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Nothing quite like getting a call at 6:30 to be told that no one is coming in to relieve you until 8. Maybe later.
"Sounds to me like nobody is working the desk until 8. I'm going home. I work what I was scheduled. Fire the other guy. I'm doing what I was expected. He's the one not on time."
Sadly, I know it won't go that way. F*+*ing bugoisies douches will blame you for the faults of the unavailable workers because you're present and an available target.
I feel for you gran. Good luck.
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I have music stuck in my head now.
Queen's "We Are The Champions" can get any song out of your head. You end up with Queen stuck in your head, but Queen rocks.
The UK actually did a study confirming it.
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So this article is both reassuring and appalling: To be "financially happy" in the Bay Area you should have a net worth of $1.8 million, and to be just "financially comfortable" requires a net worth of $1.3 million.
On the one hand, it means that still having to worry about our finances isn't just our poor money management, it's typical for living in the Bay Area.
On the other hand, $1.3 million just to be "comfortable"? WTF, Bay Area?!?!?!
EDIT: And I think we're fairly typical of Bay Area residents in this regard: You have a HUGE mortgage, but the value of the house goes up 10% per year so suddenly you have a big net worth based on "vapor". (Yes, I could sell the house and move to Arkansas and live like a king, but let's just suppose that I actually want to keep living here, so selling my house isn't an option.) To me, financial "comfort" would be:
- 6 months of living expenses in immediate liquid cash (not credit)
- The ability to spend 10% of my gross income per year on home repair, home improvements, or vacations
I doubt many Americans hit those two benchmarks, but that's what I'd consider financial "comfort". And in the Bay Area, pegging that at $1.3 million while owning a home and a massive mortgage seems about right.
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
So this article is both reassuring and appalling: To be "financially happy" in the Bay Area you should have a net worth of $1.8 million, and to be just "financially comfortable" requires a net worth of $1.3 million.
On the one hand, it means that still having to worry about our finances isn't just our poor money management, it's typical for living in the Bay Area.
On the other hand, $1.3 million just to be "comfortable"? WTF, Bay Area?!?!?!
EDIT: And I think we're fairly typical of Bay Area residents in this regard: You have a HUGE mortgage, but the value of the house goes up 10% per year so suddenly you have a big net worth based on "vapor". (Yes, I could sell the house and move to Arkansas and live like a king, but let's just suppose that I actually want to keep living here, so selling my house isn't an option.) To me, financial "comfort" would be:
- 6 months of living expenses in immediate liquid cash (not credit)
- The ability to spend 10% of my gross income per year on home repair, home improvements, or vacations
I doubt many Americans hit those two benchmarks, but that's what I'd consider financial "comfort". And in the Bay Area, pegging that at $1.3 million while owning a home and a massive mortgage seems about right.
You won't live like a king in Arkansas.
They'll murder you, take your money and use your bodies to feed the hogs.
Now, Madison you would live like kings, especially since the liberal elite romantize living in the bay area, so you'll be like the new kids from California in town.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
So this article is both reassuring and appalling: To be "financially happy" in the Bay Area you should have a net worth of $1.8 million, and to be just "financially comfortable" requires a net worth of $1.3 million.
On the one hand, it means that still having to worry about our finances isn't just our poor money management, it's typical for living in the Bay Area.
On the other hand, $1.3 million just to be "comfortable"? WTF, Bay Area?!?!?!
EDIT: And I think we're fairly typical of Bay Area residents in this regard: You have a HUGE mortgage, but the value of the house goes up 10% per year so suddenly you have a big net worth based on "vapor". (Yes, I could sell the house and move to Arkansas and live like a king, but let's just suppose that I actually want to keep living here, so selling my house isn't an option.) To me, financial "comfort" would be:
- 6 months of living expenses in immediate liquid cash (not credit)
- The ability to spend 10% of my gross income per year on home repair, home improvements, or vacations
I doubt many Americans hit those two benchmarks, but that's what I'd consider financial "comfort". And in the Bay Area, pegging that at $1.3 million while owning a home and a massive mortgage seems about right.You won't live like a king in Arkansas.
They'll murder you, take your money and use your bodies to feed the hogs.
Now, Madison you would live like kings, especially since the liberal elite romantize living in the bay area, so you'll be like the new kids from California in town.
I'm skeptical of GothBard's plan to retire to Edinburgh because the average temperature year-round is 10°F cooler than the Bay Area.
I suspect even the Fall temperatures in Madison would make her pack up and leave.
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Also in spring. Same problem in reverse. Temps swing so wildly that from March until Memorial Day you simply have no idea what to expect on a day-to-day basis. Memorial Day itself could be 85°. Or, like it was when I was in high school and had to do a marching band gig for Memorial Day celebrations in three separate towns in a black wool suit, it could be 106.
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Also in spring. Same problem in reverse. Temps swing so wildly that from March until Memorial Day you simply have no idea what to expect on a day-to-day basis. Memorial Day itself could be 85°. Or, like it was when I was in high school and had to do a marching band gig for Memorial Day celebrations in three separate towns in a black wool suit, it could be 106.
That's why they have weather reports and apps.
So you have somewhere to vent your wrath when it's 85 degrees instead of 55.
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So on our all-employee call just now, my office (which is multiple states removed from corporate) was closed. I'm still employed thank the maker, but I'm now permanently work from home.
I feel like I should be happy, cuz I kind of wanted this, but now there's like, a couple dozen people I used to see every day for 11 years that I'll never have a lunch break with, ever again.
I think the only part of it that's really upsetting is that for the past year our local executive heads had been reminding us there were still a couple years left on our current lease, no need to clean out desks... all signs pointed to us going back to the office. Now that's all done and we never even really had any sort of "goodbye" event.
The other weird thing? Aside from the folks I work with every day the people I'm going to miss, I don't even know their last names. We all just, used to work out at the same time, or take breaks at the same time, or bumped into each other at meetings.
Bottom line I feel like a sad, selfish terrible person for not knowing or taking for granted the office and my fellow co-workers.
Be like me! Be a hermit!
At least you knew some of their names! I'm pretty sure in the 30-person cubicle farm I was in before I went all-at-home, all-the-time, I could have named 2-3 of them.
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It's sad when the only place you can vent is FaWtL.
I consider it reasonable for a GM to say, "I'm going to put in a fight that you can't possibly win, so I'd like to see you try your problem-solving skills on it."
Rise of the Runelords had the fortress of the stone giants. Jade Regent had the castle. Serpent's Skull had the serpentfolk fortress. All in all, most APs have at least one place where, "I kick in the front door and fight everyone at once," is a bad idea.
So I told the kids they'd be facing a CR+6 army. I told them that digging ditches around the building and holing up there would get them all killed. I pointed out how we'd had to abandon Serpent's Skull because their entire plan was, "Kick in the front door and eventually we'll win!"
The kids dug ditches around the building and decided to hole up there.
I repeated that this wasn't going to work, and I wanted them to try SOMETHING different. ANYTHING. Anything at all that isn't, "We sit still and wait for the entire enemy army to attack."
And I've been told by all the players and Shiro that I'm being unreasonable, and if that's the way the players want to play I need to reduce the CR of the fight so that they win.
I respectfully disagree. A world where no encounter can ever be higher than CR+3 is a very boring world indeed. "We fight everything we see! Whee!"
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I still don't know the new guy's name, and he's been around for at least a couple of weeks.
Though, honestly, in this industry there's a pretty good chance he has the same first name as I.
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It's sad when the only place you can vent is FaWtL.
I consider it reasonable for a GM to say, "I'm going to put in a fight that you can't possibly win, so I'd like to see you try your problem-solving skills on it."
Rise of the Runelords had the fortress of the stone giants. Jade Regent had the castle. Serpent's Skull had the serpentfolk fortress. All in all, most APs have at least one place where, "I kick in the front door and fight everyone at once," is a bad idea.So I told the kids they'd be facing a CR+6 army. I told them that digging ditches around the building and holing up there would get them all killed. I pointed out how we'd had to abandon Serpent's Skull because their entire plan was, "Kick in the front door and eventually we'll win!"
The kids dug ditches around the building and decided to hole up there.
I repeated that this wasn't going to work, and I wanted them to try SOMETHING different. ANYTHING. Anything at all that isn't, "We sit still and wait for the entire enemy army to attack."
And I've been told by all the players and Shiro that I'm being unreasonable, and if that's the way the players want to play I need to reduce the CR of the fight so that they win.
I respectfully disagree. A world where no encounter can ever be higher than CR+3 is a very boring world indeed. "We fight everything we see! Whee!"
I support your bloodbath.
Just make sure you use their bodies to spell out something really cool, like "Francis" or "Martha".
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The General (after a good fifteen minutes of nonstop Minecraft chatter from Tiny T-Rex): The thing about conversations is sometimes we talk for awhile and then sometimes we're quiet for awhile, do you understand?
Tiny T-Rex: Absolutely! Then spends another ten minutes straight chatting about Minecraft.
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So this article is both reassuring and appalling: To be "financially happy" in the Bay Area you should have a net worth of $1.8 million, and to be just "financially comfortable" requires a net worth of $1.3 million.
On the one hand, it means that still having to worry about our finances isn't just our poor money management, it's typical for living in the Bay Area.
On the other hand, $1.3 million just to be "comfortable"? WTF, Bay Area?!?!?!
EDIT: And I think we're fairly typical of Bay Area residents in this regard: You have a HUGE mortgage, but the value of the house goes up 10% per year so suddenly you have a big net worth based on "vapor". (Yes, I could sell the house and move to Arkansas and live like a king, but let's just suppose that I actually want to keep living here, so selling my house isn't an option.) To me, financial "comfort" would be:
- 6 months of living expenses in immediate liquid cash (not credit)
- The ability to spend 10% of my gross income per year on home repair, home improvements, or vacations
I doubt many Americans hit those two benchmarks, but that's what I'd consider financial "comfort". And in the Bay Area, pegging that at $1.3 million while owning a home and a massive mortgage seems about right.You won't live like a king in Arkansas.
They'll murder you, take your money and use your bodies to feed the hogs.
Now, Madison you would live like kings, especially since the liberal elite romantize living in the bay area, so you'll be like the new kids from California in town.
I'm skeptical of GothBard's plan to retire to Edinburgh because the average temperature year-round is 10°F cooler than the Bay Area.
I suspect even the Fall temperatures in Madison would make her pack up and leave.
My long term plan is Medellin, Colombia. 70 degrees F year round. On the equator but in the mountains. I speak decent Spanish and am pretty sure the dollar carries far there.
I have no idea how I'll pull it off, but it's been the plan for over a decade.
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It's sad when the only place you can vent is FaWtL.
I consider it reasonable for a GM to say, "I'm going to put in a fight that you can't possibly win, so I'd like to see you try your problem-solving skills on it."
Rise of the Runelords had the fortress of the stone giants. Jade Regent had the castle. Serpent's Skull had the serpentfolk fortress. All in all, most APs have at least one place where, "I kick in the front door and fight everyone at once," is a bad idea.So I told the kids they'd be facing a CR+6 army. I told them that digging ditches around the building and holing up there would get them all killed. I pointed out how we'd had to abandon Serpent's Skull because their entire plan was, "Kick in the front door and eventually we'll win!"
The kids dug ditches around the building and decided to hole up there.
I repeated that this wasn't going to work, and I wanted them to try SOMETHING different. ANYTHING. Anything at all that isn't, "We sit still and wait for the entire enemy army to attack."
And I've been told by all the players and Shiro that I'm being unreasonable, and if that's the way the players want to play I need to reduce the CR of the fight so that they win.
I respectfully disagree. A world where no encounter can ever be higher than CR+3 is a very boring world indeed. "We fight everything we see! Whee!"
Whoop their asses...
...non-lethally. Next session you get courtroom drama and a prison break, followed by the rescuing NPC being killed by a reoccurring villain.
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I got home tonight and Dr. Darling and Teensy Valeros were listening to bluegrass covers of Abba by Val's current favorite band, The Petersons.
And that was one of the least weird moments in my day.
I really like good bluegrass. And, to my shame, I really like Abba.
But the Petersons are Stepford bluegrass. I swear they're actually animatronics.
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I feel so un-American.
Both the CDC and the California Department of Public Health say that I can now go maskless.
Yet in a bizarre symbolic gesture of acknowledging that the pandemic isn't over yet, I'll keep wearing one.
There's necessity, and there's symbolism, and both are important.
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Since I haven't been sick *at all* this year (when a usual year is 1-3 bouts of cold/flu), it's become abundantly clear that I've been inhaling what other people are exhaling, and their appalling viruses bury themselves deep in my delicate, precious lungs. That's. Disgusting. (Not to mention what you're inhaling when you can smell other people's farts.) I've also been better with the tree gametes so far this spring.
I may never go outdoors without a mask again. In my life. Ever.
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I have a medical condition from when I nearly severed my nose, I won't get specific but let's just say wearing a mask for extended periods of time is uncomfortable and has certain adverse psychological effects on me, so no, as soon as it's okay I'm ditching the mask except for cutting stone (which I also do exclusively with water).
But, my nose is essentially useless now anyway and is more of a hood ornament.
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My long term plan is Medellin, Colombia. 70 degrees F year round. On the...So this article is both reassuring and appalling: To be "financially happy" in the Bay Area you should have a net worth of $1.8 million, and to be just "financially comfortable" requires a net worth of $1.3 million.
On the one hand, it means that still having to worry about our finances isn't just our poor money management, it's typical for living in the Bay Area.
On the other hand, $1.3 million just to be "comfortable"? WTF, Bay Area?!?!?!
EDIT: And I think we're fairly typical of Bay Area residents in this regard: You have a HUGE mortgage, but the value of the house goes up 10% per year so suddenly you have a big net worth based on "vapor". (Yes, I could sell the house and move to Arkansas and live like a king, but let's just suppose that I actually want to keep living here, so selling my house isn't an option.) To me, financial "comfort" would be:
- 6 months of living expenses in immediate liquid cash (not credit)
- The ability to spend 10% of my gross income per year on home repair, home improvements, or vacations
I doubt many Americans hit those two benchmarks, but that's what I'd consider financial "comfort". And in the Bay Area, pegging that at $1.3 million while owning a home and a massive mortgage seems about right.You won't live like a king in Arkansas.
They'll murder you, take your money and use your bodies to feed the hogs.
Now, Madison you would live like kings, especially since the liberal elite romantize living in the bay area, so you'll be like the new kids from California in town.
I'm skeptical of GothBard's plan to retire to Edinburgh because the average temperature year-round is 10°F cooler than the Bay Area.
I suspect even the Fall temperatures in Madison would make her pack up and leave.
Italy, preferably as close to the Mediterranean as possible.
Otherwise, I'm fine with staying in Wisconsin and making occasional forays to other places that are easily driven to.
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I just realized tomorrow is Friday.
Which makes all the texts from coworker and boss through the day referencing some far off objective that is happening by Friday make a lot more sense.
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Since I haven't been sick *at all* this year (when a usual year is 1-3 bouts of cold/flu), it's become abundantly clear that I've been inhaling what other people are exhaling, and their appalling viruses bury themselves deep in my delicate, precious lungs. That's. Disgusting. (Not to mention what you're inhaling when you can smell other people's farts.) I've also been better with the tree gametes so far this spring.
I may never go outdoors without a mask again. In my life. Ever.
** spoiler omitted **
I mentioned it before, but I've had the mildest hay fever in 20 years.
Thank you, maskie!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Since I haven't been sick *at all* this year (when a usual year is 1-3 bouts of cold/flu), it's become abundantly clear that I've been inhaling what other people are exhaling, and their appalling viruses bury themselves deep in my delicate, precious lungs. That's. Disgusting. (Not to mention what you're inhaling when you can smell other people's farts.) I've also been better with the tree gametes so far this spring.
I may never go outdoors without a mask again. In my life. Ever.
** spoiler omitted **
I mentioned it before, but I've had the mildest hay fever in 20 years.
Thank you, maskie!
I can breathe through my nose. Both nostrils. This never happens.
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I got home tonight and Dr. Darling and Teensy Valeros were listening to bluegrass covers of Abba by Val's current favorite band, The Petersons.
And that was one of the least weird moments in my day.I really like good bluegrass. And, to my shame, I really like Abba.
But the Petersons are Stepford bluegrass. I swear they're actually animatronics.
This is quite weird.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
This is quite weird.I got home tonight and Dr. Darling and Teensy Valeros were listening to bluegrass covers of Abba by Val's current favorite band, The Petersons.
And that was one of the least weird moments in my day.I really like good bluegrass. And, to my shame, I really like Abba.
But the Petersons are Stepford bluegrass. I swear they're actually animatronics.
Oh, bluegrass bands doing covers of songs from other genres is a tradition... other bluegrass bands I actually like have done amazing covers of the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" and Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage". But The Petersons are just too Branson for my taste... nice harmonies but absolutely no soul.
Val likes them because he has a crush on one of the girls in the band.| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
I am proud to say that I have probably the least amount of knowledge of Abba and bluegrass music.
I do however have extensive knowledge about bluegrass.
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The best cover of Pink Floyd I've ever seen or heard was when we went to a concert for the hip hop band The Roots and Everlast was supposed to open for them but he cancelled so The Roots played an extended concert including covering the entire album Dark Side of the Moon.
It was absolutely amazing!
And I don't say that lightly, I have an incredibly high bar for covers especially for Pink Floyd (on account of being one of the bands that my music foundation is built on).
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I have a medical condition from when I nearly severed my nose, I won't get specific but let's just say wearing a mask for extended periods of time is uncomfortable and has certain adverse psychological effects on me, so no, as soon as it's okay I'm ditching the mask except for cutting stone (which I also do exclusively with water).
But, my nose is essentially useless now anyway and is more of a hood ornament.
My nose has a tendency to itch, also, because I broke it as a kid it has terrible tendency to get stuffy all the time. Sadly, mask makes both of this issues worse for me, so I'd like to not have to wear it.
On the other hand, I would not be averse to people keeping mask in crowded places, especially supermarkets and larger shops.
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Oh, bluegrass bands doing covers of songs from other genres is a tradition
I give you the rock-opera "Tommy"
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Oh, bluegrass bands doing covers of songs from other genres is a traditionI give you the rock-opera "Tommy"
That is awesome. You get cookies.
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Some songs work surprisingly well in bluegrass.
Hayseed Dixie is pretty much the only reason for AC/DC to exist. Treppa gets cookies, too.
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Some songs work surprisingly well in bluegrass.Hayseed Dixie is pretty much the only reason for AC/DC to exist. Treppa gets cookies, too.
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The best cover of Pink Floyd I've ever seen or heard was when we went to a concert for the hip hop band The Roots and Everlast was supposed to open for them but he cancelled so The Roots played an extended concert including covering the entire album Dark Side of the Moon.
It was absolutely amazing!
And I don't say that lightly, I have an incredibly high bar for covers especially for Pink Floyd (on account of being one of the bands that my music foundation is built on).
The Roots are amazing. More hip hop groups should play actual instruments.
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Masks or not, I'm not looking forward to people removing social distancing from the vernacular. I don't like people in my personal space, and this last year is the first time in my life I could go in public without some leaky syphilis infected gonad of humanity keeping less than a millimeter from me when waiting in line.
I now purposefully force coughs in public to keep people out of my space. I lament when this shall no longer have an effect.
Disney World trip is begun!
Huzzah! Wish we could see you! Hope you have a blast!
Speaking of COVID, the two week wait is over and GothBard and I are finally officially fully vaccinated!
Woo hoo!
WOO~!
I have two weeks of waiting left, then I, too, may join the world at large!
... ah, bother, there goes my excuse... :D
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Masks or not, I'm not looking forward to people removing social distancing from the vernacular. I don't like people in my personal space, and this last year is the first time in my life I could go in public without some leaky syphilis infected gonad of humanity keeping less than a millimeter from me when waiting in line.
I now purposefully force coughs in public to keep people out of my space. I lament when this shall no longer have an effect.
be careful with that last. Seen at least two fights break out over that in the last two weeks. Fortunately they were Brooklyn style so it was over in a few moments after some typical yelling. But not everyone reacts well to that.
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GothBard's frustrated with my complaining about the kids' tactics, because she's in that game as well, but she at least gave me an "out": The kids will learn that the army is following absolutely standard protocol for the last few millennia: When encountering entrenched resistance in a wooden building, light the building on fire and shoot anyone who comes out.
I think once they realize the army has no intention of even approaching the building, much less entering it, their whole plan of "lure the entire army inside and trap them there" will be exposed for the fiasco it is.
Wait, she's frustrated my kids me is what, now?
:D
...Elaborating a bit on the kids' game, I feel like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall. The general dynamic is:
(1) "Can we buy an item that will resolve our issue?"
(2) "Can we recruit NPCs that will help?"
(3) "Since (1) and (2) failed, it must be a fight we can win. Attack it head on!"I told them that they needed to learn to use tactics, planning, patience, and thought, and I was going to give them an encounter they couldn't win without planning. I told them it would be CR+6 and unwinnable without good tactics.
Step 1: Impus Major asked whether the local town (population 83) had multiple scrolls of Cloudkill lying around.
Step 2: The group has been scouring the countryside trying to get any yokel who can hold a pitchfork to help fight. The sheer carnage of a bunch of ill-equipped Commoner-1s against an organized well-equipped army of Warrior-3s is terrifying.
Step 3: Even after I explicitly told them that building trenches and holing up in the building would get them all killed since they have all of three effective archers among the lot of them, they built trenches and are planning on holing up in the building and then trying to take on the entire army en masse in a final, bloody, climactic battle scene.
What frustrates me the most is that last night one of the kids even said, "We have horses and they don't. Why don't we just do a kiting retreat and kill them before they even get to us?"
And he got shot down with, "They'll shoot the horses and then we'll have to fight them in the open with no building to protect us."Er... when that building is going to be burning down around your ears before a single bad guy enters it, I think that's still a better choice...
EDIT: I'm not looking for brilliance here, just ideas like:
- Nighttime raids on the bad guys because the entire party has low-light vision or dark vision and none of the bandits do
- A kiting retreat was a great idea. They have bows with better
Hah! ... true.
As someone who regularly GMed for kids before the pandemic I'd like to point out your problem is you expected them to come up with a plan in the first place.My kids are older, and the collapse of my Serpent's Skull campaign was really stereotypical: There was one kid who came up with all these amazingly-stupid ideas early on in the campaign. He was new to gaming, and he didn't know what he was doing, so his plans failed spectacularly.
He learned. He became fricking brilliant. Every time he came up with a plan I thought, "Wow! I hope the kids do that!"
And because of his previous issues, the other players would shoot him down.
And I'm seeing the exact same player shooting down all the good ideas at this game. I think I'll call him out on it. Because pooh-poohing all the new ideas and sticking with the idea your GM has explicitly told you NOT to do is pretty bad.
Yeah, at this point, a metagame clarification is probably in order. Metagaming is often spoken of with contempt or disregard, but it isn't always, and sometimes simply talking something through helps.
EDIT: But, like, giving them a list of assets and ideas is one way to bring the discussion to the fore. Sure, you're handing them things, but actively opining on something to them may well help begin the thinking process and/or discussion.