I have a cold.


Merry Xmas.

On the plus side, these are all temporary problems. You just have to deal with them. You will suffer through the cold, and then get well again. You will have the car fixed, or if it's something like a head gasket problem, write it off as not worth fixing, and find another car. That of course will add to your unpaid bills, but there will always be unpaid bills somewhere, or if not they're just lurking around the next corner. It's not like you just got news from the doctor that you have only months left to live, or a loved one is in a similar situation. We all have to weather the crapstorm once in a while, so don't think you're the only one. Concentrate on whatever positive things you have in your life that make it worth living, no matter how small those things might seem. You just have to suck it up and work your way through it. Each of us has different issues to deal with in life. Some other guy might have a great job, a brand new car, plenty of money in the bank, and still be worse off, with bigger problems than you, unless you're facing a death sentence. Take some Nyquil and get plenty of sleep and try to rally yourself. These things won't go away by themselves, so it's up to you whether you're going to do something about it or just wallow in the misery of it all. Most of us have been there in some way at one time or another, so don't let the aggro and adversity defeat you. Hold fast to whatever it is inside that makes life worthwhile, and things will get better eventually. Not without some suffering on your part, but whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. These problems will eventually be nothing but a fading bad memory, but you'll still be there.

Seriously. Hang in there, and have the best Christmas you can under the circumstances.

EDIT: In a weird case of synchronicity (have you ever noticed how there are never any non-weird cases of synchronicity?), as I was typing this reply the following Random Image (from SAGG's gallery) appeared over at the top of the left-hand sidebar:


I guess I will save you the trouble of reading this story and just tell you the answer to Archie's question. The correct answer is entropy, Archie. Trillions of years in the future, as applied to the entire universe, and everything in it (can't say that anyone gets any special treatment, at least).

Oil no longer leaking.Bills can be paid.
Quarterly review is doable.
I have juice.

Quote from: Captain Jetpack on December 23, 2016, 08:11:41 AM
I have a cold.


Merry Xmas.

Well, I too have a cold, and a bill or two to pay, and not enough money to get gifts for all the people I want to give them to. I wish I could do more, so I feel your pain, dude.... 

Quote from: Captain Jetpack on December 23, 2016, 07:20:14 PM
Oil no longer leaking.Bills can be paid.
Quarterly review is doable.
I have juice.

Getting over my cold as well. And yep, the bills sure can be paid. We're in sync! 

Many people get depressed about their problems in the dead of winter, and especially around Christmastime, when it seems easy to glance around at other people you know (or who you see on TV) whose lives seem like they must be easier, or who seem happier than you. At times like these it's helpful to have a clear perspective on where your own personal problems fall on the true scale of human misery, but for an accident of birth in time and space.

• Instead of a cold, you could have AIDS, cancer, the ebola virus, a congenital deteriorating nerve disease, or just be slowly starving to death.


• Instead of dealing with a car with mechanical problems, you could be dealing with the sudden death of a beloved spouse or close family member or friend, or the loss of an arm or a leg.


• Instead of having unpaid bills piling up, you could be another man's slave, a political dissident being imprisoned, tortured, or crucified for your beliefs, or an innocent Jew in Nazi Germany whose entire worldly possessions have been confiscated who's being sent with your whole family to a concentration camp.


• Instead of facing a bad quarterly review, you could be facing the Spanish Inquisition, a firing squad under Josef Stalin's regime, a lynch mob, or be unjustly sentenced to Death Row.

These are not flukes in human history, nor are they things of the past that no longer happen somewhere to someone, or will never happen again. We're talking about millions upon millions of people that were affected by those few examples I chose to mention, and these are only a few of the more recognizable examples of people with REAL problems. For every one of the recognizable examples, there are tens of thousands of unknown or forgotten tragedies and other examples of true human misery, each of which affected vast numbers of people, and it's only the luck of the draw that you happened to be born in the time and place that you were, and free of thousands of potential health problems that severely reduce the span and quality of human life. From any realistic perspective, you are one of the lucky ones.

There's something to think about at Christmas.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on December 24, 2016, 01:53:37 AM
Many people get depressed about their problems in the dead of winter, and especially around Christmastime, when it seems easy to glance around at other people you know (or who you see on TV) whose lives seem like they must be easier, or who seem happier than you. At times like these it's helpful to have a clear perspective on where your own personal problems fall on the true scale of human misery, but for an accident of birth in time and space.

   
• Instead of a cold, you could have AIDS, cancer, the ebola virus, a congenital deteriorating nerve disease, or just be slowly starving to death.
• Instead of dealing with a car with mechanical problems, you could be dealing with the sudden death of a beloved spouse or close family member or friend, or the loss of an arm or a leg.
• Instead of having unpaid bills piling up, you could be another man's slave, a political dissident being imprisoned, tortured, or crucified for your beliefs, or an innocent Jew in Nazi Germany whose entire worldly possessions have been confiscated who's being sent with your whole family to a concentration camp.
• Instead of facing a bad quarterly review, you could be facing the Spanish Inquisition, a firing squad under Josef Stalin's regime, a lynch mob, or be unjustly sentenced to Death Row.

These are not flukes in human history, nor are they things of the past that no longer happen somewhere to someone, or will never happen again. We're talking about millions upon millions of people that were affected by those few examples I chose to mention, and these are only a few of the more recognizable examples of people with REAL problems. For every one of the recognizable examples, there are tens of thousands of unknown or forgotten tragedies and other examples of true human misery, each of which affected vast numbers of people, and it's only the luck of the draw that you happened to be born in the time and place that you were, and free of thousands of potential health problems that severely reduce the span and quality of human life. From any realistic perspective, you are one of the lucky ones.

There's something to think about at Christmas.

In short: It could be worse. Much, MUCH worse. Suddenly, I'm feeling even better about my situation. Thank you, DR....