u/HonestThrowaway987

It's a tiny chocolate poodle and it was curled up asleep in his lap. The MD told me the dog is a girl.

As you can imagine, we don't get too many sweet moments in the ICU.

I also have no idea how they pulled it off because we aren't even allowed to have get well cards taped up because "tape harbors bacteria." But I'm glad they did.

"Omg this is my 10th day in a row! I'm so tired lol" after volunteering to pick up extra shifts they could have refused - volunteering is the key word to this post. Or commenting that they're always the one working extra. Or announcing some extra/shitty shift hours they picked up when nobody asked.

If that's something you can/need/want to do, go for it. Make your paper. Just stop talking about it. I don't care, and I don't see you as a harder working or better employee for it. Actually, the opposite. Working too much makes you tired and then you start making fuckups that the rest of us have to deal with.

And I think I don't have to say why everyone is pissed when you bring your sick contagious ass to work when you had the option of calling in. Do what you gotta do, but I don't wanna hear "I've worked here 5 yrs and have never called in sick!"

2 personal examples from me, but I can think of a ton of examples:

I'm a clinical ICU pharmacist now but I started out waiting tables and to this day, that was the most difficult job I've ever had - it's the ONLY job that gave me regular nightmares (those endless/impossible shift dreams servers tend to get) But people trivialize it like "all you have to do is bring my food and drinks. It's not that hard" while glaring at a server who is working alone or understaffed in a packed house.

As a pharmacist - "all you have to do is count pills and put them in a bottle" when the reality is we do a LOT more than that and have stopped insurance companies, physicians, and nurses from inadvertently killing their patients - be glad we're doing more than just counting pills as part of a healthcare team.

My former boss used to do this when talking about the nurses - "well, all they have to do is...." Ma'am you don't know what all they have to do cause you're not a nurse. Stfu.

I think people in any job can probably think of ways this happens and I get that bad service is a thing that draws legitimate complaints. I just hate when someone doesn't know what they're talking about and can't shut up about it.

My workplace is changing our time clock system and the only instructions they provided was an e-learning video split up into 7 parts 5-15 mins each with no option to skip or speed past any of it.

Jfc just email me the manual at that point. None of us have the time or desire to sit through that. Especially when all we need to know is how to clock in and out of work and document lunch breaks.

I'd like to get a Miele for my cat's dust mite allergies - they're bad enough to cause nasal swelling and skin ulcers.

We're in the process of getting rid of all the fabric in our house sans bedding, towels, and clothes. I have hardwood floors throughout and plan to replace sofas and chairs with leather within the next few months. So my primary concern is being able to vacuum all the pet beds and human beds very well, and then to be able to easily suck up whatever dust settles along baseboards, etc that my robot vacuum/mop can't pick up. The vacuum I have now is bagged but very old and cumbersome to use because the hose isn't long enough to comfortably maneuver

Discovered my cat is nearly deathly allergic to dust mites so I've been essentially redoing my entire house to be hypoallergenic.

Fabrics are a no-go. My cat also thinks plastic is delicious and will chew on things like vinyl/PVC shower curtains and table cloths. I've seen vinyl roller shades online but unsure if they're thick enough to deter my cat - they seem promising if anyone can tell me more about them.

Currently have plastic venetian blinds which are nice but cleaning the individual slats are a pain because they're tiny and there are so many of them. The larger wooden blinds are an option but again, if anyone has a better suggestion, I'd love to hear it!

This is just a personal style thing - I love sunlight shining through the window or just having the shades open and being able to see outside and I like getting as much of it as possible. So I always get a twinge when I see someone has put something like a couch in front of a floor length window, or a bed with a huge frame that obstructs the view.

I know a lot of people like the look or do it for practical reasons. I've also seen layouts that pretty much made it impossible NOT to block the window. Don't take my post personally if either of these are you lol. Like I said, it's just *my* personal preference.

I live in very humid area and bought a 50 pint dehumidifier and a separate humidity monitor.

I can get humidity down to around 47-48% on average but the tank fills up so fast I have to empty it multiple times a day, and I don't have a good setup to use the pump hose. When my spouse and I go to work, or overnight, it will fill up and stop, so humidity creeps up to ~53-56%.

Idk if this is a lost cause or if getting a second dehumidifier will help offload the work our current one is doing + ideally get humidity even lower to the 40-45% range

I wear makeup because I like it, but I notice when I'm going through difficult times, I wear a little bit more and/or I wear it more consistently.

Idk, I feel like when shitty things are happening that are out of my control, my appearance is something I *do* have control over, and looking like I'm put together helps me feel a little more put together and in control as well.

I also think the act of doing my makeup has a somewhat calming effect, kind of like knitting or coloring lol

I was driving when a commerical by my states highway safety organization came on the radio to advertise safe, responsible driving and there were 2 random car honks in the middle of it.

Startled the shit out of me and I started looking for whoever honked at me. Way to distract the drivers you're preaching safe driving to.

That shit should be illegal.

I feel like everyone who's worked for big corporate companies or stingy employers knows what I'm talking about.

This isn't the coworker who disappears for 40 minutes at a time on the clock or spends half their shift on their phone/socializing.

It's when administration says that spending 5 minutes to go the bathroom = time theft. Or taking a few seconds out of your day to check your phone and respond to texts your kids or loved ones send you. Or taking a minute to tell the receptionist good morning and asking how their weekend went.

Because the same people who do this shit to their employees are the same ones who will find a way to justify not paying you for things like the time you take out of your day to get ready for and commute to work. And they're usually the same people who will also post shitty memes with minions or kittens on Facebook while they're on the clock.

My friend just told me that her workplace has just implemented a new rule banning employees from eating breakfast on the clock and going to the *company-provided on-site* cafeteria while OFF the clock because it's time theft. It got me so heated even though I don't work there.

Whenever I see someone drink from a can of coke or something and then their cheeks puff out cause they're using it as mouthwash before swallowing, my teeth hurt.

He came to my door and rang my bell. I'm not a big fan when they do that, but I get it.

Then a few seconds later, he starts knocking.

Then I get a notification that my food has been dropped off. Cool, he left, I thought

Suddenly I hear his car horn in my driveway and he honks at me no less than 6 times.

He FINALLY drives away but is continuing to honk as he drives away...with no other traffic around.

Dude, wtf. The instructions say to leave it at the door. Just go. I spent all day at work talking. I want to be antisocial at home, order my food, and then scarf it down while watching YouTube sans any more verbal/face-to-face human communication.

I didn't, but that shit made me want to go back in the app and remove his tip. It's worse than when they drop my order off directly in front of the door so I can't open it without knocking my food over.

No that's not what I'm saying. That's how you interpreted it.

It's especially annoying because it's always said in a condescending way. And I've seen comments from people on reddit who say they do it on purpose to point out to someone that what they're saying is absurd or doesn't make sense. And sometimes it's used appropriately in that sense, but so many times it's used by someone who is just trying to manipulate another person by using semantics or weaponized ignorance to basically bully them into silence. This becomes especially obvious if they interrupt you when you try to clarify, because they know if they let you explain yourself, they lose the upper hand.

My next door neighbor and I started talking a while back when I adopted my cat, because he had 2 outdoor cats of his own. Nothing serious or deep - we'd meet at the fence and make small talk for a few minutes and go about our days.

Noticed right away he was very awkward and immature but brushed it off as maybe he's a little neurodivergent or something, but harmless. Learned he didn't hold down a job because he's disabled and lives with his mom to help her out. He IS technically disabled due to a burn injury that prevents him from sweating but he's by no means unable to work. Immediately thought "he's not telling me everything" but again, none of my business. Brushed it off.

He got my number because one day he came over and said he noticed I have security cameras surrounding the house and looking out to the street and he thought he had a break-in so would I mind checking my footage for anything sus? Of course not. Exchanged #s so I could text him anything I saw. Saw nothing.

This is when my husband finally spoke up and said something isn't right because he's weird and he only ever makes an effort to talk to me. My husband cuts grass regularly and the neighbor never acknowledged him but seems to seek me out. Thought he was just overreacting cause yeah dude is weird and awkward, but has never crossed any boundaries.

And then he started crossing boundaries. He would go out of his way to compliment my "cute outfits" and one day paid particular attention to the tiny shorts I was wearing to do some yard work out in the summer. So now my husband's words are ringing in my ears and I'm like "okay, he does have some kind of crush on me and it's getting uncomfortable" so I start distancing myself - not that we were ever close in any way to begin with.

And then the day I went to the police arrived. He texts me that morning (he has only texted me once before this and it has been several months since exchanging #s) that it's his bday. So I send back "that's awesome! Have a happy bday" thinking our interaction is done. He then asks if I'm alone. What in the actual fuck? I cant lie because he has likely seen my husband drive off to work so I said yes, but I'm getting ready to leave for work. He asks what time. I'm thinking what does it matter? I tell him as soon as my shoes are on, I'm gone. I actually have the day off but my alarm bells are going OFF. I throw on a pair of scrubs and immediately head to leave the house. As I'm doing this he texts "I don't have much time!" which officially scares me shitless. What do you mean not much time? Time for what??? He then texts me pictures of my cat who was in my back yard ...he took these photos from inside my car port. I'm now thinking this MFer is about to steal my cat at best to lure me to his house or else attack me right here.

I rush out to grab my cat and bring him inside and see him sitting inside my carport. At this point I'm in straight fight or flight and I'm making polite small talk again because I'm afraid that if I express any other emotion, he might react violently. I'm trying to politely usher him away and get to my car ASAP to escape without provoking him. I'm also scanning the streets for witnesses and my belongings for weapons.

I drive to a random parking lot and text my husband and ask him if he can please just come home on lunch break and then take my car back to work so that the neighbor thinks he's the one who is home and not me, and relay the day to him. He asks where I am and then tells me to go to the police and he will be at home.

So I do. I file a police report and tell the officer "I don't know if I'm overreacting because he hasn't technically DONE anything yet and he's very awkward so maybe he's just not socially aware ..." And was told no - he knew what he was doing. This is sexual harassment and if there isn't an intervention, he's going to push things even further and start peeking through windows or worse. He's testing boundaries. Was told to either get a restraining order or have my husband talk to him.

I go home and my husband tells me when he got there, neighbor wasn't home but he knew the mother was so he knocked on their door and she refused to answer. Later, neighbor was taking the trash can back from the curb, so he said "Hey, we gotta talk." Neighbor IMMEDIATELY got scared, avoided eye contact and tried to rush back inside and kept going "okay I got it, I got it." My husband forced him to stop, demanded he look at him and verbalize that he understood he needed to stay away from me. He did. That was maybe a year ago. Last summer.

He would stay away but he does still try to initiate some kind of small talk by basically yelling across the yard to me cause he knows better than to approach. The first time it was a quick "sorry about before" - I didn't respond. A handful of times after, he would make a comment here or there about seeing my cat in the back yard, or he'd say hello to my cat. At this point, I have stopped communication.

And then his mother was admitted to the ICU...the same ICU I work at. I'm not a nurse, thankfully so I didn't have to interact with him, but his mom was my patient and that's how I learned that this whole time, the name he gave me was fake. I saw his real name listed as her next of kin, and that's how I found out this MFer is ON THE REGISTRY FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORN! This is the real reason he lived with his mom and doesn't work. They probably moved next door to us in an attempt to "start over"

The next interaction was him seeing me outside and telling me his mom passed away so it was just him now. I said "that sucks" and immediately went inside.

My state normally sends out little cards alerting you to predators in your area. Here's why I probably never got one. Our addresses are only one number off. Like if his address is 3127, mine is 3137. He sometimes gets my mail, though thankfully so far it's always been junk mail. Either that card made it to my house cause it was attached to stuff that got dropped at his, or he stole it so I wouldn't see. Either way, one of the habits he's picked up is using said junk mail as an excuse to come over and try to get our attention. Every previous time, my husband has been home to intercept it and has told him not to worry about it and just drop it in our box. No need to do all this.

Today was the first time he did it while I was home and my husband was away. I did not answer the door and for a VERY long time I stood perfectly still in my living room and watched my back windows and doors to make sure he didn't creep around my house. This was probably the first time I realized how truly traumatized that day last year got me. I was taking mental notes of where my husband told me the loaded gun was.

When I was calm enough, I checked the mailbox - nothing. I rewound the surveillance video just to make sure he wasn't withholding something important like a jury duty summons or whatever out of revenge. It was just junk mail again. Two things caught my attention. First was that when he walked away back to his house, he took the mail with him so CLEARLY this is not about simply being neighborly and returning mail. If that was the motivation, then he would've dropped it in the box that was on the wall beside my door. Second, he looked up at the camera twice and nodded a "hello" gesture at it. I'm not exactly sure what it was about that gesture and looking at the camera but it freaked me the hell out. It was so unsettling.

My husband and I never got that restraining order because he was so terrified of my husband that day that we figured it would be a non-issue from them out. But I feel like he is ever so slowly attempting to squeeze his way back in and just...WHY? How do you have the history this guy does, and the confrontation he had, and not feel shamed into just staying the fuck away and minding your own business?

I'm now sitting here like "Do I need to go get this restraining order?" Do I even still have a case to get one cause last yr, for sure, but idk if saying "He sometimes says hi to my cat and tries to bring me junk mail" is just going to sound insane. I just want him to leave me alone.

Saw a post asking for life hacks that sound like they don't work but actually do. The first answer was "create a financial budget"

No shit? That's neither a life hack nor something that sounds like it wouldn't work.

Life hacks are meant to be tips and tricks that most people wouldn't think of to make tasks easier/more efficient. It's not basic stuff like, "wear sunscreen to avoid burning outside"

Those types of phrases that imo play into the "women are dumb/incompetent" stereotypes in an attempt to sound cute.

And I know people who use those phrases will say "That's not what I mean when I say that." Yes, I know. I've also been too overworked and exhausted to eat a real meal at the end of the day (girl dinner). I've also talked myself into impulse buys or purchases I don't need (girl math). I don't care what the intent is. It still *sounds* like "oh woe is me. I can't take care of myself or make good decisions because I'm just a dumb helpless girl at 35 yrs old" or however old they are.

I'm not the biggest fan of grown women infantilizing themselves in general but idk something about this specific language peeves me a little extra.