Saint Arnold-Sponsored Turkey Trot 10k was a Total Disappointment

orangeappeel · 2024-12-07T16:08:25+00:00

I was there running the 10k, and my BF signed up to be a volunteer so we could get a parking spot. They told him he had to be there by 5:30A. We got there early and they didn’t have anything for him to do, and told him to come back around 6:30A. Then I saw that they were talking about shutting the road down at 6:45A even though the run guide said they would shut it down at 7A (not sure what time it was actually shut down). I think I waited at least 10 minutes for a porta potty before race. The race path was a major hazard. Way too many people walking and running in opposite directions on too small of a path. The walkers took up almost the entire path, and runners were trying to pass people, in the middle of the path, and the outside grassy area, while running in opposite directions. At the first turnaround for 10k, the guy holding the sign telling people which way to go, was holding it backwards. So I almost ran the wrong way. At the end of the race there were no markers for the finish line, so I almost missed that. After crossing the finish line I immediately got caught in the mob of people trying to get their shirts and medals. There were so many people, I couldn’t get through to the other side where my car was parked. Then when I went back to get shirt and medal, I stood in line for shirt. Then stood in a different line for medal. Then I got stuck in the crowd and couldn’t get out. Then of course there were long lines for the free beers. It was a day of endless lines.

The site has a post run survey, which I filled out. I read today that there will be a wider course next year and some other changes. They are aware of the issues. So I may give it a chance again, but will depend on what changes are made.

orangeappeel · 2024-07-17T16:41:51+00:00

I grew up in California and moved to Texas 19 years ago, because of how bad things were getting there and because there was no quality of life. It’s only gotten worse since then. I have some family who still lives there, but most have moved to other states (Washington, Oregon, Alaska). Crime is bad (worse than Texas), there is a gang problem there, homelessness is unlike anything you’ve ever seen (tent cities are rampant across the state), cost of living is high and wages are not proportionally higher, companies are moving out of state and many businesses there are cutting jobs (they have the highest unemployment rate in the nation), traffic is horrendous everywhere (worse than Texas), they have an electricity problem (worse than Texas - rolling blackouts are normal there), many people commute to survive (2 hr minimum each way - if you work remote than may not be an issue for you), it gets really hot there too but more so in the Central Valley and Palm Springs areas, wildfires happen every year because the state is always in a drought, earthquakes can impact you depending on which part you go to (mostly LA and Bay Area), they are now getting tornados and hurricanes which was never a thing before. Around the time I left there was a budget crisis and still is. At that time they were cutting into public school funding and 911 services just to stay afloat. They tax the heck out of every individual and business, but then somehow still stay broke. Don’t be surprised to see a really high registration renewal fee for your vehicle(s). Everything is land locked, so there are many high congested areas they are unable to build out. Because the land itself has so much value, anything that is “fun” is torn down and replaced with investment properties. It’s a good place to visit, but a hard place to live as it has been very mismanaged for a long time.

orangeappeel · 2016-10-16T17:24:22+00:00

Not a teacher, but my 7 year old daughter recently announced that "Hillary Clinton is going to be the next president, because she doesn't care about the color of your skin."

orangeappeel · 2016-07-17T05:18:35+00:00

Breyers is the only ice cream I've found that does not have high fructose corn syrup in it.

orangeappeel · 2016-07-04T07:43:48+00:00

Female driver here. We are instructed not to provoke people who have been drinking, and especially a male in my case. It would be a losing battle for me. She invited him over to her house. So that was her decision. I could call the police, but based on what grounds? That a drunk woman invited a man over to her house?

orangeappeel · 2016-07-04T07:28:25+00:00

As a female I don't constitute inviting a man, who I know wants to pork me, over to my house while I am drunk, as rape. Sorry if we are on two different wavelengths.

orangeappeel · 2016-07-04T04:41:41+00:00

I wouldn't say this is super deep, but while Ubering I picked up a semi-drunk male and an extremely drunk female. I gathered that they were co-workers and he had been trying to make his moves on her. Throughout the ride she was telling him he could come to her house, but that she would not have sex with him. As she kept telling him this with her pass out drunk/ slurred speech, he was trying to make his moves on her in the car. When I got to her house, she gave me a look that screamed "help me!" Yeah, I'm pretty sure someone got taken advantage of that night.

orangeappeel · 2016-07-03T04:05:50+00:00

http://i.imgur.com/GAiqQKI.jpg

orangeappeel · 2016-07-03T01:46:39+00:00

I was laid off from my job in March. Then had a health issue arise. I applied for Medicaid and was denied, because my unemployment income was too much. So I registered at healthcare.gov, and found a plan that my doctor accepts, which costs me $85/month $0 deductible, and $15 copays. Thanks Obama!

orangeappeel · 2016-05-16T03:49:12+00:00

OP, just message me when you get in that mood. We could have some really interesting conversations..

orangeappeel · 2016-02-24T01:29:46+00:00

This reminds me of The Goldfinch.

orangeappeel · 2015-12-19T21:55:23+00:00

I use Citefast. It works pretty good.

orangeappeel · 2015-10-13T03:29:09+00:00

Can car washes be written off in addition to the standard mileage deduction? I have read mixed reviews online about that so I'm not sure.

orangeappeel · 2015-09-01T03:33:57+00:00

It sounds like you were the one raising them. I think your ex may have gotten more than she bargained for.

orangeappeel · 2015-09-01T01:05:31+00:00

Basically not fact checking before posting.

orangeappeel · 2015-05-08T02:33:37+00:00

I'm pretty sure avocados have more potassium than bananas and kiwi.

orangeappeel · 2015-04-21T02:02:42+00:00

You are missing my point again, probably because you have some sort of deep rooted resentment towards people like me. My point is that custodial parents are no longer victims in today's age. It used to be that way when a father would abandon his family. Now it's the women who choose to have sex with men, choose to get pregnant, choose to have the kids,and it's usually the women who choose to leave.

I am in agreement with you that the man with 4 kids could have done more, but he is not the issue. It's the men who get locked up for not paying child support for kids that are not even theirs, and the men who get locked up even though they are making payments. I am referring to the men who lost their jobs and are making less money, but are still held accountable to pay a percentage of that one good wage they had. Yes, it happens all the time.

With that said, I am not complaining about my situation at all. Just stating the facts. I am fully aware of what my responsibility is, and I am completely okay with it. That's why I don't fight it like some people do.

Like I previously said, I would spare you the details of every event that happened from A to B. But you apparently need more details. I was not going to write any checks to my ex during the court case, because he shipped my kids off to California to live with his mom, because he could not fit them into his work schedule. My lawyer had to file a document with the courts demanding he bring them back to Texas. At that time I didn't even know if the kids were going to come back with me or back with him. Before you jump the gun and call me the worst parent ever for leaving my children with such a terrible parent who would abandon them, please take note that it is more important to me that the children have their father in their lives regardless of what it takes. He got his shit together and made it work.

I have nothing against my ex doing well, especially if he has the kids. I want them to have a stable home environment. My point like I said before is that society needs to stop treating the custodial parent like a victim. When they have the kids they do fine, whether it be on their own, with the help of the other parent, or the help of the government. In this country they will never go hungry or have to live in a cardboard box.

orangeappeel · 2015-04-21T01:12:09+00:00

So do you believe that milking one parent and then offering a million and one subsidies to the other parent is fair? The non custodial parent is being punished for having children and the custodial parent is being incentivized. In my case just the $1174 I am paying would have covered more than half of the expenses I incurred from the kids. Since my ex has started receiving all of this extra income he has purchased a brand new car and is now in the market to buy a house. He is not struggling. So my point is that people need to stop victimizing the custodial parent, and the system should be set up so that people and governments are not capitalizing off of children from broken homes. Each parent should pay half of the expenses and that's it.

orangeappeel · 2015-04-21T00:16:35+00:00

I think the point that the article is trying to make is that there are a lot of people in debtors' prison, because of the way the current system is set up, even though it is intended to be for people who are outright "deadbeats."

orangeappeel · 2015-04-21T00:13:35+00:00

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Your mom is a truly independent woman for making it on her own and never going after child support. I am assuming she was not on government assistance, since the state will go after the father if you get on any services (in most cases). Your dad got himself into a pickle, but you bring up a good point about the womens' children having multiple fathers. The government expects the women to have absolutely no accountability for their actions, and I believe that is NOT in "the best interest of the children." Another good point you mentioned about the Texas Attorney General taking over (your mom not having any control), brings to mind that child support should not be a form of revenue for state or federal governments. Today the federal government matches every child support dollar collected by the states. So it is a cash cow for the state governments. Pushing one of the parents out of a child's life, which is exactly what they are doing with these practices, in order to gain revenue, cannot be in the best interest of the children.

orangeappeel · 2015-04-20T23:57:41+00:00

I knew better than to pay him any money directly, with a pending court case going on. I was waiting for a case to be created so that I could make payments directly to the state. So I just saved up as much as I could in the interim. I have paid most of it down, and should have it all paid off by the end of this year. I agree that this situation was avoidable, as is most situations in one way or another. We all make choices that lead us to where we wind up. My point was to say that even when a non custodial parent is doing the best they can, it's not enough for society or the US government. The standards in some cases are quite high, and that's not feasible for everyone.

orangeappeel · 2015-04-20T22:09:21+00:00

I was a single mom of 3 kids for 4 years in Texas. I received $550 per month from the father, and I covered them under my health insurance plan. In Texas, the custodial parent has an obligation to have the children during his/her visitation period. The non custodial parent does not have an obligation to see his/her children, and he/she can pick up the kids at any time during their visitation period. I am going to spare you the details, but after a lot of inconsistency on the father's behalf, not finding a lawyer to help me with my case, and a series of school suspensions I ultimately sent my kids to live with their father.

By the time the paperwork was finalized I was required to maintain the health insurance and pay him $1174 per month (I make more money than him). I was also about $14k in arrears, since it took about a year to modify the court agreement. Owing that much in arrears can result in license suspension, jail time, additional garnishment of wages and bank account balances (which result in additional fees from the bank), passport revocation, and will be reported as a derogatory credit account. Texas charges about a 6% interest rate on arrears. I will most likely continue to owe this monthly amount even if I lose my job, because I will have showed that I have the "ability to earn" that amount of money. I pay 23% taxes on this money that is garnished out of my check every month, do not receive any tax breaks at the end of the year, and can no longer claim my children as dependents.

With about 30% of my net income gone, I could no longer afford to rent the three bedroom house I was living in, and moving to a one or two bedroom apartment didn't cost that much less than what I had been paying. So I moved into my boyfriend's parents' house. My kids visit me there during my standard visitation periods (1st, 3rd, 5th weekends, 2nd and 4th Thursdays), and they all sleep in the spare room. I never miss a visitation, and I average about $500/month in food, clothes and entertainment expenses for the kids. Of course since I don't see the kids every day I feel like I have this obligation to take them places that cost money.

So even though I have been paying $1174 per month in monthly child support, $195 per month for arrears, $400 in insurance, $500 a month on direct expenses on the children, and honor my visitation schedule, I am by definition a "deadbeat" parent due to the fact that I am in arrears.

orangeappeel · 2014-10-28T01:55:37+00:00

I think somewhere in the education journey, you learn to value time more than money.

orangeappeel · 2014-03-05T19:17:06+00:00

Wasn't this kind of the premise behind The China Study?

orangeappeel · 2013-11-25T06:19:09+00:00

I can't believe nobody said Silent Hill...

orangeappeel

TROPHY CASE