u/kidfortoday92

I work for Delta (hub) and I’m coming up on my first real bid, so I’m curious what everyone’s experience has been with part-time vs. full-time.

I had a second job when I started, so I’ve been working part time at Delta and picking up other shifts off the billboard pretty consistently to make close to full time hours. That worked well because I could build my schedule around the other job, give away shifts when needed, and still take a trip here and there. Lately, though, the extra shifts on the billboard have really dried up.

The second job is also starting to go sideways, so I’m considering trying to get a full time line on my first bid. I know I’m at the bottom of the seniority list as far as picking goes, so I’m not expecting to have a ton of choice with my schedule.

I’m not opposed to taking a part time line and continuing to pick up to make full time hours, but seeing how few shifts are available right now has me a little worried about relying on that.

My main concern is flexibility. How difficult is it to give away full time shifts when you need a day off or want to take a trip? I don’t want to lock myself into 40 hours if it’s going to be a pain to get any flexibility.

For those of you who have been doing this for a while, what do you prefer?

I’ve only been doing mainline ramp for around 6 months at one of the busiest airports, and I’m already starting to feel the cumulative wear. And I’m not weak by any means. I’ve lifted weights for 10 years, I do mobility work, I have strong shoulders and back, and routinely standing overhead press 150 lbs. I’m in good shape and I can do the job just fine.

But I constantly have pain in my neck and back, my elbows and other tendons are always feeling beat up, and now one of my shoulders is starting to have issues. My workout performance has taken a noticeable hit.

I eat decently, bring food from home, drink plenty of water, and do what I can to recover. I still wake up the next morning feeling like I got hit by a fucking bus.

Maybe some of this is exacerbated by the fact that I’m working doubles some days, but I really can’t afford not to at this pay grade.

I don’t care how perfect your lifting technique is. Most leads and OSMs don’t give a fuck about anything except getting the flight out on time. You’re getting bagged to death with zero space between, especially loading something like Kingston or Bogota. Just straight slammed with 60 pound bags back to back. At that point, form goes out the fucking window. You’re just trying to survive the flight.

A lot of the old heads I see, not all of them, but a lot... are limping around, hobbling, and their mobility looks pretty rough after doing this for decades. There are definitely some who have been doing it for years and are still in great shape, so I know it’s not inevitable.

Don’t get me wrong, I can do the job. It’s fine. I’m just not sure about doing it long term. The flight benefits are cool and all, but not at the expense of literally destroying myself. Seeing people who have been doing this for decades makes me wonder what the cumulative toll is going to look like 10 plus years down the road.

Does anyone else have this issue with their boomer parents? I don't even know what it is, but I've started finding my parents completely insufferable as I've gotten into my 30s, and I hate saying that about my own parents.

I actually had a pretty good childhood materially. I got toys, entertainment, everything I needed. But when it came to actual direction, there wasn't much. I was sheltered and pretty much had to figure adulthood out on my own. When I graduated high school, it was basically “you could go to college,” but there weren't really conversations about careers, what fields were worth getting into, money, or how to actually navigate adulthood.

What drives me fucking crazy is that if I bring any of this up now, they'll both swear up and down that none of that was the case and that they did everything. Somehow they were perfect parents and anything I'm struggling with as an adult is basically my fault. They both just default to “we had it harder, stop complaining, figure it out.” There's never any acknowledgment that maybe they could have given me more direction or prepared me better.

And I do understand that they were probably doing the best they could with what they knew and the resources they had. They both had very strict parents themselves, so I can understand why they went in the opposite direction with me and were extremely hands-off. But what bothers me now is the complete lack of introspection or empathy. They can't acknowledge my struggles as an adult, they can't just empathize with me, and they seem to turn everything back on me as if whatever I'm struggling with is my own fault. Even my feelings get invalidated. It's like there's never any room for “yeah, I understand why you're having a hard time.”

My dad is stubborn as hell, incapable of having a conversation beyond the surface level, and quite frankly just not that intelligent. My mom has developed this pseudo narcissistic attitude as she's gotten older. She increasingly plays the helpless, innocent, victim role and seems completely incapable of acknowledging that she could be wrong or accepting any criticism about literally anything.

I know I'm responsible for my life now. I'm not trying to blame my parents for everything. But when you can't even acknowledge your own shortcomings, acknowledge your adult child's struggles, or have a basic empathetic conversation, it really strains a relationship. I've gotten to the point where I'm genuinely resentful and sometimes feel like I just want to cut them off all together. Living with them right now amplifies all of this by about 20 fucking times.

I don't necessarily think they were terrible parents. I just wish they were capable of looking back and saying, “Yeah, maybe we could have done some things differently,” or even just saying “I know you're struggling and I'm sorry you're having a hard time.” Instead it's always denial, defensiveness, and “we had it harder, figure it out.” It's fucking exhausting.

Holy crap. I thought my suspension was just worn out.

I had the factory 16s, which rode boaty as hell. Then I went to 3rd gen GS wheels with 225/50R17s and thought they still rode pretty good. After that I upgraded to the factory GS430 17x8 wheels with 235/45R17s. This is all on stock suspension mind you...

I lived with that setup for 2.5 years and just assumed the suspension was the problem. Don't get me wrong, it has 244k miles and definitely needs some refreshing.

But I just switched back to 225/50R17s on the 17x8s and realized the 235/45R17s just ride like absolute ass on this car. The difference is way bigger than I expected. It's not nearly as crashy over rough roads anymore.

Hell, I had a TSX with TL wheels and the same tire size, and it didn't ride anywhere near this harsh.

Anybody else switch to 225/50s after running the factory GS430 size?

Does anybody else's boomer parents, like early 70s or even younger, act like they're 90?

I've watched my dad's mobility go from okay in his mid 50s to absolutely terrible at 74. He shuffles around like he's 90, spends 12–14 hours a day watching TV, and refuses to exercise. My mom is the exact same way. Neither of them will do anything to improve their health.

What's even harder to watch is that it's not just their bodies. They've completely checked out. The house has gradually slipped into squalor. Cleaning barely happens, if at all, and they've become so accustomed to it they don't even seem to notice anymore. I've watched the decline happen in real time.

The TV is on from the moment they wake up until 2 a.m. Either right wing news or the same episodes of The Andy Griffith Show they've probably seen over three hundred times. They even sleep with it blasting.

The frustrating part is they're still mentally sharp enough to argue with you about it. Any suggestion to exercise, move more, or even take care of the house is met with excuses or defensiveness. They don't seem to understand that doing nothing is exactly what's accelerating the decline.

It really feels like they're just waiting to die. I just can't wrap my head around it. They're not exactly ancient.

I've got a question for people who are either avoidant, or who have dated someone avoidant.

Is it normal for them to completely ignore your last message (or even multiple messages), then 2–3 days later come back and restart the conversation as if nothing happened?

No acknowledgment of what you sent. No explanation. They just begin an entirely new conversation.

Have you experienced this? Is this common avoidant behavior, or is it more of an individual personality thing? I'm genuinely curious what others' experiences have been.

Just a quick FYI. If anyone is looking for Lems, ebay is literally stacked with several models in basically every colorway from resellers. I've seen the Switchback, Primal 3, Zen, Mesa Verde, Thrasher and others selling brand new for $40–70 from resellers. Might try the Switchbacks at this price point.

Form gets overemphasized a lot, especially in the hardstyle crowd. Don’t get me wrong, you should still aim for solid, “decent” technique. But after a few years of kettlebell training, things like the exaggerated “tea kettle” breathing sound, staying maximally tense the entire time, or keeping perfectly straight arms swings don’t matter nearly as much as led on.

I also think the hardstyle jerk, where your heels stay planted, is a bit suboptimal. In my opinion, you’re leaving some power and explosiveness on the table by not allowing your heels to come off the ground. That natural leg drive and full extension really help with force production.

Personally, I like combining a hardstyle clean with a more sport style jerk. it feels like the best of both worlds.. controlled, crisp positioning on the clean, then a more dynamic, explosive finish on the jerk. And yeah… I’ll say it.. the hardstyle jerk looks a little goofy too (don’t flame me).

I’d even go as far as to say that hinging a touch early isn’t the end of the world. And honestly, the equipment itself matters less than people make it seem. It mostly comes down to preference. I’ve used everything from cheap CAP bells to Kettlebell Kings and Kettlebell USA Metrixx. As long as the handle isn’t terrible, a lot of this comes down to execution and mindset more than anything.

What are your hot takes?