July's Juxtaposed Jabberings (mini rants)

[Wolf Larsen]

Went to Kroger to pick up lichee nuts and the like and the seasonal isle was:

Back to School

Folks, it is still fucking July.

[JackieLikesVariety]

Puna, whatever works for you.

At fucking 10:53, while I was deep in the middle of editing the pile of crap that was dude in 66 minutes, that we've had six weeks to work on, Chaz texted the group asking, "What else can I help with".

you are not at all tempted to send him the above post?

is it Zach?

[Solfy]

Originally Posted by stormie

@Solfy . . . ok, the idea of grading fewer ghastly papers is tempting *shakes self* but the group project thing is mostly designed to get the students to learn more by helping each other. If class is not huge we usually figure out who is doing what. I do suggest telling your prof that you are frustrated by Chaz' lack of contribution and empty promises (which are worse), which the remaining team members attempted to fill in for work Chaz did not provide. You might ask not to be paired with him again.

What burns my biscuits is that in any other class there's an individual component and a group component. That way if the group component is weak but the quality of the individual's work is solid, it shows. That's normally how this class is run, but the prof said that since it's summer he decided to make everything group. The summer excuse makes no sense to me, as it's the same length as any other semester; it's not accelerated.

Also, in other classes we fill out an evaluation of our group members at the end of the group project, so we have an avenue to throw the slackers under the bus. No avenue in this class.

I don't know if it's worth sending a separate email to the prof or if that will just sound like bitching. Tonight we present our group project, and Chaz (Jackie - yes) wants to start the presentation by introducing his company. This is not what we discussed, but then Chaz wasn't around for that discussion. We wanted to meet before class to prepare for the presentation, but Chaz can't be there that early. I'm debating pulling him aside and giving him an earful for his own edification.

Tonight's the last class, so I never have to work with him again. If I encounter him in another class group, I will request a reassignment.

[Anacanapuna]

Originally Posted by stormie

1) Is this your way of saying you are stabile and out of the hospital?
2) Wrapping your head around needing a pill every day? Dude, it is so not a problem. Hope you don't tussle with the idea long.

Yup, back to work today. The Cardizem and Xarelto are working just fine. Took a brisk 2-mile walk this morning, heart rate cruised along at about 75, dropped back down into mid-60s shortly afterward. It's 55 now.

The thing about taking a pill every day is that I've been on blood pressure med (1 pill a day) for about 7 years and occasionally I'll forget to take it for a day or two. No harm, really, as long as I get back on soon. With this, I can't forget. If my heart speeds up again, it could lapse into afib and, while that's not life-threatening, it is a royal pain in the ass and causes me serious anxiety (a separate problem I'm also working on with a specialist.) I've never been a very organized person, so the biggest thing now is just establishing a routine that I don't fall out of ... wake up, take pills, walk, eat breakfast, etc. every day in that order without fail. It's all part of a health/weight regimen, which I've never followed before. And, as they say, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks, especially when he's slow on the uptake to begin with. But it'll be OK; I have the Wife from Heaven looking after me and we're having fun growing old together. Who knows, we may start square dancing one of these days!

[SmartAleq]

Get one of those weekly pill minders, fill it up every week with your meds and take them first thing with your coffee or whatever you drink in the morning. That's the only way I stay on top of things, I'm notorious for forgetting meds. I remind myself to take them then I space out and before I know it, it's the next day. Oops. Pill minders are a lifesaver--literally!

[Karma]

When my mother took daily pills, she went and got one of those electric timers that you can plug in to turn on lights. She set the light to go on when she had to take the pill. She made it a rule that she wouldn't turn off the light 'til she had taken it, so even if she was busy at the time, she'd be reminded every time she saw that the light was still on.

Or you can set a daily reminder in the calendar on your cell phone.

[Khampelf]

What Smartie said was sooth indeed. I'd be lost without my pill organizer. They are hightly recommended. I slept 12 hours last night and still feel a little sleep drunk, even after coffee and an hour. In other horrible self inflicted rants, I have a new quit date from cigs. It's 7/23/18. I like 23s so this one may stick. I don't feel like I deserve sympathy anymore. I'm a junkie for nicotine is all. On the plus side, I can stay 100% inside this week while the temperature gets over 110 for a few days. It peaks at a predicted 117 / 47 . Opening the door to the house is like opening oven door.

[Inner Stickler]

I know I should be more openminded about books getting turned into movies and even if the movie is a horrible mistake, I will always have the book. But The House with a Clock in its Walls is one of my favorite children's thriller novels. It has a wonderful gothic flavor and lovely Edward Gorey illustrations. The movie looks like a hundred other modern kid fantasy films.

[Guinastasia]

God, I am SO sick of the sound issues on Windows 10! It started crackling AGAIN, so I figured it was time to update my drivers (that worked the last few times). Nope, apparently they're up to date! I'm about ready to cry, I'm so tired of this problem.

It's a common problem with RealTek audio, and originally I switched, but then after an update, I didn't HAVE a choice but to use RealTek. Even after eventually resetting the whole damned computer back to the factory new.

I'm just going to keep checking for driver updates. This is fucking insane!

[Senpai]

Originally Posted by Glazer

Senpai, save a long playlist on your phone and get a good pair of headphones. Take a book. Even if you just pertend to read it. Retreat into your own little bubble. You can text with your brother privately.

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

Over the ear, noise cancelling headphones, preferably. Earbuds are too easy to ignore and really uncomfortable for long periods of time.

Originally Posted by stormie

@Senpai I wish you all the luck in the world. Here's a word though:

You actually had the persistence to find something that helped you when you need it, and managed to get your hands on it. I know that's not easy. It is, in fact AWESOME!

You are using that thing - which happens to be medicine - when you need it. AWESOMER! It doesn't mean "I'm (insert sef-destructive words here) that I have to use these drugs". What it means is you understand and accept yourself well enough to prepare for times when you don't feel well, and when you don't feel well, you take sensible action to feel better. It's called responsible self-care, and it's a good thing, even a rare thing in the whole world of us who need it, which is everyone. YAY YOU!

Originally Posted by wring

@Senpai: Where in Michigan? I'm in Mason (just south of Lansing).

Glazer, SmartAleq, thank you so much for the support! I had a perfect set of headphones to use, noise canceling and everything.

Stormie, you're gunna make me crryyyyyy!!! That was such a kind thing of you to say. I know self-care is rarer among people and I really wish it wasn't. I was just worried, since the medication I take for anxiety can become addicting, and there's been some history in the family regarding such a conundrum, but i'm being extremely careful. I really needed that reassurance, thank you for being awesome enough to say that!!

Wring, Well, my dad moved down just about 20 or so minutes away from Kalamazoo, right on Lake Michigan. As for where I grew up, I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Sterling Heights area, which is where I am now!

The car ride started rocky. The grandparents brought up things that my father told them they shouldn't have, and made a huge scene that I had to shut down. I told my dad and he was livid. I'm just gunna leave it up to him to yell at them.

As for after I shut it down... It went the best it possibly could! My ears weren't too sensitive that day thank god, and so I had my music on, I had my friends on text lines as my support group, I had the air conditioning blasting on me, the ride actually turned out lovely!!! I am now at my friend's house, safe and sound, and while today is definitely an anxiety day due to how hot it is in her house and just from the stress I am now away from, i'm just extremely glad to be here in one piece.

[Khampelf]

Well, fuck-fire and damnation. Turns out I need to go out after all, for meds and cat food at two different places, mid-afternoon. <----- Very sunburned.

[stormie]

Backtracking a bit . . .
My routine is get up, pee, take pills. Every day.
If I have to get up for somoething else - like Warren needs out NOW - I might forget. If you use a cell phone you can set up a daily reminder alarm. You also have a spouse. You could ask her to ask you every morning if you have taken your pills. She could dope-slap you when you forgot.

I would really like a pill lid with a setable teeny timer on it that would be green if I hadn't opened the bottle in 24 hours and red if I had. Is that a thing?

But wait, there's more!
I went out with Dog on a late night/early morning pee break and FORGOT my damn keys! The owner replaced the front lock and gave us one key each, marked 'do not duplicate'. I used to have one key set in my wallet and one in the dog bag, but now only have a set in my wallet. I didn't bring my wallet. The building has two locked front doors in series (one is a locked gate). I was in the lobby - the second front door was closed behind me, but I was standing in the first front door. Dog pops out, pees, comes back, aaaannnd I discover I can't open the second door.

At that hour I didn't want to wake anyone, so I sat/laid in the lobby while Warren asked "Why don't you open the door" over and over? There's a person who gets up around 5 so when his light came on I buzzed to be let in. Bah.

[SmartAleq]

Hey, Solfy, send this article to Chaz to let him know he's not getting away with a damned thing!

[Solfy]

Chaz came late (his flight was delayed) and left early tonight. At least he communicated about it. The presentation was okay. Not up to my standards, but such is group work. The guy I'd worked with before really salvaged it in his section.

Prof got up early this morning and baked us brownies and cherry tarts, which was cute.

[Khampelf]

My afternoon was largely occupied by a power outage mid-afternoon while it was 116 F outside. We had sufficient flashlights, and I even stayed online for a while, but it soon became clear the best solution to get through would be siesta, so I headed down for a sweaty nap. The technique worked, I slept through the worst of it and woke up when the lights came back on around five. I have an unusual radio doorbell, not a hard-wired one, and it goes off when power comes back on. The power had gone out mid-coffee making, so it was nearly three hours. The hottest part of the day on the hottest day of the year for three hours that is. We're Phoenicians, we survived. But damn that sucked, sweat wasn't just sticky, it was dripping off of me just sitting.

Summer is here with a vengeance!

[Solfy]

*snerk* One last follow up item regarding my good buddy Chaz:

Yesterday afternoon I took the final exam. It was online open-book with a few multiple choice, 8 essay questions, and a case study at the end. We could choose when to take it, but once started you had 2.5hrs to finish. It took me 2hrs and 28 minutes and my fingers were flying. I had three monitors up to dig through material and needed them all (everything from the course was game - nine book chapters, about 20 articles, all the course powerpoint slide decks, and four case studies). I pretty much can guarantee I aced it, and I'll admit to mentally gloating that it was the upside to doing all the group's work (and typing 100wpm).

At 5:45 last night I got a text from Chaz, oddly enough only to me and not the whole group. Chaz was fishing for test answers. He asked, "Did you get the 5 managerial principles?" I knew which question he was on. It was a tricky one to find in the text because the question actually asked for 5 principles or tactics, and in the book there were only two "principles" but five tactics.
Being the kind soul that I am, I didn't leave Chaz hanging. I replied, "Yes."
And that's the end of Chaz.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by Solfy

Being the kind soul that I am, I didn't leave Chaz hanging. I replied, "Yes."
And that's the end of Chaz.

You passed up the opportunity to feed him pure bullshit?

You're a kinder soul than I am.

[Jaglavak]

Originally Posted by Solfy

And that's the end of Chaz.

:: warm fuzzies ::

[Solfy]

Originally Posted by C2H5OH

You passed up the opportunity to feed him pure bullshit?

You're a kinder soul than I am.

I was at a networking event juggling wine and strolling food (I was strolling, not the food; that's a minirant - whoever came up with the idea of strolling meals should be drug out into the street and shot.) so texting wasn't easy, and I was curious to see if he'd come straight out and ask me what they were. Instead I got no response.

[Anacanapuna]

Originally Posted by Solfy

(snip) whoever came up with the idea of strolling meals should be drug dragged out into the street and shot.

I know, I know, it's a snarky little thing to bitch about but I'm feeling bitchy. I just discovered that Cardizem CD has, among its many, many possible side effects, hot flashes. About twice a day, 5 minutes, and they'll taper off over the next six months. Still ... it makes me cranky when it happens. The mood swings don't help, either, but that's a different adventure altogether.

[Solfy]

"Drug is a dialectal variant that appears in many areas of the U.S. Though drug is common in these areas and cannot be considered wrong, it might be seen as out of place in more formal writing, where the traditional dragged is always the safer choice."
Also appropriate when you're paraphrasing Garfield.
Don't try to outbitch me this week.
_{Or probably any other week TBH.}

[stormie]

My friends have had killer hot flashes. May I recommend a small personal fan? You can also get a bandana damp, freeze it, and wear it around your neck. You will likely get damp too, but since the back of the neck is particularly sensitive to cold it will be worth it. Dumping ice water on your head works well but is less practical.

[SmartAleq]

I didn't get hot flashes but I was the queen of night sweats. So glad that's all in the rearview and all I retained was the superpower of being able to run around in snow wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and being pretty durned comfortable so long as I have my -20 boots and wool socks on.

[stormie]

Me too! Although here it means I am wearing light short-sleaved shirts and capris when other people have jackets on. They crazy.

[JackieLikesVariety]

I'll admit to mentally gloating that it was the upside to doing all the group's work (and typing 100wpm)

karma!

[Karma]

At least half the time I talk to my assistant manager, she doesn't listen. It happened again today. I was telling her something I noticed about a new hire, and didn't want to have to say it for the store to hear. Since I was stocking a shelf, I said, "Come a little closer, so I don't have to shout at you." She looked at me, nodded cheerfully, and said, "Yeah!" She does it to one of our other co-workers, too. We've both gone to her with problems that need attention, but it's useless.

Originally Posted by stormie

The owner replaced the front lock and gave us one key each, marked 'do not duplicate'. I used to have one key set in my wallet and one in the dog bag, but now only have a set in my wallet. I didn't bring my wallet.

You want to have a spare copy made? Cut a piece of electrical or duct tape to cover the 'do not duplicate' and get a copy made. Or you could cover it with a couple coats of fingernail polish.

[stormie]

For some reason the natives are suspicious . . . I've been to 3 places!

[InternetBrowser]

Just had a fucking brain fart when ordering brunch from grub hub

I checked "grilled chicken wrap" but never selected that I wanted lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions or cheese


So basically I had a dry ass grilled chicken wrap

[JackieLikesVariety]

hot and smokey weather again. I hate to complain about breathing the smoke when people are actually dying in the fires, but I'm doing it anyway.



and can Channel 2 just rename their morning "news" the John Potter Show? he is constantly giving us his opinion anyway.

[tunaman]

So my client's big move is (mostly) completed. The POS vendor finally figured out how to get his software working with Office 365.. HOORAY! This guy, though! I suppose it happens in many occupations, but "getting stuck in the past" in IT can be fatal.

Our wonderful POS consultant:

- Was completely unaware that Windows 10 is a "rolling release". That is, instead of releasing a completely new version of Windows every few years (XP, Vista, 7), Microsoft is now issuing "feature updates" to Windows 10 a couple times a year. This is the "Anniversary Update", the "Fall Creators Update", etc.

- Had no idea Microsoft and most IT people refer to specific versions of Windows 10 by the year and month they were ready for release - e.g. the Anniversary Update was finished in July 2016, so computers running that version of Windows 10 are running "1607". The most recent version is 1803. I asked him if maybe the problem with his software was related to the specific release: "maybe it works in 1709 but not 1803?" His answer: "What do those numbers mean?"

- Thought Office 365 was an "online suite", like Gsuite (mostly) is. Him: "Our software won't work with online apps, period." Me: "What online apps are you talking about?" Him: "Office 365. Isn't it just a site with web versions of Word and Excel?" Me: "Uhhhhh... no?" Keep in mind Office 365 came out 7 years ago.

- Had no idea the concept for rolling Windows releases came from the success of Office 365, which is also a rolling release. In other words, he had no idea Office 365 gets monthly feature updates, in addition to the usual bug and security fixes. He also didn't know that upgrades are included, so my client can upgrade to Office 2019 for no additional cost once it's released.

- When it wasn't clear that Outlook 2016 would work with his software he suggested using Thunderbird (an email client created by Mozilla that they gave up on and open-sourced in 2012) or IncrediMail. INCREDIMAIL - the email client for people who use pink backgrounds, purple text, and more than 4 fonts in an email! Just LOOK at their website! I haven't seen IncrediMail in the wild since 2002 (not a joke).

- Once I literally told him to "get the fuck outta here" with his Thunderbird and IncrediMail, he suggested buying boxed copies of Office 2016 on disc instead of using Office 365, as the boxed version might work with his software. I asked him if he was willing to pay $6,103 for the licenses to make that happen. He scoffed and asked how the owner had paid for the Office 365 licenses. He didn't understand that the owner was already paying $12.11 per user per month for hosted Exchange only, and that Office 365 ($12.50 per user per month) includes licenses for up to 5 Office installs per user. I actually had to walk this dumbass through the math: "One retail copy of Office 2016 is $359. With Office 365, each user gets at least one copy of Office for 39¢ a month above what [the owner] is already paying for just email. That's $4.68 a year. They'd have to subscribe to Office 365 for almost 77 years to match the cost of one Office license. And that's for just one copy per user; as you know, several employees need more than one copy of Office." Him: "Huh. I didn't know that. Yes, it seems Office 365 is a much better deal". Ya think?

- Slightly off-topic, but he had no idea Power over Ethernet (PoE) was a thing, and that you can buy switches (or special adapters called "injectors") that can power networked devices like Wi-Fi access points, security cameras and VoIP phones via the same cable that transmits data. This has been around since 2003.

- Just doesn't understand basic Windows features. To pick just one example, this client has a remote office with three users. Those users remote desktop into a virtual machine to run the POS software. Because the remote desktop traffic has to go through a firewall, each RDP connection is assigned to a different port. Addresses with ports are written like this:

remote.myclientsdomain.com:4500

He was trying to access the virtual machines remotely but "couldn't connect". He was trying to connect to remote.myclientsdomain.com instead of remote.myclientsdomain.com:4500. I had to explain to him what "ports" were (?!?!) and how they're written, and why the colon and the number after it are so damn important.

What's more, in one of our first conversations, he smugly suggested how he would set up the client's network:

Him: "Well I would have had them using Terminal Services instead of installing the app on all their desktops."

Me: "Yeah, how would that work with [their previous POS system]?"

Him: "Huh? You just install it on the server and let them access it via Terminal Services!"

Me: "[their previous POS system] is DOS-based."

Him: "So?"

Me: "DOS apps don't work on Remote Desktop."

Him: "Yeah? Since when?"

Me: "Since Windows NT 3.51 came out in 1993."

Him: "I'm not sure you're right about that."

Me: "Dude, google 'NTVDM'. DOS applications only ever worked in NT because Microsoft included a virtual machine in all versions of NT until x64 came out. And they can't include it any more because AMD and Intel removed the register that handled 16-bit emulation in x64 processors... because it's 2008. In any case, since Remote Desktop is message-based, not bitmap based, and since DOS apps run under NTVDM, you can't use DOS apps over RDP."

Him: "Well, if you say so."

- Whatever the option, this guy always seems to pick the 4th most popular one, never the most popular one. Does he use MySQL or MariaDB for the POS system? Of course not: he uses Firebird, a database most DB admins have never heard of. Does he use TeamViewer for remote access to desktops? Of course not: he uses ScreenConnect, an app so old it was renamed "ConnectWise Control" several years ago. I swear, if this guy lived in North Carolina, he'd pull for Wake Forest football!

Sorry for the long read. Maybe much of what I wrote is new information to you. But this guy is a SOFTWARE DEVELOPER! He should know this stuff!

[Inner Stickler]

No, this was great. I'm sorry for your pain, but lovely read! I bet r/talesfromtechsupport would love it, too!

[DoubleJ]

Originally Posted by tunaman

Thunderbird (an email client created by Mozilla that they gave up on and open-sourced in 2012)

Nitpick: Mozilla giving up on Thunderbird happened in 2012 (or at least, no later than 2012) but the open-sourcing happened when Mozilla was created back in 1998.

[Amythyst]

I was looking forward to taking a three-day weekend, but then my car started acting up on the way home from work. I think it's the transmission. Looks like I'll be spending Friday afternoon at the Toyota dealership.

[JackieLikesVariety]

I know better than this and I've been fighting it for years now but today I said "that's a lie" when fox "news" was on and I was with a patient.

stupid, pointless, raises my blood pressure and no good can come from it but it slipped out. She is a lovely woman who thinks she is watching legitimate news. LEAVE it, Jackie.

[stormie]

Originally Posted by Inner Stickler

No, this was great. I'm sorry for your pain, but lovely read! I bet r/talesfromtechsupport would love it, too!

Sadist.

Breathing smoke can make stuff worse, at least temporarily. I bought an excellent air filter machine online - but so many other people did the same that it arrived after the fires were controlled. If you get one, make sure it uses moden tech.

[Amythyst]

Originally Posted by JackieLikesVariety

stupid, pointless, raises my blood pressure and no good can come from it but it slipped out. She is a lovely woman who thinks she is watching legitimate news. LEAVE it, Jackie.

{{{Jackie}}} If it helps, I'm right there with you. The last time my Fox News-obsessed mother visited, she said to me "I'm worried about where you get your news. I don't think it's accurate."

I counted to 10 before calmly reminding her that I have a journalism degree. She dropped the subject, but she still thinks I'm being misled by the "liberal media."

[SmartAleq]

The solution to your Faux Noise issue is readily available and for under twenty bucks, too! I've gotten to where I'm not even shy about it--if there's a TV in a waiting room or the like with that shit playing I'll change the channel, turn it off or, if that's not possible, I'll leave and let the management know why I'm going and won't be back. If they give me the remote I'll get into the menu, block the channel and put in a password. That's fun! Guess all those years working for the cable company and helping people with their TV problems paid off.

If I simply must have a frozen shoulder, why the fuck must it be on my smart arm? The dogs think I'm some kind of idiot now because I can't fucking throw the ball properly and Shoga overruns my throws by a mile then gets confused like "WTF, where's the ball?" and I'm having to throw like a dain bramaged toddler underhand with my stupid arm. This sucks.

[Jaglavak]

Originally Posted by tunaman

INCREDIMAIL - the email client for people who use pink backgrounds, purple text, and more than 4 fonts in an email! Just LOOK at their website!

Thanks for the eyeball sprain, dude.

[SmartAleq]

JFC, that site gave me the diabeetus.

[Solfy]

It's more childish looking than some of the preschool learning apps Swimmy uses.

My minirant: I feel like shit. This cold caught me at a weak point and is having its way with me.

[tunaman]

Originally Posted by DoubleJ

Nitpick: Mozilla giving up on Thunderbird happened in 2012 (or at least, no later than 2012) but the open-sourcing happened when Mozilla was created back in 1998.

True. I shoulda said "Mozilla gave up on it in 2012 and released it to the open source community to continue development". 'Cos this guy also tested his software with Mailbird, and it didn't work with that, either.

It's like this developer can't even see the future fading right before his eyes. His software is a POS system for a fairly obscure industry. The company that originally made the software was an independent company that couldn't have had more than a couple hundred clients at their apex. They were then bought by their biggest customer (a brand name everyone has heard of). That company only wanted the software, so after buying the company, they laid off the sales and HR staff, and only kept the best developers. And my developer wasn't one of those. I just don't know how many companies will continue to be willing to use Thunderbird (or keep using Office 2010) going forward. It's like "dude, you only have, like, 5 clients... are you so unwilling to work with newer software that you'll shoot yourself in the foot like that?"

[Sunny Daze]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

If they give me the remote I'll get into the menu, block the channel and put in a password. That's fun! Guess all those years working for the cable company and helping people with their TV problems paid off.

[Jaglavak]

Originally Posted by tunaman

It's like "dude, you only have, like, 5 clients... are you so unwilling to work with newer software that you'll shoot yourself in the foot like that?"

I've known a couple folks who, due to health problems, became noticeably less intelligent in mid life. Or maybe he's just out of give-a-shits. Either way it's obvious that he's planning to ride this gig with minimal effort until it flames out.

Hell, if he was half smart he could hire a code jockey to fix it for him. Even if he only picked up another handful of clients for his trouble, in his world that's a 100% growth.

[Amythyst]

Originally Posted by SmartAleq

If they give me the remote I'll get into the menu, block the channel and put in a password.

I haven't gotten to that point yet, but I regularly change TVs at the gym to the Food Network. Every so often I'll catch a muscle-bound man hovering around to see the outcome of a baking competition.

[JackieLikesVariety]

If they give me the remote I'll get into the menu, block the channel and put in a password.

OMG can you teach me to do this? assuming I can find the remote, blocking the channel at least in the dining room at the SNF would really be in everyone's best interest.

the TV b gone I need to get for myself next time I'm not flat broke. maybe September. in August I am busy picking a concierge doctor who will charge me monthly, as the one that charges quarterly I can't afford in the month my car insurance is due.

sorry to be ranting in the wrong month.

[Jaglavak]

End trans.