giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jul 8, 2024 8:22:32 GMT -5
I do not understand how anyone affords to live these days, much less save for retirement Oh, i know. And, I don't know that all is lost. We did a back of the napkin budget this weekend, as DS and his friends found a house they could rent. He nets 3K a month. We figured rent, gas, phone, utilities, insurance, and maybe some food would take half a paycheck. He should have another paycheck to cover the rest of food and a possible car payment, and then any extras. He can't put money away in a 401K yet. We'll have his 529 money to roll over in the meantime, so I'm not worried. Anyway, as long as he doesn't get a $600 car payment, he'll be OK. He won't have money to go Europe for 6 weeks. But, that's pretty unreasonable anyway, IMVHO, for someone firmly in the middle class, working their first out of school job.
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soupandstew
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Post by soupandstew on Jul 8, 2024 8:28:39 GMT -5
It's hairy and scary here, but we are okay - generator is running, cable is working. 1.5 million without power, widespread flooding, some structural damages, at least one fatality. Our little pocket of the world is very fortunate as our streets flood but our houses don't. Our little squatty homes built back in the late 50's are rock solid and unless a tree falls on one, we're usually safe. I have one neighbor with a tree on his house, and several with roof leaks. Next door neighbor will need a new shade cover for his patio but his huge outdoor TV is still there.
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finnime
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Post by finnime on Jul 8, 2024 8:40:28 GMT -5
Glad things are okay for you so far, soupandstew. You chose your home location wisely.
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finnime
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Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
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Post by finnime on Jul 8, 2024 8:58:02 GMT -5
Now I want rhubarb crisp.
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MarionTh230
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Post by MarionTh230 on Jul 8, 2024 9:06:09 GMT -5
Just popping in to check on soupandstew. Fingers crossed for you!
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 8, 2024 9:27:04 GMT -5
Up at 5:30 this morning……I’ll be feeling it later this afternoon!
I have an appointment to go get the oil changed in my car this morning.
Trying to decide whether to run up to Costco for a bag of rice, the mutt is back on a chicken and rice diet. I cooked up the last of the rice this morning, just waiting for it to cool so I can feed her.
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jul 8, 2024 9:30:35 GMT -5
It's hairy and scary here, but we are okay - generator is running, cable is working. 1.5 million without power, widespread flooding, some structural damages, at least one fatality. Our little pocket of the world is very fortunate as our streets flood but our houses don't. Our little squatty homes built back in the late 50's are rock solid and unless a tree falls on one, we're usually safe. I have one neighbor with a tree on his house, and several with roof leaks. Next door neighbor will need a new shade cover for his patio but his huge outdoor TV is still there. Soup, I'm behind the times, was this a result of Beryl?
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Opti
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Post by Opti on Jul 8, 2024 9:35:25 GMT -5
Another round to Skagit today for cherries. Price went up $1/lb. We are going through about 4-5 lbs of cherries/week, it’s the only fruit anyone’s eating in the house since it’s so good. Stopped at the Skagit seafood market, and it looks like they have all the ingredients I’d need to make a seafood paella. I might have to get a mortgage on the house though! TD bought me a paella pan a few years ago, and other than the grill, we didn’t have a cooking surface large enough for it. Have since got a Blackstone griddle, so that should be large enough. Do need to make an executive decision on which stove I want. I was talking to my MIL and she really doesn’t like her Bosch stove much. That, along with a noisy fan when the oven kicks on kind of cements m6 decision. Cherries are good for you. Or so internet research says. Bought a bunch recently too. How much are they in your area right now? Prices are only good here if its a sale.
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soupandstew
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Post by soupandstew on Jul 8, 2024 9:45:48 GMT -5
It's hairy and scary here, but we are okay - generator is running, cable is working. 1.5 million without power, widespread flooding, some structural damages, at least one fatality. Our little pocket of the world is very fortunate as our streets flood but our houses don't. Our little squatty homes built back in the late 50's are rock solid and unless a tree falls on one, we're usually safe. I have one neighbor with a tree on his house, and several with roof leaks. Next door neighbor will need a new shade cover for his patio but his huge outdoor TV is still there. Soup, I'm behind the times, was this a result of Beryl? Yes, eye is passing through Houston now
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jul 8, 2024 9:49:54 GMT -5
Now I want rhubarb crisp. I'd share, if we were closer.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jul 8, 2024 9:52:25 GMT -5
So, salary has been agreed to.
We're just down to references and scheduling.
And I'm crying, again. Right before I have a whole slew of meetings today.
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on Jul 8, 2024 9:55:50 GMT -5
All of this is why 1) If DH ever relapses again, we'll be legally separated, and he can just rent a room to sleep in at night and then have access to the kids/house the rest of the time. 2) I've pivoted to having DS be welcome to stay at home until he can afford to buy a small 2-bedroom house. If he stayed another year, he'd have at least a 10% down payment. It probably wouldn't be in the best neighborhood; and we are fortunate that our hood is not inner city Milwaukee hood, so going back to living in the hood wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. 3) I am still pretty set on doing things the hard way now, at 49.. Because I know myself, and I will find it soul crushing if I can't fully stop working by 60. Being harder on myself now, means the more likely I can stop working by 60 later. It also gives us the resources to ensure that I don't have to rely on medicare-only treatment, either for my cancer or for old age. I do not understand how anyone affords to live these days, much less save for retirement Easy. Invent time machine, go back a few years to when rates were low and so were housing prices. Boom. Easy street.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 8, 2024 10:01:54 GMT -5
Another round to Skagit today for cherries. Price went up $1/lb. We are going through about 4-5 lbs of cherries/week, it’s the only fruit anyone’s eating in the house since it’s so good. Stopped at the Skagit seafood market, and it looks like they have all the ingredients I’d need to make a seafood paella. I might have to get a mortgage on the house though! TD bought me a paella pan a few years ago, and other than the grill, we didn’t have a cooking surface large enough for it. Have since got a Blackstone griddle, so that should be large enough. Do need to make an executive decision on which stove I want. I was talking to my MIL and she really doesn’t like her Bosch stove much. That, along with a noisy fan when the oven kicks on kind of cements m6 decision. Cherries are good for you. Or so internet research says. Bought a bunch recently too. How much are they in your area right now? Prices are only good here if it’s a sale. If I go to the grocery store, about $2/lb. $4/lb at the fruit stand I’ve been going to, but they’re much better cherries. This bunch of cherries will be the last, then blueberry season starts and I’ll buy the local blueberries. There’s a U pick farm not far out of town I’ll hit for these, but they’ll pick for a little more $.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 8, 2024 10:03:43 GMT -5
So, salary has been agreed to. We're just down to references and scheduling. And I'm crying, again. Right before I have a whole slew of meetings today. So reality has hit! Congrats! Hopefully this will alleviate a lot of your stress. Are you crying in relief?
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Post by minnesotapaintlady on Jul 8, 2024 10:06:53 GMT -5
Cherries are good for you. Or so internet research says. Bought a bunch recently too. How much are they in your area right now? Prices are only good here if it’s a sale. If I go to the grocery store, about $2/lb. $4/lb at the fruit stand I’ve been going to, but they’re much better cherries. This bunch of cherries will be the last, then blueberry season starts and I’ll buy the local blueberries. There’s a U pick farm not far out of town I’ll hit for these, but they’ll pick for a little more $. I'm super bummed my cherry tree is dying. I used to be able to fill a couple 5 gallon buckets every year. Then the birds discovered them and would clear the entire tree in one day. Seriously, I'd go out one day and it would be plump full of almost ready cherries, and the next day it would be completely stripped!
Now something is wrong with it. There were no cherries at all last year and I thought it was completely dead, but this year a few branches greened up and it has fruit on those, but I don't have a lot of hope it's going to recover fully. It's 15 years old, but they're supposed to make it twice that long.
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soupandstew
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Post by soupandstew on Jul 8, 2024 10:11:13 GMT -5
One of our directors started a group text last night as sort of a check-in thing as the storm approached and there's about 14 people participating. It's been fun and informative too due to the immense size of our subdivision. The engineer geek is posting eyewall wind speeds, one guy is trying to get a mockingbird out of his house, nobody has power, and this morning one person is showing the effect of some plant-based therapy, possibly assisted by wine, and her texts are hysterical.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jul 8, 2024 10:14:17 GMT -5
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jul 8, 2024 10:16:47 GMT -5
When I talked to J last night, he was wear a new robe with a sash. He was quite proud of the frogs on his robe.
Then he decided to open the sash and put himself on display. DN1 said he looks like Hugh Hefner. Of course, J had no idea of why we were all laughing. He does not like being laughed at and told us to stop laughing.
He immediately noticed that the scabs on my nose are gone. But two weeks from today, it will be an open wound.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jul 8, 2024 10:23:22 GMT -5
So, salary has been agreed to. We're just down to references and scheduling. And I'm crying, again. Right before I have a whole slew of meetings today. So reality has hit! Congrats! Hopefully this will alleviate a lot of your stress. Are you crying in relief? Relief and grief. And probably a sprinkling of peri-menopausal hormone weirdness to boot. The best way I can explain it is that it's like when you get out of a bad relationship. You have an inkling that it hasn't been great. And then when you get to the other side, it's like....holy cow. I'm still trying not to get too excited. The scheduling could be a thing. I can't give up that much dayjob income and side job income, too.
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lurkyloo
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“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
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Post by lurkyloo on Jul 8, 2024 10:50:46 GMT -5
So, salary has been agreed to. We're just down to references and scheduling. And I'm crying, again. Right before I have a whole slew of meetings today. Woohoo! Amazing news
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lurkyloo
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“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
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Post by lurkyloo on Jul 8, 2024 10:58:20 GMT -5
I do not understand how anyone affords to live these days, much less save for retirement Easy. Invent time machine, go back a few years to when rates were low and so were housing prices. Boom. Easy street. Other possibilities: -be born into a well off family that pays for your college and supplies seed money -marry a high earner who doesn’t have to live in a VHCOL area -have a crystal ball so if you weren’t quite mentally ready to buy in 2018 or so you pushed through anyway
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 8, 2024 11:08:13 GMT -5
So reality has hit! Congrats! Hopefully this will alleviate a lot of your stress. Are you crying in relief? Relief and grief. And probably a sprinkling of peri-menopausal hormone weirdness to boot. The best way I can explain it is that it's like when you get out of a bad relationship. You have an inkling that it hasn't been great. And then when you get to the other side, it's like....holy cow. I'm still trying not to get too excited. The scheduling could be a thing. I can't give up that much dayjob income and side job income, too. Oh, I get it! I hated my first job so much, and it caused such stress that my face was ALWAYS broken out in acne for the last 6 months of the year I worked there. I thought I was past that when I turned 19. It wasn’t until I left the job, took a week break and started a new job that my face cleared up. I also no longer wanted to take a sledge hammer to my alarm clock. Interesting how stress manifests itself. (I also would cry at the drop of a hat).
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Jul 8, 2024 11:13:11 GMT -5
Waiting at mechanics for an oil change. They said it’s going to be an hour.
After I get done here, next stop is at the store. Harriet’s back on chicken and rice, and we have no more rice. We had a 20 lb bag of rice, DS had a 20 lb bag of rice (both partially used). Over 2 years, and 2 dogs, we have gone through all that rice. When one dog got a special diet, we had to give it to both dogs (because dogs are stupid that way), so went through rice even faster.
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soupandstew
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Post by soupandstew on Jul 8, 2024 11:42:32 GMT -5
When I talked to J last night, he was wear a new robe with a sash. He was quite proud of the frogs on his robe. Then he decided to open the sash and put himself on display. DN1 said he looks like Hugh Hefner. Of course, J had no idea of why we were all laughing. He does not like being laughed at and told us to stop laughing. He immediately noticed that the scabs on my nose are gone. But two weeks from today, it will be an open wound. I can't wait until J is old enough to understand the reference
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Jul 8, 2024 12:23:34 GMT -5
oh, I'm going to be ill. I just went out to grab the mail, and I noticed something looked odd right at the end of my driveway, near the mailbox. because my driveway slopes downhill toward my house, there's a slight berm to the road. well, what looked odd was a pile of fur and a squirrel's head. the rest of it had been flattened by a passing vehicle at some point earlier, long enough for the birds to have picked at it as well. I thought I'd seen more birds than usual this morning, and now I know why. I need some other adultier adult to go pick up what's left.....or some more animals. I don't really care which, but I know it won't be me.
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weltz
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Post by weltz on Jul 8, 2024 12:37:44 GMT -5
I have an appointment at the McGill University Health Center on the 22nd. I was offered an appointment on the 18th, but that's Simon's birthday and I don't want a cancer diagnosis on his birthday.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Jul 8, 2024 13:18:35 GMT -5
I spent two hours crafting and reading my response to HR's suggestion I mediate with my boss. I told her I don't think it is a good idea and outlined why. I said a huge part of it is I have been told I have a "negative personality" and as a woman I know EXACTLY what that is code for and that once that label is slapped on you everything and anything you do/say will be viewed through that lens. So I am concerned that mediation would not be viewed as an attempt to improve my performance or managerial relationships but instead be used as yet another example of me being a problem because "nobody else had issues". I also said I received confirmation that my performance is based on how my manager views/asses my performance AND how my predecessor did the job. I said while I am uncomfortable with that because I feel like that is an incredible amount of bias introduced especially given how they view my personality vs hers but if that is how the company review process is supposed to work then I have to accept that. I told her I laid out clearly why I feel objectives and benchmarks need to be set and was told that nobody else who has ever held this job needed those so why do I need them? I said I outlined why and there still seemed to be confusion/resistance to the idea that basing a review off of how apparently the perfect specimen of an employee from what I keep hearing isn't objective. I know they don't like me, they LOVED her. How am I supposed to compete against the lab grandma? There should be unbiased set objectives to protect me and protect the people they expect to back me up when I am gone. I should be compared against the JOB not against another person. AND me in that instance too because if they do something wrong/dumb that is used as evidence against me that I don't do MY job because if I did I would have trained them to not do whatever dumb thing they did. I said I don't have the energy to try to change the system and I have to look out for myself. I said I know she said I am protected against retaliation but honestly at this point the damage is likely done and if I continue to assert my right to transparency then I am going to land myself in even bigger trouble. ETA: And it got danced around that our new top boss does not believe that "everyone" in a department can be a 3. That there has to be balance and someone surely deserves a four. I am more and more convinced I got sacrificed for Captain Dipshit so they could cover up his much worse performance. Cause by their own logic about how performance reviews work he should have been gone yesterday. The person before him took 4 hour naps right there at her desk and still completed more in a day and more accurately than he does.
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giramomma
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Post by giramomma on Jul 8, 2024 13:27:07 GMT -5
I have an appointment at the McGill University Health Center on the 22nd. I was offered an appointment on the 18th, but that's Simon's birthday and I don't want a cancer diagnosis on his birthday. Hugs. Is there any chance that you can get on a list that they will see you earlier if they get a cancellation? This seems like it's taking a long time. It was 6 weeks from diagnosis (by the radiologist) to port insertion/first day of chemo. And that was only because the MRI picked up things that the mammo+ultrasound didn't. So I had to get biopsied 2 times and then I had to wait for the tumor board to review my case. ETA: Is there anything we can do?
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lurkyloo
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“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
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Post by lurkyloo on Jul 8, 2024 14:42:05 GMT -5
I have spent far too much time today trying to explain reality to a coworker who keeps getting things just wrong enough to make a mess.
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daisylu
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Post by daisylu on Jul 8, 2024 14:49:34 GMT -5
About to get on my last call of the day. A meeting that was moved from 1PM to 4PM, THIS MORNING.
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