#and don't have to go to the pharmacy over and over especially bc who knows what new things i'm gonna have to take for my joints lol

[autumnrory]

had to go somewhere besides work every day last week (all minor but still annoying when you're me) and went somewhere one day of the weekend and have yet another pointless doctor's appointment on wednesday and i'm planning to see barbie sunday and based on the timing of when i finish my book i would have to go to the library on saturday UNLESS i wanna pick something else to read that i can get in an ebook it is simply too many tasks for me

[hungarianmudkip69]

actually im thinking abt it now so here's a post

Tips for Actually Fucking Getting Your ADHD Medication!!!!!

First of all, some notes:

a) I was diagnosed and started my medication when I was very small. So unfortunately I cannot offer advice about getting prescribed your medication! only getting the medication you are already prescribed. I literally don't remember a time before I was taking my meds.

b) I take specifically Concerta! While I think these should be applicable to other medications as well, that's something I felt like I should be upfront with.

c) I live in the US. I don't actually know how much of this would apply to other countries. Maybe some of it? But this is specifically about the US healthcare system.

This is going to be a bit long bc I am, of course, ADHD, so I'll put it under a cut.

This post will cover two scenarios: My Medication Is Usually Covered, But This Time It's Not/Costs More Than Usual and The Pharmacy Is Out Of My Fucking Medication!!!!

I would appreciate reblogs even if you aren't ADHD to get this info to people who need it, especially with another shortage seemingly starting!

I've got a couple different situations to cover, starting with:

My Medication Is Usually Covered, But The Pharmacy Says This Time It's Not/Costs Way More Than Usual

ok this is going to be so so hard but this is what you're going to have to do:

Call your health insurance.

Every time this has happened to me, it hasn't actually not been covered, it was the pharmacy fucking something up while checking coverage.

When you get through to a rep, you're going to say this:

"Hi, my name is [name.] I was trying to get my ADHD medication from my pharmacy, but they said it's not covered, which is weird because my prescription hasn't changed and it's been covered before. I'd like to know what's going on."

If you're upset, don't feel bad about not being able to hide it. Gotta be honest, I've gotten the quickest help when I started crying on the phone...

What usually happens with my medication is that it's made by multiple manufacturers, and the insurance only covers some of them. If the pharmacy only checked one manufacturer and it wasn't covered, sometimes they don't bother to check others, and tell me that my meds aren't covered.

Even if it's not that, it is far more likely that your pharmacy fucked up than that your insurance coverage changed. I once got quoted ALMOST SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS for 30 days of my medication. It turned out to be a pharmacy error.

Health insurance companies may be out to fuck you over, but the people at the customer service phones are there to help you. Let them help you get your meds covered if the pharmacy won't. I once had an incredible rep who even called the pharmacy herself to make sure they ran my meds properly and started filling them while I was still on the call. Let them help you! They want to!

The Pharmacy Is Out Of My Fucking Medication!!!!

This is the problem that I was having at the end of last year which was fucking hell for me to deal with.

Some useful background for this section:

There are multiple different ratings of generics for a drug. For my explanation, we'll use Concerta. This explanation may not be entirely accurate as I am not trained in this stuff! But it is what my dad learned and explained to me while we were navigating the shortage.

Concerta is extended-release methylphenidate, but the unique thing about it is the release mechanism. It has a little hole in the end and a tiny sponge in it. Over time the sponge absorbs stomach acid and expands, pushing the medication out at a consistent rate.

There is a generic with this same sponge release mechanism! It is what is called an "AB rated" generic for Concerta because it is proven to have the exact same therapeutic effects as brand name Concerta. Insurance covers AB generics! Yay!

Extended release Ritalin is the same drug and the same dosage, but it simply dissolves in your stomach over time so it doesn't release as consistently as Concerta. It is a "Bx rated" generic. At least in my experience, insurance will not cover this without a special exemption from your doctor. This is usually a good thing, because it means your pharmacy can't just give you a Bx instead of an AB without your knowledge. During a shortage? Not so much.

So you have been informed by your pharmacy that they do not have the generic covered by your insurance. Here is what you're going to do.

1) Freak out a little bit. This is normal. Medication is important and you're not getting it. Let yourself work through it, then calm down because there Are Things You Can Do!!! Take your phone with you when you lie on the ground and cry, that way once you're done you don't have to get up to work on solving it. Getting up is hard.

2) Call your pharmacy and other pharmacies in the area. You want to find out a few things:

2.1) Do other pharmacies in the area have the generic your insurance covers? If so, you can call your doctor and ask them to send your prescription to that pharmacy instead.

2.2) What potential alternatives do they have? Ask if they have the brand name in stock (during the height of the shortage, both pharmacies my family used almost always had the brand name but not the AB generic) and if they have other generics your insurance doesn't cover. Take notes!

2.3) "Do you know what the process would be for getting one of those alternatives covered?" They may not, or they may tell you exactly what you need to do.

3) Call your insurance. Explain your situation to them, and ask them about ways to get your medication covered. I take 72mg total, and when the shortage started I was taking one each of 54mg and 18mg generic pills - by talking to the insurance, I found out that I could switch to two 36mg brand name pills without paying any more. However, this didn't help for my parents or for the times the pharmacy was out of the brand name as well. So here's the more important part: There are ways for you to get your doctor to apply to get them prescribing you an alternate generic approved. The insurance rep can describe this process to you. Take notes to get ready for the next step:

4) Call your doctor's office. Explain your situation, again, and explain that you called the insurance and they told you you need the doctor to do this thing. Ask when you can expect it to go through. Explain how you've been without your meds and it's awful and please you understand that there might not be anything they can do but anything they can do to fast track it would be incredible. Be polite, but don't be afraid to expose how badly you need this. I find it helps. Just be honest.

5) Treat yourself. This is stressful and it's a lot of phone calls, which are hard, especially if you don't have your meds. Give yourself a little treat and it will help your reward-motivated ADHD brain feel better about having to do that shit. Legitimately, my therapist told me to give myself a little treat every time I call the doctor. It's an important step.

6) Follow up. If it's past when you were supposed to get news or have your meds, call and ask for an update. Don't be afraid to be proactive in finding out the exact status of your meds. Just be polite and kind and phone reps are generally happy to help.

I genuinely hope you never need this advice. I also hope that if you do, it helps. These are just my personal experiences, so please also feel free to add any of your own tips to this post.

[golbrocklovely]

What happened yesterday (if it's not too personal to ask)? Not trying to be nosy or anything, just offering a sympathetic ear - or eyes, I guess- for venting.

i'll share a little bit just bc i need to talk to someone that isn't my family (since they're the story).

and by a little i guess i mean the entire thing lol

this is sincerely, extremely long. i don't really expect you to write anything back - especially with how much shit happens in this story. but thanks for lending your ear. i honestly needed to talk this out.

my mom has chronic pain, on top of heart problems, anxiety, and needing sleeping pills. her primary doctor is out for a month or so, so they had someone else fill in. this guy is a complete and utter dickbag. first off, he doesn't "believe" in anxiety medications and argued with my mom about whether or not she even needs to take them. and then he said that he wanted to wane her off of them slowly bc he doesn't want her on them.

mind you, he is only filling in for her primary doctor.

so he was supposed to fill the scripts on tuesday. she calls, he never sent them to her pharmacy, but said "oh by friday you'll get them." mind you, she was already out of her medicine by tuesday.

my mom, for a couple months now, has been taking advil pms when shit like this happens (usually bc the pharmacy has fucked up tho bc her actual primary doctor is a really good one) bc they somewhat help her sleep (and don't really do anything for her pain, but that's not surprising). for the past couple days, she has been anxious as hell, ready to fly off the wagon at any second, and hasn't been getting much sleep.

she also is disabled, so her ability to walk is very small. she's can't walk far and usually at night falls a lot bc her balance isn't fantastic at night, especially after just waking up.

friday morning, around 4 am, i heard a loud bang come from her room. i heard her door open first and then the bang, so i thought at first maybe the dogs had to go out since they sleep in her room, and then she just accidentally fell or knocked something over.

both me and my brother found her, and she was completely out of it. she didn't know who we were, who she was, what the dogs' name were, and she was riving in pain. we thought we would have to call 911. miraculously, she snapped back to reality. or at least somewhat. we have now chalked this up to her most likely sleep walking (which is something she's never done).

but the rest of the day was not good. first off, from wednesday - friday around 12 pm, my mom had maybe slept collectively 10 hours, if that. that's being extremely generous on my end. after everything that happened at 4-5am on friday, i stayed with her until 6ish and then went back to sleep. i woke up to my brother yelling at her bc it was 12 and she had not slept. he was telling her that we needed to take her to the hospital.

and it was like that the whole day until 4 pm.

not only was she just not sleeping, we believe now that she took too many advil pms (bc of how exhausted she was) and it snapped something in her brain. that piled on top of her anxiety, her chronic pain, her breathing (which is also an issue) being bad for a couple weeks now, and about a million other things on her mind caused this break to happen. this was all keeping her awake. bc when she spoke, she wasn't making complete sense. like she could hold a conversation, she wasn't slurring her words, but she would go on tangents and loop back to certain talking points, regardless of what we were talking about.

like my mom was on oxy for a long time. didn't abuse it, but around the time of my father getting sicker, her doctors were taking her off of it after having her on such a high dose. but that was four years ago, and she was bringing it up yesterday. she kept talking about how it was an addiction and that she doesn't even believe she was actually in pain, she was just addicted to the pills. she also talked really badly about herself, which i won't get into.

now i need anyone reading this to understand: my mom is not an addict. she was prescribed pills that she never abused for 20 years. she has chronic pain, and will have chronic pain the rest of her life. i've seen her fall to the ground from pain, i've heard her cry out in the middle of the night. she's not making it up. there are way too many times i have seen her cry after going to doctors begging to not be on pills anymore bc they weren't working anymore. she doesn't want to live this way, but this is just reality. i have seen the way she has been abused by doctors that don't care, have no time for her, and just see her as an addict bc she was on oxy for so long. anytime she has mentioned about wanting something for pain, they act as if she's begging for pills bc she's a druggie. SHE PHYSICALLY CANNOT WALK FAR BUT THEY THINK SHE IS DOING THIS ALL FOR PILLS. she got discharged from a hospital years go after falling down the fucking stairs bc they saw she was taking oxy and just thought she was a druggie when in reality it was a combo of some medication that was doing it to her - which she was PRESCRIBED. she had a doctor that was giving her shots in her back (which is another thing that has been damaged in her body) that said to her "if i was you with all this pain and taking all these pills, i would have just killed myself. why do you stick around?"

but for some reason yesterday, all of her insecurities and all of the shittiest things my mom has been told over the years came to the surface and she fully believed them. it wasn't just about the pills either, it was about herself and her personal worth too.

and on top of all of that, she just wouldn't go to sleep. and she couldn't tell how much time had passed. she would lay down for not even five minutes, shoot right back up, and think hours had gone by. that's why we were ready to take her to the hospital if she couldn't sleep.

but finally at 4 pm, she went to sleep. and slept until midnight. she barely moved the whole night and we kept checking on her to make sure she was breathing. my brother fell asleep around 10ish, i woke her up at 12, and we talked for a bit. she didn't really remember what had happened friday.

which brings us into today. she's a lot more coherent. but her frame of reference is completely off. the things she did on tuesday she thinks of as a week ago. she doesn't remember talking to certain ppl on the phone that she did on wednesday, she feels like everything we tell her that happened yesterday happened in a dream. we'll ask her what she remembers, she doesn't know much, but when we tell her certain things she goes "oh yeah i remember that". she's not completely better, but she's way more coherent than yesterday.

me and my brother have no clue what happened. we don't know if it was a psychic break, psychosis, withdrawals from her medicines, taking too many advil pms without realizing it, lack of sleep, delirium, the starting signs of dementia, everything and then some - we're not sure. we're keeping an eye on her, and if anything seems worse, we're taking her to the hospital. but so far it feels like things are okay.

just bc this is something else i want to say - not too long ago they had her on xanax. which mind you, for someone her age, basically melts your fucking brain and liver. and for a while there when she was taking them, she was somewhat like this until she finally got this primary doctor who took her off of them bc she knew better than the psychologist or whoever that prescribing them to her. and also, in case anyone reading this is curious as to why we didn't just take her to the hospital: first off, she didn't want to go, and we would rather not take an ambulance which won't take her to the hospital she likes and then on top of that is $1000+ we don't really have to spend. second, we are not doing the best financially so the fewer hospital visits the better. third, we know that bc it was about to be the weekend, unless she was literally dying, all they would do is put her in a room and not do anything to help her until monday bc that's happened before.

if you're wondering how i'm feeling: i'm completely drained. i more defeated than anything else. i hate situations where i feel completely helpless in, and this was and continues to be one of them. i just want my mom back. i want her to be okay, and i'm so tired of her having to go thru shit like this with her fucking doctors. do they not realize they are taking her life in their hands when they act this way?? my brother is about ready to kill this guy, and i mean that very seriously. bc this asshole doesn't """""believe""""" in a medicine my mom takes, he almost fucking broke her brain. and i pray that this is just a fluke and not a permanent problem. bc if it is, i'm taking every single dime this man owns, and i mean it.

i just want things to go back to normal. to even 48 hours ago at this point. things were okay. or at least a certain stress level i'm used to. but the idea of losing my mom rn… i won't be able to manage it.

it really is always one step forward and 12 steps back.

[eyeoftheaxolotl]

another important time of year to know about that begins in june is hurricane season.

if you live in an at-risk area, make sure you have all the supplies you need. i live in miami, so you bet your ass we're getting all the batteries, non-perishables, emergency supplies, etc. that we need.

do not wait until a storm is approaching to prepare. panic may ensue after a storm is announced. items may become hard to find. get them now while there is not much going on.

here's a list of items to stock up on. ill also put it here bc if you dont read any of the links from this post i want to be sure you at least read this. this is (in no particular order) the list from Ready, the site NOAA has linked:

water. Ready recommends a gallon per person per day for several days; get what you can. be sure you also have water for pets if you have them.

food. have several days' worth of non-perishable food. again, be sure to get food for pets as well if needed. if the food is in cans, make sure you've got some way of opening them, i.e. manual can opener. dont rely on an electronic can opener. (optionally, extra plates, utensils, etc.)

radio, etc. ESPECIALLY if you're in a risk zone, your power can go out so fast. so can cell service, etc. know which devices work without power, which require a charger, and which can work without internet.

flashlight. generally a good thing to have anyway. harbor freight has rly bright ones for cheap, theyre by the front counter

first aid kit. again, generally a good thing to have in or out of hurricane season.

covid preventative measures. especially if you're living with other people — you may end up in close quarters for days at a time or longer, and that's gonna get really bad really fast if you don't have some way to ward off the virus

MEDICATIONS!!!! i can say from experience that hurricanes and even just storm surges have a very real chance of messing up your ability to get your prescription. all it takes is a power outage and the pharmacy to be like oh :( sorry cant give u ur meds now :( computer isnt working :( and you can get screwed so easily. also, check up on your supplies of any over-the-counter stuff you may need to use, especially if regularly (for example, ibuprofen and similar that might be needed for menstrual cramps)

menstrual products (pads, tampons, etc.). you will want to have enough of these for a while. make sure to account for anyone else you're living with who needs them too.

baby care products. Ready specifically lists formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, and diaper rash cream.

diversions for kids. Ready lists this too, and i can say from experience — being trapped inside without power during a hurricane as a kid is not only terrifying, but also boring as all hell. you don't really understand what the adults are talking about, you just know that you're possibly in danger and that your games arent working because of it, and it sucks. i highly recommend legos, but even a silly board game can be enough for a couple hours.

batteries. yes okay sure maybe you have batteries. but please double-check — are they the right kind? do you have enough for the things you may need to use them for? also keep track of batteries for devices such as hearing aids, which you are less likely to be able to find batteries for from a neighbor

whistle to signal for help. you can get em for like 3-4 bucks

dust mask for contaminated air. i tried to find whether this can be a covid mask, but no dice. lmk if you know! in the absence of any evidence that the two are completely interchangeable, i would recommend to get a separate dust mask just in case. harbor freight sells em in packs of 10 for 3-4 bucks. also keep in mind that not all dust masks are designed for use against covid

plastic sheeting and duct tape. this one is to seal up the walls in case of danger outside — here's how to do it. (Look at the section titled "Sheltering in place".)

wet wipes, garbage bags, plastic ties

wrench or pliers to turn off utilities. here's how to do it. be sure you know which tools can be used for what BEFORE you have to go do it yourself. while you're at it, check if you've got any tools you need to repair damage to mobility aids, etc.

maps of the area. if you dont know your area, if you're dorming or rooming and don't know what's around, whatever your situation — trust me, you do not want to have to rely on an electronic device to get to where you need to be. know what you're looking for in advance if possible.

phone, charger, etc.

other important supplies based on what you might need:

glasses + lens solution. once again, this is pretty much just a thing that's generally good to have. but also remember that a lens wipe can only do so much if your glasses are covered in large particles or particles in a large amount

cash, important documents, etc. preferably in a waterproof container. Ready specifically lists insurance policies, identification and bank account records.

blanket or sleeping bag for each person. yet another instance of something that is generally good to have.

full change of clothing + shoes. if you can get good, sturdy shoes — great. but if you have a pair of extra shoes, that's fine too.

fire extinguisher. i'll be honest — i've never included this in the kit, and i don't have one, but Ready lists it as an item some people might need. idk. if you feel like you might need one, you can look into it — they do seem to be among the pricier items on the list, though.

this list will show you your evacuation zone if you live in the eastern/southern US:

this shows flooding zones in the US and Puerto Rico:

please feel free to add on any other resources you know of!

[landoncrris]

Good enough - Mason Mount x Reader

In which Mason comes home after a particularly frustrating match - based on yesterdays match against Brighton

Notes: I wrote this in the middle of the night so idk what i wrote tbh, also, it’s not proofread but i still wanted to post it + it’s my first time writing so pls have mercy bc i’m actually really scared to post this but whatever

Warnings: swear words, mention of crying, english is not my first language

Word count: 1.2k

You were forced to stay at home for a while because you got the flu and felt like you had been hit by a bus. Still, you couldn't have asked for anyone better to share your home with. Mason did everything he could to make you feel better, starting with staying home as long as he could and binge-watching every show you wanted. He also cooked for you at least once a day, drove to the pharmacy for you and got you almost everything they had to make you feel better, and he made sure that whenever he wasn't there, someone was there to keep you company.

Unable to support Mason from Stamford Bridge, you were now sitting in your living room waiting for the game to start. His parents offered you to come along so you wouldn't be alone and they could make sure you were okay while their son was away. As sweet as his mother is, she also made you a soup that she used to make for her children when they were younger and sick, swearing that it worked wonders.

The game wasn't that good though, it ended 1-1, with Brighton scoring in the last 5 minutes, you knew Mason would be really frustrated about that. Especially because he created - or had so many chances - but couldn't get the ball in, and of course the fact that Chelsea are not at their best at the moment because so many important players are out.

When you heard the front door open almost two hours later, you knew he was in an even worse mood than you thought, because he didn‘t come into the living room to greet his parents - or you. Instead, you heard him going up the stairs, which you shrugged of by saying that he probably just wanted to change quickly or go to the toilet.

When he didn‘t show up after a while, you decided to go and check on him. When you entered the bedroom, you saw him sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands.

”Mase?“ you said quietly, whereupon he lifted his head to look at you, and that's when you saw the slightly reddened and tear-soaked eyes, so you crouched down beside him on the floor and put your hands on his legs. “Hey, what's wrong?”

“I actually don't really know, I'm just so fucking tired of all this shit,” he sighed, looking down at the floor, unable to bear to look you in the eye. You put your hands on his cheeks and try to comfort him, but he won't let you, gets up and walks around the room a few times because he obviously needs to get rid of his anger first.

“Fucking hell. You know, I'm really trying my best and it's just not working for me, those last goals are really great of course but they aren’t important, they didn't matter because we lost anyway and I feel like I'm the only one in this goddamn team who's really trying to play for the team sometimes and not for himself and yet there are fans talking shit about me and saying how much I suck even though I'm doing everything I can,” he said, his voice getting louder until he huffed and buried his face in his hands and leaned back against the wall as you got up again and went over to him.

“I just want to be good, Y/N/N, I just want to be good enough for the team,” he murmured against his hands, but you still heard his voice break at the end and a slight sob escaped his lips. Quickly you put your arms around his torso to test the waters further. When he didn't push you away or walked away as he had done a few moments ago, you hugged him and just wanted to hold him and comfort him as best you could.

When he didn't return the hug, you looked up at him and took a hand that was hugging him to take his hands that were still on his face and held them both in one of your hands close to your chest. You kissed the backs of both his hands before giving him a kiss on the cheek and right under his eye where some tears were still flowing. Then you let his hands fall back to his sides and put yours on the back of his neck to really look into his eyes and see the hurt in them.

“Mason, you're amazing. I'm not saying that because I'm your girlfriend, but because any true fan knows how important you are to the team,” you said softly, feeling his hands slowly move around your waist to your back, pressing you closer to his chest, and seeing a small, appreciative smile on his lips.

“There are always difficult times, but look at you, it's so important that you don't give up and still give your best, and that's what you're doing. By the way, I don't think your goals were for nothing, they showed that you are there, that the team can count on you, what the defence is doing is absolutely not your fault. So who are these people who are saying something bad about you? They don't know anything, they just want to blame somebody, they are not even real fans. So whoever is saying shit about you can suck my dick.” That made him let out a breathy laugh and your words stopped his tears, and even though your words weren't the most encouraging, the fact that you tried was enough to calm him down a little.

“Thank you, love. You're the best, seriously, I don't deserve you” You put a hand over his mouth and shake your head. “Wrong. You're the best.” He just smiled and as you pulled your hand away again to place it on his cheek, he leaned down to kiss you.

“Mase I am sick you will get the flu too.” But he ignored your words and just hummed and pressed a few kisses to your lips, not caring about getting sick, he just wanted to feel your soft lips on his. He pulled you even closer to him, if that was even possible, and you ran the hand that was on his cheek to the back of his head, playing with the short strands of his hair.

When he tried to put his tongue in your mouth, you pulled back, smiled and shook your head again. “Seriously, you can't be sick, the team needs you and I don't want to be the reason they lose ,” you whispered to him, to which he just pouted a little, making your smile even wider.

“I'll just go down and tell your parents to leave and then we can do whatever you want, yeah?” His lips turned from a pout back into a smile and he nodded, murmured a quick "Sounds good" and kissed your temple before loosening his arms so you could move.

You press one last kiss to his jaw before making your way to the living room. "Y/N?" said Mason just before you reached the door, you turned around to see him giving you a bright smile. "I love you"

„I love you more Mase“

[losers-yurio]

Road Trip With the Crue

Mick x Reader 

the guys show up at your house with a weekend of fun planed 

i honestly have no idea what this is-

and also warning bc its probably shit

But The first issue arose when loud banging on the door brought your attention to the front of the house. “Okay okay I'm coming calm yourself!” so both Mick and you lazily made your way to the door,  it wasn't that unsurprising when you were met with the faces of your three idiotic friends. “Goddamnit, you three what part of ‘for the love of all that is holy please don't bother us this weekend’ did you not understand” although we had woken up a few hours prior, it was evident from his voice that Mick was still exhausted. Though you couldn't tell for sure if this was because he wanted to go back to bed or if the sudden appearance of his three band members had annoyed him, from prior experience you were almost certain that it was the second option you definitely understood why he was upset though, with all of the shows him and the guys had been doing the two of you hadn't really been able to spend much time together so this weekend was supposed to be catching up on all of the lost time. While on the one hand you absolutely adore Mick’s friends you were quite looking forward to your weekend together as well. “Well haven't heard why we’re here yet” Vince protested in an almost childlike manner.“Nope, not interested” stated in his usual monotone voice as he began to close the door, in response you reached your left arm out in front of him to stop the door from closing.  He gave me an eye roll but said nothing more “now what were you boys going on about?”  And so the guys (mostly Vince being the loudmouth that he is) told you about their plan which was as followed, the five of you were to leave at ten(which was horrible planning considering it was already nine) then stop at the nearest gas station for snack and drink essentials, from there you had a three-hour drive down to the amusement park. “No way, absolutely not” you looked over at mick who had a worried expression on his face,  “guys we just need a minute to pack if that's alright” the three men nodded as I shut the door. “What, why not?” he looked at you with confusion  “what happened to a nice quiet weekend at home?” “But when was the last time we went out for something other than a gig?” “I could say the same for staying home” “oh please Mick it could be fun!” “and if it isn't?” “ then I owe you big time” It wasn't long before we finished gathering what we needed for the trip and had packed it into the back of the van. While it was the band's van you really couldn't trust Vince, Nikki, or especially Tommy with the task of driving and Mick got to sit in the front because of his back issues. Tommy and Nikki were sitting together in the middle and Vince was in the very back with the luggage. Luckily the gas station wasn't that far from the house so we arrived in no time at all, the other three went inside to get the snacks which in hindsight was a terrible idea but hey they needed to get a bunch of moving around in before being cooped up. I had gotten out to refill the tank so we wouldn't have any issues on the road, which surprisingly didn't take very long so I had more time to talk with Mick.

“Are you really sure about this? We can just ditch now and walk home” there was a touch of amusement on his face as you looked at him “I'm sure, besides don't you think they'll just come and pester us at the house?” “we’ll just ignore them” you laughed and shook your head slightly Before I could say anything else the rest of the guys were hopping back into the van with a bunch of bags “for the lame-os,” Nikki said as he handed us two water bottles with a slight smile “I hope for your sake this isn't all you got for us bassist” Mick’s cold look had returned to his face “ um no of course not” I looked over to see a small smirk on Mick's face, what a man.

The trip was pretty smooth considering the party in attendance, with only 3 hours left I was honestly ready for the trip to be over. Both Nikki and Tommy were passed out, Vince was jamming quietly as to not wake the boys, upfront Mick had pulled out a book of his that he had been reading. At Least everything had been going well until the van sputtered to a stop. “Hey Y/N everything okay up there?”  “Yeah Vin I think so, well actually..” “what happened?” by now Mick had looked up from his book “ well we’re out of gas” “huh that's weird I thought we just got some” “yeah I thought so too” you reached around and nudged the two sleeping men “huh what” Tommy answered groggily, “I thought I had the two of you fill-up the tank” “ I certainly wasn't, I thought Nikki did,” he said in an accusatory tone “well I thought you did it” “oh for the love of- you know what it's fine since this is both of your faults both of you get to walk the three miles back to the gas station” “fine” “and no distractions!” “you know we can't promise anything!” Tommy called back “idiots” mumbled Mick and you smiled

After about twenty minutes Mick started shifting more in his seat and making small grunting noises “hey are you good?” “yeah just my back acting up again, do you know where we put the other bottle of pills?” “I think it was in the backpack” a quiet “on it!” came from the back as Vince tossed the bag to me “thanks Vin”. “ um Mick they aren't in here” “ah damn I knew I forgot something” “hey its okay ill look for a drug store as soon as we get to the hotel and we can look for some store-brand pain killers” “ah ok, I just wish the guys would come back already” “I'm sure they'll be back soon” which wasn't entirely a lie as the two of them turned up ten minutes later with a full gas can and Tommy with suspiciously red lips. “And what kind of fun did you two get into?” “oh you know the usual” Tommy replied with a smirk “okay jus- just get in the van, Mick’s having back issues” “ah sorry man if it helps we got candy” “ill except it”

And so we were off once more. Thankfully Mick was able to fall asleep so he was able to get relief even if it was for just a couple hours. By the time you reached the motel, it was already dark out so you got the guys checked in and rushed over to the pharmacy with Mick for painkillers which was difficult until the guy realized you genuinely needed them. Then on the way back to the hotel to rest up the two of you were walking through the parking lot when some guy started yelling ”Hey old man hearing the noise both Nikki and Vince emerged from their shared room. Seeing what was happening Nikki immediately Joined the fray “Hey man that's totally not cool” “Yeah? And what are you going to do about it ninnyhammer?” “listen I have no idea what that means and I'm sure it was bad but regardless you said some shit about my guitarist and we can't have that now can we”  you didn't see it coming but by the time you realized Nikki’s fist was already colliding with the guys face and he was being pulled to the ground. Immediately you rushed over to help tear them apart from each other. With the help of Vince, you managed to pull them apart “while I do appreciate the thought I would kill you if we got kicked out because we don't have anywhere else to go” The five of us ended up having a wonderful time at the park with no more incidents. In the morning we left bright and early much to the guy's dismay. Somewhere along the way, Vince had convinced me to let him drive and I promptly passed out for the rest of the trip. I awoke parked in our driveway with the guys talking “oh come on Mick, please? We’re still exhausted ``''Well that sounds like a you problem, not a me problem``'' what's the matter, guys?” “don't you dare ask them you know they'll say yes” “can we stay over for a few hours to catch up on some sleep?” “ of course you can, just don't cause any trouble” from your view Mick appeared to be rolling his eyes and the rest were high fiving. It was an odd bunch of people but they were your idiots and you wouldn't trade them for anything.

taglist: @makemeyourwife-loveofmylife​

[fuck-customers]

Holy Shit Buckle Up Y'all

(TW: mentions of transphobia, racism, and self-harm)

A little backstory:

In November we hired three new people to help with our workload around the holidays, and we've kept them on. Two of them are very hard workers, have great personalities, and nice work ethics. The third, who I will be referring to as J.....does not.

She constantly asks to switch shifts instead of putting in for time off or changing her availability (said that its "inconvenient" for her to change it), if you're even a minute late to covering register for her when she's supposed to get off, she'll just abandon the register and clock out and then shop for thirty minutes, and she is constantly walking away from her post bc she's "bored" and "doesn't feel like working" when there are literally people in line.

So about two weeks ago, she scheduled for five days off. Sweet, shes learning. She then proceeds to call off the day before her five days and the day after. So now she has a week off. Dick move, but I can't say no one has done it before.

Her scheduled day back is a Wednesday. She texts one of my coworkers, P, and asks her to take her shifts for Wednesday AND Thursday. P agrees because she wants more hours, but all of us, including the managers, are irritated now. This is now nine days off she's gotten.

On Wednesday, I got a text from her asking if I could take her shift Friday. Now as of this point, I've been sick all week - hacking my lungs out, not able to breathe, but working bc we're short staffed (bc of her) and bc I need the money. I had Friday and Saturday off for the first time in MONTHS so no way in hell was I gonna take it. I just said no, firmly.

She continues to pester me, asking why, since I don't work Friday I should be able to, etc, and I kind of snapped:

Which, okay, maybe I shouldn't have snapped like that. But I was exhausted and frustrated and so sick of her getting to do this that I just couldn't take it anymore. I expected her to call me a bitch and then ignore me but hoooooo boy nope. (Names are blacked out) (and if this many photos aren't allowed feel free to delete this submission)

First of all, the racism comment:

She was buying cigarettes and even though shes a coworker, I have to ID her bc she's 19 and I can get fired for that shit. She told me she had lost her ID and asked to just put her birthday in. My manager said it was fine, so I did, and I made the offhanded comment about how she should get a new one so she didn't get pulled over by a racist dick while driving. We live in an area where the cops just looovvve to profile people (if you know Ohio, you know where) and I'd had that conversation with so many of my friends that I didn't even think about it, I was just concerned about her getting home safely to her kid. She didn't react negatively at the time, just said "oh I didn't think about that, thanks" and we moved on. If she had really had an issue with it she would have spoken to our managers, so clearly she's only bringing it up now to scare me. I just.....I mean obviously if I am being racist I want someone to tell me so I can fix my actions, but I didn't even think that came off that way in the moment. Maybe I was out of line, but the same thing has happened recently to my 16 year old cousin (he's fine dw) and so its been on my mind.

Second, no, I am not a manager. But aside from four other employees, two of which only work part time, I am one of the oldest members of staff (time wise, not age wise, I'm 23). So the managers put me in charge of a lot of shit, which means that I end up being in charge of people. Which apparently she did not like.

And third no, I do not have a kid. I'm not married, I don't have a partner, and I barely have the income to make half of rent with my roommate sometimes. I would not bring a child into this world if I could help it, and it pissed me off that she would imply that if I had a child, I'd be more mature. I wanted to scream at her and tell her that if having a kid makes you more mature, it clearly didn't work for her. I feel so bad for her kid; he's like two, and she's already constantly using him as an excuse for not doing things and not going to work. She lives with her mom and her boyfriend, so she has a support system (her mom is retired, and a very sweet lady). Like again, I don't have a kid, but all my coworkers who do don't pull this shit ever.

Anyway

I was physically shaking by the end of these texts, crying, because I HATE when people yell at me, especially when they know me IRL. And especially cause she was accusing me of some nasty shit. I sent them all to my manager in the least professional set of texts I'd ever written and then two hours later had to go to work.

My depression was up, my anxiety was through the roof, and as soon as our floater manager asked me if I was okay I burst into tears again. I showed her and the closing manager the texts and they were both appalled but then

They fucking started trying to "comfort" me by making racist comments!!! "Oh, thats just what her people are like" "you know she grew up in the ghetto part of town" "that girl is straight up hood" like!!!!

I was furious. I was so mad it wasn't funny, but they're my MANAGERS and i need this job and they're both old, so they don't think what they're saying is wrong. I tried desperately to derail it by saying things like "where she grew up had nothing to do with it" but they just kept going and I just....that made it so much worse tbh I just walked out of the office to do my fucking job.

A couple hours later, right as I've started to calm down, one of my coworkers started making really transphobic comments about one of our old coworkers who I'm still friends with, deadnaming her, saying that she's allowed to deadname her bc its part of her religion, etc etc.

Y'all I just....walked behind the photo counter and had a fucking meltdown on the floor. I dragged myself to the pharmacy to get their trash so I had SOMETHING to focus on and as soon as I got there the tech took one look at me and held out her arms and I just lost it again.

I go to my manager and basically just ask to do trash and go home. I was supposed to close, and I have left early only once in my life, when we were too dead to need me, but I had just mentally had it. I knew that if I didn't leave in that moment I wasn't going to make it to the end of the night without hurting myself.

She agreed, I finished trash, and got one of my friends to come pick me up.

My GM texts me the next morning (Thursday) and says she's giving me PTO for the hours I didn't work Wednesday night and for my day off on Friday. I almost cried again bc I was so stressed about the money.

Fast forward to a week later, today, and J still has a job, but she has now also called off 16 days in a row. Claiming she's still stuck in Texas with her kid (which was why she was asking to trade shifts last week).

I don't know how much longer my GM can hold out before firing her. I really don't.

Tldr; coworker asks me to take a shift for the hundredth time after calling out for a week, I say no (albeit a bit rudely), they start screaming at me via text, and I have a mental breakdown.