In keeping with the spirit and tradition: Because it's so popular (and needed) I submit this thread.

As the person who set up thread 2, well done GamerHandle.

I have a vent... And, this may sound completely silly; but, it's slightly a continuation of someone else's vent about professional work and being approached by those not interested in realizing the value of time.

Just because someone does not work at a mega-corporation: does not mean they are not professionals.  When someone is a consultant; it is just that.  I, personally dislike driving, and thus do not take the higher wages that can come with being a translator to work at some corporate office.  I do, however; provide translation services.  When people ask, "ooh, will you translate my novel for me?" I usually raise my eyebrow and just glare until the point is made.  (I'm not talking about people who willingly pay my going-rates, I'm talking about the person who asks it 'as a favor'.)

People... time... wow...

It sucks we need to go into a third thread. But such is life.

Could be worse Wyrm, if we did not have threads like this, how many bell towers will be filled with people with high powered rifles?  Sometimes it just takes someone venting what ticks them off to alleviate such needs for bell towers.  :)

New vent: I want to kill my new Cat this morning - we got a group of semi-wild kittens here (3 or 4 months old) and over the past couple weeks we have gotten some of them to come in to the kitchen on their own (in an effort to socialize them to humans). This morning one of the more timid ones came in, completely on her own and my large house cat (Sister) attacked her, then me when I tried to stop her from attacking the much smaller animal.
Sister is a very large black cat, and I am learning a bit of a bully to other animals (I inherited her last month when her owner died). Oddly Sister is normally a sweet-heart to humans. All lovey and soft pawed around us.
Needless to say I feel rather disappointed in Sisters behavior.

In reply to ShadoPrism (msg # 6):

Ah, yeah. The problem is that it is an older cat, dealing with new interlopers in it's recently claimed territory. Something the new kittens would have learned otherwise.

Just like integrating cats to humans, you have to integrate cats to cats. Especially if they start showing weakness or start sniffing by "important" parts of the house like the food dish...it might seem random but there are just variables at play you can't sense because you're not a cat (probably :P)

I have a very hostile cat and it took years before my second cat was "accepted" and they still fight occasionally. For the first several months the hostile cat would hiss and howl and swipe at the other cat but over time it learned it didn't have to really compete for food or attention and in the winters they would cuddle up next to each other for warmth.

Some cats just won't consider the existence of other cats.  Molly, the cat who lives downstairs, is one of those.  She is a terrible bully whenever another cat is around; she even still stalks the door between our place and there, looking for the cat who lives up here.  I'm told she's so territorial that when they take our cat's litter box downstairs to wash it, she immediately hops in and uses it, even if she just used her own.  When there was a foster down there for a while, she would climb over the gate put up to separate them, though she's in her late teens and normally well beyond anything so strenuous.  They had to put another gate on top of the first, not just to prevent violence, but for fear she would hurt herself.  Of course, then the two of them sat one each side and hissed, even though they couldn't see one another, and she wouldn't have been able to hear him.

Also our cat had previously lived her entire life with another cat, both about eight or nine, but the other cat still picked on her (the main of several reasons she now lives somewhere else as the only cat).  It didn't tend to be so violent, but it was still unpleasant.

Sister may be like that, especially if she didn't previously have to share.

Actually she did share, but the other cat IS a stereotypical scaredy cat. Just looking at him can cause him to run away. He is 10 years older than her (Charlie), he now roams around the neighborhood cause the Only person he would let near him is the woman who died.
He still comes around and eats at the outside cat's bowls though, so we know he is around.

Sister barely tolerates our dog to. He gets with in a foot of her and the claws come out. Though she doesn't hiss at him (she prefers stealth attacks with our Golden Retriever). He learned very quickly that she Only behaves herself when a human is near by, the rest of the time he has learned to avoid her.

If I receive another submission in one of my games for some uber-secret special forces, mega-powered, untouchable, past-filled-with-tragedy character, I'm going to shut down any and all submissions.

Shapeshifters are already killing machines, so why do people feel the need to make them so insanely over the top with their background?  You weren't always a monster.  At one point you had a life, maybe a family, went to school, had friends.  Why does that life HAVE to be a selection of the most poorly-written, over-used, dystopian sludge that people can come up with?

I get excited when people send an RTJ asking if they can join, and then dread opening the next PM, knowing it will probably contain the hack concept that will kill another little piece of my faith in humanity.

In reply to Evil Empryss (msg # 11):

While I don't get submissions like those, I understand your frustration. Seems to me the point of role playing is the create a character who has all of those traits thru the playing of the game! I can't count how many games I've played where the first level character I am playing beside is first level and has already defeated all the greatest swordsmen in their homeland, or something equally outlandish.

Disclaimer: I feel like maybe I'm supposed to be angry in order to vent, because that's what I keep reading in these threads but... I dunno. I guess I think maybe there are other emotions that might need some venting too, you know? Anyways, this is one of those non-angry posts so, if you're looking for anger, you might want to scroll down. Sorry if this is the wrong place for this, I just... suffice it to say, I needed to vent.

Sometimes, I feel alone. I'm not alone, almost ever. I'm surrounded by people at work, I've got two roommates and an overbearingly affectionate cat (when he's not scared by some gentle noise or a soft movement from across the ocean), and I'm online all the time talking to people, roleplaying, and generally interacting with a few dozen people everyday. But I feel alone, and I guess that's important.

I've always liked to roleplay because it takes my mind off of things, off of that loneliness I feel. It whisks me away to be somewhere else, to be someone else who isn't so alone. It's why I write. It's why I read. And, sometimes, I feel like it wouldn't be such a bad thing if it would just work all the time. It doesn't though. I don't know of anything that works every single time (some things are getting mighty close though).

I don't mean to sound like one of those people that relies on escapism to avoid my problems. I don't. I face a lot of my problems head on (well, maybe at an angle) and I keep on going until I've found a solution, until I've found something that works for me and works within the system I'm in. I don't run from everything, I just have to run occasionally because when I say I tackle everything that comes my way what I mean is that I take on responsibilities and problems I really shouldn't in order to help other people. I break myself in order to make certain that, when the day's done, everyone else can smile, can feel better, can go to sleep and not wake up in a cold sweat because something was left undone.

I'm killing myself to make other people happy, and that's why I feel alone.

I don't think anyone really gets it. I think there are a lot of people who can understand it. I think there are even more who can give advice - perfect and wonderful advice, the kind of advice I would give out to anyone who came asking - but that advice never works for me. Why? Because the advice always comes from the same place. It comes from wanting to help me, and I am wholly unconcerned with helping me. I survive. I push through. I withstand whatever it is the world can muster up to throw at me because that's what it takes to be the person I want to be: the person who can help people when they need it. I don't really need to worry about me, because I've made it through more than most people do in a lifetime already. I should know; everyone says so once they've heard my story (does that mean it's true? Maybe. Maybe not. I don't really know and I don't think it's all that important).

I'm no saint. I'm stubborn as a wall made of mules for the same reasons that I'm endlessly patient with friends and family. I'm blinded by my own ambitions, because in trying to see and handle everything I miss so much. I'm slipping. Slowly, but surely, I'm slipping into something. Madness or depression or who-knows-what. It doesn't really matter. I'm just slipping.

In the end though, I haven't met someone who really gets it. Someone who can understand the mindset without pushing all of these outside ideas onto it. Someone who doesn't think that my drive to be a martyr (yes, I know, I'm Tyr the Martyr, we'll all laugh about it later) is inherently bad, because I don't see it that way. And I guess that's why I feel alone.

I'm tired, and rambling, and this is all really just a way to get my mind to stop screaming at me so I can finally get some sleep, but thank you for reading, if you have. I should perhaps save this, go back over it in the morning and make my points more eloquently and completely than they appear here, but that would defeat the purpose, neh? You don't choose to keep some of the noxious fumes inside. You don't pretty up the smoke before you left it out the chimney. Right? Right...

Before I get any advice though, I just want to make certain people know what I would say to myself if someone else came to me like this because, well, I feel this is as much a part of the vent as the rest of it. I know better, I can make the arguments for why I should stop, but I don't because of what I've said above. Humor me, I suppose, if you're still reading.

Being a martyr isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's dirty. It's rough. And it will break you. It's meant to. And you can't help anyone if you're broken. You need to fix yourself, you need to take care of yourself if you ever hope to effectively take care of anyone else. Sure, you might be able to stumble through and support someone on your broken leg, but you'd be able to support two if you'd just let your leg heal.

No one wants to see you hurting. Your worst enemies might, but who actually has enemies these days? Some people hold grudges. Some people don't like other people. But it's rare - so rare that it's almost extinct - that anyone would actually want to see you slowly wither away just so you could help someone else. No matter what you think there are people who care, people who want to help you, and you're hurting them by hurting yourself. It's a vicious cycle and you need to be a part of the solution if you want to break it. You can still help people. You can still do the right thing. You just might need to take it a bit more slowly, but you'll do it better if you do. You will; you just have to trust me on that.

And... I guess that's all. Sorry for the disorganization and the almost childish nature of my complaints, but... yeah. Maybe I should've used more colors...

In reply to Tyr Hawk (msg # 13):

I have to say this. I get where your coming from. Been through allot of it myself over my lifetime. Though the last few years it feels like I hit a wall and yet something keeps trying to push me through it.
So I come here, read other peoples problems, or thoughts, or games or what ever. Sometimes I offer my 2.5 cents (.5 is for inflation), try to mix in a little humor (I know my humor is strange, I have people tell me that allot). The Depression and Madness are pretty much the same really. The mind trying to cope with and defend against the insanity of life I suppose. (The Madness part is not so bad really. Helps with the Gaming stuff from time to time, especially if your a GM).

That said, venting need not be about anger, its a thread to get things off ones chest, for good or ill, to let go of some things and try and help or get help from others. To find those of us who are like us but just different enough to be able to offer help or support or just an ear to listen (well eyes to read, this is a blog site after all).

At any rate, despite how your feeling, your not really alone, there are other people out there in similar boats, just paddling different streams. (I imagine a few trying to go against the flow to, some people are just like that).

Take heart man, we few good souls need to look out for each other to. (we few, pig headed, do or die or blue-tch till we die types)

I take on too much myself, and am still trying to learn to let stuff go.

I won't say any of that hackneyed normal stuff Tyr. It's simpler and more effective to go to a psychiatrist, with an eye toward a low dosage anti-depressant. Not to "fix your loneliness" but just to take the self-hating edge off a bit and give you the breathing room to work on the boring long term solutions you already know.

Humans use tools. Medicine is a tool. Doctor-prescribed is better than self-prescribed because you can use an eyeglass screwdriver with some low dosage stuff compared to a hammer of recreational drugs and alcohol.

I prefer cats and caffeine and sugar over drugs myself. :P

After years of paying people hundreds of dollars to replace my brakes, I decided to learn to do it myself. Heck, I recently replaced the water pump, powersteering pump, and did a coolant system and transmission flush/filter change on my Grand Cherokee, so I figured I'd try the brakes on the Civic next.

Once more I'm furious at how mechanics rip people off.  Start to finish, replacing the front rotors and pads on my Civic cost me $80 and took 45 minutes.  The local shops want over $300 for the service.  When the rain stops I'll be going back out to do the same to my Jeep.  That one was estimated at almost $500, but it's costing me $150 in parts.

*goes off grumbling about rip-off artists*

In reply to Evil Empryss (msg # 17):

Noooot to be that guy or anything because, to a certain extent, I'm sure you're right, but there's a lot to consider with a price like $300. It not only includes the parts and the 45 minutes of base labor to replace, but it also usually includes multiple tests (including the time and equipment it takes to run those tests), the parts that they order may be of a different quality than the one you bought, and they are trying to make a profit, not just break even as a business. So... while you're absolutely right that you can save yourself a ton of money doing it yourself, they're not necessarily trying to rip you off just because they charge 6 times as much as you spent doing it yourself.

Just a thought. I don't know the whole story, so please feel free to correct me. Just going off of the experiences I have in jobs like those and with family in jobs like those. Lots of rip-off artists in the business, but it's not necessarily that way.

I bought the highest quality brake parts available and know for a fact that if I drove my car into the local Midas or Meinike and said "replace the rotors and pads", they wouldn't bother with any tests.  I had worn rotors: there's nothing to test on those unless I wanted them to turn them down (and that's simply measuring the thickness of the rotors to see if there's enough meat left to them to turn; as an Air Force machinist, I know how to do all that).  As for tests for the other parts I worked on, I paid for the diagnostic tests separately -- and then got the "oh look, a woman; let's tell her a bunch of BS about expensive repairs that need to be done."

Seriously, I had a dealer tell me that it would cost $2200 to replace the transmission control modules in my Jeep (1 TCM, 1 shifter control module). They said it would be $1300 for parts and 9 hours for installation.  I bought the parts myself from the same place the dealership was buying them -- for $500 total.  I, an individual purchaser, should not be able to broker a better deal with a parts supplier than a business making hundreds of thousands of dollars in purchases in a year.  Well, one part took me FIFTEEN MINUTES to install because it was literally a piece that plugged in right under the steering wheel (the TCM).  That included the time it took me to disconnect and reconnect the battery before touching the computer parts.  The other part took me forty-five minutes because I had to remove parts of the dash to get the cover off the shifter and I'm not as familiar with pulling those.  I find it hard to believe that it would take someone who does this kind of thing for a living eight hours longer to install these parts than it took me, someone with only basic mechanic skills.

And I've caught mechanics trying to play me, thinking I don't know anything about auto repair.  First was the dealer who told me I needed a complete transmission replacement, this was after the TCM replacement.  No, what I needed was a transmission flush and filter change.  Then I had a mechanic at one place doing an oil change on my Odyssey come out telling me that my radiator was "gushing" fluid and that I would need a radiator repair.  I'm disabled, female, and driving a minivan: they clearly thought I was a sucker.  I said "funny, the engine temp hasn't been high, and there've been no puddles in my pristine concrete driveway.  Heck, there isn't even a drip out there in the handicapped spot where you just pulled it from.  How about you take me back there and show me this gushing leak.  And bring your manager."  I get back to the car and the mechanic is hemming and hawing over there being no fluid anywhere to be seen, not on the ground, not in a collection tray, not on my engine which was up on a lift.  Oh, and my coolant reservoir was full.  He finally pointed to a green stain on a bolt where some thread lock had dripped down.  When I informed him that a drip of threadlock was in no way cause to tell me I needed $1500 of radiator repair on a two year old car, he got pissed and asked if I was calling him a liar.  I told him that's exactly what I was calling him, and told the manager I wanted someone else to finish the oil change while I watched and I wouldn't be leaving the garage area until my car was ready to put back in the parking lot.  Oh, and I wanted corporate's number.

If a mechanic wants to charge whatever the market will bear for their hourly rate, more power to them.  My complaint is that they will lie about what repairs are needed, lie about how much the parts will cost, lie about how long those repairs actually take, and use that to pad their wallets.  I get that people need to make a profit, but that is just a rip off no matter which way you cut it.
This message was last edited by the user at 00:22, Mon 27 July 2015.

Having gone through some of what Evil is saying, i get it to. I shopped around allot till I found a good trust worthy mechanic. Been using his services for over 20 + years now. He guarantee's his work and has even gone in and fixed things that did not work right for no additional cost (save parts cost, but no work fee). THAT is rare in any business these days, but it works very well. (The hardest thing there is getting my car looked at cause the place is usually packed with we locals, who come from all over the county, to get things done by him and his crew.)

In reply to ShadoPrism (msg # 20):

I had a guy like that.  50 years of experience and a sense of business ethics that would put many priests to shame.

He died when he hit his head on a curb after falling off the bicycle he rode to work every day to stay fit.  :-(

In reply to Evil Empryss (msg # 19):

I stand corrected in these examples. Like I said, I didn't know the whole situation, was just going off of my experiences with (apparently) decent mechanics with reasonable ethics.

Also, the story of how your former mechanic died makes me about as sad as I can possibly be because, well, I ride a bike to work. >_>

In reply to Tyr Hawk (msg # 22):

Wear a helmet!

Haven't done one of these for awhile... But I NEED to vent.

For a single mother (not actually mine but is my child) why is everything so stereotyped nowadays? Like because I have a child and I'm in my very early twenties it made me a teen mother, someone who just wants benefits and more children?

What happened to getting to know someone? Learning their story?

That and it makes dating so much harder, being single I've had my fair shares of... (Couple of dates in or first)

Me: Oh yeah my little one loves watching the superhero movies.  (Example)
Date: You have a child? Do you keep in contact with the dad? Are you on good terms? How old were you when you had her/him?

Pretty soon the date turns into 20 questions and it's a fine line between making your date go "Awh" to "Where the Figs the exit?"

I just wish people would listen to others stories before judging them and give them a chance to explain themselves. I have no problem telling you my reasons and my logic if you just stick around to hear it.

Maybe it's just me?

Not to discount a whole slew of possibilities, but I'm just going to focus on one tiny little part of what's going on: many guys do not want to be instant dads, especially if there will constantly be another man in the relationship (the baby daddy).  How you came to be a momma at whatever age is also of importance for someone looking for particular qualities.  Yes, it's judgmental to say that a teen mom made bad choices to get where she is, but in the dating scene many people don't want to waste time on something that are going to be odds on against them.

But don't lose hope: if there's someone out there who can deal with my strawberries for the last twenty years, there's someone who can handle yours.  ;-)

Oh no I completely understand that. In my case they wouldn't be a Dad anyway, but I can see in many cases that sort of responsibility may just not be for them at that time and age.

The stereotypes that come from it, just makes it seem not worth it, you know? Especially when in my case all of them are incorrect.

And thanks, I shall keep looking. After all, if I find someone who can first put up with me, now that's a winner ;-)

A little pet peeve,
So I am not on to get on a soap box,but I find elitists to be so very irritating. When there are things like Only experienced writers need to apply, it irks me. Not for myself but for those people who are new, experienced doesn't always mean good. I have seen newcomers that were just awesome, and excellent at writing posts, quality of quantity. We were all there at some point, where we started out. So sorry for the little vent, but I just needed a moment.

In reply to Little_Devil (msg # 26):

Try to learn to use that to your advantage too?  I mean the guys are 'screening' you based on some information, use what you learn about them to do your own screening.  You will surely miss out on some who might be fun to the moment, but do you really want to try and have a serious relationship with someone who judges you that way?

This message was deleted by a moderator, as it was against the forum rules, at 04:26, Wed 29 July 2015.

Okay so I am not a beginner or an expert when it comes to Rpol but I currently play in 2 different games. And I can't help but noticed that I have come a crossed players that give a one line replies. If the owner of a game clearly asks you to at least give a small paragraph in your post, why would not do that. It just simply erks me to no end. I write nice detailed posts and then you have Joe smoe giving you crappy one line replies...Argh...sorry I just had to get that out. -_-

In reply to silverelf (msg # 27):

Do you mean newcomers to the site?  Because newcomers to the site don't necessarily have to be newcomers to writing/RPing.

I understand that some people can be intimidated by the requirement that they be 'experienced' in order to apply for a game, but I see nothing wrong with that.  We're here to have fun, and some of us, like myself, and like Beltain5001 who posted just before me, don't have fun, and in fact get frustrated, if we have to deal with people making one-line responses.  Typically if someone asks for 'experienced' writers they're not going to ask how long you've been writing and what your 'credentials' are, they're going to look at the quality of your writing, and if it's not good enough, they won't accept you, regardless of how long you've been doing it, and if your writing is good, they won't care if you're fairly new.  The simple fact of the matter is though, that writing is a skill that takes practice.  Even people with natural talent can't be fantastic the first time they put pen to paper, so if you are looking for a certain quality of writing, looking for 'experienced' writers is probably a decent way to go.

I have to say that it's one of my pet peeves when people complain about 'elitists.'  We're not trying to upset anyone, and believe me we often feel terrible when we have to turn people away.  But we're entitled to look for the kind of writing experience we want and create an environment that encourages it, especially since this is our leisure activity.  There are plenty of games that welcome new players.  If someone is put off of RPing completely because they see one or two games that won't accept them because they're new, they need to grow a thicker skin.

It happens, we have all been there. Have you tried to ask him to increase the amount he writes ?

In reply to silverelf (msg # 32):

It's not my place to say. I have brought it up with the owner of the game.  I leave it on his hands.

@Silver_Cat
Yeah new comers on the site. I was in a group at one point that had people unwilling to accept new blood, since they "don't know the site" and the person wasn't new to writing just the place.

I recognize where your coming from. I do very detailed posts, but I also like to help others, as you mentioned its suppose to be fun, each persons view of fun is different, and I know that it was just something that made me grrr at the moment. It wasn't directed at you, as I do not know you, and I don't believe we've been in any games together.

THere is also the "Looking for GM/game" thread as well as the gaming idea thread. Good places to cut your teeth one.

In reply to silverelf (msg # 34):

Well personally I don't see how someone being new to the site should matter at all.  As long as they can figure out how to post, it shouldn't impact the quality of their RPing, and GMs should be willing to help people with technical issues even if they only want advanced writers, in my opinion.  That seems like it should just be one of the responsibilities that goes along with GMing.

I have the feeling I know what prompted that vent from you, and I'm not involved in that game at all, so I'm not personally offended by anything you said in particular.  It's just the general attitude I run across sometimes where people get angry about GMs expecting a certain level of skill that can get on my nerves, because I've gotten abuse from those people in the past.

what matters most to me is when i get rtjs like this i cant handle posts with no punctuation or capitalization i mean really whos going to want to read pages like this

In reply to Evil Empryss (msg # 37):

IKR? H8 th@t sheet <3

Sometimes one-liners are supremely appropriate. Sometimes people don't have the time but feel they have to put something out. Although more for daily games, if you go several days and produce the one liner it's a bit ... disappointing.

In reply to kouk (msg # 38):

I'm guilty of that. But usually my one-liners are indicative of a quick jump from my previous post. I usually only post changes in tone, posture or other non-verbal clues when it is pertinent to my partner(s)'s own post. But I never do a series of One-liners.

Rargh.

An hours drive north to work with a model who's brand new to the industry.   I'm one of the better "staged model" photographers in the area.  So, when I drive an hour out of my way to shoot with you, it's your responsibility to tell me that you're not going to bother to show up to the shoot session, when you decide.

I get it, you're new.  This is uncomfortable to you.  You're going to have to suck it up at some point, because the new stuff is always uncomfortable.  Set up your safety-protocols and follow-them.  Don't go into a shoot blind and unprepared.  You're not just wasting my time, you could be wasting the makeup-artists time, the hairdresser's time, and other support-people's time.  It's not unusual to have four or five support-people on-set for a shoot.

It's experiences like this that make me want to stop shooting with new people.    I don't want to be an elitist, but I don't have time for this.
This message was lightly edited by the user at 01:15, Thu 30 July 2015.

Send the new model a nice fat for the windshield time it took to drive there and then the drive home.

@Silver_Cat I don't think that people should be abusing you either,-hugs- I think your quiet charming from what I have seen and spoken to you here!

@Kouk I've seen that with history ,someone wrote two lines of history for an 18th level character. In a game I was co-dming at the time. Than had a go at the dm over being not accepted because she was looking for something to work with.

Personally, I write to match my rp partner.

I work on call. Recently, I had a dental appointment with a follow up scheduled for the 4th at 9:30. I let my boss know and put it on his calendar. Today, I got a notice from him. I'm scheduled for a job from 10 to 2 on the 4th. I reminded him of the dental appointment and asked for a bit of time before I commit to the job. I figured I could reschedule with the dentist or get someone to fill in for me on site. I went to the dental clinic because I like to do reschedules in person just so there's no mix ups. My new appointment is for 3pm on the 4th. Great. On my way back to the boss, I got a text reminder from the clinic:

Your next appointment is scheduled for 3pm on Tuesday, August 4th. Please be 15 minutes early.

8:45, I confirmed times and location with my boss and committed to the job. 9:10, I met with some coworkers to make travel arrangements. I'm on hold with an airline right now and two minutes ago I got a new text from the dental clinic:

Your next appointment is scheduled for 11am on Tuesday, August 4th.

I got on another line to call the dental clinic. My appointment was rescheduled because the dentist's schedule changed. If I can't make it on the 4th at 11, the next available slot is on the 14th of September. I need to go to the dentist more than I need to take this job, but I'm going to look like such a flaky jerk. :c
This message was last edited by the user at 16:43, Thu 30 July 2015.

Regarding the model: Is there a policy that allows the model to bring a friend/relative, who will stay out of the way, to observe...sort of a duenna.

Isn't there some sort of introductory pamphlet to give new people, explaining the process?

Vent: RPOL is pretty much the only place where I can use my vocabulary.

It feels like the majority of humans in the world people around me haven't touched a book since they left high school.
This message was last edited by the user at 00:25, Wed 05 Aug 2015.

In reply to kouk (msg # 46):

bo-ok ? what is this strange thing you mention ?

This is what it seems like around non gamers or persons who at least know that a book store is more than a place to get coffee at.

This is so not my week, started with a twisted ankle (right side), then dropped an 80 lb bag of sackrete (quick drying concrete) on same foot the Very next day, then ended up having to drive a couple hundred miles (round trips) over the last couple of days, which further aggravated my ankle to the point that my lower leg is so swollen it's hard to tell where my calf muscle ends and my foot (below the ankle) begins. The foot is swollen to.
needless to say I am turning my phone off for the weekend so no one can call and tell me they need me to take X to Y again for at least a couple of days.

Oh and to add to it all, it rained the day I dropped the sackete so now it is turning in to a bag of rock where it is laying. (I can't pick it up cause of an older shoulder injury, by myself. The X in my above equation is laid up do to a knee injury and it has been getting stuff for him that has me doing all this extra driving)
This message was last edited by the user at 22:56, Fri 07 Aug 2015.

Hell yes!

Models can definitely bring an escort.  Especially on shoots in public places (like this one was).  In-studio, I limit it to one escort... 'cause, you know, only so many people I don't know should have potentially unsupervised access to (steal) my equipment.

After this experience, I wrote up an article on safety-protocols for first-time models...  Submitting it to various places now.  So, at least some positives will come of it.

It was hard not to out her.  But she is definitely on my own personal blacklist. And the sad thing is that I am good enough that I get people and clients seeking me out.  Piss off the photographer during the time-for-images shoot, don't get called for paying gigs.

In reply to ShadoPrism (msg # 48):

Why turn your phone off? Didn't you recently post about the burnout you felt from helping so many people? I think you should leave your phone on. If people in need call you up, explain why you're not up to it. If someone attempts to guilt trip you, then you know that person is not a friend.

Eggy: Probably because just hearing the phone will be stressful?  Hearing my husband's phone can stress me, and I'm not even the one people are after!  Checking messages occasionally should be enough (my husband doesn't really have much of an option).  And if there really is a serious emergency, someone can find a way.

This message was deleted by the user at 03:56, Sun 09 Aug 2015.

In reply to Brianna (msg # 51):

I'm not sure how to respond because I don't understand your situation or your feelings. Is it a minor stress that comes from being annoyed? Or is it more like a sense of dread? What do you do about it?

New Vent: I worked a crazy double shift and came home around 9am. Two hours later, the next door neighbours have a 6-year old's birthday party in full swing. There are about a dozen cars in front of our houses. The kids are all running around screeching and blowing noisemakers that sound like dying geese. I didn't want to be a jerk, so I put in my earplugs. I woke up to find that I'd missed the alarms I set for an appointment today.
This message was last edited by the user at 21:57, Sun 09 Aug 2015.

In response to the phone bit, combination of both actually - I turned my phone on yesterday to check messages and a different person called and asked me to take them to an emergency room (for a problem that has been bothering them for the past month).
They told him pretty much what I expected (cause this is not the First time we have been through this) and like last time he ignored their advice. Which is another level of frustration for different reasons.
Turning my phone on is starting to feel like Russian Roulette, only it's the phone that is the bullet AND the gun.
This message was last edited by the user at 22:48, Sun 09 Aug 2015.

Follow-on Vent

I was packing for a trip, but my suitcase finally bit the dust. I went out to replace it. The neighbor's birthday party is still going on. Bounce house, grill, inflatable pools. Good stuff. I went out to a store, bought a suitcase, came back. When I returned, all the kids are wearing helmets and skating around. The mom next door is putting out traffic cones. Our houses are at the end of a cul-de-sac with a large, rounded planter with a tree and some shrub. We all have marked parking. The parking allocated for me by my renter's agreement is the spot next to the tree directly in front of the house. All of her guests are either in other residents' spots or double parked on the other side of the line of cones. I have a small car, so I drove between the cones and parked. The mother approached while I unloaded my suitcase and some other stuff from my car.

Neighbor: Hi! Can you move your car?
Eggy: I'm not moving my car.
Neighbor: Everybody else moved their cars.
Eggy: I'm packing some luggage. I'll move my car when I'm done.

She said something else, but I was walking away and didn't hear it clearly. A few minutes later, one of my housemates comes knocking.

Housemate: Hey, it's the neighbor lady. She wants to know if you'll move your car down to the visitor lot?
Eggy: You mean where none of her visitors are parked?
Housemate: Come on. I moved my car.
Eggy: I noticed. Into a handicapped space. Nice job.
Housemate: It's just gonna be for, like, two hours.
Eggy: Yeah, right.

So now I'm venting instead of packing. I'll get around to it.

In reply to Eggy (msg # 55):

Good to Vent it instead of letting it fester. Get it out now and not explode on someone later.

This message was deleted by the user at 04:20, Wed 12 Aug 2015.

This is less a vent, more of a needing advice.

So, after finally being granted the nod to apply for a prospective company as a referral from someone that works there, they go ahead and ask me to come in for testing. They were looking to put a training class up for the beginning of September. I did not do my best, but I did not completely bomb it either. Afterwards, is where things get confused for me. After the testing on Tuesday of last week), she said since i was a referral, one way or another, I was going to get a call back if I was to be granted an interview, or passed over. She said typically they take about a week, but since she was going on vacation this week Tuesday (yesterday) that she would call me by Friday, possibly Monday at the latest. Come Friday, no call (fearing the worst) so I a breath was being held for Monday. Monday came and no call. OK, so maybe I misheard and she said she would be on vacation over the weekend, so she would be out Friday and Monday (it did not sound it, but I might have been frazzled from the testing).
Tuesday, no call. Now I am doubting one way or the other.

And now Wednesday, over a week later and half the day is gone. I am not sure if there is a hold up considering my status, if there is stuff going on higher up the process, or what. From sources I know, they need at least the week to do the background checks, so they need to have the interviews squared away before the end of the month. I am not sure if I need to try and get in contact to ask what's going on (in a nice, polite, I still want the job way) or just let it pass without a word and move on.

I'd say contact them. Being nice and polite has nothing to do with calling or not, just how you make said call.

If you're calm and polite during the call, at worst you'll have a collague of said woman, who is overworked due to double work and thus a bit snappy, who forgot to call.
Or an employee who herself is a bit awkward because ss/he doesn't like giving bad news.

In you're doubt, you're already half-accepting of rejection, which might plague you in the long run. Actually hearing about said rejection helps soothe your mind. Sure, rejection hurts, but it'll be easier to put the experience behind you.

Who knows, you might get good news.

If they've accepted you, but forgot to call and heard nothing from you, they might figure that you're not interested enough to make a follow-up call.

Call them.

Goodluck.

So, apparently my right foot has a teeny tiny fracture in a bone on the right side of it.

I have absolutely no idea what caused it, but it's been there since last Saturday at the latest.  Now my foot is in a boot, I have crutches, I'm taking Ibuprofen, and I'm putting ice on it.

I'm supposed to be job shadowing someone to replace them while they're on maternity leave starting at the end of this month, possibly sooner (babies don't care about your schedule).  I've been doing it since the middle of last month, but there are a few more things I want training in before she heads out.  I've been told this could take 4-6 weeks to fully heal.

I'm going in to work tomorrow one way or another.  The question is what I'm going to do after that, since I won't have my dad to drive me there and back after tomorrow.  A friend has offered to drive me, and I promised her compensation for gas AT MINIMUM (she says "you're a friend, it's what we do" and my first reply was "Yes but I have money coming in and you really don't LET ME COMPENSATE YOU FOR YOUR TIME"), but I have no idea how long that would go on, and I really don't want to have to rely on someone who'd be doing a solid hour commute twice a day just to help me do what would be a 25 minute commute on my own.

In reply to Shei-kun (msg # 60):

Your friend is willing to give the help you need, take it unless you can find an alternative.  Yes, pay for gas plus whatever else she'll accept, but don't push too hard if she's not comfortable about it.  Sometimes you just have to take and do it graciously, even though you'd rather not.

Bit of advice on the bone -- a couple years ago when I broke my hand I was informed by my osteopathic specialist that ibuprofen slows bone growth. I spent nearly 5  months in an assortment of torturous casts, much of that taking high doses of OTC ibuprofen to deal with the cast-caused pain, only to find out I may have hampered my own healing. :P (An allergy to opiates is not good when one is injured.)

Let your friend help as she wants. I only let my friends chip in gas if I need the money. Otherwise, I know I'll pay them back later, when they need my help. It evens out. :)

In reply to Shei-kun (msg # 60):

I myself being the one my friends call on for help with driving, or other sorts of help, I find alternatives to money - you could take them out to a meal (dinner usually but any your both comfortable with works), or maybe a movie or other outing, once a month to show how grateful you are for their help.
I have a friend who is uncomfortable excepting any kind of gratuity for when he helps me out, so I make myself available to help him out when he or his girl friend need help. This works best with him.
Another friend, we have a system of buying each other breakfast after helping the other out.

You get the Idea I think.

In reply to Wyrm (msg # 58):

Always follow up. It can't hurt your chances any and shows initiative.

I am not having a good week.  Or month.

After a very long house search, husband and I find a house, make an offer, get accepted.  Our house is already on the market, so we think this won't take too long to get ours sold so we can buy the new one.

Two months later, our house is still not sold.  We finally had to bite the bullet and put a few thousand dollars into updating the kitchen (including shuffling around appliances, putting in new flooring, countertops, sink, paint, and refinishing cabinets).  Only half the work is finished, and we still have people coming to see the place in its ripped-apart state.  My husband is of the opinion that if the kitchen remodel doesn't make the house sell, we stay here for two more years and try again.

LOL, no.

We already have half of our stuff packed, a good house picked out, and no way in Hades am I going through this process again.

But on top of this stress of redoing the kitchen while somehow trying to keep the house in a mostly show-ready state, I'm taking a lot of stress at work.  I'm a lead operator, an hourly employee who does some supervisory duties (scheduling, troubleshooting, end-of shift reports, which does come with a higher pay grade).  Mostly it's all right, I get along with my co-workers and my salaried supervisors, except the last two days have been rather terrible.

We had multiple things break on one of our machines, so much the mechanic said we couldn't keep processing material that day, so I shuffled everyone over to the other machine.  And then we had multiple problems with that the rest of the night to boot.  Technically my immediate supervisor (who isn't there on nights, when I work) should have been notified right when that stuff happened, but I knew he was on his last night of vacation.  Also, there was bupkis he could have done from home.  I was intending to write him a full report in the morning so he'd have it when he came in, but of course that's when the entire computer network went down.

So when he comes in in the morning for a meeting, he spends most of it dressing us down for not calling him in the middle of the night for a problem he couldn't have fixed anyhow.  Luckily my crew was in agreement with me (it wasn't like we'd been sitting around waiting all night, I'd kept everyone working) but that wasn't a pleasant way to end the night.

The next evening, I was called to a different department to answer for some material we had sent them (processed on our machines) that wasn't up to snuff.  Again, nothing our crew could do about it right then, they just wanted me to see what had happened to go inform my crew to avoid a repeat.  While I was dealing with that, another employee in that department comes up to me and starts yelling at me for something we had done nearly two weeks(!) ago.   Just unloaded a double-barrel of rage in my face about something that had been bothering him, because I happened to be there.  Note, he didn't say anything in the moment so I could have fixed it, but decided to wait until now to say anything.

Jerk.

I am not one of those people who tends to yell back.  I am, in fact, one of those people who tends to cry when frustrated, and though I held it in during most of the confrontation, I was sobbing by the time I got back to my department.  I have been diagnosed with depression, and while I'm doing fairly well right now, stuff like this tends to send me into a downward spiral, my little personal hell of thinking "I'm not good enough."  Other people were sympathetic of the jerkiness of the people bugging me, but I got a lot of, "Don't let them see you cry," and "Tell them to kiss your butt," and "You've got to not let this stuff bother you."

Honey, I've been trying to not let stuff bother me since I started getting teased in school in the third grade.  The fact that I didn't immediately start to sob when getting yelled at is actually quite an accomplishment for me.

The fact is, I don't need to get yelled at to "motivate me."  Just telling me, calmly, that you need me to call about machines breaking down for this reason, is enough to make me do it.  Telling me you need me to process the material this way for a reason, is enough to make me try to do it.

Don't beat me up.  I do that enough on my own.

Oh, and to add the icing to this manure cake, I managed to roll my ankle badly at the end of the night, kicking off my two days off with ice packs and pain killers.  Awesome.

In reply to Isida KepTukari (msg # 65):

You need to hug some kittens (or puppies) I find that always makes me feel a little better.

smoke a joint and have a crown and coke at the end of the night !!!  LOL

Your co-worker was right, you have told the jerk to kiss the darkest part of your lily white...

Today was going good, a friend gave me a card that got me a dollar ($1) off each gallon on gas (max 20 gallons) and I filled my tank and a 5 gallon can.
Then the can tipped over while I was taking it home and the lid sprang a leak. About 3 gallons of gas is now soaked in to Everything in my trunk - the stench alone is terrible and the only way I have to deal with it is to leave my trunk standing open till it dry's / dissipates.

In reply to ShadoPrism (msg # 68):

Well, not the only way...

You could throw a lit match in there too, much quicker :)

In reply to kouk (msg # 69):

Yes. but I NEED my car and really can't afford to get a new one.

And an outdoor vac.

Difficulty: Hard

Time Required: Up to 1 hr.

Here's How:

    Remove excess gasoline by blotting.

    It's very likely that there is extra gasoline still left on the clothing. Using a clean white cloth, blot up as much gasoline as possible so that it will be a more simple process to absorb what is left in the clothing.
    Use baking soda to absorb the gasoline.

    Sprinkle baking soda onto the stained area and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Dump the baking soda off of the stain. You may need to repeat this process 2-3 times depending on the type of fabric and how much gasoline you were able to blot up in the first step.  Don't be afraid to repeat this step several times.
    Rub liquid dish soap into the stain.

    Dish soap is a great way to remove greasy and oily stains.  Rub 2 tablespoons of dish soap into the stained area. Allow the clothing to sit for up to 5 minutes before soaking in hot water for 30 minutes. It's really important to use the hottest water that is safe for the fabric type.  Hot water is necessary to remove the gas fully from the clothing.

    Use more baking soda.

    If any scent of gasoline or hint of the stain remains, make a baking soda paste of 2 parts baking soda and 1 part water and rub it directly onto the stain. Allow it to air dry and then brush the baking soda off of the clothing. This step can be repeated again until the gasoline is fully removed.
    Use a stain stick, gel, or spray.

    Apply a stain remover to the fabric according to the directions. You'll want it to sit for at least 5 minutes. Wash in the hottest water that is safe for the fabric.

Tips:

    If you still have any gasoline smell left, you might also try a vinegar and water soak for 30 minutes. Repeat the vinegar soak again.
    As a last resort, you can also add a little orange cleaner to the wash load to help break down the traces of gasoline and get rid of the smell. Look for an all-purpose cleaner derived from oranges, like OrangeGlo's Orange Clean All-Purpose cleaner or Fantastik Orange Action Cleaner. If you've doused a gallon of gasoline on thick denim jeans, you may need to use the whole bottle.

What You Need:

    Clean white cloth
    Baking soda
    Liquid dish soap
    Stain stick, gel, or spray
    Vinegar (optional)
    Orange Oil Cleaner (optional)

That is a good idea, but it's the Entire area of my trunk, about 3 gallons of gas was lost (spilled) - 2 I can't bend over far enough to do any of that, arthritis in my back makes such jobs impossible for me and I don't have any friends who can help either (we all old sore folk around here and sadly I am the youngest and healthiest of this lot).
Presently all the rags from the trunk are being run through the wash (3 cycles), but the base of the trunk is carpeting or a sort and can not be removed. (Attached to the back of the trunk compartment via screws - can't reach them as it's to far back and see above).

Last problem, don't have an outdoor vac and no clue as to where to get one (Can't rent one, don't have the money - had several large expenses last month and that cleaned out my bank account till I can rebuild it - which given I am dirt poor did not take long at all).

In reply to ShadoPrism (msg # 72):

Might still be worth dusting the whole area with a good layer of baking soda. Or at least tucking a couple open boxes in there for a while. People do it to remove odors in their fridge all the time, and it's relatively cheap.

Later, when you can afford it, visit a do-it-yourself car wash. Most have quarter-op vacuums available for car interiors -- and more powerful than the average home shop vac, anyway. The car wash in my town isn't a do-it-yourself type, but they actually advertise their vacuums are free to use. Don't even need to use the carwash. :)

A bowl of vinegar or apple slices, removed daily, repeat as needed, also absorbs odors.

Be sure to leave the trunk open, open, open! It's the fumes that will turn your car into an accidental Ford pinto if you're not careful... and in the future, never carry gas in your trunk!

Recently I've just been feeling sad. Reasons. There are reasons. It's not worth getting into though. I been there and back many times. I've come close to death's door early this year and fear I may have to tempt a visit by the end.

I wrote a poem here. I'm not a poet, though. It isn't perfect, but it's free. It could use work, but I don't need it to be perfect. My friend always tells me what makes art is the flaws. All I ask is please make some reference of me if you like it and choose to rip it. It took me some time to make. I just really feel bad, and talking on RPOL, actually being clear doesn't work. So I wrote this poem. I'm giving you the chance to react, but I don't need advise. I know myu problems, and I know the solutions. On scale of 1 to 10 I've been an 8 all this week. Today I came to 10, and no one ever asks about 11.

Anyway, I'm gonna post the poem. Just be nice, okay. I'm not trying to win any awards or prove any points. I'm not preaching. I'm not. I'm just venting. I've tried several ways. Now, I'm trying this. People have told me to write down my feelings. Maybe I'll be the next...some artist. That's not what I want though, and what I want I may not get, and that's not important. Having people like me,  respect me, value my company, want to listen, want to talk to me, that doesn't matter. It plays no part in me doing the same. If I tell them to like me, they probably won't. I ask them to like me, they might. Though now they know what I want, I'll do what I can to find how to give what others want.

No more talk the poem:
Mountains and Valleys

A day is one of many, and all days we know are numbered. For we do not remember our first, not will we our last. What memories made, and those you, are memories you don't know, and can't undo. What mark you leave upon the land, stay ingrained like wind in sand. To build the castles in the mind, it is not without a test of time. Know now who are, and what you'll be, are the same like seed and tree. In the end though, castles stand, withstand the test of time when made of earth. Of stone and brick those last the longest, but make them not for time, nor shelter of the wind. Instead I say, make your castles like the smith immortal made.

When rich man on way to atone, came past the stones, and iron gates. Fled his fortress to take a witness, but those of his were long since gone. This man saw no path, no way to freedom. He walked the road and braved the night. At last he found himself upon a shore, and there he saw the pauper.

He asked this man, a man of wisdom, a man reborn, said the King in trembling voice, what can I do to live forever?

Said the pauper to the king, with eyes of amber and lips of slate. The pauper said, your kingdom thrived, what have you that you did not want? The King spoke now with wrath of lighting, speed of gale. But I must die, my people gone! Now the King spoke with fear of thunder, and calm of storm. How can I be as you are and know the beauty, that you for which you have taken?

Now the Pauper, frowned his face and beckoned to the King. Come forth King, though not of good. You made the world love you and so they did, but the world gone your people fled. The King declared without a doubt, but my castle was made stone and steel. And yours of sand upon the shore! You have what is mine, and I of yours. How dare you be, how dare you stay. The Pauper sighed and warned again. You do not want this that I have, for I have earned what is my life.

The King grew louder, took his hand, and struck the Pauper upon the brow. My people! That which you have taken. I will do as you have to me. I will put forth a godly decree, and by his might I shall be free. The Pauper sat without a sound, without a fear, and only patience. I have nothing you can steal, that I will not give. You want it so, and so you shall you have.

Upon the King grew a crown, of old and ancient. It had the iron, stone and jewels. Then Rubies dazzling, gold anew, but only then the King now knnew. The Pauper rose, with robe of silk, in moonlight waving. And like a hand a ray of starlight beckoned to him. The Pauper spoke, now with all he had, all he was and nothing more. I warned you young, I tell you old. What has now happened you were told. I too was king of kingdom prospering, had my way with and took it freely. I lived all a King could be, and in the end I too was not free.

I came upon this very shore, and could not see for all I looked. I did not heed, nor did you neither. The shore you stand is what you wanted. These people here, and now yours' eternal. They rest upon the sea and shore. Now you may have your Kingdom for always. Now you may play with your people, in all your grandeur. Left you are now, left you will be. To build your castle upon this shore. The stone now sand. The iron rusted. The sea is salt, and made of tears. But you will have what I have given, and you will have this when mean not years. Every night, upon your waking, you will rise and meet this fate. Build it carefully, build it quick. For on the morrow, you'll wake once more.

The King's eyes sunk, his fears awoken. He pleaded now, without a hope. I take it! take it! I am now sorry. Please take it now and give me peace.

The Pauper, sighed and said I won't, for you thought a trinket trifle what was that found in a Kingdom silver. Once men came looking, for the treasure. The richest place upon the worlds. Said they give over, what is ours, they valley poor and Mountain rich. Blood and bone, the mountain rested. Spade and dirt, the valley lifted.

Said the pauper once again, You see now. Don't you? You looked for treasure and gave to me, what did the Mountain. What they saw is as you did. But you of desert are now of shore. What the valley found, was what they would not ever have. Peace on Earth, was in the graves.

The King prostated, kneeled then crawled, I beg you, beg you, this is not mine! And the pauper rose, not fell, into myth, into memory. For it was battle he had won the King. Made his place upon the land. Now the silence broken gentle, and calm that froze in the hour. The sand ran slow, and drifted did the tides. And did the King, now know his place. There was no fruit, not merry songs. There were no children, nor beast to rear.

Now this peaceful scene. This calming sound, was all he had, and time, and waiting. There will always be those that do not yield, and win my glory and seize the day. Stories now, they are but whispers, still they linger, but do they dance?

Nor shall the Pauper, nor shall the King. Beauty is not lasting, nor kiss on cheek. The rose will wilt, the thorn will prick, but loves lost quick in the winter, are sweeter still by the moment. In death I shall rest, like all that come, and all that went. I seek only peace. You'll have your wars. I take my rest. You keep the shores.

V_V--the fifth and final of my family. With eyes wide open and downcast. The first letter of my name. A symbol I would use. And now, Mountains and Valleys. It's just a name though, it's not who I am, but it does have value and meaning.

That's the reason I came to RPoL to see stories, and make friends. I'm still working on both of those, even after ten years.

To the rest of you be well. I have no answers. As a guy named Jason told me today, you can be your own best doctor if you know yourself. Please be well.

In reply to Piestar (msg # 74):

There are times where I have no choice but to carry it in the trunk. This last time the car itself was full of people. (and 1 large dog), so the trunk was my only option.
And believe me, when I am not driving the trunk is Open, as is the spare tire well.

I did not appreciate the Ford Pinto crack by the way, that was my very first car, had very few problems with it for the many years I drove it. (and it was the same year model that had all those complaints about exploding to)

In reply to ShadoPrism (msg # 76):

Back in the day there was a Ford Pinto driving around San Diego with flames painted from the back going forward. Funny stuff...

It's always kinda sad when someone posts interest for a game in a system you love, but then want this super detailed background to play. I mean, am I the only one that thinks you don't need a novel of a background to know how to play a character?

In reply to GammaBear (msg # 78):

As a GM who likes players to provide detailed histories, it's not about how you play your character, but about what the GM can pluck from that background to make interesting stories and link you to the story and to other players.  I've found that, more often than not, when I get a player who wants to play with no real background for their character, they don't like it when I make stuff up as we go.  They whine about how "that's not how I envisioned my character!".  Well, if it's not, then you should have shared that vision with me.

There is a limit to how much background I want, though.  I don't want day-by-day life histories, and there has to be some room for interpretation or the addition of little plot twists -- things the person may have believed were so back when, but with time and new information may seem different now -- so I can bring the past into the current game plots.