Rant of the Day

[Shrinky Dink]

Things that are broken or not functioning as they should: computer, car, washing machine, dryer, and our internet still hasn't been activated after waiting almost an entire month. Of these, only the internet can be fixed, everything else is basically trash/totaled. We also don't have the money to replace any of these things yet.

[Emiliana]

I work at a high school that is about 33% white, 33% Hispanic, and 33% black. And most of the time kids are totally cool with each other. Most people's closest friends are of their own ethnicity, but interracial couples and friend groups aren't at all unusual.

But today at lunch there was a giant race-related verbal altercation between a group of white kids and a group of black kids. I wasn't there and I have no idea how it started. But I'm really sad. I thought my kids were above that.

Aaaaand apparently Friday night, on campus, a group of black kids jumped a white kid, unprovoked, while shouting racial and other insults. Obviously I am horrified for the kid who was hurt. But my mind keeps going back to the perpetrators. They're all minors so their names aren't being released, but the school isn't that big and chances are I know some of them. And there is one kid in particular that I fear might have been involved but there's no way of finding out right now, so it just keeps going around and around and around in my mind.

[Shrinky Dink]

Things that are broken or not functioning as they should: computer, car, washing machine, dryer, and our internet still hasn't been activated after waiting almost an entire month. Of these, only the internet can be fixed, everything else is basically trash/totaled. We also don't have the money to replace any of these things yet.

My phone won't charge right now....

[Whistler]

Things that are broken or not functioning as they should: computer, car, washing machine, dryer, and our internet still hasn't been activated after waiting almost an entire month. Of these, only the internet can be fixed, everything else is basically trash/totaled. We also don't have the money to replace any of these things yet.

My phone won't charge right now....

[Portia]

The lack of any kind of consequences in the point-blank murder of Tamir Rice is just disgusting.

Anyone who thinks that "shoot first, ask questions later" is a good example of policing should take a gander at this story.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/c ... d5a0f.html

This guy in Springville got like 30-60 minutes to change his mind about escalating a domestic violence disturbance and waving an Airsoft gun in the face of police officers. He was 24. Murder and spouse and child battering is, like, a hobby in his family. THIS is what non-insane use of deadly force might look like. A clearly deranged adult that you give multiple warnings to and still poses an unambiguous threat to you as a policeman and his wife and children.

NRGH

And yet a twelve-year-old (a deacon who'd be fumbling the sacrament tray post-'78 for you Mormons here) is shot in less than 3 seconds and the police officer faces no consequences and there are people out there who think that was the only possible response on the part of the officer (who was about as emotionally cut out for police work as I am, apparently).

And yet.
And yet.
And yet.

[Emiliana]

I have an IUD and only have very light periods every few months. But for some reason this one hurts like a *$(#)@ and I'm being seriously whiny about it because I'm not used to dealing with it at all.

[Zedability]

If it doesn't feel better in a few days you might want to go in and get the IUD placement checked out. If it's moved somehow, it might contribute to cramps/pain.

[Emiliana]

If it doesn't feel better in a few days you might want to go in and get the IUD placement checked out. If it's moved somehow, it might contribute to cramps/pain.

Noted. I didn't even think about that.

[Zedability]

I've heard a couple stories of stuff like that. Because if it's like poking your uterus or stretching your cervix or something, that's gonna make period cramps wayyyyy worse.

[Portia]

I started what I assume is ovulation bleeding recently ... It's pretty heavy. So bizarre. Never had it before. Has this happened to anyone else? (I'm not on any form of birth control, and can't think of any other changes besides having gained a couple pounds.)

[Emiliana]

It's stopped hurting and bleeding now. I didn't think it was hurting enough to be something seriously wrong, but I was being a big wimp about it anyway.

I've had a tiny bit of spotting with ovulation from time to time.

[Portia]

I have an IUD and only have very light periods every few months. But for some reason this one hurts like a *$(#)@ and I'm being seriously whiny about it because I'm not used to dealing with it at all.

I have an appointment in two weeks to get one! I've been seriously stressing over the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy derailing my grad school plans. Besides the occasional heavy period, how have you liked it? Did you go for the three- or five-year?

[Emiliana]

I have a 5 year Mirena and I love it. I had nasty migraines with the pill that have virtually disappeared. I don't have to stress about taking a pill every night and what if I forget to take it once my life is probably over etc.

The one thing that does worry me is that on the very, very slim chance you do get pregnant, you are likely to miscarry, and if you don't miscarry, the baby may have serious birth defects. Honestly if I got pregnant, assuming I found out really early on, I would have an abortion instead of taking the risks associated with an IUD baby. I don't know if that's an option you would consider, but it's something to think about.

[Portia]

I have a 5 year Mirena and I love it. I had nasty migraines with the pill that have virtually disappeared. I don't have to stress about taking a pill every night and what if I forget to take it once my life is probably over etc.

The one thing that does worry me is that on the very, very slim chance you do get pregnant, you are likely to miscarry, and if you don't miscarry, the baby may have serious birth defects. Honestly if I got pregnant, assuming I found out really early on, I would have an abortion instead of taking the risks associated with an IUD baby. I don't know if that's an option you would consider, but it's something to think about.

Considering that I would have an abortion now if I had an unplanned pregnancy, that would be the most logical option. Good reason to vote for a Democrat in November.

(Although this scenario seems pretty Sundance-y even for me. After getting an ID, 28 year old woman gets knocked up by her Nice Guy boyfriend, has to race to beat the clock before President Trump is sworn in. >.<)

[Portia]

Did you notice any mental health changes? (besides less anxiety about the pill) I have a hard time imagining what MORE mood swings would be like, LOL

[Emiliana]

I didn't have any particular mental health changes.

[Shrinky Dink]

I will never use this internet service provider EVER again.
-It took a month to finally get connected to the internet. When I called, they admitted to being short staffed, ironically, I had applied for a job with them a month earlier.
-They intentionally misquoted the price when I asked if the router would be included in the monthly cost, this adds an unexpected $10 a month to my bill.
-The installation cost is twice the cost that it was supposed to be because apparently having internet for 4 days outside of the billing month costs that much.
-The guy I just talked to tried to convince me that router rental for $10 a month is a better deal than buying a router for $100 a year. AND if you buy a router, it comes with a 1 year warranty. When I told him that it was a LIE that renting was a better deal, he got offended and started going on about how it makes sense. Instead of correcting him again, (seriously, who thinks paying $120 a year for a router is better than paying $100 a year?) I decided I'd better not waste any more time with him since he's just reading a script and getting annoyed when the script is a lie.
-Whenever I've called someone from the general company, they audibly sigh when they hear what area I'm complaining about. If this is a consistent problem with this area, why aren't they doing something about it?

[Digit]

Once a long, long time ago I was calling to quit dial-up internet service with a company called Juno. I knew they were going to stall the cancellation with every "but" they had. I had fun with it. For every thing they said, I said basically "I agree you're better. I want worse, which is why I'm leaving you." Of course they weren't better, but they had to either admit that directly, after which if they had, I would have said "Now I want better, and you just said you're not." or keep not admitting they're not better, and go round and round with their checklist.

Eventually, the lady finally submitted my cancellation. They didn't admit.

[Portia]

"Alternative treatments" for bipolar disorder is

THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION OF A BAD DECISION, SPIRITUALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND ETHICALLY.

Assuming you've met with a competent MD, lithium is the first-line treatment for classic bipolar. This disorder is defined by being erratic, and starts manifesting in the late teens/early 20s.

It's unfair to the other missionaries, it's unfair to the residents of wherever you're sent, it's unfair to your siblings which will be killed with stress wondering about your inevitable mental deterioration.

I don't think meds are a quick fix for every mental health issue (certainly didn't do anything for me), but when it comes to bipolar? YEAH, MEDS HELP.

Would we put diabetics on "alternatives" to insulin? Sorry, asthmatics, your inhalers are problematic. Try some crystals and prayers!

JUST STOP.

[bobtheenchantedone]

Funny thing: I'm not on medication for my bipolar disorder because I requested to be put on lithium and the doctor I was seeing refused. Whee!

My own rant:

EVERYTHING SUCKS

My amazing choir director, who is 95% of the reason choir changed from anxiety-inducing torture to a therapeutic hour of my day, is seriously ill. He was in the hospital for over a week with two surgeries and only just came home recently and all of us in the choir are worried sick about him. We had to cancel our retreat and our first concert, but more than that he's SICK and he JUST GOT MARRIED and the whole situation SUCKS.

And if that wasn't enough, the replacement director we have is a (swear word) (swear word). He's condescending despite us being one of the top choirs in the state and probably country. He cares more about the men in the choir, stopping to fix their musicality errors and polish their parts on a song where the women have not sung through it correctly a SINGLE TIME (that he's heard; we do well in sectionals without him). This song is also pretty high (sopranos never sing below a D5 and go up to an A above that) but he never ever did any high warmups at the beginning of class. We found out today, when a women finally requested that he warm us up, that it's because he doesn't believe in it: "If you've warmed up correctly, you don't need to sing through your whole range!" Dear sir, you are not a soprano, you are not singing this piece, and you do not know our voices very well. But he thinks we'll be fine if we do one high sigh before singing and if he says, alternately, "I'm so sorry about this piece, sopranos" and "Just relax! Why can't you just relax?"

My rule this semester is that I take a break from a class only if I've hit the point of no return: I'm so anxious that I've either lost control of my breathing or I currently have tears on my face. I have taken a break from choir almost every single day since he started directing us. One day this week I left twice.

This is just a really terrible situation, for me personally and for everyone involved. And our real director won't be able to return to school for at least a month.