|
Well, it seems like Azelma got his wish...or at least, a chance to evaluate his argument...or at least, some good lulz for at least some people involved.
I got accepted to an accounting school. Whatever, I called my parents to notify them. They were, uncharacteristically, unfazed, and my father then got on the phone and went on this rant about how he hadn't had a job in two weeks because of his declining vision. He said there had been "events beyond my control" and "a lot of discrimination issues" and he was now desperately looking for a job for a blind doctor in his late 60s.
Now you're probably expecting me to say this is a case in life being unfair and people being discriminated against and victimized etc. No.
His vision has gotten dramatically worse lately. This, he claims, was a surprise to him: he said he had no idea his vision would get so much worse so suddenly. And yet Wikipedia says that later onset typically suffers more rapid deterioration. So he as a skilled MD with the condition insists that he had no way of knowing what is written on Wikipedia and he now finds is true. Go figure.
A few years ago, my father made the choice to quit his steady and decently paying job in Sacramento, after Schwarzenegger cut govt salaries by about 20%, and move to Vermont to work for their state government. And, for a while, apparently, it was a fun, important job, and it paid well. But he was apparently never really welcome because he was from out-of-state (personally I think it probably had more to do with his personality - imagine my personality, without all the humor, seriousness, empathy and tact that make it at least somewhat bearable, and with twice as much pure emo) and had to sue to get his medical license recognized by the state. This, he now tells me, cost $50k, and now he apparently was contrived out of his job. And somehow, he says, apparently almost went to jail. No idea.
Meanwhile, he took two three-day vacations to Europe, the first being cut short on the first day because the housesitter messaged him that the cat had stopped eating, as it turned out, due to esophageal cancer, which required the animal to be put down.
The thing is, this isn't the first time this happened. About 12 years ago, he sued the CA govt after he was denied a promotion because a black doctor who was less qualified threatened to sue if he didn't get the job, alleging discrimination. So the black doctor got the job. And my father, in turn, sued. He became completely obsessed with the case - I mean, like, Ahab obsessed - and fired his attorney and decided to represent himself because he felt that "only I can really understand this case". Unsurprisingly, this convinced the judge he was crazy, and the suit didn't make it past the hearing.
At the time, I had said the same thing as his lawyer, his wife, his brother (who is an attorney), and pretty much everyone else, who said that his grievance was justified but there was no way he could win in court because his case wasn't cogent and he had no proof. Now, this was when the Governator first came to power, and the CA govt was actually trimming headcount for the first time in living memory. So I said, suing your employer is a good way to get your head on the short list for the chopping block. He didn't listen. As it turned out, he didn't get fired; I said, "it could have happened," he replied, "but it didn't".
So this idiot decided to roll the dice again and THIS TIME he wasn't so lucky. And of course if he had not quit his previous job, he'd still be semi-happily employed, with a six-digit income. Less 20%, of course, but still enviable.
All of which is still very much lost on him. "It was beyond my control, Ethan." "You don't want to listen, Ethan." I replied, mockingly, "Maybe it's not beyond your control, maybe you just think that because you have a mental disorder." "You've always sent me to clinicians and shrinks rather than listen to me. Maybe you need mental help, maybe that's the problem."
It was a lot less satisfying since the irony was just so completely lost on him.
So anyway, he told me, that he simply can't help anymore, and that I either need to forget about going to college, or postpone it until he can find a job again (he's trying to get his old job back, gl with that), or pay for it myself. I am going with option three - college loans, USAID, and FAFSA.
The first objectives will be:
-close my account at the local bank, which I've always hated anyway
-talk to the local furniture and junk dealer about turning over my furniture
-fill out the relevant gimme forms
-visit the school, which is many states away, and establish living arrangements
(a few people on FUBU know exactly where it is and why they are not to disclose the location)
Meanwhile I would like advice on USAID and related programs and scholarships and such. Anyone?
Aestu of Bleeding Hollow... Nihilism is a copout.
|
