Buy Me a Burrito Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 That's the plan. And don't worry, my sister has known for a while that I will never just hand her cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OSJ Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 What JT said. Sorry to hear about the situation, but I severed ties with my family years ago and we couldn't be happier. I get along great with my wife's family, even though two of her sisters are crazy as shithouse rats, I've learned how to deal with them, so it's all good. Best of luck, but you should have no problem getting custody of your niece, considering her age and your sister's history of erratic behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dewar Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 It's clearly your love of hockey that makes you the sane one in the family. Make sure your niece is taken care of, and when your grandfather contacts you, do your best to take care of him too. You were smart to set down guidelines with your sister about getting a job and being out of your house by a certain time, stick to that gameplan. Most of all, I hope this all works out in a positive way for you and your loved ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabe Posted November 4, 2014 Share Posted November 4, 2014 I've been down the "batshit insane family leads to niece living with me" road. Except in my case, my niece turned out to be a pathological liar and a total nightmare. That's neither here nor there. We were given custody of my niece for the time she lived with us. We actually went to court and my niece swore out a complaint saying she needed protection from her mom. If you don't go the emancipation route, you should try for that. We also applied for TANF ("Temporary Assistance for Needy Families") - essentially welfare for my niece to make sure all her expenses were met. It wasn't a ton of money - something like $375 a month - but it was nice for paying for her clothes, food, and so on. That was not based on any financial status on our part but simply her status as a child not living with her parent. Your situation sounds awful. Do whatever you can to protect your niece from mom & grandpa. They are toxic and will only cause (dis)tress. Do whatever you can to take distractions and stressors our of your niece's life and just let her enjoy the last half of her senior year. And be prepared for clashes with her. As I've learned with my nephew now living with us, it's not ALWAYS smooth when you shift the dynamic from "cool uncle you hang out with" to "authority figure to whom you must answer". And make absolutely sure you and your wife talk to each other and reinforce that you are teammates through this mess. Good luck, bro. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Ape Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 My glasses undid themselves, separating at the WIRE in my frame as opposed to at the hinge. So they're pretty much unrepairable now. I'll tape them together and let my optometrist know so he can arrange another exam since it's that time again. I think my next pair of glasses is just gonna be 1980's basketball goggles. With a mustache I can go around looking like a fat Kurt Rambis. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS81177 Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 I had no idea Randy Johnson played basketball 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS81177 Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 Found out today my girlfriend has arthritis in her lower back. And she's only 31, so she'll have to live with it for a looooooong time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustJay Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 Arthritis is the worst. I've had it in my whole body since I was 6 and I am now almost 35. It wears you down. Hope she sees though with exercise and the right meds with arthritis you can overcome it. With me I just had it so long that nothing helps but there is hope for your girlfriend. In the last 10 or so years the medical breakthroughs have been unreal towards what meds works and what exercises and such. So it might not be as bad as it might seem so hang in there the both of you. She will go through some tough days and just be there for her on those. Arthritis can go fuck itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace Posted November 6, 2014 Share Posted November 6, 2014 I had no idea Randy Johnson played basketball The Rambis Youthno, seriously. that was a thing. will not take this lightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianS81177 Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Arthritis is the worst. I've had it in my whole body since I was 6 and I am now almost 35. It wears you down. Hope she sees though with exercise and the right meds with arthritis you can overcome it. With me I just had it so long that nothing helps but there is hope for your girlfriend. In the last 10 or so years the medical breakthroughs have been unreal towards what meds works and what exercises and such. So it might not be as bad as it might seem so hang in there the both of you. She will go through some tough days and just be there for her on those. Arthritis can go fuck itself. Yeah she's actually had it for at least a year. It was on her chart from a hospital visit last year and no doctor ever told her. She does some yoga stretches every day and it seems to help somewhat. They gave her pain pills, but she doesn't like taking them. Most days it's OK, but she does have her bad days. Thankfully, she's finally gotten to where she'll let me do all the heavy lifting/reaching for tall things (she's 5'2) so as long as she doesn't do that she doesn't aggravate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Never, ever, ever buy a house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick B. Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 Already own one, inherited it when my mom passed away almost nine years ago(I was still living with her...yep, I live the gimmick). Unfortunately, I've discovered over time that I'm just about clueless about how to maintain a home (beyond bill-paying and things of that nature). Ugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greggulator Posted November 7, 2014 Share Posted November 7, 2014 The home maintenance part isn't all that bad. (Knock on wood.) The paperwork hell that my life has become is the problem. It never ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 ...would "almost every detail of my family, social, financial, and academic lives are all turning to complete shit at the same time" be too depressing to hear? I'm not doing good, guys. I need help, the college and some online friends are doing what they can, but it's nowhere near enough. Man, it's awesome when you're going crazy and you're too poor to afford any kind of mental healthcare! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Jingus: sorry to hear that. You said that the college is doing what it can: do they offer counselling? Many universities (or at least the ones I work for) have counselors, and sometimes psychiatrists, on-site, and you can see them for free. Look to see if they have a financial aid service that help students with budgeting and other financial matters. Finally, do you get any sort of health/mental health coverage from being a student? Again, tuition to most universities (at least in Canada) usually includes some form of healthcare. Universities and colleges often have a lot of built-in services that could be of great help at a time like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Psychiatrists. For free. In TEXAS. What fucking planet are you living on? Zero health coverage, too. Yeah, there's a student clinic that does everything, but they CHARGE for everything and their counselling center is all booked up with long waiting lists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Psychiatrists. For free. In TEXAS. What fucking planet are you living on? Canada. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Ay, there's the rub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick B. Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Jingus: Been there. Was on Zoloft for several years, but had to go off it simply to cut costs (I changed jobs and lost health insurance for a little while). Still not sure if I want to go back on the meds since I've heard a few different stories about how well(or not) they work; toward the end, I wasn't seeing much of a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I'd LOVE to try meds. Never gotten the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bustronaut Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 Obamacare now enforces the Mental & Physical Health Parity Act that W signed into law. Depression screenings/psych visits SHOULD be covered as "preventive medicine" by any insurance you have. If you don't have insurance, are you under 26? You could* be covered under your parent's insurance if so. *If your parents will have you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jingus Posted November 9, 2014 Share Posted November 9, 2014 I'm 36. I have no insurance. My parents are bankrupt and unemployed and elderly and losing their wits and THEY don't have insurance. I hate this fucking country and this fucking state so fucking much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy LaRue Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Is there a community counseling office in your area? They will sometimes take you on as a client and you won't pay as much, based on your income. Some larger hospitals have free counseling sessions too, though they tend to be more group-oriented in nature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirFozzie Posted November 11, 2014 Share Posted November 11, 2014 So.. let's see.. Iritis? Check Degenerative changes in the hip and knee? Check Depression? Check. Family members at their limits trying to help me? Check. Fuck. Just.. plain fuck. This is a very bad day, one of those days you are so stressed out, wigged out, and depressed out, that you sit in the back of the car getting a ride home (because you can't drive), with the window open because you feel sick to your stomach because of everything going on, and you idly wonder.. "Would it just be easier to open the car door and let gravity and momentum do the work the rest of the way?" Didn't happen of course.. and won't happen.. but still, I'm so far down right now I've lost track of where up is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Victator Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 My aunt calls this morning and ask if she can borrow some money. I explain I am flat broke and she just hangs up. No attempt at small talk or just a "how are you Victor?" Not really surprised. At this point my only family is my baby sister, niece and soon to be born nephew. It is a depressing situation. Jingus I am really sorry you are having such serious problems. If you need to talk, please contact me at any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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