Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

mjfloyd1

@driver100 said:
That wouldn't have happened here......no $50000 hospital bill, whether you have the money or not.

Are new immigrants covered by the Canadian health system from day 1? Curious because Great Britain covers after 1 year IIRC

fintail

tjc78 said:

Ok - so for something completely different.

There is a homesteader on a social platform that has one of those robotic mowers (like a Roomba). He is putting it on live stream and has made $2750 over the course of four days (four hours a day).

Why are people watching a lawn mower and donating gifts for the privilege of doing so?

SMH

Heck, there are content makers out there raking in some $$$ making streams of themselves sleeping.

driver100

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

Sorry to hear that. I have had the best of jobs and the worst of jobs, so I know how awful it feels to be working at a place you aren't happy with. Good luck....go for it, make the change, things usually work out for the best.

————————————————
Are you talking about the old employer?

jmonroe

Since I started working at real jobs I have had about 10 employers. Of the 10, number 6 was great, 16 years, as long as I did my work and got orders I was golden....and they treated me well.
Most of the others were pathetic, and if you get a bad boss/manager and you don't get along then your life can be made very difficult.
My best employer was myself......especially because I got the profits from my work, and I never had any arguments or disagreements with myself..

driver100

mjfloyd1 said:

@driver100 said:

That wouldn't have happened here......no $50000 hospital bill, whether you have the money or not.

Are new immigrants covered by the Canadian health system from day 1? Curious because Great Britain covers after 1 year IIRC

Are you planning on immigrating? You have to be a Canadian citizen, or have immigration status, and in Ontario you have to live in Ontario for 153 .days (5 months) in a 12 month period.

I believe in Great Britain up until fairly recently, even visitors got no charge health care......and if you went to a hospital and you had a taxi receipt, they would pay your taxi fare to and from the hospital.

tjc78

@jmonroe1 said:
————————————————
I hear what you’re saying but how can that be verified?

jmonroe

I guess it can’t…unless you watch the live stream and see the gifts coming in and understand what they are worth.

Based on some other facts and figures from social media I’m not doubting it.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
let me know when they make one that can cover 4 acres. I have a robovac that can't even handle more than 1 room, and you'd better make sure the floor is completely clear of any obstacles if you don't want to find it stuck rather than doing its job. So I don't have much faith in a robo lawn mower, that's for sure.

I thought the same thing, it must be a wide open space.

explorerx4

My old gas walk behind mower still does ok.

28firefighter

I love your patio, @explorerx4!

roadburner

fintail said:

driver100 said:

fintail said:

oldfarmer50 said:

fintail said:

oldfarmer50 said:

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

jmonroe1 said:

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

roadburner said:

driver100 said:

So this morning a light came on "Check Tire Pressure".
I thought it meant the air pressure was getting low, but it said check and then reset your RFT warning light.
I was close to my MB dealer so I took it in.
They took a nail out of the right front tire, and said it could be patched since it is on the bottom.
I could make an appointment for 5 days to 3 weeks. What, rent a car for 3 weeks to fix a flat!
I talked them into doing it tomorrow, I might have to leave it there all day since they have to do it before jobs.
It is busy since it is Friday and Monday is a holiday.
No one wants to spend time fixing a flat when they can be putting on a new set of tires and make more $$$s
I hate RFTs. I would be much better off if I had a spare.
And, what if I was on a trip and this happened in some small town somewhere......stay in the Roach motel for 3 or 4 nights!

As noted earlier, my MB dealer replaced a tire, straightened a wheel, performed a Service A, and replaced the rear pads in under 4 hours- and it was not a scheduled appointment.
I'd demand your dealer provide free soup at a minimum.

Could it be that because there are fewer MB dealers in Canada, each one services a larger area and therefore has more customers?

Not sure that dealers are created equal...

Exactly. The last I heard it is the largest MB dealer in North America and they are busy to the max, even on Friday morning they had at least 6 salesmen on patrol. The costs to operate must be enormous.....no free service...but I did get a free coffee.
In case anyone forgot:

While I was there I checked around the showroom which must have about 15 to 20 cars on display, including at least 6 Q EV models that are in the $150000 to $200000+ range.

————————————————
Being the largest doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best/fastest for customer satisfaction, as you found out. The last place I want to go for service is a place that’s busier than a one armed paper hanger.

jmonroe

But my dealer is 15 minutes away, the next closest dealer is about 40 minutes away, and the next one about an hour away. It isn't like there is one on each corner. The population of greater Toronto is over 6 million people.......there aren't very many friendly little country Mercedes dealers around here........like none!

Well, if you’re happy with dealer prices I guess there’s no alternative for you. My coworker who also drives for the Mercedes dealers often tells us of the multi thousand dollar repair bills he submits to the owners of cars for routine repairs like brake jobs. That’s a high premium for a bowl of soup.

I almost never use the dealer except when the repair is something that only they can do. Instead, I have gathered a cadre of indie shops for minor and major repairs as well as places who specialize in transmissions, body work and upholstery.

It really depends on the dealer; the pricing at my BMW and M-B dealers are very reasonable (and in the case of my BMW dealer my costs are essentially zero since I use my BMW MasterCard reward cards).
Based on my experience with both marques I find the stories of "multi thousand-dollar repair bills" for brake jobs to be extremely questionable- unless we are talking about AMG ceramic brakes or similar.

Conversely, I’ve been told by various Mercedes and BMW owners and employees that the $2k brake job indeed is real. Were these sources exaggerating or forgetting to mention other services preformed? Perhaps but I know from experience that even on domestic cars it costs me more at a dealer for the same service as I get at the neighborhood shop.

Maybe your shops are giving you a discount because of your club memberships or your status in the community. My old shop used to give me a fleet discount and parts at cost because of all the business I gave him.

Maybe for an AMG or M car that needed rotors or a full rebuild. In my experience, for routine servicing and consumables, the dealer is close to indy prices. It is big work on older models where you don't want to go to a dealer. You'll save real money having the transmission or engine done on a 1995 car at the indy.

I know that my buddy’s place has one labor rate for MBs less than 10 years old and a higher rate for older cars.

Probably due to certain older cars being harder to work on, especially for young techs. MB had some troublesome overcomplicated cars around the turn of the century. On top of that, eventually pre-OBD cars are going to be problematic, give it another 10-20 years.

Still, indys are known for being a better option for more vintage cars where the tech isn't so complicated, yet they aren't antiques. 80s-90s cars especially. I can't imagine taking my old car to the dealer, with its overhead and labor rates.

A friend in Florida has a 1984 BMW that he bought in Germany when he was stationed there as a Navy pilot, He brought it back to the U.S. He says he gets work at an indie dealer because it costs less, and the new car dealerships don't want to mess around with an old car....locate parts, figure out how to deal with them etc. An indie guy can figure all that out, and may have worked on these cars at one time.

The black SLK has no wrap. It was black, and he added the black out pieces, he ordered each item and then removed the old chrome part and applied the blackout items.

The BMW in Florida looks exactly like this;

So he changed the emblems and maybe had the wheels coated? That can all be undone. If the next owner is a MB purist they will want to undo the updating.

That BMW is an E30, kind of a minor classic or special interest car, valuable in M3 form. That's something I see with many indys - they usually have at least one older mechanic who isn't scared of an old car. Although the place I was taking my old car to had the sad experience of the old tech passing away, so now they don't take old MBs.

That E30 is a gray market car that was federalized- you can tell by the ugly side marker lights. A single exhaust means it's a four, so you'd need a mental health evaluation to determine why someone would go to the trouble of importing it when the 318i/is can easily be found in U.S. trim. The E30 M3 is the collectable choice, but the 325is is starting to appreciate. There were a few contemporary road tests that preferred the 325is over the M3 as a better daily driver that offered over 90% of the M3 performance at a considerably lower cost, and that's still the case. Sure, I'd love to have an M3, but they are getting almost too expensive to drive for anything other than car show appearances.

tjc78

What a great tow rig.

sda

I was behind this nicely equipped Maverick Lariat Hybrid on my drive home. Looked really nice. That is my car's reflection in the tailgate.

stickguy

I am familiar with that view! a fine looking truck.

my first one was that color (Carbonized Gray).

ab348

explorerx4 said:

My old gas walk behind mower still does ok.

Nice lawn striping, and great-looking patio!

ab348

mjfloyd1 said:

@driver100 said:

That wouldn't have happened here......no $50000 hospital bill, whether you have the money or not.

Are new immigrants covered by the Canadian health system from day 1? Curious because Great Britain covers after 1 year IIRC

I haven’t seen any stories in the press that would suggest they are not covered.

oldfarmer50

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

@ab348 said:

I dunno how you folks in the USA can keep track of all those acronyms and what they offer.

You want to know how good the Canadian health care system is? A few years back, the then-Premier (I.e Governor) of Newfoundland discovered that he needed a heart bypass operation. Being an independently wealthy fellow, he got referred to one of the top surgeons in NYC and paid the 6 figure bill out of pocket.

I’ve had a Canadian guy come here for coronary artery bypass surgery (son worked at the University here) because he didn’t want to wait and had cash. He paid in full.

Canadians can do that. Some go to countries like India for knees and hips for faster service. One problem is that if you need check-ups or repairs done etc., you will have to go back to where you had the surgery done. If you have the money......anything is possible!

US Citizens do the same thing - it's called "medical tourism" and Mexico, India and other Southeast Asian countries are popular destinations.

In fact, there was a news article a month or two ago where some of these tourists were kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, by accident. They were quickly released.

Didn’t one or more people in that group get killed? High price for a tummy tuck.

Back in the 80s I was invited to Canada by a head injury group to discuss opening a rehab facility similar to ones my company operated in the US. At that time Canadians would have to travel south to get care at their own expense. Some wealthy people had done this but the bulk of patients couldn’t afford it.

I collected data and submitted it to the bean counters who concluded that the reimbursement available didn’t make financial sense.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

It never rain but it pours.

Having for the time being given up on the idea of replacing the rusted cargo van with a pick up I am now faced with keeping the old hooptie running. It needs a downstream O2 sensor which trips the CEL every time it rains. I may also want to fix an air bag light and no AC problem which I inherited from the previous owner.

So as I’m pondering how much money to throw at these problems I started smelling burning brake pads. Sure enough the driver’s side rear has a strong odor and the wheel was noticeably hot (I wasn’t stupid enough to actually touch the disk) so I may have a hung up caliper.

They say it’s cheaper to fix the old vehicle rather than buy new but this one seems to be testing the limits.

oldfarmer....you have to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
I think at this stage you got more than your money's worth from the van.......now the odds are it will be a money pit.

Well, the airbag light and the non working AC were like that when I bought it in 2016. The O2 sensor doesn’t need replacing until inspection in October so only the sticking brake is of any immediate concern.

The beauty of hoopties is they don’t have to be fancy, just functional.

Hard to part with a trusted (using that term loosely) vehicle. But, at some point, the aggravation level exceeds the value the hooptie provides. Now, understand the last vehicle I owned out of warranty I flipped before they needed to be vacuumed out. So, consider my advice along the lines of "for what it's worth".

I was thinking of you when watching the Mecum auction this week. They had a 2003 SVT Cobra Mustang go for over $25,000. Didn’t you have something like that?

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

tjc78

Good luck Q. I think we’ve all been in your place at points in our career.

oldfarmer50

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

Michaell

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

fintail

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I've read there are resume services that can tweak your material to get through the lazy ATS gatekeeping services. That might be an investment - if I was looking, I probably would do it.

That franchise stuff makes me think a classic episode of Little House on the Prairie, with an overly controlling corporation ruling over a franchise.

Michaell

fintail said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I've read there are resume services that can tweak your material to get through the lazy ATS gatekeeping services. That might be an investment - if I was looking, I probably would do it.

That franchise stuff makes me think a classic episode of Little House on the Prairie, with an overly controlling corporation ruling over a franchise.

I've gone the third party route for resume updates, as well - seems to be a fractional increase in the take rate.

The new owners of the franchise don't seem to fully grasp the nature of the relationship - they are working with independent owners, not minions.

sda

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I wish you the best of luck and positive results on your job search, soon. I know it took me over a year to place myself when I was displaced in 2015. Now at 64, youth is quickly getting away, though I feel and act much younger, lol. 9k for logo changes and the like, ouch. I imagine that is a significant investment which will take a lot of cooking sessions to pay off.

imidazol97

I did a water heater replacement this morning. I could give the inventor of Sharkbite
type connections a big old smooch and hug--that's the best thing since pizza. They
made connecting copper pipes that were slightly off from the new heater's connections
great!

I had seen a pic on here of someone's installation with sharkbite flexible hoses. So I
researched the pieces I'd need. Last Fri saw my slow leak. Brought parts home yesterday
with choices of connector hoses.

4 hours. Had trouble draining the 30+ year-old previous tank. Sediment in the
bottom blocked the drain for me. Would have been 3 hours otherwise.

Michaell

sda said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I wish you the best of luck and positive results on your job search, soon. I know it took me over a year to place myself when I was displaced in 2015. Now at 64, youth is quickly getting away, though I feel and act much younger, lol. 9k for logo changes and the like, ouch. I imagine that is a significant investment which will take a lot of cooking sessions to pay off.

Thanks for the kind words, Steve.

The business has the money for the new sign - just kinda annoying that we have to do it. I tried applying the @driver100 method - the old sign cost us $6K (I think), 4 years ago, so only $1500/year. The wife wasn't buying it.

The new owners are trying to rebrand the concept, to include more adult oriented activities. We aren't thrilled by that, either, and are unlikely to offer them. Especially when we don't have (and don't want) a liquor license to offer "sip and stirs". There are alternatives close by that offer those kinds of activities.

jmonroe1

imidazol97 said:

I did a water heater replacement this morning. I could give the inventor of Sharkbite
type connections a big old smooch and hug--that's the best thing since pizza. They
made connecting copper pipes that were slightly off from the new heater's connections
great!

I had seen a pic on here of someone's installation with sharkbite flexible hoses. So I
researched the pieces I'd need. Last Fri saw my slow leak. Brought parts home yesterday
with choices of connector hoses.

4 hours. Had trouble draining the 30+ year-old previous tank. Sediment in the
bottom blocked the drain for me. Would have been 3 hours otherwise.

————————————————
Using Sharkbite fittings is cheating but they do work. The last time I installed a water heater in my house (August 2014 IIRC) just as an experiment I used one Sharkbite coupling. Every day for a month after I installed it I checked for leaks and didn’t find any.

However, in the flips we only used them temporarily to get water in the house, then we go with PEX which a few years ago that was considered cheating by “real plumbers”. Today almost all of the “real plumbers” use PEX and flexible gas lines too instead of black pipe. Times are a changing.

HINT: the next time you want to drain the crud at the bottom of a water heater that restocks to flow when you want to drain it, get one of those heavy wire coat hangers and bend it into continuous W’s (when viewed from the side), put one end in your drill and run it for a minute while pushing it in and out. That should rod it out to increase to flow. If that doesn’t work a piece of small diameter pipe that fits the opening works well to with a little persuasion from a hammer.

jmonroe

qbrozen

So I got that job. Little bit of a schedule crunch since we are going to Myrtle in a couple of weeks. It looks like I'm going to overlap the jobs a little just to make everyone happy (except my wife).

Michaell

qbrozen said:

So I got that job. Little bit of a schedule crunch since we are going to Myrtle in a couple of weeks. It looks like I'm going to overlap the jobs a little just to make everyone happy (except my wife).

Congrats!

Will this give you more or less time to do the car stuff on the side?

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

mjfloyd1 said:

@ab348 said:

I dunno how you folks in the USA can keep track of all those acronyms and what they offer.

You want to know how good the Canadian health care system is? A few years back, the then-Premier (I.e Governor) of Newfoundland discovered that he needed a heart bypass operation. Being an independently wealthy fellow, he got referred to one of the top surgeons in NYC and paid the 6 figure bill out of pocket.

I’ve had a Canadian guy come here for coronary artery bypass surgery (son worked at the University here) because he didn’t want to wait and had cash. He paid in full.

Canadians can do that. Some go to countries like India for knees and hips for faster service. One problem is that if you need check-ups or repairs done etc., you will have to go back to where you had the surgery done. If you have the money......anything is possible!

US Citizens do the same thing - it's called "medical tourism" and Mexico, India and other Southeast Asian countries are popular destinations.

In fact, there was a news article a month or two ago where some of these tourists were kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel, by accident. They were quickly released.

Didn’t one or more people in that group get killed? High price for a tummy tuck.

Back in the 80s I was invited to Canada by a head injury group to discuss opening a rehab facility similar to ones my company operated in the US. At that time Canadians would have to travel south to get care at their own expense. Some wealthy people had done this but the bulk of patients couldn’t afford it.

I collected data and submitted it to the bean counters who concluded that the reimbursement available didn’t make financial sense.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At one time our Ontario insurance paid the full amount for medial care in the U.S. They also paid for drug rehabilitation which could be $1000s a week. Recruiters were signing up Canadians for the programs, which did little good. Finally the government caught on and stopped medical and drug rehab outside of Canada.

jmonroe1

qbrozen said:

So I got that job. Little bit of a schedule crunch since we are going to Myrtle in a couple of weeks. It looks like I'm going to overlap the jobs a little just to make everyone happy (except my wife).

————————————————
Congrats. Take advantage of the two job overlap and buy twice as many cars. Don’t worry about the space, maybe they’ll sell twice as fast.

jmonroe

driver100

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I would wonder how much difference will a $9000 logo cost. There must be better ways to try to increase business.

driver100

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

It is not easy and my guess is not a large percentage of people are successful. I was lucky in a lot of ways, in todays world my business would not have worked very well. I had some good knowledge of what to do, but through luck, I did it at the exact moment in time when it could work. But, nothing is more rewarding than working for yourself.

driver100

qbrozen said:

So I got that job. Little bit of a schedule crunch since we are going to Myrtle in a couple of weeks. It looks like I'm going to overlap the jobs a little just to make everyone happy (except my wife).

Great! Good luck!

driver100

Michaell said:

sda said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I wish you the best of luck and positive results on your job search, soon. I know it took me over a year to place myself when I was displaced in 2015. Now at 64, youth is quickly getting away, though I feel and act much younger, lol. 9k for logo changes and the like, ouch. I imagine that is a significant investment which will take a lot of cooking sessions to pay off.

Thanks for the kind words, Steve.

The business has the money for the new sign - just kinda annoying that we have to do it. I tried applying the @driver100 method - the old sign cost us $6K (I think), 4 years ago, so only $1500/year. The wife wasn't buying it.

The new owners are trying to rebrand the concept, to include more adult oriented activities. We aren't thrilled by that, either, and are unlikely to offer them. Especially when we don't have (and don't want) a liquor license to offer "sip and stirs". There are alternatives close by that offer those kinds of activities.

I hope you can convince the franchiser that the new concept and sign do not suit your business. That $9000 can probably put to better use in other ways. I am sure you are thinking the same. Some guy in head office came up with a new concept, and probably has no idea how it will fly.

qbrozen

less time for cars, I'm sure.

oldfarmer50

sda said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I wish you the best of luck and positive results on your job search, soon. I know it took me over a year to place myself when I was displaced in 2015. Now at 64, youth is quickly getting away, though I feel and act much younger, lol. 9k for logo changes and the like, ouch. I imagine that is a significant investment which will take a lot of cooking sessions to pay off.

I’m so glad I’m retired and can work as little as I want or not at all. In my retirement job search I almost dared them to hire me. My resume’ was basically “haven’t had an at fault accident since Jimmy Carter was president”.

I’m surprised how many places responded to that.

oldfarmer50

qbrozen said:

So I got that job. Little bit of a schedule crunch since we are going to Myrtle in a couple of weeks. It looks like I'm going to overlap the jobs a little just to make everyone happy (except my wife).

Very good. So the idea of a full time car dealership is on hold?

Michaell

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

sda said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I wish you the best of luck and positive results on your job search, soon. I know it took me over a year to place myself when I was displaced in 2015. Now at 64, youth is quickly getting away, though I feel and act much younger, lol. 9k for logo changes and the like, ouch. I imagine that is a significant investment which will take a lot of cooking sessions to pay off.

Thanks for the kind words, Steve.

The business has the money for the new sign - just kinda annoying that we have to do it. I tried applying the @driver100 method - the old sign cost us $6K (I think), 4 years ago, so only $1500/year. The wife wasn't buying it.

The new owners are trying to rebrand the concept, to include more adult oriented activities. We aren't thrilled by that, either, and are unlikely to offer them. Especially when we don't have (and don't want) a liquor license to offer "sip and stirs". There are alternatives close by that offer those kinds of activities.

I hope you can convince the franchiser that the new concept and sign do not suit your business. That $9000 can probably put to better use in other ways. I am sure you are thinking the same. Some guy in head office came up with a new concept, and probably has no idea how it will fly.

That dog won't bark. Technically, we have until next June to get this done, but my wife isn't the kind to put things off. Deposit has been made, and the sign is being constructed as we speak. The good news is that we put this onto the company credit card, so we'll receive the points for the purchase.

Of course, the specs from the home office aren't good enough for the metro district the studio is in (metro district is bigger than an HOA, but less than an incorporated town, village or city). We had to get the expensive sign.

driver100

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

sda said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I wish you the best of luck and positive results on your job search, soon. I know it took me over a year to place myself when I was displaced in 2015. Now at 64, youth is quickly getting away, though I feel and act much younger, lol. 9k for logo changes and the like, ouch. I imagine that is a significant investment which will take a lot of cooking sessions to pay off.

Thanks for the kind words, Steve.

The business has the money for the new sign - just kinda annoying that we have to do it. I tried applying the @driver100 method - the old sign cost us $6K (I think), 4 years ago, so only $1500/year. The wife wasn't buying it.

The new owners are trying to rebrand the concept, to include more adult oriented activities. We aren't thrilled by that, either, and are unlikely to offer them. Especially when we don't have (and don't want) a liquor license to offer "sip and stirs". There are alternatives close by that offer those kinds of activities.

I hope you can convince the franchiser that the new concept and sign do not suit your business. That $9000 can probably put to better use in other ways. I am sure you are thinking the same. Some guy in head office came up with a new concept, and probably has no idea how it will fly.

That dog won't bark. Technically, we have until next June to get this done, but my wife isn't the kind to put things off. Deposit has been made, and the sign is being constructed as we speak. The good news is that we put this onto the company credit card, so we'll receive the points for the purchase.

Of course, the specs from the home office aren't good enough for the metro district the studio is in (metro district is bigger than an HOA, but less than an incorporated town, village or city). We had to get the expensive sign.

Also, it will be a business expense, tax write-off. Your wife has a great attitude, just pay things off and don't have it hanging over your head....get on with life/business. But, I don't think the franchiser has the right attitude. You have survived when others haven't, so you are doing something right.
It isn't easy to run your own business, and I give you both a lot of credit.

driver100

I had my problem, going to London, Stop over in Halifax, then 2 hour delay, plane waits one hour on runway, they take a drunk guy off, half an hour more and they can't get permission to land at Heathrow after hours, can't land after 11:30 curfew, all hotels are booked in London, so we take a 2 hour flight back to Toronto and go home.

My best friend had what might be a worse experience. He went to Portugal for 3 weeks with his brother. His brothers flight home was delayed for one day....he had to stay in the hotel an extra night and since the pope was in town it cost $450 for the night.

His plane was one hour late taking off the next morning. he landed in Toronto but missed his flight home to Windsor which is 240 miles from Toronto. He could sleep overnight at his grand daughters. It was a nice room in their house, but he had to pee in the middle of the night. For some reason there wasn't a door knob inside the room. He couldn't get out...he opened the window to see if he could go that way but couldn't. He found a cup so went in that. In the morning he washed the cup out with soap etc and he put it in his suitcase. Very resourceful!

jmonroe1

driver100 said:

I had my problem, going to London, Stop over in Halifax, then 2 hour delay, plane waits one hour on runway, they take a drunk guy off, half an hour more and they can't get permission to land at Heathrow after hours, can't land after 11:30 curfew, all hotels are booked in London, so we take a 2 hour flight back to Toronto and go home.

My best friend had what might be a worse experience. He went to Portugal for 3 weeks with his brother. His brothers flight home was delayed for one day....he had to stay in the hotel an extra night and since the pope was in town it cost $450 for the night.

His plane was one hour late taking off the next morning. he landed in Toronto but missed his flight home to Windsor which is 240 miles from Toronto. He could sleep overnight at his grand daughters. It was a nice room in their house, but he had to pee in the middle of the night. For some reason there wasn't a door knob inside the room. He couldn't get out...he opened the window to see if he could go that way but couldn't. He found a cup so went in that. In the morning he washed the cup out with soap etc and he put it in his suitcase. Very resourceful!

————————————————
That door knob thing was probably his grand daughter’s way of him not wanting to stay there again. He should have left the cup.

jmonroe

Michaell

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

driver100 said:

Michaell said:

sda said:

Michaell said:

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

qbrozen said:

speaking of work, I'll be making a move soon.

I went through the interview process for the same job at a different company. I am going to give notice at my current gig. Either I'll get the other job OR I'm going to dive headlong into the car biz and anything else I need to do (such as sub teaching). Wife says I'm too damned miserable where I am and need to end it. I'm going to wait till after we get back from vacation, though. Might as well get paid while I'm away.

I empathize. As I've been able to step back and reflect on my career, I kick myself for staying at companies who showed little to know sense of the over and above work I did...missing important family and friends' meaningful moments.

There were only a couple, but every time I see negative reports about those companies, I cheer a little bit inside.

Q, move on down the road. You're a very bright guy. One way or the other, you'll do better by being happier in what you're doing than you are now being miserable.

The last company I worked for (large tech conglomerate) valued me and my contributions. When I told them I was retiring, the "bosses boss" (VP level) asked if I could help out on occasion. I have done that for the last few years.....but it's not been anything even remotely consistent or even close to full time. I pick and choose the contracts they offer. I like it that way. Nobody trying to micromanage me. No one hindering me from doing what I do...I get in and get out after my project is finished, they make a direct deposit into my checking account when I'm finished, and everyone's happy.

I am teaching a class here and there at the local Jr College. But, I think I'm going to quite doing that. It's a lot of prep time for not much money. And, I think my "goodwill" bank account is getting a little low.

Agree 100%. The scary part is giving up the security of the corporate world to set off on your own business venture. Driver100 did it, I did it and I’m sure others here have done it too.

I'm still looking, after 7 months.

No idea what the problem is ... plenty of job postings in my area of expertise, I'm pretty sure my resume is in good shape (I've updated it several times, and now have a couple of different versions depending on what kind of job I'm applying to). Starting to wonder if it's my age that's holding me back, though there isn't anything on my resume that would indicate how old I am.

The cooking studio is going well, but it's never going to be a huge money maker. The new corporate ownership is having us go through a refresh of our logos, which means a new sign on top of our store front (> $9K in cost).

I wish you the best of luck and positive results on your job search, soon. I know it took me over a year to place myself when I was displaced in 2015. Now at 64, youth is quickly getting away, though I feel and act much younger, lol. 9k for logo changes and the like, ouch. I imagine that is a significant investment which will take a lot of cooking sessions to pay off.

Thanks for the kind words, Steve.

The business has the money for the new sign - just kinda annoying that we have to do it. I tried applying the @driver100 method - the old sign cost us $6K (I think), 4 years ago, so only $1500/year. The wife wasn't buying it.

The new owners are trying to rebrand the concept, to include more adult oriented activities. We aren't thrilled by that, either, and are unlikely to offer them. Especially when we don't have (and don't want) a liquor license to offer "sip and stirs". There are alternatives close by that offer those kinds of activities.

I hope you can convince the franchiser that the new concept and sign do not suit your business. That $9000 can probably put to better use in other ways. I am sure you are thinking the same. Some guy in head office came up with a new concept, and probably has no idea how it will fly.

That dog won't bark. Technically, we have until next June to get this done, but my wife isn't the kind to put things off. Deposit has been made, and the sign is being constructed as we speak. The good news is that we put this onto the company credit card, so we'll receive the points for the purchase.

Of course, the specs from the home office aren't good enough for the metro district the studio is in (metro district is bigger than an HOA, but less than an incorporated town, village or city). We had to get the expensive sign.

Also, it will be a business expense, tax write-off. Your wife has a great attitude, just pay things off and don't have it hanging over your head....get on with life/business. But, I don't think the franchiser has the right attitude. You have survived when others haven't, so you are doing something right.
It isn't easy to run your own business, and I give you both a lot of credit.

Thanks for the encouragement. We are as busy as we want to be.

explorerx4

I never show all my cards.
Also, my name is not on title.

oldfarmer50

driver100 said:

I had my problem, going to London, Stop over in Halifax, then 2 hour delay, plane waits one hour on runway, they take a drunk guy off, half an hour more and they can't get permission to land at Heathrow after hours, can't land after 11:30 curfew, all hotels are booked in London, so we take a 2 hour flight back to Toronto and go home.

My best friend had what might be a worse experience. He went to Portugal for 3 weeks with his brother. His brothers flight home was delayed for one day....he had to stay in the hotel an extra night and since the pope was in town it cost $450 for the night.

His plane was one hour late taking off the next morning. he landed in Toronto but missed his flight home to Windsor which is 240 miles from Toronto. He could sleep overnight at his grand daughters. It was a nice room in their house, but he had to pee in the middle of the night. For some reason there wasn't a door knob inside the room. He couldn't get out...he opened the window to see if he could go that way but couldn't. He found a cup so went in that. In the morning he washed the cup out with soap etc and he put it in his suitcase. Very resourceful!

OK you can’t just end that story there. Why was there no door knob and why would the grand daughter put him in a room like that? How did he get out in the morning?

Too many questions.

graphicguy

qbrozen said:

So I got that job. Little bit of a schedule crunch since we are going to Myrtle in a couple of weeks. It looks like I'm going to overlap the jobs a little just to make everyone happy (except my wife).

Good....happy for you. Congrats.

Maybe not the most recent info because I've been out of the job market for a couple of years, but I've found job postings on web sites (including a company's own WEB site) are rarely filled from folks who apply on line.

Even in my own hiring process (again harking back to being with a large tech company), for any given opening, I would quiz internal people about anyone they knew who might fit the job. Barring that, I would then send out a bat signal to those outside the company I knew who might be looking for a change. I always had to post the jobs on our WEB site to satisfy HR EOE requitements, but never hired anyone from getting the inevitable stack of resumes.

I was never hired by sending resumes out in a shotgun manner. I would try to find others in the company I might be interested in and quizzing them on openings and the hiring managers involved. Even better, getting an email or personal introduction.

While this was many years ago, I knew there was a trade show coming up and the company I was interested in was going to be there. The President was a keynote speaker. After the keynote, I watched the President go back stage and I positioned myself at the exit. I introduced myself and congratulated the President on a great keynote. Told him how much I admired his company and his leadership. Finished up by saying I was also in the industry and would love to join his company. He smiled, told me to contact their VP of Marketing. After getting past the company's "gate keeper" by tossing out that the President told me to contact the VP, scored an interview and was hired within a week.

In brief, I've found it's not what you know but who you know...as the old adage goes.

graphicguy

oldfarmer50 said:

graphicguy said:

oldfarmer50 said:

driver100 said:

oldfarmer50 said:

It never rain but it pours.

Having for the time being given up on the idea of replacing the rusted cargo van with a pick up I am now faced with keeping the old hooptie running. It needs a downstream O2 sensor which trips the CEL every time it rains. I may also want to fix an air bag light and no AC problem which I inherited from the previous owner.

So as I’m pondering how much money to throw at these problems I started smelling burning brake pads. Sure enough the driver’s side rear has a strong odor and the wheel was noticeably hot (I wasn’t stupid enough to actually touch the disk) so I may have a hung up caliper.

They say it’s cheaper to fix the old vehicle rather than buy new but this one seems to be testing the limits.

oldfarmer....you have to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
I think at this stage you got more than your money's worth from the van.......now the odds are it will be a money pit.

Well, the airbag light and the non working AC were like that when I bought it in 2016. The O2 sensor doesn’t need replacing until inspection in October so only the sticking brake is of any immediate concern.

The beauty of hoopties is they don’t have to be fancy, just functional.

Hard to part with a trusted (using that term loosely) vehicle. But, at some point, the aggravation level exceeds the value the hooptie provides. Now, understand the last vehicle I owned out of warranty I flipped before they needed to be vacuumed out. So, consider my advice along the lines of "for what it's worth".

I was thinking of you when watching the Mecum auction this week. They had a 2003 SVT Cobra Mustang go for over $25,000. Didn’t you have something like that?

Yeah...had a '98 vert SVT Cobra. Those are making something of a comeback along with the Fox Bodies, which I never thought would happen.

tjc78

@qbrozen said:
So I got that job. Little bit of a schedule crunch since we are going to Myrtle in a couple of weeks. It looks like I'm going to overlap the jobs a little just to make everyone happy (except my wife).

Congratulations!!

tjc78

I hope we don’t have any HR professionals here … but quite frankly the entire hiring process is flawed and really needs a revamp.

Endless follow ups by the candidate, nearly impossible ATS systems that don’t get qualified candidates even a look by the hiring team, excessive interviews and in some cases personality tests, etc. all insane.

I’ll share this - I know someone who was cold called from an outside recruiter for a VP position for a growing company. Three virtual interviews including the CEO and investors. Two in person interviews, three calls to references only to lose the job to a family member. Are you kidding me? Clearly they were used to satisfy requirements. The in person interviews were fairly long drives for the candidate. The only explanation from the recruiter was “you were the more qualified candidate, but they felt more comfortable with family”.

Probably dodged a bullet but still.

sda

Agreed the vetting, interviewing and hiring process is out of control. Networking, like GG suggests seems to be the ticket for success. I know the two jobs I have accepted after I was displaced after 28 years in 2015 were the result of individuals I had worked with or knew in some capacity recommended that I interview for the position and gave the hiring manager a heads up to look for my application. Even though I had the experience and qualifications to meet the position(s) I applied for, I had zero success with submitting my application and resume to company sites on my own.

oldfarmer50

tjc78 said:

I hope we don’t have any HR professionals here … but quite frankly the entire hiring process is flawed and really needs a revamp.

Endless follow ups by the candidate, nearly impossible ATS systems that don’t get qualified candidates even a look by the hiring team, excessive interviews and in some cases personality tests, etc. all insane.

I’ll share this - I know someone who was cold called from an outside recruiter for a VP position for a growing company. Three virtual interviews including the CEO and investors. Two in person interviews, three calls to references only to lose the job to a family member. Are you kidding me? Clearly they were used to satisfy requirements. The in person interviews were fairly long drives for the candidate. The only explanation from the recruiter was “you were the more qualified candidate, but they felt more comfortable with family”.

Probably dodged a bullet but still.

Even for my crappy little minimum wage job I had to go through all the same stuff.

I guess once you go through all the hoops you’re in solid because they hardly ever fire anybody no matter how many cars you crash.