Useless Conversation

[IainC]

That beer would be a slushy!

Reminds me of Moscow.  All of our apartments had these sort of weird smoking spaces.  It wasn't a balcony, but it was shaped just like one and would be where one should be.  It was totally enclosed, but had big windows you could open to pretend like it was a balcony (again, it was basically a smoking room).  Biggest thing though, was unlike the rest of the apartment, this room had no insulation.  So during winter we could just leave what ever we wanted to be frozen out there because the temp on average was colder in that room than our actual freezers.  So we would basically do that same thing all the time, heh.

My dining room in Kyiv was like this. It was a big room - maybe 5m wide and 7m long, big enough for a 3 seat sofa and a double wardrobe crosswise at one end, and an 8 seat dining table at the other with a good 4-5m of space between them. It had windows facing out along one wall from about waist height up which opened but not in a way that pushed them out of the way. The rest of the apartment had underfloor central heating, but this one had electric space heaters on the walls, and the door into that room and all the windows that looked into it from the kitchen and the living room were external, lockable double-glazed ones.

[Sky]

Single room makes such a huge difference. When the fiancee was in the hospital for a week, she got shafted with an inside (not window) bed, and the girl in the window bed was the biggest piece of shit. Constant drama about her stepmother not wanting her to have a baby. So we'd endure alternating groups of people giving this girl radically different advice (stepmom was into Jesus and not abortions). She was evaluated by a psychiatrist  multiple times.

She finally left the final day and we shifted over to the window side and had one relaxing day before heading home.

We pay a shitload for insurance, because we got grandfathered into a decent legacy plan that's now considered a platinum plan. When we reviewed plan options when the ACA passed, I almost crapped my pants at how bad anything lower than platinum was. It's expensive to be poor.

[Chimpy]

The hospital I go to has shifted to single beds per room pretty much as a norm over the last few years.

They found that patient outcomes were better and hospital stays were shorter as a result. It doesn't hurt that when they expanded a few years ago, they built extra floors for future expansion full of rooms they were not licensed by the state to use (apparently the state controls how many beds a hospital can have) so they had the space.

[Tale]

Got a text from my mother (78) last night, revealing that she's been in hospital since Monday in a town 3 hours away, after a fall. She conspired with my father not to tell us because they "didn't want us to worry". Refused to talk about it on the phone because she's a bit deaf. He wasn't answering either. Me driving up there is "the last thing she wants".

FFS. Ultimately I tracked down the hospital and got through to the ward manager, who told me she has a minor fracture in a relatively minor bone, but is otherwise fine and will come home today.

And so the roles reverse. I am now the one calling hospitals to figure out what they got up to last night, and where to collect them.

[Ironwood]

The inuits were right.  Ice-floe.

[Yegolev]

I guess it's nice to know I'm not the only one with wackadoo parents. Also brother.

My mom called yesterday to tell me that my brother is getting married this Saturday, which was a bit of a shock for eleven reasons. One being that he met this person online a few months ago. Another being that she is a Haitian citizen apparently planning to move here. Plus my brother is 44 and living with his parents working a part-time job as a teacher. Additionally, he has never had a girlfriend for longer than 2 years. Minor note: he's an idiot.

I'm all for people bettering themselves, and good on her for finding a moron, but I don't have to celebrate it.

Could I come to the wedding? It's at 10am in a local park.
No. No, I have other plans. I'll not attend the divorce 9 months from now, either. This request disrespects my time and probably me as well.

I didn't even ask why he asked my mom to call me.

So glad I have a real family now.

[Ironwood]

I haven't spoken to one of my brothers for 16 years.

'Cause he's a cunt.

[schild]

My step brother voted for Trump.

So. Yeah.

[Hawkbit]

My step brother voted for Trump.

I mentioned before my parents voted Dem their entire lives until this last election. In the past year they're doubling down on the stupid. The last time I talked to my dad I was calling to see how they are doing and within five minutes he was going on about needing the wall. There's no debate possible with him - he only sees his side of it and I've come to realize he is likely mentally ill.

He begins by claiming he never goes on Facebook and they don't watch the news. Then it slips that someone he knows is a liberal and he only knows this because of their Facebook posts. He also seems awfully up to date about the red side of current events for someone who doesn't watch the news. The more he talks, the more I realize he claims to not be influenced by the information, though he is completely. He bought the snake oil. Any maybe out of pride he'll keep drinking it even if he realizes it is killing him. Maybe he doesn't know yet.

The biggest change in the last five years I've noticed is that he never asks how we are doing. Our calls consist of me asking how things are going and then 15-60 minutes of his opinions of how everything is wrong in the world. It just isn't worth my time any more. I really respected the guy growing up and I'm pretty down about how this all changed. I thought he was smarter than that and I never thought our relationship would become so toxic.

[01101010]

I mentioned before my parents voted Dem their entire lives until this last election. In the past year they're doubling down on the stupid. The last time I talked to my dad I was calling to see how they are doing and within five minutes he was going on about needing the wall. There's no debate possible with him - he only sees his side of it and I've come to realize he is likely mentally ill.

He begins by claiming he never goes on Facebook and they don't watch the news. Then it slips that someone he knows is a liberal and he only knows this because of their Facebook posts. He also seems awfully up to date about the red side of current events for someone who doesn't watch the news. The more he talks, the more I realize he claims to not be influenced by the information, though he is completely. He bought the snake oil. Any maybe out of pride he'll keep drinking it even if he realizes it is killing him. Maybe he doesn't know yet.

The biggest change in the last five years I've noticed is that he never asks how we are doing. Our calls consist of me asking how things are going and then 15-60 minutes of his opinions of how everything is wrong in the world. It just isn't worth my time any more. I really respected the guy growing up and I'm pretty down about how this all changed. I thought he was smarter than that and I never thought our relationship would become so toxic.

Does make one wonder what happened to people. Makes me want to reach for my tinfoil hat at times because there seems to be some odd trends going on these days as opposed to my younger days. Maybe I'm just paying more attention.

[schild]

The best thing about this election is the phrase "respect your elders" is mega fucking dead.

Edit: also, nothing happened, all these people were secretly racist and someone came along and spoke to that - voting for feels is easier than voting for reals.

[Viin]

He begins by claiming he never goes on Facebook and they don't watch the news. Then it slips that someone he knows is a liberal and he only knows this because of their Facebook posts. He also seems awfully up to date about the red side of current events for someone who doesn't watch the news. The more he talks, the more I realize he claims to not be influenced by the information, though he is completely.

Probably listens to AM talk radio. Which isn't a biased media source. Obviously.

[Strazos]

I guess it's nice to know I'm not the only one with wackadoo parents. Also brother.

My mom called yesterday to tell me that my brother is getting married this Saturday, which was a bit of a shock for eleven reasons. One being that he met this person online a few months ago. Another being that she is a Haitian citizen apparently planning to move here. Plus my brother is 44 and living with his parents working a part-time job as a teacher. Additionally, he has never had a girlfriend for longer than 2 years. Minor note: he's an idiot.

I'm all for people bettering themselves, and good on her for finding a moron, but I don't have to celebrate it.

Could I come to the wedding? It's at 10am in a local park.
No. No, I have other plans. I'll not attend the divorce 9 months from now, either. This request disrespects my time and probably me as well.

I didn't even ask why he asked my mom to call me.

So glad I have a real family now.

Actually, they're probably going to be married for at least two years - long enough for her to get the conditions removed from her residency.

I see this all the time. If you care at all, you need to seriously try to talk him out of getting scammed, because 99% this is a scam - she probably has a real spouse and kids back in Haiti anyway, so they're just using your idiot brother to gain legal access to the US.

Or...you could just watch the fireworks. 

[WayAbvPar]

I don't know Yeg...this might be your only opportunity to attend a real Voodoo wedding. And you could wear your orange tux!

[rattran]

Just wear the top-half, make a real statement!

[Sky]

Just wear the top-hat, make a real statement!

[Bunk]

I guess it's nice to know I'm not the only one with wackadoo parents. Also brother.

My mom called yesterday to tell me that my brother is getting married this Saturday, which was a bit of a shock for eleven reasons. One being that he met this person online a few months ago. Another being that she is a Haitian citizen apparently planning to move here. Plus my brother is 44 and living with his parents working a part-time job as a teacher. Additionally, he has never had a girlfriend for longer than 2 years. Minor note: he's an idiot.

I'm all for people bettering themselves, and good on her for finding a moron, but I don't have to celebrate it.

Could I come to the wedding? It's at 10am in a local park.
No. No, I have other plans. I'll not attend the divorce 9 months from now, either. This request disrespects my time and probably me as well.

I didn't even ask why he asked my mom to call me.

So glad I have a real family now.

My least successful uncle went through that. Married a girl from Costa Rica, brought her home to Canada. I think they are technically still married, but I haven't seen her in at least 10 years.

[Mandella]

The best thing about this election is the phrase "respect your elders" is mega fucking dead.

This echoes a recent conversation I had with my spouse, who is somewhat inclined to give value to the wisdom gained through age. My comeback that the only thing getting old does for you is increase your likelihood of voting for Trump, so screw that.

Now to be fair, I guess, it should be noted that the process of aging seems to make the older mind more prone to authoritarianism -- but not just conservatism. The liberal cranks I know don't get any more mellow with age either, and end up supporting the extreme in that direction too. But Trump definitely roped in the angry white racist geezer voting block far better than Hillary pulled in the aging commie hippies, that's for sure.

But to get away from politics, yeah Hawkbit your dad may be showing signs of early dementia. If so, even sadder because it's not going to get better, and eventually his ability to mask it by focusing on political ranting is going to erode.

And yeah, AM talk radio is where the really crazy folks hang.

[WayAbvPar]

I think part of the extremism as one ages may be due to exhaustion. You see the middle of the road centrist candidates over and over and over and exactly dick ever really changes.

[Hawkbit]

yeah Hawkbit your dad may be showing signs of early dementia.

This is my concern as well. Alzheimer's runs in the family on my dad's side about 25% of those family members and seems to begin around his age or a few years later (he will be 68 soon). Most of the folks in my family that dealt with it were peaceful and just declined for five years until death. However my brother in law passed early 2018 (in his late 70s) from it and it was not peaceful. Lots of changing of the will and went from being a very liberal, very happy Irish surgeon to... Gollum. We say 'fuck cancer', but Alzheimer's can fuck off right after it. All the terrible wasting away that cancer brings to the table along with a heaping helping of distrust.

Each generation changes and it seems common for people to believe their generation is superior to the ones that came after them. This seems prevalent in the greatest generation and extremely prevalent in boomers. I have a feeling GenX may begin to change that trend as we age. Our generation were the ones that grew up with the technological advancements. At 42 years, I can remember my youth as being half outside playing and half inside on computers and Atari/Nintendo. I feel like I was smack in the middle of a major culture shift. GenY and Z have had to grow up with the world looking different almost yearly - so I wonder sometimes what they'll be like as they're older. I hope they're more accepting of change and betterment.

I might have to have a few beers tonight. :)

[schild]

I think part of the extremism as one ages may be due to exhaustion. You see the middle of the road centrist candidates over and over and over and exactly dick ever really changes.

the man who thinks the answer is whiplash is a big dumb pile of trash

[Morat20]

Does make one wonder what happened to people. Makes me want to reach for my tinfoil hat at times because there seems to be some odd trends going on these days as opposed to my younger days. Maybe I'm just paying more attention.

Cable News in general, Fox News in particular.

24/7 drumbeat of terror and fear from the Cable News in general, and terror and fear and propaganda from Fox News.

Best thing we ever managed with my grandparents was getting them to just watch the local news at 5:00, and leave off the cable news because "It's just the same thing over and over and it makes people upset over nothing". (That's pretty much how we sold it). It was very clearly stressing them both out.

[Reg]

Each generation changes and it seems common for people to believe their generation is superior to the ones that came after them.

You should have stopped with this. The rest of the paragraph was your generation claiming superiority just the way every other generation does. 

[Sir T]

One of the things I got from looking at history is that people in the past generations were actually pretty smart. You try calculating the motion of the planets without a computer, or doing complicated engineering without a computer. And in modern times we have the Flat Earth Society.

[Reg]

The fact that in those days they actually had the wealth and curiosity to be able to dedicate their lives to the kind of basic research that has no obvious profit making spinoffs impresses me. Sure we do it today but we have far more leisure and wealth now.

[schild]

You only hear about the smart people. Talking about a time where 80% of the people on the planet were illiterate because they had a few brilliant minds is ridiculous.

I would argue as a society they weren't "pretty smart", as a whole they were dumber than a bag of rocks.

[Hawkbit]

There are a lot of problems with the IQ test and I'm not using this as proof of the claims above. Only as food for thought. "If you score the people a century ago against modern norms they would have an average IQ of 70." It also dovetails into my point about previous generations a bit.

Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents' | James Flynn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vpqilhW9uI