chileanseabass

Wow. Things like this will always put trivial things into perspective. When all is said and done, I'm just grateful I have a healthy, happy son.

After all the crap I've had to deal with this year, and a mere 4 months after my boss told me maybe it was best for us to part ways, I just left his office with a promotion to VP of Sales & Marketing, a nice raise, and half of a bonus I earned that he refused to give me a few months ago. The extra money will definitely come in handy now that my mom, dad, and step mom are all unemployed (only my dad is receiving unemployment). I thought 2011 was horrible and 2012 had been worse up until about 15 minutes ago. Hopefully this continues trending upward for 2013.

The other day I tried a newer place near the office called JJ's Red Hots. Just happens to be owned by folks from Buffalo, serves Sahlen's and is "inspired" by classic hot dog joints like Ted's. They even have a picture of Ted's near the the front door. It's definitely more upscale than Ted's, but the hot dogs were spot on and the onion rings fantastic. They even serve Weber's mustard. I filed out five comment cards (one for me and each of my 4 coworkers) and requested Loganberry on each one. Apparently they're "working on it." We have two other "Buffalo" hot dog places in the Charlotte area, but they were really disappointing. My coworkers (all from NC) were very impressed, and said it was easily the best hot dog they've had in Charlotte.

I am too, but it works wonders for my 4 year old son. He's always a good kid, just a bit stubborn at times, but he's been beyond excellent all month. Probably helps that he has one at my house, his mom's, and his teacher has one in the class room. He thinks he's under constant surveillance.

I lived in FL when Crist ran as a republican, and didn't vote for him (I'm unaffiliated). I didn't care for him one bit, as he basically just crammed his nose up Jeb Bush's ass to win (Bush is a very polarizing person in FL). I left FL before the end of his term, but have begun following him again since he left the Republican party. I like this Charlie Crist much more than the one that was running FL.

Saw him play here in Charlotte twice this week. Gotta say I wasn't too impressed. He had a couple of hits, but seemed to be floating most of the time.

I find it rather amusing (as long as he isn't driving around town and what not). Apparently my uncle gave him a lecture about how he can't do that and no longer has a license, and he flipped out. When I was visiting this summer, Gramps was telling me the story and went off about how he "was a SeaBee in WWII, survived Guadalcanal, and I'll be damned if someone's gonna tell me I can't drive anymore." Then he went on some rant about the Nazis. I was waiting to see if he was going to mention them bombing Pearl Harbor, but it's just his short term memory that's shot, not the long term. What we had for lunch 15 minutes earlier? No clue. The names of his shipmates? No problem. Unless of course he was making them up....

My grandpa turned 95 in July. He was driving up until his 94th birthday, when he failed the IL license test (once you hit 80-something you have to take it every year). He's still pissed off about losing it. They live in a gated retirement community and he'll still drive within the community, and has even "stolen" my grandma's car (she's 91 and just passed the test again) a few times to run to Walgreen's, which is just outside the gates. My aunt had a fit when she found out.

Would Romney have fared better if Rubio was his running mate?

One thing to note with Erie... if you're comparing monthly payment amounts (instead of overall premium), they may seem higher, as they have a weird system of paying for 8 months, and then you have no payment for 3 months until your policy is up for renewal. I don't know if they do something like that for 6 month policies, but that's what they do for 12 month.

I had the scan sheet as well (with similar issues), but my coworkers had computerized ballots. I live in a small town 20 mins away from Charlotte, but they all voted here in the "big city."

It may vary by state, but in NC they will.

This is true. Happened to one of my friends about 3 years ago. It was a total mess. Other companies, Erie for one, offer "first accident forgiveness" or something like that. Here's what Erie does: First Accident Forgiveness Plan – If you qualify, ERIE Insurance will not surcharge your auto policy the first time you're in an “at-fault” accident. Feature 15 – After your auto policy has been continuously in force for 15 consecutive years with Erie Insurance, your policy will never be surcharged for an “at-fault” accident again.

Erie is great. I've been with them for 8 years now, and the rates are always lowest. That's because they take no risks and are very selective (hence why the increase was ridiculous for Labatt). If you've had a ticket or accident in the past 3-5 years, good luck getting with them. My mom was accident and ticket free, but was denied because of a claim from when her car was stolen. I worked for an Erie agent for two years during college, and they're top notch, especially with claims. If you get homeowners or renters with them you can get it even cheaper. I've never had to file an auto claim, but they cut me check for a new roof in less than a week. I always shop around at renewal, and no one comes close to a lower rate.

My dad lost his job last week, one day before his 61st birthday. That now puts my dad, my step mom, and my mom (2+ years) all out of work.

A friend of mine got a ticket for doing that.

Ennis hasn't even been playing in Switzerland, due to some "mystery injury." http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/31/buffalos-ennis-back-healthy-rejoins-swiss-team/

After being told two months ago to "find a new job," I'm now tasked with hiring a new sales manager, as one of mine turned in her resignation on Monday. I can't believe how awful some of these resumes are. The position is listed on Career Builder and asks that you please send a resume and cover letter. Of all the applicants, only two have sent cover letters. You're applying for a sales position. Your cover letter is your opportunity to sell yourself to me. If you can't sell yourself, why in the hell should I hire you to sell for me? On top of that, the overall quality of the resumes is really poor. This isn't some high ranking position, but it's pretty sweet for a recent college grad - up to $40K (base + commission), health insurance, 401K, 3 weeks paid vacation, domestic and international travel. Where the hell are all the unemployed folks that graduated in May? The only applicants I've received have 10-20+ years of experience and are, honestly, way over qualified for the position (yet they don't submit the requested cover letter and many resumes are laden with typos, which is baffling). For all the cries of what a bad job market this is, seems like most of these folks don't want a job bad enough to follow directions (send a cover letter) or proofread their resume.

Congrats!

Later in college I broke my thumb in a bungee cord mishap. After doling out a black eye and breaking my own thumb, I've sworn those things off.

I remember in a dorm bathroom in college someone exploded all over a stall. I mean everywhere... handle, seat, walls, floor, etc. Well, the cleaning lady said "screw you guys!" and left it there. She refused to clean it up, and there it sat for a week. The stench was horrible, and the worst (or maybe best?) part was no one could tell whether the guy shat or puked. It was awful and there were only two stalls in that bathroom for a hall with 20 or so guys, so you couldn't avoid it unless you went to a different floor. Finally one day some kid raided the janitors closet and cleaned it all up. We just assumed he was the culprit as well, so we used 8 bungee cords I had in my trunk and attached them from his door handle to one down the hall (during the setup a kid got a black eye when one snapped off and drilled him). We did it at like 3 am, so he couldn't get out in the morning, missed all his classes, and was finally "rescued" just in time for dinner after he repeatedly called the university and complained.

If Grigorenko continues his pace and walks all over the Q, I can't imagine it'll do much for the growth of his overall game. Sure it'll help his confidence/ego whatever, but his overall development as a hockey player, in my opinion, will be stunted. Unless, of course, Patrick Roy is some sort of magician as a coach and is concerned with this. Girgensons, on the other hand, will get more out of his season even if he's a checking line winger in Rochester and only gets 20 points. He's playing against tougher competition and will be forced to learn and adapt, and will be playing in a system (for better or worse) that is tailored to the Sabres. They are two different breeds of players and shouldn't be compared skill wise, but as far as development goes, and what they gain out of 2012-2013, I'm more optimistic for Girgensons.

But of course.... have you seen the postage stamp?

My great-great-great-grandfather was the herring toss champion of Trondheim

I can't believe I left out the shirts! You can get 10 for around $100. The quality of the shirts I've gotten are alright, not nearly as nice as the suits, but still cheaper than most stores in the US. Airfare, hotel and visa may not be in his budget, but why not treat yourself to a little vacation? :angel: