Rant VIII: The Reckoning

Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

North_Ranger said:
My first girlfriend was like that... Part of the reason why I left her was her chronic inability to pick up anything after herself or do anything without it being half-assed at best. And if that sounds callous to you, let me give you some examples:
- When she moved to a new flat, her old flat was so full of various junk that there was a knee-deep layer of rumpled clothes, knick-knacks, empty packages and God knows what on the floor.
- Not to mention the two-month-old, half-eaten rotisserie chicken on the living room table.
- She didn't properly read her new lease or even check the apartment, so she got the following shocks: the rent was $100 bigger than she had thought, the doors were constantly jamming, and the kitchen was not finished (ie. lacking doors and such).
- Three months later, her new apartment had not been cleaned once, there was a sheepskin rug on the floor that smelled like her dog's piss, there were empty packages everywhere as well as a torn-open soil bag in the living room, from the time when he decided to grow some potted plants.
- Oh, and there's this thing: she never washed her unmentionables. Never. She just wore them, tossed them, and bought new ones.

I wonder if your flatmate's a distant relative of hers...?
Click to expand...
Yep I feel you on some of that:
- Ex-GF a while back had 3 cats and an old dog. None where house broken and she picked up only after their shit on the carpet. Never attempted to do anything about the piss. The smell the first and one of the only times I entered her apartment was just an overwhelming wave of ammonia/piss stink.
- She bathed every single day, had enough underwear to last her a month, but only washed once a month. So while she was never -dirty- she had mountains of dirty clothes all over her apartment and tried leaving shit like that at my place once. Once.
- She was a graduated student of an accredited Cooking School but would never make anything more than Hot Pockets in her microwave. What a waste. When we met she bragged about her cooking degree too.

That relationship lasted about a month and a half wholly off the sex and the fact that we only came over to my place and ate what I cooked. She was 100% worthless even in the bedroom though.
 
WasabiPoptart

WasabiPoptart

I dated a guy like this. He had a house, that he owned, and it was a complete disaster. He had a male cat that was not neutered, so the cat would spray all over. The litterbox was kept in the basement on carpet and since it was rarely cleaned the cat would just piss wherever. The guy had long hair and it was everywhere. I don't think he owned a vacuum. There were papers, boxes, bags, food containers, and the like everywhere in the house. He would get mad at me for trying to clean the bathroom while I was there. It was disgusting. Once he had a cold, so I made him some soup. He wasn't very hungry and it got left on the stove. When I came back to his house about 2 weeks later the pot was still sitting there with the soup inside! I swear it was bubbling without the stove being on! He had dishes in the sink that were molding. I dated him for about 4 months. He started talking about engagement and I knew it would mean I would be dealing with this crap for the rest of my life. The deal breaker was when he was eating olives. The cat was begging for some. He then spit out a half-chewed piece on the floor for the cat to eat. It was like a mother bird feeding her baby. I still feel my stomach turn when I think about it.
 
North_Ranger

North_Ranger

Staff member
Engagement was the final straw for me as well. To give you some background... I'm not the most handsome, extroverted guy around. And this girl was the first woman ever to pay any attention to me beyond friendship... so that kinda blinded me to all the bullshit that was going on. Not to mention that the sex was, for the lack of a better word, amazing. Not because of any kinky things, but simply because we seemed to hit just the right buttons when playing "hide the salami". We were together for almost a year... mostly, I think, because I spent half that time doing my military service - which meant that we only saw each other during my weekend leaves, and usually spent that time stress-testing the bed. It was only after I returned to civilian life that I started really noticing all the bullshit that this woman was piling on herself - and on me. It didn't help that she had mental health issues, and apparently she and her mother had decided that she would not see a doctor because I "was such a good influence on her". I pretty much felt trapped with her from then on, especially since I had agreed we would talk about moving together - in her apartment that she turned into a junkyard - in the summer following me leaving the army. But like I said, the sex was amazing, and there's something to be said about someone needing you.

Well, when our first anniversary was coming around, she started asking what I was getting her. When she found out that I was not getting her an engagement ring, she turned on the waterworks and started crying, saying I didn't love her. There was no point explaining that I didn't want to get engaged "just because", that in my mind and in my family being engaged meant you had proposed and were planning to get married soon. Basically she threatened to start cutting herself (something she had done in the past), kept calling me at all hours, demanding and crying and threatening until I would agree to get engaged to her. That was when I said we were done.

Last I heard of her, she was getting married to the guy she dated before me - a guy she said had all but raped her at one point. Yeah... she was nuttier than a bag of chipmunks.
 
A

Anonymous

Anonymous

Being weaned off anti-depressants so my system is 'clear' when I start a new one.

Yesterday was my last reduced dosage... today is my first day with nothing. I hate all of the things, but chiefly myself. I haven't felt his bad in so long. Fuck everything.
 
Adam

Adam

WasabiPoptart said:
I dated a guy like this. He had a house, that he owned, and it was a complete disaster. He had a male cat that was not neutered, so the cat would spray all over. The litterbox was kept in the basement on carpet and since it was rarely cleaned the cat would just piss wherever. The guy had long hair and it was everywhere. I don't think he owned a vacuum. There were papers, boxes, bags, food containers, and the like everywhere in the house. He would get mad at me for trying to clean the bathroom while I was there. It was disgusting. Once he had a cold, so I made him some soup. He wasn't very hungry and it got left on the stove. When I came back to his house about 2 weeks later the pot was still sitting there with the soup inside! I swear it was bubbling without the stove being on! He had dishes in the sink that were molding. I dated him for about 4 months. He started talking about engagement and I knew it would mean I would be dealing with this crap for the rest of my life. The deal breaker was when he was eating olives. The cat was begging for some. He then spit out a half-chewed piece on the floor for the cat to eat. It was like a mother bird feeding her baby. I still feel my stomach turn when I think about it.
Click to expand...
 
Cajungal

Cajungal

Staff member
WasabiPoptart said:
I dated a guy like this. He had a house, that he owned, and it was a complete disaster. He had a male cat that was not neutered, so the cat would spray all over. The litterbox was kept in the basement on carpet and since it was rarely cleaned the cat would just piss wherever. The guy had long hair and it was everywhere. I don't think he owned a vacuum. There were papers, boxes, bags, food containers, and the like everywhere in the house. He would get mad at me for trying to clean the bathroom while I was there. It was disgusting. Once he had a cold, so I made him some soup. He wasn't very hungry and it got left on the stove. When I came back to his house about 2 weeks later the pot was still sitting there with the soup inside! I swear it was bubbling without the stove being on! He had dishes in the sink that were molding. I dated him for about 4 months. He started talking about engagement and I knew it would mean I would be dealing with this crap for the rest of my life. The deal breaker was when he was eating olives. The cat was begging for some. He then spit out a half-chewed piece on the floor for the cat to eat. It was like a mother bird feeding her baby. I still feel my stomach turn when I think about it.
Click to expand...
I know people like that. They leave food out for a week then freeze it... you know, to kill the germs and make it safe to eat. One time they went out of town and left a plate of fried fish out on the cabinet. Their kids came over to pick something up and nearly puked from the smell. The worst was when I went to visit one day and there was 4-day-old seafood stew on the stove... that they offered me.:eww:
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Cajungal said:
They leave food out for a week then freeze it... you know, to kill the germs and make it safe to eat.
Click to expand...
Freezing does not kill germs (not the ones you want dead, anyway). Cooking is what kills germs. Freezing just makes 'em come back slower.

And I'm a recovering messoholic myself. I ain't cured yet, but I'm a whole lot better'n I used to be. These days, I only allow one of the rooms in the house to go (the one with the computers in it, obviously), and I make sure the rest of the rooms stay habitable*.

--Patrick
*full disclosure: The bathtub is getting a bit dark around the edges, but that's because I discovered the wall behind it is falling apart, and I don't think I can clean it without tearing the remaining shreds. Tax refund season can't get here fast enough, I tellya.
 
Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

Wow. I just. Wow.

Wow.

I live alone, and I don't leave the apartment or go to bed if there's a dirty dish in the sink. I scour my bathroom once a week, vacuum and mop once a week, and sort my laundry by colour. I figured I was just making a reasonable effort but apparently I live in a surgical theatre compared to some of these people.
 
Gared

Gared

I can't go to work this morning. Spoilered for nastiness' sake.

I have two boils (one properly on my ass and one on my thigh) that are preventing me from sitting down if I'm wearing pants, which aren't quite ready to be lanced, so I can't drive to work. On the plus side, I've reaffirmed the fact that I have an insanely high pain tolerance.
 
North_Ranger

North_Ranger

Staff member
Had my influenza shot on Tuesday, just before chemo... and for the past two days I've been suffering from a mild temperature, fatigue and nausea. Goddammit...
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

All right, you guys want to hear messy? Prepare to be story topped.

Some years ago, two friends of mine asked me to take care of their cats and watch over their place while they went on vacation for a week. Might've been two weeks. I used to live with them some years before that and to say they were filthy was an understatement. One time, I helped clean their room...okay, that's not true. I was cleaning around the apartment, picking up bottles for recycling, and went into their room to retrieve some. It turned into a cleaning frenzy which including picking up many used take-out containers and even used condoms (with which I used very heavy amounts of Kleenex to pick up). In retrospect, it was pretty much an invasion of their privacy and I know my friend's girlfriend was particularly upset. She has a hoarding problem.

Anyway, despite this, I was still unprepared for what awaited me for their whole, 1-bedroom apartment.

For starters, the bugs. There were flies buzzing around the lights. There were ants crawling all over the floor. We'll...get to the other bugs in the sink in a moment.

I could barely see the floor among all the garbage. The cat litter looked and smelled like it hadn't ever been cleaned. In their bedroom was an entertainment centre with one giant cupboard that held a small, 15-inch television. The rest of the area in that cupboard was filled to the brim with empty take-out boxes.

Here's the biggest kicker, though: the sink. Piles and piles of dishes. Given the nature of this place, it wasn't so surprising. But then I lifted up one of the plates and found...

...wet, soggy, cat food...

...mixed with maggots.

There were stacks of liquor bottles that I brought to the Beer Store for money that I used on cleaning supplies. I swept and mopped every inch of the place. I dusted. I filled I think about half a dozen huge garbage bags to the brim, three for garbage, three for recycling. By the time I was done, the place was unrecognizably spotless. I really doubt it lasted long in that condition, but I know they were pretty damn thankful when they got home. My friend said afterwards, "The place looks amazing."
 
David

David

I'll admit to leaving laundry in unorganized piles in my room (used laundry ALWAYS goes in the hamper, though) along with random junk & boxes on the floor which don't really have any particular place to be put. But food containers and dirty dishes are where I draw the line. I never leave out anything which could rot or attract bugs. I would have lost my shit at the site of the maggots. I really don't understand how any person can see a rotting piece of food sitting out in their home and NOT move throwing it out to immediate priority.
 
Chad Sexington

Chad Sexington

ThatNickGuy said:
All right, you guys want to hear messy? Prepare to be story topped.

Some years ago, two friends of mine asked me to take care of their cats and watch over their place while they went on vacation for a week. Might've been two weeks. I used to live with them some years before that and to say they were filthy was an understatement. One time, I helped clean their room...okay, that's not true. I was cleaning around the apartment, picking up bottles for recycling, and went into their room to retrieve some. It turned into a cleaning frenzy which including picking up many used take-out containers and even used condoms (with which I used very heavy amounts of Kleenex to pick up). In retrospect, it was pretty much an invasion of their privacy and I know my friend's girlfriend was particularly upset. She has a hoarding problem.

Anyway, despite this, I was still unprepared for what awaited me for their whole, 1-bedroom apartment.

For starters, the bugs. There were flies buzzing around the lights. There were ants crawling all over the floor. We'll...get to the other bugs in the sink in a moment.

I could barely see the floor among all the garbage. The cat litter looked and smelled like it hadn't ever been cleaned. In their bedroom was an entertainment centre with one giant cupboard that held a small, 15-inch television. The rest of the area in that cupboard was filled to the brim with empty take-out boxes.

Here's the biggest kicker, though: the sink. Piles and piles of dishes. Given the nature of this place, it wasn't so surprising. But then I lifted up one of the plates and found...

...wet, soggy, cat food...

...mixed with maggots.

There were stacks of liquor bottles that I brought to the Beer Store for money that I used on cleaning supplies. I swept and mopped every inch of the place. I dusted. I filled I think about half a dozen huge garbage bags to the brim, three for garbage, three for recycling. By the time I was done, the place was unrecognizably spotless. I really doubt it lasted long in that condition, but I know they were pretty damn thankful when they got home. My friend said afterwards, "The place looks amazing."
Click to expand...
You are a better person than I am.

I mean, I could elaborate, but basically I would have kidnapped the cat as a rescue mission and then burnt the place to the ground.

Also I would have screamed like a little girl when I saw the maggots. I do not deal well with squirmy things.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

Yeah, I mean, I might be a little messy or unorganized, even maybe not do the dishes for a few days (though I do rinse them and usually soak them in soapy water), but never to that point.
 
ThatNickGuy

ThatNickGuy

In a totally unrelated rant...

I'm thinking of backing out of the publishing deal I have with Pro Se Press.

Honestly, a lot of it is just the sheer lack of communication from them. I didn't even find out that Dill was being published in February until the live video podcast event where he was interviewing me. Now, I've just been told that it's coming out in December, not February. This is really bothersome for several reasons:

1) I was already told February and been telling everyone as such.
2) I wanted to have a book launch party at my local book store.
3) I'm still waiting to hear back from a friend of mine who is writing the introduction.

To do it in December instead just feels rushed and leaves me unprepared. Not to mention that the publisher has about 39 projects right now all in different levels of completeness. I feel like I'm being lost in the fold, which would be fine if I had any clue at all what was going on.

Worse, I still don't even know how available the book will be. I know they have books available on Amazon, but is it something Chapter could order? Or my comic store?

I'm probably just...hell, I don't know how I'm reacting or if I'm overreacting. But honestly, having it suddenly dropped on me that it's December rather than February doesn't have me excited at all, especially for the fact that I had NO FUCKING CLUE.
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

I'm curious how they're going to push forward within the month all of a sudden.

That said, you're a new author. You don't have much pull; you're kind of at their mercy. It makes sense for them to not feel they need to answer to you.
 
Frank

Frank

Christmas time is the worst. I have no time off and have been trying to convince the disparate parts of my immediate family to come stay with me for a few days around Christmas. Well, my mom wants me to come down to Calgary and stay with her, which I can't do. My dad doesn't want to leave the NWT but he might, but he doesn't know if he should, fucking etc etc etc. My one aunt wants us to come see our grandfather who is ailing, which I wish I could do but again, I have no time off. Now my another aunt is demanding we go to fucking Red Deer, because she saw that things are quite the clusterfuck already and she can never help but wrench up the works by adding to it. My brothers are frustrated as well with the family being completely fucking insane about things.

Every time I explain that I can't fucking go anywhere, I have to do my God damn job over Christmas I'm treated like I'm the one being a selfish asshole.

Fuck.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

My fist-bump comes because I get the same from my wife every year.
Doesn't matter if I managed to finagle last year off to spend with family, if I don't get it every year, she's unhappy.
Every year, I explain it would be unfair if I didn't take a turn at the wheel from time to time.

--Patrick
 
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