Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13252653 times)

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9400 on: July 22, 2015, 12:55:40 PM »
Not really overheard at work but, I hate being the youngest at the company where I work. Anytime I try to convince others to not be so facepunch worthy, I get laughed at and people assume that, because I'm unmarried and have no children, I cannot understand how expensive life TRULY is.
Example:
CW: My (6 year old) daugter wants a pool. City law requires a 4 foot fence around my yard before we can build a pool. Building a fence is going to be super pricey.
Me: I would just get a small pool that fits in under the requirements of the law.
CW: I already found the pool I want. I am just looking up fencing prices.
Me: I would just pass on the pool for now, there's no way its worth it.
CW But she wants one. (As he huffs off with a disgusted look on his face, baffled at my lack of understanding how finances work when you have a child)

This coworker both vapes and smokes regular cigarettes, and drives a NEW Dodge SUV/Minvan combo (they only have one daughter).
Hahahahaha
My business partner has a $50K pool financed by a loan from his wife's TSP account. I have an 18-foot circular blowup pool that I got for free (a friend literally took it off the curb from someone who was moving). I think I actually have more fun with mine.

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9401 on: July 22, 2015, 01:13:57 PM »
Not really overheard at work but, I hate being the youngest at the company where I work. Anytime I try to convince others to not be so facepunch worthy, I get laughed at and people assume that, because I'm unmarried and have no children, I cannot understand how expensive life TRULY is.
Example:
CW: My (6 year old) daugter wants a pool. City law requires a 4 foot fence around my yard before we can build a pool. Building a fence is going to be super pricey.
Me: I would just get a small pool that fits in under the requirements of the law.
CW: I already found the pool I want. I am just looking up fencing prices.
Me: I would just pass on the pool for now, there's no way its worth it.
CW But she wants one. (As he huffs off with a disgusted look on his face, baffled at my lack of understanding how finances work when you have a child)

This coworker both vapes and smokes regular cigarettes, and drives a NEW Dodge SUV/Minvan combo (they only have one daughter).
Hahahahaha
My business partner has a $50K pool financed by a loan from his wife's TSP account. I have an 18-foot circular blowup pool that I got for free (a friend literally took it off the curb from someone who was moving). I think I actually have more fun with mine.

Wow... 50k is a pretty expensive pool, too. 

Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9402 on: July 22, 2015, 01:14:13 PM »
It blows my mind why people would want a pool. I lived in a house where we had an in-ground pool for about 15 years (we bought it foreclosed). God bless my father. He did all the maintenance himself. It took so much time and money to upkeep. What a waste. There is literally a beach 10 minutes drive in Mass where they live. Not a "nasty lake beach" but the ocean beach. I far prefer lakes, but maybe that's because I grew up in Minnesota.

cripzychiken

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 194
  • Location: Central Florida
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9403 on: July 22, 2015, 01:20:07 PM »
Not really overheard at work but, I hate being the youngest at the company where I work. Anytime I try to convince others to not be so facepunch worthy, I get laughed at and people assume that, because I'm unmarried and have no children, I cannot understand how expensive life TRULY is.
Example:
CW: My (6 year old) daugter wants a pool. City law requires a 4 foot fence around my yard before we can build a pool. Building a fence is going to be super pricey.
Me: I would just get a small pool that fits in under the requirements of the law.
CW: I already found the pool I want. I am just looking up fencing prices.
Me: I would just pass on the pool for now, there's no way its worth it.
CW But she wants one. (As he huffs off with a disgusted look on his face, baffled at my lack of understanding how finances work when you have a child)

This coworker both vapes and smokes regular cigarettes, and drives a NEW Dodge SUV/Minvan combo (they only have one daughter).

I like how the 4ft fence is $$, but the pool, I guess, is free.  But, obviously, since you don't have it kid, you don't realize that.  /s

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9404 on: July 22, 2015, 01:21:29 PM »
Wow... 50k is a pretty expensive pool, too.
It's a sweet-ass pool with all this custom rock work and shit. The sad thing is the TSP financing... she truly hates her job and would love to quit yesterday. This added years to the timeline for that ever happening.
It blows my mind why people would want a pool. I lived in a house where we had an in-ground pool for about 15 years (we bought it foreclosed). God bless my father. He did all the maintenance himself. It took so much time and money to upkeep. What a waste. There is literally a beach 10 minutes drive in Mass where they live. Not a "nasty lake beach" but the ocean beach. I far prefer lakes, but maybe that's because I grew up in Minnesota.
I always said I'd never do it... maintenance is a bitch, liability, etc. My glorified kiddie pool is almost too much. But I love skipping my morning shower and just splashing around in it after walking my dogs, and when it's 100 degrees out, there's nothing better than coming home, knocking out some yardwork, then grabbing a beer and floating in my lounge tube.
I'd never want my own in-ground pool, but I love having the use of one. I grew up swimming competitively and it's still one of my favorite workouts. We still have access to the community pool by the townhouse we rented out last year, and I stop in there to do laps (just went this morning) or just hang out. It'll do until I can get back to the ocean.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10859
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9405 on: July 22, 2015, 01:35:55 PM »
"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat out, especially not at Chili's."

"Waah, waah, waah...I'm a vegan."

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat pork."

There are literally millions of people starving all over the world...just f* eat it!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.
What about allergies to foods, or gluten intolerances, do those count too?


Allergies definitely count. Intolerances to gluten specifically do not count, because they don't exist, and they're dangerous to real celiacs.
Huh, I'll have to tell my three friends that.  Who aren't celiac, but have major reactions to gluten, like doubled-over stomach pain.  Must be in their head.

Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9406 on: July 22, 2015, 01:41:53 PM »
Quote
I always said I'd never do it... maintenance is a bitch, liability, etc. My glorified kiddie pool is almost too much. But I love skipping my morning shower and just splashing around in it after walking my dogs, and when it's 100 degrees out, there's nothing better than coming home, knocking out some yardwork, then grabbing a beer and floating in my lounge tube.
I'd never want my own in-ground pool, but I love having the use of one. I grew up swimming competitively and it's still one of my favorite workouts. We still have access to the community pool by the townhouse we rented out last year, and I stop in there to do laps (just went this morning) or just hang out. It'll do until I can get back to the ocean.

+1,000
Not really overheard at work but, I hate being the youngest at the company where I work. Anytime I try to convince others to not be so facepunch worthy, I get laughed at and people assume that, because I'm unmarried and have no children, I cannot understand how expensive life TRULY is.

Additional family members are expensive in this unpredictable way that gets harder to handle as you add more people if you're poor at money management. In any given year, you probably experience a couple random Expensive Events, whether it's needing a bunch of dental work, or a random pricey car repair, or suddenly getting sick and needing some unpaid time off.

As you add more people to your family, the odds of a Random Expensive Thing happening increase. Your kid accidentally throws out their expensive retainer. Your spouse needs a root canal. Your car gets hit by a deer and insurance doesn't fully cover the cost of the repair. Your child needs speech therapy and you live in east bumblefuck nowhere and need to put a ton of miles on the car twice a week to get there. Your furnace breaks down. Your baby needs hideously expensive baby formula because they can't tolerate anything else. Your child is so severely unable to fit in to public school that you need to seriously consider private school. Your spouse needs an expensive tool to do his job and his last one just broke and you need to replace it right now. All of these have happened to either me or my parents at one time or another. We sort of just assume that a few of the moving parts in our family are going to fail in a given year and save accordingly, but I get the impression a lot of people don't.

And this I understand. Hence the emergency fund. Hence why maybe they don't need a pool or a fence. Why would you let your 6 year old decide things like that. Its mostly the condescension that irks me.

For the record, one of my most scarring events as a child is when I dropped my retainer in the school garbage on Taco day. When I called my mother, she told me I had to dig it out or I wouldn't have a retainer. So, I asked the janitor to bring me to the garbage after lunch and I rooted around in the salsa, black olives, chocolate milk, rice slurry until I found it, way at the bottom. To this day, black olives make me want to hurl.

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat out, especially not at Chili's."

"Waah, waah, waah...I'm a vegan."

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat pork."

There are literally millions of people starving all over the world...just f* eat it!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.
What about allergies to foods, or gluten intolerances, do those count too?


Allergies definitely count. Intolerances to gluten specifically do not count, because they don't exist, and they're dangerous to real celiacs.
Huh, I'll have to tell my three friends that.  Who aren't celiac, but have major reactions to gluten, like doubled-over stomach pain.  Must be in their head.

+1. If I consume gluten, even on accident, I call my boss and tell him I won't be at work the next day. Any bathroom I use must be walled-off forever more do to potential radioactive contamination. Not only that, but I get the worst migraines and stomach pains I've ever had.

This is, of course, a lie. Gluten intolerance is completely fake. ;)

Zaga

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2903
  • Age: 44
  • Location: North of Pittsburgh, PA
    • A Wall of Hats
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9407 on: July 22, 2015, 01:42:58 PM »
"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat out, especially not at Chili's."

"Waah, waah, waah...I'm a vegan."

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat pork."

There are literally millions of people starving all over the world...just f* eat it!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.
What about allergies to foods, or gluten intolerances, do those count too?


Allergies definitely count. Intolerances to gluten specifically do not count, because they don't exist, and they're dangerous to real celiacs.
Huh, I'll have to tell my three friends that.  Who aren't celiac, but have major reactions to gluten, like doubled-over stomach pain.  Must be in their head.
I thought that "real" celiacs loved people who eat gluten free.  Because of the gluten free fad it's much easier to find gluten free products in supermarkets.

mtn

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1343
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9408 on: July 22, 2015, 01:51:03 PM »
"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat out, especially not at Chili's."

"Waah, waah, waah...I'm a vegan."

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat pork."

There are literally millions of people starving all over the world...just f* eat it!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.
What about allergies to foods, or gluten intolerances, do those count too?


Allergies definitely count. Intolerances to gluten specifically do not count, because they don't exist, and they're dangerous to real celiacs.
Huh, I'll have to tell my three friends that.  Who aren't celiac, but have major reactions to gluten, like doubled-over stomach pain.  Must be in their head.
I thought that "real" celiacs loved people who eat gluten free.  Because of the gluten free fad it's much easier to find gluten free products in supermarkets.

That part is true. But the part that hurts is restaurants will advertise "Gluten Free" and it will be 99% gluten free. Most of it isn't. But a celiac will go in there and find it to definitely not be gluten free. Most so called gluten intolerants wouldn't even notice, because it is so little.

And yeah, gluten intolerance doesn't exist. Or rather it is a false-negative where they're missing the real diagnosis of Celiac, IBS, IBD, Chrohns, Colitis, etc. Also, there is the factor that your body no longer recognizes it after being off of it for so long that it treats it as a toxin. Same thing happens with meat with some vegetarians, or spicy peppers with people who don't eat them, etc.

I guess I'm arguing semantics here, but doesn't really matter. If you're happy not eating gluten, continue to not eat it. FWIW, I'm currently gluten free other than beer, but not because of the gluten, just because of everything that it eliminates.


Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9409 on: July 22, 2015, 01:52:39 PM »
As someone who actually can't eat gluten, it bothers me when people talk about they have gone "GF" but still drink copious amounts of beer. It also bothers me when people are whiny about it. If you have a death-level reaction to gluten, I would be a hardass about it. But otherwise, if bread touches your food. please STFU, ESPECIALLY if you suffer no adverse effects from gluten consumption. Plus when others bitch about gluten issues yet still orders a beer, it may give the wrong impression to waitstaff about the seriousness of gluten contamination for those of us who suffer from an actual intolerance.

Sibley

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7408
  • Location: Northwest Indiana
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9410 on: July 22, 2015, 01:57:34 PM »
One thing about going out for lunches on Fridays, it may be an expense worth it. Occasionally I'll eat out even though I don't want to because the socializing and networking helps.

+1000

The whole point of an internship is to get a (better) job when you graduate.  You don't want to be labeled the "weird loner".  Every company loves the "team player" buzzword when they go to hire people, and I guarantee the young engineers you're working with will be asked at the end of the summer which interns are potential hires.  Who do you think they are going to recommend, assuming all of the interns are equally qualified?  Spend the $10 a week on the group lunch and consider it an investment in your future.  Even if this place doesn't pan out long term, these other young engineers will have friends at other places looking for entry level employees.

This.

And remember, it isn't a permanent thing. When you get a full time gig, every time for the first month or so that someone asks if you want to go to lunch, join them. Especially if they're a higher level than you. After a month, pull back on that to about once a month, or whatever you deem is the correct amount.

A trick that's worked for me is "Oh, I don't do Mexican, (Or whatever the most expensive place is) my stomach always reacts poorly to it let me know when you hit that Greek place (Or whatever the cheap place is), I just love it!" Using this technique, you are snubbing the restaurant, not the invitee and you are only going to the cheapest places. I have one boss who I have only ever seen join the guys for lunch at Subway - everywhere else "takes too long for his packed schedule."

"Casa Bonita? - I can't spend the whole afternoon on the can"......problem solved

I'm going to disagree on this. If you don't like a place or can't tolerate it, that's one thing, but I wouldn't say that you can't stomach Mexican. One lie leads to another and it's just too hard for me to keep up with them. You don't want to say that you can't handle Mexican and then a week later your supervisor sees you at a Mexican restaurant.

Also, no one likes that person that shoots down most places. If you find that people around you are sighing and saying, "Fine, where do you want to go," because you've shot down the places they've recommended, you can lose friends that way, or at least look bad to your colleagues.

My solution for that is to always pack a lunch or just be willing to go out to my own place. It works well for me. The reason is that I'm just a particularly picky eater, but I think the situation still applies. Whenever people are talking about where to go out to lunch, they'll ask if I want to go; if I don't want to go, I just tell them thanks for the offer but I brought lunch, but if I do want to go I'll just throw my lunch in the fridge for the next day. There are some places where my coworkers know I'll never go, so they'll mention it as a courtesy so I know what they're doing but they don't expect me to join.

I agree that if you try to force everyone to go where you want to go every time you'll come off as annoying and no one will invite you, but in my experience no one is sour over just declining the invitation and doing your own thing. Just be polite, thank them for the invitation, and ask them to keep you in the loop in the future with the clause that you just might not go with them every time.

I've actually taken my packed lunch to the restaurant and eaten it there on occasion.

mtn

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1343
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9411 on: July 22, 2015, 01:59:55 PM »
As someone who actually can't eat gluten, it bothers me when people talk about they have gone "GF" but still drink copious amounts of beer. It also bothers me when people are whiny about it. If you have a death-level reaction to gluten, I would be a hardass about it. But otherwise, if bread touches your food. please STFU, ESPECIALLY if you suffer no adverse effects from gluten consumption. Plus when others bitch about gluten issues yet still orders a beer, it may give the wrong impression to waitstaff about the seriousness of gluten contamination for those of us who suffer from an actual intolerance.

This, exactly.

dragoncar

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 9918
  • Registered member
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9412 on: July 22, 2015, 02:28:08 PM »
I loVe pools and need a way to convince my neighbors who have them to lete use theirs (there are three adjacent lots and one across the street is actually installing one now in The middle of the CA drought *facepalm*).  Problem is I'm not very friendly

Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9413 on: July 22, 2015, 02:34:19 PM »
Offer to pay? I would let you use my pool all you goddamn want (if I had one) if you gave me 40 bucks for the season that its open.

nobody123

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 519
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9414 on: July 22, 2015, 02:36:05 PM »
It blows my mind why people would want a pool. I lived in a house where we had an in-ground pool for about 15 years (we bought it foreclosed). God bless my father. He did all the maintenance himself. It took so much time and money to upkeep. What a waste. There is literally a beach 10 minutes drive in Mass where they live. Not a "nasty lake beach" but the ocean beach. I far prefer lakes, but maybe that's because I grew up in Minnesota.

I've always heard that you don't want to own a pool or a boat.  You want to be friends with the guy that owns a pool and a boat.

ingrownstudentloans

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 261
  • Age: 37
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9415 on: July 22, 2015, 02:44:14 PM »
Your car gets hit by a deer and insurance doesn't fully cover the cost of the repair.

So there I was, at a red light, just minding my own business when ALL OF A SUDDEN my car gets HIT BY A DEER!!!!  I mean, it was like it just fell from the sky and HIT MY CAR!!!!

*** This was written in jest by someone whose father and sister hit a combined 4 deer in a two-year span (including a nice 10-point a week before season opened that my neighbor had been watching/dreaming about), our insurance threatened to drop the whole family if another deer was hit, and who once had the side of his car run into by a deer...I know it can happen.

mtn

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1343
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9416 on: July 22, 2015, 02:54:08 PM »
Your car gets hit by a deer and insurance doesn't fully cover the cost of the repair.

So there I was, at a red light, just minding my own business when ALL OF A SUDDEN my car gets HIT BY A DEER!!!!  I mean, it was like it just fell from the sky and HIT MY CAR!!!!

*** This was written in jest by someone whose father and sister hit a combined 4 deer in a two-year span (including a nice 10-point a week before season opened that my neighbor had been watching/dreaming about), our insurance threatened to drop the whole family if another deer was hit, and who once had the side of his car run into by a deer...I know it can happen.

Ex-coworker of mine hit 3 in about 2 years. The second one was a buck, hitting him--broke his window. His side window. (This was a truck-topper, I doubt it could have happened on the regular car windows)

shelivesthedream

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6740
  • Location: London, UK
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9417 on: July 22, 2015, 03:25:00 PM »
"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat out, especially not at Chili's."

"Waah, waah, waah...I'm a vegan."

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat pork."

There are literally millions of people starving all over the world...just f* eat it!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

You are completely missing the point. These people aren't being picky about food. They are feeling hurt because some food was bought which was focused entirely around them was something which they will obviously not eat. Imagine you hate scary films and your great big birthday treat is going to see Jaws - insensitive much? Or your least favourite colour in the whole world is green and someone specially buys you a green scarf - like, how hard would it have been to pick up the blue one instead? If it was jut random office food then either eat it or don't, but if it's food for YOUR party, you bave a right to be pissed off.

klystomane

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 180
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9418 on: July 22, 2015, 03:45:39 PM »
"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat out, especially not at Chili's."

"Waah, waah, waah...I'm a vegan."

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat pork."

There are literally millions of people starving all over the world...just f* eat it!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

You are completely missing the point. These people aren't being picky about food. They are feeling hurt because some food was bought which was focused entirely around them was something which they will obviously not eat. Imagine you hate scary films and your great big birthday treat is going to see Jaws - insensitive much? Or your least favourite colour in the whole world is green and someone specially buys you a green scarf - like, how hard would it have been to pick up the blue one instead? If it was jut random office food then either eat it or don't, but if it's food for YOUR party, you bave a right to be pissed off.

Let me get the logic straight here. A bunch of coworkers go out to try and do something nice for me (when they have no obligation to), randomly picks a restaurant/food which I happen to dislike (I am assuming this was not done intentionally), and you're telling me that I should be angry at the fact that they didn't do it right.






shelivesthedream

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6740
  • Location: London, UK
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9419 on: July 22, 2015, 03:52:14 PM »
And yeah, gluten intolerance doesn't exist. Or rather it is a false-negative where they're missing the real diagnosis of Celiac, IBS, IBD, Chrohns, Colitis, etc. Also, there is the factor that your body no longer recognizes it after being off of it for so long that it treats it as a toxin. Same thing happens with meat with some vegetarians, or spicy peppers with people who don't eat them, etc.

HA HA HA SURE FOOD INTOLERANCES DO NOT EXIST LOL

Are you volunteering to clean the bathroom after I ate something I shouldn't?? And if my turbulent bowels, intense joint pain and crippling fatigue are actually IBS disguised as food intolerances, how come I have no symptoms as long as I keep onion-, garlic- and lactose-free? If someone stops eating gluten and gets better, are you saying that's irrelevant? I used I be snotty about food intolerances too, and then I got some. And every time someone says "Just eat it, it's really nice!" I want to punch them in the face. With my bowels. Because no one would make this shit (pun intended) up if they knew what it was really like.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10859
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9420 on: July 22, 2015, 04:24:30 PM »
And yeah, gluten intolerance doesn't exist. Or rather it is a false-negative where they're missing the real diagnosis of Celiac, IBS, IBD, Chrohns, Colitis, etc. Also, there is the factor that your body no longer recognizes it after being off of it for so long that it treats it as a toxin. Same thing happens with meat with some vegetarians, or spicy peppers with people who don't eat them, etc.

HA HA HA SURE FOOD INTOLERANCES DO NOT EXIST LOL

Are you volunteering to clean the bathroom after I ate something I shouldn't?? And if my turbulent bowels, intense joint pain and crippling fatigue are actually IBS disguised as food intolerances, how come I have no symptoms as long as I keep onion-, garlic- and lactose-free? If someone stops eating gluten and gets better, are you saying that's irrelevant? I used I be snotty about food intolerances too, and then I got some. And every time someone says "Just eat it, it's really nice!" I want to punch them in the face. With my bowels. Because no one would make this shit (pun intended) up if they knew what it was really like.
Mostly my friends are people who had to do a lot of experimentation.  They dealt with a lot of issues - intestinal pain, joint pain, and other intestinal issues.  The celiac tests came back negative.   (I also have a friend with Crohns, so I'm somewhat familiar with that).

It took a lot of experimentation to realize that if they gave up gluten (mostly wheat, but other gluten-containing grains), then their issues went away.  You have to be hyper aware and ready to experiment to figure that out.

One of my friends just mentioned that she doesn't do gluten.  She's a physician's assistant.  She had many patients who gave up gluten and swore by it, but basically told them they were full of crap - you don't have celiac, you are making this up.

Then she decided to try it herself, and couldn't believe the difference.  Thing is, when your body behaves a certain way, you get used to it.  In her case, I think it was constipation.  She figured it was normal.  Then she got rid of gluten and all of her nasty problems, that she'd just been dealing with, went away.

I personally don't think I have a gluten sensitivity.  But I did experiment with giving it up for a month last year.  After several months of a strict calorie controlled diet (where I was losing about 2 lbs a month), I gave up wheat, sugar, and wine.  For a month.  My calories remained the same, I just substituted rice, beans, popcorn, corn, and potatoes, for any bread, sugar or wine.  I lost 7 lbs that month.  (It's important to note that in a normal month, I'd have 1-2 servings of bread, wine, or sugar in a week, so not very much).

I'm glad I don't appear to have issues with gluten, because I love bread sooooo much.  Is there anything better than a slice of toasted sourdough for breakfast with fresh garden tomatoes??

music lover

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 652
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9421 on: July 22, 2015, 05:00:08 PM »
For those who wish to get on the gluten bandwagon, this video has some good tips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

forummm

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7374
  • Senior Mustachian
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9422 on: July 22, 2015, 05:00:41 PM »
"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat out, especially not at Chili's."

"Waah, waah, waah...I'm a vegan."

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat pork."

There are literally millions of people starving all over the world...just f* eat it!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

In response to the complaint about vegans, yes there are millions of starving people in the world and if more people ate fewer animal products, fewer crops would go to feeding animals for the meat and dairy industries, so there would be enough food for everyone in the world.

The trouble is getting it to all those people wherever they live and having them pay for it. There's already enough food grown in the world. We even waste 50% of what we grow in the US. And some additional portion we feed to our cars.

MoonShadow

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2542
  • Location: Louisville, Ky.
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9423 on: July 22, 2015, 07:22:16 PM »
"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat out, especially not at Chili's."

"Waah, waah, waah...I'm a vegan."

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat pork."

There are literally millions of people starving all over the world...just f* eat it!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

In response to the complaint about vegans, yes there are millions of starving people in the world and if more people ate fewer animal products, fewer crops would go to feeding animals for the meat and dairy industries, so there would be enough food for everyone in the world.

The trouble is getting it to all those people wherever they live and having them pay for it. There's already enough food grown in the world. We even waste 50% of what we grow in the US. And some additional portion we feed to our cars.

Indeed.  This world can still feed itself, the problem is logistical, not agricultural.

Brawndo Salesman

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 12
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9424 on: July 22, 2015, 09:14:02 PM »
I attended a mandatory presentation at work on the topic of "personal financial management." I'm in the military so mandatory training of this kind is standard.

I was very surprised that the presenter was able to talk for 30 minutes and never once mention credit, debt, recommended savings rates, net worth, retirement plan withdrawal rates, the value of index funds, and management fees.

It was essentially an infomercial for how to understand how a military retirement pension can fit in to your total retirement portfolio.

Not too helpful for the portion of the audience that will be forced out early and not have the option to serve the requisite  number of years.

Oh, and the only example of how compounding works involved saving $200/month for 40 years at 10% interest. Cute.

MoonShadow

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2542
  • Location: Louisville, Ky.
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9425 on: July 22, 2015, 09:54:52 PM »
I attended a mandatory presentation at work on the topic of "personal financial management." I'm in the military so mandatory training of this kind is standard.

I was very surprised that the presenter was able to talk for 30 minutes and never once mention credit, debt, recommended savings rates, net worth, retirement plan withdrawal rates, the value of index funds, and management fees.

It was essentially an infomercial for how to understand how a military retirement pension can fit in to your total retirement portfolio.

Not too helpful for the portion of the audience that will be forced out early and not have the option to serve the requisite  number of years.

Oh, and the only example of how compounding works involved saving $200/month for 40 years at 10% interest. Cute.

Then things haven't really changed since I've been in.

mustachepungoeshere

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2404
  • Location: Sydney, Oz
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9426 on: July 23, 2015, 12:02:42 AM »
Nothing major today, just bad habits.

Co-worker 1 buys two espressos every day. He's also still 'working' at 70-something.

Co-worker 2 smokes. A lot. His office smells like an ashtray, and he's the first to leave meetings to go have a smoke. Complains about school fees, petrol prices, etc.

Co-workers 3 and 4 buy their lunch together every day. Usually Subway at about $12 a pop, from what they say. One is in his 50s and complains about the cost of his ongoing kitchen renovation.

shelivesthedream

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6740
  • Location: London, UK
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9427 on: July 23, 2015, 01:01:45 AM »
For those who wish to get on the gluten bandwagon, this video has some good tips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798

YES! I wanted to link to that video but couldn't find it.

shelivesthedream

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 6740
  • Location: London, UK
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9428 on: July 23, 2015, 01:17:55 AM »
"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat out, especially not at Chili's."

"Waah, waah, waah...I'm a vegan."

"Waah, waah, waah...I don't eat pork."

There are literally millions of people starving all over the world...just f* eat it!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

You are completely missing the point. These people aren't being picky about food. They are feeling hurt because some food was bought which was focused entirely around them was something which they will obviously not eat. Imagine you hate scary films and your great big birthday treat is going to see Jaws - insensitive much? Or your least favourite colour in the whole world is green and someone specially buys you a green scarf - like, how hard would it have been to pick up the blue one instead? If it was jut random office food then either eat it or don't, but if it's food for YOUR party, you bave a right to be pissed off.

Let me get the logic straight here. A bunch of coworkers go out to try and do something nice for me (when they have no obligation to), randomly picks a restaurant/food which I happen to dislike (I am assuming this was not done intentionally), and you're telling me that I should be angry at the fact that they didn't do it right.

Compare these scenarios:

CW: "Hey, we're throwing a party for you and thought we'd take you out to [steakhouse]. How does that sound?"
You: "I'm vegan."
CW: "Oh sure, I forgot! Let's go to [other place] instead!"
You: "Awesome!"

Result: Genuine mistake corrected.

---

CW: "Hey, we're throwing a party for you! We're buying you lunch, anywhere you like because it's your party!"
You: "Awesome! Let's go to [place].

Result: Optimal.

---

CW: "Hey, we're throwing a party for you! We're going to [steakhouse].
You: "I'm vegan."
CW: "Sure, but everyone else picked [steakhouse] and we already booked a table.
You: "But I don't eat steak. Why didn't you ask me?"
CW: "Oh, the whole office wanted to go to [steakhouse] so we thought you wouldn't mind."
You: "But it's supposed to be my party..."

Result: Asshole

---

In the examples given upthread, the result was that the office went for the inappropriate (for whatever reason) food choice anyway without offering to let the person pick somewhere else that they wanted to go. So yes, if you were vegan and they took you to a steakhouse anyway, I would be cross.

LennStar

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3672
  • Location: Germany
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9429 on: July 23, 2015, 04:57:19 AM »
Regarding the whole gluten thing you have to differentiate between the "radioactive explosion" type of illness - that is a very low  percentage of persons who suffers this, its actually way under one percent, ranging from 1:10000 to 1:100 depending on country and a bit on test method.

If people call gluten intolerance bullshit it is because that gets mixed up with other types of illnesses like allergies and most infamously with lactose intolerance, which has a wide spread of symptons and percentages of people who have it in different contries.
Being intolerant often does not mean you have problems - you can eat your sliver of cheese without problems, you should just not drink a liter of milk. But people often put a bad diet on lactose intolerance, because then they dont have to question their weight or their habit of eating a burger every day.

This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

sheepstache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2417
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9430 on: July 23, 2015, 05:05:25 AM »
This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

Well a bit better because normal earth ice does have heat in it.

Pooperman

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2880
  • Age: 34
  • Location: North Carolina
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9431 on: July 23, 2015, 05:28:16 AM »
This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

Well a bit better because normal earth ice does have heat in it.

Well, maybe more like calling ice "liquid free*"

*Containes trace amounts of liquid less than 0.5g/serving

golden1

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1541
  • Location: MA
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9432 on: July 23, 2015, 06:17:21 AM »
Quote
It blows my mind why people would want a pool. I lived in a house where we had an in-ground pool for about 15 years (we bought it foreclosed). God bless my father. He did all the maintenance himself. It took so much time and money to upkeep. What a waste. There is literally a beach 10 minutes drive in Mass where they live. Not a "nasty lake beach" but the ocean beach. I far prefer lakes, but maybe that's because I grew up in Minnesota.

I live in MA and when I moved into my house, it had an inground pool.  After 3 years of dealing with the upkeep, I filled it in.  It was one of the best decisions I ever made.  In MA, you can only use it for 3-4 months tops, and I only swam in it maybe 3-5 times each summer.  For the money I spent on chemicals plus the time, I figured if I really wanted to swim I'd pay for a gym or YMCA membership.  Plus, our town has a really nice free wading pool that I took the kids to on hot days when they were little.   

Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9433 on: July 23, 2015, 06:36:23 AM »
Regarding the whole gluten thing you have to differentiate between the "radioactive explosion" type of illness - that is a very low  percentage of persons who suffers this, its actually way under one percent, ranging from 1:10000 to 1:100 depending on country and a bit on test method.

If people call gluten intolerance bullshit it is because that gets mixed up with other types of illnesses like allergies and most infamously with lactose intolerance, which has a wide spread of symptons and percentages of people who have it in different contries.
Being intolerant often does not mean you have problems - you can eat your sliver of cheese without problems, you should just not drink a liter of milk. But people often put a bad diet on lactose intolerance, because then they dont have to question their weight or their habit of eating a burger every day.

This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.


My mama always told me I was special...

Well, I don't do lactose either, lol. It makes me stuffy as hell, even if I eat "just a sliver" of cheese (plus I always break out in brutal Acne after a dairy binge). Full fat Greek yogurt is about all I can handle, and even that has to be in really small doses.

sheepstache

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 2417
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9434 on: July 23, 2015, 06:50:37 AM »
This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

Well a bit better because normal earth ice does have heat in it.

Well, maybe more like calling ice "liquid free*"

*Containes trace amounts of liquid less than 0.5g/serving

*Manufactured at a facility that contains liquid.

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9435 on: July 23, 2015, 07:14:32 AM »

This confusion does not get better when you can read "loctose free and gluten free" on an ever growing number od products. I especially "like" it on meat. It's a bit like calling ice heat free.

I bought cholesterol free carrots the other day.

That was some useful labeling!

Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9436 on: July 23, 2015, 07:18:21 AM »
I, for one, sure am glad that my eggs are "naturally gluten free."

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9437 on: July 23, 2015, 07:25:08 AM »
I attended a mandatory presentation at work on the topic of "personal financial management." I'm in the military so mandatory training of this kind is standard.

I was very surprised that the presenter was able to talk for 30 minutes and never once mention credit, debt, recommended savings rates, net worth, retirement plan withdrawal rates, the value of index funds, and management fees.

It was essentially an infomercial for how to understand how a military retirement pension can fit in to your total retirement portfolio.

Not too helpful for the portion of the audience that will be forced out early and not have the option to serve the requisite  number of years.

Oh, and the only example of how compounding works involved saving $200/month for 40 years at 10% interest. Cute.
Huh. When I was halfway through college, and doing my AFROTC summer field training, we had a USAA guy come for an hour one day. I'll never forget the example of a mid-career bonus - one guy spent it on a sports car, the other put the money in the stock market and had some fabulous six-figure nest egg a decade later. That was one of the early experiences that got me thinking about how to have my cake and eat it too.

For those who wish to get on the gluten bandwagon, this video has some good tips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798
Watching right now. LOVE IT

Quote
Gluten-free meat
Sugar-free oil
Fat-free corn syrup
etc
Yeah, nutritional labels have gotten completely f*cking out of hand.

Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9438 on: July 23, 2015, 07:34:48 AM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798
Watching right now. LOVE IT

Quote
Gluten-free meat
Sugar-free oil
Fat-free corn syrup
etc
Yeah, nutritional labels have gotten completely f*cking out of hand.

The video is hilarious and is completely representative of a certain cohort of my college class.

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9439 on: July 23, 2015, 08:42:22 AM »
CW in next cube is showing a visitor pics of a $39K SUV financed for his dainty 90lb wife a few months ago.

CW: "Cause every soccer mom needs a winch, right? lol"
Visitor "Ooh, that's badass".
CW: "We don't do much outdoor stuff"
Me: *rolls eyes so hard, optic nerve damage may ensue*

Pooperman

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 2880
  • Age: 34
  • Location: North Carolina
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9440 on: July 23, 2015, 08:53:49 AM »
CW in next cube is showing a visitor pics of a $39K SUV financed for his dainty 90lb wife a few months ago.

CW: "Cause every soccer mom needs a winch, right? lol"
Visitor "Ooh, that's badass".
CW: "We don't do much outdoor stuff"
Me: *rolls eyes so hard, optic nerve damage may ensue*


Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9441 on: July 23, 2015, 08:55:51 AM »
The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9442 on: July 23, 2015, 09:04:44 AM »
CW: I wanna do (XYZ $$$) but our deal has always been DW gets to spend the same amount on whatever she wants.
Me: *says nothing, still struggling to find a diplomatic way to express how fucked this is*
Inwardly: You do realize you're just fucking yourselves twice as hard with that strategy, right???

CW still had five figures on CC's after last paydown (via cashout refi) and who knows what it is now...

benjenn

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 283
  • Age: 59
  • Location: Gulf Shores, AL
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9443 on: July 23, 2015, 09:09:02 AM »
Let me get the logic straight here. A bunch of coworkers go out to try and do something nice for me (when they have no obligation to), randomly picks a restaurant/food which I happen to dislike (I am assuming this was not done intentionally), and you're telling me that I should be angry at the fact that they didn't do it right.

Were my coworkers and CEO... all of whom know I don't eat meat, fish, dairy, eggs, etc... really trying to do something nice for me by celebrating my retirement with a fish fry?  I'm not angry that they had a fish fry, it just doesn't seem like much of a way to "honor" someone who has worked here for 26 years.  I didn't feel honored by it.

zephyr911

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3619
  • Age: 45
  • Location: Northern Alabama
  • I'm just happy to be here. \m/ ^_^ \m/
    • Pinhook Development LLC
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9444 on: July 23, 2015, 09:12:27 AM »
The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.
This jogged my memory of the other thing I just posted, FTR (it's a paraphrase of something I've heard several times but don't think I ever shared)
I just don't understand how people in a committed relationship could basically function as adversaries, which is what's happening in both cases. It's the classic tragedy of the commons writ small - marital finances are a free-for-all where nobody thinks about the endgame and all they do is fight for whatever they can get, right now, regardless of the long-term impact.

I had a class on effective negotiation where they illustrated many cases in which two people get locked into a battle of wills over something without realizing there's a way for all parties to get what they need, if only they take a creative and collaborative problem-solving approach. That was really an eye-opener for me.

The example was two people arguing over an orange and never discovering that one only wants the zest for baking while the other wants a glass of juice. Real-life examples might be a little more nuanced, and obviously a dollar is just a dollar, but we could all do a better job of looking at the big picture to maximize utility for everyone involved. These examples here are pretty much the opposite end of the continuum.

Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9445 on: July 23, 2015, 09:28:40 AM »
The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.
This jogged my memory of the other thing I just posted, FTR (it's a paraphrase of something I've heard several times but don't think I ever shared)
I just don't understand how people in a committed relationship could basically function as adversaries, which is what's happening in both cases. It's the classic tragedy of the commons writ small - marital finances are a free-for-all where nobody thinks about the endgame and all they do is fight for whatever they can get, right now, regardless of the long-term impact.

I had a class on effective negotiation where they illustrated many cases in which two people get locked into a battle of wills over something without realizing there's a way for all parties to get what they need, if only they take a creative and collaborative problem-solving approach. That was really an eye-opener for me.

The example was two people arguing over an orange and never discovering that one only wants the zest for baking while the other wants a glass of juice. Real-life examples might be a little more nuanced, and obviously a dollar is just a dollar, but we could all do a better job of looking at the big picture to maximize utility for everyone involved. These examples here are pretty much the opposite end of the continuum.

+ some power of ten greater than one

PencilThinStash

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 191
  • Age: 33
  • Location: Chicago Suburbs
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9446 on: July 23, 2015, 10:16:21 AM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798
Watching right now. LOVE IT

Quote
Gluten-free meat
Sugar-free oil
Fat-free corn syrup
etc
Yeah, nutritional labels have gotten completely f*cking out of hand.

The video is hilarious and is completely representative of a certain cohort of my college class.

There was a girl at my last job who came in all excited one day because "Guys, they finally make gluten-free Skittles! They taste so much better than regular Skittles!"

I about choked from laughing so hard. Another coworker argued with her for a solid 10 minutes about what gluten was and why Skittles have never had it... but couldn't convince her. She still thought the ones with the gluten-free label tasted so much better, there was just no way they could be the same candy.

Still makes me chuckle.

trailrated

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1136
  • Age: 36
  • Location: Bay Area Ca
  • a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9447 on: July 23, 2015, 10:38:11 AM »
I have a friend that still lives at his parents who is almost 30. He currently works at starbucks 100 yards from his house but he drives his f150 every day.

On a crazy note, he is overweight and broke despite not paying rent for a few years... I wonder why?

I'm a red panda

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8186
  • Location: United States
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9448 on: July 23, 2015, 10:46:15 AM »
The same future-pool owning coworker got a call last week from his wife who, without telling him, went out and bought a used car. Apparently they had talked about eventually doing that, but she just went out on her own and did it.

This poor family.

Oh, I can beat that. My cousin-in-law bought a new HOUSE in a DIFFERENT state without telling her husband. She wanted to move, he didn't; so she just did it.

They did end up moving, but SHOCKINGLY, the marriage didn't last much longer.

They have kids in college, so it isn't like they were strangers who didn't know each other; they had been married a LONG time.

Hall11235

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 246
  • Age: 30
  • Location: Mass
Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9449 on: July 23, 2015, 11:05:23 AM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oht9AEq1798
Watching right now. LOVE IT

Quote
Gluten-free meat
Sugar-free oil
Fat-free corn syrup
etc
Yeah, nutritional labels have gotten completely f*cking out of hand.

The video is hilarious and is completely representative of a certain cohort of my college class.

There was a girl at my last job who came in all excited one day because "Guys, they finally make gluten-free Skittles! They taste so much better than regular Skittles!"

I about choked from laughing so hard. Another coworker argued with her for a solid 10 minutes about what gluten was and why Skittles have never had it... but couldn't convince her. She still thought the ones with the gluten-free label tasted so much better, there was just no way they could be the same candy.

Still makes me chuckle.

I would probably have peed myself at that one. I would have used my homemade standing desk to facepunch her.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!