The Whine thread.

[Bookworm]

Your husband sounds like a real keeper!

People have the misconception that I'm super smart sometimes, too. The thing is, I'm really not. I can't do much more than basic math--I can only do percents and fractions in my head because of all the years of working retail management, but if I hadn't done that, I'd barely be able to balance a checkbook. I can't even do simple algerbra.

I just think about stuff a lot, I read a lot, and I like to have fun with language...hence the vocabulary that my boss didn't like. I try to apply common sense and critical thinking whenever possible...which, granted, sometimes seems in short supply in this world, so maybe that makes me stand out too.

Have you ever seen a movie called Idiocracy? The humor is a little low-brow, but something tells me you'll really appreciate the message. The best way I can describe it is "Buck Rogers on acid." It takes place 500 years in the future, and it shows what happens when people stop thinking for themselves and stop valuing education and common sense. I think it flopped at the box office, but I thought it was alternately hilarious and accurate.

I'm good at math and I don't know if that is one of the things that make people think that I'm intelligent and genious, but it's just one thing among many and there are lot's of those other things that I have to work really hard at to learn well like english language. I also don't have very much bias about learning things, what I mean is that most of the time I don't see that it would be impossible to learn things if one is interested and makes the effort to try.

Yes, my hubby is a keeper although recently there has been few pumbs in the road.

I have to check out that movie. I haven't seen it, but it sounds interesting.

[Alelou]

Oh God, that movie is definitely very raunchy low brow humor. But yeah, it's a hoot.

I was reading something the other day that I thought was good advice for shy people (which I'm willing to bet a lot of us are). It said shy people tend to be very self-focused, often agonizing over what other people are thinking about them and whether they said the right thing or should have said something different. It suggested that one way to feel more comfortable in a group is to simply to focus on other people, ask them questions, try to find out what they're thinking and do your best to make them comfortable. Then the rest will kind of fall into place.

That's the theory anyway. I think it makes sense. And you really can grow out of shyness with practice, thank God.

[enterprikayak]

I like the beginning of Idiocracy where it shows a "highbrow" couple talking about waiting to have kids in order to be stable in their careers and finances.

Then it shows a "lowbrow" couple in a house full of screaming kids and the woman is looking at a preg test and screaming at her husband "I'm pregnant AGAIN!" And he's all "WHAT??"

and then they flip back to the highbrow couple who are now ready to have a kid, but are too old to conceive and are barren.

And they use this bit to illustrate how in 500 years everyone was morons and descended from overpopulating idiots.

[Aquarius]

^ Yeah, that was the best!

We (somewhat) jokingly theorized that the movie flopped because instead of being rightfully shamed into going to the nearest library and learning something, too many people saw themselves in it and got mad!

[Alelou]

Huh, I never saw that opening. (Caught it on HBO in progress.) Funny.

Fortunately all it really takes is a good education and some opportunity to put most kids who grow up in poverty into something much better. Now if we could just FINALLY GET THAT RIGHT , DAMMIT!!!!!

[TPoptarts]

Whine: just got back from a trip to the clinic and the hospital. Where they told me I'm gonna need to come up with a few thousands $$ for all the labs and meds etc I'm gonna need. And also that they're gonna have to stick needles in me.

This is a sad Christmas

[Alelou]

And did they get you a social worker to help you figure out how to get this paid for? And did you tell them if you don't have a clue how to get it? Or were they just trying to scare you out the door?

[TPoptarts]

No they were trying to help, but I really don't know how I'm supposed to get all that money. The universe really hates me

[Alelou]

Have you figured out whether you qualify for Medicaid? This is something the hospital social worker should be able to help you with. Or go to your county social services agency with your most recent pay stub and a copy of last year's taxes. You have to take some initiative to access this help. No one's going to force it on you -- at least not until you require actual hospitalization and they figure out it's the only way they'll get paid. You really don't want it to get that far. Even if you don't qualify, California may have low-cost state-sponsored insurance for young adults like you. You're very cheap to insure at your age. And as I think BnB pointed out there are ways to get into programs run by the pharmaceutical companies for cheap meds. I know it all sounds exhausting, but you need to check the web for whatever county you live in, get yourself informed, and get out there and take care of yourself.

[Aquarius]

I got in a verbal altercation with one of the nail techs at work today...and she would've lost big-time, too, if there hadn't been a client sitting right there. Basically she started it, but I was a little limited as to what I could say to put her in her place but I went as far as I dared...and then she did that thing where she continued to talk smack about me to her client, but making sure to do it just loud enough to make sure I heard it.

Passive-aggressive much?

And what really cheesed me off was that what she was griping about didn't even have anything to do with me.

I called the owner after I left, gave her a heads-up that she's gonna hear what a witch I am when she goes in tomorrow. She agreed with my assessment of the situation because the tech in question is always involved when there's drama to be found.

Whatever. All the tech had to do was ask me NICELY for what she wanted and the whole thing could've been avoided.

[TPoptarts]

Jungle Boy came back a few days ago. Said he was sober and all. But of course he relapsed again yesterday. As usual. And as usual it's my job to pick up the pieces. And I'm already like totally worn out physically and emotionally without that, and he's making it worse and he keeps going like how he doesn't wanna be like that anymore but every time I offer to help he rejects it saying he's scared because he's used to having everything he wants and he's not used to needing help, and so it's just the same loop over and over again and I'm exhausted I'm worried about him I don't want him to die

[TPoptarts]

Well it's like 6:30pm and I'm hungry. And I don't know what to eat. There's no Christmas dinner or whatever here at the zoo this year. I was invited to 2 Christmas dinners but turned them down because they're far and I have yet another doctor's appointment tomorrow and I have to be back early cuz I have to get up early for the buses. And every time I go to the doctor something else goes wrong. To the point that she actually says every time "boy, you're just a mystery". Tell me about it.

Maybe I just shouldn't eat anything anyway. I feel perfectly healthy as long as I don't eat anything. But I also feel perfectly hungry

[Aquarius]

So I finally got most of Elvis's nails trimmed...and now have a bunch of tooth holes in my thumb to show for it.

[Alelou]

Ouch. Does it make you appreciate your human customers more?

[Aquarius]

Ouch. Does it make you appreciate your human customers more?

LOL! It would if I did nails, too, I suppose! Most of my customers don't try to turn around and bite me...but I did have a little boy kick me once!