Minor Win thread - Life is good!

In reply to NY Nick :

Haven't heard back from them.

This was hammond electric motors doing routes and sales. 

Im praying on it.

In reply to Dusterbd13-michael :

My wife just took a new job.  She was working for the state government and her direct manager and co-workers are just great people.  Her boss did everything she could to make the best work environment she could, often to the chagrin of her own bosses.  But the whole office was woefully under-staffed and many of the staff that were there - especially in other areas of the state - were not really able or willing to do quality work which meant she often had to undo and redo things that should have been taken care of.  They had just gotten their first pay raise in 12 years and even then were paid less than the people working for other states doing the same job.  In fact there's a statutory requirement to give pay raises every year unless the legislature has a reason not to.  Guess what the legistlature always found a reason not to do?  (hint:  the answer is NOT raise their own pay...). 

She got this other job offer and was waffling a little bit and trying to decide what to do.  This new job is in the private sector, still related to what she used to do, and it pays somewhat significantly more.  But when we talked about it, it really wasn't about the money.  Yeah, a few extra bucks every month will definitely allow us to have more freedom in our budget, but it's not like we were struggling or anything.  If working for the state really fulfilled her need to help people and all that, we absolutely could have afforded for her to continue to work there.  But the problem was what the pay represented. 

This new place recognized that she has a skill set that is valuable to them and that is not easy to find on the open market.  Her second "interview" with them was actually the CFO and acting president proposing to her that the department would be restructured so that her skills would be put to better use and wanting her feedback on how the department should be run going forward.  Because they're able to pay better, they're able to hire and retain quality employees and they give raises every year.  Being willing and able to pay market rates and committing to annual raises makes a statement that they put more value into the folks that work for them.  It's like the difference being telling your wife "I love you" while you sit on the couch and telling her "I love you" while you're running a load of laundry, cleaning the kitchen, and making her dinner when she didn't expect it, you know?

I guess what I'm saying is that if your current employer isn't willing or able to demonstrate in a tangible way that you're a valuable member of the team, it'll be really good for your mental health and general well-being to work for someone who does.

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to eastsideTim :

Drink more water! 

Oh I have been, quite a lot.  Anything to try to distract me from going out to grab a coke or dew.

private fishing charter on Lake St Clair for my FIL's birthday. This year Wifey and AK1 were able to join us. Kept some nice Perch and the solitary Walleye. Threw back a lot of Small Mouth Bass.  Not sure why though, as they were delicious last year.

Went to the Sterling Rennaisance Festival with my friends this weekend, first time I've ever been. Ate a giant turkey leg, drank a bunch of different types of mead (If anyone can get ahold of St. Ambrose Cellars' XR Cyser for me, it would be greatly appreciated!), watched a juggler, falconry, jousting, shot some bows. Pretty fun (if pricey) time.

If you pay any attention to the Rant Thread, you might know I'm on the hooks to the state government for overpaying me on unemployment last year. To the tune of $8,100!

So, you might ask, "That's a big chunk of money. Why are you in the Win Thread ?"

Well, I'm taking this in stride. Talked to an unemployment representative this morning on how to proceed. I'm concerned, but not worried. If I end up owing the amount, whatever it ends up being, I'll pay it back. That simple. No stress.

If this happened 5 years ago,  I probably would have suck started a shotgun.

In reply to Appleseed :

I am really glad to see how things have changed for the better for you in these last 5 years. I bet you can square things away without paying any money. Hopefully that's the case.

In reply to dculberson :

I appreciate it.

I did the math. It would be something like $140/month over 5 years, which is how long they give you to pay for it back, apparently. I can do that.

Sunday I was working in the shop and as I tested the limits of my 25 year old 10" miter saw just by cross cutting a 2x6 (really it's just size capacity problems, the cut was fine I just had to jiggle the 2x6 to get it cut all the way through), I said to myself "I should upgrade to a 12" saw." Then Monday someone local posted a Dewalt 12" sliding compound miter for sale, on a nice Ridgid folding table. YOINK.

THAT was a good deal. About 1/3 of new and the saw and table look almost unused. Win!

NickD said:

....drank a bunch of different types of mead (If anyone can get ahold of St. Ambrose Cellars' XR Cyser for me, it would be greatly appreciated!)

So, a related minor win. I had gone on the company's website but they said they discontinued shipping direct. Using their Find A Store feature only turned up stores in Livonia and Albany, both a good ways from me. Then I got thinking about my trip to Ohio/Indiana/Michigan in just over a week and put in a zip code from where I'd be. Bingo, a store in Hillsdale, Michigan stocks the stuff, and I will be in Hillsdale on August 27th and 28th. Guess I'm loading up the Yaris.

Propane ran out tonight just as I finished cleaning the Blackstone AFTER the burgers were done. 

Picked up a screw in one of the almost unworn tires on my civic. I truly hate repairing tires, and I can't get a new replacement (Bridgestone re71r, out of production). 

So why'd I post it in this thread? 
The screw went in on the edge of a tread block and penetrated parallel to the surface of the tire like a sliver under your skin. No significant damage. 
 

And then, this was in the parking lot at work yesterday. 

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

Do not use that socket. It will round off the head or crack open if it can not. You will never re-train a feral 10mm socket.

TurnerX19 said:

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

Do not use that socket. It will round off the head or crack open if it can not. You will never re-train a feral 10mm socket.

Hahaha!  Nice!

Beautiful summer morning so took the dog and did a 2.5 mile walk.   Little things in the minor win thread.

I finally got the transmission and engine in the adjacent teenager's car back together again. This has been a source of pain and suffering for probably more than 10 hours of effort. Somehow, we passed some threshold of effort and aggravation and the things we've been doing all along actually worked this time.

Then, miraculously, the three mounts that go on the transmission all lined up the first time. I was expecting another fight.

With those done, there's probably just a couple of hours of work left to do on the car before it's back on the road, and it's jobs that multiple people can work on at the same time.

The concept I had for the lighted detail on the foam sword I'm making for my wife's Riven cosplay (whatever the hell that is...) worked out really well.  It's just roughed in right now and needs a bit of finishing work, but it glows nicely.

   I decided to start pushing the envelope as far as miles traveled between fill-ups goes with my '12 Accord 2.4/MT coupe. The last time I filled up I had traveled just over 550 miles and it took just over 16 gallons to fill it. This time I went about 35 miles after my fuel light came on for a total of 571.2 miles traveled and it took 16.8 gallons to fill it. I bet if I hypermile a bit I could hit 600 miles. lol
 

   These cars are amazing!   

Appleseed said:

Well, I'm taking this in stride. Talked to an unemployment representative this morning on how to proceed. I'm concerned, but not worried. If I end up owing the amount, whatever it ends up being, I'll pay it back. That simple. No stress.

It makes me glad to know you're dealing with this well and in such a better place than you were in the past.

You'll be good. If you're anything like me, crap like this always ends up being less of a big deal than you initial fear it's going to be.

Yesterday I finally got the snare drum tuning I've been sucking at down, sounds great now.

And I got another if the super rare drums I love.

Moments ago I bought tickets to my first NFL game. I'm going to Lambeau on my birthday!

In reply to NickD :

There's a Faire across the Wisconsin border - King Richard's.   A lot of time I made jokes about going never planning to go.  Turkey leg? Drinking water from a puddle?

Then I stopped at the local rest area and a busty young lady, falling out of the top of her costume came out and I figured her character was a wench.   

Maybe I should check it out?

At 2pm i will be officially unemployed and out of the mental health services field. 

Its a very berkeleyed up emotional place for me today, but by god im eating beef stroganoff for dinner!!!! 

Gotta love being a drain on society with a favorite meal that comes in a box. Thats my win. 

Not counting chickens yet, but here are some snippets of exchanges with a distillery that is in the process of a massive expansion:

"We'd like to have you and your wife come out here to be sure you'll like the area. We'll pay for your hotel and food."

They have confirmed that they are specifically interested in me. I'm the only person they've made this offer with. This really is a situation where both they and I are pretty certain this is the right fit, but both think the best thing will be to meet in person to confirm our suspicions.

More details when things are more certain, but I'm really really happy about this.

Big question now is: fly or drive? It's in NJ in effectively the outer suburbs of Philadelphia. It would be an 8 hour drive. Or I can get a direct flight from CMH to PHL that will be 90 minutes, rent a car, and drive about an hour. They'd like me to have time to observe during the week while things are in operation.

In reply to Beer Baron :

Honestly if you wanna save money you should drive because the combined expenses of the flight and rental car would almost certainly add up to more than gas for the car

In reply to Beer Baron :

Sounds like good things!  Best of luck to you.

You're probably 5-6 hours all in to fly there, counting overhead time at the airport and driving to and from.   For the extra 2 hours I think I'd avoid the hassle and just drive it straight through.