Useless Conversation

[voodoolily]

If you are a fan of Cream Soda, do not buy Natural Brew. It tastes like 20 year old candy that's been sitting at my grandma's house.

I used to make really good vanilla cream sodas when I was a barista. I used a combination of vanilla, French vanilla and toasted marshmallow flavored syrups. Yum! I think Henry's is a pretty good cream soda. I also like vanilla vodka in orange juice. Tastes like an orange creamsicle. Shit'll fuck you clean up.

[Soln]

So this past Sat. I called and cancelled our water cooler delivery.  We already had a cooler and got bottles twice a month from DS Waters (water.com, national provider).  I had called them twice in the past 2 months to confirm there was no BPA (Bisphenol-A) in their water bottles, and both times the CSR confirmed they didn't. 

The response seemed too easy, so I tried emailing via their contact-us form twice as well to get that confirmation in writing, but I never got a reply.  So I finally got educated and checked the bottles themselves and lo and behold they have the awful recyled "7" sign, meaning "serious amounts of BPA".  I presume they bleach and clean their bottles, so that BPA is always leeching out.

This is awful, particularly with a 10 week old baby who is breastfeeding.  So I called again, explained why I was cancelling when they asked:

Me: Because your bottles have BPA.
CSR: Only some of them do.

True quote.  So FYI for anyone who uses a water cooler at home or work.

[Rasix]

My recent job interview went well.   We  mostly just talked about the World Cup and our families.  I've worked with him (the hiring manager) before.

Now higher ups get to talk transition plan while my current boss tries to plant seeds of doubt    Next month is going to be awkward.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Good luck, Rasix!

I just spent the afternoon pulling my hair out and yelling at the monitor over a fucking retarded Office 2007 skills assessment test for Word, Excel and PowerPoint.  Nothing spectacular being asked, but the way the test was set up if you clicked in the wrong spot, or wanted to check for something, it would frequently ask if I was wanted to go to the next question or repeat this question.  Very frustrating because it was like being railroaded into answering some questions a certain way (e.g. using the menus instead of simply right clicking).  Plus the test was slow as hell and actually froze half-way through the PowerPoint one.  Ugh.  I'm pretty sure I got some of the questions wrong but honestly?  In a case like needing a particular formula in Excel - I'd look the damn thing up somewhere and not try to reply on my memory.   

And on top of it all, I just get the feeling the personnel agency I did this for really doesn't want to present me for this one position, despite the fact that I'm qualified (and the agency lady said that) and that this company is supposedly always hiring. 

[Mrbloodworth]

Went to a GWAR show last night, awesome as always. The venue was about an hour away, and really really great old 1930 deco building and had a very ample stage for the antics. Great stuff.

[Ironwood]

Plus the test was slow as hell and actually froze half-way through the PowerPoint one. 

This is merely a realistic representation of Powerpoint 2007.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Plus the test was slow as hell and actually froze half-way through the PowerPoint one. 

This is merely a realistic representation of Powerpoint 2007.

True.  Plus all the stuff that the test asked me to do was some of the most clichéd PP crap ever.  Oo, make the image fade in with a checkerboard pattern!  Oo, add a sound effect when you click this arrow!  Oo, let's put this funky reflection effect on ALL THE TEXT!  *urk*

@Bloodworth - So is that what prompted that video you posted?  I though the outtakes at the end were funnier than the video itself, imo.

[Samwise]

Trippy owes me a giant wall of angry red text.   

[Ironwood]

I have some spare, if it's a problem.

[Soln]

I once recommended we have a sub forum for game design and dev.  Can I make another?  I think a sub forum for RL advice/recommendation might be in order.

[Mosesandstick]

Don't know how many people are watching Game 7 of the NBA finals (It' 4am here ), but Mark Jackson has to be one of the worst commentators I've ever had to listen to.

[Selby]

*urk*

You know Rhyssa, I can't imagine actually being quizzed over my PP skills at all.  And all that fluff they asked you to do, that's worthless in the real world!  The content and presentation is all that matters, not whether some arrow plays a cool sound or the wipe transition is awesome.  Every time someone has tried to embed a video or sound bite, it's failed miserably and we all stand around while they futz with it for 10 minutes. Job agencies suck =P

[Mrbloodworth]

@Bloodworth - So is that what prompted that video you posted?  I though the outtakes at the end were funnier than the video itself, imo.

Yes, found it when looking at tour dates. It was indeed a retarded video for what it was pitching. However I do think its kinda cool you can get guitar lessons from him, rather amazing musician.

[Ironwood]

Resigned.


Not sure it's made me feel better yet, but we'll see what life has in store for me now.

[Murgos]

Resigned.

Good Luck.  The thought of doing the same crosses my mind on a regular basis.

[Yegolev]

Change is also opportunity.  Good luck.

[JWIV]

Resigned.


Not sure it's made me feel better yet, but we'll see what life has in store for me now.

Hopefully rainbows and unicorns!   

[Nebu]

Resigned.


Not sure it's made me feel better yet, but we'll see what life has in store for me now.

I did the same two years ago.  I resigned my position with nothing in hand.  I'm glad that I did it and hope that you feel the same.  The job was killing me.

I now have my life back.   

[Samwise]

Resigned.

Not sure it's made me feel better yet, but we'll see what life has in store for me now.

Our IT department is hiring. 

[Ironwood]

Don't fucking tempt me.  I already know one person there and she's hawt.

[Samwise]

Don't fucking tempt me.  I already know one person there and she's hawt.

Odds are good you'd be her boss.   

[Rasix]

Best of luck IW.  

My new job starts in August.  Longer hours. Worse working conditions. Same pay (job changes/promotions don't work the same here). Complete lateral move.  But I'm not stuck anymore doing something I hate that has no promise of ever becoming something I want to do.  Just happy that my current boss decided not to go with "I can hold your transfer for 90 days if I want to" (awesome that she actually voiced that).

 

[Samwise]

Are you doing the QA thing, Rasix?  If so, good luck.  Valuable experience, but potentially soul-crushing depending on how your company does it and how long you're in that job.

[Rasix]

Are you doing the QA thing, Rasix?  If so, good luck.  Valuable experience, but potentially soul-crushing depending on how your company does it and how long you're in that job.

Yep.  It's going to be system test for one of two high end disk systems (no definite decision yet).  Both are open systems attach.

I'm not looking to stay here long, but I said that with my current job.    Should be a great learning experience, but yes, I'm expecting my ass to get kicked at times.  When a schedule gets pushed, test can end up working some ungodly hours.

[Soln]

/hi5 IW, good luck Sir.  Enjoy that Scottish Summar waathar.

hang in there Rasix

[RhyssaFireheart]

*urk*

You know Rhyssa, I can't imagine actually being quizzed over my PP skills at all.  And all that fluff they asked you to do, that's worthless in the real world!  The content and presentation is all that matters, not whether some arrow plays a cool sound or the wipe transition is awesome.  Every time someone has tried to embed a video or sound bite, it's failed miserably and we all stand around while they futz with it for 10 minutes. Job agencies suck =P

Inorite!  Seriously, most of that stuff I was tested on isn't necessarily used on a regular basis and if I was unsure the first time I tried to do something, I'd look up how to do it!  I was talking to a friend who's an exec admin assistant about switching back to office work (which is what I'm really considering doing) and her company recently merged with another, taking a blended company name.  Now apparently, the admins at the other company are going to be learning to do things the way her company does it.  No problem right?  Except now these admins are going to have to start doing the PP stuff themselves, because before they had a 'PowerPoint Specialist" (seriously someone whose sole job it was to fix the presentations) before and that person did all the work.  My friend tried telling someone about just using the company template for and then adjust font size etc. as needed but that was too hard for the other admin.   

@ Ironwood - Good Luck!  You are a brave man to resign like that with no other job lined up.  I don't think I could do that myself.

@Rasix - Good Luck to you as well!  Sounds like the lateral move will be worth it for you though if you like working better.

[Viin]

If any of you job seekers want to live in CO, my company is hiring a boat load of people:

http://jobs-ghx.icims.com/jobs/search?pr=1

[Yegolev]

I think Pandora can't understand when I give a thumbs-down to Bob Dylan and a thumbs-up to Leonard Cohen.  It decided to play something by Cake to fuck with me.

[Merusk]

Yeah those moments are truly  -worthy.  It keeps trying to slip non-parody or quirky cover songs into my Weird-Al channel (The Beatles? Really? They're a match for Weird Al?) and vocals into my instrumental channel.   I don't think it's quite figured out what I'm going for.

[Lantyssa]

Resigned.

I hope it brings you some measure of sanity.  Or at least a vacation.

[Musashi]

I think Pandora can't understand when I give a thumbs-down to Bob Dylan and a thumbs-up to Leonard Cohen.  It decided to play something by Cake to fuck with me.

You live with yourself, however, as Everybody Knows you have made the right decision.

[bhodi]

I think Pandora can't understand when I give a thumbs-down to Bob Dylan and a thumbs-up to Leonard Cohen.  It decided to play something by Cake to fuck with me.

This is especially creepy because I did the exact same thing a few weeks ago.

And it did the exact same thing.

High five, listening buddy! (Note; I've switched to last.fm)

[Merusk]

How the hell did I miss the Ironwood resignation post.  Damn skimming.

Best of luck, old man.  You'd better not get anything that makes you happy, we couldn't handle that.

[Sky]

I thought that was the happy version of Ironwood.

[Ironwood]

Times are changing.  Who knows what I'll become.

All I will say is that something else that prompted this decision was re-reading this very thread.  About 3 pages in, I'm complaining like a prick about my job.

That was over 3 years ago.  That's not unhappiness, that's self-slavery.

And I'm done with it.  Hell, giving out blowjobs to strangers for pennies would be better than what I'm doing at the minute.