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Another big difference between americans and germans in regard to jobs is, (please tell me if I am wrong) that americans don't care too much for long distances to get to work. In germany everybody, well, the majority, tries to life near their working place. I have to drive 40 minutes to get to work, and some of my friends say they would never do this. In america those things are a bit different, aren't they?!
I always TRIED to live close to work, but was only able to do so on one occasion. It seems like living near work for me has either involved living in a slum, which I never minded until I had children, or housing for the elite-class wealthy, which I never have been able to pull off. We all hate commuting, it's just a necessary evil. I'm just happy they built an elementary school at the entry to my neighborhood, so my kids can ride their bike there when they're old enough.
Tri-state as in Pa,NJ,DE or Tri-state as in NY,NJ,PA. There are alot of areas around the country that go by the moniker "Tri-state area" just because 3 states are close together.
FH
I was thinking NY-NJ-PA, although since I was speaking of NJ I guess it doesn't really matter, now that I think about it.
Sorry FH, I should have been more specific (I've even heard folks in England say "the U.S. tri-state area" -- referring to the East Coast NY-NJ-PA one -- so I didn't realize other areas of the country used that moniker, although it certainly makes sense).
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Another big difference between americans and germans in regard to jobs is, (please tell me if I am wrong) that americans don't care too much for long distances to get to work. In germany everybody, well, the majority, tries to life near their working place. I have to drive 40 minutes to get to work, and some of my friends say they would never do this. In america those things are a bit different, aren't they?!
If you mean that a lot of Americans commute long distances to work, that's true. It's a consequence of centralization of most businesses into urban or otherwise commercial areas, and affordable housing located in the ever-expanding suburbs. Here in the Seattle area, I've known lots of people that commute an hour-and-a-half or longer, each way, in order to keep a good job while living in a relatively affordable neighborhood. It's not that Americans don't mind commuting and rush-hour traffic (which is neither rushed nor just an hour), there just isn't much choice.
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Hm, has the job become that much more dangerous ? Has the image of the job become so bad that nobody wants it anymore ? Are qualified folks (perhaps general fitness) so much harder to find these days ? Are there that many jobs being equally well paid and much less dangerous ? Or do folks simply don´t want a job being dangerous at all, no matter what ?Strange, indeed.
Stefan
I talked to our recruiters today and they told me the following:
We have the same number of applicants for each academy class as we had 20 years ago, but that virtually 95% of them get weeded out by fitness tests and background checks. Has society degenerated that much in such short a time? The average per person income in El Paso is 19,000 a year and we start you off at $33,000 a year and you'll be looking at over $40,000 within five years.
Our cost of living is good, our housing prices are affordable, our weather rocks (hot and windy, but no major weather disasters), we're the 2nd safest City in the U.S. after San Jose....I guess the image of what we have to do has hopelessly gone downhill, but there aren't many jobs left where you can make a direct difference in people's lives anymore. Sure, it's tough and you see a lot of the worst things about life, but you genuinely save lives and protect the community even if everyone seems to think they know how to do your job better than you.
Our recruiters just shrug and say that most people don't want to put up with the discipline, para-military mindset and go through the hassle of a six month Academy when they can go get a slacker job somewhere else where they don't have to put up with that...oh well...
I think it's bad press as well--every cop's misconduct gets plastered on every 24 hour news channel and newspaper and then society starts to slowly think that every police officer is like that.
Just wanted to pop in and say that I find this whole discussion really interesting. Keep it coming!
-James
(P.S: Lilith - I feel you on housing woes. Up here in Seattle I pay $518 a month for a single bedroom in a house with 6 other people...)
My mortgage payment is $525 a month.....(we did buy the house for $60,000 since it was a fixer upper, if I had to buy it again in the condition it is now, we'd pay about $140,000--we live in an old, established, virtually crime free neighborhood near the finest public high school in the area, so we are staying put!!)
I do have to share my house with three other people, but since they're my wife, daughter and son, I guess I can handle it ;)
I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, and just got a three bedroom condo in which I am renting for $1100/month. The crime in the city is on the increase. We have approximately 200,000 illegal aliens in our city of 2 million. I am 7 minutes away from my work at KKVV radio. The high riser in which I live in has ten foot walls with pickets on the top as well as a 24 hour guard. We have swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, weight room and our own private park. O and BTW its an adult community, no kids. Outside the gates is a lower income community filled with illegal aliens, crack whores, druggies and the list goes on. But I am basiclly a oasis in the desert. I personally appreciate our local law enforcement and make it a point to let them know that on my radio talk show. I feel bad for our law enforcement for the government leadership is too busy being payed off by any one with a few extra thousand. O according to the recent pole, Las Vegas is the second most corrupt city in the US second only to Los Angeles, or was that Chicago. Then of course there is the unemployment which is down to 3.7 percent, meaning there are jobs if you want to work them.
Another big difference between americans and germans in regard to jobs is, (please tell me if I am wrong) that americans don't care too much for long distances to get to work. In germany everybody, well, the majority, tries to life near their working place. I have to drive 40 minutes to get to work, and some of my friends say they would never do this. In america those things are a bit different, aren't they?!
It depends, even in germany. Most of my colleagues live within or around the city area, but about 20 % have to commute daily. One colleague has to drive about one hour one way, and recently got his car modified so that it uses gas now, because of the fuel prices. (And, no, I don´t mean gasoline, but real gas (liquefied natural gas is the technical term)).
But generally, it is true: most germans try to live near their working place, which is only prudent: the costs for commuting are getting ever higher, and the possibility to deduce these costs from your taxes will be sharply reduced in coming years.Most germans buy one house over the course of their lives and try to hold them as long as they possibly can, that adds to the unwillingness to have a job far away from "home".
The prices for houses and apartments vary wildly, depending mainly on the size of the city you live in. I rented a new apartment recently together with my girlfriend in the center of my hometown (about 100.000 inhabitants, rather small), and we pay about 940 US$ (at current excange rate, it is 750 Euro) including all costs for energy etc. The apartment has about 120 sq. meters (about 140 sq. yards). This is really, really cheap, considering the owner had it freshly renovated prior to us moving in.
In big cities, you pay much more. Without energy costs, you pay around 5-6 € hereabouts per sq. meter, in Berlin, it would be more like 6-9 € for average appartments, and in Munich probably even more. This is still relatively cheap, compared to other big european cities. I´ve been in Barcelona last year, and rents there are extremely expensive (I don´t remember exactly, but it was high), and just don´t ask about London or Paris...
Stefan
In Scotland, the average home is now beyond the means of the average family (assuming a standard mortgage arrangement). New homes are being built all over the place, but these are also being placed on the market above the buying power of the average family. It's a real and growing problem.
We're also facing big problems with our state-funded pension plans. The fundamental problem is that people are living far longer, so there's not enough money going into the scheme to fund all the people claiming from it. With fewer children being born, this problem is only going to get worse. (Basically, I don't think a state-funded pension is a viable proposition in the current environment. Either taxes are going to have to go up a lot to pay for it, or the retirement age is going to be raised dramatically or, most likely, both.) The basic outcome is that those who can afford to do so would be wise to have their own private pension plan, and to invest as much into it as they can.
The one big benefit we have, though, is that education in Scotland is fairly cheap. Officially, the Scottish Parliament abolished tuition fees for students in Scottish universities. In reality, it doesn't quite work like that, as students are required to pay an 'endowment' before they graduate, which essentially necessitates them taking out a loan. (I'm not sure of the exact details of the endowment, as I was lucky enough to attend university when it was free.) And, of course, most students must also take out loans to cover their living costs while at university. Still, as far as I can tell, it's a rather more generous arrangement than in other parts of the UK.
Yeah, renting is gong up everywhere....
Near Bologna where I live, it is outrageous. Agreed, we live in a very sought after area - unemployment rate is probably 0.5% or something... and schooling, health care and public services are far above average in italy - but, the average income is around 1000 - 1200€/month (net) and in a not upper class area you pay araound that same amount for a 100 sq/mt apartment.
It is almost cheaper to have a mortgage than a rent, but you have to have some starting money, and not everybody does.
I got lucky in being born there... and we have also the beach not too far away! Free weekends under the sun for everybody!!! ;-)
At least higher education is non so expensive...
I just re-enrolled at university, and my tuition fees are around 1200€/year (1500$).
Our system is different form the US one, since we pay yearly, not for course taken.
And all the exams-system works differently... we can refuse bad grades! ;-) (on the down side, in tough sience and technical courses there is an average 70% failings...)
BTW, I got a Natural Gas car too...
I have 30 miles one way to go to work, and it's nearly mandatory given the fuel prices!
I talked to our recruiters today and they told me the following:We have the same number of applicants for each academy class as we had 20 years ago, but that virtually 95% of them get weeded out by fitness tests and background checks. Has society degenerated that much in such short a time? The average per person income in El Paso is 19,000 a year and we start you off at $33,000 a year and you'll be looking at over $40,000 within five years.
Our recruiters just shrug and say that most people don't want to put up with the discipline, para-military mindset and go through the hassle of a six month Academy when they can go get a slacker job somewhere else where they don't have to put up with that...oh well...
I think it's bad press as well--every cop's misconduct gets plastered on every 24 hour news channel and newspaper and then society starts to slowly think that every police officer is like that.
So, it comes down to applicants lacking the qualification, either in personal fitness or in their backgrounds, and a general laziness and unwillingness to take up a job requiring more than casual commitment and a strict discipline.
I don´t think is has much to do with the image, if the number of applicants is still the same as 20 years ago, unless the present image attracts the wrong crowd (was that what you implied by the background hint ?).In Germany, the police has AFAIK troubles finding enough recruits, as the pay is not that good for the officers. They are civil servants, which means that they have an absolute job security, health care paid by the government, and a few other privileges, but the pay is comparatively low, especially if you take into account that the job is dangerous. So they have not enough personnel, and are forced to work much more than they should, which doesn´t exactly help attracting more recruits. Perhaps the new blue uniforms help :-) (The old ones were awful, green and beige)
But 19000$ average per year in El Paso? This seems very low. Is living in El Paso cheaper than elsewhere in the U.S. ?
Stefan
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BTW, I got a Natural Gas car too...
I have 30 miles one way to go to work, and it's nearly mandatory given the fuel prices!
Is there a site with more info on Natural Gas cars? In the US there seems to be an overall hush on the alternate fuel cars, although Hybrid vehicles are becoming the new rage. The government keeps claiming to be "researching" more eco friendly options but meanwhile the US only seems to be increasing its oil dependence. It's a conspiracy I tell ya!
FH
Our median income in El Paso is so low because we are a border town and have a very, very large contingent of day laborers, illegal aliens and the "underemployed."
Cost of living in El Paso is comparable to other big U.S. cities except in real estate--much cheaper here still. I have a 1800 square foot 3 bedroom house with one garage, nice yard front and back in a safe, quiet neighborhood and its appraised value hovers around $120,000. Same house elsewhere in the U.S. would cost me $300,000.
The blue uniforms do look better--I always made fun of my cousin Achim, who is a police officer in Troisdorf. I told him his uniform shirt reminded me of Grey Poupon mustard.
The green jackets were nice, though. Recruiting woes are common in law enforcement in most places, I hear. Oh well, more overtime for me I guess....
Is there a site with more info on Natural Gas cars? In the US there seems to be an overall hush on the alternate fuel cars, although Hybrid vehicles are becoming the new rage. The government keeps claiming to be "researching" more eco friendly options but meanwhile the US only seems to be increasing its oil dependence. It's a conspiracy I tell ya!FH
I just had a look into wikipedia, and unter "natural gas", there are several links to pages dealing with those vehicles. I haven´t checked the links, though.
Stefan
Our median income in El Paso is so low because we are a border town and have a very, very large contingent of day laborers, illegal aliens and the "underemployed."
I see.
Cost of living in El Paso is comparable to other big U.S. cities except in real estate--much cheaper here still. I have a 1800 square foot 3 bedroom house with one garage, nice yard front and back in a safe, quiet neighborhood and its appraised value hovers around $120,000. Same house elsewhere in the U.S. would cost me $300,000.
If I got my numbers right, thats about 170 sq. meters. Quite nice, I´d say ! Average houses over here are about 100 to 150 sq. meters, AFAIK, and the smaller ones cost about $300.000.
And "here" is rather cheap - I don´t know what houses might cost in the so-called "bacon rings" (suburbs growing ever further from large cities) around Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne or Frankfurt.(Just keep the exchange rate in mind - 100$ are about 80 € at present, and there were times when 100$ equaled 120 € or more. It is good for buying american books at the moment over here :-)
The blue uniforms do look better--I always made fun of my cousin Achim, who is a police officer in Troisdorf. I told him his uniform shirt reminded me of Grey Poupon mustard.
:-))) Heh. Mustard describes the color very close :-)
Stefan
Or just type NATURAL GAS CARS on Google.
i got tons of links
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Is there a site with more info on Natural Gas cars? In the US there seems to be an overall hush on the alternate fuel cars, although Hybrid vehicles are becoming the new rage. The government keeps claiming to be "researching" more eco friendly options but meanwhile the US only seems to be increasing its oil dependence. It's a conspiracy I tell ya!
FH
Not a very covert conspiracy, that's for sure. It doesn't make sense to me that it's the government's job to use our tax money to protect our oil reserves in other countries so that the oil companies can get that oil and still charge us more for gas. Of course the government is researching eco friendly options, but they're not putting in enough funding for this research for it to be very effective.
Why is it that, when oil production slows, gas prices in America skyrocket immediately, but then, when the production begins to dramatically increase, we're told that it takes a while for our market to see the effect of a change in production rate (that is, prices getting lower again)? Is this an American thing, or does this happen everywhere?
Why is it that, when oil production slows, gas prices in America skyrocket immediately, but then, when the production begins to dramatically increase, we're told that it takes a while for our market to see the effect of a change in production rate (that is, prices getting lower again)? Is this an American thing, or does this happen everywhere?
As soon as just some middle eastern oil prince stands up and threatens to lower production, prices go up over here, even if the effect of lowered production won´t be really felt weeks later. And don´t you think they ever go down again, because if there is enough oil, they tell you that either the U.S. bought all surplus or one of the emerging markets like China. And that gas prices rise just before major holidays is of course only coincidence. And still, the oil companies cry as if they had to file for bankruptcy (sp?) tomorrow. I can´t hear it anymore.
And don´t get me started on all the taxes you pay for your car...
Stefan
Of course, housing can vary drastically from place to place in the U.S. I too live in the Midwest, Missouri to be specific, and have a house similar to Farewell2Kings. I purchased mine for 80,000 a few years ago, and its probably worth about 90,000 now. I live in a pretty standard middle class neighborhood with a low crime rate, and quite a ways from the worst of the city. I do not, however, live in a suburb. Springfield, the city I live in has a population of about 200,000, but if you consider the surrounding communities, its about 300,000. Springfield is the 3d largest city in Missouri, and having lived in Kansas City, I can also tell you its a little cheaper.
We have almost no public transportation system, with a limited and seldom used bus service, and even our taxi service is of questionable reliability. In this city, you need a car to make it work.
As to education expenses in the U.S. I attended one of the cheaper universities for my degree, and still accumulated $75,000 in debt and that was just for my graduate level of studies. I took out no loans for my first degree, my bachelors.
Cost of living in El Paso is comparable to other big U.S. cities except in real estate--much cheaper here still. I have a 1800 square foot 3 bedroom house with one garage, nice yard front and back in a safe, quiet neighborhood and its appraised value hovers around $120,000. Same house elsewhere in the U.S. would cost me $300,000.
If it was Los Angeles you would be looking at $750,000+ for something like that. My area, two bedroom one baths are going for $600,000. I suspect we are coming to Texas... so are a pile of other median income Californians.
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Cost of living in El Paso is comparable to other big U.S. cities except in real estate--much cheaper here still. I have a 1800 square foot 3 bedroom house with one garage, nice yard front and back in a safe, quiet neighborhood and its appraised value hovers around $120,000. Same house elsewhere in the U.S. would cost me $300,000.If it was Los Angeles you would be looking at $750,000+ for something like that. My area, two bedroom one baths are going for $600,000. I suspect we are coming to Texas... so are a pile of other median income Californians.
Yee haw! More economic refugees, like my former Floridian-livin' self!!! Welcome to Texas!
Also, too many hurricanes there of late for my liking.
Yee haw! More economic refugees, like my former Floridian-livin' self!!! Welcome to Texas!
Also, too many hurricanes there of late for my liking.
My mother lives in San Antonio - I'll wave if I ever drive by down there. :D
Cost of living in El Paso is comparable to other big U.S. cities except in real estate--much cheaper here still. I have a 1800 square foot 3 bedroom house with one garage, nice yard front and back in a safe, quiet neighborhood and its appraised value hovers around $120,000. Same house elsewhere in the U.S. would cost me $300,000.If it was Los Angeles you would be looking at $750,000+ for something like that. My area, two bedroom one baths are going for $600,000. I suspect we are coming to Texas... so are a pile of other median income Californians.
When I was working my way through college, I owned a lawnmowing and landscaping service, and several of my customers were transplanted Californians. They had sold their modest homes out west, and purchased homes here that were in the neighborhood of 4-5 bedroom, 3 bath, and two living area homes on golf courses.
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Is there a site with more info on Natural Gas cars? In the US there seems to be an overall hush on the alternate fuel cars, although Hybrid vehicles are becoming the new rage. The government keeps claiming to be "researching" more eco friendly options but meanwhile the US only seems to be increasing its oil dependence. It's a conspiracy I tell ya!FH
I just had a look into wikipedia, and unter "natural gas", there are several links to pages dealing with those vehicles. I haven´t checked the links, though.
Stefan
Thanks, what an education! Certainly is eye opening. What is the mileage on a tankful if I may ask, didn't say in the articles. Is it comparable to regular gasoline?
FH
Thanks, what an education! Certainly is eye opening. What is the mileage on a tankful if I may ask, didn't say in the articles. Is it comparable to regular gasoline?FH
I´m not sure on this, but AFAIK, the engines need about 10 to 20% more fuel, and are a bit slower overall. But the exact values depend on the engine in question, of course. The much lower price for natural gas makes it attractive (in Europe, at least) and these cars put out much less environmental critical exhaust (I hope you get what I want to say, my vocabulary is not quite up to this).
Stefan
Yesterday my job allowed me to do some LARP/Dungeon exploring and I got paid for it ;) ....well, we had our annual in-service training day on low-light close quarter combat and building searches, which involved learning room clearing tactics and getting into close range gunfights with simunition cartridges, which hurt when they hit and leave little bloodblisters so that you are really motivated NOT to get shot. That raises the stress level so that it somewhat simulates real world conditions and gives you painful reminders if you did something wrong. The training was conducted in a pitch black old abandoned police station.
Basically we worked on our search and spot skills, plus trying to learn some new tactics to use flashlights to gain a +2 circumstance bonus to initiative checks :)
The rest of the week was classroom training on liability issues and state-mandated courses and was very boring, however.
On the difference between police recruits 20 years ago and now:
I believe it is not the amount of people doing things that get ticks on background checks that is increasing but the depth of the background check and the raising of standards for police recruits.
I was washed for Portland Police and Oregon State Patrol due to a background check for having bad credit and getting popped for driving while uninsured in 1995. Oh, Portalnd police also rejected me due to having a tattoo on my forearm.
In Oregon, in general, it takes the average recruit 2 years to get into the Academy in Monmouth. 2 years of constant hemming and hawing.
I was washed for Portland Police and Oregon State Patrol due to a background check for having bad credit and getting popped for driving while uninsured in 1995. Oh, Portland police also rejected me due to having a tattoo on my forearm.
The fact that they rejected you for having bad credit is...odd and quite sucky. And having a tattoo? Weird!
My other half tried to get into the Bend PD when we first got together. He got an acceptance letter, then a week later one that said "Sorry, we sent your acceptance letter prematurely." >:( He's got a clean record, not even a traffic ticket, Associates Degree in Criminology, but "sorry, we didn't mean to send you that letter" and "you're too old."
We have no age limit and you just have to cover up your tattoos while in uniform. Bad credit can be a problem unless you have a really good verifiable explanation, because it can be indicative of larger problems. However, I know of several people who got in with shaky credit because they had a really good and verifiable explanation (medical bills for your kids is pretty much the only one that they'll give you a second chance on)
Lilith--tell your other half to come down to El Paso and drag you along.....we have an SCA chapter here and you'd already have a friendly gaming group ;) Who needs beautiful forests, clean air, mild weather and.....wait, forget I said that.
Who needs beautiful forests, clean air, mild weather and...
...clean water, next to no pollution, every conceivable outdoor activity in no more than two hours drive away, gorgeous landscapes, excellent healthcare, fresh seafood, the most microbreweries per capita than anywhere else in the country...
and No Sales Tax.
(Just don't ask about property or income taxes. :P )
Yeah, Oregon sounds real good on many fronts. We have 8.125 % sales tax and high property taxes in Texas, but no state income tax....but we do have Shiner Bock (on sale today at the supermarket down the street for $5.19 a six pack)
...but we do have Shiner Bock.
*sniff sniff*
Shiner Bock...
*sniff sniff*
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I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, and just got a three bedroom condo in which I am renting for $1100/month. The crime in the city is on the increase. We have approximately 200,000 illegal aliens in our city of 2 million. I am 7 minutes away from my work at KKVV radio. The high riser in which I live in has ten foot walls with pickets on the top as well as a 24 hour guard. We have swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, weight room and our own private park. O and BTW its an adult community, no kids. Outside the gates is a lower income community filled with illegal aliens, crack whores, druggies and the list goes on. But I am basiclly a oasis in the desert. I personally appreciate our local law enforcement and make it a point to let them know that on my radio talk show. I feel bad for our law enforcement for the government leadership is too busy being payed off by any one with a few extra thousand. O according to the recent pole, Las Vegas is the second most corrupt city in the US second only to Los Angeles, or was that Chicago. Then of course there is the unemployment which is down to 3.7 percent, meaning there are jobs if you want to work them.
All of these Las Vegas stats are pretty amazing, considering that the population of Vegas in 1902 was 30. Not 30,000 but 30. Including children.
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By the way, all of you California gamers and Texas gamers and any other gamers that want to should move to the bustling metropolis (13,000 souls!) that is Moberly, Missouri. The reasons for this move are many, but they include low cost of living, lots of railroad history, nowhere near as hot as Texas, TONS of really neat houses for sale in the 60,000 to 100,000 range (talking 1800-3200 square feet here), and, the most important reason, I CAN'T FIND A GAMING GROUP UP HERE!!! I'm starting to give up hope that I will ever play again....
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 8
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For me it is working out well... I have gotten 7 promotions in the last 2 years in the same company and pay increases with each jump. As long as I keep rewarding my company with higher profits they will keep moving me up. On the other hand I fully expect to hit a ceiling that will only be broken by moving to another company in the next few years. And at that point I expect I will be making the biggest pay jump yet.Sean Mahoney
I just went through something similar myself. Got out of College with a BSBA in Management, started a bottom rung (not even using my degree) job as a cashier, worked dilligently and so became a manager and then had a lateral promotion, then back aagin, then up to the #2 slot in the store. All teh while being paid way less than I was worth, working to build up the XP necessary to advance.
I have now been recruited and start my new job this Wednesday, where I will be having my own store following training and am ahving that big pay increase from my last which brings me in line with reality, as well as having a decent bonus potential.
When it hits, it hits big.
A big reason why "Americans" change jobs so frequently is due to the inherant side effects of the capitaist system: Supply vs Demand, Price vs Demand and the big end all...getting the most for your money, best/most work/quality for least cost. This si why so many of our jobs go overseas or to immigrants.
These are all the good reasons people in the USA change jobs, unfortunately I've found tht many people just have no work ethic any more, as well as an entitlement complex, believing that they deserve this pay without doing any work just because. This is sad, and one of my most frustrating things to deal with daily.
We have no age limit and you just have to cover up your tattoos while in uniform. Bad credit can be a problem unless you have a really good verifiable explanation, because it can be indicative of larger problems. However, I know of several people who got in with shaky credit because they had a really good and verifiable explanation (medical bills for your kids is pretty much the only one that they'll give you a second chance on)
So: "I was younger and failed in my 'knowledge: finance' roll" would not cut it for being a cop?
Portland PD is one of the few departments that I've heard of with the forarm tattoo rule. It was a convention from an ex-LAPD chief we had who resigned a few years ago. Our cops look like Marines now! (albeit minus the forearm tattoos I've seen on a lot of Marines).
I don't need to be a cop anymore though. I'm cool with what I ended up with - and I'm friends with a few police officers.
If I had to go back and do it all over again, I wouldn't be a cop either, but the massive $20,000 a year salary they offered in 1988 got me. Back then I was making $114/month from the Reserves and $80 a week working part time at 7-11 while going to school full-time. Got sick of being broke...should have stuck with school and finished up and then done something else.
However, it's not a bad choice for a career really, I just should have let my inner geek run into something white-collar professional as opposed to blue-collar union....it's okay though, I'll be able to legally carry a gun anywhere in the country as part of my retirement perks ;)
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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And sometimes, once every 3 months, something mysterious happens here in Texas. Little droplets of water fall, out of the sky!
I call it magic sky water.
That happens here in Southern California from time to time as well. However, we call it magic gridlock water because of its effects on the local drivers.
That happens here in Southern California from time to time as well. However, we call it magic gridlock water because of its effects on the local drivers.And sometimes, once every 3 months, something mysterious happens here in Texas. Little droplets of water fall, out of the sky!
I call it magic sky water.
Magic Gridlock Water is indeed a strange alchemical substance that has detrimental effects on those in a transportation vehicle of some sort. During the winter months, Magic Gridlock Water turns into Magic Dumbass Driver Sprinkles up here in Oregon. Every jackass with a 4x4, SUV, or jacked-up POS thinks that they can still drive like an utter asshat when there's three inches of packed snow and ice on the road and it's slicker than deer guts on a doorknob. "I can't slide, I've got four wheel drive!"
*shakes head* Idiots...*shakes head some more, makes obscene gesture to asshat driver*
However, it's not a bad choice for a career really, I just should have let my inner geek run into something white-collar professional as opposed to blue-collar union....it's okay though, I'll be able to legally carry a gun anywhere in the country as part of my retirement perks ;)
That's what I ended up doing. My salary still isn't as high as a local police officer's but after having worked with them while bouncing and being friends with a few, I'm sitting pretty well in my law-firm gig.
I can leave my guns in my safe:)
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That happens here in Southern California from time to time as well. However, we call it magic gridlock water because of its effects on the local drivers.And sometimes, once every 3 months, something mysterious happens here in Texas. Little droplets of water fall, out of the sky!
I call it magic sky water.
And why, for the love of all that is decent, does everybody on MY side of the highway have to slow down for a wreck on the OTHER side of the freaking highway?
And why, for the love of all that is decent, does everybody on MY side of the highway have to slow down for a wreck on the OTHER side of the freaking highway?
That particular phenomenon is called rubbernecking.
Um, so, I guess no takers on the invitation to move to Moberly, Missouri. (sighs) Back to playing Atari's Temple of Elemental Evil again.
I'm sorry...on both counts! :D More so on the second one, as it seemed very plodding as far as the pace went...either that or it's just me.
Heathensson, well do I remember the days of Thor's thunder when living in Texas. High winds during a thunderstorm still gives me the heebie-jeebies. I remember when it rained so bad in San Antonio there were three inches of standing water on the runways at Lackland AFB.
Natural gas cars - we call it LPG, liquid petroleum gas, in Australia - are rare but probably likely to become more common. Right about now, LPG costs 46.9 cents per litre, or around 35 cents in American terms. By contrast, unleaded petrol costs at least $1.29 per litre, or 96 cents in American terms.
Now, converting a petrol car to run on LPG isn't cheap, and they're pricier new, and LPG is less efficient, but even so . . . it's pretty tempting.
This is a great thread and I'm glad the people at Paizo are letting it stay!
Having said all that--we are over 200 employees short of our authorized staffing level and we cannot get enough recruits to fill out or authorized slots. Of course, my job is very demanding and very dangerous, but still...many jobs are. We also have strict entrance requirements, background checks, etc. but I can't believe that more people don't want to do my job. 18 years ago when I started, I was lucky to get my position, the competition to get it was cut-throat and I counted my lucky stars when I got my job and I worked my ass off to make sure I kept it. What's changed??BTW: If anyone is interested, here's our recruiting website...I personally would love to have another gamer around...especially you military guys and gals getting ready to get out....we have a low crime rate and great weather!! Recruiting page
If it wasn't for that tiny, insignificant requirement that you need to be either a US Citizen or a Naturalized Citizen, I think I could actually have been interested.
But seeing that it takes a minimum of 5 years (if I remember correctly) to become a Naturalized Citizen, then it's not likely that I'll be able to join the "family" down there.A shame, since I wouldn't have any problems fulfilling the other requirements (the physical test? Since I've played semi-pro American football for 6 years now (including in Los Angeles in 2004) that shouldn't be a problem at all).
Although I could be wrong with the Naturalization process... being a former German resident, can you speak to that farewell2kings?