Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13268210 times)

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13050 on: April 18, 2016, 08:14:33 AM »
This bag looks nice because it is a classic style, clean lines. Also the pp's words of wisdm about dyes is useful.

The current societal obsession with big ass buckles all over the place is silly. Keep your classic bags and let the sheeple pay $300, $400, $500+ for things that are dated within 5 years.
I'm probably inviting the ire of many when I say this, but I feel the same way about a lot of bathroom and kitchen design ideas.  Like tiled countertops or butcher block countertops, hardwood or laminate in the kitchen, or the whole shabby chic movement (ick!).  Heck, I don't even care for subway tile or painted cabinets.

infogoon

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13051 on: April 18, 2016, 08:29:16 AM »
I'm probably inviting the ire of many when I say this, but I feel the same way about a lot of bathroom and kitchen design ideas.  Like tiled countertops or butcher block countertops, hardwood or laminate in the kitchen, or the whole shabby chic movement (ick!).  Heck, I don't even care for subway tile or painted cabinets.

I kind of like the term "shabby chic". It sounds more impressive than "my kids have destroyed the inside of my home and everything is worn and scarred".

Kitsune

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13052 on: April 18, 2016, 08:56:07 AM »
I'm probably inviting the ire of many when I say this, but I feel the same way about a lot of bathroom and kitchen design ideas.  Like tiled countertops or butcher block countertops, hardwood or laminate in the kitchen, or the whole shabby chic movement (ick!).  Heck, I don't even care for subway tile or painted cabinets.

I kind of like the term "shabby chic". It sounds more impressive than "my kids have destroyed the inside of my home and everything is worn and scarred".

Butcher block countertop: 1/5 the cost of granite, and when your kids take a sharpie to it you can sand it and re-oil it and it doesn't show. It's a sensible choice for a certain phase of life. ;)

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13053 on: April 18, 2016, 09:22:41 AM »
This bag looks nice because it is a classic style, clean lines. Also the pp's words of wisdm about dyes is useful.

The current societal obsession with big ass buckles all over the place is silly. Keep your classic bags and let the sheeple pay $300, $400, $500+ for things that are dated within 5 years.
I'm probably inviting the ire of many when I say this, but I feel the same way about a lot of bathroom and kitchen design ideas.  Like tiled countertops or butcher block countertops, hardwood or laminate in the kitchen, or the whole shabby chic movement (ick!).  Heck, I don't even care for subway tile or painted cabinets.

What is wrong with hardwood or laminate in the kitchen? Laminate is cheap; that is the appeal (although I do agree it doesn't look that great all of the time; sometimes I'd prefer linoleum). Hardwood... Well, it was installed in my aunt's kitchen in 1982 and through 3 kitchen renovations it has stayed. It was installed in my grandparents kitchen in the 1940's or early 50's and was only removed when the house was torn down. I always thought it looked excellent in just about any kitchen, and could be a timeless option. Obviously laminate is not, but that is where the price difference comes in.

dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13054 on: April 18, 2016, 10:02:58 AM »
This bag looks nice because it is a classic style, clean lines. Also the pp's words of wisdm about dyes is useful.

The current societal obsession with big ass buckles all over the place is silly. Keep your classic bags and let the sheeple pay $300, $400, $500+ for things that are dated within 5 years.
I'm probably inviting the ire of many when I say this, but I feel the same way about a lot of bathroom and kitchen design ideas.  Like tiled countertops or butcher block countertops, hardwood or laminate in the kitchen, or the whole shabby chic movement (ick!).  Heck, I don't even care for subway tile or painted cabinets.

What is wrong with hardwood or laminate in the kitchen? Laminate is cheap; that is the appeal (although I do agree it doesn't look that great all of the time; sometimes I'd prefer linoleum). Hardwood... Well, it was installed in my aunt's kitchen in 1982 and through 3 kitchen renovations it has stayed. It was installed in my grandparents kitchen in the 1940's or early 50's and was only removed when the house was torn down. I always thought it looked excellent in just about any kitchen, and could be a timeless option. Obviously laminate is not, but that is where the price difference comes in.

The problem is really water damage.  I have hardwood in my kitchen but near the fridge is warped due to a water leak.  I like the way the wood looks, and it's moderately easy to clean, but if I was designing a kitchen I'd use tile or vinyl (the difference between vinyl and laminate being that vinyl comes in huge sheets so few water intrusion points).  My kitchen is open plan though so it would look a bit weird to suddenly change from wood to tile

BDWW

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13055 on: April 18, 2016, 10:20:14 AM »
I'm probably inviting the ire of many when I say this, but I feel the same way about a lot of bathroom and kitchen design ideas.  Like tiled countertops or butcher block wooden countertops, hardwood or laminate in the kitchen, or the whole shabby chic movement (ick!).  Heck, I don't even care for subway tile or painted cabinets.

I kind of like the term "shabby chic". It sounds more impressive than "my kids have destroyed the inside of my home and everything is worn and scarred".

Butcher block wooden countertop: 1/5 the cost of granite, and when your kids take a sharpie to it you can sand it and re-oil it and it doesn't show. It's a sensible choice for a certain phase of life. ;)

What's really annoying is when designers co-opt terminology and bastardize it to market a trend.  Lost cause I know, but butcher blocks are end-grain. Some designer somewhere decided he/she liked the look of butcher block and laminated thick boards together and started calling it "butcher block" without realizing the difference in utility between end grain and edge grain.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13056 on: April 18, 2016, 10:22:04 AM »
I second this foam.

How hard is it to install your own counter tops? Also my house is soon (fingers crossed) to be shared with two tenants so I wouldn't want anything nice. Should I go with laminate? I do like the wood counter tops, are they stable and able to look good while taking some abuse from tenants?

BDWW

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13057 on: April 18, 2016, 11:06:13 AM »
I second this foam.

How hard is it to install your own counter tops? Also my house is soon (fingers crossed) to be shared with two tenants so I wouldn't want anything nice. Should I go with laminate? I do like the wood counter tops, are they stable and able to look good while taking some abuse from tenants?

Generally, they're not too difficult to install. The actual build can be a bit difficult depending on things like sinks, corners and cutouts. If you have them made, install usually just consists of setting them in place and screwing or gluing them in place.

Laminate is generally the cheapest and easiest. You simply use a couple sheets of 3/4 particle board to build the main structure of it. Then apply a trim board to the outside edge flush with the top. Use contact cement to apply slightly oversized laminate to the top. Finally, use a router and a chamfer bit(w/ bearing) to trim the excess laminate. You'll end up with something like this.

Post in the DIY section if you want more info.


MudDuck

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13058 on: April 18, 2016, 11:08:19 AM »
MgoSam, keep in mind that butcher block is not water-proof or even especially water-resistant, and that it will absolutely stain. It's relatively easy to repair, but it takes time and makes dust. Even the end-grain stuff will require more maintenance than almost anything else.

As for laminate, it's a great choice IF you plan it to have seams kept away from wet areas. I sell the stuff in one of my lives- feel free to send me a message if you have questions.

Chris22

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13059 on: April 18, 2016, 11:09:01 AM »
I second this foam.

How hard is it to install your own counter tops? Also my house is soon (fingers crossed) to be shared with two tenants so I wouldn't want anything nice. Should I go with laminate? I do like the wood counter tops, are they stable and able to look good while taking some abuse from tenants?

Cheapo granite may seem like the fancy option, but it's damn near indestructible and the builder grade stuff isn't that expensive.  You can't hurt it unless you're actively trying to, unlike wood and laminate which can be easily hurt through thoughtlessness (staining, cutting marks, etc).

Kitsune

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13060 on: April 18, 2016, 11:12:07 AM »
I second this foam.

How hard is it to install your own counter tops? Also my house is soon (fingers crossed) to be shared with two tenants so I wouldn't want anything nice. Should I go with laminate? I do like the wood counter tops, are they stable and able to look good while taking some abuse from tenants?

NOT WITH TENANTS.

They are resistant WITH CARE (immediate attention to water spills and water near the sink, and also regular oiling - I wipe them down with a thin coat of mineral oil every 2 months or so). Without that attention, they'll dry/warp/absorb stuff left on them. Not good.

Also, if you have tenants, get DARKER laminate - my last apt before we built out house had permanently-stained white laminate from the previous tenants, and no matter how much you clean/disinfect, it still always just seems gross.

MudDuck

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13061 on: April 18, 2016, 11:13:49 AM »
I second this foam.

How hard is it to install your own counter tops? Also my house is soon (fingers crossed) to be shared with two tenants so I wouldn't want anything nice. Should I go with laminate? I do like the wood counter tops, are they stable and able to look good while taking some abuse from tenants?

Cheapo granite may seem like the fancy option, but it's damn near indestructible and the builder grade stuff isn't that expensive.  You can't hurt it unless you're actively trying to, unlike wood and laminate which can be easily hurt through thoughtlessness (staining, cutting marks, etc).

I disagree about cheapo ("builder-grade") granite. I've known several people who've gone this way to save money and gotten cracks a short time later- whether that was because of inferior slabs or half-assed installers is hard for me to say, but I'd guess both were at play. If you do go that way, double-check for levelness, proper support, etc. Then probably seal it yourself, too, because it's a pain in the ass to get stains out of stone once they're set.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13062 on: April 18, 2016, 11:22:45 AM »
Thanks everyone. I will post in the DIY section once I'm ready for this improvement. Right now I'm happy with the way things look and will get more use out of them before changing them out. First project that I would be willing to do is put in laminate flooring instead of my carpet, but that is not going to happen until I get more use out of my carpet first.

BeautifulDay

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13063 on: April 18, 2016, 11:28:24 AM »
My company announced that our 401k rules are changing to allow people to take out loans.  Previously there really wasn't a way for people to access these accounts, so we've had staff quit because they've needed to withdraw money from their 401k.  If people are willing to quit to get at the money, I suppose this is better.  At least they will still have a job. But I can't help thinking that this will hurt other people who will be encouraged to take out these loans but maybe would' have gone to the extreme of quitting their job for it. 

mm1970

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13064 on: April 18, 2016, 11:37:30 AM »
This bag looks nice because it is a classic style, clean lines. Also the pp's words of wisdm about dyes is useful.

The current societal obsession with big ass buckles all over the place is silly. Keep your classic bags and let the sheeple pay $300, $400, $500+ for things that are dated within 5 years.
I'm probably inviting the ire of many when I say this, but I feel the same way about a lot of bathroom and kitchen design ideas.  Like tiled countertops or butcher block countertops, hardwood or laminate in the kitchen, or the whole shabby chic movement (ick!).  Heck, I don't even care for subway tile or painted cabinets.
I'd like to think that some kitchens will be timeless.

I mean, my friend's mom's kitchen is from the 70s and had orange formica counter tops.
another friend's kitchen has yellow formica countertops.
I've seen kitchens from the 80s, which are white cabinet faces with fake wood trim.  Yuck.

Other than that, things can be ugly and a bit dated, but not out of style.

I sometimes think of it in terms of rentals.  Things that are probably somewhat timeless:
Wood cabinets
White cabinets
Black cabinets

Granite
Marble
Tile
Multicolor formica or other type of counter (you know, more colors hides the dirt)

Stainless sinks
White sinks (though I hate these for difficulty to keep clean)

White appliances
Black appliances
Stainless appliances

From there, it all depends on what fits the house.  I love me some sleek granite, stainless steel, fancy wood cabinets.
But honestly?  I've got a tiny, old home with a galley kitchen.  It would have been overkill.  Our countertops have tan-ish colored tile (because my husband had skills for tile).  The cabinets that came with the house were painted cabinets with wood stained doors and drawer fronts.  So we went with it.  It's not fancy, but it fits the house.
The appliances?  White fridge, black dishwasher, black microwave, black and white stove, stainless sink, stainless hood.  A real eclectic blend.


I guess the one benefit to painted cabinets (you know, the funny colors) is that you can always re-paint.

MudDuck

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13065 on: April 18, 2016, 11:42:13 AM »
Speaking of counter tops: not quite overheard at work, but a common thing at work:

People order "temporary" counter tops, usually higher-end laminate. See, they buy a new house and one of the options is to pay extra for granite counter tops instead of the laminate that's included with the house. (You have approximately 65 zillion of these options when building with one of these companies.) So of course they can't get a bigger mortgage than they've already gotten. They definitely don't have thousands of dollars in extra cash sitting around. Despite not having the money to buy granite, the laminate is unacceptable. It wreaks of poverty and brings shame upon the family. It cannot be lived with. So they choose a color and get the laminate tops with every intention of paying us to come back, remove them, and throw them (and the sink) in the garbage a year later when they get a bonus or tax refund or whatever.

This also happens fairly often when people buy older homes. They'll replace the "dated" laminate counters (which are, of course, perfectly fine, just the wrong color) with new "modern" laminate counters in order to make the home inhabitable until they find the money to replace them... usually a year later.

Hedge_87

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13066 on: April 18, 2016, 11:47:38 AM »
My company announced that our 401k rules are changing to allow people to take out loans.  Previously there really wasn't a way for people to access these accounts, so we've had staff quit because they've needed to withdraw money from their 401k.  If people are willing to quit to get at the money, I suppose this is better.  At least they will still have a job. But I can't help thinking that this will hurt other people who will be encouraged to take out these loans but maybe would' have gone to the extreme of quitting their job for it.
There was outrage here when they limited the number of 401k loans from 3 loans at a time to 1.

Kevin S.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13067 on: April 18, 2016, 11:55:42 AM »
So a new guy was bragging about his new vehicle purchase. Thought I would share as it made me cringe hearing him talk about it lol

He recently bought a brand new 2015 dodge ram with all the fixings for something like 50k.

He started about 2 months ago. He was complaining to another co-worker after he had just started, how he could barely afford his rent! I remember him saying to a close co worker friend of mine "man the cost of cigarettes are killing me" as we both nodded our heads in disgust....ugh

This guy probably makes 35-40k/yr possibly 45k max ! I'm guessing his loan terms are too gruesome for me to even ask...
« Last Edit: April 18, 2016, 12:00:19 PM by Kevin S. »

Tallgirl1204

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13068 on: April 18, 2016, 02:09:14 PM »

-Talked about how much she loves this one burrito place because it's "soooo cheap". It's $8-10 for a burrito.

Yikes. I don't think $8 is patently expensive for a great burrito, that's generally how much I'll spend for a burrito bowl at Chipotle when I don't want to cook at home, but there's no way I would consider it cheap. There's a few locations of Zantigos in Minnesota, it's a fast food place like Taco Bell...if Taco Bell actually made things from scratch, and I love going there every once in a while (back when I lived a mile away, I was there more times than is healthy). It's around $3 for a bean-cheese burrito that has the perfect amount of food for me. I don't think it is all that costly, but I would never refer to it as cheap.

I heard about Zantigo being opened up again by relatives of the previous owners.  Too bad it is MN only. Would love to have a Zantigo in STL.  Too bad Pepsi shut the chain down when it purchased KFC back in the 80's since they already owned Taco Bell.

Oh boy, Zantigo is back?  I don't live in Minnesota any more, but Zantigo used to be my "Friday night and I just got paid" go-to back in the day when I was an impoverished college student.  Can't wait to come back and visit! 

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13069 on: April 18, 2016, 02:43:26 PM »

-Talked about how much she loves this one burrito place because it's "soooo cheap". It's $8-10 for a burrito.

Yikes. I don't think $8 is patently expensive for a great burrito, that's generally how much I'll spend for a burrito bowl at Chipotle when I don't want to cook at home, but there's no way I would consider it cheap. There's a few locations of Zantigos in Minnesota, it's a fast food place like Taco Bell...if Taco Bell actually made things from scratch, and I love going there every once in a while (back when I lived a mile away, I was there more times than is healthy). It's around $3 for a bean-cheese burrito that has the perfect amount of food for me. I don't think it is all that costly, but I would never refer to it as cheap.

I heard about Zantigo being opened up again by relatives of the previous owners.  Too bad it is MN only. Would love to have a Zantigo in STL.  Too bad Pepsi shut the chain down when it purchased KFC back in the 80's since they already owned Taco Bell.

Oh boy, Zantigo is back?  I don't live in Minnesota any more, but Zantigo used to be my "Friday night and I just got paid" go-to back in the day when I was an impoverished college student.  Can't wait to come back and visit!

There are a few locations, one in Woodbury and another in Fridley. I think there's another in downtown St. Paul but if so, I think that one is only open during business hours.

onlykelsey

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13070 on: April 19, 2016, 02:23:45 PM »
Despite not having the money to buy granite, the laminate is unacceptable. It wreaks of poverty and brings shame upon the family. It cannot be lived with.

I laughed out loud. in my office.

nobodyspecial

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13071 on: April 19, 2016, 03:01:32 PM »
Quick question about granite worktops.
Why do synthetic granite (ie rock dust mixed together with epoxy) worktops cost about 3x as much / sq ft as the 1ft sq granite surface block I just bought for the workshop?
Especially since the block is beautifully smooth and comes with a certificate saying how flat it is.

If I could think of way of holding a worktop made out of 30lb 6in thick blocks of stone - I would just use these

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13072 on: April 19, 2016, 03:05:29 PM »
Quick question about granite worktops.
Why do synthetic granite (ie rock dust mixed together with epoxy) worktops cost about 3x as much / sq ft as the 1ft sq granite surface block I just bought for the workshop?
Especially since the block is beautifully smooth and comes with a certificate saying how flat it is.

If I could think of way of holding a worktop made out of 30lb 6in thick blocks of stone - I would just use these
What is a granite surface block?  And where can I get one!? :)

justplucky

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13073 on: April 19, 2016, 05:34:29 PM »
DH's CW: I know how much people in your wife's job make. If my wife made that much money we'd be living in X (fancypants) neighborhood instead of where you are.

We live in a perfectly fine working-class neighborhood, by the way. In a completely paid off house that is older but updated. This is also the same coworker who told a client he could make $1000 a day playing blackjack, but does his job because he "likes talking with people." And has been trying to buy a trailer for pretty much the entire time my husband has been working there (two years) but hasn't yet succeeded.

Primm

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13074 on: April 19, 2016, 06:14:44 PM »
DH's CW: I know how much people in your wife's job make. If my wife made that much money we'd be living in X (fancypants) neighborhood instead of where you are.

We live in a perfectly fine working-class neighborhood, by the way. In a completely paid off house that is older but updated. This is also the same coworker who told a client he could make $1000 a day playing blackjack, but does his job because he "likes talking with people." And has been trying to buy a trailer for pretty much the entire time my husband has been working there (two years) but hasn't yet succeeded.

I would have thought playing blackjack professionally would be an awesome way to talk to lots of people.

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13075 on: April 19, 2016, 07:03:09 PM »
DH's CW: I know how much people in your wife's job make. If my wife made that much money we'd be living in X (fancypants) neighborhood instead of where you are.

We live in a perfectly fine working-class neighborhood, by the way. In a completely paid off house that is older but updated. This is also the same coworker who told a client he could make $1000 a day playing blackjack, but does his job because he "likes talking with people." And has been trying to buy a trailer for pretty much the entire time my husband has been working there (two years) but hasn't yet succeeded.

I would have thought playing blackjack professionally would be an awesome way to talk to lots of people.

I imagine you would be too busy concentrating on the cards to talk to people. That said, if true and he works a 5 day schedule with 4 weeks off then he could be earning $240k annually assuming he isn't bullshitting. Find the difference between this and what he currently earns and you'll find what his opportunity cost of "talking with people" is.

Posthumane

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13076 on: April 20, 2016, 03:18:16 PM »
Quick question about granite worktops.
Why do synthetic granite (ie rock dust mixed together with epoxy) worktops cost about 3x as much / sq ft as the 1ft sq granite surface block I just bought for the workshop?
Especially since the block is beautifully smooth and comes with a certificate saying how flat it is.

If I could think of way of holding a worktop made out of 30lb 6in thick blocks of stone - I would just use these
What is a granite surface block?  And where can I get one!? :)
A surface block or surface plate is used as a perfectly flat reference surface for machining operations. They are a flat plane guaranteed to some tolerance (usually 0.0001" or the like). If you need to perfectly flatten a surface (such as a straightedge) you compare it to said surface block and making sure it has even contact throughout.

dandarc

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13077 on: April 20, 2016, 04:06:16 PM »
DH's CW: I know how much people in your wife's job make. If my wife made that much money we'd be living in X (fancypants) neighborhood instead of where you are.

We live in a perfectly fine working-class neighborhood, by the way. In a completely paid off house that is older but updated. This is also the same coworker who told a client he could make $1000 a day playing blackjack, but does his job because he "likes talking with people." And has been trying to buy a trailer for pretty much the entire time my husband has been working there (two years) but hasn't yet succeeded.

I would have thought playing blackjack professionally would be an awesome way to talk to lots of people.

I imagine you would be too busy concentrating on the cards to talk to people. That said, if true and he works a 5 day schedule with 4 weeks off then he could be earning $240k annually assuming he isn't bullshitting. Find the difference between this and what he currently earns and you'll find what his opportunity cost of "talking with people" is.

Can't save up enough to buy the trailer = can't save up enough to bankroll a professional blackjack career either. 

The variation is friggin huge - you need at least 100X your maximum bet just to be reasonably confident in not losing it all on day one.  If you play 400 hands per day (8 hours / day at 50 hands / hour), to make $1,000 = $2.50 per hand average.  Counting edge is about 1%, so that's an average bet size of $250.  Counting only works if you vary your bets substantially - so figure the highest bet is at least $500 to get to a $250 / hand average.  The card-counters they make movies about vary bets way more than this, so this seems conservative to me.  So you need a $50,000 bankroll to make $1K / day playing blackjack professionally.  Even if dude can play 1000 hands / day, he still needs to save up at least $20K to have a reasonable shot at success.

Then there's the whole problem that security will politely escort you out and tell you never to come back when they figure out you're counting cards.  Not in Atlantic City, but there they can just flat-bet you and render the counting moot.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13078 on: April 20, 2016, 05:57:52 PM »
The building is currently renovating the office's kitchens, probably in return for us agreeing to stay for longer.  They have put in a light-grey vinyl floor, and white cabinets and counters (perhaps solid?).

It has been less than two weeks, and the counters already have some stains.  The floors look dirty by 9am. Also, whoever put in the cabinets is very tall, and many of us can barely reach the second shelf.  The cabinets have approximately 4 inches of spacer on the bottom.  Nobody can figure out if the new kettle is on when the switch is at the red or the green, so we're still using the old kettle.

They have two kitchens still to do.  Hopefully they are given some feedback before they buy the materials. It isn't like this is rocket science.

Primm

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13079 on: April 20, 2016, 06:41:43 PM »
The building is currently renovating the office's kitchens, probably in return for us agreeing to stay for longer.  They have put in a light-grey vinyl floor, and white cabinets and counters (perhaps solid?).

It has been less than two weeks, and the counters already have some stains.  The floors look dirty by 9am. Also, whoever put in the cabinets is very tall, and many of us can barely reach the second shelf.  The cabinets have approximately 4 inches of spacer on the bottom.  Nobody can figure out if the new kettle is on when the switch is at the red or the green, so we're still using the old kettle.

They have two kitchens still to do.  Hopefully they are given some feedback before they buy the materials. It isn't like this is rocket science.

What do you people do for a living? If you work in an office I assume someone at least has some degree of common sense.

Turn the kettle on to green (most likely option). Wait a couple of minutes, if it doesn't start to boil turn it onto red and see what happens.

Make a laminated sign next to the new kettle for the truly clueless explaining how to use it.

myhotrs

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13080 on: April 20, 2016, 08:55:14 PM »
Thank you Primm for a much needed laugh!! Tough day of travel just brightened up.
« Last Edit: April 20, 2016, 08:56:58 PM by myhotrs »

plainjane

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13081 on: April 21, 2016, 05:01:04 AM »
What do you people do for a living? If you work in an office I assume someone at least has some degree of common sense.

Turn the kettle on to green (most likely option). Wait a couple of minutes, if it doesn't start to boil turn it onto red and see what happens.

Make a laminated sign next to the new kettle for the truly clueless explaining how to use it.

It's the waiting around for a few minutes part - nobody feels like waiting around for the few minutes required to figure out the kettle when the old one still works.

Laminated signs in the office do not get read.

ETA: plus, I admit, very little common sense - the concept of putting small plates on top of small plates and large plates on top of large plates is too much for some of them.
« Last Edit: April 21, 2016, 05:55:24 AM by plainjane »

MgoSam

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13082 on: April 21, 2016, 10:14:37 AM »
There are signs throughout our bathrooms and breakrooms saying, "We do not have janitors, clean up after yourself." It works!

Warlord1986

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13083 on: April 22, 2016, 12:03:10 PM »
One of my co-workers just mentioned that a customer paid $200,000 for a mobile home. 0.0

KMMK

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13084 on: April 22, 2016, 12:22:33 PM »
One of my co-workers just mentioned that a customer paid $200,000 for a mobile home. 0.0

Here in Yellowknife, you can easily pay $300,000 plus for one, not new either.

slugline

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13085 on: April 22, 2016, 12:24:15 PM »
One of my co-workers just mentioned that a customer paid $200,000 for a mobile home. 0.0

I hope the punchline is, ". . . . and it comes with land with all the hookups in a great location."

Warlord1986

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13086 on: April 22, 2016, 12:33:03 PM »
One of my co-workers just mentioned that a customer paid $200,000 for a mobile home. 0.0

I hope the punchline is, ". . . . and it comes with land with all the hookups in a great location."

The company she bought it from has a loooooooooooong record of screwing people over and lying to them.

Prairie Gal

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13087 on: April 22, 2016, 08:08:57 PM »
One of my bosses was talking about his friend that is buying a new Corvette. I asked how much they go for now? Somewhere north of $100K. I thought I did an admirable job of biting my tongue. Still hurts.

RWD

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13088 on: April 22, 2016, 09:52:55 PM »
One of my bosses was talking about his friend that is buying a new Corvette. I asked how much they go for now? Somewhere north of $100K. I thought I did an admirable job of biting my tongue. Still hurts.
Starting MSRP: $55.4k. Someone is getting ripped off... Even the top of the line Z06 only starts at $79.4k. That's be a lot of options to get above $100k and wouldn't be a good representation of what a new Corvette usually would cost.

Ah, I see you are in Canada. The exchange rate is currently 1.27 per US dollar. The Canadian Corvette MSRP is $64.5k and $92.8k (Z06). I could see a Z06 going for over $100k after taxes fees and a few options. Based on the current exchange rate it seems Corvettes are actually cheaper in Canada right now.

Seppia

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13089 on: April 23, 2016, 01:54:23 AM »
I used to live in the states, but three months ago I got a very decent job offer and I returned to my home country (Italy).
In Europe salaries tend to be lower, but on average you get significantly better side benefits.

One of the common ones is the availability of a subsidized meal plan, i.e. companies have either an in house canteen or an agreement with an outside location, so that employees can get a full meal for an insignificant cost (almost always below €2, often below €1).

The company I work for now has it even better: lunch is free.
Yes you read that correctly, you get a very decent three course meal with lots of choices (pasta pizza meat vegetables fruits soups salads etc) for a grand total of ZERO.

Italians tend to be more frugal vs Americans (I thought), so I was completely blown away by the number of people that spend €5-7 to buy a sandwich (a freaking sandwich) at the bar next door.

I mean are these people COMPLETELY INSANE?

You know who's the only one who will absolutely ALWAYS eats at the free canteen other than me?
The CEO.

arebelspy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13090 on: April 23, 2016, 02:09:01 AM »
You know who's the only one who will absolutely ALWAYS eats at the free canteen other than me?
The CEO.

Hah.  That bodes well for the company's success, methinks.

And maybe yours, if (s)he notices you doing that.  ;)
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Seppia

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13091 on: April 23, 2016, 02:24:12 AM »
You know who's the only one who will absolutely ALWAYS eats at the free canteen other than me?
The CEO.

Hah.  That bodes well for the company's success, methinks.

And maybe yours, if (s)he notices you doing that.  ;)

He is the reason why I left the USA (which I adore), so yes I absolutely agree it's a great sign for the company (the results since he joined 7 years ago seem to point in that direction as well) :)

shelivesthedream

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13092 on: April 23, 2016, 03:29:44 AM »
I used to live in the states, but three months ago I got a very decent job offer and I returned to my home country (Italy).
In Europe salaries tend to be lower, but on average you get significantly better side benefits.

One of the common ones is the availability of a subsidized meal plan, i.e. companies have either an in house canteen or an agreement with an outside location, so that employees can get a full meal for an insignificant cost (almost always below €2, often below €1).

The company I work for now has it even better: lunch is free.
Yes you read that correctly, you get a very decent three course meal with lots of choices (pasta pizza meat vegetables fruits soups salads etc) for a grand total of ZERO.

Italians tend to be more frugal vs Americans (I thought), so I was completely blown away by the number of people that spend €5-7 to buy a sandwich (a freaking sandwich) at the bar next door.

I mean are these people COMPLETELY INSANE?

You know who's the only one who will absolutely ALWAYS eats at the free canteen other than me?
The CEO.

Wow. I'm self-employed but I worked on a project last year where everyone involved got lunch every day and dinner if we stayed last six. For free. I loved it! It wasn't totally amazing food (I had a baked potato for dinner literally every time) but FREE and all you had to do was walk downstairs and it was waiting for you!

I wonder if the CEO would consider charging people who don't eat the free lunch? To "cover the losses of throwing away prepared food". The only reason I can think of to go out is to get a bit of fresh air and a break, but there's this amazing thing called "a short walk"...

Tjat

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13093 on: April 23, 2016, 06:13:16 AM »
Ah. Even worse than the people at my job who turn down the free green mountain coffee for the $4 Starbucks.... Apparently the commercial coffee canisters at work are gross but the commercial coffee canisters at Starbucks aren't

nanu

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13094 on: April 23, 2016, 06:55:08 AM »
Ah. Even worse than the people at my job who turn down the free green mountain coffee for the $4 Starbucks.... Apparently the commercial coffee canisters at work are gross but the commercial coffee canisters at Starbucks aren't
I have a guy at work who I've seen buy outside coffee, even though we have in-house baristas that will make whatever coffee you want for free

Seppia

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13095 on: April 23, 2016, 07:30:28 AM »

I wonder if the CEO would consider charging people who don't eat the free lunch? To "cover the losses of throwing away prepared food". The only reason I can think of to go out is to get a bit of fresh air and a break, but there's this amazing thing called "a short walk"...

No need for that, the canteen is a shared one (I work in an industrial area with many many offices right outside of Milan) so it's not only "ours".

It really blows my mind.
I mean you can get a very decent (it's Italy, one of the advantages is that food is on average very good) meal for free, better than the average cheap restaurant, and people choose to eat a sandwich and pay money for that! 5 to 7€!
Remember wages in Italy are fairly low, so that's equivalent to $10-15 in terms of NYC purchasing power.

When HR told me about this benefit I was like
"So how much does it cost me?"
Zero
"What do you mean ZERO? Like, I eat a three course meal for free?"
Yes
"Wait, how many tickets am I allowed per year?"
As many as you like, as long as you use them for yourself, a colleague, a customer
"This is awesome"


shelivesthedream

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13096 on: April 23, 2016, 09:42:44 AM »

I wonder if the CEO would consider charging people who don't eat the free lunch? To "cover the losses of throwing away prepared food". The only reason I can think of to go out is to get a bit of fresh air and a break, but there's this amazing thing called "a short walk"...

No need for that, the canteen is a shared one (I work in an industrial area with many many offices right outside of Milan) so it's not only "ours".

It really blows my mind.
I mean you can get a very decent (it's Italy, one of the advantages is that food is on average very good) meal for free, better than the average cheap restaurant, and people choose to eat a sandwich and pay money for that! 5 to 7€!
Remember wages in Italy are fairly low, so that's equivalent to $10-15 in terms of NYC purchasing power.

When HR told me about this benefit I was like
"So how much does it cost me?"
Zero
"What do you mean ZERO? Like, I eat a three course meal for free?"
Yes
"Wait, how many tickets am I allowed per year?"
As many as you like, as long as you use them for yourself, a colleague, a customer
"This is awesome"

I didn't mean that the CEO really needed to cover any losses, just that if I had that power I would bloody well do everything I could to make them eat the free food with any excuse available. (Yes, I yearn to be a benevolent dictator...) Does the company not pay the canteen for their lunches just in case they want to eat them? Maybe the opposite would be better, and you could earn an extra few euros a day if you ate in the canteen.

Seppia

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13097 on: April 23, 2016, 10:21:32 AM »
No, the company pays the canteen only for the redeemed tickets, so I guess they are secretly happy not everyone goes there :)

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13098 on: April 23, 2016, 12:35:20 PM »
In such a canteen I would probably change my 2 meals a day habit to a one big big meal a day and a snack habit ;)

Warlord1986

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #13099 on: April 25, 2016, 09:07:35 AM »
I was talking to a sign vendor. Business owner. He told that in two years he was going to retire. "Fifty years of doing this is enough!"

When I suggested he spend his retirement going to National Parks and seeing some of the country, he said he heard of jobs where people pay you to drive their stuff across country when they don't have trucks. This man is over seventy. :/