Mild to middlin' life complaints (mine and yours)

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Too mild for the Pit, I hope:

I know a lot of people are having some pretty tough times right now. And I know that I have been greatly blessed in the life I have, be it by God or fate or random chance. So I haven’t bitched about my sitch because I’m afraid people will be like, You think YOU have problems??? I’m WAY worse off that that! And I’m not being flip when I say I know that, and I respect it. Things could be way worse for me; I know it.

But still . . . life is sorta sucking at the moment, you know? I pretty much hate my job, but I can’t quit it because then I can’t pay my mortgage. (Chorus: At least you HAVE a job!) So I’ve put my house up for sale, but I think we’re all pretty much aware of how great an idea THAT is in this economy. (Chorus: At least you HAVE a house!) And if I do succeed in selling my house and can quit my job, I would then do . . . what, exactly? Get another job like this one? I’m ever so in love with this one. Go back to what I was doing before, even if it meant another long-distance move? Do I WANT to make another long-distance move?

I wish I knew, not just what I was going to do, but what I WANTED to do. I’m not used to not having a plan, and I don’t think I’m very good at it. I know I need to tunnel out of where I am now, and I’m working on that, but I don’t know how long the tunnel will be or where it’s going to come out, and it’s bumming me out. Because in the meantime, it’s pretty dark down here.

Anyway. Feel free to add whatever is a drag in your life currently, but that isn’t really The Big One. (You hope.) And sincere good thoughts to all of you dealing with bigger problems than mine, I know a lot of people are.

2

My thoughts are with ya, Jodi. Not that that will do any damn good, but I’m thinking about you. :slight_smile:

My job is up in the air - has been since around March - and the changes keep coming. Now they think we’ll hear something in June. Who knows. We have NO idea what’s going to happen next - every paycheck I get is dear. They keep telling us one thing, then another, then someone quits, then someone is reassigned - it makes me sick to my stomach just coming in in the morning.

My husband, he works for himself. Remodeling/kitchens/baths/carpentry - and when people can’t even afford gas, how can they remodel their homes? He has a couple things going on, but they’re few and far between. And the price of gas being what it is, the farther away his jobs, the less he makes.

So we’re stressed to the max. To compound that, my brother in law just had prostate cancer surgery, my mother in law fell the night before mother’s day and broke her shoulder and we’re the closest to her (had to break into her apartment two weeks ago at 6:00 AM and break down the door since she had her chain lock on and rescue her when she fell out of bed and couldn’t get up), and my brother in law and his girlfriend both got fired and can’t collect unemployment. Oh - and my stepson may be moving in with us from Minnesota in a couple weeks. And I almost forgot - my son graduates high school June 1st and we have a huge party to throw for 20 people May 31st for his 18th birthday party/graduation from HS. My mom will be here from Arizona for all that.

So far, the dog seems to be healthy - I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

It ain’t easy being me these days.

3

The decision to change. That’s what my wife and I are dealing with now. She got a job 50 miles away. So that’s 100 miles a day. In her car she can make it until Friday morning to fill up again, and I drive over the weekend. We have to decide whether or not to leave CT and move to Rhode Island - which it looks like we are going to do. Or stay where we call home and commute for a million dollars a month in gas. I recently went into business for myself and luckily I am in a field where demand for my expertise is high - I work in the Green Industry: Building, maintaining, designing sustainable green houses, condos, yards you name it. But in the end I still work from home - and nothing is guaranteed.

Lame but real rant.

4

My husband doesn’t seem to be able to deal with being employed. He has had about seven jobs in the last nine years, and within a few days or weeks of working at each one, he decides “this place sucks/it’s just a giant clusterfuck” and starts whining about quitting. He’s fifty-six years old.

He just started a new one with awesome benefits this morning. I just got off the phone with him - “this place sucks - I’m going to look for a different job.” I’m getting very, very, very, very tired of it. To the point where I’m starting to look for an apartment of my own so I don’t have to deal with it anymore.

5

I just deleted everything I wrote because it sounded stupid. Ignore me.

Carry on. :smack:

6

We have had a run of bad luck lately but all of them financial things so I consider it not as bad as it could be. It’s just money.

First unexpected car repairs on Sauron’s car.

Then my car had to have 4 new tires.

Then our air conditioner went out. This is a bad thing when it’s 87 in Alabama and you are 8 months pregnant.

Then our washing machine broke.

All this in the course of 4 months time. Total unexpected bills that we are not in a position to just go out and handle with this new baby right around the corner. They got taken care of but it’s going to be a burden for a few months.

BUT…my kids are healthy. I’m married to an amazing man. We are having a new baby who appears to be healthy. We both have jobs…we don’t always like them…but they pay these unexpected bills. We have a host of good friends and our faith is strong.

I was pretty frustrated about all this over the weekend but I strongly believe that if I’m willing to take the blessings and good stuff that God sends my way then I need to be willing to accept that sometimes bad stuff will happen too. It’s part of it.

My grandmother used to always say that if bad things kept happening then you must be living right and be close to God because that’s when Satan attacks you the strongest. I find some truth in this.

Keep on keeping on and look for that window that will open up somewhere when you least expect it. :slight_smile:

7

I broke a nail.

8

I’m a dirt-poor college student (chorus: but you’re a year from graduating! With honors!). I’m also chronically dateless, save for a drunken one-nighter a few nights ago (chorus: some people don’t even get that much action in their entire lives!). I also work at a job that’s wearing on me fast and can’t afford a car (chorus: but you can afford college! And most people don’t like their jobs! Get over yourself!).

Sure, life isn’t all that bad, but I would rather be somewhere else right now. I comfort myself with the thought that ten years from now, I’ll have some genuine sufferings that make what I’m going through seem like the best years of my life (or so I’m told).

9

Gloom, despair, and agony on me! (oooooOOOOOOoooohhhh)
Deep, dark depression, excessive misery! (oooooOOOOOOoooohhhh)
If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all! (oooooOOOOOOoooohhhh)
Gloom, despair, and agony on me!

Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

OK, not really. Some financial and situational angst, but I’m hanging on to my mantra of “This too shall pass.” Spousal and puppy therapy also work wonders.

10

Hey Jodi, I empathise. I am so sick and tired of people telling me I have the “perfect” job for a lawyer. It doesn’t matter that it’s perfect, or that plenty of lawyers would love to have it, I’m simply bored and not challenged.

I started working on a project with sibs/bf and it has me excited for the first time in years. I’m also actively working on changing fields. The two are semi-related, though we’re still in a phase 1 R&D mode so I can’t talk about it too much.

I hope you find a way out of your conundrum.

11

I can’t really complain about life, but I do have a moderate cold. Also jobless and mostly friendless (returned to the nest after college graduation and didn’t grow up here in Orlando).

Still, nothing I can’t handle. My family house needs work so that will be my job until I find work in Japan to be with my GF again. I like my parents and this cold ain’t so bad.

Sorry I know this thread was supposed to be doom and gloom, but I’m just not good at it.

Here’s a line of sad faces in penance:

:frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning: :frowning:

12

Oh let me join in the chorus.

Despite dropping the price to the point we will lose money, our house in KC isn’t selling. Oh but you HAVE a house!

Rent is INSANE in Boston! *But at least you can afford it. *

Despite me working my connections and network like a champ, I cannot find a job in my field in Boston. Oh but you still get work in KC, AND your husband is well employed.

Grumble grumble moan moan. And tomorrow I have to fly BACK to KC to finish prepping for the final move to Boston. And yes, I know, we are really truly fortunate because we have a relocation packag.

13

I’m trying to relocate so that my fiance can go to school and get work in his field, but I need to find a job with benefits in the area (4 states away) before we can finalize plans. I had 2 interviews a week and a half ago (2 interviews out of 6 applications sent out- poor baby) and they both were great.

Now, however, the the one that I was head over heels for seems to be brushing me off- they said in the interview that they’d have a decision by last Friday, I called today and now they’re “still checking references” and will “let everyone know on Friday.” (only a week delay? Most people get kept on the string for Months!)

The other one, which was nice, but not as ideal called me last Thursday to set up another interview, but then after I made my train reservations they want to back off until next week for scheduling reasons. (But they want you back! what are you complaining about?) I had a few apartments lined up to look at, too, which I had to cancel- can’t make the 8-hour train ride just to look at apartments if I don’t even have a lead on a job!

Also, I spent the weekend sorting through stuff, packing up to move- we have to leave our apartment even if we stay in town- and I found a whole bunch of unopened mail from the last month- I guess we’ve been more distracted than I realized. Apparently my insurance refused to pay for the anesthesia for my wisdom teeth, so I owe the dentist like $500, which I don’t mind, he did an amazing job, but now it’s 2 months overdue! Also, the state comptroller seems to think I owe a whole bunch of money for back taxes from when I was a student and not even a full time resident. And I am 3 months overdue on a student loan that I thought had been consolidated.

I’m making more $$ than I ever have (not that much in a general sense, but let’s just say I pay about 25% of my take-home income for housing, as opposed to more than 50% a year ago in the same apartment, so I’m in OK shape) but I’ve become completely disorganized and unable to deal with adult tasks like opening the mail and remembering to pay all the bills. I feel like I’m falling apart here!

Also, wedding planning sucks. People keep asking me to make decisions on issues I just do not care about! Flowers? We’re going to be in a tent, more or less outside, in gorgeous countryside- who needs more? And if one more person asks me “where’s the ring”… we’ll, I won’t do anything, they don’t mean to upset me, they’re trying to be nice. But that’s the worst of it- I feel like a bunch of people are bending over backward to make us happy, when we really just want to have a great big party to show our families how much they all mean to us.

14

I’m in the chorus too!

My job is working me at minimum 50 hour weeks, usually closer to 70–and I’m salaried no overtime (at least you have a job!). I have a chronic cold I can’t shake for more than a few days at a time (at least it’s not cancer!). The poly/swing scene in my town is deader than Michael Jackson’s career, and I’m too nice to go trolling for normals to date (at least you have a wonderful wife!). The power company screwed up my billing the other week and turned off my power for three days with no notice after I paid the bill within 5min of knowing about the billing problem (at least you can afford the “you didn’t pay” deposit to turn it back on).

Hey, that was kinda cathartic.

15

I feel small lately. As in, like, invisible to everyone who doesn’t matter. I know I shouldn’t care, but I miss having interaction with folks who don’t live in the same house as me. There’s a handful of Dopers who seem to actively like me, but I don’t think any of them are near enough to me for face-to-face, which is what I really crave.

No chorus for my bitching; I can’t sing. :slight_smile:

Sending happy thoughts and good vibes y’all’s way.

16

I have a great career, on which I’ve worked for many years. I’m happy with what I do, I look forward to going to work, and I can easily see myself retiring here, insert-your-deity-or-nondeity-of-choice-here willing.

I have wonderful friends who support me and challenge me and bitch-slap me around when needed.

I have great hobbies.

I’ve experienced losses recently, and they are difficult to handle, but I have support.

The biggest (mid)life crisis thing?

I never wanted children (and still don’t). And yet…I’m starting to wonder if I made the right decision not to have them.

I was married briefly and always thought that I was happy single. And yet…I find myself more and more noticing couples in the grocery store, in the park, at the camping locations I frequent, and am wanting, more and more, to be a part of a relationship. And knowing that my age makes that extremely unlikely, if not impossible, to happen.

Believe me, this isn’t a “woe, woe is me” thing, but it’s starting to bug me much more than before. I’m starting to be more aware of my alone-ness, and while most of the time my alone-ness is great, recently it’s becoming more loneliness than alone-ness. And there’s a difference.

17

On Friday I reopened a papercut.

:eek:

Ignore me too.

18

I don’t know you, but even in long threads when my eyes glaze over I read your posts because you usually have something either funny or interesting to say. So there.

19

Thanks, Sleeps! That makes me feel good. I’m always feeling like a bit of an awkward teenager in this place, mostly because my first bit of posting as a paid member was rather, erm, controversial. A lot of people developed rather strong negative opinions of me early on, so it seems that I’m always trying to “catch up to the cool kids” and prove myself worthy of the Doper moniker.

Still sending happy thoughts to everyone else! I hate not being able to do much to help folks with their problems, but I’m always open for those who need to vent.

20

Eh, could be worse, you could be an occasional-drive-by-posting lurker like me. I mean, I was big in the Mafia crowd for a while but then work ate me.