Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think wtfff?

64 replies

fancyham · 02/11/2019 20:52

I've NC'd because this could be outing. I'll try to make this concise as my head's in a muddle and need a bit of a MN reality check.

Am generally not too great this week, tapering off gabapentin (grim) after a nerve root block for a years worth of crippling sciatica. I smoke the occasional joint. I know exactly where it comes from, and nobody is being exploited. I feel fairly fucking fragile, physically and mentally.

I've used the same odd job man for a few years, and asked him ages ago if he could do a job for me and I got a call out of the blue to ask if the job still needed doing. He's a religious fanatic, and I usually humour him (fucking social conditioningAngry). But during a tea break he brought up the subject of evolution, and said he believed it. I found this interesting and asked him about it, and if he wondered why humans evolved so differently to other animals. He replied he didn't believe humans evolved and that we were made by god Confused.

At this point I began to grin a bit because I genuinely thought he was joking, to have made such a contradictory statement. He went on to mutter something like, well it's what I believe and it's too late to change now (I managed to stifle the urge to tell him about sunken cost fallacy Grin).

Then (I didn't realise at the time) he steered the conversation around to cannabis, how when he smoked it he became arrogant, full of himself, full of "false confidence" and would go out and start fights with people. I said how odd, doesn't affect me like that. Straight away he jumped in with "Oh but that's ILLEGAL!" I thought he was joking (I know, I really am shit at reading people Grin) and I jokingly said, "you wouldn't dob me in, would you?"

Instead of laughing and saying no, he went quiet, eventually saying that he hadn't even thought about it, but now I'd put the idea into his head.... I must have looked [confusion] because he said "are you OK"? in a sickly faux concern and got up and came towards me with his arms outstretched. He looked very pleased with himself. I stood up, arms folded and said shouldn't you get back to work. When he left he said he would pray for me and that he loved me Envy

He completely fucked the job up (hadn't listened to what I asked him to do, and neither did he have the right skills). I contacted him about this and he got really angry, and kept shouting me down and that he would charge me again to rectify it. I remained calm. He got more and more angry, eventually shouting not to pay it. He invoiced me about 3 X more than he usually would.

I have just received a text from him;
"hi, am concerned about you, would like to bring elder from church. There's nothing in this for me other than making sure you're ok."

My reply; "No thanks, and completely inappropriate. A tradesman has assessed the damage. He said it won't be possible to rectify until spring and that you should have known this type of job should only be done in warmer/drier weather. Can I ask what you're concerns are?"

He replied; "You are paranoid, comes with the drugs, which own you. sorry about the job, the offer of help still stands."

Withdrawing from gabapentin is quite the emotional roller coaster as it is, (laughing one minute, tears the next) and this isn't helping. I spent the last year in chronic pain, and I have no idea how I pulled myself through it. Now this twat trying to blackmail me into joining his cult. Please wonderful, sane, critical thinking wise MNers reassure me that I'm not the loopy one.

OP posts:
Therebythedoor · 02/11/2019 21:47

*heal you/convert you.

SapphireSeptember · 02/11/2019 21:55

So you're 'sinning against God' by smoking the odd joint but he's not? What a hypocrite. Angry Even Mormons don't get het up about weed and they ban pretty much everything else. (I think the caveat is it has to be used for medicinal purposes, which is what you're doing.)

Anyway, he's a loon and needs to be reported to someone for botching the job AND ripping you off, that's a shitty thing to do.

MrOnionsBumperRoller · 02/11/2019 21:55

Is fancy ham the same as naice ham OP?

fancyham · 02/11/2019 21:55

Gardai I shall never question The Rule again.

I knew this was going to be a rough few weeks, waiting for the steroid from nerve root block injection whilst going through gabapentin withdrawals. Pretty much nothing more my GP can do for me, she and I knew the side effects from this medication might make me feel odd. I've never suffered from paranoia due to having a smoke. His behaviour would worry me either way.

Thanks to you lovely women who gave me a handhold when I was having a wobble. I feel quite teary now. Blush

OP posts:
InsertFunnyUsername · 02/11/2019 22:02

Ignore the busy body OP. Nothing quite like an Ex smoker/drinker etc immediately jumping on someone. And he can't get you in trouble for a joint so dont worry. He is weird.

BlueEyedBengal · 02/11/2019 22:07

Look I'm a Christian but I never talk about it to others unless asked, and my children only go when they choose to, ie when my eldest in his mid 20s asked to come along. And then he started going more than me meeting his future wife through religion. I think he is totally overstepped the boundaries and you should avoid him at all costs please just concentrate on your recovery and avoid judgemental people like him. Stay away from drugs as they will only hamper your recovery.

fancyham · 02/11/2019 22:08

TooManyPaws, when I pointed this out to him he said he was talking about "years ago before he knew any better". So a different rule for him really, like most men. Especially religious ones.

OP posts:
Storsteinen · 02/11/2019 22:20

Please, for the love of God, never get this man round to do an odd job ever again.

AliceLittle · 02/11/2019 22:29

@egontoste it is mentioned in the Bible in the story of Moses where God Gives him specific instructions how to set up for worship and a very detailed recipie for an
holy tincture.

Justaboy · 02/11/2019 22:37

Its hard enough getting someone in to do a job on the house without having to fend off the advaces of a religious nut job.

Your made of strong stuff OP:!.

PerkyPomPoms · 02/11/2019 22:42

Block him, keep chasing him for amount to pay to fix his botch job, and live your best life without him anywhere near the premises

fancyham · 02/11/2019 22:56

Sanctimonious wanker obviously doesn't like to be challenged on his ridiculous beliefs.

I thought that could be it. I wasn't even challenging, I asked a question out of genuine curiosity, which might have prompted some momentary critical thinking/crisis of faith. And now he feels like smiting. Must make him feel very powerful.

I don't really like knowing it's highly likely that he may go into a vulnerable person's home and behave like that. They'd be fucked. What an awful way to get people to join, by bullying and making them doubt themselves. Sad

I've just googled, and it looks like he's a mormon, (him threatening me with "elders")

OP posts:
MitziK · 02/11/2019 23:02

Well, he's a fucking crappy Mormon if he's sat having tea with you.

They aren't allowed to drink tea or coffee. (Source: worked with several of them).

INeedToGetHealthy · 02/11/2019 23:05

@fancyham I wanted to ask if you have been told to stop Gabapentin completely, without tapering the dosage down safely? It is an awful drug to withdraw from and it has some nasty side effects. Look on Facebook for gabapentin withdrawal advice group.

Ps. No judgement from me on using cannabis, as we have to do what we can when in chronic pain.

CalishataFolkart · 02/11/2019 23:22

‘“I believe God made me in one day.” Yeah, looks like he rushed it.’

Bill Hicks

fazakerleyjackie · 02/11/2019 23:29

Stay clear of him, don't respond, do keep his messages.

The police will not be in the least interested, in someone having a spliff for medicinal purposes. How would he prove it anyway?

Bollocks to him I say.

He is on dodgy ground if he carries on mithering you, HE might become someone of interest, not you.

I'm really sorry you've been so unwell Flowers

LolaDabestest · 02/11/2019 23:37

You both sound weird,

fancyham · 02/11/2019 23:37

Funny you say that Mitzi, he's never accepted one until the day he started getting weird. He even had a whinge about the sign on my door - no junk mail, cold callers or religious people.

Oh lord no INeed. I was on a preposterous amount of the stuff, 2700mg a day! Every 3 days I drop 300mg. Some people like to leave 2 weeks between decreases, but I haven't got the patience to drag it out.

OP posts:
k1233 · 02/11/2019 23:38

This is my standard response to religious people forcing their views on me.

I think organised religion is evil. The atrocities committed in the name of religion are vast. Think what a lovely world it would be if people actually lived by the precepts of their religion instead of merely giving lip service to their beliefs. I prefer to have my actions reflect my beliefs. I do not need organised religion for this to happen.

Yet to have a religious person disagree. Not really much they can disagree with as it is people's actions that count, not showing up to church so god can mark their attendance.

fancyham · 02/11/2019 23:39

I wish the people who seagull a "you're just as bad" remark would expand on that.

OP posts:
PixieDustt · 02/11/2019 23:42

Are you sure he's not in a cult? Grin

IceBearRocks · 02/11/2019 23:45

Hmmmmmmm.......so I've had a spinal fusion and been on the highest dose of gabapentin for about 6 months. Gabapentin for 12 months though....along with morphine and valium......FFS sciatica.......I ve come off all these drugs really easily ......drama llama

Dangermouse80 · 02/11/2019 23:53

Block him, he is nuts.

Gabapentin is hard. Took it for a month and it was harsh coming off!

fancyham · 02/11/2019 23:53

k1233 that's how I first responded to him, and he stopped banging on about it until the other day. Maybe he picked up that I wasn't as robust as usual. I should imagine men like him have a finely honed instinct for the vulnerable. I suppose the end justifies the means to them.

He has 2 daughters. I hope he doesn't make life harder than it has to be for them.

OP posts:
Littlemeadow123 · 03/11/2019 00:02

I'm sorry he acted like that. I'm a christian and the 5% of church goers that act like this tradesman get us all a bad name.