Random Thoughts That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread Go Here

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Sorry for your loss.

It's okay. I feel for my dad more than anything at this point. He's lost both of his parents now.

We weren't really close to his family - was just trying to think and I don't think I'd seen that grandfather since...my grandmother's funeral which was when I was...17?? Talked to him on the phone on holidays, etc. Actually talked to him this weekend when he was in the hospital (before we knew how serious it was), so at least that's good.

[sterlingice]

Since when did Comicon figures start showing up elsewhere? I've noticed this a couple of places this year. And, dammit, it's going to take some willpower (tho that price tag helps) to not get this:

Transformers Masterpiece - Soundwave - Hasbro - Toys "R" Us

SI

[spleen1015]

Why is watching other people play Minecraft so entertaining?

[cartman]

The entire state of Wyoming only has two escalators.

The State of Wyoming Has 2 Escalators - Megan Garber - The Atlantic

[finketr]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Why is watching other people play Minecraft so entertaining?

because they come up with the craziest yet awesome building plans?

like yogscast sjin's let's build series.

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Why is watching other people play Minecraft so entertaining?

My kids do nothing but watch all the tips and tricks on building stuff on Youtube and sit down and plan out what they are going to build for the day. It's freaking crazy!

[PilotMan]

[Dutch]

$280 hoodies? We should've seen that one a mile away.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

It's okay. I feel for my dad more than anything at this point. He's lost both of his parents now.

We weren't really close to his family - was just trying to think and I don't think I'd seen that grandfather since...my grandmother's funeral which was when I was...17?? Talked to him on the phone on holidays, etc. Actually talked to him this weekend when he was in the hospital (before we knew how serious it was), so at least that's good.

I don't mean to leverage off your bad news (and I'm sorry for your loss), but your comment that I emphasized is something I've been thinking about this week. I have long since lost my grandparents--the last of them passed in 2007.

Yesterday (cripes was it only yesterday?!) I got a Facebook message from my cousin that she was trying to reach my dad, but couldn't reach him on his cell phone, that they had to take my uncle (her stepfather, my dad's brother) to the hospital and it didn't look good. So I had to (I thought) tell my dad that his brother was dying. To boot, my parents were planning on leaving for England for a planned vacation yesterday, so it was not exactly the greatest timing. My uncle had some masses found in his lungs last year. They removed them and he underwent treatment...but he wasn't exactly a healthy guy. A lifelong smoker, he already had issues. Plus, he worked as a Ford mechanic, and his knees were trashed, so he could barely walk...it appears that the cancer spread to his bones and is terminal. I don't really know how long they think he has.

So anyway, I called my mom's cell phone, thinking I'd rather her tell my dad than me tell him. But she didn't answer, so I called the house and of course my dad picked up. I asked to talk to my mom, and then made my dad hang up...I'm sure he thought it was a "girl" problem. I told her about the message from my cousin and found out that they already knew--my sister had gotten the FB message 30 minutes earlier and had already called. And they were going to go to England anyway. I am so relieved I didn't have to break that news. I was much more distressed about having to break that news than that my uncle is not well. My sister (a PhD in psychology) is much better-equipped to do that kind of thing.

My dad and my uncle are not close. They have nothing in common other than parentage. I haven't seen my uncle in 15+ years. But...he's my dad's last living relative. I keep wondering if my dad will take it OK, especially if my uncle dies while they're in the UK. My dad's dad passed away when I was about 4...I barely remember him. His mom died when I was 8...and it hit him very hard. She died about a week after Easter, a week after my parents had decided not to visit her (time crunch) while we were on our spring break pilgrimage to visit family. She died suddenly alone in her trailer, so it's not like there was even a chance for him to fly up and say goodbye or anything. It was the first time I can distinctly remember seeing either of my parents cry, of hearing either of them use swear words.

So...as much as I guess it sucks that my uncle is dying, I'm finding myself much more worried about my dad. Getting older, having to deal with this kind of thing more often, sucks.

/tk

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

I don't mean to leverage off your bad news (and I'm sorry for your loss), but your comment that I emphasized is something I've been thinking about this week. I have long since lost my grandparents--the last of them passed in 2007.

Yesterday (cripes was it only yesterday?!) I got a Facebook message from my cousin that she was trying to reach my dad, but couldn't reach him on his cell phone, that they had to take my uncle (her stepfather, my dad's brother) to the hospital and it didn't look good. So I had to (I thought) tell my dad that his brother was dying. To boot, my parents were planning on leaving for England for a planned vacation yesterday, so it was not exactly the greatest timing. My uncle had some masses found in his lungs last year. They removed them and he underwent treatment...but he wasn't exactly a healthy guy. A lifelong smoker, he already had issues. Plus, he worked as a Ford mechanic, and his knees were trashed, so he could barely walk...it appears that the cancer spread to his bones and is terminal. I don't really know how long they think he has.

So anyway, I called my mom's cell phone, thinking I'd rather her tell my dad than me tell him. But she didn't answer, so I called the house and of course my dad picked up. I asked to talk to my mom, and then made my dad hang up...I'm sure he thought it was a "girl" problem. I told her about the message from my cousin and found out that they already knew--my sister had gotten the FB message 30 minutes earlier and had already called. And they were going to go to England anyway. I am so relieved I didn't have to break that news. I was much more distressed about having to break that news than that my uncle is not well. My sister (a PhD in psychology) is much better-equipped to do that kind of thing.

My dad and my uncle are not close. They have nothing in common other than parentage. I haven't seen my uncle in 15+ years. But...he's my dad's last living relative. I keep wondering if my dad will take it OK, especially if my uncle dies while they're in the UK. My dad's dad passed away when I was about 4...I barely remember him. His mom died when I was 8...and it hit him very hard. She died about a week after Easter, a week after my parents had decided not to visit her (time crunch) while we were on our spring break pilgrimage to visit family. She died suddenly alone in her trailer, so it's not like there was even a chance for him to fly up and say goodbye or anything. It was the first time I can distinctly remember seeing either of my parents cry, of hearing either of them use swear words.

So...as much as I guess it sucks that my uncle is dying, I'm finding myself much more worried about my dad. Getting older, having to deal with this kind of thing more often, sucks.

/tk

Jeez - sorry to hear that tk. Yeah...I know what you mean - sucks to get older and realize that this kind of thing is only going to get more common.

Happy to hear that at least you didn't have to be the one to break the news.

[Suicane75]

I feel like such a schmoe. I order food, figure it's gonna be a little less than $20 so I grab a 20 and four singles to make sure I have enough for the tip. Guy delivers it, I ask him the damage, he says $17.51. I do some quick math and as I'm handing him the money I take $2 out of the wad and put it in my pocket, handing him $22. As soon as the door shut I felt like such a douche. I know what I tipped was more than fair, but I still feel like a cheap ass.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

I feel like such a schmoe. I order food, figure it's gonna be a little less than $20 so I grab a 20 and four singles to make sure I have enough for the tip. Guy delivers it, I ask him the damage, he says $17.51. I do some quick math and as I'm handing him the money I take $2 out of the wad and put it in my pocket, handing him $22. As soon as the door shut I felt like such a douche. I know what I tipped was more than fair, but I still feel like a cheap ass.

That's a silly reason to beat yourself up over (even a little bit). You were a responsible adult for making sure you had adequate in your pocket, there's nothing wrong with not going overboard just because it was handy.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

My kids do nothing but watch all the tips and tricks on building stuff on Youtube and sit down and plan out what they are going to build for the day. It's freaking crazy!

I didn't have youtube to watch other people do it, but my friends and I would plot out our city layouts for the original SimCity on paper whenever the computer was unavailable or off limits.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Jeez - sorry to hear that tk. Yeah...I know what you mean - sucks to get older and realize that this kind of thing is only going to get more common.

Happy to hear that at least you didn't have to be the one to break the news.

+1

Sorry for your loss tk, and yours as well DT. We lost my grandfather about a year ago, and as devastating as it was (he was truly beloved by all) and as much as I hurt about him no longer being with us, I'm still more worried for my dad. They were best friends, and it was really hard to watch my dad deal with it.

[Rando]

I've been following an ongoing legal train wreck for over a decade now. Although in truth I am at best a sideline spectator. Maybe more like upper deck, in the nosebleed seats. A former in-law is more directly involved and most of my information and all of my interpretation of the matter comes filtered through them. The only exceptions being the occasional news or professional article on the case.

http://apps.americanbar.org/litigati...lpractice.html

This one is a straightforward, legal perspective on the latest development in what has otherwise been a long, twisted and thoroughly sordid affair. Once it all gets settled I think I'm going to have to write the book.

It starts with a tragedy in Alaska. In a drunken rage, a man murders his wife while their two young children look on. Then the wheels of small town politics begin turn. A lawsuit is filed against only one, and only one, of the various bars which served the man a drink that night. Whispered rumors of a long standing personal grudges are heard.

Rather than paying a settlement the bar's reclusive asshole owner vows, according to his lawyer at least, to fight to the lawsuit to the very end and at any cost. Most of those who know the bar's owner believe his convictions are yet another sign of an ongoing descent into madness. Others believe he is no longer the one making the decisions at all.

Among his various, contradictory and increasingly irrational orders the bar's owner allegedly tries to change his will just a few days before his death. He asks another lawyer to write up a new will including two children he has neither seen nor spoken to in decades and excluding his own siblings one of whom is said to have been handling all of his business and legal affairs. He never signs the document.

As his original will is being contested and the details of the estate sorted, the man's would-be heirs find his rumored wealth missing and his business records in shambles. Stories and allegations of everything from buried treasure to outright theft run rampant. A judge orders the processing of the estate stopped. The IRS gets involved. A multi-generational family feud erupts, but the apparent lack of any inheritance and a sudden reversal in the long standing lawsuit leaves the various factions scrambling to wash their hands of the matter.

Then in the final act an oil boom in North Dakota renders a small ancestral farmstead, which up until now had been little more than afterthought to all those involved, as potentially more valuable than the missing fortune and lawsuit combined. A new lawyer arrives on scene at the last minute with a new strategy to save the now long-cherished family farm, but does he have an agenda of his own?

Of course that might still be a while before I even know if this is the final act. The upcoming hearing to determine if the original lawyer in this case properly informed his client could be complicated by the fact that his client is now dead. There is also some question of whether or not the client was even of sound enough mind and judgment to make any decision in this matter before his death. Or if the client's brother was acting on his behalf, did his brother have a legal right to do so? And even if he did, was the brother of a sound enough mind and judgment to make any decisions? And if neither of them were calling the shots, then who was?

It is that last question that leads to some yet untested and decidedly more malicious allegations against pretty much everyone involved. Which means things could get even more ugly. Which would be completely fitting with everything which has happened so far. The only thing that is certain, lawyers will be paid.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

I didn't have youtube to watch other people do it, but my friends and I would plot out our city layouts for the original SimCity on paper whenever the computer was unavailable or off limits.

I used to do this, too. On graph paper, even

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Rando

I've been following an ongoing legal train wreck for over a decade now. Although in truth I am at best a sideline spectator. Maybe more like upper deck, in the nosebleed seats. A former in-law is more directly involved and most of my information and all of my interpretation of the matter comes filtered through them. The only exceptions being the occasional news or professional article on the case.

Attorney's Failure to Join Essential Party May Be Malpractice | Litigation News | ABA Section of Litigation

This one is a straightforward, legal perspective on the latest development in what has otherwise been a long, twisted and thoroughly sordid affair. Once it all gets settled I think I'm going to have to write the book.

It starts with a tragedy in Alaska. In a drunken rage, a man murders his wife while their two young children look on. Then the wheels of small town politics begin turn. A lawsuit is filed against only one, and only one, of the various bars which served the man a drink that night. Whispered rumors of a long standing personal grudges are heard.

Rather than paying a settlement the bar's reclusive asshole owner vows, according to his lawyer at least, to fight to the lawsuit to the very end and at any cost. Most of those who know the bar's owner believe his convictions are yet another sign of an ongoing descent into madness. Others believe he is no longer the one making the decisions at all.

Among his various, contradictory and increasingly irrational orders the bar's owner allegedly tries to change his will just a few days before his death. He asks another lawyer to write up a new will including two children he has neither seen nor spoken to in decades and excluding his own siblings one of whom is said to have been handling all of his business and legal affairs. He never signs the document.

As his original will is being contested and the details of the estate sorted, the man's would-be heirs find his rumored wealth missing and his business records in shambles. Stories and allegations of everything from buried treasure to outright theft run rampant. A judge orders the processing of the estate stopped. The IRS gets involved. A multi-generational family feud erupts, but the apparent lack of any inheritance and a sudden reversal in the long standing lawsuit leaves the various factions scrambling to wash their hands of the matter.

Then in the final act an oil boom in North Dakota renders a small ancestral farmstead, which up until now had been little more than afterthought to all those involved, as potentially more valuable than the missing fortune and lawsuit combined. A new lawyer arrives on scene at the last minute with a new strategy to save the now long-cherished family farm, but does he have an agenda of his own?

Of course that might still be a while before I even know if this is the final act. The upcoming hearing to determine if the original lawyer in this case properly informed his client could be complicated by the fact that his client is now dead. There is also some question of whether or not the client was even of sound enough mind and judgment to make any decision in this matter before his death. Or if the client's brother was acting on his behalf, did his brother have a legal right to do so? And even if he did, was the brother of a sound enough mind and judgment to make any decisions? And if neither of them were calling the shots, then who was?

It is that last question that leads to some yet untested and decidedly more malicious allegations against pretty much everyone involved. Which means things could get even more ugly. Which would be completely fitting with everything which has happened so far. The only thing that is certain, lawyers will be paid.

Where's Hercule Poirot when you need him?

SI

[finketr]

waiting for a call back/email from my systems engineer...
i hate waiting..
especially during non work time.

any of our network engineering folks have asr9ks or ios-xr?

[spleen1015]

Supposed to go to Cedar Point this weekend.

See on CNN about a mom falling off a roller coaster this past weekend in Texas.

No longer liking this Cedar point idea.

[Lathum]

a thousand people have died in car accidents since then,you gonna walk everywhere?

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Lathum

a thousand people have died in car accidents since then,you gonna walk everywhere?

Hey man, I get what you are saying, but it doesn't lessen it in my mind.

Old age and fatherhood have made me a sissy.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Supposed to go to Cedar Point this weekend.

See on CNN about a mom falling off a roller coaster this past weekend in Texas.

No longer liking this Cedar point idea.

The big reason for not wanting to go to Cedar Point should be the lines because it's a weekend in July.

That said, my wife and I went two years ago for two weekdays in May and it was amazing.

SI

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

The big reason for not wanting to go to Cedar Point should be the lines because it's a weekend in July.

That said, my wife and I went two years ago for two weekdays in May and it was amazing.

SI

I used to go to Cedar Point every summer when I was a kid. I have family in Cleveland so it was a natural meeting spot for us.

Since highschool, I've only gone a handful of times and only ever in mid-to-late May during the week. Weather's not too hot and the lines are manageable. Not sure if I could handle going in July or August.

[Noop]

Almost done with school. I fly back to Virginia in about 8 days. Feels weird to be in my last year of school, but I am looking forward to being done.

[Dutch]

Grats!

[finketr]

I worked at Kings Island for two summers.. that was awesome.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by finketr

I worked at Kings Island for two summers.. that was awesome.

My wife work for P&G. Every September they rent the park for a weekend and employees and families get to go. It is pretty sweet.

[mckerney]

I'm having trouble deciding if Carlos Danger or Ron Mexico is a better fake name.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by mckerney

I'm having trouble deciding if Carlos Danger or Ron Mexico is a better fake name.

Well, if you're thinking about registering an alias here, Ron Mexico is already taken...

[britrock88]

Also, my roommate is a Facebook oversharer. Ugh.

[Suicane75]

I don't see the sex appeal that Sean Connery was supposed to have had.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Supposed to go to Cedar Point this weekend.

See on CNN about a mom falling off a roller coaster this past weekend in Texas.

No longer liking this Cedar point idea.

I'm a big coaster guy myself. Summer job at CP as a teen.

Friday I flew into a conference in Dallas, had to drive to Ft. Worth. Saw Six Flags right by I-30 and groveled to my companion I wanted to go, mostly to ride the Texas Giant. Had I done *any* pre-research, and seen it was there, I might have worked that into the formal plans (I'm the boss).

Not the best day to have that idea flicker, honestly.

[Ajaxab]

I can't decide if the notion of underemployment is a legitimate issue for those who are just graduating from college or a product of an entitled generation who are not willing to start at the bottom and work their way up. It's probably a bit of both...

[MacroGuru]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

I can't decide if the notion of underemployment is a legitimate issue for those who are just graduating from college or a product of an entitled generation who are not willing to start at the bottom and work their way up. It's probably a bit of both...

No, it's the entitlement.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

I can't decide if the notion of underemployment is a legitimate issue for those who are just graduating from college or a product of an entitled generation who are not willing to start at the bottom and work their way up. It's probably a bit of both...

I had a hard time finding work for about a year and a half out of college for my "chosen" profession. With a computer science degree, I worked in nothing computer related (unless you count sitting at a keyboard doing data entry "computer science") during that time. And when I did finally catch on with something computer related, it was as a field engineer for a contractor for HP- so, driving around with a screwdriver, fixing printers, desktops, etc. Again, not exactly, coding or anything related to it except that I was actually working for someone who works for a computer company. I've made it mostly back to the direction I initially wanted to go but it's taken quite a few strategic moves (three across country) and nearly a decade.

I would have killed for an "apprentice" or "foot in the door" but there just aren't that many out there and a lot of people wanting them. I remember going for an interview with Cerner for about 50 positions. These are jobs in their (Java, mainly) programming sweatshops, working about 80 hours a week for about $40K. So, that's basically about $10 an hour with pretty bad working conditions. And there were hundreds of people, maybe more than a thousand, there for those interviews.

Also, I think that in an increasingly specialized world, it's hard to jump professions. It's much harder to jump from, say, foot-in-door dock janitor to manager than it was 30 years ago. There's just too much competition. Why hire the janitor, even if he has a lot of natural skills, when you can grab some 30 year old who just got their evening MBA?

While there are probably some entitlements, I think to call it such is callous and ignorant.

SI

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

I can't decide if the notion of underemployment is a legitimate issue for those who are just graduating from college or a product of an entitled generation who are not willing to start at the bottom and work their way up. It's probably a bit of both...

I think part of the problem is college is so expensive it is hard to swallow taking a 25-35K job when you have 80K in student loans.

[saldana]

the SD card in my phone failed a couple weeks ago...i hadnt backed it up/dowloaded the pics off it for about 9 months...tried to put it into my computer and it still showed as corrupted.

went to best buy and asked the guy at the geek squad desk if there was any way to recover it...he told me he could send it to the manufacturer, but it was a minimum of $249 to analyze it, and probably more to recover it.

i asked if there was any software i could buy that would let me do it myself...he said "i have seen the software...you have to be really smart to use it"

i downloaded a program in 12 seconds this morning, and 5 clicks later, it is recovering my pictures.

i am currently fighting the urge to go back to best buy and smack a bitch

[spleen1015]

I think you've been validated. You're really smart!

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

I don't see the sex appeal that Sean Connery was supposed to have had.

It's his voice.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Lathum

I think part of the problem is college is so expensive it is hard to swallow taking a 25-35K job when you have 80K in student loans.

And? 25-35k is still better than 0k, and if someone has 80k in student loans after undergrad with the only option a 25-35k job, they weren't very smart about their college decisions.

[Autumn]

Originally Posted by Izulde

And? 25-35k is still better than 0k, and if someone has 80k in student loans after undergrad with the only option a 25-35k job, they weren't very smart about their college decisions.

I agree with the first part, mostly, but the second part seems way off.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Izulde

And? 25-35k is still better than 0k, and if someone has 80k in student loans after undergrad with the only option a 25-35k job, they weren't very smart about their college decisions.

Not if you can make more on unemployment, waiting tables, bartending, etc...

It is also human nature to hold out for better, and what you think you deserve.

I also think you are way off on the second part. There are very few degrees you can obtain that pay well right out of school.

don't take this the wrong way, because it isn't meant as an attack, but my impression is you are a career student, so how much do you really know about the job market right now?

[sterlingice]

Is it a bad investment ("not smart college decision") if someone gets a degree that is better long term for career prospects rather than short term?

SI

[spleen1015]

A college education is over rated. I'm a highly paid IT professional and I haven't earned a single college credit.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Not if you can make more on unemployment, waiting tables, bartending, etc...

It is also human nature to hold out for better, and what you think you deserve.

I also think you are way off on the second part. There are very few degrees you can obtain that pay well right out of school.

don't take this the wrong way, because it isn't meant as an attack, but my impression is you are a career student, so how much do you really know about the job market right now?

I was referring more to the 80k loan amount. Unless you're going to a private school that's a name grabber in the region you plan to live in, or has national appeal, you're better off going to a state school as an undergrad. Then, if you're going to grad school, go to a program where you're actually funded.

And yeah, I know the job market sucks right now. There's a trade-off, though, re: those higher-paying jobs: Do they give you the experience needed in the field that the 25-35k job can presumably offer?

[Autumn]

I think the 80K debt might be an extreme example, first of all. But secondly, I think the problem is that most people are stuck with choosing between not taking a job in their field at all, or taking a job. I don't know many people who have managed to get a "foot in the door" position at any pay scale. They're basically forced to go drive a delivery truck or work at an insurance company, something on a completely different career track. I dont know what that is, but I'm guessing that with so many people lookign for work, even those entry positions are getting filled by experienced professionals, or unpaid interns, not new graduates.

[molson]

The job situation for young people would be even a hell of a lot worse if so many of them didn't voluntary sit out of the job market for four years, and shorten their careers while supporting themselves on borrowed money. I think whether education is a good investment can only be determined on a case-by-case basis, but its impact on the job market and economy as a whole is pretty critical in that way.

[JonInMiddleGA]

FWIW, I just saw a figure earlier in the month citing the current average student loan debt at graduation as $28,720

Student Loan Debt Will Exceed Median Annual Income For College Grads By 2023: Analysis

[finketr]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

A college education is over rated. I'm a highly paid IT professional and I haven't earned a single college credit.

As a fellow experienced IT professional, I tend to agree as I did complete my degree in May 2011, 20 years and 9 months after starting.

On the other hand, it truly depends on what your career choice is. If you're going to be a physician then you need the college and medical work completed, etc...

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Autumn

I think the 80K debt might be an extreme example, first of all. But secondly, I think the problem is that most people are stuck with choosing between not taking a job in their field at all, or taking a job. I don't know many people who have managed to get a "foot in the door" position at any pay scale. They're basically forced to go drive a delivery truck or work at an insurance company, something on a completely different career track. I dont know what that is, but I'm guessing that with so many people lookign for work, even those entry positions are getting filled by experienced professionals, or unpaid interns, not new graduates.

My wife and her double major with 3.9 GPA got to do warehouse work, work collections, and do temp work for a couple of years before getting her foot in the door at a small local publishing house as entry level on the way to her current excellent job.

SI