Update XVI: Sidejackin' it in the Train Room.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

RIP Allison
RIP Undercover Engagement

and worst of all.....

RIP The Jeffison Wedding Tailgate.  : (

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Jesus dick dude just tell the truth if you are go to do Update.  Last week Allison and the job are the two most important things in the universe and out of [Inks]ing no where you supposedly just up and ditch both?  You either need help or honesty with yourself. 

I'm with those that think that you got fired and Allison left you.  Your story just makes no sense. 

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Basically, folks, I am listening to all of your concerns and I am mulling over all of my options right now.  You guys are bringing up valid arguments and I've spent the past little while trying to talk myself into hanging onto the job and at least trying to look in the evenings and do what has been discussed here.  I'm also mulling over my options if I take my parents' advice to quit, figuring out what my first moves would be.  I have already found one job fair I can go to anytime this week Tuesday-Friday.  Then again, if I held onto this job, at least I would have a paycheck coming in.  It is money in the bank for now and I can get on the phones and do the best I can.  There are pros and cons to both decisions.  The cons of hanging onto this job is I might potentially miss out on some opportunities just by not being available to interview at a moment's notice.  The cons of quitting is that I run the risk of being out of a job for quite some time.  The pros of hanging onto this job is the aforementioned paycheck, but also that some employers prefer someone who already is working as opposed to someone who is sitting at home during the day looking.  The pros of quitting now is I can go all-in on the job search immediately once I get home.  I have a big decision to make.

Holy effing crap Sherlock, YOU THINK?!

Jeff, it's freaking amazing that you have to drive a quarter mile to do your laundry but you refuse to join the rest of the world and use the internet in your job search.  And who the hell goes to job fairs anymore other than college students in the multi-purpose room?!

This is an abysmal decision, dude.  If you stick with the job, at least you'll be motivated to continue to search for something better and get off the phones.  Quit, and you'll be content to live off your parent's money and watch baseball/eat Braum's/sleep/Update us all day.  You know it's true... so just make the decision to stick with this until you find a better position. 

And if you truly want to sit around all day, just GET ON THE DAMN DOLE AND LEAVE MOM AND DAD'S CHECKBOOK ALONE!!!  Believe me, there are millions of us out there that don't even care if you live off the government.  We are called Democrats and you happen to be one! 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Believe me, there are millions of us out there that don't even care if you live off the government.  We are called Democrats and you happen to be one! 

Sort of.  Oddly, he's already endorsed Christie for president:

https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=182005.0

Avatar destorys all, prude. 

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Yay!!!!!!!!!

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Craigslist? Called you within 20 minutes? Hired on the spot? You can't be serious.

Yeah, Jeff, this sounds like you've fallen for another scam.  For your own sake, you should PM some of the trustworthy people with the information about this company.

Inks, you bastard.  Stop being such a negative.  What does your typical scam have to do with CAD work?  What use does an MLM or lead-generation scheme have with drawings and drafts?

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I've done a little research and I've PM'd Smash and J-Mann for verification, but this is what I've found out through a quick 30 second research and the interview itself.

This is a very small company of maybe 10-15 employees with no website that I can see.  However, the owner, who sat in on the interview and actually does work, has been doing drafting work since the Eisenhower Administration in 1959.  55 years.

Sounds promising to me.   Is anyone here actually suggest Bushie actually drop the whole thing due to the ease of the interview/hiring process and go dick around at a call center again?

That said, be careful with personal info, Jeff.

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I mean the process certainly sounds weird, but who would dress up a scam in such a thoroughly un-sexy way?

You wouldn't.  Scam predators aren't going to be pulling in loads of gullibles by advertising AutoCAD work.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Bushie, if you tend towards having stomachaches and other minor ailments, make sure you keep plenty of Pepto and Tums on hand.  You really can't afford to miss even a day.  Working for a small company is a HUGE opportunity.  Since they have to deal with the worker face-to-face, it's harder for greed to completely take over.  You could be seeing a very nice salary for the work you do after the 90 day trial.  Not to mention the 9-5 M-F thing is something that I can only dream of right now.  You should be very grateful for that.  

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I already know what desk I will be working from.  It is the same desk that I interviewed at this afternoon.  The desk area looks big enough to bring in a bottle of Excedrin for my headaches and a bottle of Aleve for backaches and Tums for stomachaches.  I will also have Excedrin in the center console of my car, and of course, I have all three of those at home.  There should be no reason I should have to miss when I've got the medicine at all three locations to sustain me.  If I get a headache overnight, I will take Excedrin before I leave. If I get one at 10:00 am, I will take some Excedrin at work.  Same goes with backaches and stomachaches.  I'm not about to let a little ailment get to me.  I don't have to text Allison every night now, so I can go to bed whenever I want, so there will be no excuse for not getting enough sleep.

Eek. That texting all night thing got old huh?

It destroyed a relationship for me a few years back.  We just ALWAYS had to be texting each other.  It becomes tedious, and one can become resentful of the other. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Have you not considered that your diet is in fact causing your headaches and stomach upsets?

The headaches are part diet, mostly genetic.  The stomachaches are diet.

So fix your diet!  Dude... you're killing your liver taking all of this stuff (not so much the Tums, but that could make you constipated), and it's so avoidable.

Ugh!  You right-wingers.

Bushie has lived off a diet of grilled hamburgers, E & B, M & C, (quick note, I've never seen eggs and bacon/mac and cheese shortened to JUST an acronym... another incredible Update-ism), and enchilada casserole for his entire life.  He's not going to just drop it all and start nibbling on radishes, bub.  

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Have you not considered that your diet is in fact causing your headaches and stomach upsets?

The headaches are part diet, mostly genetic.  The stomachaches are diet.

So fix your diet!  Dude... you're killing your liver taking all of this stuff (not so much the Tums, but that could make you constipated), and it's so avoidable.

Ugh!  You right-wingers.

Bushie has lived off a diet of grilled hamburgers, E & B, M & C, (quick note, I've never seen eggs and bacon/mac and cheese shortened to JUST an acronym... another incredible Update-ism), and enchilada casserole for his entire life.  He's not going to just drop it all and start nibbling on radishes, bub.  

Uh, bub, you're the first person to mention radishes. I'm not saying he has to become a health nut, but if he went from eating burgers twice a week to once a month, that'd be a big step in the right direction. Cut the strawman crap... you're supposed to be maturer than that.

Whaaaaaa?  Since when?! 

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You paid $57 for something available for free. That's a scam.

The application is free, but I doubt the test prep book is available for free.

I doubt the prep book is worth $57.  I found one on Amazon for like $8.

Can we stop hounding him about this miniscule BS and just rejoice in the CAD(D) employment? 

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One other aspect about the timing of this job is that I won't miss time getting paid.  I still have one more paycheck coming from my previous employer this Thursday, August 7.  The next payday with them would have been August 22.  Since I'm starting tomorrow, the latest I would get my first paycheck is August 22, maybe August 15 if I come in during the middle of a pay period.

Bushie, why do you always ignore me in Update?  Is it because I'm a dastardly atheist? 

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Having now taken a few of these sample USPS tests, they don't really seem that hard. Passing score (basically the minimum to be eligible for hiring) is 70, in every one I scored above 80. In fact there's a great example of something that would be annoying and maybe difficult to the average person but quite easy for someone who posts on a site called US Election Atlas. Maybe I should apply when any openings and testings occur in the Twin Cities.

My mom and stepdad work for the post office.  The environment and management can be VERY frustrating, but the benefits are great, the union is strong, and between their salaries they live a comfortable life in Burlington County, NJ with a fine house and plenty of spending cash for "nice things", like premium cable and a fridge that is always full.   You should certainly look into it, as one of the "negatives" (many many hours of walking) seems like it would be a positive for an Ingress veteran/urbanite like yourself. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I wonder if Bushie celebrated his first day with a quick trip to Braum's for his lunch break.

Not for lunch, although I did have it for supper.

lol

Update

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whatever ever you do bushie, dont race through your drawings like you did in class.

I learned my lesson on that in class.  I am actually going relatively slow and checking my work multiple times for accuracy.  I am still making errors, but most of those are overlooks.  I heard the phrases "good job" and "almost there" a lot today and even got some chuckles out of him.

What exactly is it that you do, Bushie?  I understand CAD is about drawing things up, but what are you drawing up?  What is its application? 

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I would think that when you're 5'7"/300 lbs. serious back pain is a part of everyday life.

I do have a bad back, but it's usually my lower back.  This is about a quarter of the way down my spine from the neck.  It feels like right at the bottom of the shoulder blade.  It didn't hinder me at all today, I just took one aspirin about 10:45 and a second one about 14:00 and it helped me get through the day.  Never once did I think about going home.  This is a job I actually legitimately like.  It's not one of those jobs I have to talk myself into liking it.  As J-Mann pointed out the other night, this is a job I can actually do and am better suited for.  I'm not going to throw this job away like I have in the past.  As I said before, I am 8 1/2 months shy of my 33rd birthday, I need to settle into a career and I am going to try to make this my career.  I am going to try to stay here as long as I can and hold onto it for dear life.

Hate to break it to you Bushie, but you're not going to work there the rest of your working life. None of us will still be working wherever we are currently when we're 65. If you "hold onto a job for dear life" you're asking to be used, taken advantage of and spit out.

I know I won't be there the rest of my working life and that's not what I meant.  What I meant was I'm not going to let it go.  Holding onto something for dear life means you will do everything in your power to keep it.  I'm sure in several years from now I'll be wanting to move elsewhere and work for a different company, but for now and hopefully the next few years, I can hang out and build my career here.

This is a very reasonable goal and you should work tirelessly on making it happen.  Especially if you like it.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Week 1 was awesome.  I don't know how else I can put it.  Now, though, I am beginning to shift my focus to Week 2.  I am still going to enjoy the rest of my weekend, but my work focus is shifting to building on what I learned in Week 1 in Week 2 as well as improving on the things I need to improve on in this new week.  As good as Week 1 was, I am going to do everything I can to make Week 2 even better!!

A mere 137 days from Christmas and Bushie's focus is elsewhere!?

E-Gads, gentlemen!  Bushie might have found his dream job. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Bushie's life is so surreal. I've never had anyone ask me to come over to play boardgames at night.

This is pretty normal in the nerd culture I inhabit, though the games tend to be like these:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German-style_board_game

That is, games like Settlers of Catan and Carcassone.  Also, of course, Axis & Allies.  I used to do some all day Axis & Allies games when I was in college and grad school, but don't really do that anymore.

In fact, I still do board gaming remotely with my friends in North America.  We play online versions, while we talk to each other over Google Hangouts.

However, I suspect that the board games that Bushie would play are far more vanilla, like Monopoly or Life, or something like that.  But maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here.  Bushie, what kind of board games do you play?

A past episode featured Our Dear Friend embracing his inner rebel and staying up allllllll night for a game of Monopoly. 

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Bushie, why wouldn't you let Allison see your inner perv? We certainly all know he exists.

Srsly.

Bushie, don't you think some PlayBoy TV might have been just the thing to rev ol' Allie's engines?  You do know that it's common in America today for boyfriends and girlfriends to have relations before marriage, right?

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Due to not having anything to do when I first get there as I am between projects, I have decided to go in at 0800 instead of 0730 tomorrow.  I'll still get off at 1630.  My boss doesn't usually get there until 0815 or 0830 so I don't want to spend 45-60 minutes of my shift doing nothing.

Uh oh...

What's going on?

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

While I understand that Bushie's history makes it almost necessary to question every detail, I feel like we're at the point where most of the things happening to him (not posting before work, moving on to a new project) are things that happen in a normal workplace with a normal person

Indeed.  Very concerned : (

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

I'm glad you decided to stick to the 7:30 am start time, Jeff. Rationalizing later start times for any reason can be a motivation killer ... and I speak from experience. I hate mornings, and even though I know that 7:30 to 8:30 am can often be extremely productive, I find myself rationalizing a later start time every morning. It's best not to get into that habit.

I'm sure you can find things to work on during that time. I know that being hourly is different, but your supervisor may be pleasantly surprised if you head in at your usual time and find something productive to do -- maybe review your previous projects and note areas of improvement.

I think the skepticism of the group is warranted, given your history of embellishment and purposefully ignorant optimism. I'm trusting, though, that you're doing the right things and making the real progress that it seems you are. That's probably leaving somewhat of a vacuum around here. Admittedly, the positivity of the Update is making it more difficult for me to get on my high horse.

Especially for Jeff because I can identify.  I am also the type to take liberties whenever I think I can get away with it, but I have my limits.  Bushie seems to see an inch and take several miles.  Next thing we know, Bushie thinks "well, it's pretty good to get in only 15 minutes after the boss, so 0830 will now be the time of arrival", rationalizing it by saying the extra sleep will help stomachaches, headaches, more time for productive fat-shredding dumps, etc.

[Starbucks Union Thug HokeyPuck]

Jeff's poor diet and inability to make substantive changes really does stem from education (or lack thereof) and economy. And no, yelling at him on the Atlas doesn't count as educating him, although he's gotten a significant amount of good advice and direction on which to follow up.

He knows he needs to eat better -- he just doesn't know how. Budgeting, choosing meals, etc. -- it all alludes him. And it's not unheard of for this to happen. Several years ago, I knew I needed to work out, but I didn't know how ... I'd go to gyms, make half-hearted attempts and get embarrassed because I didn't know how to do anything. I'd leave and never make progress.

I finally got a personal trainer, and it has and will make a lifelong difference.

What he needs is a qualified nutritionist who can help him plan weeks' or months' worth of meal plans, with shopping lists (priced to fit his budget) matched to the goals he needs to achieve. I thought at one time getting a nutritionist, but I don't think that ever happened. Even that would be inordinately pricey for him, I suppose.

The lower-class economy does not lend itself to healthy living, that's for sure.

Exactly.  He is a poor.  And our government is more concerned with pleasing the food lobby than giving people like Our Dear Friend good advice on nutrition.

Shame.