Overheard at Work

[Le Barbu]

One of our CW had a Pandora for Christmas. All the girls were staring at it and make kind compliments.

Later this afternoon...

CW: You may buy a Pandora to your wife someday, like heu..for birthday! It's nice and she would like it.
me: ..........(facepalm in my head as usual)

wtf, I don't know where they pick idea like this one, I'm clueless

for the record, my wife buy as much stuff as she feel she need and I swear it is probably 5x the Mustachian level.

I had to google that.. I thought it was just an internet radio station.

Lucky you are!

This shit as became so overheard at work and all around me that I just forgot it could be missed here. Looks like a Pandora for those girls are a must like a bike for a Mustachian. Most of them would probably have to Google what a bike is...

I also had to google Pandora.  For other mustachians,


I would also hestitate to recommend buying a bracelet like this for your wife.  I think the bracelet is horribly tacky.  Also, I have no idea how much it costs.  I just did an image search.

You guys should definetly post on the "Mustachian problems (just for fun)" thread!

Maybe it's a local glitch but its overwhelming now. There is a little piece of crap you can hang on this bracelet for about any reason. The ads. are based on this kind of ideas (our trip to WDW, when you fianced me, for my new job etc)

I got a list of special events for Mustachians, useless since we do not buy crap (when I repaid mortage, when I hit 1M$ in investable assets, when I quit, when I get the Vince Diesel shape level etc)

[arebelspy]

You guys should definetly post on the "Mustachian problems (just for fun)" thread!

Huh.  I didn't realize not knowing the names of various niche jewelry was a problem.  I have all kinds of problems then; I routinely struggle with the names of various brands and such!  :)

[fantabulous]

I also had to google Pandora.  For other mustachians,


I would also hestitate to recommend buying a bracelet like this for your wife.  I think the bracelet is horribly tacky.  Also, I have no idea how much it costs.  I just did an image search.

And I thought my faux punk looking pride bracelet was tacky.

[RFAAOATB]

You guys should definetly post on the "Mustachian problems (just for fun)" thread!

Huh.  I didn't realize not knowing the names of various niche jewelry was a problem.  I have all kinds of problems then; I routinely struggle with the names of various brands and such!  :)

I read about luxury brands and mispronounce them when I talk because I don't know foreign accents and stuff.  Ugh so embarrassing.

[Le Barbu]

You guys should definetly post on the "Mustachian problems (just for fun)" thread!

Huh.  I didn't realize not knowing the names of various niche jewelry was a problem.  I have all kinds of problems then; I routinely struggle with the names of various brands and such!  :)

Thats the point of this particular thread. A Mustachian's problem is NOT a problem.

ex. I have to put money in taxables accounts

[jordanread]

[...] when you fianced me[...]

I know it was probably a "lost in translation" thing, but I am totally using this in conversation.

Person: OMG, I just got engaged!!
Me: He fianced the shit out of you! Congrats.

[MandalayVA]

Thanks for the story Gator.

But it's not a sweet Camero, it's a Bitchin' Camero!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v3CzvQ9e_w

BITCHIN' CAMARO BITCHIN' CAMARO!  I remember that song fondly from my senior year of high school.

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

[Le Barbu]

[...] when you fianced me[...]

I know it was probably a "lost in translation" thing, but I am totally using this in conversation.

Person: OMG, I just got engaged!!
Me: He fianced the shit out of you! Congrats.

sometime I take the time to find the right translation, sometime I don't and sometime the result is funny ;)

[jordanread]

[...] when you fianced me[...]

I know it was probably a "lost in translation" thing, but I am totally using this in conversation.

Person: OMG, I just got engaged!!
Me: He fianced the shit out of you! Congrats.

sometime I take the time to find the right translation, sometime I don't and sometime the result is funny ;)

No, sometimes the result is fucking incredible. :-)

[4alpacas]

One of our CW had a Pandora for Christmas. All the girls were staring at it and make kind compliments.

Later this afternoon...

CW: You may buy a Pandora to your wife someday, like heu..for birthday! It's nice and she would like it.
me: ..........(facepalm in my head as usual)

wtf, I don't know where they pick idea like this one, I'm clueless

for the record, my wife buy as much stuff as she feel she need and I swear it is probably 5x the Mustachian level.

I had to google that.. I thought it was just an internet radio station.

Lucky you are!

This shit as became so overheard at work and all around me that I just forgot it could be missed here. Looks like a Pandora for those girls are a must like a bike for a Mustachian. Most of them would probably have to Google what a bike is...

I also had to google Pandora.  For other mustachians,


I would also hestitate to recommend buying a bracelet like this for your wife.  I think the bracelet is horribly tacky.  Also, I have no idea how much it costs.  I just did an image search.

You guys should definetly post on the "Mustachian problems (just for fun)" thread!

Maybe it's a local glitch but its overwhelming now. There is a little piece of crap you can hang on this bracelet for about any reason. The ads. are based on this kind of ideas (our trip to WDW, when you fianced me, for my new job etc)

How have I missed this entire "Pandora" thing.  I really thought it was a free way to stream music to your phone and computer.  The only jewelry ads that I remember are the brown diamond ads that Hulu loves to show me. 

So...I looked into the Pandora bracelet costs.  It appears to cost $65 for a plain band (no sparkly balls included).  The individual balls cost $20-$770/ball.  There are spacers ($20-$225/spacer) and clips ($25-$525). 

Wow.   As a kid, I had a charm bracelet...but I also thought glow-in-the-dark clothing was cool.  This Pandora bracelet thing has blown my mind. 
*******************************************

[LennStar]

I also had to google Pandora.  For other mustachians,


I would also hestitate to recommend buying a bracelet like this for your wife.  I think the bracelet is horribly tacky.  Also, I have no idea how much it costs.  I just did an image search.

OMG what the hell is THAT??
You actually have to pay money to wear this? I would expect it the other way round. If you take everything away except the monkey(?) then you could say its a try on cute, but the whole thing is just ugly.
Even Hello Kitty didnt manage to get something more eye watering - thats there worst one:
http://www.sanrio.com/jewelry-bracelets/hello-kitty-x-chan-luu-bracelet-rose-mix

[dragoncar]

CW3:  HA! you got off cheap, mine wanted a new Mercedes, the damn bow alone cost me 300 bucks.
Me:  You bought a CAR....without your wife?

Reminds me of this:

On the way home from work I saw THREE cars with bows on them.  My first instinct was to assume they're Christmas gifts, but I'm going to give people the benefit of the doubt this time and assume they're just being festive.

That makes me think of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl5kwJ7eJSo

[jordanread]

Reminds me of this:

On the way home from work I saw THREE cars with bows on them.  My first instinct was to assume they're Christmas gifts, but I'm going to give people the benefit of the doubt this time and assume they're just being festive.

That makes me think of this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl5kwJ7eJSo

I must have missed that one, but holy crap that was funny.

[DeepEllumStache]

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

I'm sorry for your loss.  And for your incredibly rude and selfish coworkers.  My jaw dropped when I read that.

Additional 10 points of materialistic ridiculousness if she has a conversation concerning her own post holiday cc debt.

[Siobhan]

I'm a millenial woman, and I had NO idea wtf Pandora was.  That shit is UGLY, and expensive.  I've told my husband never to buy jewelry for me.  I buy mine at yardsales for 10 bucks and under.  You'd be amazed at the quality of stuff you can find for cheap.  Hell I sold a bunch of yardsale gold a few years back to finance a mustachian vacation...got 1500 for it and I spent all of around 20.

[MandalayVA]

This shit as became so overheard at work and all around me that I just forgot it could be missed here. Looks like a Pandora for those girls are a must like a bike for a Mustachian. Most of them would probably have to Google what a bike is...

I also had to google Pandora.  For other mustachians,


I would also hestitate to recommend buying a bracelet like this for your wife.  I think the bracelet is horribly tacky.  Also, I have no idea how much it costs.  I just did an image search.
[/quote]

Oh, God, Pandora bracelets are all the rage at my job.  Although I must hang my head because we got our team lead two charms for hers for Christmas.  I wouldn't wear one of those clunky junky things on a bet. 

[Nudelkopf]

I think Pandora bracelets might be one of those non-American things, because I've never met anyone in Australia who doesn't know what they are. I never understood why people listed 'Pandora' as a monthly expense!

My brother got my Mum one a few years ago, and now on every gift giving occasion, she gets a new charm. I guess it makes gift buying easy, and she likes wearing it (most aren't as shit looking as in that pic).

Also, so many of my teenage students (and a few teachers) have Pandora rings (or fake ones, probs) and they're ugly as fuck.

[Kepler]

One of our CW had a Pandora for Christmas. All the girls were staring at it and make kind compliments.

Later this afternoon...

CW: You may buy a Pandora to your wife someday, like heu..for birthday! It's nice and she would like it.
me: ..........(facepalm in my head as usual)

wtf, I don't know where they pick idea like this one, I'm clueless

for the record, my wife buy as much stuff as she feel she need and I swear it is probably 5x the Mustachian level.

I had to google that.. I thought it was just an internet radio station.

Lucky you are!

This shit as became so overheard at work and all around me that I just forgot it could be missed here. Looks like a Pandora for those girls are a must like a bike for a Mustachian. Most of them would probably have to Google what a bike is...

I also had to google Pandora.  For other mustachians,


I would also hestitate to recommend buying a bracelet like this for your wife.  I think the bracelet is horribly tacky.  Also, I have no idea how much it costs.  I just did an image search.

You guys should definetly post on the "Mustachian problems (just for fun)" thread!

Maybe it's a local glitch but its overwhelming now. There is a little piece of crap you can hang on this bracelet for about any reason. The ads. are based on this kind of ideas (our trip to WDW, when you fianced me, for my new job etc)

How have I missed this entire "Pandora" thing.  I really thought it was a free way to stream music to your phone and computer.  The only jewelry ads that I remember are the brown diamond ads that Hulu loves to show me. 

So...I looked into the Pandora bracelet costs.  It appears to cost $65 for a plain band (no sparkly balls included).  The individual balls cost $20-$770/ball.  There are spacers ($20-$225/spacer) and clips ($25-$525). 

Wow.   As a kid, I had a charm bracelet...but I also thought glow-in-the-dark clothing was cool.  This Pandora bracelet thing has blown my mind. 
*******************************************

I actually know someone who hates these things, and would never wear them, but has told her entire family that she loves them and that all she wants for Christmas, birthday, etc., are specific new baubles.  She does this because she was unsuccessful getting her family to stop buying her ridiculous things she didn't want and has no room for, which they also couldn't really afford to buy.  So she's cultivated this as a fake "hobby", and will create lists of the least expensive baubles that she claims she wants for her "collection".  They're small - she can toss them in a drawer at home - so it's less clutter.  Her family spends less but is convinced it's getting her something she wants.  She regards it as a least-worst solution to excessive holiday spending...

[Rollin]

Thanks for the story Gator.

But it's not a sweet Camero, it's a Bitchin' Camero!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v3CzvQ9e_w

BITCHIN' CAMARO BITCHIN' CAMARO!  I remember that song fondly from my senior year of high school.

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

Sorry about your loss, and the O B L I V I O U S  coworker.  It is sad to think that some are so consumed by materialism that they cannot even recognize something as real as what you and your family were dealing with.

[GuitarStv]

So...I looked into the Pandora bracelet costs.  It appears to cost $65 for a plain band (no sparkly balls included).  The individual balls cost $20-$770/ball.  There are spacers ($20-$225/spacer) and clips ($25-$525). 

Wow.   As a kid, I had a charm bracelet...but I also thought glow-in-the-dark clothing was cool.  This Pandora bracelet thing has blown my mind. 

Glow in the dark clothing isn't cool anymore?  This bracelet is just a stupid thing that hangs on your wrist . . . but glow in the dark clothing GLOWS in the dark while providing you with protection from the elements!  I'm not seeing a down side.

[I'm a red panda]

Oh god, those Pandora bracelets are so awful- and SO expensive.  I've know about them for a few years because they sponsor ice skating events.  I think jewelers always want charm bracelets to be a thing because they can sell them well past the initial purchase. When I was in college the "Italian" charm was a thing- they were these flat rectangles that linked together.  I look at mine now and wonder WTF- but at least most of mine were cheap.

As for collecting them as a fake hobby- that's pretty funny.  My husband likes to read the Peanuts comic books- which has lead his mother to believing he wants every gift to have a Snoopy on it.  I think DH has 15 Peanuts T-shirts now.  Oh well, a t-shirt is a t-shirt, and he wears them for holidays (depicted on the front) or for lawn mowing.

[rocksinmyhead]

I actually know someone who hates these things, and would never wear them, but has told her entire family that she loves them and that all she wants for Christmas, birthday, etc., are specific new baubles.  She does this because she was unsuccessful getting her family to stop buying her ridiculous things she didn't want and has no room for, which they also couldn't really afford to buy.  So she's cultivated this as a fake "hobby", and will create lists of the least expensive baubles that she claims she wants for her "collection".  They're small - she can toss them in a drawer at home - so it's less clutter.  Her family spends less but is convinced it's getting her something she wants.  She regards it as a least-worst solution to excessive holiday spending...

she should be reselling them! genius!!!

they definitely have them in the U.S., and they've been around for maybe a decade? but it sounds like they're more pervasive elsewhere. agree with everyone else though that it's mindblowing to me that anyone would pay so much money for something so horrifyingly tacky (and like someone else said about their wife, I'm a girl that actually ENJOYS tacky shit if it's at least unique and fun... and cheap)

[Indexer]

Pre MMM:  I bought a pandora bracelet.  I can tell you right now why they are so successful. 

From the guy's point of view:
I buy this stupid bracelet and a couple connectors now for Christmas.
Birthday:  $100 stupid gem
Valentines day:  $50 stupid gem
Anniversary:  $50 stupid gem
I did something stupid:  couch... or $20 stupid gem
REPEAT

Girl's point of view:
Awwww... he loves me!

This company will continue to do amazing.  I promise.  Guys can buy these stupid things without having to plan a lot and they also don't have to worry about getting the wrong present.

The girl who says she likes them so she can throw them all in a box... genius!  They are designed to be as auto pilot as gift cards but look like you put thought into it so I'm sure her family loves buying her presents now.

[viper155]

My boss told me today that her children could not have jobs because they were 'too busy' with sports and wouldn't have time...and then continued to complain about how much of her money they spend.

I agree with this to a reasonable extent....My son was/is heavily involved in sports and did not/ does not work half the year because of his commitment to it. Not only has he gained valuable lessons in perseverance and teamwork he has earned a nice chunk of change in a athletic scholarship on top of his ample academic scholarship. However, he loves working off-season and is innately mustashian. The athlete and the parents really do have to have a realistic approach to sports. And it is usually the parents that are unrealistic in my experience.

[viper155]

So I pull up into the parking lot at work and a workmate of mine is sitting in a brand new, oversized and ridiculously expensive pick up truck with all the bells and whistles including Harley Davidson insignias and logos as part of the "package". This is an obvious attempt at one-upsmanship in a vast sea of other pickup trucks. You see....we build things for a living.

Me:   Hey! You got some new wheels! Let me guess.....600 a month! [feigning genuine interest]
CW:  Pretty close! Sweet huh? [in all sincerity]
Me:   That's pretty awesome...you have a deal with Harley? How much are they paying you to advertise their product? [again feigning sincerity]
CW:  What are you talking bout? I paid extra for that as part of the package!
Me:   So let me get this straight.....you are driving around advertising for a major corporation, and you paid them?
CW:  Yea! What part of this don't you understand?

What an A-hole!

[infogoon]

They call it Pandora because, as in the myth, this jewelry should be locked in a box and never allowed to escape. Man, is that ever ugly.

[EricL]

They call it Pandora because, as in the myth, this jewelry should be locked in a box and never allowed to escape. Man, is that ever ugly.

That mythological connection was just on the tip of my tongue. Thanks for completing it.:)

[GuitarStv]

Pandora's box from the story at least also let out hope after all the terrible other things were released.  I'm not seeing much hope for Pandora bracelet wearers.

[arebelspy]

This Pandora bracelet thing has blown my mind. 

Me too.

A charm bracelet.  For adults.

That people actually know about.  It's not a niche thing people laugh at?

So weird.

[Indexer]

I have to admit that I'm amazed by this Pandora trend, so I'm foaming all about it.  Sorry to everyone who isn't baffled and isn't heavily researching Pandora.  As a side note, I noticed an admin at work wearing a Pandora bracelet yesterday. 

Pre MMM:  I bought a pandora bracelet.  I can tell you right now why they are so successful. 

From the guy's point of view:
I buy this stupid bracelet and a couple connectors now for Christmas.
Birthday:  $100 stupid gem
Valentines day:  $50 stupid gem
Anniversary:  $50 stupid gem
I did something stupid:  couch... or $20 stupid gem
REPEAT

Girl's point of view:
Awwww... he loves me!

This company will continue to do amazing.  I promise.  Guys can buy these stupid things without having to plan a lot and they also don't have to worry about getting the wrong present.

The girl who says she likes them so she can throw them all in a box... genius!  They are designed to be as auto pilot as gift cards but look like you put thought into it so I'm sure her family loves buying her presents now.

Indexer, check out eBay.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/40pcs-Antique-Silver-Plated-Oxidized-Pandora-Metal-Bracelet-Beads-Charms-Set-New-/301381451638?pt=US_Charm_Charm_Bracelets&hash=item462bbbff76  You can drop $12 for 40.  Pull one out every time you're facing the couch or an anniversary.  Problem solved. 

GuitarStv, I don't think glow-in-the-dark clothing was ever cool, but I loved it.  I no longer have any clothing that glows in the dark (unless you count reflectors), but I do have a stash of dinosaur t-shirts.

Oh that all happened in the past.  The girl and the stupid bracelet are very very far away!  : )

[Joggernot]

GuitarStv, I don't think glow-in-the-dark clothing was ever cool, but I loved it.  I no longer have any clothing that glows in the dark (unless you count reflectors), but I do have a stash of dinosaur t-shirts.

I still have a glow in the dark t-shirt with bats on it and a Svengoolie t-shirt.  Both get worn.

[shotgunwilly]

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

Oh my god. It would have taken everything I had not to drop kick her in the face.

[madgeylou]

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

Oh my god. It would have taken everything I had not to drop kick her in the face.

honestly. this is one of the worst things i ever heard. it's almost comical in its tone deafness, except for the fact that we are talking about a real person and a real loss, something that i guess this person couldn't comprehend.

i'm sorry about your father-in-law, MandalayVA, and your dipshit coworker.

[FunkyStickman]

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

Oh my god. It would have taken everything I had not to drop kick her in the face.

Not enough facepunch in the world to fix that amount of stupid. Just wow...

[lemanfan]

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

Oh gee.  That's one of the worst comments I've read in a long time....  *shaking head*

Sorry for your loss-

[mm1970]

One of our CW had a Pandora for Christmas. All the girls were staring at it and make kind compliments.

Later this afternoon...

CW: You may buy a Pandora to your wife someday, like heu..for birthday! It's nice and she would like it.
me: ..........(facepalm in my head as usual)

wtf, I don't know where they pick idea like this one, I'm clueless

for the record, my wife buy as much stuff as she feel she need and I swear it is probably 5x the Mustachian level.

I had to google that.. I thought it was just an internet radio station.

me too.  So, it's a bracelet?

[deedeezee]

BITCHIN' CAMARO BITCHIN' CAMARO!  I remember that song fondly from my senior year of high school.

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

I am so sorry for your loss.

Those comments show such a fundamental lack of clue about people, relationships, loss of loved ones, and the world we live in that I am just dumbfounded.  It isn't even the "should have done his shopping earlier" that got to me. It is the "I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things."  I mean, seriously?  "Yes, he died, but thank goodness I got some sweet gifts before he left us?"  SERIOUSLY?

[mm1970]

BITCHIN' CAMARO BITCHIN' CAMARO!  I remember that song fondly from my senior year of high school.

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

I am so sorry for your loss.

Those comments show such a fundamental lack of clue about people, relationships, loss of loved ones, and the world we live in that I am just dumbfounded.  It isn't even the "should have done his shopping earlier" that got to me. It is the "I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things."  I mean, seriously?  "Yes, he died, but thank goodness I got some sweet gifts before he left us?"  SERIOUSLY?

So sad.

[takeahike]

BITCHIN' CAMARO BITCHIN' CAMARO!  I remember that song fondly from my senior year of high school.

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

I am so sorry for your loss.

Those comments show such a fundamental lack of clue about people, relationships, loss of loved ones, and the world we live in that I am just dumbfounded.  It isn't even the "should have done his shopping earlier" that got to me. It is the "I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things."  I mean, seriously?  "Yes, he died, but thank goodness I got some sweet gifts before he left us?"  SERIOUSLY?

So sad.

Wow, I'm really sorry. That's about one of the worst things I've heard someone say in a situation like this. She's obviously socially wonky!

[CCCA]

Just came back to work after a 3 week vacation and remembered how much I want to face punch my coworkers....I've counted 5 today

Horribly anti mustachian coworker of my past stories..

Me: Hey how did your ChristmaHaunuakka/New Years go?
CW1: Ugh, it was HORRIBLE
Me: Oh no! What happened?  I'm thinking something went wrong with her very ill parents.
CW1:  My husband got me a LABEL MAKER for Christmas...A LABEL MAKER!!!! And I spent A THOUSAND DOLLARS on his gifts!!! I was so pissed I went out to West Elm and bought all new bedding (to the tune of like 800 bucks).  And to top it all off, we thought his parents were going to get us a new washer/dryer for Christmas because that's what we asked for (mind you they need a custom sized stackable to fit in their space, prices run from 4-8k on the ones she was looking at) and they got us a damn STOCK POT.  I DON'T COOK, wtf am I going to do with a HUGE pot?! 
Me: *thinking that maybe her Korean Mother in Law was hinting at something* Well, did you tell your husband what you really wanted
CW1:  NO!! he should know that by now...didn't your husband get you something AMAZING for Christmas?
Me: No, we didn't do anniversary/bday/Christmas gifts this year (we actually don't really ever do it, or if we do it's like 50 bucks or under)
CW1:  WHAT!?!?! how can you NOT want gifts
Me: We decided that instead of gifts we wanted an additional week of vacation, we don't want more "stuff", we have enough "stuff"
CW2:  Can you train my wife to think like that....she cost me 2 grand for the earrings she wanted...she only wears earrings like twice a year.
CW3:  HA! you got off cheap, mine wanted a new Mercedes, the damn bow alone cost me 300 bucks.
Me:  You bought a CAR....without your wife?
CW3:  Yea!  She TOTALLY loved it
Me:  How's she going to love those car payments?
CW3:  PSH, she doesn't care, it's not coming out of "her" money since she doesn't really work.


How do these people EXIST!?!?!, and how do they marry each other?  On an aside, I asked everyone if we had any announcements about our 401k, they were thinking of switching from our ridiculously priced funds to Vanguard when I left on vacation, I got 2 responses from coworkers that they don't even pay attention to our benefits emails so they weren't sure...

Wow, that was hilarious!  I re-enacted this conversation for my wife and she cracked up too.

[KodeBlue]

Thanks for the story Gator.

But it's not a sweet Camero, it's a Bitchin' Camero!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v3CzvQ9e_w

BITCHIN' CAMARO BITCHIN' CAMARO!  I remember that song fondly from my senior year of high school.

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

Your co-worker is an @$$, plain and simple. Did you whack her up side her head?

[Astatine]

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

Oh my god. It would have taken everything I had not to drop kick her in the face.

honestly. this is one of the worst things i ever heard. it's almost comical in its tone deafness, except for the fact that we are talking about a real person and a real loss, something that i guess this person couldn't comprehend.

i'm sorry about your father-in-law, MandalayVA, and your dipshit coworker.

What miss madge said. I'm sorry for your loss. (which is all a coworker ever needs to say to a grieving coworker, unless they're friends or the like)

[golden1]

I have a Pandora knock off.  My MIL gave it to me as a 40th B'day gift.  I liked it for awhile.  I rarely bought myself charms, just received them as gifts from my kids and family.   I did buy a few, but you can get very inexpensive silver ones from websites.  I might have spend $25 on 6 charms.  In the end, I only wear it occasionally because it is too bulky to wear daily with all the charms on it.  I do enjoy wearing it when I do put it on, because I like looking at the charms my kids bought me for Christmas, Mother's day etc... 

[merula]

I have TWO gems, both from the same coworker who needed to buy a 3 bedroom house because of her dog. (And no, I wasn't able to find out if the dog needed one or two rooms for itself.)

"I'm switching my 401k to a Roth, because my dad says taxes are obviously going to be higher in the future with the way this country is going." Would it be too mean of me to bring up that some "socialist" government in the future could always decide to tax Roth earnings? (Though I will give her points for actually saving for retirement.)

"I would never stay in a rented house. Who would rent out their house? Anyone who does that is just weird", followed by a long-winded story about a VRBO that she was considering but opted for a hotel instead and it worked out well.

[mtn]

"I'm switching my 401k to a Roth, because my dad says taxes are obviously going to be higher in the future with the way this country is going." Would it be too mean of me to bring up that some "socialist" government in the future could always decide to tax Roth earnings? (Though I will give her points for actually saving for retirement.)

I don't know that this is really worthy of anti-mustachian. I don't think the current government (or any government we've had over the past 20 years) is socialist, but I do believe that taxes are only going to go up. Frankly, clinging to the idea that they may decide to tax Roth Earnings is a far-fetched fear, although definitely not out of the realm of possibilities.

[Le Barbu]

I have a Pandora knock off.  My MIL gave it to me as a 40th B'day gift.  I liked it for awhile.  I rarely bought myself charms, just received them as gifts from my kids and family.   I did buy a few, but you can get very inexpensive silver ones from websites.  I might have spend $25 on 6 charms.  In the end, I only wear it occasionally because it is too bulky to wear daily with all the charms on it.  I do enjoy wearing it when I do put it on, because I like looking at the charms my kids bought me for Christmas, Mother's day etc...

Don't get me wrong, owning or buying Pandora bracelet is perfectly ok. The main point I wanted to bring is that out-of-nowhere remark from CW that I could buy and give it to my wife to make her happy. Through the years, I bought A LOT of gift to her and never needed outsiders to give me a clue. Over 15 years, I gave my wife a diamond ring, perfumes, necklaces and earrings. She got a pretty high budget for clothes (her and kids), winter-coats and boots (Canadian, ya know?!). If I feel she crave for a Pandora, I may find myself buy and give with no regrets*. I admit I prefer to buy high-end kitchen stuff (Kitchen-Aid appliances, quality knives or pans etc) because she is a GREAT cook and we enjoy cooking together.

*thanks for the tip of buying charms in bulk for cheap to save some couch sleep, I noted this one!

[MandalayVA]

But I think I have you all beat this year.  My father-in-law died the day after Christmas (he'd been sick for a while, not much of a surprise).  I came back to work today, and here comes a coworker.

COWORKER:  I'm sorry about your father-in-law.
ME:  Thanks.
COWORKER:  I hope you still had a nice Christmas and that he got you nice things.
ME:  (blinks)  Um, he was basically in a coma for the last two weeks of his life.
COWORKER:  (have to bold this because I'm still shaking my head)  Well, then, he should have done his shopping earlier or had someone do it for him.

She said it with a completely straight face, too.  Yeah, like he was going "Wow, I think I'm gonna buy it pretty soon, better get my Christmas shopping done!"

And people ask me why I want to retire ...

Oh my god. It would have taken everything I had not to drop kick her in the face.

For the record, my FIL and I weren't close at all--remember, this was the guy who was totally supporting three of his five children, all of whom are in their late forties to early fifties (and the shitstorm that I predicted would happen upon his death is indeed happening).  I don't make that public knowledge though.  I thought the whole thing was more funny than anything but a couple of people overheard and saved me the job of ripping her a new one.

[boarder42]

Not overheard but witnessed:

Yesterday i saw a couple who i know live together and both work at my company park their SUV and Sedan next to each other in the parking garage at work and proceed to wish each other a good day.  Now this being the first time i saw it b/c i arrived congruently, I'm unsure if its the norm for them, but it probably is. 

I'm sure they are justifying as having some alone time even though they work in different parts of the company.  Or b/c one has to go by the store on the way home or to the overpriced gym etc. 

[eyePod]

I would also hestitate to recommend buying a bracelet like this for your wife.  I think the bracelet is horribly tacky.  Also, I have no idea how much it costs.  I just did an image search

Expensive. And in the UK in busy shopping centres you have to queue up to get in at Xmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day. To be fair, you need something to do while your other half queues at the Apple store.

Mustachian rather than anti-Mustachian:
Boss (well paid director): We got my wife a new car over the holidays, the old one wouldn't get through the next MOT without spending more than it's worth. I sold it separately - I had to look back through the MOT certs to see how many times it had gone round the clock.

I think it's very similar to other things. There are different levels of "expense." My parents got one for my wife (they couldn't have spent more than $100 on it). I'll probably get a few little extra add ons over the years just with nice to remember things (right now there's a birth stone for our daughter, star/moon, and something else that I don't remember). But you can go way overboard with it if you want.

[GrayGhost]

Buddy at work has two huskies. He was talking about getting a minivan (new, of course) with fold-down seats so that for the occasional long road trip, the dogs can romp around in the back and be happy, and there would still be room to haul luggage and other stuff.

He's already got a Beemer, a huge Ford pickup, and a motorcycle... I don't think any of them are paid off, either...