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YES!!! We have naked history!!! What a way to teach it!
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So... this'll be interesting.
As I mentioned, since we drive crap cars Impus Major's insurance on the Prius was all of $600/year. Since he's finally good enough to solo (at least locally) in a stick shift, I asked how much it would be to add him to the Celica.
Answer 1: The Celica is 10 years older than the Prius, so the price will be similar.
Answer 2: The Celica is a stick shift sports car in the hands of a teenager. The insurance will be through the roof.
I should get the quote in around a week. As I said, I'll be really curious what insurance companies think of kids and Celicas...
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And in other news, the level of technical skills companies now expect of their general user base is getting pretty impressive.
I had to upgrade the RAM on my work laptop. Here's Lenovo's tutorial video on how to do it. I am impressed that Lenovo considers grounding yourself, understanding captive screws, and using a non-metallic pry tool to unlock casing clips all "Novice" level work.
The casing clips are nasty. There's even a warning on the video to be really careful and patient because they're so tight.
Honestly, if I gave this video to every member of my department, I'd trust about half of them to do it right. And that's "novice" level work?
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And in other news, the level of technical skills companies now expect of their general user base is getting pretty impressive.
I had to upgrade the RAM on my work laptop. Here's Lenovo's tutorial video on how to do it. I am impressed that Lenovo considers grounding yourself, understanding captive screws, and using a non-metallic pry tool to unlock casing clips all "Novice" level work.
The casing clips are nasty. There's even a warning on the video to be really careful and patient because they're so tight.
Honestly, if I gave this video to every member of my department, I'd trust about half of them to do it right. And that's "novice" level work?
I have been saying this for years upon years.
Similar thing happened with car maintenance at home.
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A while back I suggested Lisamarlene look into available free help for Teeny Valeros from the Texas school district, and people laughed and said, "Nope."
As I mentioned, it's the end of the year and I'm shredding old files, and I had reason to go through Impus Major's speech therapy records. It's pretty appalling:
(1) Initial assessment by a doctor: Treatment recommended
(2) Initial recommendation by a speech therapist: Treatment recommended
(3) Initial assessment by a bureaucrat: Treatment denied
-- Records of GothBard going to meetings and hearings to appeal the case
(4) Treatment approved
(5) Therapist recommends additional sessions
(6) Bureaucrat: Treatment denied
-- Records of more meetings and hearings from GothBard
(7) Treatment approved
(8) Records of Blue Cross denying initial claims in spite of the treatment being covered
-- Records of NobodysHome writing letters to Blue Cross, including all the required documentation, and with subtle hints of legal action
(9) Claims approved
(10) Same thing with UHC on a biannual (or more) basis, so we had to re-protest an improper denial every 3-6 months
Basically, the *only* way we got Impus Major the treatment he needed was because GothBard was at home for the first few years and could deal with all the hearings and paperwork, and by the time she got to work I was working from home and could handle all the appeals.
But it was over 100 hours of work on our part just to get the treatment for our son that he qualified for, and that EVERY medical professional said was necessary.
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'murica
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Latest issue with Star Wars The Force Awakens (yes, I'm actually watching it).
All these aliens in the universe and none of them appear to be part of the resistance.
Admiral Akbar, you're our only hope!
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Today, ALL (DE) came over. We had a pub lunch, then listened to music until it was time to cook the quesadillas. Once those had been consumed, we read 'Brak the Barbarian', by John Jakes, aloud to one another
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Glad that you had fun, LimeyLongears.
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Meh, my mouse wheel starts acting up, and I don't think I can dismantle the mouse to clean it as it lacks any hatches and seems to be glued shut...
Hmmmm... Two years and two months.
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Sadly, all too familiar to me, especially recently...
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Good luck, John. Hopefully you don't get too many problems.
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Yay! We're supposed to get snow today!
Which of course means I get to work.
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We've gotten snow/ice mix this morning.
I also am all too used to waking up with a headache. Especially since the car accident.
And one of the secured rooms is having flooding again, for the 4th time since we moved in here 5 years and not quite 3 months ago, and I'm the only IT guy onsite today. My other onsite tech has the day off and all of the other techs under me are at different sites. We have a very decentralized IT department.
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Nothing wakes a body up like hearing the screech of a garbage truck a few blocks away and realizing that the spouse probably to set out the trash and recycling bins before he left for work.
Again.
And running pell-mell across a cold lawn barefoot because I didn't want to get my slippers wet.
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Nothing wakes a body up like hearing the screech of a garbage truck a few blocks away and realizing that the spouse probably to set out the trash and recycling bins before he left for work.
And if you still have lots of wrapping paper from the holidays and/or cooking-related trash from holidays meals, it's especially desirable to get the cans picked up.
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As I hit about 10 weeks until my daughter arrives, the fears I've been shelving and not properly dealing with begin to pile on me...like in a cartoon when a kid is told to clean their room, but they just stuff everything in a closet and the minute they open the closet door the mess explodes everywhere.
Will I be able to be the dad I believe my kid deserves? Will I end up so exhausted I throw some half assed lazy parenting at her, like my ex-sister-in-law, or Tala's lazy brother? Will I be able to afford this? Will I set a crappy example, not showing what I say? Will I teach her what she needs and not just what I want?
Stuff like that.
See, this is why I didn't want kids. I mean, I can't wait to meet her, and I'm excited, and so much more but...well...I don't get a save spot. I don't get a do over. As her father, if my daughter ends up on the pole, or worse, a corner, it is straight up my fault.
If I ruin my own life, whatever...but I can't handle the idea that in my own ignorance, laziness, ineptitude or otherwise that I could destroy the life of an innocent. An innocent who didn't ask to exist, and is simply having to deal with whatever hand life deals her...and I am handing out a good portion of those cards. That...that is just too much.
Breathe. Breathe.
So yeah. About 10 weeks to go.
9 months is a long f!#%ing time.
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Nothing wakes a body up like hearing the screech of a garbage truck a few blocks away and realizing that the spouse probably forgot to set out the trash and recycling bins before he left for work.
Again.
And running pell-mell across a cold lawn barefoot because I didn't want to get my slippers wet.
At first I was like "why is him doing that a bad thing?"
Then I saw you forgot the word forgot.
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Nothing wakes a body up like hearing the screech of a garbage truck a few blocks away and realizing that the spouse probably (forgot) to set out the trash and recycling bins before he left for work.
Again.
And running pell-mell across a cold lawn barefoot because I didn't want to get my slippers wet.
And this is why I always make sure to do it the night before. If I don't do it, Aiymi says she'll take care of it in the morning, and then doesn't.
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As I hit about 10 weeks until my daughter arrives, the fears I've been shelving and not properly dealing with begin to pile on me...like in a cartoon when a kid is told to clean their room, but they just stuff everything in a closet and the minute they open the closet door the mess explodes everywhere.
** spoiler omitted **
Breathe. Breathe.So yeah. About 10 weeks to go.
9 months is a long f~$!ing time.
In spite of everything parents try to do, abundant research shows that in the "Nature vs. Nurture" debate, Nature is the overwhelming favorite. Yeah, there are things you can do to really mess up a kid, but in general if you love them, you're there for them, and you don't totally play the, "Do what I say, not what I do," game, they'll be fine.
We felt horrifically guilty about all kinds of things when the kids were young; it's ingrained into our culture to do so.
Yet I'm d****d proud of both of my kids. Yeah, they could be better at some things (like cleaning up after themselves), but in general, they're really awesome kids. And I didn't have a heck of a lot to do with it, other than setting a good example and being there for them when they needed me, not all the time.
Sadly, all too familiar to me, especially recently...
Same. I’m sorry, both of you! Hope it works out soon!
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And here's one of those, "I wish I had your problem!" problems: $100 bills.
In spite of my attempt to go 100% cashless, there are lots of circumstances where I need a small amount of cash: The farmer's market has vendors who are cash-only. Some parking lots are still cash-only. When I send the kids to the corner store, or when I'm spending under $10 there, I have to use cash. Tips for housekeeping, valets, and other people who don't charge you directly. And so forth.
And then there's the dreaded $100 bill. NO ONE takes them! The farmer's market? Heck no! Change on a tip? No way! The corner store? They'll take it, but they'll grumble about it.
And of course everyone wants to give you $100 bills because there's some "cachet" about them. The ATM I use on Solano spews out $100 bills unless you explicitly tell it not to (and yes, sometimes I'm in a hurry and I forget). For Christmas, remember those $100 gifts I told you about? They were all $100 bills, which the kids quickly exchanged for twenties from my wallet.
So today I have around $90 in cash-only expenses. And I find myself sitting on four $100 bills and three ones. So I'm going to have to make a special trip to the corner store and buy something I don't need just so they'll change a $100 bill for me.
In my mind, $100 bills are like pennies: They might be shiny and fun to play with, but they're utterly useless for commerce because nobody takes them.
Grr....
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And here's one of those, "I wish I had your problem!" problems: $100 bills.
In spite of my attempt to go 100% cashless, there are lots of circumstances where I need a small amount of cash: The farmer's market has vendors who are cash-only. Some parking lots are still cash-only. When I send the kids to the corner store, or when I'm spending under $10 there, I have to use cash. Tips for housekeeping, valets, and other people who don't charge you directly. And so forth.
And then there's the dreaded $100 bill. NO ONE takes them! The farmer's market? Heck no! Change on a tip? No way! The corner store? They'll take it, but they'll grumble about it.
And of course everyone wants to give you $100 bills because there's some "cachet" about them. The ATM I use on Solano spews out $100 bills unless you explicitly tell it not to (and yes, sometimes I'm in a hurry and I forget). For Christmas, remember those $100 gifts I told you about? They were all $100 bills, which the kids quickly exchanged for twenties from my wallet.
So today I have around $90 in cash-only expenses. And I find myself sitting on four $100 bills and three ones. So I'm going to have to make a special trip to the corner store and buy something I don't need just so they'll change a $100 bill for me.
In my mind, $100 bills are like pennies: They might be shiny and fun to play with, but they're utterly useless for commerce because nobody takes them.
Grr....
*sigh*
Fine.
I, Freehold DM, acting of sound mind and body, do hereby volunteer to take any and all of Nobodyshome's unwanted 100 dollar bills, and will give them a good home(in my wallet), where they will be free to frolic and play with other 100 dollar bills, until the moment I spend them.
I am under no obligation to exchange Nobodyshome's 100 dollar bills for equivalent amounts of money, this is a charitable act, not a bank
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And here's one of those, "I wish I had your problem!" problems: $100 bills.
In spite of my attempt to go 100% cashless, there are lots of circumstances where I need a small amount of cash: The farmer's market has vendors who are cash-only. Some parking lots are still cash-only. When I send the kids to the corner store, or when I'm spending under $10 there, I have to use cash. Tips for housekeeping, valets, and other people who don't charge you directly. And so forth.
And then there's the dreaded $100 bill. NO ONE takes them! The farmer's market? Heck no! Change on a tip? No way! The corner store? They'll take it, but they'll grumble about it.
And of course everyone wants to give you $100 bills because there's some "cachet" about them. The ATM I use on Solano spews out $100 bills unless you explicitly tell it not to (and yes, sometimes I'm in a hurry and I forget). For Christmas, remember those $100 gifts I told you about? They were all $100 bills, which the kids quickly exchanged for twenties from my wallet.
So today I have around $90 in cash-only expenses. And I find myself sitting on four $100 bills and three ones. So I'm going to have to make a special trip to the corner store and buy something I don't need just so they'll change a $100 bill for me.
In my mind, $100 bills are like pennies: They might be shiny and fun to play with, but they're utterly useless for commerce because nobody takes them.
Grr....
*sigh*
Fine.
I, Freehold DM, acting of sound mind and body, do hereby volunteer to take any and all of Nobodyshome's unwanted 100 dollar bills, and will give them a good home(in my wallet), where they will be free to frolic and play with other 100 dollar bills, until the moment I spend them.
I am under no obligation to exchange Nobodyshome's 100 dollar bills for equivalent amounts of money, this is a charitable act, not a bank
Oh, yeah. Everybody wants them as gifts. But try going into your local mom and pop store and trying to buy $8 worth of Cuties with a $100 bill. They'll probably take it, but there will be grumbling.
EDIT: And that's the thing around here; in spite of my constant comments about how safe my neighborhood is, armed robbery of stores still exists. Big box stores can afford security, cameras, and insurance, so you can use a $100 bill to buy an $0.89 pack of gum and they won't bat an eye. On the other hand, places like my corner store are on a shoestring budget, so they have the good old, "Bills $20 and over go into a slot in the counter and fall directly into a safe the cashier can't open," security mechanism, so the number of $20s they have available at any time is pretty low. When I have used $100 bills there, my change has always come in tens.
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And here's one of those, "I wish I had your problem!" problems: $100 bills.
In spite of my attempt to go 100% cashless, there are lots of circumstances where I need a small amount of cash: The farmer's market has vendors who are cash-only. Some parking lots are still cash-only. When I send the kids to the corner store, or when I'm spending under $10 there, I have to use cash. Tips for housekeeping, valets, and other people who don't charge you directly. And so forth.
And then there's the dreaded $100 bill. NO ONE takes them! The farmer's market? Heck no! Change on a tip? No way! The corner store? They'll take it, but they'll grumble about it.
And of course everyone wants to give you $100 bills because there's some "cachet" about them. The ATM I use on Solano spews out $100 bills unless you explicitly tell it not to (and yes, sometimes I'm in a hurry and I forget). For Christmas, remember those $100 gifts I told you about? They were all $100 bills, which the kids quickly exchanged for twenties from my wallet.
So today I have around $90 in cash-only expenses. And I find myself sitting on four $100 bills and three ones. So I'm going to have to make a special trip to the corner store and buy something I don't need just so they'll change a $100 bill for me.
In my mind, $100 bills are like pennies: They might be shiny and fun to play with, but they're utterly useless for commerce because nobody takes them.
Grr....
*sigh*
Fine.
I, Freehold DM, acting of sound mind and body, do hereby volunteer to take any and all of Nobodyshome's unwanted 100 dollar bills, and will give them a good home(in my wallet), where they will be free to frolic and play with other 100 dollar bills, until the moment I spend them.
I am under no obligation to exchange Nobodyshome's 100 dollar bills for equivalent amounts of money, this is a charitable act, not a bank
I am willing to assist you in shouldering this burden.
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As I hit about 10 weeks until my daughter arrives, the fears I've been shelving and not properly dealing with begin to pile on me...like in a cartoon when a kid is told to clean their room, but they just stuff everything in a closet and the minute they open the closet door the mess explodes everywhere.
** spoiler omitted **
Breathe. Breathe.So yeah. About 10 weeks to go.
9 months is a long f~$!ing time.
In spite of everything parents try to do, abundant research shows that in the "Nature vs. Nurture" debate, Nature is the overwhelming favorite. Yeah, there are things you can do to really mess up a kid, but in general if you love them, you're there for them, and you don't totally play the, "Do what I say, not what I do," game, they'll be fine.
We felt horrifically guilty about all kinds of things when the kids were young; it's ingrained into our culture to do so.
Yet I'm d****d proud of both of my kids. Yeah, they could be better at some things (like cleaning up after themselves), but in general, they're really awesome kids. And I didn't have a heck of a lot to do with it, other than setting a good example and being there for them when they needed me, not all the time.
Being concerned about your abilities as a parent is natural to people who are actually going to be good parents.
And NH is completely right. Be a good example, step in when needed (as opposed to helicopter), and just be there. That will go a long way.
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As I hit about 10 weeks until my daughter arrives, the fears I've been shelving and not properly dealing with begin to pile on me...like in a cartoon when a kid is told to clean their room, but they just stuff everything in a closet and the minute they open the closet door the mess explodes everywhere.
** spoiler omitted **
Breathe. Breathe.So yeah. About 10 weeks to go.
9 months is a long f~$!ing time.
In spite of everything parents try to do, abundant research shows that in the "Nature vs. Nurture" debate, Nature is the overwhelming favorite. Yeah, there are things you can do to really mess up a kid, but in general if you love them, you're there for them, and you don't totally play the, "Do what I say, not what I do," game, they'll be fine.
We felt horrifically guilty about all kinds of things when the kids were young; it's ingrained into our culture to do so.
Yet I'm d****d proud of both of my kids. Yeah, they could be better at some things (like cleaning up after themselves), but in general, they're really awesome kids. And I didn't have a heck of a lot to do with it, other than setting a good example and being there for them when they needed me, not all the time.
Being concerned about your abilities as a parent is natural to people who are actually going to be good parents.
And NH is completely right. Be a good example, step in when needed (as opposed to helicopter), and just be there. That will go a long way.
And if they piss you off you can always launch them with a catapult!
... Wait, no, that's pumpkins.
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I'm on my daily IT conference call. Status updates, etc.
Antivirus Guy: "No threats from <corporate enterprise antivirus software>."
Me: "Oh good. Very magnanimous of the Antivirus AI to not threaten us today."
Antivirus Guy: "Ok, fine, <antivirus software> is reporting no threats."
Me: "Excellent. Phase One has begun."
My Boss: "Vany, are you trying to not have to run this meeting in the future?"
Me: "Oh, that's an option? Cool."
My boss is the one who is supposed to be running the meeting. He's been delegating it out so that he only runs it a couple times per month.
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As I hit about 10 weeks until my daughter arrives, the fears I've been shelving and not properly dealing with begin to pile on me...like in a cartoon when a kid is told to clean their room, but they just stuff everything in a closet and the minute they open the closet door the mess explodes everywhere.
** spoiler omitted **
Breathe. Breathe.So yeah. About 10 weeks to go.
9 months is a long f~$!ing time.
In spite of everything parents try to do, abundant research shows that in the "Nature vs. Nurture" debate, Nature is the overwhelming favorite. Yeah, there are things you can do to really mess up a kid, but in general if you love them, you're there for them, and you don't totally play the, "Do what I say, not what I do," game, they'll be fine.
We felt horrifically guilty about all kinds of things when the kids were young; it's ingrained into our culture to do so.
Yet I'm d****d proud of both of my kids. Yeah, they could be better at some things (like cleaning up after themselves), but in general, they're really awesome kids. And I didn't have a heck of a lot to do with it, other than setting a good example and being there for them when they needed me, not all the time.
Being concerned about your abilities as a parent is natural to people who are actually going to be good parents.
And NH is completely right. Be a good example, step in when needed (as opposed to helicopter), and just be there. That will go a long way.
And if they piss you off you can always launch them with a catapult!
... Wait, no, that's pumpkins.
Oh...
YES. PUMPKINS. ONLY PUMPKINS. OR SO I'VE HEARD. I WOULD NEVER EVEN SUGGEST SUCH A THING. TO TACTICSLION. ABOUT FOUR PAGES AGO.
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The Haunting of Hill House is absolutely brilliant!
*FaWtLians - look I’m on a phone and I’m no captain yesterday! His proficiency is greater than mine own!
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Um...I think the lore info for the skymetals might be in Distant Worlds or something like that (or maybe the technology book). I can take a look when I get home in about 2-3 hours.
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Um...I think the lore info for the skymetals might be in Distant Worlds or something like that (or maybe the technology book). I can take a look when I get home in about 2-3 hours.
The Technology Guide, Shards of Sin, and the Starfinder Armory to be exact.
There is nothing rules wise in Distant Worlds pertaining to skymetals.
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That might be a good question for one of those AMA threads a dev has.
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Lore related...I'd ask Jacobs.
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Monster: Winter-shell. Blame Freehold for his new frozen, colossal, mount! (well, not a mount but we all know Freehold WILL try to ride it anyway).
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In spite of everything parents try to do, abundant research shows that in the "Nature vs. Nurture" debate, Nature is the overwhelming favorite. Yeah, there are things you can do to really mess up a kid, but in general if you love them, you're there for them, and you don't totally play the, "Do what I say, not what I do," game, they'll be fine.As I hit about 10 weeks until my daughter arrives, the fears I've been shelving and not properly dealing with begin to pile on me...like in a cartoon when a kid is told to clean their room, but they just stuff everything in a closet and the minute they open the closet door the mess explodes everywhere.
** spoiler omitted **
Breathe. Breathe.So yeah. About 10 weeks to go.
9 months is a long f~$!ing time.
Uh... Nope, nope, nope... So much nope. This is a much complex things with elements of nature (genetical and extra-genetical inheritance, biological determinism) and nurture (environment in which one grows) interwoven into a complex tapestry of development. There are aspects that are determined by one or the other, while many others are shaped by combination of the two...
We felt horrifically guilty about all kinds of things when the kids were young; it's ingrained into our culture to do so.
Yet I'm d****d proud of both of my kids. Yeah, they could be better at some things (like cleaning up after themselves), but in general, they're really awesome kids. And I didn't have a heck of a lot to do with it, other than setting a good example and being there for them when they needed me, not all the time.
See, this is self-contradictory statement - setting a good example and being supportive is not "not having a lot to do with it". In fact it is exactly what good nurturing is about. The child shapes itself in response to stimuli surrounding it.
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All I know is, every time I send the kids out to be raised by wolves they just end up bringing the wolves back home with them.
Lore related...I'd ask Jacobs.
Having done this... he doesn't remember any.
(That said, it seems he's on pretty rough sick leave. Hope he feels better, soon!)
EDIT: one word makes a big difference in potential meaning!