The Venting Thread

[mamselle]

Report them, then.

Iatrogenic infection is not without consequences and is actionable.

M.

[marshwiggle]

Report them, then.

Iatrogenic infection is not without consequences and is actionable.

M.

I think the point is here:

Aide has many other good qualities, been with my mother for years, cannot easily or quickly replace her.

If bringing down consequences on the worker makes her leave, then you're potentially left with an even bigger problem.

[the_geneticist]

Dear Blackboard,
It's great that you setup your system to allow extended time on quizzes and assignments for individual students.  After all, ADA requires that we do so.

Why, however, haven't you set it up so that I can select the student and extend ALL their quizzes in one screen rather than forcing me to do it individually for each quiz.

No love.

FishProf

Yes, this is a major and obvious failing. I don't think Canvas is any better.

Yep. This is a pain in the ass.

It is such a pain this year b/c I KNOW I have at least 3 students, each with a different accommodation time.  The class in question has 78 items I need to open, adjust for each student and close.  My above complain about ADA exacerbates this because I don't want to do it AGAIN when someone delivers their late accommodation letter.

Can you get someone from the accommodations office to do this for you? 
Add them as a "course builder" or whatever it's called.

[poiuy]

Report them, then.

Iatrogenic infection is not without consequences and is actionable.

M.

There is no reporting mechanism. Privately hired, not through any agency. 

I think the point is here:

Aide has many other good qualities, been with my mother for years, cannot easily or quickly replace her.

If bringing down consequences on the worker makes her leave, then you're potentially left with an even bigger problem.

Yes, this is very true. This person's myriad good qualities, including kindness and gentleness, honesty, reliability, long familiarity, many caregiving skills, etc. plus deep mutual attachment, are set against this one very serious incident, and cannot be replicated.  This woman is like a member of the family - something often said in cliche but true in this case.

I also blame myself for not stomping my foot down hard, right at aide's first sniffle, to isolate herself, test, and consistently mask. I did make requests that were delayed or very inconsistently followed. 

My power to stomp foot is limited - not my employee -  as long as my mother was wishy washy. We should all have done better. My mother is herself a scientist FCOL! But age and poor health have taken their toll.

[AmLitHist]

Sending good wishes, Poiuy. We went through some similar issues with Mom years ago (re: who she liked/wanted to use vs. my opinions).  I hope all are well soon!

My vent:  I had a car wreck Saturday evening. I could kick myself:  my 2012 Malibu looked like brand new, seriously.  We kept up the maintenance faithfully, it ran like a champ, and now--probably totaled. I made a left turn onto the country road to Kid #1's house; had to cross an oncoming lane of a state highway. I looked and saw nothing, then glanced at a Hummer coming out of the country road I was going to enter.  The Hummer was rolling at the stop sign, so I guess I gave him a second look to be sure he wasn't going to take off and hit me in the door; I looked again to the front, saw nothing, and almost made it across the lane.  Then, brakes squealed, and bam.  There's just enough of a rise on that curve, that I guess I didn't see him when I looked. I ended up spun around 180 degrees, with all sorts of people around asking if I was OK.

Luckily, the young guy who hit me was nice about it and didn't go into road rage. He wasn't hurt. His right front bumper and headlight got trashed, but otherwise the car looked OK. He caught me in the back right tire and a bit of the door.  The axle and rear end are trashed--non-driveable, and again, they'll probably total it, since my car has 212,000 miles on it.

I filed an online claim, so it'll take til tomorrow (what with the Labor Day weekend) to get an adjuster and a rental.  I'm so mad at myself I could scream. It's not like I wasn't paying attention or I tried to beat him across the lane; I just honestly didn't see him. At least I didn't get a ticket, which I probably deserved. It's known as a bad intersection, so that's probably why I didn't.

I didn't go to the ER (I hate the local hospital and wouldn't take a dog to them). Somehow I scuffed my knee on something, but that seat belt held me. In the process, I got a huge Technicolor bruise and a lot of trauma across my chest and side.  I'm going to the doctor tomorrow just so she can see and get x-rays if she wants. Mainly I'm just "stove up good," as my grandpa used to call it--achy and sore. 

TL; DR:  trashed my car, but no major injuries for anyone.  That's why they call it "an accident," I know.  Still...

Also:  I've driven 100 miles round-trip to grad school and work since 1997, and the only two wrecks I've ever had have been here in Podunk.  Figures.

[mamselle]

Glad to hear you're not more severely injured, but if I recall aright, you drive a LOT for school--or maybe not, if you're teaching online, now, anymore?

But will the insurance cover a new car given the age, mileage, etc. on the totaled one?

That also seems worrisome....blue book values dip a good deal over time as well.

I hope it get works out....seriously upsetting, in all cases.

All good thoughts.

M.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

ALH:

Damn, sorry to hear about your car. That sucks. I'm glad that you and the other person were not seriously injured.

[poiuy]

ALH:  So sorry about your accident, and the end of the road for a loved and reliable car.  Glad no one was seriously injured and hope that your bumps and bruises are superficial and go away quickly without lingering ill effects.

[Parasaurolophus]

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurgh.

That is all.

[mamselle]

Sending three friendly pterodactyls to help you with your dilemma.

M.

[paultuttle]

ALH:  So sorry about your accident, and the end of the road for a loved and reliable car.  Glad no one was seriously injured and hope that your bumps and bruises are superficial and go away quickly without lingering ill effects.

Ditto. And make sure you have doctors check your neck and back for whiplash-related injuries.

[AmLitHist]

Thanks for the good wishes, everyone.  My GP was right:  things will hurt worse before they feel better. (The night-of and day-after weren't bad; here, on Day 5. . .  OW!)

I got checked by the doctor late Tuesday, and got x-rayed yesterday. No breaks or fractures, but there is curvature in the mid- and upper spine that wasn't there in a recent film taken for a different reason. There may be PT in my future, but things need to settle down and heal a bit before we do that. 

I'm reminded of Steven Wright saying they should build airplanes out of the material they use for the black boxes.  Chevy should build their cars out of the stuff they make the seat belts out of:  I'm proof that that material doesn't have any "give" to it (which is a good thing, I know, but OW).

[apl68]

Now experiencing daily trouble with what appears to be plantar fasciitis in my right foot.  I can still walk or ride a bicycle for hours, but when I stand up after sitting at my desk for a good while I find myself limping for a bit before the foot feels okay to go again.  I've tried different shoes.  What seems to help best is slipping out of my shoes as much as possible while at work.

I've also just begun wearing a mouth guard that I got from the dentist to try to keep me from grinding my teeth all night long.  Last night I slept fine with it.  I hope it helps with the jaw trouble.  They've been offering to make a mouth appliance for me for years.  I finally decided that the jaw trouble was serious enough to try it.

[downer]

Now experiencing daily trouble with what appears to be plantar fasciitis in my right foot.  I can still walk or ride a bicycle for hours, but when I stand up after sitting at my desk for a good while I find myself limping for a bit before the foot feels okay to go again.  I've tried different shoes.  What seems to help best is slipping out of my shoes as much as possible while at work.

I know people with plantar fasciitis and they don't have that symptom.
I have that symptom and I'm not sure what it is. It occurs mostly after running for me. I think it is inflamed tendons. I find an occasional ibuprofen helps, not just with the pain but with the inflammation. I also take turmeric regularly now.

[clean]

I can not sleep without a mouth guard!  I hope that you get used to it soon.  They do help.  Not that you will stop grinding, you wont.  But it gives you something to chew on without grinding down your teeth.

I also have had the foot issues and I highly recommend seeing a visit to a podiatrist.  I have worn orthotics for years now, and they have solved the problem

Getting old!  Lets doctors have something to practice on!


As for drugs... Aleve /Naproxen (2) work best for me (at least before they put me on eliquis - a blood thinner).  In the olden days when I suffered from Back Spasms, 2 Aleve worked about as well as 2.5 (1/2) a Hydrocodone and didnt have the side effects of making me stupid.