[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Cause, on 09 November 2025 - 05:16 PM, said:

I have a perfectly good tempur queen size matress, 2 years old. Only reason I am getting rid of it is that it was too soft and I sank into it like a stone. I thought great, lets doante it. Its impossible. Due to fear of bed bugs no major charity will accept it.

Is there really no cost-effective way to inspect it for bedbugs? Or sterilize it relative to potential bedbug infestation?

Perhaps you could make a "direct donation" to someone, maybe over something like Craigslist... granted, then you don't know whether the person you're donating it to is actually in need of charity, but I doubt most charity organizations really check for that either for things like this.

When I moved I discovered some lighter fluid and an old lighter (fancy one that kept the fluid inside from evaporating) that I'd like to get rid of but the only way to legally throw it away is at one of the "hazardous waste disposal" events that happen less than once a month---last one for this year already happened. So I saw people on Reddit saying I should just offer it to random homeless people. But is it really charity if I'm helping them do something that harms their health, and potentially encouraging a debilitating addiction that will make it even harder for them to secure stable housing?... OTOH I don't want to die in a fire, and my new apartment has hardware floors that I thoroughly detest---the better to shatter my smartphone screens and erupt in flames beneath my bare feet as I try to race to the door, brandishing my fire extinguisher and sprinting through the mildly toxic yellow dust it spews...

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 09 November 2025 - 05:38 PM

[HoosierDaddy]

Flew from Tampa to Indy yesterday.

Woo boy.

That is a 12 hour drive.

Should have driven.

17 hours in the airport. Grateful we made it home at all.

[worry]

Good lord!

[Tsundoku]

HoosierDaddy, on 09 November 2025 - 11:57 PM, said:

Flew from Tampa to Indy yesterday.

Woo boy.

That is a 12 hour drive.

Should have driven.

17 hours in the airport. Grateful we made it home at all.

Why were you in Tampa?

[amphibian]

Tsundoku, on 10 November 2025 - 10:53 AM, said:

HoosierDaddy, on 09 November 2025 - 11:57 PM, said:

Flew from Tampa to Indy yesterday.

Woo boy.

That is a 12 hour drive.

Should have driven.

17 hours in the airport. Grateful we made it home at all.

Why were you in Tampa?

Testing Tampa proof packaging.

[HoosierDaddy]

amphibian, on 10 November 2025 - 08:14 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 10 November 2025 - 10:53 AM, said:

HoosierDaddy, on 09 November 2025 - 11:57 PM, said:

Flew from Tampa to Indy yesterday.

Woo boy.

That is a 12 hour drive.

Should have driven.

17 hours in the airport. Grateful we made it home at all.

Why were you in Tampa?

Testing Tampa proof packaging.

Was on a cruise with the wife and in-laws out of Tampa. Visited Mexico, Belize, and Honduras.

Lessons were learned.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

HoosierDaddy, on 11 November 2025 - 01:58 AM, said:

Was on a cruise with the wife and in-laws out of Tampa. Visited Mexico, Belize, and Honduras.

Lessons were learned.

Quote

Car fleeing police slams into bar in Tampa, killing 4 people and injuring 11

Police say vehicle was involved in street racing before driver fled from authorities

[...] "Our entire city feels this loss,"

Car fleeing police slams into bar in Tampa, killing 4 people and injuring 11 | Tampa | The Guardian

Tampa police: "hey, you see that racecar dangerously racing through the streets? I'll bet we can catch it!"

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 11 November 2025 - 02:13 PM

[Abyss]

HoosierDaddy, on 11 November 2025 - 01:58 AM, said:

amphibian, on 10 November 2025 - 08:14 PM, said:

Tsundoku, on 10 November 2025 - 10:53 AM, said:

HoosierDaddy, on 09 November 2025 - 11:57 PM, said:

Flew from Tampa to Indy yesterday.

Woo boy.

That is a 12 hour drive.

Should have driven.

17 hours in the airport. Grateful we made it home at all.

Why were you in Tampa?

Testing Tampa proof packaging.

Was on a cruise with the wife and in-laws out of Tampa. Visited Mexico, Belize, and Honduras.

Lessons were learned.

Harsh lessons, life lessons, or drinking lessons?

[Cause]

Well I am unemployed again. Still trying to process it. I am honestly not sure what happened. We have been undergoing several firings all year for restructurings and layoffs due to reduced revenue but I dont seem to be have been let go for this reason. I was fired supposedly for being unprepared but wasnt given a specific example, and also my manager mentioned being distracted in meetings occasionally (probably true at times but I think thats true for everyone). one of the examples she gave was when I spent a meeting looking at flights to travel home because my grandmother had died that morning, I came to the meeting because I was scared to be late but explained what happened. This example is from July 2024 and even as she gave it she said she understood.

I have no proof but I have a suspicion given the timing that it may have something to do with the fact that I have been covering for a colleague who has been on maternity leave and it probably put me given our slower revenue at at least 1.5 peoples work if not quite a full 2 (thought the difficulty and stress of covering less familiar work was hard, especially when so much of the isntitional knowledge had been fired). Still we had discussed adding the new instruments and territory to my commission but they gave me far less than the person I was covering would have received. I asked if it was a mistake on a monday, received the negative feedback Friday, did an important install the next week and was fired this Monday. So 2 weeks between mentioning the commission and being fired, and 1 week between the feedback and being fired so no chance to act on it. Which makes me believe the decision was already made, they either waited for me to finish the important install or maybe tried to create some paper trail.

I am trying to be introspective but I feel if my performance was dropping that my manager should have/would have stepped in sooner to correct it. I dont think I am so delusional that I would have missed obvious failures in my performance. After discussing the commission I may have pushed back too hard on trying to set some boundaries and pushed back on dealing with some emergencies that popped up what was otherwise the only week I would have been home the whole of November and so which I used I to schedule several medical appointments, podiatrist, dentist, doctor, vaccine before the year ended and I lost my funds. I was expecting December to be equally busy. I was working remote and available for most of the day for emails and customer support but wanted to avoid traveling that week. I was a team player, pulled my weight, and had never received negative feedback before. I asked about performance review with my manager at the end of 2024 but was told we don't do them.

As I said, still processing it. I am secure financially and trying to take some time for myself before hitting the job search to calm myself and relax but am worried about the US economy right now. Late novemeber and decemeber between thanksgiving and christmass is probably not a good time to be searching but jan-march is prime time. A layoff would also be easier to brush off but being fired for performance apparently hurts worse.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Cause, on 19 November 2025 - 12:20 AM, said:

Well I am unemployed again. Still trying to process it. I am honestly not sure what happened. We have been undergoing several firings all year for restructurings and layoffs due to reduced revenue but I dont seem to be have been let go for this reason. I was fired supposedly for being unprepared but wasnt given a specific example, and also my manager mentioned being distracted in meetings occasionally (probably true at times but I think thats true for everyone). one of the examples she gave was when I spent a meeting looking at flights to travel home because my grandmother had died that morning, I came to the meeting because I was scared to be late but explained what happened. This example is from July 2024 and even as she gave it she said she understood.

I have no proof but I have a suspicion given the timing that it may have something to do with the fact that I have been covering for a colleague who has been on maternity leave and it probably put me given our slower revenue at at least 1.5 peoples work if not quite a full 2 (thought the difficulty and stress of covering less familiar work was hard, especially when so much of the isntitional knowledge had been fired). Still we had discussed adding the new instruments and territory to my commission but they gave me far less than the person I was covering would have received. I asked if it was a mistake on a monday, received the negative feedback Friday, did an important install the next week and was fired this Monday. So 2 weeks between mentioning the commission and being fired, and 1 week between the feedback and being fired so no chance to act on it. Which makes me believe the decision was already made, they either waited for me to finish the important install or maybe tried to create some paper trail.

I am trying to be introspective but I feel if my performance was dropping that my manager should have/would have stepped in sooner to correct it. I dont think I am so delusional that I would have missed obvious failures in my performance. After discussing the commission I may have pushed back too hard on trying to set some boundaries and pushed back on dealing with some emergencies that popped up what was otherwise the only week I would have been home the whole of November and so which I used I to schedule several medical appointments, podiatrist, dentist, doctor, vaccine before the year ended and I lost my funds. I was expecting December to be equally busy. I was working remote and available for most of the day for emails and customer support but wanted to avoid traveling that week. I was a team player, pulled my weight, and had never received negative feedback before. I asked about performance review with my manager at the end of 2024 but was told we don't do them.

As I said, still processing it. I am secure financially and trying to take some time for myself before hitting the job search to calm myself and relax but am worried about the US economy right now. Late novemeber and decemeber between thanksgiving and christmass is probably not a good time to be searching but jan-march is prime time. A layoff would also be easier to brush off but being fired for performance apparently hurts worse.

Wonder if they're actually going to hire someone to replace you or if their real primary motivation was just saving money, given the loss of funding under Trump. Or perhaps they wanted to make an example of you for daring to push back on sacrificing your self-care to your job.

If aside from your lease you haven't really put down roots locally it seems like it could be an opportunity to move to a more hospitable country with a strong biomedical industry... the situation in this country will likely get much worse in 2026.

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 19 November 2025 - 01:55 AM

[amphibian]

Cause, on 19 November 2025 - 12:20 AM, said:

Well I am unemployed again. Still trying to process it. I am honestly not sure what happened. We have been undergoing several firings all year for restructurings and layoffs due to reduced revenue but I dont seem to be have been let go for this reason. I was fired supposedly for being unprepared but wasnt given a specific example, and also my manager mentioned being distracted in meetings occasionally (probably true at times but I think thats true for everyone). one of the examples she gave was when I spent a meeting looking at flights to travel home because my grandmother had died that morning, I came to the meeting because I was scared to be late but explained what happened. This example is from July 2024 and even as she gave it she said she understood.

I have no proof but I have a suspicion given the timing that it may have something to do with the fact that I have been covering for a colleague who has been on maternity leave and it probably put me given our slower revenue at at least 1.5 peoples work if not quite a full 2 (thought the difficulty and stress of covering less familiar work was hard, especially when so much of the isntitional knowledge had been fired). Still we had discussed adding the new instruments and territory to my commission but they gave me far less than the person I was covering would have received. I asked if it was a mistake on a monday, received the negative feedback Friday, did an important install the next week and was fired this Monday. So 2 weeks between mentioning the commission and being fired, and 1 week between the feedback and being fired so no chance to act on it. Which makes me believe the decision was already made, they either waited for me to finish the important install or maybe tried to create some paper trail.

I am trying to be introspective but I feel if my performance was dropping that my manager should have/would have stepped in sooner to correct it. I dont think I am so delusional that I would have missed obvious failures in my performance. After discussing the commission I may have pushed back too hard on trying to set some boundaries and pushed back on dealing with some emergencies that popped up what was otherwise the only week I would have been home the whole of November and so which I used I to schedule several medical appointments, podiatrist, dentist, doctor, vaccine before the year ended and I lost my funds. I was expecting December to be equally busy. I was working remote and available for most of the day for emails and customer support but wanted to avoid traveling that week. I was a team player, pulled my weight, and had never received negative feedback before. I asked about performance review with my manager at the end of 2024 but was told we don't do them.

As I said, still processing it. I am secure financially and trying to take some time for myself before hitting the job search to calm myself and relax but am worried about the US economy right now. Late novemeber and decemeber between thanksgiving and christmass is probably not a good time to be searching but jan-march is prime time. A layoff would also be easier to brush off but being fired for performance apparently hurts worse.

I would get your applications in sooner rather than later. The interviews in January are set up with December scheduling.

The reasons given to you aren't strong. This smells much more like a fake for cause situation to avoid paying unemployment or the layoff package being given.

I would hop to Boston and go work for a biomedical company there fast.

[Cause]

I live in Boston now, one good thing to come from this job was they paid to move me. I feel like they wouldn’t have offered to move me or give me extra work if they felt I was terrible. If there was a drop in my performance it was from being overworked.

They are offering one month pay if I sign the standard won’t sue waiver. I believed I will still get unemployment benefits in Massachusetts even if fired for poor performance. They would have to prove I was fired for malicious non compliance of company rules for that to be true as I understand. Still sucks, I chose to say fired for poor performance rather than laid off in my application for benefits. I never received any written warnings.

This post has been edited by Cause: 19 November 2025 - 03:01 AM

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

amphibian, on 19 November 2025 - 02:35 AM, said:

I would hop to Boston and go work for a biomedical company there fast.

Cause, on 19 November 2025 - 02:49 AM, said:

I live in Boston now

I think he misspelled "Toronto"... that is, provided you don't have any criminal record (including expunged records and ARDs---even though they're not an admission of guilt, Canada treats them as such) for which you haven't been pardoned yet by the Canadian government, since Canada is pretty strict about that. (And unlike the United States, they don't give white South Africans refugee status... though wait a few months and you might get refugee status for fleeing from the United States. Being from South Africa would make it seem less likely that you might be a spy (or biomedical saboteur...).)

[QuickTidal]

We cleaned the couch last night and pulled out the cushions (where my son sits every morning) and found 12 of his ADHD med pills shoved behind the cushions.

We confronted him about it, and he claims he doesn't like the taste of then...but of course instead of telling us that, he said nothing and just hid the pills.

The only silver lining is that now neither my wife nor myself feel crazy on the days in the last two weeks where he seemed "extra" unfocused and we turned to each other to confirm we'd indeed given him his meds....we did, it just turns out he was not taking them.

Bloody hell.

[Mentalist]

Ugh
The other team's forward tried his hardest to break me last night. Gave me a "shoulder to shoulder" shove when I got in front of him to intercept. So instead of pushing me off the ball, he shoved me towards it, but loosing my footing in the process. We got the foul call.

Landed on my right shoulder, and my whole body tried to roll over it. Thankfully, I avoided another dislocation, as my mom was flying out on vacation this morning and she'd have killed me herself if I messed that up for her.

Anyway, after a night's sleep, it feels all bruised up inside. I can go through the full ROM of my typical stretch routine, at least, so that's encouraging.

The guy was increasingly getting frustrated, b/c we were leading 6:2 at that point and I've been keeping him from doing anything meaningful for better part of the game at this point. Ended up wining 7:3, which wasn't bad, considering they got a 2:0 lead in the opening minutes until we got organized properly.

Still, it's gonna be a few painful days.

[Mezla PigDog]

I drove into the back of someone on Friday. 100% my fault. Got to get my bumper replaced and I feel rotten for the woman in the other car. Then yesterday getting the Christmas decorations from the loft, I slipped and put my foot through a gap in the boards, so now we have a big crack in the plaster in the bedroom ceiling.

These things come in 3s.....

[Tiste Simeon]

Oof that's rough Mez. Hope the third one is just like an embarrassingly loud sneeze or something.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Mezla PigDog, on 07 December 2025 - 04:27 PM, said:

I drove into the back of someone on Friday. 100% my fault. Got to get my bumper replaced and I feel rotten for the woman in the other car. Then yesterday getting the Christmas decorations from the loft, I slipped and put my foot through a gap in the boards, so now we have a big crack in the plaster in the bedroom ceiling.

These things come in 3s.....

Was relieved to read "in the other car"...

[Mentalist]

with all the hubbub about the spiking PC component prices, I dug up the receipt for my PC parts from January, b/c I figured I should get more RAM.

The price literally quadrupled. Since January.

IN-SANE.

[Tsundoku]

Mentalist, on 09 December 2025 - 09:19 PM, said:

with all the hubbub about the spiking PC component prices, I dug up the receipt for my PC parts from January, b/c I figured I should get more RAM.

The price literally quadrupled. Since January.

IN-SANE.

WTF? Why are component prices going up that much?