Absolutely Miserable, and Poor.

[gonzobrian]

I'll give you a dollar if you change you icon 

Hey, I'll do that.  Hotty chick okay with you?

Well it would be an improvement on the eyes.   
I'd still get the questions from my 7 year old when he comes in and I'm reading the forums, but I'd like it better.

This gives me an idea, you could rent your sig and avitar space out.  Kinda like those people who drive cars with adds on them.  Could be good money in it.

[lharles]

So...I guess I have to send out my kids to collect money for you now. 

(Queue dream sequence:  My kids, reading from a piece of paper I gave them...)

"Yes, sir or ma'am, I am sorry to bother you.  Pause.  I am hoping that I can convince you to contribute a dollar to a worthy cause -"

(Other person(s) )

"What?"

(My kids...not sure how to respond to being interrupted...)

"Do you have any chocolate?"



Hope the being caught up is closer for you now.  I'll be contributing a bit more next week when I have some additional cash. 

[PCtech]

Peale, I'm sorry to hear that man, and I feel for ya.

Just lost my job, and getting forecolsed on my house next month.

Other than giving you money (Living back with my parents now at 35 , please let me know if I can do anything to help.....

If you want to move to Indiana (Anderson), let me know, and I can get you some dirt cheap rent.

[lharles]

Peale, I'm sorry to hear that man, and I feel for ya.

Just lost my job, and getting forecolsed on my house next month.

Other than giving you money (Living back with my parents now at 35 , please let me know if I can do anything to help.....

If you want to move to Indiana (Anderson), let me know, and I can get you some dirt cheap rent.

URRRRG.  Now I feel obligated to help you out too!    We need to start some sort of perpetual pool for BYOAC folks who are down on their luck...

I am seriously considering buggin' folks at work for money...I just haven't figured out how to approach them yet. 

[Zakk]

Hey, all my bills are paid and there's no debt...shouldn't I get rewarded for being so efficient?   

Heh, just kidding P.  Sent some lovin your way.  Hang in there.

[gonzobrian]

Peale, much better pic.  I'll live up to my word and send what I can.  And now my 7 year old wont be asking, "Whats that."  "Its a zombie son"
"Why is it there?"
"Don't know son."
And for those with kids, "I don't know" is just not a good enough answer. 
Good luck.

[Jabba]

Sorry to hear about your problems Peale. I cannot imagine how that must be like. Hopefully you'll be able to change things in your life so that this can be avoided.

Are you still working in the Coin Op business? I've sent something your way.

[gonzo90017]

I know how it is. I live near downtown LA. I have a wife and kid another on the way. I pay $700 for a measly single apartment. Had to ask my mom for a loan this week just to have some money to eat before the next paycheck. Makes me wish I was as poor as Al bundy.  It sucks getting paid twice a month. Really depressing. The only good thing on the horizon is my friend is going to  lend me 4k to open a small pc repair shop. Just trying to get everything ready and trying to get as much info as possible.  Hang in there.

[SirPeale]

Are you still working in the Coin Op business?

Yeah, I am.  I had one hell of a day.  And by hell, I mean the bad place.

So I get to work, and I'm carrying a package of records in my hand.  Mumbles is there.

"Where are those from?"

"From the place I went to last night.  I had to fix a coin jam in the juke, so the boss had me swap the records too."

"Did you cash them out?"

"Uh...no, the boss just wanted me to do that."

(starts raising his voice) "The place hasn't been cashed in two months!"

"Well, I didn't know that, and the boss didn't mention doing it."

"Would it kill you to ask a question once in a while?  GOD."

(walks away, starts looking for a specific jukebox)

Me: "What one are you looking for?"

"One that looks like this one here (points) but it works.  Sign says this one is broken.  Boss says it's here."

(I look at it.  There is a sign, but it doesn't say what he thinks it does.)

"I'm not seeing the one you're talking about."

"WHAT ARE YOU, FREAKING BLIND?  IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!"

(I explain that the sign describes the decorative CDs that spin, and how *they* didn't work any more.  He doesn't want to hear it.  Another minute or so passes...)

"You should have gotten records from Cool Guy before he left yesterday."

(technically, he's correct...but I didn't know I was going to need the records until AFTER HE LEFT)

"Well, I didn't."

(he throws whatever he has in his hand in anger (not at me))

and I honestly don't remember what he said, I was extra-mad at that point.  I said "I don't have to put up with your ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.  I'm leaving." and I turned around and walked out the door.

and it would have been perfect, too, if Cool Guy didn't pull up, right then, and block my car in.

I briefly told him what happened.  Mumbles came out, blabbered about something, not sure what, and followed it up with "why don't you grow up."

Eh?  *I* grow up?  I'm not yelling and throwing things around. 

I say eff it, and start working on a game.

Hour or so later, boss shows up, starts doing...well, whatever it is he actually does anymore.

Cool Guy asks to use my security bits, I say sure and hand them to him, as I thought I was done with them.  It's then I realize I'm not even CLOSE to being done.  I tell him I'm going to get his bits out of his van.  He says "cool."

I step out the door and see a truck backing down the driveway.  It's filled with hot asphalt.  There's been a pothole in the driveway for some time, I surmise he's there to fill it.  I ask the driver if he needs us to move our cards, and he confirms.

Duck back in the door, tell Cool guy what's going on, and we proceed to move our cars.  While he's getting out of his, I remind him we need his tools.

Boss comes out the door.  "What the heck is going on?  I turn around, and everyone disappears,"

I explain what happened.  For whatever reason, he looks less than pleased.  Starts bitching us out, and goes back inside.

Cool Guy and I look at each other.  The truck driver even looks less than impressed, and makes a remark.  We agree with him.

We go inside, and hey, yeah, we're kinda ticked off about being chewed out over nothing.  BUT WAIT!  It's not over!

"HEY!  Now wipe those expressions off your faces, and listen close.  I have told you what I want you to do, and I expect you do it."

I attempt to ask what his specific instructions are, since I don't appear to be following them, but he shush's me.  Gets more pissed, and tells me, yet again, to do EXACTLY what I was doing not two minutes before, and walks away.  Now I'm pissed, with piss sauce.  FUMING mad.

About five minutes go by, and he comes back and apologizes.  Badly.  "Didn't realize that you went out there to move your vehicles.  I apologize."

I just stare at him.  "I TOLD you why we were out there when you first came out!"

Cool Guy repeats this.  We're just standing there, looking at him.

"I didn't hear that.  I just saw that it took two guys to get a set of tools out of a car.  I apologize." and walks off.

Yeah...THAT makes it all better.

Spent the rest of the day contemplating if murder is REALLY illegal if the people who are dead are jackasses.

So, that's my day.  Oh, the icing on the cake...wife got a ticket for our inspection running out.  Didn't get it inspected because it wouldn't pass.  Wouldn't pass because we didn't have the money to fix it to an inspectable state.  Now we have to not only fix it, but pay a freaking ticket on top of it.

Today sucks.  On the bright side, it's the weekend.

[Zakk]

I wouldn't get two days with Mumbles.  He'd be stuffed into the coin box of the juke, and I'd be off looking for a job that wasn't sending me to the nuthouse and the poorhouse at the same time. 

[SirPeale]

I wouldn't get two days with Mumbles.  He'd be stuffed into the coin box of the juke, and I'd be off looking for a job that wasn't sending me to the nuthouse and the poorhouse at the same time. 

Guy really has no clue how close he came to having a screwdriver inserted into his temple today.

[Jabba]

Dude, really, IMO, I would start looking for another job. This ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- has been going on for a while now. Its not as financially rewarding as another job would be PLUS its causing you this stress!!

Would hate to see you posting from a Jail cell.....

Post your current resume and desired "job" here. Include the skills you have and what'not and I'm sure the asshats around here could help you wip something into shape in no-time ! 

[SirPeale]

It really hasn't been bad lately.  Boss is stressed because we just downsized our usable space from three decent sized buildings down to one.  Once we're situated, I'm sure we'll go back to not seeing him much again.

And Mumbles?  He's an asshat no matter how you strike it, luckily I only have to put up with him (usually) two days a week.

I have access to a full shop and lots of tools.  I even get a decent wage, believe it or not, it's just not quite enough to support a family of five.

Wife has put in for a part time job, we'll see how that goes.

[Zakk]

Solution seems clear: go 'empty' the coin boxes.  Mumbles wants you to do it, the boss obviously doesn't care since it never gets done, and you can buy bacon with it! 

[SirPeale]

Mmmm...bacon...

[RetroJames]

<$0.02>

Have you thought about some school? You can get student loans no problem that will cover tuition and a good bit of living expenses. Even a two year tech school would help bolster the resume. I know with the MAME skills you have, you could easily be doing desktop computer support, or network installation, maintenance as a net tech. Either one of those could get your foot in the door at a university or in a school system as a staff member which would provide VERY good benefits for the family. At the university I work for the benefits are unreal. When the wife gave birth, we stayed in the hospital for 5 days, VERY nice hospital to boot, and the total bill was...$200.

The bennies cover medical, vision, dental, with all kinds of additional savings plans. It's really worth it.  Oh and plus, at least here in GA, if you are staff in the University System, you can take 3 free cclasses a semester towards your undergrad.

Hell, you can get the classes and benfits if you are a gardener or janitor in the university system here!

You should consider some of the above, seriously.

</$0.02>

[RetroJames]

<$0.03>

here's some more info, Universities are like mini-communities. generally staff members have access to all of the facilities. At my campus we have,

regular presenations from politicos, business leaders, researchers, journalists, anyone you can think of.

job / career / interest training through a site lic to a web training portal to campus seminars on management, pottery, whatever

multiple pools

exercise rooms, some of the best you'll find in GA

basketball courst indoor and outdoor

rock climbing

tennis courts

racketball

outdoor gear rentals, super cheap, canoes, tents, sailboats, scuba, list goes on

outdoor "adventures" sign up the whole family for like $5 a head and go hiking, camping, rafting, wahtever with a group from school

mulitple rec rooms, and yes...they have vids and pins! 

on campus movie theater, free for staff

loads of bookstores

all around campus they have staff/student/faculty discounts at local shops and eateries

on campus clinic, free shots etc

on campus childcare, costs a bit but cheaper than nomal daycare

it's really unbelievable

You can hunt for jobs using this link, all the universities post listing here - (you can also check the HR sites at local schools)

http://www.higheredjobs.com

Good luck!

</$0.03>

[markrvp]

James:

If you can get me a job at your university, I will relocate my family to Georgia.  How close to the coast are you?

[RetroJames]

I'm in Atlanta, so 4 hrs to Savannah.  I was actually just checking out jobs in that area and there are quite a few at SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design, as well as Armstrong Atlantic State University, both in Savannah.

http://www.higheredjobs.com/state/search.cfm?State=GA&ShowAll=yes


What are your skills?

[RetroJames]

oh and at my school, there are around 20,000 full and part time students.  The majority are female.   

Spring and summer is a beautiful thing around here 

[Kremmit]

Peale, I just sent you what I could.  Hope the wife's job comes through, man.

Otherwise, if you want, I've got some bank robbery schemes I can send you...

[ChadTower]

thats insane
i live in the same country as you! why is the vaule of a dollar worth more in one state than another? 
This decline in the quality of living is moving so fast its starting to look like in as soon as ten years we will begin seeing living standards on par with third world nations. tent cities coming to a city near you!
a dollar is absolutely useless these days, and its only getting worse..
and with a multi-trillion dollar deficit its going to get much worse and much darker with no guarantee of ever getting better.

I live in the same state as you and can say with 100% certainty that the entire state isn't the way you describe.  It's not WV, but it's sure as hell not $400k+ for a tiny fixer upper house.  You need to move to a part of the state you can afford.  I did.

[ChadTower]

I'm gonna have to remember this thread when I go to law school.  Tuition is out of this world.   

Who the ---fudgesicle--- is going to send money to help someone become a lawyer?  I'd rather fund a terrorist.  At least they are honest.

[shmokes]

True that . . .

[mr.Curmudgeon]

I'm gonna have to remember this thread when I go to law school.

I'm going to have to remember this thread because it proves, once and for all, that deep down inside, even some of these cold-hearted conservatives bastids are really socialists at their core!   

 

mrC

[PCtech]

Peale....I know you are a respected member of this community, so please don't take this as bashing...

You HAVE to remove yourself from that work situation ASAP!!!!!

This advice is coming from a (former) nice guy, that was pushed way to far recently and did jail time because of it...

The frustration and the anger will not stay bottled up forever, and when it blows, it blows big.

I lost my wife, kids, house, job, and some freedom in less than 5 minutes because my anger/stress stayed bottled up too long....I just kept telling myself "It will get better, I can handle it/ I have to provide for my family"

Don't get me wrong, quitting a job, when in dire financial straights is never a good idea, but if you don't remove yourself from this  environment, it can only bring pain and chaos, to you, and the people you love.

All I can say, is that I hope I am wrong about your situation, but I thought I had mine under contol, and I was so wrong.....nothing is worth that kind of grief...even if you have to flip burgers and shovel poo all day...it's better than the crap you are having to take.

I believe I read you have a family of 5, I have (had) a family of 6, and I understand (better than most) the kind of stress it causes trying to provide for them, and then having to put up with the kind of crap you have been describing for a long time.

If you let the pressue keep building, it will destroy your life (and by your posts here and at the "fort" is sounds like it is heading there)

Like I said before, if you want to talk, please PM me...something has to change.

Good luck man...I hope you don't have to go through everything that I did (and am still going through)

[Havok]

Seriously - with what you know, you could at the very least put in a resume to a tech consulting firm. They are a lot easier to get a position with, since they are based on contracts they have, and can get hopefully more in the future with all different firms.

Or, you could apply for a Helpdesk position. They suck, but it is a start in IT, and from there can get promoted to technician, then to server admin, etc...

I can understand the comfort level problem - I am the worst when it comes to that too, but you can make so much more in another position which you are already qualified for. Of course, the perks at your job are pretty darn hard to give up...

Good luck in any case. It's been my experience that no matter what, it always gets better. It seems to me that all things happen for a reason, and that may just be preparing you for a "leg up" in the future. I hope it all works out for you soon, and things get better.

[markrvp]

I'm gonna have to remember this thread when I go to law school.

I'm going to have to remember this thread because it proves, once and for all, that deep down inside, even some of these cold-hearted conservatives bastids are really socialists at their core!   

 

mrC

Here is the difference in this situation - those of us who are conservatives helped a friend peer-to-peer where he received 100% of the benefit as opposed to giving the money to a government entity which would use 90% of the funds for clerical expenses and then give the remaining 10% to someone other than who it was intended for. 

In my opinion, government programs are less efficient at actually helping those who need it IMMEDIATELY than specialty private groups who can move more quickly.  After Katrina was a perfect example where church groups got in to help people long before FEMA got there.  However FEMA, as a goverment entity, can handle the long-term part because it has greater resources.

Conservatives aren't against helping people - we just want to help the people who really need it.

[ChadTower]

I'm going to have to remember this thread because it proves, once and for all, that deep down inside, even some of these cold-hearted conservatives bastids are really socialists at their core!   

Not true at all.  He's a hard working guy, one of us, and we are helping out one of our own.  Socialism would be supporting him if he didn't work all that hard and we were setting up a permanent subsidy of his family.

EVERYONE has some trouble once in a while.  The key is once in a while, not most of the time.

[SirPeale]

Or, you could apply for a Helpdesk position. They suck, but it is a start in IT, and from there can get promoted to technician, then to server admin, etc...

I've worked in IT.  I thought for a long time it was my future, but now I can see that there's more out there than that.

I'm trying to get enough knowledge under my belt to be a serious electronics tech.  I've learned a bunch since working for Mohawk, I just wish I could get some hands-on, balls-to-the-wall training, and apply that to other stuff.

I took every computer programming course my high school had to offer, but poo-poo'd the electronics courses, thinking I'd never need them.  Truth is...I'm a ---smurfy--- programmer!  But good at figuring out the electronics stuff.  Hindsight is 20/20, they say.

Need to see if the tech center locally does electronics training, and what courses they offer.

[nostrebor]

Conservatives aren't against helping people - we just want to help the people who really need it.

DING!!!

This is the correct answer Bob.

Now, MrC... I'm sure we could have a lively discussion about the difference between what is going on in this thread and socialism... in the PnR forum.... in a new topic. We'll name it after you... it'll be great!

[RayB]

Have you tried looking for work through a recruiter? (headhunter)

I never got paid good money until I did exactly that. The benefits are that the recruiters know what companies are willing to pay, and they let you know so you don't end up underselling yourself.

I worked for a year at a boring but good job (good company, lots of good people, etc , but it just wasn't my ideal type of work). Paid off lots of debt during that year, then left for something I enjoyed better, knowing that I really was "worth" the salary I was getting there.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

After Katrina was a perfect example where church groups got in to help people long before FEMA got there.  However FEMA, as a goverment entity, can handle the long-term part because it has greater resources.

Conservatives aren't against helping people - we just want to help the people who really need it.

My post was in jest. But you've just hit on what I believe to be the reality of the situation, which is, each form of public assistance is necessary and they are most efficient when they work in tandem.

Anyhow, it's not an either/or proposition from my point of view. If we want to carry this debate on any further, I definitely propose creating a separate thread in PnR...otherwise, a reply really isn't necessary.

It's certainly heartening to witness the goodwill, and I wish Peale the best.


mrC

[Zakk]

Have you tried looking for work through a recruiter? (headhunter)

I never got paid good money until I did exactly that. The benefits are that the recruiters know what companies are willing to pay, and they let you know so you don't end up underselling yourself.

I worked for a year at a boring but good job (good company, lots of good people, etc , but it just wasn't my ideal type of work). Paid off lots of debt during that year, then left for something I enjoyed better, knowing that I really was "worth" the salary I was getting there.

I'm with Ray on this, my wife tried a headhunter when she was an RN. It led to a good pharma job, and somehow she stayed 'in the system', and would get a call every so often from another headhunter offering her another job.  She's now at a job that is just unbelievable.  Huge perks, huge pay, great hours, etc etc.  All from one phone call.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

I'll third the headhunter proposition.
Worked wonders for my fiance', she got the perfect job out of it.


mrC

[Stingray]

Does EVERYTHING have to be about politics here?

-S

[grantspain]

Peale you need to get yourself to the U.K,all you need is national insurance number and a badly paid job and you can get yourself housing benefit and family tax credits-in theory you could earn as little as 20,000$ and the state will give you at least another 6000$ and also you could get a council house-otherwise just get someone to crash into you and sue them

[Jabba]

Peale you need to get yourself to the U.K,all you need is national insurance number and a badly paid job and you can get yourself housing benefit and family tax credits-in theory you could earn as little as 20,000$ and the state will give you at least another 6000$ and also you could get a council house-otherwise just get someone to crash into you and sue them

Sounds to me like you got that gig down perfect! 

[DrewKaree]

Piss Mumbles off so that he takes a poke at you.  Sure, all you'd get is his dirt-floor shack and his tricycle, but look on the bright side - you'd have a "vacation home" and you'd get to keep more of your doughnuts! 

[missioncontrol]

Does EVERYTHING have to be about politics here?

-S

I specifically told you to move politics here.... you said you had room for it....