Real Life and What's Happening...

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I've been having a rough go of it lately at my job. I handle two stores for my work and one of them is great to work with and the other since a management change a couple months ago has gotten to the point where I don't want to go in there anymore. I sell and merchandise for my job as a background, so last week I was putting up some seasonal product in the store and a couple days later the manager comes over and tells me that it was too much and that i was basically stupid. I immediately contacted my supervisor and she said she would talk to him. Then today I go in there and I check out with another manager and he said that it seems that he hadn't talked to me in months, even though he's the one I talked to initially when I put out the seasonal merchandise. Again, just a while ago, I contacted my supervisor and told her what happened (she hadn't even talked to them about the first incident yet). She is going in there tomorrow. I honestly don't know what to do at this point. I was insulted by one manager and lied to by another. I think the relationship is not salvageable for me at this point. I had no problems in this store a couple months ago. Years ago, people would tell you to just suck it up, but I'm done sucking it up. I'm a sensitive person about stuff like that and I'm not taking it.


I've been in that sort of situation. There's something about the retail environment that seems to attract the "big fish in a small pond" syndrome among certain people. I don't really have any advice on what to do - if this is worth walking away from a job for or not, but I know what a shame it is when people make worklife difficult and uncomfortable for everyone else - it's just so inane and senseless. Life is hard enough.
 
The death of communities is something I've noticed acutely in my lifetime as well, even in the suburbs I largely grew up in.
You can see the contrast across cultures. Indonesia still has much more community focus in the society than the UK (at least any part of the commuter belt around London). Neighbours will come around and talk shite, their children will play with yours and friends will just hang out more. England - crickets. And don't get me started on people's social calendars in this country. You have to book everything months in advance.

I'd say Indonesia would be a more healthy environment if it wasn't so bad in other ways. However, it does have facilities if you pick your location - the main downsides for a family being an American-style private healthcare system and very patchy education system. Decent health insurance isn't all that cheap, although cheaper than America. Also, you really need to shell out for a private International school and Asian rich kid culture is pretty toxic.

My ambition is to find a way to make a living by remote control from there . Not sure that publishing RPG materials is going to cut it, though. The sense of community in the society would make up for a lot.
 
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The medicine that allows me to walk is damaging my liver. I have an appointment with a specialist to see if we have options.

In better news, Medicare approved my testosterone treatments so I'll be able to start those... as soon as my liver heals.
 
Thursday is the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US. I will be off of work Thursday through Sunday. Thursday I'm going to my best friend's parents' place for holiday dinner, but I currently have no plans Friday through Sunday. Might just thoroughly clean house and read a fuck-ton of comic books. Might pop over to Michigan for the hell of it. Might do something else entirely. I just don't know! :smile:
 
So....

I have a friend who is rapidly heading for a nasty divorce.

Husband is definitely mentally and emotionally abusive. She has also discovered evidence of multiple ongoing affairs and other inappropriate behavior.

He controls ask the finances. Everything in his name.

They have a child. She is about 4.

Husband is threatening to take their child and have my friend deported. She is undocumented ( Canada).

He has refused to help her with her citizenship process in any way since she arrived here.

She is broke, frightened and alone. She has a child and dogs. Her husband is angry and has a history of drug use and instability.

This sucks.

If anyone has any suggestions...
 
So....

I have a friend who is rapidly heading for a nasty divorce.

Husband is definitely mentally and emotionally abusive. She has also discovered evidence of multiple ongoing affairs and other inappropriate behavior.

He controls ask the finances. Everything in his name.

They have a child. She is about 4.

Husband is threatening to take their child and have my friend deported. She is undocumented ( Canada).

He has refused to help her with her citizenship process in any way since she arrived here.

She is broke, frightened and alone. She has a child and dogs. Her husband is angry and has a history of drug use and instability.

This sucks.

If anyone has any suggestions...
Don't move out of the house!

I haven't paid enough attention to why but several of my either divorce lawyer friends or divorcees have said that is terribly important.

See a lawyer now. Hell use a joint credit card to pay for it.
 
So....

I have a friend who is rapidly heading for a nasty divorce.

Husband is definitely mentally and emotionally abusive. She has also discovered evidence of multiple ongoing affairs and other inappropriate behavior.

He controls ask the finances. Everything in his name.

They have a child. She is about 4.

Husband is threatening to take their child and have my friend deported. She is undocumented ( Canada).

He has refused to help her with her citizenship process in any way since she arrived here.

She is broke, frightened and alone. She has a child and dogs. Her husband is angry and has a history of drug use and instability.

This sucks.

If anyone has any suggestions...

My advice would be go to the police and get a temporary restraining order while suing for divorce. If she states that she feels that herself and/or her child are in physical damger, then she should be able to remain in the residence regardless of whose name it is in. Additionally, she should gather ANY evidence she can of his affairs and drug use.

However, this advice comes with a big caveat - she should talk to a lawyer before doing anything. I am not a lawyer, and can only talk from my limited knowledge. She should be able to find multiple attornies specializing in divorce that provide a free initial consultation. She should also contract any women's shelters or support groups in her city, who will no doubt have practical advice for a situation they see far too often.
 
Also I hope she has friends and has been talking to them. At some point they will be asked to write a letter of support essentially. Not sure the legal term but I had to do that for a buddy. It helps document that this has been ongoing.
 
Finally saw the 2019 Hellboy movie, expecting to like it based on a few reviews.

As a huge fan of the comics (like, they've my favorite comics ever), I absolutely detested it and shut it off before the ending.

F-Bombs every 30 seconds, extreme and sometimes horrific gore, and an asshole, manipulative version of Professor Bruttenholm... those are only a FEW of the reasons that I hated this film.

Like, it's pure fucking garbage with a few glimmers of goodness. Neat character designs. One or two funny jokes. That's about it.

Fuck that movie and fuck the Producer-Committee who completely misunderstood not only Mignola's works but why other R-Rated comic book movies were a success (hint, it wasn't just because they were gory and had naughty words in them, you revolting imbecilic troglodytes!!!!).
 
Finally saw the 2019 Hellboy movie, expecting to like it based on a few reviews.

As a huge fan of the comics (like, they've my favorite comics ever), I absolutely detested it and shut it off before the ending.

F-Bombs every 30 seconds, extreme and sometimes horrific gore, and an asshole, manipulative version of Professor Bruttenholm... those are only a FEW of the reasons that I hated this film.

Like, it's pure fucking garbage with a few glimmers of goodness. Neat character designs. One or two funny jokes. That's about it.

Fuck that movie and fuck the Producer-Committee who completely misunderstood not only Mignola's works but why other R-Rated comic book movies were a success (hint, it wasn't just because they were gory and had naughty words in them, you revolting imbecilic troglodytes!!!!).
Say what you really feel about this film, don't hold back !!!
heh heh :grin:
 
Finally saw the 2019 Hellboy movie, expecting to like it based on a few reviews.

As a huge fan of the comics (like, they've my favorite comics ever), I absolutely detested it and shut it off before the ending.

F-Bombs every 30 seconds, extreme and sometimes horrific gore, and an asshole, manipulative version of Professor Bruttenholm... those are only a FEW of the reasons that I hated this film.

Like, it's pure fucking garbage with a few glimmers of goodness. Neat character designs. One or two funny jokes. That's about it.

Fuck that movie and fuck the Producer-Committee who completely misunderstood not only Mignola's works but why other R-Rated comic book movies were a success (hint, it wasn't just because they were gory and had naughty words in them, you revolting imbecilic troglodytes!!!!).


I made the conscious decision not to see it in the theatre after the first trailer dropped.

When it turned up on Prime I decided to give it a shot. Turned it off about 15 minutes in, about the moment "Alice Monoghan" (my favourite character from the comics) showed up. Not only was it unenjoyable up to that point, it was actively making me angry.

Plus, I mean, if you're going to follow up a film almost 20 years later, shouldn't your makeup on the main character be better, not look like a shitty Star Trek TNG villain of the week?
 
I made the conscious decision not to see it in the theatre after the first trailer dropped.

When it turned up on Prime I decided to give it a shot. Turned it off about 15 minutes in, about the moment "Alice Monoghan" (my favourite character from the comics) showed up. Not only was it unenjoyable up to that point, it was actively making me angry.

Plus, I mean, if you're going to follow up a film almost 20 years later, shouldn't your makeup on the main character be better, not look like a shitty Star Trek TNG villain of the week?
I am very pleased that you felt the same way as me. I mean, I’m not happy ANYONE was mad about this shit movie in the first place, but that I’m not alone.

Argh I’m getting mad just thinking about it!!
 
I am very pleased that you felt the same way as me. I mean, I’m not happy ANYONE was mad about this shit movie in the first place, but that I’m not alone.

Argh I’m getting mad just thinking about it!!


I mean , I'll say this for it, the film itself wasn't as bad as the trailer for the film (which is damnation by faint praise obviously).

I mean, obviously the first song that comes to mind when I think of Hellboy is Billy Idol's "Money, Money". Jesus.
 
I don't really want to go to Thanskgiving dinner on Thursday. But if I stay home, I'll probably just be bored and lonely.
 
When I lived in Chicago, I was far from any family, and working in retail, asking for a few days off to travel at Thanksgiving was not a real possibility. I'd always tell myself that I didn't care. I'd have a nice relaxing day to myself before Black Friday. Besides, I'd say, Thanksgiving is just one of those made-up American holidays like Tax Day in April that I didn't need to observe.

Still, when the day came around, it was usually kind of a bummer.
 
As many of you know, I’ve worked in retail for 30 years and I think it’s a travesty stores are open on Thanksgiving and were thinking about Christmas before the backlash started.
I left retail before that happened.

It's a real social statement that the day set aside to give thanks for all you have is now a day when you rush out of the house to elbow people for more stuff.
 
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As many of you know, I’ve worked in retail for 30 years and I think it’s a travesty stores are open on Thanksgiving and were thinking about Christmas before the backlash started.

Agreed. I love that the outdoor gear store REI is closed on Black Friday. Don't actually shop there much, because I'm pretty well-set with the outdoor gear I already have, but I do love that about them.

Now that I've had a good night's sleep and a morning workout, I'm feeling a bit more positive about Thanksgiving. My family lives far, far away, so I will not be seeing them, but my best friend's parents live relatively close (1.5 hour drive) and it's very kind of them to include me in their gathering.

One of my friends says his favorite thing about Pulaski Day (which we, as City of Chicago employees get off) is that it's "a made-up holiday," to which my response is "Yeah... but every holiday is a made-up holiday. It's not like holidays happen in nature."
 
Update: my friend is in a shelter with her child. Apparently, she is not going to be deported now at least not as far as she knows. Looks as though she has some recourse to the law, even in her position.

Gotta be hard to be feelin' Thanksgiving right now, but at least her and the child are safe.

Thanks, y'all, for the kind words and advice.

TL;DR, she ain't outta the woods yet, but the situation seems stable for now. Not ideal, but stable.
 
So here I am on Gracechurch Street and there's a big hoo-hah on London Bridge. Stuck in the building until they let us out. According to the Beeb there's been an altercation and somebody with a knife has been shot by the Police.
 
So I just had to buy a toner kit for my printer - £200+ for CY and M toners. I really need to get around to buying another B&W laser.

On the plus side, the first application of the new toner is printing out the e-tickets for our trip to Indonesia - 4 weeks in Solo, Bandung and off and on in Jakarta. On the plus side, my mum and sister are going to join us for a week or so, getting to meet our two spawn for the first time (father died a couple of years ago). On the minus side the flight goes through Hong Kong.

I have a toner cartridge for a HP LJ5100/5200, which are interesting because they do A3 and duplexing. I will probably buy a secondhand one of those (quite cheap off Ebay). With a bit of luck the toner cartridge will still be viable. I used to have a 5100 but it came to grief in a house move. As I had a 400 MFP that I originally gotten for my (now) ex I didn't replace it.
 
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This month has just been the worst and I need to vent
So I moved into my current apartment back in August. It's a dump but it's cheap and centrally located to everything I need. I didn't meet any of the neighbors with the exception of the people to my left, a guy who I only ever talked to while he was pulling the hard-drive out of a laptop on a picnic table in the common patio area, and a woman who would walk around said patio area talking to herself about mind control and smoking about 3 cigarettes in 10 minutes. They were mostly quiet as with all my other neighbors and I didn't really have a problem with them.
About a month ago I was doing my normal get ready for bed routine when all of the sudden the woman starts shouting and yelling at teh top of her lungs while running in and out of their apartment slamming the door so hard that my (full) bookshelf shakes. It's about 9:30pm and I figure that she'll probably quiet down. Midnight rolls around and she's still shouting and screaming about mind control and cigarettes and a whole bunch of other nonsense. I'm worried that she's having some kind of mental health crisis so I call the cops, who promptly show up, knock on her door, are told by her to go away because she's fine, and leave. She continues shouting and throwing stuff in her apartment until around 2:30am and I get about 2-3 hours of sleep that night. To give you an idea of how loud she was, I could hear what she was saying in her own apartment with my earplugs in. Since that day they've been making all sorts of racket next door well into the morning, I was once awoken by them running a vacuum at 3 in the morning. Every week or so the guy is not in the apartment for the night and the woman has another one of her shouting matches with herself. On top of this the woman is also smoking in both the laundry room and in their apartment so my apartment and clothes are beginning to smell like an ash tray.
I've been communicating with the management company that owns the building and fourtunatly they've been very helpful and have begun the process of evicting them for the noise during quiet hours and smoking indoors.
TLDR: My neighbor's a nightmare and I haven't had a proper sleep in a month.
The only thing that has really been keeping me going this month has been school and weekly D&D sessions. These past 4 days have been a blessing too as I'm visiting family for Thanksgiving and am not at my apartment.
 
This month has just been the worst and I need to vent
So I moved into my current apartment back in August. It's a dump but it's cheap and centrally located to everything I need. I didn't meet any of the neighbors with the exception of the people to my left, a guy who I only ever talked to while he was pulling the hard-drive out of a laptop on a picnic table in the common patio area, and a woman who would walk around said patio area talking to herself about mind control and smoking about 3 cigarettes in 10 minutes. They were mostly quiet as with all my other neighbors and I didn't really have a problem with them.
About a month ago I was doing my normal get ready for bed routine when all of the sudden the woman starts shouting and yelling at teh top of her lungs while running in and out of their apartment slamming the door so hard that my (full) bookshelf shakes. It's about 9:30pm and I figure that she'll probably quiet down. Midnight rolls around and she's still shouting and screaming about mind control and cigarettes and a whole bunch of other nonsense. I'm worried that she's having some kind of mental health crisis so I call the cops, who promptly show up, knock on her door, are told by her to go away because she's fine, and leave. She continues shouting and throwing stuff in her apartment until around 2:30am and I get about 2-3 hours of sleep that night. To give you an idea of how loud she was, I could hear what she was saying in her own apartment with my earplugs in. Since that day they've been making all sorts of racket next door well into the morning, I was once awoken by them running a vacuum at 3 in the morning. Every week or so the guy is not in the apartment for the night and the woman has another one of her shouting matches with herself. On top of this the woman is also smoking in both the laundry room and in their apartment so my apartment and clothes are beginning to smell like an ash tray.
I've been communicating with the management company that owns the building and fourtunatly they've been very helpful and have begun the process of evicting them for the noise during quiet hours and smoking indoors.
TLDR: My neighbor's a nightmare and I haven't had a proper sleep in a month.
The only thing that has really been keeping me going this month has been school and weekly D&D sessions. These past 4 days have been a blessing too as I'm visiting family for Thanksgiving and am not at my apartment.
Somebody called me on the phone
They said, "Hey, is Dee Dee home?
Do you wanna take a walk?
You wanna go cop?
You wanna go get some Chinese rocks?"

I'm living on a Chinese rock
All my best things are in hock
I'm living on a Chinese rock
Everything is in the pawn shop

The plaster's falling off the wall
My girlfriend's crying in the shower stall
It's hot as a bitch
I shoulda been rich
Now I'm just digging a Chinese ditch

I'm living on a Chinese rock
All my best things are in hock
I'm living on a Chinese rock
Everything is in the pawn shop

...do you prefer to addressed as Dee Dee or Mr. Ramone?
 
Somebody called me on the phone
They said, "Hey, is Dee Dee home?
Do you wanna take a walk?
You wanna go cop?
You wanna go get some Chinese rocks?"

I'm living on a Chinese rock
All my best things are in hock
I'm living on a Chinese rock
Everything is in the pawn shop

The plaster's falling off the wall
My girlfriend's crying in the shower stall
It's hot as a bitch
I shoulda been rich
Now I'm just digging a Chinese ditch

I'm living on a Chinese rock
All my best things are in hock
I'm living on a Chinese rock
Everything is in the pawn shop

...do you prefer to addressed as Dee Dee or Mr. Ramone?
Please, Mr. Ramone was my father. Call me Dee Dee.
 
Haven't really recovered from Dragonmeet, so didn't go into work today. I said I could work from home, but my boss said that if I'm not well then I'm sick and shouldn't work. Had a lie in, had a shower, which helped, went to Tesco, had some lunch and have spent the afternoon looking at forums. I thought I could work on Age of Crusade, but just feel too tired.
 
Fighting my stomach today been better since they gave me a new med. (Anti-spasmodic) I've been writing a lot in my novel blew the cap of my NaNoWriMo goal, 99k words. But need help with the complex battle scene (since I'm having to figure out what everyone does instead of having naval-gazing PC's, and active PC's in an RPG. :grin: *LOL* Though I think my original was better so may revert to it--I don't think I should have rewritten it. However, I'll continue to work on this. I just need more readers!
 
Today is one of those days where my hands and feet hurt from all the years working in kitchens. Makes for a rather rough day when it’s a struggle to write.

Rob
 
Should have gone to our work's Christmas Ball, as my wife is away, but felt too rough to go, so reading Online Forums instead.
 
Kid’s asleep.

New gaming rig is here.

Internet connection upgraded.

Borderlands 3 installed.

Pizza in the oven and ice cream in the freezer.

I know it’s an old meme, but:
fuck-yeah-aww-yeah-l-1_copy.jpg
 
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