And here's your Dec. rants thread - Merry Christbitchmas!

The BBQ Pit
101

Thanks, **flatlined & Rick. The thing that bugs me the most about Dipshit the second is that while DS2’s spouse lived with us for a couple of years in high school, we all lost touch and only re-connected a few months ago. Mom & Dad kicked brother out of the house about a month before the whole brain bleed thing, and brother went to live with DS2 and spouse. They had him all of a week before they decided they could not put up with him and called Mom & Dad to come get him. So I don’t know why DS2 is all in my face over updates and concerned as if he’s family.

(**Mom & Dad got him, and took him to another friend’s place. Bro crashed there for a week, then came to folk’s place ‘to watch the ballgame on a good tv’. He was still at Mom & Dad’s when the brain bleed happened.)

102

I’m so sorry, Mom of Andrew.

After that, I feel so petty posting any minirants. But I shall be petty, just because I feel like whining.

Usually, I decorate the house for Yule (I’m pagan, get off my ass) the day after Thanksgiving, but this year I was out of town doing Very Important Stuff that I totally enjoyed. I do not regret that at all.

But my house has none of the usual decorations, and I am missing them. So, whine whine whine. I’ll try to get to the decorations, but the Very Important Stuff is taking up most of my time, so I don’t know when.

#FirstWorldProblems.

103

I’ve found that the ones who are not close are the ones who are the most demanding. Its like they have to show how much they care now that things are bad.

I have done several death watches. I’ll give you more hugs, but will say that the best thing you can say on the phone is, I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now. Something has come up, check out the website for more info.

I’m so very sorry you are dealing with this. More hugs happen.

104

Hugs, Mom of Andrew. Being a realist is sometimes the hardest task.

105

I second this - you and your family need to take care of yourselves right now, and you don’t owe these people anything. You don’t need extra hassles from idiots.

106

I got to do it.

Customer has a really insignificant issue that I really won’t get into the details about, but he’s hot and screaming. I offer to completely replace his unit, but that isn’t good enough for him and he’s demanding cash for his time and effort in addition to what I’ve offered. I tell him straight out that isn’t going to happen*, but I’m still happy to replace the unit. He then threatens to come to our building and physically assault our CEO and shove one of his components up my ass. Naturally, I’m less that sympathetic to this line of reasoning and I tell him I can’t work with him when he’s threatening violence and I’ll have to report the threat.

He then gets all butthurt about how I don’t want to deal with him now that he’s made threats and starts demanding to speak to higher ups saying that he will tell them that I’ve said things I didn’t say. Sure pal, great incentive for me to do that, right? Forget the fact that I don’t have someone above me to take your call anyway, but even if there was, I’m not going “ok, let me get my boss” when you clearly announce your intention to LIE about what has been happening and you’ve made criminal threats.

He launches into “Let me tell you something, you fucking son of a bitch!”

I calmly say "No, let me tell you something. I have this little button. It makes you go away." <click>

:smiley:

Made me feel better, anyway. I mean seriously, threatening to come to our building and assault both me and our CEO? Over something really minor that happened before he ever got to me and I’m trying to help him with? By procedure I should have alerted my management and had the cops standing by just in case, but given that he was in another state, I had to figure it’s just stupidity.

  • As I tell people; Does your Doctor pay you for sitting in the waiting room? Does your car dealership pay you while you’re waiting for your car? No? Then don’t expect we’re going to pay you for your time either. The real world doesn’t work that way. You’re paying for our tech support, we don’t pay you.
107

I don’t know what happened to my forks. I have a fuckton of spoons and a heap of knives. I don’t know where my forks are. It’s not a huge problem but wtf happened to my forks?

108

Has SG been visiting?

109

So, the club I’m in is running a one day convention- we’d started arranging it months ago; it’s not a massive deal to organise, as we know half the people that are in it, and it’s on University property, run by a Uni club, so the venue is simple and free.
We agreed, months ago, that I was organising the door volunteers, someone else was running the show, and another girl -let’s call her ‘Jen’- was organising the workshops.

Last year, I was in a performance group, where the person in direct charge of the group was ‘Jen’. I’ve been friends with her for a few years, and we’ve finally just about got to the point where I can speak to her without wanting to slap her- unlike the psycho-mini-hitler she turned into during this group. It wound up with over half the group dropping out simply because they couldn’t face dealing with her, until the overall organiser stepped in, and took over just before all of the rest of us dropped out as well.

So why do I get an email today, saying that anyone who wants to volunteer in any capacity should contact ‘Jen’?

The silly bint will almost certainly remember something like ‘Oh, Filbert said she’d help’, and start bossing me around again if I give her half a chance- well, sorry. I was looking forward to this, but the options are: we keep on as we were, with me organising volunteers, or I am not involved.

I’m a bit pissed off at the guys who actually run the club (who will both be a bit too busy with uni work to do more than book room, as they’ve said) for letting her do this. You both know about the debacle this summer, and letting her take over really will not give you an easy life in the long run. Oh, and just because you slept with her does not make her capable of organising a piss-up at a brewery. Dude, everyone’s slept with her. (Not saying this is a bad thing in itself, but seriously, one of them seems to think they still have a ‘special relationship’. She fucked you a couple of times, then dumped you via Facebook because she wanted to try someone else. She might have been your first girlfriend, and she might mean a lot to you, but that does not go both ways, it’s time you realised that.)

Ugh, hopefully I’ll see the other guy tonight, who did not send the email and is the only person who can ‘pull rank’ on her (being the one who’s booking the venue)- and see if I can talk him into at least pretending to be in charge, and re-delegating. If not- I’m not involved.

110

That is so sweet. However, this one has a happy ending. Once I stopped freaking out, I pulled out my Christmas planning sheet from two years ago (the last time I made Christmas dinner). The spreadsheet contained all the dishes I should make (leaving out pease pudding as only my parents like it, blech), what pot on the stove it goes in, what dish to serve it in and what utensil to serve it with. Additionally, there is a grocery list on the next sheet. I also have a plan to get all the wrapping done (decorating done yesterday with my gimping about and ordering my daughter around).

I forgot that my super-power is organization. My husband calls me LOGIC GIRL!

My new rant is that parents are assholes. I invited 8 kids to my son’s birthday party. One declined, 5 accepted. Okay so I am going to have between 6 and 8 kids (including my son). I order food and make loot bags accordingly.

TWO kids show up. TWO. And worse, one kid gave my son money and the other gave him clothes. That’s right, he did not get a toy at his birthday party (he’s 7 btw).

Luckily, he is such a laid back kid (sometimes, I check for a pulse) he didn’t care. He got to have pizza, cake and ice cream and do a craft so he was happy. We then went to Grandma’s so any sting was removed there.

111

TheKid turned 18 today.
I feel old.

I need bifocals (never did get around to getting them last year), just found out I have the start of arthritis in my neck (to go along with the arthritis I already have in my left knee), and I just started taking blood pressure meds after years of being able to manage it naturally (thank you kidney disease!).

wah

112

Oh god don’t I know it. Last year we had one kid show up when several had said they would and he had a meltdown every time he was not the center of attention (he being the guest, not the birthday boy). Most awkward birthday party ever.

This year I held it at the bowling alley because I have no inclination for that again and I figured we could just bowl and have fun if no one showed up. I had four confirmations (five kids), one last minute cancellation (so three kids) and then four actually show up. Thankfully the bowling alley allowed me to pay once I knew exactly how many were there so it cost a lot less than I estimated it to be. It went a lot better than last year.

113

Fuck! “How are your folks doing?” is the most pointless, stupid, idiotic question out there. They’re waiting for their son to die. How do you think they are doing?!?

::deep breath:: Okay. Glad I got that out. Now, seriously, what mindless and empty phrase can I use to answer this mindless and empty question? I’ve used, “They’re resigned – and waiting for the end” but this is not upbeat enough to be socially acceptable. I don’t care, myself, but my folks do. Dad’s a preacher, so I could say, “We’re leaving it in the Lord’s hands.” That usually gets most people to STFU because there’s not a lot of places to take the conversation from there. The downside is sometimes they want to pray with you right then on the phone.

Any suggestions for socially acceptable phrases are welcome. Bonus points for ones that can have a private meaning. (Example: a phrase we use in my family is, “I can’t argue with that logic”. The (unspoken) rest of the phrase is “because I can’t find that logic”. Anything where I know I’m calling them an idiot but most people won’t.) It’s not a “need answer fast” situation, but word has finally gotten out around the town where bro went to high school. So we’re getting a lot of people calling who just know “he’s in the hospital and it’s serious” not “we’re waiting for him to die”

Thank Og for the Dope. If I couldn’t vent here I’d be saying stuff my folks would feel the need to apologize over for the rest of their lives.

114

I think I’d go with, “They’re doing as well as can be expected.” I agree that it’s kind of a stupid question; sort of like when they stick a mike in someone’s face on camera after they’ve been involved in a tragedy - “How do you feel about your entire family being killed by a massive house fire?” “Well, I’m not thrilled about it, as you can imagine.” I think people just do it because they don’t know what else to say, and they want to show that they care and they’re thinking about you.

115

Oh Mom-Of-Andrew, I am so sorry…

How about saying “They’re doing as well as can be expected” or just a a shrug and a non-committal face, then change the subject.
ETA - Heh, Cat Whisperer beat me to it…

116

I love how I’m subtly being punished by the world for not having children. My bf and I are having some hard times right now. We’re looking for assistance. Nope, not unless you have kids.

Fuck you, people without kids can have hard times and need assistance too. Fortunately I finally found the right string to pull and we’ve got some help. Not a whole lot, but it’ll be enough to get us through this rough patch.

117

Excellent =) And I don’t know very many people who do like pease pudding … so you can make something else to go on the table in its place =)

118

Cat Whisperer got it, but fuck having to be socially acceptable. I wouldn’t blame you if you kept telling them the truth; you should have to hear the real answer if you ask a question like that.

119

Hate to say yeah that but.. yeah that. It’s the sort of thing I might say since I tend to be unable to come up with something appropriate on my own (and very well might say something completely inappropriate which is my mortal fear). What am I supposed to say in such circumstances?

What you’re going through sucks but venting here at least relieves some of the stress right?

120

More than words can say. I really would go off on some of bro’s friends – not Mom & Dad’s friends, who can say the exact same meaningless thing but are sincere enough to be comforting. Bro’s friends (especially, but not limited to, Dipshits the first and the second) are just so needy right now. Sample conversation: Is there anything you need? No, thank you. The hospital is taking really good care of us. [end of convo w/ Mom & Dad’s friends – bro’s friends go on] No, really, there must be something you need. Believe me, if we had something you could do, I’d call you first. Well, can I bring you something by? (My Mom has a ‘hospital visiting bag’ with more snacks and supplies than the supply room on this wing) No, I think we’re covered. Really, I’ll call if we think of something. * Are you suuuuure?* Yes, thank you, I’m sure.

You know how you can be in absurd situation so long or so completely you start to think it’s normal and you’re the one having a bad reaction to it? I can come to the Dope and half a dozen people will say, “No, you’re right, they are being rude/ idiots/ batshit insane” You all are keeping me grounded. And having a safe place to vent without censoring thoughts or language is a huge help. Dad’s a preacher – I’m the ‘good girl’ preacher’s daughter who made good grades and stayed away from drugs. (Boys are another story) Mom & Dad need to see me like that right now.