Feel free to vent. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. When you don't, and you keep it all inside is when things go bad. Be safe out there.


.

Wow. Some people are burdened with the inconvenience of having to make a living. Clearly a concept that doesn't burden you. Housing, clothing, education, ya' know, that kind of stuff.

Would be great if we could all travel the globe and take in all that the earth has to offer.

But alas, many of us have to go to work every day no matter how comparatively distasteful. Kids getting a good education without finding themselves in a heap of debt afterward is a priority for some parents. Mom staying home to take care of the family while dad works is another decision that can come in lieu of pure self-indulgence. Vacations, motorcycles, cars, booze and many luxuries will always take second place as a result. That's the case in our house and many others.

I'm fortunate to have a great job, three kids and a wife that I dearly love and the ability to have a few toys. We all wonder what it would be like to be a free spirit with access to the world and little/no repercussion. But, I wouldn't change what I have for the world...and I'm guessing the same is true for many.

Enjoy Scotland. The castle in Edinburgh is lovely in the spring...as is the scotch.

A good long vent is an imperative to mental health...go ahead and let the big dog howl.

Best, David. How is your son doing, btw. Still looking at the Corp?

+10000

Vent away....I do it . Have a relaxing weekend.

Some appropriate music seems to be in order here.....feed the soul, ya know....

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6Y5mcLxlSgU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

How was your day?
 

I have to agree with some of the above but not all. My earlier point was similar to what motion suggested (minus the detached-from-reality smugness) -that is, if one doesn't like their situation they usually can do something to change it (or they can piss and moan about it on an Internet forum I suppose). I don't have much respect for those who do the latter. If it's that bad, leave. Simple.

Most of us have made choices (albeit within parameters - something motion doesn't really seem to understand) to end up where we are. Within certain boundaries we are empowered to change ourselves and our situations. We likely should if we're really unhappy where we are. That part he's right about and I can agree with. The part he doesn't seem to get is that not all of us have the same degrees of freedom to snap our fingers, change our lives and have it have minimal consequences to us - financially and otherwise. It takes much more planning, calculation and stomach for risk.

We're not all so lucky - most of us can't just up and leave our jobs without it having unacceptable consequences for ourselves and the others who depend on us - potential homelessness, joblessness / loss of income, resultant severe financial difficulty, loss of health insurance coverage, loss of contact with family or friends, loss of seniority at our jobs / having to start over and be the "new guy" somewhere, unacceptable changes to our lifestyles, whatever... So a lot of people stay in situations they don't like but they do so because the big picture dictates doing so (i.e. the alternatives are determined to be untenable). As long as one performs an honest assessment periodically in their life about what's important to them and where they're going, if they conclude that staying put really is preferable to the difficulty and uncertainty of making a move elsewhere I can certainly respect that. As long as they're thinking about it and being honest / true to themselves, fine. I can't respect someone just staying put where they're unhappy "just because" or for convenience or because it's what someone else (spouse, S.O., etc.) has decided is best for them. Yes, you ARE in control and the decision has to be YOURS. Yes, how it affects others is a real factor but at the end of the day it's your life - not theirs. If you decide your happiness is more important than being with them, so be it. Hard for sure, but honest.

I just don't like hearing people whine and complain. It accomplishes nothing. If you don't like your situation, change it. If you decide you can't because it's not worth it, also fine, but at that point you own the decision and shouldn't be whining about it. Suck it up. Others have it much worse. Many would be jealous of your problems. That goes for any of us, not just the OP

This resonates with me because it just so happens I'm in a situation like this now as I prepare to leave this area for new opportunities. The GF wants us to be together, but only if I stay here. That's not an option and I've made it known it isn't. I don't want to stay in New England or anywhere in the northeast for that matter anymore. This last winter made me realize what I'd been suspecting - I just don't think it's worth it and I don't really like it here. So I've thrown it back on her - I'm going to do what I need to and it's her call how she wants to react to it: she can discuss it with me and we can compromise and come with me somewhere where we'll both be reasonably happy or she can decide to end things and stay here without me because I refuse to stay somewhere I know I won't ever really be happy. If she really loved / cared about me she'd do he former, so it's "rubber meets the road" time. She doesn't get to have it both ways. IMHO two people being happy apart is preferable to one person being happy and one being miserable together. It's my choice and ultimately how she reacts (be part of the decision or not) is hers. So we're moving on apart most likely . So be it. Point is, I assessed my situation and am doing something to change it - painful though parts of it might be. It beats sitting around *****ing and whining about it

Vent away D. Your career choice is noble. Your bad days have something my bad days don't. Excitement.

Never a boring day. I'd take that anytime.

In stressful jobs where you see the worst of humanity an outlet is important. I hope you have a good several of them.

Sorry if I came across as being smug.

I've done all the things you mentioned. I've had the big house, the car payments, private school tuitions, worked 16 hours a day, etc, etc. At one point, I had $17K a month in overhead. And that was in year 2000 dollars.

12 or so years ago, I decided I didn't want to work 16 hours a day, doing one multimedia/3D animation project at a time for a paycheck, and decided to do something about it. I did that. I believe everyone can do that. People have enormous resources inside them, but it takes a lot of risk. Its not for everyone, but the payoff is huge.

I drag my MacBook around with me these days, and work about a half hour to an hour a day to keep everyone happy. Its a living :)

Again, sorry for being insensitive.

Stay safe in "South Los Angeles".

My day started at 5:15 this morning by having to do company wide inventory at the autoparts factory. I was home by 1:00, then pulled the well pump lines in preparation of changing from a indoor loud jetpump to a quiet submersible pump. After that I went with my wife to two job sites about 40 miles away from each other....that was OK because we took her convertible BMW 325Ci on beautiful sunny day. Finishing it off with warm homemade cookies with homemade ice cream.

Holy cow...1/2-1 hour/day? Sweet! I gotta get one of those MacBooks!!!!

SmileWavy

I listen to the stories of ***** and moan and enjoy and compare them to my own. It makes my work seem tolerable.
I envy those who can quit and charge into the unknown. I am just not wired that way.
I am of the mindset that what I am doing will get me to a place where I can do what I want and not worry about money. A few more years and I should be there.

David - I think you are fully entitled to vent and complain. Thank you for making such a difficult job your life's work.

Sorry to hear that your wife wasn't more sympathetic but a difficult profession can be hard for both. It sounds like you got into law enforcement for the right reasons and people should be respectful and grateful.

Seahawk, my son is doing well. He still plans on joining the military, but I strongly suggested he earn his Bachelor's Degree first. That way he can enter as a commissioned officer. He is also talking about signing with the CIA. Who knows? As long as he progresses forward with his education, I am fine with whatever decision he makes. Thank you for asking my friend!

For those who say, "That's what you signed up for" or "That's part of your job" or whatever your opinion, you have no clue. None of us know what the job requires and the things we will encounter before going into the profession. We all realize our lives are on the line, but the vast majority of us truly want to help the community.

The standards I hold my crew to are well above Department standards. If they don't comply, they have to see me directly! I do not put up with my crew treating the public unprofessionally. I always tell them to treat the person on the call with the same respect they would treat their mother, sister, girlfriend, boyfriend, or child with.

I am in a command position now and constantly train tactics with the crew. Last week I presented a tactical nightmare problem to the crew complete with gangsters shooting at us, gsvs, and drts. The crew discussed how to handle the chaos in a firm, yet fair way, and ensured we would get medical aid for those very gangsters who were trying to kill us, should we have shot them. I was very impressed with their professionalism!

We all have bad days, some worse than others. Most days are good though! Rock on.....

Very cool. My son Jack will get his commission next year as an Army butter bar...he is going Infantry. He gets home from VMI Wednesday for his last summer at the farm.

I have plans for him...:D

All the best and it looks like you guys had a lot of fun at Hugh's!

When they changed the name from South Central (too negative) to South Los Angeles, I heard crime dropped 25%. Now I hear they want to change it to SOLA, which should be good for a 50% drop at the least! ;)

Nice meeting you and Alexander yesterday, if anything you've succeeded in raising a fine son. Thanks for the job you do and stay safe! SmileWavy

Hay Dave, you can vent all you want. I'll listen.

BTW be careful with the CIA.
They trend to "over-promise" if you know what I mean.

"oh sure, just go through our mentoring program and intern every summer, we'll make sure you get a good domestic placement upon graduation."

"Oh did we say domestic? Well libya is domestic once you've lived there long enough ......"