So I sent my boss and his boss an email stating that I felt overwhelmed and in over my head. I requested a talk to go over my options and assured them that I was still committed to the company and my mission.

HUGE MISTAKE.

If you've ever been in a situation where you think you'll be able to count on the basic decency and humanity of people you've worked your ass off for for years... don't.

I found out the following:

-despite the company's EBITDA rising exponentially year over year, the "company isn't doing too well" (but they do have budget to outright buy out our competitors in order to create a quasi-monopoly) and all teams' budgets are under strain this year (read: no raises no matter your performance)

-my direct superior, whom I've begged for extra guidance/trainings for the past three years, is apparently completely fed up with me and these requests and has wanted to fire me for over a year now.

-only reason I haven't been fired yet is simply because no one else wants

Considering things like modern medicine not being available, infant and child mortality, the gruesome nature of most work back then... would a "standard" commoner from back then laugh at how 'soft' our world has become from their point of view?

What can we infer from people's mindsets and resilience back then vs now, and do you think we're on the verge of a return to these conditions?

I think techno-feudalism has the capacity to be much more brutal than any old time machiavellan clown. The way our minds are deliberately manipulated by algorithms nowadays are much more subtle and insidious than anything the tyrants of yesteryear could've dreamt up, while at the same time convincing people they have it better than ever.

Basically I've been running my employer's IT helpdesk for 10 years. In those 10 years I've gotten some (minor) raises and perks, but never a promotion or job title change. I just "failed" my second year performance evaluation which comes down to "we know you're already overworked and understaffed but we need you to give 150% daily, every day".

As a result the opposite has happened and I basically don't GAF anymore. I close maybe half of the tickets I used to because I just can't bring myself to care anymore. Also, if after 10 years nothing has fundamentally changed, it would be madness to assume it somehow magically will.

Thing is, I used to be very enthousiastic about my field (IT) but lately I've fallen completely out of love with it. Every single month there are changes and evolutions to the many tech stacks we use and I just can't be arsed to keep up anymore. The enthousiasm has been completely replaced with mostly apathy and a side dish of simmering resentment.

I'm not immediat

After the deaths of Emperors Gordianus I and II, the Roman Senate had a major problem. It had not long before declared soldier emperor Maximinus I Thrax an enemy of the people, and this Maximinus meanwhile marched with his army to Rome. In an emergency session of the Senate, Pupienus and Balbinus were then elected emperors. The people, however, did not take this lightly, and became restless. By appointing the later Gordianus III as Caesar, worse was prevented.

Pupienus, the more militarily experienced of the two emperors went to Ravenna to build up an army and take on Maximinus. This went surprisingly well, as Pupienus was able to get many soldiers from Germania, and Maximinus' supplies ran out. Maximinus was then killed by his soldiers, who otherwise kept quiet after a commutation.

Pupienus returned to Rome, where Balbinus did not control the situation. However, peace returned somewhat with the arrival of Pupienus. However, the emperors among themselves did not trust each other on

She turns 15 this year but doesn't look a day over 2. Hoping to have many more healthy and enjoyable years with her, her sister and the other kitties.

She's 6+ but kitten-sized. The coldest days are her favorite, as you can see why.

Poor Terra has an inflamed toe she can't leave alone, so the vet fitted her with a collar for a few days. The bloodtest showed that she's reacting great to her hyperthyroidism-medicine, and the doc even commented on how her kidney, liver and bone marrow values were almost perfect, wich isn't all that common in 15 yr old senior kitties.

Hoping to have my lamp with me for many more years <3.

As stated in the title. I've worked in IT for over 15 years despite having no related degree.

I've been closing tickets nonstop at my current company for almost 10 years. After several restructurings and shuffling of higher posts, it has become clear to me that while this employer isn't the worst out there, I will never be internally promoted or have my job duties changed if I don't leave.

Worse, ever since Covid I've started falling out of love with IT and computers in general. I used to be stoked to learn about all the new developments in tech, nowadays, not so much - the only "innovation" I've seen in the last 10 years was companies trying to make absolutely everything a fucking subscription model. Now I honestly don't know nor care what's in the newest tech stack, how security has evolved,... I just want my shit to work and not having to worry about everything under the hood.

So getting another helpdesk- or related job seems out of the question for mental health reasons.

What

Apparently edible, though not willing to chance it.

Was the best moment of the day by far. Thanks for the li'l boost, fluffy princess!

EDIT; I can't reply to everyone individually but thanks for all the suggestions! Opiates are out of the question, doctors here will only prescribe those in terms of absolutely extreme suffering or end of life care. I also don't particularly feel interested in developing a hard drug habit. Diclofenac and such are available but also only on separate prescriptions, I'd have to visit another doctor for that. I'm well stocked on paracetamol & ibuprofen, and apart from that, lots of ice cream, pudding & soup :)

Also, since a fair few people seem to doubt the veracity of my story, here's the 22 extracted teeth (the other 10 were already gone in previous extractions).

It took ~5 minutes and there was ZERO pain.

I even anticipated this. There was no reason to think it would be hard in any kind of way.

Why am I like this?? Why is my brain such mush when it comes to my executive functioning while several other parts of my mental being are more than fine or even slightly supercharged (when I'm not depressed or out of mania)

The kicker? The appointment isn't for a doctor or a dentist or something else that would be "normal" to dread.

It's an appointment to pick up a brand new company car. A 2023 Mercedes EQA to the tune of 50K€. Most people would JUMP at that kind of opportunity, but not me. No, I sit there contemplating whether I even deserve a car that costs twice my annual salary, and that I'm just deluding myself into thinking I'm a valued part of society, that someone will realize they made a mistake and such a car was never meant for me (or "anyone like me").

This after a double dose of 15mg ritalin, by the way. Without it I would never have b

Roman coinage from the punic wars is interesting, but quite a bit rarer is coinage from Carthage before it was razed. They minted quite exquisite coins in gold, silver and copper. Below is an example of such a copper coin!

30mm, 17.4g Obverse: Head of Tanit left, wearing wreath of grain ears and single-pendant earring.

Reverse: Horse standing right, palm tree in background to left, ligate Punic T and S below.

MAA 84b, Muller Africa, 154 - SNG Copenhagen 341-3 VF

Obv: L AELIVS CAESAR. Bare head right.

Rev: TR POT COS II / CONCORD. Concordia seated left on throne, holding patera and resting elbow upon cornucopia.

RIC 436 (Hadrian).

Weight: 3.23 g. Diameter: 18 mm.

Lucius Aelius Caesar (13 January 101 – 1 January 138) was the father of Emperor Lucius Verus. In 136, he was adopted by the reigning emperor Hadrian and named heir to the throne. He died before Hadrian and thus never became emperor. After Lucius' death, he was replaced by Antoninus Pius, who succeeded Hadrian the same year.

CAESAR-DICT • PERPETVO, veiled and laureate head of Julius Caesar right / P • SEPVLLIVS downward on right, MACER downward on left, Venus standing left, Victory in right hand, scepter in left; shield at feet behind. P. Sepullius Macer, moneyer. Crawford 480/13. Sydenham 1074. RSC 39. Good fine ex CNG 482/352

Issued from February up to the assassination of Caesar on March 15, 44. This coin represents one of the late lifetime portraits of Julius Caesar, with the title of a 'Dictator for life'. These portrait series were issued in large quantities to pay the troops gathered for Caesar's intended Parthian campaign. His assassination on the Ides of March prevented these plans. P. Sepullius Macer was the most prolific moneyer of 44 BC, striking the widest variety of Caesar portrait issues. Caesar is shown wreathed, sometimes also veiled, and his titles given as CAESAR IMP and CAESAR DICT PERPETVO, as seen on this specimen. The reverse image of Venus includes a number of minor design varia

Apologies for the title, but that's exactly what this coin depicts.

L. TITURIUS L.F. SABINUS. Denarius (89 BC). Rome.

Obv: SABIN. Bareheaded and bearded head of King Tatius right; monogram to right.

Rev: L TITVRI. Two soldiers, facing each other, each carrying off a Sabine woman in his arms.

Crawford 344/1a.

Condition: good-very fine.

Weight: 3,7 g.

Diameter: 19 mm.

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The "Rape of the Sabine Women" is a legendary event in the early history of Rome, where the first generation of Roman men, lacking wives to establish families, organized a festival and invited neighboring Sabine people. During the festivities, the Romans abducted the Sabine women and forced them into marriage. The act led to a war between the Romans and Sabines, which eventually ended when the Sabine women, now wives and mothers of Roman children, intervened to broker peace, effectively merging the two communities. This narrative, albeit fraught with violence and patriarchal dynamics, was traditionally inter