Octopus Overlords

Scuzz wrote:So my sister was in town yesterday and we talked for quite awhile. She works for the State of California, in the courts department. Her department has been "pushing" people to retire the last couple years, mainly because of the budget crunch.

She mentioned that the state offers $20,000 retirement packages to people who they would like to "retire" whose positions will not be filled by their retirement.

Of course the obvious question was if they don't need to refill the position why did they need anyone doing that job in the first place. She says the work is just absorbed into everyone else's work load.

You have to wonder any positions like that exist in the state government.

That sounds like government becoming more like corporations. I'm not sure that's a good thing. We need less of that going on in corporate America not more of it going on in government. OTOH, if the job is "useless" it should be eliminated but if you eliminate it, why do you negotiate retirement rather than just letting them go (like corporate America does)?

GreenGoo wrote:Lay offs are always merit based.

Pull the other one.

Isgrimnur wrote:

GreenGoo wrote:Lay offs are always merit based.

Pull the other one.

silverjon wrote:Speaking from my own experience, the work of unfilled positions might be intended to be "absorbed" into the workload of remaining staff, but just like a sponge can only soak up so much water, it depends on their existing level of work saturation. If they're already at capacity, money might be saved by eliminating positions, but it means that the level of service will suffer accordingly.

Not all gov't employees are slackers, as much as people might like to think so.

I wasn't implying they were slackers. I know her job has gone from something she really enjoyed to something she is now doing until she can retire....maybe in 5 years or so if allowed.

I assume your sister is an exception, since she didn't get laid off. Lay offs are always merit based.

In her area so far retirements have been filled by volunteers.


Understand this is a state that just raised taxes because they don't have enough money for schools and services, and yet they are able to "retire" positions. Granted at some point that philosophy will not work.

And I don't compare private and government jobs. The purpose of business is to make money. The purpose of government is to serve the people. The goals are different.

One of the major reasons to "retire" people is that if you need to replace them you can do so with a new employee that costs much less in salary or hourly pay. Do that enough times over the entire employment pool and it can make a huge difference.

We hates it! We hates it forever!

I want it to be December 21st. I have nothing against 2012, it was a wonderful year, but I'm spending too much money with the holiday season upon us, and I just want to get to and through Christmas and into 2013 so I can be back on track.

I am curmudgeonly. And at my age I shouldn't ever wish to have time go by faster, but I just can't help it.

MHS wrote:I want it to be December 21st. I have nothing against 2012, it was a wonderful year, but I'm spending too much money with the holiday season upon us, and I just want to get to and through Christmas and into 2013 so I can be back on track.

That's an odd cut-off date. Unless they moved Christmas this year. They didn't, did they?

LawBeefaroni wrote:

MHS wrote:I want it to be December 21st. I have nothing against 2012, it was a wonderful year, but I'm spending too much money with the holiday season upon us, and I just want to get to and through Christmas and into 2013 so I can be back on track.

That's an odd cut-off date. Unless they moved Christmas this year. They didn't, did they?

Holidays start on that day. i.e. last day of work is the 21st.

GreenGoo wrote:

LawBeefaroni wrote:

MHS wrote:I want it to be December 21st. I have nothing against 2012, it was a wonderful year, but I'm spending too much money with the holiday season upon us, and I just want to get to and through Christmas and into 2013 so I can be back on track.

That's an odd cut-off date. Unless they moved Christmas this year. They didn't, did they?

Holidays start on that day. i.e. last day of work is the 21st.

The last day of everything is the 21st.

I, being the genius that I am, purchased the new Skylanders Giants upgrade for Wii, despite having the original on XBOX

GreenGoo wrote:

LawBeefaroni wrote:

MHS wrote:I want it to be December 21st. I have nothing against 2012, it was a wonderful year, but I'm spending too much money with the holiday season upon us, and I just want to get to and through Christmas and into 2013 so I can be back on track.

That's an odd cut-off date. Unless they moved Christmas this year. They didn't, did they?

Holidays start on that day. i.e. last day of work is the 21st.

Yup, GreenGoo has it right. Technically, we leave on the 22nd to head to Omaha to visit my brother, but since I "work from home" on Fridays, my holiday vacation really starts on the 21st.

I have 15 days of vacation left to use this year. I have no idea how I'm going to use them all.

silverjon wrote:I am not surprised, but I appreciate the company.
http://www.out.com/entertainment/music/ ... lationship" target="_blank

Both Amanda and Neil are awesome people.

hentzau wrote:I have 15 days of vacation left to use this year. I have no idea how I'm going to use them all.

Stop going to work?

I have created a "Zombie" niche in one of the corners of my house. Looks cool but I need more stuff.

hentzau wrote:I have 15 days of vacation left to use this year. I have no idea how I'm going to use them all.

One week should be devoted to bringing Hepcat and yourself and any other Chicago-ites up to Detroit to play games.

Isgrimnur, you might try one of those plastic Owl thingies. I'm not sure if they scare off squirrels but it may be worth a shot.

Jaymon wrote:I, being the genius that I am, purchased the new Skylanders Giants upgrade for Wii, despite having the original on XBOX

Skylanders is bankrupting my house.

Freakin' wife. Wife going to toy store to buy my 2nd a ds game because he had an entire week of good behaviour at school. He's autistic, and has trouble controlling his outbursts and anger. So, awesome!

Daughter wants to go with. I look my wife in the eye and say "she gets nothing" and wife says "I know". She is constantly asking for stuff and has more stuff than Jeebus. Daughter agrees, no stuff, no asking for stuff, no whining and crying for not getting stuff, etc.

Wife gets home, 2nd has new DS game, all 3 of my kids have new Skylander giant figurines.

Me: WTF?!
Wife: Sheepish grin

Me: W.T.F.?!
Wife: She was good. She only asked for a few things, and she didn't freak out.

Me: WHAT. THE. FUCK?!
Wife: I know.

Me: GRRRRR.
Wife: Stops listening. Pretends no issue exists.

Sigh.

GreenGoo wrote:

Jaymon wrote:I, being the genius that I am, purchased the new Skylanders Giants upgrade for Wii, despite having the original on XBOX

Skylanders is bankrupting my house.

Freakin' wife. Wife going to toy store to buy my 2nd a ds game because he had an entire week of good behaviour at school. He's autistic, and has trouble controlling his outbursts and anger. So, awesome!

Daughter wants to go with. I look my wife in the eye and say "she gets nothing" and wife says "I know". She is constantly asking for stuff and has more stuff than Jeebus. Daughter agrees, no stuff, no asking for stuff, no whining and crying for not getting stuff, etc.

Wife gets home, 2nd has new DS game, all 3 of my kids have new Skylander giant figurines.

Me: WTF?!
Wife: Sheepish grin

Me: W.T.F.?!
Wife: She was good. She only asked for a few things, and she didn't freak out.

Me: WHAT. THE. FUCK?!
Wife: I know.

Me: GRRRRR.
Wife: Stops listening. Pretends no issue exists.

Sigh.

That is how it works when you let someone who isn't conservative enough control the credit card!

Some cantankerous fuddy-duddy really hates the idea of photography being art.

When the photographer pretends that he is an artist, he is a trespasser.

To be blunt, I was not provoked but sickened by this exhibition, nausea my overwhelming response to it. As an exhibition, its content is much less than the ugly catalogue suggests and the hang so haplessly confused that it fails to make the points energetically promoted in the text — but the catalogue too is repellent, the nastiest example of book design ever issued by Yale University Press.

I understand that you're a needy little bitch, Star Wars: The Old Republic, but I don't need four e-mails today telling me about my complimentary Cartel Coin Reward Grant.

Enough wrote:Some cantankerous fuddy-duddy really hates the idea of photography being art.

Well, I could slop some watercolour onto paper, and it's no more fine art than my snapshots of the garden where I forgot to clear the tools out of the picture.

I think he's missed the point that nearly anyone can do a thing poorly, but it takes passion, dedication, and a measure of talent to do it well.

Next up: Cracker Jack'd Power Bites:

The makers of Cracker Jack are adding a little more pop to their candy-coated popcorn. Frito-Lay will introduce Cracker Jack'D Power Bites caffeinated snacks later this year.

The jacked-up munchies will come in two flavors -- vanilla mocha and cocoa java -- and "will contain approximately 70 mg of caffeine in each 2 oz. package" by adding coffee to the list of ingredients alongside sugar and molasses, the company said.

That's a caffeine kick equivalent to a 1-ounce serving of espresso or two 12-ounce servings of cola.

Isgrimnur wrote:I understand that you're a needy little bitch, Star Wars: The Old Republic, but I don't need four e-mails today telling me about my complimentary Cartel Coin Reward Grant.

I only got one. I feel so unloved.

It's OK, though - I added the authenticator app to my account when I played and I've long since wiped that iPod touch. The game isn't worth whatever hoops I would need to jump through to access my account.

I have the sicks. So I went and bought the cough medicine, kleenex, cough drops, and nyquil.

I had these things on the counter, and the cashier asks, "How is your day going?"
I pointed at the items on the counter, and said 'Thats how my day is going"
Cashier looks at the items, as says, "I don't get it"

I got a flu shot here a few weeks back and I'm hoping for the best this season.

Why am I awake?

Blackhawk wrote:Why am I awake?

Realized solution: Going back to bed.

Last night I coughed so hard that it triggered my vomit reflex, flooding my mouth with saliva.

Sinus infections: not a fan.

Trying to login into EA's stupid Origin system so I can give Star Wars TOR "free to play" a shot. It's telling me my password is incorrect. I click on "forgot password", enter my email and it says a password reset e-mail has been sent. Try it a couple times, wait 1/2-hour, don't receive an e-mail. Go to their support website to find out why I'm not getting an e-mail and what I can do to get it reset. In order to submit a ticket or ask any sort of question, I have to be logged in to my account which requires...the password. That I don't have.

:sigh:

Remus West wrote: Isgrimnur, you might try one of those plastic Owl thingies. I'm not sure if they scare off squirrels but it may be worth a shot.

Splashing Tabasco up there or another hot sauce should do the trick. Remember safety goggles please for your eyes. Toss some hot pepper flakes in the hole too.

KKBlue wrote:

Remus West wrote: Isgrimnur, you might try one of those plastic Owl thingies. I'm not sure if they scare off squirrels but it may be worth a shot.

Splashing Tabasco up there or another hot sauce should do the trick. Remember safety goggles please for your eyes. Toss some hot pepper flakes in the hole too.

Moth balls (and I don't mean insect testicles).

We have a plastic owl in the back yard. It was to scare off the falcons to keep them from getting our puppies.
It worked great for awhile. The falcon even attacked it a few times.
We haven't had any squirrels in years either.

Skinypupy wrote:Trying to login into EA's stupid Origin system so I can give Star Wars TOR "free to play" a shot. It's telling me my password is incorrect. I click on "forgot password", enter my email and it says a password reset e-mail has been sent. Try it a couple times, wait 1/2-hour, don't receive an e-mail. Go to their support website to find out why I'm not getting an e-mail and what I can do to get it reset. In order to submit a ticket or ask any sort of question, I have to be logged in to my account which requires...the password. That I don't have.

:sigh:

There were recent reports of Origin hacking... EA denies, but if you dig into the NeoGAF link, you have lots of similar stories. Not saying that happened to you Skiny, but might be same kind of glitch. /shrug

Does a random number generator ever generate a number no one's ever heard of?

Did you drink question juice this weekend or has your brain been on riddle me this mode?
Keep them coming, good to get people thinking. Lord knows this witty pack loves answering quandaries with one liners

I hate that "WTF?" feeling you have upon waking when a person that literally has not crossed your mind in 15+ years suddenly plays a prominent role in an incredibly vivid dream. Took a while to shake that one off this morning.

Why aren't clouds dark on top?