Get Your Grump on Thursdays - Was (What's chapping my @ss today?)

[Marvinlungwitz]

The Biden Administration could, of course, remove some of the impediments to domestic production it has put in place.

And the Canadians would love to ship crude south if only the Keystone Pipeline could get approval for its completion.

We wouldn't even need to worry about the Saudis and OPEC do so much.

Well, there’s always that nasty problem called CO2 emission.

And if we didn’t actually export 9,000,000 barrels day it’d be even more pragmatic (and btw, that’s where most of the Keystone oil was likely headed).

[htwoopup]

The Biden Administration could, of course, remove some of the impediments to domestic production it has put in place.

And the Canadians would love to ship crude south if only the Keystone Pipeline could get approval for its completion.

We wouldn't even need to worry about the Saudis and OPEC do so much.

Ummm…only the Canadians in one province who would value more Loonies in a couple of years (that is why it is not a solution to the now problem) in lieu of leaving a livable planet for our children and grandchildren as the folks in the other provinces who have seen the effect on the Canadian environment already recognize.

And, the US is already a net exporter of oil so changing drilling regulations not only wouldn’t fix the short term problem but it wouldn’t really do much long term.

Back to the point of the original post, it was a clear political move as Americans (and most other populations) tend to just vote with the simplistic thing in front of them. And, it works to Russia’s favor too in her geopolitical ambitions.

[SpeedyChix]

Eight weeks into ribs with nine fractures, three of them with some "fine" displaced raw edges under the shoulder blade. I want to sleep on my left side again and return to lifting weights. Riding gravel or mtb would be super too. At least the lung didn't need to be tubed to return to normal.

[NYCfixie]

I'm still recovering from non-Covid "community spread" pneumonia even though I double mask and/or KN95 anytime I leave my apartment.

My wife's 83 year old mother is recovering from a fall that left her with 4 broken ribs and a punctured lung.

We are worried about the third thing that might happen.

[rec head]

Working for a large collection of idiots with each being more idiotic than the next can be very trying. At the bottom levels we aren't that bad but at the top? Holy crap are they incompetent. Unnecessary secrecy and lack of communication just make them all look stupider. It has been a very stressful week.

[johnmdesigner]

Bought a new car battery last week. Asked the guy to check the alternator. Said it was OK.
Saturday afternoon car dies in Ossining.
Go to local shop there ask for alternator check. Dead, dead,dead. No parts on Saturday.
Take train back to Manhattan.
Replace alternator. Take train from Manhattan to pick up car.
Have argument with first shop. Drive over and leave cooked new battery in middle of parking lot.

In other news,
Blood test shows Cholesterol a whopping 302 and perhaps liver damage.
Can't even console myself with a martini.
The train ride along the Hudson was nice though.

[dashDustin]

Well, a year ago yesterday we checked our oldest boy into an inpatient mental health program - 1 week + some weeks of an outpatient program. Still dealing with the effects of the trauma that lead him there. The 366 days since have been nothing short of brutal. And now, in the midst of dealing with a family law issue, an employment law issue, 2022 sponsors that still haven't paid and the associated bills...wifey has reached her braking point. She has been admitted to an inpatient facility. Unsure of the duration. And not quite sure how I'm going to tell the boys. I'm just ready for the shit to stop. Hopefully this is the first step towards the healing process.

Now the rant: a lot of the bullshit leading to this was avoidable if people would just take care of their fucking business. Return the call, answer the email, send the check. Following through shouldn't be hard.

[bigbill]

Well, a year ago yesterday we checked our oldest boy into an inpatient mental health program - 1 week + some weeks of an outpatient program. Still dealing with the effects of the trauma that lead him there. The 366 days since have been nothing short of brutal. And now, in the midst of dealing with a family law issue, an employment law issue, 2022 sponsors that still haven't paid and the associated bills...wifey has reached her braking point. She has been admitted to an inpatient facility. Unsure of the duration. And not quite sure how I'm going to tell the boys. I'm just ready for the shit to stop. Hopefully this is the first step towards the healing process.

Now the rant: a lot of the bullshit leading to this was avoidable if people would just take care of their fucking business. Return the call, answer the email, send the check. Following through shouldn't be hard.

I am so sorry you guys have to endure all these hardships. I know you both have shown strength in the face of difficulty, but stepping back and recovering is a good thing. You can only internalize and compartmentalize until all those places are full. Here's a picture.

[bigbill]

My siblings and I are trying to get our dad and his wife to straighten out their finances. He was recently diagnosed with dementia and can no longer make decisions. His wife was a career housewife with no control over the finances. My dad liked to be in charge and not questioned. Now we have a big mess to straighten out and find all kinds of unpleasant surprises, such as credit card debt for things that should have been covered by medicare.

[bcm119]

My siblings and I are trying to get our dad and his wife to straighten out their finances. He was recently diagnosed with dementia and can no longer make decisions. His wife was a career housewife with no control over the finances. My dad liked to be in charge and not questioned. Now we have a big mess to straighten out and find all kinds of unpleasant surprises, such as credit card debt for things that should have been covered by medicare.

Sorry to hear that. My brother and I went through a similar situation. My dad died pretty suddenly, and when that happened we discovered that my mom had been showing signs of dementia for quite a while, but dad was covering for her. The more layers we peeled back re: the house, finances, etc., the more we discovered it had been going on for a while. Hopefully you have a good relationship with your siblings, that makes it a little easier. Best of luck to you.

[bigbill]

Sorry to hear that. My brother and I went through a similar situation. My dad died pretty suddenly, and when that happened we discovered that my mom had been showing signs of dementia for quite a while, but dad was covering for her. The more layers we peeled back re: the house, finances, etc., the more we discovered it had been going on for a while. Hopefully you have a good relationship with your siblings, that makes it a little easier. Best of luck to you.

I am concerned about his wife; she is ten years younger (72) and they had two children together. She is stressed beyond belief and depressed. She can't leave my dad alone long enough to go to a mental health appointment. They qualify for home health care, but she doesn't want strangers in the house. It's a tough call. Their oldest lives nearby in PHX and he is making an appointment at SSA and their youngest is researching medicare advantage plans. They should have been taking care of their mother, but we can't go back in time, we need to fix the situation then address the root cause.

[bironi]

Just a warning, avoid this season's flu.
It's a doozy!

[j44ke]

Just a warning, avoid this season's flu.
It's a doozy!

Everyone we know in NYC who has kids is on infinite loop right now. So far November is a wash and December looks like the same. Just keeping everyone hydrated sounds tough.

[robin3mj]

Everyone we know in NYC who has kids is on infinite loop right now. So far November is a wash and December looks like the same. Just keeping everyone hydrated sounds tough.

We've had a cycle of flu, ear infections, and strep amongst our 3 kids for the better part of a month now.
It's brutal, and the sheer number of people who choose to (or have to) send their kids to school sick and infectious does not help matters.

[dashDustin]

Well, a year ago yesterday we checked our oldest boy into an inpatient mental health program - 1 week + some weeks of an outpatient program. Still dealing with the effects of the trauma that lead him there. The 366 days since have been nothing short of brutal. And now, in the midst of dealing with a family law issue, an employment law issue, 2022 sponsors that still haven't paid and the associated bills...wifey has reached her braking point. She has been admitted to an inpatient facility. Unsure of the duration. And not quite sure how I'm going to tell the boys. I'm just ready for the shit to stop. Hopefully this is the first step towards the healing process.

Now the rant: a lot of the bullshit leading to this was avoidable if people would just take care of their fucking business. Return the call, answer the email, send the check. Following through shouldn't be hard.

So, wifey came home after 8 days, and has been doing well since. Still in an outpatient program, but making good, positive progress.

Unfortunately, the story doesn't end.

When wifey was released, she posted about her struggles on IG. Mental health is something that she takes pretty seriously, especially following the situation with the oldest boy. And we both agree that there's a serious stigma around it.

In a move that I can only described as fucking disgusting, our youngest and his dad filed for a temporary restraining order against her after seeing that post, claiming that the well-being of the youngest was in jeopardy. We got the notice the day before my birthday (don't think that was coincidental). We were wondering why the youngest was not communicating with wifey, despite her texts and phone calls. This came 4 days before we were to head to mediation. Wifey was floored. I was floored. After reading the statements from the youngest and his dad, wifey, myself, and our oldest all felt betrayed. Claims included emotional abuse, that wifey had attempted suicide 20 years ago, that she had be diagnosed borderline personality disorder, that when wifey was out I made the youngest figure out his own rides to/ from school, that I left him home alone without food, that we both ignored the youngest's schooling. I never in a million years thought our kid, who was denied access to his father's house for over a year, would partake in fucking us over like that. Not sure if the youngest knew that we'd see his "journal" entries or what. But....yeah. The family law case has been settled. What started out as the father wanting to reduce his possession and increase his financial obligation in March of 2022 (he brought forth the initial suit for those changes...yes, you're reading that correctly) ended up being the youngest is now with him full time, and child support will cease when the oldest graduates. 8 months of back and forth, followed by 1 month of complete 180.

Everything about the TRO pisses me off. I can't adequately state just how pissed off I am about it. The lies contained within it.

Pro tip for those of you that are divorced with kids - don't play nice. Our attorney even says that in hindsight, we should've gone to court in April. She, like us, just never expected to be screwed as badly as we were, especially by the youngest. She also was very vocal when I said I was about to call the cops on the ex for withholding the youngest and denying us access (it's a felony here).

It's sad. Repulsive.

But it's over. Agreements were made during mediation, and have now been signed officially.

For all intents and purposes, I feel like we have only 1 child now.

[72gmc]

I'm sorry, Dustin. I was the youngest child in a divorce. There were many, many times where I felt like my life would be so much better if I could stay with just one parent but I was never manipulated to make it a reality. In hindsight I was, I am, much better off despite the years I was bouncing through two lives and trying to comprehend two approaches to making the best of it.

I'm sorry for you and your wife and your kids, including the youngest.

[dashDustin]

I'm sorry, Dustin. I was the youngest child in a divorce. There were many, many times where I felt like my life would be so much better if I could stay with just one parent but I was never manipulated to make it a reality. In hindsight I was, I am, much better off despite the years I was bouncing through two lives and trying to comprehend two approaches to making the best of it.

I'm sorry for you and your wife and your kids, including the youngest.

What's so confusing is that we would've let him stay with his dad. There wasn't any need to commit a felony in order to do so, and we made that clear on multiple occasions via text to both his dad, and him, beginning back in March of 2022. But his dad would never allow it. Or someone at his dad's house wouldn't allow it. Who knows. But that all changed in November.

[bigbill]

Also as the youngest child in a divorce, I eventually asked to go to boarding school to be away from both parents. It sounds like you and your wife had a loving and stable home for the boys, even with the occasional turmoil. I bet the youngest comes around and realizes his father used him.

[dashDustin]

Also as the youngest child in a divorce, I eventually asked to go to boarding school to be away from both parents. It sounds like you and your wife had a loving and stable home for the boys, even with the occasional turmoil. I bet the youngest comes around and realizes his father used him.

One the circumstances mentioned in the youngest's statement that 'deeply' affected him was when I "threatened to send [him] to military school when [he] was 8." Which I did, because we all agreed that he needed the structure. He's currently enrolled in JROTC and wants to become a pilot.

[bigbill]

One the circumstances mentioned in the youngest's statement that 'deeply' affected him was when I "threatened to send [him] to military school when [he] was 8." Which I did, because we all agreed that he needed the structure. He's currently enrolled in JROTC and wants to become a pilot.

My reasons were to be away from both parents. My dad wanted a new life, my mom was going through many anger issues, and I was the only target. My sister was three years older, had a car, and often stayed with friends. Boarding for two years was good for me. It gave them time to get their shit together while I gained many life experiences. My now ex-wife and I split after our son graduated high school and headed to Annapolis. No child support or custody issues. I cut my military career short to be a better parent. I don't regret that.