Miscellaneous Discussion Thread
Quote: AxelWolfYou would still work? Only thing i would do diffident is get my favorite sports car, buy a place on a river in the Pacific Northwest and spend summers there.
I wonder how many spouses actually discuss this. I know we have.
If I win 5 million then I am still going to work but going to actually use my vacations.
If it is in the area of 500 million then I am going to by the nicest RV that I can find and just drive. We would just stop in random cities and stay until we felt like going to the next.
Quote: AxiomOfChoice2 chicks at the same time
I always wanted to do that
Quote:If it is in the area of 500 million then I am going to by the nicest RV that I can find and just drive. We would just stop in random cities and stay until we felt like going to the next.
Definitely take your RV to Burning Man .
Quote: MrVDefinitely take your RV to Burning Man .
I'd rather go to EDC but that is just to close to home to use an RV :)
TWO women for the Bishop!! (Its a very old joke so I will spare you all). Although in Vegas these days, its likely to be a woman who takes on two men at the same time. One Vegas cabbie had four young dudes in his cab and spotted a girl with that "I've walked far enough" look, so it wound up that enroute to her hotel she agreed to "hang out" with the four men at their favorite casino. After about twenty minutes, she had called a girlfriend she knew to take care of the two men she was least attracted to and had invited the two men she was most attracted to to come to her room for the rest of the night. Now that was a cabbie who earned some real money that night!!Quote: AxiomOfChoice2 chicks at the same time
RVs and wandering: There is a Gambling and RVs web site that shows RV parks near casinos, how the park and the casino are rated, etc. There are event listing services that can plan your trip according to geography and interests. Most lottery winners want to do their RVing AWAY from greedy relatives.
Though if you really want to travel after a lottery win, get a Catamaran or a Junk, (its like sailing a condominium, not a yacht). And in every port young women materialize in droves and remember, if its their first or second cruise, THEY pay you!!.
Quote: AxiomOfChoice2 chicks at the same time
Well Lawrence you don't need a million dollars for that man!
occupationist - hating someone for the job they have
If you say something like, i hate people that work at the DMV or i hate people that work at the post office, you are being an occupationist.
And a little story about hating people at the post office. I remember going into the post office to mail some MTG cards i sold on ebay. I walk up to the counter and ask the guy if he had any padded envelopes. He told me they didnt. So im looking around for another container to mail them in and stumble upon some padded envelopes. I walk back up to the counter and say to the guy "looks like you did have some padded envelopes." He responds "No. Thats a cushioned mailer." Sigh...
As someone who has done this more that once, You shouldn't need to have any money for this to happen. Just pretend not to be a nerd and go for it, not saying you are but that's the first step. It's Not all it is cracked up to be what you may think. It gets a bit strange the next day.Quote: AxiomOfChoice2 chicks at the same time
Also you must put yourself in situations for it to even happen. You probably have a better shot at winning that 500 million, if you just sit around waiting for 2 chicks to run up and ask you to join them for some three-some fun.
I cant imagine paying for it would be as fun and certainly nothing you would feel proud of or want to tell others about.
Maybe when you come to Vegas next month take some time out to party and I will wing man for you.
Quote: AxelWolfAs someone who has done this more that once, You shouldn't need to have any money for this to happen. Just pretend not to be a nerd and go for it, not saying you are but that's the first step. It's Not all it is cracked up to be what you may think. It gets a bit strange the next day.
Also you must put yourself in situations for it to even happen. You probably have a better shot at winning that 500 million, if you just sit around waiting for 2 chicks to run up and ask you to join them for some three-some fun.
I cant imagine paying for it would be as fun and certainly nothing you would feel proud of or want to tell others about.
It was a movie reference. I think only Aces and DJ got it. Check the youtube link I posted.
Quote:Maybe when you come to Vegas next month take some time out to party and I will wing man for you.
I'll take you up on that offer though.
Quote: AxelWolfNot all it is cracked up to be what you may think. It gets a bit strange the next day.
+1
The idea of it is much more invigorating than the actual act of it.
Quote: AxelWolfYou would still work? Only thing i would do diffident is get my favorite sports car, buy a place on a river in the Pacific Northwest and spend summers there.
Of course I'd still work, it's a hell of a lot better than sitting on your ass doing nothing. :) Sure, I'd probably reinvest most of it, buy some fun stuff, and perhaps travel. Actually, come to think of it, I don't really like traveling. I'm not scared of flying in a plane....I just hate going to the airport and waiting for 2 hours, then being on a plane that takes foreverrrrrr (anything more than 90 minutes = WTF)....then landing and stuff. If I were to travel, it'd probably be via RV, like someone mentioned.
Actually, something that's always been a dream of mine (or fantasy since it probably won't ever happen?), is figure out a way to solve the homeless problem. Not like a homeless shelter type of thing....but get them an actual place to live, help them get a job/education, the whole nine yards.
Quote: AxiomOfChoice2 chicks at the same time
I was with a group at a stand-up comedy spot three or four years ago. The girl on stage moved her act along the line of wondering just what it was with this supposed male fantasy about doing it with two women together. She went on for a while about how ridiculous that sounded to her and asked why in the world a guy would want two women with him in bed at the same time.
Well, I forgot my manners and just blurted out, "We need the help!" Well, she spun around with this shocked look on her face and asked whether I had seen her act before. It seems I had just trounced all over her punch line, and she had to do an on-the-spot re-write to get full value out of her joke. After the show, I went to her and apologized. She just couldn't believe I had seen that coming. I told her that I had only recently considered that aspect of the scenario -- getting older helps one realize that you just might not be able to handle every job completely satisfactorily all on your own.
Quote: WizardAs someone who has been married 19 years, my answer is to bite your tongue and if you disagree with your wife and say nothing at all. She will always be willing to argue longer than you. Easier to just keep your opinions to yourself. I can't speak for every marriage, but I've never heard of a man ever winning an argument with his wife.
This is correct.
Quote: DocWell, I forgot my manners and just blurted out, "We need the help!"
I don't think that qualifies as bad manners, since you weren't heckling the comedian.
Quote:It seems I had just trounced all over her punch line, and she had to do an on-the-spot re-write to get full value out of her joke.
Isaac Asimov made a fair bit of his living by giving talks. One time as an after-dinner speaker, he realized his son, whom he'd brought along, was regaling the head table with the talk he was planning to give. He had a few minutes to come up with another one.
It happens.
Quote: WizardAs someone who has been married 19 years, my answer is to bite your tongue and if you disagree with your wife and say nothing at all. She will always be willing to argue longer than you. Easier to just keep your opinions to yourself. I can't speak for every marriage, but I've never heard of a man ever winning an argument with his wife.
I suspect they teach young ladies the following simple yet powerful strategies in home ec class:
"Yes him to death and do as you please;" and
"Keep his balls empty and his belly full."
Clever vixens.
Quote: MrVI suspect they teach young ladies the following simple yet powerful strategies in home ec class:
"Yes him to death and do as you please;" and
"Keep his balls empty and his belly full."
Clever vixens.
No, our clever aunts teach us these two things. Our mothers would rather die than say them. And Home Ec teaches you how to make "porcupine salad" by buttering canned half-pears with mayonnaise, setting them on a leaf of lettuce, and sticking thin pretzel sticks in their backs. True story.
Quote: rudeboyoiim going to coin a new word here.
occupationist - hating someone for the job they have
If you say something like, i hate people that work at the DMV or i hate people that work at the post office, you are being an occupationist.
And a little story about hating people at the post office. I remember going into the post office to mail some MTG cards i sold on ebay. I walk up to the counter and ask the guy if he had any padded envelopes. He told me they didnt. So im looking around for another container to mail them in and stumble upon some padded envelopes. I walk back up to the counter and say to the guy "looks like you did have some padded envelopes." He responds "No. Thats a cushioned mailer." Sigh...
Occupationist ... hmm ... would that apply to more notorious jobs like Wall St. bankers (hated by the left) or trial lawyers (hated by the right)? Is someone an occupationist for hating politicians?
Other "words" I've heard but would like to take credit for ...
Affluenza - the condition that you grew up rich and therefore don't know the consequences of your actions. This was actually used as a defense in Texas not so long ago.
Eduenza - same concept only that your excellent Ivy League education makes you think you're so smart that nothing you touch can fail, even when everything you're touching is failing miserably.
Quote: MrWarmthOccupationist ... hmm ... would that apply to more notorious jobs like Wall St. bankers (hated by the left) or trial lawyers (hated by the right)? Is someone an occupationist for hating politicians?
Other "words" I've heard but would like to take credit for ...
Affluenza - the condition that you grew up rich and therefore don't know the consequences of your actions. This was actually used as a defense in Texas not so long ago.
Eduenza - same concept only that your excellent Ivy League education makes you think you're so smart that nothing you touch can fail, even when everything you're touching is failing miserably.
My made-up-word of the day is Hypocrat: The rich elderly people who demand their government SS checks and Medicare continue while screaming about government handouts and Obamacare.
Quote: beachbumbabsMy made-up-word of the day is Hypocrat: The rich elderly people who demand their government SS checks and Medicare continue while screaming about government handouts and Obamacare.
Babs, What do you consider too rich to receive SS after working 40+ years? Thanks.
equal parts gin/lemonade/limoncello/ice : very simple, very deadly
equal parts Absolute Citron/bourbon/sour mix/limoncello = "adult lemonade" even more powerful
or just google limoncello
Summertime is here!
Quote: odiousgambitwell into my cups now, I want to say that you should not miss the boat on a Summertime liquor: Limoncello
equal parts gin/lemonade/limoncello/ice : very simple, very deadly
equal parts Absolute Citron/bourbon/sour mix/limoncello = "adult lemonade" even more powerful
or just google limoncello
Summertime is here!
Sounds great for getting drunk by the pool/lake. I might have to pick up a bottle.
No, everyone makes payments into a plan and then those who at retirement turn out to be destitute or in need of some assistance get payments. The trouble is the government does not want to remind people that its only for the needy, since that would be costly at the ballot box.Quote: AxiomOfChoiceIn what way are SS checks government handouts? You make payments into a retirement plan, then take payments when you retire. That is not a handout.
Oh for the days of the vast majority of Americans not making enough money to have to pay an income tax and the tax rate being one and a half percent!
Sounds like grooming to me.Quote: RS
Actually, something that's always been a dream of mine (or fantasy since it probably won't ever happen?), is figure out a way to solve the homeless problem. Not like a homeless shelter type of thing....but get them an actual place to live, help them get a job/education, the whole nine yards.
Quote: odiousgambitwell into my cups now, I want to say that you should not miss the boat on a Summertime liquor: Limoncello!
Yeah, awhile someone whose car was in the shop asked me to buy them some limoncello so I promptly drove to a grocery store and bought a ninety cent box of Lemon Jello. Of course the grocery store has one of these "separate entrance" but same ownership liquor stores, so I bought the booze there (the better quality stuff can get expensive but up until six weeks ago you got two free glasses as well). Hostess saw my box of Lemon Jello but alas, knowing my mischievous nature, was not fooled.
I think it was most popular in Greece and Italy as an afternoon aperetif but France favored Cointreau instead of Limoncello.
And of course a bit later it was "The Green Hour" which meant Absinthe.
Its only the British who made 4:00pm Tea Time. What a waste.
Quote: FleaStiffNo, everyone makes payments into a plan and then those who at retirement turn out to be destitute or in need of some assistance get payments. The trouble is the government does not want to remind people that its only for the needy, since that would be costly at the ballot box.
I'm not sure about this. If earners pay in and don't get payments in the end, that's plain-and-simple Redistribution. Thing is, what you get in the end, up to a maximum, is determined in part by what you contribute ... we get those Social Security "investment" statements every year or so telling us how much/whether we're qualifying for benefits.
So ... we have a situation where everyone pays in, some are completely earned out, others are maxed, others are "proportional," and some get none. Sounds like a huge racket to me. Those who say that, in 70 years, we'll be OK with Obamacare in the same way that we're OK with Social Security now have just had their point destroyed (not that it would change minds any more than the VA scandals will).
Also, isn't the political momentum in this nation against the wealthy? Wouldn't screwing them over win votes rather than lose them?
Quote: FleaStiffOh for the days of the vast majority of Americans not making enough money to have to pay an income tax and the tax rate being one and a half percent!
I thought almost half of income-earning Americans didn't pay taxes already, and the tax rate starts at 10% (I think). I guess these are "the days," only with 6x lowest tax bracket ...
I'm new to the forum and still learning personalities, but I'm thinking your post might have been sarcastic ...
Quote: AcesAndEightsI've been with my wife-elect for 3 years now (we're getting married in just a few short weeks). We rarely have knock-down drag-out arguments/fights. Actually I'd say only one in our whole relationship, which was 100% my fault for f***ing something up.
But other than that, we tend to have pretty mature, open dialogues. I do bite my tongue from time to time; usually if it is something small or something I don't really care about. But for serious issues I make my opinion known and then we discuss it. If it's something that requires a decision, we often time compromise, otherwise one of us will give in. If it's just a random debate about something, a lot of times neither of us will change our mind. Since she went back to school and I started paying for everything (both halves of the rent, all the food, etc.), I pretty much control the finances, which she is fine with. We're both pretty frugal by nature, so there aren't a lot of disagreements on that front. But if she wants to buy something frivolous, I maintain nearly-absolute veto power and exercise it frequently :).
Anyway, I'm pretty happy with our communication skills. Which one would hope, since we'll hopefully be together forever!
After some reflection (and this similar topic coming up somewhere else), I think the communication habits noted above may have something to do with me being an engineer, and her being a scientist.
Didn't some ruler of long ago solve that problem by announcing a great feast for all homeless, drunkards and layabouts. And then as they enjoyed the feast, he had the doors locked and the building torched.Quote: RSis figure out a way to solve the homeless problem.
Quote: AcesAndEightsAfter some reflection (and this similar topic coming up somewhere else), I think the communication habits noted above may have something to do with me being an engineer, and her being a scientist.
It sounds to me like you are still being nice to each other because you are not married yet.
(Note: That was only half tongue-in-cheek. But, what the hell do I know? I've never been married and hopefully never will be)
Quote: onenickelmiracleWe didn't get here making ethical decisions and I doubt they will be made anytime soon considering the capture of Washington by Wall St. It's the boomers who will suffer the most in old age for this but I think they deserve it the most having the most negligence anyways.
The whole "Wall St. owns Washington" way of thinking never made sense to me. No doubt, it's influential, but some of the hugest Wall St. winners are those who profess liberalism (Buffet, Gore, etc.). Certainly other winners profess conservatism. The point being, Wall St. winners don't necessarily practice (if not profess) one side of things; there are winners on either side.
But ... only one side sets up winners as villains, so when I read a comment like this, it's hard not to attribute its application to conservative politics ... which, by the way, could not be more clearly debunked with examples actual Wall St. winners.
And ... if Wall St. is about unfettering capitalism to make a buck, why is the political momentum going in exactly the opposite direction? The only reason I can think of might be that these existing winners want to keep the size of their club small ... in other words, they know that moving towards liberalism locks in the winners and keeps out the not-winners, but they do it anyway. BUT ... a liberal political rhetoric staple is that they're trying to get equality.
That's why the whole "Wall St. owns Washington" way of thinking never made sense to me, unless we're dealing with utterly bad actors on the liberal side who are knowingly lying to keep the not-winners down, which I just don't want to assume.
Quote: GWAEMy boss decided today that he would buy us lunch. There are only 8 people in the company. We pulled out a menu to a local restaurant and people started writing down what they want. I write down a normal type lunch sandwich. I notice that other people wrote down $17 shrimp scampi and appetizers. It annoys me to see people do that when normally they would order 1 sandwich and split it.
I would do this on a company expense card, if it can only be used for food. My company is XYZ casino and usually they don't let me keep the change so if the comp is $50 I spend $49.99, mostly on appetizers, a drink, entree, dessert, and maybe takeout if I have money left over.
If it was something like your situation I would limit the costs because it can be traced back to you and of course you don't wanna screw your boss like that lol. I guess you know people's true characters when it comes to integrity. Not that I'm high and mighty, I like to stick it to casinos whenever I can as common courtesy :)
As for ordering something better than you usually would, what if someone was normally not frugal about food, and they just ordered what they usually would (which would be expensive). Would that be ok? The next question is, if it is ok, why is it ok for them to order something better than anyone else?
I dunno; I guess this doesn't bug me. If I offer to buy someone lunch, I expect them to get something that they really want, even if they would be too cheap / poor to pay for it themselves. It's not like they are ordering extra stuff to take home afterwards or anything (that's where I'd draw the line). I guess there are other limits too; if I take someone out to a nice restaurant, I don't expect them to order a $1000 bottle of wine.
Quote: GWAEOh yeah at casinos I will use every last penny. In this case though it was an out of the blue, "hey everyone I am buying lunch today." We work in a small office and everyone ordered way above normal. I think it is just common courtesy to order normal and not take advantage of it. If I were him I would never offer to buy again.
I see it the same way you do. Or maybe the boss meant for everyone to go over the top and order whatever they wanted. Like a grandpa and grandson in a candy store, where the grandpa tells the child "I'll buy you all the candy you want!"
Or maybe your boss just wanted to save $5-10 from the employees' pockets.
Quote: odiousgambitwell into my cups now, I want to say that you should not miss the boat on a Summertime liquor: Limoncello
equal parts gin/lemonade/limoncello/ice : very simple, very deadly
equal parts Absolute Citron/bourbon/sour mix/limoncello = "adult lemonade" even more powerful
or just google limoncello
Summertime is here!
Sounds like one of the few pre-mixed drinks available when I was a kid 'lemon gin'. Our nickname for it was panty remover.
Also I am pretty sure my boss couldn't care less what they ordered. He took me to a hibachi place for lunch once and we both got the hibachi and egg rolls and then he ordered a whole lobster roll on top of that. Our bill was $100 for 2 people to eat lunch.
I guess I just felt that way since I am now poor and cheap when it comes to food nowadays.
Quote: GWAEI guess I kinda see where you come from AOC. However, we order lunch a lot at work and they are always ordering on the cheap and splitting meals. They ordered apps and a meal and of course they didn't finish their meal and took it home.
Yeah, ok, I think that is going too far. If someone else is paying I don't think you should order more than you can eat.
Quote:I guess I just felt that way since I am now poor and cheap when it comes to food nowadays.
When I was a poor student I spent all my money on food. I will skimp on anything and everything else before I skimp on food. But I understand that not everyone's priorities are the same as mine :)
Quote: GWAERandom thought of the day: I had a person walking in front of me going into a store today. It looked as if he opened the door just enough to squeeze in and walked away.
That's how I usually enter the office door from the street. But there' sa reason for it. You enter an anteroom, wait for the outside door to close, and then you get the inside door to open. The inside door won't open until the outside one is closed. So I open it as little as possible.
Quote:I personally will wait and hold the door for someone if they are withing 10-15 feet away.
Oh, I do if I recognize someon from the office. The thing is the personnel has grown a fair bit and I no longer can tell everyone by sight. Visitors are out of luck, I'm afraid.
you would hate djatc, that @#$%er orders the most expensive thing on the menu, even if he doesn't even like it.Quote: GWAEMy boss decided today that he would buy us lunch. There are only 8 people in the company. We pulled out a menu to a local restaurant and people started writing down what they want. I write down a normal type lunch sandwich. I notice that other people wrote down $17 shrimp scampi and appetizers. It annoys me to see people do that when normally they would order 1 sandwich and split it.
He used to pick up all his free gift spatulas and crap at the casinos.
How annoying is that when he says, "Oh. I got to stop here hear real quick to get my 20th free snuggy"
Quote: mikeabiomedBabs, What do you consider too rich to receive SS after working 40+ years? Thanks.
mike,
The point of the word was more that the same people don't realize that their entitlements are government handouts, not fully paid for by them. In most cases, SS receivers get much more than they put in, even if compounded interest is considered, just because we're living longer, and there are less workers per recipient than when the program was designed (originally 9 workers per recipient, now 2 per recipient, roughly). For FICA, people gain big on Medicare through negotiated pricing (usually 50% to 90% off fee schedules), and again most receive more in benefits than they ever contributed, because of the cost of medical care towards the end of life (80% of medical dollars spent in the US are on the elderly). It's not really an argument for phased payouts of either, though it's valid for you to raise the question based on what I said, it was not my intent to suggest that was an answer or the point.
FWIW, I also have put in 40+ years of SS/FICA payments, and was fortunate enough to max them out for about 15 years of that. However, if I live to my projected actuarial age, I will have received far more than I put in by then on both. Most people have contributed much less, either in years or dollar amount, but the disparity remains. If I live to 68, on my current SS payout, I will have received everything I ever put in, and will be "on the dole" for the remainder. Medicare, don't qualify for that yet, so who knows which way that will go; there could be a bus around the corner with my name on it tomorrow.
Quote: beachbumbabsSS receivers get much more than they put in, even if compounded interest is considered
maybe it depends on what you use for that compound interest. The 45 years that SS essentially involuntarily subjects us to amounts to a very large payoff if the same amount could be put into a different non-taxed instrument for that enormous amount of time.
Play around with http://www.thecalculatorsite.com/finance/calculators/compoundinterestcalculator.php
Is 8% something reasonable? It should be something more than the 3% or so assumed for inflation. 8% is used a lot for conservative calculations.
$200 put in per month at 8% and compounded yearly becomes $ 967,337.48. Does SS exceed such a thing?
Quote: GWAEI guess I kinda see where you come from AOC. However, we order lunch a lot at work and they are always ordering on the cheap and splitting meals. They ordered apps and a meal and of course they didn't finish their meal and took it home.
If we order in lunch for the office I will occasionally pick up the tab. I don't announce ahead of time, I just pick up the check when the food gets delivered.
SmartQuote: DRichIf we order in lunch for the office I will occasionally pick up the tab. I don't announce ahead of time, I just pick up the check when the food gets delivered.
