Weekly Chat Thread 1/28-2/3

[val2525]

Well, I guess you now know why your friend really wanted to hire you, Stay. Hopefully this guy won't last long and the next new hire will be better. A thought - do you or DH have any retired friends who might be interested in working there?

Speaking of work, I'm working on a new client whose last filed business return is a mess. It doesn't match the financials that the prior accounting firm provided. That's a red flag right there that the prior firm didn't know what they were doing. I'm also seeing all kinds of weird crap on the return. We do a lot of tax rep work, so I often have to amend returns and fix what other accountants screwed up, and I'm used to seeing weird stuff. But this one takes the cake. I was curious about the prior accountant so I looked them up. Ends up it's an online accounting/tax service and the reviews are not good. I can see why this client wanted to change firms

[denise15601]

Ugh to DeJoyless. There has to be some behind-the-scenes grifting. TG, my chemo pills are delivered via UPS.

We have actual sun today and this Sunday will be 51 degrees!!! If I don't go to one of my grandson's basketball games, I'd like to wash my car.
Some of the games have no bleachers and it is hard for me to stand along a wall (with a mask) for the whole game. So I don't go to those games.

[Emerald_Door]

Hi Everyone,
Sorry I wasn't around to start the thread this week. I had a health issue, but I'm back now. I hope everyone is having a good week and enjoying the sunshine when you get it.

[chapeaunoir]

Hope you're doing OK now, Emerald_Door!

Our February break is coming up - it was still raining this morning but stopped and looks like we'll have about a week before the rains start again. Good timing as I think I'll finally be able to go running/biking outside instead of indoors!

That business about the USPS is crazy - I don't trust DeJoyless, I think he's the usual incompetent grifter appointee type who needs to go. 

We had the tiler in today to look at our first floor and talk about retiling the foyer, kitchen, dining room and laundry. The DH went on a cleaning frenzy the day before yesterday, scrubbing the tiling like crazy...then he went upstairs and started scrubbing the bathrooms (which actually wasn't necessary). He didn't want any help. No matter what we do, though, those old floors just look awful, particular the area that Cassie broke with her flipping her water dish over so water started seeping into the floor. It will be good to finally get them replaced - we'd been going to do it in the before times but then Mad Dog got really sick and disappeared. With a couple of grand of my downpayment (he did the rest of the work I paid him for - before then he'd been quite reliable and done a great job). 

[labbypaws]

Stay that is the new quality of workers. 65 year old woman on night shift thinks it is a social club. Spends all night talking on her phone. Can't enter the location properly in the computer. Has been here 4 years. Just biding her time until she pulls the plug.

Sun was out for about an hour today then back to overcast and rain is forecast overnight.

Spring college sports training starts today!  There is hope that Spring is right around the corner!

[staytuned]

Well, it looks like he's history and the captain and I will split hours on his two days so I'm adding another 8 hours for 28 total, 5 days a week. So much for early retirement, lol. At least it's the last 4 hours so I can stay up later and get up when the sun's up. And home in plenty of time to make a decent dinner. I guess you can call me an old quality worker at 66 who still has a strong work ethic. One thing I've always believed in is walking out after a shift knowing I did the best job I could.

[denise15601]

(((Emerald)))

[labbypaws]

Stay are you at full retirement age or not collecting SS yet?

[val2525]

((((Emerald)))) Hope you're feeling better soon!

Stay, if you're 66, you should be at (or close) to the age where you can make unlimited earnings without it reducing your monthly SS check.

[staytuned]

Feb 2, 2024 1:05:35 GMT labbypaws said:

Stay are you at full retirement age or not collecting SS yet?

I took early retirement SS and still 4 months from full retirement, so even if we can't get someone competent who actually wants to work, the extra hours won't affect my SS. 

Fingers and toes crossed someone who actually wants an extra 2 days paycheck will show up so I can have my extra days off again.

Emerald- I hope you're feeling tons better!

[chapeaunoir]

Feb 1, 2024 21:33:47 GMT labbypaws said:

Stay that is the new quality of workers. 65 year old woman on night shift thinks it is a social club. Spends all night talking on her phone. Can't enter the location properly in the computer. Has been here 4 years. Just biding her time until she pulls the plug.

Sun was out for about an hour today then back to overcast and rain is forecast overnight.

Spring college sports training starts today!  There is hope that Spring is right around the corner!

So much for the myth that older people are all good workers and younger people are all slackers. Here we have this time-server who is 65, yet my Gen-Z nieces and nephews are all hard workers, and the young workers I come in contact with in my day are conscientious and have some pride. I think it comes down to individuals - I remember working with real slackers when I was younger. Bleh. 

The DH and I are still going round and round about my wanting just a part-time W2 job - I have work with online sales until we run out of house stuff. I'm not sure how things will go with us, though - his plans for the future are different from mine, and I mean VERY different.

[Emerald_Door]

I'm feeling better today. My daughter and one son will be here for dinner this evening. There's no special occasion; it just worked out that way.

[labbypaws]

Dark and dreary today so Phil didn’t see his shadow. Early spring. Supposed to clear up tomorrow.

[denise15601]

Apparently Phil the rodent has predicted an early spring. We will see.....

[sunsetpainter]

Woodstock Willie (Chicago's version of Punxsutawney Phil) did not see his shadow either.

Emerald_Door I'm glad you are feeling better.

[val2525]

Feb 2, 2024 7:44:30 GMT chapeaunoir said:

The DH and I are still going round and round about my wanting just a part-time W2 job - I have work with online sales until we run out of house stuff. I'm not sure how things will go with us, though - his plans for the future are different from mine, and I mean VERY different.

Chap, have you looked into doing food demos at Costco or grocery stores?  I used to do them parttime when I lived in Dallas and it was fun.  Back then, if the store didn't have a demo stand (and most didn't), you had to supply your own card table and it was a killer on your back (now I'd use bed risers to bring the table up to an ergonomic height). But most stores have the taller demo stands now so that's not an issue.  

I had an ex-BF who had issues with my job (I was working office temp and damn good at it).  Foolishly I let his attitude rule my employment decision. To this day I regret it and I think it's part of why we broke up. If I had to do it over again, I'd tell him to accept it and shut up, since it's my life and my job, I was good at it, and I liked it.  I didn't complain about his job and hours, he should have given me the same respect.

Cloudy and 70-ish here today. I know where Kritter will be   First morning in forever that I didn't wake up with neck and/or shoulder pain.  Yay!  I trimmed down the neck pillow last night.  It was too thick so I cut some off the back and now it doesn't push the curve of my neck out so far from the back of the chair or sofa.  Between that and the PT, things are looking better now.   I scheduled a covid and flu vaccine this afternoon at the HEB by the PT office.  I made sure I got the right HEB this time.  Last week I scheduled a curbside pickup at HEB, thinking it was the one by the PT office...ends up I selected the wrong HEB   I can be such a dunce.  

[kritter]

The DH and I are still going round and round about my wanting just a part-time W2 job

OK, Inquiring minds are curious...Is this a control issue or what.  Its not like you have to stay home and take care of the kids or have his dinner ready when he gets home from work.  What is his reasoning for taking this stand on this part of your life?  What would happen if you defied him and got a part time job?

Put your big girl panties on and tell him you are taking a part-time job and he can deal with it.  it's freaking part time and not like you are going to be gone all day and not available to meet whatever his needs are that he thinks you are not going to meet.  He is out doing his thing and interacting with other people all day but yet doesn't want you to have the same opportunity.  Sounds pretty controlling to me and after "knowing" you for all these past years, I am surprised that you are letting him set down that boundary when there is no apparent harm to him involved.

[kritter]

Cloudy and 70-ish here today. I know where Kritter will be

Kritter has a Happy Hour on her schedule this afternoon so no time for an attack on the weed extravaganza.  Pretty sure it is the Cat God's way of ensuring that I am keeping up with cleaning duties in the feline comfort department of their domain.

[val2525]

Have fun at Happy Hour! You'll be in my thoughts as I do all the exercises at my PT appointment, then get stuck in the arm twice

I hit 66 last year, and full retirement in May. If I understand the SS regs, it looks like I won't have an earnings cap this year, or if I do, it's only for 6 months. Next year, no cap. Woo hoo!

[staytuned]

Buckeye Chuck, our Ohio rodent, has also predicted early spring. I find it interesting we had full sun yesterday, overcast today and sun the next 4 days. Seems we were destined for the rodent to not see his shadow. Our temps are still from mid 30s to mid 50s, and that's awesome this time of year around here.

[chapeaunoir]

Feb 2, 2024 18:14:32 GMT kritter said:

The DH and I are still going round and round about my wanting just a part-time W2 job

OK, Inquiring minds are curious...Is this a control issue or what.  Its not like you have to stay home and take care of the kids or have his dinner ready when he gets home from work.  What is his reasoning for taking this stand on this part of your life?  What would happen if you defied him and got a part time job?

Put your big girl panties on and tell him you are taking a part-time job and he can deal with it.  it's freaking part time and not like you are going to be gone all day and not available to meet whatever his needs are that he thinks you are not going to meet.  He is out doing his thing and interacting with other people all day but yet doesn't want you to have the same opportunity.  Sounds pretty controlling to me and after "knowing" you for all these past years, I am surprised that you are letting him set down that boundary when there is no apparent harm to him involved.

It has solely to do with future plans which are coming very soon - he's never minded my at times alarming awful work schedule and has dealt with its inconvience without complaint, and this went on year after year. I mean stuff like 24-hour shifts and working overseas. At this point he thinks it's nuts to take a job just to quit it when we might be spending half our time in Europe, and thinks I should just keep selling part-time, seek a social life not at work and keep writing. 

If I do find a suitable part-time job, though, I will take it. But I've pondered Val's idea of doing demos before and will be looking into it - it would give more flexibility. 

I'm questioning my own wobbliness on this as it's not something that has come up before. I've always just worked. So, I don't know. I probably shouldn't bring it up again here as I'm really in a bit of a quandary. 

ETA: I might stick to contract work - I did well doing videos. It's intermittent but pays really well. 

[denise15601]

Daffodils!
I have some coming up along my driveway. When I got to the chemo center, there weren't any in the flower beds. But when I left 2 hours later, there were a lot!
My daughter and grandson just brought over 8 big boxes of his toys to list. I won't live long enough to do so.

[val2525]

chapeaunoir, all the demo jobs I had over the years were contract positions, so you could easily just work part time. If you're good at it and sell enough of the product you're doing the demo with, the demo companies are more than happy to work with your schedule. Selling isn't that hard, if the product tastes good . It also helps if you can come up with multiple ways the grocery buyer can use that product (i.e., you demo a sauce than can be put on pasta, used as marinade, maybe even with sour cream as a dip, etc). The manufacturer won't always promote the different uses and that's where being a decent and creative cook comes in handy.

Got my covid and flu vaccine last night. Had some side effects overnight but they seem to be all gone now. Yay! We had a really nice thunder and lightening storm last night. It went on for awhile so hopefully we received some decent rainfall from it. I need to go put a pot of chili in the slow cooker, but that's about the only thing on my agenda today.

[frakinfashion]

Feb 1, 2024 19:16:04 GMT staytuned said:

Feb 1, 2024 17:16:32 GMT sunsetpainter said:

The sky here is a funny color today...it's BLUE!!! And there's a strange bright light in the sky! I haven't seen it for so long I forgot what it looked like! It's so nice I hope it stays for a while!

 I couldn't have said it any better about our weather. It's 50 and took me a few seconds to adjust to full sunshine and blue skies again. Actually feels spring-like until the wind gusts to remind me it's definitely still winter.

Well, I just wasted gas and two hours trying to help out our latest hire. He couldn't even pretend to do his job until I pointed out he's supposed to monitor employees going through scanner, not spend his time on his phone (which he was doing when I got there and first 40 minutes I was there). Only wound up asking me 3 things and spent the rest of the time completely ignoring me. I also caught him trying to nod off 30 minutes before he decided to have lunch and had his back to me the last half hour with his phone in his hand and head down so couldn't tell if he was on his phone or snoozing.  I can see why he was fired from his last job.  At least I get paid for being bored and ignored 99% of the time I was there.

On a lighter note, love the new banner and border, Val. Looks great!

Perhaps his phone should be taken from him at work. And then you can just listen for the snoring.
Oops, I see that problem has been solved more efficiently than my suggestion. Hope your next candidate has phonophobia. 
Glad you are feeling better Emerald_Door.

[staytuned]

It wasn't his phone that got him canned, it was being caught sleeping by numerous people after I left, including higher ups. Sleeping on the job is grounds for immediate termination. The captain gave him a verbal warning to give him a chance to straighten up. One guy said he thought the guy was dead with one leg straight out, head back and mouth wide open and had to knock on the plexiglass to wake him up so he could clock him out. Nobody was sorry he was fired.

[Desire]

Feb 3, 2024 2:01:38 GMT denise15601 said:

Daffodils!
I have some coming up along my driveway. When I got to the chemo center, there weren't any in the flower beds. But when I left 2 hours later, there were a lot!
My daughter and grandson just brought over 8 big boxes of his toys to list. I won't live long enough to do so.

I'm glad that you have daffodils coming up.  A few days ago I went out to fill the bird feeders and went through the sunroom off the lower terrace, walked through the big shrub bed out there and out to the yard. I usually go out the kitchen door to the deck and down the stairs to the yard.  Anyway, that shrub bed is filled with crap-azz weeds.  A LOT of them full grown.  I was horrified as I last used Round-up back in the fall, everything was good, and we've had very cold weather here and several snowstorms.  Temps are always below 30's at night.  What are weeds doing bright and green in January in my shrub beds?  I don't even know if I can put Round-up on them now in the winter or if it will freeze or what it will do. Need to research that.  

We only had a few days of abnormally warm weather this winter, never ever had weeds show up until end of March.  We just had about 6" of snow a few weeks ago. I am so tired of the weed situation here.  I know a lot of you have them year-round but we've never had this. Many times I've been sort of happy that the cold was coming and I  didn't have to take care of the yard.  Like a break from it all.

[kritter]

I don't even know if I can put Round-up on them now in the winter or if it will freeze or what it will do.

Pretty sure it is best if daytime temp is at least 60 and nighttime temp is not lower than 50.  Probably a little too early in your area and marginal here because of nighttime temps.  I haven't sprayed yet but we are getting close to higher nighttime temps so I am ready.

Our coldest temps down to 19 for a couple of nights didn't even phase my weeds.  I started pulling some of them up because it hurts my soul to see them out there but  will resort to death by RoundUp as soon as I can.

[Desire]

Feb 3, 2024 21:34:49 GMT kritter said:

I don't even know if I can put Round-up on them now in the winter or if it will freeze or what it will do.

Pretty sure it is best if daytime temp is at least 60 and nighttime temp is not lower than 50.  Probably a little too early in your area and marginal here because of nighttime temps.  I haven't sprayed yet but we are getting close to higher nighttime temps so I am ready.

Our coldest temps down to 19 for a couple of nights didn't even phase my weeds.  I started pulling some of them up because it hurts my soul to see them out there but  will resort to death by RoundUp as soon as I can.

I know how you feel Kritter.  I too cannot stand seeing weeds in the shrub beds. It's an obsession that I have to get rid of them.  I only buy the round-up container that has the battery-operated wand now, I can't handle the pump thing anymore.  I buy the refill gallons on Amazon and refill the wand containers.  I keep one in the corner of our front porch, one on the back terrace, and one in the pool-house during the summer.  I started that last year because I was always looking for where I left the container. 

[denise15601]

My flower beds have the stupid weeds too. I am always afraid to spray weed killer on the weeds in the beds since I am afraid that it will kill the flower roots.

So I use the vinegar-Dawn-Epsom salt mixture that needs to be re-done every month or so.

[labbypaws]

Sun came out today but it was deceiving. I got out walking. Hands froze the first 2 miles. Took Gunner for 2 miles then he took me home and I took Joker for 2.5 miles.