Lament 2: Cry Harder

[RogueIce]

$9/hour is a bit on the low end of EMT Basic but not exactly unheard of. So I guess it depends on specifics.

No excuse for not actually paying when you work, though. That's pretty BS unless it was understood to be a strictly volunteer position.

[Losonti Tokash]

It was due to a loophole in the laws of the city I live in. But $9/hour part time isn't enough to live on, so I had to find other work.

[Bob the Gunslinger]

I know I should be inured to this sort of thing by now, but damn that's ridiculous even by my low expectations for US wages.

You should see what they pay educators.

[Darksi4190]

It's ok though.

You see teachers don't work during the summer, therefore they don't actually deserve a decent living wage.

(This is paraphrased from something my stepmother actually said to me once.)

[Bob the Gunslinger]

Does she pay them for all the overtime grading papers and writing lesson plans?

[Darksi4190]

Jesus christ. Now my goddamn car battery needs replacing. It seems like every time I start getting to a point where I can move forward in life something breaks or goes to shit and depletes all my spare money.

And I was in a decent mood for the holidays too.

[Darksi4190]

Dammit, now i'm really depressed about everything that's going on in my life now. This thing with my car was just the last straw. I'm 25, i'm still living at home because I can't make enough to afford my own place and keep up with school, and I won't have enough money to get a new car or fix my old one if something serious goes wrong with it, and i'm taking way too long to finish school. As it is i'll be lucky to have a degree by the time i'm thirty.

I can see why so many people contemplate suicide during the holidays. I need a fucking drink.

[Oxymoron]

Geez, man. Not wanting to sound like a jerk, but it seems like you could use some self-esteem.

What are you studying ? Do you have an idea of what you would like to do with your life - not just work, but where you want to see yourself in the future ?

[Darksi4190]

I want to hopefully do something that provides a net benefit for society. Originally I was going to school for business, but a combination of the 08 meltdown and some of the stuff my Father's been telling me about changing corporate culture left me discouraged on that front.

Right now i'm an Education major, hopefully one day i'lll be able to teach either history or english at the HS level.

[Oxymoron]

And what exactly is making your life difficult ?

[Darksi4190]

It's just getting really draining to be living at home at my age, still having my dad help me pay for stuff, ETC. I barely get enough shifts at work to cover basic expenses like food and gas, and the unpredictable shift and my school schedule make it impossible for me to get a second job.

I don't do anything that actually helps anyone, I just get handouts from people that I know. I'm a goddamn leech
It just feels like if I get hit by car tomorrow, everyone I know would be better off.

[Oxymoron]

I don't do anything that actually helps anyone, I just get handouts from people that I know. I'm a goddamn leech
It just feels like if I get hit by car tomorrow, everyone I know would be better off.

You take these feelings, and you punt them off far away.

You live in a world where young people are left-behind by the system, and where it has become considered as "normal" for them to take debts that will follow them for the rest of their life, in order to hopefully get a job that will allow them to repay said debt.

Wake the fuck up. People are helping you out because they believe in you.

[Darksi4190]

Well it's nice that someone still does, because I sure as hell don't anymore.

[Oxymoron]

This is going to sound dumb, but do you have a hobby ?

[Darksi4190]

Nothing in particular, unless you count Gaming.

[Oxymoron]

I can easily imagine school and work don't give you much time, but maybe you should think about trying to find something you like to do that makes you go out of your "bubble".

I say that because I know by experience that meeting and interacting with new people is a good way to regain confidence, and it also feel pretty great in general.

[Losonti Tokash]

Nothing in particular, unless you count Gaming.

learn an instrument

[Zod]

If you're not obsessed with being seen as "manly", take up sewing. Lots of chicks in sewing classes and it's actually a useful skill.

[Losonti Tokash]

shit yeah that's a great suggestion

certainly save me a lot of grief if i learned how to repair my clothes

[Darksi4190]

If you're not obsessed with being seen as "manly",

Ah but therin lies the problem you see. I was raised with a very strict impression of how a man should act and what it is acceptable for him do do, and sewing is not a part of it.

I'm actually only able to talk about my problems right now because i'm kind of drunk. If I weren't i'd be bottling it all inside to "stay strong."

[Zod]

If you're not obsessed with being seen as "manly",

Ah but therin lies the problem you see. I was raised with a very strict impression of how a man should act and what it is acceptable for him do do, and sewing is not a part of it.

I'm actually only able to talk about my problems right now because i'm kind of drunk. If I weren't i'd be bottling it all inside to "stay strong."

Let me put it another way.

A good tailor can make lots and lots of money.

[Darksi4190]

Money hmm? Tell me more.

[Zod]

Now you might not be in as much demand if you're in bumfuck nowhere, but if you're in San Francisco, New York, LA or Chicago or some other big city, a skilled tailor can command anywhere from $30 to $65 an hour easy. Though it helps to have a degree that's geared towards design and/or fashion.

[Infinity Biscuit]

It's also always a really nice feeling to just create or to fix something, even if it's just a little something made of cloth.

[Oxymoron]

Yeah, creating things, be it short stories, bits of music, a drawing or a piece of clothing is a wonderful feeling.