# (Old) Getting caught off-guard n the MMP **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** mmp\ **Created:** [November 13, 2023, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062 "2023-11-13T11:29:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/181 "2023-11-18T11:22:08Z")
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. _YAWN_ ‘Tis 60 Amurrkin out and cloudy with a predicted high of 77 and mostly N.O.S. for the day. The big item on today’s agenda is funeralizin’. I have to be there at nine this mornin’, and it will likely be one-thirty or so this p.m. before I leave. SHEESH! I mean, this might interfere with nap time! The horror! My DAWGS play the Rocky Flops this afternoon at three-thirty, so at least I’ll be home for that. There will be a big N.O.L. after the funeral, so that will probably take care of the main need to feed for the day. **CupCakes** I like feta cheese stuffed olives. I like pretty much whatever one can stuff into an olive. I like stuffed olives. **shoe** I would be willin’ to place a hefty bet on **Sweet Manager** knowin’ about the slackers and is bidin’ her time to amass a good case for firin’. **cookie** hope you’re feelin’ better today. Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then I must needs purtify and don appropriate attire (well I don’t have to get too appropriate bein’ as I’ll be all got up in cassock and surplice for funeralizin’ purposes). Pretty much appropriate attire for that is black pants, black socks, and black shoes as that’s all people will see. Happy Sattidy Y’all! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/182 "2023-11-18T12:04:03Z")
> [@swampbear](#): > > to amass a good case for firin’. Never having been a boss, I don’t get this. You tell someone what their job is, you train them, and if they won’t do it, you fire them. Isn’t that how it works? Even in the gummint, bosses have to tools to get rid of slackers, but they do, yanno, have to be the boss and all. But what do I know? I was just a peon my entire career. Up, brushed my toofies, tended the critters, popped some ibuprofen, and I’ve now settled in my recliner with an ice pack on my knee and a diet coke at hand. Flexing my knee is painful, so walking is a challenge. Not sure how much I should push myself. I hate to sit all day. I may scroll thru Dr. Google for insight. My only knee experience is getting **FCD** thru post-replacement exercises, and I’m pretty sure that doesn’t apply to me. Stoopit knee. ---
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/183 "2023-11-18T12:53:31Z")
Afternoon, mumpers! It’s 14c/56f with no predicted change, and cloudy. Weather app’s instruction today is “It’s overcast and fucking mild. Shut your fucking piehole and grab your rain coat, just in case.” Weather app should know that as a Brit, I never leave the house without an umbrella, no matter what time of year! **Moooom** sorry to hear about the ouchies, I hope the ice and rest helps. **Cookie** hope you are feeling more like your normal self today and the after-effects of the migraine have disappeared. **shoe** if your boss is any good, she’ll already know about the slackers and be putting together a good case for dismissal. @JaneDoe42 our normal milk is pasteurised, not sure if that’s what you mean by “processed”. We also have long-life UHT milk but that doesn’t count as real milk and you’d have to be a true sadist to even contemplate cooking with it. It certainly has no place in my cup of tea! Today is turning out to be a busy one. I’ve been to the gym and done two classes this morning, then had to go back via the petrol station because the low fuel warning light was on today so now I have a full tank again. Then needed to go to our usual supermarket which is a few miles in the opposite direction for a couple of bits. They have a Christmas Collector scheme whereby you spend a specified amount in four weeks out of five on “qualifying items” and this gets you a substantial chunk of cash on your store card to use in the first three months of next year. I went grocery shopping on Tuesday and missed the qualifying amount by less than £5 so popped in today for tinned tuna and some mushrooms. Have now achieved the correct level. I’m back home, slurping tea, have had a shower and dried my hair so I’m fit to be seen in public. Off to town for lunch at the Good Chinese Place, then errands and out of the town centre by 3pm when the xmas lights switch-on nonsense starts. The lights don’t officially get switched on until about 7pm but we want to avoid all the crap that happens beforehand. Then my final errand of the day is to drop off a birthday present to the friend I should have seen on Wednesday but didn’t because he was ill. 'im indoors is cooking tonight so I haven’t got to think about food, just make a decision on what film to watch later. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/184 "2023-11-18T13:26:49Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > while I don’t get the horrible pain, I get washed out and jet-lagged feeling. Yeah, this. Sometimes a mild headache to go with it. I think our latest COVID lockdown ends tomorrow, so back to normal activities for next week. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/185 "2023-11-18T13:30:43Z")
Morning all. Pancakes and bacon have provided early nourishment and now have to sort my dirty clothes for laundry on board vs. laundry to take home. Then a pretty free day to do nothing. **FCM** , when I had bad knee pain a couple of years ago I bought a cane at Walmart that came in useful for a few days until it healed itself up. Just a suggestion. **Swampy** , hope the funeral is short and the tackleball has a happy ending. **Jumpy** , I’m a lot like you, keep a lot more cash on hand than I really need, but do talk to a financial person, there are safe ways to invest **Shoe** , you don’t have to make any direct accusations, just mention that she might want to keep an eye on slackers as you hear it is upsetting some of the other staff. **Flyboy** , still healthy so far. OK, onto the joys of laundry sorting. Take care all. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/186 "2023-11-18T13:35:55Z")
Morning everyone, just a quick check-in following the eye surgery. Doc has put limits on screen time so I finally have a good excuse for failing to follow the whole thread! Right? Surgery was more successful than I’d dared to hope. As of this morning, I’ve got at least 90% of my vision back in the left eye. It’s wildly out of focus, but that’s temporary and correctable one it settles down. There’s only one small “dead” area on the upper left of my vision, and it’s something I can easily live with. For the next few weeks I’m living like a hobbling old man (wait — that’s actually what I am!) and carefully wandering about the house under lots of movement restrictions. I even have to wear a patch for some periods to stop my newly repaired eye from trying the “help out” too much. But it’s do-able and I’m looking forward to getting my final set of eyeglasses once all the swelling goes down. Oh, and one other reason to stay home. I look like I’ve been in a serious bar fight (and lost). Oh well… Hope all have a good rest of the week. Will try to check in occasionally later! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/187 "2023-11-18T14:51:08Z")
Mornin’ all. Grayish out about 2 hours post-sunrise right now as I start this mongo missive. Presently 71/22 on the way to 80/26. Radar says it’s not raining anywhere, but it sure looks like drizzle in the distance to me. > [@Chefguy](#): > > The first time it happened, several years ago, I went to the ER because I thought I’d had a TIA or minor stroke. The MRI and EKG were negative. Excellent response. And excellent outcome. It amazes me the number of people who refuse professional examination or treatment for something that clearly just _might_ be a sign of a life-altering problem. Good to know another guy (and it’s usually a guy) who’s not like that. > [@JaneDoe42](#): > > Sadly, forcing someone to stay in places like that is almost impossible, there are so many legal issues involved. I really hope things work out for everyone soon I wonder how much that’s true for somebody with multiple recent suicide attempts? And who’s developmentally disabled from the git go? Whether suicide ought to be a taboo or a basic human right is a different topic, but as long as our country and laws are squeamish about it, the old “clear and present danger to self or others” ought to kick in. In any case, I hope BIL can get what’s best for him, whatever that may be. > [@JaneDoe42](#): > > He had planned to take him time and walk all of the aisles like usual, but today he got less than half way through and said F this, what do I absolutely have to get. Why’d he lose patience? Store jammed w crazed shoppers, bad knees? What am I missing here? > [@JaneDoe42](#): > > I lose my words after having one fairly often and while I don’t get the horrible pain, I get washed out and jet-lagged feeling. Never had the aphasia, but for me that washed-out feeling varies from “not much” to “my day is done; where’s my recliner?” But the scotomas themselves are fun to watch while they last. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I’m still mad about the details, and I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t feel like being a tattletale or throwing my coworkers under the bus They have no right to double or triple _your_ workload. The sooner they are gone the sooner your life improves. Useless workers are actually worse than useless. Not only do they not deliver on their tasks, they often actively interfere with the rest of the folks trying to work. Screw that noise. You owe it to yourself to assist them out of your life in any way possible. It’s like **doggio** said. He is wise in the ways of the world; listen to his sage advice: > [@dogbutler](#): > > Deep fry them? 😉 But if **Sweet Manager** knows, hopefully they’ll be promoted to customer quickly. > [@dogbutler](#): > > Although if they have Blueberries running as driver helpers, they must be in desperate need of help down your way. My guess was they are starting to train up temps for the holiday rush. I encounter drivers with carts of parcels nearly daily in my building. I always say “Hi” and ask how their day is going. “Crazy overloaded” seems to be the consensus. > [@dogbutler](#): > > > [@JaneDoe42](#): > > > > During the worse of the shutdowns, hubs had a few bottles shipped and they all got broken on the way but for some stoopid reason UPS still felt obligated to make their poor driver load that stinky and well fermented box into the back of his truck and drive it over an hour just so we could take pics or something. > > Probably got broken while being ~~violently heaved~~ gently placed in the package car. If it was leaking prior to that, it would have been routed to Hazmat. Her Ladyship’s sorority alumnae club does a gift exchange every now and then. About a month ago UPS brought us a package from a woman in Albuquerque. A roughly one foot cube that was sodden on the bottom with … something dark brown. Open it up and it was some southwestern-themed tchotchkes, a big bottle of diced Hatch green chili salsa, and what had been a bottle of ranchera sauce which was now all over everything else. The glass wasn’t broken; the lid had simply come unscrewed. How the heck does that happen? A goopy mess, but most of the tchotchkes cleaned up fine and the Hatch sauce is great. Can recommend: **[505SW Hatch Valley Roasted Green Chile](https://store.505southwestern.com/collections/roasted-chile/products/hatch-valley-roasted-green-chile-16oz)** > [@Leaper](#): > > Trouble is, I tend to hoard cash Hoarding assets is wise. Holding them as cash is dumb. With some money markets earning 4+%, and 1 year CDs earning 5% and change, you don’t need to be sitting there watching the money do nothing in a savings account. I have never been a fan of paying down a mortgage unless the rate is several percent higher than I can earn on investments. Because of the lack of flexibility. You can always pull money out of a money market fund, or even turn in a CD early and only lose some of the earnings. But you can’t pull money back out of a mortgage. IMO the 1 or 2% difference between your current mortgage rate and currently available safe investments is too small to stress over. If you’re able to deduct your mortgage interest from your income taxes, the difference is even smaller. Better to invest that money. Also IMO, if you ever do have a mortgage whose rate is a bunch higher (\>5%?) than you could get on reasonable investments, the correct fix for that is to refinance the crappy loan, not throw even more money at it. YMMV, but that’s how I play this game. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Not sure how much I should push myself. How does “not at all” strike you? Give it a day. And ice it! Wow, we save the best for last!!! > [@pullin](#): > > Surgery was more successful than I’d dared to hope. As of this morning, I’ve got at least 90% of my vision back in the left eye. Fantastic news. I’m very happy for you. That was some scary shit that’s now 99% behind you. > [@pullin](#): > > I look like I’ve been in a serious bar fight (and lost). A year-ish ago my dermatologist removed a ~1cm patch of skin cancer on the upper rear of my head where the thinning hair is. Scalps not having a lot of slack, that resulted in a 4" long narrow gash and stitches across the area. They did not clean up much of the blood afterwards. Once I could take the dressing off I had Her Ladyship take a picture of the matted bloody mess. I sent that picture with no explanation to several friends & got quite the variety of responses. Including “Who broke a beer bottle over your head?” My response: “Nope, I just stood too close to a dermatologist. Again.” As to me: Yesterday was a great day. The golf lesson went well although we started late & finished later. The instructor was 45 minutes late and felt guilty, so I got more like an hour of his time for the half-hour price. Anyhow, I bought the used gear we selected last time and his lesson package; we’ll reconvene on Monday morning for session #2. Meanwhile I’m supposed to practice some. Drove a bit farther afield to get a nice Italian lunch and let my body recover a bit. By coincidence a golf tournament was on one of the TVs and I got to watch lots of examples of perfect posture & mechanics delivering nearly perfect driving and ironing. Suddenly it was interesting, not _Boooor-ing!!1!_ Not the game or the competition or the putting; just the long-distance ball-whacking. Once fortified I stopped at a golf store on the way home to use their sim for another half hour. If the goal of the game is to use a 6-iron, and only a 6-iron, to top balls about 30 yards, I’ve pretty well got this thing nailed. 😉 Got the car washed & got home shortly before Her Ladyship returned from her weekly library duty. In the evening we went to the outdoor geezer disco for dinner & dance. In a fun coincidence as we’re walking up to the hostess station we see the back side of a man who’s almost certainly a neighbor from my old condo plus two women I don’t recognize. If this is the right guy, his wife had died about 18 months ago after a long and horrible trip through Parkinson’s. He was a saint throughout their joint ordeal. An experience I can relate to all too well. We used to help each other out and help each other cope. He’s about age 78 now. Anyhow this was in fact him, he’s recently found a girlfriend who’s a real sparkplug, and she’d reserved a table for 6 and had a couple cancel on them. So would we join them; it’s right up front at the stage? Sure! So we ate, drank, danced, and socialled for about 4 hours. A good crowd, easily 700 people. Finished the night helping a very dapperly dressed blind black dude walk to the waiting handicapped bus. He’d settled where they couldn’t find him and of course he couldn’t find them. 5 minutes later he was on his way. Before going last night out I’d entertained ideas of getting up early-ish to go top some more balls at an outdoor driving range while Her Ladyship was still abed. Once up this morning a bit later than ideal for an early bird, but after also not quite enough sleep I find that lots of body parts are in no mood to bend that way. Or any way really. Between dancin’ two long sets of disco and golfin’ twice, lotta my movin’ parts jus’ don’ wanna. So instead I’m caffinatin’ w y’all and I’ll re-evaluate this whole movin’ idea as the day wears on. Hint, hint there dear **FCM**. 🙂 Happy weekend to one and all. And more Hoorays! for **Yanker**!! ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/188 "2023-11-18T15:14:14Z")
Good morning! It’s 35F and partly cloudy outside. Clouds will increase over the course of the afternoon with potential showers. The high temp should be around 52F. **FCM** , just chill, both literally and figuratively. Give your knee and the rest of you a rest! I hope you’re feeling better very, very soon! **yanker!** I’m so glad the surgery was a success. I hope your recovery is both speedy and uneventful! We are picking up the puppies the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I’m very excited, but coupled with that, I feel a little trepidation. They will be a lot of work, but I was pleased to learn that the current owner has already been working with them on potty training. They’re not there 100%, but they are very young yet. When I pick them up, they’ll be eight weeks and one day old. Anyway, their indoor pen was delivered yesterday, and now I need to pick up the crates. I didn’t leave the house yesterday because my son opted to come up and hang out with us. He stayed the night, and I’ve been chatting with him since around 5:00 this morning, hence my late arrival to the MMP. He’s gone to meet someone for breakfast but will be back in an hour or so. **shoe** , here’s hoping your two useless co-workers are shown the door sooner rather than later. I also need to get to the grocery store to pick up stuff for Thanksgiving. I think I will go first thing in the morning tomorrow to avoid the crowds. By first thing, I mean 5:30 a.m. I also have little to no patience for people who clog the aisles, and long lines, and all the rest of the madness that goes along with holiday meal shopping. I’ve already loaded the dishwasher, and am waiting a little longer before I start noisier chores. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/189 "2023-11-18T15:17:17Z")
Late add: **[Scalp Gash](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m3eNWHKtDQMJoElLo2-SUWt9NQuiJaZK/view)** **[Random Crowd Shot at Geezer Disco](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pKTO60viH8b3vWgiMaDBO_XvgZQCeqQU/view)** ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/190 "2023-11-18T15:31:38Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Excellent response. And excellent outcome. It amazes me the number of people who refuse professional examination or treatment for something that clearly just _might_ be a sign of a life-altering problem. Good to know another guy (and it’s usually a guy) who’s not like that. Come to think of it, the first time I had an optical migraine (without the speech problems) was when we were living in Africa. I came back from visiting one of my projects, walked into my office from the bright sunlight (which I now know is a trigger for these), sat down, and odd things started happening to my vision: the jagged green arc and all. Scared the shit out of me as I sat there alone wondering if I was about to stroke out. It eventually cleared, of course, and I made my way to the embassy doctor, who assured me I wasn’t dying. I, like a lot of people, had never heard of this particular affliction. Interesting that my daughter also gets them. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/191 "2023-11-18T15:32:01Z")
Yay on the successful vision surgery **yanker**! Up, caffeinating, breakfasted and fixing to do KP. SIL called last night, cancelling our ramble and Thanksgiving at my niece’s house because niece, her husband and son are down with Covid. SIL got a positive test, but (so far) is asymptomatic. They were all at a funeral for niece’s SIL three days ago and several others have it too. Now, my plans are to make a nice pot roast with carrots and potatoes (all the better to make beef stew with the leftovers with), some corn pudding, green beans with bacon and mushrooms and pumpkin bread for a quiet Thanksgiving at home. While not the first (or even second 😛 ) plan, it will be nice and restful. Stay safe and healthy y’all! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/192 "2023-11-18T16:46:58Z")
‘Germany Cricket’ popped into my head, so I thought I’d see if there were any good cartoon mashups of Jiminy Cricket as a German. All I saw were pictures of Germany’s cricket team. I didn’t even _know_ Germany had a cricket team! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/193 "2023-11-18T17:25:02Z")
Just finished my second icing of the day. My knee is wrapped and raised, and Higgs is warming the side of my leg. We went to Cracker barrel for breakfast - their menu has gotten smaller as prices have inched up. It was ok and didn’t require a lot of walking. After, we went to Wal-Mart where **FCD** shopped while I played sudoku in the car. Once we got home, I gave him some soup to give his mom, then assumed the recline position. He went to help her out. Ok, before reclining, I rassled with SiriusXM trying to relink the new account thru our Alexa. It took longer than it should have - I think because the agent was dealing with multiple chats. But it’s working now, so there’s that. In the car, we had a rather morbid conversation about whether we wanted to be notified if his mom died while we’re on our cruise. Because of where we’ll be, there really won’t be any easy way to rush home. Plus she doesn’t want a funeral - there’s nothing really that we could do. So we’ll tell AuntB to deal with things and let us know when we get back. It sounds cold, but MIL would be upset to think she spoiled our vacation. And, honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t live past the first of the year, for multiple reasons. Poor lady… Ok, time to think about lunch. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/194 "2023-11-18T18:20:54Z")
So I was on the 200 slide, and things went relatively well. Apart from the idjits at Door 100 leaving 30 packages behind, and a literal truckload and a half of no Saturday service stuff going to the 100 slide, instead of going to the pig on Door 120. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Never having been a boss, I don’t get this. You tell someone what their job is, you train them, and if they won’t do it, you fire them. Isn’t that how it works? Even in the gummint, bosses have to tools to get rid of slackers, but they do, yanno, have to be the boss and all. Because the chain of command and HR wants to simultaneously fire everybody, and is deathly afraid of firing anybody, lest there be a lawsuit. Make sense now? 🤪 > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Not sure how much I should push myself [Nurse Mom]don’t pick at it[/Nurse Mom]. Also, stay off it for a bit if it hurts to walk. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/195 "2023-11-18T18:32:55Z")
_Started Typing: 12:40 PM ET Clicked Reply: 1:32 PM ET_ Happy Saturday! So far today I’ve paid bills (yesterday was payday), gone to the gym for a personal training session, taken Bailey for a 0.6-mile walk around the neighborhood, eaten some lunch, and posted on – gasp! – another message board. My car will need an oil change soon, and the warranty has expired since the last time it needed service: there _might_ be time left on the supplemental maintenance coverage I bought, but dealership appointments are such a PITA that I’m leaning toward going back to my old favorite shop no matter what. It’s my first BMW, though, so I figured I’d pop into the site I joined right after I bought the car (“The Largest BMW 2-Series Forum on the Planet”) just in case there’s some reason to keep going to the dealership if the maintenance _is_ paid for. (Spoiler: there isn’t.) Anyway, between the gym and the doggy walk I’m properly tired and will soon be retiring to the living room. There’s a new docuseries on Hulu called _The Secret Life of Dancing Dogs_, about the annual dog dancing competition at the Crufts show. I watched the first four episodes yesterday, and it’s more compelling than I expected; I’m looking forward to watching the last two eps today. There might also be nappage in my immediate future. 😁 The only time in my life I’ve had migraines was during the first 1.5 years of menopause: I got the first one a month after my last period, and the last one ended 16 months later. No auras or light sensitivity or nausea, so I didn’t know what the first one was and I went to the ER when the pain started keeping me awake at night. Despite the relatively mild symptoms they were fairly frequent, and one migraine would last for _weeks_: the shortest one was 9 days, and the longest was 20 days. I did wind up seeing a neurologist and getting a prescription that helped a lot, but ultimately it was a hormonal thing: as soon as my body settled down, the migraines stopped. I haven’t had one in 2.5 years. (🤞) > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Last night, I hacked up the smoked turkey. For just a split second my brain processed this as you _coughing_ up the smoked turkey…so glad that wasn’t the case! LOL! 😃 > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > And yet, most of the big-name Michelin star chefs tend to be men. And the loudest, most ego-driven @$$holes, too - I wonder how they practice and even get their start in what’s traditionally a women’s sphere? Add my confusion to yours, because while cooking in the home is traditionally a woman’s job my understanding is that chefs are traditionally men. I’m generally not one for period pieces, but there’s a great old British show called _The Duchess of Duke Street_ where a young woman in Victorian London struggles not only to overcome her pedestrian roots, but also to become a chef in a male-dominated field. > [@dogbutler](#): > > Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results > UPS: Doing different things, and getting the same screwed up outcome anyways LOL! A couple of days ago UPS delivered a package to my house that I wasn’t expecting: it was for someone with a different house number on a different street. Luckily it was a small/light box and the recipient only lived 1/2 block away, so I walked it over and put it on his front step. But how the sorter managed to confuse our two addresses is quite the puzzler. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Even in the gummint, bosses have to tools to get rid of slackers …and I’d be willing to bet that one of the biggest tools is building a case with documentation, etc. 🙂 Everywhere I’ve worked full time/as an exempt\* employee, managers have had to collect documentation and establish a history – and, often, put the person on a performance improvement plan and give it time to “work” – before someone could be fired. I’m currently a manager, and am documenting issues with one of my direct reports. \*Salaried and not eligible for overtime, vs nonexempt employees who are often paid hourly. > [@pullin](#): > > Surgery was more successful than I’d dared to hope. Yay!! 🎉 ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/196 "2023-11-18T19:33:53Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > but some part of my animal brain just looks at the account balance and just screams, “Money gone! Aaaa!” We have no mortgage. We focused on paying our last place off and then putting the “mortgage” payments in the bank. Having that nice chunk of change handy let us pay cash for our current home while still being able to keep putting chunks of money away every month. Now that we are retired and our income has dropped, it is very comforting to know that we have no home or vehicle payments to make. So…there’s my financial advice for what it’s worth. > [@swampbear](#): > > I like pretty much whatever one can stuff into an olive. I like stuffed olives. My link didn’t post, but I was referring to garlic and jalapeno stuffed olives…which I haven’t seen hubs put in gin yet but that might just be because the jar got pushed to the back of the shelf and he forgot about them. I fixed that for him. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > if they won’t do it, you fire them. Isn’t that how it works? If you fire them without being able to prove good cause, you have to pay Unemployment Insurance for them and your rates will go up. Most large employers have an internal process regarding documentation and meetings. > [@scareyfaerie](#): > > our normal milk is pasteurised, not sure if that’s what you mean by “processed” I’ve spend part of the morning looking at the differences in milk and some of it is caused by the different pasteurization processes used. All of the milk is raised to the same temp but the speed of heating and cooling is slightly different. Of course, the breed of cow producing the milk as well as what the cow eats makes a difference as well. As to UHT milk…I can get cheese out of thin blue camel milk, I can get cheese out of soggy oats, I have never been able to get UHT milk to even pretend to turn into yoghurt. Horrible stuff, just horrible. We don’t keep it in our prepper stash because we understand that if we don’t like something if we have a choice, we will despise it if we are forced to eat it. We don’t have spam either. > [@pullin](#): > > Surgery was more successful than I’d dared to hope. I am so happy for you and hope you will be able to put that whole nightmare behind you shortly. Be very careful and follow your doctor’s orders! (Stay away from google) > [@LSLGuy](#): > > I wonder how much that’s true for somebody with multiple recent suicide attempts? Have I ever mentioned my dysfunctional family before? A suicide attempt gets three days involuntary commitment while meds are being adjusted. A second suicide attempt in the same week gets a weeks involuntary commitment while meds are being adjusted and monitored. At least that’s how it works for people without a lot of money or super good insurance in AZ, CA or ID. I have many MANY strong words about the state of mental health care in the country. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Store jammed w crazed shoppers This. And I understand it got worse later in the day, my BFF said she tried to find parking at the closest grocery store after work and ended up using the pick-up option because she didn’t even want to try to go inside. She said the poor shopper looked very frazzled. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/197 "2023-11-18T19:53:17Z")
I fixed another squirrel hole in my house. It was 10 minutes of work interrupted by an hour and a half of driving around town. I had to go to Lowes to get a piece of lumber, then to my shop to cut it to size. There was a big demonstration to “end the war/cease fire in Palestine” that gummed up traffic. But job done, drink in hand, so all is good. > [@pullin](#): > > Surgery was more successful than I’d dared to hope. As of this morning, I’ve got at least 90% of my vision back in the left eye. Yay to that! Hope it settles down soonest. **shoe** You know we’d all love to hear the juicy details of how the f-up co-workers, well, f-up. I’m off to start scalloped potatoes and try to not remove the tip of my fingers with the mandoline. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/198 "2023-11-18T19:59:54Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > that I’m leaning toward going back to my old favorite shop no matter what. It’s my first BMW, though, so I figured I’d pop into the site I joined right after I bought the car (“The Largest BMW 2-Series Forum on the Planet”) just in case there’s some reason to keep going to the dealership if the maintenance _is_ paid for. (Spoiler: there isn’t.) Longtime BMW driver here … Do not take the car, and especially a newish one, to a 3rd party shop that doesn’t routinely work on BMWs. I do use a 3rd party shop, but BMWs are their bread and butter. They are _very_ intricate cars with lots and lots of extra complicated procedures for everything that actually do make a difference to the proper lifetime of the car. You’ll also find that many of those forums are populated mostly with people who are malcontents about dealers. Or are nursing 20+yo cars running on used junkyard parts. For sure if your car is still under a maintenance plan, taking it anywhere else is just pissing away your money. Whether the additional convenience is worth that cost is of course your tradeoff to decide. Today at lunch I saw something funny and immediately thought of you. At the adjacent table was a 40-ish guy with mostly European ethnicity and speaking English with a distinct Latino accent. Spanish, Chilean, something like that. He was wearing a white T-shirt that was decorated with an oversize print on the left chest that looked just like the nametag of your avatar. Printed into the white space in what was made to look like neat but hand-done lettering was: > Inigo Montoya > _You killed my father > Prepare to die_ Between his looks, his accent, and the stuff on the shirt it was a great image. 😁 > [@JaneDoe42](#): > > At least that’s how it works for people without a lot of money or super good insurance in AZ, CA or ID. > > I have many MANY strong words about the state of mental health care in the country. You and me both, sister. I don’t have too much direct personal experience with it, but most times you see a homeless person you’re seeing that failure up close and in person. You’ve probably talked about your extended family a bunch, but not at a point where / when I was in the MMP. So I wasn’t aware of your family specifics. I’m sorry you’ve had so much turmoil in your tree. > [@JaneDoe42](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > Store jammed w crazed shoppers > > This. And I understand it got worse later in the day, my BFF said she tried to find parking at the closest grocery store after work and ended up using the pick-up option because she didn’t even want to try to go inside. She said the poor shopper looked very frazzled. Wow. Scary. Daughter had ordered all her T-day feast supplies for delivery by Wal\*Mart which occurred yesterday. That’s how she always does all her groc shopping; hauling the Horde through a store isn’t practical. All but the turkey that is; Wal\*Mart didn’t have any in a suitable poundage. So getting the turkey fell to Her Ladyship. Large frozen turkeys being what they are, we need to start thawing it soon, which means buying it soon. So today at about 1:30 we went to one of our local supermarkets. For the size of the store, this one has a rather small parking lot that’s a bit of a PITA on an ordinary weekend. With the many New Yorkers around here, and even more in the Fall / Winter like now, it’s the sort of place that a car will just sit blocking a row until somebody comes out of the store to vacate a space. Very selfishly gridlock-inducing, but pretty standard driving technique in the City. Real outré in most of America, including most of around here. So loins suitably girded, off we went to do battle with the New Yorkers in the cramped lot. There was no gridlock and several empty parking spaces. Got inside and it was typical weekend crowded, but not frenetic. Did not see 🤪-ed people pushing 2 cartloads of whatever, crushing unseen pets & toddlers along the way. Found a 17lb rock-hard Butterball and the couple of minor items we needed for our own use, and got out of there in just a few minutes. Would have preferred something more like 14#, but the choices were 10ish, 25ish, or a couple of 17s. Good thing we didn’t wait any longer. Lucky us. Sorry you & Hubs had the crazed experience. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/199 "2023-11-18T20:35:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > most times you see a homeless person you’re seeing that failure up close and in person. Yep. Our crazy friend was very non-compliant and got kicked out of a really nice facility, then out of a not so nice facility and then was released from the sucky state run facility to a homeless shelter where he caught Covid and couldn’t check into a hospital because of his record of being non-compliant. He died homeless. It was very not good. I’m glad your shopping experience was better than reported here. I was interrupted during my last post, because hubs brought in the mail and found a rebate check from our insurance company. It looks like they forgot to apply my old fart discount a few years back so we get money and a lower rate going forward. While I’m not going to turn down an old fart discount if it is offered, I find it rather bothersome that it is available. I know that my eyes are much worse than when I was younger and hubs is pretty deaf even with hearing aids. That means we are not physically able to be as safe on the road as years past so the logical thing to do would be to raise our rates due to the increased risk involved. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > We went to Cracker barrel for breakfast - their menu has gotten smaller as prices have inched up. Last time we were there, I tried their fake sausage. ICK! Do not recommend! I usually like the lab-grown meats that are out now (so not healthy) but the sausage had a really bad mouth feel and I had to fight to choke down the first nibble. Hubs also agreed that it was not good, but at least now we know. My favorite fake meat is still Morning Star bacon-the stuff that looks like the plastic bacon that came with kid’s cooking sets. Crispy salt and food coloring, yum! > [@dogbutler](#): > > [Nurse Mom]don’t pick at it[/Nurse Mom]. > Also, stay off it for a bit if it hurts to walk. I agree, listen to the experts! > [@Misnomer](#): > > Add my confusion to yours, because while cooking in the home is traditionally a woman’s job my understanding is that chefs are traditionally men. Yep. In my childhood home, Mom did all of the cooking but I can still remember the names of most of the male chefs we would watch on TV. Heck, some of my favorite cooking shows today feature men. > [@Misnomer](#): > > I’m currently a manager, and am documenting issues with one of my direct reports. I’m sorry. What a pain. > [@Paintcharge](#): > > try to not remove the tip of my fingers with the mandoline. Mandolines have been banned in our home because of the distance to the closest urgent care clinic. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062/200 "2023-11-18T21:56:47Z")
Afternoon all. Have lunched and golfed (they have a 9 hole mini-golf course on the top deck) but am now slothing in my room until dinner time while watching tackleball. Have a ship tour tomorrow which will be my last planned activity prior to port. May do a little gambling tonight, how I do will determine if I try my luck once more before leaving or not. **Yanker** , glad the surgery went well. **Pilot** , sounds like you have the hang of this retirement business. Have read all but not absorbed much. Will rest before dinner and then trivia and blackjack to wile away the evening. Take care all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-getting-caught-off-guard-n-the-mmp/993062.md?page=11)