SPAM random annoying things

[dysfunction]

So, I'm being interviewed for the job I've been doing for four years tomorrow. It'll be a formality, but they're trying to convert me to perm.

I'm very tempted to take it as I get to WFH 100% of the time and I'm pretty much left to my own devices, can manage myself, I know what's important and I'm low maintenance.

Going from contract > perm is going to come at a hewuge cost though. I put in an ask and the boss has told me it's "off their scale". Until I told him what sort of a cut I would be taking.

Anyone got any advice on how to negotiate on salary with a big corp. I don't want to be de-motivated by taking such a huge cut that it's just not worth it.

Do you know what the "going" rate is for your job as a perm staff?
I would just go in with a high salary and then they can negotiate down from there.

I did that in my current job and got a more than what I was expecting.

I'm sure what they have said to you is all part of their negotiating tactics so you start with a lower number than you are on now.

 

[Wij]

Um - never mind the wage. Have you considered having to do PDPs to justify a pay-rise every year?

Fuck that imo.

 

[Scouse]

I can bullshit a PDP @Wij. It's the WFH thing - 100% sat in my pad in North Wales is the biggie for me. I cover EMEA so most of the people I talk to are miles away. Only time I go into an office is to get pissed (which I'm doing on Wednesday actually - the first time since last August!).

I've put in a big six-figure salary ask @dysfunction but it'd still come as a whacking great loss.

Contracting's a young man's game IMO. I don't ever want to have to go into an office again, unless I want to.

 

[Embattle]

The use of the phrase "World Leading" by Conservative MPs.

 

[Scouse]

Got attacked by one of my geese this morning.

That's not unusual. I've 4 boys, and three of them regularly take very noisy exception to me coming into my own fucking field to feed them. However, this is the first time that this one has attacked and I'm annoyed as we always get along.

We call this one "friend zone" - because there's one female goose, sat on a bunch of eggs, and they are inseparable. But she's shagging one of the rowdy wankers, so he's firmly in the friend zone.

Well, he's now in the "cuckold zone". She's hatched at least one, but none of them will let me get near to check. This has resulted in friendzone becoming a rowdy arse and taking on the role of "dad" to someone else's kids.

I've got 4 other goslings on the boil that I hatched myself. They're currently in a pen so the buzzard won't snatch 'em (I've no idea how to deal with the new hatchees logistically, it might just be "wing it and see what happens/hope they don't get eaten"). This is providing "goose TV" to the boys, so they spend most of their day sat in front of them, watching them be chirpy little twats, and not walking around the field eating the grass I want them to eat.

The downside of all this new life, is that there needs to be some death. Two of the three bolshy boys are for the chop this weekend to make space. Killing geese is a bit traumatic as they're so full of personality, but needs must.

Problem is, whilst I've ringed them, one of them has managed to slip his (and probably ate it). And it's him or "shagger" that I can't identify between. And I really don't want to kill shagger.

Unfortunately for one of 'em, he's wearing a yellow leg ring of death. But as the farmers say, where there's life, there's death.

In other news, a fucking mole has decided to take up residence in my vegetable patch and he's uprooted a load of my swiss chard and wiped out half my french beans.

The cunt

 

[Lamp]

Tesco have increased the price of Haribo Starmix to £1.25. Used to be £1

If they decided in a moment of madness to roll back all their prices to pre-Ukraine levels, they'd be undercutting Sainsburys etc by 30%. Would the resulting increased customer base make cover the price drop ?

 

[Wij]

Tesco have increased the price of Haribo Starmix to £1.25. Used to be £1

If they decided in a moment of madness to roll back all their prices to pre-Ukraine levels, they'd be undercutting Sainsburys etc by 30%. Would the resulting increased customer base make cover the price drop ?

Unlikely. Grocery margins are usually fairly thin. It doesn’t matter how many you sell if it’s at a loss. I don’t look at sweets retail much but I’d guess that Haribo have put up their prices to the retailers.

 

[Raven]

Random dickhead management that want a project paused so they can pretend to understand what is going on, despite showing no interest in the 6 months the project has been going.

 

[DaGaffer]

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/plus-size-travelers-slam-airline-seat-policies/index.html

"Plus-size". Fuck off.

 

[Tom]

> “Being a large-size person is not a choice, as many people mistakenly believe,” Lukacs tells CNN Travel.

Perhaps, perhaps not. But flying most certainly is a choice.

 

[Embattle]

> “Being a large-size person is not a choice, as many people mistakenly believe,” Lukacs tells CNN Travel.

Perhaps, perhaps not. But flying most certainly is a choice.

The majority are that size by choice, because of the amount and type of foods they stick in their mouths and the lack of physical activity. The biggest shock is the amount of children who are overweight, I and my friends played consoles and ate crap but we also were highly active going out on bike rides and enjoying the gym.

Now having said that there are people who are unfortunately over weight due to medical conditions, my mother was one of them where she had an over active thyroid which was nuked a little too much thus went under active thus she gained some which was impossible to lose.

 

[Yoni]

Certainly isn't a choice if you live in a different country to your family @Tom. I am irrationally terrified of flying however to see my mum in an efficient way I have to take a flight I am sure there are very large people who need to fly to see their families also.

Being overweight or too big for an airplane seat so very overweight is a really really complex issue and whilst it shouldnt be encouraged, overweight people should be helped rather than demonised whether this means dietary help, safe medication or gastric bands. Sometimes if you are unlucky none of the aformentioned will help whether that is thyroid, menopausal or just mental illness... and yes if travelling they should be safe and comfortable and certainly not made to feel like they are anything but human like their thinner counterparts.

 

[Embattle]

I don't find in many cases it is complex, if you are big or overweight you can fly but you end up paying more simply because those two factors matter more so in flight than any where else in terms of travel.

Personally I would like to see air travel reduced massively, I would like to see an air miles system introduced.

 

[Yoni]

I would like to see there to be tax thresholds for companies and individuals who fly also. I meant the fact that the individual is big or overweight is complex not the discussion point. I do not believe that they should pay more for a seat that is big enough. Addtionally it is for everyone's comfort that they are given additional space.

 

[DaGaffer]

Certainly isn't a choice if you live in a different country to your family @Tom. I am irrationally terrified of flying however to see my mum in an efficient way I have to take a flight I am sure there are very large people who need to fly to see their families also.

Being overweight or too big for an airplane seat so very overweight is a really really complex issue and whilst it shouldnt be encouraged, overweight people should be helped rather than demonised whether this means dietary help, safe medication or gastric bands. Sometimes if you are unlucky none of the aformentioned will help whether that is thyroid, menopausal or just mental illness... and yes if travelling they should be safe and comfortable and certainly not made to feel like they are anything but human like their thinner counterparts.

That's all well and good, but why should anyone expect to pay the price of a ticket for one person when they take up the space of two people? At heart I'm still 8 years old but that doesn't seem to cut much ice with Ryanair when I try to book myself on a child priced ticket.

 

[Yoni]

Not really the same thing though is it. Children have cheaper items across the spectrum however larger people generally do not have to pay more to go to the cinema, take a train, go to an amusement park or a museum. Even with clothes a very large person no longer has to pay more even though they use more material. This is the only instance I can think of where a very large person is charged more than a small to large adult.

Of course it would be better if very large humans were supported and encouraged to become more healthy until then they should not be made to feel like monsters or suffer economically. Why is it so important to any of you if a very large person pays the same price as a small large person to sit on a plane - I am not sure why anyone gives a shit - envy is not a great look on anyone.

If we want to go down that route lets:
Ensure that if you arrive first then you can get on the plane first and before people with young children and those with disabilities unless they pay to skip the queue or airlines should just board by seat as it is quicker and easier in the long run.
Ensure we charge anyone that needs to be wheeled on extra as they use more resource
Fine those who bring too much cabin luggage and take up entire overhead lockers
Make poeple with body oder issues pay more

I understand that Ryanair / EasyJet charge for everything including some of the above.

 

[Embattle]

Of course it would be better if very large humans were supported and encouraged to become more healthy until then they should not be made to feel like monsters or suffer economically. Why is it so important to any of you if a very large person pays the same price as a small large person to sit on a plane - I am not sure why anyone gives a shit - envy is not a great look on anyone.

Governments and information services have been doing quite a lot to tell and advise people the ways in which you can avoid becoming obese, in my opinion the government could do more but in the end the majority do know that if you continue to eat way beyond your daily calories while parking your arse on a sofa you are going to get fat and unhealthy and thus get all the assorted problems and costs that go with such a lifestyle.

Simple economics, everyone who isn't overweight will be subsidising the person/persons who are because the airline sure isn't going to take the hit whether that be in costs per seat due to capacity loss or plane design to make sure the oversized people can still get out of it before being BBQ'd in any sort of emergency. This also isn't just a problem in flight travel, but across nearly everything in life when it comes to weight.

 

[Scouse]

I'm of the opinion that we should legislate very heavily against food manufacturers to essentially destroy this "obeseogenic environment" that we've allowed to develop. It does nobody any favours and that's reflected in the fact that nearly 70% of brits are overweight or obese, when that was previously not the case. I fully acknowledge that it's clearly not easy to live in an environment where manufacturers exploit addiction for profit at the expense of health.

However, I also feel very strongly that not stating very plainly that ultimately you're in control of your own body and what you put in it also does nobody any favours. If you've allowed yourself to get to that size then you can't complain if people see your failure and you become a target for actions such as these because ultimately it's still something you did to yourself.

The congenitally disabled should get to board planes first because they didn't do anything to themselves.

Massively obese people hit themselves in the face with burgers and ice cream over and over again, whilst knowing what they were doimg to themselves - and it's a lie to say they are "helpless".

 

[DaGaffer]

Not really the same thing though is it?

No, it's worse. A child actually takes up the same space as an adult, e.g. "a seat" but is effectively subsidised by the fact they usually have full priced adults with them, and we collectively acknowledge children don't have any say in whether they fly or not. A "plus size" person takes up more of a finite resource (available seats), and do have a choice. Arguing "oh they don't do that on trains" is mainly a function of train companies ignoring the problem and letting the squeezed passengers sort it out for themselves; much more difficult on an aircraft where you're more squeezed in the first place and have to be strapped in at certain times by law.

The problem is that some things can be ignored in the interests of social niceties, and some things are just physics.

 

[Yoni]

At risk of repeating myself it is not enough to tell an addict that what they are doing is wrong or bad for them. Humans obsessively eat due to mental as well as physical issues as well as taking the easy option due to lack of time. Governments are doing more but it is not enough.

I do not think it is a social nicety to treat one human the same as another I see it as a human right so we will not agree here with that in mind I will not continue to debate this topic as it gets circular and boring. I have been too thin and too fat in my life and have more than enough experience of how it is to live in both worlds and unlike many who forget the journeys they have experienced I would prefer to support humans who are on a difficult journey rather than tell them something that they probably already know and are trying to deal with.

 

[Bodhi]

If we're making allowances for people addicted to eating on planes can we do the same for us folk addicted to smoking? I'm sure given the size of an A380, some sort of vaping lounge or sacrificing a toilet for a smoking booth could easily happen.

Or are we only making allowances for high status addictions?

 

[Wij]

What about those of us addicted to wanking?

(In all seriousness though, I can see your argument Bodhi but I'm a bit uncomfortable about making fat/really tall people pay a premium. What about heavyweight boxers?)

 

[Bodhi]

What about those of us addicted to wanking?

(In all seriousness though, I can see your argument Bodhi but I'm a bit uncomfortable about making fat/really tall people pay a premium. What about heavyweight boxers?)

If they're any good they'll be in Business Class

More seriously, looking at boxers/rugby players/other they mountains - I would have no problem with them being bumped up to Premium/Business for practical reasons, as they aren't particularly common and they really can't do much about what size they are. Folks who have the same inability to put down the fork as I have in putting my lighter away? I have much less sympathy tbh.

 

[JBP|]

Had a text to book an annual pill review (6 months after having to start taking various pills because of heart attack), so promptly phoned my new doctors for an appointment ( I've not actually met a doctor from this practice yet!), only to be told there are no appointments available but when one does pop up it will be a 15 minute phone call.

Additionally a couple of months ago after a blood test had the diabetes nurse phone me saying I'm diabetic blah blah blah, I said I'm not! What are my vit B12 levels because I have issues with that? She didn't know cos it wasn't tested after I specifically asked for it to be tested.

5 minutes after that a doctor from the practice calls and I ask him the same question and told its 99 above minimum levels. So I mentioned about a connection between low B12 and cardiovascular disease and he's having non of it after a lengthy argument and goes on to inform me my folic acid is dangerously low and I need pills for that too!

After the conversation I have discovered that low foliate is also a cause of cardiovascular disease.

Needless to say, at the moment I'm not a big fan of the medical profession.

 

[Wij]

Had a text to book an annual pill review (6 months after having to start taking various pills because of heart attack), so promptly phoned my new doctors for an appointment ( I've not actually met a doctor from this practice yet!), only to be told there are no appointments available but when one does pop up it will be a 15 minute phone call.

Additionally a couple of months ago after a blood test had the diabetes nurse phone me saying I'm diabetic blah blah blah, I said I'm not! What are my vit B12 levels because I have issues with that? She didn't know cos it wasn't tested after I specifically asked for it to be tested.

5 minutes after that a doctor from the practice calls and I ask him the same question and told its 99 above minimum levels. So I mentioned about a connection between low B12 and cardiovascular disease and he's having non of it after a lengthy argument and goes on to inform me my folic acid is dangerously low and I need pills for that too!

After the conversation I have discovered that low foliate is also a cause of cardiovascular disease.

Needless to say, at the moment I'm not a big fan of the medical profession.

It’s a shambles

 

[Scouse]

Seven weeks of full sun. Plants dying. Got a week booked off with the o/h. Rain forecast every day.

 

[Wij]

Seven weeks of full sun. Plants dying. Got a week booked off with the o/h. Rain forecast every day.

God hates you.

 

[Scouse]

God hates you.

And Satan too.

Ain't no place for me in heaven or hell.

 

[Embattle]

And Satan too.

Ain't no place for me in heaven or hell.

Purgatory it is then...although none of the rest of us can go there since we already are there as we have to endure your arguments

 

[DaGaffer]

Seven weeks of full sun. Plants dying. Got a week booked off with the o/h. Rain forecast every day.

I am the Rain God.


You're welcome.