March Chat Thread - Choose Your Own Chat - The Something Awful Forums

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > March Chat Thread - Choose Your Own Chat

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

Interesting post on civilians and armoring your car

https://www.quora.com/Are-civilians-allowed-to-have-bulletproof-windows-for-their-cars

# ¿ Mar 1, 2017 18:17

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 4, 2024 00:55

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

Someone honked at me today for passing them when they were going 15 in a 35 (I was going 35 in said 35).

A half mile down the road someone completely stopped in the middle of an arterial highway while they checked for directions. I honked at them and they flipped me off.

If everyone thinks I'm an rear end in a top hat I'd like to complete the joke and completely wrap my car in baby on board stickers.

# ¿ Mar 5, 2017 22:41

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

the spyder posted:

Who wants to convince me buying a rental property is a bad idea and instead, I should buy 10 acres in the middle of BFE.

Where at?

# ¿ Mar 6, 2017 06:11

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

Are euro plates ever acceptable?

# ¿ Mar 8, 2017 07:01

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

When I was in high school I was diagnosed with ADD but shrugged it off; I've been diagnosed again as an adult (now called inattentive-type ADHD; no hyperactivity) and I'm wondering how to treat it so I can hold my grip better at work. I've previously floundered in full time jobs but have done well with part time gigs; I'm currently working full time and am banging my head against the wall by lunch. Anyone else have this going on? What worked for you?

# ¿ Mar 29, 2017 04:51

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

the spyder posted:

Same boat. No diagnosis/teachers worked with what ever issues I had due to my creativity/smarts. I wired my grade school for Cat 5 @14yrs old. In high school I started to help the former VP who was reassigned to IT. Guy didn't know how IP addressing worked. I would get called out of class on a weekly basis, finally got so bad they assigned me a period just to help him. I was a C+ student, but known by everyone in the school.

I'm actually having the same issue BLK is to some extent. By 11am I'm bored to death even with a list of projects ahead of me. It's not good for me or the business. Thinking it's finally time to see someone about figuring out what's up with me and move on. I don't need this hanging over me and I'm tired of the excuses I keep making.

Hey, how are you guys doing? Can I bring you dinner?

In other news, I live in a town full of busybody old people and a police force with notoriously too much time on their hands. Today on Nextdoor:

quote:

Some one called the cops on a jeep yesterday for two teenagers drunk driving. Assuming they called 911. It turns out it was me(closer to retirement then teenage) and my daughter with permit learning to drive. Her first time ever traversing her way to school and I had to twist her arm to do it. 15-20mph pulling off to side for cars to pass, I was so proud of her. Next 3 cops arrive at my house with bullet proof flak jackets and guns after doing investigating for and hour, to interview my horrified,inconsolable daughter. Going to get student driver magnet. Just a suggestion that people slow down, relax and not be so quick to waste cops time. This was a special moment I will not be able to get back.

# ¿ Mar 29, 2017 17:09

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

stump posted:

I was diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type at 29.

Done reasonably well in school until my mid teens, I done no work but was bright enough to get by. Last couple of years of school being brightish was no longer enough to get by, failed everything in 5th year and scraped two C's or 3's or whatever in 6th year.

Decided not to go to uni, but parents and grandparents persuaded me - got in on an HND course, upgraded to a batechlors degree, was advised not to stay on for honours - I didn't. Passed only by panicked late night sessions the day before hand in and a lack of sit down exams.

Lucked into a field based technical job after uni. Ended up getting promoted into doing more and more office work, despite not being qualified. I was good at figuring new stuff out, and often got handed jobs that nobody in the company knew how to do and getting on with it and figuring it out. I always struggled with getting reports done and they were always late.

Thinking a change of scene might help, I changed companies. It didn't. I ended up almost entirely office based and the only person in the company able to do my job. I coped, in the loosest sense of the word. Things constantly late, working late but not achieving anything, feeling like a shitbag and expecting to be fired.

In the end I explained it all to my boss, got a diagnosis and got prescribed Ritalin. Boss was very supportive, things improved a bit, I've got good people picking up my slack now, but ended up giving up the Ritalin because it didn't seem to do poo poo, and me being me I never went back to the docs to get m script renewed.

Fast forward to January of this year, once again it's Sunday night and I'm trying to finish a very late report. I know how it's going to go, I'll stay up to 2 or 3, not get anything done and feel like poo poo. I just want to be in bed with my wife. I go talk to her and we decide, seeing as her job is relatively secure for now I should quit, get a crap job, clear my head and figure out what to do next.

I quit the next day. I give them the option to keep me on zero hour contract - I'll only do field work and a bit of data management - I'm not touching another goddamn word document. They take the offer, and for various reasons it's best for everybody. I've still got a bit to go but my mental health has been so much better since. Luckily I have had enough work since but I haven't really figured out my next move.

Now that probably isn't much help, but here is my advice from my experience - just because you can do something, and even be very good at it doesn't mean you should be doing it if your ADHD makes reliably doing it a nightmare.

Don't spend years trying to fit a round peg into a square hole because it looks like it fits - I made the mistake of spending years thinking "I can do this job and it's my only chance of a good career - I just need to knuckle down" - it made me miserable and I got nowhere.

Set rules for yourself on what you are reliably capable of based on previous experience - i.e. all those times it took you two weeks more than it should have to finish a report not the one time you were on fire and done two reports in a day.

One big caveat for this, drugs or cognitive behavioural therapy might help you, I never gave them much of a chance as I was already too burned out to care by the time I was diagnosed. Maybe give them a go before you try my burn your career down build a rickety shack on the ashes method. But if it really isn't working get out and figure out a more suitable job sooner rather than later.

Dang, I identify a lot with this, especially the burn-the-career down bit. If I hadn't married my wife/had a child, I would be well equipped to walk away from everything and work part time or, possibly move somewhere extremely cheap and do remote gig work. I built a lifestyle that kind of worked for me in my late 20s and early 30s where I effectively worked 10 hours/week for a cumulative 50-60k/year as a glorified computer janitor. I spent the rest of my time riding my bike, but the guilt that I was underachieving and needed a "real career", as well as pressure from my wife to start a family, compelled me to start doing the work I have now.

Now my life is this stressful hellstorm of long days at the office, joyless nights at an isolated suburban home, constant fear that I'm about to be fired and doubts about my marriage that at its high point was, if not a dead bedroom, a bedroom on life support. I wish I could walk everything back and wouldn't have tried to force myself into a normality that's not compatible with who I am. I am unsure how to unfuck this. My wife and I agreed to give it a year and see how we feel; it would be so liberating if I could leave her at that point and keep enough of my savings that I still have a shot at a part-time lifestyle while still supporting my son. To make it clear, I don't blame her at all for where I am, but I'm mad at myself for thinking I could make it work.

The Door Frame posted:

Do most people have savings real savings accounts? Because that feels like most people view savings as "other checking"

I keep cash I might need accessible in a high-yield (haha) savings account at 1.15%. I keep a small amount in checking and the most amount in a Vanguard index.

blk fucked around with this message at 00:27 on Mar 30, 2017

# ¿ Mar 30, 2017 00:15

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ May 4, 2024 00:55

blk: Dec 19, 2009; .

I'm so sorry, rdb. I know I can't understand, but you have my deepest sympathy.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2017 02:37

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > March Chat Thread - Choose Your Own Chat