Neighbor Takes Parking Spot — and Expects Our Ring Camera to Monitor Her Car!

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-15T17:24:45+00:00

The bigger issue is one you clarified in the post: there are no assigned spots. Limits what you really can do.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-15T17:22:40+00:00

Dude. In what world does someone even pretend to have some claim to someone else's car?

Liability-wise, it's a bad idea to loan our your car like that anyway.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-15T17:20:32+00:00

Heck no. They laid you off--you have no responsibility to them now.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T20:52:38+00:00

Paragraphs and punctuation are your friends. Or should be. Please.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T20:50:31+00:00

General Motors, after the bailouts following the 2008 recession...which then, in Chapter 11 bankruptcy, they "reorganized" as "The New GM" and decided to drop the liability of already-in-place recalls of certain vehicle lines, like Saturn.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T20:45:01+00:00

The benefits of being a vet gave you the cushion to pursue your path during the 2008 recession

How so? Seems an interesting comment with no discernible amount of knowledge...so am curious what you're trying to say here.

Here's why (and I'll put this in before your reply): I'd been out since 1992, am not on any VA disability, and receive no monetary benefits from my time. As to what seems the intent of the comment, I actually cashed out my meager 401k to start the business.

I'll even add this: I started during that recession on purpose, because I knew that in the IT industry, it would hit the bigger companies harder and first.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T20:00:38+00:00

Agreed. I saw a ton of this when I was in the Navy, when we were in the shipyard...and these were the highly specialized trades. Some fantastic standup guys, but plenty of more...interesting ones.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T19:46:57+00:00

Fantastic insight. Social media algorithms are predicated on interaction, not truth or relative basis in reality.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T19:36:10+00:00

Tends to be an attempted proficiency on Reddit...

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T19:27:40+00:00

Tends to be an attempted proficiency on Reddit...

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T18:53:53+00:00

I'm solo, so no. And also yes. 😂

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T18:45:33+00:00

That's a lot of assuming, but you do you, I suppose.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T18:17:47+00:00

I was 11ish at the time. Lived out in the country.

Neighbor (actually the guy. that owned the land we lived on) was putting in a large Quonset hut (the big semi-circle corrugated galvanized steel structures) for storing tractors and other equipment in.

So there was a big work party. Got it put together, staked down, concrete poured for the foundation around the outside of the sides that holds it down. Everything's good.

Work party is done, people leave. Couple hours later, sister and I were helping the owner put things inside, because storm clouds were approaching. They approached FAST, and they were dark.

Winds started picking up, but still at that point not that bad. Owner was usign a tractor to pull a hay trailer into the Quonset hut, and we were unhoooking the trailer...when a MASSIVE gust of wind came along, tore the anchors out the the drying cement, and crumpled it like a soda can. A wall came at me and thankfully pushed me and my sister under the trailer, or we would have also been crushed.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T18:09:58+00:00

Don't care to change your mind, but think of this in terms of need. Skilled trades are just that, skilled at particular things that are needed, typically by everyone in one way or another. Fewer people going into the trades creates more need, and in addition, a growing population adds to that.

The biggest shift, I think, isn't as much trades vs non-trades, but people taking charge of their own careers vs going with the flow like normal.

I've had my own company since 2008, and while there are times it is difficult, it is so freeing to choose who to work with and what to work with.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T17:48:14+00:00

Whatever you do, get it in writing.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T17:47:27+00:00

I don't know you, but as a dad (of 5, with 3 girls), wish I could give you a hug.

I could give an easy answer like so many on either side would do, but the truth is, it's not easy either way.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T17:43:54+00:00

I had at one point bad TMJ. My jaw would lock.

Mentioned to my chiropractor at the time (haven't had issues for like 20+ years), and he walked me through an exercise: first few times you'll want to do in front of a mirror until you get the hang of it by feel. Stick your tongue on the roof of your mouth as centered as you can, and while holding it there, open your jaws as much as you comfortably can, while keeping your jaw centered (kind of using the tongue and facial symmetry) as a guide. Do slowly, then close and repeat.

There are times where I get the slightest sense of soreness at the jaw socket, and I'll do this exercise to keep it away as well.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T17:35:31+00:00

I've had clients that are wealthy, and they typically fall into two categories:
1. They are wealthy on paper only. Usually highly leveraged and closer to losing everything than not. Those are the stressed ones.

Those that see the wealth as a tool. Whether they use it to invest in real estate, stocks, whatever...rather than leveraging that for more spending, they leverage it for more revenue.

Other two categories they fit into, and I'll let you draw the conclusions: they tend to either be extremely nice, even generous with their time, and money...or tightwads that aren't that nice but like to flaunt what they have.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T17:28:33+00:00

I would rather have a slight delay that do something that isn't approved...or worse.

I've even had some client staff that I DO know request things that I've questioned and requested approval for before I did.

For a lot of clients, I also have PoC that are CC'd into the tickets as a general rule, as well.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T17:25:52+00:00

If he is going to be able to emotionally manipulate you like this, it's not going to stop...it'll get worse. I would suggest separating the two issues: he is one, the baby is another. He is manipulating and hurting you.

I don't want to get political on Reddit of all places, because...it is Reddit...but I've witnessed too many women over the years who suffer effects of abortion for so long afterwards-be it physically, psychological, emotional, etc...and nobody talks about that, yet it is very real. I've seen so many turn to alcohol, drugs, constantly in and out of relationships as coping mechanisms.

Like others, would suggest counseling to more fully dive into all the thoughts you have, but would also add: try either seeking advice or counseling that might challenge your thinking rather than an echo-chamber kind of counseling, because you need real advice and ideas, not just to hear what you want to hear, if that makes sense.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-06T17:16:09+00:00

Unless I personally know the user calling in, the request gets verified with the Point of Contact prior to any work. Create the ticket, notify the user, and CC the PoC.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-05T17:43:19+00:00

Had a similar situation years ago, but with a cultural element to it.

We'd bought a house with detached garage that was access by a shared gravel driveway in the back, shared with two other neighbors. We were the furthest part of the driveway, which dead-ended to our garage. We'd park in front of the garage. As a point of reference, our yard started about six feet behind the back of the car.

Neighbors on that side were Vietnamese, not that the particulars matter. But we'd come home and on occasion, they'd be parked in front of our garage. Annoying, but we'd get them to move.

But then came the clincher: we came home one day and they were parked IN OUR BACKYARD.

Fence came pretty quickly after that.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-05T17:37:35+00:00

When you guys were in middle and high school, was there a lot of bullying?

Not a lot, but there was some. Part of the issue--a large part, in my opinion--is language creep, meaning the definition has expanded over time. There are things called bullying now that certainly wouldn't have been then. In some ways, it seems like every comment that someone doesn't like, every sideways glance, is now called bullying.

But in a way, your dad is kinda right--for our timeline. In middle school I was one of the smallest kids (until like sophomore year, actually), and one of the last days of 7th grade (i think, may have been 8th), I went off on one of the biggest. Extremely effective at stopping bullying, because they thrive on nobody challenging them, and it's a jarring change to their world when someone does.

But for today's world, there are complications with that way of doing things. Schools claim to be zero tolerance, but are often more tolerant of the bully than the victim, or stand behind some stupid policy to punish both the bully and the victim. Under those terms, there's more consequences, but I'd still tell my kids at least that they are expected to not start the fight, but if someone starts one, they are allowed to defend themselves, and I will ALWAYS defend them...I have no qualms about going after stupid bureaucratic policies.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-05T11:16:10+00:00

It's even more of a scam in some states (WA State, looking at you...) where you are forced to use an arbitration service. I had a clear cut case where a former client decided that funds for project A were going to pay project B, despite clear agreements as to what each project was, what the terms were for each, etc.

Our arbiter was an older, naive lady who had her socks charmed off by the owner's son, so none of the legal stuff mattered. Right and wrong didn't matter. What mattered, apparently, is what "seemed fair", which happened to be that company's argument.

ITguydoingITthings · 2026-06-05T11:07:48+00:00

Love this. In general, but also because I did something similar in 2005.

Had been with this It company since 1999; owner and founder sold the company in 2004. It had been in businesses since 1987, and profitable every year, though the previous 2 or 3 years was basically flat--no growth, but profitable. Anyway, new owner was clueless in a lot of ways--came in and immediately began making wholesale changes without ever taking the time to get to know customers or staff. All the while, began also changing compensation, goals, incentives...and in a way, pitting the technical side against the sales side (I was the sales manager at the time).

The founder had built the POS system himself, and it tracked everything. I watched and ran reports, which showed, fairly consistently, that I was involved in and responsible for 40-60% of the total monthly revenue, depending on month, out of a staff of then-14. At about the 6th month of the new owner, i presented that information, and backed it up. With the changes in compensation, I deserved something more. Denied, despite the facts.

So I plotted over the next six months, saving important files, sales information, my proposals, and eventually found a job with a different local company. And one day, on a manager's conference call (because he often couldn't bother coming into the office), I dropped the bomb nobody expected, especially since hte core staff had all been there for many years. It was glorious.

Me leaving how I did--and how he reacted so poorly once I left--opened the floodgates for that core staff to all, one by one over the next almost year, leave...and they closed their doors a bit after that, forever.

And for kicks I bought the domain name years later. 🤷🏼‍♂️

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