1742 replies to this topic

[Ganon]

I vent that I've been getting a crap-load of overtime the last two months, and now I'm mentally and physically exhausted.
That should really help me get back to modding...

Oh well, overtime pay is nice.

[Elvenlord]

Found out I failed two of my classes this semester. Thanks incompetent professors and their inability to speak English.

[mike_]

I know right? Apparently having a 98 for the semester going into finals week, making a 130 on the final, but missing the materials needed to turn in three assignments results in a D

[Rob38]

Found out I failed two of my classes this semester. Thanks incompetent professors and their inability to speak English.

Hmmm... ultimately, your grades are determined by you and you alone. If they cannot speak English very well, talk to your professor about ways to help with this process (talking more slowly, making PowerPoint slides, etc.). Communication and hard work are the keys to success in college.

[Vortigern]

Alternatively, you should have dropped the modules at the start of term. That's what I did. Our TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) was taught by the world's least competent proponent of English. She was, I believe, Slovakian, and the lectures consisted of her reading from the textbook. From what I've heard, by the end of the module those that kept up with it weren't even bothering to show up.

Don't let it get to you, man. Grades aren't everything.

[Elvenlord]

That would be nice and all, but I have to take a certain number of classes each semester and have to maintain certain grades to keep my scholarship. So it was pretty much a lose-lose situation

Also, I don't need your logic rob
It's not that they spoke too fast, just no one could understand them. My chemistry class, for example, started with just over 100 students. Less than 30 were going by the end of the semester. The other chemistry classes with different professors didn't have this problem.

[Rob38]

Aye, if all else fails, drop the class early and seek another one to replace it. I did this once in college and it really worked to my benefit. Usually after the first class, you get a good impression on how the rest of the class will be like. If something doesn't seem right, seeking another class to replace it is probably a good option.

[Puppeteer]

I really do not like New Year's Eve. It reminds me of my solitude, isolation (completely self-induced) and my inability to do anything about it.
I get invited to a party. Yet I make excuses (it's too far, I only know one person there, I won't fit in etc.) to myself.
Anyone else in the same boat as me? Or have I just thrown myself overboard, unprovoked and completely alone?
It's bad enough that I want to socialise, and can't, but is it such a stigma that I actually like working?
I got into Oxford for fuck's sake - it's what I like doing. Is that so wrong? Am I that abnormal?
Am I so beyond help?

[mike_]

Not at all. Your interests are simply differently from your contemporaries'. Some socializing is good every once in a while, yes. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy (ho ho), indeed.

It's your choice, of course. You do what you want to do. But personally, I think that it would be good for you to have some good, healthy socializing. I am

[Vortigern]

I can't stand New Year either. It's such a colossal waste of time. Next year will be no different to this year, except that the number will be one bigger. Maybe looking back on it in the future we'll say that it was an important year, but equally it could have been an important six months, or an important eleven weeks, or an important thirty-eight minutes. All we're doing is marking the passage of time in a completely arbitrary fashion.

Hooray for the universe continuing to exist! Good job everyone, let's all celebrate.

[Puppeteer]

From an amusing article:

Congratulations Earth, you have once again managed to complete your elliptical orbit around the sun without accidently running into Mars or getting slammed by a mile-wide meteor, and therefore continue to make Aristotle look stupid.

link

[Vortigern]

He makes a good point: having a nice irate rant is good for the soul. I also agree with him about New Year's resolutions. Why do you need a change in date to make a resolution? I quit smoking in the autumn and not once did I feel a nagging sense of disrespect to the worthless traditions of a society that somehow simultaneously embraces and ridicules superstition.

[Elvenlord]

At least you got invited to a party

[Rob38]

At least you got invited to a party

You can join my robot party.

[Elvenlord]

Can I really? Awesome.

[Neth]

That was rubbish

[Imdrar]

Anyone else in the same boat as me? Or have I just thrown myself overboard, unprovoked and completely alone?
It's bad enough that I want to socialise, and can't, but is it such a stigma that I actually like working?
I got into Oxford for fuck's sake - it's what I like doing. Is that so wrong? Am I that abnormal?
Am I so beyond help?

Not really. There are much more people of your kind than you probably assume, it's just that you don't realize their existence that often. Don't feel abnormal because of the way you are. Others may celebrate one party after another, having friends like a shore has grains of sand. You're putting your time into work, and as a reward, you might create or achieve something great / unique / wonderful one day, something that maybe could persist your own mortality and become history. Who knows?
I had tons of friends myself some years ago, and believe me, too much of everything is just annoying. Friends included. As a solution, I thinned my circle of familiars significantly, and I never regretted. True friends always remain.
Don't become over-socialized, and don't loose faith in what you like to do.

[Gfire]

I've actually been pondering that lately. I used to feel pressured to socialize, although it wasn't natural for me. I thought it was supposed to be good for me to go outside my comfort zone. And we're supposed to be social, right? I've recently come to the conclusion that, in reality, socializing is actually often an unhealthy and self-centered activity in which young people ignore each other and talk about themselves, because some people thrive on getting attention. And I'm not one of these people. And if I were I would wish I was aware of it and would make an effort to improve. Now, I love people and building real relationships, but what I would consider "socializing" is rather absurd.

It's really nice when someone asks me how I'm doing and they actually care to hear an answer. (:

[Kwen]

That's a quite generalized statement. Your assuming that the reason people socialized matches your perspective about it. Myself personally, I don't get to socialize very often. Especially after I left High School. But that does not mean it is not good for me, or that I don't want to. I don't do it to brag about myself, or to raise my self esteem, though it does do that indirectly I suppose. I do it because I enjoy spending time with other people who I've come to know, and it's a nice feeling to be able to forget about what's going on in my life and have a little fun. What's wrong with listening to other people's stories for a change?

[Gfire]

Sure, I have restricted my definition of socialization.

Of course, the other aspect of it is that it's subconscious. There's no logical reason to socialize, really. We can't really know our motivation, what exactly makes in fun, so it's difficult to know whether it's a good thing, even. Obviously there are things that are fun and enjoyable to some extent which are not healthy, and whether socialization fits in this category, would depend on the person and the situation. There are some people, especially in high school, who thrive on attention (particularly from the opposite sex) to a point where I would probably expect it to be unhealthy. These people are the most noticeable because they are the most outgoing, so when you look at people they are all you see and it can cloud you're vision of reality.

There are other people, who probably like to socialize to some extent. Perhaps they could work to improve their situations by building actual relationships more, but who doesn't? These types of people are usually nice, often care about what you have to say more, and are generally more friendly. They might have a closer group of friends they hang out it, but hopefully not in an exclusive way. It's nice when they are welcoming and friendly to others, not necessarily inviting them to be a close friend but not completely ignoring them either.

And then, people more like me. It seems like it would be the smaller group but perhaps they just aren't noticed as much. They might be pressured to be cool or fit it, but not really getting it, or they be comfortable where they are. Personally, I used to want to be popular and stuff, but I've grown a lot and become more secure. I don't feel the need to fit in with any sort of social norm, but I still really love people. I don't exactly quite get it socially, but I've sort of given up trying to fit in exactly. I don't think it's unhealthy I just think I don't really fit in with the culture very well. But I do wish I could get to know people better, perhaps I give an uncool first impression and they don't give me a chance, I think I'm a nice guy and from what people say, I think when people get to know me they love me, I'm just not outgoing enough or cool enough, I'm still trying to figure out how to get to the place with in my relationship with more people.

It's discouraging, cause I see people who somehow get to a point where they'll just talk to each other all the time. I'll see this happen really fast right in front of my eyes and I just don't get it at all. I'll see a guy who like wants attention from someone, and then he'll be like, really fake and really a jerk to get it, and then suddenly they're like best friends, even though they can't even know each other very because I know the guy and I can he doesn't even act like himself with them. And then I'm there like the whole time being myself and just being genuinely nice, and like how I think a good friend should be but they don't even give be a chance, because I don't get their attention enough like the other guy, even though it's not even always good attention, and he'll be a jerk to them.

*sigh* well, I think in the long term it's okay. I had an encouraging experience. I knew someone, as no more than an acquaintance for like six months, and then one time I was just being myself, and somehow had an opportunity where I could do something really nice for them, and sometimes my selfishness kicks in and I don't get to do those things, but this time I didn't think about it and I just did it. It actually happened with two different things that same day, so I made quite an impression and now this person has seen more of me and likes me... We haven't gotten to know each other or become friends or anything but potentially might have or will, I haven't actually seen them since then... But it's encouraging nonetheless.

Oh, but this isn't supposed to be me ranting, so I'll stop there. Actually, it is the vent you're anger topic so I guess it counts.

Some of that was a generalization though, obviously every person is different and can't be put into categories.