The "I'm frustrated" thread

[Avistew]

Didn't we have one of these? I can't remember.

I've been working on immigration stuff today. I hate it. Here is a picture of an older immigration form to give you an idea of the kind of things I have to deal with:

http://i49.tinypic.com/dxlly8.png (http://i50.tinypic.com/b9hg2g.jpg)

This was the draft. It was extremely frustrating because you had to list "unemployed" between any two jobs unless you went from one to the next right away. So it looks like I've pretty much always been unemployed. Plus I ended up not putting most of my odd jobs because they were rarely longer than a couple of weeks and I'd have to add "unemployed" between any of them too -_-'. As it is, the final version still had twice as many entries as they gave room for.
Oh, and also all the Canadian stuff had to be listed first so it was hell to remember everything and put it in the order they wanted. I'm really glad I didn't include the small stuff I've done.

So, I'm in a bad mood. These things are so annoying -_-'. Then they wait 6 months, and they contact you to say you should refill forms because they're not up to date anymore. No really? I thought they'd update themselves on their own while collecting dust in your files >.>

And then they wonder why some people are illegal immigrants.

[WarpSpeed]

Government forms when you need something from them are always nightmarish. If you thought that was bad, try filling out forms for financial aid or a security clearance.

Expect them to deny this one because you spelled McDonald's wrong, and just keep trying 'til the deportation agents show up.

[patters]

Didn't we have one of these? I can't remember.

I've been working on immigration stuff today. I hate it. Here is a picture of an older immigration form to give you an idea of the kind of things I have to deal with:

http://i49.tinypic.com/dxlly8.png (http://i50.tinypic.com/b9hg2g.jpg)

This was the draft. It was extremely frustrating because you had to list "unemployed" between any two jobs unless you went from one to the next right away. So it looks like I've pretty much always been unemployed. Plus I ended up not putting most of my odd jobs because they were rarely longer than a couple of weeks and I'd have to add "unemployed" between any of them too -_-'. As it is, the final version still had twice as many entries as they gave room for.
Oh, and also all the Canadian stuff had to be listed first so it was hell to remember everything and put it in the order they wanted. I'm really glad I didn't include the small stuff I've done.

So, I'm in a bad mood. These things are so annoying -_-'. Then they wait 6 months, and they contact you to say you should refill forms because they're not up to date anymore. No really? I thought they'd update themselves on their own while collecting dust in your files >.>

And then they wonder why some people are illegal immigrants.

I thought Canada let everyone in? :p

I'm in the middle of exam season which means I am having to revise this sort of stuff:

http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20122/
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20212/
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20302/
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20512/
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20712/

It's kind of horrible.

[Avistew]

Government forms when you need something from them are always nightmarish. If you thought that was bad, try filling out forms for financial aid or a security clearance.

Expect them to deny this one because you spelled McDonald's wrong, and just keep trying 'til the deportation agents show up.

Yeah, well I come from France so I know all about bureaucracy (my favourite of Asterix's twelve tasks because it's so true) but it doesn't mean I'm any less frustrated by it :p
Seriously, I've had schools asking for so much information for you to register to their courses, and then having a limit date to register that was like a year before the time you want your classes to start. After you go through all of that, and the various days of waiting in line to get the one needed person to stamp the specific form (after several back-and-forth telling you you've got the wrong person and ending up back at the first one you tried), and then doing it again, because you've got 20 such forms to get stamped by people all over Paris...
Argh! It's no wonder university is free, it's to make up for driving us crazy.

Anyway, I'm almost done, I only need to provide proof that I was still in a relationship with my husband from January 2010 till now.

EDIT: I spell it "MacDonald's" at least half the time. I think it's because of "MacDo" which is its nickname in France.

RE-EDIT:

I thought Canada let everyone in? :p

Haha not really. The only reason I'm even allowed to fill these applications is because I'm married to a Canadian. Then when I get residency, I need to wait 3 years (of living in Canada) before I'm even allowed to ask for citizenship.
At least I'll be allowed to work in the meantime.

I'm in the middle of exam season which means I am having to revise this sort of stuff:

http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20122/
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20212/
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20302/
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20512/
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/undergraduate/ugstudies/units/2009-10/level2/MATH20712/

It's kind of horrible.

O.O it looks ABSOLUTELY horrible! I mean, the links have "math" in them! I can't even click on them, I'm too scared.

[Wapcaplet]

And then they wonder why some people are illegal immigrants.
I get to deal with the American version of that form, among others, five days a week. (At least the US government only asks for your residence & work history over the past five years instead of ten.)

I'll leave the precise level of frustration involved in my job as an exercise for the reader.

[Fealiks]

The word "immigration" reminded me of something today that frustrated me.

There is currently a scandal in England surrounding the banning of England football shirts being worn in public because it will make people who aren't originally from England feel left out suggestion[/B] that was only sent out to pubs in one town to bar people wearing football shirts in general. But I digress.]

Anyway, a girl in college was talking today about this whole scandal and how she thinks it's ridiculous. She was saying stuff like "in my opinion, people who aren't english shouldn't be allowed to wear [I]their football shirts, it's our country, blah blah I'm a moron." This just annoyed me so much. I don't understand the train of thought that leads people to think "I was born on this piece of land, therefore I am more important than people who weren't born on this piece of land." It just doesn't make sense. The annoying thing was, people in the class were all agreeing with her to some degree. How can something as fundamentally stupid as racism be so prominent? That just pisses me off.

I said to somebody who suggested that it was racist to white people to ban England shirts (and I'd like to point out here that "English" doesn't mean "white") that this was a poor comparison because white people in England are the majority, so it's obviously way less offensive to be racist against a white person than it is a dark skinned person. He responded with something like "but white people aren't the majority any more, ethnic people are the majority now" and I corrected him saying that 92% of Britain is white (a fact I'm not entirely sure why I remembered), and everybody agreed with him and told me I was wrong. Apparently now it's general knowledge that the majority of people living in Britain aren't white? I came home and checked Wikipedia, by the way - I was right that 92% of British people are white.

Also, the girl who started the discussion in the first place was referring to "immigrants" and then corrected herself and made a big fuss over it saying something like, "oh, can I say that? Is that banned too now?" Someone in the class told her that it's okay to say "immigrant" because it just means somebody who has moved to a different country and she said "I mean just for Muslims in general". SHE ACTUALLY SAID THIS. She seems to think that "Muslim" means "dark skinned" or something... but anyway, I told her that a lot of people who aren't white were born in England, meaning that they aren't immigrants and she responded by saying that white people were "here first" so surely anyone who isn't white is an immigrant. I pointed out to her that nobody was here first because there are no indigenous Britons, and that, in fact, the first people to arrive in Britain were likely European immigrants. She dismissed this with something like "that's obviously different". HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT?!

I wish now that I had told her that, by her "we were here first so we're more important" logic, black people would be the most important people because they were likely the first humans to evolve. I'm sure she would have dismissed that with some oafish grunt and a bullshit racist cliche too, though. God, things like this just boggle my mind. How can so many people still be so utterly oblivious to logic and truth?

[end rant]

[Remolay]

yeaHh I've heard that its really hard to get citizenship in Canada, would I be able to if I went with my mom (who has duel citizen ship because my grandmother was still not an american citizen at that point)?

[Avistew]

yeaHh I've heard that its really hard to get citizenship in Canada, would I be able to if I went with my mom (who has duel citizen ship because my grandmother was still not an american citizen at that point)?

If your mom has the citizenship it should be easier for you, provided you're her dependent. But I'm not sure of the specifics since it's a different case so the forms to fill are different, too.

EDIT: are you sure you don't already have a claim on the citizenship yourself? You're the child of someone who was a citizen when you were born after all.

Fealiks: all of that annoys me so much, too. First, in France people tend to use "Arab" and "Muslim" interchangeably. Like they're the same thing. Then one type of person who really annoys me is the people who go "I'm against immigration because I think there are already too many people in this country" while they're pregnant with their tenth child or something. So obviously adding more people is okay, but only if they're not citizens because they wanted to, but because they were born that way. Yeah, real logical.
And I've heard so much insulting stuff against immigrants, both here in Canada where I'm an immigrant, and over there in France where my husband was. But when I point out that I am (or he was) an immigrant, people go "oh, well, that's different. You're... you know..."
And when they extrapolate, it's pretty clear that we're "good immigrants", not by virtue of having a job, or speaking the language, or anything like that, no, but because we're white.
While people who came into the country generations ago, and as a result were born French/Canadian are still called "immigrants" by these people if they're from North Africa (usually) or basically if they're not white.

It also pisses me off how in France so many people, when they say "French" mean "white". Like in your example apparently. And then you have the people complaining that "immigrants stole their job because they're unemployed and look at all the immigrants working in fast food places!". But will they take a job in a fast food place? Oh no, you bet they won't. Too low for them, they'd rather get their unemployment (which is likely paid more anyways).
It just annoys me, these mind shortcuts. Obviously, they're not taking a job, they took a job you wouldn't want to have, and you're happy they're working there because you go to the fast food places and you like the streets being cleaned by the street cleaners and so on.
Plus that type of job is the kind that's always hiring anyways, so it doesn't really matter if they're working there. If you do want to work there, you'll find a job.

In Canada, the funny thing is how people are also very English-centered. What I mean is, well, of course, most of Canada speaks English as a first language. But French is an official language too. My husband ended up in an argument on Facebook with someone complaining about immigrants. He said his wife was an immigrant, the other person said "Well she should learn English!!!11!!", so he replied "She is fluent in both of Canada's official languages, are you?" and the other guy just dropped out of the conversation. It was funny.

Anyway, it annoys me that so many people who are themselves descendants of immigrants are racist against new immigrants ("because we were there first!") but also descendants of people who were there even before (First Nation people in Canada, Natives in the US, etc). Seems so contradictory, you know?

[Shwoo]

I'd say that I'm frustrated because something, which I guess is my anxiety problem, meant I had to go home from class early, and stopped me from going at all today, but getting frustrated would just make it worse, so I'm not. Still really annoying, though. I don't know how I'm going to learn this stuff if I keep being tired and on the verge of tears all the time. And I should have called to say I wasn't coming, but my ability to use the phone is dependant on the same thing as my ability to go to school, and if I'm not up to going out, I'm really not up to using the phone.

(Racism stuff)
If that thing about white people being a minority in the UK was true, I think certain newspapers would never shut about it. Just look at this Daily Mail article (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1164348/Whos-catching-Joneses-Ahmeds-Singhs-soon-UKs-common-names.html) about surnames.

I once read a letter to the editor in the local newspaper, the Canberra Times, about how the letter writer's grandparents, or something like that, came to Australia to work, so that was okay, but current immigrants come to Australia to sit around and be lazy, so that was bad. It was ridiculous. I wish I could remember exactly what it said. Also, apparently Today Tonight did a segment on Asian Australians being un-Australian for stupid reasons, because the Chaser made fun of them for it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S7YgjBsU8s). (swearing)

[The Highway]

"What have we learned from Current Affairs this week?"

One of my favourite segments! I wonder what their new show will be like this year?

[GuruGuru214]

What am I frustrated with? Humanity. Yes, even all of you. Especially some of you.

[Avistew]

That's okay, I'm frustrated with you too, Guru.

[GuruGuru214]

If only it was just you, or even just this forum. No, people suck in general.

[Giant Tope]

I've noticed that the forum has been on edge recently. Or at least moreso that usual. This makes me kinda sad.

[The Highway]

I'm frustrated because I have a piece of food stuck between my teeth i cant get out.

[GuruGuru214]

I've noticed that the forum has been on edge recently. Or at least moreso that usual. This makes me kinda sad.

Sam and Max has been pretty decent. General Chat...well, the threads I frequent have been okay. But Tales of Monkey Island? Hells yeah.

Also, I'm frustrated because I had dental work done on Monday and my gums and cheek are torn to pieces.

[Avistew]

I've noticed that the forum has been on edge recently. Or at least moreso that usual. This makes me kinda sad.

The heat is making me cranky still. And I have more trouble focusing on stuff when it's hot, like my brain isn't working properly, so I get frustrated and snap more easily. As you've noticed (sorry again).
So I'm definitely not in my "calmly make my point" mood these days, but hopefully that will get better.
Maybe I should put a disclaimer in my signature or something.

[The Highway]

The Tales of Monkey Island forum is all stacked up against Fury. Everyone wants a piece of that guy!

[Alcoremortis]

I'm frustrated because most of my friends are still at school taking finals and I'm done and bored. But they'll be done in a few days so I guess I'm not all that frustrated.:D

[GuruGuru214]

The Tales of Monkey Island forum is all stacked up against Fury. Everyone wants a piece of that guy!

That's because he's very adamant about a point that several of us disagree with and he's a total asshole about it.

[The Highway]

so true

[Secret Fawful]

My frustration is life. Sometimes people. Sometimes myself. Lots of things frustrate me, but I try to stay patient and be nice, and often I fail haha.

[GuruGuru214]

And now I'm frustrated because while I was already feeling like crap, someone went and posted this on my deviantArt profile:

Wow, you're surprisingly shit.

Did you know? Peggle is 90% luck.

Keep that in mind with your new pieces of art, chump.

[Chyron8472]

I spell it "MacDonald's" at least half the time. I think it's because of "MacDo" which is its nickname in France.


Here, people sometimes call it "Mickey D's" for short.




@Guru
Don't worry about it. Some people are just jerks and like it that way. Besides, there's more than enough people on here who will disagree with such nonsense as that.

umm... why would someone post about a game like Peggle on your DeviantArt profile anyway? I don't see the connection.

[Avistew]

And now I'm frustrated because while I was already feeling like crap, someone went and posted this on my deviantArt profile:

http://egscomics.com/egsnp/comics/2010/02/20100216_kq6j.png

*hug*

[GuruGuru214]

@both of you

Yeah, that was pretty much my thoughts on it. Still, that didn't make me feel much better when I was already down. It did help to hear others voice the same thing, though. And yeah, the Peggle thing was just baffling.

The hug helped a little too.

[puzzlebox]

Also, apparently Today Tonight did a segment on Asian Australians being un-Australian for stupid reasons, because the Chaser made fun of them for it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S7YgjBsU8s). (swearing)

"Take your substantial contribution to the country and p*** off!" :D

I miss The Chaser.

The heat is making me cranky still. And I have more trouble focusing on stuff when it's hot, like my brain isn't working properly, so I get frustrated and snap more easily.

You do think better when you're cold (or not overly warm). At least that's what my maths teacher fervently believed. In my final years of high school I took extension maths lessons, which meant starting school at 7am. On dark, freezing winter mornings the teacher would stride in and bellow "MORNING, MATHEMATICIANS!" then throw open all the windows to let the cold air in. Fingers were too numb to hold a pen, but the brain worked just fine. :p

[someone being a jerk to Guru]

The fact that anonymity can make people so mean dents my faith in humanity.

[GuruGuru214]

You funny Europeans and sticking "s" on the end of "math".

But yes, it's commonly known (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GIFT) as the Greater Internet F***wad Theory (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/), and it's sad.

[patters]

You funny Europeans and sticking "s" on the end of "math".


The way I see it is that mathematics is plural, simply saying math makes it seem singular.

[GuruGuru214]

The way I see it, you're referring to a singular subject (albeit a singular subject with many different subdivisions), so pluralizing it in the first place doesn't make a ton of sense.

But hey, when I say "pants", I'm referring to the outer layer, so I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on the basis of our cultures.

[patters]

The way I see it, you're referring to a singular subject (albeit a singular subject with many different subdivisions), so pluralizing it in the first place doesn't make a ton of sense.

But hey, when I say "pants", I'm referring to the outer layer, so I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on the basis of our cultures.

Trousers or as you say pants are plurale tantum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plurale_tantum). Math sounds fairly crass to me, both are valid, but I stand by my view. It's quite possible that the American word originated from the German mathematik though, though the abbreviation of that is mathe, pronounced mat-uh, if I remember correctly.

I don't like the American over use of the letter Z, it ruins scrabble. I have to accept them, but I don't have to like it.

[Giant Tope]

We over use z?

[taumel]

Ziemlicher Zinnober Zs zu zählen.

[patters]

We over use z?

Yeah, in words like civilisation, rationalisation, organise. Over here both the -ize and the -ise suffix are perfectly accepted, yet over there only the -ize is, which I think is pretty horrid, particularly as the language is still English, not American. It also is kind of annoying when people call it British English, it's our f***ing language, calling it American English is completely acceptable, with the differences between the two.

Sorry about that, I'm just frustrated at revision.

[Shwoo]

It's called British English because it's the forms of English used in Britain, and British and American English are equally correct.

[patters]

It's called British English because it's the forms of English used in Britain, and British and American English are equally correct.

You don't call German German that though do you?

[GuruGuru214]

The way I like to think of it is that while it originated there, Americans and Australians have just as much claim to English as the British do. To a large extent, we all stem form there, and as language is bound to evolve, it's bound to evolve differently when the group of people using it splits apart. I would guess that British English is just as different from the splitting off point as American and Australian English are. Of course, having no formal education in linguistics, I'm probably wrong, but it's just my opinion.

Alternately, why can't we all just get along and be grateful that we have a common language, thereby allowing us to have this debate in the first place?

Anyway, I only hear "British English" used when it's necessary to specify that you're talking about that dialect. What would you prefer in that situation? "Original English"? That'd just be dumb.

[patters]

The way I like to think of it is that while it originated there, Americans and Australians have just as much claim to English as the British do. To a large extent, we all stem form there, and as language is bound to evolve, it's bound to evolve differently when the group of people using it splits apart. I would guess that British English is just as different from the splitting off point as American and Australian English are. Of course, having no formal education in linguistics, I'm probably wrong, but it's just my opinion.

Alternately, why can't we all just get along and be grateful that we have a common language, thereby allowing us to have this debate in the first place?

In a couple of decades we will probably all be speaking Cantonese.

[Tor]

You don't call German German that though do you?
You might, if you needed to distinguish between the German spoken in Germany and the German spoken somewhere else...

[Shwoo]

You don't call German German that though do you?
Like Tor said, I do if I'm trying to distinguish it from Austrian German or Swiss German or something. The repeated word sounds a bit awkward, though.

I would guess that British English is just as different from the splitting off point as American and Australian English are. Of course, having no formal education in linguistics, I'm probably wrong, but it's just my opinion.
No, you're right from what I remember. British English changed a lot of things that American English kept the same. I can't think of any examples at the moment, but I remember hearing that more than once.

In a couple of decades we will probably all be speaking Cantonese.
I doubt it.

[The Highway]

I'm frustrated because no one is acknowledging my lovely icons (http://www.mediafire.com/?mjgmgmqomza).

I slaved away for several minutes over a hot stove overheating laptop for you ungrateful forum-goers after you asked for them! GRRRAAAAAARRR!

Okay, it's cool now.

[Rather Dashing]

I'm in an amazingly good mood today. :D

[GinnyN]

You don't call German German that though do you?

That's happens when I try to call the Spanish from Spain. I mean, Spanish Spanish. At the end, we use "Castillian Spanish" which pretty much make no sense, because our language is Castillian, and the Spanish Languages are about 5. We should use "Spanish Castillian" and "LatinAmerican Castillian", but, what we going to do if we try to diferenciate the spanish dialects from Spain? I mean, Castillian is from Castilla!

The problem goes we put the name of the language akin to the name of the place which originated. "English" is the name of the language, and not because is originated from England can't be use in a different place. "Brittish English" is just for diferenciate the dialect or accent from there, because if you said "English" I don't know if you are talking about the language or an specific language variation. Just think in a kind of double affirmation.

Edit: On the inmigrant side of the conversation, we HAVE (really) neo-Nazis againt peruvians. THAT is stupid as you can get.

[Lennie Melvin]

I'm in an amazingly good mood today. :D

That sounds like a really nice mood. I don't think I've ever been in an amazingly good mood :( I tend to go straight from tragically overwhelmed to annoyingly over-excited

[puzzlebox]

I don't like the American over use of the letter Z

I really rather like z, but always spell things the British way (either is acceptable in Australia). Using it more would detract from its specialness.

When I was 7 or 8 I noticed how my grandmother wrote her z's differently to how I was taught at school. I loved the curly flamboyance of them, so I started doing the same thing. After I was told off by my teacher for writing them that way because it was "old-fashioned", I tried not to do it in schoolwork but covertly continued to practice my illicit z-style out-of-hours as a rebellious act of defiance.

I still write with curly lowercase z's to this day... take THAT Mr Robertson, you'll never stop me now! Mwahahahaha!

1516

My grandmother has passed away now, but I often think of her when I write a curly z.

[Lennie Melvin]

hey! I do my zs curly because of grandma too. Whenever I got a letter from her I used to copy the zs and now i do them like that all the time
It made writing more exciting - like, oh a z is coming up! I get to do one of those curly zs!
yes, i was a sad child.

[Alcoremortis]

Born in America and everything, but for some random reason I still, quite often, spell things the English way. I don't know why and then spellcheck gets angry at me.

[Avistew]

When learning English, it was very confusing how some plural words (grammatically) were used as a singular ("darts is a game", "physics is a subject", "the United States is a country") while some singular words (grammatically) were used as plurals ("The police are following us", "my family are nice people").

In a way, they all make sense, because they agree with the meaning rather than the word. "Darts" is plural but it's one game, so singular. "The US" is plural but it's one country, so singular. "Family" is singular but it's several people, so plural. For that matter, "people" is singular but used as a plural, too.

That was very confusing, because you don't get that kind of thing in France. "Mathematics" is a plural, it's used as a plural, you say "they", not "it". "The US" is a plural, it's used as a plural, you say "they", not "it". "The police" is singular, you say "it", not "they". And so on.
We have that for gender, too. We can talk about a male and say "elle", which means "she", because the noun is feminine (for instance, "victime" or "personne" or "sentinelle").

Anyways, it's always tricky, and I learn more about it everyday. I didn't know "The US" was used as a singular until a few years ago, for instance.

About the "British English", "American English", well in France it's common to call the English spoken in the US "American" ("Étasunien", from "États-Unis", United States). Or you say "English (Country)".
I'm referring to translations here, mostly. You'd open a book at it would say, literally "Translated from USian by X" or "Translated from English (United States) by X".

I don't find the idea of saying "British English" offensive though. I fairly ofen talk about "France's French" or specifying "in France" when talking about French things, because the language is called the same in other places where it's spoken. Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, parts of Africa, and so on, they all speak French, they don't speak a different language each, it's all close enough to be considered a single language (plus, using the word for the country wouldn't help since they speak more than one language).

[jeeno0142]

I'm English, born in England, and spell English, and I love my language! I quite like the way it's so complex. My favourite plurals are the ones ending in 'i'. E.g Hippopotami (plural for hippopotamus) and octopi (plural for octopus). I just find it a little out of place to the rest of the language!

[Giant Tope]

Yeah, in words like civilisation, rationalisation, organise. Over here both the -ize and the -ise suffix are perfectly accepted, yet over there only the -ize is, which I think is pretty horrid, particularly as the language is still English, not American. It also is kind of annoying when people call it British English, it's our f***ing language, calling it American English is completely acceptable, with the differences between the two.

Sorry about that, I'm just frustrated at revision.

I dunno, whenever I'm speaking in casual speak, I just call American English just English because that's the version of that exposed to the most day by day. Now, when I'm in a conversation talking about the differences between dialects, I say American English to distinguish it from other dialects, but even British English and American English have many little sub dialects.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dialects_of_the_English_language)
Sometimes, like in our GPS', they'll list English as pertaining to American English while also listing British English. This isn't about saying Americans own the language, it's about distinguishing the different dialect that isn't the norm here. *shrug*

[Alcoremortis]

Random weird language thing: octopus has three plural forms, octopi, octopuses, and octopodes. Why we need three plurals for one seldom used word is beyond me.

[Avistew]

Octopods are actually a type of animals, aren't they? Like, octopuses/octopi are octopods, but not every octopod it an octopus.

Most Latin words have the Latin plural and the "regular" one that it would be if it was an English word to begin with. Like "penises" and "penes" for instance. (Sorry, that's the first thing that came to mind >.>)

[doodo!]

Here's the secret, music,sound waves for your brain...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htDdbIUftZA

[Alcoremortis]

Octopods are actually a type of animals, aren't they? Like, octopuses/octopi are octopods, but not every octopod it an octopus.

Most Latin words have the Latin plural and the "regular" one that it would be if it was an English word to begin with. Like "penises" and "penes" for instance. (Sorry, that's the first thing that came to mind >.>)

When it's octopods it refers to any eight legged creature (Class: Octopoda). I think when you add the "e" to make octopodes it refers only to the plural of octopus.

[Avistew]

When it's octopods it refers to any eight legged creature (Class: Octopoda). I think when you add the "e" to make octopodes it refers only to the plural of octopus.

Uh. Sounds like people called octopuses octopods so they wouldn't have to figure out the plural, and then it became an alternate plural or something.
Either way, I've always found it weird how you're supposed to use the original language's plural for some words (for instance "the media") but the englishised plural for some others (for instance "pizzas").
It seems pretty inconsistent. I usually try using "Englishised" plurals as much as possible to stay consistent, but there are times when it's just wrong to do so.

[Alcoremortis]

English is a strange language with more exceptions than actual rules.:D

[Shwoo]

Octopus, and platypus too, are from Ancient Greek, so using the Latin -i plural is incorrect, but it's in use anyway because people think it's from Latin and apparently don't want to use English plurals from foreign derived words for some reason. The correct plural of octopus in that case would be octopodes, but not a lot of people know that. I just use the English plural. It's easier.

[Avistew]

Oooh, I see, thanks for the explanation, Schwoo :)

Yeah, people want to put plurals in "-i" everywhere. Like, they tend to want to pluralise words that end in "-is" as "-i", when "-i" is actually the plural of "-us", and "-es" of "-is".

(I think they just like the sound of "-i").

[The Highway]

When learning English, it was very confusing how some plural words (grammatically) were used as a singular ("darts is a game", "physics is a subject", "the United States is a country") while some singular words (grammatically) were used as plurals ("The police are following us", "my family are nice people").


I like to think of it sort of like maths, where the plurals are in brackets, and thereby excluded from the rest of the "equation"

eg: (physics) is a subject

This way the entire sentence makes perfect grammatical sense (to me) and although I never write it like that, just thinking in that way makes it much clearer. But, it must be extremely difficult for non-native-English speakers to get their heads around this!

[Jenny]

After I was told off by my teacher for writing them that way because it was "old-fashioned"

:eek: Things like that frustrate me to no end! It is still a Z, and a darn prettier one than your teacher's method I'm sure.

Here's the secret, music,sound waves for your brain...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htDdbIUftZA

Ah.... *sigh* Peaceful.

[Avistew]

:eek: Things like that frustrate me to no end! It is still a Z, and a darn prettier one than your teacher's method I'm sure.

I somehow missed that post by puzzlebox! You write (I almost said "draw lol) your Zs the same way I do some of mine!
I have a weird inconsistent writing that mixes the two types of writing I was taught in school. Even for the same letter, even in the same word. I think there is some rule to is, like if it's the first or last letter of a word or something, but I don't overthink it.

EDIT: here is what I mean about my writing. I also write "z" sometimes, without the curve.

First the two ways I was taught to write, both the "proper way", then something I wrote that as you can see kinda mixes the two.
Pretty much all of my capitals are done in the second way.
(The lowercase second K is supposed to look like this, actually ==> k. I accidentally wrote it "my" way instead.)

http://i50.tinypic.com/2wqu6mw.png

[Alcoremortis]

Everyone has prettier handwriting than me. I am sad.

[GuruGuru214]

I don't.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/GuruGuru214/monkey-head.png

[The Highway]

i have awful handwriting, according to my mum

[puzzlebox]

Everyone has prettier handwriting than me. I am sad.

You sure you're not just distracted by the lovehearts and sunshine on mine? :p

My handwriting has definitely gone downhill since the days of high school and copying lengthy pages of notes from the blackboard. I only write to-do lists, meeting notes and post-its by hand now.

I have a weird inconsistent writing that mixes the two types of writing I was taught in school. Even for the same letter, even in the same word. I think there is some rule to is, like if it's the first or last letter of a word or something, but I don't overthink it.

The twirly samples are lovely! The capital X in particular is a style I haven't seen before, I like it.

I see what you mean about the inconsistency when I look carefully. The y in "Okay" isn't curled, so I thought maybe you only do that when there's another letter to join up with, but then "trying" has a curly y while "maybe" doesn't. You're unpredictable. :D

[Avistew]

I see what you mean about the inconsistency when I look carefully. The y in "Okay" isn't curled, so I thought maybe you only do that when there's another letter to join up with, but then "trying" has a curly y while "maybe" doesn't. You're unpredictable. :D

Haha, actually I can figure out this one. In "trying", the y joins to an I, which I write starting from the bottom left. But in "maybe", it joins to a B, which I write starting at the top. So I probably make the Y curly when it joins to the bottom of a letter, but joining to the top of one would get messy, so I don't do it.

I also noticed that I usually join the bar in my capital As to whichever letter follows. I'm not sure exactly how and when I started doing that. I know I do it when I write "Alice" or "Avistew", so I think it started from writing my name over and over again.

[taumel]

I write like a man. No girlie handwriting, more the style doctors and mad scientists use.

[Avistew]

What about female doctors? They write terribly too and they're not manly :p

I am frustrated with all the arguments going on right now. It feels like everyone is so tense... I know I'm one such person but the whole atmosphere on the forum seems... less cheerful. Less positive posts, more posts about nitpicking each other, arguing over various stuff and complaining. Like my post right now.

It's a bit sad. Instead of having interesting debates about stuff I feel like everyone is much more defensive and less willing to listen to each other. I don't know, maybe it's because some people have their final exams, some are cranky from the heat, and some are tense due to work, but I just feel like instead of being surrounded by friends I'm being surrounded by potential aggressors, it's so weird.

[GuruGuru214]

It feels like there's less goofing off and more arguing going on around here. We need more discussion about boobs and pizza toppings and derailed threads that segue into baby eating and doughnuts and we need less arguing about DVDs and GameStop. That's the stuff that really made this place great.

[taumel]

@Avistew
I don't write terribly, i write individually. :O)

As for your frustration, i don't think things changed a lot, you just seem to interpret the information around you in a different way, at least here on the forum. Dunno about those polite Canadians out there.

[Avistew]

I've been trying to keep the boobs thread alive, but there is only so much one woman can do... I only have two of them after all.

Maybe we ought to start a thread about butts or something.

[taumel]

I don't even have one boob, so what should it say?! :O)

[GuruGuru214]

I'd help, but there's only so much I can do without owning a pair myself.

And I don't think a butts thread would work. Butts are far less awesome and have much less artistic merit than boobs.

[Avistew]

And I don't think a butts thread would work. Butts are far less awesome and have much less artistic merit than boobs.

I'm sure some people would disagree, even when women are concerned.
But yeah, the thread probably wouldn't work. Plus the beauty of the boobs thread was how it came to life out of nowhere, I don't think we could recreate that, it would just feel forced.

(But my butt is awesome too!)

[Shwoo]

It's a bit sad. Instead of having interesting debates about stuff I feel like everyone is much more defensive and less willing to listen to each other.
That always happens when a new episode comes out.

[Nagaoka]

UGH! I just went downstairs to find that despite the myriad of chew-things I provided to keep my dog occupied while I took a shower, he decides to climb onto a table and grab....my Sam and Max animated series dvd.

I just bought the thing like a month ago! I didn't even get to finish watching it...Disc 2 is destroyed. The bonus disk is just nicked enough that it would be highly unwise to put it in a dvd player. The first disc is intact but scratched or smeared on the bottom enough that I'm fairly certain it won't play. The box and dvd cases are destroyed. The only thing fairly intact was the sticker...at least that's something. *sigh*

[The Highway]

That's horrible!

[patters]

Ooooh handwriting, mine is interesting, apparently.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4030/4629310630_9fa4d295c8.jpg

and in action:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3312/4629311526_f2456170da_b.jpg
I am quite aware that is should be an, I copied the lecturer exactly though.

[The Highway]

aaaaaah! learning!

[corruptbiggins]

my handwriting is terrible mainly because I don't hand write much these days as I usually use a computer to do any work or make letters and stuff like that. Should be able to find a suitable example somewhere...

[corruptbiggins]

ah, here we are, a sample.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3413/4628794775_0b93831d6c.jpg (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3413/4628794775_63aa9a9146_o.png)

(click for full size picture)

[jeeno0142]

Work was fustrating today. I'm unsure of whether the people of Arundel are being purposely idiotic or not. I work in a medium sized newsagents and we sell a lot of ice cream, we have the soft whippy, carte dor scoops, and the lollys in the freezer. So someone, for whatever reason, decided they didn't want the Crunchie ice cream they had chosen, and so put it in with the crisps. THE CRISPS! It was warm when I found it, and therefore melted. Had to be written off. Is it not common sense to put an ice cream in a freezer? It's not the first time it has happened either. At least once a fortnight it will happen. The freezer is right next to our entrance, it can't be hard, there is not that much effort involved in putting an ice cream back in a freezer. SO WHY THE CRISPS?

Wow. I like this thread. Just by writing it down I feel a whole lot better!:D

[Remolay]

well, there was one time I put ice cream in the fridge. I found it the next morning, not entirely melted yet.

[Avistew]

That always happens when a new episode comes out.

I guess I don't tend to be around when a new episode comes out. I never played the episodes the day the came out with ToMI (plus I wasn't going on the forums much at the time) and my computer couldn't play the Devil's Playhouse so I guess I avoided the forums for that a bit?

Why would people be on edge though? Shouldn't they be happy? I get the telltale team being on edge or stressed or whatever but they're not the ones doing it. It's weird.
Maybe it's just because there is so much more activity or something.

ah, here we are, a sample.

Hey, you write in all caps!
Er, I mean "HEY, YOU WRITE IN ALL CAPS!"

[Alcoremortis]

I like to write in all caps sometimes. It's a nice stress reliever and I have some creative ways of writing some capital letters. Like using an epsilon for an E.

[Vainamoinen]

And now I'm frustrated because while I was already feeling like crap, someone went and posted this on my deviantArt profile:

Oh crap. DeviantArt is normally a rather safe place to post one's art endeavours, as only registered people may post, and those usually have a gallery of their own. Hit the "hide" button for that post and just forget about it! This has nothing to do with your art, this has to do with a total lack of manners of the poster.

If you want revenge or something like that, go to the DA forums and expose that poster. People there will roast him on a stick, I can tell you. It isn't really worth the effort, though.

Posting Art on DA is hard enough without negative comments - there are some really impressive artists there, and involuntarily as well as inevitably, one feels the need to compare one's own works with those of these other artists. That can get me down very quickly...

If you want an earnest critique that takes your previous art experience into account, kindly direct me to your account. I'll see what I can do with my - also limited! - experience ;)

[Remolay]

I am slightly frustrated by the fact that cursive lettering does not make sense.

People say that it's neater, I don't see how. I Can't read it or write it. it just looks like someone put random squiggles on paper

[Avistew]

I am slightly frustrated by the fact that cursive lettering does not make sense.

People say that it's neater, I don't see how. I Can't read it or write it. it just looks like someone put random squiggles on paper

Cursive lettering is basically the same as script, but written so that you don't have to lift the pen from the paper. That was probably useful when you had to use a feather to write.
You'll notice the loops and curves start where you'd lift your pen and end where you'd put it down again.

I personally find it faster and more effective in the middle of words, however you can see I don't do that all the time, making my writing look inconsistent. But it's consistent in my mind as it's more efficient. I used to write for hours everyday (now I type a lot more and write a lot less) so it could make a big difference in the end.

[Rather Dashing]

I'm frustrated because I just heard an amazing symphony orchestra participate in collective murder, and the victim's name is poetry. Somehow, between Konzertstück and Beethoven's 5th, they sandwiched in a monstrosity that involved an erratic musical style accompanied by unintelligible operatic wailing.

[corruptbiggins]

Hey, you write in all caps!
Er, I mean "HEY, YOU WRITE IN ALL CAPS!"

:D

I did learn cursive but it's takes me longer to write using that whereas I can write quickly if I just use capitals though I have recently been trying to write in small case when doing code to make me take my time about it. Takes some effort mind as writing in caps just comes naturally now.

[JedExodus]

I could chisel rock neater than I can write with pen and paper. I have the handwriting of a maniac... but a heart of gold :p

[Alcoremortis]

I generally write in a weird combination of cursive and printing where I pick and choose which letters I like to write which way. It's really messy.

[GinnyN]

I'm frustrated because I feel useless for a Homework, and because Screen Toaster doesn't let me go further the part I started to paint the lights in the recent screen cast for whathever reason.

But, for some reason, I'm not that cranky. I guess Jared's excelent music has to do something with that. :D

[doodo!]

I'm frustrated because I feel useless for a Homework, and because Screen Toaster doesn't let me go further the part I started to paint the lights in the recent screen cast for whathever reason.

But, for some reason, I'm not that cranky. I guess Jared's excelent music has to do something with that. :D

LOL those are just external quests. You're such a terrific and wonderful person. We love hearing from you. I don't understand why something so mechanical could make you feel useless. Are you that passionate, concerned with your extra curricular activities? If so, that's a beautiful thing and something to be deeply valued within yourself.

It's good to want to give something your best, but it's not good to cut yourself short of your best by succumbing to self doubt and self neglect.

If you have a problem work for the solution or reach out to others for their help.

Relax, put faith into yourself, and focus.

I have years of social anxiety, that I am working through. My art work is polluted with anxiety, confidence issues. I go through critiques where I come out battered, I put hours into a drawing only to rip it to pieces.

BUT...when i believe in myself, and when I focus, I can do three worth while drawings in one sitting, 4 times faster than one that I usually can do.

The point is that we have abilities, we're all so special human beings, we're all so very gifted. We just some times choose to ignore our special talents and abilities, whether it fear, doubt, a sense of worthlessness...

I'm not a bad artist, I just have psychological issues that restrict my talents, that distract me and it's a emotional burden as a artist to go through that I admit, but I know what I believe in is what I am capable of.

[GuruGuru214]

I'm frustrated because I got slightly sunburned yesterday, but I know my dad is still going to try and get me outside to mow the lawn today. And I mowed it less than a week ago. In the rain. Because he told me to.

[Alcoremortis]

I'm frustrated because I have a headache for the third day running. It's what happens when I'm not sleep deprived. Which is also frustrating.

[The Highway]

I'm frustrated because I have an exam soon, and I have a blocked nostril, a runny nostril and a painful cough.

[Nagaoka]

I'm frustrated because I have an exam soon, and I have a blocked nostril, a runny nostril and a painful cough.

Take the exam paper and feed it to the rabid dog down the street. This will turn it into a shredded spitball. Stick the spitball into the runny nostril. This will cause a huge backup that makes the blockage in the blocked nostril to shoot out. This solves your nose and exam problems. For the cough problem, remember the cold medicine that's been in your inventory from the very beginning? Now's the time to use it!

[GuruGuru214]

There was one time where I had just started to get sick when I had an exam, and I ran out of tissues halfway through the day, so I had to use napkins. My nose was so incredibly raw by the end of that day, I had to buy a box of lotion tissues on the way home.

[Avistew]

There was one time where I had just started to get sick when I had an exam, and I ran out of tissues halfway through the day, so I had to use napkins. My nose was so incredibly raw by the end of that day, I had to buy a box of lotion tissues on the way home.

I used to have strong allergies and y nose was almost constantly raw. Didn't have any lotion tissues (maybe they're not common in France?) and although I put lotion on my nose regularly, it burned like hell.
Then I discovered udder balm. It's for cow utters because they get sore from being milked so much, so the farmers put balm on the udders to make the cow feel a bit better. It didn't burn! Even Shea butter would burn.

It was really nice.
Then I switched to handkerchiefs instead of tissues and my nose stopped being raw.
And then I stopped having milk and my allergies faded so I don't even need to blow my nose often anymore.

But I just thought, if anyone has that problem, udder balm is great!

[The Highway]

Take the exam paper and feed it to the rabid dog down the street. This will turn it into a shredded spitball. Stick the spitball into the runny nostril. This will cause a huge backup that makes the blockage in the blocked nostril to shoot out. This solves your nose and exam problems. For the cough problem, remember the cold medicine that's been in your inventory from the very beginning? Now's the time to use it!

This is definitely what I'd do if my life was an adventure game.

[puzzlebox]

Then I discovered utter balm. It's for cow utters because they get sore from being milked so much

It's "udder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udder)". :)

I'm frustrated because I have an exam soon, and I have a blocked nostril, a runny nostril and a painful cough.

Aw, poor you. It sucks to be sick when you've got important and/or fun things to be getting on with.

I had horrible tonsilitis earlier this year. So gross. I lost my voice for days and had to communicate via pen and paper or charades. I was back in Oz for a visit as well, so it was doubly frustrating not being able to speak to anyone.

The morning I was supposed to fly back to London, I was STILL SICK and extremely not keen on spending 30 hours in transit. I ended up going to hospital, they injected me with a bunch of stuff just so I'd be able to get on a plane... intravenous antibiotics, steroids (!), and some kind of solution to rehydrate me since I hadn't been able to drink. I felt comparatively awesome after that. :p

It still took ages to go away, it lingered for almost a month. Makes you appreciate being healthy though.

[Avistew]

It's "udder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udder)". :)

Thanks! I don't know how I made that mistakes, but thanks for picking it up. Maybe because it's utterly working? :p

[The Highway]

It still took ages to go away, it lingered for almost a month. Makes you appreciate being healthy though.

That it does

[Rather Dashing]

I'm frustrated because I'm on hold, and my expected wait time has been "less than 15 minutes" for about two hours now.

[jmm]

I'm frustrated because my monitor is having some trouble with the red channel and I'm seeing all in pale orange, green and blue instead of red, green and blue and the tech guys at work gave me the following answer: "You can still work with it, it's not that bad"

[GuruGuru214]

A while back, my sister told me that her friend I have a crush on used to have a crush on me. To further twist the knife, she said that she would've been okay with it if we'd gone out. Tonight, her friend announced that she's engaged.

So that's pretty frustrating.

[Avistew]

A while back, my sister told me that her friend I have a crush on used to have a crush on me. To further twist the knife, she said that she would've been okay with it if we'd gone out. Tonight, her friend announced that she's engaged.

So that's pretty frustrating.

*hugs*

That sucks. That kind of me scared me so much when I was younger than I, well, made a fool of myself more than once. In 6th grade, I wrote a love letter to a guy who, apparently, had a crush on me, too. Still, he seemed to think it was more fun to bring the letter to school and let all of his pals read it. That was embarrassing.
Then in 9th grade I liked a guy, and after he had broken up with his girlfriend I asked him out. He told me he already had a girlfriend, to which I replied "I thought you guys had broken up" (I wasn't trying to interrogate him, it was more a case of thinking out loud). He started avoiding my eyes and going "Errr...." which was awkward to.

In first year of university, I liked someone again. Waiting until the end of the year, asked him if he wanted to have a drink after his classes were over, he said sure, we went to have a drink, then he walked me to the subway station, I handed him my phone number and he said "thanks, I'll take it but you should know I won't call you."
Well, that was less awkward than the other two, and much nicer than him lying and then never calling me while I waited, but still, ouch.

I wasn't very lucky with guys for some reason.

Anyway, I don't know, I guess it's better to be sure than to let you chance go. On the other hand I've wondered before if things might have worked out better if I had acted more "traditionally", like, being all nice and possibly flirty but letting them ask me out. The first one did like me but I guess he was at a stupid age. The second one, well, I guess I was just the nerdy girl he was hoping to run away from :p
I think the third one, I could have least been friends with, and I kind of ruined it. The next year we were all awkward around one another and I ended up avoiding him. I keep thinking, maybe he was worried by the age difference or something (he was 12 years older) and if we had been friends for longer it would have worked better? Maybe I went too fast?

Oh well. It's useless thinking back on things like that but yeah, it's frustrating I guess. I'm sorry about your situation, it really sucks.

*hugs again*

[Jenny]

Anyway, I don't know, I guess it's better to be sure than to let you chance go.

I've always thought it was worse if you let a chance go. I had the biggest crush on a guy in 8th grade, and I never said anything to him about it, well the year after he ended up transferring into a private school, and the year after that my parents sent me to a different private school, so yeah, I never got to talk to him again. It was really depressing. Even if he had laughed in my face, I think it would have been better than always thinking "what if."

Although there was this guy I asked out once in college, who was about 10 years older than me, who couldn't deal with the age difference and thought of me as a little kid, so needless to say we broke up really quickly.

The way I see it, if you put your feelings out there, and the other person rejects them, then they are the ones that have to deal with regret later on. Also, I have noticed that the person who initiates a break up feels worse because it was their decision, so they take a huge responsibility for it. Two of my friends who were dating broke up (he with her) and she got over it within a month or two, and he was the one who ended up thinking he made a mistake. Just an interesting twist on the whole thing.

[GuruGuru214]

That reminds me of a pretty awful experience I had my senior year of high school. I had gym with this younger girl I liked. Well, I made the mistake of telling the guy I hung out with in that class, who was in the same grade as her. Once he found out, he blurted it to this other girl named Amber. Amber was a horrible person and a pathological liar. I ended up being forced to confess to Anna, and by the end of the year, I think she thought I was stalking her. I still haven't forgiven Amber for all that. So that's a case where I really would rather have let the chance go, because Anna not remembering me at all would've been better than her remembering me as "that one creepy guy".

[Hassat Hunter]

The way I see it, if you put your feelings out there, and the other person rejects them, then they are the ones that have to deal with regret later on.
That seems... naïve.
All the girls who rejected me seem totally happy now one way or the other, and I am the one who's depressed/suicidal...

[Jenny]

That seems... naïve.
All the girls who rejected me seem totally happy now one way or the other, and I am the one who's depressed/suicidal...

Well for myself, I would rather have taken the chance. And I think the regret thing works more for people who have been dating at some point and break up, more so than something initial. I should have clarified that.

But still, I have had some pretty awful and painful dating/asking out/etc situations in my life, and I just wouldn't do it differently. Sure it hurt like hell at the time, but if I hadn't said "I like you" I would have been angry with myself. Maybe that's just something I tell myself, I don't know. There are certain things I wish I had done a little differently, but I have never regretted telling a guy I liked him (no matter what the consequence was). Maybe I'm just crazy though.

[Avistew]

I don't know, I think there is merit in waiting. Not as in, never doing anything, but more like taking your time. My mom confessed a few years ago to my dad that at some point she had left a note in his lab-coat (is it called a lab-coat for doctors? The met in the hospital) then she chickened out and went back to get it before he found it.

He laughed, but then he said it was a good thing she did that or they'd never have ended up together: he would have thought she was some kind of crazy girl, or a stalker or something. Even though he liked her.

I think you can't jump at someone's throat and tell them "I like you!" and I mean that figuratively, I think sometimes it's best to get closer first, otherwise it's kind of the equivalent of proposing on the first date, you know?

But I definitely think you need to be honest. Tell the truth if the person asks, for instance, and certainly not be cold or anything, be at least friendly, and when you're close enough, then ask. I think if I had done that it would have worked out better. I don't know if I would have said "yes" if someone I didn't even know/barely knew asked me out. I would have needed to know the person enough, so that it wouldn't be awkward, you know?

But then, when the question is "should I risk telling them?" then I think the answer is usually "yes". I think you can get over things like that (a girlfriend confessed to me and we're still friends to this date) and then you can get over it better, too. I think otherwise you stay so focused on what could have been that you don't move forward, if I'm making sense.

[Jenny]

But I definitely think you need to be honest. Tell the truth if the person asks, for instance, and certainly not be cold or anything, be at least friendly, and when you're close enough, then ask. I think if I had done that it would have worked out better. I don't know if I would have said "yes" if someone I didn't even know/barely knew asked me out. I would have needed to know the person enough, so that it wouldn't be awkward, you know?

I completely agree. I was assuming this wouldn't be told to someone that was only a slight acquaintance or stranger.

The cases I was giving as examples were where the guy asked me how I felt about him, or I had known him for a while and we were obviously close enough to say that. I don't mean just go up to someone you stalk and blurt out "I like you!" :p There has to be some form of warmth from the other person. But just because the person is fond of you, doesn't mean they want to go out with you (that sort of thing).

Edit: Also, when I say put your feelings out there, that can be flirting too. There are a lot of conversations that can be had without ever bringing up the subject and it still leads to someone possibly being rejected. I guess I should have thrown a whole subtle aspect in there as well.

But then, when the question is "should I risk telling them?" then I think the answer is usually "yes". I think you can get over things like that (a girlfriend confessed to me and we're still friends to this date) and then you can get over it better, too. I think otherwise you stay so focused on what could have been that you don't move forward, if I'm making sense.

That's a perfect example. That is what I was trying to explain. :p

[jeeno0142]

I'm fustrated because I cannot play the piano however hard I try. I'm attempting to learn the end credits song from Portal (Still Alive), but the best I can do at the moment is only using my right hand and I can only do that painfully slowly.

I guess I have to practice more.

[ShaggE]

Here's a bit o' frustration. I have a friend who's constantly trying to convert me to Christianity. Today's sermon was particularly fun, as he apparently thought that belittling my beliefs would make me reconsider them.

I don't have the heart to remind him that he's switched religions three times since I've known him, and his convictions were just as strong then as they are now. Not that he'd listen anyway, as I've told him countless times before that I have no interest in converting, and he hasn't listened yet. *grumblegrumble*

[The Highway]

Here's a bit o' frustration. I have a friend who's constantly trying to convert me to Christianity. Today's sermon was particularly fun, as he apparently thought that belittling my beliefs would make me reconsider them.

I don't have the heart to remind him that he's switched religions three times since I've known him, and his convictions were just as strong then as they are now. Not that he'd listen anyway, as I've told him countless times before that I have no interest in converting, and he hasn't listened yet. *grumblegrumble*

I'm Christian and I don't understand why we're always like "Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs... But only if they follow Christianity. Otherwise, they're WRONG" it feels to me like the Christian church is so stuck up about its "superiority" when it could just as easily be completely wrong.

What religion are you, by the way?

[ShaggE]

I'm Christian and I don't understand why we're always like "Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs... But only if they follow Christianity. Otherwise, they're WRONG" it feels to me like the Christian church is so stuck up about its "superiority" when it could just as easily be completely wrong.

Agreed. I should add that I have nothing against Christians, lest this turns nasty. All paths are equally valid in my eyes.

What religion are you, by the way?

Neo-Pagan.

[Jenny]

I know a few people of the Christian faith that are very obsessive about trying to prove that what they believe is the only possible right way to think. And make anyone who doesn't believe that way feel wrong and belittled. But then again, I know many atheists who are just as adamant about squashing someone's belief system.

I think almost all different forms of religion are going toward similar goals, it's just about how you get there.

[Remolay]

There is one guy I know who is very christian to the point where he knows most of the things in the bible. So much that he is never the "Convert" guy.

I can talk to him about the Bible. I am not christian, I don't know what I am. I can talk to him about it because we just talk about the stories in the bible. It's never "you should be christian." I love the stories, which is why I still like vegetales. (nothing bugging me, just wanting to put postive light on stuff)

[The Highway]

I think it's good how people don't need religion to be happy. it shows we can be independent. i follow a religion, and i believe in it, but I dont actually care about all the facts behind it, i sort of just go "yep, ok so, there's god, and he watches me so i need to be good and... yeah"

that said, i still reckon other religions have excellent points, too. like islam. they have very good morals, well, most of them :p

[Alcoremortis]

I've had people try to convert me and it's not fun, especially if you sort of like the person the rest of the time. Especially when they throw in that "so you think you're going to heaven?" line in a disbelieving tone.

[ShaggE]

I've had people try to convert me and it's not fun, especially if you sort of like the person the rest of the time. Especially when they throw in that "so you think you're going to heaven?" line in a disbelieving tone.

I hear that. The aforementioned converter really is a great friend, if a bit clingy. It's the only reason I hold my tongue when he starts "witnessing".

[The Highway]

Yo all you other religions, I'm really happy for you and I'ma let you all continue being, but Christianity over there has the best damn religion ever!

Kanye West jokes are still cool, right?:p

[Remolay]

You know, according to my aforementioned friend, who has read just about all of the bible, The bible say not to attempt to convert people who aren't Christian. How do people skip over that?

[The Highway]

no idea. i only read the bits i get told to read in class

[Alcoremortis]

Quite a lot of people doing the conversion thing haven't actually read the entire Bible. New Testament, yes. Old Testament, not so much. I have read the whole thing and so I generally get them to back off by informing them of this fact.

[doodo!]

Catholic school was one of the worse things for me at that time.

[The Highway]

Catholic school was one of the worse things for me at that time.

At my school, its compulsory, and we have to take an exam or else we fail everything else with a 0.

[Didero]

I'm getting more and more annoyed by idiots on the internet. Stupid people making stupid remarks, and not seeing how stupid and annoying they are. And there seem to be more and more of them too.
Bleh.
Maybe I'm just grumpy though.

This post isn't aimed at anybody in particular.

[doodo!]

I'm getting more and more annoyed by idiots on the internet. Stupid people making stupid remarks, and not seeing how stupid and annoying they are. And there seem to be more and more of them too.
Bleh.
Maybe I'm just grumpy though.

This post isn't aimed at anybody in particular.

The law of attraction could suggest that you just attracted those people to you.

[Jenny]

At my school, its compulsory, and we have to take an exam or else we fail everything else with a 0.

You mean Theology? We had that class in my high school, but it was treated like a history course. I mean, it's like studying other religions. You don't have to believe it. We had a couple of girls in my school that were Jewish and they just thought of it as learning about other people's culture. It wasn't really a big deal.

Although it was a required class, I never heard about getting a 0 in other courses if you did poorly in that one.

[Alcoremortis]

At my school, its compulsory, and we have to take an exam or else we fail everything else with a 0.

Wow. That's harsh. I went to Catholic school and even they didn't punish your other classes. Of course, the religion classes were so easy that getting a zero meant that you slept through class and wrote your prom to-do list on the final...

[Avistew]

I think Highway means that if you don't take the exam, you don't pass any subject.
Which might seem harsh, but in my school if you missed ANY exam (unless you had a doctor's note) that's what happened, too.

I never had religion classes, but just like there is no Sex Ed class in France, but human reproduction is covered in Biology (6th and 7th grade), religions were covered in history class, whenever we reached the time perod when they appeared.

[Lena_P]

You mean you never got to cover a banana with a condom? You poor, poor French children ... I have to say, though, studying religions "when they appeared" seems very strange to me. I mean, western Christianity didn't really get going until 300 years after Jesus, and the religion of Constantine doesn't have much in common with modern Catholics and Protestants who also differ greatly from Copts and Eastern Orthodox. And what about Judaism and Hinduism and Shintoism? We don't even have a nice cut and dry starting date for them, so how did they get covered?

[splash1]

I mean, western Christianity didn't really get going until 300 years after Jesus, and the religion of Constantine doesn't have much in common with modern Catholics and Protestants who also differ greatly from Copts and Eastern Orthodox. And what about Judaism and Hinduism and Shintoism? We don't even have a nice cut and dry starting date for them, so how did they get covered?

A more reasonable question would be: "Why do western people talk so much about their religion?" I mean all the talk about is "The good lawd", and other crap. Half the time, they don't even know what they're talking about.

[Jenny]

A more reasonable question would be: "Why do western people talk so much about their religion?" I mean all the talk about is "The good lawd", and other crap. Half the time, they don't even know what they're talking about.

Sadly that is true. Many people preach things that they know little about, and have never questioned or decided for themselves. But then many people blindly follow political parties without thinking about what they mean. It's a scary world.

[Avistew]

Well, I probably said it wrong. The goal never was to study religions, but to study history, so when religions were relevant to stuff that happened, they were explained. Like, we covered Luther, or the conversion of Henri IV, stuff like that.
"History" class was really "Western History" or you could even say "European History", so a lot of things weren't covered at all.

Nope, never put a condom on a banana. We got the movies of women giving birth though. Oh, and we had a one day STD-awareness thing where everyone in the school gathered to listen to the speech, ask questions, and everyone was given condoms.
There was a similar one for drug awareness but we weren't given anything at all. Awww.

[Lena_P]

I think that's kind of unfair. Yeah, there are many weird Christians, but they're honestly the minority. Most of the Christians I've ever met barely talk about their religion, and you're going to find crazies in any group.

Edit: One thing I've always wondered is how lesbians learn about safe sex. Like, we could get condoms, abortions and birth control pills free from school (in California at least), but no ... whatever you'd use for lesbian sex ...

[Jenny]

Nope, never put a condom on a banana. We got the movies of women giving birth though. Oh, and we had a one day STD-awareness thing where everyone in the school gathered to listen to the speech, ask questions, and everyone was given condoms.
There was a similar one for drug awareness but we weren't given anything at all. Awww.

We never had a real health class either. Reproduction was studied in Biology, and we had an STD awareness type class that only lasted a short time (not a whole semester). I too missed out on putting a condom on a banana, darn.

You didn't get anything for drug awareness? How unfair and biased toward the STD speech.

[The Highway]

In my school, sex ed was one period where we watched a video

[splash1]

Wouldn't it be easier to just do it yourself, online? Just sayin'.

[The Highway]

Wouldn't it be easier to just do it yourself, online? Just sayin'.

Most people do anyway :D

[Alcoremortis]

I had no Sex Ed at my high school either. Just a biology teacher with no qualms about anything.:D

And a friend who got a condom for her birthday.

[Lena_P]

I'm starting to wonder what you guys think sex ed classes cover ...

[The Highway]

sex, duh :D

that's the only bit I listened to at least

[Avistew]

I assumed it covered different kinds of birth control, a quick review of the different types of sex, which ones can result in a pregnancy, which ones spread STD, and a review of how a pregnancy works from conception to birth.

That's what we studied in our biology classes that covered human reproduction, at least.

[The Highway]

I assumed it covered different kinds of birth control, a quick review of the different types of sex, which ones can result in a pregnancy, which ones spread STD, and a review of how a pregnancy works from conception to birth.

That's what we studied in our biology classes that covered human reproduction, at least.

At a catholic school, it's pretty much:

"You aren't having sex till you're married or you're going to hell. So you don't need to know these things because you're also not allowed to use medicinal birth control."

so yeah. like im gonna adhere to that first rule though!

[taumel]

"human reproduction"

This sounds reserved, not sexy.

[Avistew]

"human reproduction"

This sounds reserved, not sexy.

Well, that's what it was. We studied reproduction in mammals, then specifically for humans among mammals, they we went back to other animals. Wasn't meant to be sexy or anything.

[taumel]

The term doesn't meet the act, i'm sure i'm speaking for humans as well as wales.

[Remolay]

my schools Sex-Ed thing was, this is what happens, now don't do it or you are going to die

[taumel]

You're going to die anyway. :O)

[Alcoremortis]

My only experience with a Sex Ed class was in the movie Mean Girls.

[ShaggE]

The term doesn't meet the act, i'm sure i'm speaking for humans as well as wales.

Whaddya have against the Welsh? :p

[splash1]

My only experience with a Sex Ed class was in the movie Mean Girls.

And the teacher was gay, wasn't he? That doesn't surprise me.

[Nagaoka]

At a catholic school, it's pretty much:

"You aren't having sex till you're married or you're going to hell. So you don't need to know these things because you're also not allowed to use medicinal birth control."

so yeah. like im gonna adhere to that first rule though!

Heh heh, I'm gonna put my two cents in that I went to a Catholic school and it was NOT like this. Except for some unpleasant advice about gay marriage, I found Catholic school to be pretty open minded.

[Alcoremortis]

Heh heh, I'm gonna put my two cents in that I went to a Catholic school and it was NOT like this. Except for some unpleasant advice about gay marriage, I found Catholic school to be pretty open minded.

One of the Catholic schools was really strict, the other not so much. I guess it depends on where you go and how many nuns you have (the first school had about twelve, the second, one).

[taumel]

Whaddya have against the Welsh? :p
My fault, obviously i meant whales and those Flipper like guys.

[Hayden]

At a catholic school, it's pretty much:

"You aren't having sex till you're married or you're going to hell. So you don't need to know these things because you're also not allowed to use medicinal birth control."

so yeah. like im gonna adhere to that first rule though!

my schools Sex-Ed thing was, this is what happens, now don't do it or you are going to die

At my school (Christian), we were never told we were going to die, we were just told that you probably should wait until after marriage because there are consequences (STD's, pregnancy, emotional consequences, all that jazz). We were never told that we'd go to hell if we did do it before marriage, we were just told that you'll be benefiting yourself if you wait. And I think that that is the best way of going about it, the teachers gave us advice instead of just telling us not do it.

[Giant Tope]

In my biology classes, we had discussed the individual body parts, though we had one class discussing how it worked. Essentially if you wanted to reproduce, the penis would go in the vagina, and if anyone had any further questions, they could ask him after class. The teacher assumed we had already figured out how the actual act went, so he spent the next couple days on protection. It was actually kinda funny and the teacher knew this.

[The Highway]

At my school (Christian), we were never told we were going to die, we were just told that you probably should wait until after marriage because there are consequences (STD's, pregnancy, emotional consequences, all that jazz). We were never told that we'd go to hell if we did do it before marriage, we were just told that you'll be benefiting yourself if you wait. And I think that that is the best way of going about it, the teachers gave us advice instead of just telling us not do it.

I do believe I was exaggerating.

Yes, the teachers don't get all angry and stuff. They recommend it. But in the Bible there are some nasty things!

[Hayden]

Yes, but the Bible also says that God forgives every sin if you ask for forgiveness.

[Remolay]

I was barely exaggerating with my school (public).
They covered:
What happens
Just about every STD's out there
why Birth Control is actually dangerous (increase risk of STD's)

[The Highway]

Yes, but the Bible also says that God forgives every sin if you ask for forgiveness.

Good Ol' God!

[Jenny]

why Birth Control is actually dangerous (increase risk of STD's)

That is very true, and sadly few people realize (or don't care) how dangerous birth control pills are for women's health. And yes, it makes getting HIV a lot more likely too.

[Alcoremortis]

That is very true, and sadly few people realize (or don't care) how dangerous birth control pills are for women's health. And yes, it makes getting HIV a lot more likely too.


HIV is more likely if you have unprotected sex (no condom) more often, which I suppose could be considered a side effect of birth control pills.

But birth control pills themselves are just extra hormones that your body produces naturally, estrogen and progesterone. It's not that dangerous (just makes the body think it's already pregnant so stops producing eggs) unless the pill only contains estrogen (which can be harmful in large amounts) or is the wrong amount for a given person.

Men's birth control pills, on the other hand, are pretty dangerous, which is why they aren't marketed as of now.

[Jenny]

HIV is more likely if you have unprotected sex (no condom) more often, which I suppose could be considered a side effect of birth control pills.

Actually the pill itself causes changes in the woman's body. Many pills depress the immune system (making getting STDs easier) and there are studies where it has been proven that it is safer to have unprotected sex without birth control pills than unprotected sex with them. Because of the immune system complications, along with increased bleeding (which allows virus' and bacteria to infect you easier).

Plus the extra hormones themselves are not needed. Our bodies produce what they are supposed to (unless you have a deficiency) so the extra hormones can cause complications, weight gain, abnormal cell growth, and a host of other problems.

Like I said before, most people don't believe this to be true. And I guess it is as controversial as the debate about certain foods/chemicals causing cancer. But I have known too many woman that have had complications from birth control pills to be able to just brush off these theories.

[Giant Tope]

I don't really wanna cause any trouble, but there often seems to be a number of false rumors associated with the pill (http://contraception.about.com/od/contraceptionmyths/tp/pillmyths.htm). Correlation doesn't always means causation.

[Jenny]

No it's fine, I've read a lot of that information too. I was just sharing what I've seen, read and think personally. Just my opinion, everyone should do their own research and decide for themselves.

[Avistew]

Birth control pills can have side effects, including depression and frigidity. While it's possible it's because of bad dosage, I find it very annoying that in France it will always be the first thing suggested, and even after you try ten different ones the gynecologist won't suggest switching for something else.

There are lots of other types of birth control, hormonal or not, and it's a shame that, at least in France, people seem to only know "pill for birth control, condoms against STDs" and nothing else.

http://static-p3.fotolia.com/jpg/00/17/88/22/400_F_17882286_GYDZExBVVk64RwxIdhC2yduAuRq0lGNr.jp g

I know when I had problems with the pill, I thought I was the only one, and I asked around. And all the women I talked too told me "oh, yeah, it's normal" and listed their own problems with it: they gained ten pounds that they lost every time they stopped the pill, they got migraines, they got depression, they lost their sex drive, etc, etc. Usually several things at once.

I find the question of whether they could have found a pill dosed perfectly for them irrelevant if other methods could have fitted them better without needing to go through a huge variety of pills that all have secondary effects they have trouble living with.

[GuruGuru214]

My internet has been down since yesterday. I'm only able to post this because I'm at a friend's house today. That's pretty damn frustrating.

God, I hate Qwest.

[Avistew]

My internet has been down since yesterday. I'm only able to post this because I'm at a friend's house today. That's pretty damn frustrating.

God, I hate Qwest.

Weird how hard it is to live without it, eh? When we had a fire I was a week without online access, the first few days were hard.
When I moved from France, we were four month without the Internet, and I can't say I cared. I guess you just have to get past the addiction or something :p

[GuruGuru214]

I think what bothers me the most is that it's like losing a window into the outside world (which is ironic, since it has a tendency to pull you away from the outside world, but that's something else entirely). I had several topics I was active in on here and I found myself wishing I could see what the responses were to what I said. Last night, I had a friend over, and I didn't have access to GameFAQs for the game we were playing together.

But what bothers me above all else is that this means that 1. my family is paying for something we're not receiving, and 2. that means that I have to go to war with tech support yet again. While this is definitely the worst of it, this has been an ongoing problem, and I've had to deal with tech support several times over it. Each time I call, they start from the beginning, don't listen to me about my previous experience with this problem, act as if I don't know what I'm talking about (and to be fair, there's a lot of people who call tech support because they don't know what they're talking about), and basically don't get anything fixed.

This is why I want to switch to Comcast. I don't know if the service will be any better, but at least it's bound to be more reliable than this bullshit.

[roumeaz]

http://home.arcor.de/jedai/thatguy.jpg

[jeeno0142]

I have a headache. Had it for most of the afternoon, it started at work. It's getting on my nerves now.

[GuruGuru214]

I LIVE!

Now I can go back to just being frustrated with Qwest instead of super frustrated pissed off.

[Avistew]

I LIVE!

Now I can go back to just being frustrated with Qwest instead of super frustrated pissed off.

Welcome back!
Everything is the same as far as I know. Well, Brendan and Chuck left/are leaving apparently, but other than that, same old same old.

[The Highway]

I LIVE!

Now I can go back to beating up Fury

yes you can

[Power46]

I am rather frustrated due to the fact that the first forum experience that I had was on a forum that had boards that went so fast it was literally impossible to read it all. I was on the medium paced boards and there was still a post every 2-3 minutes, quite a few of them well thought out. So thus, I am frustrated by the speed, or lack thereof, of this forum. Oh well.

[thatdude98]

I'm frustrated. Period. :D

[roumeaz]

seriously .. i bet its like the Zeitgeist of this times to be down :)

[VeronicanPlay]

3'rd day in 2 weeks I have a headache. I hate headaches...

[Gman5852]

3'rd day in 2 weeks I have a headache. I hate headaches...

Ha i dont remember a day where I havent had a headache in a while.

Also.My new(ok used but new to me) laptop has a busted battery meaning I have to use the wires which fall apart easily(the fall apart on their own sometimes) and takes FOREVER to download TF2(I started at around 5:00 P.M. yesterday and it is at 60% now and watch it not work after words like my old laptop:()

[Avistew]

I got a disconnection notice from the electricity company.
It's annoying because we haven't got bills for three months. Finally we got a bill from them, we were relieved and everything, and oops! that's actually a disconnection notice.

Very frustrating.

[Gman5852]

I got a disconnection notice from the electricity company.
It's annoying because we haven't got bills for three months. Finally we got a bill from them, we were relieved and everything, and oops! that's actually a disconnection notice.

Very frustrating.

So how are you powering your comp. to work:D

[Avistew]

Oh, they didn't cut it. Just got a letter saying they were going to. I paid right away, I had the money since it's not like I'd go "oh, I didn't receive my electricity bill this month, I think I'll spend the electricity money" :p
So that part really wasn't a problem, it's just annoying that I didn't get a bill for 3 months and then I get the notice of "we'll disconnect you if you don't pay within a week".

I guess it would have been worse not to get that one either, all things considered.

[puzzlebox]

I was invited on a sailing trip around the Isle of Wight, but had to turn it down because I have a training course that day. Very sad-making. :(

[Avistew]

Awww that sucks. Poor puzzlebox.

*hugs*

[puzzlebox]

Aw, thank you... virtual hugs almost make up for it. :)

[Alcoremortis]

I'm frustrated because the very first time I've actually made it home from my internship in less than two hours, I got locked out of my house.