The Random Talk About Nothing Thread

[Fatman X. Jones]

So I started a new job recently. I'm a bathroom custodian at a local high school just a forty-five minute drive away from my house. It's an interesting, if messy and filthy, job. Hours are good too, five days a week, and I work the night shift so I don't have to bother with students in the way much after a while.

[Mikéy]

Is the pay a bit better than the older job? It looks like the distance is about the same, as well as the duties.

[Bean]

Being the genius I am, I wound up hurting my shoulder from a combination of a workout and having to lift some stuff around the place. Been nursing it the last week. Luckily, it feels like it's getting better. Just not going to push it until I feel ready.

[Fatman X. Jones]

The pay is much better, Mikey. Before, I was making $7.25 an hour, now I'm making $8. That's a big leap for me.

In tech news, Amazon just launched a new system for adding cash to your Amazon gift card balance. AmazonCash allows you to generate a barcode that you can scan at select retailers starting today to add any amount, from $15 to $500, to your gift card balance on the website. Starting retailers include, among others, CVS Pharmacy and Speedway convenience stores.

How do you peeps feel about this?

[Dashe]

I'm not entirely sure what this is. Do you just buy a barcode on Amazon using money from your bank and then you can use it like a gift card?

[Chiz]

Sounds great to me. Since I don't have a credit card, adding funds to Amazon has always been a real pain in the ass. If I could print out a barcode, take it to my local pharmacy, "buy" it for an arbitrary amount with cash, and then have that arbitrary amount appear in my Amazon Wallet, I'd probably become destitute a lot faster.

...on second thought, this doesn't bode well for my finances.

...of course, it's US only, so I have nothing to worry about. Huzzah.

[Fatman X. Jones]

Apr 4, 2017 12:28:09 GMT -5 Dashe said:

I'm not entirely sure what this is. Do you just buy a barcode on Amazon using money from your bank and then you can use it like a gift card?

The way it works is, your Amazon balance has a barcode you can put on your phone (provided you have an Android or iOS phone) or print out. By taking this barcode to a place like, say, CVS Pharmacy, you could have it scanned at the register by a cashier, and then pay the amount you want credited to your Amazon balance. In other words, the barcode works like a pay-what-you-want Amazon gift card barcode, only you can use it without purchasing a physical card.

It's mainly just so you can alleviate the pain of not finding Amazon gift cards anywhere. Since there's so many CVS Pharmacy or Speedway stores in the US, it's basically a way to always be able to put money on your gift card balance.

[Bean]

Shoulder's feeling a bit better, but I think I've got a few weeks left at the very least of babying it. Well, it's giving me time to get in some cardio again, and that always makes me feel more alive.

[MegaTuga]

So I got my surgery scheduled. It's my fourth now. Well before i was all worried but now it seems like it's part of the norm. I don't think I need to elaborate but all you need to know it's that it's on my lower back and I cannot sit well or lie on bed facing up.

Back then I made use of my time playing games on my laptop that don't require too much interaction like visual novels (and I have a HUUUGE backlog of those as well as a couple books to read) so I'm never bored. Thing is that my sister is doing a course and she's being required to have a personal computer todo work with. She doesn't have one and she often requests me to let her use my laptop which I don't mind. I created a guest account so it's all cool but now it seems that she's going to need my laptop even more and even bring it with her to classes... I don't know. Even if I made a guest account and I'm currently trying to make sure I cut access to certain things (like steam, games, anime, movies among other stuff) it doesn't help to make me feel exposed. But I know that she needs it more than I do.
...
Maybe i'm overreacting a bit but I felt like venting for a while. hope I didn't bother.

[Dashe]

It's all good, Tuga. I'd be mad if I couldn't move and had to give up my laptop constantly.

[Bean]

Good luck on the surgery, MegaTuga.

[Fatman X. Jones]

Well, today I finish my... *checks calendar* eleventh week at this new job. Barring one incident of leaving early and putting the wrong time on my timesheet, everything's working out fine. I've got three weeks, maybe, left of work at this job, then I've got to find a new job over the summer. I'm really getting into the swing of things there.

Hope your surgery went well, Tuga!

[MegaTuga]

The surgery is scheduled next thursday. Apparently my mother pulled some tears to a nurse working there who sneaked a date for mine. She doesn't admit it though but I'm pretty sure she did that, it's not the first time my mother does some pity work in a hospital.

In another news, apparently today's a holyday because everything is closed due to the Pope visiting. I'm not all pleased with that to be honest but it is a celebration of the centenary of a fabled miracle that occurred here. Not going to say much because it's a long story and I'm sure not many of you guys are that religious to care. Just wish that they wouldn't put so much effort into it. I bet the place is swarming with people right now.

[Dashe]

I dunno, I'd be interested in hearing about it. Festivals around the world and their significance to people, that's interesting stuff. Where I grew up there was a festival where, every year, I'd harass my sister's girl scout troop on this day called "World Thinking Day," which would usually occur in a local school gym. After the hazing, they'd give us free food and prance about on a stage reciting Wikipedia entries about foreign countries and dancing and stuff. Honestly, it's more fun for kids who aren't Girl Scouts, I'd say, especially because they didn't use the festival to recruit new members. We'd get to hoard food under the bleachers like a sketchy gang.

I'm sure there would be someone recruiting for the Girl Scouts if the festival still takes place, but everyone I know with kids in Girl Scouts has no idea what I'm talking about whenever I ask about it. I think I looked forward to that festival way more than the cookies. It must have worked because hearing about other cultures' festivals and holidays is nostalgically fascinating now.

Maybe afterward, I'll go steal free samples from Costco and eat it under some bleachers.

[MegaTuga]

Alright so I had my surgery. It felt like hell. Only yesterday I felt better enough to do something other than lying down on my stomach. I've been playing Guacamellee which I've already beat before but Steam said no to previous save data. Ah well. I can somewhat enjoy playing it until my arms go numb from holding me and the controller when on the bed.

All that pitifulness aside I'm feeling better now. it's going to take some time to heal and in the meantime all I can do is either lie on the bed/couch or stand up. Sitting is too much painful to keep for long periods of time so it's interesting to eat meals with a stool on top of the dining table so that it has enough height, haha.

The sad part is that typing and using the mouse on my laptop proves to be nearly impossible on the long run. I can at least write this but I have to take a break every now and then since I can't find a good position to keep a good typing rythm. So as far as being entertained it's either watching videos, laying some less stressful games or read books and visual novels which I have a HUGE backlog of ready to take on.
Higurashi chapter 2 might be my first one to tackle. I did chapter 1 last year when I was in this condition as well, maybe I will make that a tradition.