|
I wouldn’t consider anywhere in the bay area if I wasn’t bringing in over 200k in household income. I have never lived there but visited often enough to know the disparity in how the haves live compared to the have nots is not something I’d want to experience for myself.
|
#
?
May 3, 2025 23:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2025 19:44 |
|
|
Tiny Timbs posted:What does “pay well” mean if you think $3k is too much for an apartment in that area? Sounds like it doesn’t actually pay well Hekk posted:I wouldn’t consider anywhere in the bay area if I wasn’t bringing in over 200k in household income. It’s in that range and I last rented in 2008, my frame of reference is very skewed by having the same living situation for the last 20ish years. So I legitimately have no clue what a 2-3 bedroom apartment should cost.
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2025 23:44
|
|
|
Nystral posted:How stupid would it be to move to the SF Bay Area? I’m looking at a gig that will pay well but apartments are like $3k. Oof. I moved a way a few years ago but still visit and many friends there. Is the worksite Redwood City or just the general area. The housing there is particulary warped due to the major campuses of the all the big internet companies. Take a look at Newark and Milpitas for housing too.
|
|
#
?
May 3, 2025 23:47
|
|
|
Stultus Maximus posted:Well this is just plain confusing. I have no idea why Lord Algorithm fed this to me and I have even less idea of why someone made this in TYOOL 2025, but YouTube just fed me a video made only two days ago about Groverhaus. It's not a bad, but she does disparage our military forum a little bit at the beginning. She did go through the trouble of buying an account and archives to for the video, which is honestly more than I would have expected from a random thing about Groverhouse.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2025 03:12
|
|
|
The Valley Stared posted:It's not a bad, but she does disparage our military forum a little bit at the beginning. She did go through the trouble of buying an account and archives to for the video, which is honestly more than I would have expected from a random thing about Groverhouse. She got Grover's personality spot the gently caress on though.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2025 03:25
|
|
|
orange juche posted:She got Grover's personality spot the gently caress on though. Dr. Grover, PhD.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2025 12:32
|
|
|
Mr. Nice! posted:Dr. Grover, PhD. Trying to think of a GS -> academic rank equivalent joke like GS -> O equivalent joke but don't have it pre coffee
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2025 12:38
|
|
|
I'm vaguely remembering that Grover wasn't even a GS, but rather a contractor. Am I remembering right?
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2025 20:05
|
|
|
GS-15 equivalent
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2025 20:09
|
|
|
I first got linked to Well There's Your Problem because of their bonus episode on groverhaus (https://youtu.be/EVUTVfHcc7c?t=177) so I figured the youtube history on The Haus had been fully mined already. Some things don't need remakes every five years! I believe everyone remembers grover as a military contractor who called himself an equivalent lieutenant colonel. So it was even dumber than the usual civilian-military rank equivalence bullshit. If that doesn't turn out to be true, it's definitely true in spirit.
|
|
#
?
May 7, 2025 20:29
|
|
|
Grover was a GS. Those of you without SIPR or JWICS weren’t in the original GIP pre-A/T thread. It was an email chain on SIPR and JWICS. Grover was a GS-13 which he equated to being equivalent to a LtCol which may even be true, but none of us were having that back in the day. I’m back on SIPR and JWICS after a long hiatus. We should get the email chain going again.
|
|
#
?
May 8, 2025 04:10
|
|
|
Given the current climate of broccoli haired Nazis doing find-and-replace with conservative trigger words on every database they can find, classification be damned, I wouldn't trust putting any loving thing on a government system.
|
|
#
?
May 8, 2025 16:23
|
|
|
Sitting around waiting for a golf outing to get cancelled due to rain like my 16 year old rear end waiting for a snow day to get called on the local ABC affilliate scroller at 5AM.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2025 10:18
|
|
|
I'm going to share some Product Info with any of y'all that have to work in some godforsaken loving office This has changed my life: TOTO Travel Handy Washlet YEW350-WH  https://www.amazon.com/TOTO-Travel-...aps%2C85&sr=8-3 It's battery-operated so you can even store it in a secure facility. The tank won't hold enough to fully clean the peanut butter out of a shag carpet, but it'll take the sting out of 20 minutes of wiping with the office supply 1-ply.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2025 17:11
|
|
|
Tiny Timbs posted:I'm going to share some Product Info with any of y'all that have to work in some godforsaken loving office As someone who recently went from living in a home with a really nice bidet to a barn apartment (it's temporary while my wife and I find a house), this is a god send lol. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2025 17:22
|
|
|
Tiny Timbs posted:I'm going to share some Product Info with any of y'all that have to work in some godforsaken loving office it does, sadly, make a loud whirring noise that will confuse anyone in adjacent stalls
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2025 20:14
|
|
|
Qtotonibudinibudet posted:it does, sadly, make a loud whirring noise that will confuse anyone in adjacent stalls I got over it. gently caress’em.
|
|
#
?
May 9, 2025 20:26
|
|
|
Just eat more fiber and have more regular and clean delivery shits. No water on your brown eye needed. You can even just cheat and sneak psyllium husk powder or pills throughout your day. It’s good for your health, too!
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2025 03:52
|
|
|
Buddy I’m extremely regular and I promise you you still gotta wipe
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2025 04:17
|
|
|
Tiny Timbs posted:Buddy I’m extremely regular and I promise you you still gotta wipe Oh no doubt I’m just saying it’s a lot less office single ply to clean up after a healthy fiber rich poo poo than almost all other types of making GBS threads.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2025 04:27
|
|
|
OMFG PTSD LOL PBUH posted:Oh no doubt I’m just saying it’s a lot less office single ply to clean up after a healthy fiber rich poo poo than almost all other types of making GBS threads. Never place your faith in John Wayne TP.
|
|
#
?
May 10, 2025 04:29
|
|
|
A.o.D. posted:Never place your faith in John Wayne TP. I haven’t heard John Wayne TP since like 2008 lol core memory unlocked
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2025 01:52
|
|
|
McNally posted:The two letters from the VA were hilarious. One was a duplicate of the one I already got and the other was instructions on how to file. Ok so. This got straightened out. I took it to my attorney and we filed a new claim for a vertigo increase, chronic rhinitis, and PTSD. In March they granted the vertigo increase backdated to the claim they hosed all to hell, so that's awesome. They granted service connection for the rhinitis but deferred a rating and also deferred the PTSD claim. I then got scheduled for C&P exams for both. They closed my claim on April 16th and never sent a decision letter. However, I was able to peep at the VA API thanks to clever people at Reddit and saw that my PTSD claim was rated as not service connected major depressive disorder and kept my rhinitis at 0%. However, without a decision letter I can't take next steps. So I opened a case with my senator's office. Today I got a response back saying that the decision letter for the PTSD claim will be sent out soon and that they are finalizing a decision made on May 1st for the rhinitis and I'll be hearing about that soon too. So at least I'll have a place to springboard into a Higher Level Review. I think my rater hosed up my claim. Why do I think so? For one thing, I submitted a claim for PTSD and they rated me as not service connected for major depressive disorder. Meanwhile I've collected copies of all my relevant VA records and I have a half dozen that look like varying flavors of this:  PTSD diagnoses, notes saying "this dude saw some poo poo in Iraq," things like that. Y'know, diagnosis and nexus. The exact things you're supposed to have, sitting right there in my VA medical records. The rhinitis was also supposed to get higher than 0% because I have nasal polyps. Another diagnosis sitting in plain sight in my VA medical records. Good job, rater. Once this gets sorted out I recently discovered my screwed up neck is causing migraines and the MRI I got done eight years ago showed evidence that my 0% sinusitis should get a bump as well. All this stuff is just sitting in my medical records (except migraines - I got the formal diagnosis today). When I start filing poo poo, I'm sending them PDFs with the relevant bits highlighted because clearly they can't be bothered to look at my medical records.
|
|
#
?
May 13, 2025 20:21
|
|
|
McNally posted:Once this gets sorted out I recently discovered my screwed up neck is causing migraines and the MRI I got done eight years ago showed evidence that my 0% sinusitis should get a bump as well. All this stuff is just sitting in my medical records (except migraines - I got the formal diagnosis today). When I start filing poo poo, I'm sending them PDFs with the relevant bits highlighted because clearly they can't be bothered to look at my medical records. I know you've been dealing with this poo poo for far too long. Just a couple friendly suggestions here: Bring this stuff to any C&P exams you have going forward. I carried a folder to all of mine relevant to the exam I was going to receive. Get buddy letters written by anyone who was around with you for your conditions, and especially from folks who knew you before and after who can speak to how you've been changed for the worse by your PTSD and other issues. I wrote two letters for both my former NCOIC and a peer, had them proof them and make any changes they found appropriate, sign them, and submitted with everything else to a supplemental claim - went from non-SC sleep apnea because I had no records during my service period indicating complaints (I had no idea what was going on and could barely get appointments) to a proper 50% rating by providing them evidence of the issues starting while in service and how it affected me and my performance at work. I also recommend you yourself write a letter to the rater to help give them a clear timeline of events, referring to your evidence as well. Talk about how these things affect your ability to work and function as a normal productive person. These should be submitted on the appropriate VA form. Tactfully make sure that any examiner you get actually looks at and considers the evidence you bring them. Highly suggest asking for in-person exams for this reason. If they dismissively say "oh I have all your records" just tell them that you've had problems in the past with everything being in your record etc. This is how I got my issues actually rated accurately. The goal is to try to align their assessment with the facts and in such a way that the rater viewing their examination report will see a clear undeniable connection between your narrative, your timeline, their assessment and comments, and what is in your records. Also, consider doing all of this with a supplemental before you go straight to HLR. Give them all of the above (including the records, refer to the records by appropriate filename in your letter, break it down barney style), and let them consider it as new evidence. If they still deny you with everything staring at them in the face, then at least you have everything there for the HLR. Assume that the HLR rater is also going to suck and fail you if you don't do the legwork for them. Sorry you're having such a difficult time. It'll be all worth it in the end.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2025 00:43
|
|
|
rifles posted:I know you've been dealing with this poo poo for far too long. Just a couple friendly suggestions here: The fun part about my C&P for PTSD was that it was just a series of "yes/no" questions. "Do you experience this? This? This?" All of the answers were yes and, hilariously, all of the symptoms were exactly the things I'd written down to ask my doctor about when I thought I had PTSD. In the exact same order I'd written them down in, too.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2025 01:30
|
|
|
I think it's my turn for a long post! So I started seeing someone last year and we clicked on our first date. That's relevant because she's diagnosed ADHD inattentive type. Her son and I got on great at first, but being an angsty teenager he now curses the ground I walk on, which is fine. His chief complaint about me is that I'm too much like him. He was diagnosed late last year with both autism and ADHD, and knowing him, seeing so much of myself in him, and talking about relevant traits with her led me to start the path of diagnosis. My medical records include testing done when I was 11, of which I quote: "This assessment confirms that Two Finger is an exceptionally able individual. However, individuals such as Two Finger with extreme differences between their learning abilities often find formal learning situations frustrating, boring, and exhausting. They have good days and bad days and they are often very sensitive and vulnerable to stress." At the time of testing, I was in the high 90th percentile for things such as vocabulary, spelling, perception, arithmetic, but when it came to things like "ability to learn new tasks, visual memory, motor co-ordination," "speed of processing, controlled attention, memory-scanning abilities" I fell all the way to the low 20th percentile. The overall intelligence figure was 92nd percentile. What I'm saying is that there are strong indications that I'm on the neurodiversity spectrum and have been my entire life. These days it seems to be referred to as 'twice exceptional' - I feel that describes me pretty well. While doing some research, I came across this website: https://embrace-autism.com/autism-tests/ I started with the AQ test but completed almost all of them as once I started I just couldn't stop. I was hitting point after point after point and going 'jesus, this explains so much.' Feel free to do the tests - I found them really illuminating! My scores were as follows. I've included the "threshold" score in brackets - the score which is considered an indication for autism. AQ - 31 (26+) RAADS-R - 126 (65+) CAT-Q - 129 (100+) EQ - 21 (~30) SQ - 92 (75+) Aspie - 124 (100+) RBQ 2A - 53 (26+) I guess kind of my key point here is that although none of these are diagnostic tests and are meant as indications only, there are strong indications that I am well over the line on all of them. I'd say it certainly warrants further investigation. All of which leads up to yesterday, which was my first sit down with a psychiatrist for diagnosis purposes. I took along the results of all these tests to show him and he just kind of shrugged and said he wouldn't know what those numbers meant. We had a long discussion about my childhood which basically concluded with him saying he wasn't seeing neurodiversity, he was seeing a very bright individual with a long history of trauma (including having a lesbian mother - his words, not mine) who suffers from anxiety and depression and it's important we start focussing on a pathway to getting me back into work. You'll note that nothing about this appointment was anything to do with my work status, and it seems a bit strange to focus on anxiety and depression based solely on the fact that I regularly take sertraline. At no point during any of this was there any kind of screening, assessment, diagnosis or ANYTHING formal done. Nothing. He said he wasn't seeing the markers of ADHD (despite the fact that, I don't know, a highly intelligent adult individual might have learnt to mask or something?) and didn't even mention autism until I asked about that and he said he didn't think so but more likely social autism. Feel free to dig out the DSM-V and look up social autism if you like. Spoiler: IT DOESN'T EXIST. There are markers of autism which are more to do with social interactions, just as there are markers of autism that are more about systematising and repetitive behaviours. I'm waiting for the written report - I suspect he isn't stupid enough to put some of these things in writing, but if I see even a word of blame towards my lesbian mother for this trauma he sees I will do everything in my power to professionally ruin this gently caress. My gf wants me to make a complaint to the medical council and I'm leaning towards doing so because this poo poo is just beyond the pale. I have every intention of seeking a second opinion, but you better believe I will be making drat sure that I do a ton of research to make sure whoever I see has experience and specialises in adult diagnosis of neurodiversity. Seriously - someone comes in for discussion of their brain function and you finish the session by talking about making a plan to get them back into work? Apparently when he read my medical records he skipped over the part that said that I've been diagnosed with post-viral syndrome and have been unable to work for over a year??? The fact that this guy is a registered psychiatrist and in my opinion saw an adult looking for an ADHD diagnosis and immediately went looking for disqualifiers without even addressing the actual reasons I was there (hint - I said at the start of the interview I believed I was more likely on the autistic spectrum than ADHD) is just beyond belief to me. I did some googling and his name was referred to by several people within ADHD communities as giving terrible advice and refusing to write prescriptions for those who already had their diagnosis, so I guess ultimately it's my fault for not looking into him further before I went to see him, but for gently caress's sake. Anyway, that's my rant for the day.
|
|
#
?
May 14, 2025 02:19
|
|
|
McNally posted:Ok so. Yesterday a new decision letter showed up on VA.gov, hooray! They backdated it to 4/16, which is when they were supposed to have done it to begin with which is frustrating but whatever. The decision letter was missing some key components, like what evidence they used to decide the claim and why they decided what they did. Because it turns out that they uploaded an incomplete letter. So I called the VA and they emailed me the missing part of the decision letter. And folks, it's hilariously infuriating. My claim for PTSD was denied because they say that I have no diagnosis for PTSD in my records and that there's nothing in my records to show that any such PTSD would be service connected. I've filed a supplemental claim with a lay statement saying "I saw combat, I have a PTSD diagnosis from the VA, the VA medical records say that my PTSD is attributable to my combat experience." I also provided highlighted copies of my VA medical records and a copy of my DD-214 with my Combat Action Badge highlighted. I'd have included the original memo authorizing my CAB but I couldn't find a copy of it. I do all this because I can't write "gently caress YOU gently caress YOU gently caress YOU gently caress YOU gently caress YOU gently caress YOU gently caress YOU gently caress YOU gently caress YOU" on the paperwork, but I can think it really really hard.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2025 15:45
|
|
|
Did you ask for a higher level review? I've had to go to those a few times to get things sorted. If it's all based upon files in your record, you don't need to submit anything new. You can actually get on the phone with a person who has decision making authority who can look at it your records while talking to you on the phone and go "yup they missed that."
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2025 15:56
|
|
|
Mr. Nice! posted:Did you ask for a higher level review? I've had to go to those a few times to get things sorted. If it's all based upon files in your record, you don't need to submit anything new. You can actually get on the phone with a person who has decision making authority who can look at it your records while talking to you on the phone and go "yup they missed that." I did a supplemental review request so I could make extra sure they got all the documents needed, to include proof of my combat action badge. If they deny it, then I'll do a HLR. I view this as just extra back pay. It's just annoying.
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2025 16:45
|
|
|
McNally posted:I did a supplemental review request so I could make extra sure they got all the documents needed, to include proof of my combat action badge. If they deny it, then I'll do a HLR. I think this is the best way to go about it. My understanding is if you do a HLR, you can't do another HLR after they make a decision; if they screw that up it becomes appeal time at that point. My dad has had an appeal in now for 4 years.
|
|
#
?
May 17, 2025 00:01
|
|
|
Dear Sparrow that has taken residence outside my window and has demonstrated that you can not shut the gently caress up before 6AM: I have a particular set of skills (and a credit card). I will find you with a pellet gun that I purchase from a reputable dealer and force you elsewhere. Sir David Attenborough would be impressed with the amount of information Ive gotten from this GD bird. Like the Rosetta Stone for ornithology. SquirrelyPSU fucked around with this message at 09:04 on May 18, 2025 |
|
#
?
May 18, 2025 08:59
|
|
|
SquirrelyPSU posted:Dear Sparrow that has taken residence outside my window and has demonstrated that you can not shut the gently caress up before 6AM: Don’t they make sound machines that sound like predator birds to scare away these kids of birds?
|
|
#
?
May 18, 2025 15:54
|
|
|
SquirrelyPSU posted:Dear Sparrow that has taken residence outside my window and has demonstrated that you can not shut the gently caress up before 6AM: Sparrows need houses too. You are doing your part to help the Sparrow population. Throw a camera up, name the birds, and share. The next great buddy story Squirrelly and friends or some poo poo.
|
|
#
?
May 18, 2025 16:16
|
|
|
SquirrelyPSU posted:Dear Sparrow that has taken residence outside my window and has demonstrated that you can not shut the gently caress up before 6AM: I had an entire sparrow flock living in the ivy growing up the neighbor's wall. Since they lay multiple clutches per year I had to wait until winter to get the Tyvex suit and clear all that out. 4:30 in the loving morning all summer. A while flock.
|
|
#
?
May 18, 2025 16:19
|
|
|
We talking about irritating critters? Let's talk squirrels. Sparrows ain't got poo poo on those god drat menaces.
|
|
#
?
May 19, 2025 15:04
|
|
|
My squirrel tax so far this year is about 8 green tomatoes. Basically everything down low. They haven't figured out they can climb the trellis (yet). It is probably also going to be ALL OF MY GOD drat FIGS AGAIN too. I am going to net the tree, but in my experience, only a metal cage or death will permanently stop them. And I live in oak/pecan filled suburbia with neighbors who feed them, so they are legion and basically fearless. Greedy little fuckers don't just take one and eat it, they strip the tree bare and leave a pile of half-nibbled fruit. Assholes.
|
|
#
?
May 19, 2025 15:14
|
|
|
bird food bathtub posted:We talking about irritating critters? Let's talk squirrels. Sparrows ain't got poo poo on those god drat menaces. I never hated squirrels until this spring. We had a ton of acorns drop this past fall and these absent minded fuckers have wrecked my lawn by digging little holes all over the place in a search for their acorn stash. I bought a tube trap and bait, but so far they haven’t bit.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2025 01:51
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 23, 2025 19:44 |
|
|
My favorite phase of growing weed is the Fattening  
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2025 18:33
|
|
