Daughter has been hired for a remote position. How does one tell if it’s legit and not a scam? yeah, I tend to be suspicious of things that are new and different… Assuming it’s legit, it looks like a good one!
If there’s enough small fish, or even other aquatic life, there’s usually sufficient predation to keep down the 'skeeters.
Lots of watery creatures consider mosquito larvae to be a tasty snack.
Geese are good at getting rid of a lot of things.
Human nature. We all have our limits.
Round of applause.
I had to blink at the notion of setting an alarm for something other than an even amount (:15 after, for ex) I mean, I guess you CAN set your alarm for some odd time …
Like, HIRED hired? As in, she’s received the onboarding paperwork and all that?
Alright, I gotta scoop up Carless Co-worker 
and head on in.
We start at the same time; he lives about 125 seconds away. It’s fine. It’s fine.
Apparently. She’s coming over tomorrow to use our scanner and printer. I was asking her about bennies and she was getting that info today. Guess I’ll know more tomorrow.
Started Typing: 2:43 PM ET
Clicked Reply: 3:28 PM ET
Boofae, are you in DC this week (based on your mention of the Metro and blue/red lines)?!?
I wish I’d been under a rock for the past two weeks: instead, much of my time has been monopolized by the decision that it’s finally time to put one of my direct reports on a performance improvement plan (PIP). It’s a formal, “on your permanent record” thing that’s a last chance for her to correct the issues she’s been struggling with for quite some time. So on top of my regular job duties there have been multiple conversations and meetings with both my manager and HR, drafts of the formal documentation, etc. I notified my direct report on Monday. The PIP will last for 4 weeks, and I’ll check in with her weekly (and will then check in with HR and my manager the following morning). I’m a relatively inexperienced manager, and it’s my first time dealing with a PIP. No matter which way things go, the next month will be pretty stressful for me.
There’s also been the usual volunteer-related stuff, some routine medical appointments (for both me and the doggy), etc. But I managed to get out to hear some live jazz in DC on Thursday night, which was great.
And, two weeks ago I finished the '61 Corvette:
https://i.ibb.co/9HNQLLj/2024-03-12-01-Corvette-Done-01.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/f4RkQwF/2024-03-12-02-Corvette-Done-02.jpg
It’s 12.5" long. The steering wheel turns the front wheels and everything. 
It looks better topless, but most of the time I’ll keep the hardtop on it to help keep dust out of the interior.
Then, on Sunday I finished the grand piano (3662 pieces, 6 batteries, and 500+ pages of build instructions!):
https://i.ibb.co/bbTdmWT/PXL-20240324-222543942-PORTRAIT.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/MPHFpDk/PXL-20240324-222638092-PORTRAIT.jpg
Pictures don’t do it justice: the bench height and music stand angle are adjustable, the sustain pedal works (mechanically if not acoustically), the wheels work, and the keys play notes! Also the scale of the model is hard to show, but it’s big: 15" long and 12" wide, and when open it’s 16" high (though most of the time I’ll keep it closed, again for dust prevention). I 
it.
Flyboy, sorry about your uncle and your accountant!
Nellie, sorry about the COVID!
Pilot, sorry your friend is moving away!
Ugh, to both of you… 
My friend’s nephew nearly fell for a scam job last year…some of the red flags:
- There was no interview at all; not even a phone screening
- The logo on the “offer” letter was blurry and clearly photoshopped
- The company’s name being used was a real company, but the domain in the email address used to send the letter didn’t work and also didn’t match the company’s domain
- He was going to have to order his own IT equipment (“the funds for the purchase of the equipment will be made available to you prior to purchase and delivery”) – including a “gaming chair”!
There’s no way to guess about your daughter’s job without details, but as long as she’s on the lookout for stuff like this it’s probably totally legit! 
The dental issues continue…
I missed my last periodontal maintenance cleaning in November because I had COVID. So the periodontist says I now need a deep cleaning. The problem is that I just had a deep cleaning in January 2023. My insurance only covers deep cleaning every three years. So I had one quadrant done today, for $283 out-of-pocket. (At least I got the in-network discounted rate.) I have to go in to have another quadrant done on Friday, and then two quadrants the first week of May. So over a kilobuck by the time I’m done. In the meantime, I have appointments with my regular dentist on April 16th and 30th to prep for, and then put on, a crown on one of my molars. Insurance will pay 40%, so it will ‘only’ cost me about $790 out-of-pocket. And another molar needs a crown too, but the dentist said it can wait until Autumn. Finally, my 16-year-old implant is giving up the ghost. It will need to be removed at some point. The bone will need to grow back before I can get another one, but I don’t know if I can afford it. Maybe I don’t actually need that far-back molar to chew.
Its been decades since I’ve had lower molars.
Mine’s set for 5:43. My rule is that it has to be odd, and can’t end with 5.
I’m with Wheelz. I enjoy the reading, but don’t always have a chance to say something before the post cost reaches 3 digits.
When I first read this week’s topic, I thought of rolling the rock away and discovering that the tomb is empty. Haven’t been to church, except to go with my parents or other family, for almost 2 decades, but I still remember the texts.
There was more I was thinking of writing about, but hubby’s watching 3 Body Problem on Netflix, and it’s catching my attention.
Dental issues are almost the worst. Paying for them really is the worst.
I am so sorry you are in this position. I was in management once and that was enough for me.
Your LEGOs are very neat, I love the vette!
FCM, while I have no idea what to look for as far as scammy fake on-line jobs, I certainly do hope that it is legit and works out for everyone.
We went inside the place next to the stock pond today and it was nice. If I hadn’t been inside the first place long enough to fall in love, I would be singing the praises of this place.
The kitchen is smaller, but nicely tiled. SF is less than we currently have which would be a good thing. The wrap around deck is in good shape and there is good light in the extra bedrooms as well as the living room. The doors are really cute, the red metal roof was installed in 2010. It needs fresh paint, but that could be done after we are settled and I have time to pick colors.
We haven’t heard anything about the first place so will be going to Charleston tomorrow to look at a couple of other places.
Our hotel room does not have good light and my little travel lamp isn’t cutting it so I’ve been taking my stitching and stand down to the little sunroom area of the dining room. It is nice and warm, great light, wonderful view of bird filled pine trees and a door to the smoking area where I can hear the birds while taking a few hits. I thought about taking my stitching out there, but the birds are going to be too distracting for a while.
The breakfast lady said nobody would frown at me if I put some whole wheat bread out for the birds and I watched a blue jay enjoy himself. I also saw two groundhogs. I had no idea they got that big, I thought they were squirrel or rat sized, not cat sized. We’ve been seeing deer all over the place and hubs says I’m going to have to learn how to drive all over again out here, LOL!
I swear, if MIL tells me one more time that I don’t need to sit with her, that I can go ahead and do whatever I need to do…
I’m not sitting with her. I’m sitting in my recliner, trying to read. If I have things to do, I do them. But I don’t. Apparently she thinks I should be doing something. Or something. I shouldn’t get upset with her about this, but honest to goodness, she says it at least once a day, sometimes more. I may start hanging out in the basement just to avoid these conversations.
I try to be patient. I try to understand how difficult this all is for her. But sometimes I just want to scream! Hiding in the basement has a lot of appeal.
< deep cleansing breath >
I had a “job offer” a few months back that really seemed legit. The “company” had a very professional-looking website. The interview was conducted via Skype chat.
Then they mailed me a paper check for $2400. I was supposed to use that to buy a laptop from a computer shop in Michigan. The check looked real and the deposit went through, but it just didn’t smell right. I looked up the computer shop - which was real - and gave them a call. I didn’t even finish my first sentence when the guy cut me off with “It’s a scam.” A week later, the $2400 disappeared from my bank account and I never heard from my “employers” again.
I’m not saying your daughter’s offer is a scam, but scammers can be really good and unemployed folks can be desperate enough to look past a red flag or two. I advise close scrutiny at every step.
Speaking of scams, I looked at my irk email via Outlook online. There was an email – addressed to me, and using my name in the salutation – with an ‘invoice’ attachment, saying that my payment was overdue (or something like that). I didn’t know the sender, or the sender’s domain. I don’t get invoices. Total scam. Rather than report it as phishing immediately, I logged onto my irk computer and opened Outlook on it; then checked the email header. Yep. It was from KnoBe4, a company we use for security awareness. In the header it said ‘This is a phishing test…’ I closed the header, and then I reported it as phishing. I didn’t alert my cow-orkers like I did last time though. I’m not irking today.
oooooh, i may have to look into the piano lego… that is amazing.
Well, I’m now 50 posts behind y’all. Gonna be work to catch up since Tue morning.
As to me: Tried beaching Tue morning but was too windy to enjoy the sand. Soaked up my UV dose in a nearby city park sheltered from the wind. Almost as good. Then had a lunch of cheap Taco Tuesday tacos that were indeed really cheap. Like not worth having again, but there’s plenty else on the menu and it’s otherwise a great beach-adjacent beer, burgers, and wings joint. Amazon finally gave my twice-failed packages to a driver who could follow instructions and they arrived at the POB store during business hours. Eventually wended home after some errands, got kinda chilled in the air conditioning and gathering evening cool plus from undereating, so went out for late-ish dinner and had a huge bowl of good Jambalaya to reheat my innards. Yaay for warm innards.
Today Wed I met w the shrink for the second time. She’s confident we’re wasting both our times, and I agree. She sees zero depression and no evidence of MCI either. With which I also agree.
But we left our existing next appointment on the books as by then I’ll be closing in on the apartment stuff and she’s a useful reminder not to get too crazy. I’d sorta like to have a professional co-pilot until I’ve landed this bucking bronco into a steady state. Done w divorce, have a real address, maybe starting to date wimmins, etc.
Then had a fine leisurely late breakfast at a place new to me, more sun here at home as the beach was still too breezy and it’s sheltered here too. Now pretty soon roomie and I are out for some variation on Big Boy dinner. His approach to these events is much lighter on drinking but heavier on eating than my usual Big Boy pal the car guy. Roomie always drives when we go places together, since his aging hips don’t like climbing down into or up out of my low-slung performance car; they’re much happier sliding sideways into his SUV. Which also solves my need for moderation problem.
In housing news …
The under-construction apartments are now available for review online and have a planned first-lease date of Apr 22, so ~3 weeks from now. Online they look pretty nice. The other apartment in the other existing complex nearby probably won’t become available until May or even June, so I’m going to be facing a timing dilemma. The new ~150 apartment building won’t fill instantly, but there are only 3, maaybe 6, apartments in the whole building that have the right combo of size and exposure that I really want. The others are sorta meh.
The tradeoff between complexes is that the new construction place is newer (Duh! 0 months vs ~6 years), bigger (2BR 2bath vs 1BR 1bath +den), less crowded bathrooms w oversized showers and separate tubs, not just a single tub/shower combo, is a significant percent cheaper, but has significantly less overall zoot in the apartment and even more so in the complex (which in turn affects the sort of people (read “women”) I meet there), has a slightly less desirable location, is a lower floor nearer to noisier roads, and has not even 10% of the amazing balcony and view of the smaller zootier place. The smaller place’s balcony is also better positioned for sunning. Tough call.
I’m used to spacious digs, and the small one will be cozy bordering on snug. But I don’t need a second bedroom except as a closet / basement equivalent. And I’m sorta enjoying the cozy I have now within the portion of the house that’s just mine. Part of the value of living in a nice apartment building is using the various public spaces (gym, pool, sun deck, lounge) as your own, not pretending they don’t exist. Just like public parks are better than backyards because somebody else mows, weeds, and landscapes.
Decisions, decisions. Bird in hand, different bird in hand, something else, or skip the whole thing and move to Thailand this year not next? Hmm.
Roomie’s just home; time for us to make a plan and skedaddle. I’ll have comments on at least some of everyone else’s exciting news later tonight and/or tomorrow morning.
Cheers all and happy Humpday to those who did or will hump today. Sigh.
I went to the ortho urgent care today. X rays showed no broken bones. Severe bruising and soft tissue swelling. I have a lovely surgical sandal to wear for a week. I’m supposed to limit my activity. Doctor gave me sanctioned slothing!
Howdy!!
Yay! I do hope it’s legit. Remote will be my next plan if I do not receive disability.
Well, I let them pick. They decided on tuna salad with coleslaw and potato chips. Out of those, I will eat… potato chips! That’s ok, though, if it makes my dear old friend, Carol, happy, then it will work for me.
Very nice! And the piano is lovely, too.
Great attitude!
I just woke up from a well deserved and needed nap. Now I’m trying to gather my wits so as to work on taxes again. I really just want to be done with them. Hopefully today or tomorrow I will be.
I googled “Is [company] legit?” and I didn’t see anything to make me think it’s scammy. We’ll talk to Daughter tomorrow. I don’t want to throw cold water on her, but we need reassurance…
Hoping for her sake that we’re overreacting. It’s tough realizing that your baby isn’t a baby any longer.
Ok, chillage time.
Not really. The lesions that I’ve had removed required no further treatment and IMO, it would be overly dramatic for me to consider that in any way comparable to, say something requiring the removal of a body part and / or chemo / radiation.
I initially read this as Applesauce folks. I could use more sleep.
Most of the ones where I grew up and where I live now are more the size of a smallish dog. If you trap them young, they can be good eating.
Hugs to you, Echo and your son sari.
Irked my usual job today. It was the first full day that I’ve been back there this week. One of the positions that I did was the cartonization end of the RFA line. My helper was a woman who had been there for a week and didn’t yet have her log in rights, so was doing the grunt work. She was on the ball, saw things that needed done and did them. They threw her into what I did Monday today on her own.
I felt sorry for her. What little training that she had was from an airhead whose first language wasn’t English (nice lady, just a bit scatterbrained. The new woman’s first language also isn’t English and their first languages aren’t the same) and the new woman isn’t very tech savvy (she said that she had worked in housekeeping in a hospital before). I showed her how to use Teams and pinned it to her taskbar, telling her to message me if she had questions. She did a couple of times and understood when I explained things. It’s pretty typical of the quality of training in the department.
Stay safe and healthy y’all!
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 4c/39f with a predicted high of 5c/40f and cloudy. Weather app says “Clouds are fucking dirty lurking bastards”. Apparently it’s snowing back at home so clouds are fine with me.
flyboy sorry to hear abour your accountant, that’s sad news to come back to.
Taters I hope work gives you a good day soon, you are well overdue.
Sticky Buns I always look forward to your hat pics!
Oopsie we were in Chicago which had red and blue train lines. Now we are in Milwaukee for 3 days, then on to somewhere Detroit-ish.
nellie now that I am the self-appointed chief directional officer, we have not been lost!
Right, 'im indoors is getting twitchy…better find him some beer!
Howdy Y’all! We got shorn, procured provisions, napped, day drank, and et sup. That pretty much sums up the day. Tomorrow and Firday will be a lot busier what with it bein’ Maundy Thursday, then Good Firday, plus I got to get candles all re-wicked, and re-put together the candelabras and do other stuff in prep for Sunday for the big Feast of The Resurrection service. We can’t just say Easter, we have to get all fancy about it.
Sticky_Buns HEE! That’s one of them 1970s hippy dippy Jesus songs.
Cat_Glove a couple of days respite for you wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Wheelie as long as you at least check in it’s all good.
MOOOOOOM appropriate/inappropriate appendages crossed that daughter’s remote gig is legit. Also, dang good price on the pressure washin’.
Oopsie a PIP is never fun when it needs doin’, but sometimes it needs doin’ had to do a few of those on folks in my time. Hopefully she will see the seriousness of it all and shape up.
WetOne hope you feel better soonest. Remember, this is doctor prescribed slothin’, so it’s medicinal. Also, don’t stop until you take all the prescribed slothin’.
red I am sure groundhogs make better stew than weather predictors.
This will sound horrible, but I’m actually not sure if I want my direct report to shape up: part of me wants her to either quit or fail, so I can move on (and so can she). If she does pull her act together for the PIP period, then I have to start watching/waiting for mistakes again. I actually told HR that I was worried the next four weeks would be quiet, with few chances for her to screw up, and that the situation would wind up dragging on for months. Meh.
I actually accidentally ordered two of them: come to Northern Virginia to pick it up, and I’ll sell you the unopened one for $50 less than retail! 
(I tried to sell it online, but it’s big and pricey: at some point, I’ll return it at the nearby Lego store. Because I paid with PayPal I can only get a gift card*, but my fingers have nearly recovered from putting the piano together…it’ll be time for another set soon enough.. 
)
*Yes, I’m sure.
Like in the example with my friend’s nephew, the company could be perfectly legit but scammers could be using its name (not actually working there). Your daughter should scour all communications with them for details and question anything that seems the slightest bit fishy: no legit offer will fold under sincere questions.
Ahh, gotcha! I got all excited for a moment, and was gearing up to say TELL ME THE NAME OF THE BAR CLOSEST TO YOUR HOTEL AND I’LL BE RIGHT THERE.