Topic: Blog Thread 5: A New Beginning (Read 183136 times)

94ssd · « **Reply #200 on:** 13 Sep 2015, 06:48 »

Slept in my car last night. I suppose I should give context. Our school's 24 hour play festival was on Friday/yesterday. I chose to write (unfortunately didn't get picked, but there was heavy competition this year) and be the all-festival sound designer. Which means that I was one of those lucky few that was actually awake for the full 24 hours. My only caffeine intake that whole time came from one cup of herbal tea because I still can't drink much else. Well, we do the show, it goes great, we get dinner together. At this point it's 9 PM on Saturday, and I'd been awake since 6 AM on Friday. I finally drive back to my apartment, but I'm so tired I don't move for a really long time. I'm just sitting there catching up on the hundred emails I'd gotten and ignored during the past 24 hours, and then I just sort of drifted off into sleep. I woke up at 4 AM to my legs cramping because of the position I was in, and then went into my apartment.

pwhodges · « **Reply #201 on:** 22 Sep 2015, 03:46 »

My wife and I have started the process of registering to provide temporary accommodation to a refugee.

http://oxford.cityofsanctuary.org/

explicit · « **Reply #202 on:** 05 Oct 2015, 21:26 »

I think it'd be neat to mention to everybody that I'm teaching kids from Northampton this week.

Don't have much time to be around, but... ya know... neat...

BeoPuppy · « **Reply #203 on:** 01 Nov 2015, 11:49 »

I sold four paintings. It's fun to sell paintings. And profitable.

Masterpiece · « **Reply #204 on:** 06 Nov 2015, 13:17 »

New gear!

Grognard · « **Reply #205 on:** 06 Nov 2015, 21:08 »

SWEET GEAR.

Much Jelly.

Carl-E · « **Reply #206 on:** 07 Nov 2015, 14:29 »

So, worst month ever. Got stuck in two parallel 16 week classes, get paid at the beginning and at the end, so no teaching paycheck for three months. The three other jobs don't cover expenses, and my mom can't help anymore.

I've applied at a phone bank job (support for DirecTV) where my daughter works. The pay's only $11/hour, but that's still better than I make at two of my other jobs, and it's full time (40 hours / week) with "benefits" (i.e. they pay for some of your insurance). I've got a phone interview scheduled for Tuesday. I'd keep on teaching online, too. Maybe the sexton job also, we'll see.

Meanwhile, the owner of the beer barn is trying to figure out how to fire her lazy accountant of a brother in law, and would give me his hours. I told her I was applying for a full time job, and she sort of changed the subject. She won't do anything until he finishes the corporate taxes (due Nov 15th).

She's been talking about making me manager for two years now, but I don't see it happening, really. I think I'd be happier managing the beer barn, but it would only be about 30 hours a week, and no bennies. So I'd still be broke and uninsured (I'm 54, it's not a good time of life to be uninsured).

Unless she could up the pay, I'd have to say no. And that hurts a bit. As a family business, it's become a big part of my life. Thing is, her family's totally dysfunctional. I'm better off out, but I feel really bad about it, like I'm abandoning a friend and her business. he place won't fall apart without me there, but it sure won't run as smoothly - I've been doing a lot.

Why does what should be good news make me feel so lousy?

Loki · « **Reply #207 on:** 08 Nov 2015, 00:11 »

Because most of us don't know when it's better to call it quits for self protection, and society conditions us to put the needs of others above our own, which doesn't work out in the long run.

Either that or you have empathy.

Carl-E · « **Reply #208 on:** 08 Nov 2015, 17:57 »

Well, I have lost a lot of weight working there and at Macy's.

And my blood pressure's up.

Ah, stress...

Grognard · « **Reply #209 on:** 08 Nov 2015, 19:26 »

GEICO is hiring call center associates.
$12.50/hr to start and the bennies are decent.

but when compared to the cost of living in Northern VA ... $12.50 sorta sucks.

Carl-E · « **Reply #210 on:** 10 Nov 2015, 16:47 »

Cost of living is one of the few good things about central (i.e. middle of nowhere) PA.

Pilchard123 · « **Reply #211 on:** 11 Nov 2015, 00:13 »

You're not in the middle of nowhere. You said it yourself, you're in the middle of Pennsylvania!

cesium133 · « **Reply #212 on:** 11 Nov 2015, 05:34 »

But what if Pennsylvania is nowhere?

Grognard · « **Reply #213 on:** 11 Nov 2015, 20:19 »

I visit Lancaster about once a year for a gaming convention & My MiL is from Gettysburg.

I like PA. Its a pretty state.

jwhouk · « **Reply #214 on:** 11 Nov 2015, 23:24 »

I resent that, Carl. 'Cause everyone KNOWS that I live in the middle of nowhere.

hedgie · « **Reply #215 on:** 11 Nov 2015, 23:39 »

Oh, c'mon, everybody knows that everything in the continental US that isn't the West Coast, or East Coast north of DC is flyover country.

</arrogantcalifornian>

Welu · « **Reply #216 on:** 12 Nov 2015, 09:19 »

The only true Middle Of Nowhere:

Carl-E · « **Reply #217 on:** 18 Nov 2015, 17:02 »

Quote from: Welu on 12 Nov 2015, 09:19

The only true Middle Of Nowhere:

Looks like my backyard! Only I have more gravemarkers for dead pets.

OK, update. I go in tomorrow morning for an "assessment", which is basically a typing test and some basic math

The 6 week training starts Nov 30th. Basically, short of a major implosion, I have a job. I've given notice at the Beer Barn, and received the owner's blessings with a hug and a "your the best employee I've ever had". Keeping the online teaching, and probably the church job wit hreduced hours. Waiting until black Friday to give notice at Macy's (I'm already scheduled through then).

Parallel to this has beeen the following; Thursday night my daughter's feeding tube pulled out in her sleep. by the time she woke up Friday and noticed it, her stoma had closed. We went to the emergency room and they admitted her in the hope that the endoscopy suite would be used for an emergency, and they could slip her in.

It wasn't, and she waited until Monday morning.

Unfortunately, with the scar tissue, he couldn't put in the same type feeding tube, which was the only one on hand. So he used whatever they had handy, which was 20 gauge instead of 14, and goes into the wrong part of the digestive tract. For you medical types, she had a J tube (the Jejunum, the first compartment past the stomach) but they put in a gastric (stomach) tube. So she can't take any formula.

They want to correct it, but there's fluid building up around her kidneys, and they won't do anything until they know what's going on. Just in case, they've kept her NPO (no food or drink) so she can go straight into surgery. This means she's had no nutrition since Thursday, and is in constant, excruciating pain.

At least they're keeping her fairly well drugged up. And yes, that's the only good thing so far. Her mother's ready to strangle the next doctor who looks at her cockeyed with a "suggestion". There are only two people in that entire fucking hospital who know her history, and we've been having to ride rough-shod over the rest of them. It's been an exhausting week, with no end in sight yet.

Never a dull moment!

PS - for those of you not familiar with my daughter's issues, well - I was going to link to a summary I've written before, but I need to find it first... back in a minute.

Found it! https://forums.questionablecontent.net/index.php/topic,28618.msg1143700.html#msg1143700

There have been some changes - she's 22 now, and some of the problems with the last exacerbation I mentioned in that post actually resolved themselves - the drop foot and the little eating she was able to do came back. She lost several of her teeth, though, since she doesn't retain any calcium (parathyroid glands were damaged when the thyroid came out, they absorb calcium). She has really nice partial dentures, though...

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #218 on:** 18 Nov 2015, 20:17 »

If I had an administrative password for the real world I'd fix it.

Remember the hug jar.

Carl-E · « **Reply #219 on:** 20 Nov 2015, 18:49 »

She's finally out of the hospital, as of yesterday, and I passed the assessment (which was actually a call center sim) with flying colors. I am now one piss-test away from employment. My mother's delighted.

Oh, and we got a letter from her insurer (the state medicaid supplier) saying that since she was just there for "observation" after the surgery, they won't cover it. I guess all the complications, specialist's orders and pain management don't count...

My wife's reaction was, "Oh, hell no!". She'll be on the phone Monday. They have no idea who they just tried messing with!

explicit · « **Reply #220 on:** 23 Nov 2015, 20:38 »

I'm done with work and have decided to post again cause I have the time. So, ya know... pretty cool.

Not sure If I'm gonna continue teaching now that my contract is up, but I will look into more permanent work. In the meantime I'll be taking some classes.

pwhodges · « **Reply #221 on:** 27 Nov 2015, 16:08 »

My son, his children, (third) bride, bride's parents and sister:

Bride and parents are all pianists, like my son.

Akima · « **Reply #222 on:** 27 Nov 2015, 16:38 »

I feel tempted to say that their even temperaments will be key to their relationship, but these things are never so black and white, so maybe I'm trying to be too clavier.

Best wishes to them.

Metope · « **Reply #223 on:** 27 Nov 2015, 17:40 »

Echoing in on the best wishes, they look great together. Congrats!

pwhodges · « **Reply #224 on:** 07 Dec 2015, 07:51 »

And more personally, I decided to retire at the end of March - Easter in effect. Today I delivered my resignation to formalise this.

Is it cold in here? · « **Reply #225 on:** 12 Dec 2015, 18:07 »

Congratulations!

I am nestled in a sleeper compartment on the train with Christmas lights in the window and a 4G hotspot connecting me to the outside world.

EDIT: The only coffee remaining in the hotel room this morning was decaf. We were running late and I knew my key card wasn't going to work to let me back in if I left the room. My wife was asleep so the options of knocking to have her let me in, or propping the door open, were not available.

So I tried to do the morning routine without coffee. Big mistake.

Packing up, I went to put the cap back on the shaving cream in my travel kit. It was very difficult to install. I finally succeeded. Turns out it was the cap for something else. So I had to remove it. This was even harder than putting in on was.

Slapstick ensued. My wife was awake by this point so we even tried playing tug of war with one of us holding the cap and the other holding the can.

"We're a tool using species", I reasoned, and went over to where my Swiss Army knife was and tried to pry off the cap.

This involved a lot of force. Enough force, in fact, to puncture the pressurized can of shaving cream.

Sofa, coffee table, that day's change of clothes, my wife's side of the bed, the rug, and the walls all got sprayed.

I left an extra tip for housekeeping after doing my best to clean up.

EDIT: Today I grabbed a cup to fill it with water. I grabbed it quickly. Too quickly, since it was already full. Fortunately it landed in the sink. There have been a lot of things like that this trip. I did remember to turn on an app which guides me through breathing and imagery exercises. Multiple attempts to tap the start button all failed. I savored the irony.

EDIT: While running an errand to fix another problem, a new one started. Something jumped out of my pocket onto the sidewalk. Mirabilie dictu, I was alert enough to feel it go and turn around to grab it. As I reached for it, not before, I realized it was my wallet. This is downtown, in a famously rough city. Narrow escape there.

Welu · « **Reply #226 on:** 10 Jan 2016, 07:02 »

These last couple work weeks have sucked and I have one more, at least, to go but my bank balance is pretty satisfying right now. Plus now it's after Christmas I'm not already planning on where all my money goes before I receive it. Fukken hate being a growed upper.

pwhodges · « **Reply #227 on:** 02 Mar 2016, 09:26 »

My grandson in Germany has been recommended to move on to Gymnasium when he changes school; I gather this is a good thing.

Welu · « **Reply #228 on:** 10 Mar 2016, 10:58 »

Brother got surgery on his knee today. Went well. Glad he finally got it and can start healing his knee properly after years.

pwhodges · « **Reply #229 on:** 12 Mar 2016, 12:15 »

I guess they want me to tell them whether to return the money (about £400 for that lot, as there are three large SSDs in there) or send me the same again.

Thing is, it was actually delivered two days ago...

Loki · « **Reply #230 on:** 18 Mar 2016, 01:20 »

Quote from: pwhodges on 02 Mar 2016, 09:26

My grandson in Germany has been recommended to move on to Gymnasium when he changes school; I gather this is a good thing.

Congratulations!

pwhodges · « **Reply #231 on:** 18 Mar 2016, 01:56 »

It seems his modest language skills pull his points down so he's one under the usual requirement. But in spite of that he is being recommended for the faster stream, and with some extras as well (I can't remember the term). It sounds like the sort of pressure that would be good for him, honestly.

Also, this fits better going to the Gymnasium nearest where he is now (near his father's place) rather than another in the next town (near his mother's place); this will provide welcome stability as well.

Akima · « **Reply #232 on:** 19 Mar 2016, 04:44 »

It is most curious that Germans name part of their school-system after a place where Greek men ran about naked.

Metope · « **Reply #233 on:** 19 Mar 2016, 05:38 »

I dunno, judging from the high school I went to it seems pretty fitting.

Grognard · « **Reply #234 on:** 19 Mar 2016, 21:59 »

well, it is official.

my son has been accepted to Eastern Kentucky University.
with a 75% scholarship to boot.

Akima · « **Reply #235 on:** 22 Mar 2016, 15:07 »

Congratulations to him!
We have a saying: 敬贤礼士, or
"Revere the virtuous; honour scholarship"

Grognard · « **Reply #236 on:** 22 Mar 2016, 20:15 »

thanks.

I'm excited for him and worried about all the details and money and moving him and... and...

small wonder my Dad went gray while I was off to school.

explicit · « **Reply #237 on:** 22 Mar 2016, 22:13 »

Off the top of my head, the Hilltoppers?

Anyway, we got a kitten yesterday. Her name is Pepper. We weren't planning on getting one (we just put down our cat, like, literally two days before), but someone insisted.

ATM, she has pure charcoal hair and green eyes and about 10 inches long. She's clearly still a bit scared, but she seems to be warming up to us fast. I didn't really want another cat (I'm just a dog person, is all), but it's hard to not like a kitty.

pwhodges · « **Reply #238 on:** 23 Mar 2016, 15:24 »

Tomorrow will be my last day at work ever - think of that!

Grognard · « **Reply #239 on:** 23 Mar 2016, 22:00 »

after my day at work....

I'm very jealous & you deserve your retirement very much.

jwhouk · « **Reply #240 on:** 24 Mar 2016, 09:55 »

Quote from: Grognard on 23 Mar 2016, 22:00

after my day at work....

I'm very jealous & you deserve your retirement very much.

Ditto.

Metope · « **Reply #241 on:** 24 Mar 2016, 17:01 »

Congrats on your well earned retirement, Paul!

Carl-E · « **Reply #242 on:** 07 Apr 2016, 20:51 »

Hi. The call center job's going OK. Still teaching, and timing the classes better so income's a little less sporadic. Still sexton at the church, too.

And I never quit Macy's, either. I go in once a week or so to help with the truck. This week it was today.

And I nearly wound up in the hospital. Nearly as in, about 4 inches off. I was in the trailer picking up a box to put onto the roller conveyor, and out of the corner of my eye saw a box near the bottom of a stack beside me collapse under the weight of the boxes above. About 7 boxes weighing between 20 and 30 lbs (mostly clothing) came down as a single unit, grazing my arm and shaking the entire trailer. Two boxes actually bounced off the conveyor, and the top box impaled itself on one of the conveyor's wheels. It took two of us to remove it.

I've studied physics, I know the forces at work. I know when a stack's dangerous, when and how to disable the stored kinetic forces and get the hell out of the way. But this... well, the stack was fine.

The box that collapsed was 4 inches high, and had one fucking pair of jeans in them. Lots of boxes get crushed, and stacks topple all the time, but this is the first time it happened while I was there.

The rational thing to do would have been to walk out right then and there. I didn't. Don't know why.

God, I'm stupid.

Welu · « **Reply #243 on:** 25 Apr 2016, 13:53 »

Spent time hanging out with a friend I haven't seen for a while and his nearly two year old son. My phrasing is going to sound really bad but it's cool to have seen this baby become a person, with expressions and a personality and mannerisms other than just cry, eat, poop, sleep. Still don't really know how to interact with him but I only see him two or three times a year, which has added to the feeling of only seeing big jumps in growing and not incremental daily ones. Maybe next time I see him we'll have a kind of conversation, since that was a little out of his range today. It was nice to see him take a liking to me despite my uncertainty.

Although when it comes to the idea of my own I do still feel my uterus curling up on itself in protest. More dogs and guinea pigs instead please.

Carl-E · « **Reply #244 on:** 03 May 2016, 07:03 »

Considering your avatar, I think you're safe.

At least you know where they come from, which is more than I can say of some of the tweens having kids around here...

And yes, the local junior high's child care center is now up and running. That's grades 7, 8 and 9, ages 12 - 15.

Welcome to Appalachia.

Kugai · « **Reply #245 on:** 04 May 2016, 22:23 »

OK, here's the gen on yours truly for the week so far

I got a leg infection possibly caused by a Spider bite last weekend.

And wound up in A&E at Hutt Hospital at 9:40pm last night till around 4am this morning (took that long before the Docs saw me)

I'm on a course of Antibiotics and, as you can imagine, I'm a bit bleah today - tired and grumpy - but I'm starting to feel a lot better and will be taking things easy over the next few days, so if I'm not as active as I usually am Online, you can understand why.

Dammit!!! And it's my 54th Birthday next Monday too!

Carl-E · « **Reply #246 on:** 10 May 2016, 22:09 »

Oh that's right, I forgot. I'm only about 2 months older than you...

Mt daughter wound up with a black abscess from a spider bite that actually needed surgery to be removed, and the wound needed to be packed with antibiotic-soaked bandaging to get it to close back up.

She was bitten in bed.

Nasty little arthropods...

Kugai · « **Reply #247 on:** 12 May 2016, 16:59 »

Yeah, had an acquaintance that that happened to.

Lot better now. Redness all but gone and it ain't tender anymore.

pwhodges · « **Reply #248 on:** 18 May 2016, 13:16 »

You recall I reported before Christmas that I was sold a stolen potter's wheel via ebay? Well, the police have arrested one suspect and are preparing to arrest others in connection with this (mine was not the only transaction involved). It's nice to know that the perpetrators have been caught.

jwhouk · « **Reply #249 on:** 18 May 2016, 13:32 »

You're still out a potter's wheel, though, right?

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Author Topic: Blog Thread 5: A New Beginning (Read 183136 times)