Get Your Grump on Thursdays - Was (What's chapping my @ss today?)

[David Tollefson]

My mom is one of those who always puts you into a no-win situation. "Help me chose!" And then she constantly argues against your help. I've given up.

She's recently "needed" to move into a less expensive apartment. My dad is in a full-care facility. Sure, concerns about how long the money will last are valid -- I'm not arguing that. But now she's "desperate" to move to someplace cheaper. One place IS cheaper, and available now. Another place is even LESS expensive, but there is doubt that she qualifies (they gave a verbal "Sure, you qualify" based on no numbers at all), and no units currently available (can't predict when some one will die, apparently). So my sister texts me about this dilemma. To me, it's a no-brainer -- go with the available place. And if she balks at that, then all this "desperation" is nothing more than drama.

Getting old sucks, apparently.

[roseyscot]

I try. I really do. I try not to post something every Thursday, but sometimes it's just impossible to resist.

I'm working less than full time right now. I am able to do this financially at the moment and may -or may not- look for more work when I am done completing a move east of here. I have no idea why people are so fascinated by this fact and ask at every opportunity some intrusive question about my plans for finding more work, etc. To make matters more interesting, my wife is mostly not working right now- by her own choice- and she's loving every minute of it, but just about everyone who hears this asks "what does she do with all her free time?" What the fuck business is it of yours? Why do you care? Shall I provide you a detailed flowchart of what she does on a minute-to-minute basis? Do I demand an accounting of what you do in your "free" time?

The last person who asked me what my wife does with her "free" time I wanted to answer that she cooks methamphetamine and sacrifices children to Satan. Instead I offered my usual response of "oh, she keeps herself pretty busy..."

haha, so much New England in this one.

my grump: I can't really complain about my rainy, dark commute home tonight. My house and family will be at home waiting for me. Not so likely for thousands of people in the path of that Super Typhoon.

[RickM]

This is so petty, but when I say "by the end of the week" on Thursday, and people immediately say "oh, you mean tomorrow", and I can't grab them by the throat and ask them what the fuck they think I mean by "the end of the week"...

I can add a Grump to this. I work with lots of people that if they said "By the end of the week..", you would have to carefully interrogate them to determine which week they actually meant.

[Too Tall]

Pardon...
Britishbane and you know who drop for 20.
Grump on.

[Jonathan]

I'm ten minutes early to the doctor and he's 60 minutes late. How did we get to where this is acceptable? Surely it's an inefficient way to run a business.

[Saab2000]

The phrase "complaining airline pilot" is obviously redundant. Give a pilot a bag of money and he'll whine that it's too heavy. We all do it. it's in our nature to always think something can be done better.

That said, I'm actually getting tired of the glass-half-empty crowd. Nobody makes you become a pilot. It's hard work and super competitive and most people don't make it. If it sucks as bad as some people make it seem, quit. If making better-than-average pay is that shitty, quit. If working 15 days a month (admittedly looooooonnnnnnnnngggggg days frequently) is so terrible, quit.

I actually sort of like what I do sometimes and wish the guys senior to me who seem to hate every minute of their lives would turn in their badges and Jepp binders and not let the door hit them in the ass on their way out. Today I got lectured by a senior guy about how miserable it is. I'm not being pissy when I say he should just leave the industry if he hates it as much as it seems. I'm 100% serious.

I'm not a grumpy person by nature and this thread lets me do it once a week. That's cool. I'm complaining about the complainers. How appropriate....

I just wish the whiny people in my business would either put up, shut up or get the hell out. Nobody needs 'em and we're all replaceable.

[jscott]

Spaced out on pre-reg for Sunday's race so now I'll be starting from the back row. Instead of my usual spot on, you know, the next-to-the-last row.

[Matthew Strongin]

A department reorg was just announced, so now I'm not so sure what my job will become. At least I had time to contemplate my future on my hour and half commute home because of 5 accidents and a guy riding a mountain bike against traffic. In the dark. On a 5-lane in each direction section of I-95.

[xjoex]

I work at a startup as my main job, we are growing crazy fast. So now instead of my office, I sit at a card table. As a god damn director I work at a card table... It could be worse.

-Joe

[bigbill]

I'm getting assigned to projects where I work. We manufacture consumer goods and have several large machines that get capital improvements (projects). Found out today that the project I'm getting is for 8 machines and will run straight through until all 8 machines are done. That's about 12 weeks straight of 6-7 days a week, 12 hours a day. It's still easier than deploying, but its gonna suck.

[ericpmoss]

Sooo, *this* week, the bosses read some management magazine and decided that a "team building" day was called for. They destroy morale the rest of the time, so the solution is... make everyone go to some stupid "FUN PLACE" designed for 12year olds, divide us up and make us compete against each other. That way, at least half of us can lose *again*. That'll build teams, you see.

I get "the letter" about my not jumping up and down to participate. I stand my ground and say "I'd really be happy to just stay at work alone so I can concentrate." And it's true, I'd be happy to have a solid block of time to get work done.

Oooooohhhhh nnnnooooooooo...... My boss was "very disappointed", and if I refused to go to the thing, I'd have to have a private meeting with him to justify it. It's all "voluntary", you see, but I sure as fuck had better "volunteer". Un-f-ing believable that I work at a place where wanting to get some solid work done is seen as "poor attitude".

So I'm bullied into going, and then forced to sign a form saying "I am participating on a strictly voluntary basis, and so will not hold the company liable for any injury that might be sustained."

It's like they took notes from Kafka and sprinkled in some Orwell. Of course, I was forced to take a health assessment to get insurance. Weight up, cholesterol up, and for the first time ever, grey hair and high blood pressure. The company prescription? Learn how to cope with stress, cuz they sure as fuck won't stop bullying us, so it must be *our* fault for not being happy about it.

I'm glad my Dad didn't live long enough to see my life turn out this way.

[Brandon White]

Noon:22 Eastern time and no grumps? Wow - what's wrong w/ you luddites.

Everyone is the house is sick.
Since I'm sick and haven't ridden in 3 days - my workouts have been yard work.
Front and back yards are like construction zones.
We have a nasty tick infestation (dog is clean one day then covered the next).

[David Tollefson]

Okay, I'll throw out a trivial nit.

* Probably won't be able to ride today because of date night with my wife and lunchtime call-in meetings.

[mainemike]

i'll throw one out and it's hardly trivial: the peep toe trend of the past cple years. ugly just ugly. i'm not taking slings, pumps, or stilettos w/open toes. i'm talking a boot w/everything there but the toe section is basically cut out. i love pretty toes, probably more than i should and i'll leave it at that, but i have yet to see an instance where this look works in any way. don't like it. nope.

[zetroc]

Water heater died Tuesday night. Plumber can't replace it till tomorrow (friday.) I got to take yesterday off to wait around for an estimate and I get to take tomorrow off to let the guy into the basement. Not the best use of my time.

On the plus side, I'm catching up on Netflix, and I think I'll work on my bike tomorrow.

[mnoble485]

Started a new wheel fund. Wife's car needs tires. I told her that wasn't really what I had in mind for my wheel fund.

Mike

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[72gmc]

Every year at this time I wonder why daytime running lights aren't required. Is it too much to ask for some way to see speeding vehicles painted the color of rainy streets, all fogged up except for the spot the driver swiped with a Starbucks napkin? The driver of yesterday's unlit Jeep Liberty had it half right--he was defogged and able to shoot me a dirty look as he flew by.

[spopepro]

To recap:

Broken clavicle in Jan 2013 (doored). Found out it never joined in July. Surgery in Sept to add a plate and a bone graft. Last X-rays: "no visible signs of healing". Doc tells me to start worrying in Jan 2014 if no healing present at that point. A full year of a broken bone is balls.

[kpomtb]

My wife has shingles. On top of her MS and fibromyalgia. She has enough to deal with on a good day. She doesn't deserve more. Pretty sure this is as much suffering as I have seen her endure.

AND THERE IS NOT ONE DAMN THING I CAN DO TO HELP HER.

[David Tollefson]

And another trivial nit:

* I've been gathering all my frame-building gear since April. I've got it all now. With a 3-month-old, I haven't been able to get out to the garage to actually USE the stuff...