Well, a rather depressing-but-relieving-but-even-more-depressing update:
IF student reports are true, it's sounding more and more like an attempted suicide-by-cop. The kid sent the threatening SnapChat (we at least have confirmation on that), then went to school openly carrying a gun (direct report from a usually-reliable student), but it was a BB gun (rumor heard by a student) and he didn't threaten anyone with it.
Fortunately for him, Albany cops just don't shoot people. So he's "being evaluated".
What makes this incident truly tragic is that the state of California won't pay for his mental care, since he didn't actually hurt anyone, and from what multiple students have said about his home life, his parents won't, either.
What did someone say about U.S. mental health care just a few pages ago?
It's coming home to roost in our neighborhood today...
WTF? They won't pay for mental health care unless he actually hurts someone? Good to see our school shooting preventive action is such a high priority.
Sorry kid, you didn't even blow off someone's toe, no help for you.
I know I've expressed it before, but the sheer level of frustration I have towards the whole, "We cannot say anything for fear of being sued," movement is getting close to boiling.
We got an email from the school administration yesterday that said things like, "...update on a situation that took place on campus today involving the questioning of a student regarding reports of concerning comments," which is a great way of telling us nothing.
So fortunately, being in a tight-knit group of chaperones, I got more information:
(1) A student at MY KIDS' HIGH SCHOOL posted, "I hate everyone... everyone's going to feel my pain now..." to Snapchat
(2) Rumor has it that he had a kill list and a weapon (most likely a knife), but that is currently unsubstantiated
(3) He was in custody as of yesterday, but no information as to whether he's been released back to his parents' recognizance, and every student agrees that his parents are the reason he's so miserable, so the likelihood of them doing anything decent is low
And you immediately come to the question: "Do I trust the authorities to have this under control, or do I pull my kids out of school and have them take the G.E.D. instead?"
Never thought it would be a serious question I'd be considering in Albany.
But we have a teacher on our side, and she's trying to get us as much information as she can before we send our kids in.
For the rest of the parents, a simple, "Here is all the information we have at this time," would be a heck of a lot better than, "We're not going to say anything for fear of being sued, so the rumor mills can run amok and set off a widespread panic. That'll be MUCH better!"
I'm sorry Nobodyshome, that is messed up. A classic case of "I'm going to tell you there might be a threat, but I'm not going tell you what exactly it is, now let your imagination and worst fears run wild please."
All I know is, that person should not be in a committed live in relationship of any kind.
I say that as someone that spent ten years on the run from an abusive biological father though, so I might be biased.
Yeah, she is currently a danger to others, she definitely needs to be removed from general society in some capacity till she has healed up quite a bit, I'm just hoping for hospital not prison.
Yeah, she needs help, and prison isn't help.
Nobodyshome got to the friendly sarcasm before I could, but I'll do it any way.
Whaaaaa...? You mean systematic confinement, abuse and neglect doesn't help people solve their personal issues and reacclimate to normal society?
Next you'll be telling me the reason my dog is so vicious is because I train it by randomly kicking it in the face off and on all day for arbitrary reasons(such as no reason at all), I don't think you know much about rehabilitation.
All I know is, that person should not be in a committed live in relationship of any kind.
I say that as someone that spent ten years on the run from an abusive biological father though, so I might be biased.
Yeah, she is currently a danger to others, she definitely needs to be removed from general society in some capacity till she has healed up quite a bit, I'm just hoping for hospital not prison.
I agree it was *probably* sexism/racism, but I'm just saying we weren't there and we don't have all the evidence. Conviction-by-Internet-Mob is not what we should be doing. That's all.
Well I'm not convicting, just laughing at the same old, same old, it isn't going to effect the unidentified police that were there. I think I'm allowed to make fun of the situation.
I can only second what everyone has already said. My condolences for your loss and I hope you can help your friend find real help and let her start recovering from the torture she's been put through.
Also f%~& those racist and sexist cops while we're at it.
Hard to say in this particular case - they were called by a woman to domestic abuse... It might had been hard for them to process that the caller was the abuser, not the abused, as it is definitely less common situation.
It certainly wouldn't be the first time when they are called to domestic abuse by victim and the caller herself tried to back out from taking the decisive steps and trying to mollify situation by taking blame for the incident.
Yeah I think they were genuinely confused, I wasn't there but it sounds like it was a classic case of "I don't understand what's happening, thank god there is a black guy here to arrest."
Though never underestimate the power of the pretty girl, I like the idea of calling the police and confessing to a crime then when they get there being like "Yeah, I just macramed his face with zero provocation." and the cops are like "Sorry, but no mam, that is literally impossible, you are far too pretty and white."
If I ever put together a bank robbin crew at least I'll know who to recruit.
Main character gets bit in half by a dragon in the first five minutes, then rebuilt as a half iron golem dragon hunting cyborg. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssss, your character concept is approved mister Byers!
Honestly I feel such disgust when I see what the world can do to such an otherwise kind and gentle person, what happened to her to sear her mind in such a way?
To be clear I'm not disgusted by her in anyway, just at the people who made it so she felt she had to throw a frenzy of punches just to survive and defend herself.
I want to do right by her but the situation feels so messy and unclear I honestly don't know what to do beyond what I'm already trying to do.
A lot of what's on my mind now is exactly what to tell her. My first instinct is "seek professional help nowish, honey, as soon as you can."
But she seems disinclined at least for the moment, and I understand. It's rough though cause she has apparently been hurting someone in her episodes and I don't want that to happen or for her to go to jail.
It seems clear to me she has suffered some form of abuse and that she doesn't mean to beat on her boyfriend but she is and it needs to stop. I'm just not sure I can really help her beyond telling her to seek professional treatment and trying to ease her into that.
Yeah, well my aunt's death, while terrible, is something I can wrap my mind around but my friend's revelations today have me reeling.
I guess to add some context to her revelation I should explain a little of her history. Basically when she was 12 she told her parents she was gay and was promptly shipped off to some religious rehab center to cure said gayness. She stayed there until she was an adult.
I'm not sure what happened to her there but it left her a Midnight Screamer, you know, those people so traumatized they throw punches and scream when asleep.
First time she did it when staying with me I woke her to see if she was ok, and after she calmed after a bit of tea she told me in a dreamy voice about how the people at the rehab would scare her when she would wake from a dead sleep to find them standing around her bed chanting.
Alright, so far, so Stephen King. Any way she is normally a pretty calm nice person but occasionally something will trigger her and she'll scream and throw punches like a crazy person and it takes a lot to bring her back to herself.
She's been to therapy and takes some psyche meds and last I knew she was doing decently well, though apparently she is missing years from her memory at the rehab and still doesn't know what her triggers are about.
So she called me and said she had something terrible to tell me and today she came over and explained shes been beating on her boyfriend for years. Being the sweet Micheal Clark Duncan looking dude he is he doesn't hit her back and apparently two weeks ago she beat him so badly she called the police on herself, although apparently they got confused when they got there and the white lady had no mark on her while the black boyfriend was bloody and trashed and so they did the only rational thing to do and arrested the boyfriend even though she was still saying she beat him without provocation.
So she drops this story on me and has a kind of what should I do? Vibe happening, I told her she should definitely seek help, like more help, but she is fearful given the "Rehab" help she was once given.
We talked alot more and I'm seeing her again in the next few days but man, I dunno, what do you even say or do in a situation like this?
Such a freaking mess.
P.S. the boyfriend was not charged and was immediately released at the station but still....sheesh.
Bleh, well I was having a nice day until I had a disturbing visit from a friend I havn't seen in awhile followed by a phone call informing me one of my favorite aunts had died.
Castlevania II Simon's Quest
Castlevania III Dracula's Curse
Super Castlevania IV
Castlevania The Adventure
Castlevania II Belmont's Revenge
Castlevania Bloodlines
Kid Dracula (never released in English before)
History of Castlevania - Book of the Crescent Moon
that's the same thing we have! They said there was a chance the later game boy ones(meaning game boy advance and up) would be a part of a second castlevania collection.
I hope the second collection comes out too, I'm a crazy castlevania fan, they are some of my favorite games!
Yeah the general consensus is that I should have clocked her to make her fearful of spreading such hate to those less thick-skinned than I.
But, "Yes, officer, I know I have 80 pounds and 20 years on her and 8 years of martial arts training, but I honestly thought she was a threat," doesn't seem like it would fly...
Stand your ground my friend, she was comin right at you!
Gods, sometimes just walking down the street reminds me of how happy I am not to have to interact with people.
I'm really not dressed particularly strangely today: White tennis shoes, Pacific Rim chefwear, black T-shirt, and black corporate vest. But as I passed the BART station an older woman started staring at me, so I smiled and nodded, and she scowled and said, "I can't tell whether that's a man or a woman!"
Then as I walked by she said again, "Seriously, I can't!"
She was obviously trying to get a rise out of me, and I thought it was just depressing: How can you go through life being so bitter and hostile towards your fellow humans? What would she have done if I'd taken offense and attacked her?
It was just a mindless, angry, unkind, stupid thing for her to do. And as I said, I was far sadder than madder at her behavior: What must it be like to live in such a bitter world?
Something similar happened to my neighbor and I the other day when we were walking together, some guy started questioning my neighbors gender loudly and rudely as well as then adding slurs, at first I figured he must just seem like he was talking to my neighbor but was really talking to me because I actually am transgender but then he acknowledged me as well by catcalling me.
Once he was well behind us my neighbor exploded with a "What the hell was that?" Rant.
For me it was super bizarre and wrong but on so many levels I couldn't really even begin to suss it out.
We settled on the realization that apparently if you are slightly androgynous like my neighbor a$&!$#$s give you flak for being transgender but if you are transgender but pass as female really well you're just another women on the street to be harassed.
Glad we figured that out, now if you'll excuse me I'm off to build my super weapon to cleanse the filth that is humanity off the face of the earth. =p
Okay, I just tipped the last gallon of gas from the jerry can I keep in the garage for the lawnmower into my car. But I only have ten miles to drive in the next two days, and I get paid Wednesday and Whingey Wizzard gets paid on Thursday.
Meanwhile, we're still waiting to hear whether or not The Job is happening. They were supposed to tell him by the end of last week.
Narrative Causality means this is when it really ought to happen, right?
I am sorry to say but at this point of time I would probably have given up on hoping that WW gets the job, because the company is being tardy about it. If they want someone, they should move their sorry @rses faster. I think it is better not to be so hopeful lest you get your hopes up in vain.
It's probably why I get cynical. Or I prefer to view myself as being a realist.
Mort, I know you're insensitive and clueless, but just for once, can you just effing not?
Yes, I damned well know that this will most likely be the latest in a long, long line of no. I've been supporting us/him/our family since before you were old enough to read, I am intimately familiar with failure and a lack of hope, I don't need you to point it out, thanks.
Well, I'll prolly get flak for this, because your feelings are valid and Mort has a history of being overly literal/blunt/negative at inopportune times but I'd bet my last dollar Mort wasn't doing it on purpose.
It can be hard in social situations when your mind doesn't work quite like others and you put your foot in your mouth in awkward ways, and I suspect Mort didn't even realize the impact of her words until your response.
Once again, your feelings are valid. I just feel the need to stand up for Mort as I detect no malice in her ramblings and sometimes those who seem cold and unfeeling are anything but.
Finished my Marvel marathon with Endgame, man that was satisfying. Also ran into a friend at the theater I hadn't seen since highschool and it was a blast catching up with her, she sat on one side of me while my sister sat on the other and we talked through the whole movie. It's all good though cause we went to a day showing and the theater was mostly empty so we probably won't burn in the Nine Hells like most people who talk during movies deserve =p
Sorry the opioid crisis screwed you over, I like how they stripped you of a non narcotic med yet they keep trying to double my Oxycontin prescription. It's good to see a stable fair hand being applied in all cases =P
lol. Oh, hells yeah! Because if anyone ever figures out how the system works we might actually be able to use it to get what we need! Horrors!!! :P
Health Care System Overseer:Hmmmmm, give them what they need? That sounds simple...but no, that's exactly what they expect us to do! We won't fall for that trap!
Sorry the opioid crisis screwed you over, I like how they stripped you of a non narcotic med yet they keep trying to double my Oxycontin prescription. It's good to see a stable fair hand being applied in all cases =P
So I'm kinda stunned at the moment. I have a neighbor upstairs above me who I think is a pretty cool guy, but a lot of people say he is inconsiderate, as he plays music super loud in the middle of the night and watches porn with the volume so high up you can here it outside etc.
I'm half deaf anyway so I never cared, as I also play my tv loud to hear it and he has never complained.
Anyway I got a knock on the door this morning and it was him and he cheerfully handed me an envelope of money. A year or two ago he asked if he could borrow $200 and I gave it to him but he never paid it back. He thanked me for being nice to him and never calling the cops on him for the noise or even asking for him to pay me back. I was like it's all good thanks for getting around to it.
I looked in the envelop and it was $2,000!!!
He said it was interest for being nice to him.
Holy crap, apparently being nice to people really does pay off sometimes.
Decided to listen to the Drizzt series starting with the Crystal Shard, I know that series draws a lot of flak but it really is quite good, at the beginning for sure at least.
A large part of the excitement early on I think is Drizzt isn't presented as almost unstoppable quite yet, he almost dies like 7 times in the first book alone.
Got back last night with Ms. British, it was a nice holiday.
Our luggage packed with stuff to do we apparently forgot, so all we had when we got there was one old, creased copy of The Return To The Temple of Elemental Evil.
With nothing else to do there...
You can guess what we spent the week doing...:
That's right, we played that sucker all the way through and beyond using an on the fly conversion to 5ed, which between the two of us we mostly remember. That's actually a surprisingly good campaign, I recommend it.
Whelp, I've been super stressed the last few days(that has probably come through in my ramblings) but tonight Ms British is coming over and we are going on holiday for the next few days.
Hi all, sometimes-lurker of this thread here. :) Random question of the day:
Given a fantasy / scifi race where all members are of one sex or the other, do trans characters make and more or less sense than trans humans?
My understanding of transsexuality is extremely limited, so I'm curious how if at all it would apply to a race with only one set of private bits. Thanks!
That's interesting from a theoretical stand point, as it steps into sci-fi essentially.
It would probably be different for different species, though single gender species that somehow are strictly male or female never made much sense to me anyway.
Also for species that have no gender at all I don't know where being transgender fits into that.
So I asked my ex-wife if things would have been better for us if I hadn't hassled her about chores when I got overwhelmed as she sometimes literally said things like "Let's not fight about who does the dishes."
But she just laughed and said; "Well of course I didn't want to fight about doing the dishes you literally always did them, best case scenario for me if we fought about them was I would have to then do some dishes."
I am sorry I didn't mean to do that. Although I will say I am not hostile to any of the sex ideas I mentioned, I was just talking about the reality of the situation in explosive terms =/. I love hyperbole.
Too hot for FaWtL! Nobody read this but Tacticslion:
It's actually kinda a big problem in the states because our sex ed is such shit and always has been that, young people in particular, try to learn about sex from porn.
The issue is beyond basic mechanics pretty much everything in porn is wrong from a sex feeling good stand point. The "Sex" in porn is deliberately designed to look good for the camera but is in almost all cases absolutely terrible from a trying to have a good time point of view.
I personally think it's hilarious that people think blow jobs should involve your head bobbing up and down, but that idea is so widely spread because of porn it seems like that's the default for people trying to have real sex these days. Sure, it might look the best, but it's a damn far sight from feeling the best.
Then you get into more extreme stuff like anal where folks often think because of porn there isn't a pretty lengthy preparation process, leading to folks trying it by just jumping to it, which of course isn't fun at all and makes it unlikely to want to be repeated.
Then the real popular one guys always want girls to try(beyond butt stuff); deep throating, to which I always say, in all seriousness, try to at least get an idea of what you are asking before asking.
Here is what you do, peal a banana as close in size to your dong as you can, then try to stick it halfway down your throat, now pull it out, now push it back in. Do this for at least a few minutes.
Assuming you havn't choked to death or are passed out in a pool of vomit, congratulations! That is what you are asking for.
Porn is as much fantasy movies as the Lord of the Rings are fantasy movies but the, somewhat dangerous, difference is that no one is climbing into active volcanoes because of Lord of the Rings but regular people actually try to emulate porn on a regular basis.
It doesn't really matter, just wanted to clarify that for Tacticslion.
Alright, statements like that just alarm me some times. Porn is to actual sex what murdering someone with a baseball bat is to playing baseball; a painful butchering of what should otherwise be a fun, easygoing game.
Not saying that as a judgement of porn and I'm sure it doesn't apply to you but to people in general never, ever, learn or copy anything people are doing in porn, they're literally doing it wrong.
Point of fact, we don't watch porn together, I watch it occasionally (the General knows, it's part of being open and honest) and then bring what I've learned to her.
? This statement confuses me, what do you learn from porn?
