Rant VIII: The Reckoning

Let me see, my cousin was murdered, there is a volcano throwing ashes affecting my daughter's allergies, and now we have an outbreak of swine flu in this region with at least 1 dead in this town. Also, my daughter doesn't stop coughing and is running a fever. Maybe it's nothing too serious but I can't stop worrying. This last few months have been a mixed bag. On one side there are tragedy and disease On the other side, now I have the means to take care of my family in this situation.

That was my first rant. And now, another. Why am I writing this? Why am I telling this things to a bunch of people thousands of miles from here? What if some of you think that I only want to be pitied? Don't you think this is weird? You don't know anything about me except maybe that sometimes I sound retarded. The truth is that in this place I found something I haven't found anywhere else: People who likes the same things I like. Nerds are very rare here. I would like to contribute more to the forum, but I'm too insecure about my english and sometimes I make a fool of myself. (Probably now) But I'm getting better right? After all, all my knowledge about the language comes from videogames and cable. That explains why I sometimes say things that probably sound like All your base are belong to us.
 
Let me see, my cousin was murdered, there is a volcano throwing ashes affecting my daughter's allergies, and now we have an outbreak of swine flu in this region with at least 1 dead in this town. Also, my daughter doesn't stop coughing and is running a fever. Maybe it's nothing too serious but I can't stop worrying. This last few months have been a mixed bag. On one side there are tragedy and disease On the other side, now I have the means to take care of my family in this situation.

That was my first rant. And now, another. Why am I writing this? Why am I telling this things to a bunch of people thousands of miles from here? What if some of you think that I only want to be pitied? Don't you think this is weird? You don't know anything about me except maybe that sometimes I sound retarded. The truth is that in this place I found something I haven't found anywhere else: People who likes the same things I like. Nerds are very rare here. I would like to contribute more to the forum, but I'm too insecure about my english and sometimes I make a fool of myself. (Probably now) But I'm getting better right? After all, all my knowledge about the language comes from videogames and cable. That explains why I sometimes say things that probably sound like All your base are belong to us.
Don't have a cow, man.

Wait, what I mean is, never be afraid to look foolish. Foolishness is practically in vogue here, and no one's going to judge you just because English isn't your native language.
 
Let me see, my cousin was murdered, there is a volcano throwing ashes affecting my daughter's allergies, and now we have an outbreak of swine flu in this region with at least 1 dead in this town. Also, my daughter doesn't stop coughing and is running a fever. Maybe it's nothing too serious but I can't stop worrying. This last few months have been a mixed bag. On one side there are tragedy and disease On the other side, now I have the means to take care of my family in this situation.

That was my first rant. And now, another. Why am I writing this? Why am I telling this things to a bunch of people thousands of miles from here? What if some of you think that I only want to be pitied? Don't you think this is weird? You don't know anything about me except maybe that sometimes I sound retarded. The truth is that in this place I found something I haven't found anywhere else: People who likes the same things I like. Nerds are very rare here. I would like to contribute more to the forum, but I'm too insecure about my english and sometimes I make a fool of myself. (Probably now) But I'm getting better right? After all, all my knowledge about the language comes from videogames and cable. That explains why I sometimes say things that probably sound like All your base are belong to us.
Okay, one: holy shit. I'm sorry man.

Two: please don't be hesitant. Maybe we sometimes we won't understand you, or even misunderstand you, but hell, this is one of the best ways to learn. I know it's tough, but getting over my insecurities of sounding like a fool made a huge difference in travelling. I can't speak for everyone on the forum, but I'm happy to help if unsure of wording or grammar; hell you can even PM me if you want a post proof-read!

Three: community is great. It's hard to find a sense of community and I'm glad you can find one here. I don't think anybody thinks that you 'want to be pitied,' and I certainly don't think that it is weird to write this stuff to people thousands of miles away. Investigate my own history and see some of the deeply personal struggles I have posted here, including my suicidal ideation. I like and trust these people, and they've accepted me enough that I felt comfortable saying those things.

Please stick around, please post, please enjoy the fellowship of whatever you find here, whether its the 'nerd' culture, the friendliness, the debates-turned-unfriendly-flame-wars, the debates-turned-heated-yet-more-or-less-civil-wow...

We like you fine, although your avatar creeps me out a bit.

I have no words of comfort to provide you regarding your cousin or daughter. I certainly hope you avoid the swine flu. Take care, and stay awhile, and listen...
 
Let me see, my cousin was murdered, there is a volcano throwing ashes affecting my daughter's allergies, and now we have an outbreak of swine flu in this region with at least 1 dead in this town. Also, my daughter doesn't stop coughing and is running a fever. Maybe it's nothing too serious but I can't stop worrying. This last few months have been a mixed bag. On one side there are tragedy and disease On the other side, now I have the means to take care of my family in this situation.

That was my first rant. And now, another. Why am I writing this? Why am I telling this things to a bunch of people thousands of miles from here? What if some of you think that I only want to be pitied? Don't you think this is weird? You don't know anything about me except maybe that sometimes I sound retarded. The truth is that in this place I found something I haven't found anywhere else: People who likes the same things I like. Nerds are very rare here. I would like to contribute more to the forum, but I'm too insecure about my english and sometimes I make a fool of myself. (Probably now) But I'm getting better right? After all, all my knowledge about the language comes from videogames and cable. That explains why I sometimes say things that probably sound like All your base are belong to us.

English is practically a second language for most English speakers, you have nothing to worry about on that front.
 
The doctor says that unless other symptoms appear or if her temperature reaches 39, we should not worry too much.
 
Glad she's okay. I'm sorry to hear all that has been happening.

As for your posts, I can tell that English isn't your first language but I've never had problems understanding your comments. Don't worry, you're doing just fine.
 
If I'm going to attack someone for their grammar (and I will) I'm going to pick one of these mongrels that are native speakers and should know the difference between your and you're. Except for Yoshi, because it just doesn't seem sportsmanlike.
 
Swine flu is dreadful, caught a case of it myself a few years back. I was an extremely healthy 27 year old and was laid low for weeks on it. Sickest I have ever been and there was a stretch during the delirium that I actually thought I was going to die.

I hope your daughter does not have to experience that.
 
If I'm going to attack someone for their grammar (and I will) I'm going to pick one of these mongrels that are native speakers and should know the difference between your and you're. Except for Yoshi, because it just doesn't seem sportsmanlike.
What I imagine Yoshi's brain to be like:
yoshisbrain.jpg


:)
 

GasBandit

Staff member
So I updated my Nexus 7 tablet to the new version of android that just came out (cause of the exploits and whatnot that are starting to pop up) and lo and behold, the sonofabitches over at google decided to stop waiting for us to voluntarily "upgrade" from Google Talk to "Google Hangouts" (ugh what an insipid name) and just went ahead and replaced it as a system app. The UI is a huge step backwards, it's unintuitive and for some reason google doesn't think we need status indicators for our contacts any more (as in online, away, offline etc). And worst of all, it tries to, once again, shoehorn you into creating a google+ account to get at some of its features. You know, the sacred cow they killed google reader for, but still nobody wants their shit because anybody who WANTS that social media shit already has a facebook account.

HEY GOOGLE:




And give me back my frickin Google Talk app. And while I'm wishing, give me back google reader, too.

Lately I don't even think human beings work at google... just some kind of sadistic insectoid alien race trying to run psychosocial experiments on us, but not quite understanding what it is that's happening. Like they're getting strategy ideas from Gary Larson or something.

At least my old Droid 1 phone doesn't get android updates any more, so I can still use Talk on it.
 
This last few months have been a mixed bag.
Ow?

Also, your English is better than my Spanish, and I used to live in Madrid. Sooooo rusty.
The short of it: Unless you start personally attacking other forumites, your worries will probably be limited to the ones you brought along with you.

Also, Google...please stop trying to ram Google+ down my throat. I can't legitimately sign up for Google+ without implicitly violating your TOS. So stop.

--Patrick
 
I... love that pic so much.
Ow?

Also, your English is better than my Spanish, and I used to live in Madrid. Sooooo rusty.
The short of it: Unless you start personally attacking other forumites, your worries will probably be limited to the ones you brought along with you.

--Patrick
"That place is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is. In must you go."
"What's in there?"
"Only what you take with you."
 
I use Google+ for one reason and one reason only: My family isn't there. I got tired of logging into Facebook to see paranoid rants about how society is going to fall apart on Bastille Day and how I should invest in gold because of a government run conspiracy involving Charlie Chaplin a long time ago. I am ESPECIALLY tired of seeing my family's racist rants.
 
We're expecting again. This is not the rant. This is cause for a huge celebration.

This time, the baby has decided to stick around, and not self-aborted 10 weeks into the process. This is also not the rant. This is a source of unending relief for me, and more importantly my wife.

This year, I got FUUUUUUUUCKED with taxes. This is part of the rant. A small part. To the tune of approximately $1300, rounding up. We have a payment arrangement with the Maf- Government, which has us due to pay off the remainder of our tax debt in October.

I have been working extra off-duty shifts at a couple of hotels as security (they're run by the same group), which is an awesome assignment. The extra shifts came about because Georgia State Patrol used to work the weekends, but were then told they couldn't work them after an incident when an officer had his gun taken, during a fight, by a convicted sex offender who was looking at beastiality on the hotel's guest computer. (Spoiler alert, it didn't end well for the idiot, although not fatally so, more's the bloody pity.)

These extra shifts were awesome, as they fell on my days off, and Sunday shifts came with a bonus in pay (because it's an imposition to work on Sunday, I guess? *shrugs*)

Today I found out that not only was GSP getting their weekend shifts back, but the hotel that I REGULARLY work at is going to be closed for renovations for about 5 months.

Right when I need the extra money the most.

And my department has a nasty little SOP that states that not only can I not work any "normal" job in my jurisdiction (which makes sense, from a viewpoint of possible favoritism), but I can't moonlight with any other departments in the area, like Tybee Island (a department that always takes on extra officers during tourist season).

I am scrambling like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest trying to figure this one out.
 
a convicted sex offender who was looking at beastiality on the hotel's guest computer.
Wait, you can't do that? Well what's the purpose of the guest computer, then?


Seriously though, I'm sorry for you, and also stoked for you. It's like, I want to hug you... but I also want to brofist you? You've already got a hug as of this writing, so I'll fill in the other.
 
[death and disease in the family]
[Nerds are rare, HF is a home away from home where likeminded individuals gather, but insecurity holds you back]

For the record, the brofist is obviously not for the first, but for the second. I know those feelings. It seems especially hard to find well-read, polite and otherwise functioning members of society who are also nerdy. People who claim the Big Bang Theory is hyperbole don't know my friends.

Best of luck and hope the daughter gets better soon...

Otherwise, I use both Google+ and FB - for different things. FB is much more reading the little things about friends and family, while Google+ I use more as a sort of tracking of bigger names - Will Wheaton, George Takei, whatever, and for sharing private pictures and movies. Pictures of my brother playing with his daughter and such, sent only to maybe 5 or 10 family members just seem more private on G+ than on FB - even though they aren't.

OC: congrats on the pregnancy. I look forward to saying congrats on the new baby. Best of luck to you, as well.[DOUBLEPOST=1375104824][/DOUBLEPOST]As my own rant: you may recall my laptop's broken beyond repair. While waiting for a decision as far as buying a new pc goes, I surf on my girlfriend's laptop. You may remember (if you actually read and remember my posts, which I don't actually assume since they're usually petty and boring, which is I why I reiterate :p) her graphics card being busted. So, I do my surfing and gaming on a laptop with the glorious resolution of 640x480. Now, this computer has decided to go on dieing, little bits at a time. The numerical keyboard doesn't work anymore. The cable input socket doesn't work anymore. All the USB ports on the right side? Yeah, no. And wireless still works, but, for some odd reason, the wireless receiver randomly stops working after a while. There's a button to turn it on/off (which doesn't work anymore), and a little light signalling a connection. A while after starting up the computer, it'll just go off and stay off - and no more internet. Just restarting the computer is enough to make it work again....Sometimes for 5 minutes, sometimes for an hour or so. No clue whatsoever. I do, however, know a new pc won't be for the coming days/weeks, so....
 
I am not a violent person, but I fucking swear when I find out who has been pissing on the men's room floor for the last year, I will punch him in the solar plexus.
 
It's nearly every goddamn day. It's unbelievable. Stop using the urinal if you can't pee without getting it all over the floor. The rage. The rage. I imagine the custodial staff must be right pissed, too.
 
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