Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253270 times)

Adventine

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6750 on: February 10, 2015, 12:07:05 AM »
Heh. I've had three jobs to date. At the first one, I just didn't eat lunch because I was too lazy to bring anything from home. At the second one, I worked from home. At the third one, the employer provides three meals per day. I don't think I want to go back to the model of having to prepare my own meals for work.

Company-sponsored meals are an incredible perk. My boyfriend's employer provides free catered meals to everyone in the office. Three different dishes and an afternoon snack, available 24/7. The menu changes daily. Free bottled water, juice and soda, too. And still, he tells me some people go out to buy lunch! It isn't even as if they were buying better-tasting food. Some people are just hooked on the ritual of getting out of the office.

pancakes

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6751 on: February 10, 2015, 04:09:44 AM »
I work in the new home construction industry. One of our staff members who helps people pick out their kitchens made this comment: "I don't know why people make such a big deal about an extra $5k for a stone bench top, they are paying for it with a mortgage anyway so won't even notice it over the 20-30 years".

I tried to explain that the extra $5k would actually work out closer to $10k with interest depending on the rate over the loan if the owner only made the minimum repayments. There was no point.

boarder42

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6752 on: February 10, 2015, 06:05:21 AM »
Heh. I've had three jobs to date. At the first one, I just didn't eat lunch because I was too lazy to bring anything from home. At the second one, I worked from home. At the third one, the employer provides three meals per day. I don't think I want to go back to the model of having to prepare my own meals for work.

Company-sponsored meals are an incredible perk. My boyfriend's employer provides free catered meals to everyone in the office. Three different dishes and an afternoon snack, available 24/7. The menu changes daily. Free bottled water, juice and soda, too. And still, he tells me some people go out to buy lunch! It isn't even as if they were buying better-tasting food. Some people are just hooked on the ritual of getting out of the office.

i would most likely still bring my lunch and eat it at work if my employer gave food.  more often than not the food floating around my office isnt the best food to be eating.  I'd rather know what i'm putting in my body.  Even stuff prepared so called healthy may be loaded with preservatives and other bad things for you.

CaliToCayman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6753 on: February 10, 2015, 06:41:42 AM »
This isnt really a story any one particular person did that was worth a face punch per se, but pretty interesting:

I'm on a conference call discussing a company we've taken into receivership and as they were discussing one of the employees at the company they were very careful not to "overwhelm" him with extra work because they considered him a flight risk. Why? Because they are under the impression he is financially independent (their words).

It took me back a bit to see just how employers view your financial independence as a bad thing. Then of course I was reminded of the fact that the lady sitting next to me didn't actually NEED her job because her husband makes $500k+ and so when hiring her they gave her the Manager title even though her background didn't warrant it at all, its just that in order to get her on board at the price she wanted, they had to give her the title. I, on the other hand, WAS a manager within the company (but different department) back in the US and they brought me in at a lower level. I partially blame myself for just grabbing the job, but I still believe what they did to me was slimy since if I had transferred departments within the US I would have still been at the manager level (while I agreed to take a step down for a short period of time, a couple weeks after I signed they informed me that it would take a year longer before I could be a manager again).

Moral of the story is that its amazing how when you DON'T need their money, they pay you more and work you less. I'm currently working on my resume for when my contract is up as I don't intend to re-sign haha.   
« Last Edit: February 10, 2015, 06:44:07 AM by CaliToCayman »

Adventine

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6754 on: February 10, 2015, 07:49:45 AM »
Heh. I've had three jobs to date. At the first one, I just didn't eat lunch because I was too lazy to bring anything from home. At the second one, I worked from home. At the third one, the employer provides three meals per day. I don't think I want to go back to the model of having to prepare my own meals for work.

Company-sponsored meals are an incredible perk. My boyfriend's employer provides free catered meals to everyone in the office. Three different dishes and an afternoon snack, available 24/7. The menu changes daily. Free bottled water, juice and soda, too. And still, he tells me some people go out to buy lunch! It isn't even as if they were buying better-tasting food. Some people are just hooked on the ritual of getting out of the office.

i would most likely still bring my lunch and eat it at work if my employer gave food.  more often than not the food floating around my office isnt the best food to be eating.  I'd rather know what i'm putting in my body.  Even stuff prepared so called healthy may be loaded with preservatives and other bad things for you.

Agreed, but as a transition for somebody who buys lunch out every day, company-sponsored food is a better alternative. The ideal situation would be to bring your own meals (and control everything that goes into your food), but, as we've seen in this thread, a lot of people think of it as too much work.

Patrick A

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6755 on: February 10, 2015, 08:57:19 AM »
This isnt really a story any one particular person did that was worth a face punch per se, but pretty interesting:

I'm on a conference call discussing a company we've taken into receivership and as they were discussing one of the employees at the company they were very careful not to "overwhelm" him with extra work because they considered him a flight risk. Why? Because they are under the impression he is financially independent (their words).

It took me back a bit to see just how employers view your financial independence as a bad thing. Then of course I was reminded of the fact that the lady sitting next to me didn't actually NEED her job because her husband makes $500k+ and so when hiring her they gave her the Manager title even though her background didn't warrant it at all, its just that in order to get her on board at the price she wanted, they had to give her the title. I, on the other hand, WAS a manager within the company (but different department) back in the US and they brought me in at a lower level. I partially blame myself for just grabbing the job, but I still believe what they did to me was slimy since if I had transferred departments within the US I would have still been at the manager level (while I agreed to take a step down for a short period of time, a couple weeks after I signed they informed me that it would take a year longer before I could be a manager again).

Moral of the story is that its amazing how when you DON'T need their money, they pay you more and work you less. I'm currently working on my resume for when my contract is up as I don't intend to re-sign haha.

This is pretty awesome. 

RL12

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6756 on: February 10, 2015, 09:07:44 AM »
Today while talking with two coworkers the topic of cars and car payments came up...

CW1: I absolutely hate car payments, but I've just accepted the fact that I will always have at least one.
CW2: Well yeah, but having only one is way better than having multiples.

CW2 was talking about how her son is about to turn 16 and they were going to buy him a new car but instead she thinks she's going to take the new car and give her son her older one. Then to make it even better, when her youngest son turns 16 she plans to just keep passing the cars down the line and she'll get a newer one then too.

Her youngest is only a few years away from turning 16 now so she'll still be paying for that car when she gives it to her son. And that is assuming she won't still be paying for her current car. She could possibly be paying four car loans in just a few years if you include her husbands car! I removed myself from the conversation at this point.


CaliToCayman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6757 on: February 10, 2015, 09:30:39 AM »
This isnt really a story any one particular person did that was worth a face punch per se, but pretty interesting:

I'm on a conference call discussing a company we've taken into receivership and as they were discussing one of the employees at the company they were very careful not to "overwhelm" him with extra work because they considered him a flight risk. Why? Because they are under the impression he is financially independent (their words).

It took me back a bit to see just how employers view your financial independence as a bad thing. Then of course I was reminded of the fact that the lady sitting next to me didn't actually NEED her job because her husband makes $500k+ and so when hiring her they gave her the Manager title even though her background didn't warrant it at all, its just that in order to get her on board at the price she wanted, they had to give her the title. I, on the other hand, WAS a manager within the company (but different department) back in the US and they brought me in at a lower level. I partially blame myself for just grabbing the job, but I still believe what they did to me was slimy since if I had transferred departments within the US I would have still been at the manager level (while I agreed to take a step down for a short period of time, a couple weeks after I signed they informed me that it would take a year longer before I could be a manager again).

Moral of the story is that its amazing how when you DON'T need their money, they pay you more and work you less. I'm currently working on my resume for when my contract is up as I don't intend to re-sign haha.

This is pretty awesome.

As long as you're not me!

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6758 on: February 10, 2015, 09:46:33 AM »
Today while talking with two coworkers the topic of cars and car payments came up...

CW1: I absolutely hate car payments, but I've just accepted the fact that I will always have at least one.
CW2: Well yeah, but having only one is way better than having multiples.

CW2 was talking about how her son is about to turn 16 and they were going to buy him a new car but instead she thinks she's going to take the new car and give her son her older one. Then to make it even better, when her youngest son turns 16 she plans to just keep passing the cars down the line and she'll get a newer one then too.

Her youngest is only a few years away from turning 16 now so she'll still be paying for that car when she gives it to her son. And that is assuming she won't still be paying for her current car. She could possibly be paying four car loans in just a few years if you include her husbands car! I removed myself from the conversation at this point.

Yup.  My husband's ex-wife decided when my stepdaughter graduated college that she would give SD the car that ex-wife was currently driving -- a three-year old car with two years left on her car loan.  So, instead of simply buying a used car for the kid, she gives her a three-year old car with a loan on it, and buys herself a completely new car.  So now, ex-wife, who is single, has two car payments, instead of one or none.

And she wonders why she feels so broke all the time. 

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6759 on: February 10, 2015, 10:01:57 AM »
People seriously need to understand - every time you make a transaction, you are making the credit card company money. They collect a fee from the merchant for the transaction.
Yes, obviously, credit cards make a lot of money from interest payments. But anybody who consistently pays in full is still a profit maker for the company (well okay, maybe there's an exception for credit card churners. But I don't think that's the case, because if credit card churners were seriously costing CC companies money, they would all just allow only one bonus per lifetime to eliminate churning. Which Amex admittedly does. But that's even funnier because Amex charges the highest transaction fees of all payment networks).

They'd much rather have you consistently pay their bill. There's 0 risk and effort from their end. No collections agencies or anything like that.

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6760 on: February 10, 2015, 10:06:34 AM »
I have never understood those who get upset by the automatic credit limit increases. As others have said, my credit limit has no bearing on how much I spend. I am curious to hear the reasons of those who called to get their limits lowered again. Is it because of the impact to your credit score? Or maybe just the principle of a change being made to your account without you consent?

For my early-twenties self, it was a combo of 1) knowing that the company was hoping I was a consumer sucka and that raising my credit limit was not done out of the goodness of their hearts, but to get me to spend more; and 2) yes, the principle of having this done without my consent.  It was the reflex of someone who has always had a healthy distrust of consumerism and the structures that have been created to take advantage of people's lack of self-control.  At that point in my life, I was still feeling my way, and wanted no extra opportunities to fall into a debt trap.

These days, many years later, I know myself well enough that my credit card limit doesn't affect my behavior, so I don't care if it's raised.  But back then, the horror that anyone could ever possibly put THAT much on a credit card made me have them lower it out of shock and indignation.

Yeah a few things
1) They did it without my consent. Just not a fan of that.
2) Lower credit limits, in the extreme case that I become a victim of identify theft(which has happened to me), just gives a thief less to steal. For the record, my bank did make amends for the criminal purchases.
3) Perhaps some of you are more financially disciplined but my best self discipline has always been to keep credit limits low and money out of sight out of mind. In general I think avoidance of temptation is the best way to avoid making a mistake, and that doesn't just apply to my money habits. I'm much more disciplined with my cash than I am with say, cookies :)

They're not stealing your money. They're stealing the CC's. Don't worry, it'll get fixed. Debit is scarier because that is your money but banks will fix those issues too.

I like to increase my limits because who cares? We only spend money we have so it doesn't matter to us.

Le Barbu

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6761 on: February 10, 2015, 10:08:20 AM »
I cant believe this one that came to me this morning:

CW1: My dad just complete building a 747 cockpit in his basement...
CW2: Wow,  great! Whit everything? Knobs, lights etc?
CW1: Sure, he think the cost of that project is arround 30k$
CW2: Not bad, anyway, what else to do with free time and $$ when you retire in early 50's like your Dad did?!

What a turn off for ER goal!

To each his own, I would prefer to go hicking, free weight training, mountain bike, buy fixer-uppers (for flip or rent), travel, chill-out, read, art-craft etc

Tallgirl1204

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6762 on: February 10, 2015, 10:16:43 AM »
I cant believe this one that came to me this morning:

CW1: My dad just complete building a 747 cockpit in his basement...
CW2: Wow,  great! Whit everything? Knobs, lights etc?
CW1: Sure, he think the cost of that project is arround 30k$
CW2: Not bad, anyway, what else to do with free time and $$ when you retire in early 50's like your Dad did?!

What a turn off for ER goal!

To each his own, I would prefer to go hicking, free weight training, mountain bike, buy fixer-uppers (for flip or rent), travel, chill-out, read, art-craft etc

My dad would have totally loved having a 747 cockpit in his basement, and could have afforded it, if he had thought of it.  And if CW's "Dad" retired in his early 50's (which is early compared to most of the world) maybe he has plenty of dough for the splurge.  It does seem like an odd hobby, but I'm pretty sure that your hobbies are also not everyone's cup of tea either (even though many of them are mine). 

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6763 on: February 10, 2015, 10:37:35 AM »
This isnt really a story any one particular person did that was worth a face punch per se, but pretty interesting:

I'm on a conference call discussing a company we've taken into receivership and as they were discussing one of the employees at the company they were very careful not to "overwhelm" him with extra work because they considered him a flight risk. Why? Because they are under the impression he is financially independent (their words).

It took me back a bit to see just how employers view your financial independence as a bad thing. Then of course I was reminded of the fact that the lady sitting next to me didn't actually NEED her job because her husband makes $500k+ and so when hiring her they gave her the Manager title even though her background didn't warrant it at all, its just that in order to get her on board at the price she wanted, they had to give her the title. I, on the other hand, WAS a manager within the company (but different department) back in the US and they brought me in at a lower level. I partially blame myself for just grabbing the job, but I still believe what they did to me was slimy since if I had transferred departments within the US I would have still been at the manager level (while I agreed to take a step down for a short period of time, a couple weeks after I signed they informed me that it would take a year longer before I could be a manager again).

Moral of the story is that its amazing how when you DON'T need their money, they pay you more and work you less. I'm currently working on my resume for when my contract is up as I don't intend to re-sign haha.

This is pretty awesome.

As long as you're not me!
No kidding! Totally hasn't worked for me either.

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6764 on: February 10, 2015, 10:59:10 AM »
Today while talking with two coworkers the topic of cars and car payments came up...

CW1: I absolutely hate car payments, but I've just accepted the fact that I will always have at least one.
CW2: Well yeah, but having only one is way better than having multiples.

CW2 was talking about how her son is about to turn 16 and they were going to buy him a new car but instead she thinks she's going to take the new car and give her son her older one. Then to make it even better, when her youngest son turns 16 she plans to just keep passing the cars down the line and she'll get a newer one then too.

Her youngest is only a few years away from turning 16 now so she'll still be paying for that car when she gives it to her son. And that is assuming she won't still be paying for her current car. She could possibly be paying four car loans in just a few years if you include her husbands car! I removed myself from the conversation at this point.
I seriously don't get this. 

I have had a couple of conversations with people.  I don't remember who anymore - people with older kids than me?  Or same age kids?  Talking about cars.

"Well wait until your boys are 16 and you have to get them a car!"
"Um, no"
"Sure, you will, how else will they get around?"
"on foot, by bike, by bus?"
"Oh, you can't do that!"

"Seriously?  I didn't have a car until after college when I bought it myself.  My husband got a car in college when he bought half of it (because his parents did not want to keep driving him to and from school).  If kid #1 goes to school within driving distance AND has a place to park a car (I didn't), THEN maybe he can have our current car, which is a 2006, same age as he is."

You'd have think I killed someone.  It's a Toyota, I'm sure it will be going strong when it's 18 years old.  But if he goes far away for school, then he won't need a car, just plane tickets. 

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6765 on: February 10, 2015, 11:04:59 AM »
I work in the new home construction industry. One of our staff members who helps people pick out their kitchens made this comment: "I don't know why people make such a big deal about an extra $5k for a stone bench top, they are paying for it with a mortgage anyway so won't even notice it over the 20-30 years".

I tried to explain that the extra $5k would actually work out closer to $10k with interest depending on the rate over the loan if the owner only made the minimum repayments. There was no point.
Strictly speaking, she spoke the truth, if from a limited perspective. And at today's rates, interest is mostly offset by inflation, so you might only pay a small premium in constant dollars. That said, she still sounds like a silly spendthrift, as well as being callous toward buyers' needs and preferences.
In terms of refuting this kind of shitty attitude, I'd focus more on resale value. Loading a new house with upgrades does not always add value equal to the cost.

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6766 on: February 10, 2015, 11:11:54 AM »
I think a lot of people understand that eating out every day is bad. They want to change but don't know how. So when they see someone actually doing, it gives them the impetus to try it themselves.

Good on you!
I actually started sliding into buying workplace cafeteria lunch a little more often last year, but when the cost of all the good meals went to $9, I rebelled. I started religiously stocking $1 soup cans and keeping frozen leftover dinner portions in the fridge, more consistently than ever.
Guess what? My least Mustachian co-worker came along for the ride. I can't remember the last time *either* of us bought that overpriced lunch. He's microwaving his soup right now... :D :D :D

RL12

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6767 on: February 10, 2015, 11:48:07 AM »
Today while talking with two coworkers the topic of cars and car payments came up...

CW1: I absolutely hate car payments, but I've just accepted the fact that I will always have at least one.
CW2: Well yeah, but having only one is way better than having multiples.

CW2 was talking about how her son is about to turn 16 and they were going to buy him a new car but instead she thinks she's going to take the new car and give her son her older one. Then to make it even better, when her youngest son turns 16 she plans to just keep passing the cars down the line and she'll get a newer one then too.

Her youngest is only a few years away from turning 16 now so she'll still be paying for that car when she gives it to her son. And that is assuming she won't still be paying for her current car. She could possibly be paying four car loans in just a few years if you include her husbands car! I removed myself from the conversation at this point.

Yup.  My husband's ex-wife decided when my stepdaughter graduated college that she would give SD the car that ex-wife was currently driving -- a three-year old car with two years left on her car loan.  So, instead of simply buying a used car for the kid, she gives her a three-year old car with a loan on it, and buys herself a completely new car.  So now, ex-wife, who is single, has two car payments, instead of one or none.

And she wonders why she feels so broke all the time.

CW1 I wanted to ask, why have you just accepted the fact that you'll always have at least one car payment? Both of his cars are fairly new, one a Prius, so why is he anticipating not having these vehicles for the next ten years or more? I'm blown away by how many people just think it's a given that you have to have a car loan. He also just bought his son a truck, taking out a loan of course. I will give him credit for getting the truck for ~$4,000. But then that means he doesn't have $4,000 saved up and makes my head want to explode.

After hearing that from CW2 it made me so grateful that my wife thinks a lot like me about our finances. She's quickly become pretty mustachian without even knowing what that is.

johnny847

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6768 on: February 10, 2015, 11:52:50 AM »
People seriously need to understand - every time you make a transaction, you are making the credit card company money. They collect a fee from the merchant for the transaction.
Yes, obviously, credit cards make a lot of money from interest payments. But anybody who consistently pays in full is still a profit maker for the company (well okay, maybe there's an exception for credit card churners. But I don't think that's the case, because if credit card churners were seriously costing CC companies money, they would all just allow only one bonus per lifetime to eliminate churning. Which Amex admittedly does. But that's even funnier because Amex charges the highest transaction fees of all payment networks).

They'd much rather have you consistently pay their bill. There's 0 risk and effort from their end. No collections agencies or anything like that.
Yes there's risk involved obviously. But I'm pretty sure that even if you take into account average expected losses, and you are good enough at screening credit card applicants, you can still come out ahead by having a small portion of your customers paying interest, and the others paying in full.

Luck12

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6769 on: February 10, 2015, 12:02:07 PM »
This isnt really a story any one particular person did that was worth a face punch per se, but pretty interesting:

I'm on a conference call discussing a company we've taken into receivership and as they were discussing one of the employees at the company they were very careful not to "overwhelm" him with extra work because they considered him a flight risk. Why? Because they are under the impression he is financially independent (their words).

I should tell the higher ups here that I'm FI by the 4% benchmark and I'll have even less work. 

LibrarIan

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6770 on: February 10, 2015, 12:05:29 PM »
I work in IT for a large insurance company with a wonderful boss. However, my boss said something today that really threw me for a loop:

Boss: There's no way I can retire on just $6 million.

Me: Whoa. That's way more than you need to retire on. Throw that in a Vanguard fund and you'll never work another day in your life.

Boss: Well you don't spend like I do.

Me: Not at all. I'll send you a link to a blog that you might find interesting. (This one if you haven't guessed.)

Boss: What is it about?

Me: It's all about frugality, minimalism and making the most of your money.

Boss: Pass. I want to live in the here and now.

:-\

frugalnacho

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6771 on: February 10, 2015, 12:08:13 PM »
I work in IT for a large insurance company with a wonderful boss. However, my boss said something today that really threw me for a loop:

Boss: There's no way I can retire on just $6 million.

Me: Whoa. That's way more than you need to retire on. Throw that in a Vanguard fund and you'll never work another day in your life.

Boss: Well you don't spend like I do.

Me: Not at all. I'll send you a link to a blog that you might find interesting. (This one if you haven't guessed.)

Boss: What is it about?

Me: It's all about frugality, minimalism and making the most of your money.

Boss: Pass. I want to live in the here and now work forever.

:-\

fixed.

klystomane

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6772 on: February 10, 2015, 12:15:15 PM »
...and today's game is called "How many problems can you find?"

A friend of a friend of mine, who is around 63, has a wife, 55, who was laid off a few months ago. For awhile, he was pretty worried, since he had refinanced his house and used the equity to renovate and buy toys. His initial retirement plan was his wife, who he said should work to pay off the mortgage after he retires himself (they both make great money by the way, probably $250k+ combined) but since a new head honcho joined his division around the time his wife got laid off and began restructuring the company, he was seriously worried for awhile that he wouldn't even make it to retirement age and might lose the house.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and his wife has a new job now. When asked how his weekend went, he talked about the nice getaway he had with her, how he spent lots of money buying expensive wine, and how much fun her new car was to drive.

No, it was not a company perk. Yes, she bought a new car. They decided that the current Mercedes with 100k miles was too old and that it only made sense to get a fully loaded X5, since she needed a more reliable car to make the 70 mile commute every day.

Quote: "Well, she's going to be working for another five years at LEAST, most likely 10. She can't do that with an old car!"


I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6773 on: February 10, 2015, 12:22:32 PM »
I work in IT for a large insurance company with a wonderful boss. However, my boss said something today that really threw me for a loop:

Boss: There's no way I can retire on just $6 million.

Me: Whoa. That's way more than you need to retire on. Throw that in a Vanguard fund and you'll never work another day in your life.

Boss: Well you don't spend like I do.

Me: Not at all. I'll send you a link to a blog that you might find interesting. (This one if you haven't guessed.)

Boss: What is it about?

Me: It's all about frugality, minimalism and making the most of your money.

Boss: Pass. I want to live in the here and now.

:-\

Not everyone has to share the same values. 
Sucks that the guy's lifestyle is probably really bad for the Earth and future generations, but if he wants to work so he can spend on things most people here think are ridiculous, that's his prerogative.   Some people really would rather work their butts off so they can eat all their meals out, watch fancy sports packages on cable, and wear clothes that cost more due to their tags.

The problem is when people bitch about having to work, and how much they hate it, and still want to do all those things.

Sounds like the boss knows the trade off for not working is frugal, and he'd rather work.

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6774 on: February 10, 2015, 12:26:05 PM »
...and today's game is called "How many problems can you find?"

A friend of a friend of mine, who is around 63, has a wife, 55, who was laid off a few months ago. For awhile, he was pretty worried, since he had refinanced his house and used the equity to renovate and buy toys. His initial retirement plan was his wife, who he said should work to pay off the mortgage after he retires himself (they both make great money by the way, probably $250k+ combined) but since a new head honcho joined his division around the time his wife got laid off and began restructuring the company, he was seriously worried for awhile that he wouldn't even make it to retirement age and might lose the house.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and his wife has a new job now. When asked how his weekend went, he talked about the nice getaway he had with her, how he spent lots of money buying expensive wine, and how much fun her new car was to drive.

No, it was not a company perk. Yes, she bought a new car. They decided that the current Mercedes with 100k miles was too old and that it only made sense to get a fully loaded X5, since she needed a more reliable car to make the 70 mile commute every day.

Quote: "Well, she's going to be working for another five years at LEAST, most likely 10. She can't do that with an old car!"
How did I do? :P
People like this are the reason MMM exists. Facepunch is urgent. Commutes 70 miles daily and thinks an SUV is a good idea? Probably carries one small bag on a regular basis and nothing else.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6775 on: February 10, 2015, 12:28:40 PM »

I work in IT for a large insurance company with a wonderful boss. However, my boss said something today that really threw me for a loop:

Boss: There's no way I can retire on just $6 million.



There is a way, but he refuses to see it. That's fine, large companies need people like him. I'm sure that he will be shocked when he sees that you retire early (should you decide to do so).


austin

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6776 on: February 10, 2015, 12:29:22 PM »
I cant believe this one that came to me this morning:

CW1: My dad just complete building a 747 cockpit in his basement...
CW2: Wow,  great! Whit everything? Knobs, lights etc?
CW1: Sure, he think the cost of that project is arround 30k$
CW2: Not bad, anyway, what else to do with free time and $$ when you retire in early 50's like your Dad did?!

What a turn off for ER goal!

To each his own, I would prefer to go hicking, free weight training, mountain bike, buy fixer-uppers (for flip or rent), travel, chill-out, read, art-craft etc

Is this supposed to be a crazy story? That's his hobby.

MandalayVA

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6777 on: February 10, 2015, 12:30:54 PM »
With Bitch I Got A Man Valentine's Day coming up, one of my male coworkers is planning on proposing to his girlfriend that night.  He's already dropped a huge amount on the ring and is doing what I call a Production Number Proposal (renting out a restaurant so all her family and friends can be there).  Including the cost of the ring this guy is spending close to SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.  On a PROPOSAL. 

And just last week he was complaining about how tight money was for him. 

It may be mean, but I'll laugh like hell if she says no.

arebelspy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6778 on: February 10, 2015, 12:33:01 PM »
I cant believe this one that came to me this morning:

CW1: My dad just complete building a 747 cockpit in his basement...
CW2: Wow,  great! Whit everything? Knobs, lights etc?
CW1: Sure, he think the cost of that project is arround 30k$
CW2: Not bad, anyway, what else to do with free time and $$ when you retire in early 50's like your Dad did?!

What a turn off for ER goal!

To each his own, I would prefer to go hicking, free weight training, mountain bike, buy fixer-uppers (for flip or rent), travel, chill-out, read, art-craft etc

My dad would have totally loved having a 747 cockpit in his basement, and could have afforded it, if he had thought of it.  And if CW's "Dad" retired in his early 50's (which is early compared to most of the world) maybe he has plenty of dough for the splurge.  It does seem like an odd hobby, but I'm pretty sure that your hobbies are also not everyone's cup of tea either (even though many of them are mine).

I think it sounds neat too, especially if you put in giant screens for the cockpit "windows" and hook up a flight simulator. 
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
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klystomane

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6779 on: February 10, 2015, 12:36:15 PM »
...and today's game is called "How many problems can you find?"

A friend of a friend of mine, who is around 63, has a wife, 55, who was laid off a few months ago. For awhile, he was pretty worried, since he had refinanced his house and used the equity to renovate and buy toys. His initial retirement plan was his wife, who he said should work to pay off the mortgage after he retires himself (they both make great money by the way, probably $250k+ combined) but since a new head honcho joined his division around the time his wife got laid off and began restructuring the company, he was seriously worried for awhile that he wouldn't even make it to retirement age and might lose the house.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and his wife has a new job now. When asked how his weekend went, he talked about the nice getaway he had with her, how he spent lots of money buying expensive wine, and how much fun her new car was to drive.

No, it was not a company perk. Yes, she bought a new car. They decided that the current Mercedes with 100k miles was too old and that it only made sense to get a fully loaded X5, since she needed a more reliable car to make the 70 mile commute every day.

Quote: "Well, she's going to be working for another five years at LEAST, most likely 10. She can't do that with an old car!"
How did I do? :P
People like this are the reason MMM exists. Facepunch is urgent. Commutes 70 miles daily and thinks an SUV is a good idea? Probably carries one small bag on a regular basis and nothing else.

Agreed. I would've also accepted: "Why the fuck do they even need to work? They should have retired ages ago."

Head. Hurts.

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6780 on: February 10, 2015, 12:54:34 PM »
Bitch I Got A Man Valentine's Day
Best laugh I've had all day.
Quote
It may be mean, but I'll laugh like hell if she says no.
The whole thing is a farce to begin with. Seven grand to prove you really mean it when you ask? For fuck's sake guy, if she doesn't already know you wanna marry her by now, you're not communicating. And if by some grave misfortune she's the kind of awful human being who actually wants this kind of spectacle, the disaster has only begun for both of them.
« Last Edit: February 10, 2015, 01:13:16 PM by zephyr911 »

lizzie

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6781 on: February 10, 2015, 01:09:53 PM »
Maybe they already agreed to get married and they’re just staging this for friends and family? Which would be worse, really, but at least then he’s not wasting $7K for a “no.”

One of the most uncomfortable things I ever witnessed was a public proposal by a guy to a coworker at her going-away party. She clearly wanted to say no, but said yes anyway because she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of everybody. I heard later that they didn’t get married.

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6782 on: February 10, 2015, 01:12:23 PM »
Maybe they already agreed to get married and they’re just staging this for friends and family? Which would be worse, really, but at least then he’s not wasting $7K for a “no.”

One of the most uncomfortable things I ever witnessed was a public proposal by a guy to a coworker at her going-away party. She clearly wanted to say no, but said yes anyway because she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of everybody. I heard later that they didn’t get married.
Reasons why I've never proposed in public, #1-n, right there.

MandalayVA

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6783 on: February 10, 2015, 01:42:10 PM »
Bitch I Got A Man Valentine's Day
Best laugh I've had all day.
Quote
It may be mean, but I'll laugh like hell if she says no.
The whole thing is a farce to begin with. Seven grand to prove you really mean it when you ask? For fuck's sake guy, if she doesn't already know you wanna marry her by now, you're not communicating. And if by some grave misfortune she's the kind of awful human being who actually wants this kind of spectacle, the disaster has only begun for both of them.

From things he's said--I only started hearing about this yesterday--the "wanting the production number" thing may be in play.  Then again, I've seen a picture of her and I'm pretty sure the guy wants to seal the deal because looks-wise he's boxing WAY outside his weight with her.

dorothyc

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6784 on: February 10, 2015, 01:56:19 PM »
When I was in high school a friend said "We are planning on getting engaged when I turn 18". I was baffled. I thought you were already engaged once you planned to get married, I didn't think it was a separate process, at least not from the girl's standpoint.

caliq

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6785 on: February 10, 2015, 02:09:33 PM »
When I was in high school a friend said "We are planning on getting engaged when I turn 18". I was baffled. I thought you were already engaged once you planned to get married, I didn't think it was a separate process, at least not from the girl's standpoint.

Ehh...I think there's a difference between knowing you both want to marry each other at some point in the future, and actively being engaged to be married at some point in the near-ish future. 

I skipped the engagement part :D Well, I guess I was engaged from the time we woke up and he said "Let's get married today" to the time we did the 'ceremony' that evening.  But I never called him my fiance before that day, despite owning a house together and both of us being very sure we would someday get married.

Wings5

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6786 on: February 10, 2015, 07:28:44 PM »

I seriously don't get this. 

I have had a couple of conversations with people.  I don't remember who anymore - people with older kids than me?  Or same age kids?  Talking about cars.

"Well wait until your boys are 16 and you have to get them a car!"
"Um, no"
"Sure, you will, how else will they get around?"
"on foot, by bike, by bus?"
"Oh, you can't do that!"

...


Um, the same ways they have for the first 16 years, whatever means that may be. I remember a buddy in high school, from a well-to-do family, talking about turning 16.

Bud 1 (Consumer Reports in hand): "My dad told me if I want to get a new car when I turn sixteen, I have to research it."
Bud 2, laughing at bud 1: "My dad told me to pay for it."

Taran Wanderer

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6787 on: February 10, 2015, 10:31:02 PM »
My oh my. Page 141 is the page of massive face punches.

vern

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6788 on: February 11, 2015, 01:17:44 AM »
Maybe they already agreed to get married and they’re just staging this for friends and family? Which would be worse, really, but at least then he’s not wasting $7K for a “no.”

One of the most uncomfortable things I ever witnessed was a public proposal by a guy to a coworker at her going-away party. She clearly wanted to say no, but said yes anyway because she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of everybody. I heard later that they didn’t get married.
Reasons why I've never proposed in public, #1-n, right there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql0y-pHZUyk

CabinetGuy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6789 on: February 11, 2015, 06:03:29 AM »
I used to manage a team reporting to Boss A. After a few weeks, Boss B, who was friends with Boss A's wife, said that Wife was so grateful I was hired, because she finally had her husband back. Boss A used to get into work around 6 AM, leave around 9 PM, and had an hour+ commute. After I started, he was able to cut back his hours to 6 AM - 6 PM (ish). Quality family time was now available for a couple hours each night! That comment should've been a huge warning sign to me, as I soon became the person working all day, every day.

During one time period when we were all working from home, Boss A called me around 9 PM. I had fallen asleep after a special workout and woke up frantic. He wanted to know if I could take a look at something he was curious about. Yeah - tomorrow. Or maybe next week. It wasn't urgent whatsoever.

He went on a family vacation in Europe for a week and set up his out of office message to refer everyone to me. Standard. I ended up constantly getting duplicate emails, because someone would email him asking for something, get the out of office, and forward it to me. Within the hour, I would get the same email forwarded from Boss A, because he wasn't sure if I had gotten it. I told him multiple times that he didn't need to do that, to no avail. The way I see it, if someone is too lazy or unaware to follow instructions like "hey send this to MonkeyJenga," they deserve to wait a week for their request.

This guy must've been pulling in low 6 figures for many years, but he was completely addicted to work. I don't know anything about his finances, but I almost get the feeling he would keep working at a job that clearly stressed him out even if he came into a million dollars.

This post just made me sick to my stomach...Reminds me of a boss I worked for.  He was completely incompetent, al "Baffle em with bullshit" type.  Hired me on, I had no management experience, yet found myself managing multiple high-end cabinet installers, coordinating with multiple high-end resort type residential builders...and I was killing it.

Fast forward to the annual Christmas party.  His wife says to my wife "Please thank your husband for me, I finally have my husband back."  My wife's response "can I have mine back?  He's always working."  She's never one to bite her tongue!

Ugh.  To make matters worse, I have nothing to show for all of my hard work and fat paychecks.  I couldn't spend it fast enough...

Jon

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6790 on: February 11, 2015, 09:34:27 AM »
With Bitch I Got A Man Valentine's Day coming up, one of my male coworkers is planning on proposing to his girlfriend that night.  He's already dropped a huge amount on the ring and is doing what I call a Production Number Proposal (renting out a restaurant so all her family and friends can be there).  Including the cost of the ring this guy is spending close to SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.  On a PROPOSAL. 

And just last week he was complaining about how tight money was for him. 

It may be mean, but I'll laugh like hell if she says no.

Plus he's setting up a nice expectation for every other future big event!

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6791 on: February 11, 2015, 10:03:52 AM »
Hubs and I both just received simultaneous facepunches in our workplaces this morning.

My VP of FINANCE (mid 50's) just walked up to me and goes "Wow, I've learned more about the 401k system from you in the past week then I ever knew before".  How did this come about you may ask, we are switching our 401k from a super expensive mutual fund company to Vanguard and I asked him if we could 1.  chose our new Vangaurd funds prior to the black out period for transfer and 2.  Would this effect my front loading in any way that I needed to know about....he didn't realize you could contribute 100% of your paycheck to your 401k.

My husbands new COL just called him into the office for counseling (standard in the military).  Due to the nature of his job in the military there is a BIG push to make sure that people in the unit are financially stable both for peace of mind, and to lesser the chance for corruption/bribes etc, financial talk is part of every briefing and counseling pretty much. 

COL "So, is everything OK financially"
DH:  "Yes sir"
COL:  "You know, having savings is an important part of unit and family stability, what are your savings plan for the future"
DH:  "well sir, right now we are front loading my wifes 401k to max it out for the year over the next couple of months, then we will do the same with my TSP (he's heading to a 10month schooling here in a bit so no chance of a deployment again this year)"
COL:  "That's impressive that you can save $5000 dollars in such a short period of time!"
DH:  "Uh, sir, I think you are thinking of the IRA limits of 5500, 401k is 18k this year" (and yes, I think he should have just kept his mouth shut)
COL: *Blink, Blink* "Oh...well what are your other long term goals"
DH:  "Well, we are on plan to hit 7 figures in the next couple of years, after that I will finish out my 20 and then we plan on retiring."
COL:  " So it sounds like you are setting yourself up for an easy transition into your next job, that's great!  Wait...Did you say SEVEN figures?!?!"
DH:  "Yes sir"
COL:  *Blink Blink*  "Uh, ok so I guess I don't have to do these financial discussions with you in the future, you want to write me up a questionnaire of things I SHOULD be asking your coworkers?"
DH:  "Uh, I guess I can put something together"

Yea, pretty sure he just stepped into a pile of something he wants no part of.

MishMash

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6792 on: February 11, 2015, 10:06:14 AM »
HA, forgot to mention on mine, his title is VP of Finance, but he's actually the standing CFO since our last one quit 3 months ago.

johnny847

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6793 on: February 11, 2015, 10:07:48 AM »
Hubs and I both just received simultaneous facepunches in our workplaces this morning.
Received? I believe you mean doled out?

Yea, pretty sure he just stepped into a pile of something he wants no part of.
Agreed, this is probably not going to go well

HairyUpperLip

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6794 on: February 11, 2015, 10:18:30 AM »


www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql0y-pHZUyk

lololololololololollololololololololollololololololololollololololololololollololololololololollololololololololollololololololololollololololololololollololololololololollololololololololol

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6795 on: February 11, 2015, 12:25:49 PM »
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql0y-pHZUyk
#2 is too wonderful to be true. There's no way. (but we can hope)

GuitarStv

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6796 on: February 11, 2015, 01:10:53 PM »
I cant believe this one that came to me this morning:

CW1: My dad just complete building a 747 cockpit in his basement...
CW2: Wow,  great! Whit everything? Knobs, lights etc?
CW1: Sure, he think the cost of that project is arround 30k$
CW2: Not bad, anyway, what else to do with free time and $$ when you retire in early 50's like your Dad did?!

What a turn off for ER goal!

To each his own, I would prefer to go hicking, free weight training, mountain bike, buy fixer-uppers (for flip or rent), travel, chill-out, read, art-craft etc

My dad would have totally loved having a 747 cockpit in his basement, and could have afforded it, if he had thought of it.  And if CW's "Dad" retired in his early 50's (which is early compared to most of the world) maybe he has plenty of dough for the splurge.  It does seem like an odd hobby, but I'm pretty sure that your hobbies are also not everyone's cup of tea either (even though many of them are mine).

I think it sounds neat too, especially if you put in giant screens for the cockpit "windows" and hook up a flight simulator.

Different strokes I guess.  I spent five years designing and debugging full functioning cockpit simulators for military jets and helicopters.  It sounds an awful lot like work to me.  :P


As an aside . . . flying a helicopter is way the fuck cooler than flying a plane.  It's like the difference between driving a train and driving a car.

hamildub

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6797 on: February 11, 2015, 02:37:40 PM »
I have never understood those who get upset by the automatic credit limit increases. As others have said, my credit limit has no bearing on how much I spend. I am curious to hear the reasons of those who called to get their limits lowered again. Is it because of the impact to your credit score? Or maybe just the principle of a change being made to your account without you consent?

For my early-twenties self, it was a combo of 1) knowing that the company was hoping I was a consumer sucka and that raising my credit limit was not done out of the goodness of their hearts, but to get me to spend more; and 2) yes, the principle of having this done without my consent.  It was the reflex of someone who has always had a healthy distrust of consumerism and the structures that have been created to take advantage of people's lack of self-control.  At that point in my life, I was still feeling my way, and wanted no extra opportunities to fall into a debt trap.

These days, many years later, I know myself well enough that my credit card limit doesn't affect my behavior, so I don't care if it's raised.  But back then, the horror that anyone could ever possibly put THAT much on a credit card made me have them lower it out of shock and indignation.

Yeah a few things
1) They did it without my consent. Just not a fan of that.
2) Lower credit limits, in the extreme case that I become a victim of identify theft(which has happened to me), just gives a thief less to steal. For the record, my bank did make amends for the criminal purchases.
3) Perhaps some of you are more financially disciplined but my best self discipline has always been to keep credit limits low and money out of sight out of mind. In general I think avoidance of temptation is the best way to avoid making a mistake, and that doesn't just apply to my money habits. I'm much more disciplined with my cash than I am with say, cookies :)

They're not stealing your money. They're stealing the CC's. Don't worry, it'll get fixed. Debit is scarier because that is your money but banks will fix those issues too.

I like to increase my limits because who cares? We only spend money we have so it doesn't matter to us.

A few years ago the CC company increased my limit by $1000, I always looked at the "credit available" line on my webbanking as that's the only one that's updated up to the minute (it's weird, we're evaluating CC options). So having checked my credit available amount I used my card, only a few days later to figure out that I spent an extra couple hundred bucks. I'm a lot more ontop of my finances now, but I am still adamant that they not increase the limit and disable that touch to pay BS, my wife and I are still in the stuble stages of Mustache and keeping a low credit limit is crucial right now.

caliq

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6798 on: February 11, 2015, 02:56:13 PM »
I cant believe this one that came to me this morning:

CW1: My dad just complete building a 747 cockpit in his basement...
CW2: Wow,  great! Whit everything? Knobs, lights etc?
CW1: Sure, he think the cost of that project is arround 30k$
CW2: Not bad, anyway, what else to do with free time and $$ when you retire in early 50's like your Dad did?!

What a turn off for ER goal!

To each his own, I would prefer to go hicking, free weight training, mountain bike, buy fixer-uppers (for flip or rent), travel, chill-out, read, art-craft etc

My dad would have totally loved having a 747 cockpit in his basement, and could have afforded it, if he had thought of it.  And if CW's "Dad" retired in his early 50's (which is early compared to most of the world) maybe he has plenty of dough for the splurge.  It does seem like an odd hobby, but I'm pretty sure that your hobbies are also not everyone's cup of tea either (even though many of them are mine).

I think it sounds neat too, especially if you put in giant screens for the cockpit "windows" and hook up a flight simulator.

Different strokes I guess.  I spent five years designing and debugging full functioning cockpit simulators for military jets and helicopters.  It sounds an awful lot like work to me.  :P


As an aside . . . flying a helicopter is way the fuck cooler than flying a plane.  It's like the difference between driving a train and driving a car.

Based on my helicopter flight sim experience (DH worked on an army base as a civilian contractor for awhile and I got to visit and "fly"), it sounds pretty cool xD 

AH013

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #6799 on: February 11, 2015, 03:02:25 PM »
Maybe they already agreed to get married and they’re just staging this for friends and family? Which would be worse, really, but at least then he’s not wasting $7K for a “no.”

One of the most uncomfortable things I ever witnessed was a public proposal by a guy to a coworker at her going-away party. She clearly wanted to say no, but said yes anyway because she didn’t want to embarrass him in front of everybody. I heard later that they didn’t get married.
Reasons why I've never proposed in public, #1-n, right there.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql0y-pHZUyk

I especially like #4.  If you have seen the whole thing the announcer feels like a complete heel.  (after commenting to his buddy how he's seen too many of these) "You know what I'm just waiting once for the gal to say no! har-har"....(she says no, runs away)..."Uh...you know I was just joking"

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!