day when we got yelled at, acted like he was the target and told someone that the rest of us do absolutely nothing and he does all the work. This is my eighth day in a row of work. I'll be working ten days before my first day off. He's had four days off in the last two weeks. He starts pissing and moaning about the bucket for 7 minutes. I could hear him in the next room while we were finishing our work. Instead of taking the literal two minutes to empty it, rinse it with hot water, and refill it; he bitched for seven minutes. Yes I counted. I tell you what, it's like high school. Don't get me wrong, I like my managers, most coworkers and the job. They welcomed me like I was family, but the select few really screw the rest of us. The only difference between some of these people, and the same type of people in high school is in high school, I would have already split all nine of my knuckles on their jaw.

Sorry for the super long rant. I just... UGH!

I feel for you. Just getting over my last ankle sprain, at 6.5 weeks since doing it and I'm walking pretty well but I still need to sit and rest, I'm limping by the end of each day. Thankfully my work are mostly decent about it, but I keep getting asked if I can work on the floor and I the look I get when I say no. Its hardly like I hurt myself to inconvenience them. Hope things get better for you and your ankle improves soon! I'm just waiting for my ankle to get better so I can find another job.

Oooooooh a place to calmly rant, must.

Ordered my first sabre recently, I know they take time to put together and that's fine, problem is, they'll email me when it ships so now every time my phone plays my email alert I'm diving after my cell phone like a speeding bullet to see "New E-Bay advertisement" nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I have SOOOOOO much I could vent about, I'd still be hear in 5 hours typing!

Where do you really want me to start? My life SUCKS!!!! There literally doesn't seem to be one good thing in my life at the moment and it's been like that for years. I seem to not be allowed to be happy, because the powers that be (whether you believe in them or not) just do everything they can to spoil it!!!

Case in point, my brother has NEVER shown an interest in sabers, or at least, not since we both got plastic toys as kids. He discovers that I have a stunt saber (all I could afford) and now has engineered a situation where he is getting a full-tilt custom saber, with sound and all the bells and whistles, for  only slightly more than I paid for my stunt!!!!

Additionally, I'm waiting on the STUPID inland revenew people of my country to decide how much extra it is going to cost me to have MY first saber with sound, all because of a mix-up.

To say that I'm "upset" (please insert about a THOUSAND PROFANITIES HERE!!!!!!) Is putting it mildly.

It REALLY sucks being me, and you know what? I'm about ready for quitting this ride!

Don't you think you are being a bit... extreme? Not trying to belittle you or anything, but there is always a way to work past your problems. And honestly, there are a ton of people in this world who have it so much worse. Some people can't even afford sabers, or food, or clothes, for that matter.

Besides, who cares what your brother does? He is just being a brat, and is most likely trying to feed off of your negativity, by the looks of things. Don't give him that opportunity; just smile, laugh, and walk away. Besides, he is spending money on something that'll probably just collect dust in his closet. LOL. His loss.

But hey, you aren't alone. I've suffered, everyone here has suffered, we've all suffered. But we can either choose to fight, or just give up and think about what could have been. There is always a choice. And hey, most of us have turned out pretty okay ;)

All true. Anyway, the thread said "Vent" and I really didn't expect it to solve anything...cos' it never does. As for my brother, this has been his MO our whole lives, I should be used to it by now.

Fight or give up? A choice still not made.

Neither.

Just realize that your brother is merely aping you and laugh about his own lack of self.

That and dude, your brother bought a lightsaber because you got one... Talk about flattery. Lol

I know, I guess I'm just seeing the bad in things a lot, plus I know my brother's predilection for "one-upmanship"

That, my friend, is what brothers do, especially when they look up to you.

Well my force connection must be off, cos' I have never seen him "look up" to me. He's competed, sure, tried always to be better than me, faster, stronger, more flexible, more crafty, and in most of that he's succeeded. Of the two of us, "I" am the failure. :(

Gah! I go to run up to the store today and I go down the stairs. On the outside door of my apartment is a note from Fed Ex saying that they had a delivery for me and I missed it. It was my two grab bag sabers! They didn't knock or even call! Kriffing losers! Now I have to wait until tomorrow to find out what I got! And to make matters worse, I stubbed my toe... Bloody hell...

You have my sympathies on both counts there mate.

You're not a failure. Trust me.

Are you... are you... you have got to be...

No. Just no. What in the name of...

That dog just...

I seriously feel like part of me just died there while watching this.

What the hell is wrong with people?

I'm going to go hold my dog close and never let him go. This is just way too much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej-2FlWGWcU#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej-2FlWGWcU#ws)

Feeling a bit down.... Wife and the kids came home sunday after visiting family for a week in NC. While I was making dinner last night, my youngest comes running into the kitchen and grabs my leg in a hug (his newest game). That's all good, but the timing couldn't have been worse, since I was in the middle of picking up a pan and turning. So I got to make the decision, hot oil on the baby or me? Really not much of a decision. So my right hand is pretty much out of commision at least until the blisters heal up in a week (yay for quick healing!). And to make things worse, whenever he sees my hand, or sees that it is hurting (all the time) he starts getting his "sad face".... Did I mention it's also his first birthday in two days?

You focus inward a lot. Maybe in his mind he wishes he had your strength, or that he could be secure enough to be open about his hobbies. Maybe in his mind he thinks he has something to prove to you.

I understand where you're coming from on this, but at the same time, I understand why the officer did what he did. The dog was a Rottweiler, a breed known to be vicious when they or their master are threatened. The dog escaped confinement and came at the officers, and the officers responded by first going on guard in case the dog wasn't a real threat. It wasn't until the dog snapped at and tried to bite the officer that he shot it. A Rottweiler can exert as much as 330 pounds of pressure with a bite, which is more than enough to cause serious injury to a person.

It's a tragedy, yes, but an unavoidable one. The officer definitely saved himself a good trip to the hospital, and possibly saved himself a trip to the morgue. Additionally, any way you look at it, that dog was going to die. When a "vicious breed" dog attacks a human, that dog will get put down, as it will have acquired a taste for blood and will no longer be safe around people.

I guess it's my fault for even watching the video.

No this needs to be seen... This is atrocious. I hope that Officer rots in jail.

He did what was needed. He did not fire until the dog snapped at him. It doesn't matter what state, if a potentially dangerous dog attacks, it will be put down. It attacked an officer. If the officer hadn't shot it, it would have been taken to the pound and put down anyway.
Sad that it happened, but I blame the owner here. You can clearly see him taunting the officers. If he hadn't, then they wouldn't have tried to arrest him and the dog would never have thought that its owner needed protecting.

I'm a bit confused as to why they were arresting the owner in the first place. He didn't appear to be doing anything wrong, though the audio wasn't very good, so it could have been something he said.

What I meant was that I already knew what the outcome would be, yet I watched the video anyway. Seeing the dog twitching around after that was just... ugh.


They could have tasered the dog. Shooting first and asking questions later was not the right thing to do. Or, they could have let the man escort the dog back into the house. It's not like he was resisting arrest or anything. This cop just had an itchy trigger finger. This could have all been prevented, but it wasn't. Yeah, sure, blame it on the owner, but he wasn't the one who shot the dog.

Without getting into a political discussion... Taunting officers isn't a crime. Shooting a dog that you have antagonized is.

Actually, taunting a police officer is a crime. If you say something to an officer and they ask you to stop, and you don't, it's an arrestable offence. But the reason he was being arrested is for interfering with officers while they were trying to arrest two people who had just committed armed robbery. The man was accusing the officers of being racist, purposely playing his car stereo very loudly during negotiations with the robbery suspects after being repeatedly told to turn it off, and repeatedly approaching the officers and crime scene after he was told to stay away. It was not just a random incident where police just shot a dog. There were things leading up to this that were not on the video.
Also, Pepper spray may or may not work on a big dog and might just make it angry. Also, tasers DO NOT WORK on dogs like this.

(Warning, graphic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYEXdtC2UwA#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYEXdtC2UwA#ws)

The dog in this video was able to get up while it was still being tased and run, breaking the wires that connect to the gun. Who's to say it wouldn't just come back and attack again?

The officer did what was needed to protect himself and those around him.

The dog should have been subdued BEFORE the owner was arrested. Looking it in the car would have been a good idea. The man was not resisting arrest, he could have been aloud to lock his vehicle and close the windows, so the dog couldn't have escaped. Someone could have picked it up later along with the car, likely a family member.

I love the way that some people will come up with anything to defend the Police! It's the same in the UK, and we have one of the worst, most corrupt, most trigger-happy and Draconian forces in the world!!!!

Also, the police here regularly get away with murder, and NOTHING is ever done about them.

It's pathetic!!!

I don't feel there's anything I can add to this without breaking forum rules, and offending some... So I am going to bow out of this discussion.

Yeah all dog's of that breed are dogs like this. Why we feel we can classify whole breeds as being one way or another is beyond me. As for the officer doing what was needed to protect himself and those around him. The only thing I can say with out getting to negative is he made a choice to kill the dog when he had multiple options. He made the choice not to attempt any of them instead he simply took out his gun and shot the dog.

What's worse I could walk outside and shoot my neighbors dog and in my county the fine for discharging a firearm is more then for killing the dog.

Exactly.


Same here.

I only made that one statement for this very reason. I didn't want to be the one to say what Arkanus said, but it is true. Some will go to great lengths, and say whatever in order to defend the Police. That is why they are as bad as they are in some areas(That and people don't call them on it to begin with.)

This would be a great discussion, no doubt, but we can't take it any further without breaking the rules. So let's just leave it at that, and call it a day.

Let me just throw something out there that nobody seems to have mentioned. You're standing there handcuffing a guy when a 100+lb dog comes running at you. You have subdued its owner, the alpha male. In other words... The dog sees you as a threat and is pissed. I have been attacked by a dog before. I've also seen police using excessive force before. If I was that cop in that same situation, I would have shot the dog too. You need to look at it from his view. He doesn't get to take a second look at the tape. He made the decision, only after the dog snapped at him, that he felt was his only one in my opinion. And no, I'm not the first to jump to the side of cops because they "serve and protect." I've watched this tape a few times, and in my eyes, the dog was ready to rip the officer limb from limb. I look at things from all sides before I make my opinion known. Ask TJ if you don't believe me. We have many political discussions and other similar talks.

Bottom line is, I think the officer was right. And had I been in the same situation, I would have put more than four rounds into a dog that easily weighs over 100lbs coming at me like that.

I apologise for my outburst, and hope that I haven't permanently offended anyone here. :(

I just live in a country where the police seem to act first and think later A LOT, and they are never publicly held accountable for those actions. There have been so many instances in recent years of inappropriate police behaviour in the UK that anyone with google, and a mind to look, will be aghast!

Again, I apologise for my inappropriate outburst here though.

It's not a big deal... The LAPD is notorious for bad judgment calls, but in this instance the cop tried to reasonably restrain the dog before he shot it.

Now that I've had a chance to cool off.

Would you have shot the dog if you had a taser? A baton? Pepper spray?

If a gun was my only option I would have shot the dog too, however that officer had several options at his disposal, many of them non lethal.

Dogs aren't stupid, if they are outmatched they will back down. A shot from a taser or a smack to a meaty portion with the baton would have been well enough to stop the attack.

These guys have been TRAINED to deal with this stuff. A dog in the grand scheme of things is not a threat. As someone who has spent a lot of time with dogs I can tell you with certainty. That Officer's life was not in danger. Watch police attack dogs, they get loosed on the public all the time. They dont kill the person, they might injure them, but they don't kill. It would actually take a pretty good bit of effort on that dog's part to take down a grown man. If there had been two or three dogs I'd give you that, a pack of dogs is pretty formidable, but I am confident in my ability to defend myself against ONE Rottweiler, even bare handed. I might get jacked up if I had to do it that way, but all you have to do is think and demonstrate the fact that we are smarter than these animals. This jack hole shot the dog without giving any sort of opportunity for the dog to calm down. The dog and his owner were both operating in completely rational manners. The officers created an escalated situation and then started man handling the owner which really stressed the dog. All that had to happen here was just let the guy go real quick and let him take care of his pooch. Instead what I saw was a brutal execution.

This was excessive force in every respect. The arrest shouldn't have happened, the killing of the man's dog shouldn't have happened.

Here's a great question to think about. If that cop would have known there was another camera filming him, do you think he would have shot the dog the way he did?

I agree with every WORD here (as another lot time dog owner of LARGE AGGRESSIVE DOGS! German Shepherds, which are the police attack dog of choice!)

I know from my own experience that you can outmatch a dog, and it WILL back down. This killing was a senseless ego trip for the cop involved, and I would really hope he's held to account; though I doubt it.

On the issue of the other camera, I've seen what british cops do in that situation, they intimidate the cameraman and confiscate the equipment; vowing to "return it" later; minus the incriminating footage no doubt. I wonder if the troop wagon's camera miraculously developed "technical difficulties" on the way back to the station?

I will preface this by saying that I haven't watched the video. I don't want to see a dog being killed, right or wrong.

That said, there are many different ways of stopping an attacking dog. I'm a dog lover, but I'm had people sic dogs on me, and had loose dogs attack me before. Never once have I had to resort to lethal force, or even force that would seriously hurt the dog. Without going into details, it is easy to stop a dog...especially one that isn't a trained K-9 Unit.

All THAT said, I think we're getting off the topic of healthy venting, and are getting into a very specific side conversation. So, in the interest of getting back on topic, here is my vent:

I hate being sick. I know that no one enjoys it, but I really hate how foggy my brain gets when I'm sick. I can barely keep my attention on one thing for more than...SQUIRREL! More than a couple of minutes.

I'm still job hunting...

Oh, and the doctor says I can't drive until I see him again on July 9th.  Have to do seated duty at work, which means, as  a field service tech, they can't accommodate the restrictions, so I'm sitting at home doing a whole lot of nothing.

They did get rid of the ace bandage wrap though and got me some sort of airboot thingy I'm wearing.  It's pretty comfy except when my leg sweats, so I have to wear a sock under it all the time.

I don't think it occurred to him at the moment. He felt threatened and responded to that threat.

I can relate to this!! It's as though your brain is in serran wrap (is that the right term over there?) and you've lost the instruction manual! lol

It sucks!!!

That was Sunday, and most of Monday for me. Must be going around!

I agree 100%. Lethal force was not needed here. My dog went after someone in the same manner once, all it took was a good slap from me to get him to back down. My dog is somewhat smaller than a Rotty, but still.


===================================================

On the subject of my dog; I love him, but he's a giant idiot sometimes. And a pest. I can't even eat a burrito without being annoyed by his incessant begging!

I know it's a side topic but I am a former LE K9 handler / trainer and continued dog trainer ... This was nothing but a bad lazy cop ... Lets clear up some misconceptions - if this Rotweiller wanted to hurt the cops he would have ... The dog showed no threatening behavior ... Dogs that are intending to Hurt you generally don't walk up to you turn it's back to you and walk away and come back an walk away.

He didn't lunge at the cop the cop stuck his hand out and the dog jumped up to it ...

The dog actually showed no signs of aggression whatsoever and it was just a lazy bad cop who probably didn't get so much as a write up

whatever it is don't give it to me! This morn I was really coughy and headache and sniffly but thankfully it just seems to have been my heyfever and asthma. So no giving me a cold or flu
 :P

Hehe! Deal!

The worst part about the weekend for me was the fact that I was supposed to be with my family at the cottage and having fun. There's nothing fun about being violently ill for the whole of Sunday morning, wiped out for the rest of the day and the next, then have it held against you like it was your fault you caught a stomach virus. Sorry I ruined a few people's weekends with my absence, but I guarantee that I had a worse weekend than they did!

My cats even tired of my whining and moaning. Nausea sucks.

I feel for you. How ick. Hope you get betters soon. Sucks to have plans upset by some stupid virus.
I remember a couple of years ago my partner organized a lovely romantic evening dinner cruise- and I was sick as a dog with the flu. Not so romantic.
and I reinforce- no passing it this way :P
*distant hugs*

Keeping it Canada! ;)

My wife was not impressed, but what could I do?

Thanks. :)

(http://i.imgur.com/pRJfgXW.gif)

I think the discussion about the dog and the officer has run its course.

Folks are not going to agree on it.  All that continuing the discussion will do is lead to bad feelings, and possibly rules violations.

Instead, I advise civility, agreeing to disagree, and letting the matter lie.

How many times do I have to say it! Knocking on a door implies that you wait for a response, BEFORE you walk into a room. It's not that hard. Geez. And when you leave, you close the door behind you. It was CLOSED, because I wanted it CLOSED.

(http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/107/432/i_hug_that_feel.png?1318992465)

Friend of a friend: "Hey, are you from Korea or China or somewhere like that?"

Me: "Err... no... I'm from California."

Him: "You sure?"

Me: "Um... yeah?"

Him: "Oh well, sorry man."

(http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/qq123/devnulljp/forums/FACEPALM_Dean_Winchester.gif)

You can't blame the guy for apologizing... You DID admit to being from California, which can inspire pity in anyone...  :)  ;)  :D  ;D  :P

i just want help trusting myself with my own feelings again.. been single for nearly 10 years... and i know its cause i wont allow myself to open my trust to anyone... kinda hard to trust another person... when every time you do.. they cheat on you.... i may be old fashioned.. but last i checked.. when someone is nice to you.. its general common sense to be nice back.... apparently i was wrong 3 times... and so.. i have been on a "celibate" run for .. well almost 10-12 years now... stopped counting.... one big key factor in this, is STD's.. they scare the hell out of me.... as well as the idea of "pay it forward"... think about that, and the odds of getting an STD are almost 75% and rising with each person you are with.

i don't even have female friends.. (part of my trust issue) i am well aware that not all females are this way... but i get the jest that most female, are concerned with 2 things.. money, and nice cars..... if i aint got one or the other, im nothing...  guess what, i aint got either, and probably wont for another 20 years... yea im this badly depressed when it comes to relationships.. just needed to vent it off my chest.. been kinda a sad morning.. just feeling extra lonely lately..

 i guess spending ever dime i had when i was in a relationship to make her smile was just not enough.... they all had to go and sleep with another... could have at last broken up with me before hand... instead i get to hear from friends....

well there is my "aww, poor guy" rant/vent.. run with it how you please.. 

sorry to hear you've had a bad run with women. we aren't all that bad you know, im sure one day the right woman will come along for you. and if all a woman wants is money, she aint worth it, she just aint worth it. you shouldn't need to shower a woman with money and expensive things for her to love you.

i promise you, it was not expensive, never was as i didnt have that kinda money,  it just put s smile on there faces that i thought of something to get them.. or that id invite them , and if they wanted thier folks to dinner. that i was willing to get to know her folks as well... other wise.. it all comes down to me.. cant trust myself to talk to females anymore, i always stick my foot in my mouth... or that voice in my head says, its just gonna turn put like the others... some guy that kooler and more wealthy, with a badass car will come along in a month and she will be done with me.. heart broken again... thus i have for the most part given up on "the hunt" as its a waste of my energy.. as for the right one coming along, unfortunately she will probably pass right by me and never know it.. as i am not "hunting" so she wont even know im there... 

guess imma have to try to save up money and decide on a new state to live in, cause Florida is not workin out... but thats gonna be another 5-10 years before i got the funds to move around...   its just one of those mornings .. no work to keep my mind off the stupid things.. ok, thats my last crummy boo hoo rant on loneliness and relationships..  thanks for thoughts B1ondeange1..

carry on saber forumites.. carry on

Hey Genkaku? There's an old saying:

You will always miss 100% of the shots you never take.

true enough.. my problem is im out of ammo

Life will always throw obstacles into your path. It is up to you to decide if they will be roadblocks or stepping stones to something better.

Still better than Texas... :) ;) :D ;D :P

Awww... *pats Hobbie on the head* Aren't you just adorable...

quite right, and sometimes you have to step outside of your comfort zone a little- be brave, and talk to a girl you like :) if you always think negatively, then its hard to let something good happen, you might have the perfect person in front of you and you aren't allowing yourself the chance to get to know that perfect person. I know, its far easier to say that than to act it, especially if you are feeling down it can be hard to act outside your comfort zone :) but youll get there in the end. have some faith and confidence in yourself :) *hug*
though I know im not the best to offer relationship advice, I never had to worry about the whole dating scene thankfully, ive got the advantage of soon marrying my high school sweetheart. but im sure your time- and miss perfect- will come  :)

Well, I am a hobbit.

;)

Wow... Bad year for fireworks here. Heck, back on the farm, we lived less than a mile from a swamp and I have NEVER seen mosquitos this bad. We all took our sabers out and when you turned them on, all you could see is a cloud of the little bastards. It was so bad that my daughter, who loves fireworks, asked to go home not even half way through the show.
Hope everyone else's night was better.

Ugh... The fourth... I love it, but I hate it. I'm okay watching fireworks, when I'm inside my brain doesn't differentiate that those are fun fireworks and not sounds of war... Makes for a miserable night lol.

Last year my neighbors were playing with fireworks, and as soon as I heard the first one go off, I immediately ran outside to make sure the windows on my car were closed! It wasn't until I got back inside, that I realized it was fireworks, not thunder. XD

I live just off an Indian reservation so its WWIII every fourth of july, I really should learn to take the 5th off.

Lol like I said, I love watching fireworks. My tactical computer goes into overdrive when I hear explosions and gunfire... And fireworks sound like explosions and gunfire lol.

There have been some fun reactions my family can attest to.

I could see how that might be interesting. lol

To the person whose car alarm goes off everytime an artilery shell is set off. Please give it up and shut off the alarm.

To the woman driving her little hatchback past my work today- the zebra crossing with the stop for pedestrians sign means you have to stop when there are pedestrians crossing. Especially when I'm already halfway across the road, and you saw me starting to cross from way back. It doesn't mean race through going over the speed limit and only missing me because I saw you weren't going to slow down and took a few steps backwards to avoid being run over!
one day someone's going to get killed there, id need more than two hands to count how many near misses I've had crossing there, and I'm always real careful crossing there as a result!

also to the kids who used bolt cutters to break into our security cabinets- I hope the cops get you you lil (insert choice of bad word)

its been a bad day at work, if you can't tell

My teacher is useless, the tutors are useless everyone there seems to be useless. I find out that the summer class I'm taking isn't a requirement. The teacher is the same teacher I'm supposed to have in the fall. It's not gonna happen. I'm going to the councilor and screaming at her if I have to. I either get a different teacher or I'm dropping the whole program. There is no reason that everyone in the class is doing horribly except that someone is a crappy teacher. That school is not, I repeat NOT getting several grand out of me just so I can flunk out. Not gonna happen. I'll go be an Army Engineer. I'll get put through school the right way and get to blow stuff up while I'm at it.

Not a good idea. You and cardio don't have a good relationship. ;D

same kids were seen breaking into a car at a shopping centre by some team members. couple hours later they were spotted going into a fast food place near us, and then into a shop across the road. few minutes later the cops turned up  ;D

hope they don't just get a slap on the wrist

`
ah ,i come from a small town in wa 276klm east of perth,if you go to the pub ,you leave your keys in the car,windows down,wallet in console and its that way when you return,i have left my house there open and returned 2 weeks later with everything intact,although i found out me mates had partied pretty hard there for a few days,but there was no sign of an actual party to me,
respect is taught at a young age,some people get it and some dont,
now living in sydney is the opposite,damn right scarry
my point is
if its not yours ,dont touch it,
if you want it,get a job and buy it

hope the cops do something ange1

Me and cardio are getting our relationship back on track good sir. I'll thank you not to involve yourself in our rekindled love.  :D

I come from a small town 180-200km s of perth, just inland of bunbury. a blink and you miss it town. back when I was a kid there was no such thing as locking doors. people would leave their car running while going into the shop for the paper or whatever. everyone knew everyone in town. and my first steps were in the pub, true story. apparently i used to walk from person to person, mum and dad would notice i was gone and see me sitting on someones knee. and the pub owner was a friend and used to spoil me by giving me bowls of strawberries and whipped cream. i was too young to remember but mum and dad have recalled it plenty of times. couldn't do that nowadays there though, not the same. and here in perth we always keep the doors locked even when at home, recently there was a pile of burglaries in our street and while people were home too.

Well then, I have been put in my place, good sir. :D

Ok, so I work for a pretty nice movie theater in a fairly agrarian/university area of California. If anyone watches Oprah, my hometown is San Luis Obispo, the statistically happiest city in the USA.

Net population of SLO and the 3 neighboring townships is somewhere...probably just below 100,000. They're spread out over a good 50 miles.

Well, unfortunately for the collective sanity of everyone working here, we have a promo each week called $5 Tuesday. And each week, every single employee wants to go postal and murder every customer in the theater because of the sheer number of people we get for that promo. People come, literally, from miles around. We steal sooooo much business, that this is our third record breaking week  in a row now that it's Summer. 3,200 people in a single day, it's like if you took one little section of Disneyland and ported it into rural California.

So my point of venting is this: a co-worker asked me this week "if you could be any god from any pantheon, who would you be?" I didn't know. Now I do. I want to be a custom god that haunts to death people who leave their garbage in in the theater. A DIAPER? REALLY? A loaded one, at that? And if your kid vomits, TELL SOMEONE. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, cover that stuff with a napkin and LEAVE IT. Not to mention the absolute DROVES of popcorn that gets behind, around, and into everythiiiiiiiing. Honestly, that last bit isn't quite as bad because popcorn can be elusive between the bag and one's mouth, so I can forgive that, but shoving your bags, behind, under, or even inside your seat is just a good way to make the usher want to sprint out of the theater and making heads roll with a broom handle. It's a hundred times worse right now because we have three of our ten cinemas playing Despicable Me 2, a kid movie...and kid's movies are always, ALWAYS worse to clean.

The next time you go to a movie, just...draw upon common courtesy. I know it's technically our jobs to clean up after people, but you are all leaving the theater regardless, and 95% of the time, trash bins are located on the way out. How difficult is it to carry something that is less full than when you brought it in out the door and into the garbage...

I was drinking coke as I read the line 'making heads roll with a broom handle'- just about spat it out laughing

I feel for you though and agree. Why people can't take their popcorn boxes and drink containers to the bin is beyond me, its a small courtesy. Its called cleaning up after yourself.

and a diaper?! Omg. That's just disgusting

That really sucks. I feel for you as well.

Taking my wife in for surgery today.  We lost our baby.  The doctor told us it died about 1 week ago.  If another person tells me to look on the bright side, I swear I am going to punch them so hard that my excessive punches called during tournaments will look like a pillow fight. 

Thanks to giving me a place to vent. 

Blue

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that Blue! I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am to hear that. I'm definitely going to be praying for you and your wife. If you need someone to talk to, to vent at, or whatever else, PM me.

Blue, I feel for you, believe me I do, my wife and I went through it twice a little over 10 years ago.  First one was at 4 months into term, the second at almost 8 months...  It sucks, it really does.  If you need someone who's been there, send me a PM and I'll get you my contact info.  The really sucky part, no matter how hard it is on you, it's always 10 times harder on her, so just be there for each other man.

I was taught to seek replacement value for my wife and myself.  Two children are encouraged.  I have one and I was super excited to hear the heartbeat of my 2nd one yesterday.  Only silence.  The most deafening silence I have ever heard.  The problem is that nothing hits me immediately.  A relative I was super close died in 2002 and his death didn't hit me hard until July 1st, 2011.  

At this moment, the only thing running through my head is Anakin talking to Padme in EpII where he says, I am good at fixing things, always was.  Yet, I cannot fix this.  That bugs me the most.

Thanks, JES.  I know that I am not the only one but definitely one club I never wanted to join.  Thanks for the support.  Points awarded to Ben and JES.

I'm so sorry to hear that blue. My heart is with you, this must be a very difficult time for you both. Hope all goes well in surgery for your wife.

Thanks angel   

What heartless imbecile told you to look on the bright side?...Seriously, that's nothing short of monstrous. I think I might join you in laying waste to them. I'm so, so sorry, man.

Don't. They're only trying to help. And yes, I know, helping in this particular manner is pretty dumb, but still, I seriously doubt they were trying to mean anything bad by it. Vent your anger in another way, but not on the people that just want to help.

And yes, I am sorry for your loss.

Well, I've certainly got something to vent about. I lost my dad last Thursday & have been supressing my rage & hurt ever since; for my mum's sake, as much as anything.

I'm so angry at my dad for refusing to do his treatments!!!!!

Blue, I am so sorry. I can relate; I lost both my younger siblings :'(

Arkanus, so sorry to hear about your loss. Internet hugs, and if you need me, I'm here.

my mother in law was the same way. After my father in law passed away from cancer she became severely depressed and she wouldn't go to the doctor for anything. She eventually got a infection in her intestine and just went down hill from there and she still wouldn't go see a doctor. No matter how much my wife begged her she still wouldn't go. Later on she went and the doctor told her she needed surgery to remove part of the intestine which was actually rotting  . About a month the later she passed away from sepsis. Long story short, I believe that she knew it was her time and she knew that she was at the point of no return. I'm not saying that your dad was at that point because I don't know the severity of his illness but sometimes people just know when to say when. I think if my mother in law went to see a doctor two or three months before she passed she'd still be here today.  So try not be angered by your dads decision not to do his treatments only because he may have had his reasons not to do them.

blue,to you and your wife,sorry to hear,i lost my son to sids,6 months,i know your hurt,it just wasnt his time,my condolences to you and your family

I'm so glad I put my two weeks in at work. Apparently, the schedule doesn't mean anything at all, other than to tell us when to show up for work. It doesn't mean squat for leaving!  

Every Wednesday, myself and five others come in at 5AM to put away the weekly freight truck. We're only scheduled until 9 o'clock. We're not supposed to leave until all the freight is done. So today we finished at around 11 o'clock. As we're leaving, the store manager(who had just arrived, nonetheless) comes and tells us, someone needs to fill the feed(which is not part of freight. When we responded that we had already punched out, he responded by telling us that we're supposed to continue working even after freight is done, even though we were supposed to leave 2 HOURS AGO! If you want me to stay until a specific time, then schedule me until that time. Otherwise, I'm leaving when I am done.

damn straight!

Most peoples response. lol. It's a matter of respect(or lack thereof). Respect for the fact that your employees have a life other than their job, and may have plans after work.

I am so mad right now and the worst thing is, I can't talk about it here, because it would offend some people here.  >:( Argh!

Shoot me a PM if you want to vent.

I see what you are saying, but his "decision" was totally unnecessary and cruel to my mother, and has left us both in such a financial hole that we may NEVER get out of it. (The "help" that's available is far less that people say; when you start to look at it)

So I'm dealing on several levels;

emotionally - for what it's doing to me and what I'm seeing it doing to mum
financially - cos we may lose EVERYTHING and we still have to cremate the guy

I'm so wound up that even my nervous blood heat problem has returned. (The Doctors have never been able to diagnose it, cos' it feels like my blood is boiling in my veins and its very painful) :(

Being retaliated against is fun...  ;D :D :-\ :-[ :( >:(

Well the other night one of the managers told a girl that is 9 months pregnant to go do garbage. Well when you
are pregnant you aren't supposed to lift more than like 15 lbs.
The garbage bags can weigh up to 80lbs depending where you get it.
I took it upon myself to confront the manager about it. He confirmed that he told her to do it and said he told her if any of them were too heavy to leave them.
I told him that 1. that's a waste of time cause then he has to send someone else out to hunt for them and 2. you can't tell how heavy they are until you lift them. (I used to be a garbage man and have thrown my back out several times from that)
I told him that I'm watching out for her, the baby and even him in the long run because if something happens to the kid, she's gonna sue the hell out of him and it's considered a living child here so he'd likely be looking at involuntary manslaughter charges.
I told him she isn't doing the garbage and that I am.
He thanked me blah blah
He then yelled at her saying if she had a problem to go see him herself. She didn't know I talked to him until I told her she wasn't doing garbage and I made him aware of it.
So the next night he apologized to her and was super nice to her but was a complete jerk to me. He told me I needed to go do garbage immediately. It was pouring rain outside. Outside garbage takes almost an hour. Luckily for me the rain stopped. He had me clean his office, climb under the registers to clean out this brownish yellow gunk that was built up for years and had me reaching under all the aisles to get all the stuff out of them. Basically he took me off my routine just to punish me.

If it was a one night thing, and after my weekend is over it's done, that will be the end of it. If it continues Saturday night, the store manager WILL hear about it. If he does nothing I will be going to the market affairs or whatever it is. And if they don't do anything about it, I'll be going corporate. I will also be having my phone voice record every time I talk to him from now on.  ;D

From what I understand he has a history of power tripping. And I don't even like her very much, honestly she annoys me to no end most days. But wrong is wrong. And she gave me the most sincere "thank you" I think I've ever heard which made the punishment worth it.   :)

I guess bottom line is, managers need to realize that if you treat those below you with respect then they will want to work more. If you treat them like trash, how can you expect them to break their backs for you?

ive already said my opinions on this matter, so I wont say anymore than this...

definitely agree with your last comment. ive had so many managers go on about how we need to do certain things, bout how we should go out of our way- but they wont do what they say in practice, and the way they treat us they don't give us any reason to want to go out of our way to help them. and then if you do do what they want, they manage to just tell you off some more.
please, if you are a manager somewhere, treat the people under you with respect, whether you like them or not. try and realise things from their point of view, don't just go ape at them before you've checked reality- if we are still doing things wrong then fine, politely tell us so we can fix our mistakes as we may not even realise we are making them, don't berate us and then not let us know how its meant to be done. and don't say one thing and do another. it annoys us underlings no end

I'm unsure of the laws in the UK, but I believe that you should inform him that you'll be recording your conversation...

I hate working from 0800 to 2200 then coming home and falling asleep to exhaustion at 2330 and then waking up at 0300 just to sit and agonize and STRESS out about work when I  can wake up at 6 ...

We have basically cut back so much and I am salary and I am basically doing the work of 3 people and the rest of the remaining employees are doing the job of 2 or 3 people each...

I am grateful to have a job but its affecting my health, my family every thing.

I have been there for 8 years...

I am patiently hoping waiting that my wife gets a job with her newly obtained RN license so that I can step away and do something I finally want to do with my life and persue Photography as a full time job... Its something I am good at and I enjoy.  Blah

That just adds to the stress...

Padawan conjunctivitis SUUUUUUUUUCKS!!!  :(

I don't live in the UK. I read up on the legality and it's saying that as long as it's in a public area (on the sales floor, with the office door open, basically anywhere that someone passing by could potentially listen in) then it isn't a private conversation and he can legally expect no privacy. Especially in Pennsylvania.

Retaliation is grounds for dismissal.

I would get in touch with the HR and let them know you are seeking legal council in regards to unsafe and hostile work environment.

"what do you mean"

Mention the pregnant girl, 9 months, garbage, excessive specific tasks never done before immediately after, etc.

Start looking for another job.  Easier to get one if you have one already.  I am betting you want to leave anyway   :-\

Work both if you can until resolved.

Rel, I don't want to leave. I like just about everyone there and it's one of the higher paying jobs that I can do while in school. Leaving isn't an option. I like the job, just that specific manager is one of many four letter words that I shall not say.  ;D

I will take care of it. I just kinda wanted to piss and moan about it for a bit.

Ahhhhh IC !

That sucks Darth Abaddon. I always made it a point (and still do to this day) that if I'm in a leadership position (training, supervisor, manager, etc) that I'm right there next to the "boots on the ground" people and generally working harder! Mainly because I work my way up the chain and earn those positions. When I was working the retail / gas station / convenience store jobs while in school we had a saying "You can always tell the who were the higher ups that were hired into the position, and who paid their dues to get there". Sorry you gotta deal with the former.

Lost my first child due miscarriage in month 7.

There is nothing to say that will ever make it better.  Time will heal the scars, but the scars remain.

Staying as strong as possible but remaining empathetic is the real trick...finding a balance, staying centered, and being there for your wife...these are things that have value and are worth striving for.

An internet hug is the best I can offer.

Hug

Sorry for you and your wife, life can be a real SOB sometimes. 

Yeah I'm sorry about that, my wife and I have lost several children. It's so tough, the first one it took like three days for my wife to finally get mad enough to ask me if I even cared that we lost a child. It was tough to explain my feelings on the subject, and how I was coping.

I am sorry for your loss, I hope that healing comes quickly.

Broke up with my potential girlfriend today. I feel awful because of it. It was sort of both of our faults. I was loosing patience for something and she wasn't moving forward from something, so I was kind of stuck standing still in the relationship and couldn't go anywhere with it.

After a while it kind of put distance between us, and eventually I just couldn't keep standing still. I have a life to live, places to go, people to see. I felt like I was being held back.

So I broke it off. Of course, as I tell her she was went into shock and told me that she was going to tell me that she solved the problem but of course it was too late by now.

But knowing I broke somebody's heart destroys me on the inside. I was always the one getting hurt when I was younger, but this time around I had to put an end to something that just wasn't working. And either way, I still feel awful.

Especially now because I'm afraid of how she will react. I'm not a bad guy, and most everyone will tell you that. I even let her down respectfully. However, I fear that I may become the enemy now, or that people will view me differently. And I'm afraid, knowing her, she will overreact in the worst ways. I kind of helped pull her out of a rut, and she might fall back into it. Not drugs or anything, but she's a danger to herself.

So....yeah.

I'm sorry about that, I had a similar issue with a past girlfriend, when I broke up with her, she started threatening to kill herself. She didn't realize what that did to me, I suffered insomnia, eating issues, a whole laundry list of stuff that took me a long time to sort through.

What I learned was is this, you're responsible for you, unless you're married. Then you're responsible for your family. I tried my best to help her through it, but let's be honest. What is better? Breaking up and going our separate ways, or lying to her and leading her on in a relationship that you aren't really invested in?

All in all, if you were nice about it, and keep being kind, you'll still be friends. Breakups suck, no matter how good the conditions.

If she is threatening suicide, tell her you're going to call her family and inform them of the situation. Immediately. If for whatever reason the family isn't going to do anything about it, call a suicide prevention hotline, they might be able to help you talk to her, or get her the help she needs.

Do everything you can to help her without wrecking your own life, and without going back to her. Sounds to me like you did everything right, and I'd be willing to bet you two remain friends.

Thanks. That really means a lot.

I try to refrain from giving too much advice when people are venting... Generally if I'm going through a rough patch, I HATE it when someone tries to impart some profound wisdom upon me. Unless someone directly asks I try not to do it.

However I've had some first hand experience in this area, and I can tell you are bumming yourself out wondering if you did the right thing.

See, that's my problem. Whenever I vent, I tend to want advice, and when others vent, I tend to give advice back. Then when they get upset at me, I get upset too ;D But of course, this is the internet, and it's hard to figure out what emotions the person on the other side has. It's so much easier outside of the internet. *shrugs*

Venting is suppose to be just that ... Opening it up and letting it all out but no inspecting anything to go back in. The vent is opened one way etc ...


But on the topic of former significant others suggesting suicide.  Definitely notify a parent or relative and just tell the person to call a suicide hotline etc.

I had one that starved herself she lost like 20 lbs and she had only weighed 105 lbs so it was a mess but eventually she got help.

Most of the time it's nothing more than a guilt trip sometimes they are seriously mentally ill and need medical help. Other than that you have no responsibility ... Just realize that that is the person you would have had to deal with when things went sour in any avenue of your relationship.

You know that old movie about the police officer that got turned into a robot? My dad let me watch it when I was younger and it left me emotionally traumatized. It's also the reason why I have a phobia of prosthetics. Well I opened up to my friend about it because he said he wouldn't judge me. What does he do? He goes and starts sending me pictures of him (the officer) even though he knows that'll just freak me out, and then he laughs about it and tells me to lighten up....... I'm so upset right now.

internet hugs

and tell your friend to stop being such an ass

*hugs back* Thank you. And I did.

Robocop?  They are doing a remake of that movie. Sorry to hear that it affected you on such a profound level though.  Tell your friend that he needs to look up "friendship" in a dictionary.

I was trying to avoid saying the name, but yes, that. And to be honest, I'm really not looking forward to people talking about the remake when it comes out. I know my worries sound pretty ridiculous. I should just see a professional about it....

Sorry about saying the name, I should have thought about that.  Don't worry, everybody has something they are afraid of, I have a terrible fear of heights, I get sick on top of 12 foot ladders.  Everybody fears something, except maybe Hal Jordan.

As for that movie, the new one will probably suck, the last movie certainly did (RC3).

I'm scared of storms, which is weird because I live in southern IL and we have them all the time. I'm not even scared of the thunder and lightning. I'm scared of the wind at night. I don't know why. It's getting better though, as a kid I would throw up during storms at night.

I'm scared of storms too, :( and I used to live in Kansas. :o

It's okay. I'm afraid of heights too. Not when I'm on a plane though. But I do have a rough time going down stairs, for example.

Well, either way, I'm going to stay very far away from it.

I'm scared of Bob Saget.

The fear of heights is completely irrational. If you're standing on a flat surface 2 feet away from a 1000 foot drop, well, how often do you suddenly fall when you're standing completely still?

I have acrophobia as well. It may be irrational, but it's there! I do what I can to get over it though. I did the old trick of gradually introducing myself to new levels of height to help train my tolerance and fight back my phobia.

If you had a fear of heights you would understand. Most fears are irrational, but that doesn't make them any less real.

well said!

Thanks.

I think my fear of Bob Saget is pretty irrational...

All fear is irrational ... Emotions are irrational ... It's what makes us human.

I cannot stand large groups of people ... Malls.. Busy stores etc I go crazy

I have a really bad fear of banks too... Anytime I'm forced to go in one I make it as quick as possible and I stare at the door... Even though its irrational to me it makes sense, I have two bullet wounds to justify why I hate banks !

Actually that fear sounds pretty justifiable to me. I'd love to hear the story behind that too.

Not a story I love to tell but a few years ago I walked into a bank robbery in progress ... Being fat dumb and happy and not paying attention to my surroundings... I work in security so I was in uniform and was armed and I walked in to do a company checks deposit and bank robber freaks out turns and shoots at me his gun malfunctions after two shots I m able to draw mine and he gave up.

I was justified to shoot him 100% but I noticed his gun was malfunctioned ... It was a piece of junk .25 caliber ...

I went home with a penetrating wound through my bicep and a grazing wound over the top of my shoulder.

Yeah I always stare at the bank door ...
I get so much anxiety too re-living it every time I go in ...

Woah, that is crazy.  I'm glad you came out of it alive or not more seriously injured.  You stopped the robbery too, so good job on that!  Point awarded! :)

Ugh, one of my friends just posted a picture of an insect asking what it is... It's a freaking camel spider... Stateside! Those things are supposed to be banished to the Middle East... Bleh... They are satanic creatures... I hope we kill em off here before they acclimate.

In case you couldn't tell, I have one fear in life... And that fear is of the hell spawn that is known as the camel spider.

They aren't even spiders...

Supposedly they are catching rides here with our returning troops in duffel bags and with equipment... evil demon spawn scorpion cousin!

It's probable, I'm just not happy about it.

Solifuges...spiders and their relatives are a subject I am a fan off...to look at...not so much to have share a sleeping bag lol.

(http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u454/linnaeus1758/SpiderArdea_450x300.jpg)

Sun spiders are really interesting...but most are quite small.

Most.

 ::)

i hate being shaped :(

ok change that to  >:(. 256 connection for the next 6 days grrr!!!! there goes playing SWTOR :'(

I like spiders, I will hold them and not worry much. These little buggars though... I'm just not a fan of something that will indiscriminately and discreetly eat the flesh off of a sleeping human being. That is not okay. Lol. Plus they hide in the walls over there, they are just not friendly roommates.

Long story short, my family is doing their whole coniving, power control, and humiliation thing to me again. I'm getting so sick of this.

Two more years. Two more and then I can move. Egh.... >_<

When life throws you a curve, it also like to hit you in the balls.

Was let go (read: fired) from my job this morning.  I feel it was a bull$h*t reason and a really $h*tty thing for them to do, but Missouri is an "at will" state, which means they don't have to have a valid reason, just a reason.  I've been actively looking for a new job anyways, just hadn't found one yet.  This is going to be quite the hit to the family budget until something shakes out.  I am starting school next month for my Drafting/Design degree, but that's still two years from being completed.

it is what it is... just needed to gripe.

I gotta pee

That sucks, sorry to hear about that, MS is an at-will state as well, it seems like a lot of states are adopting that way of thinking.  They can't fire you because of gender, or race, or religion, but they can fire you just....because.  Makes no sense to me.

sorry to hear that, good luck in your job hunting. Hope you find something quickly.

here its apparently too hard to fire people. We had a guy get into a heated argument with a customer, threaten to bash him up, walked out on my assist manager and didn't show up to any of his shifts for two weeks (he was a casual doing full time hours as a relief). And he STILL kept his job. Dunno how the hell that worked, both my managers were fuming- but stupidly it wasn't their choice

He'd be canned instantly here. I mean hell... I've gotten in my managers' faces a few times so to speak, but I did it respectfully. Sometimes you have to tell them like it is. This guy just sounds like a hot head. Watch yourself around him...

Thankfully He moved to another state (like the furtherest from here) without notifying work he'd moved, and then got caught doing dodgy things that I won't repeat just in case for legal reasons. I'm only a low down team member so I dunno what happened after that, but I bet it was nothing pleasant

and yes he was a hothead, putting it nicely. He went ape at me one day coz I was reminding him how to do something (he was fairly new mind you, and I've been here for years so I often do some of the training) and its not like I was having a go at him, and that was it, he wasn't nice to me after that. Good riddance to bad rubbish in that case!

Eeeegghh....so, thanks to the lovely logic and reasoning of my family I'm grounded again, from the computer, indefinately. This is extremely frustrating because this stuff goes on all the time, where for some reason something crawls up their butts and decides to have them freak out about every little, trivial thing in my life and make an issue of it, and then punish me for it. Cripes, I'm 21 years old now. Punishing me is getting old and pointless, and only causing more issues.

I don't do much else with my life aside from gaming, some martial arts, tennis, and the computer. The computer is the only way I have access to the friends that I talk to all the time, as most of them lack phones or other means of communication. Keeping in touch with them is important because they are, well, my friends. Aside from that, this is a hassle on my future career. I've been trying to put together a portfolio by working on art projects for myself because I'm going into Graphic Design. But every time I am grounded from using the computer at all aside from school work. I've had no time to finish any of the projects that I have been working on for myself to put into my career portfolio, and they just don't give a flying frack about it. What, when I'm 30 and have a job, are they going to punish me from that too if I just happen to not have been able to move out yet? This is ridiculous.

They are interfering with my personal life, with my social life, with my educational career, and with my future career itself. I'm getting so sick and tired of this BS that I just want to walk into the middle of a three way...no...four way highway, rip out my spin, and jump rope with it! I plan on speaking to my college counselor about this as soon as I get a chance this upcoming semester, because I won't be able to deal with this and the stress of college at the same time.

-smashes head through desk-

I've got a very minor vent, but a vent nonetheless. I hate it when you've spent two hours or more on a project, taking the utmost of caution to ensure that it turns into a thing of beauty, only to make one slip of the hand and destroy a major component.

I know that feeling all too well Ben. I've had to completely do over projects because I slipped up and was off by one degree.

That really sucks! I think I can fix it or create a work-around, but I wanted the entire project to look nice...now I've got one thing that (even if I fix it) will always bug me.

I hate it when you work for hours on something and you turn off the computer without saving. >:(

And this is one of the reasons why I use Google Docs. Sorry to hear though :(

I was trying to write a book. I had 11,000 words and the power went out.

I've learnt the hard way the value of saving regularly, and saving copies to multiple locations. So I feel your pain.
had a near miss once, used to keep all my uni work saved to my external hdd coz id work between my laptop and my desktop. One day the external hdd stopped working. Boy was I panicked, coz that woulda been 3 years of uni work down the drain, plus what I was working on that semester lost. We ripped it apart, pulled the USB and power supply adapter off and plugged it directly into the motherboard like you do a normal hdd- and hey presto it worked! Now I keep duplicates on my desktop, notebook, a USB stick and every now and then burn it all onto backup discs... Overkill I know!

In my line of work, my dear, there's no such thing as overkill...  8)

Dear BioWare,
next time you decide to consolidate your servers on an mmorpg by getting rid of the Asia pacific servers and making us move to the American servers, DON'T!
85 seconds of lag is unacceptable and funnily enough boots us from the server.
and regularly getting 5-15 seconds lag makes the game unplayable.

I've noticed I've been getting that too, it's frustrating. (You're talking about SWTOR right?)

So I was a theater major in college, even got an Associate's Degree in Art because of it.  Then I got working in the real world and such doing other things.  Anyway eight years have passed since I was in a play and I decided to try out at a professional theater close by.  They only hold auditions once a year.  And.....I think I blew it.  I was nervous and couldn't focus, the words for my monologue wouldn't come out the way I wanted them to, I think I rushed through it too fast.  Eight years is a long time and I don't thing I prepared well enough.  I used to be so good at theater too,  now I'm just....frustrated and feeling old.  I think I feel a little like Kirk at the Beginning of WoK.

yer swtor. Its been getting worse over last few days constantly seeing complaints on harbinger about lag (and complaints about the consolidation), but last night we gave up all together, got so bad it was unplayable