Pet Peeves: Aka Things That Make You Go "Gah!"

[TattleTeeny]

On 4/17/2018 at 2:10 PM, backformore said:

My pet peeve is this never-ending winter. 

About three weeks ago I washed my puffy winter parka and put it away, along with hat, gloves, scarf.  It was a nice, sunny day and I figured, since the calendar said spring had begun, I could be done with winter. 

since then, we've had several days of SNOW.  not a lot, but snow.  Today, it's 31 degrees, with a predicted high temp of 40.  

I like living where there are seasons.  But there are 4 seasons, 12 months, so each season should get exactly 3 moths, not a day more.  

In December, waking up to a bit of snow makes me feel happy.  Snow is pretty, the holidays are coming, there's a peacefulness and calmness in the air when it's snowing.   But in April,  " goddam it, It's fucking snowing!"

I hate winter in general, and especially this one! But what I hate even more is how this unseasonable cold prompts people to talk and post about "See that, you sensitive snowflakes?! There's no such thing as global warming! Fake news! Bllalalaaaaggghhh, blah-blah, I don't know how anything works!" (OK, they don't say that last part. But they should.)

Weather-related, but not really a peeve: we have a lot of broken trees around because of the crazy-ass wind lately but I was amused and happy to see that the pinkish-white flowers are blooming on them anyway, even the downward-facing branches and the ones that are still attached but basically on the ground. It was messily pretty and kind of inspiring! Also, I always associate the real start of spring when the "roadside yellows" suddenly show up. I have no idea what they're really called but they're along a few highways here in North Jersey.

Edited April 21, 2018 by TattleTeeny

[Bastet]

When simple projects aren't.  I decided to spend an exciting Friday night cleaning/changing the filters in my ductless AC/heating units, since I'm long since done with the heating portion and want to have everything clean when it's time for cooling.  I opted to start in the game room, and, while I had the ladder out, decided to first change a burn-out bulb in one of the overhead fixtures.  The fixtures are a right royal pain when you need to change a bulb, because there's a glass shade that fits inside a metal "cage," and that combination screws into the base plate in two places, and you have to remove the combo to access the bulb.  I knew this going in, but they're pretty because the cage is a cool design, and I needed six and was on a budget back when I did the room.

I took the screws out and the shade/cage wouldn't detach by hand; the odds of it falling down while I darted into the (attached) garage to grab a flat screwdriver were slim, but it's glass, so -- one screw back in to hold while I get the tool.  Loosened with the screwdriver, removal was no problem, but it turned out the bulb didn't just burn out, it popped out of its base and was hanging by a wire.  Thankfully, this one of the six is near the pool table light, and, while that's on the same circuit as the overheads, it's on a different switch, so I could just switch off the overheads and still see to grab the base with pliers and remove (sometimes I wish for a third arm, usually to hold a flashlight). 

All that to change a light bulb!  So I'm just now getting started on the filters. 

But that was balanced out by the fact I put some solar lights alongside my front walkway, unsure of whether they'd get enough sun during the day to charge - due to a tree, most of them would only get sun for half the day - but even with just a short time to charge (and during filtered sun - at best - hours), they're glowing away out there right now. 

[janestclair]

14 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

I hate winter in general, and especially this one! But what I hate even more is how this unseasonable cold prompts people to talk and post about "See that, you sensitive snowflakes?! There's no such thing as global warming! Fake news! Bllalalaaaaggghhh, blah-blah, I don't know how anything works!" (OK, they don't say that last part. But they should.)

Weather-related, but not really a peeve: we have a lot of broken trees around because of the crazy-ass wind lately but I was amused and happy to see that the pinkish-white flowers are blooming on them anyway, even the downward-facing branches and the ones that are still attached but basically on the ground. It was messily pretty and kind of inspiring! Also, I always associate the real start of spring when the "roadside yellows" suddenly show up. I have no idea what they're really called but they're along a few highways here in North Jersey.

 

Forsythia maybe?  They're usually the first thing that has any color on it, and I'm in NJ too.  

[TattleTeeny]

I think so! Thanks!

[Blergh]

I hate being so dependent on appliances that my life comes to a halt when they break.

I had just finished the weekly wash of bed sheets when, to my chagrin, the drier made a funny clicking sound, would not turn the fan belt or blower on and just started hotly glowing in the back. Yep, not wanting to risk my home being burned to the ground, I wasted no time unplugging it but this left with what to do with wet sheets since I don't have a clothesline and the nearest laundry said that they wouldn't have time to put them in their drier.  Getting a new drier ASAP but propping up the wet sheets in the meantime. Luckily, I found some somewhat worn but clean older sheets.

[AuntieL]

I had that happen once, when my dryer broke as I was trying to dry a load of towels.  Fortunately there's a laundromat nearby but it was still a pain in the you-know-what, especially since it was nighttime.  What I hate being dependent upon is cars.  My car (Hyundai Elantra) has been in the shop for 2 months waiting for a new engine.  It's under warranty as it has less than 50,000 miles and is 4 years old (I'm still paying on it!!).  It's going to be another 2 months before I get a new engine.  Meanwhile the dealership has a deal with the local Enterprise to rent me a car.  their deal is that they pay most of the rental and you're responsible for$10.00 per day.  I of course said no, that's several hundred dollars.  So I call the corporate office and get the word that they'll pay the entire cost.  So far so good.  Yesterday the dealership calls me and says they have a loaner car in and to make the exchange.  He asks me what car Enterprise rented to me  - I say Chevy Malibu, and he goes nuts.  It seems that corporate only pays if the rental is a Hyundai.  I explained that at no point did anyone mention that little fact to me - not him, not corporate, not Enterprise.  They can fight it out amongst themselves. I swear, if they try to put any of this cost on me I will go berserker on them. Meanwhile, I'm now driving an older car that's not as nice as mine and I want my car back!!!

[bilgistic]

Two months for a new engine on a four-year-old car under warranty is completely unacceptable. Methinks it's time to pursue legal action.

[peacheslatour]

13 hours ago, Bastet said:

When simple projects aren't.  I decided to spend an exciting Friday night cleaning/changing the filters in my ductless AC/heating units, since I'm long since done with the heating portion and want to have everything clean when it's time for cooling.  I opted to start in the game room, and, while I had the ladder out, decided to first change a burn-out bulb in one of the overhead fixtures.  The fixtures are a right royal pain when you need to change a bulb, because there's a glass shade that fits inside a metal "cage," and that combination screws into the base plate in two places, and you have to remove the combo to access the bulb.  I knew this going in, but they're pretty because the cage is a cool design, and I needed six and was on a budget back when I did the room.

I took the screws out and the shade/cage wouldn't detach by hand; the odds of it falling down while I darted into the (attached) garage to grab a flat screwdriver were slim, but it's glass, so -- one screw back in to hold while I get the tool.  Loosened with the screwdriver, removal was no problem, but it turned out the bulb didn't just burn out, it popped out of its base and was hanging by a wire.  Thankfully, this one of the six is near the pool table light, and, while that's on the same circuit as the overheads, it's on a different switch, so I could just switch off the overheads and still see to grab the base with pliers and remove (sometimes I wish for a third arm, usually to hold a flashlight). 

All that to change a light bulb!  So I'm just now getting started on the filters. 

But that was balanced out by the fact I put some solar lights alongside my front walkway, unsure of whether they'd get enough sun during the day to charge - due to a tree, most of them would only get sun for half the day - but even with just a short time to charge (and during filtered sun - at best - hours), they're glowing away out there right now. 

What brand? I've never had good luck with exterior illumination.

[Bastet]

59 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

What brand? I've never had good luck with exterior illumination.

I'm not sure; I bought and unpacked them a while ago, but just got around to installing them yesterday.  I got them at Costco, but I'm not sure if it was its brand (Kirkland) or another manufacturer's.  A neighbor walking by while I was working on them recognized them as being from Costco, so maybe Kirkland -- she said her parents have some from Home Depot that only worked a short time, while the ones they have from Costco have been going fine for 4-5 years now.  I always have good luck with stuff from Costco, especially its own brand; Costco has a reputation for doing it right, whatever "it" is (along with treating employees well, so I'm a happy customer all around -- so long as I can shop in the middle of a weekday, because I can't deal with the crowds otherwise).

[peacheslatour]

Cool! I'll have DH check it out on his next trip.

[ABay]

nm

Edited April 21, 2018 by ABay

[AuntieL]

On ‎4‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 1:32 PM, bilgistic said:

Two months for a new engine on a four-year-old car under warranty is completely unacceptable. Methinks it's time to pursue legal action.

Well, until I have to pay money out of my pocket the only damages I have are aggravation and annoyance.  If I could sue people just for that I'd be a millionaire.

[Zola]

The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a healthy baby boy earlier this afternoon. As yet no name has been announced, but he will be 5th in line to the crown. 

Now personally I don't have much time for our Royal Family other than for the Queen and some of the younger generation like Kate and William. But I am very pleased with their news of the royal birth.

But surfing some of the UK national media sites such as the Daily Mail, The Sun and The Guardian etc. I have to say how appalled and disgusted I am at some of the comments people have posted about the new baby! "Scrounger", "Parasite", "Sponger" .... including one horrid comment suggesting the baby should have been aborted and thrown to the dogs!

And all because those particular individuals despise royalty purely because of who they are, and that as far as they're concerned the monarchy should be abolished and the royal family thrown into prison for the rest of their lives. 

Now as I say, I am not a huge fan of the RF, but they do an awful lot for this country in terms of tourism to name but one benefit. But regardless of whether its the Royal Family or not, to hurl abuse at an innocent baby born less than 3 hours ago is sickening outrageous and quite upsetting.

People here still have freedom of speech (even though we don't have a Constitution), but to vilify a baby is just grossly offensive, and symptomatic of a small minority of people who really lack any compassion & feelings to those that cannot defend themselves. 

Edited April 23, 2018 by Zola

[DeLurker]

Reading the comment section of any online source is always an adventure.  It is much easier to hurl reprehensible statements from the safety of your pc or phone.  Not an Anglophile, but as far as I know the Royal Family hasn't done much that is highly controversial on a meaningful issue in this most recent iterations of RF. 

Anyone who would make such outrageous remarks about a baby is beneath contempt.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Exactly. It's just sick.

I really do not like when commercials for shows are played very loudly. O_O Especially at night. Ugh.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well...FUCK.

Due to my employment status, I had agreed to an agreement with one of the credit card companies-and informed them I could only pay so much because I was temping, and I had other bills and liabilities. But that wasn't good enough for them, apparently. After deducting what I said I could afford to pay for about six months, they decided to charge of the card (fine, my credit couldn't get any worse) AND sue me. Yep. I got served on Saturday night when I opened my door. And wondered how the FUCK he got in, because I sure as hell didn't buzz him through.

I won't contest it, because it's true I couldn't afford to pay the minimum amount. But it states in fine print, that I can contact the "Plaintiff" and work out a payment plant. DUH! I did that BEFORE. Unless I win the Lottery or get a full time job before July 11, there is NO FUCKING WAY I can afford to pay what they were asking for six months ago.

I guess I should look at the silver lining that there aren't any debtor prisons any longer.

I don't know what to do. Show up for trial and explain to the judge/Master my situation? Call the asshole credit card company? Try being a deadbeat and ignore the summons?

The sad thing is, I used to have EXCELLENT credit up until the Crash of 2008. I was just getting to crawl out and fix my credit and then got blindsided two years ago and lost my job. And life's been shit since--middle of chemo, more surgeries...I can't get a fucking break.

[bilgistic]

My advice, such as it is, would be to attend the trial, but in the meantime, get help through credit counseling. They deal directly with your creditors to work out viable payment plans for you. There should be a local non-profit agency that does it. There are scam outfits that pretend to do this ("raise your credit score 100 points in 30 days!"), so be careful where you look. Your local United Way can direct you to the legit credit counseling agency. I have been through this process.

Another avenue, while drastic, is to declare bankruptcy. Legal aid in your area can direct you to a lawyer that will file for you. There's a fee that you pay the lawyer to do the filing. I went through this in 2004 after just not being able to get ahead of my debts at the time (medical, other) even after doing the credit counseling payments for a while. The legal fee was $1000 then, so I imagine it would be more now and probably more for you because of where you are geographically. Everything was forgiven except my student loans (which is bullshit, but that's another post for another day). I owned my home at the time; generally speaking, bankruptcy can't take your home. I owned my ancient car as well. It's a very drastic measure and stays on your credit for 10 years, but I never had it affect me in job searches (background checks), but I never worked with cash or in a field where bankruptcy would be problematic, i.e., I might be in a position to launder money. I don't know if it would affect your legal field job search. Since you are already registered with the placement agency, they'd have no reason to run your credit again. A new employer might, and might eliminate you from consideration because of it. But that's a big maybe. I just don't know how it works in the legal field.

I have been where you are financially, and I sympathize deeply. You have been dealt a seriously shitty hand. I'm so sorry for all you have had to fight in life over the past several years, and it's been A SHITTON. I'm in awe of your strength and resilience, though. You will get through this.

[Mindthinkr]

@GHScorpiosRule I’m sorry that I don’t have any good advice but I do want you to know that I feel for you. You have been handed more crap than any shovel could hold. I hope that it works out for you. 

[ABay]

Firstly, a hearty fuck off to the credit card company. Usurers.

Second, seconding @bilgistic on the credit counseling. I was deep in credit card debt... I can't believe how long ago that was now...and the credit counseling group I signed up with really helped. Everything was paid off in 5 years and now I'm obsessive about paying off the one card I use every two weeks on pay day. It was scary having only one card (they advise not keeping any but you can't get hotel reservations, plane tickets or rent a car without one). Somehow, in spite of going into credit counseling and still having  mountains of student loan debt, my FICO score is fantastic.

Edited April 23, 2018 by ABay

[AuntieL]

@GHScorpiosRule I'm so sorry you're going through this. First, don't ignore the summons.  They could get a default judgment and you could end up with a wage garnishment. I second (third) the idea of going to a credit counseling agency. I would also check in your area for bankruptcy attorneys. Most of them will do free consultations. Also,  check your notes about the original agreement with the credit card company. Did they agree in writing that they would except your payments for a certain amount of time?  If they didn't have a time limit that's a defense you can use. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Notes? Hah! The agreement was done over the phone which was recorded.

Yeah, I will look into a credit counseling organization, and hopefully can resolve this so I don’t have to show up at trial. Makes me feel like a fucking criminal.

[bilgistic]

@GHScorpiosRule, the credit counseling is completely free, as is the program they set you up on--no monthly fees or anything; they just set you up with a manageable payment plan. The credit counselors deal directly with your creditors so you don't have to any longer. You can't open any new lines of credit while you are on the repayment plan, but it sounds like that's not going to be an issue.

It took me a few years after bankruptcy before I was able to qualify for a credit card again to try to rebuild my credit after bankruptcy. I got a low-balance ($1500) credit card through the credit union where I bank. I have another one now that's $5000 that I use for all bills and expenses and pay off monthly. I get cash back on it. I'd like to stop using it because it's issued by Chase Bank and I really don't want to support the big banks, but the cash back is a big bonus. I need all I can get right now.

Let us know how things progress. I'm pulling for you.

Edited April 24, 2018 by bilgistic

[AuntieL]

Ask for a copy of the recording.  You can file an answer yourself in court if necessary and subpoena it. I suspect as a paralegal you can probably do it better than most attorneys, including me. And don't feel like a criminal.  Medical issues are the number one reason for bankruptcies and between that and the recession you've had more to deal with than most people. I know people who haven't been through half of what you've been through who  haven't been nearly as conscientious and trying to deal with it. It's too bad credit card company doesn't try to work with people who are actually trying to pay them.

[bilgistic]

12 minutes ago, AuntieL said:

It's too bad credit card company doesn't try to work with people who are actually trying to pay them.

It really makes no sense. I tried so hard for so long (like a year plus) to work out a plan with Citibank to lower my mortgage payments so I could stay in my home. They wouldn't do it. They literally took a complete loss on the home (foreclosure, no sale, new buyer got it at zero cost from HUD) after I walked away than allow me to make smaller payments.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I was going to start with "You know what's pissing me off?" but realized the inadvertent pun.  What's peeving me these days is gender neutral bathrooms.

What appears to be happening is that single occupancy restrooms are being converted to "gender neutral."  But here's the thing--isn't the whole bathroom kerfuffle based on the fear that a man masquerading as a woman will prey on women in the women's restroom?  That can't happen if it's a restroom where he'll always be the only one in there, so no reason for any change on that account.  And who cares what restroom transgender people use if they're the only one in there?  Use whichever you want because nobody else will be affected by your actions.

So what's my beef with having gender neutral one-holers?  Men.  Women aren't the neatest creatures in the world and I get so tired of seeing toilet seat liners left on and toilets unflushed  (really, ladies, come on!), but in general, they are tidier when urinating compared to men, who can have a tendency to spray around, which is bad enough, and then leave the toilet seat up, and I have to touch it to put it down.  Women really can't spray around very much and I can't recall ever having to put a toilet seat down in a women's restroom. 

And urinals--I hate them.  They always seem filthy to me, and I don't like being in the same room with them, and that's what happens if they've converted a men's room and a women's room into gender-neutral restrooms and you take the first available one.  I can't recall ever seeing a urinal in a dedicated women's restroom.

There's a reason the airplane episode on Seinfeld had a big man using the bathroom before Elaine.  Yes, women can be messy and pigs, but I'll take following a woman in there over a man any day.  And now it's happening everywhere, not just on planes and in places that are so small they can have only one restroom.

In the case of converting single occupancy ones, it's not advancing anything except maybe eliminating waiting for the "correct" restroom when the other is actually available, but that could happen now if someone didn't want to wait for the one that's occupied--just use the other one.  Well, unless it's me, because I'd have to need to go pretty darn bad to use a men's restroom. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

FUCKFUCKFUCK.

Since I was served, not a SINGLE credit counseling service can "help me." I KNOW there are services out there that can negotiate with the fuckers and set up a payment plan. But since I'm in need of one, of course I can't find them.

[bilgistic]

Try the National Foundation for Credit Counseling:

https://www.nfcc.org/locator/

Here's another page with helpful info and links to agencies:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0153-choosing-credit-counselor

[DeLurker]

I bought a magazine on container gardening and ideas this weekend.  I started to look through it yesterday and wandered off to do some household chores and errands.  I have now misplaced the magazine and have not been able to find it.  My house isn't that big nor that messy that things should disappear.

[GHScorpiosRule]

9 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Try the National Foundation for Credit Counseling:

https://www.nfcc.org/locator/

Here's another page with helpful info and links to agencies:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0153-choosing-credit-counselor

THANK YOU, @bilgistic!!!!

You saved me from biting the bullet and calling the attorney. Oh, and since I'm uberly pissed off at their breaking the verbal agreement I made with them, and didn't tell me it was only good for a year, the credit card is Capital FUCKING One.

Edited April 24, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[bilgistic]

You're very welcome!

[GHScorpiosRule]

Well, here's a little silver lining. An attorney who helped me out five years ago, when I was moving (the place I was at had become toxic--a supposed "friend" who rented me out her fully furnished basement and turned into a raving psycho when I informed her I wanted to move and had become violent with me, verbally, physically, cut off the television, threatened to get me fired from my job (no way she could do that and my firm dismissed her as loony tunes)) to my new place. Haven't spoken to him in years, but I called him to get his advice, and he offered to go to court with me, to see if this can't be dismissed or settled more reasonably. Had a nice talk with him, and I'm meeting him next week in his office to discuss this in depth.

[Mindthinkr]

2 hours ago, DeLurker said:

I bought a magazine on container gardening and ideas this weekend.  I started to look through it yesterday and wandered off to do some household chores and errands.  I have now misplaced the magazine and have not been able to find it.  My house isn't that big nor that messy that things should disappear.

When that happens in my house it’s the Captain (my ghost). When it happens to my friend she blames the Time Fvckers. Good luck. That’s frustrating. 

[DeLurker]

Usually I blame my deceased Grandma for playing tricks on me.  Now I blame my Dad.

[bilgistic]

Despite my being agnostic after having been raised as a Southern Baptist (in other words, definitely not Catholic), I call upon Saint Anthony to help me find lost things. I don't know if he actually helps or I just eventually remember where the misplaced object is.

[Mindthinkr]

13 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Despite my being agnostic after having been raised as a Southern Baptist (in other words, definitely not Catholic), I call upon Saint Anthony to help me find lost things. I don't know if he actually helps or I just eventually remember where the misplaced object is.

I call him Tony. He doesn’t take it as an insult. I use him so much we’re on a first name basis. When I go to Italy this summer I’m going to Padua to pay my proper respects to him. 

[bubbls]

Why do people capitalize certain words in sentences? Why?! It Drives me Stark raving mad, and I want To hunt them down and Smack the keyboard Out of their hands. Violently. Are they trying to appear smart? Just the opposite is happening. 

[theredhead77]

8 hours ago, bubbls said:

Why do people capitalize certain words in sentences? Why?! It Drives me Stark raving mad, and I want To hunt them down and Smack the keyboard Out of their hands. Violently. Are they trying to appear smart? Just the opposite is happening. 

Auto correct?

[Mindthinkr]

8 hours ago, bubbls said:

Why do people capitalize certain words in sentences? Why?! It Drives me Stark raving mad, and I want To hunt them down and Smack the keyboard Out of their hands. Violently. Are they trying to appear smart? Just the opposite is happening. 

I think that they (small voice for me) are just trying to stress that word so you know that it’s the point of the sentence. 

I’m having trouble typing as I think that my nails are too long. I keep missing letters when I proofread. They are nowhere near the length of so many other people who type so what gives? Probably my lack of skills but I’ll get them shortened tomorrow. 

[Petunia13]

Constant humming or singing

[KittyMom4]

12 hours ago, bubbls said:

Why do people capitalize certain words in sentences? Why?! It Drives me Stark raving mad, and I want To hunt them down and Smack the keyboard Out of their hands. Violently. Are they trying to appear smart? Just the opposite is happening. 

I'll see your random capitalizations and raise you a why do people who answer phones for their office NOT identify themselves??? How hard is it to say "Thank you for calling XYZ company, this is Suzy." or "You've reached the mailroom, this is Bob."?? 

[Mindthinkr]

Ok, I’m loathe to vent but...

I’ve been having bad stomach pains the past 3 days and at first I thought that I have been eating too much Advil. I just think I have a new take on what’s going on. We (news at noon) just been told that my area has a water advisory not to drink the water (also no dishes, laundry, toothbrushing, and bathing) due to abnormally high fluoride levels. I can understand ingesting it but why laundry etc? That’s why I’m suspicious that it’s more than that. I think it’s been here for the past few days and since my cancer I have been sensitive to chemicals. That this is the cause of my stomach pains. In my last house 2 years ago we were 100 times of the legal limit of trihalomethanes but weren’t told until 3 months later after the threat was gone and they only send out a note because the government told them that they had to disclose this fact. Dang. Real clean water is getting scarcer. So now I’m on Snapple green tea and Pelligrino. Hopefully this will be an end to the issue and I’ll be pain free by tomorrow. I’ll have to run the ice maker twice to get that cleaned out as well and run my pipes and faucets to drain any leftovers. I have to pay for water and sewage so the water company will make a lot of money off (thousands of us) of this...their mistake. 

Edited to add: My pet peeve is the non-reporting of hazards in a timely manner. Think of poor Flint, Michigan and their water issues. 

Edited April 25, 2018 by Mindthinkr

[DeLurker]

That's horrifying @Mindthinkr!

I did a quick search on washing clothes when under a water advisory, but the results just addressed if there was a boil water notice.  I hope the stomach pain clears up with the switch to a different water source.

[Bastet]

5 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

I think that they (small voice for me) are just trying to stress that word so you know that it’s the point of the sentence. 

I think what the poster was referring to was capitalizing numerous words throughout one's text, not a word here and there for emphasis, and with no discernible pattern.  I've seen several people write like that; my above sentence would look something along the lines of, "I Think what the Poster was Referring to Was Capitalizing numerous Words Throughout one's text ..."  It's both baffling (because I can't imagine that being auto-correct) and annoying.

[bilgistic]

Things that are pissing me off today:

1) My mail carrier consistently puts my neighbor's junk mail in my mailbox. You have one job! Put mail in the correct boxes!

2) My health insurance rejected a claim for one of the lab tests (Vitamin D level) from my annual physical, and it is $644!!!!!!! The letter says "we can't pay this claim because this service is not medically necessary...your plan does not cover Vitamin D testing in the general population or for the diagnosis listed on your bill..."

I called and left a message with the doctor's office. I'm going to try to get it recoded so it will go through. I've had the same test at every annual physical and they've always paid it. And my level was low, so it turns out it was "medically necessary"! I had to increase my supplements!

I pay 600 fucking dollars a month out of pocket for this insurance. I'll be damned if I'm paying $644 for a lab test.

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Things that are pissing me off today:

1) My mail carrier consistently puts my neighbor's junk mail in my mailbox. You have one job! Put mail in the correct boxes!

I hear you! And to piggyback on this, MY mail carrier, decided to remove my mail of three weeks (what? I've been exhausted and kept telling myself I'll get it, and if it gets too full, he'll pull it out and put it in the bigger slot for packages that won't fit in the teeny tiny slot of my regular mail box) and I thought, took it back to the location for pick up. On top of that, I haven't received any new mail since last Saturday. So I called yesterday to find out what was going on; the person at the 800 number I called said if I didn't retrieve my mail after the first week, they'll think I've moved and it's vacant and will be returned to sender. Which is bullshit, because when I had that emergency surgery in January, and forced myself to bed rest, I didn't pick up my mail for three weeks and it was still there.

Anyhoo, I called my location, and someone finally answered. Spoke with a supervisor, who said she'd talk to my carrier. She called me today (I missed her call, but her message said that my carrier said, that I told him I'd be out of the country for six weeks, so he took my mail and put it on forward). First, I haven't spoken to Mikey, yes, his name is Mikey and he's a good guy, since Christmas. Either the supervisor at the facility misunderstood him, or he got the wrong resident. So, I called them back and told them, that wasn't me. Hopefully, I'll start to get mail again. Normally I wouldn't care, but my niece is getting married at the end of June, and she just asked to confirm my mailing address, so I'm on the lookout for the invite so I can RSVP.

I swear to God, if it's not one thing, it's another. And my fucking horoscope (SHUTUP! Don't Judge Me!) said, things were supposed to be looking up on the income front and being able to take a breath and relax for a bit.

[bilgistic]

I just did some research. Apparently, it's up to the discretion of the mail carrier as to how long s/he will let the mail pile up before either taking it to the post office and holding it and future mail delivery--but you are supposed to be notified--or returning mail to the senders.

I am bad about not picking up my mail. I get very little because I have gotten myself off ALL junk lists except the one stupid circular the local newspaper sends out. It's such a waste and it makes me so angry that every household in the greater Charlotte area is getting this waste of paper from which one can't unsubscribe (I've tried). I pay all my bills online, so except for a couple of magazines and a couple of statements I can't get the companies to stop printing and sending, I get little mail. The mail carrier has therefore decided that any junk mail that isn't clearly labeled is thrown into my box.

[Bastet]

My mail comes into my house - it drops down into a slot that's inside my foyer closet - and inevitably if I go a couple of days without checking it, there's something large, or just extra stuff (e.g. the weekly ads, a magazine, and then regular mail), in there and the letter carrier has to leave the next day's mail on the porch.  I normally check it daily, but I come in through the back door, not the front, so sometimes I forget to go open that closet.  At my condo, I had to walk past the mailboxes to get into the building, so it was just part of my routine to grab the mail on my way.

[Mindthinkr]

@GHScorpiosRule My like was a show of support, not because I liked what I read that you are going through. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I hear you! And to piggyback on this, MY mail carrier, decided to remove my mail of three weeks (what? I've been exhausted and kept telling myself I'll get it, and if it gets too full, he'll pull it out and put it in the bigger slot for packages that won't fit in the teeny tiny slot of my regular mail box) and I thought, took it back to the location for pick up. On top of that, I haven't received any new mail since last Saturday. So I called yesterday to find out what was going on; the person at the 800 number I called said if I didn't retrieve my mail after the first week, they'll think I've moved and it's vacant and will be returned to sender. Which is bullshit, because when I had that emergency surgery in January, and forced myself to bed rest, I didn't pick up my mail for three weeks and it was still there.

Anyhoo, I called my location, and someone finally answered. Spoke with a supervisor, who said she'd talk to my carrier. She called me today (I missed her call, but her message said that my carrier said, that I told him I'd be out of the country for six weeks, so he took my mail and put it on forward). First, I haven't spoken to Mikey, yes, his name is Mikey and he's a good guy, since Christmas. Either the supervisor at the facility misunderstood him, or he got the wrong resident.

My guess is that the mail carrier felt like he would get in trouble and lied.

In other news, you made me go get my mail.  There was a ton of it.  It was wet.  And it was all junk mail.

[bilgistic]

This is where I perform my regularly scheduled civic duty of telling you all about Catalog Choice*, the free site that helps you get off mailing lists. I have used it for years, and it is fantastic!

I get almost zero unsolicited mail that is actually addressed to me, Mr. Postman. Seriously. It's taken a while to get to this point, but I am steadfast in my efforts to reduce waste.

*It's not just for catalogs.

Edited April 25, 2018 by bilgistic