I got my birthday gifts the hard way this year. I bought them myself.

Ray wrote:I got my birthday gifts the hard way this year. I bought them myself.

Make sure you sent a gift receipt, so you can return it if you don't like it .

Ray wrote:I got my birthday gifts the hard way this year. I bought them myself.

Welcome to adulthood! As the bills eventually pile up and relationships inevitably fade, your birthday and Christmas will soon become the two times a year you can justify spending money on yourself. Choose your gifts wisely.

After-event report.

https://sunog-baga.tumblr.com/post/1646 ... to-cut-the

Let's just say I lived up to this day and got not one but two.

My girlfriend made me a super cute Splatoon plush



It's the best gift ever

Joseki, are those the Rebuilds on top of the X-Files DVD?

Joseki wrote:My girlfriend made me a super cute Splatoon plush

SPOILER: Show

It's the best gift ever

Awesome plush your girlfriend is very talented

Yeah that looks like X files to me

imprimatur13 wrote:Joseki, are those the Rebuilds on top of the X-Files DVD?

Yes they are, it's the Italian BD release.

silvermoonlight wrote:Yeah that looks like X files to me

SPOILER: Show

It's the complete series from season 1 to 10. I love X-Files, it's my favorite TV show and I'm a proud Mulder x Scully shipper.

Joseki wrote:Yes they are, it's the Italian BD release.

It's the complete series from season 1 to 10. I love X-Files, it's my favorite TV show and I'm a proud Mulder x Scully shipper.

I love X files to, its a great series and I loved the monster of the week episodes and Scully and Mulder make a great couple

As I was going to pick my dog up from the vet today, I got a call from my old manager, basically offering me a job. I always knew I could get that job back, but previously they had been saying that it would have to be at a different location. Now I guess they really need help and they want me back on the same team (with a manager I'm familiar with). The job opportunity comes at a good time since finances have been an issue lately, especially with my dog's vet bill. Starting wage would be more than what I make now, I probably would get more hours, AND I think it would work better for school. I'm also not a fan of some of the drama that goes on at my current job either. Plus I get to say that I didn't go begging for my old job back; they came to me. Going to talk with my old manager this weekend, and we shall see.

Congrats Sachi & I hope the dog gets better.

Good luck, Sachi!

I feel better now. I was upset. But now I'm not. I'm okay. I'm gonna be okay.

I wasn't sure whether to put this here or in FML...

I've been working one one aspect of what our software product does since it was a complete green-field effort in the winter 08-09; over the summer, following an acquisition made at the start of the year, there was a decision to consolidate that aspect along with a bunch of related stuff to the team thus acquired. So, for the past month or so, we've been preparing training materials, and last week was an intensive brain-dumping session in a mix of death by PowerPoint and pair-programming when a bunch of them came over.

That seems to have gone well, and notionally, they should now be at the sharp end for everything, and we just provide backstop advice (and tidy up any loose ends from the training) for the next few weeks. The FML aspect is that it still looks like the crufty problems will still be landing with us, as we retain responsibilities for the bits that sit around the part that has been handed over.

OTOH, when I took this job to cash in on the dotcom boom, my contract of employment only ran to my 60th birthday (subsequently amended due to changes in the law), and I wasn't sure whether with my wife's health, I would actually be able to continue in work that far. So, as it stands, I can afford to retire to spend more time with my wife (and indeed, many of the other men I know who are in a similar position have given up work while their wives are in much better shape physically). It will just depend whether what I might get assigned to next is sufficient to motivate me to get out of bed over the coming winter.

EDIT -- random "to" removed to clarify the last para.

Mr. Tines wrote:So, as it stands, I can to afford to retire to spend more time with my wife

I'm hoping that I am correct as reading that as "can afford" rather than "can't afford".

Giving up work on a much-loved project can seem as if it would be a wrench; but my experience is that so long as you have something else to which you are or can become dedicated in its place, it's actually surprisingly easy.

That's a positive "can" -- the result of having saved religiously since I was little, having maintained a modest lifestyle since being a student, and, most importantly, not having moved house for over 30 years, and thus having long paid off the mortgage. It was only comparatively recently that I actually did the sums, though, and realised that the main reason for me to keep going to work was to get me out of the house a few days each week.

That meant that during a particularly crunchy time in the spring, I was the only one on the team who managed to maintain a level of ZFG calm -- it's just the going from "I have my FU fund" to "Sayonara, suckers!" that's the bit that's causing me trepidation.

Mr. Tines wrote:it's just the going from "I have my FU fund" to "Sayonara, suckers!" that's the bit that's causing me trepidation.

Well, I simply encourage you to realise that it won't be the big deal you fear. Good luck!

Well, I'm feeling kind of suicidal right now - but given that right now I'm pretty tired, while a few years ago I was suicidal even when well rested, I'm seeing it as a sign of progress. Everything's relative.

Oh, and with any luck, I should be a Firefighter in a few weeks or so

Please send prayers/well wishes on Monday my aunt is having back surgery (3 disk are messed up out of nowhere) & my Grandfather (on mom's side) should be getting results on a test for cancer.

Cybermat47 wrote:Well, I'm feeling kind of suicidal right now - but given that right now I'm pretty tired, while a few years ago I was suicidal even when well rested, I'm seeing it as a sign of progress. Everything's relative.

Oh, and with any luck, I should be a Firefighter in a few weeks or so

Congratulations (my dad is a fire fighter), thank you for your future service.
Sent prayers for your unfortunate mood to fade away. Stay strong.

Hope your feel better soon Cybermat47, and good luck with the firefighting.