Having a Bad Day? Stop here for a Good Rant!

[ThirdGen]

No var/type declaration?

 

If a language can't recognize a boolean when it sees one...

[Claincy he/him]

Heh. Now that you point it out, this amuses me. I guess (without actually looking up the language), they tried to make the syntax be even more human readable by matching it to English a bit more. 

That's probably part of it (Objective C is an excellent, well, terrible example of the same thing, it's terrible). Prolog is also difficult to learn because it's a logic programming language which is actually very different from a procedural language in terms of syntax and how it is used.

 

programmers_Weird = TRUE;

Just so you know (if you don't already), you aren't actually saying "Programmers are wierd" you are in fact making programmers weird. In programming the '=' sign is actually an assignment operator, '==' means that two things are equivalent. (Funny either way.)

 

My personal experience with bullies is that most bystanders generally disagree with them but are afraid to intervene.

 

When you are subject to bullying, back in my days, people would say: "Laugh with them" or "Ignore them" or worst "Try to become their friends"...   My personal experience is this never ever works. As long as they see you as a potential good victim, they will keep on their bullying, but the second you start being more threatening, they will usually leave towards an easier one. Sadly, bullies rarely stop being bullies as the reasons behind their bullying often is a life of abuse and very low self-esteem. They need help, professional help in most cases, but most probably won't get it.

 

The only times I have seen bullies walk away is when they were attacked back, when the victim responded or got support. 

This mostly fits my experience but not totally.

 

I think ignoring is always a bad plan, if it's a single comment and that's the end of it that might be ok. But if it happens more than once then ignoring it is a bad idea. I tried it once (the time I mentioned above actually) and technically speaking it worked, but it took a long time and I'm still affected by that time so...yeah, bad plan. The other guy he was bullying with me tried a more aggressive response and ended up being bullied for longer, they did end up as friends though.

 

On the other hand while simply laughing along as they bully you is a bad plan, if you can show them that you don't fear them when they first try bullying you by taking their jibe and making it better it can turn them off without any need to attack them directly. In one instance when I was in year 7 someone in a higher grade tried to bully me about my height (I was really small back then) in front of a couple of his friends. It was a couple of jibes and a shove if I recall right, spaced out over a few minutes. I went up to him shortly afterwoulds and took his jibe and used it to make a better joke about my height, also in front of his friends. No idea who he was now, he never bothered me again. I didn't directly attack him in any way, but I made it very clear that:

 

A. I wasn't afraid of him (i was somewhat of course, but he didn't know that)

B. Bullying me about my height was never going to work

C. I was quite willing to stand up for myself

D. Perhaps most importantly, I did it in front of his friends, and made them laugh at my comment

 

In one sense I did attack him indirectly by showing him up in front of his friends, but that's the ideal way to go about it in my mind. Most bully's power comes from those around them and if you can break that power you can deal with the Bully.

 

Obviously that won't work in every situation. Anyway, how I personally would go about dealing with bullying now would be the following:

1) Attempt to turn them away with humour (skipping this step if the bullying was anything more than a few insults/jibes)

2) Tell them to storm off and try to make it abundantly clear I will not put up with it

3) Bring it to a higher authority

 

I wouldn't waste much time in-between those steps though. If one fails I'd be moving immediately onto the next.

 

That said, I have no intention of ever not doing something I want to/hiding something because of fear that someone will bully/attack me because of it.

[Left he/him]

Well on the one hand, the weather today is absolutely gorgeous. Not sure where it came from but I'm so glad it's here as I got to work out this morning!

On the other hand, I've got a massive amount of paperwork to fill out for Boy Scouts for my eagle project. I hate the BSA bureaucracy

[Guest]

This mostly fits my experience but not totally.

 

I think ignoring is always a bad plan, if it's a single comment and that's the end of it that might be ok. But if it happens more than once then ignoring it is a bad idea. I tried it once (the time I mentioned above actually) and technically speaking it worked, but it took a long time and I'm still affected by that time so...yeah, bad plan. The other guy he was bullying with me tried a more aggressive response and ended up being bullied for longer, they did end up as friends though.

 

Yeah it fits my husband experience as well.. He took the drastic approach: he punched the guy in the face in front of all his friends    :ph34r: He was not bullied afterwards, but my husband is a poor bullying victim: he just thinks they are dumb and it shows. So booooooring to bully.

 

Ignoring may work is it is a one time bully, one single person who simply dislike you, but when it comes to true bullying, it almost never works. I made the distinction between having a nemesis and being everyone's favorite scapegoat. The poor scapegoat usually ends up with no self-esteem after having lived what has been proven to be the equivalent of being physically beaten. 

 

Speaking worked very fine with me: I nearly trampled the poor guys inside the entire school bus and send the bus driver to hell why I was at it  They were bullying my sister and she is a fragile think unable to speak for herself. They never bothered her afterwards   Not a word, but it was quite a memorable tantrum I pulled out    Being an extroverted feeler has its perks sometimes: it gives you strength to speak up. It think mid-way through it the guys were ready to sink into the floor especially since they had zero support from anyone else who silently thought they were morons.

 

When a group of kids took it out on me because I had had a bad haircut I kept slightly too long, I did the same. Pulled out a tantrum in front of the entire classroom. Classic. Epic. Even the teacher did not know what to do, but they never said a word bad to me ever again. Nobody else for that matter.

 

 

 

On the other hand while simply laughing along as they bully you is a bad plan, if you can show them that you don't fear them when they first try bullying you by taking their jibe and making it better it can turn them off without any need to attack them directly. In one instance when I was in year 7 someone in a higher grade tried to bully me about my height (I was really small back then) in front of a couple of his friends. It was a couple of jibes and a shove if I recall right, spaced out over a few minutes. I went up to him shortly afterwoulds and took his jibe and used it to make a better joke about my height, also in front of his friends. No idea who he was now, he never bothered me again. I didn't directly attack him in any way, but I made it very clear that:

 

A. I wasn't afraid of him (i was somewhat of course, but he didn't know that)

B. Bullying me about my height was never going to work

C. I was quite willing to stand up for myself

D. Perhaps most importantly, I did it in front of his friends, and made them laugh at my comment

 

In one sense I did attack him indirectly by showing him up in front of his friends, but that's the ideal way to go about it in my mind. Most bully's power comes from those around them and if you can break that power you can deal with the Bully.

 

That said, I have no intention of ever not doing something I want to/hiding something because of fear that someone will bully/attack me because of it.

 

Laughing can work, but you have to have it in you... Not everyone is funny or good at throwing puns. When the kids laughed at me for some reason, probably related to the hair cut again  , I tried once to laugh thinking it would break it. Nope. Didn't. Tantrum, tantrum did it. 

 

I guess you nailed it though in your list, as no matter which way you take the best way to get rid of bullies is that have them stop picturing you as a potential victim, though for victims of hardcore bullying, it is nearly impossible to do. My sister for instance was incapable of defending herself and with the years, she took it out on me. Classic.

 

 

 

Obviously that won't work in every situation. Anyway, how I personally would go about dealing with bullying now would be the following:

1) Attempt to turn them away with humour (skipping this step if the bullying was anything more than a few insults/jibes)

2) Tell them to storm off and try to make it abundantly clear I will not put up with it

3) Bring it to a higher authority

 

I wouldn't waste much time in-between those steps though. If one fails I'd be moving immediately onto the next.

 

That said, I have no intention of ever not doing something I want to/hiding something because of fear that someone will bully/attack me because of it.

 

Make it public. A public display works best as the bystanders are probably going to end up taking your side. 

 

I do not think people should prevent themselves from doing and announcing anything for fear of being bullied, but I can understand why they would. 

[Briar King]

Speaking of birds... I haven't been so mad to do it until today. It was raining really hard and this chick was literally riding my bumper for 3 miles. Finally she goes to pass me in a no passing zone. I was turned to deliver the bird but she wasn't looking . Man she crazy driving like that.

[Kasimir he/him]

Bad Luck Kasimir:

 

Top student in Faculty--

Cannot get so much as an interview for 5 different scholarships. (Yeah, got rejected. Life is brilliant, isn't it?)

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Bad Luck Kasimir:

 

Top student in Faculty--

Cannot get so much as an interview for 5 different scholarships. (Yeah, got rejected. Life is brilliant, isn't it?)

 

I think I know the reason for that. 

 

[Kasimir he/him]

I think I know the reason for that. 

 

I wish there were atheletes...We don't really set great stock on them here It's always about the extra-curricular stuff and community involvement, I guess. Or maybe they just really hated my discipline.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I wish there were atheletes...We don't really set great stock on them here It's always about the extra-curricular stuff and community involvement, I guess. Or maybe they just really hated my discipline.

 

Really? Both of the universities I graduated from—one for my Bachelor's, one for my Master's—showcased their athletes to the exclusion of almost everything else. Even high schools tend to fall into that trap; I wound up getting laid off from my job as a public high school library assistant because taxpayers voted against keeping a tax that funded the schools. A month after I got the news that my position was disappearing, I learned that the school board had voted to use that money to help renovate the football field.

 

Extracurricular and community stuff kills. They're almost always looking for quantity and not quality, so if you spend ten years volunteering in your church, they'll pass over you in favor of someone who volunteers for five different organizations a week.  

[Kasimir he/him]

Really? Both of the universities I graduated from—one for my Bachelor's, one for my Master's—showcased their athletes to the exclusion of almost everything else. Even high schools tend to fall into that trap; I wound up getting laid off from my job as a public high school library assistant because taxpayers voted against keeping a tax that funded the schools. A month after I got the news that my position was disappearing, I learned that the school board had voted to use that money to help renovate the football field.

 

Extracurricular and community stuff kills. They're almost always looking for quantity and not quality, so if you spend ten years volunteering in your church, they'll pass over you in favor of someone who volunteers for five different organizations a week.

Yeah, in my country, it's good to have extracurricular activities or sports, but we don't particularly hold those in reverence or prioritise them. Ironically, it's usually about grades first, or pedigree (i.e. what kind of school did you come from, was it a top school, etcetera). Or at least, that's the way we think about it, which is why I always get a bit of culture shock/amusement when reading about that sort of thing. And urgh, I'm sorry :/ Renovating the football field...sigh.

Sadly, yeah. Maybe that was it. It beats me though. I'm just rather disappointed I didn't even get an interview for any of them. I don't expect my grades alone to get me a scholarship; that's ridiculous. But I do find it pushing belief for me to not even have been considered seriously because those were by all accounts pretty storming good. All I wanted was a chance.

 

[Guest]

It's easy to say "Oh yeah, I won't care if people reject me for liking MLP; they're the bad ones, not me." But I suspect that my reaction would be completely different if people actually rejected me for that.

Well on the one hand, the weather today is absolutely gorgeous. Not sure where it came from but I'm so glad it's here as I got to work out this morning!

On the other hand, I've got a massive amount of paperwork to fill out for Boy Scouts for my eagle project. I hate the BSA bureaucracy

Good luck! When I did my project, the paperwork was harder than the actual event...

[Left he/him]

Yeah, the work itself wasn't hard at all. Making sure that everything's done in a way that makes the BSA happy is much harder.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Before the house went on the market: 

 

"Yes, Twi, we know you're in the one room in the house that somehow manages to attract all the heat from outside. We still have to adjust your AC vent. Can't have you getting more air than your siblings, whose rooms aren't nearly as hot as yours! Just put up some fans. That'll help." 

 

Now that the house is on the market: 

 

"Don't forget to hide all but one of those fans! Oh, and once you leave the house, I'm going to shut off the ceiling fan. Fooling a potential buyer into thinking the AC doesn't suck without turning it down is much more important than making your room a livable temperature for humans. We knew you'd understand." 

[Kobold King he/him]

Before the house went on the market: 

 

"Yes, Twi, we know you're in the one room in the house that somehow manages to attract all the heat from outside. We still have to adjust your AC vent. Can't have you getting more air than your siblings, whose rooms aren't nearly as hot as yours! Just put up some fans. That'll help." 

 

Now that the house is on the market: 

 

"Don't forget to hide all but one of those fans! Oh, and once you leave the house, I'm going to shut off the ceiling fan. Fooling a potential buyer into thinking the AC doesn't suck without turning it down is much more important than making your room a livable temperature for humans. We knew you'd understand."

Yeah, I'd probably become a modern-day Spartan if anyone even hinted at taking my cooling in this heat.

"You want my fans? Come and take them."

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Yeah, I'd probably become a modern-day Spartan if anyone even hinted at taking my cooling in this heat.

"You want my fans? Come and take them."

 

And they act like there isn't another solution here. Re-adjust my vent! Give me some of the air back! Seriously, all of my siblings get adequate cooling without any fans at all. I need two standing fans, plus a ceiling fan, plus a box fan on the worst days just to keep it a decent temperature. I'm considering messing around with my vent, just to see if I can't take back some of the air my dad stole.  

 

Also, every time I think about posting a link to the Pug Fund on Facebook, I get this vision of a dozen messages coming to my inbox, accusing me of selfishly attempting to take money from people who need it more. "You're asking for ten dollars of my grocery money!" "That fifteen dollars you want could've gone in the offering plate!" "I could've used that ten dollars to feed the homeless, and you want a dog?" There's part of my brain saying that isn't likely….but I still can't make the irrational part of my brain listen to it.

[Kobold King he/him]

And they act like there isn't another solution here. Re-adjust my vent! Give me some of the air back! Seriously, all of my siblings get adequate cooling without any fans at all. I need two standing fans, plus a ceiling fan, plus a box fan on the worst days just to keep it a decent temperature. I'm considering messing around with my vent, just to see if I can't take back some of the air my dad stole.  

 

Also, every time I think about posting a link to the Pug Fund on Facebook, I get this vision of a dozen messages coming to my inbox, accusing me of selfishly attempting to take money from people who need it more. "You're asking for ten dollars of my grocery money!" "That fifteen dollars you want could've gone in the offering plate!" "I could've used that ten dollars to feed the homeless, and you want a dog?" There's part of my brain saying that isn't likely….but I still can't make the irrational part of my brain listen to it.

You go! Fight the system! Give Twi cool air or give Twi death!

If the people on your Facebook are that awful, maybe you should unfriend all of them.

I bet they're not that awful, though, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

You go! Fight the system! Give Twi cool air or give Twi death!

If the people on your Facebook are that awful, maybe you should unfriend all of them.

I bet they're not that awful, though, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

 

I have stolen the stepladder from the garage and located the lever my dad used to shut out some of my air. 

 

SO IT BEGINS 

 

I don't think any of them are that bad….but I still can't help thinking of it.

[Kobold King he/him]

I have stolen the stepladder from the garage and located the lever my dad used to shut out some of my air. 

 

SO IT BEGINS 

 

I don't think any of them are that bad….but I still can't help thinking of it.

You're the hero we need, but not the one we deserve. Keep us posted.

I suspect this fear might be the projection of some of your own insecurities.So don't worry--I'm sure they'll understand. It's perfectly fine for you to ask for a little help.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

You're the hero we need, but not the one we deserve. Keep us posted.

I suspect this fear might be the projection of some of your own insecurities.So don't worry--I'm sure they'll understand. It's perfectly fine for you to ask for a little help.

 

Just opened the vent. It was a lot easier than I'd anticipated—and this might be the placebo effect, but it feels better in here already.  

 

Probably. Though I think part of it is also that I ​suspect—and I'm not sure, but I suspect—that the whole "We're going to buy you a pug/ JK LOL" thing is part of some grand parental scheme to teach me financial independence or something like that. It's the sort of thing my parents would do—go on like they're going to buy me something I really want, then decide they have more important things to spend their money on, and that it would "mean more to me" or something if I bought that thing myself. So part of me worries that they're going to see this as a way to skirt the lesson they were trying to teach me. 

 

But I've already decided I'm going to do it. You and others on here convinced me.

[Kaymyth she/her]

Just opened the vent. It was a lot easier than I'd anticipated—and this might be the placebo effect, but it feels better in here already.

 

Probably. Though I think part of it is also that I ​suspect—and I'm not sure, but I suspect—that the whole "We're going to buy you a pug/ JK LOL" thing is part of some grand parental scheme to teach me financial independence or something like that. It's the sort of thing my parents would do—go on like they're going to buy me something I really want, then decide they have more important things to spend their money on, and that it would "mean more to me" or something if I bought that thing myself. So part of me worries that they're going to see this as a way to skirt the lesson they were trying to teach me. 

 

But I've already decided I'm going to do it. You and others on here convinced me.

 

Excellent!  And really, how are they going to know if you've adjusted the vent?  Wander into your room and say, "My goodness, it's far too livable in here.  We must make you suffer!"

 

Also, if they accuse you of adjusting the vent, blame it on Kelsier.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Excellent!  And really, how are they going to know if you've adjusted the vent?  Wander into your room and say, "My goodness, it's far too livable in here.  We must make you suffer!"

 

Also, if they accuse you of adjusting the vent, blame it on Kelsier.

 

My dad might've….but he's up in Spokane already. They wanted him to start his new job right away. 

 

"No, seriously, Mom! This handsome psychopath just swooped in, adjusted the vent, said something about skaa, and left!" 

"Ska? Like the music?" 

"Um, maybe? It sounded like people. Ska fans, maybe. Anyway, he also threw some glass knives around before opening the vent. I'm lucky to be alive." 

[Kobold King he/him]

"No, seriously, Mom! This handsome psychopath just swooped in, adjusted the vent, said something about skaa, and left!" 

"Ska? Like the music?" 

"Um, maybe? It sounded like people. Ska fans, maybe. Anyway, he also threw some glass knives around before opening the vent. I'm lucky to be alive." 

 

I ship it.

[Guest]

Really? Both of the universities I graduated from—one for my Bachelor's, one for my Master's—showcased their athletes to the exclusion of almost everything else. Even high schools tend to fall into that trap; I wound up getting laid off from my job as a public high school library assistant because taxpayers voted against keeping a tax that funded the schools. A month after I got the news that my position was disappearing, I learned that the school board had voted to use that money to help renovate the football field.

 

Extracurricular and community stuff kills. They're almost always looking for quantity and not quality, so if you spend ten years volunteering in your church, they'll pass over you in favor of someone who volunteers for five different organizations a week.

 

I think the issues, in the States, is the cost of attending high scaled Universities is so prohibitive many people rely on sports-related scholarships. 

 

Over here, higher learning is very affordable which makes it possible for anyone wishing to, to actually attend. McGill University often ranks among the best and while Université de Montréal is not ranked as high, it still is a pretty good University. Both are relatively free, so to speak. You have fees, but they do not compare to anything in the States.

 

People in Quebec do not have to rely on sports to move ahead, in fact scholarship based on sports do not exist. Most are for either merit or poverty... If you are really poor, the government will pay for your studies: you will have a loan, but it is not so big. You have deduction associated to it and the cost being less, people don't end up abnormal debts.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

How does this sound for a Pug Fund description?

 

"Hey, everyone! After living with my family and our awesome pugs for many years, it's finally time to move out on my own. Unfortunately, this means saying goodbye to Bruno and Mollie, the family dogs. Since there's nothing like a smushy pug face to cheer you up and keep you company, I'd appreciate it if you could all help buy my first pug. I don't have a lot of money right now, so every little bit helps. If there's any money left over, that will either go toward up-front medical expenses or an emergency fund. Thank you so much! You guys are awesome!"

Edited July 31, 2015 by TwiLyghtSansSparkles

[Kobold King he/him]

How does this sound for a Pug Fund description?

 

"Hey, everyone! After living with my family and our awesome pugs for many years, it's finally time to move out on my own. Unfortunately, this means saying goodbye to Bruno and Mollie, the family dogs. Since there's nothing like a smushy pug face to cheer you up and keep you company, I'd appreciate it if you could all help buy my first pug. I don't have a lot of money right now, so every little bit helps. If there's any money left over, that will either go toward up-front medical expenses or an emergency fund. Thank you so much! You guys are awesome!"

 

 

I think that works. Is that the Facebook message? Are you officially starting the fund now?