B!TC# IT OUT!

[Mermaid Mhara]

*sigh* been dealing with that guy on etsy who was meant to make my staff. Finally got him to agree to refund me!

Now trouble is I have no idea (as it's an etsy refund apparently straight to my bank) how I'll know whether it's been done or not? Do I just check my bank account? Any etsy-goers who can help here?

And if it's not been done how would I open a case on etsy for an item that's been paid for but not delivered yet?

[PearlieMae]

You'll get a notice from Etsy that your refund was processed. You'll see the deposit on your bank statement.

To complain about not receiving your refund, there should be a link on the Contact Us page for Etsy.

[Keiris]

I have a 14-year-old son who is like that; simultaneously annoyed by everything and annoying to everyone. Seriously, it must be his mutant power.

Hahahaaha Dan! That's hilarious!

[Mermaid Mystery]

I couldn't help but laugh


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[Merman Arion]

Oh yeah...

He publicly told everyone that he was "a single fish".

Isn't that kind of a desperate move to say he's available for anyone fitting his standards?

I guess he just can't keep anything private

[Little_Orca]

We have a new hire at work who is bound and determined to change everything so that it's more "like where [she] used to work." She even tried to tell medical records how to do their job.... Ug. She also attempted to rearrange the kitchen (which will piss off the chef so I worked to fix that today,) tell my shift they don't know what they are doing, and make us appear like we do nothing all day and she is the only one who does any work.

Everyone gave her so much praise and attention for doing her normal job. I've been doing the same job she does (different shift) for three years, have subbed for the official counselors, and have been in charge in two nights a week now for three weeks because the person in charge quit and we have not hired anyone yet for that spot (and I have not been given extra pay to deal with it), and what do I get? Diddly squat. I am working 2 staff members under our norm, a norm set up for safety (staff-resident ratio), and not all nights are nice and peaceful. Last week I was close to getting the administrator to come in (which she did) and put someone on a director's hold to send to a hire level of care.

If this job was not so willing to be flexible with the times I come in late and so on due to school and support my desire to go back to school, I would have quit so long ago. So many of us are burned out, working more hours than we are supposed to for little pay, and our boss just went on her second two-week vacation in about a month and a half... I've not had time off since December...

[Thalassa]

Okay. *deep breath*

I am a teacher. I don't want to be, anymore. Everyone thinks they know how to do my job better than me, they mandate EVERYTHING and what they can't directly mandate they push through as an "elective pilot program" that's not elective at all. They require me to spend after school hours (the few that aren't spent grading papers or adjusting my curriculum AGAIN to accommodate the fifth "elective pilot program" or "district grant requirement" they've implemented since the beginning of the year) campaigning for a bigger education budget or a kindness rally for which we get grant money. My pay is now based 1/3 on principal evaluation, 1/3 on student standardized test scores (I'll get to that), and 1/3 on parent feedback. If I so much as look negatively at a new "initiative," I am branded unprofessional.

On top of that, students are getting lazier and more behind every year. We now have to guarantee that ALL students pass our essential skills, but literally 70% of the children coming to me didn't pass the last grade. They know that if they show up for school and don't get more than 50 absences in a year they will move to the next grade, and most have no desire to think at all. We're not allowed to require them to repeat the grade or show they've gained the skills to move up, nor are we allowed to require them to give up their precious summer break time. So I have students in my grade who didn't pass first, second, third or fourth grades. I have fifth graders who can't capitalize the beginning of their sentence (that's a KINDERGARTEN skill, people) or spell "I'm." I have students who can't for the life of them copy something from the board correctly!

On top of that, I'm in a highly English-second-language school. All of the tests now are highly "concept based," which means students are given a complicated situation and asked to follow a series of written instructions. Students who don't understand complicated or academic English have no hope of passing the Math test, let alone the English test, and the only accommodation is that it can be read aloud by the mechanical computer voice (they're not even allowed human readers).

I have everyone looking at me and wondering what I'm doing wrong, I'm spending 12 hours every weekday on my job and I am burnt out. I love kids. I love teaching. I hate the rest of it.

I'm so exhausted, I have no energy to do anything but sleep on my days off. Even mermaiding has become a chore. I don't enjoy my life. But I've dreamed of being a teacher my whole life. There's nothing I've ever wanted to do more, I have no alternative. I'm grateful I have a job, my dream job in my dream grade even. So why aren't I happy?

Plus, my friend decided to tell me I was horrible for pressing her to have kids, when all I was doing was expressing my desire to get married and have kids. Sorry yours isn't, but MY biological clock is ticking and just because I express envy at your ABILITY to have kids and someone who loves you doesn't mean I'm jumping down your throat. I'm just as annoyed/saddened by you asking if I have a boyfriend yet or even if I've considered questioning my sexuality (EXCUSE me?) but I smile and shrug it off. Kindly do the same for me, will ya?

[Mermaid Kelda]

Thalassa I'm so sorry for you it must be awful to find yourself hating the job you've dreamed of having.
It seems the main problem is the school you teach at. Have you taught at any other schools?

[JayJ79]

about the baby thing: i just turned 16 and apparently getting shit for not wanting one. if i was to have a child i rather adopt because i dont think i am compatible with making a healthy baby (teachnicly i am but still). but apparently religion says that i have to have a baby and adoption is only for those who cant. but recently im kinda questioning religion after i figured out why im not allowed to wear tampons. (sorry if its tmi)

Faith can be a wonderful thing.
Religion.... not so much sometimes.

Many of the aspects of religion were introduced (or at least tweaked) by the humans in power in order to subjugate others (especially women).

There is absolutely nothing wrong with adoption. There are already far too many humans on this planet, no need to spawn anymore if you don't feel the need, especially with so many kids who are in need of loving families already.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Physically feel tired. Emotionally i feel drained. Mentally i want to fuck it all. And feeling lost.
Logically, there's nothing in my life that should be making me feel this way except idiotic people. Is this a thing for people? When everything in your life should in theory be okay but you don't even though you should be?

[Lily]

"Good news, everyone!" she says as SARCASTICALLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

I'm sick again. This time it's an infection in one of my tonsils. I woke up Sunday morning with a horrible pain in the right side of my throat, check it out in the mirror and see this huge, hideous red lump growing on my tonsil like some sort of alien invader. Urgent care doc says it's a blood blister (wtf? that happens?) and not to worry. It was worse yesterday, bigger and more painful with bonus pus, so I called 5 different ENTs until I found one who could give me an appointment that day. He takes one look at it and basically says, "Here, take the most aggressive antibiotics I can give you and then also these steroids because damn." I told him my tonsils have been all screwy since I had mono as a late teen, when my sweet little dainty lady tonsils suddenly turned all craggy and enormous. Apparently that's pretty common for girls who get it around the age I did. I get tonsil stones and moderate sore throats all the time, and he says I qualify for a tonsillectomy if I want it. Been looking into it and everything I've read says the pain is horrible when you have it done as an adult, but no one seems to regret it so... definitely something to consider.

I'm not a wuss when it comes to pain (I've had several people's fair share of it already!) but throat pain is not the same as tattoos or kidney stones or broken bones, or even other surgeries. But pain passes and I'd never have another fucking tonsil stone ever again.

Anyone out there had experience with an adult tonsillectomy (yours or someone else's)? Just looking for more perspectives, since I figure only those who had worst-case-scenario recoveries tend to blog about it publicly.

[Talia]

Oh, Lily, I am so sorry you are not well! *Offers comforting hugs, if you want them*

[Merperson Danny]

Physically feel tired. Emotionally i feel drained. Mentally i want to fuck it all. And feeling lost.
Logically, there's nothing in my life that should be making me feel this way except idiotic people. Is this a thing for people? When everything in your life should in theory be okay but you don't even though you should be?

*raises hand* Right here

[Echidna]

"Good news, everyone!"

I hope I'm not the only one who read that in Prof. Putricide's voice

[Merperson Danny]

I hope I'm not the only one who read that in Prof. Putricide's voice

Actually, I read it like the professor from Futurama

[PhaylennMurúch]

I shouldn't have engaged, really. But someone on MERMAIDS facebook page was calling for facts and posting screencaps from the Animal Planet mocumentary, so I went science. And had to deal with people who got angry because I was talking facts on a thread that requested facts. To the point where I quit the group because I didn't want to deal with "I have 3 university degrees! Science isn't saying that mermaids don't exist because they are finding things all the time in the ocean". Now I'm getting harassed by people who weren't even part of the thread, apparently I don't believe in mermaids and my "fat ass doesn't deserve a tail" because I don't believe in the same way that everyone else does

[Shimmer Mermaid]

Well that's a bit ridiculous! That page has pissed me off a bit lately. People just don't know how to accept others opinions

[Mermaid Mystery]

I think it was that same group where I called someone out for saying Eric "looked gay". I don't like to get into other people's business but that was unnecessary


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[Echidna]

Actually, I read it like the professor from Futurama

Gosh, you're right.
Prof. Putricide was made as Easter egg after the Futurama Professor, right down to the bat!

I never knew because everything on our TV gets a forced synchronization, bah.

[Merman Chatfish]

I hate nightmares. If I even think about a college friend I have a nightmare.