Oh yes indeed, it was a decent day but then a giant turd at the end of it. We just filed our taxes on the 24th, and then on the 25th we received one additional form in the mail that we'd forgotten about. Now we have to file an amended return, and it lowers our refund considerably to boot. Bastards.

Bad day bad night and fuck it all. Just fuck it. I can't even describe what goes on in our academic health system, I'd get fired or lose my licence. There is no free speech when it comes to countries that pour megabucks into willing hands here. Their citizens don't have to play by any rules.

Fucking fuck. Goddamn. I'll just go home and take my chances.

Sounds fucking lousy.

My bummer is that yesterday I dropped my iphone face down on the pavement - it bounced out of my coat pocket whilst i was running for a bus. Shattered like crazy paving.

Bugger. I've had this phone for 4 years.

Sounds like you need a whistle. :unsure:

Sadness. Did this myself with a very basic phone back in the day.
Basic phones was all there was though, and I had the money to replace it

That sucks.

Fortunately ,my iphone is still usable. I just have to be very careful with it!

I doubt it's whistle-worthy, but it pisses me off. It's a sellout that doesn't benefit people here, just the governments and institutions that get paid, and those who take training opportunities from our own grads. While the official line is that they don't take funded positions, there are only so many clinical opportunities to go around. It means that our own grads don't get the quality and depth of training that they should. And honestly, I don't buy the line that no positions are taken from US (or Canadian) grads. The numbers don't add up. Anyway ... it's not a whistle-blowing issue, but it could get me fired so I need to shut up about it.

I didn't mean to even talk about it the other day; I was in a lousy mood after being in pain for two months and finally getting pessimistic about the cause. And I'd had a prolonged incredibly frustrating conversation with a fellow resident about the academic health system situation. I needed to vent in a way that wouldn't get me fired ... which I managed, this weekend, having gone trap shooting. YES! So. Much. Fun. Blasting clay discs into smithereens, very therapeutic.

I haven't heard from the people I've been interviewing with.

I'm very discouraged.

Rat fuck, something specific or just a feeling? :(

Sorry V.

When it shits, it pours, should be the name of this thread.

A salad spinner of fuck is what my friend calls it.

Between snow days (= no pay) my being sick (= no pay) an unexpected heating oil bill (holy shit how did we use that much fuel and when did the price get that high? -first winter in the tiny house that uses as much oil as my other house that is 3x as big) The deer and car incident, now the new car has lost a cylinder or worse (I'll find out later today) and then rent and all the regular bills arriving all at once has put into stark relief (cliche) just how tenuous and fucked my position is.

Leaving aside the immediate problem, which although dire in many respects is actually not as serious as the long term problem. Even if I were to suddenly pay all my bills this moment and get my car fixed, it would just get the ship above water but wouldnot address the underlying sinking problem, I'd be back in the same spot in a few months.

The job I've got now was really only meant to be temporary as it pays only $15/hr and only about 6 - 61/2 hours a day when school is in session. No other benefits at all. This is about 25% less than my survival amount.

Luckily, I have a small job coming up that may make me a grand or so, but again, it's not much.

Another aspect to the problem, and one that I am addressing, is having a regular schedule where I see my kids. If I had regualr predictable times when I could see them it would be possible to find additional work that I could schedule around them. Their mom seems to be lying a lot to herself and me about what the kids shrink has to say about this. I've grown tired of catching her out and watching her backpedal and equivocate. I now, pretty much assume that when she is talking she is just saying what she wants the truth to be.

So, I'm gearing up for what will probably only be solved with a legal battle, mainly because she isn't straight and would need to be forced by law to do something. Notice I didn't write forced by law to see she is wrong. The whole world could tell her she was wrong and she'd think they were mistaken. (Remember her mom is the church shopper who visited 150 different churches and couldn't find one of them that preached the proper gospel. The apple doesn't fall far...)

So I see this problem as being

1. I want to see the kids at least half time.
2. I need to get a better paying job > This may include returning to school for a masters degree in education or another BS in Science (chem/ bio/ etc)
3. I need to finalize the divorce and resolve ownership of my house. I'd rather not let it go, but at this point I can't afford it on what I'm earning. I'm not sure if I kept it how I'd keep it afloat while I was in school, and for that matter how I'd keep anything afloat while I was in school.
4. School may not actually be an option, and may not actually lead to more job opportunities for me.
5. I'm sure there's a simple solution that I'm just not seeing.
6. The house is not salable in its current condition. Siding needs to go up, interior trim needs to go up, some drywall and painting, repairs to the boiler and heating system, some more wiring, a final inspection to close the permit, and probably something big I'm missing.
7. I need to get my other rotator cuff fixed. It's been 3 years since my other surgery and the right one hurts like fuck all the time. If I can get it done while I'm still teaching, it would be an easy job while I'm doing my year of re-hab/recovery.

Sorry, man. :(

I wish I had something to offer. Some helpful advice or something.

Sucks. I feel for you.

Don't get your hopes up on this one, I've seen this happen before. Courts can't make anyone do anything, they can only punish people. When she continues to jerk you around you can't call 911 and have them send a squad car to make her behave.

No, you have to get your lawyer to contact the court, set a court date which will get postponed at the last minute by her lawyer... several times. Then in four or five months you'll finally get to the judge, you both give your side of the story. Her side complete with the extenuating circumstances that forced the change of plans, and how difficult life is because you're such a tyrant.

Then the judge gives her a stern warning to follow the court rules in the future, at which point she thanks him for his understanding and promises to do what's best for the children. The judge then tells you to stop being such an inflexible tyrant toward the faithful struggling wife you abandoned.

Preposterous scenario? Not unless NY courts are very different from other state courts. Sorry if I'm dashing your hopes, but it's better to be warned of the worst case of what may come.

^^^^^ what you say


vvvvv what I see

Sorry footie.

Just don't let it embitter you, foot. Let it embiggen you. ;) Remember the story of Betty Botter. :lol:

Because you WILL get through to the other side. It ain't easy, but you will one day get to look back with a sigh of relief. Hang in there.

Ah shit, Foot.
I think I have money trouble (and I do) but it sounds like you're not far above minimum wage and even though I'mg etting no help at present there is a safety net if I take a few more steps further down. And it's just me. Well, no children.
Good luck.

In my worst moments in the last few weeks everything has felt so futile.
I've never been more lonely or more hopeless.
The idea that it might not even be Diz and me against the world is appalling. I've had really good advice, but it's such an uphill struggle; I'm tired of fighting, even though I know I should.

I feel like someone hiding that they are bitten in a zombie film.
Because as long as no-one knows, I'm not really doomed. Force of will alone might make it different this time.
No. Just bloody shoot me, and shoot Diz next.

But when I die I will do so knowing the difference between a ficelle and a petit mange blanc.
That's something after all.

Sundae, sweetheart, don't give up. Take it one day at a time and value whatever comes (like learning the difference between a ficelle and a petit mange blanc, or having a positive encounter with a customer; or like meeting carruthers). There are lots of people whose lives would be diminished if you weren't here. Some of them (us) are in this place and others are closer to you geographically. When I'm down, I find inspiration in your constant interest in new things and desire to travel and learn. Not trying to guilt you; just to say that you don't always know how your life affects others.

Any day that happens is a good day for Sundae and me. ;)

Foot3, I don't know what to say. I don't know what the job market is like in your neck of the woods; what the possibilities are for freelance photography or for other freelance work. Obviously you've looked into that type of thing, so I'm guessing not great. Are there better prospects in a nearby town or city? Near enough that it wouldn't interfere with seeing your kids?

Does your state have a mechanism for getting an 'emergency' teacher's certificate in an area of need for local schools? PA does but that's the only place I know about. It's possible to provide proof of a degree in the subject area needed and basically get a certificate without going back to school.

If a simple solution occurs to me I'll send it along. Meanwhile, hang on ...

Sundae, I echo what orthodoc said: you are loved, and your existence in this world is cherished. You have made it through worse. And you will again.

How is the situation shaping up, if you don't mind talking about it? (For me, hashing out the options is always helpful, even if I really already know what they are.) Have your parents received any feedback from the house viewings? Is it really possible someone else might buy it while continuing to rent your room to you? Have you been able to talk to someone with the Council yet, or do you have to wait until the house is actually sold?

Crap. Carp. Shite. I seem to have developed some lymphedema in my right arm and chest. This throws a monkey wrench in my plan to regain upper body strength, not to mention being able to wear short sleeves.

Lymphedivas, here I come. (www.lymphedivas.com)

I have a stupid dilemma compared to the life altering problems of others. [BIGV , O, F3, :thepain:] My car needs tires I can buy one every 2 weeks or get all 4 at 22% interest and pay them off in 9 weeks. If I buy them by Saturday I get 10% off for buying 4 [scam ;)]

If you buy 4 at the same time, do they throw in free lifetime tire rotations? Sometimes they will depending on the cost of the tires.

Sundae your post showed after I posted my [crap] you are an asset to anyone who meets you. True story :)

laff @ Sexobon something I had not considered is that a valuable commodity? What if I just rotate them myself? ;)

Buy one every two weeks and get them put on when you have a full set/axel? 22% seems a little ridiculous! if your potholes are as bad as ours, I'd be tempted to soldier on with the old ones and put the new ones on when the roads are fixed ;)

Just a matter of convenience some places offer, in addition to any discounts they may have at this time, so you'll come back to them for your next set of tires.

Tires are important. I weave all over the road at the moment, trying to preserve my tires and rims as the holes and chasms in the roads open ...

Go for the free lifetime rotations. You'll beat the odds.

Had not thought of potholes Monster hmmmmm well the cost including the mounting is at a 10% discount until the 15th. The biggest problem I have is that these cheap Korean tires I have go flat once a day they hold air all day but go flat when the car sits . I know its the tires fault because I have one Michelin I got used [cannot afford 4 of those] when I hit a [pothole] last fall and it never goes flat. :eyebrow: I hate pumping up my tires after work at midnite ..

No one is here at 0200 EST ... what's wrong with you guys on Pacific Standard Time? It's only 2300 ...

Doesn't matter. I'm used to seeing the night out.

Next time ring me. I was just going crazy with the little kids at that time. lol Could have used a distraction. xx

Nirvana
The tires may just have bad valve stems.

Ortho
The photography industry is effectively dead. No one is willing to pay for content, even in cities like NYC. Besides, all my gear is large format film gear, the digital camera that I would borrow from time to time from my friend is now about ten years out of date.

It's not a career choice nor a career any longer.

I think what I need to do is be willing to just let go of my house, hunker down at the safe house, concentrate on going to school for science, and put all my reserves into my kids for the next few years. With luck, I'll be in a better fiscal place in five years and can rebuild then.

I think it's just a matter of really looking at what's most important to me, then planing from there while being willing to make huge sacrifices since I clearly can't eat my cake and continue to have it, uneaten, on my plate.

It's not always as bad as I write it.
At least not after a few hours sleep. The Cellar only gives you local timeframes, so Sometimes I'm awake from 03.45 and therefore posts at 20.30 are after a day that feels long and weary.

I do have real problems.
Many of them would be solved by huge injections of cash, it's true.
The others I carry in my head and would pursue me anywhere I went.
Irregardless (ha).

No amount of kind words on a screen can mend me.
But they are balm and sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

Some motherfucker drove in to the side of us as we were on the way to the hockey banquet tonight. never mind bumming my stone, I want that bum stoned (and no he wasn't, motherfucker was from Georgia and doesn't know how to drive in the fucking snow fucking cuntarsed shitball

Shit, it seems like you guys have terrible luck when it comes to not-your-fault auto accidents. Here's hoping his insurance company has deep pockets.

wss

That sucks. So many bad drivers out there. It's disheartening.

Paper trail paper trail paper trail!

That sucks. Hope he has insurance.

The snow might've had nothing to do with it.

I've had the misfortune to drive/ride through Georgia a few times, and through Atlanta twice.

I've traveled (literally) all over most of this country (30+ states), and, beyond doubt, the most aggressive, least considerate, non-driving, bastards in this country are from in and around Atlanta, GA.

I have relatives there. They are some of the finest people you could know, but they cannot drive for shit.

That thing where two of you get home after the gym'n'swim thing both feeling a little dozy and one crashes out on the sofa and falls asleep and the other puts the groceries away, folds some washing so that they can hang the wet towels up to dry, feeds the cats, empties the cat litter x2, sits down gets up to let a cat out, sits down gets up to answer the phone, then gets to sit down. Finally.
That.


Sent by thought transference

He was awaiting orders from his commanding officer. :stickpoke

There was no snow on the road. But there was plenty on the hood that had most likely just did down from his windshield.... But mostly he told me his car couldn't drive on snow when I suggested he pull into the abandoned gas station we were right next to. Now I know the car can go on snow....

Apparently the police report says he has no insurance.

Gaah. That always happens. Sorry, monster.

I should say - in my experience, every time anyone in my family has been hit by a stupid driver, said driver has had no insurance. So our insurance sucked up the costs and then jacked our premiums sky-high. :mad:

Do you have uninsured / underinsured coverage on you policy?

Road trip to Georgia with a brick or two for his windows.

I was told today that, due to an administrative oversight/glitch, I cannot graduate with my MPH in May. I have done all the hours, all the courses, and have a 4.0 GPA - but a 1-credit course was not entered with the Registrar's Office in 2012. I can appeal, and I will, but the Registrar has already taken the position that if it's not in the transcript it didn't happen. WVU had a major scandal several years ago over the daughter of the biggest local contributor to WVU getting a degree without putting in the hours; there's little chance they'll do anything to correct things even though my case is very different.

I'm first in my class, but doing one more credit-hour in the summer semester to add on the hour I already did means I'll be graduating in August in a class of one. And there's no actual graduation.

It could also further fuck up my life if there's any delay in the university getting the transcript and letter of completion promptly to my College; if it misses the deadline I can't write my Boards for another year. The transcript will always look, too, as if I just couldn't finish my degree in the usual time. It was something I valued to know that I DID finish in the usual time.

First-world problems, I realize. And life is hard, then you die. I'm just venting.

Any way you can prove it was their mistake?

It was my department's screw-up in the end - although the School of Public Health, which formed in 2012, has been in constant flux ever since, constantly changing the requirements and courses for the MPH degree. My residency coordinator is hard-working and stays on top of things, but she was bamboozled over time by the ever-changing requirements and backtracking re administrative issues, and she lost track of the 1-credit issue. I think the Dean would be sympathetic, but I'm not optimistic about his influence on the Registrar.

It seems wrong that its not just a simple fix when it seems like a simple oversight.

I wish ... you're right, Ali. There's no 'bad guy' here, it's all explainable with no drama. If only common sense could prevail.

www.ifixit.com

$9.95 that's like 2 British pounds, right? or have you adopted the metric money system?

This is why god invented lawyers. You did the class, someone else dropped the ball = Not Your Problem.

Seriously, they don't want another lawsuit or scandal. Promise them you will take legal action if they don't fix this asap. Keep your promises.

One time, a departing temp wrote a scathing letter about our department and copied the CEO of our firm. She had a couple points, but mostly lacked any understanding of how how things work. The amazing thing was that my boss, the head of the department, suddenly found herself having to explain everything and was put under intense scrutiny by the CEO. She was jumping through hoops for a couple of weeks.

If you make a big deal about this, make sure you have good documentation that you paid for the course, you have graded coursework showing you took the course, and maybe some sort of report card with a grade. Maybe you can get the residency coordinator to write a letter and the Dean too. Then attach all that documentation to a registered letter and send it to the Registrar and copy the fucking President of the University, demanding credit and a Spring graduation, and giving them a deadline to comply before you lawyer up. Explain in the letter the financial loss you will experience when it appears you didn't graduate on time.

You'll be burning some bridges, but fuck them. You earned this. They burned the bridges by screwing you over with their negligence, it's their problem.

Oh, and play the cancer card. The fact that you earned this while battling cancer makes it a big accomplishment. For some pencil pusher to deny you what you earned is completely unacceptable. Of course you should frame it by saying that they made an "honest mistake" and that because they are an honest organization, they will, of course, fix it.

Valedictorian cancer survivor getting screwed over by a pencil pusher is the kind of story that might even play well in the media.

I'm a coward by nature, but I would totally fight this one.

Fuck YEAH Glatt's inner lawyer kicking ass!

totally WHS^^^

She needs documentation though. Without it, she's got nothing.

Paper trail, paper trail, paper trail.

Absolutely not your problem and there are bad guys here, anybody ducking responsibility and telling you no. Don't accept poor performance, lawyer up.