The General Rant/Bitch/Moan Thread.

^^Me too! Good ones are so expensive these days and they break just the same.

nsanelilmunky wrote:

Spooky wrote:

DCGG:

DCGG Nsane

(just saying )

Well, the whole shock treatment thing sounds so much worse than I thought it was when you first mentioned your friend changing.

I almost went through some type of 'reprogramming' bit in highschool (It involved a computer being hooked up to my brain and making me think differently, but I'm not sure it involved shocking). Reading this, I'm glad I didn't do it even if it cost my parents money.

Firstly, sorry to not credit you as well for your input. Secondly, I'm glad you never went through the awfulness of that treatment. Thirdly, I thought it was funny how you wrote...

nsanelilmunky wrote:

I almost went through some type of 'reprogramming' bit in highschool (It involved a computer being hooked up to my brain and making me think differently, but I'm not sure it involved shocking). Reading this, I'm glad I didn't do it even if it cost my parents money.

...and then posted this...

nsanelilmunky wrote:

I need new headphones again. damnit.

...right afterward.

Bored...so bored at work. I usually find something to entertain myself with on slow work days, but today I've got nothing.

My right contact lens is driving me crazy!

I don't wanna get up super early tomorrow for class. I won't be able to get extra sleep either because I have to catch up on the homework time I missed today and I have an academic audit appointment.

*Really* delayed replies here, but here they are:

Madelchai: That's ridiculous that you were told you'd get a pay increase and it didn't happen. Sounds like you were told by the highest authority at your place of work, and others were too -- that guy/woman should have known better; sounds like bait-and-switch. Wonder if it would be worth talking to the others who are in the same boat and contacting someone in corporate (go over your boss' head) or a union if need be?

Ginger, re: the shock therapy subject and administering to schizophrenics only: Yeah, I think shock therapy was used pretty liberally a couple generations back and I suppose it still is. I'm saying this b/c I believe it was once common therapy for anyone showing anxiety. Grandma was, I figure, stressed about having 3 kids and a not-often-helpful husband; back in the '50s if a woman didn't warm to wife-and-motherhood I think she was considered mentally ill. I think that's the real reason why Grandma was institutionalized and shocked.

She once told me, "They had us sitting there making ashtrays out of clay, and I thought, 'What the hell am I doing here? I have a family to go home to and take care of!'" Oh yeah, she sounded looney, right?

Are ALL my clients on crack today? They've all been acting batty this morning. WTF?! And it doesn't help that I'm alone in the office today - my boss is out today and my intern is MIA.

nsanelilmunky wrote:

My sister's car (which I'm borrowing for the trip) doesn't have a cassette player. So instead of using a $10 cassette adapter (which I bought) I'm having to use a $50 FM transmitter (which I had to buy). Not to mention I had to change the oil in this car (this was part of the deal for borrowing it), but I also had to clean it out (she seriously doesn't mind driving in a car that's packed with trash and rotting food), fill up the gas tank (because why let someone borrow your car with a full tank of gas?) and I had to drive 2 hours (one way) to pick up the car because my sister was too lazy to get up off her a$$ and meet me half way in Beatrice.

If for nothing else, she OWES me for cleaning out that car. Cleaning out my sister's car was worse than cleaning my brother's bachelor apartment. Not to mention I found her social security card while cleaning out the car. I feel sorry for her daughter for having to grow up with a slob and I'm going to make her drive up here to pick the car back up.

Have you ever chastised her about that? Perhaps you can prompt her to repay you if you hold her social security card ransom (of course, I'm not suggesting that).

My stepfather is like that, he has hoarding traits, where I'll find receipts for random nonsense and empty cans or bottle in his car, and I'm like; "why is this in here?" I've cleaned his car twice since he's let me borrow it to take care of errands and school related projects. My mother and I are working on making him throw things away and keep things neater, ever since I convinced her she doesn't need to keep bank statements and paystubs from two years ago.

This school I'm at pisses me off. They are paying a woman a quarter of a million dollars because she handed in her resignation. They build new buildings for the hell of it when the old one worked just fine. They don't take care of the parking problems, they have raised the price per credit hour 200% since 2001 for no reason, they have 60% of their finances in a rainy day fund when you are only supposed to have 25% and that isn't counting the money they have on budget to be thrown around. This college could not make students pay for parking, fix the parking situation, help out with scholarships, lower tuition back down.

I got so pissed I went to the schools news paper and I wrote a letter for them to put into the paper about my distaste for what the school is doing. To even find out that this woman was being paid for her resignation the journalist had to file for freedom of information act for the paperwork. The schools staff making these decitions made sure they didn't respond at all when wanting to be asked about the situation.

^Speak of educational-cut backs, today was very, very hard. I'm a full-time substitute teacher with the school district. I specialize in special ed, especially the very special. The teacher I was an assistant for today got fired right in front of me. She ran out of the room crying. They keep cutting staff (with no dent in the superintendent's car allowance, I should mention) to the point that I feel like our treatment of the severely disabled is sliding backwards to the Victorian era. Don't get me wrong, I'm down with corsets and mourning garb coming back, but I'm not okay with my beloved severely autistic kids sliding from their hard-fought literacy to scarecely being able to dress themselves. With fewer teachers working directly with the kids and managing their huge behavioral problems (if you don't believe me see the scabs and scars on my arms from scratches and bite-marks) you have two options- put them in regular classes where they will fall behind and cause others to fall behind because of their disruptions, or put them somewhere all together where they'll be out of society's hair but unable to advance any further. The later sounds awfully victorian, no? But some parents already complain to the school about inclusion measures making learning harder for "normal" kids. Sorry to b!tch so much, I just needed to vent.

(Theres a post here, I've typed it out 5 times 5 ways and deleted it each time because noone really has to see that far into my something... )

I'm pretty sure I almost got mugged/shanked on the way home tonight. A guy in a ski mask was clearly following me for several blocks on a pretty desolate street. I think the only thing that saved me was running three blocks ahead of him, calling my boyfriend and very loudly saying "A masked guy is stalking me. I'm almost home. Get out here and come armed." Thankfully just as ski mask guy was catching up with me, Will showed up and escorted me home.

I'm still all shaken up and no longer feel okay walking home by myself at night...

RedAngel wrote:

Madelchai: That's ridiculous that you were told you'd get a pay increase and it didn't happen. Sounds like you were told by the highest authority at your place of work, and others were too -- that guy/woman should have known better; sounds like bait-and-switch. Wonder if it would be worth talking to the others who are in the same boat and contacting someone in corporate (go over your boss' head) or a union if need be?

As an update:

My boss pushed for me to get it and I'm getting it he told me today. I won't be getting the retroactive pay unfortunately for (insert business babble here) but I had figured that was how it was going to play out anyway, so I wasn't surprised. It's a little give, a little take, I'm ok with it.

I just can't let anyone know. There's a couple other people who won't be getting it, as my boss only pushed for me because of all the extra work I've been doing and stepping up everywhere needed.

Of the others that I know about it, one won't be getting it because he was hired way to late, to the tune of months, and the other was out of work for a couple months, was let go due to that, and then was rehired around the holidays. If I had to guess that would well make her ineligible for it.

DarkDreamer wrote:

I'm pretty sure I almost got mugged/shanked on the way home tonight. A guy in a ski mask was clearly following me for several blocks on a pretty desolate street. I think the only thing that saved me was running three blocks ahead of him, calling my boyfriend and very loudly saying "A masked guy is stalking me. I'm almost home. Get out here and come armed." Thankfully just as ski mask guy was catching up with me, Will showed up and escorted me home.

I'm still all shaken up and no longer feel okay walking home by myself at night...

I think at that point I would be tempted to turn around and just act like an insane person, perhaps by reciting the Cthulhu verse.

DarkDreamer wrote:

I'm pretty sure I almost got mugged/shanked on the way home tonight. A guy in a ski mask was clearly following me for several blocks on a pretty desolate street. I think the only thing that saved me was running three blocks ahead of him, calling my boyfriend and very loudly saying "A masked guy is stalking me. I'm almost home. Get out here and come armed." Thankfully just as ski mask guy was catching up with me, Will showed up and escorted me home.

I'm still all shaken up and no longer feel okay walking home by myself at night...

That's freakin scary! Glad you're not harmed DD. Do you carry any sort of concealed protection with you? I don't necessarily mean a gun, but like a small knife or mace or anything? You might not have to ever use it, but it would be a security thing of sorts.

WrappedinReflection wrote:

DarkDreamer wrote:

I'm pretty sure I almost got mugged/shanked on the way home tonight. A guy in a ski mask was clearly following me for several blocks on a pretty desolate street. I think the only thing that saved me was running three blocks ahead of him, calling my boyfriend and very loudly saying "A masked guy is stalking me. I'm almost home. Get out here and come armed." Thankfully just as ski mask guy was catching up with me, Will showed up and escorted me home.

I'm still all shaken up and no longer feel okay walking home by myself at night...

That's freakin scary! Glad you're not harmed DD. Do you carry any sort of concealed protection with you? I don't necessarily mean a gun, but like a small knife or mace or anything? You might not have to ever use it, but it would be a security thing of sorts.

I got a sword cane just for that purpose. The sword is so blunt that it couldn't cut butter even if heated but the actual cane part can be an excellent melee weapon due to its weight.

Wow. That would make a great weapon! If anything, pretty intimidating when revealed. They wouldn't know if it was sharp or not if they were just trying to get something from you.

To be honest, I'm afraid to carry a weapon because I worry that if I pull out a knife on someone, they'll pull out a gun on me. Which is a legitimate concern, seeing that there have been a couple shootings a few blocks from my path home... and sadly there is no "safe" path home anymore, now that gangs have overtaken the few safe streets I used to cut through to get home.

However, once my back strain gets better I think I'll be taking some self defense classes...

^^I'm glad nothing bad has happened to you. I agree with carrying a weapon. I always carry a legal sized knife in my purse, and if I feel threatened I keep my hand on it in my pocket. Maybe you could see if you could have someone escort you home more often or give you a ride just to be safe if you don't like that idea. Btw, you would only pull your knife if they lunged at you because that gives you the element of surprise.

DarkDreamer: I'm so glad you're OK! Self defense classes will be great: useful, and they will bring back your feeling of safety. I wouldn't object to carrying a weapon, though, as DCGG mentioned; might help you feel safer still. Just food for thought.

Madelchai: Thanks for letting me/us know what's going on. Glad you're getting the raise -- and it's really not your co-workers' business, so no one's got the right to ask you anyway. Great that your boss was at least somewhat reasonable toward you.

My rant, though I'm feeling better now: Just got back from the ER. Cut my arm on a piece of scrap glass I didn't even see. It felt a scratch, but when I looked, it was worse than it felt. Boss drove me to the ER; Gareth met me there. The nurse put me back together with surgical glue. Home now, glued up and trying to unwind.