# My Sucky Summer **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425 "2006-07-21T01:32:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/1 "2006-07-21T01:32:52Z")
This has not been a good season for me. For the last year, my boyfriend, **SolGrundy** , has been working as an independent contractor for Disney’s Imagineering, doing something for DisneyWorld. It’s a really sweet job. The downside is, the last month of the project is playtesting it in situ, which means he’s got to spend all of August and a week of September in Florida. Which sucks, but it’s just a month (and change), right? Well, things started going to pot last month. **Sol** ’s dad had a stroke, and he spent most of June and all of July back home, helping out his family. The good news is his dad’s doing okay now. No mental impairment, and only minor physical impairment. He should be going home next week. Which is just in time for **Sol** to go to Florida. So out of three months, I’ve seen my boyfriend maybe four days. So, that’s pretty much suck right there. And then yesterday I found out that I’m getting laid off. Hasn’t happened officially yet. That’s not ‘til Monday, when they close down the entire QA department. But I carpool with my boss, and he told me yesterday what was going down on the ride home. He’s out of a job, too, and I think he just really wanted someone to talk about it with. Only thing is, I can’t tell anyone else yet. Today was the wierdest fuckin’ day. Everyone’s talking about stuff they need to get done next week. No one has a clue, except me, and I can’t say anything. “We’re getting new code next Wednesday,” someone will say, and I’ll think, “No you aren’t.” I didn’t do a damn thing today except read webcomics and post on the SDMB. What’re they going to do? Fire me? And I got to do it again tomorrow, although that’s only going to be a half day, thank God. But it also re-enforces how suck this lay-off is. I really like my job. The local management (the layoffs were handed down from the London office) is really cool. They provide a lot of perks: free meals, half-days with full-day pay when work is slow, they don’t hassel employees about petty bullshit like surfing non-work-related websites during business hours, just so long as we get our work done by the end of the day. It’s a really good enviroment. And I get along with all my co-workers. There’s no office politics or backstabbing or any crap like that. And the pay is pretty good by industry standards, too. It’s pretty much a guarantee that my next job is going to be a big step down in most, if not all, of these areas. And it’ll probably be a longer commute, too. So, yeah. Fuck. It’s not the worst thing that could happen. No one’s dead. I’ll get a new job. Eventually. My boyfriend will be back. Eventually. Things’ll go on. But goddammit, things suck right now. A lot. Shit. Is it autumn yet? ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/2 "2006-07-21T05:34:20Z")
Aw man. I’m sorry you’re having such a shitty summer. When it rains it pours, eh? That’s horrible about your job, was it the video game gig? Are there any competitors you can go to? It’s been awhile, lets catch up. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/3 "2006-07-21T06:07:15Z")
Bummer. Sorry about all the bad news, **Miller**. At least it sounds like you’ve got the right attitude: [QUOTE=Miller] So, yeah. Fuck. It’s not the worst thing that could happen. No one’s dead. I’ll get a new job. Eventually. My boyfriend will be back. Eventually. Things’ll go on. But goddammit, things suck right now. A lot. [/QUOTE] Are you SoCal or NorCal? I hadn’t noticed your location before. The job market up here isn’t the greatest, but seems to be getting better. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/4 "2006-07-21T06:49:03Z")
Man, I would be _so_ stealing pens. Even a photocopier, if I could swing it. But seriously, that sucks. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/5 "2006-07-21T07:38:46Z")
My company will be hiring QA in a couple of weeks when a few guys head back to school, but the culture isn’t as nice as yours - no paid lunch, no half-days, no surfing the net (when anybody’s looking). But if you worked for Disney, you’re probably up in Burbank, right? I’m quite a drive away from there. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/6 "2006-07-21T07:58:29Z")
Worst of all, it’s hot outside. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/7 "2006-07-21T08:17:58Z")
Bummer about all that, man, hope it gets better. Say hi to **SolGrundy** for me, I was sorry to see that he didn’t renew. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/8 "2006-07-21T08:23:44Z")
I echo **Sublight** ’s sentiments. I’ve been having a really shitty year so far, starting with last summer, so I can commiserate. Hope everything gets better quick, **Miller**. You’re a great person and you deserve it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/9 "2006-07-21T12:48:03Z")
On the plus side - you’re now free to join the BF in Florida, no? ---
**Author:** ![RedFury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ec9cab/32.png) [@RedFury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedFury)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/10 "2006-07-21T13:50:42Z")
Chin-up, **Miller**. Hasn’t been a stellar time for me either. Lost my Mother to cancer in Jan, my sixteen year old son and I had a huge dispute, which led to him returning to his Mother in Fla as opposed to spending the summer with me, and last but not least, I broke my left shoulder playing racquetball four weeks ago – still in a super-uncomfortable plastic cast, unable to drive and mostly home-bound. Sometimes, when I feel specially down over the aforementioned events, I remind myself of an old Spanish saying that loosely translated goes something like this: > [@](#): > > _There was once a poor wiseman, who, while picking up various herbs and vegetables for subsistance, asked himself: “Could there possibly be anyone more destitute and lonely than I?” Turning back his head his question was answered, for following his track was another destitute being, picking up the scraps that he was dropping along the way._ I truly sympathize and sincerely hope things will get better for you soon. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/11 "2006-07-21T13:54:10Z")
Sorry to hear your news. My summer is going much better for me than last year’s. Last year at this time I was still in the hospital and there were doubts about whether or not I would make it. A year later and I’m relatively healthy (although still waiting for this damn open wound to heal.) So I gotta say that things are much better this year. Sending supporting thoughts your way. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/12 "2006-07-21T13:58:20Z")
Yeah, that sucks donkeys. For myself, I can honestly say: “What summer?” With near constant travel, a bunch of new hires, and late nights working and entertaining, the only sun I’ve seen is from the tarmac at JFK. I’ve spent a grand total of 2 hours at the beach, and it wasn’t even that nice. I just felt I should go. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/13 "2006-07-21T17:13:27Z")
Sorry to hear of your troubles, **Miller**. Hope things pick up again soon for you and **Sol**. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/14 "2006-07-21T17:53:34Z")
Thanks for the kind thoughts, everyone. > [@lezlers](#): > > Aw man. I’m sorry you’re having such a shitty summer. When it rains it pours, eh? That’s horrible about your job, was it the video game gig? Are there any competitors you can go to? It’s been awhile, lets catch up. Yeah, it was the video game job. I’m already looking for another one. There’s not a lot out there right now, but at least I got the drop on the rest of my co-workers, who still think they’ll have jobs next week. ☹ We sould definetly catch up, though. You still got my e-mail addy, right? > [@John Mace](#): > > Are you SoCal or NorCal? I hadn’t noticed your location before. The job market up here isn’t the greatest, but seems to be getting better. NorCal. I live up in Marin, work in the city. Yeah, not a lot out there, especially QA jobs for the video game industry, it being summer and all. My dad’s offered to let me fill in at his shop until I can get something, so that gives me a little breathing space. > [@BraheSilver](#): > > My company will be hiring QA in a couple of weeks when a few guys head back to school, but the culture isn’t as nice as yours - no paid lunch, no half-days, no surfing the net (when anybody’s looking). > > But if you worked for Disney, you’re probably up in Burbank, right? I’m quite a drive away from there It’s the bf who works for Disney, but he (usually) does so from home. Which is in San Francisco. If you think Burbank is a long commute… 😉 > [@MrDribble](#): > > On the plus side - you’re now free to join the BF in Florida, no? We were thinking about it, even before the lay off, but odds are, he’s not going to have any spare time while he’s out there. We might see what its like after he’s been there for a week or so, see how hectic things are. If he thinks he can get a spare weekend, I’ll probably head out there for a few days. **fetus** , **RedFury** , **Waverly** , glad to know I’m not suffering alone out here. Actually, the guy I really feel sorry for is the co-worker who got his by a car on Tuesday and broke his clavicle. He actually gets to be in the hospital when he finds out his health insurance is running out. Helps put my problems into perspective! Today has been really wierd again. The project lead for the game I’m testing asked me when I can be finished with a 100% playthough. I told him I will be done with the game by Monday, guaranteed. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/15 "2006-07-21T17:58:37Z")
[QUOTE=Rigamarole] Worst of all, it’s hot outside. [/QUOTE] Worse yet, it’s hot inside. Our company is refusing to air condition our building and it gets up to 90 inside, even when it’s “only” 85 out. I like what I am doing but I have to say that right now I hate my job. I want to cry about it because it is so frustrating; every night I dread another day of this crap. I’m not a morning person but I have been getting up at 6:00 to put in hours before it gets sweltering. And there are people who have worked in this building like this _for years_. I’m on a contract and just getting through this and next summer will be too much to bear. Our project goes live 7/1/07 just when it will be unbearable again and we will have a lot expected of us. SHIT. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/16 "2006-07-21T18:20:09Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] Worse yet, it’s hot inside. Our company is refusing to air condition our building and it gets up to 90 inside, even when it’s “only” 85 out. [/QUOTE] WTF? That’s the sort of shit that should lead to mass walk-outs. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/17 "2006-07-22T00:15:39Z")
That said, the use of “air condition” as a verb quite frankly makes me want to smash my printer. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2006, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/18 "2006-07-22T06:43:53Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] That said, the use of “air condition” as a verb quite frankly makes me want to smash my printer. [/QUOTE] There are far more worthy offenses the world can offer you to justify printer-smashing, than the creation of new verbs. “PC Load Letter” comes to mind, as one example. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2006, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/19 "2006-07-22T06:57:01Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] That said, the use of “air condition” as a verb quite frankly makes me want to smash my printer. [/QUOTE] Other than the lack of a hyphen above, what’s your beef with that verb? ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2006, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425/20 "2006-07-22T07:25:11Z")
Verbs consist of one word apiece. “Condition” is a verb, but “air condition” is not; “air” is not a piece of a verb, it’s a noun. Verbs made by turning noun-verb or verb-adverb combinations into single lexemes just generally piss me off. I can’t say it’s entirely rational, but to me it seems akin to fixing your car with duct tape; it’s ugly, it’s a quick hack and it rearranges the natural aesthetic flow of the thing (sentence or car). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-sucky-summer/365425.md?page=2)