Useless Conversation

[HaemishM]

Wait, don't you currently live in Wyoming or some other out of the way shithole western plain state?

I do... I live in the Rocky Mountains at 7300 feet.  Shithole? no.  It's very pretty here. 

Parts of Arkansas would be exactly the same, except with a lower altitude and Southern redneck neighbors. It is gorgeous in some areas, and you're obviously already used to rural.

[Samwise]

I'd take the lousy job in a great location if the job didn't consume my life and it paid well enough for me to live comfortably and enjoy my weekends.

I'd take the great job in a lousy location if the job was so fun it consumed my life and I didn't mind.

[Nebu]

I'd take the lousy job in a great location if the job didn't consume my life and it paid well enough for me to live comfortably and enjoy my weekends.

I'd take the great job in a lousy location if the job was so fun it consumed my life and I didn't mind.

Solid input.  The only reason I'm hesitant on the Hawaii position is that they are a sattelite campus and big wanna-bes.  They expect to hand me a pile of popcicle sticks and build a cathedral out of it.  At 25 I may have taken on this challenge.  At 40, I'm balking.  They can't even offer me a lab and office within a half mile of eachother.  Red flags concern me when I'm movign across vast stretches of ocean. 

I do have another opportunity in Colorado Springs, so I may delay until I hear from that.  Sadly, this also falls into the "good location, weak position" category.  Sometimes I wonder why I bothered with the whole phd nonsense. You give up WAY too much to pursue research in terms of personal life.   

[Cim]

I've lived in Colorado Springs, it was nice.

[voodoolily]

If all you care about is your job, take the shitty location. If you enjoy voting blue and eating sushi, take the good location.

[Lantyssa]

Solid input.  The only reason I'm hesitant on the Hawaii position is that they are a sattelite campus and big wanna-bes.  They expect to hand me a pile of popcicle sticks and build a cathedral out of it.  At 25 I may have taken on this challenge.  At 40, I'm balking.  They can't even offer me a lab and office within a half mile of eachother.  Red flags concern me when I'm movign across vast stretches of ocean. 

This would make me reconsider.  Your office should be close if not adjacent to your lab space unless you like a very clear delination of the two.  Would you have students?  How could you supervise them?  Only go for Hawaii if you think it would turn around or you could apply somewhere else once there.

Biases aside, Arkansas could be a good choice if you'd really like the job.  Some people can handle a job they hate, but personally I could never work somewhere like that.

Colorado Springs was nice, when I visited it twenty five years ago.  It might be worth holding out for.

[voodoolily]

Colorado Springs is a very ugly place. But if you don't mind the urban sprawl, military presence and unbridled homophobia, have at it!

Places without downtowns make me nervous.

[Cheddar]

There is a day where a man wakes up due to extremely loud knocking at his door (the sound reverbatating across the tiny 13'x13' cube shared with 4 other men) when he has a flash of insight into life.

You open the door, only to find a person; this person is wearing a military issue gas mask, full chemical gear (designed for desert combat, natch), their black Vader gloves clutching the side of the thin doorframe, breathing heavily, obviously winded from hauling ass for half a mile to come announce a personal message.  Just for you.

"GAS, GAS, MOTHERFUCKIN' GAS- DID YOU NOT HEAR THE MOTHER FUCKIN' PATRIOT GO OFF?  THAT WAS A SCUD SHOT AT YOU - GODDAMN MOTHER FUCKIN' STERILE G.E.D. NIMROD- GET GEARED AND TAKE COVER - WE CAN GO GET SOME SHRAPNEL AS A SOUVINER LATER!!!"

At this point you finish scratching your balls and realize you are currently dressed in your skivvies.  After about 2 seconds (stretched out into a lifetime), you jump into action and place something between your skin and the potential threat in the air.  Flashes of the briefings introducing the gas float before your eyes; generally the type that the enemy has used as a type of Atom Bomb for over a decade.

You change, you duck, you cover.  You wait.  Eventually you creep out.  You contact the operations center (lucky you- you are in communications and have a person to contact!).  Everything is well - the threat fell apart roughly 3/4 miles from base.  OH, and the patriots malfunctioned due to server issues.  Fix it plzkkthx, we started the war 3 hours ago.
---
Then you find out the air raid alarm was not sounded due to it being set to manual, and the person manning the control center being too busy crouched beneath her desk to sound said alarm.
---


Take the job you enjoy - at least then you can tell stories later in life and smile.




edit.  Evidently I made it sound like the US military shot a scud at you.

[stray]

Anyone here know anything about Futhark/Runic words? And a good source for info? All I keep running into is pagan stuff...  i.e. mystical "bindrunes". I don't give a shit about random letterings and what their "magical" significance is and what kind of fucking wood I should inscribe it on. I just want a Norse/English dictionary with the actual words and language they used.

[edit] Nevermind! Think I got something.

[MrHat]

We have SCUD sharpenel souvenirs that landed in our back yard.  And State Dept. issued Gas masks.  That was good times.

[Signe]

Anyone here know anything about Futhark/Runic words? And a good source for info? All I keep running into is pagan stuff...  i.e. mystical "bindrunes". I don't give a shit about random letterings and what their "magical" significance is and what kind of fucking wood I should inscribe it on. I just want a Norse/English dictionary with the actual words and language they used.

[edit] Nevermind! Think I got something.

Learn Icelandic.  It's about as close to Old Norse today and you get a free pass to kick reporter ass.

[stray]

Yeah, I was looking into that. I did find an Old Norse dictionary though (I was just looking for the original norse word for "wild"... turned out that the English word "wild" is actually derivative of the Norse "villr").

Anyways, I got a Raven flag inked on yesterday, and figured I'd compliment it with runic lettering.. Still kind of undecided on what I should put though.

[Samwise]

Yeah, I was looking into that. I did find an Old Norse dictionary though (I was just looking for the original norse word for "wild"... turned out that the English word "wild" is actually derivative of the Norse "villr").

Anyways, I got a Raven flag inked on yesterday, and figured I'd compliment it with runic lettering.. Still kind of undecided on what I should put though.

http://www.hi.is/~haukurth/norse/

Exercise 3.5: Translate the text into Old Norse
A king is called Sigurðr. He owns a sword but not a horse. Óláfr is also a king. He owns a horse. Sigurðr kills Óláfr and takes the horse.

[Signe]

Sigurðr - that is my father's name. 

[craan]

I'm trying to learn Swedish but I can't seem to pronounce anything right.  Even my 'thank yous' have a ridiculously funny Norwegian accent according to my wife and she and her family laugh uncontrollably (but still kindly I think) when I try some words.

-c

[stray]

Huh, didn't know that the accents would be that much far apart.

Anyhow, I know for damn sure that I couldn't verbalize anything Scandi (mostly Danish here, on that side of the family). I just want to make sure I get spelling right at least. I don't want to fuck up something permanently.


My dad's name is "Gerald" (pretty normal) -- he'll kick your ass if you call him that.

[voodoolily]

I'm trying to learn Swedish but I can't seem to pronounce anything right.  Even my 'thank yous' have a ridiculously funny Norwegian accent according to my wife and she and her family laugh uncontrollably (but still kindly I think) when I try some words.

-c

Is craan something you color with when you're a kid? bwahahaha! 
 
Sorry, "welcome out of lurking" and such. 

[craan]

I'm trying to learn Swedish but I can't seem to pronounce anything right.  Even my 'thank yous' have a ridiculously funny Norwegian accent according to my wife and she and her family laugh uncontrollably (but still kindly I think) when I try some words.

-c

Is craan something you color with when you're a kid? bwahahaha! 
 
Sorry, "welcome out of lurking" and such. 

Ha! Crayon is another nick I use and of course in leetspeak it instantly became craan. 

--c

[Signe]

In Norway, the PM used to be insane.  Telliy said so tonight.  Also, almost very nearly everyone in my family in Norway is insane.  Mostly.

And drunk.

[craan]

Just like most of Finland 

--c

[Lantyssa]

In Norway, the PM used to be insane.  Telliy said so tonight.  Also, almost very nearly everyone in my family in Norway is insane.  Mostly.

And drunk.

How did you avoid contacting it?

[Signe]

[MrHat]

So my wife is doing the iron girl race in august (1k swim, 30k bike, 5k run).

I want to help her train but I'm horribly out of shape (I can run a mile at once now though!).  What can I do?

[Signe]

Buy a treadmill!

Don't let us forget.  I'll cheer her on!

[Yegolev]

So my wife is doing the iron girl race in august (1k swim, 30k bike, 5k run).

I want to help her train but I'm horribly out of shape (I can run a mile at once now though!).  What can I do?

Get a cake, a buddy and a pickup truck.

[MrHat]

Wut?

[Yegolev]

You can read that in at least two different ways for at least two different jokes.

How about you put the cake on the back of the truck and have your buddy drive it while you try to get the cake and eat it?

[MrHat]

I don't really like cake.

Also, I've always had a problem with motivators.

[craan]

Hire someone to beat you up like in Dirty Harry.  Sympathy and out of the race.


--c

[cmlancas]

Hire someone to beat you up like in Dirty Harry.  Sympathy and out of the race.

--c

Those people are called "personal trainers."


--c

[MrHat]

Ya, there's a gracie jui jitsu place like a mile from here, maybe I'll join up for that.  I haven't gotten my ass kicked in a while.

[cmlancas]

Heh. You in Tampa too? 

[MrHat]

Alexandria, VA. during the week.

Bel Air, Md. during the weekend.

[Sky]

I think the lawyering is over, so I'm making another house post. This might disappear in a couple days :)

Looks like I got the extra land, going for inspection Thursday. Really looking forward to tearing the place apart and learning the nooks + crannies. I like nooks.

Gambling with locking in the rate, it bottomed to 6% yesterday. I could do better online or at a couple out-of-town banks, but the service fee stuff will find its way back into my community, which is huge for me. They sponsored the Brasil Guitar Duo we saw a while ago, the local parade yesterday, lots of things here at the library. That's worth a few points in my book, and the rate had fluctuated from 6.375 to 6.125 to 6.5, so it should be a good lock.

Hope the inspection goes well (I already did an extensive walkthrough, should be fine). I'm getting neurotic.

[Merusk]

So they won't lock you and then lower the rate if it drops within a certain % in a certain timeframe? i.e. .5% within 2 weeks of 'locking'  You were just locking the max, and a small variable window (so if it went down .125% you weren't getting a lower rate). That's how all the company lenders for the builders I've worked for operated, but I don't know about banks themselves.