Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

qbrozen

It is a fine line. Yes, these days, you HAVE to jump companies. I was actually told that by a VP I used to be under at a large agency I was with. They would never offer up raises. The secret corporate mandate was to wait until someone was going to leave and hope to counter them to stay. At the same time, it is still frowned upon if you have a series of jobs under 1yr each. Recruiters will still come after you, but internal HR folk don't like to see short stints on that resume.

Eventually, when I was in management, I made sure I established a salary at the top of the scale for my new hires because I knew they'd never get a meaningful raise. Even when someone's salary requirements were lower, I responded "no, I can't pay you that little." One of the many reasons I'm really trying to avoid managing people anymore.

suydam

From my kids experience, they haven’t had much of a choice.

tjc78

Yes jumping companies is the only way to get a leg up if you want a meaningful raise. My wife was counter-offered when she gave notice earlier in the year. It still wasn't what she was leaving for.

ab348

That ties in nicely with my theory that many young corporate high-fliers, and many HR types, are pretty much clueless.

fintail

Wow, sounds like you had it worse than I. I suspect zero self-awareness cradle-to-grave public sector types can be even worse than hard-charging zero self-awareness private sector "leadership" types who think they are proving something yet can't comprehend why people think certain ways about them in private.

I recall a project a few years ago where I was asked to come in every weekend for a few months, while receiving no incentives or recognition. Once I got there, I often didn't do anything, I just needed to be there. Lately I was on a gongshow of a project (linked to the one 3 years ago, still broken and it will always be broken) where I was given tasks appropriate for someone with at least a 4 year computer science degree, if not more. I don't have that knowledge base, and said so, but it didn't seem to matter. I'd wager that particular process will still be broken when the house of cards gets unstable in another year or so, and it would warm my heart if some of the old guard are finally put on the stake for it. Being away from that project alone will make any inconvenience of a job search worth it. Life is too short. Unless you're really building a legacy or creating a dream, work to live, not the other way around.

ab348 said:

I can relate. Even though I spent most of my career in the public sector, the last dozen or so years were the worst of both worlds in that I was the middleman working for a govt-owned liquor board so I dealt with both the overdriven private-sector management that were brought in to run the place, and the politicians and senior bureaucrats who had an interest in its actions. Inevitably, those two worlds collided periodically with results like the meeting of matter and anti-matter. So I got the 1:00AM emails from the senior management types, the 9:00PM phone calls, the "drop everything" emails in response to what they perceived as an existential crisis, the communications/PR types jumping like they had just been shocked by a 220V line in response to something in the media, you name it. But the govt/political side was worse. I recall a pious elected representative blaming us for his 16 y-o daughter being busted for underage drinking because obviously we should not have sold her the booze (video showed we didn't, it was a legal older friend, but no matter, it was our fault). Perhaps my favorite in retrospect was a summer Saturday series of phone calls at home and emails from senior govt bureaucrats (some of whom I had never even met or talked to previously) demanding my assistance RIGHT NOW to help smooth over the issues arising from another govt agency entirely, relating to the liquor license for a rural wedding reception for the Premier's (Governor's) aide's wedding reception 300 miles away being held later that afternoon. We had nothing at all to do with that since it was a regulatory body throwing the blocks, nor did I have any contacts at that level inside the regulator's organization, but it was liquor-related so surely I must be the one to fix it. Insanity. So glad I no longer have to deal with that kind of stuff.

fintail

Nice color on that Edsel, I like the 4 door HTs. I suspect those are hubcaps.

If BMW had launched the Aztek in 2017, it would have been a success.

imidazol97 said:

This beats the Aztek.



Who says Edsels were a bust. I think this is more practical than the Musk thing. But I don't like the rims they chose.

fintail

That sounds like HR mentality, and of course who stays in the same place forever? HR

Funny thing, the tenured and relatively competent HR leader assigned to my department abruptly left the firm about a month before I learned I'd be given an exit. Maybe he knew something.

I switched roles several times during my tenure, and the modern ideal of jumping around might be linked to something else - lack of career path. Most of my positions effectively ran out, no upward mobility, if you want more in terms of development or pay, you need to find something else. But I suppose this ideal adds a minuscule fraction to the bottom line.

driver100 said:

I hear that young people find they can climb the promotion ladder faster by switching companies instead of staying for a long time. Something about HR people think there is something wrong with you if you are content to stay with your current employer.

ab348

fintail said:

I recall a project a few years ago where I was asked to come in every weekend for a few months, while receiving no incentives or recognition. Once I got there, I often didn't do anything, I just needed to be there.

Reminds me of the weekend the liquor board switched over to SAP. Every member of the Exec was told to be there. What we would do if things went sideways I had no idea. Neither did the boss. :laughing: Eventually when that became apparent we were released.

cdnpinhead

Remember that SAP = Stop All Production. When it was incorporated (after multiple delays over a period of a year or so) at the division of Honeywell where I was ensconced (by far the largest), it was an unmitigated disaster. That was six or seven years ago, and they were still trying to shoehorn various portions of how we did business into the SAP templates when I left last year.

tjc78

With large scale platforms like that (Oracle is really no different) you get from the system what you put in. If you have an excellent team of developers your user experience can be very good. If you just try and use it out of the box it will be a nightmare.

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

abacomike said:

snakeweasel said:

tommister2 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

imidazol97 said:

fintail said:

Where I live, both rust and sun damaged paint are rare, mostly seen on either cars over 30 years old, or transplanted cars (and as so many people here have moved from elsewhere and now moan and groan about this area, there are more transplanted cars than in the past).

Scotty is funny, but not in a ha-ha way. Joke is on us though, as he no doubt pulls in 6 figures via his blather.

Do people living near the ocean have salt damage from the airborne spray and from salt from that wind blown spray on the roads at times.

People say that but having bought 3 cars that started life in Florida you’d be hard to prove it by me. I was looking under my Sebring which spent the first 7 years in Florida and I was amazed how clean a 20 yo car could be. Now, I’m assuming that the subsequent owners in Maine and MA stored it in the winter but if sea salt rotted them out I would expect to see more damage. Certainly no comparison to the northern rust belt.

I think if you live very close to the ocean you would be more vulnerable to damage from the salty sea air and water. For example, my Dad lived at the oceanfront in Virginia Beach for many years. His truck took a beating from mostly just sitting in the driveway. He had a few brake lines rust out, for example. I think this happens to people in the north east but it is not generally common in Virginia.

IIRC sea spray under the right conditions can reach as far as 15 miles inland. However going more than a few hundred feet inland the spray is very fine and wont amount to a much salt, essentially its zero. Salt does not dissolve into air. Rust occurs when iron or its alloys are exposed to oxygen, water and/or salt are not needed for rust to happen although they do speed up the reaction.

Most modern vehicles are constructed with aluminum alloys that do not rust. Chassis's are built with iron alloys and do rust under the right conditions as do brake discs. There are many older vehicles in my condo development that show no signs of rust. My best friend owns a 2008 Infiniti M35 that has 110,000 miles on the odometer that he bought from my dealership. No signs of rust anywhere on his car.

I am sure the closer one lives to the Atlantic Ocean, the better chances are that the vehicle he/she owns will begin to show signs of rust.

My 2008 Sebring didn't show any signs of rust until last year when some rust started to appear on the underside of the doors. So 10 years of winters to get rust to show.

My 2009 PT started showing rust after about 8 years. It sat outside all year on the gravel driveway. I’m guessing the accumulated salt combined with the moisture coming up the driveway worked it’s magic. I’m trying to wash off the undercarriage of the Kia from time to time so I don’t get a repeat of that.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

What’s your opinion of the Tesla truck/F-150 tow challenge? Seems decidedly biased in favor of the Tesla with instant low end torque and four wheel drive. Then there’s the weight bias of only having traction on the light rear end of an unloaded pickup.

https://youtu.be/GQ-Cba4m89o

I'd like to see a rematch with a 4WD Ford. LOL! As far as unloaded, I think thats fair (apples to apples), unless the Tesla was "loaded" too.

andres3

oldfarmer50 said:

What’s your opinion of the Tesla truck/F-150 tow challenge? Seems decidedly biased in favor of the Tesla with instant low end torque and four wheel drive. Then there’s the weight bias of only having traction on the light rear end of an unloaded pickup.

https://youtu.be/GQ-Cba4m89o

I'd like to see a rematch with a 4WD Ford. LOL! As far as unloaded, I think thats fair (apples to apples), unless the Tesla was "loaded" too.

ab348

Our experience with it wasn't the nightmare some had experienced, but it was very painful nonetheless. The cost was enormous, mostly consulting and support. The thing you buy is so massive, complex and user-unfriendly it always takes a huge effort to make it work in a useful manner. The other thing that was not so apparent early on was that once you are using it, everything else that you might want to adopt later (in our case a warehouse management system and various new point of sale functions) becomes much more expensive or suboptimal because you have to somehow make those work with SAP which is usually not easy.

andres3

So in other news, if the CA Autobahn bill comes to pass, and we get 2 lanes of speed unlimited freeways all over the State, are all of you moving to California?

oldfarmer50

“Yes, it is. I never really mentioned it by name simply because although we all chat here usually we don't mention our employer's names.”

Except for me, of course. I perfectly understand why you wouldn’t want to name your previous employer until you’ve secured another one.

If I get canned for truthfully talking about my company, well, I’m already retired.

andres3

There's a new job title and resume bullet point in 2019, "Social Media Influencer."

oldfarmer50

nyccarguy said:

tjc78 said:

qbrozen said:

Guess its AC Moore. Any reason why we are being cryptic about it?

Yes, it is. I never really mentioned it by name simply because although we all chat here usually we don't mention our employer's names.

At any rate, I started long ago with the parent company who bought ACM in 2011 and I was brought over.

It was a good run.

Here is a link https://6abc.com/business/ac-moore-to-close-all-of-its-stores/5719419/

This is the press release. Down toward the bottom is a link from two years ago when we opened our flagship store. Many aspects of that store were worked on by me, my team or part of a larger group. It was our crown jewel at the time and a major undertaking.

The theme to my son's Bar Mitzvah was the beach. My Mom found these adorable, miniature, Adirondack Chairs at AC Moore. We spray painted them and used them as place cards.

The corporate world stinks in general, no doubt when things like this happen. I'm sorry you lost your job so abruptly. It was the driving reason I left the advertising world back in 2002. My job isn't perfect, but I have 100% job security. One of the downfalls, I work the Friday AND Saturday after Thanksgiving every year. People often ask me if I get a day off for working those 2 days. I tell them yes, Sunday.

Sounds to me like they were over leveraged and just ran out of money to continue operations. Otherwise why close before the lucrative holiday season?

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

It is a fine line. Yes, these days, you HAVE to jump companies. I was actually told that by a VP I used to be under at a large agency I was with. They would never offer up raises. The secret corporate mandate was to wait until someone was going to leave and hope to counter them to stay. At the same time, it is still frowned upon if you have a series of jobs under 1yr each. Recruiters will still come after you, but internal HR folk don't like to see short stints on that resume.

Eventually, when I was in management, I made sure I established a salary at the top of the scale for my new hires because I knew they'd never get a meaningful raise. Even when someone's salary requirements were lower, I responded "no, I can't pay you that little." One of the many reasons I'm really trying to avoid managing people anymore.

On a smaller scale I see that in my company. For the young Turks if they want a promotion they have to transfer to another office. Some have to commute 50+ miles to their new location. I couldn’t do that.

qbrozen

andres3 said:

So in other news, if the CA Autobahn bill comes to pass, and we get 2 lanes of speed unlimited freeways all over the State, are all of you moving to California?

how well will that work when nobody can get over 5mph out there, it seems?

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

What’s your opinion of the Tesla truck/F-150 tow challenge? Seems decidedly biased in favor of the Tesla with instant low end torque and four wheel drive. Then there’s the weight bias of only having traction on the light rear end of an unloaded pickup.

https://youtu.be/GQ-Cba4m89o

I'd like to see a rematch with a 4WD Ford. LOL! As far as unloaded, I think thats fair (apples to apples), unless the Tesla was "loaded" too.

The problem with the Ford is that the motor has to be reved up to approach the torque that the Tesla has off the line. No way it could do that without spinning the tires in that demonstration. Not really a fair set up.

oldfarmer50

andres3 said:

So in other news, if the CA Autobahn bill comes to pass, and we get 2 lanes of speed unlimited freeways all over the State, are all of you moving to California?

No, but I might drive through....really fast.

houdini2

snakeweasel said:

oldfarmer50 said:

What’s your opinion of the Tesla truck/F-150 tow challenge? Seems decidedly biased in favor of the Tesla with instant low end torque and four wheel drive. Then there’s the weight bias of only having traction on the light rear end of an unloaded pickup.

https://youtu.be/GQ-Cba4m89o

Stack the deck in your favor and get the results you want. I would like to see it with a V8 F150 with 4 wheel drive engaged.

For some reason every time I see the Tesla "truck", it reminds me of the Delorean. Must be the stainless steel.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

andres3 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

What’s your opinion of the Tesla truck/F-150 tow challenge? Seems decidedly biased in favor of the Tesla with instant low end torque and four wheel drive. Then there’s the weight bias of only having traction on the light rear end of an unloaded pickup.

https://youtu.be/GQ-Cba4m89o

I'd like to see a rematch with a 4WD Ford. LOL! As far as unloaded, I think thats fair (apples to apples), unless the Tesla was "loaded" too.

The problem with the Ford is that the motor has to be reved up to approach the torque that the Tesla has off the line. No way it could do that without spinning the tires in that demonstration. Not really a fair set up.

Another test I would like to see is which one goes further when filled up!

fintail

Seems the suits are the same no matter the location or the industry. Often smart, but often clueless, and blindly stabbing at things trying to make it work. When it works, we are supposed to bow down in reverence.

To be fair, some of them do put in the hours, at least where I work, they didn't embrace their own work/life balance. But at the same time, they have healthy 6 figure salaries to compensate for it.

ab348 said:

Reminds me of the weekend the liquor board switched over to SAP. Every member of the Exec was told to be there. What we would do if things went sideways I had no idea. Neither did the boss. :laughing: Eventually when that became apparent we were released.

fintail

Nope, might not even visit. You're going to have real fun with LLCs there when people can't even handle lane discipline on a 60mph road. You just know there will be no enforcement (and I can't imagine the insurance cabal would let such a bill move forward anyway).

andres3 said:

So in other news, if the CA Autobahn bill comes to pass, and we get 2 lanes of speed unlimited freeways all over the State, are all of you moving to California?

driver100

So dashcam/backup camera installer A who needed 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to install hasn't confirmed with Amazon they will even do the job for their stated $199 installation price.
Installer B who seems more honest says hiding wires and hooking up the back up camera will take 5 or 6 hours to do it right in a Mercedes, if you want to do it right. He thinks it will cost about $425 for the labor.

My new plan is to get a "Wireless Back up Camera", good ones are about $60, can get a state of the art one for about $120. Should be easier to install. Only thing I am not sure about is the monitor probably has to be plugged into cigarette lighter.....does anyone know anything about that?

Many of these work on solar power for the camera. Should avoid hiding wires under the carpets.

laurasdada

I'm on my way to my 22nd year with my company, after a mid 90s downsizing and career change. Likely naively, I believe that I've treated the co. well and vice versa; given my career mindset. However, what I've noticed is the number of people that leave, and return; no bridges burned or grudges held apparently. And, as noted here, they return usually with a nice raise/promotion.
The record that I"m personally aware of is a woman I worked with, three weeks after her "moving on" party, (unbeknownst to me), she was back. I happened to run into her in a hallway, we discussed her brief tenure outside of the co. I said to her, big raise and promotion when you returned? She just cracked a big smile.
Perhaps loyalty doesn't have its rewards.

ab348

Company loyalty is odd. I still regularly get together with the people with whom I last worked 20 years ago. But I have not set foot back in the offices of my last employer since leaving 5 years ago and only see a couple of them a few times a year at lunches, etc. No grudges or hard feelings though. Time moves on.

roadburner

tjc78 said:

@roadburner
You buy a TV yet?

I'm still deciding; I'm stuck on a either a 65" Samsung Q90 or a 75" Sony X900F. I cancelled my hold on the Panasonic BD player as it would be overkill if I go with the Sony- in which case I'll get the Sony UBP-X800M2, which is a steal at the current price of $200.

roadburner

I would not have gone back to work if I couldn't call the shots. By the time I left the bench I was sick of all of the bureaucratic oversight- never mind the crypto-fascist Judicial Conduct Commission.
It's hard to believe that I almost have one year in; it's been a lot more fun than I expected.

fintail

Why do you need a backup camera anyway, am I forgetting something? Doesn't the stock one work fine?

I had my dual cam setup installed by a high end local shop. I think it was around $500, but they do top quality work with a lifetime guarantee - if you have any issues, just bring it in and they will remedy it (I tested this when my prior install developed a rattle about a year in, they fixed it without question). It is also completely invisible, no wires save for the tiny gap between the rear view mirror housing/headliner trim , and the camera.

driver100 said:

So dashcam/backup camera installer A who needed 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to install hasn't confirmed with Amazon they will even do the job for their stated $199 installation price.
Installer B who seems more honest says hiding wires and hooking up the back up camera will take 5 or 6 hours to do it right in a Mercedes, if you want to do it right. He thinks it will cost about $425 for the labor.

My new plan is to get a "Wireless Back up Camera", good ones are about $60, can get a state of the art one for about $120. Should be easier to install. Only thing I am not sure about is the monitor probably has to be plugged into cigarette lighter.....does anyone know anything about that?

Many of these work on solar power for the camera. Should avoid hiding wires under the carpets.

fintail

I only have one minor grudge, which is silly as it is against a toxic person who likely wasn't doing anything personal against me, was just a constant source of dread. A case of where I like to say it is bad mojo to wish negative things upon people, but I won't complain if the tenuous idea of karma pays them a visit (numerous people left the department via this lovely leader, but with tons of tenure and the ability to kiss up, they are as secure as a 25 year tenure public sector manager).

I've been away less than a month, am still in touch with several people. A few of them seem to wish they'd been given an out. I'll miss the conversation, not the misguided management.

I was told I am in good standing and can re-apply to the firm at any time. I kind of had a half smile at that,

ab348 said:

Company loyalty is odd. I still regularly get together with the people with whom I last worked 20 years ago. But I have not set foot back in the offices of my last employer since leaving 5 years ago and only see a couple of them a few times a year at lunches, etc. No grudges or hard feelings though. Time moves on.

oldfarmer50

fintail said:

I only have one minor grudge, which is silly as it is against a toxic person who likely wasn't doing anything personal against me, was just a constant source of dread. A case of where I like to say it is bad mojo to wish negative things upon people, but I won't complain if the tenuous idea of karma pays them a visit (numerous people left the department via this lovely leader, but with tons of tenure and the ability to kiss up, they are as secure as a 25 year tenure public sector manager).

I've been away less than a month, am still in touch with several people. A few of them seem to wish they'd been given an out. I'll miss the conversation, not the misguided management.

I was told I am in good standing and can re-apply to the firm at any time. I kind of had a half smile at that,

ab348 said:

Company loyalty is odd. I still regularly get together with the people with whom I last worked 20 years ago. But I have not set foot back in the offices of my last employer since leaving 5 years ago and only see a couple of them a few times a year at lunches, etc. No grudges or hard feelings though. Time moves on.

Sounds like when I retired. I left because of the manager’s behavior, not just towards me but in general. His subordinates asked me to come back but that ship had sailed

driver100

fintail said:

Why do you need a backup camera anyway, am I forgetting something? Doesn't the stock one work fine?

I had my dual cam setup installed by a high end local shop. I think it was around $500, but they do top quality work with a lifetime guarantee - if you have any issues, just bring it in and they will remedy it (I tested this when my prior install developed a rattle about a year in, they fixed it without question). It is also completely invisible, no wires save for the tiny gap between the rear view mirror housing/headliner trim , and the camera.

driver100 said:

So dashcam/backup camera installer A who needed 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to install hasn't confirmed with Amazon they will even do the job for their stated $199 installation price.
Installer B who seems more honest says hiding wires and hooking up the back up camera will take 5 or 6 hours to do it right in a Mercedes, if you want to do it right. He thinks it will cost about $425 for the labor.

My new plan is to get a "Wireless Back up Camera", good ones are about $60, can get a state of the art one for about $120. Should be easier to install. Only thing I am not sure about is the monitor probably has to be plugged into cigarette lighter.....does anyone know anything about that?

Many of these work on solar power for the camera. Should avoid hiding wires under the carpets.

That is what it would cost to get a top indie shop to do it. In fact, dealer B said he just did a Maserati and it cost $2000. The camera could save $100s or even $1000s in damage......if you hit something.

But, technology is changing rapidly. I would pay the $425 to get this dashcam/backup camera installed, BUT, the car is a 2014, and if it can be done for a lot less without invasive wiring....mainly with a wireless camera to the monitor, and installation is $50 at Best Buy.......why not get it all done for under $150. I can add a dash cam to the mirror later....the main thing I want is a back up camera and it is just to get a better idea if there is something behind the car....and to see the lines on the road.

driver100

Toxic people often rise to the top in business. They know how to act in front of management, and they can be ruthless. More people than we know....lose their jobs or quit because of a toxic person.

OTOH....we always treated our employees as fairly as possible, we tried to make their work as interesting as possible, with good work conditions....overall it paid off, but we still had employees who tried to rip us off or who goofed off....talk on their cell phones during the work day. One was a terrific employee, a woman, but she kept harassing one of our key employees - in a very mean way. I felt responsible for these people, and it is a great weight off of my shoulders not to have to worry about them. The good people were excellent, and gave it all, but, looking after 15 people is a big responsibility.

fintail

Does the car not have a factory backup cam? I guess I am used to E-class, which have had it for ages. It is a valuable feature, for me especially lately as my neck is a little sore, and my camera has a wide angle. I glance both ways, then rely on the camera (I almost always back in anyway). If the car doesn't have one stock, go for it, it is worth it, do the dashcam too just for kicks.

Probably the same as your E, I am also now accustomed to the "surround view" feature in Parktronic, quite handy for parallel parking.

driver100 said:

That is what it would cost to get a top indie shop to do it. In fact, dealer B said he just did a Maserati and it cost $2000. The camera could save $100s or even $1000s in damage......if you hit something.

But, technology is changing rapidly. I would pay the $425 to get this dashcam/backup camera installed, BUT, the car is a 2014, and if it can be done for a lot less without invasive wiring....mainly with a wireless camera to the monitor, and installation is $50 at Best Buy.......why not get it all done for under $150. I can add a dash cam to the mirror later....the main thing I want is a back up camera and it is just to get a better idea if there is something behind the car....and to see the lines on the road.

fintail

If I never see them again in my life, I won't complain. I wish everyone who has to deal with this person the best - I had to deal with this person more than many, and others who were newly exposed to the train wreck would then come and commiserate with me, it was pretty funny for awhile.

As driver100 says, these people are ruthless, and know how to put on an act. I should just be thankful I never had exposure to such humanity in my working life until the past couple years. I hope this will be it. I had a chat with a recruiter today who might have something in mind for me - I was kind of hoping to have December off. I should probably count my blessings.

oldfarmer50 said:

Sounds like when I retired. I left because of the manager’s behavior, not just towards me but in general. His subordinates asked me to come back but that ship had sailed

abacomike

Hopes to everyone here for a truly Happy Thanksgiving. I know there are several of you faced with job searches - but we must all be thankful for our children, spouses and our lives.

abacomike

I was over to Costco this afternoon to pick up an apple and a Pecan pie to bring to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner. The gas pumps were so backed up I decided to forego getting gas until Friday or Saturday morning.

This Costco is brand new in Coral Springs - first time I was inside the store. Not as crowded as I thought it would be. Nice and clean and they were running some great sales on HDTV's.

Sandman6472

Mike, you probably went right passed our development if you went out on Wiles Rd. We're at the corner of Wiles and 441, behind the Walgreens and across the street from the Target and west a bit, across from the middle school.
Reason I'm "jumping ship" as I was told today, was to lessen my commute by a good 90%. This closer opportunity came along and the timing was just right. I'll miss my co-workers but, they all live closer to the office than I do. And truthfully, driving around Miami is taking it's toll on me, the "traffico" is just too much. Also not having to spend $60/month just on highway tolls will help the bottom line plus the gasoline savings on top of that.
I also felt a change is needed. I applied a couple of years back, got hired but the logistics of getting there was just too much, and would've been a longer commute than now, just made zero sense. So I declined the offer. This closer position came up about 6 weeks ago, applied but heard nothing. Emailed a couple of times and still, nothing. Saw the ad re-appear a few weeks back, and re-applied and this time, it took. Background check took less than 48 hours but the hiring lady left on a weeks vacation. But I knew that this was the opportunity I've been waiting on and Monday morning, called and left message asking for some definite clarification. Mid morning she called, and said "see you on the 3rd". Was a bit stunned as I thought I had two weeks to give my old job. But they were cool and let me go after this week and told me the door is always open. If the new gig isn't as good as it seems, come on back and we'll put you back with the team. Which is what I wanted, to leave on a high note with no hurt feelings. But want to try this new opportunity as it'll be a perfect way to end my working career before I retire again, for the last time!
Gobble gobble folks, eat in moderation tomorrow!!
And to you two whose life is in a temporary flux, good luck as I know, better things are coming both your ways. Be patient and G-d will present you with your next life event! And it'll be the right one.

oldfarmer50

abacomike said:

I was over to Costco this afternoon to pick up an apple and a Pecan pie to bring to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner. The gas pumps were so backed up I decided to forego getting gas until Friday or Saturday morning.

This Costco is brand new in Coral Springs - first time I was inside the store. Not as crowded as I thought it would be. Nice and clean and they were running some great sales on HDTV's.

Our little backwater has arrived as well. Heard an announcement the other day that Costco was coming to a nearby town. When it opens traffic will be backed up for miles as the locals gawk in awe at this marvel of modern merchandising.

It will be right up there on the social calendar with the opening of the first Sonic or Krispy Kreme.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, especially driver100 who gets to celebrate it twice.

oldfarmer50

My wife has Good Morning America on right now and they are doing a story on the danger of worn tires. Their conclusion is that you should replace tires where the tread is half worn, not when they hit the wear bars. Huh?

Maybe the tire companies are sponsoring the show today.

oldfarmer50

Sandman6472 said:

Mike, you probably went right passed our development if you went out on Wiles Rd. We're at the corner of Wiles and 441, behind the Walgreens and across the street from the Target and west a bit, across from the middle school.
Reason I'm "jumping ship" as I was told today, was to lessen my commute by a good 90%. This closer opportunity came along and the timing was just right. I'll miss my co-workers but, they all live closer to the office than I do. And truthfully, driving around Miami is taking it's toll on me, the "traffico" is just too much. Also not having to spend $60/month just on highway tolls will help the bottom line plus the gasoline savings on top of that.
I also felt a change is needed. I applied a couple of years back, got hired but the logistics of getting there was just too much, and would've been a longer commute than now, just made zero sense. So I declined the offer. This closer position came up about 6 weeks ago, applied but heard nothing. Emailed a couple of times and still, nothing. Saw the ad re-appear a few weeks back, and re-applied and this time, it took. Background check took less than 48 hours but the hiring lady left on a weeks vacation. But I knew that this was the opportunity I've been waiting on and Monday morning, called and left message asking for some definite clarification. Mid morning she called, and said "see you on the 3rd". Was a bit stunned as I thought I had two weeks to give my old job. But they were cool and let me go after this week and told me the door is always open. If the new gig isn't as good as it seems, come on back and we'll put you back with the team. Which is what I wanted, to leave on a high note with no hurt feelings. But want to try this new opportunity as it'll be a perfect way to end my working career before I retire again, for the last time!
Gobble gobble folks, eat in moderation tomorrow!!
And to you two whose life is in a temporary flux, good luck as I know, better things are coming both your ways. Be patient and G-d will present you with your next life event! And it'll be the right one.

Welcome to the team. I have to tell you, you were one of my inspirations for looking to drive cars as my retirement job. I too applied to both the big boys and Enterprise called first.

It was perfect because my home base is only 6 miles away. Some of the people (can’t say “guys” because we have a few women) I work with travel over 50 miles. Hard to understand that for a minimum wage job.

ronsteve

snakeweasel said:

graphicguy said:

ab348 said:

There is a supermarket chain here that I need to learn never to buy 2 things at: raspberries, and blackberries. The blackberries are less of a problem as I don't really care for them that much, but I like raspberries and the lifespan on a clamshell pack of those bought at this market chain seems to be no more than 36 hours before they go moldy.

So, while I was busy trying to make enough so I can retire like the rest of you folks, I was driving down a fairly busy thoroughfare about 5 miles from where I live. They had built an Aldis. I have heard about these grocery stores, and know they are somehow related to Trader Joe’s.

I pulled in. Got some Organic Milk, Organic Eggs, some tomato/basil wraps for my lunches. In and out for about $8. Just giving everything a perfunctory look, I’d say they’re about 25%-30% cheaper, like-for-like, than Krogers. Not huge and not offering the butchers a Kroger offers. But, for everyday items, pretty darned good stuff at very nice prices. While I only had a few items, I guess if you need a grocery cart, you have to leave a 25¢ deposit to use one.

Aldi was started by two brothers in Germany and was split into Aldi North and Aldi south with territories split. My understanding is that in countries where one operates the other states out of. Here in the U.S. both operate Aldi north operates as traderJoe's. So while they have a common origin they are not related.

Aldi North bought Trader Joes years ago. Aldi South operates Aldi in the States. The companies anymore are about as "together" as Volvo Cars and Volvo Trucks.

ronsteve

houdini2 said:

imidazol97 said:

Long ago my doctor warned me not to start jogging. This must have the 80s when there was a jogging craze in this area. He said my joints would start giving me trouble because of doing that.

Probably much better to ride a bike and reduce the jarring impacts of running. Some type of electric bike would suit me just fine.

Some of both is good for you. I have seen studies that show people who bike a lot, and don't take any real impact, have pretty bad bone density. Electric bike won't do much for your muscles.

All that being said, everything in moderation!

ronsteve

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

explorerx4 said:

I'll be taking my truck to Ohio for Thanksgiving. Thought about taking the new car, but I'm going save it as surprise for when family comes here for Christmas.
I should be able to make it to Ohio form here in CT(560 miles) and have 80 to 90 miles left in the tank.
Even Elon's wunder truck can't do that.
How long is it going to take to charge that huge battery it must have?

How many credit cards does it take to fill that beast? They have limits ya know.

Have a nice trip and a Happy Thanksgiving with the family.

jmonroe

560 miles, you must stop sometime for a coffee and ...you know break. Why not stop half way, take a break, get a coffee or McDonalds Chocolate Fudge Sunday, and fill up with gas so you don't have to hope you make it?

560 miles is barely more than our trek from Louisville to Richmond (or vice versa) earlier this month, and I will admit bladders filled to capacity, or stomachs wanted to be filled, before fuel capacity was exhausted. And we knew there would be a fuel stop each way! Breaks are a good thing, even as one of the younger posters on here.

We aren't even 50 yet, but 500 miles on the road in a single day is near the limits of our tolerance. Makes me wonder how we pulled off 700 mile days just a few years ago.

driver100

fintail said:

Does the car not have a factory backup cam? I guess I am used to E-class, which have had it for ages. It is a valuable feature, for me especially lately as my neck is a little sore, and my camera has a wide angle. I glance both ways, then rely on the camera (I almost always back in anyway). If the car doesn't have one stock, go for it, it is worth it, do the dashcam too just for kicks.

Probably the same as your E, I am also now accustomed to the "surround view" feature in Parktronic, quite handy for parallel parking.

driver100 said:

That is what it would cost to get a top indie shop to do it. In fact, dealer B said he just did a Maserati and it cost $2000. The camera could save $100s or even $1000s in damage......if you hit something.

But, technology is changing rapidly. I would pay the $425 to get this dashcam/backup camera installed, BUT, the car is a 2014, and if it can be done for a lot less without invasive wiring....mainly with a wireless camera to the monitor, and installation is $50 at Best Buy.......why not get it all done for under $150. I can add a dash cam to the mirror later....the main thing I want is a back up camera and it is just to get a better idea if there is something behind the car....and to see the lines on the road.

Our C250 is a bare bones basic model. The car would really be something with a V6 and a built in GPS and media center....like a built in back up camera. But, we have to rough it for a car we only use for 5 months. I see a lot of this model around.....I wasn't crazy about the styling at the time....but now I think it is one of the nicest C designs ever.

Happy Thanksgiving Day everyone. Like Oldfarmer said, we get to celebrate it twice, back home in October before we arrive. I always wanted to be fair and loyal to my U.S. employer, so I always took Canadian and U.S. Thanksgiving Day off

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

My wife has Good Morning America on right now and they are doing a story on the danger of worn tires. Their conclusion is that you should replace tires where the tread is half worn, not when they hit the wear bars. Huh?

Maybe the tire companies are sponsoring the show today.

I remember David Letterman saying, when G.E. bought NBC*. Just a reminder, when one light bulb in your house blows out you should change them all for maximum performance.

driver100

Any advice....I mean about this solar powered backup camera that comes from COSTCO? (not about where I can go or something!)
TYPE S SOLAR POWERED BACK UP CAMERA

What I would really like is one where the monitor works on battery power....and doesn't have to be plugged into cigarette lighter.