Post Race!

[Shaggy Hiker]

All actions in the video are kind of random, at least by the kids. It's a pretty funny video.

That's T-ball, though they don't show the ball on the T, since the video starts just after the hit. I liked the fact that the kid managed a full 360 degree swing before launching the bat into the shins of the guy behind the plate and heading for third base. Perhaps the full spin got him turned around?

[2kaud]

This is a conversation I've just had with my ISP due to a 'no internet access problem'.

ISP. Hello. My name is Dan. Sorry for the wait. How may I help you.
ME. I've got an internet issue as I have no access to any web sites.
ISP. Have you checked our web site for known issues? We always detail known problems on our web site.
ME. I don't have internet access. That is the problem.
ISP. You should check the support page of our web site for information regarding known issues and how to trouble-shoot.
ME. I DON'T HAVE INTERNET ACCESS.
ISP. Let me check for any known issues but you should first check our support pages.
ISP. We have an issue that causing difficulties accessing web sites. Please check our internet support page for further details.
ME. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

This is now resolved (as I can now post here) but how does the ISP expect customers to check their web site support page if the problem is that you can't access the internet??? Was I talking to a chatbot?

[Zvoni]

This is a conversation I've just had with my ISP due to a 'no internet access problem'.

ISP. Hello. My name is Dan. Sorry for the wait. How may I help you.
ME. I've got an internet issue as I have no access to any web sites.
ISP. Have you checked our web site for known issues? We always detail known problems on our web site.
ME. I don't have internet access. That is the problem.
ISP. You should check the support page of our web site for information regarding known issues and how to trouble-shoot.
ME. I DON'T HAVE INTERNET ACCESS.
ISP. Let me check for any known issues but you should first check our support pages.
ISP. We have an issue that causing difficulties accessing web sites. Please check our internet support page for further details.
ME. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

This is now resolved (as I can now post here) but how does the ISP expect customers to check their web site support page if the problem is that you can't access the internet??? Was I talking to a chatbot?

reminds of an issue we had some years ago….
user registers a support ticket with our IT department: is the mail-server down? I got complaints from clients that they get „mail undelivered. Unknown address“. And I can’t even send out internal emails. (We have one central mail server)
IT-Admin registers first step done in the ticket: informed all users via mail, that the mail-server is down……

Layer 8 at its best….

[Peter Porter]

About a couple of months ago, my wife had a problem logging into her account with an online retailer, so she phoned support since submitting tickets to support on the website only works if you're logged-in. After explaining her problem, and that she couldn't submit a ticket, support told her they'll get right on it as soon as they recieve a ticket. This went on for about 10 minutes, my wife frustratingly explaining she can't login, so she can't submit a ticket through the website, and the person on the phone explaining they can't do a thing until they recieve a ticket. There reasoning was that this was the only way she can prove she is the owner of her account! They didn't want to verify over the phone any identifying info from my wife to prove she was the owner! Anyway, about a week later she was able to log into her account, so she submitted a support ticket with the message "You suck!", and they immediately locked her out for another week. After that week she recieved an emailed apology containing a gift card worth $20, and that the employee who locked her out was reprimanded, and her account was reopened. Their backtrack was probably after looking my wife's purchase history of all the clothing she brought from them over the years.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Was I talking to a chatbot?

Hard to say, as there isn't any intelligence there, artificial or otherwise.

[dilettante]

These days I just use USB tethering of my phone to my PC for such occasions. WiFi hotspot mode could be another option, of course.

[dilettante]

Soap opera continues.

After one breakup after another, most lasting 3 to 5 days, things came to a head and were finally winding down. Next to zero contact, just a few cool pms here and there and pretty standoffish.

Late last night I get a phone call. "Can't even sleep" without me, blah, blah. She eventually went from "wide awake" to suddenly snoozing. I listened to snoring for 20 minutes before she started awake and I told her to go to sleep and we hung up. Two hours later, another call. Her mother was wandering around talking to "a fireman, or angel." Recent stroke, so she had to move mom in. Got that sorted and I got ordered her back to sleep.

She seemed pretty upbeat this morning.

For people in their 60s this is sounding awfully darned juvenile, but somehow after 6 months we've become pretty entangled at a distance.

[Shaggy Hiker]

That's how it happens...and you sound a bit out of sorts, too, as that was a pretty scattered post, for you.

[wes4dbt]

Soap opera continues.

After one breakup after another, most lasting 3 to 5 days, things came to a head and were finally winding down. Next to zero contact, just a few cool pms here and there and pretty standoffish.

Late last night I get a phone call. "Can't even sleep" without me, blah, blah. She eventually went from "wide awake" to suddenly snoozing. I listened to snoring for 20 minutes before she started awake and I told her to go to sleep and we hung up. Two hours later, another call. Her mother was wandering around talking to "a fireman, or angel." Recent stroke, so she had to move mom in. Got that sorted and I got ordered her back to sleep.

She seemed pretty upbeat this morning.

For people in their 60s this is sounding awfully darned juvenile, but somehow after 6 months we've become pretty entangled at a distance.

Are you saying that the sound of your voice puts people to sleep.

Never pictured you as a soap opera star but life is full of surprises. Good luck.

[Shaggy Hiker]

He could call it, "as the code compiles"

[dilettante]

Never pictured you as a soap opera star but life is full of surprises. Good luck.

Voice actor only, though.

[dday9]

My daughter is finishing 1st grade this year and we just went to her award ceremony. She got first place in everything except French (she got second) and also made principal's list (4.0 GPA).

[Shaggy Hiker]

What does first place mean, in this case? If it is class rank, I don't see how she could have NOT made the principal's list (unless it was the naughty list, where I usually was) if she was first in all but one...unless there was only one subject...and the principal didn't like making lists.

[Zvoni]

.... and also made principal's list

That's never a good thing....

[dday9]

Top overall in that class subject.

They have these online apps that are self paced in the various subjects and she completed the most.

[wes4dbt]

Smart girl, she must get that from her mom.

[dday9]

Oh absolutely. I was barely a D student in school.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I'd think you were a DDay student, at least.

[dday9]

I did do very well in 9th grade history (WWII).

[wes4dbt]

This is probably the nicest May's that I can remember. Mainly 70s and 80s. We usually get several days of high 90s maybe even a 100. And I'm laid up hanging around the house with a burnt foot. Figures. Oh well, at least my utility bill will be low.

[dilettante]

Went from finally going to meet last night, to "go our separate ways" today. I never even get a ballot in these things.

[dday9]

Ouch

[wes4dbt]

Went from finally going to meet last night, to "go our separate ways" today. I never even get a ballot in these things.

At least she's consistently inconsistent. The soap opera continues "As The Mood Swings"

Hope all the drama is making you feel young and not aging you faster.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I'm unclear on one point: Did you actually meet, and THEN she broke it off, or did you never get a chance to meet?

[dilettante]

Never got a chance.

She'd been holding it off since January, then out of the blue wanted to meet. By the next morning she called everything off.

I now suspect it was part of a "punishment" ploy in her narcissistic game.

[wes4dbt]

Never got a chance.

She'd been holding it off since January, then out of the blue wanted to meet. By the next morning she called everything off.

I now suspect it was part of a "punishment" ploy in her narcissistic game.

It's interesting. You seem well aware of the type of person your dealing with and yet you seem to work very hard at keeping an active relationship. Though that's just my observation based on the small amount of details you've posted.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I can see it. From my understanding there wasn't any real downside to the relationship. It hadn't gotten to the point where too much harm could be done, while still being a connection with the potential of significant upside. So long as it wasn't some kind of unfathomable catphishing scheme, it had significant potential upside with little current downside. The only reason I mention the catphishing is the odd sequence of breaking it off so soon after arranging for a meeting. Sure, it makes no sense, but my most significant (non-romantic, just work related) interaction with a scam artist was so bizarre that nobody could figure out what the scam was, or who the target was. We discussed it for days, and couldn't figure it out.

[wes4dbt]

while still being a connection with the potential of significant upside.

This is where we differ, I see no upside to being involved with these type of people. The behavior has been consistent for months. I wont go any farther with this as I don't want to say anything harmful or hurtful. I've never met Dil or this lady.

But that's just me. If Dil feels he's benefitting from this relationship then I'm glad for him.

[dilettante]

From the beginning, few people have been encouraging about this. By now most of those who were have long changed their opinions. Nearly everyone has joined in the chorus of "Run, RUN!"

So far zero-contact since she decided to break up again a few days back. I see her nosing around where we met, but I'm not taking the bait. I really can't see doing this sort of thing ever again. There are otherwise-nice people out there who are really broken in important ways. That may be why they try to find people online, cut one from the herd, and then suck him into their drama.

[Shaggy Hiker]

That's certainly a risk, especially as we get older. After all, when you are young, you don't totally know who you are or will become. By now...well, we are what we are. Everybody is broken in some way, so figuring out how these complex, and fairly rigid, pieces go together can be difficult.

[Shaggy Hiker]

My father was seeing a gal who he may have dated in high school. My sister and I have different understandings of this, and there's no point in asking by now, since it's over. His younger brother certainly dated her. They broke up, but not until he had put $80K down on a house. Fortunately, he could write that off without concern, but I still kind of felt that he should have broken up before putting in that money. He knew the relationship wasn't great, I knew the relationship wasn't great, and yet...all is still well in the end.

That's why I felt there was only upside, at this point. The relationship hadn't progressed to the "put eighty thousand on a house" stage, so it was fine that it remained unclear.

[wes4dbt]

That's why I felt there was only upside, at this point. The relationship hadn't progressed to the "put eighty thousand on a house" stage, so it was fine that it remained unclear.

I'm more concerned about emotional damage. I don't really think about the money I've lost, but the emotional hell I've experienced by choosing to be involved with the wrong people crosses my mind quite frequently and it's not a pleasant feeling. Maybe I'm "thin skinned".

[Shaggy Hiker]

Yeah, that's certainly possible. I'd approach such a relationship with considerable skepticism until proven otherwise. No full-blown, emotional belly flops into the pool of relationships, for me. That's not great either, by the way. I've passed up some great opportunities. Passed up on others that could have been good...or not, I just don't know, but I certainly passed up on one that would have fit my sense of humor.

[dilettante]

What irks me most is the circularity without progress. There is an almost paranoid level of secrecy about many small but important things.

There has already been another cycle since my post above of the 25th if you can believe that. A cycle that played out in the space of one evening and ended pretty darned finally in my mind.

Now I see that this was merely yet another completely toothless ploy. What felt like a very conclusive door-slam... has just now been followed by a completely unexpected attempt to meekly pry it back open. This leaves me with decisions. Ignore it, firmly reject it explicitly, or tentatively accept it with a skeptical eye for possible change.

Two people don't engage in this for 6 months unless there is quite a bit there. I'm certainly not in it for the drama. She's a lot of work and it's hard to see a future living like that every day. It's a lot to go through for somebody I haven't even met.

[Shaggy Hiker]

She's a lot of work and it's hard to see a future living like that every day.

Yeah, that.

I'd leave the door open, but by now, I'd also know that there was no way I was going further.

[wes4dbt]

tentatively accept it with a skeptical eye for possible change

Why wouldn't there be another change and another and another and another. You seem willing to accept them.

[OrangeBlaze]

Okay not to be rude at all but what is going on

[Shaggy Hiker]

In the Post Race? Absolutely nothing.

[Shaggy Hiker]

This is a dumping ground for whatever.

[Shaggy Hiker]

If you have some extra whatever, you can dump it here.