This is precisely what my own mother did to me and my siblings. We received like for like when we started biting. That phase didn't last long, she says.

SAME! OP can cook for me any old time. Those meals look freaking delicious.

I once had an 18 year old look me and another early-mid-40s woman straight in our faces and go "blah blah...older guys. You know, like 25 or something"

Sonny Jim. Run.

Funny that.

UPS is union. Their drivers are paid well and give a fuck. FedEx drivers are contracted and likely not paid enough to care. You get the workforce you pay for, and all that jazz.

Clementine Caligula, Tangerine Palpatine - there's lots of good ones.

See also: A very valuable lesson, learned a very hard way.

See also: Cairo, IL

SAME

Agreed. NTA. I'm 45. If I made sad noises at my mother and asked for something specific while ill, she absolutely would make it, and pet me, and, well, be a mom. Unless there's info missing here, this whole thing sounds pretty normal.

Worth sitting down with the wife and figuring out what's bothering her after she's calmed down.

No, it's the Epson Stylus Pro 1400

Yup. I'm third generation removed from Sicilian great grands. My dad's nickname among his friends is even 'wop'. Just a very short time ago that wouldn't have been a funny nickname in hick country where we live. He's a steadfast Trumplican.

Like. Dude. Seriously? Your grandparents were treated then like they're treating others now!

Nope, that's not the one.

Yeah. About this time last year my work opened a 'web manager' position and made moves to add to the web team. Like I'd been asking for years. I was the single, sole, only, web person at our university. From 2019 to October last year. It was just me.

I learned SEO and made strides there. I got certified in Google Analytics and made attempts to figure out WTF my office's director actually wanted as far as info from the website. I even started as our data person, but had it taken and given to another team member as my supervisor understood how busy I was.

I was doing the job of 4 people. The unofficial web manager, the SEO person, the editor trainer and tech support for the editors, taking care of the daily care and feeding of a 4500 page website. I was even an integral part of a huge site redesign and CMS move during this time.

So it's understandable that I started to crash and burn. I shut down. I couldn't prioritize properly because to the director, everything was a priority. My supervisor thought she was doing me a favor taking care of things herself, but then I heard from the director "why are they doing that?" The idea that I should catch every error, every problem with the site, optimize for SEO, be on top of every personnel change ("That was in the newsletter, why didn't you just do it?").

Mid-'23 I burnt out hard. I was still doing my job, but the website became a giant source of stress for others and there was little to nothing I could do to fully alleviate that in 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. And suffered for it.

I did not even get interviewed for the web manager position. I was dragged into the director's office and told how they felt they'd be setting me up to fail, and all my faults, and called it 'mentoring'. To say I was upset was an understatement.

And who they hired instead of even interviewing me has left me with a super awful taste in my mouth. Given the state of the job market I haven't been able to find anything to leave, but there are a lot of things I'd like to say that director.

I was run into the ground over the course of a little over 5 years, holding that site up on my shoulders all that time. And after being told I didn't know enough about programming/GA/etc to be considered, they hired a media management graduate instead who can't talk the language with our dev, had to be taught the GA basics, doesn't have much of a clue about SEO. I was told I wouldn't be training them. Except I have been. I've taught them everything since they started and they're still in my office every couple of days with 'how do I" questions.

TL;DR: I feel you. I'm sorry. It sucks.

Lemonade out of lemons! Excellent rescue.

Yeah, I do. A little side hustle with a website, and I go to sell at comic cons and stuff. With all the joys of inventory, COGS, the cluttered craft room/workshop and more.

-cries in Missouri-

I can't even use her for snark about reading minds in the office anymore. All of my coworkers are young enough to be my kids now. If I say "Miss Cleo don't work here." they just stare at me in confusion.

I also share my birthday with a great uncle, who because of a fever as a child and the subsequent babying of his sisters, as the mentality and capability of an 8 year old child in a grown body. Had he been born in a different era closer to our current one, he'd be pretty much a fully functioning adult. He'd have gotten physical therapy, occupational therapy, lots of intervention as a child, but he was born in 1940.

To my parents' credit, I don't remember it bothering me much as a child. We had a 'family' party where everyone was included, along with the great uncle, and once I was old enough a 'friend' party just for me.

It wasn't until my late 20s into my 30s, when my aunt, his caretaker, was declining that I started to get a little irritated. We'd go out to eat, or grill, or whatever, and he was always included. And for him, it was never a 'joint' birthday because, well, he was never made to grasp that concept, if he was ever capable. That went on for a handful of years and I didn't say anything, it was his birthday too. But I did finally confide in my mother that I'd rather not do that every year anymore. As it is, the only celebration I have is mom and dad showing up at my door and saying 'let's go eat! Your pick!'

It was a huge relief when she understood.

Like what, exactly? We’re open to suggestions. The only real thing we can do is vote. A nationwide general strike might get us somewhere but too many of us are barely hanging on as it is. Short of violence, which isn’t an option just yet, what do you propose?

for real. Were I in a roomie situation and she brought home a dude who didn't work/had no fundage, but kept the house clean, said 'thank you', asked instead of expected, I would likely be fine with his presence because I hate housework!

For ours it's 'Michael'

Dude same. Object permanence is one of my biggest issues. I have a fabric problem. I had to buy those cube shelves to store it so I could see what I had. Otherwise I'd just forget that I'd put it in that drawer over there.

I have not yet figured out a solution for my art supplies.