Month: December 2020

Bailing, again

Posted on by backuphill

Photo by Anatolii Kiriak on Pexels.com

Why do I feel like we are constantly responsible for bailing out the adult children? Good grief, it is never ending.

“Can we borrow the car?”

“Can we live with you?”

“Can you watch the kids?”

“Can we use the house?”

“We need help…”

“The kids need…”

“Can you help us find…”

“Can we do laundry at your house?”

“Can you keep this in your big freezer?”

“The car broke down again…”

“Will you co-sign with us?”

Choices. It all has to do with choices and theirs are continually poor. Much of it stemming from the fact that they rarely think about the future. Vision for the future and putting in a little thought about consequences and what might happen if…thus, the lack of forethought constantly has them stamping out fires of their own creation and never allowing them to head in the right direction.

Once again, we are being asked about borrowing a vehicle and providing a place for them to hang out while they have appointments in town. They are the ones that chose to move over an hour out of town (“We like living in the country”). They are the ones that made poor financial choices and only have one running vehicle, which also happens to be providing the only manner of income at the moment. They are the ones that have chosen to have four children on little to no income (supposedly the last two were unplanned, but we know better…).

These adult step-children are killing me. They know they are the source of friction in my home and yet they do nothing to help. It is a constant stream of needs, wants, and demands (or at least putting us in a position where it feels like a demand, leaving us with little choice).

The problem is, when I try to mitigate the help and limit the aid, it comes back to bite me in the ass. The wrath and second guessing in the household becomes palpable. Winter inside, and outside the house.

Yeah, good times…

Here we go again…

500+

Posted on by backuphill

Over the weekend Piss and Moan reached a milestone! This is kinda significant but not at the same time. I am having a hard time deciding.

Should I just be excited because of the number? I mean, 500 is kind of a milestone and in the last couple months the site has been “growing.”

But on the other hand, as I have mentioned before, most of the 500 are likely not even real people. They are most likely BOT sites that are generated for “likes” and “follows,” an issue I am sure you all have seen too.

So, I am going to have to choose to view it with some satisfaction I suppose.

The issues to Piss and Moan about this last year has been overwhelming, to say the least. Rest assured, I’m not going anywhere and there will me more to get off my chest. Keep on following and spread the word!

Wrenches

Posted on by backuphill

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Day started well, even though I knew there would be one interruption that I didn’t like but was at least aware of. Well, what was supposed to be a brief interruption has turned into a prolonged one and that totally throws a wrench into my day. I had plans. Those plans, out the door.

I hate it when this happens. I wasn’t real fond of the idea of the interruption to begin with, but I can’t keep the other person in the house from just doing stuff so I relented and had just made plans to cope. Unbeknownst to me, there were still other plans in the works that I didn’t know of and now the house has been totally taken over by people much longer than I had planned for. (Remember, my work from home office is in the garage, but I still need in and out of the house.)

So, looks like I will literally spend all day in the garage in order to avoid the people in the house. Totally throws a wrench into my lunch plans for today…and basically into most of my evening and weekend now.

Ugh.

Big ass monkey throwing wrenches into the gears all day, every day.

Assume

Posted on by backuphill

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There seems to be a lot of assumptions going around these days. And you know that old saying about those that ass-u-me, “You make an ass of you and me.”

If that is the case, there are a lot of asses running around with no clue as to what they are speaking of.

Shall we count the ways?

There are a lot of people that assume the last two elections were “stolen” by one party or the other. The Democrats spent two plus years of wasted time and wasted money to investigate Trump, on the assumption that there is no way he could have legitimately beaten Hillary, only to find there was scant to no evidence that he had help in stealing the election. Now, the Republicans are going to waste time and money to try to stop or investigate whether or not Biden has stolen this election. Again, there seems to be little evidence of such an occurrence and lots of assumptions are being made.

There are a lot of people making assumptions about a vaccine that will “save the world” from Covid. The assumption is that once available it will help life go back to “normal.” It is safe to say that even with a vaccine, life will not return to normal as we are now seeing evidence that if you don’t get the vaccine you may be excluded from society until you. There are also those who assume that when it become available that it will be mandatory for all. There is nothing normal about that.

There are a lot of assumptions being made about wearing, or not wearing, as mask. Violence being done to those without. Name calling to those who do. People thinking it’s their job to inform others of the mandates or rules or whatever. Lots of assumptions being made about others without actually knowing them or their situation.

There are a lot of assumptions about people who are different from ourselves. That’s definitely a part of the problem we see in society at large. We someone who is different from us and we assume we know something about them, or people like them. Never a good way to deal with people.

There are a lot of assumptions being made in every Hallmark Channel movie, especially the Christmas ones. Good grief I had to endure one last night and the assumptions written into the storylines to generate conflict to enable the resolution are ridiculous. Of course, I can’t help but make assumptions about the people who regularly consume such entertainment, so there is that for me…

Anyway, you probably assumed where this post was going or where it wasn’t going. You may have been write, or you may have been wrong. The fact is we all make assumptions and it is hard to do so. As such, there’s a little bit of ass in us all.

I assume you read to the end. Tell me what you think if you did. What assumptions do you have, or are willing to admit?

Not gonna do it

Posted on by backuphill

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The one man show continues. Well, technically it is likely two men, the governor and the top health dude in the state that he appointed. But, that guy can only make recommendations so it really comes down to one guy, Jay Inslee.

He is extending the limits he put in place before Thanksgiving. Of course, he would like to spend his holidays alone because no one likes him anyway, but he wants others to suffer the same fate as himself.

Well, I for one (and many others I know) aren’t gonna do it. Not gonna have it and not gonna participate in it. We shall see our families as we see fit. We shall celebrate as we see fit.

Enough is enough.

It’s been 12 days since Thanksgiving and there has been no significant spike reported. I think that is proof enough that things are under control and the fear-mongering, power hungry governor is out of place. He said, “…we still don’t have a clear picture…,” so this decision is based purely on fear (and little to no data).

Thanksgiving celebrations with family were great, and so will Christmas to.

The governor, well, he will be getting a big fat lump of coal anyway.

Naming it

Posted on by backuphill

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There is dumb, and there is really dumb. This falls into the dumbest dumb of the dumb category. Apparently, when you have lots of money, you have to do dumb things like this. Buying the naming rights for a stadium, arena, venue, or whatever is kind of a way to promote your business by making it something that becomes recognizable to all.

Amazon, and Bezos, go the other way. They name the former Key Arena the dumbest of dumb names ever.

Climate Change Arena.

WTF? Talk about a nonsensical name. If I were a fan of any sport that took place in that building I’d be pissed. Thus, I am not really a fan of hockey or women’s basketball and won’t hardly, if ever, visit the arena. I can only think of two occasions in the last 25 years that I went inside the building, and neither of them involved sports. So, no skin off my back, but I just think it is a dumb name. Name a building after a social cause?

Waste of money. And time.

I am sure there will be more stupid names to follow. We are in that kind of “awareness” in the United States at the moment.

So, I’ll name it. I didn’t buy the rights, but I have the freedom to call it whatever I want. So, I’ll name it what it is: “Dumb Name Arena.”

Forced

Posted on by backuphill

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I don’t like to be forced to do things. I don’t like being forced not to do things. I am complicated that way. Or maybe I am not really. I don’t know.

Lately, I find myself getting suggestions by someone that would essentially force me to interact with people I wouldn’t normally interact with, let alone go out my way to interact with them.

Just last night I mentioned that I was thinking about doing something and if I had to go alone that was ok, as it would just be a quick overnight trip later this month to see my grandparents and deliver/pickup gift exchange packages. Simple and quick.

I was met with, “That’s a good idea. If I can’t go, why don’t you see if ***** would like to go with you. It would be good for both of you and give you two a chance to hang out.”

What part of when I mentioned this idea did I indicate that I wanted to take extra people with me? When did I indicate that I wanted to have someone along that would neither want to go, nor would they appreciate the time? The suggestion was kind of pointless seeing as how the person being suggested hasn’t made any effort to see me (us) and almost never wanted to hang out with me (or contact me directly) in the past, let alone go see my grandparents with whom there has never been a relationship.

Rather strange and outta the blue suggestion.

Stop trying to force me to interact with people. I don’t like people in general, so I don’t want random suggestions of whom I should hang out with.

Have or have not

Posted on by backuphill

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No, this isn’t a Tyler Perry show, nor is it related to personal financial bottom lines.

In this case, I think we are quickly going to become a nation (or maybe world) of “have or have not” vaccinated.

“Have you, or have you not, had the Covid-19 vaccine?”

I believe that will become a common question in society when the vaccine becomes widely available to the public. Not that it is anyone else’s business, but I just have a feeling like it will suddenly become so. A year ago no one would have ever imagined that you would have to announce before attending a public event that you were vaccinated against mumps, rubella, chicken pox, or whatever…am I right? So, what is coming seems implausible and yet all the more plausible at the same time.

No, I am not a vaccine conspiracy theorist when it comes to vaccines. I don’t believe the government is putting something in them to track us or to control us. No, I don’t believe a vaccine causes autism. No, I am not one to think that vaccines are all bad either. I believe they have their place and have been useful throughout history. I was vaccinated as a child and I vaccinated my own. So, there’s that. I believe it should be a choice. How is that the “my body, my choice” mantra only applies to certain situations? It should be a choice.

I don’t get the flu shot and never have. I also don’t think everyone should.

So, when it comes to the vaccine for Covid, yeah, I’m not on board that bus either.

But, what I envision is that not only will we be required (it’s voluntary now) to use the contract tracing apps on our phones, but we will also have to disclose whether or not we have had the vaccine for every day situations that were normal in the past:

  • Want to go to a professional sporting event? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
  • Want to go to a concert? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
  • Want to go to a restaurant to sit down and eat? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
  • Want to fly to another state or another country? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
  • Want to attend college? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
  • Want to go to a theme park? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
  • Want to go to a movie theater? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.
  • Want to get a job (or keep your job)? Have = you’re in, have not = you’re out.

Ultimately, we will become a society of those who have and those who have not, each with our own separate places to go, see, and do. Businesses will have it posted in their windows and online for those who “have not” to be excluded and they will gladly accept those who “have.” Perhaps they (example, restaurants) will figure out a way to serve both “have” and “have nots” – say haves can dine inside while the have nots will be relegated to an outside dining experience in fresh air or a tent (kinda like now, during the lockdown).

Either way, this will, of course, lead to a society of financial have and have nots too. It’s inevitable.

Or, I could just be imagining things.