Sidious, Snoke and Salacious B Crumb’s Sarcastic and Sassy Situation Saloon (Fanfic Social Thread)

The temperature outside right now is 41°C (106°F). That is all.

 

Pfizer, part II check. Slightly sore upper arm and a few hours with aching muscles all over. I used it as a good excuse for couch and book. Aching is on retreat and I can live well with a tender arm for some hours more, I guess.

 

Same. I've been fine since we started wearing masks last year, but in the past couple of months I've felt like I'm suffocating some days and a couple times I've almost had a panic attack wearing it. My anxiety's gotten a lot worse in general though so I think it's related to that. As you and Bri mentioned, it's all just so frustrating, especially when there's still no real end in sight.

@Chyntuck I had to wear jeans and a sweater outdoors last weekend. It's the end of July, almost August. This is supposed to be our summer. Can we trade?

 

Great Cara. I also did the Pfizer vaccine and am glad that's over. Like Briannakin, my last nerve is tweaked by the brainless wonders who are anti-vaccines. And they're the ones griping the loudest about safety measures. Whatever.

 

I wouldn’t mind the anti vax people as much if they weren’t also anti mask. Can’t stand them. Putting themselves and others in danger.

 

I know a few people who are vaccine-hesitant like being afraid of long-term effects YEARS LATER (because I guess they expect to actually survive not being vaccinated, right?) and just generally dismissing how they're not at risk despite meeting with friends, going out, and living with high-risk people....who can actually end up in hospital and die because of them.... These people are the problem why this pandemic is going to drag on because they are selfish, are unwilling to educate themselves to reduce their hesitancy and I have zero patience for their crap.

I also know a few anti-vax people like @Jedi Knight Fett mentioned, are also anti-mask. One of them is a grocery clerk I've known for years who criticized me for being vaccinated because now my "immunity is going to be reduced because of the vaccine. How foolish of you." WTF does this even mean, go away and learn how science works, lady.

 

Someone I met a while ago was afraid the vaccine would make her not be able to have kids. I pointed out that people who have been vaccinated have already become pregnant. She still wouldn’t accept it. Even though it’s a fact that you can definitely have kids after getting the shot. Humans aren’t rational we are controlled by our emotions

 

Oh yeah, I remember that myth a few months ago. That kind of fear makes no sense to me...like, you're afraid of the vaccine making you infertile but you're NOT afraid of COVID making you infertile? Either way, you get spike proteins introduced into you and people after contracting COVID can actually still become pregnant so.....Okay, yeah, I agree, humans are not rational at all.

 

Woooo! Yeah, it was a good excuse for plenty of naps!

Yeah. Anti-vaxxers are... infuriating. I hear "the vaccine was rushed" from a lot of them. Actually, the technology used has been in development since the 2003 SARS outbreak, there just hasn't really been a need for it. And it's a wonder what scientists can do when they have an entire world of investors with an interest.

I'm just frustrated with a lot of things right now - the need for the re-implementation of masks means a barrier to meeting in person, the poor air quality due to smoke means going outside is impossible (I actually woke up this morning with a bit of a headache that thankfully went away). And work is just.... ugghghgh. My co-worker's last day is tomorrow (and unfortunately we had to completely scrap the party we had planned because we cant meet inside and we cant meet outside); and my boss is just being her usual self. She contracted a social media person to help with promote our 20th-anniversary events (which are now questionable), but helping this person and doing all the things she is asking of me, has actually been more work and stress on me, than had I just had the time to do it myself. I ended up having a panic attack during our staff meeting (thankfully over Zoom so I just turned my camera off and cried on my office floor).

And I cant even rant to my online therapist about this because I still don't have a credit card (I still haven't received my replacement credit card) so my payment is up and I cant pay for any more.

So, yeah. I just want to scream and cry and cry some more.

 

Even if the vaccine took 5 years to come out these people still wouldn’t have taken it.

 

I think that instead of trading we should mix our weathers in a big pot and come up with a decent average.

I also got my second shot this week (AstraZeneca) and same as you @CaraJinn I only had a bit of a sore arm. Mr Chyn is going on Wednesday and he'll probably have very drahmatic side effects, because that's what he does.

And anti-vaxxers... ugh. Here they combine being anti-vaccine and anti-mask with being far-right religious lunatics. I had to walk through one of their rallies in downtown last week on my way to a meeting. Between the giant crosses, the icons and the insane signs, the Taliban have nothing on these guys.

 

Just take a moment and consider the irony that the anti-vaxxers complaining about how they don't want to be part of an experiment are now the control group.

 

Ugh. I'd say leave these people up to Darwin, but its the mutations that scare me. Apparently, the vaccines are still effective but break-through cases do happen (though so far studies have shown them to be rare and usually mild) but with the numbers of unvaccinated people, more mutations will happen. Plus kids still cant get the vaccine so these dummies are putting their rights over kids' safety (I know kids are less likely to develop severe symptoms if they do get it but it does happen.

From the outset some people predicted we would be dealing with this for 4-5 years and they are probably going to be right



I'm hoping my credit card comes tomorrow (if there's even mail service - there was none yesterday due to the air quality, but we did get delivery today, but tomorrow is supposed to be worse). It's a long weekend here (big woop - I have Mondays off anyways) and I'll probably cry (or die of smoke inhalation) if I have to go get groceries. I'll probably just call my mom crying ("Mommy, can I use your card to have milk delivered?"). THANKFULLY DoorDash can use Paypal, so I can still get take-out delivered.

I'm thinking I deserve a treat tomorrow after work. Sushi or a burger and poutine?

 

A relative of mine says she won't get it until it's FDA approved. So frustrating. At least she DOES wear a mask. I've found the masks restricting lately, too; thinking of switching to a new type a friend was wearing with more structure.

Anyone who got the Pfizer vax, just be ready for a day in bed at some point. A day or two after I got the 2nd vaccine, I was EXHAUSTED. No energy whatsoever, I started the morning okay but tired, but by the time I finished a 10 o'clock meeting I could barely keep my eyes open. Boss told me to take the rest of the day as a sick day. Napped for 8 hours. But that was the worst. Apart from the sore arm, I felt fine after that.

 

Oh how I would LOVE needing to wear a sweater where I live now. I'm lucky to do that in November already Yup, sushi for the win as a treat. Briannakin, I also hear you on the absolute frustration about mingling! A couple weeks back I was talking with friends who were vaccinated about getting together for a meal because we haven't in literally over a year and a half, and now, who knows? I could deal with all the restrictions if everyone was cooperating and we were just going through the process, gradual but steady; it's the holdouts making things grind to a halt or go backwards infection wise that's so irritating!

 

I actually believe they have a point there, so I'm a bit sceptic too. But as my area use Pfizer and that has been considered relatively safe all the way I decided that in the community's best interest I would take it too. In general I'm definitely pro-vaxx but for obvious reasons newly developed vaccines has less statistics to support them.

So far everything OK. Sore arm is not sore anymore and muscle aching from last evening totally gone too.

 

Thank you. Your not only protecting yourself but also many others

 

You can try a full-face mask with air-supply. In some of the IC's here they do that.

 

Can confirm. A day after my 2nd dose, I had a fever, terrible muscle ache, was unable to get out of bed, etc, and had to take painkillers multiple times a day due to the sore arm thing and fever. Now I'm okay though.

 

Wow, I thought I was just on here and it’s apparently been 3 weeks. I trust the vaccination because my friend who worked on pharmaceutical trials told me a lot about the things done worldwide to make a shorter development time possible and answered every stupid question I had because I was worried and we had a 19-hour drive back from Florida.

I just got the edits back on my scifi holiday tales anthology and other than one of the editors telling me to stop writing poetry twice (there are two poems), nothing is horrifically wrong with the manuscript. I fixed the typos and resolved issues for 1/3 of it tonight. I’ve got a return date of August 11 and I’m hoping that means I’ll soon get a publication date set.

I’m still stuck in a county with very high transmission because people are offensively patriotic. You know, they get 50 people together to prove them liberals are making it all up and then scream at the liberals for not stopping the 305 new cases announced. I’m not at all making this up.

 

Yeah, I know some people who are aching to get back to normal, yet refuse to get vaccinated and only begrudgingly wear masks. Like there's now a solution to the problem... what more do you realistically want?

Anyway. I had a fairly bad day at work yesterday. I was told Thursday Afternoon I had to step in and do this huge social media project, by the end of the day yesterday because the volunteer who was supposed to do it, didn't. I ended up crying in my car half the day yesterday just freaking out because I couldn't get half the stuff this social media contractor wanted (like how the flying barnacles am I supposed to get an interview with the VP of the charity with 1 day notice - that's just not do-able for me or for him!). She (and my boss) wanted 20 in-depth social media posts to then forward to a radio station who is doing promotion for us for this big 20th anniversary event. I, of course, want to make sure all these posts are as accessible as possible (we work at a charity for disabled people... image descriptions and closed captions are a hill I will die on, even if it takes me twice as long to do a post).

Anyways, after a meltdown in my car and seriously contemplating quitting, my co-worker and a summer staff cheered me up with a burger and ice cream. I kept telling myself what's been posted here: "Poor planning on my boss' part doesn't constitute an emergency on mine". I ended up getting 5 of these posts done (kinda sloppily done) before going "nope - that's good enough for the weekend" and leaving because I was over hours. I'm still looking for a new job because it's only a matter of time before I just rage-quit because of my boss.

AND THEN - because my credit card still hasn't arrived, I stopped at the grocery store to grab milk, and dropped the milk in the store, spilling it everywhere. I felt so awful and embarrassed. I'm going to borrow my sister's card to do an actual grocery order tomorrow and have it delivered.

To top it all off the air quality is so bad, I woke up this morning with my sinuses so clogged. I feel kinda like garbage - and since I cant even see the park 200m down the block because of the smoke, I figure its probably that. I probably should spend some time tidying up my condo, but I really don't feel like it.

I can't go outside; I can't really go anywhere, I can't do any online shopping. So I'm comforting myself with food and no one can stop me.

 

Oh hey, I ended up crying in my car due to my job yesterday too! *sad high five?*

I'm so sorry they put all of that on you, Bri. That's not fair and you are right, you can't get an interview with someone that fast. I think that's a good hill to die on no matter what, but especially for that charity. I'm glad you didn't kill yourself trying to get it done and that you have some good co-workers!

My reason wasn't as good as yours, basically I ended up driving over 5 hours round trip for less than 1.5 hours of meetings, my new boss is driving me insane with his micromanaging, and just increasing disdain for my job. I don't need to love a job (though that would be nice), I'd just like to find one that doesn't make me miserable. I've had them before, so I know it's possible!

 

@Briannakin and @mavjade Those are both likes of sympathy. I know the feeling of hating a job (I hated the time I spend working as a bagger at the grocery store a few years ago).

If Simone Biles has taught us anything this week, it's that quitting because of your mental health is the strongest thing you can do. Make sure you have your finances in order and then decide if it's worth continuing. You might realize that it's better to just quit now, take a few days to collect yourself, and then start looking for another job. Jobs are out there in every field; you'll find one.

 

Sad high five! And also hugs because I know it's just not fun.

My two co-workers are honestly the reason why I havent quit yet, but it was the last day for one of them yesterday (and there might be one candidate to replace him but it's not looking great) so we will see if we fall like dominoes or not.

That is so frusterating! I hate driving myself so driving that long for so little would push me to a breaking point too. Your boss sounds like mine

I completely agree. I dont need to "love what I do". I think that mindset is unrealistic - you can, and should, find passion elsewhere in life. And yeah, I just want a job that doesn't leave me crying in my car and turning into an alcoholic.

I think I'm going to try to last for the rest of the summer; summer is the busiest time for us, then adding on the 20th anniversary stuff (PLUS still dealing with COVID) has just been everyone's nightmare. In the autumn we do unfortunately lose all our summer staff, but programming gets so much quieter. We stop offering kayak and paddleboard programs mid-September which are so much harder to organize than cycles or hikes.

That's a good point and my sister said something similar yesterday. I am in a privileged position of not needing a job for finances so I could quilt like next week and be completely stable financially if I don't find another job right away. And it should be something I seriously consider because my jaw hurts so much today - I think I am grinding my teeth at night from the stress.

 

Long comment ahead:

My side job as an arts reviewer is why I can put up with hating my main job. Two days ago, my boss made the announcement that she was making sure I got to review at the most requested venue in the state because of my hard work. This is where I’ve seen RENT and Miss Saigon and Dear Evan Hansen and they are where touring companies bring the best performances. She has gone to Hamilton five times and it’s coming back this year. I have expressed interest in seeing Hamilton five times and said that was my main goal. I told her how much it would mean for me and my friend to see it live. She immediately flew into a rage about “why can’t your friend buy her own ticket? I don’t care about your plus-one! Covid shut down my company and you’re now dictating what I should do for you?!” Then she stopped speaking to me since 7 hours ago over me daring to order her around. It’s misplaced aggression out of nowhere and pretty offensive and I am very tired of it because she does things like tell me that we have to shut the company down because I go on vacation and she is left with all the work. (Never mind that I’m the only person authorized to edit when she gets the urge to be in a play and she’s currently in three scenes of Cinderella and is rarely home.)

I’ve told her a thousand times that the fate of the company can’t be decided on whether I am on a trip I’ve been waiting for for 18 months. She actually tried to get me to cancel my trip to the Caribbean because her husband who she doesn’t trust with finances used her money to book her a trip to Paris for the same week. He planned this two weeks ago. I told her this is the fifth time my trip has been rescheduled and I’m going no matter what.

I’m on the board of directors and I honestly want to call together the rest of the board and present the idea of her being the nominal president of the company, but putting executive power with the board. She went to great lengths to get custody of her great-granddaughter and her daughter-in-law has made her a full-time babysitter for her kid and wants her to move two thousand miles away with them so she can help with the other babies they want to have. She has now said, “well, if I want to help with my grandkids, [great-granddaughter] will be fine going back into foster care until the babies are older.” You should have seen my letter to her when she said she wanted to abandon an orphan in the state system and then expect to have a relationship later when she’s stopped having to prioritize the babies she loves more.

She is overburdening herself and changing her priorities and I think she is starting to be a problem for the staff. She’s fired two people this month for trivial things (one was late on a deadline and the other is getting divorced and the wife’s best friend is claiming he’s a bad guy. She gave other reasons for firing them, of course.)

I have been taking over more and more of her roles in the last year. I arrange reviews for major companies AND local theaters. I handle the edits most weeks. I’m the person she runs policy changes by. I’ve been the one who came up with our current standards and I’m the one who set the benchmarks for how to write about offensive content (one actor tried to sexually my friend as a joke during a show) and mature content (like onstage depictions of rape and graphic violence).

I don’t want to call for a vote of no confidence, but she is getting increasingly incapable of running the company and I want that to stop. I want her to be still there so we have her contacts and her ideas on the board, but I really wish I could call a board meeting and talk about getting her off her irrational pedestal.

And this is 50% of why I need vacation this week.

Edit: She came after me again and I told her that I was currently considering quitting because it’s a huge problem to be the only one on the receiving end of her misplaced aggression. I then called and we talked for an hour and I gave her advice on several company policies. And she asked my forgiveness. But she knows where I stand right now and how close she is coming to this really being just HER problem.