The trivial complaints thread

[LadyAmalthea]

I've never posted a trivial complaint here before, I always think I will but never do. Maybe I will today if I don't delete it before hitting the post button.

My pony spa week is coming to an end. My husband has been away on business all week (a rare occurrence), and I took the opportunity to spread pony cleaning stuff all over the master bathroom while he is gone. I've been cleaning, styling, re-glittering, restoring frizzed hair, touching up chipped eyes/symbols, and just taking the basic chance to be surrounded by ponies since Sunday. My bathroom is pretty much out of commission...so no bathtub! I've had to bathe the kids in the shower downstairs all week because the tub is surrounded by ponies. I've gotten a lot done, but not as much as I would have liked, and I'm bummed to have to pack them up in boxes tonight since he comes home tomorrow and won't be pleased to see hundreds of eyes staring at him if he tries to use the loo.

[Taffeta]

My family are completely inured to randomly finding ponies staring at them from the bathtub. It takes careful training and patience to wear them down xD >.>

Today is my sister's birthday (well, it's just turned midnight so yesterday). She's stuck in Oxford, though, because of lockdown, so it was birthday via skype.

My family try to get together at least for birthdays and Xmas but this year since my birthday in February we've managed absolutely none (from mother's day through mum and Dad's birthday, father's day and now sister's birthday). Christmas seems likely to be next. It's just depressing that the last family event we were all together for was back in February. :/

[LadyAmalthea]

It's going to be a strange Thanksgiving/Christmas around here, too. My family isn't doing anything, and my husband's family is holding gatherings, but we've opted out (well, more accurately, I'VE opted out...my husband is disappointed that I don't think it's a good idea to sit elbow-to-elbow with 15 people in his aunt's small kitchen together). The past 4 years since we've lived back in the midwest, I've gotten sick at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and this year with the 'Rona spiking in my area, I'll pass, thank you.

He is a patient man when it comes to ponies staring out from the linen closet, but if he saw the current state of the bathroom right now he would likely do an about-face right out of there.

Happy birthday to your sister...I hope next year you can celebrate together.

[BlackCurtains]

This is really trivial (or maybe not, I don't know). I can't decide what video game to play. I've been bouncing between Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns, The Sims3 and Planet Zoo. Each of which I've played for thousands of hours. They're among my favorite games ever! But when I want to play I only end up doing so for maybe 15-20 minutes and then I get bored. It's frustrating because I still want to play them.

I think maybe I'm in a depression slump? It's hard to tell because my medicine works to keep most symptoms in check. With everything that's gone on recently I probably am depressed.

[Ponybookworm]

Could be BC xxx I know I went off my gaming when my last big bout hit. I just never went back to those games afterwards, as it was my big story which helped me come out of it.

Have a few of these in the meantime xxx 

[Taffeta]

This is a really trivial complaint but  I need somewhere unconnected to vent about it where people might actually care.

Spoiler

I entered a writing event on a non-MLP website.
The event had a max of 1000 words.
My entry, according to MSWord, was 997 words.
I entered. I was disqualified for too many words.

I asked the organiser about it. Organiser told me they had used a website and google docs to count the words.
When I checked these sites, both added words that were not words (one counted dashes, the other just didn't add up words properly). I was able to show that (you guys know me, I'm datacentric. And I have screen captures that prove it). I asked them to check it and got a really rude PM in response telling me basically to get over it. Also that if I am going to use MSword in future, I should make sure I'm 'under the word limit'. This is in spite of the fact I have a MSWord screen grab that shows 997 words. Apparently MSWord is less accurate than a website that counts dashes as words. So anyway.

I went back and manually counted the words in my post on the actual entry on the site. I still make it under 1000 words.

So as you guys know, I have autism. I am fundamentally terrified of contacting moderators on websites about anything and absolutely would not have pursued this if I was not sure that I was correct. Confrontation of this nature makes me physically ill so I have to choose my battles, but I was pretty sure of my ground this time and I assumed they would listen to me at the very least.

I am also very careful about following rules. I checked and doublechecked before I posted it originally, and I checked and doublechecked before contacting them about it as well.

I am also not a liar, but I feel like I'm being made out to be a sore loser. I haven't asked for a prize and don't expect one. I just want acknowledgement of the mistake - either theirs or mine - after all avenues have been cleared.

I asked them to count my words manually but I don't think this has happened. As far as I can tell they have just continued to use the same sites despite my proving one of them counts dashes as words.

My autism is not disclosed on this site and I have no intention of trying to use it as a pity card. So probably they don't understand why I am being so pedantic about it and think I'm just trying to be difficult. But anyone here on the spectrum will know and understand that if something is not right then it's NOT RIGHT...and it not being right is unresolved and so preys on you until you know it has been put right. I have no way of coherently explaining this to people who just think I'm being a nuisance because I don't want to be banned or sanctioned for perseverence.

I am certain that I met the rules of the event, but I don't have anyone objective to ask to check it for me to make sure it's not my mistake, and so there's nothing I can do.

I KNOW THAT it really genuinely is a nothing situation that I shouldn't even care about. But it has been such a horrible year, and I have been juggling so much emotionally and practically, and I really just am sitting here right now feeling like crying. It's just the last straw. I have been using this site and its events a lot to offset some of the hard realities of 2020, not least an eight month lockdown and the fact my family cannot see each other and probably won't at Christmas either. This has just pushed my limits.

Especially because it's a WRITING event, and writing is also my stress escape.

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for listening to me rant.

[Pokeyonekenobie]

  to Taffeta and BlackCurtains and everyone else who needs one.

Work stuff is annoying.  Basically, one of our co-workers is out sick and has been for over a week.  She tested negative for COVID but has been sick ever since so she was going to be retested.  Knowing that this person is sick, the director hasn't bothered to find someone to cover her shifts so now the full-timers (who have other work to do) have to cover it instead of having one of the part-timers (who have nothing to do) come in and get some extra hours right before holidays that they don't get paid for.  They will have to do make up hours anyway if they want their checks to be the same so there's no reason they can't cover her desk shifts.  But then if we did anything that made sense, the world might end and we wouldn't want that.

[Ponybookworm]

Taf huge huggles!!! Dashes & hyphens are not words & never should be, so such a thing would have me fuming too.

[Taffeta]

Taf huge huggles!!! Dashes & hyphens are not words & never should be, so such a thing would have me fuming too.

Thank you both @Ponybookworm, tell me about it!

It's not that I think it's any kind of personal conspiracy, I just think it's Too Much Effort to go and actually count the words in the entry to settle the dispute once and for all. It's also frustrating feeling as though the evidence about the dashes etc was completely ignored because, again, it's Too Much Effort and if they did it and I was right, it might involve Admitting Error.

On the other hand, it might be MY error, but if so, I would benefit from having that actually shown to me, rather than a snippy PM.

[Glitzi86]

Apparently, even snails adopted a digital lifestyle during the pandemic. I received two e-mails today. Sent on November 9th, the other on Nov 12th. So, it's digital snail mail? Or did they first try to deliver it to the 80s, since it was about some G1 ponies I wanted to buy? My spam filter is usually reliable - Outlook had no problem with my other web.de accounts it is collecting.

If you try to send me an e-mail and wonder why I'm not answering - it's probably the snails. Sorry. 

[Ponyfan]

I am so sorry that happened to you Taffeta. 



Ponyfan

[glitterball]

Sorry to hear that, Taffeta, they should disclose what counts as a "word" (dashes, etc) at the onset, it would make things clear and save on the heartache especially as it takes a certain amount of effort to write the essay/story in the first place! Ugh, these things should be fun, it's such a bummer that the judges are being so snooty about it. Could you ask them to allow your entry if you remove a few "token" words just to satisfy their fussy word-count app? I guess you are probably too upset to take this further anyway 


Spent all day scrubbing our kitchen and bathroom, stripping down my cooker and soaking the metal gas round things from the hob in a tray of soda crystals; did 2 loads of laundry; mended a ripped duvet cover; tried vacuuming the lounge - big noise - looks like our vacuum cleaner has bust a belt;  lots of cleaning, standing, scrubbing.

Now my back has got a pain in the same place that I had physio for a few years ago... maybe my body is telling me that I shouldn't do cleaning chores!!

[Taffeta]

Sorry to hear that, Taffeta, they should disclose what counts as a "word" (dashes, etc) at the onset, it would make things clear and save on the heartache especially as it takes a certain amount of effort to write the essay/story in the first place! Ugh, these things should be fun, it's such a bummer that the judges are being so snooty about it. Could you ask them to allow your entry if you remove a few "token" words just to satisfy their fussy word-count app? I guess you are probably too upset to take this further anyway 

Aside venting my feelings here I am done with it, it really isn't worth the emotional stress and in any case the disqualification happened after the event ended, not before. I don't think dashes counted as words, but yeah, it would have been helpful at least if they had stated up front what software was going to be used/valid or whatever. I decided not to reply to the PM. I will just think twice in future if it's a writing event run by that person.

It is what it is. In the world we are currently living in it is a very trivial complaint. But I needed to rant somewhere unconnected, to get it out of my system.

[LadyAmalthea]

This is a really trivial complaint but  I need somewhere unconnected to vent about it where people might actually care.

Spoiler

I entered a writing event on a non-MLP website.
The event had a max of 1000 words.
My entry, according to MSWord, was 997 words.
I entered. I was disqualified for too many words.

I asked the organiser about it. Organiser told me they had used a website and google docs to count the words.
When I checked these sites, both added words that were not words (one counted dashes, the other just didn't add up words properly). I was able to show that (you guys know me, I'm datacentric. And I have screen captures that prove it). I asked them to check it and got a really rude PM in response telling me basically to get over it. Also that if I am going to use MSword in future, I should make sure I'm 'under the word limit'. This is in spite of the fact I have a MSWord screen grab that shows 997 words. Apparently MSWord is less accurate than a website that counts dashes as words. So anyway.

I went back and manually counted the words in my post on the actual entry on the site. I still make it under 1000 words.

So as you guys know, I have autism. I am fundamentally terrified of contacting moderators on websites about anything and absolutely would not have pursued this if I was not sure that I was correct. Confrontation of this nature makes me physically ill so I have to choose my battles, but I was pretty sure of my ground this time and I assumed they would listen to me at the very least.

I am also very careful about following rules. I checked and doublechecked before I posted it originally, and I checked and doublechecked before contacting them about it as well.

I am also not a liar, but I feel like I'm being made out to be a sore loser. I haven't asked for a prize and don't expect one. I just want acknowledgement of the mistake - either theirs or mine - after all avenues have been cleared.

I asked them to count my words manually but I don't think this has happened. As far as I can tell they have just continued to use the same sites despite my proving one of them counts dashes as words.

My autism is not disclosed on this site and I have no intention of trying to use it as a pity card. So probably they don't understand why I am being so pedantic about it and think I'm just trying to be difficult. But anyone here on the spectrum will know and understand that if something is not right then it's NOT RIGHT...and it not being right is unresolved and so preys on you until you know it has been put right. I have no way of coherently explaining this to people who just think I'm being a nuisance because I don't want to be banned or sanctioned for perseverence.

I am certain that I met the rules of the event, but I don't have anyone objective to ask to check it for me to make sure it's not my mistake, and so there's nothing I can do.

I KNOW THAT it really genuinely is a nothing situation that I shouldn't even care about. But it has been such a horrible year, and I have been juggling so much emotionally and practically, and I really just am sitting here right now feeling like crying. It's just the last straw. I have been using this site and its events a lot to offset some of the hard realities of 2020, not least an eight month lockdown and the fact my family cannot see each other and probably won't at Christmas either. This has just pushed my limits.

Especially because it's a WRITING event, and writing is also my stress escape.

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for listening to me rant.

That would probably bring me to tears of frustration as well. I can relate to this situation so much; I am the same way about contacting/confronting people to dispute something, I'm often paralyzed from taking the steps to make things right because I'm often wordy and wordy people tend to get dismissed a lot, because no one wants to take the time to read/hear out what they have to say. Yet it takes me forever to carefully plan out what I want to say, and it just seems like I need more words than most people do to convey the thoughts that are in my head, and to have my carefully thought-out complaint about an injustice just dismissed like that is so infuriating. Then like you said, it is left Not Right in my head, and I can't let it go. But my husband and mother are both 90% certain that I'm on the spectrum, so maybe that is why I'm like this, who knows.

Can they let you reduce the number of words in your essay and then re-submit it? I'm guessing not, or they would have suggested that, but either way, they didn't need to be so rude. I'm sorry that happened to you.

[Taffeta]

This is a really trivial complaint but  I need somewhere unconnected to vent about it where people might actually care.

Spoiler

I entered a writing event on a non-MLP website.
The event had a max of 1000 words.
My entry, according to MSWord, was 997 words.
I entered. I was disqualified for too many words.

I asked the organiser about it. Organiser told me they had used a website and google docs to count the words.
When I checked these sites, both added words that were not words (one counted dashes, the other just didn't add up words properly). I was able to show that (you guys know me, I'm datacentric. And I have screen captures that prove it). I asked them to check it and got a really rude PM in response telling me basically to get over it. Also that if I am going to use MSword in future, I should make sure I'm 'under the word limit'. This is in spite of the fact I have a MSWord screen grab that shows 997 words. Apparently MSWord is less accurate than a website that counts dashes as words. So anyway.

I went back and manually counted the words in my post on the actual entry on the site. I still make it under 1000 words.

So as you guys know, I have autism. I am fundamentally terrified of contacting moderators on websites about anything and absolutely would not have pursued this if I was not sure that I was correct. Confrontation of this nature makes me physically ill so I have to choose my battles, but I was pretty sure of my ground this time and I assumed they would listen to me at the very least.

I am also very careful about following rules. I checked and doublechecked before I posted it originally, and I checked and doublechecked before contacting them about it as well.

I am also not a liar, but I feel like I'm being made out to be a sore loser. I haven't asked for a prize and don't expect one. I just want acknowledgement of the mistake - either theirs or mine - after all avenues have been cleared.

I asked them to count my words manually but I don't think this has happened. As far as I can tell they have just continued to use the same sites despite my proving one of them counts dashes as words.

My autism is not disclosed on this site and I have no intention of trying to use it as a pity card. So probably they don't understand why I am being so pedantic about it and think I'm just trying to be difficult. But anyone here on the spectrum will know and understand that if something is not right then it's NOT RIGHT...and it not being right is unresolved and so preys on you until you know it has been put right. I have no way of coherently explaining this to people who just think I'm being a nuisance because I don't want to be banned or sanctioned for perseverence.

I am certain that I met the rules of the event, but I don't have anyone objective to ask to check it for me to make sure it's not my mistake, and so there's nothing I can do.

I KNOW THAT it really genuinely is a nothing situation that I shouldn't even care about. But it has been such a horrible year, and I have been juggling so much emotionally and practically, and I really just am sitting here right now feeling like crying. It's just the last straw. I have been using this site and its events a lot to offset some of the hard realities of 2020, not least an eight month lockdown and the fact my family cannot see each other and probably won't at Christmas either. This has just pushed my limits.

Especially because it's a WRITING event, and writing is also my stress escape.

Sorry for the long post. Thanks for listening to me rant.

That would probably bring me to tears of frustration as well. I can relate to this situation so much; I am the same way about contacting/confronting people to dispute something, I'm often paralyzed from taking the steps to make things right because I'm often wordy and wordy people tend to get dismissed a lot, because no one wants to take the time to read/hear out what they have to say. Yet it takes me forever to carefully plan out what I want to say, and it just seems like I need more words than most people do to convey the thoughts that are in my head, and to have my carefully thought-out complaint about an injustice just dismissed like that is so infuriating. Then like you said, it is left Not Right in my head, and I can't let it go. But my husband and mother are both 90% certain that I'm on the spectrum, so maybe that is why I'm like this, who knows.

Can they let you reduce the number of words in your essay and then re-submit it? I'm guessing not, or they would have suggested that, but either way, they didn't need to be so rude. I'm sorry that happened to you.

No...

To be honest nothing about this situation makes sense to me, because if it were my event, the first thing I would do if someone flagged an issue with wordcount is go to the actual event and manually check the number on the entered post. It would be the obvious way to settle once and for all who was right, and so I really don't understand not doing that as a first step. It would have taken a lot less time and hassle.

As far as I can gather all they've done is have multiple people re-check it using the same two systems I flagged errors in. When I realised that was all they were going to do I stopped contesting it.

I could say a LOT MORE about it, but I won't.

I relate to everything you're saying though, LadyAmalthea. It's exactly like that for me too. I should be doing so many more important things this weekend. But it's still there in my head, because I really can't stand being accused of something - much less punished for it - that I know - and can prove -I didn't do. It's also the academic in me, analysing for evidence and proving my case. You guys know how I post things here and how much detail I can go into. That's just who I am.

I get fed up with being singled out and picked on because I'm not great with putting my thoughts and feelings into words concisely. It happens way too often, and it just makes you feel so lost. I've noticed it's got worse as I've got older - people used to stop and read and think about things, but now they don't even do that. Think of customer service departments and the way in which they just copy paste an unconnected answer at you without reading your question...

This is like that.