The 50 gender options thread here on GOG left me confused and anxious, and so I took my kid to a monster truck show to reassure myself. As it turns out, I don't even like monster trucks, but this isn't my complaint.

It was loud. Painfully loud. Damned right I brought proper ear protection for my kid (the headphones I use for my circ saw), and disposable foam earplugs for myself. It was gratifying to see many kids there with ear protection, but there were still many without. For me, this kind of omission is heartbreaking. We're talking children as young as 3. When the trucks first entered, multiple parents walked out with crying children (both with and without ear protection). The noticeably worst offender was Grave Digger, whose exhaust system points up at the crowd. Anyway, I'd brought a bunch of spare pairs of foam earplugs. They cost nearly nothing. So I'd hand them out to nearby parents of kids I noticed were in distress.

At one point, the dad across the aisle asked a hawker (or whatever they are called) the price of the protective headphones he sold. Eleven dollars. He waved the seller on. I leaned across and gave him some plugs for his daughter, who seemed happy but uncomfortable. Five minutes later, the guy spends $45 on three slushee drinks in special Grave Digger mugs, one for each of his kids. I was gobsmacked.

At some point, each of the drivers gets out of his truck and says something about this being all about the fans. I understand personal responsibility, but less than $100 worth of earplugs would've easily covered everyone in the venue. They should've been freely available. Professing to love your fans and sending a bunch of kids home with hearing damage. That's bullshit.

Mary-Kate Olsen is engaged.

Well there goes my nest egg. :-(

dont worry she doesnt look cute as before, you can let her go now

Screw that, I'm not looking at her face, I'm looking at her bank account!

In that case, the Queen Mum is a total GGILF! Raaawwwr!

Sometimes the pain of others is too much to bear
Sometimes your own is too much
Sometimes you just don't care
Sometimes you just can't

When that show (Monster Jam) visited here, the personnel were handing out earplugs for free, asking everyone who entered the stadium whether they need more earplugs, and circling around also in the crowd later ensuring whether anyone still needed them. I presume they were included in the price of the pricey ticket.

And yeah, the show was very loud, I couldn't think of going there without ear protection. Then again, I felt exactly the same when we went to see a Lady GaGa concert (and this wasn't a quip at the quality of the music; it was really LOUD too).

I am currently work training at a thrift store, and the people who work there can be a very mixed bag. For instance, one of the latest additions to the work force is a guy who is seemingly between jobs. He is always super serious about everything, and seemingly resents having to work here. If someone who is not a supervisor tries to interact with him he will react with disdain, making it clear he does not value the opinions of his coworkers. I kindly asked him to replace the full crate he moved from goods reception into the warehouse with an empty one next time since we usually so that sort of thing ourselves out there, and he pulled me aside to have a "discussion" about how people don't like being told what to do at a workplace. I saw him doing absolutely nothing while looking bored as usual and suggested he tag along and help with a task related to his current station, and he reluctantly tagged along for a few minutes while complaining that he didn't know how to do it while I was patiently explaining it to him (removing old merchandise from the store; the price tags have a number in the upper right corner indicating which week they were put on display) and then disappearing after telling me that he wasn't there for work training but because he needed something to do while looking for a job. I said good morning and asked if he had signed the register today since I hadn't seen his name on it and he snapped that it wasn't my job to tell him about it. I got told to mind my own business when I tried to explain to him that moving that sofa would be easier if he adjusted the pallet lifter slightly - or tried to.

Writing stuff down like this makes it sound like I'm some kind of know-it-all busybody - and maybe I am. But I don't feel this kind of attitude is warranted, nor do I feel I actually come across as condescending, as the guy constantly complains about not having any idea what to do. Other coworkers complain about his passive-aggressive attitude as well, and he is not making any friends that I can tell - nor is he happy about working here.

I tried talking to a boss about it, but I got told to ignore him if possible, and that he had been told to do the same to me. Considering I know that he fails to get along with pretty much everyone he gets into contact with except possibly a few of the girls for some reason, I am not sure what this is supposed to mean to me - is the problem really me, or is it a temporary measure until the guy is done here? Having no prior work experience to speak of, this is fairly vexing to me.

Not much to do but follow that advice, I guess. I've taken it as far up the chain as I feel comfortable doing, and it is no longer my problem. There will doubtlessly be times when I have to interact with the dude again, but that is in the future. It's just so annoying to have every attempt at kindness be turned back at you like this.

Anyone got any similar tales of frustrating coworkers to vent?

Finding jobs in Greece is hard when you're in Greece. And even harder when you're not in Greece. :-/

Argghh, the whole day was shit....tried to download several games and every time it crashed just a few moments before finishing.......arrrghhh.....and now its dark outside. Why is it dark at night?
Owwh i don't feel well, one of the beers i guess. Its carnival, my date has left me, its dark and i can't find my sunglasses....that sucks

Since my ACL injury last year and the surgery in mid January there have been a lot of struggle's and I have been patient and worked through them.. My Physical Therapist tells me I can't go back to my line of work which is Construction / Commercial Driving for another 5-6 months.. OK so I have been applying for work in retail so I wouldn't have to lift anything really heavy... I had an interview at the Target store near me yesterday and and the kid who was interviewing me looked at me like I was crazy and dangerous after I told him I was a Veteran of the US Army (chemical and nuclear operations specialist) and played in the desert for over a year until I got medically discharged for an ankle injury (same leg as ACL..hmmm).. So he immediately stood up and said thanks for coming and we will be in touch.. I told him I was not impressed by his lack of respect for me as a Veteran and went on to say some more very vivid remarks about his age, pimples and lack of..ETC.. ETC.. .. I was then escorted out by security and told if I did not leave the property the police would be called.

This is how America treats it's Vets and this is not the first time I have had this reaction from employers.. This is the only time it escalated this much...

That's encouraging. I wonder if Monster Jam were obligated to be more sensible in Finland. Or maybe my experience wasn't representative of their shows in general.

Your GaGa experience matches my Radiohead one from years back. I couldn't understand why it was so loud. I've been to small venues where the levels were much more reasonable (The Orb, Freezepop) and I enjoyed them a lot more.

I wouldnt say that. i know someone who is spanish and spent his holidays in spain. he said it's worse than its portrayed in the media. An me and my family drove through greece last year. There are three times more people who try to sell something on the highway. The situation in greece is really miserable.

I meant trying to find a job in greece when you're not in greece.

wooops