January 31, 2022

Oh, the irony

January 30, 2022

Does this remind anyone of something from DU's past?

The 10-year-old who made their parent a birthday card with detailed drawings of their cats' buttholes.



https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikespohr/hilariously-weird-people?origin=web-hf

January 29, 2022

I could use some DU advice on "early cancellation" fees

Last year I called an exterminator to deal with a persistent ant problem. Ants were chewing on wood next to the foundation.

They refused to do just one visit. I had to sign up for a years' worth of treatments. Four visits. They warned that if I canceled before the four visits were completed and paid for, they would impose a whopping "early cancellation' fee on me. Something like over $300.

The fourth and final treatment was in October, so I assumed we were done with them.

A couple of weeks ago (just when I was reeling from the sudden death of my brother and the need to replace the main sewer drain in front of the house) the pest company sent me an email that their next treatment visit would be January 17. I told them I no longer wanted their service.

They sent me an email demanding a $150 "early cancellation" fee. They tried billing my credit card, but the bank sent me a new card recently, so they couldn't get the money. Next they sent a letter by mail demanding payment.

Unfortunately, I can't find any written contract with them, and am at a loss as to what to do.

Why should I have to pay an early cancellation fee -- for what? They didn't provide any service, beyond the 4 treatments I agreed to last year. This seems very unfair.

January 23, 2022

Just why?

January 23, 2022

This is not a

January 17, 2022

I am overwhelmed by all the messages of condolence you posted on the death of my brother

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

I couldn't ask for a kinder, more caring group of people than you on Democratic Underground. I am grateful beyond words.

Your support means so much to me, as it has to countless others among us. It is particularly generous at a time in our lives when suspicion and hate appear to reign in social media. You are the antidote to their poison.

You loving words - so many! - warmed my heart. My younger brother wasn't important or accomplished - except for knowing an unbelievable number of hilarious jokes. He never went to college. He earned very little in recent years, and often asked me for handouts. He had HIV, though it was controlled with medication. He managed to kick crack addiction (which is amazing), but smoked a lot of weed as well as tobacco.

A lot of his problems go back to the dysfunctional family we grew up in. We were beaten with leather belts, and in my brothers case, with metal coat hangers. I began planning my escape when I was 13, and when I left for college at 17, I never moved back. I went to therapist after therapist after therapist for most of my life, trying to get to "normal." But he remained at home longer, and had no interest in therapy. He masked his pain with weed.

He never married, never had children, which was probably for the best.

Some people would consider him a loser or a bum. But this huge, loud guy went to animal shelters on weekends, to brush and pet the cats there. He loved cats and usually had one or more living with him. He was so proud of himself last November when he got trained as a poll worker and worked a long day during the election. He was a strong Democrat.

He made and kept friends, good close friends, former neighbors from when we were kids, people from high school, people he worked with. I talked with one guy who had been friends with my brother for 47 years, and who had spoken with my brother three days before he died, and who wept when he heard the sad news.

He took German in high school, but taught himself much more in order to read the German motorcycle magazines he so enjoyed. He loved motorcycles, and usually had one that he was taking apart or putting back together. He wasn't into biker groups; he just loved to ride. All his friends admired his intelligence, including me. It was a shame he couldn't get himself together to go to college, but things at home were still bad when he was in high school, and I was no longer there as a buffer. He had so much potential, and I grieve for the waste of it.

But as I said at the beginning of my post, THANK YOU for helping get me through this sad weekend.

January 14, 2022

My brother died this morning

My brother passed away suddenly this morning in his apartment in NJ. He was evidently having trouble breathing and 911 was called. Unfortunately they were unable to revive him. He had sleep apnea and was on a cpap machine. He was addicted to cigarette smoking.

I was notified by the police who called me from his cell phone. I knew he was in poor health, but this was still a huge shock to me. He lived more than 200 miles from me and making arrangements is going to be complicated.

He was 67 years old, 2 1/2 years younger than I am. He was a sales consultant for a moving company in NJ. He loved motorcycles and had a tremendous sense of humor. with a joke for any occasion. He spoke Estonian and German. He attended Estonian Saturday school in NJ as a child, and went to an Estonian children's summer camp in Long Island, NY.

Our parents died many years ago, and he was my only sibling. Other than my husband, kids and grandkids, our only other close relative is a cousin in Estonia and her kids. Our parents were immigrants from Estonia by way of a displaced persons refugee camp in Germany. He had a difficult life in many ways, including substance abuse.

I am about to break down at this point, but wanted people to know.

January 10, 2022

Happy Fun Pixx 4 U

January 6, 2022

Today should be known as (the former) Guy Fucks Up Day

Remember remember the sixth of January
Republican treason and plot
We see no reason
why Republican treason
should ever be forgot