Rant VIII: The Reckoning

WasabiPoptart

WasabiPoptart

A kilt is not a dress or a skirt.
A Greco-Roman pteruges is not a dress or a skirt.
A 17th-18th century waistcoat and breeches is not a dress.
A thawb, jubbah, khamiis, kameez, kurta, etc. is not a dress.

Stop calling them dresses because it's convenient to your argument about society's hangups! They are not dresses!
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

WasabiPoptart said:
A kilt is not a dress or a skirt.
A Greco-Roman pteruges is not a dress or a skirt.
A 17th-18th century waistcoat and breeches is not a dress.
A thawb, jubbah, khamiis, kameez, kurta, etc. is not a dress.

Stop calling them dresses because it's convenient to your argument about society's hangups! They are not dresses!
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Yes they are not dresses, they are just dress.

--Patrick
 
David

David

Work being closed on Monday for Christmas basically just means I get to stress about convincing someone to give me their shift on Saturday, my normally off-day that I wasn't scheduled for, so I can keep my hours/income at a normal level. Starting to feel more and more like it's time to polish up my resume and start applying to salaried positions.
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
sixpackshaker said:
I got to spend Christmas with my parents. Everything was going fine. Dad is 89, still getting around well. He has not used his cane or walker in many weeks. Says that he is feeling better... Then last night Mom told me that their in home nurse said that they really need to think about finding a hospice for him soon.

Oh God that was such a whiplash moment.
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Man I am so sorry to hear this. It kind of goes with my rant as well so we can commiserate together.

My mom, as you all know, has Alzheimer's. She also has a pacemaker and because of that and her previous stroke has to take blood thinners. The thinners are making her dizzy and she's fallen several times, hurting herself pretty badly in the process. We spoke to her doctor and in January my sister and I get to make the following choice:
  • Leave her as she is and watch her continue losing motor functions and potentially seriously hurt herself again.
  • Take her off of the thinners and turn off her pacemaker. Let nature take its course.
So the choices are, watch her die a slow, painful death filled with confusion. Her heart will be amazing, though! That pacemaker would keep her chugging along fine until brain death. So potential vegetative state? She has a DNR, but that would only work for coding in cardiac arrest, not a catatonic state as long as she can breathe on her own. Wonderful.

The other choice is basically pulling the plug super early and waiting for the phone call. She still recognizes us most of the time, although she can't tell you our names. She won't say, "This is my son, David." but you can tell she knows me and that we are close, even if she's not always sure we're family.

And there are other, very US-centric considerations. At the end of 2018 she runs out of money and will probably have to leave the facility she's in. And the level of facility she'd be able to get on state aid is laughably bad. Maybe I need to learn how to make blue crystals.
 
strawman

strawman

If I get to that place - dementia, alzheimers, or similar level of brain/memory function - and I'll have signed a DNR well before then - I would consider the pacemaker a defibrillator (which it essentially is) and antithetical to the DNR I've signed. They wouldn't use an external one, so I'd expect my children to turn off the internal one. I have enough of them (children) that I should be able to find one willing to turn me off (and accept the blame) if the others are too squeamish. I just have to figure out which one is the most cold blooded when I update my legal agreements for the last time...

I've had too many experiences with other older relatives to allow myself to become any sort of burden. I won't commit suicide (religious belief about sanctity of life) but I will cease all medical care when the time comes, and demand others do so in a living will if I'm unable to do so.

I know it's tough to share this, but I appreciate you doing it because it gives me one more thing to add to my Five Wishes Living Will.

You face a tough decision, and tough year. I'm sorry you have to deal with this. I dread the day my parent's and in-law's health declines.
 
Squidleybits

Squidleybits

My mother.....

FML she’s been a bitch recently and my iPad isn’t making it easy for me to type that. It’s ok Apple, I wanted to say it.

I wanted to spend time with my dad and for my family to spend time with my dad. It’s about him now and after you making it all about you for the last 45 years, isn’t it his turn?
 
bhamv3

bhamv3

Man, fuck 2017.

At the beginning of the year, we lost my newborn nephew to SIDS. Last night, at the end of the year, my grandfather passed away. The silver lining, I suppose, is that granddad's condition's been deteriorating for several years now, so this wasn't exactly a surprise, since we knew it was a matter of time. But still, fuck 2017.
 
Bubble181

Bubble181

Bubble181 said:
Man. I need to find someone willing to work tonight, and all htree next nights of the weekend, 12h shifts. Someone is seriously and actively sabotaging not just my job, but the company. We'll get through this - somehow - but heads will fucking roll.
My boss is pissed planning duties were transferred to me. He fell sick when I asked him about vacations and off days for January. I made a shift schedule, everyone signed off on it, sent it out...Got called out for one shift for his little buddy he didn't want to do. Solved that...Now his buddy is out sick, too. And he was scheduled to wrok the night shift all weekend. And 4 more shifts during the two weeks to come. With two other people out after a surgery, one leaving the company the 31st, and one on paternity leave, I'm completely out of options.
Fuck him, fuck his minion, and fuck it all. I'll probably be working Christmas night if I can't find another solution. :cry:

I've had it up to....you know, you can't seem e but guess where I'm ponting, here with all this shit. Things will change and get better or I'm out - and that's also the message I'm going to give the CEO. My boss wants to actively sabotage me and is taking the whole company down along with it. I'm willing to put up with a lot but it's really coming to a head now.

Also, I'm stressed way the fuck out.
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Guess who just prolonged their sick leave another two weeks? And who was scheduled to work the coming four nights? -_-
 
WasabiPoptart

WasabiPoptart

No, I will not send the kids to visit you over the summer in the shithole of a hometown I grew up in. The incredulous surprise in your response does nothing to sway me. The talk of taking trips to Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore does not make up for the assholes they would be around while staying with you or your own behavior since you already attempt to undermine our parenting when you visit here.
My answer is still an emphatic NO.
 
Emrys

Emrys

How about if I take them to Banff and Edmonton instead? Can I still make them shovel my driveway?

Oh, shithole home town.
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
So our furnace is out. I looked around to find a good HVAC company and found one called Complete Comfort. Great reviews, nice people, prompt. They are great! Called my home warranty people - HMS Home Warranty - and they said that they only use one company, Elite Heating & Cooling. So I looked THEM up. Not good. Here's their Yelp page for starters: https://www.yelp.com/biz/elite-heating-and-air-conditioning-omaha-3

I called Complete Comfort back and let them know who our warranty was through and he just went, "Oh shit. I'm sorry!"

So this is not only going to be expensive, but a damned fight to get everything paid for. Wish the home inspector had caught this little gem.
 
AshburnerX

AshburnerX

Dave said:
So our furnace is out. I looked around to find a good HVAC company and found one called Complete Comfort. Great reviews, nice people, prompt. They are great! Called my home warranty people - HMS Home Warranty - and they said that they only use one company, Elite Heating & Cooling. So I looked THEM up. Not good. Here's their Yelp page for starters: https://www.yelp.com/biz/elite-heating-and-air-conditioning-omaha-3

I called Complete Comfort back and let them know who our warranty was through and he just went, "Oh shit. I'm sorry!"

So this is not only going to be expensive, but a damned fight to get everything paid for. Wish the home inspector had caught this little gem.
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This is not fun when it happens in the winter. I had the same thing happen to me over the winter... 5-6 years ago?
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
Luckily we have the fireplaces, so we've kept it warm enough. The inspector came through when it was in the 50s so that's why we didn't know how cold it was going to get - the place does have amazing insulation.
 
jwhouk

jwhouk

Does going to the better service company void the home warranty? If not, screw Elite and go with the better company. You'll save $ in the long run with better work and probably a better warranty on their repairs/replacements.
 
fade

fade

Staff member
That's been my general experience with home warranties. They have deals with the lowest bidders, who usually have terrible ratings on BBB or online review sites.
 
Tinwhistler

Tinwhistler

fade said:
That's been my general experience with home warranties. They have deals with the lowest bidders, who usually have terrible ratings on BBB or online review sites.
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Likewise. First time I had to replace an element in my water heater, the part was covered, but the labor wasn't. And I had to go through their shitty company to get the free part. Watched the guy do it, did it myself the second time. The part was less than $10, and I saved myself $70. heh.
 
Squidleybits

Squidleybits

WasabiPoptart said:
No, I will not send the kids to visit you over the summer in the shithole of a hometown I grew up in. The incredulous surprise in your response does nothing to sway me. The talk of taking trips to Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore does not make up for the assholes they would be around while staying with you or your own behavior since you already attempt to undermine our parenting when you visit here.
My answer is still an emphatic NO.
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We will most likely being saying no this summer as well :(
 
Tress

Tress

Tinwhistler said:
Likewise. First time I had to replace an element in my water heater, the part was covered, but the labor wasn't. And I had to go through their shitty company to get the free part. Watched the guy do it, did it myself the second time. The part was less than $10, and I saved myself $70. heh.
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100% accurate.

I used to work for a home warranty company, and I learned firsthand how much of a scam it is. Never get one. I know many people have one because a realtor throws it in as part of the deal; in that case, don’t ever renew it.
 
Dave

Dave

Staff member
Tress said:
100% accurate.

I used to work for a home warranty company, and I learned firsthand how much of a scam it is. Never get one. I know many people have one because a realtor throws it in as part of the deal; in that case, don’t ever renew it.
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For small parts and stuff it's a scam, but when your whole unit needs replaced - such as our furnace and water heater - I think it will save us money. I hope so, at least.
 
Tress

Tress

Dave said:
For small parts and stuff it's a scam, but when your whole unit needs replaced - such as our furnace and water heater - I think it will save us money. I hope so, at least.
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1) They have a massive list of reasons that your unit won’t be replaced. You would be surprised at how claims adjusters will find ways to deny a replacement, or get you something worse than what you had before.

2) There are, of course, times where it won’t be denied and the home warranty company will pay to have your unit replaced. In this case, you will probably spend more money on maintaining the warranty over the years than the value of the repair/replacement. In the end, it won’t be worth it.

But like I said, if you already have it you might as well use it. But I don’t recommend renewing the warranty when it expires.
 
Denbrought

Denbrought

Saw my grandfather, or rather I saw the sad and confused shell that alzheimers hasn't eaten yet. Fuck that disease. I wish I had known I was saying goodbye, 3 years ago.
 
Squidleybits

Squidleybits

Tress said:
1) They have a massive list of reasons that your unit won’t be replaced. You would be surprised at how claims adjusters will find ways to deny a replacement, or get you something worse than what you had before.

2) There are, of course, times where it won’t be denied and the home warranty company will pay to have your unit replaced. In this case, you will probably spend more money on maintaining the warranty over the years than the value of the repair/replacement. In the end, it won’t be worth it.

But like I said, if you already have it you might as well use it. But I don’t recommend renewing the warranty when it expires.
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It's sadly like that with most insurance. Even LTD. My union guys really helped me out with my application and told me all they ways that they knew that the company tries to turn people down so that I could address them in my application package. I would have been lost without them.

It's important to know your insurance policies very well before claiming under them and try to figure out what clauses they may try to use against you so you can be prepared with information for any weird policy specific questions they may ask you.
 
Eriol

Eriol

Denbrought said:
Saw my grandfather, or rather I saw the sad and confused shell that alzheimers hasn't eaten yet. Fuck that disease. I wish I had known I was saying goodbye, 3 years ago.
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That's more-or-less how it happened with my Grandmother. She was gone long before she died.

One piece of advice for the future: try not to feel bad for being relieved when they finally pass in body, since their mind is already gone. It was a common feeling at my Grandmother's funeral, and luckily nobody (publicly) was bad with people saying that it was a relief. But sometimes people feel relieved that their relative's suffering is over, but you're also relieved that your OWN suffering is over. There's nothing wrong with either. It's not "happy-go-lucky" when they're gone, of course not! But it can be a relief that you don't need to feel guilty about.

(My Grandma died about 13 months ago. She was "gone" long before that, by at LEAST 5 years)
 
DarkAudit

DarkAudit

I will NOT have my princess kitteh put down for the sin of being "unadoptable."

The paperwork gave you that conclusion. You could have just told me over the phone or in an email. There was NO reason why I had to chase her down and fight to stuff her in a carrier and drive 90 minutes with her crying all the way to be told that. All it got was another 90 minutes of her crying all the way during the drive home.
 
Denbrought

Denbrought

DarkAudit said:
I will NOT have my princess kitteh put down for the sin of being "unadoptable."

The paperwork gave you that conclusion. You could have just told me over the phone or in an email. There was NO reason why I had to chase her down and fight to stuff her in a carrier and drive 90 minutes with her crying all the way to be told that. All it got was another 90 minutes of her crying all the way during the drive home.
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Jesus fuck, I would murder someone. Does WV have any no-kill or rescues you could contact? I have friends at two, but they're in GA and WA :/
 
A

Anonymous

Anonymous

My shitty boss from my last position is applying for a management job in my current organization. I hope the competition is good enough to keep him out.
 
A

Anonymous

Anonymous

blotsfan said:
Can you say something to whoever is in charge of hiring?
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I am pretty sure his record of bad decisions and strange attitude is out there. I would be highly illegal for me to make comments about him to HR or the Director. Unless he lists me as a reference.
 
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