Update XV: Stuck Inside of Tulsa with the Oklahoma City Blues Again

[memphis]

It did end at a very inconvenient point. Bushie had been bragging about how easy it would be to get a $40k/year CADD job, he finishes school months early despite chronic absenteeism, he promised to put up proof of his certificate as soon as he receives it, and then poof, everything shut down. As I understand things, he has moved long distance, again, to work at another call center. But that was a few weeks ago, so who the heck knows what's going on now.

[memphis]

Yea, it's kind of useless to be here right now. 

Did Bushie end it because of joshgreen? 

The threat of having his name tainted throughout the plains was the official reason, but it's hard not to suspect being proven so wrong yet again played into the decision as well. I do like how the last season stressed the failures of our education systems in the US. That's a tenet of our society that, until recently, was held up with the utmost blind faith by nearly everybody. The times, they are a changin'

[memphis]

Even presuming the new job works out, and of course it probably won't, what I don't understand is why he would move out of town to take a $9/hour job, when he could much more easily make $7.25 at BigBox Mart in OKC and have far fewer expenses. That extra $2/hour doesn't even begin to cover the expenses associated which the extra household he is creating.
More generally, I strongly believe the American imperative of absolute independence is a major practical financial problem for young people today. We need to purge the stigma of living at home. It's better for everybody except real estate and debt speculators, and better for the environment for Millenials to remain with the parents as long as possible. Living at home, at least until a sizeable pot of cash, including a liquid emergency fund and a healthy portfolio  of retirement vehicles, upon which to found a new family is by far the smartest thing today's 20 somethings can do. Stop trying to impress your friends with a super cool apartment in the trendy neighborhood, and get your longtern financial plan in gear immediately. Wisdom>cool points.
Another critical piece of insight brought to you by Update. I challenge anybody to find another literary work that so thoroughly encompasses the themes of life in a today's America. Update makes Dickens look like the work of a child. Bushie deserves a Nobel Prize.

[memphis]

Yeah, but then you have to live with your parents. Is quality of life not important too?

The additional money one can save is, by itself, an enormous addition of quality of life. Unless family tension is absolutely unbearable, I can't see the trade off being worth it until financial comfort is acheived. I don't see living on credit cards and praying for no unexpected bills to be much in the line of quality of living. This is especially true in the US, where one can lose a job at a moment's notice and even a minor medical issue can easily produce thousands of dollars in medical bills. Maybe things are differe t in more civilized nations.  If maintaining a seperate household is that important, amp up the frugality and get there more quickly.

[memphis]

Yes, he needs to get over his prideful nature and just take disability. He really wouldn't be exaggerating when he applied for it either. He is incapable of holding a job.

Incompetance is not enough. You guys act like getting SSDI is easy. It's not. I also don't think he could handle working fast food. There's a lot of requisite quickness and standing involved. And, of course, one needs to show up regularly.

[memphis]

Why should anyone expect to get disability before even attempting to receive professional help?

What exactly do you think "professional help" would do for him?Mental health people aren't wizards. They can do a limited number of things. They can engage a patient in talk therapy and psychiatrists can prescribe drugs, most of which are either downers or ineffective SSRIs. All the talking and drugs in the world aren't going to fix his personality.

[memphis]

Yes, he needs to get over his prideful nature and just take disability. He really wouldn't be exaggerating when he applied for it either. He is incapable of holding a job.

Incompetance is not enough. You guys act like getting SSDI is easy. It's not. I also don't think he could handle working fast food. There's a lot of requisite quickness and standing involved. And, of course, one needs to show up regularly.

I've seen a lot of obese fast wood workers.

But seriously, if he can't cut it at minimum wage and with the Tourette's diagnosis/maybe an OCD diagnosis along with the terrible work history, he's an easy disability claim.

Said no disability lawyer ever.

[memphis]

You know you got me thinking and laughing that he probably dresses all up to go to these jobs too, maybe even wearing a tie, and then probably reports to a supervisor or even a division manger in jeans. That's often the case at call centers if not the rule.

Hell anecdote time: Today I went to an Ingress lunch meetup in downtown Minneapolis (lunch break for people who work there, but I had the day off), one of the guys I play with who showed up is a Solutions Architect, the name doesn't really tell you much about the job, but just know that it's a high level IT one that requires a boatload of certifications (it might be easier to get a Master's Degree) and typically has a starting salary of around $80k/year. And this guy was wearing a T-shirt and holey jeans. And now people can see why I laugh at the idea of "dress for success".

It very much depends on the industry. There is no one rule that applies to everybody. My experience has been that there is a strong correlation between suits and untrustworthness. Salesmen, conservative (in a political sense) clergy, bankers, politicians, and so on.

[memphis]

a background check will nail him for omitting past employers. 

There's no need to list every job ever on a resume. People change jobs a lot these days, and hiring manager don't care to read pages and pages of background. You hit the highlights of your employment history and emphasize personal workplace acheivements. It's a marketing document, not a Biblical record.

[memphis]

Jeff, are we going to discuss this dream that you had about being mauled by a bear?

Is Dostoevsky now working for Update as a creative consultant? Or was the whole series his baby all along? Ir would make a lot of sense. While the writing styles are obviously very different, it fits in perfectly with his overall themes.

[memphis]

Why do we want to evade detection?

Well, I don't really care, but Bushie started deleting things when Mondale posted links on FB to Update.  So maybe as long as the Update thread has a nondescript title, Mondale won't notice it, he won't link to it on FB, and Bushie will happily keep posting in it.

I warned you all, and now look what happened.

Mondale has picked up on it already: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=651192271621711&id=616831601724445

Somebody please save this thread in case it gets deleted.

[memphis]

You don't need good credit, or any credit, to get student loans. They are backed by Uncle Sam. But  he will withhold your tax returns, Social Security payments, etc to make his support as minimal as possible.

[memphis]

i still dont understand why student loans are being used for....living in tulsa while unemployed.

i thought student loans were given to students to pay tuition?

Because students also incur living expenses, one may also take out loans beyond the cost of tuition. I had money "left over" at the end of one semester and used it to visit a friend who was studying abroad in London. Maybe not the wisest financial move I ever made, but it was a helluva good time, and is still, to date, the only time I've left North America. Honestly can't say I really regret it.

[memphis]

Now, about my faith.  You have to realize that God is the best multitasker in the world.  He is concerned about my everyday needs and desires, even when I screw up.  He will help me through them.  That is GUARANTEED!!!  Nobody can deny He will help me.  He can take care of the world's problems at the same time.  So, please DO NOT EVER mock my faith.

[memphis]

I'm curious as to what sort of job other Update fans think Bushie could hold down successfully. I'm not especially sympathetic to his case at this point, but it is clear to me that he is hopelessly unemployable. I say that not with the purpose of insulting him but merely to state a fact that seems clear enough.  He can't help who he is, and it's sad his family can't grasp it.

[memphis]

Bushie, is there a specific job you would like to get?

Bushie?

I certainly hope he's going for CADD jobs so that his certificate (assuming he's received it by now?) wasn't worthless.

From a completely utilitarian standpoint, this is not the correct way of viewing the situation. The CADD program is over. There's no potential for a refund. It's a sunk cost. At this point, he should look for the best job he can get, however quantified.

[memphis]

Didn't he promise to submit evidence of his certificate as soon as he received it. A photo or something just to prove everybody wrong. Whatever happened to that?

[memphis]

I want Bushie to drink 44 oz of Red Bull and report back.

That's one I thing I do not drink - energy drinks.  I've seen too many people on the news dying of heart attacks from those things.

Were these the same people you knew who died from exposure to marijuana?

[memphis]

Merry Christmas, Bushie!

The 4th of July is still a few weeks off. We cannot focus on Christmas until after Independence Day.

[memphis]

When is he asking for Papa Allison's permission? I believe that is still a prerequisite.

[memphis]

since we know how much you love going back to school

We do?

He loves going back to school in the sense of registering, taking out loans, and such. As for physically going to school....

[memphis]

I still like Al's theory from a few years ago, that this whole "God's plan" thing is less a way of avoiding responsibility but rather a coping mechanism in the face of constant failure.

There's certainly a lot of truth in that point. Unfortunately, coping mechanisms are often counterproductive, as we've seen. Bushie's never going to be a big time professional. I most likely won't be either. It's often best to know your limitations as well as your talents in order to position yourself as advantageously as possible. In a similar spirit, I get so damn annoyed with the "Everybody needs to go to college, so that everybody can be above average" rhetoric that everybody spouts. Nevermind that going to college is a terrible option for marginal, unmotivated students.

[memphis]

Then cancel that out by working out more.

He would have to follow the exercise regimen of an Olympic athlete to burn off the calories that he eats. His diet is the bigger problem.

[memphis]

Now I'm reminded of VanderBlubb, posing as Bushie, saying that he always eats a big bowl of grapes, so that it can balance out the bad food.
The drinking a lot of water to lose weight idea is actually one that Bushie himself put a lot of emphasis on in seasons past. I don't know whether or not he followed through on it but he talked quite a bit about drinking a lot of water, as opppsed to exercising or eating fresh foods, which has never been part of his "planning."

[memphis]

I mean, I see your point, but it's something I've done a few times- not wholly intentionally- but I know from my experience is that what happens is that the water passes through you and then you're immensely hungry.

But I think what he could do- and this is where Updaters could help him if they genuinely cared- is plan his eating for the week, as in map out each meal. He could- must, even- post it here and have us check on him. This could work well with his known OCD nature at times. It's not something I do, but if he really lacks self control to the extent we've come to believe it might be necessary.

I once offerred to make short videos of myself cooking simple and reasonable meals so that he would have convenient tutorials on hand but, alas, at the age of 30, he was not allowed to use the oven and so he was forced to politely refuse my offer. His parents are very much responsible for his situation. But at least it was a better outcome than if I had gone through the trouble and he still didn't use the resource. Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.