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14:03, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Vents with allowed responses - 3.

Posted by GamerHandle
V_V
member, 599 posts
You can call me V, just V
Life; a journey made once
Thu 3 Aug 2017
at 01:31
  • msg #962

I hate my phone

I have a free phone through a state-program that allows people a few years to be in touch with family. So I get more than I pay for, and I know that.

Still, I rely on the phone to be able to conduct necessary business, call my roommate/caretaker, and then my mother who's in a cult. So it's very frustrating when they keep saying they can't hear every other word I'm saying.

Part of that is the cellular coverage too, since the phone worked well enough at our old place, but still my roommate's phone (which she pays way more than I could afford) works fairly well.

It's a gripe and I should be glad I have a phone at all. It's just frustrating, especially since it acts up at the financial lows more than when I have the money to afford a phone card.

It's going to expire by January though, for good or ill. It's a charity act by the state that's primarily still coming from a business. Essentially the state paid the first three years of the plan, and so far I've paid $0.00 for it. Which has saved me countless number of times. But it's not covered next year. So I'll have to get a pre-paid phone for emergencies and hope it has slightly better coverage than this one. If that doesn't work, I'll have to arrange for payment of home phone land-line.

I REQUIRE the ability to call the doctor and my caretaker at the very least. So whatever is takes, I'll just have to do.
mickey65
member, 96 posts
Long-time PbP player
Love several systems
Thu 3 Aug 2017
at 01:39
  • msg #963

I hate my phone

In reply to V_V (msg # 962):

I'm curious what the cost of living in B.C. is. I've heard that Vancouver/Victoria have a housing shortage and housing is just as expensive as in Toronto, if not more expensive, but what about other costs? Your minimum wage seems low given what the general cost of living in Toronto is.
aguy777
member, 214 posts
Join Date:
Fri, 29 Nov, 2013
Thu 3 Aug 2017
at 03:10
  • msg #964

I hate my phone

In reply to mickey65 (msg # 963):

Yes. We have a massive housing shortage out here in Vancouver. There's not much for rent, and buying is ridiculous. Houses that cost $300,000 a decade ago now are around double that, if not higher.

Minimum wage is low (especially compared to the East), but general cost of living isn't too bad. It's mostly just the housing that makes Vancouver a nightmare. And the fentanyl crisis. That too.
Wyrm
member, 637 posts
Fri 4 Aug 2017
at 02:53
  • msg #965

I hate my phone

Also, Min wage is going up to 14/hr at the end of the year and then 15/hr the following year for the Provence.
azzuri
member, 202 posts
Fri 4 Aug 2017
at 04:10
  • msg #966

I hate my phone

Reception on cell phones is a disgrace. And, people have been dropping their land lines!?

Yeah, the cost of a land line starts high, for the service you get: local, intraLATA, and long distance, and then there are the add-ons for this and that; but at least one can hear the other person most of the time!

And, I'm in a major metro area! Some of my relatives are in the rural west of the US where cell service is spotty at best.

And, now AT&T has the OK to do away with land lines!!
SunRuanEr
member, 54 posts
Fri 4 Aug 2017
at 14:00
  • msg #967

I hate my phone

In reply to azzuri (msg # 966):

Where I live, the land line isn't any more reliable. My house phone often fails to ring, or rings once, and then immediately ceases... and sadly, it's not a problem with the individual handset (I've tested several) or that particular jack in the house (every one is like it) and the phone company can't replicate the issue enough to figure out what to do with it to make it stop.

Years, it's been like this. I hate my landline. I can't actually receive calls on it reliably, so the only times it ever rings are for automated messages from my kids' school and if someone is trying to sell me something. Oh, and I can only make local calls on it, too, because a long time ago I cut the long-distance off to save money.

And for that - crappy, unreliable local-only service, I pay three times as much as I do for my unlimited-use cell phone!

I hate my landline. The only reason I still have it is because I have small children, and they need to be able to dial 911 from something that can be accurately traced.
Merevel
member, 1198 posts
The Unlucky Gamer
Fri 4 Aug 2017
at 14:14
  • msg #968

I hate my phone

In reply to SunRuanEr (msg # 967):

You pretty much nailed all the reasons on the head with me as well. Why pay 90+ a month when I pay 45$ for a cell? If my babysitter did not have his own cell I would consider a land line, but dang that would hurt my spare cash. The only real complaint I have about my phone is the auto-correct will not shut off, and the sound quality for discord is a crime against humanity.

Heck when I am single I only pay 15$ a month phone bill anyway.
azzuri
member, 203 posts
Fri 4 Aug 2017
at 15:02
  • msg #969

Re: I hate my phone

Perhaps I should have been more specific. I receive many many more calls than I make, and few intraLATA and long distance.

I pay $51 a month for my landline, which includes a medium speed Internet, and $22+ for a cell. My three rotary phones are almost beyond price. :) One is over 50 years old.

The only time my landline has issues is when a bulldozer or equivalent is working right outside. My dish has issues with some weather, but my cell seems to have static with any storm.
GammaBear
member, 793 posts
Gaymer
Fri 4 Aug 2017
at 20:40
  • msg #970

How dumb can you be?

A guest left behind a big o' bag of weed, then sends their cousin (supposedly) to come pick up their "shirt," and their deposit. Uh, no. That ain't happening. lol
mickey65
member, 97 posts
Long-time PbP player
Love several systems
Sun 6 Aug 2017
at 18:24
  • msg #971

How dumb can you be?

Discord is a crime against humanity. The one time I made the mistake of installing it, there was no way to prevent it from starting automatically every time I powered up my computer. Even my premium startup editor couldn't find the file that was causing it to start automatically.

In places other than RPoL where people do text games, an annoying majority want to use Discord. It irritates me.
mickey65
member, 98 posts
Long-time PbP player
Love several systems
Sun 6 Aug 2017
at 18:27
  • msg #972

How dumb can you be?

In other news, I think I'm being trolled by one of my players.

I made the mistake of telling potential players in the recruitment post that I have never run a game in that particular game system before. Now I'm getting incoherent and confusing questions that appear to be intended to push the limits of what I know about the system, either for exploits or just for some spitefully malicious fun akin to pulling the wings off insects.

Players trying to use exploits is nothing new. In the age of MMOs and MOBAs it's going to happen whether you like it or not. It's something a GM just lives with. But players taunting me for amusement is not acceptable.
icosahedron152
member, 775 posts
Sun 6 Aug 2017
at 19:35
  • msg #973

How dumb can you be?

Hi Mickey, I'm not sure what you mean by exploits, but being straight with your players isn't a mistake. I've frequently playtested games and I've been up front about it. My players have generally been OK with that.

What I would do with a player who seems to be causing trouble is to take a two tier approach.

1. Assume everything is fine and your player is genuinely trying to learn about the system. Do what you can to help them along. If there are things you don't know - well, you've already told them its a new system. Tell them you don't know and either look it up, get them to look it up for you, or fudge it using Rule Zero (the GM is always right).

2. If your time spent on tier 1 seems confirm that they're being an apple, have a straight PM chat with them advising them of your suspicions and warning them off in a firm but friendly way, or if you really get pizza-ed simply remove them from your game.

Either way, don't let them ruin your game - for you or for the other players. You're the GM, it's your game, you're in charge. Not being an 'authority' on the rules doesn't mean you can't have authority in your game.
NowhereMan
member, 162 posts
Sun 6 Aug 2017
at 20:03
  • msg #974

How dumb can you be?

In reply to mickey65 (msg # 971):

Uh, Discord is super easy to disable run on startup. If you run Windows, right click on its icon in your system tray, then uncheck "Run Discord when my computer starts". No fancy premium startup editors required.
This message was last edited by the user at 20:04, Sun 06 Aug 2017.
horus
member, 210 posts
Wayfarer of the
Western Wastes
Mon 7 Aug 2017
at 01:30
  • msg #975

How dumb can you be?

In reply to mickey65 (message no. 971):

What icosahedron152 said in spades. (So very well said, by the way!)

Being honest with players is by no means an invitation for them to run over you, and is, instead, a mark of good character and an indication of respect and trust. These are what we should offer as GMs until someone proves they deserve differently.  Even then, it's best to proceed calmly and deliberately.

If a point of contention concerning rules or game mechanics comes up, work to resolve it, either through consensus, research and interpretation, or just by making a ruling (pro forma Rule 0 equivalent), but above all continue that honesty about what you're doing and why in all things.  Players generally respect a GM they feel is trying to give them all a fair shake (at least my players do).

The only other advice I'd offer in the situation is this:  A GM should never post when feeling angry or irritated.  It doesn't matter how fired up you might be, resist that urge to hit the Post Message button until you've had a chance to cool and then review.  For one, if a player who is actually being troublesome can make you lose your cool, they've won... don't give in to that.  For the other, taking the time to collect your wits will often allow you to see things you may not have seen at first glance, and make for a better outcome.
This message was last edited by the user at 01:31, Mon 07 Aug 2017.
icosahedron152
member, 776 posts
Mon 7 Aug 2017
at 04:02
  • msg #976

How dumb can you be?

Thanks, Horus. Good point there - GM responses should always be firm but friendly, never angry and accusatory. This is PbP, there is never a need for an immediate response. Keep calm, think your reply through, and post when you're good and ready.

And that advice is good for players, too, not just GMs. :)
Merevel
member, 1199 posts
The Unlucky Gamer
Mon 7 Aug 2017
at 13:14
  • msg #977

How dumb can you be?

In reply to mickey65 (msg # 972):

Well, it is possible they are learning the system. I was playing with a gm that pretty much should have rewrote the book for his own needs, however you never got a warning before hand on what was ok or not. Trial and error I guess was how we figured it out. This guy thought I was being a Apple, just because I kept asking questions, especially where the rule books differed from his style. How can I expect to play if I do not know what is ok or not?

Now, this was doubly frustrating as I am trying to learn the rules to run my own game while dealing with his... quirks. This is one of the reasons I left his game. I was not trying to be a fruit about it, I just needed to know. >.<
mickey65
member, 103 posts
Long-time PbP player
Love several systems
Sun 20 Aug 2017
at 16:21
  • msg #978

How dumb can you be?

Things will be resolved within the next 48 hours.

Whatever is being planned for me, the status quo is unsustainable, so any change will be a good change.

Will it be simple minor surgery with less than a one-week recovery time? Or will it be death? Or will it be some unspeakable horror I can't be bothered to speculate about?

In all of those cases, things will be different by this time on Tuesday. And that's a good thing.

I'm looking forward to it.
Fyrerain
member, 78 posts
Wed 23 Aug 2017
at 14:15
  • msg #979

How dumb can you be?

My voice was fine when I left home this morning. I had to bellow for my dog, who'd gone off down to the road (my driveway is a tenth of a mile long!). By the time I'd reached town coming in to work, however, all I had left of a voice was a weak croak.

My allergies are pretty flared up right now (monsoon rains have the weeds and grasses going wild, and I'm allergic to all grasses, and 50% of all weeds...), which has my asthma almost out of control, so it's probably also behind my sudden voice loss. It's a given that if I get a sinus infection, I will lose my voice, but I've never lost it before getting an infection before. Grrrrrrrrrr.

And I'm supposed to be DMing a game tonight....
ShadoPrism
member, 1115 posts
OCGD-Obsessive-Compulsive
Gamer-Disorder
Wed 23 Aug 2017
at 19:28
  • msg #980

How dumb can you be?

In reply to Fyrerain (msg # 979):

I see flash cards in your gaming future.
RPGuru92
member, 164 posts
Wed 23 Aug 2017
at 19:31
  • msg #981

How dumb can you be?

I am a full time tired daddy. Once a former teacher, everyone said I was "retiring" after I declared I was leaving to be a stay at home dad.

My son is two years old- this is no retirement!
mickey65
member, 114 posts
Long-time PbP player
Love several systems
Wed 23 Aug 2017
at 20:34
  • msg #982

How dumb can you be?

In reply to RPGuru92 (msg # 981):

I wholeheartedly agree! But do you mind if I ask what led to the decision to become a full-time caregiver of a small child?
RPGuru92
member, 165 posts
Wed 23 Aug 2017
at 20:35
  • msg #983

How dumb can you be?

Educator salary= good daycare
Tyr Hawk
member, 319 posts
You know that one guy?
Yeah, that's me.
Mon 4 Sep 2017
at 22:30
  • msg #984

I Just Want To Scream

Sometimes I lay awake at night just so I can pretend that I'll wake up somewhere else in the morning.

I know that my life isn't the worst one to wake up to. I have a loving and generous family, a cat that tolerates me most days, and despite my egregious personality flaws and my looks, even a woman in my life who thinks I'm pretty amazing. I have no mobility issues, or communicable diseases, and I've never broken a bone in my life. I eat well-enough, have a roof over my head and steady internet access, my job is pretty good, my schoolwork isn't too hard, and gods help me I even have some luxuries like a PS4 and a flatscreen TV. It's not a bad life. It's a good one.

But it's not perfect. And problems are problems, regardless of who has them. Just because I haven't been held in prison doesn't mean I can't feel trapped with no hope of escape. Just because I haven't starved or lost an arm doesn't mean I can't be hungry, or that it doesn't hurt when I bleed. I try not to judge anyone for their little issues just because they talk about them like they're big ones... and so I guess I'm starting off this way in hopes that I won't be judged too harshly for what I'm about to say. I know this is already a safe space, so I don't have to, but... but I sometimes have to convince myself it's okay to talk, and this is how I'm doing it this time.

So, yeah, I guess I should get to the venting part.

Hi. I'm Tyr and some days I wish I was anyone else. Today, in particular, I want to be someone else just so I can stop with the stupid arguments and making poor decisions. I know I can be antagonistic. I'm a Devil's Advocate; it's what I do. I think that people possessing and only discussing one side of an argument is a mistake. Whether or not I agree with another side of something, I will argue it sometimes because I just hate complacency with ideas. When people say "You roll a d20 because it's the easiest way to decide an outcome" I just feel compelled to step in and say something. When they say "The holocaust was a terrible thing. I don't see how anyone could support it" I respond with "Yeah, but..." and I get why people might not like that. I do. But I don't want people to judge game systems based on their dice or people because of one thing they once believed in.

Today I spent the better part of an hour arguing that magic that aimed itself at a set value wasn't as logical as magic that assisted your own aim to a set value. Not that it wasn't logical, just that it wasn't as logical, mind you, and I was accused at least once of "entirely missing the point" despite their follow-up explanation of how I didn't get it being a point I'd already made. And sometimes, like today, it's ends up okay with people agreeing on things, or choosing to go their own way with it because of ambiguity, and sometimes an entire group of people remains convinced that you can't teach a horse to react to your split-second commands despite them having no evidence on their side. But no matter which way it ends up I get... upset, more often than not, because it's usually not my mountains of evidence or otherwise that turns the tides. It's someone else saying something I've already said, or something silly like a person going "You know, it turns out I meant something else this whole time." And I just... I took years of debate, philosophy, psychology, and what has it all amounted to?

What am I doing with myself getting wrapped up in these conversations and arguments about things? Even if I'm right, like the horse thing (ask people who train horses), I feel like I'm wrong. Like I've wasted my time. But if I sit back and watch ignorance or misinformation blossom then I'm part of the problem. But am I a worse one by becoming an antagonist for the truth? What if people stop believing me just because it's me who said something?

Some of the players in my games I think are reaching that point. I can be exacting when it comes to rules, and I have preferences and a forceful personality when I want to (and sometimes when I don't want to), and I think they've decided I'm not a good person. That maybe I'm a decent GM, but that I'm not worth talking to, including in discussions, or anything other than just playing with. And that's something, I guess, but it doesn't help my feeling isolated from my own game.

Take another conversation today. Some of my players are having group discussions about how they're going to get around this little IC issue that's come up. Now, I'm terribly against using OOC to fix IC problems, but that's where they jumped because they didn't want it to take time to solve the problem through normal posting. And part of me wants to toss them out on the street for just so blatantly ignoring one of my cardinal pet peeves with gaming, but part of me is just tired, and another part of me doesn't want to be a raging apple about them trying to fix problems their way, even if they've almost completely left me out of the conversations. And when a player approached me about their solutions I kind of... blew up a bit. I told him the issue was dumb and that if they were going to solve IC problems with OOC stuff they might as well have just taken a more direct path instead of getting into secret talks and stressing everyone out over it.

Who does that?

So, I'm isolated, as I said. I feel like I'm isolated from everyone because no matter what the situation or group, I seem to find a way to cut myself off from people. My family all lives far away and I forget to call or write, but they still love me. Or they say they do. And they prove it well-enough whenever I visit, but... but the people I chat with seem to think I'm a flying orange peel because I like to tease and argue. And my players don't think I'm worth including in their conversations about how to solve problems. And I don't even have friends outside of those two groups because... well, no, I have one. I have one friend, and some of his friends don't think I'm the worst person ever, but that doesn't mean we're friends. We don't talk, and we don't hang out, and...

And let's just make a list, huh?

-I use proper spelling and grammar even when I'm in instant messengers, or talking to people, or when I'm texting. I stopped expecting this from other people, but it does make me feel disconnected from everyone who doesn't do it.
-I don't drink. At all. Ever. Not even a little bit. Never have, never will.
-I don't do drugs. No, not even weed. I don't think it's fun or amusing or anything.
-I don't like sports. I pretend to sometimes, but I don't.
-I do like video games, but I don't really like MMOs or MOBAs or traditional Shooters.
-I speak several languages, and don't mind if people speak in a language I don't understand so long as they're patient with me when I fumble through it.
-I don't do religion, despite my entire family being religious (which is as far as I'm taking that one because of forum rules).
-I'm a teacher, but I have weird ideas about teaching.
-I have burn scars covering the most-visible parts of my body.
-I don't wear jeans. I barely wear shirts with collars. I think appearance shouldn't matter 1/10th as much as it does. I do sometimes wear a crushed velvet cloak around town. It's comfy, and functional.
-I like a lot of music, but I judge the music based on the individual song, not the artist, or the artist's life. I like some Justin Beiber songs. I like the Backstreet Boys, and AC/DC, and Nickelback, and Fall Out Boy, and Christina Aguilera (sp?), and TLC, and The Who, and some stuff from the 40's and 50's, and Beethoven. I don't like most rap, r&b, country, and most anything heavier than metal.
-I watch Home Improvement and real estate shows like Love it Or List It, but I don't care about the Real Houswives of Wherever, thought Breaking Bad was okay, and Pushing Daisies is one of the best things that was ever cancelled.
-I can't stand spoilers. Not even little ones. Not even people joking about spoilers. And no, I don't mean car spoilers.
-I'm a real hopeless romantic (and I know it's unrealistic, especially given my paranoia and lack of ability to trust people).
-I act like what people imagine chivalry would be in real life (not always, but often enough that I can say that with a straight face).
-I don't use Facebook. Or Twitter. Or Instagram. Or, or, or...

And just... the list goes on. Honestly, I'm running out of steam (and self-esteem!) so... I dunno. I feel like I'm alone. I feel like I push people away and I don't mean to, but I've been doing this for close to 30 years now and I still feel this way. So... so it's me, right? I'm the common denominator through it all (which isn't actually causation, I know, and I'm looking at it through my own lens, I know, BUT) so does that mean it's me? I feel like it's me, and on days like today I just want to scream until I collapse, so I can wake up somewhere else.

You know what the worst part is? I've been conditioned not to open up like this too. So most people don't know most of this about me and won't unless they read this. Even my family, sitting a few feet away as I type all of this... they don't know.

tl;dr: Anyone else feeling broken lately? I know I am.
ShadoPrism
member, 1119 posts
OCGD-Obsessive-Compulsive
Gamer-Disorder
Mon 4 Sep 2017
at 22:58
  • msg #985

I Just Want To Scream

I broke a long time ago.
This is just what is left of me going through the motions and trying to keep what little sanity I have in motion.
OceanLake
member, 1010 posts
Tue 5 Sep 2017
at 17:02
  • msg #986

I Just Want To Scream

A couple of ideas: Make a list of what you'd want different, not internal state4s but observables. By each item, put an action (or refraining from an action) that you're willing to do to move toward that want-different.

Consider reading the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
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