Complaint Thursdays

[spndnchz]

Donna Summer dead. I have happy memories of me and my Dad dancing to her record when I as younger. Dancin' Chz! lol

[Iron Crotch]

I see new drivers do that all the time. I live with a girl who is still on her permit (at 22 years old or whatever) and she does that constantly. It's like they decide they're going left but they can't just sit and wait for a break in traffic, they have to keep inching. It's just as bad as the people who are turning left who just inch straight forward until people turning left opposite them have no where to go. That one drives me nuts.

 

If everyone drove stick this wouldn't happen. Or you know...paid attention in driver's ed.

 

In Tennessee, most drivers absolutely refuse to use turn signals, which drives me crazy. They just stop in an intersection and you have to guess why that is the case. They also can't parallel park, habitually drive 10-15 MPH below the speed limit, and generally suck. It turns out this state doesn't have driver ed! So there is a reason why drivers suck here...

Edited May 17, 2012 by COSabre

[darksabre]

In Tennessee, most drivers absolutely refuse to use turn signals, which drives me crazy. They just stop in an intersection and you have to guess why that is the case. They also can't parallel park, habitually drive 10-15 MPH below the speed limit, and generally suck. It turns out this state doesn't have driver ed! So there is a reason why drivers suck here...

 

At least there's a reason. Up here being a bad driver is essentially a choice.

[darksabre]

My girlfriend's boss is a massive douche. Or at least that's what I have to believe, since I always have to hear stories from my girlfriend about him being mean to her, or embarrassing her, etc.

 

But she can be very oversensitive to things, especially dry/sarcastic/borderline mean humor. Apparently today he singled her out for watching some show that is related to the project she's working on, even though her co-workers all do the same thing: play games, watch tv, whatever, while they work. Since he can see her desk from his office, she gets singled out for it and told "you're at work, try to act like it."

 

I want to believe her boss is a massive douche, and that her co-workers are all wussies who don't stand up for their own, but part of me just thinks she needs to have thicker skin. I wish I could see for myself what was going on so that I could just take her word for it in the future, but I've met her boss and I like him and we get along well, so I have a hard time believing her.

 

Being obligated to take someone's side in something isn't always easy.

[dEnnis the Menace]

My girlfriend's boss is a massive douche. Or at least that's what I have to believe, since I always have to hear stories from my girlfriend about him being mean to her, or embarrassing her, etc.

 

But she can be very oversensitive to things, especially dry/sarcastic/borderline mean humor. Apparently today he singled her out for watching some show that is related to the project she's working on, even though her co-workers all do the same thing: play games, watch tv, whatever, while they work. Since he can see her desk from his office, she gets singled out for it and told "you're at work, try to act like it."

 

I want to believe her boss is a massive douche, and that her co-workers are all wussies who don't stand up for their own, but part of me just thinks she needs to have thicker skin. I wish I could see for myself what was going on so that I could just take her word for it in the future, but I've met her boss and I like him and we get along well, so I have a hard time believing her.

 

Being obligated to take someone's side in something isn't always easy.

 

I totally understand what you're talking about, because my girlfriend has the same issue. I tried to tell her once that she needs thicker skin...just once...

[darksabre]

I totally understand what you're talking about, because my girlfriend has the same issue. I tried to tell her once that she needs thicker skin...just once...

 

This happens regularly. It usually ends with me telling her to either do something about it or stop complaining, because it just makes me angry that I am helpless to intervene. I know what I would do in her shoes, I've dealt with enough a-hole bosses in my day to know how to handle them. But this is her first job, it's in the art industry, it's a relatively good job, and she thinks that means she isn't entitled to stand up for herself.

 

My response would be this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hJFBLQ_CLs

 

Her's is to tell me she's trying not to cry. What she needs to do is either take it like a man or go into her boss's office and tell him she doesn't like being treated like a child in a semi-professional work environment.

 

I can't hold her hand to do that though. So I get to sit here and either say nothing or say something stern in the hope that it pushes her to action. I'm not going to roll over and be all "it's okay baby everything's okay" when it's not. There's no gentle way to tell your girlfriend she needs to be tougher.

Edited May 17, 2012 by d4rksabre

[Claude_Verret]

I don't know if this is just a Boston thing or not, but I don't remember ever seeing it back in Buffalo. Out here, when cars are waiting to turn left, they angle to the left into the oncoming lane of traffic. It's ridiculous. I'm sick of having to swerve to avoid cars who are blocking my lane. It's even worse when I'm in a 4 lane road and I have to worry about a car to my right as I'm avoiding the other guy.

 

 

Yeah I see this a lot down here. Doing this or even being straight and just turning the wheel in anticipation of a turn puts you at risk in the event you get rear ended and pushed right into oncoming traffic. But people are morons.

 

And cancer sucks. My girlfriend's father has been in and out of the hospital multiple times since his surgery a month or two back (so many hospital visits that I've completely lost track of the time frame). I guess it's not even the cancer right now, it's a bunch of different infections after the surgery. They can't start up with chemo until he's all healed up, so while he's waiting, that cancer gets the chance to grow. I realize the chemo doesn't guarantee anything, but it's the best shot.

 

Sorry to hear this, hopefully things turn around for him so he can start kicking cancers ass in full force.

[millbank]

I think i will state unequivocally ,a all encompassing, cover all Dam it, perhaps even a double dam it.... that is " dam it all' so there....

[SwampD]

My girlfriend's boss is a massive douche. Or at least that's what I have to believe, since I always have to hear stories from my girlfriend about him being mean to her, or embarrassing her, etc.

 

But she can be very oversensitive to things, especially dry/sarcastic/borderline mean humor. Apparently today he singled her out for watching some show that is related to the project she's working on, even though her co-workers all do the same thing: play games, watch tv, whatever, while they work. Since he can see her desk from his office, she gets singled out for it and told "you're at work, try to act like it."

 

I want to believe her boss is a massive douche, and that her co-workers are all wussies who don't stand up for their own, but part of me just thinks she needs to have thicker skin. I wish I could see for myself what was going on so that I could just take her word for it in the future, but I've met her boss and I like him and we get along well, so I have a hard time believing her.

 

Being obligated to take someone's side in something isn't always easy.

 

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that a job to a man is just what he does, so it's not that personnal. A job to a woman is who she is, so it's very personnal. And no matter what, ALWAYS choose your girl's side.

 

I think i will state unequivocally ,a all encompassing, cover all Dam it, perhaps even a double dam it.... that is " dam it all' so there....

 

A common phrase here is "F### everyone,.. and everything!"

[darksabre]

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that a job to a man is just what he does, so it's not that personnal. A job to a woman is who she is, so it's very personnal. And no matter what, ALWAYS choose your girl's side.

 

 

I don't know if I agree with that. I've always taken my work very personally, which is why I've always been a good employee. I don't like letting the people who rely on me down, and she's no different. The difference between us is that I know when I'm being screwed around and I'll do something about it if I have to. I try to play Mr. Nice Guy but I can get real mean and nasty if someone takes a shot at my pride, especially if they're in a management position where they should know better. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body, so she won't respond to workplace issues like I would. It's not who she is.

 

I understand her perspective, but boy is it frustrating when I'm sitting on the other end of the phone.

 

There's also something to be said for the industry she's in, which is the creative industry. She works for a company that makes Flash games. It's like a sweatshop for artists. These kids come out of school with the idea in their head that they probably wont ever "make it" so they should just be happy with what they can get, which basically gives employers license to treat people like slaves. Her boss drives a Land Rover and lives in a mansion but he wont offer her the benefits that the rest of her coworkers have, and she's not allow to "ask" for it. She has to wait for him to offer it to her (which he never will). It's a completely different world than almost any other industry where it's okay to ask for things. The creative arts puts someone at the top and no matter what they're always right, because they can just threaten to go find some other brainwashed drone who has accepted the "I'm not worthy" mindset.

 

It's very weird. And it's not an industry I could function in. Because it's more religion than trade.

Edited May 17, 2012 by d4rksabre

[SwampD]

I don't know if I agree with that. I've always taken my work very personally, which is why I've always been a good employee. I don't like letting the people who rely on me down, and she's no different. The difference between us is that I know when I'm being screwed around and I'll do something about it if I have to. I try to play Mr. Nice Guy but I can get real mean and nasty if someone takes a shot at my pride, especially if they're in a management position where they should know better. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body, so she won't respond to workplace issues like I would. It's not who she is.

 

I understand her perspective, but boy is it frustrating when I'm sitting on the other end of the phone.

 

There's also something to be said for the industry she's in, which is the creative industry. She works for a company that makes Flash games. It's like a sweatshop for artists. These kids come out of school with the idea in their head that they probably wont ever "make it" so they should just be happy with what they can get, which basically gives employers license to treat people like slaves. Her boss drives a Land Rover and lives in a mansion but he wont offer her the benefits that the rest of her coworkers have, and she's not allow to "ask" for it. She has to wait for him to offer it to her (which he never will). It's a completely different world than almost any other industry where it's okay to ask for things. The creative arts puts someone at the top and no matter what they're always right, because they can just threaten to go find some other brainwashed drone who has accepted the "I'm not worthy" mindset.

 

It's very weird. And it's not an industry I could function in. Because it's more religion than trade.

Don't get me wrong, I take great pride in my work as well. I just don't take anything personally. If I know I'm right and did a good job, I couldn't give two s###s would someone else thinks, as long as the checks clears and they keep asking me back.

[darksabre]

Don't get me wrong, I take great pride in my work as well. I just don't take anything personally. If I know I'm right and did a good job, I couldn't give two s###s would someone else thinks, as long as the checks clears and they keep asking me back.

 

This is true. But I guess we're both probably used to working in environments that are like that. The environment she works in is supposed to be very casual, friendly, buddy-buddy, art kid good-ju-ju kinda stuff. They have couches, her boss's wife comes in and teaches Yoga, the developers play video games all day, they take 2 hours to go get Mighty Taco, and everybody sorta does what they want and it's not a problem as long as the work gets done. Hell, she got told to "act like she was at work" today when she doesn't even start her next project for another week. She had to beg her way into another project this afternoon because she didn't want to get yelled at like a little kid again.

 

The major problem is that she is the only one at the company that gets treated like this. No one else gets made an example of, everyone else is treated like their part of the buddy-buddy family. For some reason her boss treats her differently. Probably because she doesn't really "fit in" there. She's not a gamer, she's not even an animator (she learned on the job), so I think because she's sorta the "low man on the totem pole" she gets treated like it.

 

It's very weird. And very unprofessional.

Edited May 17, 2012 by d4rksabre

[SwampD]

This is true. But I guess we're both probably used to working in environments that are like that. The environment she works in is supposed to be very casual, friendly, buddy-buddy, art kid good-ju-ju kinda stuff. They have couches, her boss's wife comes in and teaches Yoga, the developers play video games all day, they take 2 hours to go get Mighty Taco, and everybody sorta does what they want and it's not a problem as long as the work gets done. Hell, she got told to "act like she was at work" today when she doesn't even start her next project for another week. She had to beg her way into another project this afternoon because she didn't want to get yelled at like a little kid again.

 

The major problem is that she is the only one at the company that gets treated like this. No one else gets made an example of, everyone else is treated like their part of the buddy-buddy family. For some reason her boss treats her differently. Probably because she doesn't really "fit in" there. She's not a gamer, she's not even an animator (she learned on the job), so I think because she's sorta the "low man on the totem pole" she gets treated like it.

 

It's very weird. And very unprofessional.

It's probably the same reason that there isn't a woman on the board of Facebook yet, computer geeks are terrified of girls. :lol:

[darksabre]

It's probably the same reason that there isn't a woman on the board of Facebook yet, computer geeks are terrified of girls. :lol:

 

You kid but there's some truth to that :lol:

[Randall Flagg]

I have three papers to write for three college-credit courses in the next two weeks, one in a different language.

No time for the things I enjoy doing, like music or working out, until after the regents exams in a month.

 

 

 

 

 

But then the relief of summer, which is worth all of the stress. :)

[qwksndmonster]

[snip]

I can't hold her hand to do that though. So I get to sit here and either say nothing or say something stern in the hope that it pushes her to action. I'm not going to roll over and be all "it's okay baby everything's okay" when it's not. There's no gentle way to tell your girlfriend she needs to be tougher.

I deal with something similar all the time. My girlfriend is very shy and doesn't stand up for herself when something's wrong. I always try to be understanding when she's stressing out about something, but her problems usually stem from not wanting to look stupid in front of other people. After I'm gentle and understanding, I usually can't help but sternly remind her that she needs to assert herself and not worry about unrealistic consequences to standing up for herself.

It's probably the same reason that there isn't a woman on the board of Facebook yet, computer geeks are terrified of girls. :lol:

Utterly untrue! Girls are the ones that are scared of us :P

I have three papers to write for three college-credit courses in the next two weeks, one in a different language.

No time for the things I enjoy doing, like music or working out, until after the regents exams in a month.

 

 

 

 

 

But then the relief of summer, which is worth all of the stress. :)

It's my senior year and I took a specialized health care class that lasts half the day. I got to shadow at hospitals every few weeks. I originally thought that the best part of it was that I got dismissed an hour and a half earlier, but now I know that it's not having to stress about multiple finals. :flirt: Sorry for the gloating. You'll do just fine :P

Edited May 17, 2012 by qwksndmonster

[darksabre]

I deal with something similar all the time. My girlfriend is very shy and doesn't stand up for herself when something's wrong. I always try to be understanding when she's stressing out about something, but her problems usually stem from not wanting to look stupid in front of other people. After I'm gentle and understanding, I usually can't help but sternly remind her that she needs to assert herself and not worry about unrealistic consequences to standing up for herself.

 

I try to be gentle with her about it, but it's hard to do in the middle of the day on the phone. It's much easier in person. On the phone I can't convey anything but sternness. :ph34r: She's gotten used to it now, since I've told her to sh*t or get off the pot so many times before, but I still feel bad every time I have to say something like "I can't be there to stand up for you, so if it bothers you that much then you need to stand up for yourself."

 

One of these days she's gonna do it and either get fired or solve the problem. Either way, I'll be proud of her for "gettin mean" and doing somethin about it. :pirate:

 

 

 

 

Also, completely unrelated, but I'd really like to sell my truck, but I can't afford to be without a car. I wish it was easier to just "trade" vehicles.

 

Anyone wanna trade me a car worth about $4-4500 for a 1999 Suburban? :P

Edited May 17, 2012 by d4rksabre

[Randall Flagg]

 

I deal with something similar all the time. My girlfriend is very shy and doesn't stand up for herself when something's wrong. I always try to be understanding when she's stressing out about something, but her problems usually stem from not wanting to look stupid in front of other people. After I'm gentle and understanding, I usually can't help but sternly remind her that she needs to assert herself and not worry about unrealistic consequences to standing up for herself.

 

Utterly untrue! Girls are the ones that are scared of us :P

 

It's my senior year and I took a specialized health care class that lasts half the day. I got to shadow at hospitals every few weeks. I originally thought that the best part of it was that I got dismissed an hour and a half earlier, but now I know that it's not having to stress about multiple finals. :flirt: Sorry for the gloating. You'll do just fine :P

Thanks for encouragement :)

I always find papers/finals stressful...until I start writing them. They are never as bad as I fear, as I am a fairly good student. Once I get rolling it should be fine.

[qwksndmonster]

Thanks for encouragement :)

I always find papers/finals stressful...until I start writing them. They are never as bad as I fear, as I am a fairly good student. Once I get rolling it should be fine.

I am a horrible procrastinator. Two final papers written in four hours was probably my worst high school memory of all time (one of the grades was pretty damned good and the other was randomly assigned by a horrible teacher*). I'm sure you'll start before and do better than I did on your papers. ;)

 

*I got an eighty five on a supposedly easily graded final paper at the end of AP US History. I thought I didn't write a half bad paper, either. A friend of mine wrote a paper that was a good two pages shy of the page requirement and was mostly made up of a comparison of the NAACP (advancement of colored people) with NAMBLA (man boy love association). My friend got a ninety three.

[Randall Flagg]

 

I am a horrible procrastinator. Two final papers written in four hours was probably my worst high school memory of all time (one of the grades was pretty damned good and the other was randomly assigned by a horrible teacher*). I'm sure you'll start before and do better than I did on your papers. ;)

 

*I got an eighty five on a supposedly easily graded final paper at the end of AP US History. I thought I didn't write a half bad paper, either. A friend of mine wrote a paper that was a good two pages shy of the page requirement and was mostly made up of a comparison of the NAACP (advancement of colored people) with NAMBLA (man boy love association). My friend got a ninety three.

That's actually pretty impressive, I thought I was good at procrastinating! AP US history is one of the ones I have to write, though it's the one I am least worried about. I haven't chosen a topic for an English paper, and I have deteriorating spanish skills...

Hopefully this time next week two of them will be done. I'm aiming for high nineties. Oops, I've seemed to stop complaining...

[qwksndmonster]

That's actually pretty impressive, I thought I was good at procrastinating! AP US history is one of the ones I have to write, though it's the one I am least worried about. I haven't chosen a topic for an English paper, and I have deteriorating spanish skills...

Hopefully this time next week two of them will be done. I'm aiming for high nineties. Oops, I've seemed to stop complaining...

Don't tell anyone but I rarely complain. I just come to this thread for schadenfreude. :devil:

[Randall Flagg]

 

Don't tell anyone but I rarely complain. I just come to this thread for schadenfreude. :devil:

How do you pronounce that?

[Fire Lindy Ruff NOW]

shay-din-frood? haha

[qwksndmonster]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schadenfreude

Click the speaker symbol right next to the word.

[Claude_Verret]

Faculty are hired and retained on the basis of research, graduate students are trained from day 1 to produce research, and everything else is secondary. One of my professors once told me "at a research institution such as UB, as long as you can stumble your way in front of a classroom and talk for a few minutes, that's all that matters". It's kind of ironic really. University rankings are based largely on the quality of faculty and how many degrees get awarded, and UB gets ranked quite well nationally (especially considering tuition costs), so a lot of students go expecting great professors and to have awesome classes. Unfortunately, the quality of the faculty is ranked on their research, not on their teaching.

 

I had an instructor at UB for a molecular Immunology course who literally did nothing but read and put overheads up straight from the textbook. She added absolutely nothing more than that. Once everyone caught on to this the class was very poorly attended.