Things I find a tad exasperating v.3

[pg1067]

Are we talking full time employees, casual employees?

Over here casuals wouldn't get paid the public holidays unless they work.  Me as a full timer, it's standard that we don't work the public holidays but we still get paid.  Anyone as a full time employee would get paid the holiday and not work.  I've worked on public holidays and gotten my normal pay but put in overtime for the holiday.

"Casual employee" isn't a term commonly used in the U.S.  Like I mentioned, if you get paid an hourly wage, you generally don't get paid for time that you don't work, UNLESS you're a union member or a government employee (or, in some very limited circumstances, if you have an employment contract with your employer).  That's true whether you're full-time or part-time.  Of course, an employer may offer "holiday pay," but no employer is legally obligated to do that.

[cramx3]

Are we talking full time employees, casual employees?

Over here casuals wouldn't get paid the public holidays unless they work.  Me as a full timer, it's standard that we don't work the public holidays but we still get paid.  Anyone as a full time employee would get paid the holiday and not work.  I've worked on public holidays and gotten my normal pay but put in overtime for the holiday.

"Casual employee" isn't a term commonly used in the U.S.  Like I mentioned, if you get paid an hourly wage, you generally don't get paid for time that you don't work, UNLESS you're a union member or a government employee (or, in some very limited circumstances, if you have an employment contract with your employer).  That's true whether you're full-time or part-time.  Of course, an employer may offer "holiday pay," but no employer is legally obligated to do that.

I'm a full time hourly employee.  I get PTO, sick days, and holidays like all the salary employees here.  I just have to code my time sheets

[Dublagent66]

Of course not. I don't think any level of government can mandate (god, that word...) a holiday being a paid day off across the board.

Why not? The Paid Holidays we have now are because they've been mandated. Maybe mandated isn't the right word, but passed by law. If your state passes a law that states Juneteenth as a paid holiday, then it will be.

It will be for most state jobs, but it mostly depends on the company.  I work for an aerospace company and we don't get state paid Holidays (President's Day, MLK Day etc.)

[El Barto]

In my old company - who brought good things to light - for the years I was Environmental Counsel (and thus privy to this information) the non-union manufacturing facilities had higher productivity, had a better safety record, had broader healthcare access, and the employees netted higher wages as compared to the union facilities in the same division.   

I get that this is not always the case, but it certainly is a reality.  Do unions serve a purpose in certain instances? Sure.  Do we NEED them?  it's my opinion that they aren't the necessity they might once have been.

Isn't it possible that the non-union shops did better in part due to competition from their union counterparts? If I have a shop in Dallas and a shop in Fort Worth, I can't really get away with paying my non-union FtW shop half of what my unionized Dallas shop earns with a corresponding difference in benefits. In fact, it's in my best interest to treat them better to discourage future unionization efforts, isn't it?

I suspect productivity and safety actually do benefit from being outside of the complacency unions can generate. Kind of seems to me that's in large part due to fear of being fired, though. I'd be curious to know which crew had the happier employees, and while from a business standpoint that doesn't much matter, from a human perspective it does. 

[Stadler]

In my old company - who brought good things to light - for the years I was Environmental Counsel (and thus privy to this information) the non-union manufacturing facilities had higher productivity, had a better safety record, had broader healthcare access, and the employees netted higher wages as compared to the union facilities in the same division.   

I get that this is not always the case, but it certainly is a reality.  Do unions serve a purpose in certain instances? Sure.  Do we NEED them?  it's my opinion that they aren't the necessity they might once have been.

Isn't it possible that the non-union shops did better in part due to competition from their union counterparts? If I have a shop in Dallas and a shop in Fort Worth, I can't really get away with paying my non-union FtW shop half of what my unionized Dallas shop earns with a corresponding difference in benefits. In fact, it's in my best interest to treat them better to discourage future unionization efforts, isn't it?

I suspect productivity and safety actually do benefit from being outside of the complacency unions can generate. Kind of seems to me that's in large part due to fear of being fired, though. I'd be curious to know which crew had the happier employees, and while from a business standpoint that doesn't much matter, from a human perspective it does.

All good questions.  The wages, I don't know because we were such a geographically diverse manufacturing organization, even within the U.S. (we had a knack for putting manufacturing plants in the hinterlands).  So the union wages in, say, Erie, PA didn't really directly impact the wages at the nonunion plant in, say, Fort Worth, TX.

[wolfking]

Are we talking full time employees, casual employees?

Over here casuals wouldn't get paid the public holidays unless they work.  Me as a full timer, it's standard that we don't work the public holidays but we still get paid.  Anyone as a full time employee would get paid the holiday and not work.  I've worked on public holidays and gotten my normal pay but put in overtime for the holiday.

"Casual employee" isn't a term commonly used in the U.S.  Like I mentioned, if you get paid an hourly wage, you generally don't get paid for time that you don't work, UNLESS you're a union member or a government employee (or, in some very limited circumstances, if you have an employment contract with your employer).  That's true whether you're full-time or part-time.  Of course, an employer may offer "holiday pay," but no employer is legally obligated to do that.

Interesting.

The bolded part though, that's what casual employee means over here.  Full time though we still get hourly rates but are lower due to the benefits.  Although the full time staff get the paid holidays, the casuals don't unless they work the public holiday.

We have salary where you are paid an amount and work whatever is required, no hourly rate.

[Harmony]

I hate the dentist.  Well...I mean, I don't hate HIM, but just dentistry in general.  Had 2 fillings yesterday.  Was supposed to be 3 but it took way longer than they had scheduled for me so now I get to go back.   

What made it worse was that I had a bad experience as a child and so it is always a bit anxiety-provoking and yesterday when they gave me the novocaine the epinephrine made me have almost a full on panic attack with my heart racing and shaking and hot flash.  They said it happens sometimes but it certainly did not feel great and it was almost embarrassing.  I'm one of those weird people who's resting heart rate is like 58-60, so when it goes up dramatically like that when I'm not exercising it feels horrible.

I guess I should just be thankful we aren't still in the middle ages of dentistry.

[ReaperKK]

I guess I should just be thankful we aren't still in the middle ages of dentistry.

Sometimes it feels that way. I had 7 wisdom teeth so I had them get removed. One of my surgeries the dentist snapping my teeth while I was awake (but numb) and after seeing shards of teeth fly out of my mouth I realize there was still room for improvement in dentistry

[TAC]

I hate the dentist.  Well...I mean, I don't hate HIM, but just dentistry in general.  Had 2 fillings yesterday.  Was supposed to be 3 but it took way longer than they had scheduled for me so now I get to go back.   

They should've finished. Making you come back is ridiculous.

[Harmony]

I guess I should just be thankful we aren't still in the middle ages of dentistry.

Sometimes it feels that way. I had 7 wisdom teeth so I had them get removed. One of my surgeries the dentist snapping my teeth while I was awake (but numb) and after seeing shards of teeth fly out of my mouth I realize there was still room for improvement in dentistry

Yikes!  You know, there are a lot of professions I would not enjoy but dentistry has got to be at least top 10.  Just think of every time you meet a "customer" and they already would rather being ANYWHERE than where you are.

[ReaperKK]

Because I've had so many problems with my teeth in the past few years I think I've come around to it, so much so that if I was in the medical field I'd rather be in dentistry. My wife was an ER nurse for 8 years and her horror stories scare me way more than dentists but I'm biased. I've been to the dentist so much I feel asleep during a root canal once

[Harmony]

I hate the dentist.  Well...I mean, I don't hate HIM, but just dentistry in general.  Had 2 fillings yesterday.  Was supposed to be 3 but it took way longer than they had scheduled for me so now I get to go back.   

They should've finished. Making you come back is ridiculous.

They said it would take 80 minutes.  I was there for an hour and 40 minutes and they never got close to the third cavity.  Honestly, I was fine with that.  My jaw hurts so bad today I cannot imagine what it would be like if I'd had to go another half hour.  Plus I didn't have to get the novocaine again.  I absolutely hate that shit.  I mean, I wouldn't say don't give it to me, but feeling like my face is a fully expanded balloon is so disconcerting.

I'm popping Advil today like candy.  My whole head hurts.  Ugh

[TAC]

An hour and 40 minutes for TWO fillings? That doesn't compute. 

[ReaperKK]

yea that is pretty long for a couple of fillings.

[Dublagent66]

An hour and 40 minutes for TWO fillings? That doesn't compute. 

My dentist can do a crown in that amount of time.

[Harmony]

Both were molars and they were replacing old fillings.  So numbing time, drilling and removal of the old fillings time, and then filling with the new stuff and sculpting/polishing?  I don't fucking know.  But they were big.  I think he wanted to do a crown on one of them because there were cracks but I didn't want to do that plus it would cost me whereas these were 100% covered.

I needed to have this done before the pandemic so maybe me delaying it all meant it was worse than previously thought.

[El Barto]

My dentist set aside a 2 hour appointment for me to have a filling replaced, and that was after most of the old one had already fallen out. This was just last month. Part of it is because I have a very high tolerance for Novocaine, so depending on the amount of work to be done I typically get shot up twice with 15 minutes in between. It also depends on if any sides need to be reconstructed. Crater at the top of the tooth isn't a big deal. Two sides blown out takes a bit longer. In any case, I think I was done in barely over an hour.

Crown preps are every bit of two hours for me, but that's still because of the Novocaine, which sometimes requires a third shot.

Also, the secret to dealing with dental work is Alprazolam, and N2O if it's covered. The problem is pain and/or discomfort combined with a great deal of anxiety. Knock out the anxiety and the discomfort's typically not that bad. And being fucked up on nitrous makes everything fun. 

[Harmony]

I would've popped a Xanax if I didn't have to drive home.

My dentist does not use nitrous (I asked when I got the crown).  From what I was told they felt it too risky for staff exposure so anything requiring that would be going to an oral surgeon or something.  It is a Mormon practice so it might have to do with that.  I like the staff (generally) and they don't do a lot of upsell which annoys the crap out of me.

[El Barto]

I would've popped a Xanax if I didn't have to drive home.

My dentist does not use nitrous (I asked when I got the crown).  From what I was told they felt it too risky for staff exposure so anything requiring that would be going to an oral surgeon or something.  It is a Mormon practice so it might have to do with that.  I like the staff (generally) and they don't do a lot of upsell which annoys the crap out of me.

A Mormon dentist doesn't sound like all that much fun. My dentist went to the same shows and did the same drugs as me, so we always have plenty to talk about. 

[Adami]

The only things I ask from my dentist are 1) do good work, and 2) make sure I feel as little as humanly possible.

[KevShmev]

I remember getting my last two wisdom teeth pulled last year by an oral surgeon.  When setting up the appointment, they asked me on the phone, "Do you want anesthesia?"  I was like, "Uh, yeah."    Who says no to that??  Yes, by all means, knock me out.

[Cool Chris]

I've been to the dentist so much I feel asleep during a root canal once

Never fallen asleep but there were a couple times where I was falling into infinity as they say in the dentist's chair.

[TAC]

I had my wisdom teeth removed when I was a teen, but I've had three extractions as an adult. The last one was a couple of months ago.

[TAC]

I've been to the dentist so much I feel asleep during a root canal once

Never fallen asleep but there were a couple times where I was falling into infinity as they say in the dentist's chair.

So they..um..took away your pain?









Sorry..

[ReaperKK]

I've been to the dentist so much I feel asleep during a root canal once

Never fallen asleep but there were a couple times where I was falling into infinity as they say in the dentist's chair.

So they..um..took away your pain?









Sorry..

12 shots needle sticks for that one so, yea lol.

I'd say the worst pain has been the amount I've had to pay out of pocket for my luxury bones

[romdrums]

I remember getting my last two wisdom teeth pulled last year by an oral surgeon.  When setting up the appointment, they asked me on the phone, "Do you want anesthesia?"  I was like, "Uh, yeah."    Who says no to that??  Yes, by all means, knock me out.

When I had my wisdom teeth pulled, I had them knock me out as well.  They told me to count backwards from 10 to 1, and by 7 I was safe in the light that surrounded me.  Woke up afterwards a slobbering mess because they also had to remove a saliva gland from the front of my mouth, but holy shit was that a fun trip.

[Chino]

I remember getting my last two wisdom teeth pulled last year by an oral surgeon.  When setting up the appointment, they asked me on the phone, "Do you want anesthesia?"  I was like, "Uh, yeah."    Who says no to that??  Yes, by all means, knock me out.

When I had my wisdom teeth pulled, I had them knock me out as well.  They told me to count backwards from 10 to 1, and by 7 I was safe in the light that surrounded me.  Woke up afterwards a slobbering mess because they also had to remove a saliva gland from the front of my mouth, but holy shit was that a fun trip.

I was out for nearly three hours while they removed all my wisdom teeth. All four were impacted, so they had to be shattered and removed piece by piece. When I came to, I apparently asked multiple nurses if they wanted to come back to my house and play N64. I was like 23 at the time 

[Stadler]

I have a generally high tolerance for pain everywhere except for the mouth.  My biggest nightmare is getting hit in the mouth.  The Sopranos episode where Tony kicks the guy in the head while he's laying on the steps is horror-inducing to me.  So the dentist, for me, is not fun.  I went almost ten years after high school without going once because my childhood dentists (a family friend; his nephew is my eye doctor) was a butcher.   A girlfriend in law school finally convinced me that I should go regularly to avoid the "big catastrophy" and so far she has been right.  I go three times a year like clockwork and the only real work I've had to have done is a crown.

Every couple months or so Dave and would have a conversation about God, and he will occasionally ask me "why do you believe there's a god?".  I'm tempted to say, "because I was born with only two wisdom teeth and neither have to be removed."   (Both on the right side, one is in it's "normal" place, and one is sideways, down by my jaw, and would be major surgery to remove because it's so close to one of the facial nerves). 

Most times in the chair, I'm gripping my hands together tightly, and it's everything I can do not to flinch or cringe.  Even certain things in cleanings - some of the scrapings, when they measure the gum recession - will make me wince.  It's horrible, and I spend most of the time in the room apologizing, sometimes in advance, to the hygienist.  Unfortunately, I've watched too much Ridiculousness to submit to nitrous. I can just see myself complimenting the hygienist for her rack or something equally juvenile.  It's just way too much stress.

(FYI, I wrote this to be humorous and entertaining, but it's 100% accurate as far as my feelings for the dentist go.)

[Adami]

I have a generally high tolerance for pain everywhere except for the mouth.  My biggest nightmare is getting hit in the mouth.

I've never felt closer to you.

[Grappler]

I remember getting my last two wisdom teeth pulled last year by an oral surgeon.  When setting up the appointment, they asked me on the phone, "Do you want anesthesia?"  I was like, "Uh, yeah."    Who says no to that??  Yes, by all means, knock me out.

When I had my wisdom teeth pulled, I had them knock me out as well.  They told me to count backwards from 10 to 1, and by 7 I was safe in the light that surrounded me.  Woke up afterwards a slobbering mess because they also had to remove a saliva gland from the front of my mouth, but holy shit was that a fun trip.

I made it to 8, then woke up in recovery and handed over my credit card to pay for the procedure while I was in a stupor (i had mine taken out when I was 25 .  In my young naivety, I didn't have dental insurance and just paid for cleanings in cash).  Three of the four teeth were impacted and were covered by my health insurance (there was an abcess and infection) and the fourth wisdom tooth I had to pay cash for.

Ever since then I have had dental insurance.   

[Zook]

Those articles that are super long for no reason other than to display ads on the page, delving into needless backstory nobody cares about or asked for. The info you clicked the link for is usually in the final sentence or paragraph, and sometimes doesn't give you the answer you were looking for.

[TAC]

Those articles that are super long for no reason other than to display ads on the page, delving into needless backstory nobody cares about or asked for. The info you clicked the link for is usually in the final sentence or paragraph, and sometimes doesn't give you the answer you were looking for.

I've actually found some of these stories on youtube where at least you can fast forward through.

I am out on any story that is a slideshow.



I also can't stand opening an article, and then some ad starts coming through my audio.

[Adami]

Those articles that are super long for no reason other than to display ads on the page, delving into needless backstory nobody cares about or asked for. The info you clicked the link for is usually in the final sentence or paragraph, and sometimes doesn't give you the answer you were looking for.

That is almost every recipe I open. 8 pages (or whatever) of the history of cake, and the writer's personal relationship to cake, notes on the best kinds of butter from their favorite store, 5 huge ads, and a personal history of the time they made this cake for their dog who didn't like it. Thankfully they've begun putting "jump to the recipe" at the top and I can just ignore it.

[El Barto]

I have a generally high tolerance for pain everywhere except for the mouth.  My biggest nightmare is getting hit in the mouth.  The Sopranos episode where Tony kicks the guy in the head while he's laying on the steps is horror-inducing to me.  So the dentist, for me, is not fun.  I went almost ten years after high school without going once because my childhood dentists (a family friend; his nephew is my eye doctor) was a butcher.   A girlfriend in law school finally convinced me that I should go regularly to avoid the "big catastrophy" and so far she has been right.  I go three times a year like clockwork and the only real work I've had to have done is a crown.

Every couple months or so Dave and would have a conversation about God, and he will occasionally ask me "why do you believe there's a god?".  I'm tempted to say, "because I was born with only two wisdom teeth and neither have to be removed."   (Both on the right side, one is in it's "normal" place, and one is sideways, down by my jaw, and would be major surgery to remove because it's so close to one of the facial nerves). 

Most times in the chair, I'm gripping my hands together tightly, and it's everything I can do not to flinch or cringe.  Even certain things in cleanings - some of the scrapings, when they measure the gum recession - will make me wince.  It's horrible, and I spend most of the time in the room apologizing, sometimes in advance, to the hygienist.  Unfortunately, I've watched too much Ridiculousness to submit to nitrous. I can just see myself complimenting the hygienist for her rack or something equally juvenile.  It's just way too much stress.

(FYI, I wrote this to be humorous and entertaining, but it's 100% accurate as far as my feelings for the dentist go.)

Seriously, Xanax. It's not the pain, it's the anxiety about the pain. I don't even take one for cleanings anymore. I'm in every 3 or 4 months (side effect of the immunosuppressants), and after a few visits I realized that it really wasn't all that bad at all. I'd been getting worked up over nothing.

Doesn't apply to everybody, but I also figured out that it was the ultrasound thingy that was causing the most discomfort. I had them switch to the old school metal hook, and cleanings are far better now.

[Dublagent66]

Here's a good one.  I ordered a sandwich online from a local deli for pick up.  Just a sandwich, no combo or anything.  In the bag I found a plastic wrapped knife, fork and soup spoon.  Really?  This is the difference between an indoctrinated, programmed robot and a freethinking human being with situational skills.