Rant Thread II - Page 260

Solumina · 09-19-2011, 05:31 PM

Damn MC, that's awful. Try to take it easy and hopefully you will feel better soon.

Tried something new with dinner tonight, cinnamon-maple pork loin with apples and onions. We both agreed that the pork loin was yummy but we disagreed about the apples and onions, I found them exceptional but Jake just kind of poked at them with his fork and decided that they were disgusting. Yet another thing that I like and he can't stand.

Fruitbat · 09-19-2011, 09:26 PM

crushed my god dam finger

Ben Lahnger · 09-20-2011, 06:23 AM

I got out of work last night nearly an hour late due to that last customer that took a while. Then my car died when I left to go home.

It stalled two blocks away from work just as I was about to turn onto a freeway entrance ramp, and I spent 10 minutes trying to get it to start up again while I was partially blocking the ramp with my emergency blinkers on and desperately hoping nobody rear-ended me. Then I got it to start, and I started driving it back to work to get it parked. It killed 3 more times on the way back, and each time it took a while to get it started again. And when it did start, it sputtered and hesitated like it wasn't getting enough gas, even when I was pumping the gas pedal madly.

So after a half hour of that I got it parked in front of my downtown store. I called another employee and got them to open the store this morning. Then I called a friend to come pick me up and drive me the 22 miles to my northwest side home.

So today I have to take a cab to the nearest Metro Park N Ride lot, then take a bus downtown. Then I'm going to get my car towed to the nearest garage and hope like hell this thing doesn't cost me a whole lot of money I don't have.

If this is an expensive repair, even a moderately expensive repair, it's gonna kill me because I don't know who I can afford not to pay at this point. Might be my cell phone bill ... and that will just screw with my job search, which was how I was going to dig out of the financial hole I'm in.

CRAP!

Solumina · 09-20-2011, 08:19 AM

Do you have relatively easy access to a library? They have public internet access so you could cut your home internet (though you may have to pay a cancellation fee). Also keep in mind that if it will be rather short term that you can put off things like gas and electricity as they have very low fees for late payment.

You can also look into unemployment, I know that you have a job but I think I remember you saying that you were being paid more than you are now so you should qualify as being underemployed. You may not and even if you do it may not pay much but it could help.

Grausamkeit · 09-20-2011, 10:33 AM

Holy shit, people!

*HUGZ* everyone

Ben, it's gonna cost money no matter what. We recently had to use my school money to fix the car(again!) and pay the phone bill(over $200, wtf???). So, yeah, disappoint about that. But, it's better to have a running car for work/college in the long run. It's gonna be tight, love. I'm right there with you.

Fru, ow! Is it actually crushed or just smashed from laying pipe?

MissC, goddamn. *hugz*

Ben Lahnger · 09-20-2011, 06:51 PM

Wolfie, you're right. It's all money, init? Thanks for the empathy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solumina

Do you have relatively easy access to a library? They have public internet access so you could cut your home internet (though you may have to pay a cancellation fee). Also keep in mind that if it will be rather short term that you can put off things like gas and electricity as they have very low fees for late payment.

You can also look into unemployment, I know that you have a job but I think I remember you saying that you were being paid more than you are now so you should qualify as being underemployed. You may not and even if you do it may not pay much but it could help.

Sol, I don't have a library anywhere near me. I have no cable TV, the electric is pretty cheap here, I just dropped the netflix to save another $8 a month ... and if I had to I could discontinue the internet at home and walk to one of the nearby restaurants that has it for free and use it for the price of a cup of coffee, but I'm trying to avoid that.

I got this job just in the nick of time ... after being on unemployment for about a year and a half, I had just received my LAST benefit check when I got hired. I'll have to work for a while before I'd qualify for any more UC benefits. It was a good idea though. Thank you for the kind thoughts.

I got the car to the garage, they didn't charge me anything to diagnose it = the valve cover gasket was leaking oil into the distributor cap, rotor, spark plug wires and spark plugs. They actually cleaned the distributor cap and rotor up enough that it would run decently again, but then quoted me $405 for parts, labor and oil change (because of course it's been leaking out) to fix it. None of the pricing seemed particularly high, but I just don't have all of that at once.

So I called my old mechanic (who lets me pay off his repair work in payments) and he offered to do it for less ($350 with the towing to his place). But since the first garage cleaned it up enough to be able to drive it there without the tow, I expect it should cost less than that. I dropped it off there tonight, and hope that they fix it tomorrow and I can pick it up on Thursday. Then I can pay off the repair over the next couple of paychecks.

The first garage did the diagnosis and got it running for no charge. I am going to have to get some work done there soon ... oil changes, routine maintenance, something ... and maybe refer a customer or two ... just to repay them for their kindness.

Solumina · 09-20-2011, 07:07 PM

At least as far as catastrophic car problems go $350 isn't too bad, especially if you're able to pay in installments. Hopefully this rough patch you're going through will be over soon.

Grausamkeit · 09-20-2011, 07:37 PM

Ben, it is all money and there never seems to be enough. That's the problem. If I were in a position to help you out like you've done for me in the past I would, love.

Fruitbat · 09-20-2011, 09:48 PM

MissC - shingles suck. Now you are going to have to call up your siblings and get them to haul their asses around to help your mum... Do it! You are overworked and stressed and a ton of other things. You need to look after yourself hun. mwah.

Sol - I hear you with the picky eating - I just give up cooking dinner for Mr Bat and tell him he has to fend for himself - heck he's old enough.. he doesn't like it but the alternative is listening to me bitch about how he never eats my cooking.

Oh and I had a friend who hated butter/margarine but loved apple crumble - until the day he saw his wife making it (butter, flour, sugar).. never went near it again.

Ben - Oh dude, if it's not raining its pouring. Glad it wasn't anything major with the car. Maybe you should get a book from the library on car repairs, and do your own maintence. Changing oil in old cars is pretty easy, even i've done it a few times and I'm not that engine savvy.

Oh and if it makes you feel any better Ben Mr Bat was doing something on our BMW, flattened the battery, which in turn screwed the alternator and $1800 later the car was on the road again (thank god for warranties)...

Graus - i was closing the gate, after backing the trailer down the block. The posts have been backed in before, and are sheered off just above the concrete, so I have to practically lift the whole fence, while wiggling it to line it up to close it, anyway I was holding the fence, and trying to drop this guilotine type closer (made of metal) and my stupid index finger got in the way, as the closer slammed down, so it was crushed. I have a purple spot on it and the tip is still really sore. Babybat was around so I was mouthing the word "fuckenjesusfuckenchristfuckfuckfuckityfuck" and out loud I managed a crapola.

Master 2.5 was all "mummy hurt? Me see?" and then he kissed my finger better and of course I had to be all "Oh thanks honey, that feels so much better"

So I texted Mr Bat and told him I needed him to come home early (because I'm the biggest woose in the world)... I do wonder sometimes, because I act full of bravado and crap and then the next minute I'm all "Oh gee, I've broke a nail/got a papercut/need a big squishy hug/being a prissy little princess." I don't know what I was expecting Mr Bat to do, I'm way more practical than he is, although he does look better in the nurses uniform... meeeoooww...

Ben Lahnger · 09-21-2011, 01:26 AM

Sol, yes, that's true ... and I am grateful.

Wolfie, I know you would help if you could, hun. As it is, it seems like I HAVE been given a lot of help from a variety of people ... folks that tried to advise me the night the car broke down, the ones who helped me push it into a parking lot, the co-worker who switched shifts with me, the folks who got it running well enough to drive to my old mechanic, the ex-girlfriend who has given me a ride home for two nights in a row (and probably tomorrow night as well) and of course my old, reliable mechanic.

And while today has been a day full of worry and stress, it helps much when I remember to hold an attitude of gratitude.

Fruitbat, my Nissan Sentra is jealous of your BMW ... and it's warranty! LOL! ... I am so sorry to hear about your finger, and hope it heals fast.

MissCheyenne, I got over the tunnel-vision of the immediacy of my personal problem and saw your post. I don't think I have any real concept of what kind of pain and discomfort Shingles puts you through, but I hope never to know. I am so sorry to hear that you're going through this. Did your doctor tell you there's a stress component to why people break out in shingles? Did he suggest you needed to remove yourself from your stressful situation as much as possible ... and rest?

I'm with Fruitbat ... now's the time to lay into the family members who have seemed disinterested in helping your mom. Because people I know who have contracted Shingles don't go to work ... and they sure don't assist with other people's health care needs ... because they are largely incapacitated by the illness. You should tell your wayward family members that they need to step up and care for your mother for a bit ... because YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO.

I sincerely hope you recover soon. Once again, with this and all the related things that have been happening to you and your mother, you are in my thoughts.

MissCheyenne · 09-21-2011, 02:08 AM

Thanks for the concern everyone. Luckily for me, it's been caught in the very early stages so the doctor has been able to give me tablets for the pain and some anti viral medication so I'm not doing too bad at the minute. The rash is tiny right now and the doctor is hopeful that the anti virals will stop it spreading since it was spotted so early. It turned out that I also have a raging ear infection (again the doctor suspects it's been brought on by stress as the ear thing is a recurring problem), so I also have anitbiotic spray for that. However, I am doing ok, hopefully since it was spotted early on, I won't get any complications with it and should be back to 100% very soon

Versus · 09-21-2011, 10:30 AM

The last few days have been pretty shitty for me.

Fruitbat · 09-21-2011, 02:36 PM

MissC... and you are going to get your siblings to help you with your mother I hope.... Sweetie, it's all stress, you get run down, you are more vulnerable to viruses et al... You can't do everything. Ask for help. Please

Ben Don't be envious of the BMW - it costs $100 everytime I fill the tank

($1.64/L) It's an awesome car but it's a PITA because I worry about people scratching it in carparks etc.. I miss my old bomb (Ford Falcon station wagon). Man I had some good times in that car

Ask the mechanic if changing the gasket will cause other problems - with the increase in pressure. I always found that whenever we changed gaskets, the problem went right through the engine - and we had to change a lot of gaskets - BUT then back in the day, we had gasket paper, gasket goo and would change our own gaskets (which wasn't that hard). it's a shame you can't car pool with your ex, and save the money.

I no nothing of your personal finances, but what I do when money is really tight, is to track all my expenses for a week, and then sit down at the end of it and work out if the expense was worth it/the reason for the expense.

E.g.
Coffee - $5 (needed to stay awake, but should have bought my own from home)
Lunch - $10 (could have brought my own)
Chocolate - $2 (stress made me do it. go for a walk instead)
Petrol - $40 (needed it to get to work, will drive better, explore car pool/public transport)

And then the next week try to avoid those splurges and sometimes, I'll put the money into a moneybox or hide it somewhere in the house.. In the example above, i could have saved $17 in one day.

Sorry for telling you how to suck eggs.

Versus or should I say Kitty hair. Hugs dude. Sorry to hear the last few days have been shit. It will get better. PM me if you wanna talk, or just vent or whatever

Saya · 09-21-2011, 02:40 PM

I think caffeine might be a trigger for my anxiety. In Mandarin class she was calling on us to speak or answer questions or translate something, and all the things she asked me was easy, but I haven't really practiced the last set of characters we were supposed to learn so I was afraid she was going to ask me something I didn't really know. So I got over worried for nothing and felt sick to my stomach for the rest of the day.

But talking to Kitten made me feel better <3

Fruitbat · 09-21-2011, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saya

I think caffeine might be a trigger for my anxiety. In Mandarin class she was calling on us to speak or answer questions or translate something, and all the things she asked me was easy, but I haven't really practiced the last set of characters we were supposed to learn so I was afraid she was going to ask me something I didn't really know. So I got over worried for nothing and felt sick to my stomach for the rest of the day.

But talking to Kitten made me feel better <3

Caffiene causes your heart rate to increase, which is the first symptom in a panic attack. The increase in heart rate triggers the sweaty palms and increases your anxiety levels.

Which is why sometimes being prescribed beta blockers helps with anxiety - because it gets rid of the fast heart rate and you don't get the other symptoms (this is what the doc did for me with my fear of being couped up in a plane with 300 other people).

So control your heartrate and control your anxiety.

(or so the theory would go )

Ben Lahnger · 09-21-2011, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fruitbat

Ben ...

I no nothing of your personal finances, but what I do when money is really tight, is to track all my expenses for a week, and then sit down at the end of it and work out if the expense was worth it/the reason for the expense.

E.g.
Coffee - $5 (needed to stay awake, but should have bought my own from home)
Lunch - $10 (could have brought my own)
Chocolate - $2 (stress made me do it. go for a walk instead)
Petrol - $40 (needed it to get to work, will drive better, explore car pool/public transport)

And then the next week try to avoid those splurges and sometimes, I'll put the money into a moneybox or hide it somewhere in the house.. In the example above, i could have saved $17 in one day.

Sorry for telling you how to suck eggs.

Yeah, um I already make my own coffee every day. I don't eat out, I brown sack a couple of homemade sandwiches for lunch. In fact, the instant oatmeal I have for breakfast costs about $0.40 per meal, I spend less than a buck per meal for both lunch and supper. I don't have treats like pudding or other desserts. I don't live near public transport (as the last couple of days have made clear to me - taxi, bus and gas money for ex-girlfriend are costing me $18 a day because I don't have a car.)

I just cancelled netflix to save $8 a month, but that's where I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel. I really am not splurging on much of anything, but thanks for the suggestions.

M.Valdemar · 09-21-2011, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

Sol, yes, that's true ... and I am grateful.

Wolfie, I know you would help if you could, hun. As it is, it seems like I HAVE been given a lot of help from a variety of people ... folks that tried to advise me the night the car broke down, the ones who helped me push it into a parking lot, the co-worker who switched shifts with me, the folks who got it running well enough to drive to my old mechanic, the ex-girlfriend who has given me a ride home for two nights in a row (and probably tomorrow night as well) and of course my old, reliable mechanic.

And while today has been a day full of worry and stress, it helps much when I remember to hold an attitude of gratitude.

Fruitbat, my Nissan Sentra is jealous of your BMW ... and it's warranty! LOL! ... I am so sorry to hear about your finger, and hope it heals fast.

MissCheyenne, I got over the tunnel-vision of the immediacy of my personal problem and saw your post. I don't think I have any real concept of what kind of pain and discomfort Shingles puts you through, but I hope never to know. I am so sorry to hear that you're going through this. Did your doctor tell you there's a stress component to why people break out in shingles? Did he suggest you needed to remove yourself from your stressful situation as much as possible ... and rest?

I'm with Fruitbat ... now's the time to lay into the family members who have seemed disinterested in helping your mom. Because people I know who have contracted Shingles don't go to work ... and they sure don't assist with other people's health care needs ... because they are largely incapacitated by the illness. You should tell your wayward family members that they need to step up and care for your mother for a bit ... because YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO.

I sincerely hope you recover soon. Once again, with this and all the related things that have been happening to you and your mother, you are in my thoughts.

Keep this up and you will immortalise your coolness.

Fruitbat · 09-22-2011, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Lahnger

Yeah, um I already make my own coffee every day. I don't eat out, I brown sack a couple of homemade sandwiches for lunch. In fact, the instant oatmeal I have for breakfast costs about $0.40 per meal, I spend less than a buck per meal for both lunch and supper. I don't have treats like pudding or other desserts. I don't live near public transport (as the last couple of days have made clear to me - taxi, bus and gas money for ex-girlfriend are costing me $18 a day because I don't have a car.)

I just cancelled netflix to save $8 a month, but that's where I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel. I really am not splurging on much of anything, but thanks for the suggestions.

Sorry to hear that Ben... It totally sucks. For the record, I love oatmeal.. Hang in there... it will all change. Everything does.

Saya · 09-22-2011, 05:35 PM

Got paid today, have to buy text books I've been putting off buying, and getting a monthly bus pass, I'll have like fifty dollars left for the next two weeks. Fuck.

CarrionCorpse · 09-23-2011, 10:06 AM

I wish I had money, just so I didn't have to worry about not having money.

Valhalla · 09-23-2011, 06:44 PM

Someone broke into the house today while I was asleep. I forgot to lock the door when I came home early from school (since I was sick), and someone just walked in a couple hours later and stole my mom's laptop. I was asleep, I woke up when I thought I heard something. It was kind of like a bang, possibly a door closing.

I'm really paranoid and think someone broke into my house once a month or so. So I figured I was just being paranoid like always, but locked my bedroom door for piece of mind (because I was too nervous to go check the house), and went back to bed.

We've only been moved into this new house a couple weeks and this happens. It's left me really shaken up.

Kasdeja · 09-23-2011, 07:43 PM

Sorry to hear that, Valhalla... my brother's house was broken into a few years ago, just after he moved in. Too many meth-heads in PDX.

Saya · 09-23-2011, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valhalla

Someone broke into the house today while I was asleep. I forgot to lock the door when I came home early from school (since I was sick), and someone just walked in a couple hours later and stole my mom's laptop. I was asleep, I woke up when I thought I heard something. It was kind of like a bang, possibly a door closing.

I'm really paranoid and think someone broke into my house once a month or so. So I figured I was just being paranoid like always, but locked my bedroom door for piece of mind (because I was too nervous to go check the house), and went back to bed.

We've only been moved into this new house a couple weeks and this happens. It's left me really shaken up.

shit, I'm so sorry. I have a friend who lives up around the Blackmarsh Road area and she got broken into twice in the last year, and when I lived in the Crosbie Road apartments, I was friends with these guys down the hall, and someone broke into one of their rooms and stole two guitars after he left the window open, but he was home. Assholes are pretty brazen about just waltzing in!

Did you contact the RNC yet?

Ben Lahnger · 09-24-2011, 06:48 AM

I paid $200 toward the $430 auto repair bill on Thursday morning and drove my car to work, closed the store and drove it home that night. Drove to work in the morning yesterday and ran errands, then drove from work to the Walmart by my house after 8:00pm. After I parked it there to go shopping, the car refused to crank over and the electrical system was dead.

I was so frustrated I couldn't even think straight about it. I got permission to leave the car parked in the Walmart parking lot overnight and walked home.

So now I'm going to walk back over there and see if it cranks today. If not, I have roadside assistance so I can get it jump started, and I'm going to try to get it back to my mechanic. But damn, I don't have the money a battery is going to cost, and heaven forbid it's something more seriously wrong with the electrical system.

If I have to pay for something else, I'll be choosing between putting gas in my car or eating this next week. And gas will probably win, so I can keep going to the job I can't afford to work at.

I just need a break. Something has to go right here.

Ben Lahnger · 09-24-2011, 10:18 AM

I think I caught that break. The car started, and I was able to drive it to my mechanic. He says the alternator is working fine, and the battery is just old. If I don't run anything electrical when the engine isn't running, and make sure everything is off when I start it, I should be able to get through a couple paydays until I can afford to replace the battery.

So, I can afford to eat AND get gas this week. (Sounds like a commercial for my favorite Mexican restaraunt... heh!)