Plug It Up: Friday January 9th

Friday, January 9, 2009

Friday January 9th

The comic:

So this means Pluggers are sane and normal at other times?

Nice to see RhinoMan with a car. Hope he can keep it street legal.

9 comments:

Sigma said...: Panic attacks can be one of the most frightening, traumatizing things you will ever experience in your life. I should know, as I've had them. For me, they start with a general uneasiness, and you don't why or where it's coming from. From there your throat tightens up and you feel like you can't breathe at all, only feeling comfortable doing it while swallowing. Then you start outright panicking, having an uncontrollable urge to get the fuck but having no idea where to go or where to turn to. You feel incredibly trapped and frustrated. You might even get tunnel vision, unable to see properly. The only thing to do is assert as much control as you can, analyzing what you're feeling so you can deal with it and assert that there is nothing wrong, there is no threat.

There are many other things that can happen, but this is what is typical for me. Just typing it out like this does nothing to convey how it is to experience it, and it is upsetting. If you are feeling anything near this because of your car, then fuck you.

Of course, this is Pluggers, so, you know, whatever.

You know, PTSD and panic attacks are often associated with veterans (shell shock). If they only experience it during vehicle inspections, does that mean there are no Plugger veterans?; January 9, 2009 at 2:06 AM
Sigma said...: I meant to say "it is upsetting to even think about it," but you get the idea.; January 9, 2009 at 2:08 AM
Anonymous said...: Poor Rhino-Man! He looks like his whole life is crashing down all around him.; January 9, 2009 at 9:23 AM
Kaitlyn said...: Sigma, he looks more like he's hyperventilating.

I've come close to a panic attack - I remember trying to get in a corner of the (too small) room (or, you know, escape/get away), shaking my head, crying, and saying "No, no" over and over again.

My mom thought it was a panic attack, I thought it was one, but I've never had another one.

I'm so sorry Sigma - I was shaken up the rest of the day, and the doc never did do the procedure. When another doc did it and it hurt like hell, I was over and laughing about it within 30 minutes.

I can't imagine having panic attacks, or even another one. (And I've been in a psych ward! I came close the first night when they wanted me to wear these paper booties, with the shaking, and the crying, and the no, no. But the threat of being locked in a rubber room shut me up. They gave me one of my books and I calmed down.)

If RhinoMan does have regular ones brought on by PTSD as a vet, it may explain why he's in such dire financial straits. After all, only bums would ask the government, and it would make him less of a man to talk about his feelings. I knew there was a reason I liked the dude.

Back in the real Plugger world, I am surprised depression hasn't been belittled yet.; January 9, 2009 at 10:22 AM
Sigma said...: Yeah, just, again, if you're getting anywhere near that over your car, you're not as well adjusted as you think and don't really deserve the inherent smugness of Pluggers.

But thankfully getting over that, I can now actually look at the comic. And damn, that thing is a clown car compared to RhinoMan's size. Poor guy.

It also shows how disconnected Brookins is. Windshield wipers? Really? They are quite cheap and quite easy to replace. Why is the mechanic "afraid" to say that? They're not even that much of a priority, to be honest. Yeah, it will be a bit tougher without them, but come on. Brakes, I don't know; it's such a general term. If it's just brake pads, you can get relatively cheap ones and it's not that hard to replace on your own. If even someone as mechanically disinclined as me can do it, I'm sure a blue collar type can. The same goes for the tires. You can get them relatively cheap and are incredibly easy to replace.

Just, really, come the fuck on. All that stuff is something, again, blue collar types can take care of on their own and wouldn't need a mechanic to tell them about those things. Even if it is blatantly sexist, it would at least make more sense if it had been a female plugger.; January 9, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Marion Delgado said...: Kaitlyn I smell a rat. Either he stole that car, or he got it from one of his nephews and it's his "Plugger mobile home."

This is RHINOMAN after all.

wv: anctorn adj. anciently torn, like a Plugger ligament playing catch with the grandkid. Them doctors wouldn't help anything.; January 9, 2009 at 1:52 PM
Kaitlyn said...: Sigma - Brookins can NOT draw cars.

And when the Plugger is outside the vehicle, all proportions are shot to hell.

And in most of the ones about cars, it's always about how old the car is and how shoddy it is, meaning that these blue collar regular joes don't take care of their cars.

Which makes the OCD over the glasses in every room of the house a bit strange.

Marion - Yes, this is RhinoMan. We celebrate his achievements, we do not knock him. Bad Marion! I wish the Official Plugger message board was still around so I could sentence you to read five posts.; January 9, 2009 at 2:03 PM
xy said...: it sure sounds like all of that is going to cost way less than $1000. and i think that if you can take your car to the shop and have a bill less than that, you should be relieved not having an asthma attack.; January 9, 2009 at 10:16 PM
Kaitlyn said...: xy - when you said $1000, I thought the mechanic said it as well, but no.

But it got me thinking.

I know less about car insurance than I do cars, but my little sister has a deductible of $500. Yes, she had to get it repaired after a recent fenderbender (and her rates will go up), and it was a big blow to the family finances, but no one had a panic attack.

Which led me to this - damn, Pluggers are stupid.

My mom has to get new tires sometimes and pay for things for her car. Things come up, they suck majorly, and it takes a chunk of money we can barely afford. But no panic attack with every bill.

Yeah, stupid.; January 9, 2009 at 10:45 PM