Things That Stick In Your Craw

Getting 1.6 inches of rain right in the middle of corn harvest season. I have about 3 full days left of harvesting and now that will be pushed back. I also gave away my tix to Fridays game thinking no way I could go because of harvesting :chainsaw: :censored:

Agree... no rain all summer and it decides to rain during harvest.

Goddamn cancer.

This morning we went to the funeral for one of my daughter's best friends since grade school. Our family has become friends with this remarkable family and their daughter battled with courage, dignity, and hope. In June/July optimism was high, they joined us in mid-July for dinner and sunset cruise at our cabin. Around Labor Day they found out their optimism was short lived and she died last week.

She was 25.

For those I may be friends with on FB you may recall some friendly banter through the years with a friend about buying cars for our daughters, this was one of his twin daughters.

So sorry man.

Yeah not even sure what to say other than I am sorry for you and your family’s loss. Knock on wood I haven’t been through a cancer battle with a friend and/or family and don’t want to. Damnit.

I almost posted something very similar Saturday once we got back home... just gutted and felt the need to vent. Cancer :censored: ing sucks.

Twitter app on my iPhone updated yesterday. It now has the default screen as the “Home” tweets and I need to slide over to the “Latest Tweets.” I always had it on Latest Tweets and now there is no option to put it back.

No tweeting for me, but when updating my Dell laptop yesterday I received a message that it doesn't meet the new standards required to run Windows 11. :conf2: This was on a top of the line Dell for which I paid over $1,500 just a few years ago, one that I've always kept undated and current. :censored:

I don't use the laptop very often, so I see no reason to upgrade and purchase a new Windows 11 capable machine. Any advice appreciated.

Does it give any specifics about what standard isn't being met? I haven't tried upgrading to Windows 11 yet, but I'd expect there to be some additional details provided.

Also, maybe test with with tool referenced here:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-specifications

Off the cuff, I'd guess the "Trusted platform module 2.0" may be it, but there's a test utility mentioned in there that may tell you more.

Thank you Steve MN, but I've decided to hold off upgrading - or replacing altogether - for a couple more years, or until the process is made easier for average non-technical users like myself.

If you've got questions or anything on this, feel free to PM me here, but Windows 10 is going to be just fine for a while yet, so I wouldn't be rushing either.

Grilling in the dark at 5:30 pm….as it snows.

Sounds like you don't care too much (and I can't blame you at all on that), but in some of my normal reading on such things, there appears to be a way to stop certain checks during the upgrade, including the ones that seem most likely to be the issue for you.

Last week we got a notice about a COVID vaccine clinic at our daughter's middle school so we signed her up. The clinic is tomorrow and during school hours so it's extremely convenient for her. Today we get a note sent home and an email that she's not eligible because it's only for 12+ (she's 11).

The timing of them scheduling this was shortly after the pediatric vaccine was approved and the district said anyone at the school was eligible, but it annoys me that we're just finding out and the timing of the school announcing and doing it (right after the pediatric approval) is just terrible. They could have done a 12+ vaccine anytime since school started back in September.

At least there are other options available but none are that convenient. Fortunately we can take some time off from work to get her to an appointment but there are a lot of people who probably don't have the flexibility we have.

The supply chain shortage has caught up to me. Normally, I wait until March to order the chemicals that I need for my crops that year. It is a pretty expensive cost for me, so I like to wait. Last year I had problems getting the stuff I needed, and my supplier, warned me that I may want to order them earlier this year. So, I went to order them yesterday, and almost everything I use is not available. So, I had to pivot and buy a different type of spray. Well, that meant I had to go to the people who I bought my seed from and cancel those orders and reorder seed that will work with the new chemicals I had to buy. To top it off, they are requiring me to pick up the chemicals when they get them next week and take them home. Problem is, I don't have any heated sheds other than my garage attached to my house( most of the stuff can not freeze or they are useless). So, I now have to try to make room for these chemicals over the winter, and hopefully I can still get my vehicle in the garage. I have a feeling there will be a lot of weedy fields this year and many farmers will be digging out cultivators from the groves to do it old school... :censored:

Supply chain issues are just confusing now. First it was toilet paper in spring 2020 and then other sundries at the grocery store. The thought was demand was higher than supply. It just grew from there; ammo for guns, microchips for everything, and now farm chemicals. What is the common link? I don't believe it's labor related but who knows?

Car lots are very sparse, at least here in Mankato. I haven't seen a full shelf of ammo since 2019 in any store. Before I left my weekend gig with Pepsi they were slimming down their brands because of aluminum and sweetener shortages. They still haven't returned all of their brands from pre-pandemic. In my main job of industrial pipe welding we have seen ebbs and flows of material availability with stainless being the most volatile in both pricing and availability.

It's all just confusing and frustrating all around.

Not much gets manufactured in this country anymore is the short answer.

Some people are still hoarding things. Ammo is one for sure. I have several co-workers who routinely share photos and brag about their ever expanding collection of firearms and ammunition. "You never know when I won't be able to get it, or they won't let me buy it any more." They have shelves upon shelves of it.

So while supply chains are an issue, people hoarding things still aren't helping either.

I don't get the ammo hoarding thing really. Take me for instance, I only duck and pheasant hunt so that is a particular set of ammo that I will purchase. The three sizes of shot that I use for that have rarely been on the shelf at Fleet Farm or Scheels here in Mankato. Now I don't drive all over the countryside like my future son-in-law does to find ammo that he probably won't even shoot this year. I had enough ammo left over from last year to go out a couple weekends this fall. I checked a hand full of times for ammo and it wasn't on the shelf so I didn't hunt after I was out. It didn't feed some fire in me to hoard ammo every time I see it on the shelf throughout the year. The sad thing is you hear that it may take anywhere from 3 to 5 years to get ammo shelves full like they were in 2019.

People must be preparing for the zombie apocalypse…..

My simple answer to many of the world’s problems is to stop growing the human population.

This is a huge part of it. The US relies upon foreign imports to a significant degree - much of which comes from countries that are not as free flowing as the US when it comes to the workforce post the worst of the pandemic.

Both of them regularly shoot at ranges, go trap shooting, go hunting in multiple states, etc. So I believe they go through more ammo that your average Joe. Based on what they have told me, they feel that there will come a time in the very near future that 1) you will not be able to buy many types of ammo other than a few very specific types for hunting and 2) that people will be coming to take away your guns and ammo even if legally owned. So they buy it regularly and have cases and cases of multiple types of rounds for their multiple firearms. For personal use present, future, and anticipated need. Right or wrong, it is their opinion and their main rationale for hoarding that much. Right now, one of them has said "if I see it, I buy it" and bragged about him and a buddy or buddies, buying out one store shortly before rifle season opened this year.

I could be walking a very fine line here, and this post can get deleted if necessary.

There are lots of factors, three examples:

Nothing manufactured in the US and efficiency demanded that all slack in supply chains be eliminated in favor of "just in time" logistics. Which means if any link in the chain gets disrupted at all, everything falls apart.

Then, at the outbreak of the pandemic, lots of stuff got shipped to places that don't usually receive shipments. (Think containers of masks and gloves going to Namibia just as an example). Because these places have few exports, containers never got put back into the global pool, so then even containers became scarce for a while.

Another example is currently the ships stacked up outside the ports on the west coast. Part of the problem is that there are empty containers stacked up in the ports. If there's no room to offload full containers at the port, what do you do?

https://twitter.com/business/status/1460786526518980611?s=20

Maybe they should set limits, like target did on TP during the shortage so it’s fair to all.

Most retail stores do so already. Generally only two small boxes, or one bulk. This is part of why people are stocking up again, because for the last few years now, many of the popular options are very limited supply. It has improved over the past couple months, where I see most stuff being on the shelf in at least limited quantity rather than not seeing it at all

Most stores have. Fleet Farm limits you to five boxes of .22 ammunition (the only ammo I buy - I reload everything else), Scheels just recently removed their limits, but their prices aren't exactly a bargain, and last time I checked, Cabela's still had a daily purchase limit.

The US relies heavily upon goods from countries that are not nearly as "up and running" as a percentage of the labor force and as such that is significantly impacting supply channels.

As for the price of gas, the US is not even in the Top 100 of countries for the highest average price per so consider yourselves lucky.

Some limits on select spirits have been implemented in a few areas, too. Maker's Mark in PA comes to mind.

Part of the issue for many manufacturers is their processes require movement of semi-finished goods from one location to another because locations are specialized. The increased time on the water for container shipments coupled with the shortage of truckers has hit these supply chains hard.

I’ve gotten half a dozen emails from the U today for “give to the max day”. 4 hours left! ??

Absolutely ridiculous. Like it's hard to find ways to give them money. :chainsaw:

Supply chain has hit my company hardcore. That, and hiring people. I do not work a glamorous job. It does pay well, benefits, PTO, but it's tedious. Most people looking for work say "nah." Currently we are about 2 people short of being 2 people short. As for supply, the most obvious clue is that my building usually carried around 50-60 pallet jacks. As of today, we have none.

One of our most popular paper products, we usually have about 1000 cases. We have 50~ cases or so right now. The glitch will be fixed, it's just a matter of when.

My Company is down from a high of 42 employees in mid-2019. We had several people leave before 2020 as a start. Several people have left during this situation as well. We are down to 33 employees now. We are busy and have jobs posted, we interview and make offers, no one is accepting. The principals claim "Millennials just expect too much, this is ridiculous". Their actual words in a meeting. We are BUSY and our clients are paying thankfully.

We dropped our 401k partial match when this started. Then everyone took a 5% cut a few months later, and wages have been frozen ever since. No bonus (holiday or otherwise of any kind) for 2+ years. The medical benefit is a 50/50 split of the cost for employee, and 20/80 split of cost for spouse/dependents. One employee left because the 20% the firm pays was then deducted from his pay, when he tried to add his wife, to keep his "Overall Compensation Package" the same -- if they covered the 20% it would be like giving him a raise. I have never heard of another company doing that, although it probably does happen.

Lots of other places are increasing benefits, or at least bringing pre-COVID benefits back. Out of everyone I talk to in my industry we are the only ones without even a partial 401k match. The 50/50 medical split is a pretty low benefit with only 1 plan option. You start with 2 weeks vacation and do not accrue until you've been there 4 months. 3 weeks does not come until you have been there 7 years. We don't have any paid parental leave or anything, just whatever PTO time you have.

I mean, when your benefits aren't on par with what is being offered in the industry, it is going to be pretty hard for exceptional people to accept offers to work there. I know places are struggling to hire for other reasons, but I think plenty of places (including my place of work) it is at least partially self inflicted.

My benefits/insurance is untouched. No pay cuts. When we raised min wage for the company, the veteran employees wages were raised in relation (one of bigger concerns).

As for PTO, it's an algorithm of hours per month, dunno what the ratio is, but since I've been there so long, I don't care (get about 6.5 weeks/per year, 40 hrs carryover). I think the 3 week PTO comes after 5 years, 4 after 10, 5 after 15, 6+ after 20, roughly, give or take a couple days.

W

ETO (emergency time off) is there, also, have limited allocation for that, does not count toward PTO, but it's a rare case thing, and it is watched hard-core. Stuff like car accident, health issues, etc, that are not generally "Oh, I'm sick."

Yeah, we don't have any ETO or anything. We get 3 weeks off for everything, max. 2 weeks to start, 3 weeks after 7 years. After having kids, at least a week every year is for sick kids.

In fact, now we are at home with our daycare closed due to a COVID outbreak. I have hardly any PTO time left and will have to take time unpaid likely to deal with the situation. Plus pay full price for daycare, even while the center is closed, so they can still pay their employees... Nevermind that I am having to take time without pay because of it. Just frustrating all around. I am probably extra bitter right now given my situation.

Day care thing is weird. Oftentimes, the parent wants to work, but that just offsets the daycare costs. I'd rather be a stay at home parent if the cost/earnings work out to be the same. Spend the time bonding with my kid, y'know?

Not sure what you do or where you work but man does this sound toxic.

United you negotiate. Divided you beg.

Nah. You’re just a free agent. If another place offers a better situation you go with them or tell your company they have a chance to match. This isn’t something you can do in a union.

My wife is in a union (teachers) and they don’t get crap for raises, if any at all, and my benefits are much better.

I was a UBC member. Trade unions are different than industrial (Steelworkers, Teamsters, oil & Chemical) unions & " professional associations" (MEA, MAPE). Unions (Trade) are an extension of guilds. You have a craft that you practice.

My pension is paid by our benefits admin. , not one of the many contractors I worked for. We have both struck and honored other trade unions banners when they struck. I was able to be paid over scale, at times. Never did I have to take less than scale and we voted on accepting or rejecting new contracts.

I fell into my career. After getting my B.A. I spent a year as the GA OL coach where I played. I had worked non union as a summer job so after 1 semester at Wm Mitchell and hating it, being broke, and being in the Cities, I had a friend get me on his crew. Labored for a year, got in the UBC, eventually became a job supt.

I wouldn't change a thing. I'm proud of my skilled labor and made money for my employers.

Benefits? As a retiree with enough time in the Brotherhood I see zero as my co-pays on Rx, MD visits, etc.

I do believe that that may not be true for people coming to retirement now.

Dealing with my first head cold in the past 3 years and it's a whopper. Not being able to breathe through my nose is a major issue because I sleep with a CPAP. I'm supposed to take tickets at my kiddo's BB game tomorrow but I probably won't be able to do it. If I cough or sneeze once, everybody will think I have the Rona and will flip out.

As a supt. I was head hunted a couple times.

[mention]moonrider[/mention] and I partnered up a few times, for example. I went to my employer and told them I had another offer and got a sweeter deal, twice. Eventually I left & frankly became a mercenary. I would run the job I was needed on, and then would move on

Not all unions are effective but the ones that are definitely raise the standards for pay and benefits.

The inability to access or manage my hockey tickets through the Gophersports app for the last few days.

Also, the inability to currently access my account on the gophersports.com website, so I can access my tickets a different way.

Been there.

Benadryl and Vick’s Vaporub on the edge of the nostrils. Allegra (fexofenadine) dries things out a lot too. Even if it isn’t an allergy situation it will dry up the sinus.

Good luck.

This is concerning. I typically download my tickets to my phone right before I leave for the game. If I can't access through the app, how am I supposed to download my tickets?

EDIT:

I figured it out. If you use the "Visit gophersports.com" link in the app, you can log into your account (click on Tickets --> My Account). It brings up your available tickets, and by clicking on the appropriate date, you can save the tickets to your phone.

[media]

La Tortuga being released. Goddammit.

The Rube wrote:

La Tortuga being released. Goddammit.

They must be saving money for a big free agent pitcher. I love it!

Bertogliat wrote:

The Rube wrote:

La Tortuga being released. Goddammit.

They must be saving money for a big free agent pitcher. I love it!

There is no way you typed that with a straight face.

Why do people think staying at a hotel is like being at a frat house? Doors slamming, loud talking in the middle of the night. We usually stay in a hotel on the Friday nights of Gopher home games and it amazes me on the lack of respect people have for each other.