Absolute Frustration! An OC experience...

[catielynnb]

To be that person, and shove this back to where it started, are there any other opinions or suggestions? I'm thankful for everything that's been offered...

I just find it absolutely shocking that I'be had this much stuff happen to me in the handful if times I've OC'd. It's frustrating, but legitimate ... to have these concerns. At least I feel that way. I feel like it shouldn't come down to the fact that I'm a woman. :/

 

[mrortega]

Old time journeymen I have worked with "It only tingles...."

My brother-in-law was an electrician. He would routinely stick a finger and thumb from the same hand into an empty socket and say, "Yep, it's hot." NOTE: FOR YOU KIDDIES OUT THERE, DON'T DO THAT. IF YOU SCREW UP YOU'RE DEAD!

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

My brother-in-law was an electrician. He would routinely stick a finger and thumb from the same hand into an empty socket and say, "Yep, it's hot." NOTE: FOR YOU KIDDIES OUT THERE, DON'T DO THAT. IF YOU SCREW UP YOU'RE DEAD!

I've seen excerpts from an old, old book that described the proper way to detect voltages without a meter. I did a quick check to see if I could find it on AlGore's internet, but google has failed me again.

 

[looney2ns]

To be that person, and shove this back to where it started, are there any other opinions or suggestions? I'm thankful for everything that's been offered...

I just find it absolutely shocking that I'be had this much stuff happen to me in the handful if times I've OC'd. It's frustrating, but legitimate ... to have these concerns. At least I feel that way. I feel like it shouldn't come down to the fact that I'm a woman. :/

Catie, I agree "it shouldn't come down to the fact that you are a women".

But unfortuntely it probably at least partially does. Not bragging, but my daughter is in her early thirtys, very good looking young lady. She works in a factory and it makes me very ashamed of my fellow species when I hear the stories of harrasment she has to tell. I can see if she was ocing, the stories would only get more frequent about what she has to endure from the pea-brained man children.

I'm going to bet that you will get more grief for OCing than males will.

I salute you for at least giving it a go, and hope you can work through all the noise.

 

[catielynnb]

Catie, I agree "it shouldn't come down to the fact that you are a women".

But unfortuntely it probably at least partially does. Not bragging, but my daughter is in her early thirtys, very good looking young lady. She works in a factory and it makes me very ashamed of my fellow species when I hear the stories of harrasment she has to tell. I can see if she was ocing, the stories would only get more frequent about what she has to endure from the pea-brained man children.

I'm going to bet that you will get more grief for OCing than males will.

I salute you for at least giving it a go, and hope you can work through all the noise.

The worst part of it, and I'm sure BlueEagle can confirm, is I go to school with several womanizers. Seriously, that's the only way to classify them. And I've said it once, I've said it at least a hundred times, that I will play dirty back and pick at my own gender. Part of that is my nature of enjoying the attention, and shock-and-awe of 'YOUJUSTTOLDAWOMANINTHEKITCHENJOKEHOWDAREYOU!' moments.

It really frustrates me at some times, and it's usually when it's so condescending, or just flat out rude, or these *ahem* boys, treating me like I'm something less than they are. Half the time my internal monologue, yes in a British accent because everything sounds better, is something along the lines of 'Are you kidding me?! I could flip you over and hold you to the ground with my foot on your throat before you knew what happened.... and you're going to degrade me to more stupid blonde and women in the kitchen jokes?!'

I know the real world is, obviously, full of idiots. But I keep finding the bigtime ones apparently. I feel for your daughter, boys, not men, are pigs. (Sorry guys, I had to take it there...)

... Anyway, after you posted the pic, I might know the answer, or at least some of why they treated you that way. Guys generally have a subconscious need to take care of women. Its what we were built to do. We are the stong, they are the weak. Thats how it was designed. Now here is a good looking lady, carrying a gun, that can obviously take care of herself, and these guys are put off by it, because you now no longer need the men. In general, we like to be needed... Of course thats all subconscious, but thats the truth of men and women, deep down.

Here is where I wish I could explain to them my story, of which, to keep this relatively short, I will only share a small part of. It explains a lot of the reason as to why I kept up with my martial arts training and now own a gun that I plan to carry daily. (Provided nitwits don't get in the way.)

I have been stalked. By two different individuals.
Catch that line, by two different individuals at two separate times.

BlueEagle is witness to one of those, as in I called him freaking out. He offered, and I'm sure was almost ready to come pick me up and cause a scene. I'm positive if it were to happen again and I wasn't prepared he would without a second thought.

Now, I do go to engineering school and I'm surrounded by a bunch of boys, and some men, every day. I'm used to the stupid flirting and the guys I spend a majority of my time with are very protective of me. I still feel as if I haven't thanked them enough times after this last year...

This whole debacle started at the beginning of the summer term of last year, right in the beginning of May. I started this pain of a class that had only 12 students, one of which I marked as a creeper the first time I saw him. I don't know what it was, maybe the way he looked at me, or attempted to talk to me, or the fact that he stared at me the whole 2 hour plus class. I made a point to be on guard more, after the next few classes. This class was paired with a lab, that a majority of the time ran laaaaate into the night. My two partners and I always worked together, but sometimes one would have to leave, or one would go get food and it'd be a bit more uncomfortable. He always stayed extra late, and wanted to be nearest to me... Then he started following me...

When I realized he was following me it was the first bit of June because I had a new class on the other side of campus. He followed me from one side of campus to the other, and try as he might it was very obvious.... From that point on, I started telling those I considered close to me and asked them to walk with me to class, and not leave me alone.

It got really bad in the middle of June, to the point I almost confronted him with one of the bigger and meaner guys for backup. I hid in my advisor's office after explaining the situation. He made quite a few passes by her office, and she went out and asked him 'What are you doing up here?!' to which he responded, 'Looking for a girl, she's in my class, I want to see her...'
THAT was the day I absolutely lost it. From then on, I made sure someone knew where I was, how long I was going to be there, and when I moved. I made the women's restroom on my engineering floor a new hideout! Between that, and my adivsor's office, and the guys I was with I felt a little better, but the threat didn't stop.

I honestly worry about going back to campus this summer. I haven't heard any updates about that kid, and honestly, I hope to all things he has since graduated....

/end storytime

That was longer than I planned, but that was just one of the two stalkers. The other one was a bit before this guy, and never escalated to what I feel that this guy was at.

It's what made me realize, even though this guy was 'smaller' than me, that a form of martial arts isn't exactly my best option. I do not want to have to hold someone long enough for cops to respond. They're always to far away... especially when it really matters.

I personally have no problems with anyone carrying. OC, CC whatever you prefer, but do it confidently. Do not allow yourself to be stepped on by these people. It's like anything else, people attack what they do not understand. Different doesn't equal bad, but those who were not raised around guns and have not taken it upon themselves to be educated about them view us as very different. They see things on the news and thats all they need, never mind the actual truth. They wouldn't let you speak because they knew they would have no answer to whatever it was you had to say.

And to answer the other part, because I'm not going to double post this, and I kinda got sidetracked by my storytime... My confidence level is not shallow by any means, really, I posted a photo of myself on a forum with people I will probably never meet!, plus, I'm a bit headstrong in general. Due to that, and my parents always telling me I have to be confident to get what I want, that trait is already there.

Being stepped on by people like this, is something I think will become quite common, and if this continues to happen on a regular basis, I'm going to end up in the 'I CC because....' camp. I won't stop trying to 'win them over' even though I kinda see it being impossible, they're pretty set in their ways...

 

[BlueEagle]

I remember offering to meet you off-campus somewhere if that guy was following you. As I recall, I think I offered to pretend to be your boyfriend and run him off. (And yes, my then-fiancee approved of the plan.)

Hopefully he has calmed down or graduated since then.

 

[actaeon277]

Or maybe he had a horrible accident. That would be too bad, wouldn't it????
Sorry. I hate those type of men, give a bad mark to the rest of us.

 

[BlueEagle]

I swear, men keep getting a horrible rap lately. Some of us are really nice, I promise! I think a large portion of the problem anymore is that people don't raise men....they raise boys. Big difference.

 

[catielynnb]

Or maybe he had a horrible accident. That would be too bad, wouldn't it????
Sorry. I hate those type of men, give a bad mark to the rest of us.

I swear, men keep getting a horrible rap lately. Some of us are really nice, I promise! I think a large portion of the problem anymore is that people don't raise men....they raise boys. Big difference.

That's why I stated boy,... or if I didn't man was used incorrectly and I'll be fixing that.

 

[jeremy]

All Engineers live a a Box of Something Special, often completely separate from reality...

Dumbasses...

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

All Engineers live a a Box of Something Special, often completely separate from reality...

Dumbasses...

So much passion, so much anger....engineer steal a gifriend?

 

[jeremy]

So much passion, so much anger....engineer steal a gifriend?

LOL!

Nah, When I worked in a Factory I was a Maintenance Repairer. Young Engineers always came up with brilliant ideas that just didn't work in reality. I have told quite a few to take their selves back up the hill to Purdue and demand a refund, they obviously got ripped off by their Professors when a dumb mechanic can look at their prints and tell them it won't work that way...

 

[Lodogg2221]

I swear, men keep getting a horrible rap lately. Some of us are really nice, I promise! I think a large portion of the problem anymore is that people don't raise men....they raise boys. Big difference.

Sometimes though, they are raised as men, but when they get out on their own, they revert back. I know a couple of them.

And yes, there are a few of us out there that are nice and respectful of women!

 

[Mr. Habib]

LOL!

Nah, When I worked in a Factory I was a Maintenance Repairer. Young Engineers always came up with brilliant ideas that just didn't work in reality. I have told quite a few to take their selves back up the hill to Purdue and demand a refund, they obviously got ripped off by their Professors when a dumb mechanic can look at their prints and tell them it won't work that way...

But, but, the Spice model says that it has to work this way. Computer simulations are never wrong,

 

[1911 DeadHead]

LOL!

Nah, When I worked in a Factory I was a Maintenance Repairer. Young Engineers always came up with brilliant ideas that just didn't work in reality. I have told quite a few to take their selves back up the hill to Purdue and demand a refund, they obviously got ripped off by their Professors when a dumb mechanic can look at their prints and tell them it won't work that way...

This is so true. If it looks good on paper it has to work. Even with architects, on a job there 4 or 5 revised prints going around and you always have make sure you got the right one. Then mistakes are made and things get held up. One print we had the architect was missing about 8ft of floorspace!

 

[IndyBeerman]

I've always said if a engineer had to work on things they designed, then they would be built different.

 

[RobertaX]

Don't hate the engineer, hate the engineering!

...In re guns at work and Mysterious Invisible Handbooks: ignorance of the rules is usually not a defense. Not knowing the rules + youth + ability + sincerity might be -- I'm too old and mangy to find out.

Where I work had a handbook some employees couldn't see (because of stupid games between union and company: When Is A Handbook A Contract? Sigh) and it was awkward as the dickens, since the rules still stood but you had to unofficially ask or be told.

Hope you do find out the policy, and have checked into what kind of legal coverage KY law gives you in terms of having your own gun in your own car; even laws/decisions that say your employer can't search your car could be helpful.

On OC vs. CC, the thing CC has going for it is you don't have those "OMG, you gotta gun!?!?" conversations. Flipside, you lose the visible deterrent; plus, easy CC tricks like purse carry can make it too slow to reach if ever you must. I tend to carry badly and I know it, but it beats not at all, which would be the other option. (Even an empty IWB holster would be no-go at work).

If the issue comes up with manglement -- and at a small place, it may, rumor not having far to fly -- the soft answer that deflects wrath will do you a lot of good. Try to play to their lead without getting verbally cornered or feeding any irrational aversion to firearms/self defense.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

LOL!

Nah, When I worked in a Factory I was a Maintenance Repairer. Young Engineers always came up with brilliant ideas that just didn't work in reality. I have told quite a few to take their selves back up the hill to Purdue and demand a refund, they obviously got ripped off by their Professors when a dumb mechanic can look at their prints and tell them it won't work that way...

LOL!

We've got a coop student that's getting ready to graduate. They just put him in my group and he and I were talking the other day about a project he was working on...he's a smart kid, but like all kids, he thinks he's got the whole world figured out. He was bemoaning why some operators weren't using his design correctly...its a long boring story, bur tge point of our talk was: one thing they don't teach in school is just because you design something to work, you just can't ignore human nature.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I've always said if a engineer had to work on things they designed, then they would be built different.

A sad thing I've noticed is many of the younger engineers really avoid getting their hands dirty. I know several that do not even do simple repairs around their house or maintenance on their cars.

 

[Lodogg2221]

A sad thing I've noticed is many of the younger engineers really avoid getting their hands dirty. I know several that do not even do simple repairs around their house or maintenance on their cars.

Thats not the problem. I know lots of engineers who do all their own repairs.

The trouble is, one engineer is set on one portion of a whole project, but they have no say in the whole end outcome, or they might not even know what else is involved in the final project. Ive worked on plenty of stuff while cursing the guy who designed it, but then again, most times, especially in vehicle engines, its not designed around the car, the car is designed around the engine, and they dont take into account where things are located.
Nevermind the space constraints...

With houses, and everything else that has to be drawn...well, lets just say the designers arent the only ones making mistakes...builders do more than their fair share too.