Overheard at Work

[kayvent]

I couldn't help but wonder how many weekends he puts the same in but doesn't win anything.

Gambling/the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

I have to disagree. Listening to the people I know who have bought lottery tickets, there is a entertainment or communal aspect to it. Watching the tube for the results live and then reading news stories of the lucky winner derives them benefit. Casinos are a clearer example of this phenomon. There are people who will go to a casino with twenty or one hundred dollars without the expectation to win but with the thought that they'll play on the dime slot machines or cheap tables and be entertained for the evening with free pop, free snacks, bright lights, and the buzz of lots of people laughing and having a good time.

And even though I'd never buy a lottery ticket, I'd contend that its not mathematically/economically insensible to buy a lottery ticket. For most people, what will they spend that 5$ bill on? Some useless tchotchke that will be thrown in the back of a closet. So the cost of a lottery ticket is functionally zero (that 5$ was going to be wasted anyway) and the potential payout is infinite. By infinite I mean that my big-name local lottery has an aftertax payout of 800x the average yearly aftertax salary in the area.

[onlykelsey]

And even though I'd never buy a lottery ticket, I'd contend that its not mathematically/economically insensible to buy a lottery ticket. For most people, what will they spend that 5$ bill on? Some useless tchotchke that will be thrown in the back of a closet. So the cost of a lottery ticket is functionally zero (that 5$ was going to be wasted anyway) and the potential payout is infinite with reasonable unreasonable spending.

I don't know.  Perhaps you could make a similar argument about eating out or buying tchotchkes, but gambling can be a real addiction that people need to seek out therapy and treatment for. It seems like it's playing with fire to start gambling, even in small amounts, disposable income aside. 

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Yeah, the smugness from the "I'm way too smart to play the lotto" crowd is tedious when it's directed towards the "buy 3 tickets a year when Powerball goes over $500M" players. You want to yell at the $50/wk people, absolutely, but the whole drop $2 on a whim for a big jackpot, who cares?  I used to joke that back when I drank soda, I'd occasionally go in to the gas station and get a Coke and ticket, and the ticket was the much more responsible purchase.

That's funny, I frequently use soda for an example the other way - "I'd rather spend $2 on a delicious, ice cold drink than on a useless scrap of paper".

I wonder if the whole "dreaming of riches" thing is way less common in Mustachians. I mean, when you already either have a big pile of money, or are making fast and measurable progress towards that pile, you're already seeing a definite finish line for needing to work.

I think its more the difference between those people who can stick to plans and those who need immediate gratification.


Also on the lottery:
Why you buy at big jackpots?
If you win a small with 10 million, you have made it and can live in luxury for the rest of your life.
If you win a big one with 200 million, you have made it and can live in luxury for the rest of your life.

So if both are the same, why play when the competition is fiercest?

$10M wouldn't do it for me; beachfront house on Maui is probably $5-10M itself. :-P

Well played sir.

... and THAT is why Mustachians aren't even tempted to play the small lotteries.

[Migrator Soul]

I'll admit that I actually enjoy going to the Casino once a year on my birthday. It may be contrary to most views on the forums, but I enjoy giving myself 200-300 to enjoy on the blackjack tables. I never spend more than that, and I typically go home with 1k or so more than I started with by the end of the night. Then again, I grew up playing cards with friends and family.

[arebelspy]

I typically go home with 1k or so more than I started with by the end of the night.

...

Can't let that one slide, sorry.  :)

[ducky19]

I couldn't help but wonder how many weekends he puts the same in but doesn't win anything.

Gambling/the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

Casinos are a clearer example of this phenomon. There are people who will go to a casino with twenty or one hundred dollars without the expectation to win but with the thought that they'll play on the dime slot machines or cheap tables and be entertained for the evening with free pop, free snacks, bright lights, and the buzz of lots of people laughing and having a good time.

Exactly what the wife and I do! We go to the boat 2-3 times a year, each with $100 with the expectation that we will spend it all. We rarely do (usually one of us will do alright and we leave when the other runs out), and we have a great night out. Occasionally we will leave while we're ahead - this last time I hit a $1200 slot jackpot - which is great, but we'd have been fine leaving with nothing. It's occasional entertainment, no worse than going out to dinner and a movie - at least for us.

[dragoncar]

I typically go home with 1k or so more than I started with by the end of the night.

...

Can't let that one slide, sorry.  :)

I'm still sad you never did bet half a year's salary on Black.

[Migrator Soul]

I typically go home with 1k or so more than I started with by the end of the night.

...

Can't let that one slide, sorry.  :)

Lol, typically, but not always :)

I admit it's dumb, but we all have something dumb we enjoy.

[arebelspy]

I typically go home with 1k or so more than I started with by the end of the night.

...

Can't let that one slide, sorry.  :)

Lol, typically, but not always :)

I admit it's dumb, but we all have something dumb we enjoy.

Sure, I wasn't criticising the gambling, but the idea that you "typically" make money on it. :)

[Migrator Soul]

I typically go home with 1k or so more than I started with by the end of the night.

...

Can't let that one slide, sorry.  :)

Lol, typically, but not always :)

I admit it's dumb, but we all have something dumb we enjoy.

Sure, I wasn't criticising the gambling, but the idea that you "typically" make money on it. :)

You just gotta know when to walk away, and know when to run ;)

[jinga nation]

BAHAHA! Nice work! That reminds me....

We have another senior manager who loves to call my director up into meetings to talk about products (which already exist in electronic form) and rattle off a bunch of changes while D struggles to keep up taking notes. Then D comes down, drags me off to a conference room, and tries to decipher everything he wrote down, usually with about a 50-75% success rate, and I have to make best guesses in MY notes, which I then take back to my desk and implement.

But usually, things are wrong and end up feeding back into another cycle of meetings.

Because a guy doesn't want to edit a file.

xD

We get a lot of vague IT requests from Gov Civilians and Uniformed Personnel. We told them that if you want it done right 99.5% of the time, within budget, you have to submit an IT Requirements Document, and have it digitally signed. If you can't fill out a simple 2 page document, you can't get any work done. And this is an ITIL requirement, which the command implemented a few years back. So it is a requirement to fulfill your own requirements. Done! Significantly cut the amount of BS requests at every rank, everything centralized. Needs a GS-15 or equivalent sign off. This is the one time I see a positive of bureaucracy. The right stuff gets done, the unneeded stuff is weeded out. And if they complain it wasn't done to their requirement, you just point to the paperwork and show them their requirement and scope that they filled and signed. It's also a CYA move.

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

Some of us actually do make a side hustle out of gambling.

[desk_jockey]

So if both are the same, why play when the competition is fiercest?

I don't think that is how math works. 

[Stash Engineer]

Today two coworkers were showing off to each other their brand new SUV purchases to see who had the biggest/got the best deal.  The one with one kid bought a new Toyota Highlander.  The one with no kids at home got the Nissan Armada. 

There was also a really interesting conversation going on a couple weeks ago between two engineers in the office about 401k vs ESPP.  The one engineer doesn't participate at all in the 401k (we get 4% match) and was arguing that he'd rather do the ESPP (which he also doesn't currently participate in) than the 401k. 

[Chris22]

So if both are the same, why play when the competition is fiercest?

I don't think that is how math works.

In theory the more people that play, the more likely you are to split a jackpot than win it outright.

That said, I'd rather split $500M 3 ways than win $10M outright...

[frugalnacho]

I typically go home with 1k or so more than I started with by the end of the night.

...

Can't let that one slide, sorry.  :)

Lol, typically, but not always :)

I admit it's dumb, but we all have something dumb we enjoy.

Sure, I wasn't criticising the gambling, but the idea that you "typically" make money on it. :)

Depending on the type of gambling.  I've heard people claim they typically make money, or are able to somehow beat the house at craps, roulette, and slots.  Those people are liars, or are delusional.  Playing poker has been very profitable to me over the years though.  I've made a lot of money in basement games, and also playing online.  I've played at the casino too, but it's too high stakes and too much competition, and I make far less on a per hour basis so it's not worth it for me to pursue playing at a casino for profit.  I don't have a long enough track record of playing in casinos to be able to claim I could personally make money doing that either.  I stopped playing online when it was outlawed, and though I've heard of loopholes of being able to get back online and play on certain sites I have never bothered trying.  I don't play basement games anymore because the group of guys I used to play with slowly disbanded as everyone grew up.  I definitely paid a chunk of my tuition with poker profits though.

[MichaelB]

My car died recently--it was a 2010 Hyundai Accent. Right now it's just me and my wife, with a baby on the way. I'm replacing it with a used hatchback (actually, another 2010 Hyundai Accent) with about 38k miles.

I've had multiple people ask me, when I was looking for cars, if I was getting an SUV because of the baby. Um, we're only having one.

[zephyr911]

My car died recently--it was a 2010 Hyundai Accent. Right now it's just me and my wife, with a baby on the way. I'm replacing it with a used hatchback (actually, another 2010 Hyundai Accent) with about 38k miles.

I've had multiple people ask me, when I was looking for cars, if I was getting an SUV because of the baby. Um, we're only having one.

People are fucking insane, man.
My CW has a 4-Runner, a tiny wife and two kids aged 13 and 8. Wants to trade it for a Tahoe because it's too small for them. It's less than 2 years old...

[mtn]

My car died recently--it was a 2010 Hyundai Accent. Right now it's just me and my wife, with a baby on the way. I'm replacing it with a used hatchback (actually, another 2010 Hyundai Accent) with about 38k miles.

I've had multiple people ask me, when I was looking for cars, if I was getting an SUV because of the baby. Um, we're only having one.

Wait... your car died at only 6 years old and you're replacing it with the same thing? Or was it wrecked?

Somewhat related, I'm thinking about trading in my wife's car for a cheaper SUV since she can't seem to miss parking stops and keeps ripping the bumper off. But it would be a car-based SUV (i.e. Highlander or RX330)

[JLee]

At some point I started refusing. At some point you can't just keep saying "Yes, boss!" You're supposed to have a job description - you have an agreement that you will take X money to do do Y job. Is it really OK to hire someone to be a print production manager and then tell them to do accounting and insurance instead?

I agree with the above posters -- barring illegal discrimination situations, yes it's OK to ask someone to do a different job.  This thread is making me think that if I ever run a business, every job posting will say "As an employee, you will be expected to complete any business task provided by management.  Your primary tasks will be XYZ."  If someone says "that's not in my job description," I'll pull the job posting out of my desk.  I guess I'd be a crappy manager.

Funny, this reminds me of when I was a highly paid summer associate (internship) at a law firm.  Now, I was never personally asked to get a partner coffee, but some other interns were and complained about it.  I'm like, hey guys, if they want to pay me $100/hour to get them coffee, that's fine by me.*

*I would understand if it was something like "make the girl get the coffee" but it wasn't like that.  More like "the adults are talking can this guy sitting here not doing anything grab some coffee?"

Heh, I wouldn't want to work there.  I'm at a point in my career where I won't do entry-level stuff anymore (like telephone tech support). If I was told I'm now in a call queue for phone support, I would quit - potentially on the spot.

I'd get someone coffee for $100/hour, though. I had no idea that interns anywhere were paid $200k/year.

[dragoncar]

I'd get someone coffee for $100/hour, though. I had no idea that interns anywhere were paid $200k/year.

It was a bit of an exaggeration, but law students at big firms are paid for the summer at an annualized rate of $180k (not 100% sure, I was paid a bit less as a summer).  But once you factor in that much of the summer involves long lunches and fun activities, you probably actually make over $100 per hour of real work (yes, you do some).

A popular joke going around New York City law firms this summer tells of an old man who is accidentally sent to hell, only to be surprised by its splendor and tranquility.

Suddenly, he finds himself back on earth, where he commits every possible sin until he is banished to hell again. But this time it is as cruel as he had once imagined and he asks the Devil what happened.

''Oh, you must have been here for our summer associate program,'' the Devil responds.

[MichaelB]

My car died recently--it was a 2010 Hyundai Accent. Right now it's just me and my wife, with a baby on the way. I'm replacing it with a used hatchback (actually, another 2010 Hyundai Accent) with about 38k miles.

I've had multiple people ask me, when I was looking for cars, if I was getting an SUV because of the baby. Um, we're only having one.

Wait... your car died at only 6 years old and you're replacing it with the same thing? Or was it wrecked?

It was a great car, I just drove the hell out of it. My driving habits prior to discovering MMM a few months ago were...not Mustachian. A few years of a 30 mile one way commute, plus a long distance relationship with a gf (now wife) in Western PA, while I was in Charlotte NC. I bought it with 35k miles, and managed to put over 120k miles on it in 5 years. So it had over 155k miles, and it needed a repair worth more than the car (timing belt broke, did engine damage). The car was a champ--I never put a dollar into that car for repairs, just maintenance. I probably could have gotten over 200k if I had known that they were still putting timing belts in 2010 models. I was setting aside money for a new car anyways, since my wife's car also had over 160k miles, so it seemed as good a time as any to replace it.

[LeRainDrop]

A popular joke going around New York City law firms this summer tells of an old man who is accidentally sent to hell, only to be surprised by its splendor and tranquility.

Suddenly, he finds himself back on earth, where he commits every possible sin until he is banished to hell again. But this time it is as cruel as he had once imagined and he asks the Devil what happened.

''Oh, you must have been here for our summer associate program,'' the Devil responds.

LOL, totally!

[SweetLife]

me: how much did you spend?
her: $20,000
me: what did you BUY???
her: clothes
me: (to myself) WTF!!!! (to her) oh was there a sale?
her: (serious) No.
me: Oh.... (to myself WTFFFFFFFFFF)

[SweetLife]

Uuughhh people. What a load of total crap they talk. You have to have a certain number of x chromosomes to be allowed to bake cookies huh. My boyfriend bakes amazing cakes and cookies all the time and I 100% support this. Only for gender equality reasons obviously ;)

Your (ex) colleagues don't deserve cookies.

My husband is the official sewer/mender.  I support it solely for gender equality reasons and not for the health of my fingerpads or general laziness.

I'm in the same situation ... my husband is the "house husband" I work he stays at home and does everything ... EVERYTHING!!!! I love him and I am sooooo lucky lol... :) but he bakes/sews/even hangs laundry outside!!! he's so Mustachian he puts me to shame!

[damyst]

At some point I started refusing. At some point you can't just keep saying "Yes, boss!" You're supposed to have a job description - you have an agreement that you will take X money to do do Y job. Is it really OK to hire someone to be a print production manager and then tell them to do accounting and insurance instead?

I agree with the above posters -- barring illegal discrimination situations, yes it's OK to ask someone to do a different job.  This thread is making me think that if I ever run a business, every job posting will say "As an employee, you will be expected to complete any business task provided by management.  Your primary tasks will be XYZ."  If someone says "that's not in my job description," I'll pull the job posting out of my desk.  I guess I'd be a crappy manager.

Funny, this reminds me of when I was a highly paid summer associate (internship) at a law firm.  Now, I was never personally asked to get a partner coffee, but some other interns were and complained about it.  I'm like, hey guys, if they want to pay me $100/hour to get them coffee, that's fine by me.*

Heh, I wouldn't want to work there.  I'm at a point in my career where I won't do entry-level stuff anymore (like telephone tech support). If I was told I'm now in a call queue for phone support, I would quit - potentially on the spot.

I wouldn't work for such a company either. Employees are not slaves or commodities. With the exception of dead-end jobs, part of their compensation package is the fact that they're advancing their chosen career trajectory. Take that away and they'll eventually walk.

[UnleashHell]

biggest problem with trying to play the lottery is that i don;t seem to find myself in places that sell lottery tickets - or i forget they sell tickets. too distracted by hunting down food bargains!!

[Inaya]

I couldn't help but wonder how many weekends he puts the same in but doesn't win anything.

Gambling/the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

This is so offensive! (Sarcasm for those with broken detectors.) I am TERRIBLE at math, but I know better than to waste money thinking I'll win big!


I'm just waiting for the day my cat goes viral and I can rake in that Famous Internet Cat money.

[Dezrah]

me: how much did you spend?
her: $20,000
me: what did you BUY???
her: clothes
me: (to myself) WTF!!!! (to her) oh was there a sale?
her: (serious) No.
me: Oh.... (to myself WTFFFFFFFFFF)

There was an episode of The Profit once where Lemonis partnered with a clothing boutique.  The first thing he did was pile up the massive amount of outdated inventory and sold it in bulk for pennies on the dollar.  Maybe that's what your coworker bought. 

[MrRealEstate]

me: how much did you spend?
her: $20,000
me: what did you BUY???
her: clothes
me: (to myself) WTF!!!! (to her) oh was there a sale?
her: (serious) No.
me: Oh.... (to myself WTFFFFFFFFFF)

There was an episode of The Profit once where Lemonis partnered with a clothing boutique.  The first thing he did was pile up the massive amount of outdated inventory and sold it in bulk for pennies on the dollar.  Maybe that's what your coworker bought.

They did this at blue jeans bar I believe.

Definitely my favorite show for the sarcasm. Life or Debt was a great one, but it got cancelled after one season.

[JAYSLOL]

I couldn't help but wonder how many weekends he puts the same in but doesn't win anything.

Gambling/the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

Gambling is a tax on those who are desperate enough to not care what the math works out to.  I would guess most people who play a lot actually can do the math and if they did, would keep playing anyway. 

[shelivesthedream]

I couldn't help but wonder how many weekends he puts the same in but doesn't win anything.

Gambling/the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

This is so offensive! (Sarcasm for those with broken detectors.) I am TERRIBLE at math, but I know better than to waste money thinking I'll win big!


I'm just waiting for the day my cat goes viral and I can rake in that Famous Internet Cat money.

There is a book about financial freedom through cat videos: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Make-Your-Internet-Celebrity/dp/1594746796

[Inaya]

I couldn't help but wonder how many weekends he puts the same in but doesn't win anything.

Gambling/the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

This is so offensive! (Sarcasm for those with broken detectors.) I am TERRIBLE at math, but I know better than to waste money thinking I'll win big!


I'm just waiting for the day my cat goes viral and I can rake in that Famous Internet Cat money.

There is a book about financial freedom through cat videos: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Make-Your-Internet-Celebrity/dp/1594746796

I love that this exists, but I love Amazon's recommendations even more. Customers who bought this book also bought:

• Crafting with Cat Hair
• I Could Pee on This
• How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You

My library doesn't have it, but I think I need it.

[RamonaQ]

I love that this exists, but I love Amazon's recommendations even more. Customers who bought this book also bought:

• Crafting with Cat Hair
• I Could Pee on This
• How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You

My library doesn't have it, but I think I need it.

I have read all three of these books.  I am so proud.

[Kitsune]

Director-level colleague 1: "But we can't make this decision right now! What if it's the WRONG DECISION??!"
Me: "... then we step back on it, it costs us the time needed to make the transition (roughly 20 hours of the secretary's time, for the record), and we find another option to fix our problems. But right now, this is the best option presented with the information we have. We're doing it."
Director-level colleague 2: "But we can't make decisions without being absolutely sure they're the right ones!!"

For fuck's sake, ladies. We are all directors here. We are literally paid money to make decisions under situations of uncertainty. The more uncertainty, the more money. This is actually our role. If you want a role in which everything is clear-cut and nothing will ever change, try training as the accounting technician -  that's her personality and she's marvelously well-suited for the role.

We are NEVER going to have 100% accurate information on all our options. The best we can do is get all the information we can, and make the best decisions we can based on the information available. At a certain point, decision paralysis ALSO costs money/time/opportunity. If the wrong decisions will cost millions, sure, sit on it a bit. But something this easily reversible if it goes wrong?? Guys. Come ON. Make a call and move on. Your salary is wasted on this shit.

*frustraaaation*

God I can't wait for my maternity leave... at least a baby has a REASON to be irrational and cranky and not make decisions.

[SeaEhm]

Director-level colleague 1: "But we can't make this decision right now! What if it's the WRONG DECISION??!"
Me: "... then we step back on it, it costs us the time needed to make the transition (roughly 20 hours of the secretary's time, for the record), and we find another option to fix our problems. But right now, this is the best option presented with the information we have. We're doing it."
Director-level colleague 2: "But we can't make decisions without being absolutely sure they're the right ones!!"

For fuck's sake, ladies. We are all directors here. We are literally paid money to make decisions under situations of uncertainty. The more uncertainty, the more money. This is actually our role. If you want a role in which everything is clear-cut and nothing will ever change, try training as the accounting technician -  that's her personality and she's marvelously well-suited for the role.

We are NEVER going to have 100% accurate information on all our options. The best we can do is get all the information we can, and make the best decisions we can based on the information available. At a certain point, decision paralysis ALSO costs money/time/opportunity. If the wrong decisions will cost millions, sure, sit on it a bit. But something this easily reversible if it goes wrong?? Guys. Come ON. Make a call and move on. Your salary is wasted on this shit.

*frustraaaation*

God I can't wait for my maternity leave... at least a baby has a REASON to be irrational and cranky and not make decisions.

User Edited: You adding gender does nothing to promote positive discussion

[Taran Wanderer]

For the record, I assumed she was talking about a male director even with the ladies comment. But then maybe that just indicates my own gender bias...  ugh.

[solon]

Director-level colleague 1: "But we can't make this decision right now! What if it's the WRONG DECISION??!"
Me: "... then we step back on it, it costs us the time needed to make the transition (roughly 20 hours of the secretary's time, for the record), and we find another option to fix our problems. But right now, this is the best option presented with the information we have. We're doing it."
Director-level colleague 2: "But we can't make decisions without being absolutely sure they're the right ones!!"

For fuck's sake, ladies. We are all directors here. We are literally paid money to make decisions under situations of uncertainty. The more uncertainty, the more money. This is actually our role. If you want a role in which everything is clear-cut and nothing will ever change, try training as the accounting technician -  that's her personality and she's marvelously well-suited for the role.

We are NEVER going to have 100% accurate information on all our options. The best we can do is get all the information we can, and make the best decisions we can based on the information available. At a certain point, decision paralysis ALSO costs money/time/opportunity. If the wrong decisions will cost millions, sure, sit on it a bit. But something this easily reversible if it goes wrong?? Guys. Come ON. Make a call and move on. Your salary is wasted on this shit.

*frustraaaation*

God I can't wait for my maternity leave... at least a baby has a REASON to be irrational and cranky and not make decisions.

User Edited: You adding gender does nothing to promote positive discussion

The gender adds a great deal in my ability to construct this scene in my mind.

Your comment detracts from positive discussion.

[With This Herring]

Director-level colleague 1: "But we can't make this decision right now! What if it's the WRONG DECISION??!"
Me: "... then we step back on it, it costs us the time needed to make the transition (roughly 20 hours of the secretary's time, for the record), and we find another option to fix our problems. But right now, this is the best option presented with the information we have. We're doing it."
Director-level colleague 2: "But we can't make decisions without being absolutely sure they're the right ones!!"

For fuck's sake, ladies. We are all directors here. We are literally paid money to make decisions under situations of uncertainty. The more uncertainty, the more money. This is actually our role. If you want a role in which everything is clear-cut and nothing will ever change, try training as the accounting technician -  that's her personality and she's marvelously well-suited for the role.

We are NEVER going to have 100% accurate information on all our options. The best we can do is get all the information we can, and make the best decisions we can based on the information available. At a certain point, decision paralysis ALSO costs money/time/opportunity. If the wrong decisions will cost millions, sure, sit on it a bit. But something this easily reversible if it goes wrong?? Guys. Come ON. Make a call and move on. Your salary is wasted on this shit.

*frustraaaation*

God I can't wait for my maternity leave... at least a baby has a REASON to be irrational and cranky and not make decisions.

User Edited: You adding gender does nothing to promote positive discussion

Kitsune is a lady.  I assumed that her use of "ladies" indicated that the directors were, in fact, ladies.  Would you have preferred "youse guys"?

[Metric Mouse]

For the record, I assumed she was talking about a male director even with the ladies comment. But then maybe that just indicates my own gender bias...  ugh.

Yes, that would be your bias. And if the directors were in fact male, then calling them 'ladies' as a derogatory term would be grossly inappropriate as well.

[gimp]

"Youse all yall" to just combine a few tropes.

[Kitsune]

For the record, I assumed she was talking about a male director even with the ladies comment. But then maybe that just indicates my own gender bias...  ugh.

Yes, that would be your bias. And if the directors were in fact male, then calling them 'ladies' as a derogatory term would be grossly inappropriate as well.

Um, they're all women. As am I. The "ladies" comment was just more biologically accurate than "guys", seeing as none of the, are, in fact, guys.

[LeRainDrop]

For the record, I assumed she was talking about a male director even with the ladies comment. But then maybe that just indicates my own gender bias...  ugh.

Yes, that would be your bias. And if the directors were in fact male, then calling them 'ladies' as a derogatory term would be grossly inappropriate as well.

Um, they're all women. As am I. The "ladies" comment was just more biologically accurate than "guys", seeing as none of the, are, in fact, guys.

I'm with you, Kitsune.  People who really struggle to make decisions after reasonable/due diligence (not no-rock-unturned diligence) should not be at the director level.  It drives me crazy when there's sufficient information available -- or at least the best information that can be had at the time a decision needs to be made -- and yet some people just can't set the direction.  Not everyone has the skill-set to make the tough decisions and then take accountability for it, and that's fine, not everyone has to.  But if you're going to be a successful director, those skills are necessary.

[Goldielocks]

It's benefits re-enrollment time at my work.
They have revamped the structure of the benefit packages..

Darn health, dental and LTD benefits are going up by $1800 a year.  Ouch.   Some employees will revert to their SO's benefit packages, so it won't be bad for them, but for many, our company was the "solid benefits" employers, and the SO's have little in benefits.

Oh, and the average pay increase for the whole office is only 1.5% this year....  So, for someone making only $70k a year, that would be a net loss of about 1.5% in take home pay versus last year.

[SeaEhm]

Thanks for playing!


My post was a joke regarding a thread where a moderator edited someone's post because they used gender stereotypes.

[Metric Mouse]

Thanks for playing!


My post was a joke regarding a thread where a moderator edited someone's post because they used gender stereotypes.

Ahh.. you should have used a more prominent color than black for your text.

[Taran Wanderer]

For the record, I assumed she was talking about a male director even with the ladies comment. But then maybe that just indicates my own gender bias...  ugh.

Yes, that would be your bias. And if the directors were in fact male, then calling them 'ladies' as a derogatory term would be grossly inappropriate as well.

Calling a mixed group ladies wouldn't be all that different from calling a mixed group guys. And even if my unconscious assumption about the director's gender had been correct, it would have been a mixed group because Kitsune is a woman. In any case, your tone is not appreciated as I already clearly acknowledged my error and was reflecting on it. That should warrant a pat on the back. Go direct your anger somewhere else.

[SeaEhm]

Thanks for playing!


My post was a joke regarding a thread where a moderator edited someone's post because they used gender stereotypes.

Ahh.. you should have used a more prominent color than black for your text.

The lure can't be too obvious. Then people won't bite.

[TomTX]

Yeah, the smugness from the "I'm way too smart to play the lotto" crowd is tedious when it's directed towards the "buy 3 tickets a year when Powerball goes over $500M" players. You want to yell at the $50/wk people, absolutely, but the whole drop $2 on a whim for a big jackpot, who cares?  I used to joke that back when I drank soda, I'd occasionally go in to the gas station and get a Coke and ticket, and the ticket was the much more responsible purchase.

That's funny, I frequently use soda for an example the other way - "I'd rather spend $2 on a delicious, ice cold drink than on a useless scrap of paper".

I wonder if the whole "dreaming of riches" thing is way less common in Mustachians. I mean, when you already either have a big pile of money, or are making fast and measurable progress towards that pile, you're already seeing a definite finish line for needing to work.

I think its more the difference between those people who can stick to plans and those who need immediate gratification.


Also on the lottery:
Why you buy at big jackpots?
If you win a small with 10 million, you have made it and can live in luxury for the rest of your life.
If you win a big one with 200 million, you have made it and can live in luxury for the rest of your life.

So if both are the same, why play when the competition is fiercest?

$10M wouldn't do it for me; beachfront house on Maui is probably $5-10M itself. :-P

So get a beachfront house on the Big Island for $1M. :P

[kina]

It's benefits re-enrollment time at my work.
They have revamped the structure of the benefit packages..

Darn health, dental and LTD benefits are going up by $1800 a year.  Ouch.   Some employees will revert to their SO's benefit packages, so it won't be bad for them, but for many, our company was the "solid benefits" employers, and the SO's have little in benefits.

Oh, and the average pay increase for the whole office is only 1.5% this year....  So, for someone making only $70k a year, that would be a net loss of about 1.5% in take home pay versus last year.

If you think it will make anyone feel better, you can point out the [not-quite-eligible for Medicare] woman in Pennsylvania who is  seeing her annual marketplace premium increase $7,200. Yes, that's just the increase.

Affordable Care Act. Yippee.