# Everything's broken. Everything sucks. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 3, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721 "2005-06-03T14:31:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/1 "2005-06-03T14:31:08Z")
I seem to have the Midas touch, only in reverse. Everything I touch lately seems to turn to shit. In late December I bought a model train set. Since then I’ve bought a bunch of accessories. I’ve spent well over $1000 on it. And the fucking thing won’t work. I’ve tried a process of elimination approach, altering only one variable at a time, but it seems that whenever I’ve narrowed it down to component X, component X suddenly works and component Y seems broken. I’ve cleaned, I’ve oiled, and and I’ve rewired, and yet unlike Mussolini, I can’t get my trains to run on time. Or at all. I’ve spent $1000 on junk. My computer is broken. It started with extreme slowdowns and lockups, in which mouse clicks would be delayed by up to as much as 20 minutes, while the hard drive grinds away. After defragging and checkdisking, now I can’t even boot up without the motherfucker crashing. I spent several hours last night trying to fix it (mostly watching in astonishment as it just froze), and it’s worse than ever. Oh, and to you idiot Mac heads who are about to say “Get a Mac, they never break”, get bent. I’d shoot you, except I’d probably break the gun as well. Ya can’t win for losin’, I tells ya… My teeth are broken. I brush, I floss, and yet I still owe the dentist $2300 for an implant that will likely fail anyway. $2300 that I don’t have and I’ll likely never see. And that is not including the crown that I’ll need, nor does it include the 7 cavities that I need filled and the root canal that I need yesterday. I can’t pay for this shit. And it seems like my teeth are just getting worse. I’ll be needing dentures by the age of 44. Not that I can afford them. And even if I get them, I’ll probebly break them. “Eat less, exercise more” is the mantra that the anti-fatties of the board love to espouse. Go fuck yourselves. I’ve been eating less. I’ve been exercising everyday. And I’m fatter than ever. I’m a fat, toothless, trainless moron with no computer. And on top of all that, I can’t seem to write a Pit thread lately that doesn’t make me sound like a complete loony. Fuck life. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/2 "2005-06-03T14:33:51Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > And on top of all that, I can’t seem to write a Pit thread lately that doesn’t make me sound like a complete loony. Well, this pit thread doesn’t make you sound like a complete loon. Regarding the model train, have you looked for a message board or discussion list dedicated to them? Model railroaders tend to be fanatical loons, and I’d be surprised if they couldn’t help you out. There may even be a local club you could look into… ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/3 "2005-06-03T14:38:20Z")
I have a feeling you’re going to get moved to MPSIMS with the new “must be awful” rules. All the same, much sympathy to you, **tdn**. If you were closer I’d make you some _rotis_. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/4 "2005-06-03T14:57:18Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > All the same, much sympathy to you, **tdn**. If you were closer I’d make you some _rotis_. And that’s another thing. You’re engaged! To someone other than me! Does the shit ever stop? **Metacom** I’ve looked. I don’t seem to have much luck finding any users groups. Maybe I’m not looking hard enough. Surely some must be out there. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/5 "2005-06-03T15:12:11Z")
Hmmm. See if your dentist likes model trains… ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/6 "2005-06-03T15:14:27Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > **Metacom** I’ve looked. I don’t seem to have much luck finding any users groups. Maybe I’m not looking hard enough. Surely some must be out there. Have you tried asking around at hobby/model railroad shops? They’d know. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/7 "2005-06-03T15:23:09Z")
Ummm, not to piss into the already overflowing septic tank that you seem to think your life has become, but how can you justify spending a thousand bucks on a hobby when you owe the dentist so much money - and will owe him more shortly? > [@](#): > > I seem to have the Midas touch, only in reverse. Everything I touch lately seems to turn to shit. Poetically known as _The Fecal Touch_. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/8 "2005-06-03T15:26:57Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > Ummm, not to piss into the already overflowing septic tank that you seem to think your life has become, but how can you justify spending a thousand bucks on a hobby when you owe the dentist so much money - and will owe him more shortly? Maybe because he thinks having a lot of fun with an occaisonal toothache is better then toothache-free ennui? **tdn** can prioritize his spending however the fuck he wants. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/9 "2005-06-03T15:30:56Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > Ummm, not to piss into the already overflowing septic tank that you seem to think your life has become, but how can you justify spending a thousand bucks on a hobby when you owe the dentist so much money - and will owe him more shortly? The sequence of events: 1. I bought the trains. 2. All the teeth in my head rotted out. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/10 "2005-06-03T15:31:47Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > Ummm, not to piss into the already overflowing septic tank that you seem to think your life has become, but how can you justify spending a thousand bucks on a hobby when you owe the dentist so much money - and will owe him more shortly? It’s already been stated, but we all need whatever we can to make us happy. at Also, I’m pretty sure the bad news came as a shock, and \*after \* he’d already spent the money. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/11 "2005-06-03T15:34:40Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > Maybe because he thinks having a lot of fun with an occaisonal toothache is better then toothache-free ennui? That’s a nice theory, but with one slight flaw: The trains are not fun! ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/12 "2005-06-03T15:36:45Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > Maybe because he thinks having a lot of fun with an occaisonal toothache is better then toothache-free ennui? > > **tdn** can prioritize his spending however the fuck he wants. It’s a valid question that I’m sure most of the board was wondering. If you’re gonna whine in a public place about being broke and about all the expensive but nonessential crap you just bought that doesn’t work, you’re gonna get questions. That said, sounds like **tdn** got kinda screwed on that front. My sympathies, that’s happened to me where I thought I was in the clear and OK for a little splurge and then a huge, unexpected expense came up. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/13 "2005-06-03T15:38:36Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > That’s a nice theory, but with one slight flaw: The trains are not fun! Such things are often retroactively fun. Once you get it all working and built and looking good, you’ll forget all the agonizing frustration and look back at the experience fondly. And then your teeth will start hurting. 😉 And if it _really_ isn’t fun, and you want to get rid of it, you can always part out what you’ve bought on eBay and put the money into your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/14 "2005-06-03T15:40:48Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > It’s a valid question that I’m sure most of the board was wondering. If you’re gonna whine in a public place about being broke and about all the expensive but nonessential crap you just bought that doesn’t work, you’re gonna get questions. Yeah, and I suppose I should have cleared that up in the OP, but it didn’t seem relevant at the time. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have never spent the money on the trains. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/15 "2005-06-03T15:42:50Z")
> [@](#): > > The sequence of events: > > 1. I bought the trains. > > 2. All the teeth in my head rotted out. I disbelieve this. Are you seriously telling us that your teeth rotted out in the very short period of six months? There was nothing wrong with them in December? And today they’re rotted? Plus you have 7 additional cavities which formed in six months despite brushing and flossing? And a crown. And a root canal? Horse-fucking-shit. > [@](#): > > Maybe because he thinks having a lot of fun with an occaisonal toothache is better then toothache-free ennui? Occasional toothache? He’s got a lot more - and a lot worse - problems than a fucking “toothache.” > [@](#): > > It’s already been stated, but we all need whatever we can to make us happy. Great. I hope debt, creditor harassment, and watery soup makes him happy, too. Because it sounds like that’s where he’s headed. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/16 "2005-06-03T15:49:13Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > I disbelieve this. Are you seriously telling us that your teeth rotted out in the very short period of six months? There was nothing wrong with them in December? And today they’re rotted? Plus you have 7 additional cavities which formed in six months despite brushing and flossing? And a crown. And a root canal? Horse-fucking-shit. _sigh_ And on top of everything else, **UncleBeer** ’s being an ass. And I don’t feel like I need to explain myself to an ass. Nonetheless: Yes, the damage to my teeth was most likely done long before. But I wasn’t fully aware of it at the time. I bought the train stuff from December through March. I didn’t fully find out what my teeth would cost until last week. Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that my crystal ball is broken as well. But I’ll get my teeth fixed. I’ll get my trains fixed. I’ll get my computer fixed. You’ll still be an ass. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/17 "2005-06-03T15:55:37Z")
I think there’s something **tdn** isn’t telling us. . . He’s fat. His trains don’t work. His teeth are falling out. Clearly, he’s been trying to eat his trains. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/18 "2005-06-03T16:07:31Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > But I’ll get my teeth fixed. I’ll get my trains fixed. I’ll get my computer fixed. You’ll still be an ass. And here we have the time-honored tradition of looking down on the less fortunate to make ourselves feel better. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/19 "2005-06-03T16:10:55Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Clearly, he’s been trying to eat his trains. You’re way off track. I’d be loco to do something like that. But my train set does need some bridge work. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721/20 "2005-06-03T16:12:31Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > And here we have the time-honored tradition of looking down on the less fortunate to make ourselves feel better. 😉 Naw, I don’t look down on **UncleBeer**. He can’t help it. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/everythings-broken-everything-sucks/306721.md?page=2)