Minor rant thread. Post your rants o' the day here!

BrokenYugo wrote: The damn cat needs to do her job better, and those plastic trigger mouse traps need to be banned so I can easily find the steel trigger kind again.

You need these:

https://www.amazon.com/Intruder-Better-Mousetrap-6-Pack/dp/B0007NY5CO

Mount to a scrap chunk of 2x4 to make it easier to handle and make the mouse reach for the bait. Awesome mouse traps. No joke. And if you trigger them on your finger they feel like nothing, but they kill the mice dead. Way better than the regular wood and metal ones. I have a photo somewhere of two empty wood/metal traps and six of these things full of mice.

In reply to dculberson:

I have excellent luck with the old school metal and wood kind, you just have to sit down with a screwdriver and adjust them for a hair trigger, I shoot for them to go off if you pick up the trigger end 1/4" and drop it, little dab of peanut butter, they never eat all of it without dying.

These on the other hand are basically mouse feeders unless one happens to run across it.

In reply to BrokenYugo:

Our house was infested when we bought it and I killed a lot of them with adjusted wood and metal traps but couldn't quite get them all. The traps I linked to finished off the clever or light ones.

One advantage too is if the trap is triggered the bait is covered. So no mouse feeder! Cool design.

In reply to KyAllroad:

Ugh, you've dredged up memories of a rice cooker that went uncleaned for weeks on end when I was in college. I concur with your assessment. I'm just gonna say maggots and leave it at that.

It would make life much happier and less stressful if your default position wasn't to suspect everybody is out to take advantage of you.

WildScotsRacing wrote:

Rufledt wrote: All I know are people in their 20's who have gotten 4 year degrees at super expensive schools without landing 6-figure jobs, though.

People in their 20s have absolutely no entitlement to earn six figures yet. They don't yet know enough, about enough, to have earned it. Period.

I got my first real job in 1990 after 4 years of college + 3 years of grad school in a professional field. In 2016-adjusted dollars I was making $50,000 to start. At that point I had a 2016-adjusted $30k in student loans.

Hell, 25 years of solid experience later and I'm not making 6 figures yet. I may or may not ever break $100k by the time I retire in 8-10 years.

In reply to Duke:

Similar story about starting and where I am, relatively speaking.

To expect $100k a year to start out is interesting. They see to much of the tech industry, thinking that their degree in whatever is the same as the high skilled engineering degree that got those high numbers. AND one still needs to figure in cost of living. $100k in silicon valley does not leave much to enjoy life, when you have to pay for housing. But the same in other, cheaper, industrial areas gives you a LOT of spending money.

Two college degrees and 40 years experience and I am still not making six figures...and won't before I retire.

It's REALLY difficult not saying anything to anyone at work about doing my best to find a job and get out of here, but don't figure that the higher-ups finding out about it and potentially deciding to let me go before I have something else lined up is worth the risk.

In reply to alfadriver:

But but but... It's been drilled into my head to go to college and get a degree and that puts money in my pocket. You mean my phd in medieval Slavic feminist history is useless? It cost me 8 years and 200k to get and is so interesting and rewarding to me, surely there is a better job than burger flipper.

^ That ^ attitude is why I generally just ignore most people under 30. People don't understand value. I it's not "having a degree"that gets you paid. It's having a USEFUL and RELEVANT degree that gets you paid. But no, you're being oppressive if you suggest taking a degree path that actually pays well. And most of these kids wouldn't know an honest days work if it beat them with a shovel. They'd just sue the shovel for discrimination.

But who am I to talk? I dropped out of college at the start of my 6th semester because e every single semester the college changed my major platform and I'd have had to start over. I started at community college with everyone knowing I wanted to transfer to a 4 year school in computer programming,and specifically game design. Well the transfer requirements and suggested classes lists change faster than you can conceivably do the program. Every semester, meet with an advisor "those don't transfer now, you need to take this instead" so you basically need to start over again 3 years in. Yes, you do technically have enough credits for an AS, but they're not ask in the same program anymore, so add all these classes. I still get mad thinking about it, even though I'm better off financially and probably emotionally as a drop out than the majority of recent graduates I've met

Oddly,and my friends with student loans at the same school never had issues, but as I paid cash there was always something wrong and extra things to take and do. It wasn't just me at my school either, several accountant friends at big name regional schools wound up in for an extra 2 or 3 years because they were paying out of pocket and the school curriculum magically seemed to change every year. Secondary education is just another industry, a business, and like all businesses, has a level of deceit and corruption involved you need to sort through.

1988RedT2 wrote: My 4-year old GE made in China 12,000 BTU air conditioner that I use to keep the garage a reasonable temperature is blowing 82-degree air into my 95-degree garage. Seriously, all it can manage is a 13-degree drop? Another consumer-grade appliance rip-off. Gah!

The new hire (Haier) started today. We'll see if she does a better job. So far, she's blowing cold--nearly 30 degrees below ambient.

Not an easy thing to find an air conditioner during a heat wave at the end of summer. Thanks Target. No, I didn't use the restroom.

And I remember when GE made "durable goods," not crap.

In reply to RevRico:

Someone needs to point out that a good $50k job that you qualify for is better than than the "$100k" job that doesn't exist...

then again, for the recent grads I know, I think the complaining is a lot less than most make it out to be.

1988RedT2 wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote: My 4-year old GE made in China 12,000 BTU air conditioner that I use to keep the garage a reasonable temperature is blowing 82-degree air into my 95-degree garage. Seriously, all it can manage is a 13-degree drop? Another consumer-grade appliance rip-off. Gah!

The new hire (Haier) started today. We'll see if she does a better job. So far, she's blowing cold--nearly 30 degrees below ambient. Not an easy thing to find an air conditioner during a heat wave at the end of summer. Thanks Target. No, I didn't use the restroom. And I remember when GE made "durable goods," not crap.

They make a fantastic gas turbine, but they actually don't make those appliances anymore.

Ants.

Outdoors- sprayed around the perimeter of the house with Bifen XTS 25.1% Indoors- Raid on the visible trails, thought they were gone, it was cool for a few days but when it heated back up and they reappeared. Bait traps laid out hopefully they take it back to their nest and feed it to their queen.

spitfirebill wrote: Two college degrees and 40 years experience and I am still not making six figures...and won't before I retire.

When I started working in 1985 the goal was to make your age - and you were doing well. I was making $17,300 and the goal would be $23,000 (being 23 years old). I also remember when the big number was $50,000 then $100,000.

Bring in sales I enjoy what I can make.

Datsun310Guy wrote:

spitfirebill wrote: Two college degrees and 40 years experience and I am still not making six figures...and won't before I retire.

When I started working in 1985 the goal was to make your age - and you were doing well.

Hahahaha. I remember that from a Martin Mull movie. After a couple of job changes and start-overs, I just got back over my age a few years ago.

1988RedT2 wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote: My 4-year old GE made in China 12,000 BTU air conditioner that I use to keep the garage a reasonable temperature is blowing 82-degree air into my 95-degree garage. Seriously, all it can manage is a 13-degree drop? Another consumer-grade appliance rip-off. Gah!

The new hire (Haier) started today. We'll see if she does a better job. So far, she's blowing cold--nearly 30 degrees below ambient. Not an easy thing to find an air conditioner during a heat wave at the end of summer. Thanks Target. No, I didn't use the restroom. And I remember when GE made "durable goods," not crap.

Fun fact, Haier owns the GE appliance division. Not sure if any other new window/wall sleeve air conditioner is any better, though.

RevRico wrote: In reply to alfadriver: But but but... It's been drilled into my head to go to college and get a degree and that puts money in my pocket. You mean my phd in medieval Slavic feminist history is useless? It cost me 8 years and 200k to get and is so interesting and rewarding to me, surely there is a better job than burger flipper. ^ That ^ attitude is why I generally just ignore most people under 30. People don't understand value. I it's not "having a degree"that gets you paid. It's having a USEFUL and RELEVANT degree that gets you paid.

This. I knew one guy whose mother kept saying "Music majors all make 6 figures"! I thought sure, if you include the 2 after the decimal point. I think a bigger problem than unrealistic income expectations is unrealistic lifestyle expectations. People want the lifestyle their parents have (in their older age) right out of the gate.

As a counterpoint however, i've been at jobs that just required ANY degree for promotion. During my schooling i worked at a box store doing general box store stuff. Not rocket science, anybody with arms and legs and a work ethic could do the job. My supervisor had a degree, don't know in what because it wasn't applicable, and he was worthless. One of my middle age co-workers who basically did the supervisor's job half the time (because he would disappear) couldn't be promoted because company policy decided she wasn't qualified (no degree, high school only). In that case, even a 4 year degree in medieval slavic feminist whatever would've helped, despite being absolutely pointless and non-applicable. That co-worker of mine should've been my superior based on hard work, experience, and ability. She even had people skills to boot and years working there. Last I heard the manager was trying to convince the regional whoever to make an exception, don't know what came of it.

Its 91f in the house and 93f in the garage and its a low electrical, CCP, usage day in San Diego. Whats the point of having AC when you charge like 1.24$ a kwh on high load days and ask us all to not use it till after 9:00pm.

Rufledt wrote:

RevRico wrote: In reply to alfadriver: But but but... It's been drilled into my head to go to college and get a degree and that puts money in my pocket. You mean my phd in medieval Slavic feminist history is useless? It cost me 8 years and 200k to get and is so interesting and rewarding to me, surely there is a better job than burger flipper. ^ That ^ attitude is why I generally just ignore most people under 30. People don't understand value. I it's not "having a degree"that gets you paid. It's having a USEFUL and RELEVANT degree that gets you paid.

This. I knew one guy whose mother kept saying "Music majors all make 6 figures"! I thought sure, if you include the 2 after the decimal point. I think a bigger problem than unrealistic income expectations is unrealistic lifestyle expectations. People want the lifestyle their parents have (in their older age) right out of the gate. As a counterpoint however, i've been at jobs that just required ANY degree for promotion. During my schooling i worked at a box store doing general box store stuff. Not rocket science, anybody with arms and legs and a work ethic could do the job. My supervisor had a degree, don't know in what because it wasn't applicable, and he was worthless. One of my *middle age* co-workers who basically did the supervisor's job half the time (because he would disappear) couldn't be promoted because company policy decided she wasn't qualified (no degree, high school only). In that case, even a 4 year degree in medieval slavic feminist whatever would've helped, despite being absolutely pointless and non-applicable. That co-worker of mine should've been my superior based on hard work, experience, and ability. She even had people skills to boot and years working there. Last I heard the manager was trying to convince the regional whoever to make an exception, don't know what came of it.

I may have just run into this... Consulting company I work for now hired me on with no college. They had me on a 1099 contract for the first 6 months, so it was fairly risk free for them as they could let me go at any time, but it was enough time for me to prove my worth. They put my on salary a little over a month ago so now I get vacation and benefits which his nice.

Now one of their clients (the one I've been consulting to full time for the last 8 months) wants to buy me out from my current employer. Only downside is while my potential boss at this company that I may be moving to is trying to get me the best pay possible by getting me into the best paying job title that he can, one of the requirements for the higher of the 2 positions requires a AS degree, and 3-5 years experience. Wrote up my resume to show my relevant experience and qualities that make me fit the job, he liked it, sent it over to HR with my target salary, waiting to hear back. I have my weekly 1 on 1 meeting with him tomorrow, so I'm hoping for an update then.

Hoping for similar pay to the current employer, though almost expecting it to be a little lower. Could possibly be a little higher which would be great. This place I may be going to though has MUCH better benefits, which would make a slight pay cut worth it. 3 weeks paid vacation, retirement, pension, healthcare, etc. (They are a non profit if you hadn't guessed already)

The other downside is this job transition is going on right when I was about to buy my house... It's ok though. I will wait until the transition is finished and I have pay stubs. The house will still be there for me, and I'll have saved up even more, so basically I just have to be patient.

My degree is useless.. it's in communications/broadcasting. Just as I got out of school, everything I learned went obsolete. It's ok.. just having the BA has helped me get and keep jobs, even if it was un-needed in my current

It doesn't matter where I put the bucket of antifreeze. I will drop something and it will bounce, roll, and ricochet so that it lands in that bucket.

I just want to replace most of this but it seems like most of these parts died when the dinosaurs did

There is a reason I never post in the Minor Win thread.

RevRico wrote: In reply to alfadriver: But but but... It's been drilled into my head to go to college and get a degree and that puts money in my pocket. You mean my phd in medieval Slavic feminist history is useless? It cost me 8 years and 200k to get and is so interesting and rewarding to me, surely there is a better job than burger flipper. ^ That ^ attitude is why I generally just ignore most people under 30. People don't understand value. I it's not "having a degree"that gets you paid. It's having a USEFUL and RELEVANT degree that gets you paid. But no, you're being oppressive if you suggest taking a degree path that actually pays well. And most of these kids wouldn't know an honest days work if it beat them with a shovel. They'd just sue the shovel for discrimination. But who am I to talk? I dropped out of college at the start of my 6th semester because e every single semester the college changed my major platform and I'd have had to start over. I started at community college with everyone knowing I wanted to transfer to a 4 year school in computer programming,and specifically game design. Well the transfer requirements and suggested classes lists change faster than you can conceivably do the program. Every semester, meet with an advisor "those don't transfer now, you need to take this instead" so you basically need to start over again 3 years in. Yes, you do technically have enough credits for an AS, but they're not ask in the same program anymore, so add all these classes. I still get mad thinking about it, even though I'm better off financially and probably emotionally as a drop out than the majority of recent graduates I've met Oddly,and my friends with student loans at the same school never had issues, but as I paid cash there was always something wrong and extra things to take and do. It wasn't just me at my school either, several accountant friends at big name regional schools wound up in for an extra 2 or 3 years because they were paying out of pocket and the school curriculum magically seemed to change every year. Secondary education is just another industry, a business, and like all businesses, has a level of deceit and corruption involved you need to sort through.

That it does, it's part of why I cut my losses with the college I attended for a year studying mechanical engineering. It is sometimes scary looking back a decade as I've faired better than many others I went to school with. Several have crippling loan payments that might be paid off by their retirement age. O.o