I have only recently noticed (so don't know how long it's been going on) that Youtube (google) videos now have an overlay that is placed over the top of random videos, that seems like a touch (friendly ?) interface, and has a minimal set of buttons (namely: Back, Play/pause and Forward (there is a full screen button, but does nothing).

The thing is, it completely blocks any access to the standard (original) buttons along the bottom of the video area. So you can't change video quality, go full screen video, or access any of the row of buttons at the base of the video area. Fu**ing frustrating.

Though I've just found (before posting this) that you can go to (youtube) settings (which prompts for login), then cancel, then the stupid overlay disappears... WTF...

I'm sick and tired of living paycheck to paycheck. I hate, hate, hate my job with such great passion. What a f_cking rut I have fallen into. :( From the bottom of this well, I look up, hoping for someone to throw me a rope so I can climb out of this sh_tty situation. Yet I know that it is foolish of me to expect someone to show up. It is entirely up to me to crawl out of this well. But climbing that wall requires me to carry my own weight and right now, I feel like I weigh 1000 tons...

Not the first time I have fallen down a deep well. On the positive side, I know I have the skills to cope with this, as I already have in the past. But on the scary side, the bottom of this well is beginning to look quite cozy and I just can't be bothered.

I know it might not help but there is this one extension for browsers that removes in video and other youtube advertisements, resizes the screen to a size one likes, adds colored captions. Basically it does a bunch of things one might want. It is on chrome if you are interested in looking for it. I lost my copy long ago due to file corruption not related to it and forget the url or name, so i cannot give you more information than that.

Do you have a support network?

Thanks for your concern, buddy. ;) I've got friends and to a certain extent, family. But I tend to keep my "problems" to myself. I just needed a place to vent and this Bitch About Life thread seemed like the place to do that. It was simply a rant. Hope it did not sound like a cry for help and I'm sorry if it came across that way.

Edit: I re-read my post and I must admit it was quite intense. I guess I was really feeling battered down when I wrote it. Don't worry, I'm not suicidal or anything like that. Even when jolted by a moment of depression. ;) I'm a bit embarrassed now. LOL! But, really, thanks for reaching out to me.

I am in a sort of same boat. I live from paycheck to paycheck and on ok but not the richest means and have to watch my spending a bit.

Maybe all the people on here who live near each other can share costs? We could call it rent pooling.

Nothing to be embarrassed about. This is a hard world we live in, and it's going to get worse before it gets better, so a support network is something that just about everyone can benefit from. When we get worn down, we're more inclined to become despondent and give up. I go to weekly counseling and I'm amazed at how much of a difference it's making in terms of my quality of life. But I know why I'm doing it and what I want to get out of it, and in the past that wasn't the case. And the reason I'm sharing this is I think it's important for people to understand that you don't have to be rich to enjoy a high quality of life. Mostly, you have to want to enjoy a high quality of life, and be good to yourself.

Have at it! ;p

Thx for the personal insight and inspiring journey. ;) I know that I don't have to be rich to enjoy a high quality of life, believe me. Despite being broke, I am nonetheless very grateful for having my health (in the last year, my dad and some friends have died from various cancers) and I do consider myself lucky for having a couple of souls around me who care enough to have donated some groceries (I realize that some people are quite literally alone). I guess everything is relative. Your post helped me take a step back and gain a new perspective on my current situation. :)

Just to be clear, I'm not at all suggesting that you have a bad attitude, or that improving quality of life is merely about improving attitude. That's part of it, but for most of us struggling to get by in life, there are difficulties we encounter that aren't "in our head". Human society can be extremely toxic, so it is very easy to get worn down to the ragged edges of our endurance. And once we find ourselves in a rut, in a weakened condition, we are in real danger. So, it's a good thing to do what you did, and exactly what we should do in difficult circumstances. I could very well find myself in a similar situation next week, or next month. Hopefully, I'll handle it as well as you did. ;p

This was me not so long ago. The best advice I was given was that, if you do nothing, nothing will change. Taking a few minutes every day scouting for job offers (even if you don't get to apply because they are not what you're looking for) is at least doing something and a first step, and will let you feel you are starting to take charge of the situation. Just never give up. It took me a long time, it wasn't easy at all, but in the end I managed to climb up the well.

For some strange (but welcomed) reason, it doesn't seem to be happening anymore.

Oh, and I use the uBlock Origin add-on for all my web based ad blocking, including all the rubbish Youtube throws at me.

Thanks for the reply though. :)

Thx for the encouragement! I appreciate it. Simple words but so true: "if I do nothing, nothing will change". I will tell myself this whenever I feel discouraged with job hunting. Funny thing is that I'm quite a skilled guy with excellent work experience, very competent and qualified... but the *one* thing I truly suck at is job hunting! LOL! I have yet to master that skill. ;)

Maybe youtube changed their site again? It tis a possibility with them. Either way it is good to hear you got it sorted out some way.

Yay, today I'm bloody sick feeling really weak and dizzy and tired because My sister brought another bloody disease home from her course I swear she is trying to bump me and my parent off!

I used to be in a rut not that long ago as well. I actually like my job and the pay isn't bad either, but I used to live in an expensive region (for reasons beyond my control) and had a pile of additional expenses regularly thrown on top of that, so despite the decent earnings, I pretty much spent every waking moment working. All of my friends lived 200 km away anyway, so it's not like I had anything to keep me busy otherwise. I did have the advantage of knowing that things would change on their own one way or the other - I just didn't know how long it would take and whether that change would come from a negative or positive life change. That was pretty harrowing as well.

But I digress. Job hunting is indeed difficult, and the best advice I can give from personal experience is to Fake It Till You Make It. You seem to have the advantage of knowing your strengths, which is invaluable - you just need to figure out how those strengths can help you in whichever job you're interested in. It doesn't have to be anything terribly specific, but just giving it a little think before an interview helps. "What are you greatest strengths and weaknesses for this job?" is a pretty common question in job interviews here, and while I never tried to deny my shortcomings, I found it helpful to try to make the best of them. For instance, I am pedantic to a fault - so I sometimes focus a bit too much on the irrelevant and might take longer to get started on some tasks, but you can then be fairly sure that those get done to the best of my abilities every time. Be honest with yourself, but don't think that all supposedly negative characteristics are completely negative in every circumstance.
And really, Fake It. A self-induced confidence boost may sound superficial, but it goes a really long way, because people (usually) can't see beyond it. I practiced speaking by going through typical job interview questions, sparring out some responses by saying them out loud to my microwave oven (really) and listening how they came across. Got my hair cut, wore the really tidy shirt I had on when I got married, clipped an expensive-looking (gift) pen conspicuously to a pocket and handed it to people if they needed to write something down and had forgotten theirs. Took my Neat Messenger Bag(tm) with me, kept my papers stuck to a clipboard as if I carried the thing around everywhere I went. Boy, did it feel ever so silly at the time. But it landed me a job that I seriously doubt I would've got if I had just gone in as myself instead of as this billboard of what I could - and would - become.

Of course, sometimes it's nice to just stay put for a while - there are things in life that we can affect ourselves and things that we cannot, but just because you can affect something doesn't mean you'd necessarily have to go for it immediately. It's just that others are unlikely to do it for you no matter how long you wait.