Useless Conversation

[Johny Cee]

Ok, so I'm heading to soviet Putinland for 2 years very soon.  I need to upgrade my jacket.  Please start giving me some recommendations on the best coat/jackets to wear during a Russian winter.  Not really for skiing or anything (though I might do some of that).  Primarily just for not freezing to death while walking around.

I'll post something tonight as a life long resident of the Adirondacks.  You will also need a bunch of other shit like a toque, etc.

[WayAbvPar]

Just wear a nice vodka coat like the natives do.

[Signe]

Sable hat and Soviet greatcoat.  You will look beautiful.

[WayAbvPar]

Sable hat and Soviet greatcoat.  You will look beautiful.

[schild]

Austin just got Prime Now.

[HaemishM]

You're never leaving your house again. 

[Johny Cee]

Ok, so I'm heading to soviet Putinland for 2 years very soon.  I need to upgrade my jacket.  Please start giving me some recommendations on the best coat/jackets to wear during a Russian winter.  Not really for skiing or anything (though I might do some of that).  Primarily just for not freezing to death while walking around.

I'll post something tonight as a life long resident of the Adirondacks.  You will also need a bunch of other shit like a toque, etc.

Formal:

Wool/cashmere mix 3/4 length, get a couple dressy scarves, black gloves (can go for more dressy leather/faux-leather insulated, or just regular insulated black gloves), hat you can go practical fleece or wool toque.  You are wearing a suit coat, dress shirt, and undershirt, so with a wool overcoat it is actually comfortable down to 10 below.  Anything below zero you want coverage on your ears and fingers.

Rest of the time:

I've loved my EMS parka.  Water proofed/Gortex, insulated, elastic cuffs inside the sleeves so you don't get drafts down the arms, extends past your butt so you can throw it on even with a suit if you are stepping out and don't want to wear your good overcoat.  A hood (detachable or not) is amazing.

This year has been regularly 15 below not counting windchill, so the coat should be loose enough you can throw on a medium weight fleece underneath on really cold days.

Seriously, get a fucking hat.  Fleece or wool, it should cover your years and make your head feel toasty even if it is 30 below with windchill.

[Signe]

And a sable hat.  Srsly.

Anyway, I just picked up the phone and there was a recording telling me that it was the IRS and to call some number immediately because they were filing a lawsuit against me.  Or whoever picked up the phone since they didn't say a name.  The area code was in Alberta, Canada.  I can't imagine why the Canadian IRS would sue me or whoever picks up the phone.   

[Teleku]

Thanks Johny!

I'll see what I can round up before I take off.

[Furiously]

Go pro cam coat.

[Johny Cee]

Thanks Johny!

I'll see what I can round up before I take off.

HOLY SHIT, ALMOST FORGOT:  Get overshoes for dress shoes if you have to dress nicely a fair amount of time.  Basically its a rubber overshoe you slip on/zip over your dress shoes.  Dress shoes are cold and get destroyed (staining, stepping in random puddles covered by snow, salt/sand,etc.) by winter.  They also mean you aren't the asshole walking into the office and tracking the winter sludge all over the place.

I'm assuming you are used to much warmer climes with what I wrote up.  Don't dress like locals...  locals are acclimated to the weather.  You wouldn't be in danger or anything, but you would be fucking miserable because you aren't used to the fact that your ears regularly go numb if you don't wear a hat, or your fingers are throbing because you are running around without gloves, or your hair freezes if you go outside right after a shower.

If you need a formal option, definitely splurge and get something on the nicer end of overcoats.  Cheaper formal overcoats look like shit when combined with an alright suit, and overcoats are basically good for years if you don't treat them like shit.  Don't go full length!  The bottom of your coat will be disgusting in no time from getting out of cars, dirty snow/slush, etc.

Other options:

- Heavy wool jacket, some kind of variation of a pea coat.  It's fine, I wore this alot to be kind of dressy but wanted to keep my good overcoat sharp... make sure it is long enough to cover a suit coat if you go this option.  Problems:  little wind resistance, so if it is windy it cuts right through.  Open neck, so scarf is mandatory or you are cold.  On cold days, I still had to wear my suit coat underneath or throw on a medium weight fleece jacket or vest.

- Lightweight down jacket.  For anything down to 25 degrees I was loving mine this year.  It feels like you are wearing nothing while being nice and warm.  Colder than 20 it rapidly felt uncomfortable, wind resistance wasn't great, and I'm wondering about durability.

- Shell/fleece liner.  The old school Northface or other shell plus a fleece jacket you can zip in.  It's also a fine choice.  Less ass coverage, so not something you throw over a suit coat, and also noticeably colder.  The plus is that now you have a sharp shell to use as a rain coat, and a fleece for autumn/spring.  Honestly might be your best choice if you don't want to sink money into apparel you won't have much use for in your next posting or at home...  a good shell doubles as a snazzy raincoat, and a fleece jacket is fine casual apparel anywhere that goes below 55.


In general, dress warmer and look a little ridiculous rather than more fashionably and be miserable.  This year I had a new dog AND it was one of our colder winters so I've spent way too much thought on staying warm...  had multiple sub 20 below mornings here, before wind chill, and it was regularly 10 below.  Meanwhile, my dog is looking at me like I'm an asshole because I put a ridiculous dog coat on him and I'm making him pee in the freezing cold rather than just letting pee on the carpet.

[bhodi]

heh. for Schild. Memories, right?



I also saw the douchebag CEO of godaddy on CNN while walking by the break room last week. He was spouting incomprehensible buzzwords. I thought of you.

[HaemishM]

Wasn't Zynga supposedly worth "a billion dollars" at one point? 

[Trippy]

The market cap number in the picture shows 2.61 billion (it's down to 2.24 billion currently).

[HaemishM]

Shows what I know. I thought that stood for $2.38/share. 

What caused the over $200 million drop?

[Trippy]

CEO left, replaced by founder and former CEO.

[schild]

Which is unbelievably fucking stupid. Though, to be fair, Mattrick was completely underqualified and knows precisely fucking nothing about games or running a social media app company.

Market caps don't mean much if no one is willing to buy into what you're selling.

[Trippy]

Which is weird cause he's been doing video games for 34 years now.

[schild]

A wholefuckload of people have. This industry is ruled by people that don't actually know anything about gaming or business.

[HaemishM]

Especially business.

[Morat20]

I don't get people. I'm watching a relative of mine go through the fun paternity testing/child support/custody thing for an ex-gf. Paternity is questionable (he's not on the birth certificate, he's the daddy/he's not the daddy depending on the weather), but he (1) feels he has a responsibility here to support the child and (2) would like to get this fucking settled rather than wait a few years until she needs money and decides to ask for years of back support.

Except she won't even talk about it (except to ask that he give up all parental rights, which he's pretty much willing to do -- their relationship is utterly toxic, for one -- but he'd still owe child support and she doesn't seem to get that).

So he files with the AG's office which triggers mediation. He shows up...she doesn't. (It's voluntary). It's rescheduled for a few weeks from now, and if she doesn't show it automatically elevates to court.

He's literally filing with the government to pay child support and all he wants out it is a paternity test first, just in case.

And she...can't be bothered to show. Or call and reschedule. Or attend by phone (all allowable). WTF.

She has a kid. He's trying to be responsible. He's not even contesting custody. He's trying to give her money to help support the child, and she can't be assed to show.

It'll just end up in court, where it will....be an order for paternity testing then child support contingent on the results. Which is what would have happened TODAY if she'd just shown.

When the writing's on the wall, why postpone? Why not just get it over with? Especially when the end result benefits YOU. The only change to the status quo is he'll pay child support for 18 years if the kid's his. That's it.

I don't get it.

[Samwise]

Sounds like she's crazy, she knows the kid isn't his and wants to avoid the paternity test so she can continue torturing him with the possibility, or more likely, both.

[HaemishM]

^ This. ^

Crazy doesn't need reasons.

[Paelos]

She knows it's not his.

[Merusk]

Yeah, and she wants him on the hook down the line when the real daddy boots her out. She doesn't think he'll ask for a test years from now the same way he's doing right now, because she, like most criminals, lacks foresight.

[Morat20]

I wouldn't put it past her. I'm pretty sure she's not 100% certain it's his.

She's also dumb as hell, but thinks she's really clever. Fuck knows.

*shrug*. We've all given him the best advice we can give him (which did involve 'lawyer' but admittedly this path is a lot cheaper given he's not asking for custody). And I guess if he keeps records of the fact that he's being the adult, the courts are likely to be more generous with him when 'back child support' comes up. It won't be his fault it's delayed even further, but then the money's for child care and it's not the baby's fault either.

Hopefully my kid is taking fucking notes.

[schild]

Oh, she's sure.

Occam's Razor dictates crazy people will be as crazy as possible.

[schild]

I kind of want a Google Tango to fuck with.

[Samwise]

Phrasing?

Cuz you know SOMEBODY is going to blaze new trails in 3D spatially aware porn with that thing.

[schild]

Man, I hope so.

I don't think we're doing "phrasing" anymore.

[Samwise]

Inapropes.

[Abagadro]

My kid's AYSO coach just went all psycho in an email to parents about kids missing practice (we talkin' bout practice?!?) during spring break.  I want to yank my kid off the team altogether but am getting push back from the wifey. Womens. 

[Cyrrex]

You can't say he wrote a pscho mail an then not post the exact contents here.  Otherwise we just assume it was a reasonable mail, and maybe you're being the psycho.

[Abagadro]

This is for a 10 year old AYSO (i.e. everyone plays, lets get these guys to run around for a while, supposedly no drama league).  It was also during spring break when most teams simply took it off. I agree that it is shitty to not let someone know, but come on.  This was a few weeks after he bitched out everyone for being late when there were a bunch of road closures getting to the place.  Note: We are not the target of this at all since we weren't one of those that did this (or were late previously) but this guy seem wound way too tight. He practices two/three times as much as the other coaches and at a time that most people who work aren't even available to get their kids there (starts practice at 4:00).

I'm not holding practice this week, since last week we had a whopping 3 boys present. Note that only 2 told me they were not coming, so 5 families simply hung me out to dry.

For players that showed up, or told me in advance you weren't going to be there, thank you.

It's pretty disappointing to spend time preparing a practice plan for 8-10 players, to have only 3 actually show up. It was also disappointing for the 3 boys that showed up to practice. I don't mind having light attendance if I am informed ahead of time that's going to be the case, but to be left hanging like that isn't very nice.

It may come as news to some of you, but I don't just show up and throw soccer balls and cones out and watch. Many coaches do, but they are just baby-sitters with soccer shoes on. Understand that I prepare a practice plan ahead of time, in order to work on things that I know my players need to develop. This preparation normally takes 20 minutes/practice, which I do here at home beforehand.

If this was comp I wouldn't care because I get paid $6k/year to coach per team. However, AYSO is completely volunteer, I get nothing for the privilege of being no-showed. It's great when everyone shows up and appreciates my time, but when I'm stood up like Wednesday it REALLY leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There is simply no excuse for it. It's a situation where parents behave as if their time is vastly more valuable than my time, and that I don't even deserve advanced notice that they are not able to make it. Telling me after practice is over doesn't help me at all, and doesn't excuse it. I'll leave this topic alone now.

[Triax]

 

Be aggressive, Passive aggressive...