Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13252965 times)

EricL

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9800 on: August 06, 2015, 08:32:13 AM »
The "real" world is a much less toxic, frustrating, and obstructive place than school is.

School is this really weird, fake environment. I've left toxic workplaces and jobs, but you usually can't leave a class with the same situation. I've since run into girls who terrorized me in school, and we got along fine, once we weren't forced to spend every day together. No adult would put up with what many schoolchildren do, let alone for free. There we expect it off kids, who have far fewer emotional resources and coping skills than adults.

+1
Comparing my years in school vs years in the Army, I vastly prefer the Army.

Psychstache

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9801 on: August 06, 2015, 08:40:10 AM »

It's slang that means unsophisticated, unoriginal, trite, etc.

Interesting- I wouldn't have described it that way (but I am SO out of touch. The word makes no sense to me...)

The girls I see who are described on instagram and facebook as "basic" seem to be the ones who follow the current designer trends, spend a ton of money on clothes and hair. 

Maybe unoriginal because they all look exactly alike?

Working in the school system, I try and keep up. I have 'ratchet' and 'clean' figured out, but given the context I hear it in, I'm still not sure if 'basic' is a positive or a negative (this may also be because it is never clear if teenage girls are best friends or bitter rivals).

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9802 on: August 06, 2015, 08:46:51 AM »

It's slang that means unsophisticated, unoriginal, trite, etc.

Interesting- I wouldn't have described it that way (but I am SO out of touch. The word makes no sense to me...)

The girls I see who are described on instagram and facebook as "basic" seem to be the ones who follow the current designer trends, spend a ton of money on clothes and hair. 

Maybe unoriginal because they all look exactly alike?

I made the crack that if basic girls are girls who wear unoriginal clothing and all dress alike, then what are we calling basic guys, just 'guys'? Then someone used a College Humor sketch to explain that 'basic bro' covers things like taste and cultural values. The internet is such a wonderful educational place.

(eta: And I actually think it's great if women's clothing is becoming more conformist and boring so we have less to think about in that area, not because I was ragging on guys.)
« Last Edit: August 06, 2015, 09:33:41 AM by sheepstache »

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9803 on: August 06, 2015, 08:53:33 AM »

Working in the school system, I try and keep up. I have 'ratchet' and 'clean' figured out, but given the context I hear it in, I'm still not sure if 'basic' is a positive or a negative (this may also be because it is never clear if teenage girls are best friends or bitter rivals).

I don't know if basic is positive or negative either.
The first time I heard it used outside of a buzzfeed article was from a friend my own age, thirtyish. She was moving from Austin (Tx not Mn) to Omaha and was wondering if she would need all new clothes. She was thinking overalls to hang out in the cornfields (and being serious about this...)

I told her I wasn't too sure about Omaha, but in Iowa City the girls who looked trendy were all wearing skinny jeans and riding boots.  And she replied "Oh, awesome- just a nice basic look".  Then she asked me if I thought her ombre hair would be okay.  (I am not the one to ask... I don't think I'm cool enough to ever be 'basic')

She seemed happy about 'basic'; but I've also heard it as a negative.

It seems to me the girls who are 'basic' are the ones who were the popular snobs when I was in school; mostly preppy.

Emilyngh

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9804 on: August 06, 2015, 09:10:25 AM »

Working in the school system, I try and keep up. I have 'ratchet' and 'clean' figured out, but given the context I hear it in, I'm still not sure if 'basic' is a positive or a negative (this may also be because it is never clear if teenage girls are best friends or bitter rivals).

I don't know if basic is positive or negative either.
The first time I heard it used outside of a buzzfeed article was from a friend my own age, thirtyish. She was moving from Austin (Tx not Mn) to Omaha and was wondering if she would need all new clothes. She was thinking overalls to hang out in the cornfields (and being serious about this...)

I told her I wasn't too sure about Omaha, but in Iowa City the girls who looked trendy were all wearing skinny jeans and riding boots.  And she replied "Oh, awesome- just a nice basic look".  Then she asked me if I thought her ombre hair would be okay.  (I am not the one to ask... I don't think I'm cool enough to ever be 'basic')

She seemed happy about 'basic'; but I've also heard it as a negative.

It seems to me the girls who are 'basic' are the ones who were the popular snobs when I was in school; mostly preppy.

It seems to be that she was using it in the traditional sense, not its current slang use.  Ie she was using it referring to"wardrobe basics" which is not a negative use, but just as cool can literally mean coldish, or can mean "awesome, " basic referring to a person these days usually has a different meaning.

My understanding is that the slang use of "basic" is related to (possibly just a shortened version of) the other popular slang term of "basic bitch," which is clearly negative.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_bitch
« Last Edit: August 06, 2015, 09:14:32 AM by Emilyngh »

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9805 on: August 06, 2015, 09:17:35 AM »
No, this wasn't about "wardrobe basics"- because she's someone who "shares" things on facebook like "20 ways you know you are a basic bitch".  And there is no way ombre hair is a 'wardrobe basic' but apparently it is part of 'being basic'.

Which is why I figured basic was good, but basic bitch was bad.   But then I wasn't sure if basic bitch was good the way "sick" was good for awhile.

Emilyngh

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9806 on: August 06, 2015, 09:21:24 AM »
No, this wasn't about "wardrobe basics"- because she's someone who "shares" things on facebook like "20 ways you know you are a basic bitch".  And there is no way ombre hair is a 'wardrobe basic' but apparently it is part of 'being basic'.

Which is why I figured basic was good, but basic bitch was bad.   But then I wasn't sure if basic bitch was good the way "sick" was good for awhile.

No, I'm pretty sure "basic" as used in popular culture (eg., see Wikipedia article) is negative.   

ETA:  http://nymag.com/thecut/2014/10/what-do-you-really-mean-by-basic-bitch.html
« Last Edit: August 06, 2015, 09:24:27 AM by Emilyngh »

Cpa Cat

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9807 on: August 06, 2015, 09:55:24 AM »
Not heard at work but close enough. :)

I was recently taking a group sewing class and there was a young girl there (~13, in 8th grade) and she told me the girls in her class will keep track of what each person wears and then come up to them and tell them the last time the wore it and if they were wearing it too much.

I was horrified. Seemed like a really good reason to home school, so your kids are not exposed to such horrible behavior from mean girls.

When I was in 8th grade, there a was a girl who modeled, and she took it upon herself to visit all of the stores in the mall so that she could see what was available and where. That way, she could make fun of the other girls for wearing clothes that were out of season, or for wearing clothes that were inexpensive/came from her unapproved stores, etc.

One day, she was walking behind a friend and I and making fun of the friend because her clothes came from a discount retailer and for having a gay mom (I have no idea how these two things were linked). I shot her a dirty look and probably told her to give it a rest, at which point she turned on me and said something along the lines of, "But at least having a gay mom and cheap clothes is better than CpaCat, I bet her divorced mom has to buy all her clothes used from the thrift store, because her dad doesn't pay child support!"

I turned around and said, "That's right. All my clothes are from the thrift store. But at least I'm not a B---, like you." I was prepared to follow up with the idea that her mom was embarrassed by her, and it was good that she was pretty as long as her mouth was shut... but she immediately burst into tears, then ran to report me to the principal.

Point being - instead of pulling me out of school when people bullied me or my friends, my mom talked to me about what to do. After that incident, she used it as a tool to practice retorts that didn't involve cursing, and strategies for diffusing bad situations. It's true, that no one since then has made fun of me for wearing thrift store clothes, but there have been plenty of situations where people have tried to intimidate, put me down, been rude to me, etc. I have also been in situations where I have witnessed friends be out-right bullied at work. If my parents had shielded me from ever being put down or bullied, what tools would I have to navigate those situations today?

arebelspy

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9808 on: August 06, 2015, 10:01:07 AM »
You are on the Internet.  You don't need to guess at the meaning of a word.  You have Urban Dictionary!

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Basic

FWIW, I wear a polo (or similar collared shirt) the vast majority of the time when not at work.

I've met dozens of Mustachians at various meetups.  I doubt any of them would describe me as "fratboy."  But maybe I'm wrong?  It's hard to guess other's perceptions of you.

Maybe some of them who use the forums (brooklynguy, Cheddar Stacker, sol, swick, jordanread, etc.) will see this and chime in (I won't care either way, but mildly curious).

This was probably the shirt I was wearing (Amazon model pictured, not me) when meeting them, or something very similar:
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

PencilThinStash

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9809 on: August 06, 2015, 10:08:04 AM »
In the next year or so, I might buy this:



Go ahead, talk shit, I can take it.


Dude. Seriously? FRC or Z06 is the only way to go.  Pshaw.

At least you got the color right.

He also got the year wrong - If you're getting a Vette, you pick '68-'82, back when they had those GORGEOUS curves.

Cheddar Stacker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9810 on: August 06, 2015, 10:10:15 AM »
I've met dozens of Mustachians at various meetups.  I doubt any of them would describe me as "fratboy."  But maybe I'm wrong?  It's hard to guess other's perceptions of you.

Maybe some of them who use the forums (brooklynguy, Cheddar Stacker, sol, swick, jordanread, etc.) will see this and chime in (I won't care either way, but mildly curious).

Frat boy all the way!

No, I would describe your look as basic, although I mean that as a compliment. Your clothes are not a showcase, and you're fine with that. Me too.

I would've guessed the same for most people that hang out on this forum, although if there were any outliers I would've guessed more of a funky look (goth, purple hair, thift store chic) rather than suit/tie or high fashion. But whatever.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9811 on: August 06, 2015, 10:12:36 AM »
From a coworker with a one year old child: "We're building a new house. The old one was only two thousand square feet, and that's just not enough once you have a kid."
Holy smokes.  We used to live in a 1500 sq ft house with 4 kids.  And 400 sq ft of that house was the garage!

BlueHouse

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9812 on: August 06, 2015, 11:03:32 AM »
Not heard at work but close enough. :)

I was recently taking a group sewing class and there was a young girl there (~13, in 8th grade) and she told me the girls in her class will keep track of what each person wears and then come up to them and tell them the last time the wore it and if they were wearing it too much.

I was horrified. Seemed like a really good reason to home school, so your kids are not exposed to such horrible behavior from mean girls.

This happened to me at my first job.  I had a closet full of clothes, but routinely wore the outfits that looked/felt best on me and fit well.      One of my friends noticed and one day predicted what I would wear the following day.  I was pretty stung at the time, but now I'm looking forward to actually creating a capsule wardrobe or project 33 or whatever it's called.  I'm over the hassle and stress of figuring  it out every day.   

serpentstooth

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9813 on: August 06, 2015, 11:09:46 AM »
Not heard at work but close enough. :)

I was recently taking a group sewing class and there was a young girl there (~13, in 8th grade) and she told me the girls in her class will keep track of what each person wears and then come up to them and tell them the last time the wore it and if they were wearing it too much.

I was horrified. Seemed like a really good reason to home school, so your kids are not exposed to such horrible behavior from mean girls.

This happened to me at my first job.  I had a closet full of clothes, but routinely wore the outfits that looked/felt best on me and fit well.      One of my friends noticed and one day predicted what I would wear the following day.  I was pretty stung at the time, but now I'm looking forward to actually creating a capsule wardrobe or project 33 or whatever it's called.  I'm over the hassle and stress of figuring  it out every day.

I've had coworkers comment that I repeat clothes a lot. Remind me why I live in image-centric NYC? Oh, right, husband's career can't be done anywhere else. Damnit.

Pooperman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9814 on: August 06, 2015, 11:14:51 AM »
Not heard at work but close enough. :)

I was recently taking a group sewing class and there was a young girl there (~13, in 8th grade) and she told me the girls in her class will keep track of what each person wears and then come up to them and tell them the last time the wore it and if they were wearing it too much.

I was horrified. Seemed like a really good reason to home school, so your kids are not exposed to such horrible behavior from mean girls.

This happened to me at my first job.  I had a closet full of clothes, but routinely wore the outfits that looked/felt best on me and fit well.      One of my friends noticed and one day predicted what I would wear the following day.  I was pretty stung at the time, but now I'm looking forward to actually creating a capsule wardrobe or project 33 or whatever it's called.  I'm over the hassle and stress of figuring  it out every day.

I have become a master in the art of not giving a fuck. I wear shirts and pants twice before washing (non-consecutively). My general dress code standards for people involves wearing clothing, preferably something not offensive (i.e. nothing that would get your ass kicked for wearing it to the wrong place). Beyond that, I couldn't care less if someone wears the same 10 outfits over and over again.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9815 on: August 06, 2015, 11:15:48 AM »
I've met dozens of Mustachians at various meetups.  I doubt any of them would describe me as "fratboy."  But maybe I'm wrong?  It's hard to guess other's perceptions of you.

Maybe some of them who use the forums (brooklynguy, Cheddar Stacker, sol, swick, jordanread, etc.) will see this and chime in (I won't care either way, but mildly curious).

Frat boy all the way!

No, I would describe your look as basic, although I mean that as a compliment. Your clothes are not a showcase, and you're fine with that. Me too.

I would've guessed the same for most people that hang out on this forum, although if there were any outliers I would've guessed more of a funky look (goth, purple hair, thift store chic) rather than suit/tie or high fashion. But whatever.

I'm all about thrift store chic, baby!

Ok, I don't do ALL of my shopping there, but it's a pretty good place to pick up some versatile, neutral basic wardrobe items.

First, I'd posit that "simple" can be quite effective from a fashion standpoint, and that "simple" and "basic" may not be the same. One thing that I find in a lot of standard style and fit/cheaper clothes (across many different types of articles) is that the standard fit is like a tent when wrapped around an actual human form and not pinned back on a mannequin at the department store. Most of the types of clothing mentioned here have the potential to at least look decent when they fit properly. My own personal trick is to pick up shirts from the thrift store (with simpler, less busy patterns) and tailor/modify them myself to fit my body. Building my sewing skills and customizing my clothing/style, win-win! Most of my best looks cost me $20 or less, all in.

BlueHouse

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9816 on: August 06, 2015, 11:33:06 AM »
A bit off topic, but I just want to share:

A relative was interviewing a millenial for a job. 

Relative:  "Tell me something about yourself that I won't find on your resume"
Interviewee:  "Ass-tat" 




dragoncar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9817 on: August 06, 2015, 11:56:22 AM »
This thread wasted so much of my time following the links down the rabbit hole.  Love it

geekette

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9818 on: August 06, 2015, 12:05:00 PM »
Not heard at work but close enough. :)

I was recently taking a group sewing class and there was a young girl there (~13, in 8th grade) and she told me the girls in her class will keep track of what each person wears and then come up to them and tell them the last time the wore it and if they were wearing it too much.

I was horrified. Seemed like a really good reason to home school, so your kids are not exposed to such horrible behavior from mean girls.

This happened to me at my first job.  I had a closet full of clothes, but routinely wore the outfits that looked/felt best on me and fit well.      One of my friends noticed and one day predicted what I would wear the following day.  I was pretty stung at the time, but now I'm looking forward to actually creating a capsule wardrobe or project 33 or whatever it's called.  I'm over the hassle and stress of figuring  it out every day.

I've had coworkers comment that I repeat clothes a lot. Remind me why I live in image-centric NYC? Oh, right, husband's career can't be done anywhere else. Damnit.
Behold...

Ashyukun

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9819 on: August 06, 2015, 12:07:08 PM »
In the next year or so, I might buy this:



Go ahead, talk shit, I can take it.


Dude. Seriously? FRC or Z06 is the only way to go.  Pshaw.

At least you got the color right.

He also got the year wrong - If you're getting a Vette, you pick '68-'82, back when they had those GORGEOUS curves.
Sure, if you're only concerned about how it looks (and I'm not going to argue, C3s are quite sexy...). However in any kind of performance category (including MPG and safety) they get spanked like a red-headed stepchild by their more modern counterparts (and many far more economical options too). I suppose I'm one to talk though, I'm the one whose primary car (though SWMBO's small SUV gets driven far more commonly since I commute to work on my bike 95% of the time) at the moment is a 30+ year old exotic whose crappy mechanical fuel injection was ditched in favor of a more reliable & simpler (but less efficient) carb...

Ashyukun

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9820 on: August 06, 2015, 12:18:51 PM »
Not heard at work but close enough. :)

I was recently taking a group sewing class and there was a young girl there (~13, in 8th grade) and she told me the girls in her class will keep track of what each person wears and then come up to them and tell them the last time the wore it and if they were wearing it too much.

I was horrified. Seemed like a really good reason to home school, so your kids are not exposed to such horrible behavior from mean girls.

This happened to me at my first job.  I had a closet full of clothes, but routinely wore the outfits that looked/felt best on me and fit well.      One of my friends noticed and one day predicted what I would wear the following day.  I was pretty stung at the time, but now I'm looking forward to actually creating a capsule wardrobe or project 33 or whatever it's called.  I'm over the hassle and stress of figuring  it out every day.

I've had coworkers comment that I repeat clothes a lot. Remind me why I live in image-centric NYC? Oh, right, husband's career can't be done anywhere else. Damnit.
Never had co-workers comment on it, but SWMBO has teased me about the fact that I typically just wear two pairs of pants (the same brand & style just different colors...) through the work week on alternating days with different button-down shirts & ties. It makes figuring out what to wear for better than half the week a piece of cake and gets me out the door a lot quicker. Ex-wife used to give me grief about wearing wrinkled shirts and pants to work until I pointed out that I worked in an office of engineers and that I'd never once heard anyone comment on anyone else's attire beyond giving someone grief for wearing a suit ("Got an interview today, eh?") out of the blue.

eyePod

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9821 on: August 06, 2015, 12:27:27 PM »
Quote
Quote from: serpentstooth on Today at 08:58:16 AM

    Quote from: Cheddar Stacker on Today at 08:54:24 AM

        Quote from: RyanAtTanagra on Today at 08:42:03 AM

            Quote from: miss madge on Today at 08:21:17 AM

                I guess it's a matter of opinion. Polo shirts scream "basic fratboy" to me, regardless of the fit, color, cut, whatever.


            You're not the only one.  Not so much 'basic fratboy' for me but 'generic person'.


        Very interesting to see all the polo shirt hate. I wear them every single day. Cheap, casual, comfortable, breathable.

        Also, since when are we defined by our clothing/style/look? Am I on the correct forum?


    I'm confused about why looking generic is bad. Not everyone is interested in expressing their unique special snowflakeness via clothing, and a polo shirt is handy because it's appropriate in most situations, fairly comfortable, easy to acquire inexpensively and easy to launder at home.


folks can wear what they want. i can like it or not.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯


Of course you can, but you're perpetuating consumerism. On this forum, that gets you a Facepunch.

I disagree that fashion/style and consumerism are synonymous.   You can be anti-consumerism and still find style very interesting and even a hobby.   The US is flooded with soooo much extra clothing that it's not hard *at all* to get super stylish clothes second-hand for pennies.  One can also be a stylish minimalist by being super careful about what pieces they choose.

Or sell them on eBay for profits instead of wearing them! I get to keep my "bad" buys, the ones that I'll only make $5 or so. I get to keep them and put new stuff into my wardrobe at a good pace.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9822 on: August 06, 2015, 01:23:07 PM »
I thought I was being clever by buying multiples of some clothes that I liked. Turns out showing up in the exact same outfit multiple days in a row creates the impression you don't wash it. I had to explain that even though I was wearing identical clothes, they were not actually the same clothes.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9823 on: August 06, 2015, 01:25:36 PM »
Quote
Never had co-workers comment on it, but SWMBO has teased me about the fact that I typically just wear two pairs of pants (the same brand & style just different colors...) through the work week on alternating days with different button-down shirts & ties. It makes figuring out what to wear for better than half the week a piece of cake and gets me out the door a lot quicker. Ex-wife used to give me grief about wearing wrinkled shirts and pants to work until I pointed out that I worked in an office of engineers and that I'd never once heard anyone comment on anyone else's attire beyond giving someone grief for wearing a suit ("Got an interview today, eh?") out of the blue.

I worked in Asia for a while, and some of the women would wear the same blouse three days in a row. The men did too, but I didn't realize it until I saw some of the colorful women's clothes repeated. I do the same thing as you with both slacks and shirts. I hang the shirts up after I wear them and then re-wear them later in the week, and next week. As long as they're clean, unwrinkled, don't smell, and I haven't spilled anything on them, I figure it's cool. I've worn some pants for 2-3 months without dry cleaning. I rarely sweat and the office is cool, so it works. I don't have to wear button downs or ties, though.

Beaker

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9824 on: August 06, 2015, 01:27:43 PM »
I saw all that "basic" talk and thought people were really getting into old school programming languages or alkaline chemistry. But no, it's just clothes. In fact, clothes that are even more boring than normal clothes. What a letdown.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9825 on: August 06, 2015, 01:30:40 PM »
I wear the same pair of pants to work everyday. I only own one pair of work appropriate pants. When I get home from work I change into home clothes, so there is zero reason these pants would be dirty. I wash them on the weekend.  (If I spill something during the week, which I never have, I would wash them that night.)

I only have about 7-8 work shirts, so I repeat a lot.  I've thought about just hanging them up in order and wearing the same one each Monday, Tuesday, etc.  But that seems like it would actually take more effort.

Ashyukun

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9826 on: August 06, 2015, 01:33:23 PM »
Quote
Never had co-workers comment on it, but SWMBO has teased me about the fact that I typically just wear two pairs of pants (the same brand & style just different colors...) through the work week on alternating days with different button-down shirts & ties. It makes figuring out what to wear for better than half the week a piece of cake and gets me out the door a lot quicker. Ex-wife used to give me grief about wearing wrinkled shirts and pants to work until I pointed out that I worked in an office of engineers and that I'd never once heard anyone comment on anyone else's attire beyond giving someone grief for wearing a suit ("Got an interview today, eh?") out of the blue.

I worked in Asia for a while, and some of the women would wear the same blouse three days in a row. The men did too, but I didn't realize it until I saw some of the colorful women's clothes repeated. I do the same thing as you with both slacks and shirts. I hang the shirts up after I wear them and then re-wear them later in the week, and next week. As long as they're clean, unwrinkled, don't smell, and I haven't spilled anything on them, I figure it's cool. I've worn some pants for 2-3 months without dry cleaning. I rarely sweat and the office is cool, so it works. I don't have to wear button downs or ties, though.

Yup, that's pretty much what I do with the pants and shirts too- though my pants don't require dry cleaning (Duluth Trading Firehose pants). Unfortunately I'm clumsy enough that even with their non-stain properties I'll have to wash the pants every other week or so, but the shirts can generally go a month or so between washings (usually get work 3 times or so in that time). Everything else (including the undershirts I wear under the button-down shirt) gets washed after each time it's worn.

I technically don't HAVE to wear a dress shirt and tie- but it is appropriate to do so and I've got them, so most of the time I do- sometimes if it's hot and especially if I have to run errands on my bike over lunch I won't bother with the tie. If I'm in a hurry/am being lazy, I'll just grab a surprisingly controversial polo shirt instead and wear that.

boy_bye

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9827 on: August 06, 2015, 01:40:58 PM »
If I'm in a hurry/am being lazy, I'll just grab a surprisingly controversial polo shirt instead and wear that.

LOL!

i still can't believe that everyone got so mad at me for calling polo shirts basic when the post right above mine said that anyone who wears short sleeved dress shirts should be capitally punished for having committed a crime against humanity.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9828 on: August 06, 2015, 01:47:12 PM »
A relative was interviewing a millenial for a job. 

Relative:  "Tell me something about yourself that I won't find on your resume"
Interviewee:  "Ass-tat"

Ask a stupid question....

Seriously, I think its a fantastic answer to an interview question that wasn't job related.  And there's no chance the interviewer isnt going to remember him or her.  Could be a brilliant self marketing maneuver. 

Or said millenial could have mild aspergers.  Either way, hilarious!

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9829 on: August 06, 2015, 02:51:04 PM »

Relative:  "Tell me something about yourself that I won't find on your resume"
Interviewee:  "Ass-tat"

If I'm the interviewer (relative), my next step is to stand up, shake hands, thank the millennial for his time, and end the interview.  But maybe I'm just old fashioned that way.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9830 on: August 06, 2015, 03:05:16 PM »
Exactly.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9831 on: August 06, 2015, 03:13:00 PM »
Quote
Never had co-workers comment on it, but SWMBO has teased me about the fact that I typically just wear two pairs of pants (the same brand & style just different colors...) through the work week on alternating days with different button-down shirts & ties. It makes figuring out what to wear for better than half the week a piece of cake and gets me out the door a lot quicker. Ex-wife used to give me grief about wearing wrinkled shirts and pants to work until I pointed out that I worked in an office of engineers and that I'd never once heard anyone comment on anyone else's attire beyond giving someone grief for wearing a suit ("Got an interview today, eh?") out of the blue.

I worked in Asia for a while, and some of the women would wear the same blouse three days in a row. The men did too, but I didn't realize it until I saw some of the colorful women's clothes repeated. I do the same thing as you with both slacks and shirts. I hang the shirts up after I wear them and then re-wear them later in the week, and next week. As long as they're clean, unwrinkled, don't smell, and I haven't spilled anything on them, I figure it's cool. I've worn some pants for 2-3 months without dry cleaning. I rarely sweat and the office is cool, so it works. I don't have to wear button downs or ties, though.

Yup, that's pretty much what I do with the pants and shirts too- though my pants don't require dry cleaning (Duluth Trading Firehose pants). Unfortunately I'm clumsy enough that even with their non-stain properties I'll have to wash the pants every other week or so, but the shirts can generally go a month or so between washings (usually get work 3 times or so in that time). Everything else (including the undershirts I wear under the button-down shirt) gets washed after each time it's worn.

I technically don't HAVE to wear a dress shirt and tie- but it is appropriate to do so and I've got them, so most of the time I do- sometimes if it's hot and especially if I have to run errands on my bike over lunch I won't bother with the tie. If I'm in a hurry/am being lazy, I'll just grab a surprisingly controversial polo shirt instead and wear that.

I've worked out a system where I wear the same pants every day for a week, but alternate two shirts each day.  My wife my throw one out ahead of my schedule if she notices anything funny so then I'll have to grab another one.  I keep a long sleeve shirt at work during the summer because despite being a man I happen to get cold in the office because they keep it around 68F.  The long sleeve I may alternate once a week, or once every two weeks, but it lives in the office otherwise.

Luckily our work is very lax on the dress code, in fact I'm not even aware of a dress code other than not having open toed shoes in the lab (though that hasn't ironically stopped the lab admin from taking his shoes off while sitting at his desk in the lab and occasionally walking around in socks), so my cargo shorts, t-shirt, and plaid button up long sleeve with short socks and tennis shoes is perfectly okay.  I move towards jeans with plaid and a sometimes controversial t-shirt (like my Dawkins "Religion: Together we can find the cure") during the winter.

I've noticed other coworkers, especially the Asian ones, who also go with the same pants during the week.  I don't particularly pay attention to it, but the light blue shorts worn by the guy across the cube aisle from me can be loud at times.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9832 on: August 06, 2015, 03:17:08 PM »

Relative:  "Tell me something about yourself that I won't find on your resume"
Interviewee:  "Ass-tat"

If I'm the interviewer (relative), my next step is to stand up, shake hands, thank the millennial for his time, and end the interview.  But maybe I'm just old fashioned that way.

Is this before or after asking to see it?

AZDude

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9833 on: August 06, 2015, 04:05:02 PM »
Went to a job interview today. Its going well, I get to the end, and I have a good feeling. Guy starts talking about benefits. Health insurance is only covered at $125 per month, rest is paid by you. For someone with a family that is fairly shitty, but OK. Then he tells me that you do not start accruing paid time off until you have been with the company for a year. So if you get sick after 9 months on the job, its unpaid leave or come in coughing and hacking. WTF? That is the most draconian time off policy I have ever heard. Finally, he informs me that telecommuting regularly is not something this position can do despite it being a software development job. No 401(k) matching either. Ugh...


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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9834 on: August 06, 2015, 04:16:52 PM »
I thought I was being clever by buying multiples of some clothes that I liked. Turns out showing up in the exact same outfit multiple days in a row creates the impression you don't wash it. I had to explain that even though I was wearing identical clothes, they were not actually the same clothes.
Seems reasonable to me.  Tell people that it's your "work uniform" that you have so you don't have to make decisions in the morning.

Pooperman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9835 on: August 06, 2015, 05:26:43 PM »
Went to a job interview today. Its going well, I get to the end, and I have a good feeling. Guy starts talking about benefits. Health insurance is only covered at $125 per month, rest is paid by you. For someone with a family that is fairly shitty, but OK. Then he tells me that you do not start accruing paid time off until you have been with the company for a year. So if you get sick after 9 months on the job, its unpaid leave or come in coughing and hacking. WTF? That is the most draconian time off policy I have ever heard. Finally, he informs me that telecommuting regularly is not something this position can do despite it being a software development job. No 401(k) matching either. Ugh...

Did you let them know that your salary expectations are now 25% higher than before considering the "benefits" they offer?

Seppia

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9836 on: August 06, 2015, 06:03:04 PM »

If I'm in a hurry/am being lazy, I'll just grab a surprisingly controversial polo shirt instead and wear that.

LOL!

i still can't believe that everyone got so mad at me for calling polo shirts basic when the post right above mine said that anyone who wears short sleeved dress shirts should be capitally punished for having committed a crime against humanity.

That was me
I wasn't serious about the killing BTW.
The fact that I have to point this out makes me slightly less confident in the long term probability of success of the human race though :)

GuitarStv

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9837 on: August 06, 2015, 06:09:10 PM »
From a coworker with a one year old child: "We're building a new house. The old one was only two thousand square feet, and that's just not enough once you have a kid."

Yeah.  They start walking at one.

boy_bye

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9838 on: August 06, 2015, 06:35:58 PM »

If I'm in a hurry/am being lazy, I'll just grab a surprisingly controversial polo shirt instead and wear that.

LOL!

i still can't believe that everyone got so mad at me for calling polo shirts basic when the post right above mine said that anyone who wears short sleeved dress shirts should be capitally punished for having committed a crime against humanity.

That was me
I wasn't serious about the killing BTW.
The fact that I have to point this out makes me slightly less confident in the long term probability of success of the human race though :)

i understand that. :)

my comments were also somewhat tongue-in-cheek but somehow that got lost in translation i guess.

pachnik

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9839 on: August 06, 2015, 06:58:26 PM »
This happened to me at my first job.  I had a closet full of clothes, but routinely wore the outfits that looked/felt best on me and fit well.      One of my friends noticed and one day predicted what I would wear the following day.  I was pretty stung at the time, but now I'm looking forward to actually creating a capsule wardrobe or project 33 or whatever it's called.  I'm over the hassle and stress of figuring  it out every day.

I've had coworkers comment that I repeat clothes a lot. Remind me why I live in image-centric NYC? Oh, right, husband's career can't be done anywhere else. Damnit.

This reminds me of something from an old workplace.  I'm not much interested in clothes shopping so I basically had 5 different work outfits for winter wear.  I find shopping for summer stuff more interesting so I had more than 5 outfits for summer wear.  Anyway, the office manager told me that the difference between me and her was that she had a huge wardrobe and that I had a lot of money in the bank.   :)      Could have been meant to be a put-down but I just didn't care. 




johnny847

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9840 on: August 06, 2015, 07:11:21 PM »
This happened to me at my first job.  I had a closet full of clothes, but routinely wore the outfits that looked/felt best on me and fit well.      One of my friends noticed and one day predicted what I would wear the following day.  I was pretty stung at the time, but now I'm looking forward to actually creating a capsule wardrobe or project 33 or whatever it's called.  I'm over the hassle and stress of figuring  it out every day.

I've had coworkers comment that I repeat clothes a lot. Remind me why I live in image-centric NYC? Oh, right, husband's career can't be done anywhere else. Damnit.

This reminds me of something from an old workplace.  I'm not much interested in clothes shopping so I basically had 5 different work outfits for winter wear.  I find shopping for summer stuff more interesting so I had more than 5 outfits for summer wear.  Anyway, the office manager told me that the difference between me and her was that she had a huge wardrobe and that I had a lot of money in the bank.   :)      Could have been meant to be a put-down but I just didn't care.

Funny how she may have meant it as a put down but to you it's a compliment ;)

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9841 on: August 06, 2015, 08:39:16 PM »
The "real" world is a much less toxic, frustrating, and obstructive place than school is.

School is this really weird, fake environment. I've left toxic workplaces and jobs, but you usually can't leave a class with the same situation. I've since run into girls who terrorized me in school, and we got along fine, once we weren't forced to spend every day together. No adult would put up with what many schoolchildren do, let alone for free. Yet we expect it of kids, who have far fewer emotional resources and coping skills than adults.

Exactly. You can socialize your children without letting them be exposed to such negativity and consumerism on a daily basis.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9842 on: August 06, 2015, 08:55:28 PM »

That was me
I wasn't serious about the killing BTW.
The fact that I have to point this out makes me slightly less confident in the long term probability of success of the human race though :)

i understand that. :)

my comments were also somewhat tongue-in-cheek but somehow that got lost in translation i guess.

Ah ah fantastic!
To add to the confusion I will say that I love the basicness of polos :)

Seppia

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9843 on: August 06, 2015, 08:56:01 PM »

That was me
I wasn't serious about the killing BTW.
The fact that I have to point this out makes me slightly less confident in the long term probability of success of the human race though :)

i understand that. :)

my comments were also somewhat tongue-in-cheek but somehow that got lost in translation i guess.

Ah ah fantastic!
To add to the confusion I will say that I love the basicness of polos :)

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9844 on: August 06, 2015, 08:59:54 PM »
At lunch a co-worker at the table mentioned that they can't get promoted to a position they want because they don't have a degree.  They surprised me by saying next "so I went to the community college to get some information."

"That's great.  Are you going to enroll for the fall term"

"No. It cost too much."

"But we have a tuition reimbursement program."

"You don't get paid back until you finish the class.  I can't afford that."

Mental facepalm.  Saving up about $200 that you will eventually get paid back to improve your career prospects and future earnings costs too much? 

Turns out they had a whole bunch of other complainypants objections:  Too many classes needed for a degree, you have to take courses that have nothing to do with work, and they found it unbelievable they can't just get an MBA without getting another degree first.

So what job had they applied for that is being so unreasonable about their educational requirements?  Senior Financial Analyst (at a publicly traded megacorp that pretty much has their choice of qualified candidates).  Why were they interested in the position?  It is a much better pay grade.  Had they worked in a similar position before?  No, but they felt the company should promote from within instead of hiring from the outside.  Do they know what the job entails?  No, but they should be willing to train them.  I did not point out that providing a tuition program IS a means to acquire the necessary skills.  I gave up at that point.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9845 on: August 07, 2015, 03:27:31 AM »
I have this theory that stuff has become so cheap relative to income that just having a lot of stuff is no longer impressive.

1. Sourcing particularly exotic, special or rare stuff, showing they have the cultural savvy, time and money to do that. See: vintage clothing, small batch artisanal foodstuffs, listening to a band nobody has ever heard of, etc.

My "centerpiece" are 4 pictures of the 4 seasons in manga style, playing Go. Fairly rare. I also bought a one-of-its-kind fan from the same person together with them.
I didnt hunt, I just liked them and I payed less then 30€ including postal cost. Every time I look at them I feel better. THATs what you should hunt for if you really must hunt.

Also I think I still wear one or two clothes from school time (more then a decade ago). They are old, so what? Still not falling apart, keeping me warm.
I do have a few "special" geeky T-Shirts that I only wear when meeting the geeky people, those who understand them (there are 10 kinds of people: Those who understand binary and those who dont), because it would not be fun otherwise, but thats about all I think about in everyday clothing.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9846 on: August 07, 2015, 05:47:27 AM »
Also I think I still wear one or two clothes from school time (more then a decade ago). They are old, so what? Still not falling apart, keeping me warm.
I can remember when I had this realisation. Such a silly thing to have to "realise" but thinking about it a bit more I think it had a lot to do with the fact that as a kid, I got new clothes every summer and new clothes every school year and, almost always, a new outfit for christmas. Not an entirely new wardrobe all the time and a lot of what I wore was hand-me-downs from my older sisters but it was still firmly fixed in my head as somthing you were supposed to do - go shopping for new t-shirts at the beginning of summer, buy new shoes in September and that kind of thing. But while that might make sense as a kid when you're growing out of the stuff way faster than you're wearing it out, it doesn't make quite so much sense as an adult. And it wasn't until I saw a colleague (and I worked with her when I was 26/27) wearing a sweatshirt from Penneys that was the same as one I had had about ten years before that the penny dropped. I loved that sweatshirt, it was really comfy and I even loved it so much that when I ripped a hole in it, I repaired it (badly - oh how my stepmother hated how it looked after that). But I still stopped wearing it after a couple of years because that's just what you were supposed to do, I thought. Seems so silly now but it was a huge epiphany for me at the time.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9847 on: August 07, 2015, 07:22:32 AM »
At lunch a co-worker at the table mentioned that they can't get promoted to a position they want because they don't have a degree.  They surprised me by saying next "so I went to the community college to get some information."

"That's great.  Are you going to enroll for the fall term"

"No. It cost too much."

"But we have a tuition reimbursement program."

"You don't get paid back until you finish the class.  I can't afford that."

Mental facepalm.  Saving up about $200 that you will eventually get paid back to improve your career prospects and future earnings costs too much? 

Turns out they had a whole bunch of other complainypants objections:  Too many classes needed for a degree, you have to take courses that have nothing to do with work, and they found it unbelievable they can't just get an MBA without getting another degree first.

So what job had they applied for that is being so unreasonable about their educational requirements?  Senior Financial Analyst (at a publicly traded megacorp that pretty much has their choice of qualified candidates).  Why were they interested in the position?  It is a much better pay grade.  Had they worked in a similar position before?  No, but they felt the company should promote from within instead of hiring from the outside.  Do they know what the job entails?  No, but they should be willing to train them.  I did not point out that providing a tuition program IS a means to acquire the necessary skills.  I gave up at that point.
This always amazes me.  If you spend the $200 and the time to get a degree, you get $5000 more per year for the rest of your life.  Compounded, that can be substantial.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9848 on: August 07, 2015, 07:23:16 AM »
At lunch a co-worker at the table mentioned that they can't get promoted to a position they want because they don't have a degree.  They surprised me by saying next "so I went to the community college to get some information."

"That's great.  Are you going to enroll for the fall term"

"No. It cost too much."

"But we have a tuition reimbursement program."

"You don't get paid back until you finish the class.  I can't afford that."

Mental facepalm.  Saving up about $200 that you will eventually get paid back to improve your career prospects and future earnings costs too much? 

Turns out they had a whole bunch of other complainypants objections:  Too many classes needed for a degree, you have to take courses that have nothing to do with work, and they found it unbelievable they can't just get an MBA without getting another degree first.

So what job had they applied for that is being so unreasonable about their educational requirements?  Senior Financial Analyst (at a publicly traded megacorp that pretty much has their choice of qualified candidates).  Why were they interested in the position?  It is a much better pay grade.  Had they worked in a similar position before?  No, but they felt the company should promote from within instead of hiring from the outside.  Do they know what the job entails?  No, but they should be willing to train them.  I did not point out that providing a tuition program IS a means to acquire the necessary skills.  I gave up at that point.
Wow, that just smacks of a huge entitlement mentality. "I should be given the job I'm not qualified for just because I want it."

Aside from 2 semesters of college loans, that kind of tuition reimbursement program is exactly how I (mostly) paid for my degree. Took me 11 years but I was student debt free* at the end of it.



*I failed out of my first college attempt (Hooray young and dumb me!) so the student loan payments were no longer deferred. I was working full time, going to school part time, paying the loan back, and paying whatever the tuition reimbursement didn't cover all concurrently. I won't claim I made the best financial decisions back then and I certainly wasn't mustachian by any stretch, but I also knew I really had to finish school to maximize job potential. i.e. Xerox and Kodak, the 2 largest employers in my area at the time, would not hire people without 4 year degrees into engineering positions.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #9849 on: August 07, 2015, 07:30:21 AM »

Relative:  "Tell me something about yourself that I won't find on your resume"
Interviewee:  "Ass-tat"

If I'm the interviewer (relative), my next step is to stand up, shake hands, thank the millennial for his time, and end the interview.  But maybe I'm just old fashioned that way.

I wouldn't trust someone who talks about their ass-tat in an interview for any job outside sex work or a tattoo parlor to interact with clients properly.

Why do you assume that the job involves interacting with clients? Depending on the nature of the job, and the rest of the interview, I would either be very impressed with the candidate's sense of humor, or very put off. But personally, I think the type of professionalism that is expected in most work environments today is one of the worst things about having a job. I think we should all have more fun at work.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!