yeah its obama's fault !

I continue to be impressed by education costs in usa. canada is so much cheaper. my education was pretty good too. isn't that weird? usa has cheapest plastic squeaky toys in the world, but education and healthcare cost more per person than most other nations...and the quality is LOWER. what the heck?

i have one credit card, but use it like once every two years or so. i see it as my little way to stick it to the man. cuz hes so mean.

lol jump I'm sure that one credit card is how you stay out of increasing debt as well. I have 3, one of which they cut my limit for no apparent reason (even though the card is always paid off) but I'm also not complaining. I wish they would do it with the other one that keeps me up at night.

I'm usually the last to find out these things, but Jimmy Fallon has his own talk show on NBC. The slow SNL domination of television continues, you have been warned

I only have a balance on one credit card and if I really, really wanted to I could use my savings to pay it off. I know it's stupid but I like the idea of having a cushion in the bank to pay for emergencies.

vado - how are you liking gthe Road? I read it last year and ended up really liking it. Although I did find it annoying that they didn't use any quotation marks. But then again, you won't notice that when you listen to it.

Back to studying. Am almost finished with this section TK - I'm sending you an email momentarily.

tuna i'm listening to it on an audio book. the reader is quite excellent. he also read "no country for old men" can't think of his name right now.

tk, sorry I'm late to the question, but sure I'll take a job in a couple of months!

re: the layoff thread, I have not been paying attention. It scares me. Also I feel like I'd have to knock on wood every time I looked at it.

re: debt, ****melt pretty much summed up my situation exactly: "I only have a balance on one credit card and if I really, really wanted to I could use my savings to pay it off. I know it's stupid but I like the idea of having a cushion in the bank to pay for emergencies..." Ditto that. Unfortunately I've been sitting on a 0% APR cushion for several months which is about to expire next month and I can't decide if I should dig into savings to finish it off once and for all...

vado, I listened to The Road on audio too. Good stuff.

i am not in debt because i grew up poor as jim carrey and learned better by dis-example. i also learned how to stretch my face like him, but oddly nobody thinks its funny when I do it. i blame it on obama. hes such a jerk.

can anyone lend me $10,000?

The Road on audio is interesting. The format of the page in the book is odd - no quotes as melt said. And the presentation of the narrative felt sort of factual and emotionless, in part because of the quotes. I'm curious if the spoken version "feels" like I imagined it would from reading/

Personally, I didn't like the story and found the lack of quotes so annoying I ended up not finishing the book - I read 2/3, then asked my husband how it ended, then read just the ending after I felt I could deal with it.

One of the downsides - or maybe it's a benefit - of becoming a mother: I can't face children suffering any more. Makes me sick to my stomach. So I blamed the author for his stupid poseurish lack of quotations and refused to read the book.

Emotional, irrational, and silly? Guilty!

God my week is going to be so busy. Hope you NYCers and northerners are dealing OK with the snow!

900 cancelations in my hood this morning. We be getting blasted!
Snow is sideways.

you're ignoring my question

Sorry, fays. No, I can't.

fays I have to go to the bank and get cash from my credit card. and well they will only allow me to withdraw $10.00 a day....you think you can hold out that long?

since i don't have a child my image in the book unfortuanately is of children i know or have known or maybe me as a child. the post apocolyptic setting is unsettling, but it really is a reinforcement of the parental need/desire/responsiblity/duty/ to protect their charges. mccarthy himself who is in his 70's has a small kid apparently and maybe the book really is about having a child so late in life where the real apocolypse is one's own impending death.

All I can sya is forget natioanlization debate about banks...

AIG reports record $61.7bn loss

And good morning to all.

As usual, I'm seeking free advice! I was laid off last week. They gave me 2 weeks severance, but aren't going to pay me for the vacation time I had accrued. I was salaried but unlicensed. Anyone know if I have a case?

Oh, and, um, it's supposed to be 72 degrees today, and I have no debt. Life is GOOD!

Strawbeary, am I right or has it been awhile?

Sorry to hear. As far as i know that shit isn't right. Your licensure status shouldn;t effect your vacation days payout.

Hopeit works out.

Congrats on the no debt. Wish i was in a similar boat.

Strawbeary, that sucks. And I think they should pay you for vacatoin, but I dont know that its required. Plus, if it was a small firm, then even being required probably wont matter - the government seems to only regulate larger companies.

Morning all. Texas Independence Day is coming up, so I'm having a party on Saturday. Its suppose to be in the 70s. Yeah!!!

I just read that Al "Uncle Al" Lewis passed away yesterday. I remember watching his show when I was a kid. He wasn't well-known outside of Cincinnati, but he was a local institution, and his show was on the air longer than either Captain Kangaroo or Mr. Rogers.

Unfortunately, it seems like the idea of truly local programming (aside from the talking heads on the local news) has pretty much died along with him. RIP, Uncle Al.

not the top of the page, but:

nice tag treekiller....who would have thunk?

OMG!!!

on the other side of the partition, a colleague just had a major tantrum about ??? accompanied by lots of cursing and throwing papers on the floor - sounded like he swept his desk clean!

He needs some serious anger management counseling.

I really need to get out of this place!

(thanks to Nam, Will, Orhan, Emily, and others looking out for me).

Wow, TK. I remember those days when I could make fun of the strange things that were going on on the other side of the partition. Oh well.

So I was digging through my closets looking for this one project I did in third year dealing with historic preservation/adaptive reuse - since one of the firms that will be at the thing I mentioned before specializes in just that, but damn if I can't find it. Strange, cause I can see it perfectly in my mind. Its on sheet vellum, rolled up, and tied with kite string - I didnt have any rubber bands at the time. Wonder where it went to. Probably with my wedding ring - its missing too.

Wow... Sounds like something that routinely happened at my last office in Chicago.

My firm here in NYC is incredibly drama-free, which makes it a much less stressful work environment, but also far less entertaining.

when i was a teenager i worked at quality farm and fleet selling tires and batteries and such and one saturday we were packed super busy and i saw two guys i worked with just sitting there talking while i seemed to be running around endlessly and i threw this ball peen hammer that we used to stamp dates on batteries down an aisle of air filters and windshield wipers. i realized later that i could have crowned somebody if they would have walked into the aisle from one of the intersecting perpendicular aisles. i was passionate then about automotive service i guess...

Strawbeary - I suggest researching your states labor laws. In Ohio, they are required to give you the vacation days you've accrued, at least when you quit a job. It may be another story for those laid off.

Don't you just love how well those anti-trust laws have worked? Yay for being too big to fail :o/

strawbeary -

i guess it depends on your severance - if it's equal to or more than what you'd be paid for however many days' vacation.

if we forget the severance exists for a moment, paid vacation is part of your compensation - black and white. if you worked the time to earn it by the terms of your employment, you are owed that compensation.

severance, however, is not necessarily owed.

if you are owed for $10 worth of vacation and your severance was $5, they still owe you $5 more.

if you got $20 in severance, that's probably all you're owed, but only $10 of it's severance, the other $10 is vacation compensation and you should make sure they know you know it.

they shouldn't feel like they're being all that generous or anything.

Thanks Steven. I talked to them and they found 26 more hours of vacation; they are going to cut me a check. I know it is more like 40-60 hours but with the severance, it covers it.

strawbeary-

Hope this all works out for you. tough times to be job searching- guessing it might take twice as long to find work these days. Are you taking the time to prioritize your career goals before jumping into the pool? Let TC know what you're looking for and I (we) will keep our eyes peeled.

the options I'm facing are good gigs in crappy locations or crappy gigs in good locations. At least I want to relocate - if you're stuck in one place I can just image the drought of opportunities.

Hi all reporting in from my first day @ the job. I've had 3 meetings already for the day and this so far is the most organised job I've ever started so it's promising on that note. I have an office near the restrooms, but no windows (what the hell), a bunch of empty filing cabinets and a computer that's not yet connected - I walked with laptop. Oh and I've been sniffly all weekend but no time to call in sick just yet.

So back to the grind

techno, I'm lost, I don't really know where you are working - is this the Pricewaterhouse gig?

--------------

Here is a 5 year old boy: So sensitive, he cries at movies, like when Spudnik the cosmodog is in orbit and misses his boy back on Earth.

Here is a 5 year old boy: He's been sent home from school because, for no reason, he attacks not one but two kids, and according to the PE teacher is so threatening that the class bully won't mess with him.

Here is a mom: wondering how both these personalities can exist in one child. And seriously at the end of her rope.

--------------

Said mom would be downing the bourbon right now were it not that her husband is out of town (as usual lately) and it seems I need to try to stay in control.

Liberty Bell....hang in there.....boys will be boys! I know I came home more than once with a bruise here or there and a tear in one of my favorite cowboy shirts. Mine was Irish Blood so I have been told....I think your little guy has the Scotish Blood so not to worry...
he will sort it out in time.

liberty, a couple of things, i wouldn't worry too much, schools way over react these days. is it possible for you to observe him in his natural environment? just to see if there's not more to this than a teacher's say so? in my childhood i was on the other end of way too many teachers seeing the retaliation and never seeing or aware of what precipitated the event. another thought is there might be a girl he's crushin on, i know, he's 5, but my younger brother had a crush at 5....

its okay lb the first day of school i ever went to this bigboned red head punched me in the back for no reason. he later went on to be the school valedectorian and a harvard grad and is the ceo of some company somewhere.

Sorry, LB. Is he a red head? They say Red Heads have bad tempers, and I can attest that at least one does. Plus, I'm sure there is some sort fo reason. Sucks your man is out of town. I would've just used the "wait till your father gets home" line and left it at that. Crap. I hope Husband is never gone when I have to discipline Abe. He has a temper too. But, since he's smaller than me, I can just walk away to let him throw his fits in peace.

lb, he IS a red head, so I think it's par for the course. The good news is that even the bully won't mess with him! Right??! :o/

Oh Strawbeary, I'm sorry. From the descriptions of your office I am truly amazed that you guys lasted this long. At least you are free of all the drama once and for all, right? I hope you get all of the back pay they owe you.... :o/

I think that we all need to get creative about how we earn money. Pronto.

Archi,
Is the PWC job in Jamaica? It isn't in the Nati right?

working on my RLA application today!!!! It's about to go in the mail. damn MN is cheap - $75 plus $10 for the MLA transcript. Next one will be more $$$ once I have to pay for transmitting my council record.

*bump*

tk, did you pass your license exams!? if yes,
way to go.
congratulations!!!!

for anybody who might be looking for a french grandmother to knit them a custom hat, then the goldenhook website is your saviour

and even if you're not looking for custom hat...it's still a pretty cool website.

O-
I passed everything last spring except for completing the calender of required experience. Now the RLA in our office has been there 'supervising' me for one year - therefore I've met the requirements for MN. The board meets on march 20th, so if I can get everything there before hand, I'll be licensed by the end of the month!

that's so beautiful barry. there is no equal to being a licensed architect or in your case, landscape architect. i know you are just around the corner for the other one too.
you and your knowledge database is just going to be amazing now with a license. really cool, as far as job opportunities go...
CONGRATULATIONS again and this time with capital letters!

Liberty and others, I've actually started the first job that was offered to me. I even signed the contract since if the PWC job (that is to be based in Jamaica) comes on stream is likely to be the end of April at earliest.

Red Heads are awesome and passionate about everything! And yes I'm highly biased! Liberty, again to reinforce the words of everyone else - don't worry. I know what you are alluding to but he's 5 and his personality has energy. It is good to remember these things especially his tender side when he gets older, really who hasn't knocked about a few kids in there day?

A few good items on NY Times today, not to be missed.

First, in what kind of article might you find the following sentence?

Local environmentalist groups, backed by farmers, fishermen and operators of rafting trips on the river’s rapids, demanded greater openness in decisions traditionally made behind closed doors between politicians and central government bureaucrats. They challenged the Construction Ministry’s arguments that the dam, which was first proposed in the 1960s, was needed for irrigation and flood control.

What was that again? An environmental issue backed by FARMERS and FISHERMEN, and TOURISM DEVELOPERS? Where could this be?!

Why, in a tiny (and stunning!) Japanese town with the courage to resist the central government, a rare event in that country!


Second, a Giant Blue Mustang attracts haikus and some interesting, well-thought debate. Liberty, would be curious to hear your reaction to this one.

And lastly, a short film that has profoundly affected me. Everyone should watch this.

liberty, you might find this utterly impossible to believe but i had some behavioural issues in school in my day as well. Had to be taken home from the principal's office a few times, numerous detentions later in life. One notable incident at about age 8 or 9 came when I was perceived as having made fun of a child who had been hospitalized from a seizure that occurred next to me, during class. It was a case of misunderstood (on their part) and misplace (on my part) emotions... I wasn't always sure how to react to things and felt emotional currents very strongly in the classroom.

I actually find the two "halves" of his personality perfectly sensible (or at least, as rendered in your short summary above!). He sounds like a very sensitive and passionate boy. Perhaps... what one would expect from the child of two artists?

I think lots of artistic types seem to possess an alternating exuberance and passion contrasted with deeply-felt feelings of sadness, self-pity, possible perceived hurts or exuberant, hot-tempered anger... that all stems from the same intense sensitivity, passion and heightened emotional awareness -- hallmarks of a creative personality type.

Well ,that's my pop psychology for the day. All this to say, stretch out with a glass of wine and don't worry about it. I worry more for the kid who doesn't ever have a run-in with school authorities or an emotional outburst amongst his peers...

Of course, that said, if it happened over and over again for years and he didn't seem to be learning from it & growing, then I might consider consulting a psychologist.

manta, I've actually been a fan of Luis Jimenez' work since the early 90s when he put a horse in downtown Tucson. So yeah, I like the cursed blue mustang!

And as you and beta said, he often gets angry because he perceives an injustice. He's just navigating the issues of right and wrong and how to tell the difference, and combined with being a boy, five, and having inherited my flashy temper, he actually does quite well. But I worry, and worry especially that he'll get a reputation as a "bad kid" when he's definitely not.

So techno, will we be missing you during office hours now? or is posting from work allowed? Don't get in trouble!!