Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253378 times)

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21150 on: December 05, 2018, 11:38:11 AM »
That fourth motorcycle is one 'spensive bike.

I'll bet a custom detached garage is cheaper than a bigger house...

If you live somewhere that allows them.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21151 on: December 05, 2018, 02:12:56 PM »
That fourth motorcycle is one 'spensive bike.

I'll bet a custom detached garage is cheaper than a bigger house...

If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21152 on: December 05, 2018, 02:20:57 PM »
That fourth motorcycle is one 'spensive bike.

I'll bet a custom detached garage is cheaper than a bigger house...

If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

I like city services like plowing and sanitary sewer, so I don't have a lot of choice.
(Also bike commute...)

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21153 on: December 05, 2018, 07:48:50 PM »
A bike doesn't take up that much space - seems like a modified sunroom or other similar addition would be possible, or you know, just finding a place with bigger garage.  I'm guessing they just got caught up in having a bigger house/fancier neighborhood overall.

We have lots of houses with detached garages/shops, plus city services.  I wasn't aware that those things couldn't co-exist.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21154 on: December 06, 2018, 04:26:34 AM »
I live in the Netherlands. Space is always at a premium here. As such sun rooms and garages don't come standard. Basements are also quite special here as it is very expensive to construct them and keep them dry in our soggy country. The larger and more expensive houses here will usually have larger garages than the cheaper houses.

When we downsized from our fancypants house to our current house (about 1200 ft), family thought that we were broke. I overheard that one in a family gathering. Probably our reputation got worse, when I started biking to the office and we went down from 2 cars to 1 car.   


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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21155 on: December 06, 2018, 08:11:43 AM »
Okay - I see what you mean. No plowing necessary here. Septic tanks in our neighborhood but we are next on the list to have sewers installed. If I moved to the center of town there would be building rules, setback rules (how far from the lot line a structure must be), smaller lots, etc. It might complicate finding a suitable spot for a garage. Ten minutes outside of town where I live the rules are much more relaxed.

Neighborhoods like mine have covenants (rules created by the original neighborhood builder) that usually protect the appearance of the neighborhood. Detached structures need to look like the house. Limits on farm animals and RV parking. Once anyone breaks the covenants and the neighbors don't try to enforce them with the help of a lawyer, then the covenants are broken and no longer apply to the next rule breaker - probably.

In my neighborhood the attached garages are typically modest. If I had a spare motorcycle I'd likely buy a tidy looking quality shed where I could park a few motorcycles out of sight - like my family does bicycles. I'm looking to build a detached garage one of these days. Several other neighbors have done the same.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21156 on: December 06, 2018, 08:17:32 AM »
If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

Years ago, our neighbour was selling her house and the wife half of one of the couples that visited it said, "Oh, we can't buy this house. I don't want to live where people can have clotheslines."  I was flabbergasted. For one thing, I had never imagined that there could be places that don't allow clotheslines--I never even imagined it was possible to create such a regulation.  (OK, I was ignorant. I didn't know about "developments" and HOAs.) Of course, clothes-lines would be a deal-breaker for me, too, but in the opposite direction.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21157 on: December 06, 2018, 08:31:43 AM »
Re dogs: @ Sugaree   If you're looking to adopt a specific breed and aren't having much luck with breed specific rescue organizations, I would encourage you to contact breeders and ask them for suggestions.  Reputable breeders will take back an animal if the adoption doesn't work out.  Those older "returned" (and sometimes rescued) animals are harder to sell and if they have been fixed don't provide the breeder with useful stock.  I got to know a breeder and was able to adopt several of her pure bred adult dogs that way over the years.  She also turned me on to (and vouched for me at) other breed specific rescue groups I wouldn't have found on my own.  Its worth a look.


That's kind of our plan right now when we get ready to add another dog.  We're leaning towards a Great Dane, but the nearest rescue won't consider homes with kids under 8, but my kid's only 5.  And while I get that they are big dogs, my son has grown up with a 135 lb Golden Retriever (and a 120 lb lab when he was a baby...I miss that old man so much) so we're used to big dogs around here.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21158 on: December 06, 2018, 09:14:24 AM »
If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

Years ago, our neighbour was selling her house and the wife half of one of the couples that visited it said, "Oh, we can't buy this house. I don't want to live where people can have clotheslines."  I was flabbergasted. For one thing, I had never imagined that there could be places that don't allow clotheslines--I never even imagined it was possible to create such a regulation.  (OK, I was ignorant. I didn't know about "developments" and HOAs.) Of course, clothes-lines would be a deal-breaker for me, too, but in the opposite direction.

In most states (USA), it's illegal to ban clotheslines. Many HOAs try, but it's unenforcible if your state has a "right to dry" law

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21159 on: December 06, 2018, 09:37:02 AM »
Years ago, our neighbour was selling her house and the wife half of one of the couples that visited it said, "Oh, we can't buy this house. I don't want to live where people can have clotheslines."  I was flabbergasted.

Wow, that's insane. You dodged a bullet there, I think.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21160 on: December 06, 2018, 09:45:55 AM »
If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

Years ago, our neighbour was selling her house and the wife half of one of the couples that visited it said, "Oh, we can't buy this house. I don't want to live where people can have clotheslines."  I was flabbergasted. For one thing, I had never imagined that there could be places that don't allow clotheslines--I never even imagined it was possible to create such a regulation.  (OK, I was ignorant. I didn't know about "developments" and HOAs.) Of course, clothes-lines would be a deal-breaker for me, too, but in the opposite direction.

In most states (USA), it's illegal to ban clotheslines. Many HOAs try, but it's unenforcible if your state has a "right to dry" law

Our covenants only allow umbrella style, not lines (which is weird because I think those are trashier looking, but whatever).
Of course we don't have an HOA so the only way to enforce a covenant is by lawsuit.  So really they go unused except when there are massive problems.

We can't have outbuildings larger than 100 square feet, and they have to be on concrete foundation and sided/roofed to match the house. That's the super annoying one. What a useless shed!

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21161 on: December 06, 2018, 10:02:06 AM »
I also find the clothesline rule stupid. My parents lived in a custom built home in an expensive suburb, and we had a clothesline in the backyard. Clotheslines remind me fondly of my mother and grandmother and hanging up sheets and clothes.  Unfortunately my yard is too small and shaded for a clothesline, but have a small line in the screened back porch.

Imma

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21162 on: December 06, 2018, 10:08:44 AM »
We are talking about clothes lines in the backyard, right? How could that possibly be anyone else's business? Do they have rules about what flowers you can grow or the material of your garden furniture?

I can understand that some communities might want to make rules about how the front of the house looks like from the street (although I wouldn't want to live in such a place either) but isn't the backyard supposed to be private?

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21163 on: December 06, 2018, 10:21:18 AM »
We are talking about clothes lines in the backyard, right? How could that possibly be anyone else's business? Do they have rules about what flowers you can grow or the material of your garden furniture?

I can understand that some communities might want to make rules about how the front of the house looks like from the street (although I wouldn't want to live in such a place either) but isn't the backyard supposed to be private?
In our neighborhood, we're not allowed to have sheds, and anything on the outside of the house has to be approved by the HOA.  That includes any landscaping changes, painting your front door, etc.  The back yard is included in that.  It's there to prevent egregious abuses, like people raising livestock on their 1/4 acre, and only ever enforced on things like adding a deck or painting the whole house, but at first blush it's kind of ridiculous.  FWIW, I've made plenty of landscaping changes (mostly removal, but also planted several fruit trees) without approval, and nobody really cares.

As for why the back yard is included, I don't know for sure, but many of the homes in our neighborhood back onto the retention ponds, so your back yard may be visible from 50 other houses.  So if you have 4,000 sq ft of corn in your back yard, it spoils the look of the neighborhood.  I'm not saying I totally agree with it, but that's what I believe the thinking is.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21164 on: December 06, 2018, 10:33:06 AM »
We are talking about clothes lines in the backyard, right? How could that possibly be anyone else's business? Do they have rules about what flowers you can grow or the material of your garden furniture?

I can understand that some communities might want to make rules about how the front of the house looks like from the street (although I wouldn't want to live in such a place either) but isn't the backyard supposed to be private?

Most people in our neighborhood do not have fences, so backyards all connect together.  If we DO have fences, covenants state they can't be more than 4 feet.  So still not very private. (Though my house is on a hill, so I'd need a 20+ foot fence for actual privacy.)

And yeah, there are rules about what fencing materials you can use.  I have a chain link, which is the least expensive option (wrought iron being the other)- but the chain link must be black, no silver allowed.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21165 on: December 06, 2018, 11:11:04 AM »
We are talking about clothes lines in the backyard, right? How could that possibly be anyone else's business? Do they have rules about what flowers you can grow or the material of your garden furniture?

I can understand that some communities might want to make rules about how the front of the house looks like from the street (although I wouldn't want to live in such a place either) but isn't the backyard supposed to be private?

Most people in our neighborhood do not have fences, so backyards all connect together.  If we DO have fences, covenants state they can't be more than 4 feet.  So still not very private. (Though my house is on a hill, so I'd need a 20+ foot fence for actual privacy.)

And yeah, there are rules about what fencing materials you can use.  I have a chain link, which is the least expensive option (wrought iron being the other)- but the chain link must be black, no silver allowed.

What, no white picket fence? But how are you supposed live the American Dream?!

shelivesthedream

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21166 on: December 06, 2018, 01:50:21 PM »
So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21167 on: December 06, 2018, 02:06:47 PM »
So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.

yes, you can wander through everyone's backyard.

I'll send you a google maps link, but I'm not going to post it here.  (Edit: nevermind, it says you've blocked my personal message.)
« Last Edit: December 06, 2018, 02:11:46 PM by I'm a red panda »

dcheesi

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21168 on: December 06, 2018, 02:12:00 PM »
So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.
It's actually quite common in the USA. To the point where it took me a minute, and a glance at your location, to figure out what was so confusing for you. My house had neighbors maybe ten feet on either side, and no fences around anyone's yards until you got to the big house at the bottom of the hill. (Note that there were few if any windows facing each other on the sides of the houses.)

In practice, wandering through your neighbors' back yards is considered poor form. Depending on the neighbor and the neighborhood, you'd be looking at anything from dubious looks all the way to a shotgun barrel in your face!

However, it wasn't uncommon to see kids playing in the woods behind my yard (some of which was still my land).

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21169 on: December 06, 2018, 02:30:32 PM »
So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.
It's actually quite common in the USA. To the point where it took me a minute, and a glance at your location, to figure out what was so confusing for you. My house had neighbors maybe ten feet on either side, and no fences around anyone's yards until you got to the big house at the bottom of the hill. (Note that there were few if any windows facing each other on the sides of the houses.)

In practice, wandering through your neighbors' back yards is considered poor form. Depending on the neighbor and the neighborhood, you'd be looking at anything from dubious looks all the way to a shotgun barrel in your face!

However, it wasn't uncommon to see kids playing in the woods behind my yard (some of which was still my land).

Our neighborhood it is very common to wander through backyards, though adults of course know which ones it isn't welcome in (and I wouldn't walk through a strangers).  Rather than going around the block though, I'm very likely to walk through a yard.   

And of course kids run through the attached yards as if it is one big park. 
If you don't want that, put up a fence!

In my last neighborhood, we had to put a lock on our gate because kids would open the gate to run through the yard, and our dogs got out a few times.  I thought it was extraordinarily rude when I saw a kid JUMP MY FENCE to run through my backyard (this neighborhood it was a 6 foot privacy fence)- but I did not know the parents to complain about it. At least the dog didn't get out. But I wonder what would have happened if the kid got hurt in my backyard...

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21170 on: December 06, 2018, 07:34:14 PM »
So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.
It's actually quite common in the USA. To the point where it took me a minute, and a glance at your location, to figure out what was so confusing for you. My house had neighbors maybe ten feet on either side, and no fences around anyone's yards until you got to the big house at the bottom of the hill. (Note that there were few if any windows facing each other on the sides of the houses.)

In practice, wandering through your neighbors' back yards is considered poor form. Depending on the neighbor and the neighborhood, you'd be looking at anything from dubious looks all the way to a shotgun barrel in your face!

However, it wasn't uncommon to see kids playing in the woods behind my yard (some of which was still my land).

It really depends on the neighborhood you live in.  When I was growing up in the 80's/90's, crossing through neighbors' yards on the way to friends' houses was a near-daily occurrence, and it definitely wasn't considered "poor form".  No one had any issue with it(*I assume my parents spoke with my neighbors whose yards we crossed about this), but it's definitely something that depends on the local culture/neighborhood you grow up in.  Keep in mind, this was in what might be termed a "low-density suburban" area where there were largish yards, virtually no crime, and the kids were predominantly the children of highly-educated professionals, and none of us ever caused any trouble when passing through neighbors' property.  Out neighborhood was also a residential cul-de-sac, such that the only people that went there were people that lived in that neighborhood.

This is definitely not reflective of the local culture everywhere in the United States, but it was in the town I grew up,

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21171 on: December 06, 2018, 08:02:57 PM »
Maybe it's a regional thing, because I live on the west coast, and almost all houses have fenced in back yards, from New Mexico to Washington.  There are two adjoining properties in my neighborhood that don't have a property line fence, out of hundreds that I pass on the regular dog walking route.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21172 on: December 06, 2018, 08:23:50 PM »
Thank you for the info on right-to-dry laws! My state is one and I never knew it. Last year when house-hunting we passed on one partly because of the covenants that include a clothesline ban. Lots of other specific restrictions, and in this case there had been about 7 lawsuits filed in a decade so I wasn't about to guess that they just wouldn't care about my choices. We bought a mile south instead.

dcheesi

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21173 on: December 07, 2018, 09:33:33 AM »
So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.
It's actually quite common in the USA. To the point where it took me a minute, and a glance at your location, to figure out what was so confusing for you. My house had neighbors maybe ten feet on either side, and no fences around anyone's yards until you got to the big house at the bottom of the hill. (Note that there were few if any windows facing each other on the sides of the houses.)

In practice, wandering through your neighbors' back yards is considered poor form. Depending on the neighbor and the neighborhood, you'd be looking at anything from dubious looks all the way to a shotgun barrel in your face!

However, it wasn't uncommon to see kids playing in the woods behind my yard (some of which was still my land).

It really depends on the neighborhood you live in.  When I was growing up in the 80's/90's, crossing through neighbors' yards on the way to friends' houses was a near-daily occurrence, and it definitely wasn't considered "poor form".  No one had any issue with it(*I assume my parents spoke with my neighbors whose yards we crossed about this), but it's definitely something that depends on the local culture/neighborhood you grow up in.  Keep in mind, this was in what might be termed a "low-density suburban" area where there were largish yards, virtually no crime, and the kids were predominantly the children of highly-educated professionals, and none of us ever caused any trouble when passing through neighbors' property.  Out neighborhood was also a residential cul-de-sac, such that the only people that went there were people that lived in that neighborhood.

This is definitely not reflective of the local culture everywhere in the United States, but it was in the town I grew up,
I was thinking more about adults than children. Where I grew up we also had woods behind my house, which ran the whole length of the neighborhood, so that was the de facto kid-highway. I'm sure if we hadn't had that, we would have been cutting through back yards a lot more.

It's adults that are more likely to draw attention doing that, due to fear of crime etc. It really depends on the neighbors, though, and what security measures they may have in place. I never had a camera, and rarely noticed when the rear security light came on; it was only when I was in the basement with the rear-facing door that I truly noticed.

Another note for the non-USians is that houses here will typically have a deck or patio on the back if they have a significant back yard. Getting up onto those would be considered much more of an invasion of privacy than just running around in the yard.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21174 on: December 07, 2018, 11:17:47 AM »
in the USA my friend and I (12 year olds) were cutting through the woods behind someone's house (150 yards behind their house and he fired a shotgun blast into the trees over our heads.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21175 on: December 07, 2018, 11:36:31 AM »
Wait? That happened to you? The same thing happened to me and a couple of friends when we were teens. We were nonchalantly cutting through someone's backyard (woodsy area) and the guy came out onto this back porch with a shotgun and threatened to shoot us. He was a scary man with a long grey beard and a flannel shirt.

I will never forget how damn mad he was at a couple of kids. Now that I think about it, maybe he was a tweaker.

in the USA my friend and I (12 year olds) were cutting through the woods behind someone's house (150 yards behind their house and he fired a shotgun blast into the trees over our heads.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21176 on: December 07, 2018, 12:15:42 PM »
So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.

yes, you can wander through everyone's backyard.

I'll send you a google maps link, but I'm not going to post it here.  (Edit: nevermind, it says you've blocked my personal message.)

Many thanks to @i'm a red panda for reshaping my imagined view of suburban America. Suddenly a lot of things make sense.

dcheesi

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21177 on: December 07, 2018, 12:42:58 PM »
Wait? That happened to you? The same thing happened to me and a couple of friends when we were teens. We were nonchalantly cutting through someone's backyard (woodsy area) and the guy came out onto this back porch with a shotgun and threatened to shoot us. He was a scary man with a long grey beard and a flannel shirt.

I will never forget how damn mad he was at a couple of kids. Now that I think about it, maybe he was a tweaker.

in the USA my friend and I (12 year olds) were cutting through the woods behind someone's house (150 yards behind their house and he fired a shotgun blast into the trees over our heads.
This tends to happen in more rural areas, where houses are more spread out and people are used to their privacy. In Virginia, you'll see a lot of wooded areas with "POSTED: no trespassing" signs1 slapped on trees or actual posts. You're taking your life in your hands if you ignore those signs.

Could be a cranky old guy, a paranoid prepper, or someone with something to hide (moonshine still, pot plants, and/or, yes, the occasional meth lab these days). Gun ownership is also much higher in rural areas, and people use guns to fend off wildlife, so they're more accustomed to the idea of using them in defense of their property.

(1 the word "POSTED" is made prominent, apparently due to a quirky interpretation of the wording of Virginia's trespassing laws. I'm not sure it's actually necessary, but at this point it's the recognized standard for such signs.)
« Last Edit: December 07, 2018, 12:47:45 PM by dcheesi »

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21178 on: December 07, 2018, 01:04:45 PM »
So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.

yes, you can wander through everyone's backyard.

I'll send you a google maps link, but I'm not going to post it here.  (Edit: nevermind, it says you've blocked my personal message.)

Many thanks to @i'm a red panda for reshaping my imagined view of suburban America. Suddenly a lot of things make sense.

I also sent you another link of a fully fenced suburb :)  Just because, it sure varies a lot!

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21179 on: December 08, 2018, 07:44:18 AM »
Discussion with a coworker:

Coworker: I went out on the weekend with my friends. I was pretty frugal.
Me: Nice. Where did you go?
Coworker: To a club. Only spent $100.
Me: $100! On what?!
Coworker: On drinks. Like, 1-2 drinks. That’s pretty cheap because we split the bill.
Me: That’s pretty expensive for a drink.
Coworker: Well, at this club you purchase a table for the night. It’s usually around $2000 for a table. My friend works in the business and got us a 40% discount, so our table was only $1200. That’s a really good deal.
Me: I suppose if you put it that way...

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21180 on: December 08, 2018, 11:38:17 AM »
I hope they visited the most exciting club on earth b/c at those prices... I'm visualizing the kind of clubs only seen in movies. $50 drinks... Wow. I feel funny when we go out to eat and pay $50 for all of us to eat and drink (non-alcoholic drinks).

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21181 on: December 08, 2018, 02:43:17 PM »
Wait? That happened to you? The same thing happened to me and a couple of friends when we were teens. We were nonchalantly cutting through someone's backyard (woodsy area) and the guy came out onto this back porch with a shotgun and threatened to shoot us. He was a scary man with a long grey beard and a flannel shirt.

I will never forget how damn mad he was at a couple of kids. Now that I think about it, maybe he was a tweaker.

in the USA my friend and I (12 year olds) were cutting through the woods behind someone's house (150 yards behind their house and he fired a shotgun blast into the trees over our heads.

What's a tweaker?  This word is not being used the way I would normally expect to see it used (a tweaker would be someone who tweaks something until it is right).

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21182 on: December 08, 2018, 03:06:01 PM »
A tweaker is someone high on meth, or otherwise a meth addict.

For a good time, youtube "tweaker" for some good "best of" compilations.
« Last Edit: December 08, 2018, 03:08:11 PM by Steeze »

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21183 on: December 08, 2018, 03:08:04 PM »
Urban Dictionary describes a tweaker as someone who has maxxed out their meth induced high. High strung, paranoid, and can't sit still. Accord to UD they can have symptoms similar to OCD as well.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21184 on: December 08, 2018, 04:33:23 PM »
Urban Dictionary describes a tweaker as someone who has maxxed out their meth induced high. High strung, paranoid, and can't sit still. Accord to UD they can have symptoms similar to OCD as well.

Thanks.  Hadn't thought of that in relation to suburban/rural back yards.

imadandylion

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21185 on: December 09, 2018, 03:26:17 PM »
This is kind of at work - I was at the company Christmas party and one of my coworkers was dressed in a heinous novelty 'ugly Christmas suit.'  Like, suit jacket, pants, and tie that was Christmas-themed.

I overheard my significant other talking to another party guest who said, "Yeah, I was going to get that suit, too."
SO: "What?! Where do you even get something like that?"
Party guest: "Amazon."
SO: "Wow, it looks like it fits him so well."
Party guest:  "He got it tailored. That's what I was going to do."

The suit is at least $100 and I don't know how much it costs to tailor a two piece suit that will probably never see the outside of the closet again. The coworker wearing said Christmas suit has complained about being in debt, from student loan and consumer debt (though I don't know the total figure). He drives to work in a sporty new car that, if I remember correctly, he wanted to get to go to race tracks (but he never has) and is being financed at well over $900/mo (he's been telling most people this... that this is why he "has to work overtime"), but he also owns 3-4 other cars, some of which don't work, and has to pay all the usual fees related to owning cars (insurance, etc.), but won't bother selling them and says it's "hard" because they're in his hometown at his mom's house nearly 400 miles away. He also bought the iPhone 10 when it came out (oops, I meant financed - he didn't pay for that in cash), along with those cordless ear buds and a fancy phone case and screen protector. He is on a Coachella payment plan for the second year in a row (he says it's a great idea because it's 0% interest), and also frequently goes to live concerts/festivals, almost every other week it seems. I hear a lot about him going out drinking a lot with other coworkers.  I rarely see him in the same clothes, because he is always getting new stuff at fast fashion stores like H&M, and other places I'm sure.  He has said he "can't afford to save for retirement," much less any money. We went to the same school, have the degree, have the same job, but have completely different priorities.  It just really astounds me. But this is the norm, I've noticed, for people my age.

Also, our company isn't really like a huge company that turns over loads and loads or profits or anything but does OK I guess, and a lot of people were dressed in really overly fancy attire that didn't really seem to suit their current lifestyle because most of them definitely don't dress that nice to work. I overheard they specifically got outfits and accessories for the event (which is something they do for every Christmas party, apparently). It was also supposed to be a masquerade-themed party, so more money was wasted on masks and things like that.  Lots of people were talking about how much they spent on dresses, shoes, etc. "The dress was only $150!" and "The shoes were only like $30, so it's like no big deal." And these were just the people who thought they got a great deal and wanted to talk, so I'm sure others spent more.  Also talking about they bought some other dresses last time from online shopping but didn't like it, and couldn't be bothered to return because you know, it's just $100, $150, or $200 here or there... but these are the same people who complain they "don't get paid that much" and act like they can't afford to have a nice meal, but then go eat out every day instead of packing their own lunch or go out all the time to concerts and bars. They were all headed out to a club afterward to, you know, pay cover fees and pay more for expensive cocktails.

In contrast, I was wearing a $7 Goodwill dress that I got specifically because I wanted to get something simple to re-wear that could be dressed up or down. Since I already the basic shoes and coat, I didn't 'need' to buy anything else. I just can't justify or fathom spending more that for one event. Nuts. Good to remind myself that it's OK not to be "normal" because "normal" is being in a constant state of debt, or not putting yourself first.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21186 on: December 09, 2018, 03:37:58 PM »
I saw a Verizon commercial this afternoon. In the fine text at the bottom of the screen it appears that getting an iPhone X will cost $1500 over the life of the contract. A quick check says that the retail cost is $1000. So $500 in interest??? Ouch.

Gronnie

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21187 on: December 09, 2018, 04:00:36 PM »
I saw a Verizon commercial this afternoon. In the fine text at the bottom of the screen it appears that getting an iPhone X will cost $1500 over the life of the contract. A quick check says that the retail cost is $1000. So $500 in interest??? Ouch.

No it's probably a model with more memory. The Verizon payment plans are interest free and the phone sells at retail price.

imadandylion

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21188 on: December 09, 2018, 04:26:25 PM »
I don't know the specifics, but he mentioned he always maximizes the memory on the phone so he doesn't have to worry about "running out of room."

Can't you get SD cards for android/google phones or something so you don't have to do this?

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21189 on: December 09, 2018, 06:46:41 PM »
I don't know the specifics, but he mentioned he always maximizes the memory on the phone so he doesn't have to worry about "running out of room."

Can't you get SD cards for android/google phones or something so you don't have to do this?
Most Android phones have a card slot, but many flagship (i.e. most expensive) models do not. No Apple phone has a card slot. If you want the extra 64GB, you'll pay the extra $200 to get it, rather than the $11 that size SD card costs.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21190 on: December 10, 2018, 08:33:46 AM »
Today we had a Christmas lunch at a hotel, paid for by the company where I work. I joined the table with our female boss (leader of 35 people) and two male colleagues that I'm not very familair with, because they work at a different location.

Suddenly the conversation was about money, not initiaed by me. One of my male co-wokers asked us if we knew any really rich people. I had no idea whether or not he would count me as being very rich, but I guessed not, so I shut my mouth. I also didn't consider it a good ide to tell my boss about my networth. The guy himself said he knew one guy who was quite rich and lived in a very expensive house. He said this was the greatest cheapskate he knew. Then he bowed towards us and said that this was the way to become rich, being a cheapskate... I agreed with him. The other male co-worker said he new a guy who had made 9M USD on bitcoins by investing and selling at the right moment. I mentioned that this guy would't have to work anymore, with 9M on the bank. I don't even think you would have to invest in the stockmarket. Just a bank account with good interest will do. He told me the guy still worked.
The other male co-worker said he new a guy who had earned 2,2 M dollar on bitcoin. My boss concluded that after buying a 1M dollar house and 2 Tesla's, 2,2 M really won't last that long. I told here that in mine and her situation, both in our 40-ies, 2,2 M would suffice to stop working, as we have built up some pension that we can take up at the age of 67.

The youngest male co-worker said he made one big (expensive) parchase each month, since he can now afford it. I think he is in his first job. He has been looking at sofas and find quality sofas quite expensive. I told him that a lot of furniture is for sale second hand and that you can find good bargains. I mentioned our dining table and chairs as an example. My boss said that you would typically prefer to buy stuff new. I said you could vary between new and used and a second hand table can be washed.

My boss mentioned that she really wanted to become debt free in the future. I just nodded and didn't mention that I have been debt free for 10 years. Later she told me that she had fallen in love with a rug that cost 1.3K dollars and will buy it as soon as she can afford it. At her house they currently have a very cold floor. She cannot currently afford to buy the rug and does not want to buy a functional rug that is cheaper. She also needed to get paid soon, as she had no money left on her bank account or in her wallet, after doing Christmas shopping. I mentioned using a credit card and paying off next month.

One of the male co-workers made some joke about people being stressed when the car brakes down and you cannot afford the repair. I mentioned that it is a good habit to have an emergency fund for such occasions. My boss said that she borrows money from her dad in those cases. Her dad had offered that asking him for money was cheaper and faster than asking the bank. Apparently she does this regularly, but does pay him back. I mentioned that her 18 old children might learn that trick from her: when in financial trouble, ask the bank of mum and dad. But she thought that the children might not know about her borrowing emergency money from her dad. She doesn't mind doing this, because her parents have (almost) paid down there house, so asking them for money is not wrong.
One of her daughters wants to spend a year in New Zealand, sponsored buy mum and dad. Luckily my boss said no to that. She complained a lot about her children being very expensive. Two of the children are 18 and have a part time job and one is 14. The family had gone together with many to buy a new expensice iPhone for one of the children, because the child wanted one for Christmas.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2018, 09:03:59 AM by Linda_Norway »

I'm a red panda

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21191 on: December 10, 2018, 08:42:24 AM »
I don't know the specifics, but he mentioned he always maximizes the memory on the phone so he doesn't have to worry about "running out of room."

Can't you get SD cards for android/google phones or something so you don't have to do this?
Most Android phones have a card slot, but many flagship (i.e. most expensive) models do not. No Apple phone has a card slot. If you want the extra 64GB, you'll pay the extra $200 to get it, rather than the $11 that size SD card costs.

My current Android phone (super cheap Moto) has a card slot but is super picky about what can go on it.  So most of my apps actually can't go on the SD card, and neither can my photos.  I'm not quite sure I understand how that works.

Just Joe

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21192 on: December 10, 2018, 10:09:40 AM »
There are apps such as ES File Explorer that give you more control over the filesystem on your Android phone.

Allows easy access to most everything - especially the microSD card.

I try to store everything I can on the card so if the phone breaks I can simply slip the microSD card out and into another phone or into my computer (with SD card adapter) and access those files.

I'm not sure about Windows but Mint Linux makes this very , very easy to work with. Also, Android/Mint Linux allows my phone to connect via a charge cord and act like an external drive. There is a Linux program called KDE Connect that allows the phone and the computer to connect via the wi-fi network. It even functions at work.

I'm sure different Android phones have different abilities where this is concerned. I'm running an ASUS Zenfone 3.

DW (iPhone) and I (Android) both backup our phones to an NAS at home.

Cadman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21193 on: December 10, 2018, 10:40:58 AM »
Wait? That happened to you? The same thing happened to me and a couple of friends when we were teens. We were nonchalantly cutting through someone's backyard (woodsy area) and the guy came out onto this back porch with a shotgun and threatened to shoot us. He was a scary man with a long grey beard and a flannel shirt.

I will never forget how damn mad he was at a couple of kids. Now that I think about it, maybe he was a tweaker.

in the USA my friend and I (12 year olds) were cutting through the woods behind someone's house (150 yards behind their house and he fired a shotgun blast into the trees over our heads.
This tends to happen in more rural areas, where houses are more spread out and people are used to their privacy. In Virginia, you'll see a lot of wooded areas with "POSTED: no trespassing" signs1 slapped on trees or actual posts. You're taking your life in your hands if you ignore those signs.

Could be a cranky old guy, a paranoid prepper, or someone with something to hide (moonshine still, pot plants, and/or, yes, the occasional meth lab these days). Gun ownership is also much higher in rural areas, and people use guns to fend off wildlife, so they're more accustomed to the idea of using them in defense of their property.

(1 the word "POSTED" is made prominent, apparently due to a quirky interpretation of the wording of Virginia's trespassing laws. I'm not sure it's actually necessary, but at this point it's the recognized standard for such signs.)

The counterpoint to this is that if you don't have POSTED signs everywhere, you'll end up with every Tom, Dick and Harry running around your property during hunting season "pleading ignorance".

dcheesi

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21194 on: December 10, 2018, 11:09:57 AM »
Wait? That happened to you? The same thing happened to me and a couple of friends when we were teens. We were nonchalantly cutting through someone's backyard (woodsy area) and the guy came out onto this back porch with a shotgun and threatened to shoot us. He was a scary man with a long grey beard and a flannel shirt.

I will never forget how damn mad he was at a couple of kids. Now that I think about it, maybe he was a tweaker.

in the USA my friend and I (12 year olds) were cutting through the woods behind someone's house (150 yards behind their house and he fired a shotgun blast into the trees over our heads.
This tends to happen in more rural areas, where houses are more spread out and people are used to their privacy. In Virginia, you'll see a lot of wooded areas with "POSTED: no trespassing" signs1 slapped on trees or actual posts. You're taking your life in your hands if you ignore those signs.

Could be a cranky old guy, a paranoid prepper, or someone with something to hide (moonshine still, pot plants, and/or, yes, the occasional meth lab these days). Gun ownership is also much higher in rural areas, and people use guns to fend off wildlife, so they're more accustomed to the idea of using them in defense of their property.

(1 the word "POSTED" is made prominent, apparently due to a quirky interpretation of the wording of Virginia's trespassing laws. I'm not sure it's actually necessary, but at this point it's the recognized standard for such signs.)

The counterpoint to this is that if you don't have POSTED signs everywhere, you'll end up with every Tom, Dick and Harry running around your property during hunting season "pleading ignorance".
TL;DR: Don't go in the woods in VA unless you want to get shot :D

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21195 on: December 10, 2018, 03:14:59 PM »
Wait? That happened to you? The same thing happened to me and a couple of friends when we were teens. We were nonchalantly cutting through someone's backyard (woodsy area) and the guy came out onto this back porch with a shotgun and threatened to shoot us. He was a scary man with a long grey beard and a flannel shirt.

I will never forget how damn mad he was at a couple of kids. Now that I think about it, maybe he was a tweaker.

in the USA my friend and I (12 year olds) were cutting through the woods behind someone's house (150 yards behind their house and he fired a shotgun blast into the trees over our heads.
This tends to happen in more rural areas, where houses are more spread out and people are used to their privacy. In Virginia, you'll see a lot of wooded areas with "POSTED: no trespassing" signs1 slapped on trees or actual posts. You're taking your life in your hands if you ignore those signs.

Could be a cranky old guy, a paranoid prepper, or someone with something to hide (moonshine still, pot plants, and/or, yes, the occasional meth lab these days). Gun ownership is also much higher in rural areas, and people use guns to fend off wildlife, so they're more accustomed to the idea of using them in defense of their property.

(1 the word "POSTED" is made prominent, apparently due to a quirky interpretation of the wording of Virginia's trespassing laws. I'm not sure it's actually necessary, but at this point it's the recognized standard for such signs.)

The counterpoint to this is that if you don't have POSTED signs everywhere, you'll end up with every Tom, Dick and Harry running around your property during hunting season "pleading ignorance".
TL;DR: Don't go in the woods in VA unless you want to get shot :D

Stay out of the forest.

Penn42

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21196 on: December 15, 2018, 01:39:36 PM »
I think it's funny how much people, even spendypants, love saving money.  One of my coworkers, who is a direct peer and under contract we have the same compensation (therefore we talk money somewhat openly), spends just about everything he makes.  He does contribute to his 401(k), but other than that it's new this/new that.  All stuff he already has or doesn't need, but he always buys used or on sale.  It could be worse, but it's weird to be so fixated on deals when it's all superfluous stuff anyway.

He recently booked a vacation with a travel agent and the agent "saved" him $400.  He knows I'm frugal and has lamented that he wishes he could save more.  Then he goes out to lunch or dinner many days. 

After a year of financial prowess soaking into my brain from this community's collective mustache this behavior seems weirder and weirder.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21197 on: December 16, 2018, 09:33:05 AM »
One of my colleagues says that he and his wife are the "spend everything now" kind of people and seems proud of it. His 2 children are very different. His son is in the military and saves as much as he can. His daughter spends everything she earns. He is often despising his son in the lunch break and telling us that his daughter is more like her parents. Once he helped his daughter out economicaly, and then gave a similar amount of money to his son, because that was fair. Very good of him. But he told his son not to save the money up. The son was supposed to spend it on something he normally would not spend on. Co-worker despised the idea that his son would save the money received from his parents.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21198 on: December 16, 2018, 10:59:07 AM »
One of my colleagues says that he and his wife are the "spend everything now" kind of people and seems proud of it. His 2 children are very different. His son is in the military and saves as much as he can. His daughter spends everything she earns. He is often despising his son in the lunch break and telling us that his daughter is more like her parents. Once he helped his daughter out economicaly, and then gave a similar amount of money to his son, because that was fair. Very good of him. But he told his son not to save the money up. The son was supposed to spend it on something he normally would not spend on. Co-worker despised the idea that his son would save the money received from his parents.

My grandma did this for me on a trip in Europe-gave me a huge amount of money and said it was for a specific location in Portofino Italy and to spend it all one night. I remember that night so vividly all these years later. It was worth it. If they are giving a gift they want to, the person should accept it and use it. 

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #21199 on: December 16, 2018, 12:07:48 PM »
Yes if someone gives you a gift with a specific request I would honor it. Someone mentioned buying used furniture and that’s fine except I wouldn’t buy any upholstered furniture because of bed bugs. They are extremely expensive and a pain to get rid of.