You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Watcha Doin' - 2017.1 edition
Hahaha, no typos. An elf... you know... it is Christmas time!Yes, they found it and we are going to pick it up in half an hour.
So glad they found it! Lucky elf.
Rusalka wrote: "Wait. You guys still get pay cheques?!??!? Like the ARMY gives you a cheque?"I don't know. Not every place does direct deposit. I will ask Tyler. He will be home for 10 more days next week, I think.
Glad they found the Christmas Elf, Sandra. You gave me a smile with the phone conversation!
I write two checks per month, one for my water bill and one for my power bill. I can login to my checking account online and pay these bills from there, but all they do is mail a check from their headquarters. I drop both bills off at depository so I don't have to buy stamps and I know the payment gets there when it is supposed to. Other than that, the only checks I write are if I owe someone money for something. The company I work for is slowly going checkless. There are no more payroll checks at all. If you don't want your check direct deposited, we give you a "money card" which is basically a pre-paid debit card that gets reloaded on payday and can be used just like a debit card. Most of our vendors now get paid through a credit card type system. They get an email letting them know a payment is ready and they process it just like a credit card payment. I don't fully understand how all of that works though. We've had several vendors refuse to convert to this system because they have to pay fees to their banks to process the payments.
On a fun note for cheques and water bills, most of us in Ireland have just recieved cheques refunding everything we paid for water bills all on the back of political twoing and froing and loads of protests. So for the first time in a long while I will have to lodge a cheque
I'm trying to decide if failing elf sitting hurts your resume or if you'd just put it on anyway for a conversation piece
Travis sivarT wrote: "I'm trying to decide if failing elf sitting hurts your resume or if you'd just put it on anyway for a conversation piece"ROFL!
My daughter and her best best friend took their class gerbil home (I think it was in 3rd grade) for a weekend and it died on their watch. The girls were completely traumatized, but the teacher assured them that it was very old, and it was not their fault. My daughter refused to ever do anything like that ever again.
LOL Travis. I will remind him of this for the next 50 years.
Oh no, Cherie! That's awful! In middle school (or maybe high school), my daughter had to bring home a doll that was supposed to be like a real baby. It was some health class thing that was supposed to scare the kids out of having sex and potentially getting pregnant. The thing would cry in the middle of the night and she had to feed it and change it, etc. She hated that doll. Apparently, the doll had certain sensors, so you could tell if it was neglected (you had to turn some key to "feed" it, which registered on the electronics). You could tell if kids let it cry or didn't feed it. Apparently, some kids got so frustrated with it that they threw the doll and it registered as abuse. I can completely understand though. I had to "babysit" overnight once so that my daughter could get some sleep because she had a big test in the morning and I thought her getting more sleep was more important.
Which reminds me! In middle school we had to have raw eggs and take care of them like they were babies. I made twins (two eggs, better chances, right?) and broke them both. Yup, I killed both my "babies".
We never had any of this at my school while I was there at least. Before or after I don't know. When I was in elementary school I'll admit I also don't know. There's got to be a good 7 year stretch when I can say for sure I saw none of the taking home "babies" happening. It was always something they were doing on TV shows though so I knew about it
I'm pretty sure it was my cousin who got left on the bus once. He fell asleep and no one said anything and the driver didn't even realize he was in he forgot about him. Then after he parked in the bus garage he had to sweep the bus and there's my cousin still sleeping. Lol
Wow, those fees are excessive. I have never been paid with a cheque over the past 19 years ever. When I worked for a business with 3 employees, we still got paid via EFT. I asked Lexx too, and he's the same.
We debit card everything, tap and go has been the default payment for 4 years ($100 and under no PINs), were completely blindsided when we had to sign our credit card receipts in the States instead of using our PINs, internet banking for everything, including the other night at dinner a friend didn't have cash so he transferred the amount to Lexx from his phone at the table.
Rusalka wrote: "Wow, those fees are excessive. I have never been paid with a cheque over the past 19 years ever. When I worked for a business with 3 employees, we still got paid via EFT. I asked Lexx too, and he..."
We are very similar, I have not been paid by cheque ever in 18 years and tap is for under £30 here I think, whilst it has been the default in supermarkets and the town centres, smaller shops have mainly moved over to it now, you still have the sticklers though
I blame my local butcher closing on the fact that he didn't take card, I know that I would have spent more there if I could just walk in and get whatever I wanted rather than having to check what change / notage I had in my pocket and count up as I was stood there
Today I was looking to buy an audible book as a gift for a friend, I was hoping to just send this to his account by giving audible his email.I couldn't find the button so went to the live help chat screen. Amazon have removed the option to give a gift book, you can only gift subscriptions to audible (he is already a member)
The way they suggested to get around this was to send the book to him as the first one is free. If I wanted to send more than one gift, the person at the other end would then have to buy the book also and we would both have it.
I told them that what they were doing was an awful cash grab and that they should be ashamed. they immediately offered me a credit for a free audiobook which I accepted (in honesty the chap I was speaking to was really helpful)
I still put a complaint in with audible about its removal of gift a book but I don't expect to get anywhere.
I know a lot of you listen to Audiobooks so thought I would let you know
I wish you could gift kindle ebooks too. I believe it's possible in some countries but not UK.
So who's got Christmas parties to go to? Being self employed for many years normally rules out work Christmas parties for me. But this year what with my teaching assistant thing, I have a Christmas party tomorrow (on a school night ;-)). So I'm off down to Bournemouth tomorrow for the party. We have food and a disco. I'm staying in a hotel down there. I'm quite looking forward to it. 30 hypnotists/hypnotherapists in one place all drinking alcohol - what could possibly go wrong?!Then friday I'm off to the boater's Christmas party which should be good.
It's my last day at work today until 2nd Jan now. Looking forward to the break. Do you guys have much time off over Christmas?
Sarah wrote: "So who's got Christmas parties to go to? Being self employed for many years normally rules out work Christmas parties for me. But this year what with my teaching assistant thing, I have a Christmas..."I would love to go to that party ha!
I am off from Friday through to the second also. I cannot wait for Christmas it is my second favourite day of the year after pancake day!
Cody wrote: " I cannot wait for Christmas it is my second favourite day of the year after pancake day! "I have found my people.
We do Christmas parties here. Lexx's is a bit full on, that resulted this year in an 80s bar with cocktails on tap. There was a lot of bad dancing, but made me feel okay as one of the Pro-Vice Chancellors from Uni was cutting loose on the dancefloor a few groups away too. Mine was a lot more subdued, but mainly because I run it (so less drinking for me) and it finishes at 6pm.I just saw an event on Facebook tonight for a Christmas party in Canberra for those who work by themselves or at home. I actually thought that was an awesome idea.
We will have half a day on Friday before we are sent home, and then are off until the 2nd. I took the rest of the week off though (Lexx has to work), so I am off to the 8th.
To wallow in the heat. It's 12.30am and 30 degrees here. I'm going to be a wreak tomorrow...
No party for me. There was a university-wide thing last week but I missed it. I don't have anything from this department. At my previous university we had a Christmas dinner with the whole department, and Christmas drinks with the smaller group of eating behaviour researchers. There's Christmas drinks on Thursday for my other job, but I have to work at the university then so can't go. The downside of two jobs is that you miss out on stuff that's planned on the day you're supposed to work your other job.
My company Christmas party was earlier in the month but I didn't go. I wasn't too disappointed when several people told me that band wasn't that great and the food was terrible. The only other party I have is one at my friends house the weekend after Christmas. I only get one day off of work for Christmas (the day of) and one day for New Years (the day of). We'll probably get off after lunch on Friday. Oh yeah, we have a Christmas lunch at work that day, I don't really count that as a party though.
I'd say the Christmas dinner at work counts Kimey. A crap band feels appropriate to me at Christmas for some reason. I know for sure the disco at my Christmas party will be cheesy as it comes. But that's what's good about it. I'm sure the music at Lexx's party was cheesy too wasn't it Rusalka? Funny you should mention the self employed party. Last year there was a trip to the pub organised in our area and I was going to go but I had flu bad last Christmas so didn't go to that or much else for that matter. Perhaps that's why I'm looking forward to Christmas more this year. You have a nice break planned Rusalka. A shame you don't have more time off Kimey. And that you can't make the only christmas work thing planned Peggy.
Saturday night was my wife's Christmas party we usually go to it but her grandmother was recently diagnosed with cancer so she's been trying to go to see her every other weekend and so last weekend her siblings all flew in for the weekend to have a Christmas with Grandma.Her Christmas parties are so funny. All the drs sit at the bar drinking their probably pricy liquors. The handful of people who get crazy drunk and out if control and you have to believe will be fired Monday. That women who always gets drunk and takes the microphone away from the band and decides she will sing for the rest of the night. My wife likes to drink a little dance a little and mostly just make the rounds and mingle with everyone. I sit by myself drinking beer talking to whoever happens upon me. I mean I'm perfectly fine drinking by myself but people insist on talking to me. Then you exhaust one and head to the bar and find 10 other people that want to talk to you. But I'm not complaining. I don't know who any of these people were but I must have had at least 6 beers bought for me last year. I'd go to order a beer and person would be just add it to my tab. Idk. I assume they know my wife although even she wasn't sure who a couple people were. IDK why people just buy me beers all the time at places for some reason. I can drink as much as I like because it's held at a hotel so we don't have to drive anywhere.
My work group is having lunch together tomorrow. I was transferred to a new manager a few months ago and don't really know most of the people in the group. I don't even know what half of them do. I have Christmas Day off as holiday and I scheduled the 26th off as a vacation day. I don't mind working this year, to cover for others taking the week between Christmas and New Years off. It is usually very quiet. I can read and make as much or as little work for myself as I want, as long as I am there to answer my email and IM, if someone needs me. Friday before the holidays is always a half day, for the most part. We used to have a big potluck every year but all of the folks who used to organize them are retired now.
Your lunch tomorrow should be educational for you, Cherie. Hopefully you can get to know this group a little better. The week between Christmas and New Years is usually pretty quiet around my office too. A lot of people take vacation time then. But since that is the end of the month, I'm a little busier and rarely take off. Besides, I've usually used all my vacation time by then.
The university is closed between christmas and new year and you're expected to take those days off. I don't have that many vacation days with my other job though, and taking time off for a holiday mid-January, so I still have to work 12 hours between the 27th and 29th. I'll work from home so it isn't that bad.
I went to the grocery store last night to get stuff to make treats to bring to my coworkers for Christmas. It occurred to me that I might should get some real food while I was there, so I bought ingredients to make chili. I cooked a big pot of chili intending to take it for lunch this week. I got everything ready to take with me this morning and about 30 minutes after I got to work, I realized that I left it all sitting on the counter at home! smh!
So the son has taken over at Car Freshener. Yes the place that makes all the little tree air freshener. Anyway he's a dink. They always exchanged gifts around the office and he has banned it. Work is for work. People are still smuggling gifts here and there. The other day the cafeteria workers had received 7 dozen baked goods. He learned if it and went down and said they go in the trash. They said at least let us donate then to the food shelter he said no. In the trash now. I think I need to mail this guy a copy of Dickens Christmas Carol. What a real life scrooge. Of course from what I've heard it's an all year dink fest with him but you think he could remove the stick from his ass at Christmas
Oh, the miserable sod! Doesn't he know anything about team building? Okay, work can't be one big party but if you allow people a little leaway they perform much better so he's shooting himself in the foot!
Travis sivarT wrote: "So the son has taken over at Car Freshener. Yes the place that makes all the little tree air freshener. Anyway he's a dink. They always exchanged gifts around the office and he has banned it. Work ..."Real life Scrooge indeed!
I know so many people that work for the company. Mostly in the offices, some in the plant. I can't say for the plant workers , but at least in the offices everyone seems so miserable for the past few years since he took over. He's young. Maybe 35. I can see why you want order and you don't need to let the place have a huge party during work hours but a little harmless gift giving and general Christmas cheer probably enhances performance. As Margo already said.
I am impressed because he is so young... Maybe he is worried he won't be respected because he is young so he is overdoing the control/power thing?
I think he is the third generation owner and you may be correct Sandra.Just saw a thing for some London bars that opened in 2017. One has a giant adult ball pit to play in one is set up as a prison. Any of our UK folks happen upon these places ?
I think I've heard of the prison thing before in Japan. They have all sorts of weird themed restaurants.
Someone needs to send him a copy of A Christmas Carol and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas! I can't imagine a company ran in such a dictatorial way would inspire any sort of employee loyalty.
Travis sivarT wrote: "I think he is the third generation owner and you may be correct Sandra.Just saw a thing for some London bars that opened in 2017. One has a giant adult ball pit to play in one is set up as a pri..."
Most of the bars here, (Manchester) are just standard bars, I have noticed a few 'arcade bars' where you have 70s and 80s video games in them but never a ball pit. there are hundreds of bars in the town centre though so I could be wrong
Thinking about it, I think it would be too dangerous to have a ball pit bar here, it would be shut down in days
You'd think people like the air freshener guy also learn about employee loyalty and productivity in business school...
The above was for the ball bar. This link is wiki page for car freshener except for it's original owner not the sons. Pretty interesting you may not realize how big the business is. I remember when grumpy old men movie came out my mother told about how much they had to pay the owner for having a little tree in the movie. They protect their trademark fiercely and have bought up most of the competition around the world. Guy started selling them out of his car in Watertown. My grandfather remembers him peddling them. Now he lives on a multi million dollar iskand estate in Canada I believe. Pretty incredible kind of rag to riches story. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littl...
Ah, I thought you meant a ball pit themed bar in your area where the idea was 'said' to have come from herewow,
I suppose they must have different tastes in the south, it looks like a nightmare, there is nothing like that here.
We have Dave N Buster's which I'm surprised doesn't have a ball pit it has basically everything else. Adult arcade/ sports bar. My SIL likes the games. I can watch sports and drink Corona which is all I demand out of a bar
Travis sivarT wrote: "We have Dave N Buster's which I'm surprised doesn't have a ball pit it has basically everything else. Adult arcade/ sports bar. My SIL likes the games. I can watch sports and drink Corona which is ..."haha sports and beer the perfect combination, i have only noticed those arcade bars recently, they are not like they used to e though, you pay £10 or something to get in then they are freeto play
there is one specifically aimed at kids and my mate phoned to see if i was doing anything and invited me one saturday lunch (he has 2 kids) , you could get beer but i didnt. i ended up completing the simpsons arcade, the teenage mutant turtles arcade and time crisis, carpel tunnel was definitely an issue for the rest of the day!
Travis sivarT wrote: "Just saw a thing for some London bars that opened in 2017. One has a giant adult ball pit to play in one is set up as a pri..."I've not been to any of them. The ball park one sounds fun. Potentially messy, but fun. There are a few cat bars popping up around the country although I've not been to one yet. I have been in a pub which was an Edgar Allan Poe theme pub called The Pit and Pendulum. It was great. There were cages with crows in, the cocktails they served were named after the 7 deadly sins, everything was pretty gothic and in the basement, there were alcoves with seats in and they were all decked out like dungeon cells complete with shackles and stocks. It was pretty cool. They also played rock music so it had a good feel to it. Their dinner plates were white with spider webs all over them and I so wanted to sneak one out but never did.
I am hanging right now. Tuesday night I had a friend over for dinner and we dank a couple bottles of wine (plus shots). I had a stinking hangover yesterday. Then it was my hypno Christmas party last night. I didn't think I was going to be able to face drinking but I managed and proceeded to drink copious amounts of G&T and tequila slammers. Had lots of fun dancing and various stupid games. I seemed to have escaped a hangover today although I drank more last night than the night before so don't get that. Just feeling very tired right now. At least I don't have anything pressing to do today.
i think active drunks get less hangovers! Hence they invented dancing at parties ;-p
I like your thinking. Could also be the choice of drinks. All that tonic has to have done some good last night rehydrating me.
Actually you have it backwards Margo. I read Proof: The Science of Booze a while back. Hangovers are a result of a person makeup. I can't remember exactly what it is but you get them or you don't. Anyway if you're like me basically immune to hangover, you tend to be the type to turn into alcoholic. It's not more drinking reducing hangover it's not getting hangovers which increase people's consumption of alcohol. Very few alcoholics get hangovers except in extreme binges or really over doing it
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You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
Proof: The Science of Booze (other topics)The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles (other topics)
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles (other topics)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (other topics)
The Little Prince (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Michael J. Sullivan (other topics)Joe Hill (other topics)
Kazuo Ishiguro (other topics)
Kazuo Ishiguro (other topics)
Kazuo Ishiguro (other topics)
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