The cranky thread

[Cancer]

On 4/29/2020 at 1:38 PM, Cancer said:

My department's lab manager has been furloughed effective Friday.

 

About 22 and a half hours later, he was un-furloughed, in a strange set of events.  When the unholy coalition of HR and Legal was looking for places to save money, they grabbed the entirety of the Lab Manager positions in the college.  Well, HR being HR and Legal being Legal, it had never occurred to them that certain lab equipment needs monitoring and checking on a regular basis.  And, my department's lab manager also teaches some lab sections.  So when it finally got across that they couldn't drop all of them, ours was the one retained rather than furloughed for the next three months.

[Old Man]

I just love it when HR and accounting types see employees as nothing more than unwanted expenses on a spreadsheet.

[Cancer]

Well, employees other than themselves, anyway.

[tkdguy]

Sounds like my company. I'm going to quit the minute things get better.

[Pariah]

Reflux that wakes you from a sound sleep at 3:00 in the morning? Not my favorite. 

[tkdguy]

RIP my drone squadron. I think I should just admit defeat now and cut my losses.

[Cancer]

My employer sent word that someone tried to file for unemployment benefits using my identity (and yes I am still employed there).  I've already reported the fraud to the state employment security department and to city police.  Now for the others (credit bureaus, etc.).

[tkdguy]

Sorry to hear that, Cancer. I know what a pain identity theft can be. At least you were alerted soon after the incident, so you can take the appropriate steps quickly.

[Cancer]

Yeah, the next steps have to wait a couple days; the credit bureaus want an official police report number, and I won't have that until the on-line form report is processed.  Might happen tomorrow, but Monday or Tuesday is more likely.

[Pariah]

It's not really an apology if you spend the next five minutes explaining why I had it coming.

[Cancer]

I ended up burning more or less all of Monday afternoon doing identity theft mitigation.

 

There seem to be literally thousands of Washington state folks, including many who at least for a while were public employees, where this fraudulent-claims-for-unemployment thing was attempted.  Suggests that the state has a significant security hole somewhere.

[Old Man]

It’s not just your state. We’re seeing it at our company and it’s a big deal nationwide. Basically anyone who has had enough credentials released on the dark web is a potential victim of one of these attempts. That would include, for example, anyone who had a credit score with Equifax prior to last year. 

[death tribble]

Trying to get a delivery expedited as my mother was running low and out of stoma bags was not pleasant. Eventually we went to the hospital and got some which I had to cut holes out of which was not an issue. Getting the bags was the issue. And today ? 7 bags in the post and the delivery turns up. It would have been too late as we got through a couple but at least it is here.

[Old Man]

20 hours ago, Cancer said:

I ended up burning more or less all of Monday afternoon doing identity theft mitigation.

 

There seem to be literally thousands of Washington state folks, including many who at least for a while were public employees, where this fraudulent-claims-for-unemployment thing was attempted.  Suggests that the state has a significant security hole somewhere.

 

Ignore my last--this is definitely a bigger deal in WA than elsewhere for some reason.  Washingtonians are advised to set up UI accounts even if they have no need to file for UI, just to prevent the possibility of identity theft and fraudulent claims.

[Cancer]

Gah, I have four things on my calendar today, and the one I'm responsible for is easily the most trivial.

 

Well, I won't put on pants, but I will brush my hair.  Might even put on a real shirt.

[Ternaugh]

Laptop fan died today, but it's under both HP warranty and Best Buy warranty. Best Buy chat sent me to a link to make a drop off appointment, but the next one's available June 5. Add 7 to 10 business days to fix, and then another appointment to pick up, barring a lifting of restrictions.

 

Contacted HP chat, who suggested that I could take it into Best Buy and have them send it, and then I told her that the closest drop off appointment was June 5. There was a slight pause, and she sent back, "June?" I confirmed, and she's sending me out a prepaid shipping box to send it in. I should get it in the next 2-3 business days (probably Wednesday, is my guess).

[tkdguy]

I've been feeling dizzy a lot lately. The other day I was dizzy all day. My dizziness wasn't a major hindrance, but I felt slightly disoriented.

 

Then my arthritis in my feet kicked in a few hours ago. My feet were stiff and painful, and my toes started curling. I had to straighten them out with my hand. It's not the first time I've had to do that, but it usually only takes a couple of seconds for the pain and stiffness to go away. This time it was a bit longer to dispel.

[ScottishFox]

My recent ER trip for my presumed ancient arthritic shoulder revealed some fun things.

 

1-  It's not that arthritic despite years of swimming, tennis, and various martial arts.

2-  I have a doctor Pimple Popper style cyst that has formed under the rotator cuff muscle and nerve in response to the limited arthritis I do have.

3-  The Cyst (capitalized name because it is a proper f*cking super villain) has grown enough to crush the nerve against my rotator cuff muscle.

4-  Besides being in the agony of the damned my left arm is all but paralyzed and my surgery is being delayed by the holiday.

5-  Today I will run out of pain meds.  Tomorrow I will be a the doctors office at 8:01AM begging for surgery and/or a swift death.

 

This thing is a solid 10 of 10 on the pain scale when it flares up.  Today I tried to dry myself after a shower and I was so crippled with pain my wife had to help me get dressed.

 

F*ck this Cyst right in ... whatever is important to a cyst!

[tkdguy]

Sorry to hear that. Best of luck.

[Pariah]

Good luck with the surgery. 

[Old Man]

Ask them if they can graft on another arm while they're in there.

[Cancer]

Or three or four.  And make sure one of them has a laser cannon in it.

[Pariah]

I woke up for no readily apparent reason about two hours ago (3:30 AM local time). I've spent most if the intervening time lying in bed not sleeping. I'm exhausted.

 

The question now: Do I try to go back to sleep, knowing that my alarm goes off in an hour, or do I just get up and get on with the day?

[Cancer]

It's 0505 PDT as I type this, and what you describe happens to me ... well, not commonly, but it's far from unique.

 

I'll be getting out of bed as soon as I decide what I'll do after feeding the cats and starting the coffeemaker.  Probably checking on student work that hasn't come in, and raising Danger of Failing alerts.

[ScottishFox]

I woke up this morning, took the last of my ER prescribed pain pills for my shoulder and called the doctor's office.

 

He's not available until 2pm tomorrow.  I pointed out I would die from pain before then so they sent me to his medical assistant's # which went directly to voicemail.

 

As I type this I have nothing to put in my throat for my 3pm pain pill session unless I start mainlining vodka.  No bueno.

 

On this morning's scrum call I pointed out that I was in the midst of setting human pain tolerance records with my nerve-crushing Cyst and would most likely be in surgery later this week.

 

My friend from Canada chimes in, "This week?  You'd be on a waiting list for month's here.".

 

Honestly, unless I was massively drugged up I would be suicidal if I had to put up with this much pain for months.

 

Time for me to start blowing that lady's phone up.