Small Talk: The Quiver

[Delphi]

8 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Oh, that's so crappy!  I'm so sorry to hear that.  And since you had that other attempt, now there's the future to have to try and ward off and avoid repeating.  Smashing doors sounds really extreme.  Glass or solid?

 

Wow, neighbors suck!

The balcony doors were glass, the bedroom door was wood,  or whatever wood like substance they use these days. 

And holy crap, you guys,  I couldn't even imagine my neighbours doing something like that to me,  that's super shitty. 

2 hours ago, statsgirl said:

@Delphi do you feel safe enough in your home still?  I would be scared they would break in again.

No.   Absolutely not.   I can barely sleep and have been walking around the apartment with a baton like a maniac and jumping out of my skin when people knock on the door or even walk by.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to try to break my lease and find somewhere else to live.   

Edited October 26, 2017 by Delphi

[thegirlsleuth]

I'm so sorry to hear about the break in, @Delphi.  That sounds really scary and I hope you get to rest and relax someplace safe.

[BunsenBurner]

9 hours ago, statsgirl said:

 

@BunsenBurner did you ever find out who shot your dogs?  Are there any more sightings of people hanging around?

No not yet. It seems like everyone is on the lookout for who did it. 

 My dog was killed with a knife through the heart. It was done on purpose.  I think I would have felt better if it had been shot.  I would have thought it was an accident. People around here shoot guns intermittentantly all day long. Lots of wild hogs  

[bijoux]

Jesus, that's horrible.

[BkWurm1]

17 hours ago, BunsenBurner said:

No not yet. It seems like everyone is on the lookout for who did it. 

 My dog was killed with a knife through the heart. It was done on purpose.  I think I would have felt better if it had been shot.  I would have thought it was an accident. People around here shoot guns intermittentantly all day long. Lots of wild hogs  

2

Fast-forward to twenty years later when some reporter comes knocking on your door to talk about the serial killer that grew up in the area.   

[Morrigan2575]

22 hours ago, BunsenBurner said:

No not yet. It seems like everyone is on the lookout for who did it. 

 My dog was killed with a knife through the heart. It was done on purpose.  I think I would have felt better if it had been shot.  I would have thought it was an accident. People around here shoot guns intermittentantly all day long. Lots of wild hogs  

I hope that fucking asshole suffers for what she/he did. 

[Mellowyellow]

Okay guys I have a question! Try not to judge because I feel a bit silly for asking it but I figure in this case "the internet" is actually the best place to ask.

So I am wanting a buy some jade which has limited choice in Australia. There is a lovely lady on a jewellery forum I visit who is very well versed in jade and gems in general. Her collection is amazing! We're going to Asia for our next holiday and lady has said she would be happy to meet me in Burma (where she is currently residing for work) to take me around to search for jade and also basically go around and look at gems together. She manages to buy some amazing stuff over there.

I can take a two hour flight to Burma, look at gems, stay one night and a hotel and fly back to Singapore where the boys will wait for me. Hubby is FREAKING out and thinks it is a horrible idea and that I will get clobbered on the head. He has a point but this lady has met with several other members on the forum to take them gem hunting and they have all lived to tell the tale. Hubby thinks someone could clobber me at the hotel, on the street etc. I am reluctant to drag both boys to Burma with me as well.

What do you think? She lives in town so I could meet her at a well known hotel lobby so it's not like I'll be going to some cryptic suburb alone. Plus it would be sooooo nice to meet a fellow gem freak. I don't feel like it's a risk that's any bigger than if I were to travel by myself.

Say if I told one of you to meet me at Central Station in Sydney (very public spot) and I'll take you around Sydney would you do it or would you think I was going to clobber you?

[BunsenBurner]

2 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Okay guys I have a question! Try not to judge because I feel a bit silly for asking it but I figure in this case "the internet" is actually the best place to ask.

So I am wanting a buy some jade which has limited choice in Australia. There is a lovely lady on a jewellery forum I visit who is very well versed in jade and gems in general. Her collection is amazing! We're going to Asia for our next holiday and lady has said she would be happy to meet me in Burma (where she is currently residing for work) to take me around to search for jade and also basically go around and look at gems together. She manages to buy some amazing stuff over there.

I can take a two hour flight to Burma, look at gems, stay one night and a hotel and fly back to Singapore where the boys will wait for me. Hubby is FREAKING out and thinks it is a horrible idea and that I will get clobbered on the head. He has a point but this lady has met with several other members on the forum to take them gem hunting and they have all lived to tell the tale. Hubby thinks someone could clobber me at the hotel, on the street etc. I am reluctant to drag both boys to Burma with me as well.

What do you think? She lives in town so I could meet her at a well known hotel lobby so it's not like I'll be going to some cryptic suburb alone. Plus it would be sooooo nice to meet a fellow gem freak. I don't feel like it's a risk that's any bigger than if I were to travel by myself.

Say if I told one of you to meet me at Central Station in Sydney (very public spot) and I'll take you around Sydney would you do it or would you think I was going to clobber you?

Have your husband and son ever been to Burma?  If not why shouldn’t they go with you? 

You could all meet for tea and get to know each other and if the hubby feels good about it he could let you go jade hunting after of course, taking several pictures of the the woman before you leave?

 

In this day and age taking backup is never a bad idea. 

Edited October 28, 2017 by BunsenBurner

[BkWurm1]

Quote

Say if I told one of you to meet me at Central Station in Sydney (very public spot) and I'll take you around Sydney would you do it or would you think I was going to clobber you?

I wouldn't worry about you but is the person you are to meet really the biggest source of his concern or is it the reputation of Burma?  I honestly don't know much about Burma but I'm ready to assume it's not as modern as Sydney.  Maybe it's perfectly safe and tourist-friendly, maybe it's not.  Having a local guide actually, would make me feel a lot more settled about going there, to be honest.  It also helps a lot that she's taken others on your gem site around (and I'm assuming this happened far enough in the past that you don't have to worry about her making fake accounts to lure and trap other unsuspecting gem enthusiasts into a false sense of security.)

But his concerns about you going alone to a land you are not familiar with seems reasonable.   Are there steps you can take to specifically address his worries?  Would it be the worst thing for he and Mellowtot to go with you? I get why it would be kind of a waste of their time (and the extra cost to get there) to just wait around but it's also a good general rule not to go to new places to meet strangers alone, no matter who you are.  

Maybe you could make a trip to Burma an exciting side trip for all of you and take a couple days.  Any new city can be exciting even if it's a brief trip. If that's just not practical, then yeah, see if you can reasonably address his concerns (and I assume yours) and if not, ask yourself if it's worth the risk.  I'm guessing you would be fine but it's only smart to check everything out. I'm sure your contact in Burma would love reassurances that you aren't coming to clobber her as well, lol

Edited to note:  Wait, Burma is the same place as Myanmar?  I still don't know much about it but the little I do explains hubby's concern a little more.   Still, per Google it's a pretty safe place even for women as long as you aren't in the northern part and some terrorist group's bomb doesn't get you.  

Edited October 28, 2017 by BkWurm1

[leopardprint]

2 hours ago, BunsenBurner said:

Say if I told one of you to meet me at Central Station in Sydney (very public spot) and I'll take you around Sydney would you do it or would you think I was going to clobber you?

How long have you been communicating with this person? I feel like a lot of people have met up with people they met on twitter without issue. Maybe you can coordinate with another person on your board to go in a group?

[calliope1975]

11 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

Say if I told one of you to meet me at Central Station in Sydney (very public spot) and I'll take you around Sydney would you do it or would you think I was going to clobber you?

I would totally meet up with you, but I'm probably not the best advice giver. In the early days of Smallville fandom, I went to cons and shared hotel rooms with people I'd only interacted with on TWOP. I had a great time and no bad experiences, but I agree with those who urge caution and maybe taking the hubs and tot with you. 

[Mellowyellow]

Thanks guys for your wisdom! No one is like "OMG don't do it, you'll get clobbered" which is what I was hoping to gauge!

@BkWurm1 Your post got me to look up travel warnings and Yangon where I'll be travelling is "exercise normal caution" meaning it's pretty safe. It's the same warning as Singapore which is super safe imo. 

Hmm not sure how to appease them! Hubby has this notion that I Iove a bargain and am easy to kidnap if I'm promised cheap things! Not that I've been kidnapped before! I'm not William! Will work on it! 

@leopardprint I've only interacted with this lady for a few months but she has taken at least 3 forum old timers on a gem buying expedition. And the people she's taken around are MUCH more clobber worthy than I am if one is trying to clobber for profit or blackmail! They are all ladies as well.

@BunsenBurner We usually like to stop at one place for a good few days to adjust the tot (hehe newly minted 5 yo actually so not really a tot anymore) to his holiday routine. The idea of schlepping to the airport with luggage and flying in and out with the both of them is not appealing! I will confess I just want to pick up and suitcase and zoom off to obsess over gems on my own! I looked up the flights I could even do an early morning and return at night!

@calliope1975 I have made some really good doggish friends by meeting up with people I met on a dog forum years ago! No bad experiences either! But I did meet them with Hubby and armed with 2 golden retrievers, one who is pretty darn mean when he wants to be! 

Edited October 28, 2017 by Mellowyellow

[BkWurm1]

5 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

@BkWurm1 Your post got me to look up travel warnings and Yangon where I'll be travelling is "exercise normal caution" meaning it's pretty safe. It's the same warning as Singapore which is super safe imo. 

Hmm not sure how to appease them! Hubby has this notion that I Iove a bargain and am easy to kidnap if I'm promised cheap things! Not that I've been kidnapped before! I'm not William! Will work on it! 

Seems to me that if his current big concern is you being lured into a dark alleyway with the promise of a good deal, then your best defense would be having your local person there to step in to warn you off if the situation was dicey.   So maybe if you can reassure him of her non clobber intentions and her bargain-savvy experience, then he would be less concerned about you going and getting over your head. 

Maybe chat with the other gals who have gone and ask them if they ever felt uncomfortable?   Just as added proof that he can trust your judgment in going.  

Edited October 29, 2017 by BkWurm1

[leopardprint]

13 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Seems to me that if his current big concern is you being lured into a dark alleyway with the promise of a good deal, then your best defense would be having your local person there to step in to warn you off if the situation was dicey.   So maybe if you can reassure him of her non clobber intentions and her bargain-savvy experience, then he would be less concerned about you going and getting over your head. 

Maybe chat with the other gals who have gone and ask them if they ever felt uncomfortable?   Just as added proof that he can trust your judgment in going.  

Perhaps she could provide an intinerary of where she's going to take you and then you could check in with him? If she is on the up and up she shouldn't have a problem giving you one. Does she get kickback/finder's fee from the gem brokers? Not that there is anything wrong with that if it's a good bargain overall, but then she won't want her customers to get clobbered because that is bad for business. I would be concerned about carrying that amount of cash though, can the gem people meet you at your hotel instead? 

Also, I am kind of laughing that your husband thinks you're going to get lured into a random back alley by shiny gemstones. LOL! It's not like they are offering Olicity spoilers. ?

[Mellowyellow]

Hmm good point @leopardprint! Didn't think about the cash issue! There is NO way hubby would let me carry cash around! I assumed they'd do card! Another thing to check! 

I am not sure on the kickback thing! She owns A LOT of jewellery and never names the actual broker but does post A LOT of pics of merchandise. The thing is we are all gem freaks on that forum and love to drool over stuff so it's not out of ordinary to post pictures of stuff that doesn't belong to you. She lives in the city so a few of the ladies have gone to her place to play with her jewels as well. Honestly it sounds like a gem freak's dream!

Haha his motto in life is that I will get lured into an alley and clobbered because of the promise of cheap tropical fruit or gems! His stance right now is "Why can't you just pay retail prices and stop causing me grief?"

Psst he doesn't know that I'd go down a dark alley for Olicity spoilers yet! He still thinks it's a healthy hobby that helps me "use my words" because of all the fanfic I write! Heeee

@BkWurm1 the ladies who have gone have all raved publicly about how much fun they had and posted their bargains! I think I need to wear him down slowly! Book the trip and then I can always book the one day flight in later. There are tonnes of flights and it's only 1.5 hours! Not even 2 hours! Or I could take them with me and find something for them to do in Burma for a few days....

hehe I'm just glad no one thinks its a totally insane idea to go wandering around for cheaper gems! This is like my version of comic con! 

[kismet]

@Mellowyellow, good luck figuring this out!!  It seems like a lot of fun!! But I understand your husband's concerns, the world is just not as safe as it used to be. If you do go, I highly would recommend getting a phone & plan that works in Burma, so you can have specific check-in times with hubby. That might help him feel better. Also I would try learning Burmese, unless you already know it, so at least you can understand some of what might be said around you.

Not even sure if this is appropriate or even too much. But you could always check with the Australian (if I remember you are from Australia) Embassy there and see what their thoughts are, if safety is a concern. Maybe they have some ideas or can check in with them. Perhaps they can tell you parts to avoid, so at least your not going in blind or being dependent on your travel guide, so neighborhoods might be worse than others.

I also found decent travel advice from travel websites like Tip Advisor. I mean I wouldn't trust everything you read, but reading through some of the comments and questions, you can get some decent information or at least point you in a certain direction for information.

I also think a lot of people upthread had some good ideas :) Good luck and happy gem hunting :)

[Mellowyellow]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN GUYS!!!!!

I leave you with a pic of Lil Sis and my Best Girl dresses as Little Red Riding Hood and "Wolf Disguised as Grandma"

[BkWurm1]

Hee!  They both are cute but "Wolf dressed as Grandma" Completely cracks me up.  She even looks into the costume. 

[Morrigan2575]

Love it!

[lemotomato]

I didn't want to say anything during the series because I was afraid I'd jinx it, but I'm so glad the Houston Astros won their first World Series Championship! (Mostly because they beat the Dodgers, who I hate with the fire of a thousand suns)

[catrox14]

22 minutes ago, lemotomato said:

I didn't want to say anything during the series because I was afraid I'd jinx it, but I'm so glad the Houston Astros won their first World Series Championship! (Mostly because they beat the Dodgers, who I hate with the fire of a thousand suns)

Best WS I've ever watched. Just happy for that whole team.

Verlander, McCann, Beltran, Gattis, Altuve all WS champs now. So great

[leopardprint]

That dog is wearing glasses ?! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

[tv echo]

Star Wars: The Last Jedi "Awake" (:45)
Published on Nov 1, 2017, by Star Wars

[Mellowyellow]

Guys, whenever you are, is your tap water drinkable straight from the tap?

Hubby and I were having a conversation about recycling and apparently plastic bottles are a huge landfill contributor. Made me wonder how drinkable everyone's tap water is. 

[Kymmi]

Tap water is very drinkable where I'm from (Seattle) but that doesn't stop everyone and their brother from having a plastic water bottle.  My husband practically has a black belt in recycling and it drives him up a wall.  I admit that I'll grab a bottle of water from the store on occasion and then have to live with the guilt.  

[SleepDeprived]

I live in SoCal and, supposedly, our tap water is safe to drink, according to the government. But, I never drink straight from the faucet and always either use a Brita pitcher or get the water from the filtered dispenser of the fridge. I used to buy the bottled water packs all the time (I know, that's terrible--I've been trying to reduce my carbon footprints for a while now, though) but then switched to the gallon ones that you can just re-fill so that we don't have to throw so much plastic though we always make sure to recycle those water bottles, whenever we buy them.

[BunsenBurner]

I get a water analysis every month from my water supplier.  I absolutely drink it from the tap.

[Starfish35]

I drink water from the tap where I live now, but where I lived before, the tap water tasted horrible.  Even filtering it didn't really help.  So I spent quite a lot on bottled water.  I hardly ever buy it now, except when traveling.

[scarynikki12]

Nashville has drinkable tap water. About a year ago one of the pharmacists I work with gave me a glass bottle and I’ve used it ever since. It makes me feel better about myself since I’m not using as much plastic. 

[Mellowyellow]

@Kymmi it kills me when I forget a shopping bag! I've gotten to the stage where every handbag I own has a fabric grocery bag stashed in it for emergencies so I don't forget but once a blue moon when I need to use a plastic bag from the store I feel so bad!

@Starfish35 When we go to Hamilton Island the water tastes terrible. We boil the water and keep it in a water jug but but it tastes like chlorine! My tea tasted so weird. We drink it because it's still "Australia" although I suspect the water tastes nasty because it's a small island and possibly their water supply is sketchy. 

[JamieLynn832002]

For most of my life, my county's tap water had a very high level of arsenic and my county had one of the highest per capita breast cancer rates in the US, my town got a new filtering/treatment system that supposedly removes most of the arsenic but I've never really trusted it.

[Mellowyellow]

5 minutes ago, JamieLynn832002 said:

For most of my life, my county's tap water had a very high level of arsenic and my county had one of the highest per capita breast cancer rates in the US, my town got a new filtering/treatment system that supposedly removes most of the arsenic but I've never really trusted it.

LORDY!!!!! That is freaking scary!!!!!

[BkWurm1]

I'm out in the country and have my own well water straight from the ground.  On the upside, it's full of minerals and we've tested it and it's perfectly good.  On the downside, it's high enough in iron that without being sent through the water softener, it smells like rotten eggs, stains the tubs, sink, toilers, and any clothes washed in it. Ages ago we used to drive a half hour and fill up plastic gallon jugs at a spring that tasted wonderful, but over time, we got the water softener system and frankly, our taste buds and sense of smell adjusted so I think it tastes great.  But if the salt runs out, gah, it's weird.   

When I was a kid and lived in town, that water was also hard but not so much that it really needed a softner system.  It's been my experience that quite often no matter where you go, other people's water tastes weird since our senses do eventually get used to what's normal for us. 

Most people in the U.S. have good water from the tap (whether people drink it or not is something different) but if you Google "Flint, Michigan", you will see that the exceptions to the rule are pretty awful situations.     

Edited November 4, 2017 by BkWurm1

[SmallScreenDiva]

I've lived in too many places where the EPA keeps investigating stuff so I drink nothing but bottled water. 

[BkWurm1]

36 minutes ago, SmallScreenDiva said:

I've lived in too many places where the EPA keeps investigating stuff so I drink nothing but bottled water. 

I think standards vary pretty wildly state to state.

[Mellowyellow]

@BkWurm1 this water softener sounds fascinating! Does it work in such a way that all your taps and washing machine access the soft water straight away?

We once had a huge water scare, many years ago, an animal died in one of our dams (it's always animal related in Australia =P) so there was bacteria in the water. We were told to brush our teeth  and wash our veggies with boiled water.

[BkWurm1]

Quote

@BKWURM1 this water softener sounds fascinating! Does it work in such a way that all your taps and washing machine access the soft water straight away?

Yep.  It cycles through to refresh the water in the tank as needed and that water goes either to the cold tap or to the hot water heater (and including washing machine and dishwasher) .  We do have an additional filter on the tap in the kitchen but I rarely bother with it unless for making coffee (and I don't really drink coffee) Only the outside hose doesn't go through the softner.  

Edited November 4, 2017 by BkWurm1

[leopardprint]

2 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

@BkWurm1 this water softener sounds fascinating! Does it work in such a way that all your taps and washing machine access the soft water straight away?

We once had a huge water scare, many years ago, an animal died in one of our dams (it's always animal related in Australia =P) so there was bacteria in the water. We were told to brush our teeth  and wash our veggies with boiled water.

Water softeners usually are installed where the water supply enters your home so all the water in your home is softened but there are also point of source water softeners. Supposedly it's not the best thing to consume but then again is chlorine? 

The water where I live is very hard and chlorinated but I drink it anyway from the tap and also filtered from the fridge and I need to be better about carrying a water bottle with me and I forget my canvas bags 50% of the time when a I go to the store.

[Mellowyellow]

They add flouride to our water here which is controversial with some people. 

Eh in my mother country we drank from the ditch! I figure I can handle most things ?

I ALWAYS forget my fruit and veg bags so I'm that idiot at the check out apologising for my loose fruits that the cashier has to round up and weigh with my help. They are good about it though!

Edited November 4, 2017 by Mellowyellow

[BkWurm1]

44 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

They add flouride to our water here which is controversial with some people. 

Eh in my mother country we drank from the ditch! I figure I can handle most things ?

I ALWAYS forget my fruit and veg bags so I'm that idiot at the check out apologising for my loose fruits that the cashier has to round up and weigh with my help. They are good about it though!

We had fluoride in our water where we lived until we moved when I was about 13.  When I got my wisdom teeth out the guy complained it was like chipping away at concrete.  (Which was disturbing to hear cause I was supposed to be knocked out at the time, lol.)

Now I just have a fluoride rinse I'm supposed to use daily.  

Edited November 4, 2017 by BkWurm1

[LeighAn]

You know you're a shipper when you watch Love it or List it Vancouver and despite all the real estate and interior design stuff you keep thinking "those two hosts have a nice chemistry and flirty banter- they should totally date!"

 

Also stray observations but the fact that some of the ugliest tiniest little houses list for over $900,000-$1,000,000 in Vancouver is a crime. Real estate prices in general are depressing. 

[BkWurm1]

1 hour ago, LeighAn said:

You know you're a shipper when you watch Love it or List it Vancouver and despite all the real estate and interior design stuff you keep thinking "those two hosts have a nice chemistry and flirty banter- they should totally date!"

 

Also stray observations but the fact that some of the ugliest tiniest little houses list for over $900,000-$1,000,000 in Vancouver is a crime. Real estate prices in general are depressing. 

Wow, that's crazy high.  

I do more than my share of watching house hunting and renovation shows, but I can't watch that show anymore.  The scripted formula where in every episode the money to reno the place never can quite stretch to do what they originally promised it would do followed by a big confrontation with the owners for DRAMA halfway through became really things to dread.  Every time I watched the designer would make all sorts of promises they should have known they wouldn't be able to deliver on.  Plus I have issues with how the premise of the show pits couples against each other.  I watched too many where the biggest draw of the episode was speculation about how long before the homeowners divorced.  To be fair, most of my ire is not for the Vancouver spin-off, but the original show where the hosts at times seemed a lot closer to combative (so defensive) than flirty, lol.   

I will though confess to watching some of the Vancouver shows about houseboats just to see if I can spot the park they filmed in some stuff for Lian Yu.  Now I'm looking for the Olicity bench as well at that other park.  I have spotted the lighthouse before, lol.  

Edited November 4, 2017 by BkWurm1

[lemotomato]

1 hour ago, LeighAn said:

Also stray observations but the fact that some of the ugliest tiniest little houses list for over $900,000-$1,000,000 in Vancouver is a crime. Real estate prices in general are depressing. 

When I visited my relatives there last year, my uncle (in typical grumpy older guy fashion) could not stop complaining about how overseas investors were buying up property in Vancouver and driving up prices, then just letting them sit empty. It's such a big problem the government instituted an extra tax on vacant residences.

[LeighAn]

6 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

Wow, that's crazy high.  

I do more than my share of watching house hunting and renovation shows, but I can't watch that show anymore.  The scripted formula where in every episode the money to reno the place never can quite stretch to do what they originally promised it would do followed by a big confrontation with the owners for DRAMA halfway through became really things to dread.  Every time I watched the designer would make all sorts of promises they should have known they wouldn't be able to deliver on.  Plus I have issues with how the premise of the show pits couples against each other.  I watched too many where the biggest draw of the episode was speculation about how long before the homeowners divorced.  To be fair, most of my ire is not for the Vancouver spin-off, but the original show where the hosts at times seemed a lot closer to combative (so defensive) than flirty, lol.   

I haven't watched the original series yet but the Vancouver series does seem to follow the same pattern of drama with the Reno you mention haha. You should watch the Australian version if you get it. There is hardly any forced drama and the hosts are two males with a more humourous rapport plus the Reno and interior design is far more sophisticated and high class then what I've seen in the Vancouver series. The designer on the Australian series is like a Vogue Living editor. I'll be curious to see how the US interior designer stacks up.

5 hours ago, lemotomato said:

When I visited my relatives there last year, my uncle (in typical grumpy older guy fashion) could not stop complaining about how overseas investors were buying up property in Vancouver and driving up prices, then just letting them sit empty. It's such a big problem the government instituted an extra tax on vacant residences.

Foriegn investment is a problem in my country to, particularly from the Chinese. Not so much where I live but in the bigger cities definitely. The median house price where I live is $405,000 and that gets you a fairly decent average family house probably like 3-4 bedrooms 1-2 bathrooms and garage.  You're money goes far here. But the bigger cities do have median prices ranging from $800,000 to $1,000,000 I must admit. Yay to being a quieter less populated city with a less competitive job market ha! 

Edited November 4, 2017 by LeighAn

[LeighAn]

My love and list it hosts are totes adorbs. The male host Todd had this thing about having lucky socks and then asked the female host Jill about whether she had lucky undergarments to which she replied she doesn't wear undergarments and it was all very cute and competitive flirty banter. I'm telling you they are like Booth and Brennan season 1.  The banter distracts from the ugly grossly over priced realestate and the builder who constantly shuts down Jill's design ideas. 

 

Also Todd you're kind of a shitty salesman. When your client says she's worried about the glass railing not being kid friendly for you know... her kids you don't say "shut it about the glass". Also kind of sick of the ungrateful owners who always rage on Jill when she has to take money from the budget to actually make their house safe with things like safer supporting beams or electrical or the plumbing or getting rid of asbestos. 

[Mellowyellow]

Another random question!

Do you guys have mandatory superannuation where ever you are? A scheme where your employer pays a certain % (it's generally 9.5% in Aus) of your salary into a fund and you can't touch that until you retire?

Here the government will force you to save for retirement whether you like it or not! 

[BkWurm1]

10 hours ago, LeighAn said:

 

Quote

Also kind of sick of the ungrateful owners who always rage on Jill when she has to take money from the budget to actually make their house safe with things like safer supporting beams or electrical or the plumbing or getting rid of asbestos. 

 

FYI, the following was typed by me, Bkwurm1. No idea how it ended up in a quote and I can't get it out, lol.  

That's one of the things I wasn't fan of, though as I kept watching, (and again this is more to the other version though the formula seems to be nearly the same except for personalities) I got more frustrated actually by the designer since is always seemed like she broke the bad news to the owners in the worst and least sympathetic way possible.  The original designer was kind of a scary lady, lol.  Plus eventually, it drove me crazy that they never budget for any of these surprise problems when shows like Property Brothers always have the contingency fund built into their budget.      

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9 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Another random question!

Do you guys have mandatory superannuation where ever you are? A scheme where your employer pays a certain % (it's generally 9.5% in Aus) of your salary into a fund and you can't touch that until you retire?

Here the government will force you to save for retirement whether you like it or not! 

I'm wondering if that's something like paying the social security tax. Employees pay it out of their own salary.  Not sure if employers do as well. 

Edited November 6, 2017 by BkWurm1

[Mellowyellow]

19 minutes ago, BkWurm1 said:

I'm wondering if that's something like paying the social security tax. Employees pay it out of their own salary.  Not sure if employers do as well. 

Does that mean if you lose your job the government gives you money?

[Morrigan2575]

34 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Another random question!

Do you guys have mandatory superannuation where ever you are? A scheme where your employer pays a certain % (it's generally 9.5% in Aus) of your salary into a fund and you can't touch that until you retire?

Here the government will force you to save for retirement whether you like it or not! 

No we don't. We have 401Ks which are pretv contributions (for now) to a retirement plan that most employers match up to a certain amount. We also have IRAs and Roth IRAs which are post tax contributions to Retirement plans.

The only thing the government forces you to do is to start taking payout on your retirement plan at a certain age (72 or 75).

[Morrigan2575]

23 minutes ago, Mellowyellow said:

Does that mean if you lose your job the government gives you money?

No, Social Security is for retirement, you don't get it until you're old enough, age changes by generation. 

Essentially what I'm paying into SS right now covers people currently collecting SS (65 and older). Unfortunately due to the Baby Boomers and the Gov't borrowing from the fund the SS fund isn't solvent so by the time my generation retires we either won't get SS or get very minimal amounts (put collection age is (I think) 70. Unless something is done to increase the size of the fund. Eliminate SS limits (you're not taxed after $127k in salary per year) or increase the amount of SS paid by 1% per person but, those apparently aren't popular.

We do have an Unemployment Tax, which I believe is a state tax. We pay into that annually and then if you lose your job you can collect for 6-12 (if you get extensions). However there's a cap on the amount you get paid from Unemployment, it's basically nothing, when my mom was laid off/forced retirement at 72 she was collecting like $450 a week, I think at the time, the max was $600/week.