Update XVI: Sidejackin' it in the Train Room.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

And what was her reason for being about done? For a couple who was almost engaged twice, this is not normal behavior... you do realize that, right?

You do realize is not normal to continually interrogate a fellow man about his breakup when it's none of your damn business, right?

Hate to tell you, but you brought it up and you have no place to tell people what they can or cannot tell you or ask you. You want the attention, but on your terms. This is not how this works.

If you don't want people to ask you about it, don't tell people.

On topic, it's clear he knew he was about to get dumped, so freaked out and dumped her. On the upside, it's at least it's a legitimate reason... and if she's stupid enough to take you on a THIRD time, she deserves you.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I worked out what my regular daily calorie intake is... and you really need to be trying to get to 2300 calories.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I worked out what my regular daily calorie intake is... and you really need to be trying to get to 2300 calories.

Not if your meals primarily consist of frozen pizzas, bacon cheeseburgers and liters of coke.

Indeed... consuming anything above 2000 calories is a sign that your diet is killing you. Plus, no wonder he's constantly dealing with digestive issues ... put two and two together sparky.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Gee whiz, guys, calm down and take a chill pill.  I'm only doing this after consulting with my parents and letting her take stock of her financial situation.  I'm alright, and hopefully, I will get a better job soon.  Only I know all the intricacies of my situation.  You guys are free to have your opinions and voice them, but I know what I'm doing.  This may come as a surprise, but I do have a strong head on my shoulders and I am very cognizant of what's going on around me.

I'm sorry, but your parent's advice so far has been terrible.

On the topic - both of these issue STINK to high heaven... there's a plot-twist coming.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

One thing I always do when mulling over options... remove yourself and imagine a friend is asking your advice and think on it through the prism of common sense.

Imagine if someone came to you and said "I'm quitting my current job, because I need to look for a job". Be critical... because critical advice is what true friends do, not agree with and reinforce bad decisions.

It's called being an adult...  

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Also... what about weekends?

Yes, it might mean less baseball and *gasp* less Church... but it's a hell of a lot more sensible than quitting.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Believe me, there are millions of us out there that don't even care if you live off the government.  We are called Democrats and you happen to be one!  

Sort of.  Oddly, he's already endorsed Christie for president:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=182005.0

Well, Bill Clinton basically ended welfare, so there won't be any point in voting Hillary if you want a strong welfare system.

Because Bill is Hillary... obviously.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

...wait, wait, wait.

Bushie quit a customer-based position in order to look for more suitable work? Aaaand he gets an interview for another customer-based position?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Inks, I took the test and answered all the questions with the utmost honesty and here is the exact paragraph that was displayed after my test was scored:
----
Based on your responses, there is little to no indication of mental disorders. If however, you still feel the need to seek the guidance of a mental health professional do not hesitate to do so. Remember, the help of a mental health professional is not limited to the treatment of extreme disorders. A therapist or life coach can offer good advice to help with relationships (family therapy, couples therapy), self-esteem issues, and assertiveness training, as well as life and career coaching, among others. In essence, if you feel that you have not reached your full potential personally and career-wise, and are not fully content with yourself or your life, a therapist can offer a sympathetic ear and sound, practical advice in a non-judgmental atmosphere.

... I don't believe you.

I consider myself to be a fairly balanced person with the same foibles  etc etc I answered honestly and I apparently have symptoms of PTSD, generalised anxiety disorder and Agorophobia without panic disorder.

Generally, self-diagnosis is a very problematic habit, because if you're afraid of the outcome, you answer to make sure you get the result you want. Plus it's usually bollocks.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

The problem is that you think you're 100% correct, no one is. Not us, not you.

Informing you of your own past mistakes is not insulting you, informing you that the advice your parents have given you has been deterimental is not insulting them. It's fact. Disagree? Prove otherwise.

You spill this online for attention, and don't like it when you hear something you don't like and you have the gall to suggest that everyone else is being childish? Despite the tone of some, including me, you've been given consistently decent and solid advice. You've ignored it all, because you, you, not us, thought you knew better... and where has that got you?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Let me pop in here again and say that I'm not mad at anybody here.  Smash did a good job in calming me down via PM.  I'm naturally not going to discuss what he said to me, but he did a good job of calming me down.

The fact is everybody here has made mistakes, both on my end and on the advice-giving.  You all expect me to fess up which is hard to do, and I expect you to fess up from time to time which is hard to do.  We're pretty much a bunch of hard-headed and somewhat egotistical men that make mistakes.

Let's drop the mental issue for now, if we may.  I'm simply not going to do it.  You can imagine the stigma when you tell your family and friends you are seeking help because an internet forum told you to.  They would tell you you've lost your mind, completely.

On the employment issue.  The object right now is to get a paycheck, even if that is customer service.  I have pretty much decided against the interview I had scheduled for tomorrow.  J-Mann and Smash did a good job of that, as well, because of the majority sales aspect.  However, there is another call center that I am going to look at tomorrow.  This is with a big-name company.  It's likely a job where I will be hired on the spot, but I think it will have more structure, which was my biggest reason for leaving the job I was at.  I firmly believe that I can do well in call centers if I just put my mind to it.  The calls no longer frighten me as they once did.  I can fix my attendance issues with a little hard work and dedication.  Again, my goal is to make this unemployment a very short one.  I do not want to drag this out any longer than it has to.  I know I have just given you the definition of insanity, but I've got to do what I think is best for me, even if that is an unconventional approach.  The possibility exists that I may fail yet again.  I realize that.  I still think, though, there is merit to the strategy that my parents and I are deploying.

Sorry - but I do need to highlight a few issues here.

- Yes, everyone has made mistakes and has personal issues and foibles. But this is YOUR update, you want the attention of telling the world about the intricacies of your daily life. Therefore, when you're cagey, defensive and throw back the genuine concern that has been shown for you... it's genuinely offensive. Sure, some have gotten off on telling you off... but 90% of it has been reasonable and based on fact and a pretty decent understanding of your behavioral patterns. But I recall talking about my past issues... and did it without needing to, for your benefit. So please, remember who started this and what others have offered you...

- Addressing mental illness is not supposed to be fun. You won't know if there's something wrong, because you refuse to acknowledge there being a problem with OCD or other forms of anxiety or compulsive behavior. You've got tell-tale symptoms even from this distance and it ain't going away with prayer or avoidance and frankly, I do think it's a big factor for your litany of issues. You don't have to tell anyone... that's the thing, adults don't need constant advice or reinforcement.

- You're setting yourself up for failure and another job loss for continuing in a field that you are fundamentally unsuited for... putting aside aptitude tests and that stuff, it's clear you don't handle pressure, you can't cope with flexibility or change and you need clear instructions and repetitive tasks. Call-centres ain't anything like that.

- and yes, your parents advice to you has been AWFUL. That's not being cruel or negative or unkind... at what point has their advice led to anything?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

A thought that occurred to me is that a pizza or Jimmy John's delivery job might be decent for Bushie. You can work part time with very flexible hours so he can't use the excuse of having to look for other jobs, it's mostly driving, and even he can walk up carrying that to someone's doorstep. And while the pay isn't great they can make good money with tips, my brother working at Jimmy John's delivery is probably making more than Bushie did at his last call center job with his tips included. And I don't know if Tulsa is the same but in Minneapolis many have the only qualification that you have a car and a driver's license.

The issue there is still interaction with customers.

...getting the pizza there on time? ...dealing with small change? driving...

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Add to my interviews two job fairs.  A job fair on Monday, August 4, 2014 at 13:00 and another customer service job fair on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 at 9:00.

No!!!!!

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

His diet can't help his headaches either. His body probably ran out of enough B vitamins and magnesium to avoid them by age 10 and of course his family doesn't even want to try and treat the problem with anything but medication.

His constant hunger and pain is probably his body begging him to eat a banana or avocado and instead is getting stuffed with bacon cheeseburgers by the truckload, leaving him completely unsatisfied.

And that he doesn't drink enough water... that's always a killer for me. Plus I've had migraines since I was 8, ie, longer than Bushie. You do realise migraines rely on a different physiological process than headaches... Migraines are not just more severe headaches.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

...and on the job front, a muted congratulations.

Is this normal to find the job on Craigslist (aren't there actual employment websites?), interview and be offered a job in the period of 90 mins?

I mean, were references checked? No consideration of his technical knowledge/skill set?

Even if it is legit... it's a terribly unprofessional set up and alarm bells would be ringing.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Have you not considered that your diet is in fact causing your headaches and stomach upsets?

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Where's the CAD(D) certificate?

Apparently one can get a CAD(D) related job without needing to produce it...

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

My supervisor today came to me and asked me to make my work shift in half hour increments.  What that means is instead of going in at 7:40, taking a 20-25 minute lunch and getting off at 4:05 or 4:10, he wants me to start at either 7:30 or 8:00 (my choice) and take either a half hour or hour lunch, thus getting off at 16:00, 16:30, or 17:00 depending on what time I go in.  I don't have to do the same shift everyday.  So, what I'm going to do is aim for the 7:30 start time with the half hour lunch and if I'm running late for whatever reason like this morning, I can start at 8:00.  Worst case scenario I can work an 8:30-17:00 shift if I'm running really late.  When I get more comfortable with what I'm doing, I could add in a 7:00-15:30 shift option.  Right now, though, my supervisor doesn't want me to come in too much before he does.  He normally gets in between 8:00 and 8:30.  The owner opens up the office at either 6:45 or 7:00 and there are a few employees who work 7:00-16:00.  This wasn't meant to get onto me, but just to make his records easier to keep track.

Quite a traumatic experience for you no doubt. Did he say anything about the military time?

Does Bushie know that military time doesn't use ':' ...

Anyhoo - interesting he doesn't want you with too much time without him there.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Will Bushie finally learn how to cook without assistance now that he has a job??

I'm certainly going to try.

...it's NOT... THAT... HARD.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Awww Bushie is a voyeur

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Uh, Bushie, do you ever briefly relax while watching this Big Brother thing? Are there some attractive ladies on it?

I never briefly relax during the show and it doesn't spur it on, either.  I just watch for the entertainment value.  In fact, I haven't briefly relaxed in quite a while.  I'm trying to avoid that as I know it's not healthy to my Christian life.

You can't even do the one healthy thing that requires almost no effort?

And it's perfectly healthy.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Board games + lots of wine = awesome.

Otherwise... bit sad.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

BTW - do you know why your life suddenly speeds up and years go so quickly? Because once you get past a certain age, life becomes a countdown to events. I cannot imagine how quickly your years must go.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

I'm glad you decided to stick to the 7:30 am start time, Jeff. Rationalizing later start times for any reason can be a motivation killer ... and I speak from experience. I hate mornings, and even though I know that 7:30 to 8:30 am can often be extremely productive, I find myself rationalizing a later start time every morning. It's best not to get into that habit.

I'm sure you can find things to work on during that time. I know that being hourly is different, but your supervisor may be pleasantly surprised if you head in at your usual time and find something productive to do -- maybe review your previous projects and note areas of improvement.

I think the skepticism of the group is warranted, given your history of embellishment and purposefully ignorant optimism. I'm trusting, though, that you're doing the right things and making the real progress that it seems you are. That's probably leaving somewhat of a vacuum around here. Admittedly, the positivity of the Update is making it more difficult for me to get on my high horse.

While I think it helps someone like Bushie... everyone is different. I'm certainly not productive at all in the early morning and even the late morning is a stretch and requires caffeine.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

Healthy Choice frozen lunches heat in 6 minutes. No excuses for garbage like lunchables or canned crap.

He's a 32 year old man... no lunchables.