Rants 2?

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Wed Sep 24, 2014 3:54 pm

So did you?

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Sep 24, 2014 3:59 pm

Sabo wrote:I went to my local grocery store this afternoon, and I waited in line for at least 3-4 minutes because the cashier and a few other employees were talking to another customer. The customer already had her groceries bagged in the cart. They were just standing there talking.

When the customer finally left, the cashier was all aglow because Johnny Manziel had been in the store recently! And apparently one of the local TV stations reported he'd been in the store!

OMG THIS IS THE BESTEST NEWS EVER. THANKS FOR MAKING ME WAIT SO YOU COULD TELL ME THAT ALL-IMPORTANT NEWS. LADY, WHEN I GET HOME, I'M GOING TO JERK OFF TO THIS NEWS. BECAUSE IT'S SO IMPORTANT.

You waited until you got home? What kind of Browns fan are you?

Post by **Sabo** » Wed Sep 24, 2014 4:42 pm

Johnny Carwash wrote:So did you?

No, I'd already jerked off earlier today, so I was exhausted.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 3:47 pm

Maybe this is an unfair generalization, but my wife and I have both noticed this in California, as opposed to other states we've lived. In most places, if you invite people, they rsvp in or out, and the event goes on. Here, it seems like a lot of people give tentative half answers. "I'll try to make it if I can." That sort of thing. So, it makes it hard to plan.

Tonight, the wife is off with girl friends, and I'm hosting a poker game. We planned it a couple weeks back, but sure enough, I circle back with guys and three guys aren't coming. Luckily, like an airline or something, I assumed that would happen and overbooked the game. So, we will have six players anyway.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 5:20 pm

sancarlos wrote:Maybe this is an unfair generalization, but my wife and I have both noticed this in California, as opposed to other states we've lived. In most places, if you invite people, they rsvp in or out, and the event goes on. Here, it seems like a lot of people give tentative half answers. "I'll try to make it if I can." That sort of thing. So, it makes it hard to plan.

Tonight, the wife is off with girl friends, and I'm hosting a poker game. We planned it a couple weeks back, but sure enough, I circle back with guys and three guys aren't coming. Luckily, like an airline or something, I assumed that would happen and overbooked the game. So, we will have six players anyway.

My wife and I found it to be the same way when we resided in LA. We described it as people don't commit because they are "waiting for a better offer."

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 5:23 pm

Do they ritually arrive about three hours late as well, or is that just my family?

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 6:59 pm

DSafetyGuy wrote:
sancarlos wrote:Maybe this is an unfair generalization, but my wife and I have both noticed this in California, as opposed to other states we've lived. In most places, if you invite people, they rsvp in or out, and the event goes on. Here, it seems like a lot of people give tentative half answers. "I'll try to make it if I can." That sort of thing. So, it makes it hard to plan.

Tonight, the wife is off with girl friends, and I'm hosting a poker game. We planned it a couple weeks back, but sure enough, I circle back with guys and three guys aren't coming. Luckily, like an airline or something, I assumed that would happen and overbooked the game. So, we will have six players anyway.
My wife and I found it to be the same way when we resided in LA. We described it as people don't commit because they are "waiting for a better offer."

Exactly

rass · Post by **rass** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 8:49 pm

sancarlos wrote:
DSafetyGuy wrote:
sancarlos wrote:Maybe this is an unfair generalization, but my wife and I have both noticed this in California, as opposed to other states we've lived. In most places, if you invite people, they rsvp in or out, and the event goes on. Here, it seems like a lot of people give tentative half answers. "I'll try to make it if I can." That sort of thing. So, it makes it hard to plan.

Tonight, the wife is off with girl friends, and I'm hosting a poker game. We planned it a couple weeks back, but sure enough, I circle back with guys and three guys aren't coming. Luckily, like an airline or something, I assumed that would happen and overbooked the game. So, we will have six players anyway.
My wife and I found it to be the same way when we resided in LA. We described it as people don't commit because they are "waiting for a better offer."
Exactly

Because you guys have never been stood up by Swampers. It's definitely the entire state of California, and not you.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Sun Sep 28, 2014 8:43 pm

Work rant here - I was very fortunate to have been chosen as part of the writing team that is launching a new fairly big budget animated series.

Story Editor (aka "My Boss") is a really nice guy, completely committed to this show as he is also the creator of the series. Problem is, the show is a bit of a work in progress, and every couple of weeks, visual ideas and even character names get changed as a result, each script revision has become a complete rewrite. How it works is that usually, by the time a first version of the script is sent in, the heavy work is done. What follows is typically a couple pages of dialogue notes, stuff that takes maybe 5-6 hours to do. Then comes the second revision which is rarely more than a page or two of notes.

Anyway, this guy sends 10-14 pages of notes and says things like - "I know I told you to write this scene in this way, but let's change it..." as a result, each draft of each script I've written for this show takes three or four days.

It's a show that is supposed to adhere to the rules of the Writers Guild, and in theory, I could report him and the company (Canada's biggest producer of animation) which would lead to him getting a stern talking to and me seriously harming my career. (This show could run for years).

No need for advice, I know that this is a "suck it up" situation.

But man, I really want to tell this guy (who is kind of a friend) to go fuck himself.

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:19 am

sancarlos wrote:Maybe this is an unfair generalization, but my wife and I have both noticed this in California, as opposed to other states we've lived. In most places, if you invite people, they rsvp in or out, and the event goes on. Here, it seems like a lot of people give tentative half answers. "I'll try to make it if I can." That sort of thing. So, it makes it hard to plan.

Tonight, the wife is off with girl friends, and I'm hosting a poker game. We planned it a couple weeks back, but sure enough, I circle back with guys and three guys aren't coming. Luckily, like an airline or something, I assumed that would happen and overbooked the game. So, we will have six players anyway.

You should try dating 20-something women. (rhetorically, of course)

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 7:33 pm

DSafetyGuy wrote:
sancarlos wrote:Maybe this is an unfair generalization, but my wife and I have both noticed this in California, as opposed to other states we've lived. In most places, if you invite people, they rsvp in or out, and the event goes on. Here, it seems like a lot of people give tentative half answers. "I'll try to make it if I can." That sort of thing. So, it makes it hard to plan.

Tonight, the wife is off with girl friends, and I'm hosting a poker game. We planned it a couple weeks back, but sure enough, I circle back with guys and three guys aren't coming. Luckily, like an airline or something, I assumed that would happen and overbooked the game. So, we will have six players anyway.
My wife and I found it to be the same way when we resided in LA. We described it as people don't commit because they are "waiting for a better offer."

So, funny thing. Two guys who said they were coming blew it off. But two of the "maybe"s ended up showing up. And, one guy brought his teenage sons who wanted to play, too. So, we had a fun evening of Hold 'em. But, it just reinforces the point that it is fucking impossible to accurately plan how many Californians will come to an event.

Post by **Sabo** » Fri Oct 03, 2014 11:32 am

It should be legal to slap the shit out of someone because they are irretrievably stupid.

I had to write up step-by-step directions on how to use a Verizon MiFi hotspot (because the instructions that came with the device are too hard!) for one of our users. And I've still received five e-mails from this user with various questions and problems.

I need a drink.

Post by **Shirley** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 12:59 pm

Get video URL
Get video URL at current time

Choose the first one. The one I bolded. Not the second one. The first one.

Thank you.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Nov 07, 2014 1:17 pm

Sabo wrote:It should be legal to slap the shit out of someone because they are irretrievably stupid.

I had to write up step-by-step directions on how to use a Verizon MiFi hotspot (because the instructions that came with the device are too hard!) for one of our users. And I've still received five e-mails from this user with various questions and problems.

I need a drink.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 12:12 pm

Not sure how well I've projected my disdain for my current assignment, but I'm just seriously tired of it. After 13 years in I have been told that I've been given a serious markdown on my performance report due in November. It will kill any future attempt at any type of special duty or commissioning (if I were to ever get my medical stuff cleared from my record) and is a serious detriment for making the next rank going forward in the short term.

For those that have met me and those who can understand my temperament from my 8+ years of posting on this board, I'm a very easily trollable guy. Tell me something that makes no sense or give me a scenario that doesn't jive with current operations and I react poorly. I know this. And in an environment like the military it isn't tolerated. My attitude has gotten the better of me too many times during this assignment.

In a perfect storm having a supervisor that loves to push buttons, having a 4th straight duty section that doesn't employ me in my primary duty (logistics), and being around a bunch of phony people who pretend to have my best interests, I'm finally at a crossroads with doing this job anymore.

I'm 31 and a Technical Sergeant in the USAF. I should know better, I'm told. I shouldn't let them see me sweat. I should be cool at every turn. I should sluff off the noise, do everything I'm told with a smile, and eat the shit that's served to me. I should accept the work situation and just deal. Be given 3 full time jobs with not enough time in the day to cover them all? Sure. Be cheerful when I ask to take leave and it gets denied despite it being over a three day weekend? Yup. Be openly mocked by supervisors by just grinning and bearing it? Of course. Do everything asked, however do it in a way that my supervisor wouldn't do it and have that be backhanded compliment? Naturally.

But I can't. I dread going into work. I passionately hate the person who supervises me. When my performance report closed out in May I was good. Top rating with a markdown with room for improvement. I closed out a bachelor's. I actively volunteered and donated time in the community. I did what I have to do to be a complete Airman in the context of the whole person concept. Now? Shot to shit. There is, I'm told, justification to mark me down even more. That sounds like a threat. And a disingenuous way to conduct business. As if the supervisor is the one saving me from further punishment! He's a hero, in fact. Give that man an award.

13 years seems like so much time to look at as a sunk cost and start fresh. 7 until retirement. In that time I'll rebound and probably make rank. We'll see. But for now I'm sullen, disgruntled, and depressed.

The latter I fear seems real. This weekend I'm in Nuremberg getting weightlifting training from a member of a famous weightlifting family, the Burgeners. And suddenly in the middle of understanding the intricacies of these technical lifts, I spaced out and had this feeling of hopelessness. It just hit me. I'm doing something I really like doing and all passion and care just stopped. I wanted to leave and go home. That scares me.

All that's playing in my head is how I've gotten here. I live in a beautiful country. I travel. The house I'm renting has the envy of everyone. I have friends and family that love me. And all I can think about is how much work is getting to me and how the horrible people I'm around 5 days a week are these ghosts who haunt me.

I just don't get it.

howard · Post by **howard** » Sat Nov 15, 2014 2:50 pm

Johnnie wrote: I should know better, I'm told. I shouldn't let them see me sweat. I should be cool at every turn. I should sluff off the noise, do everything I'm told with a smile, and eat the shit that's served to me.

This is similar to the kind of advice I have been given at many turns in my life. I even tried to follow it at times, but usually to poor effect. Because I too am the type of person who is compelled to call bullshit when things are bullshit.

There is another piece of advice, one of the wisest lines ever penned by man, that has always, 100% of the time, has benefited me.

Polonius:
This above all: to thine own self be true
And it must follow, as night the day
Thou canst not then be false to any man

The tricky part is knowing one's own self; understanding one's own nature and the truth of one's own self. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can always fool yourself.

But that is it; once you know yourself, the truths of yourself and your own nature and best interests, just do like Polonius advised his son Laertes. To thine own self be true. Above all.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 1:04 am

All that's playing in my head is how I've gotten here. I live in a beautiful country. I travel. The house I'm renting has the envy of everyone. I have friends and family that love me. And all I can think about is how much work is getting to me and how the horrible people I'm around 5 days a week are these ghosts who haunt me. I just don't get it.

Johnnie, it seems to me that you get it pretty good. Best of luck dealing with this crap.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 11:14 pm

Jeez, Johnnie, that is tough. Good luck man. I hope you get a break.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Sun Nov 16, 2014 11:49 pm

I hope you get a break too.

I think at this point you should look for little victories? Day by Day?
What is your daily routine outside of work? What do you enjoy for breakfast? Do you enjoy that latte in the middle of the day.
Is there a specific workout you like and have fun doing that. What music do you like, listen to that to cheer you up and have a laugh no matter how corny it is. Basically shut off your mind and don't think about work the second you punch out.

If you're happy you'll come off as happy and cool at work and be able to redirect anger and stress.

But if life can't mask the struggle , can you get any indication on what the asshole supervisor wants? Can you somehow be his friend? Not really be his friend but just pretend so you can get through your time with him. Is there anything with your job that you're not doing well that you're not aware of. Are there guys in your unit getting better treatment than you and if so why?

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon Nov 17, 2014 1:59 pm

Thanks, fellas. Lots of reflection this weekend and a determination to put it all out of my mind. I did enough of that yesterday and had an awesome day at the gym. I've been talking to a lot of my military friends about it to. I find that not keeping it to myself and getting a lot of perspectives is necessary. It helps. I'll be waiting for whatever break may come my way. We'll see. I'll follow up with what I learn.

Degen, there was a small victory Sunday afternoon hitting a 255 clean in a room full of people that were cheering me on. I missed the jerk, but it was ok. The endorphin rush was needed. My daily routine is wake up, shower, drive to work, work until lunch, eat, check my mail, go back to work, and then to the gym. After the gym it's home, decompress, sleep, and do it all over again. Repetitious, but it gets me through the week. On the weekends I try to fill it with travel destinations as much as I can.

See the military is weird. The asshole supervisor is still part of our unit, but he's working in another section. He still rates on my performance report even though he left our section 1 October and I haven't worked directly with him since that time. I actually write my own report (this one I finished in September) and he puts his name to it.* It gets submitted and hits all the proper sections in the chain of command and then gets returned to me for my final acknowledgement. By regulations, I don't have to know anything until that time. So he even waited to tell me of the changes until recently. Total dick move. And in a recently viral article, a colonel openly asks how we are losing young Airmen. I'm not a young Airman by any stretch, but you can use my scenario as an example and extrapolate down the ranks. These newer Airmen coming in are bright. They know when the bullshit is real. And they are young enough to get the fuck out early enough.

I know this report stems from my attitude and reactionary nature to dumb shit. I guess I was just unaware at just how aggressive I come off no matter how loud or silent I am. I know I complain. I always have been that guy. I just don't like feeling that I'm not part of a central mission. If I was doing everything I learned in tech school and put into practice everything from experience for this unit, I'd be fine. But the military has been "doing more with less" for quite some time. And when the military draws down its forces, everyone suffers. Basically, there's a realization that I don't do anything logistics related or meaningful -- I'm the building custodian and security manager. Those are actually two full time jobs on their own in other units. Not mine. I'm a warm body who blame can be pinned on. That's how it is. And complaining about that will get you "but we're all overworked. Stop bitching and do your job." I don't like that.

*My annual performance report closed out in May. In August the Air Force mandated a static closeout date for all EPRs with my rank for 30 November. They also revamped the promotion system entirely with an added emphasis on performance reports.

So an Air Force directed report was necessary 6.5 months after my last one. My previous one in May was a top rating. This one isn't. That impacts my testing for the next rank next year AND has a residual effect in other areas too.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Nov 17, 2014 2:02 pm

Too bad you work where drug testing is done.

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon Nov 17, 2014 2:49 pm

The Sybian wrote:Too bad you work where drug testing is done.

Trust me. If I could do drugs, It would be on.

(But a beer and flexeril is good too.)

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Nov 18, 2014 8:20 am

Two-hour school delays are worse than cancellations once your kids get to a certain age.

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Nov 18, 2014 12:10 pm

I love it when you ask someone to do something and they say "Sure, I've done that before", and then when you ask them to actually do it, they say "I've never done that before".

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Nov 18, 2014 5:06 pm

Sabo wrote:I love it when you ask someone to do something and they say "Sure, I've done that before", and then when you ask them to actually do it, they say "I've never done that before".

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 9:30 am

We kept my oldest home from school yesterday because she had a sore throat and bad cough, and with plans to travel next week we wanted to make sure it wasn't anything serious. She's fine, just laryngitis.

When wiener kid #2 found out her sister stayed home, she started some general moaning about a sore belly. This morning she refused to get out of bed. Threats of two missed birthday parties this weekend went unheeded. Since my wife stayed home yesterday, I made arrangements to work from home, left work and came home. Minutes after my wife left, the kid is out of bed and upstairs playing and singing to herself...

I really wanted to go to one of those parties. I need to think of a way to let her go but make sure she miserable (within reason, as a teaching moment) anyway.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 9:41 am

rass wrote:We kept my oldest home from school yesterday because she had a sore throat and bad cough, and with plans to travel next week we wanted to make sure it wasn't anything serious. She's fine, just laryngitis.

When wiener kid #2 found out her sister stayed home, she started some general moaning about a sore belly. This morning she refused to get out of bed. Threats of two missed birthday parties this weekend went unheeded. Since my wife stayed home yesterday, I made arrangements to work from home, left work and came home. Minutes after my wife left, the kid is out of bed and upstairs playing and singing to herself...

I really wanted to go to one of those parties. I need to think of a way to let her go but make sure she miserable (within reason, as a teaching moment) anyway.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 9:43 am

rass wrote:I really wanted to go to one of those parties

Did not know you really enjoyed "Frozen princess parties" so much

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 9:45 am

wlu_lax6 wrote:
rass wrote:I really wanted to go to one of those parties
Did not know you really enjoyed "Frozen princess parties" so much

That's the other party.

Post by **Sabo** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:15 am

Ground her for a month.

L-Jam3 · Post by **L-Jam3** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:18 am

Yeah, drop the hammer. And go to the party without oldest daughter out of spite. Be all like "nahh, you said you were sick. Don't want to pass germs."

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:30 am

She's definitely missing the little kid party. The other party is for our older nieces, and there will be good food and drink and a general good time to be had. We could just make her sit on their couch for 4 or 5 hours while her sister and cousins play.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 11:56 am

Reading this makes me feel like such a fucking pushover.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 11:58 am

mister d wrote:Reading this makes me feel like such a fucking pushover.

meh.

Wait until (A) you have two and (B) they're old enough that you're sure you know they know they're being completely unreasonable.

testuser2 · Post by **testuser2** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 4:29 pm

How old? Has she admitted that she lied?

An easy one is to use an early bed time for a few days to help her recover from her illness. You can also add in some bland/unappetizing foods she won't like(toast, crackers, water, etc...) to make sure her bellyache doesn't return.

We also have a rule that if you are sick you stay in bed or can lay down on the couch. You don't play.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Nov 20, 2014 4:41 pm

testuser2 wrote:How old? Has she admitted that she lied?

An easy one is to use an early bed time for a few days to help her recover from her illness. You can also add in some bland/unappetizing foods she won't like(toast, crackers, water, etc...) to make sure her bellyache doesn't return.

We also have a rule that if you are sick you stay in bed or can lay down on the couch. You don't play.

Six, and all but admitted.

She was home alone other than me, and I was working. Other than lunch she was on her own. If she hadn't already lost electronics through the weekend anyway for another incident, they would have been gone because of this.

She got a lot of reading in.

phxgators · Post by **phxgators** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 3:45 pm

File this under first world problems...

Our small company was acquired by <<medium sized, public defense company>> earlier this year. Despite being told nothing would be changing... well, everything has changed. I knew it would eventually, but it has happened much faster than I expected it would.

We've slowly learned things - benefits being reduced to match up with the new company, insurance going from really affordable to... expensive, our work environment is changing from everyone getting their own office to multiple cubes in offices to accommodate closing another facility and merging their people into our office. And this week we got migrated over to the new corporate network.

Holy shit... websites blocked left and right, features disabled, red tape... And it's such petty bullshit too. Can't change your desktop background. Can't change your browser's home page in Chrome, can't enable the "reopen my tabs when I start Chrome again" feature. Firefox? Not allowed. IE - can change the home page from the TWO they force on you, but gets forcibly reset every half hour. Tried opening an incognito window to look at my bank account - that feature is disabled of course.

Why does a company bother to employ people if they don't trust them to be adults?

We were given a nice little retention bonus offer to stay on for the new company, payable over 2 years. But with all the shitty changes, loss of trust with my boss/former owner of the new company while we tried to do something about the effective pay cut I will end up with as a result of the acquisition, and loss of some nice benefits... I'm not sure I'm going to make it through the two years. The only redeemable quality about this place is that I can still work from home. If that changes, I'm done.

Interestingly, I got a call from a recruiter recently that I would have absolutely ignored 6 months ago. If things take the right couple of bounces and I get really lucky, maybe I won't even make it through one year.

degenerasian · Post by **degenerasian** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 4:19 pm

yeah i don't get why companies crack down on everything.

Wouldn't it be better to open everything up and then really see who's working and who's surfing porn?
For us, some sites are blocked but the company uses facebook and twitter so those sites are open.
If Pierre in Payables is on facebook all day, his manager can track it.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 11:23 pm

degenerasian wrote:yeah i don't get why companies crack down on everything.

Wouldn't it be better to open everything up and then really see who's working and who's surfing porn?
For us, some sites are blocked but the company uses facebook and twitter so those sites are open.
If Pierre in Payables is on facebook all day, his manager can track it.

For a defense industry company, the restrictions could be more a precaution against hacking and viruses than lack of trust in employees.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Thu Nov 27, 2014 1:04 am

Fucking shit how can one's shit be so together and so fucked up at the same time. I hate the holidays. Fuckshittits.