Nataly

Well that sucks. On the plus side: first side healed by November. FIFY! Just in time for my birthday "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

You've got that right. I'm sorry for what you're going through and the suckiness of the realization that giving up something you truly love is sometimes the smartest thing to do. After your surgeries and rehabs are complete I can't wait to read your post about how much better you've been feeling!! Thanks, hun. And some to you for your own sacrifices... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Thanks

We so easily forget what a nice place this is to post, thanks to the efforts of mods. Thanks to DSE and to all the mods for their hard work and dedication.

So after several blood tests, 2 MRI scans (one cervical and one cerebral), 2 EMGs, 2 corticosteroid injections directly into the median nerve (ouchie!), and a couple of visits with a neurologist, I am relieved to find out that the only problem I have is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (and another pinched nerve, which was throwing everyone off, but isn't so bad that anything needs to be done about it at this point). It's cumbersome enough to require surgery, but it's supposed to be a relatively minor procedure. It's a tremendous relief because for nearly a year now every test required more tests and each time doctors were very careful not to "guess" at any diagnosis... I did on every occasion have several questions about history of MS in my family, et cetera, and this was not exactly comforting... On the down side, I think it's pretty clear that I should no longer be riding my R6, since my symptoms have gotten progressively worse over the past 6 months and I can no longer ignore the fact that I can't ride for more than a couple of minutes without stopping because my hands are so numb I have trouble breaking, changing gears, et cetera. I never anticipated this problem when I bought the bike in January, and it's probably the worst bike for my wrists because of the riding position. Still, it breaks my heart a little to sell my baby... I've actually been avoiding riding lately and I really just need to accept that it's not appropriate for me despite all my efforts to change my riding habits (using abs and legs to avoid resting any weight on my wrists; new gloves that restrict my movements a lot less; avoiding hours with a lot of traffic so I have less stop/start/riding the clutch; different route to work with fewer hills and twists and turns in the road), et cetera. Basically the bike feels like more of a chore than a joy to ride. So to my great regret, I have put it up for sale. Anyway, the surgery is set for Sept, and I wouldn't be able to ride for 6 weeks after each wrist... I prefer to sell it now so someone else can appreciate it all summer long, rather than try to sell in the winter and have it sitting in a garage for months and months... A constant reminder and source of unnecessary worry. I don't know whether I will end up getting something more appropriate, like a Street Triple... I will have to see how I feel after the surgeries. It's gonna be such a pain to do those 737 steps down the the train station twice per day to get to work... Oh well... Better that than MS... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

It probably won't always be that way. Wait until those protective ones have retired, moved on, gotten promoted etc. Wait until you have moved up in the ranks and have more men below you. See how long that kumbaya we love our "big sister" lasts when you're the one giving orders to some men or are getting promotions they think you only got because you have a set of tits. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. You can't trust everyone to always respect you as a woman or have your back. Yep. A very very very overqualified woman finally made it to the rank of warrant officer just before retiring... Some jerks actually had the nerve to say "who did she blow to get THAT promotion so fast???" Hmmm... Yep... 20+ years of outstanding service - CLEARLY she climbed through the ranks so "fast" because of blow-jobs... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Took me a minute. . . NO, don't scratch the Porsche. Nice adventuring there. Is that still the South of France? They are all in the area (some on the Italian side, some on the French side). What a great thread John

Jack! Good to "see" ya. That's V on the left. Here's another of her. Hugs to Linda.

Glad you've decided to go for a check-up.

+1 OK poster comes on to vent about a perceived bad customer service situation and gets accused of 1) flaunting his financial situation 2) trying to rip off a starving rigger 3) harassing the poor salesperson after just having lost her father did I miss anything? I did not say he harassed a poor bereaved salesperson - I am merely saying that 1 - the OP has no idea about *why* the salesperson apparently overreacted 2 - without either the salesperson or the store's point of view, we have no way of knowing how much we can trust the OP's description and/or perception of events This is not an attack - it's merely pointing out that we have an incomplete picture. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

My bad - I don't know why, but I seem to remember your original post not being quite the same. Perhaps it was just my impression of it that changed - entirely possible. That is very much the impression I get from reading (and re-reading) your posts. You are also insisting that people on here are overreacting (and/or missing the point). I think people have stopped thinking that a little while back. I think you can stop defending that point. I think the myriad of negative responses are more to do with your overall approach and attitude. Something *you* seem not to have realised, since you are still beating that dead horse. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I agree. Seems to me you are over-thinking this one... Talk to him and give him the mat!! The guy is not a mind-reader (and neither are you!), so he may not even be aware that you are quietly fuming in your corner... Passive aggression rarely solves anything (ie: getting up and walking away, giving him dirty looks, sighing loudly so he can hear, sneaking a mat on his desk...). These are all just the childish behaviours of someone who is not an effective communicator. People around you cannot know why you are upset, they can just guess... And a lot of people won't even bother trying to guess - they will just assume you are a weird guy, behaving in weird way. Have a discussion with the guy. Like an adult. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I don't think its the giving a mouse pad part but rather the 'huge song and dance' part that would get him axed. Perhaps I did not express myself well - I just meant he could present the mat in a light-hearted way... Ie: so it comes across as a friendly gesture, as opposed to a criticism... Let's face it, there is every chance he may still be offended, but presenting it like a kind gesture still strikes me as not such a bad move... But I don't know the guy... If he is humourless, then yeah... humour may not be the way forward... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

As someone who read your thread the minute you posted it (and before it was edited to further explain/justify your position), it seems to me you have been sticking to your point of view the entire way through. Now there is nothing wrong with that, and it doesn't mean you have not considered different perspectives, but by continuing to insist the store overreacted and was in the wrong, you come across (at least to me) like you are essentially dismissing all opinions except your own. The thing about saying the other party was unreasonable is that it suggests that you, on the other hand *were* being reasonable. Not everyone agrees with that. Refusing your request, no matter how reasonable you believe it to be does not mean the store made a huge mistake... That is just your opinion. In my opinion, just as you had every right to ask for a discount, the store had every right to refuse. Requesting a discount is not inherently unreasonable, and neither is declining your request, but the way in which you asked and/or the way in which you were refused may well have been. The fact is that we have not heard the other side of the story. Perhaps they had a very good reason for saying no... Perhaps the sales person you dealt with did not even have the authority to make such decisions. Perhaps she misunderstood exactly what you were asking of them (ie: not to get the rigger to work for free, but for them to cover the cost of the reserve repack). Perhaps they thought you were a difficult customer the entire way through and this was the "straw that broke the camel's back." Perhaps you approached the matter in a snotty/entitled/obnoxious way. Perhaps the lady you spoke with was dealing with a traumatic event in her life and she overreacted to you just because she was over-stessed and you happened to be there (you don't know what was going on in her life - maybe her dad just died, or maybe the customer just before you was an absolute jerk to her and without realising it she was already irritable when you got to her)... Who knows?? I'm not excusing poor customer service, but just pointing out that it's possible the person reacted the way she did for a whole host of reasons - and we don't know what those reasons are. We also don't know her version of events, which might be very different from yours... She might well say it was *you* who overreacted to her polite refusal for a discount... Perhaps what you don't know is that offering a discount would mean money out of her own pocket (less commission) and not the store's margin. Posting on here will not help you to understand why the store/employee did as they did... Posting on here is just a way of venting but without any effort for getting real solutions/results - especially if your conclusion (without even re-contacting the store) is to say to hell with them, I will never go back, I will tarnish their name, et cetera, et cetera. If you really wanted to get to the bottom of this, you would call the store manager and tell him/her you had an unpleasant experience and explain yourself again and see if this time you might get better results. For all we know, you are just a massive shit-disturber and the store was reacting to your general assholedness. Maybe they are not so sad to lose you as a customer... I'm not saying any of that is necessarily true, but I am saying that we are only getting your version of events... Your question was "was I being unreasonable." Some people, from what you wrote and your general attitude, think you were. And if you continue to insist that they misunderstand you because you were in fact being reasonable, then you, I believe, are missing the point. If your only conclusion to disagreement with you (about whether or not you were being reasonable) is that people are misunderstanding you (either deliberately or through ignorance), then it is you who is unable to grasp that people *have* understood you, and they simply disagree on whether you were being reasonable or not. And just to be clear... Being reasonable is not just about the nature of your request - it is also about the maner in which you have approached the subject (both at the store and on here). Some will think your request reasonable, but not your approach; some will think your request unreasonable, but the store should have catered to you even though you were unreasonable; some will think you were reasonable in all respects but the store was out of line; some will think you AND the store were unreasonable and finally, some will think you and the store were BOTH reasonable. And just so you know where I stand... I think your timing and the way you made your request were not ideal. As to whether it was you or the store that was "unreasonable" - that all depends on a lot of things and since I wasn't there and I have not heard the other side of the story, it's impossible for me to say for sure who was actually "wrong." Maybe you, maybe them, maybe both, maybe neither. But judging from your posts and general "I-am-right" attitude, I am inclined to think you could have done a lot of things better, and maybe even gotten your discount in the end. That was really long and rant-like... Sorry about not making my point in a more concise maner... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I would literally be fired if I did that, probably that day, most certainly the next day. Jeesus!! Giving someone a mouse-mat could get you fired?? Doesn't that alone make you want to look for another place to work??? If for no other reason than you might at any point get fired for random shit anyway? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

+1 "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Bring a mouse mat. Don't sneak it in... Try a bit of humour: take it out in front of him and make a huge song and dance about it: "BEHOLD!! I got thee a mouse mat - TA-DA!!!!! Your mouse-problem is SOLVED!!!" If he looks puzzled, explain that you watched him struggle with the thing and you thought all he needed was a mat to make it work properly - like you are being kind and thoughtful and that you want to make his life better. Get him a fun or a personalised one he is likely to keep. He will see it as a gift - that can be harder to reject than one you casually leave on his desk... He may genuinely appreciate the gesture (as opposed to seeing it as criticism). "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I'm so disappointed but happy she found a home. I will stop looking at ads, until I have moved... Then I will look to adopt a cat. I'm convinced from everyone I've spoken to that rescuing an adult cat is the way forward for us - there are so many people who want kittens and so many cats in need of a home... I'm so sad, though... Guess it wasn't meant to be "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Well, there is good news and bad news... The good news is that Princess found a loving home... The bad news is that it wasn't with us I'm so sad... She was adopted on Friday... I just waited too long. But anyway, maybe it's for the best. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Good tip!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Thanks for everyone's feedback, and thanks for all the tips and hints... My boyfriend and I have discussed it and we agreed that if she is not already adopted, we will try to pick her up on Friday (I'm not working Friday, Saturday and Sunday so I will be there to reassure her when she arrives). We have left a message at the refuge (no answer) and are very much looking forward to hearing from them

Yikes! How many bikes got laid down? Only mine At the very beginning. For no reason at all. D'oh. Can't believe how useful it was, though... My bike feels a lot easier to handle now. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Nope. I think my boyfriend is more excited about getting a cat than about moving in together!!!! Alrighty then! Just wanted to check because that can have enormous consequences. Some people think, "Oh the other person will be fine if they just take (insert medication here)" which, let me tell you, is not always going to be the case. Forcing an allergic person to live with a cat is beyond inhumane. Having sufferred tremendously from allergies from the day I was born, I could not agree more. Getting de-sensitised (daily drops for 6 months over 2-3 years) changed my life. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Are you sure that starter kit really has enough cats to get you going?? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Nope. I think my boyfriend is more excited about getting a cat than about moving in together!!!! However he is of the opinion that getting a cat before moving is a bad idea for the cat. And I'm worried he may be right... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss