Octopus Overlords

Hit!

At the local bakery waiting on hard rolls. Got to have sandwich rolls ya know! And the line is growing, glad I'm first. There is already a complainer in the group, why are people so unhappy. There are 6 people waiting.

AND just learned they are closing at 11. Wow, I pushed my luck!
Success! My Jeep smells SO good!

KKBlue wrote:Success! My Jeep smells SO good!

Is there a smell in the world better than good, fresh-baked bread? Yummy!

MHS wrote:

KKBlue wrote:Success! My Jeep smells SO good!

Is there a smell in the world better than good, fresh-baked bread? Yummy!

With my "all or nothing" personality, it was SO hard NOT to cram a roll in my mouth as I was slicing them. Soft, warm, fresh baked, local 40 year old bakery...

Wish I had time to post a Homer drool pic but have to log off and visit family. xo

GreenGoo wrote:And if you stock everything because you drink everything, having stuff on hand for visitors probably isn't your biggest problem anyway.

How could I leave out the biggest part? Having the liquor on hand is only half the battle. My MIL's beverage of choice requires a fresh orange and cherry as part of the concoction. I told my wife if I ever get to the point where I need to drink an alcoholic beverage that requires something other than ice, shoot me.

Also: at 12:38pm just before company arrives, it's not too early for Scotch, in case anyone was wondering.

I get anxious every time I see a picture of a crashed Fed Ex or UPS truck.
I keep thinking, "My package might have been on there."

Damn... my friend sent me an email saying a girl we knew from CEGEP (kinda like college) comitted suicide, post-birth depression. She's the first girl who... well rejected me, I had a HUGE crush on her, sadly the feelings were not mutual.

It's weird... I mean I haven't talked to her in over 10 years but it really affects me, I've been lucky so far, nobody in my close circle of friends or family has died, she's the first (too young, 28 years old)...

RIP Émilie

Is Kentucky embarrassed by it's state abbreviation?

dbt1949 wrote:

Sweet jaw drop there dbt.

I fixed the porch
But the porch won...

Had to replace a couple of rotted boards on the front steps. No biggie; I rebuilt those steps and have replaced parts of them a couple of times over the decades. The original fir flooring wasn't pressure treated and it just doesn't last that long.

The stringers are in especially bad shape and there isn't much left to nail into. Consequently I nailed those boards down to some hardwood shims last time with the intention that they never be taken apart again, and those nails obligingly refused to yield this afternoon. As I put my back into prying up one stubborn board I lost my balance and took a pretty bad tumble backwards, down a couple of steps, and then rolled a few feet down the front walk. It took me a couple of minutes to convince all of my shocked body parts to pull together to get me back up.

I managed to finish the job. Porch integrity is restored for a few more years. And this time I used screws.

Unfortunately, unlocking the achievement came at the expense of both knees, my right ankle, and my left elbow. I am hobbling around tonight, and I'm going to be mighty stiff and sore in the morning. I wish I could sue myself.

Sorry for laughing but what a great story. I'm playing the action gif in my mind, stifling a laugh while looking for the thread to send you re-coop funds. Feel better

Top 10 stuff......

Badass weapons

Firearms

forgotten facts

Curious everyday inventions

dbt1949 wrote:I get anxious every time I see a picture of a crashed Fed Ex or UPS truck.
I keep thinking, "My package might have been on there."

Working customer service some time back, somebody calls up and asks about the status of their package.
Checked UPS web site, package location was listed as "train wreck".
I asked the customer, have you heard anything about a train wreck? She says yes, its all over the local news, freight train derailed... oh.. I see, maybe I'll just check back in a week or so.

Stopping by the store in the way home and getting some ribs. The oldest stops over to drop the car off after counseling and we eat dinner and watch Top Gear. Throw some brown rice, corn and spinach on the plate, pour a Peroni for myself and life is as good as it gets right now.

Am I the only one that tips the tire people for working on my car?

I'm notoriously cheap but Discount Tire have fixed rim leaks, valve leaks, and holes in my tires a dozen times over the years now for free. I always feel compelled to give the tech five bucks. I have no idea if that is meaningful to him or not but I recognize that what takes them 15 minutes would take me a half a day and I risk screwing up a rim in the process.

I don't even ever get delivery because I don't want to have the tip the pizza guy.

People at work say it's odd and no one tips the tire guys.

(On the other hand, when I actually have to replace the tires and it costs my $500, there's no way I'm tipping the tire guy. $500 for tires? Holy Beans. Time to start saving for a set of tires now.)

LordMortis wrote:Am I the only one that tips the tire people for working on my car?

Not the only one, just the only one under 70.

I've never tipped anyone other than food service, and frankly I'd prefer it if the restaurants would simply raise their prices and give the servers livable wages and make it so no one had to tip again. I've been to one place that automatically included the "gratuity" in the check and it was nice to just get the bill and not have to fart around with percentages for a second before signing off on it.

I've never been overly fond or comfortable with paying people "on the side" for anything.

I tip my tattoo artist, waiter/waitress, barber, and when I stay at upscale hotels I also tip the taxi getter guy.

I carry my own luggage so no bellhops.

Oh, I'll also sometimes tip the cooks at the Mongolian Grill but I almost never carry cash on me except for when I'm going to someplace where I know I will be tipping with cash (like my tattoo guy).

Brian wrote:I tip my tattoo artist, waiter/waitress, barber, and when I stay at upscale hotels I also tip the taxi getter guy.

I carry my own luggage so no bellhops.

Oh, I'll also sometimes tip the cooks at the Mongolian Grill but I almost never carry cash on me except for when I'm going to someplace where I know I will be tipping with cash (like my tattoo guy).

How much does one tip a tattoo guy? The thought has never even occurred to me.

AWS260 wrote:

Brian wrote:I tip my tattoo artist, waiter/waitress, barber, and when I stay at upscale hotels I also tip the taxi getter guy.

I carry my own luggage so no bellhops.

Oh, I'll also sometimes tip the cooks at the Mongolian Grill but I almost never carry cash on me except for when I'm going to someplace where I know I will be tipping with cash (like my tattoo guy).

How much does one tip a tattoo guy? The thought has never even occurred to me.

Tip=((Hairiness*Badassness)/Height)*(TattoQuality*(TattooDifficulty/Cost))*1.15)

Usually $40-$60 but it's different in my case since we are friends and he heavily discounts my work.

For example, what normally would be $300 worth of work he will charge me $200 for so I'll drop an extra $60 for the tip.

AWS260 wrote: How much does one tip a tattoo guy? The thought has never even occurred to me.

Cousin#1 - $60 tatoo $20 tip
Cousin#2 - $40 tatoo $10 tip

Both were a wishbone. Cousin#1 on bicep medium size, Cousin#2 small behind the ankle.

I was also unaware you tipped your tatoo artist.

miltonite wrote:I was also unaware you tipped your tatoo artist.

And your engineer, should you ever find yourself in a recording studio.

Paingod wrote:I've never tipped anyone other than food service, and frankly I'd prefer it if the restaurants would simply raise their prices and give the servers livable wages and make it so no one had to tip again.

+0.75. The only thing I like about tipping servers is being able to award a 5% Butt Bonus to deserving girls. I don't penalize fat chicks or male servers, they just aren't in contention for the bonus.

I tip for pretty much everything. But anyone even vaguely related to the service industry I tip. Hell, when we had contractors finishing up a room for us a couple of years ago, I tipped all of the laborers. Tipped the window installers too, last year. Guys that installed my hot water heater? Tipped them.

But the place that I don't tip is at a garage or car dealer when they're doing maintenance or service on a vehicle. I think that's because I'm removed from actual contact with them.

No offense, but if you weren't such a goddam, selfish, self-centered bitch, your life would be better than in your wildest imagination. Unfortunately, you don't have the imagination that God gave a caterpillar, so you couldn't imagine it with a gun to your head. Getting pissed over six bucks worth of kitty litter?

I'm sorry, from now on, I'm just regarding you as having a particularly vicious kind of brain damage.

Yeah, that's what you told her.

dbt1949 wrote:Yeah, that's what you told her.

Actually, yeah, I did. I also reminded her that I bought him a hundred bucks worth of clothes in the last month and a half, and she could get in on half of that action, if I paid for the kitty litter.

Bought 7 Terabytes of storage yesterday for ~400 bucks. 2x2 TB external USB drives (no external power source, yay), 1x3 TB internal SATA.

Things continue apace.

I am always at a loss on tipping for take out. What do you guys do?

I've started to be more aware of who gets my hard earned money now a days. With take out, I'm doing the driving, picking up, using my dishes and cleaning up... therefore, I don't tip. Is there a jar marked "tips" by the register? Easy enough to dump your change in there as a tip, my husband is the one who will peel off a dollar and drop it in (not me). They have to give me a smile or two and be pleasant enough for me to care and give them the change. Also matters on how much I see these people and how I want them to remember me.
To the point, I don't tip for take out and don't feel bad about my choice.

bb2112 wrote:I am always at a loss on tipping for take out. What do you guys do?

I don't think anyone expects to be tipped for carry-out, so I don't feel any pressure to do it at all.

It's my understanding that people cooking the food are paid at least minimum wage, unlike food servers and delivery people, and don't live on tips. I don't even know if the cook would get the tip, and the waitress' entire contribution is bringing the bag up front for me to carry out. I'm not going to tip people for 30 seconds of work; it's when I spend an hour at a table and they tend that table for that hour that they'll get tipped.

[quote="Paingod"]I don't think anyone expects to be tipped for carry-out, so I don't feel any pressure to do it at all./quote]

Some do for all of the prep work involved. I don't tend to get carry out from those kind of places.

If I am semi regular at a basic carryout place and they give me a reason to believe I should tip then I do. The girls working at Lee's Famous Recipe are making minimal wage and they remember me and they know what I want with all of my PITA exceptions and they are always so pleasant. They always get a buck. It won't make their lives but it shows my appreciation for $4 lunch.

Work also always has me tip when I pick up curb side at place like Max and Erma's, mainly because the expectation is there with all of the prep the car hops put into the carry out. I think they tip about 5%. I think.

When I get takeout from a sit-down restaurant, I will likely drop a dollar or two (mind, these denominations are coins in Canadia) in the tip jar. I don't tip when getting Chinese food from the Joy Ho though. The kitchen runs all transactions through the convenience store next door which they also own. I don't think they expect anyone picking up an order to tip.

For beverages/pastries/grilling a breakfast sandwich in a coffee shop, I'll also throw change in the tip jar. The amount will be variable depending on how much work is involved in getting my order ready.

Hey Default. How's the Tourette's?

hentzau wrote:I tip for pretty much everything. But anyone even vaguely related to the service industry I tip. Hell, when we had contractors finishing up a room for us a couple of years ago, I tipped all of the laborers. Tipped the window installers too, last year. Guys that installed my hot water heater? Tipped them.

But the place that I don't tip is at a garage or car dealer when they're doing maintenance or service on a vehicle. I think that's because I'm removed from actual contact with them.

You tip construction workers? What kind of moron, eh, why? I have been in construction for 30 years and have never heard of that. Granted we do commercial work but a cash tip? My guys may have got the occasional cookie or something.....

Scuzz wrote:

hentzau wrote:I tip for pretty much everything. But anyone even vaguely related to the service industry I tip. Hell, when we had contractors finishing up a room for us a couple of years ago, I tipped all of the laborers. Tipped the window installers too, last year. Guys that installed my hot water heater? Tipped them.

But the place that I don't tip is at a garage or car dealer when they're doing maintenance or service on a vehicle. I think that's because I'm removed from actual contact with them.

You tip construction workers? What kind of moron, eh, why? I have been in construction for 30 years and have never heard of that. Granted we do commercial work but a cash tip? My guys may have got the occasional cookie or something.....

Because I can?

I mean, I tip to show appreciation of a job well done. If they were total screw ups, they don't get a tip. Take the guy we had re-insulating and putting plywood under our back porch floor. In the process, he ended up snapping off a gas line that led into the house. My wife happened to be out of the house at the time. Got back from picking up the kids from school, walked into a house full of natural gas. Fire department called, panicked calls to me, many trips by the gas company out to my house...that guy did not get a tip.

I tip for services rendered to people who without my tip probably make some pretty crappy wages. I tip for someone going over and above normal services.

Tipping a contractor who probably either bid the job to you or you are paying by the hour is crazy. Do you know the profit margin most those guys have? Granted, tipping the employee isn't tipping the employer.

I don't know how many owners have told me they don't do prevailing wage work because their employees get used to it and get lazy. Strange concept but there must be something to it.

Sorry if I am beating a dead horse.

hentzau wrote:I mean, I tip to show appreciation of a job well done. If they were total screw ups, they don't get a tip. Take the guy we had re-insulating and putting plywood under our back porch floor. In the process, he ended up snapping off a gas line that led into the house. My wife happened to be out of the house at the time. Got back from picking up the kids from school, walked into a house full of natural gas. Fire department called, panicked calls to me, many trips by the gas company out to my house...that guy did not get a tip.

Not even a cigarette?

I didn't want to dredge up an old Fringe thread to rant about this...

I had been curious about the show for a while now and decided to dig it up on Hulu and watch an episode to see what it's like. My first choice refused to load properly, but the second worked. A season 1 story about people dying in front of computers with their brains turned to goo. Hm, okay, I think. Into the episode I go with as open a mind as possible and prepared to be entertained.

Girl: These hard drives are completely fried (shows opened drive with blackened platters). It looks like someone took a blowtorch to it. The platters are fused. I majored in (whatever) and minored in Computer Science. I'll take a crack at it and see what I can find.
I think: Yeah - good luck with that. You'll need about a month in a clean room with lots of high-end equipment. A CS Minor? You're nowhere near qualified to even attempt that.
Girl: (in the lab, at her desk) Well, it was a 678MB file that they both downloaded, but I can't tell what it was or where it came from.
I think: No, no, no. The correct answer is "These things are completely fucked. I need to send them off to a real lab for work."
Guy: Give that to me, I know a guy who might be able to handle this. (leaves with drives boxed up in a plastic baggie)
I think: Oh, yeah, sure. Just some huge tech-nerd with a real computer lab and some better equipment, I bet.
Guy's Friend: Let's see what I can find (connects drives to tangled mess of wires and random assorted computer equipment, computer boots up and the screens start lighting up with data). Wow, this is tricky. See this, this data was sent all over the world and was downloaded from dozens of locations at once. Whoever did this knew what they were doing.
I think: NONONO - These drives are hosed. There is NO WAY you can just 'plug them in' to the right system and get ANYTHING off of them.

Suspension of Disbelief completely shattered and the episode is rated a complete flop - a shambles. I'm willing to give it another shot - as long as people who "tinker with computers" don't keep performing engineer-level diagnostics and repairs through the series.

What a horrible introduction to the series for me.