Imponderables- happy state of mind

POSTED BY: MsA
UPDATED: Thursday, December 4, 2008 22:28
VIEWED: 6556
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MSA

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 3:48 PM

ok new thread here

old thread here
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=2&t=35645&m=656528#656528

Big HUGS for CK who's not feeling well at all

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

ZEEK

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 4:08 PM

Firsties! Woooooo!

MSA

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 4:30 PM

Hi Swarleek :)
So did you see last night's episode???

Naked Guy!!

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

KELKHIL

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 4:44 PM

Naked Guy was awesome! Trying real hard to not spoil it for those who might have missed!

Morning ponderers!

Some men just wanna watch the world burn

Zombie Killing, Ninja in Training Kelkhil
The Shirtless Forsaken

Member of the Coalition for HK - Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow.

NVGHOSTRIDER

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 4:47 PM

Good morning Ponderers!

2 out of 3 ain't bad, I just hope anyone who missed that episode and follows the show gets to see it soon. I rarely laugh that hard without having been drinking first.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

ZEEK

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 5:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by MsA:
Hi Swarleek :)
So did you see last night's episode???

Naked Guy!!

Nope and I'm a little concerned that my DVR lost it's mind and imploded or something. I'll have to look into it more later tonight. As of now I have it turned off. Luckily I don't record anything on Tuesdays right now.

MSA

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 6:50 PM

oh Zeek you must see this one

Ok that lovely doctor's visit and trip to the pharmacist took almost 2 hours... but hey now I have lovely giant antibiotics:)

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7:35 PM

ooh, new imponderables ^_^ yay.

how u feelin MsA?

MSA

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7:37 PM

Well I've got a ton of antibiotics in my system so with luck by tomorrow I'll be on the mend..

ok here's a ponder are any of you insane enough to get up on Friday at some hideously early hour and go shopping for bargins???

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7:41 PM

yay!! ^_^ giant antibiotics have a way of curing quickly :P i loves them.

i would do that, if i had any money to spend on said deals XD bein off the gi bill and having multiple bills to pay has killed me this semester.

MSA

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7:42 PM

ok why?? I really want to know why anyone would get up super early and wait in long horrible lines just to get a slightly better price on stuff...explain please

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7:48 PM

lol, cuz it's fun XD any money this college kid can save is worth it. :P truthfully i usually never go shopping on black friday anyway, too crowded, and more deals are bound to come up between then and christmas

ZEEK

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:00 PM

I did in college. When I was in college I really couldn't justify spending money on much since I was just piling up the loans. So, if I could get an insane deal then it made a sort of justification.

The only reason I'd go for deals this year is if there's some really great deal on something I want but wouldn't buy because of the greater depression we're headed for. I really can't think of what that would be though. Even an HD tv I can live without.

MSA

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:23 PM

ok I guess I'm just a sleep nut.. I can't think of much on this planet I would sacrifice sleep for

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

ZEEK

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:30 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by MsA:
ok I guess I'm just a sleep nut.. I can't think of much on this planet I would sacrifice sleep for

It's also somewhat fun. Usually the people are pretty friendly.

*waited in line for his wii and his parent's wii*

FREELANCERTEX

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 8:37 PM

sleep is good.

lol, ur parents have a wii?

ZEEK

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 9:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by freelancertex:
sleep is good.

lol, ur parents have a wii?

Anybody who's anybody has a wii :-P

We really didn't know why they wanted it but it made a pretty good christmas present to split 3 ways last year. Now it's good for follow up gifts. DDR this year.

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 10:09 PM

((Hugs)) MsA. Hope you feel better soon too.

I never go shopping at all on Black Friday, forget getting up early. I once made the mistake of saying "oh we'll just kill an hour or two at the mall" while waiting to go to the airport the day after Thanksgiving. Just the memory of that is enough to keep me at home eating leftovers, sale items be damned.

Also, I'm not really much with the getting up early for anything these days. :P I've been sleeping 10-12 hours every night the past two weeks, and since hubby is home and around from about 7pm to midnight or later, I've been sleeping until noon most days. Still trying to work out how I'm going to get everything done on Thanksgiving, but thankfully (heh) it's just hubby and I, no guests to impress. I'm still stubbornly set on cooking at least a few things, but hopefully it'll all go well.

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

ZEEK

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 10:45 PM

The real question is will black friday even be crazy this year?

With the economy all wonky who really wants to splurge right now? I don't even care that prices are really low. I want to save my money for the rainy days ahead.

MSA

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 11:12 PM

Well I never go to black Friday so I don't count

Thanks CK.. right now I am just hoping I am able to survive the whirlwind of family stuff while battling major sinus/lung infection
but hopefully I will feel better...so grateful that we are staying home for Christmas

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

NVGHOSTRIDER

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:40 AM

Yay home for Christmas! (Means no matching pajamas, etc., etc.,)

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:42 AM

Aw come on, you and MsA would look adorable in matching pjs!

We're heading to my parents' place for Chirstmas, like always, and we're both totally looking forward to it.

Ok, I'm going now, my brain is mush from two one-hour work sessions. Sigh.

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

MSA

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 12:49 AM

oh it's not just us matching it's us, my brother, sis in law, both sisters, their husbands, the babies, and my parents... plus the charming hanging up the stockings while the chipmunks Christmas plays, watching A Christmas Story and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation an endless number of times and of course the joy of an eternity of scheduled "celebrational" events... SOOOOO glad we're staying home for a nice quiet Christmas together

Well there's a ponder.... what are your family's Christmas traditions

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 1:58 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek: Anybody who's anybody has a wii :-P

I hate the wii :P

MsA: extended family over on Christmas Eve for dinner. A Christmas Story while opening presents on Christmas Day, then breakfast. Then, since I started dating Andy, go over to his parents house for get-together with them and Andy's extended family ^_^ like clockwork.

MSA

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 3:42 PM

NVG here. Off in a few for SLC. See ya all later

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 5:50 PM

SLC? well, have fun i guess :P whatever it is. lol.

wow, dead here today.

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 8:03 PM

I think SLC = Salt Lake City, Utah. Probably going to visit MsA's family for Thanksgiving?

Oh, and MsA I meant you two should have matching pajamas for your quiet Christmas at home.

As far as Christmas traditions, my family has tons, some that we came up with and some that are from my parents' extended families. We do an advent calendar, modeled after the one my grandmother hand-made over 40 years ago. Each of us have a hand-made felt stocking with one or multiple things on it to represent the person whose stocking it is (I made hubby's our first year together, when we were dating), and new images are added every now and then. We draw names and do Secret Santa gift giving, so each year you only have to buy a present for one person in the family (and then one for your spouse, and stocking stuffers if you want). Since we moved to California, hubby and I have been flying back to Austin on Christmas Eve, usually arriving around 4pm, so we get there right in the thick of it. That evening, we sing carols and read from the Bible (my least favorite part :P ) and then everyone opens one present. In the morning we can each take down our stocking and open anything in it, but we can't open presents until everyone is up. Then lots of food, a Lord of the Rings marathon, and later in the week lots of board games and a family D&D session.

Man, you guys are really making me look forward to Christmas, lol. Thankfully it's less than a month away! Now if I can only get the person I drew for Secret Santa to send out a wish list so I can start my shopping. :P

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

FREELANCERTEX

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 9:39 PM

omg i cant believe i forgot the christmas calender >< we have one that goes from dec 1 to dec 24 and each date is a pocket and u have to move this cute little mouse every day ^_^

we *kind of* have a secret santa for my dad's side of the family cuz its so huge. we used to do each person draw a name, but it's gotten so big we have to do couples now XD but everyone under the age of 10 gets a present from everyone, when they turn ten they enter the drawing.

lotr marathon, awesome CK that stocking idea is cute, what happens when u run out of room to add stuff? :P

FREELANCERTEX

Friday, November 28, 2008 5:27 PM

*ponder bump*

MSA

Friday, November 28, 2008 8:13 PM

bump and back to lying down

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Friday, November 28, 2008 8:23 PM

aw, feelin better MsA?

MSA

Saturday, November 29, 2008 1:09 AM

NVG here. MsA is upstairs making pesto for tonights dinner and I'm chillin' downstairs watching DOA on VHS. One heck of a Thanksgiving holiday.

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Saturday, November 29, 2008 3:47 PM

DoA..... O_o so she's feeling better i take it? ^_^ that puts me in a happy state of mind, lol.

mornin ponderers

FREELANCERTEX

Sunday, November 30, 2008 2:50 AM

*bumps thread*

FREELANCERTEX

Sunday, November 30, 2008 9:23 PM

*bumps thread again*

MSA

Monday, December 1, 2008 2:56 AM

NVG here:

Geez lady. Be careful. You'll knock over the thread.

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Monday, December 1, 2008 3:00 AM

hi NV ^_^

well jeez i wouldnt have to bump it so much if someone would reply :-P

ZEEK

Monday, December 1, 2008 4:15 PM

I was good on black friday. I didn't go out and buy anything. OK so I bought a few dvds online. Other than that totally good. Then Amazon goes and ruins it all. They had their "customer vote" promotion again this year. I've done it in the past and never got chosen for anything. They had a nice Firefly deal this year even: http://fireflyfans.net/mthread.asp?b=2&t=35777

Anyway I didn't get chosen for round 1 with Firefly or round 2 for some stupid night vision goggles. Nope I get chosen for the most expensive round 3. It's such a good deal though. $700 for a 46" 1080p Samsung HDTV. I had to go for it. Now I have to decide if I'm going to resell that sucker or take the $700 hit.

$700

MSA

Monday, December 1, 2008 4:18 PM

Hi all..yes FLT I have started to mend... I'm still home today in the hopes that one more days rest I will bounce right back

oooh so what all did everyone do this holiday weekend?

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Monday, December 1, 2008 4:37 PM

yay!! ^_^ glad you're feeling better MsA.

this weekend was pretty uneventful for me. hung out with friends for a looooooooooong time on friday before everyone started back to school, wrapped presents at the mall on saturday (and got a haircut), sunday had some family members over for brunch. the cousins are teen-preteen age so they brought kung-fu panda to watch (HILARIOUS movie, love Jack Black) then we watched Iron Man. now its back for the last week of school, though i think today might be my last class for this independent study...

NVGHOSTRIDER

Monday, December 1, 2008 4:58 PM

Survived the dreaded weekend that actually didn't turn out half bad for me. Poor MsA had to endure sickness over the holiday so we mostly hung out at her 'rent place watching movies. Saw the new Bond flick. It was pretty good. Made it home and went to bed early since we were last home. Felt good.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

FREELANCERTEX

Monday, December 1, 2008 10:59 PM

fun. My last day of class was officially today :D to resume (it was an independent study, and i did more work than for the allotted credits, so we're pickin up the slack next semester for another credit lol) after winter break ^_^ woot. too much math for my brain ><

NVGHOSTRIDER

Monday, December 1, 2008 11:01 PM

Most mathz is too much for my brain

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

MSA

Monday, December 1, 2008 11:15 PM

HUGS NV oh it is not... you just haven't had practice.

He was awesome and the weekend wasn't horrible, just sucked 'cause most of my plans went out the window as I was too sick to do much...new Bond was wowie cool. I do need to see it again

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Monday, December 1, 2008 11:19 PM

i hear ya on the maths NV, they make my head explode ><

i've heard mixed reviews about the bond film. those who like actual plot said it sucked, but those who like action said it rocked. i'll wait for dvd XD

MSA

Monday, December 1, 2008 11:34 PM

I really liked it but some of the action was a bit whirly so I want to watch it again and get the complete pictures

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Monday, December 1, 2008 11:51 PM

lol i know how that is XD walking out of a movie like ".....what did i just see?"

NVGHOSTRIDER

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 12:06 AM

Sad I missed this:

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

FREELANCERTEX

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 12:15 AM

lmao that was awesome XD

ZEEK

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 3:41 PM

That's messed up. Very strange attempt at live Rick Rolling.

NVGHOSTRIDER

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 4:24 PM

Whoever thought of it sure is an evil bastard(s). Probably the biggest number of Rick Rolls ever.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

MSA

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 5:29 PM

See I just found out abotu this Rick Rolling thing... weird but funny

NV ( poor guy is sick just as I've gotten better)

Ok so ponder.... what charitable things do you do during the holiday season that you don't do other times of the year?

Mine- sub for santa( but it's really a seasonal thing anyway)

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

ZEEK

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 5:46 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by MsA:
Ok so ponder.... what charitable things do you do during the holiday season that you don't do other times of the year?

They have a "giving tree" at church with a bunch of gift ideas for struggling families as ornaments. You take an ornament and bring the gift back all wrapped up and stuff for the families. I usually try to take a couple of those.

MSA

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 5:53 PM

oooh I like those:) but it's always so hard to pick toys for kids you don't know.

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 8:51 PM

Morning all (or afternoon or whatever).

I participate in http://www.childsplaycharity.org/ during the holidays, and sometimes a canned food drive for the homeless. The rest of the charity stuff is pretty much year round.

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

MSA

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 9:26 PM

Hey Ck so how are you feeling? How was Thanskgiving for you??

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 11:19 PM

Meh, I'm doing ok. Thanksgiving was pretty lowkey. I managed to screw up the stuffing, and the pie crust on the pumpkin pie didn't cook all the way through, but otherwise everything came out perfect. Hubby and I went to Disneyland after we cleaned up dinner on Thursday, to see all the holiday decorations. It was really quiet in the park, so it was a nice little visit before the holiday crowds get in.

Other than that, we just hung out at home and played WoW and Rock Band and ate left overs all weekend. My health is holding steady at "crappola", and I'm back to using the cane more and more. I'm trying to get hubby to lose some weight before Christmas (hearing how my mom berated my youngest sister at Thanksgiving for putting on the Freshman 20 since September seems to have motivated him, lol), and trying to motivate myself to finish my Christmas party dress (party is a week from Thursday) and cursing my inability to find good sequin fabric so I could have made the much simpler design. I skipped my weekly Tuesday dance class last week since I wasn't feeling well, and I'm debating if I'll be up to going tonight, and if I do go if I should bring the cane, since I have to take the stairs to get back to my car after class.

Blah, anyhow. I'm just in that first of December rut, where it's not Thanksgiving anymore but not yet really Christmas either, and I'm feeling overwhelmed by shopping and sewing and travel and my health. All I want to do is watch The West Wing and eat pumpkin pie. That's not so much to ask is it? ;)

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

MSA

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 11:22 PM

ooh pumpkin pie and tv.. nothing better:)

Yeah weight is always fun isn't it... whether you're trying to gain or lose it's such a pain

I do hope you start mending soon

Well I am off and running... time for home
after a quick stop to solve one more school's problems

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 2:04 AM

For anyone who comes by later tonight or tomorrow, I've got a ponder. Do you have any guilty pleasure holiday movies? Mine is Love Actually, and hubby's is Christmas Vacation. We've been watching both a lot the last few days. ;)

So what about you guys?

(I had a whole chunk of stuff written about the auto industry bail out, and how, having experienced the Dot Com crash first hand, bailing out an industry that has made poor business choices for so many years seems ridiculous to me. But it seemed too RWED, so I decided against it.)

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

NVGHOSTRIDER

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 5:56 AM

Recent: The Holiday. I know, chickish for me but no one's perfect.

Over the years: Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Long Kiss Goodnight.

Really, I love movies set at Christmas time without being Christmas movies.

"That's a duck, not a dick."
- Samuel L Jackson

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

KELKHIL

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 2:28 PM

I love all the Clay Animation Christmas Shows. Santa Claus is coming to Town was on last night and tonight has Rudolf on!

Also Emmit Otter's Jugband Christmas!!!!!!
<.<
>.>
(flees)

Some men just wanna watch the world burn

Zombie Killing, Ninja in Training Kelkhil
The Shirtless Forsaken

Member of the Coalition for HK - Evil Geniuses for a Better Tomorrow.

ZEEK

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 4:02 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaliforniaKaylee:
the pie crust on the pumpkin pie didn't cook all the way through

grrrr pie crust. I got my mom's pumpkin pie recipe for this thanksgiving and while I'm making it I'm starting to get a distinct impression that there is way too much stuff going in this bowl. After having to transfer to a larger bowl I realize that this has to be a recipe for more than one pie. Therefore the one frozen pie crust I have in the freezer is not going to be enough. Which of course meant I had to actually take a shower, get dressed and go to the grocery store on thanksgiving day. grrrrrr!! First store was all out of frozen pie crusts too. Found a super walmart with some left. I was not the happiest camper. But the pie turned out yummy at least. I've got a couple slices of the first one left and a whole other one just sitting in the fridge. I'm hoping it will last til the weekend and I'll take it to a browncoat shindig to get devoured.

Guilty pleasure holiday movie....Hook. Yeah totally not Christmas themed but it came out around Christmas years ago and me, my mom and my brother went to see it sometime around Christmas and it just worked really well for some reason.

NVGHOSTRIDER

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 4:37 PM

I love the memories associated with so many movies. Jurassic parl was a movie I took my brothers and sisters to see when I had a summer job. I love to remember them at that age. Dumb and Dumber was a movie I went on one of my first dates. I remember seeing Empire Strikes Back with my aunt and my grandpa who loved the "tin man" running around panicing. We saw Terminator 2 at the drive in on the 4th of July when dad was still alive. It was like a huge block party. People were cheering, their radios were blaring the movie, then the fireworks...
I'd seen a lot of movies alone in the recent years. Some had such a redemptive quality that I actually wanted to see what's next and planned my life around seeing them. And having people to go to the movies with lately has helped me feel like I belonged more than ever before.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

FREELANCERTEX

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 4:59 PM

thats a lotta movie memories ^_^ awesome. lolz, "tin man" XD

here's a ponder: what to do. if you love one type of writing, and would like to go into a job working with it (i.e. fiction editing, cuz i like to read and i'm good at editing to make things work) but you know you could also do well in another field (technical writing, which is basically taking engineers' science speak and turning it into laymen's terms--apparently there's a high demand for this), should you--knowing you could easily get a job doing either--do what you'd be happy doing, or go into something that's less interesting, but that there's a demand for, and is just as easy to get into?

may have to read that sentence a few times for it to make sense, but i didnt know how else to word it :P

NVGHOSTRIDER

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 5:22 PM

There is a reason you can't do both? Companies hire out to independant contractors rather than retain folks and their expensive upkeep (health benefits, office space, fringe benefits). Of course you have to get started and have contacts in the industry but once you're done than it is up to you how much you work and how much you are willing to put into it.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

ZEEK

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 5:29 PM

Well I don't know about the fiction editing, but I work with technical writers. They do not have a glamorous job by any means. They do get paid very well though. I just asked one what she would recommend and she disagrees with the "easily get a job" part for either field. She says the demand is not really there. Especially since the majority of technical writers in our company are now outsourced employees in India or China.

I have seen the number of writers in the building shrinking pretty rapidly over the years. It wouldn't surprise me if there are no technical writers in the US in a few years at my company.

Her suggestion is to do some research on the fiction editing job. Find out if the wages are comparable and if there is steady work. Then take a broad range of courses in college and prepare to be flexible.

FREELANCERTEX

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 5:40 PM

wonderful, looks like i grew up in the wrong damn decade didn't I? @_@ no jobs anywhere, all getting outsourced. fanfuckingtastic. I'd heard there was a demand but i guess that's skewed info, thanks for the heads up.

Really all I can shoot for is fiction editing at this point. or by some *miracle* sell one of my projects. :P I'm definitely gonna research on it because it's what interests me most.

ZEEK

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 6:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by freelancertex:
wonderful, looks like i grew up in the wrong damn decade didn't I?

You're telling me? When I got to college everything was sunshine and sportscars for computer scientists. My first course the professor literally said that Motorola tried to hire every single graduate from the previous year. They just blanket gave each one an offer. Four years later doom and gloom. Bah!

Keep researching though. This is just the perspective from my company. It's possible that technical writers are doing just fine in other companies or even other industries. I'm in the operating systems area. So, maybe like technical writing for washing machines is booming or something.

FREELANCERTEX

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 6:29 PM

lol, washing machines XD

...ok a dumptruck full of firewood just drove up and down my street...drop some here plz? :P

NVGHOSTRIDER

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 7:14 PM

We need to stop giving away jobs to the rest of the world and kick people in the ass to do the work themselves right her at home. It's just a matter of time before service and technology industries lower their wage scale to slightly above minimum wage. Why? Too much technology and too many companies opting for cheap labor. Now that there is such a fast turn around on consumer electronics they have become cheaper and progress way too fay in terms of the market value. TV repairmen used to make a great living as did electricians and plumbers. Now they are dancing monkeys for the big companies. It sucks.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

FREELANCERTEX

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 7:20 PM

I know right? "unemployment is unusually high..." "um...you think that's because everyone's outsourcing all of their jobs to other countries?" We need those jobs *here* it sucks bigtime :\

ZEEK

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 8:02 PM

It all comes down to greed. We've gotten to a point where the greed in this country is ridiculous. The people at the top are so furiously greedy that it's killing the whole economy. I mean stuff like Enron is just ridiculous. Those people purposefully screwed over tons of other people so they'd have so much money they couldn't spend it all if they tried. What possesses someone to be that greedy? I really think that kind of greed is the root of the problem these days. The CEOs and board of directors are hoarding profits so much that it's choking entire companies to death and all their employees with it. I sincerely hope that I could never become that greedy.

NVGHOSTRIDER

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 8:36 PM

I found it a little funny that the CEO of Ford would work for $1.00 if the company recieved the bailout.

Of course he can work for a dollar next year considering how much money he's already made mismanaging a very profit worth company in a profit worthy industry.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

FREELANCERTEX

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 8:56 PM

lol i saw that headline XD of course, he's got so many millions already working for a dollar for a year wouldn't exactly hurt his bank account.

I just want a job i can survive on :P

ZEEK

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 8:58 PM

And considering most CEOs make way more in stock options and other perks than they do in straight salary.

On a lighter note. A funny incident from last night. Me and a buddy from work went to a sports bar to watch a college basketball game last night. Our incompetent waitress left us alone the entire time we ate our meal while she sat with some friends apparently at another table and talked with them the whole time. After they left and we were done and just hanging out to watch the rest of the game she came by like every 5 minutes. We were like we're just going to watch the rest of the game. It wasn't even close to crowded so it's not like we were hogging a table or anything. Anyway we finally asked her for the check when there was a minute left in the 2nd half and she was like "I'm sorry was I making you guys uncomfortable so you want to leave?" we were just like "no the game is almost over...see there's a minute left" and she said "That's only a minute left in the second quarter. I'm not stupid." we were like "no that's the second half not second quarter" and once she left we were both like "and you clearly are stupid".

Today's lesson is don't add "I'm not stupid" after trying to correct someone about something you don't know much about.

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 9:21 PM

Well he said his *salary* would be $1 next year. Last year he had a "base salary" of $20 million, and got something like another $150 million in bonuses and benefits. So for 2009, I have to think he'll probably make $150,000,001. But gee, thanks for the extra $20 million. These guys have loop-holes for their loop-holes, there's no way they'd actually only take home $1.

Part of the rant I deleted last night was about how ridiculous the bailout seems to me. My dad was working in the online tech industry in San Francisco before and during the Dot Com crash. He was the soul provider for our family of 8, and he went 18 months without a paycheck during the crash. The crash happened because the industry made products that couldn't actually make money, and so investors eventually realized that they had way over-valued all those companies. But the industry corrected, and is of course still with us today.

I don't see that as any different from the current car industry situation. Sure, the economy is different this time around, but why should the car industry get bailed out after making idiotic business choices and continuing to produce a product that the marketplace simply does not want? The best part is that in applying for the bail out, they haven't even changed their business plans! So they want us to foot the bill for them to continue to make giagantic gas guzzlers that no one wants to buy. Why shouldn't they just crash and self-correct like the tech industry did? (Sorry, a CNN article about the "children of the car industry" -- including a *29 year old* college student who is going to have to take fewer classes and work more hours to help her parents make ends meet, if the government doesn bail these companies out -- seriously pissed me off, having lived through the Dot Com crash as a teenager.)

As far as outsourcing, the root of the problem is our tax code. US tax code actually *encourages* employing workers in foreign countries over employing Americans on American soil, by giving tax breaks for outsourcing. Couple that with the fact that you can pay foreign workers so much less, and it's really difficult to fight against outsourcing. It's a major problem in my industry, though thankfully my specific job title has yet to be outsourced effectively. It's not just greed, it's practicality for a lot of small businesses -- outsourcing to programmers or artists in China or India is sometimes the only way to get your project done with the available money.

Now, if the tax code instead tried to encourage US companies to employ Americans, and/or have offices on US soil only (thus allowing them to bring in the best and the brightest from overseas, but still spend money in the US and help the US economy), every single company I have ever worked with would jump at the chance. It has to be economically viable though. The tax incentives to hire Americans would have to outweigh the money that can be saved by paying lower overseas salaries. Everyone I know would much rather employ Americans, have customer service and writers who actually speak English as a first language, etc. But the current tax code forces them to go overseas. It's one of the things I'm really hoping will be reformed during Obama's presidency.

As far as the tech writer vs. fiction editor (vs. novelist, I assume), I think both are pretty difficult to get into, and to maintain employment within. I work with a lot of writers and have a writer-ish job myself, and it's typically a very difficult field to get into. That said, I don't think you have to decide now which career you want. You should be able to get more or less the same degree for either -- a writing degree or an English degree with a heavy focus on writing. Many colleges offer tech writing classes, so you should be able to develop your tech writing skills alongside your editing skills. And then straight out of college, get any office job you can (secretary, assistant, customer service, anything) and *then* start putting your resume in for writing and editing jobs. Believe

MSA

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 10:23 PM

You also might want to consider temp jobs and try to get temp positions in the industry then you can meet people and if you do an awesome job it's a great way to get hired permanently...good luck FLT.

hmmm guilty pleasure holiday movie... A Christmas Story ( I can watch it a dozen times and still laugh)

Bailout/Economy/Disaster- now might be a good time to consider planting a garden and learning to hunt.

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 10:29 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek: On a lighter note. A funny incident from last night. Me and a buddy from work went to a sports bar to watch a college basketball game last night. Our incompetent waitress left us alone the entire time we ate our meal while she sat with some friends apparently at another table and talked with them the whole time. After they left and we were done and just hanging out to watch the rest of the game she came by like every 5 minutes. We were like we're just going to watch the rest of the game. It wasn't even close to crowded so it's not like we were hogging a table or anything. Anyway we finally asked her for the check when there was a minute left in the 2nd half and she was like "I'm sorry was I making you guys uncomfortable so you want to leave?" we were just like "no the game is almost over...see there's a minute left" and she said "That's only a minute left in the second quarter. I'm not stupid." we were like "no that's the second half not second quarter" and once she left we were both like "and you clearly are stupid".

Today's lesson is don't add "I'm not stupid" after trying to correct someone about something you don't know much about.

That's hilarious, Zeek XD friggin awesome.

CK: tax breaks for outsourcing..why does that make no sense to me?

I've been wanting to shoot for an internship since starting my freshman year, but of course i've been advised again and again that no one hires freshman/sophomores because they're notorious for changing their majors @_@ (of course my advisor might be wrong in this respect, i don't know)

copy editing...office...secretary...fuck, a few of the things I can't stand as far as jobs go. but, i guess if it somehow gets me what i need to get an editing job, i guess i'll have to bite the bullet :P *hates journalism with a passion, it jockeys with desk jobs for first place on my list of boring things that will kill me XD*

I'll give copy-editing a shot, since it at least has "editing" in the title XD lol. Problem is editing and writing are about all I'm good at, aside from fixing things, but I can't really get a degree in fixing things i don't think :P it probably means too much math, and that's something i'm not good at.

Or, I could stay in the military for the rest of eternity >< not too keen on that lol

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 10:36 PM

Lol MsA, A Christmas Story was ruined for me about 10 years ago. I fell asleep on the couch watching it on TV, and woke up to find it at an earlier point in the movie. Freaked me out something awful, until I realized it was a 12 hour marathon of the movie, and it had just restarted while I was asleep. Haven't been able to enjoy it since, lol.

And I would totally *love* to have a garden -- I grew up gardening, to help get the family through tough financial times -- but unfortunately I'm stuck in a second floor condo with no yard. We really should sell it and move to a ground floor place because of my health issues, but the value of the condo has dropped almost $100,000 since we bought it, so until the economy rights itself and the housing market corrects, the hubby and I are stuck with no garden and stairs that are increasingly difficult for me to climb. Sigh.

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

ZEEK

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 10:43 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by freelancertex:
I've been wanting to shoot for an internship since starting my freshman year, but of course i've been advised again and again that no one hires freshman/sophomores because they're notorious for changing their majors @_@ (of course my advisor might be wrong in this respect, i don't know)

copy editing...office...secretary...fuck, a few of the things I can't stand as far as jobs go. but, i guess if it somehow gets me what i need to get an editing job, i guess i'll have to bite the bullet :P *hates journalism with a passion, it jockeys with desk jobs for first place on my list of boring things that will kill me XD*

I'll give copy-editing a shot, since it at least has "editing" in the title XD lol. Problem is editing and writing are about all I'm good at, aside from fixing things, but I can't really get a degree in fixing things i don't think :P it probably means too much math, and that's something i'm not good at.

CK's dead on about experience. I got an internship when I was a sophomore and it basically got me the job I have now. Because I had that internship on my resume I ended up getting a second internship that turned into a full time job when I graduated. Work experience is a huge plus on a resume.

Here's the trick that got me an internship when I was a sophomore. See if your school has a co-operative work study style program. At my school what this meant was a bunch of companies work with the school to pick a student to work for 2 semesters then return to school for 2 semesters. It extends the student's graduation date out a year of course because you end up missing some school time, but the company has a much better shot of getting some decent work out of you. Especially because after your first cycle they don't have as much retraining to do.

For me that process never panned out because of the dot com bubble burst. I got through my first 2 semester session and my company dropped out of the program. However, that 2 semesters of internship looked really good on a junior's resume when everyone else was looking for their first internship.

It does sort of stink to extend your graduation date out and that program would have meant going to school one summer semester for me, but it gets your foot in the door and if the company sticks with the program you end up with a really nice resume when you graduate.

NVGHOSTRIDER

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 11:16 PM

I actually got a little pissed at Adam Corrolla ranting about taxing people for driving trucks and SUVs that use a ton of gas and waste space.

Honestly I thought about it and yeah, some people should be taxed. Who needs a behemoth that seats six but is large enough to seat twelve. I was a little annoyed with being lumped in with them though. I live a rural lifestyle. I can be moving a couch one minute and hauling hay ot making a dump run the next. The Kia Rio I borrowed from my aunt sure isn't going to the mountains Sunday when we cut a Christmas Tree ($5.00 permit for fire conservation) and haul it back to town.

I do hate the huge truck little penis crowd though...

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

ZEEK

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 11:28 PM

That's the thing Adam probably knows way more stupid yuppies who aren't hauling a damn thing with their behemoths. The problem is how in the world are they going to figure out how you're going to use the thing to determine the taxes. It's not going to work. Plus a lot of the people who are driving them for style have the money to pay the tax too.

CALIFORNIAKAYLEE

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 11:30 PM

I don't think people with large vehicles should be taxed extra. If anything, just tax gas, so that those with inefficient vehicles or inefficient driving practices end up paying more. We had a 15 seater van when I was growing up, because there were 8 of us in the family. This was before SUVs that seat 8, and besides my family always had church or scouting or school events going on, so more often than not we filled all 15 seats. My parents downgraded a few years ago, to a 7 seater van, and it can be quite funny when we all visit at Christmas, trying to figure out the combination of cars to take to fit us all.

I can also see the need some people have for pick up trucks or other big vehicles. Not everyone lives in the city or suburbs. But at the same time, a lot of people who do live in city/suburb settings have huge pick ups, "just in case" they need to move a couch. When I was looking to buy a new car earlier this year, I read something that pointed out that most people who have huge cars don't need to move things all that often, and that you save a ton of money by getting a small fuel efficient car for every day use, and then just renting a UHaul (they even have pick ups) for the one or two times a year you actually need to bring something home from Home Depot, or help a friend move across town.

Obviously there are people who use big vehicles much more often, but for the most part Americans get bigger cars than they need. A lot of it seems to be this illusion that bigger = safer, that having an extra 18" of empty air between you and the car door will somehow keep you safe in an accident. And then there's the small penis crowd. ;)

I don't think taxing people who own big cars is the solution, and even taxing gas would only be part of a solution. On the one hand the car companies need to keep up with demands in the market place, and on the other hand there are a lot of people that need to get out of the "bigger is better" mindset.

But as far as the bailout, I think car companies should be expected to build cars that will actually sell, and if what the public wants is stupid, that's the public's fault. But if the Big Three had been building cars that that public wanted, stupid or not, they wouldn't be facing bankrupsy now.

~CK

You can't take the sky from me...

AG05

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 11:30 PM

I speak as someone who didn't go out for the internships in college.

Go out for the internships in college. ANY internship, even if it is doing something you hate, will help you out. You might find some joy in whatever mindless gopher activily you're given to do, or you might find another job in the company that looks like a lot more fun and would better suit you.

But trust me. Any experience, however shitty, is better than no experience. I didn't have any experience, because every internship I came across sounded dull as death on paper. So I didn't apply, or I half-assed my application ('cause I didn't care). I knew most of the folks that did the internships really enjoyed them, and all of them left school with a job offer in hand. It took me a year and a half to find salaried employment.

Mercy is the mark of a great man.
Guess I'm just a good man.
Well, I'm alright.

FREELANCERTEX

Thursday, December 4, 2008 1:18 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Zeek: See if your school has a co-operative work study style program. At my school what this meant was a bunch of companies work with the school to pick a student to work for 2 semesters then return to school for 2 semesters. It extends the student's graduation date out a year of course because you end up missing some school time

I'd be all for a work study if the military hadn't already taken a year and a *half* of college away from me thus far. I'd like to keep my graduation time a year and a half late at maximum. >< thanks for the suggestion though. under other circumstances i'd seriously consider it.

AGO5: oh definitely. Now that I know who to actually go to for internship info at my school, I'm gonna be paying her more than a few visits over the course of the rest of my college career XD

MSA

Thursday, December 4, 2008 1:40 AM

yeah experience trumps education virtually every time

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Thursday, December 4, 2008 1:45 AM

and therein lies the vicious circle XD "you don't have any experience, i'm afraid we can't hire you." "yeah, but i can't get any experience unless someone *does* hire me." i reeeeeeeally need to get off my ass and sign up for CAPA (connecticut authors and publishers association), i went to their one-day 'university' (seminar) a couple years back, they seem like a good organization to belong to. it'd at least be a start :P

ZEEK

Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:09 PM

The one I find even worse is the "you're over qualified for this job" line. If a person is over qualified then you're getting even better bang for your buck by hiring them. If they're applying for the job then they want the job. What's the problem?

NVGHOSTRIDER

Thursday, December 4, 2008 4:58 PM

Remember that whole outsourcing thing? They can pay less for many things and give on the job training to the less qualified, paying them less from the get go.

Okay, been in RWED discussing the AWB again and regardless of where I go seems there is the same uninformed attitude over "Assault Weapons". Now someone is considering a screwdriver to be less dangerous in the hands of a beligerant person than an "Assault Weapon". I'm sorry. I've seen more people stabbed and slashed with screwdrivers, ice picks, kitchen knives, and yard tools than a freakin' "Assault Weapon". It isn't the weapon, it's more the willingness of the person to do harm that scares me.

I noted that regardless of the weapon, hurting people is hurting people. Bottom line.
Let's see how that goes.

Can't we all just get along?

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

FREELANCERTEX

Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:18 PM

Zeek: LOLZ! yeah, i wanna meet the person who came up with *that* excuse :P and Gibbs-slap him upside the head @_@

NV: Can't disagree on any particular point. It's true, if a person has the willingness to hurt someone else, they'll find a way to do it, 'assault weapon' or no.

MSA

Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:23 PM

morning all... want to talk assault weapon?? How about an SUV in teh hands of drunken soccer mom... had an inceident in Reno where soccer mom got pulled over at 4 am driving down the highway with the nozzle and 6 feel of hose from the gas station still attached to her car...

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

FREELANCERTEX

Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:25 PM

O_O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that could have ended...*very* badly.

NVGHOSTRIDER

Thursday, December 4, 2008 5:56 PM

I passed a bad one on the way to work. A road frequented by folk at the Naval base intersects on Highway 50 was clogged due to some 'tard trying to beat traffic.

Guess that Starbucks is more important than ever. We've had one with a drive thru for a few months and traffic has suffered since.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

FREELANCERTEX

Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:03 PM

wow, *ONE* starbucks is causing that much traffic?

NVGHOSTRIDER

Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:08 PM

We have two, one in a Safeways without a drive thru. Made shopping a bitch until the other was put in. And I am not joking when I say people are downright insane driving to the thing. There is always people ducking in and out of traffic, speeding, and cuttin people off to get into their driveway.

Evil Empire I tells ya.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

FREELANCERTEX

Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:22 PM

...its a flipping coffee shop. an *expensive* coffee shop :P

NVGHOSTRIDER

Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:06 PM

And people are still stupid over it. Even stupid kids are getting into the grind.

And their parents are letting them.

Yaaarrrrrggghhhhhhh!

Pillagin' stupid parents we should be!

Or maybe just gibbs slaps all around and a tasty bit of edumacation for their dumb asses.

Them, the people who let their kids have energy drinks, and the ones who let their kids dress like sluts/gangstas.

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The country is making a big mistake not teaching kids to cook and raise a garden and build fires.
-Loretta Lynn

FREELANCERTEX

Thursday, December 4, 2008 7:10 PM

i vote for the gibbs slap ^_^

ZEEK

Thursday, December 4, 2008 10:01 PM

So, here's my ponder. If the big three get a bailout how big of a consumer backlash do you think it will cause against them? My bet is it will be pretty bad. Which just adds to their troubles.

Honestly they're just being such idiots right now that every little stupid move they make is magnified. Putting the country more in debt to make stupid decisions is not going to reflect well on these companies or their cars.

MSA

Thursday, December 4, 2008 10:07 PM

Starbucks..legal addictive stimulant= bad behavior

I'm ignoring the bailout, but I'd gues the backlash will be fierce

To love someone is to see a miracle invisible to others.
--Francois Mauriac
It's fuzzy-minded liberal thinking like that that gets you eaten.

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