New England B.S. Thread

Depends. I had a co-worker who asked for a market adjustment raise and brought in glass door, salary etc and showed he was being underpaid like 25%. So they did a "market adjustment" - of 2%. So he brought in an offer letter a week later and magically they were able to find not only the 25%, but more (I wasn't told how much more).

It depends where you are. Absolutely the approach at a mom and pop has to be different than a small local company with 2-300 people has to be different than a 5B dollar corporation.

 

Good for you. What did you put in?

 

The thing with teachers is they start low ($46k w/ Bachelors, $50k w/ Masters for us) but climb rapidly. Our average is around $80k and cost of living in our area is pretty low compared to the more populated parts of the state. They can get to about $100 by having enough years in and advising a club, coaching, or chairing a department. I really don't think that is bad for a 185 day work year. That said, other areas are not the same. If we are talking someplace like Georgia it's a very different story.

A guy in my girlfriend's family is an EMT and said he makes $23/hour. He has tons of training and has been doing it for over a decade. That is just insulting pay for that kind of work.

In Massachusetts, I think public retirement/pension is the same for a teacher or EMT. So at least there is that. Fire and police may be in a different group. I would need to look it up again.

 

The same thing. Takeoffs off of a new off-road. I’ll change the fronts when I have more free time.

 

100% local vs big corporations are vastly different. I never asked for a raise at my old job before it was purchased. Didn't have any complaints really either. Then we were purchased and at review after my boss had left I laughed at the raise they offered. I asked for more, they said no I said ok time to go. When I came in saying I have a job they made zero effort to keep me so away I went. If it was still the small company I'd still be there even if I was making around 15% less

 

My employer wanted me at 2/3ds the contract rate because I dropped the cdl off my license and took a dock start. Ya see this why I like unions, so employers can’t screw you out of a fair days wage.

 

Is there a go to place to buy stuff like U bolts? Im replacing my leafpacks soon and will need replacements.

 

It might not be everyone's go-to, but it is mine: https://www.uboltsdirect.com/

I've ordered from here a couple of times and the service and quality has been great.

 

If you need them for a ubolt flip I have a new pair I could let go

 

My friend who is Big Ford truck guy went out and spent 115,000 on an over priced camper than now sits in his yard as they only used it twice since they bought it, maybe a third time, the remainder of its time it sitts in his yard looking stupid, what a waste of money at $ 6.00 a gallon for diesel fuel what a waste to haul it around.
Then the guy goes out and spends 14,000 on one laser engraver for his mini shop and a bench top laser engraver @ $8K what another waste of money, his wife said sell the camper and get a job or get out. Poor guy !

 

I mean...In the nicest possible way... RTFM

Labelle in Derry NH (it's the old Brookstone golf course/venue...my friend's wedding was there actually!) then down to Derry NH Police station for drop off. It's not tacoma specific, seeing the images, so it might be a bit weird.

 

Yep, I got the wheelers ubolt flip a while ago. Replacing the leaf packs so need longer ones. I'll PM you.

 

Yeah campers are junk for what they are. I worked in a cabinet shop for a while and have the tools to do a good buildout on the cheap. It'll definitely get used and abused a bit.

 

It's nice out today, so I went ahead and did the bushwhacker screws too.



Don't worry, all the screw heads are faced the same.

 

Okay plant people. I'm back. Front yard looks okay but I need to spend some time on it. I know some stuff you want to trim/prune in the fall/winter so I wanted to jump on them now if need be.

First - this bad larry. Youngin' rhododendron, was planted last spring (2021...Maybe it was Spring 2020....Or fall....Eh, it's a young rhododendron). Is it too close to the house?

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Next up we have this. I think someone identified it for me as a yew shrub last time we talked. I want to bring this down to about half the size. Bring it so it's about 6" off the concrete instead of 6" over. From what I've read, this one is good to do in Mar/Apr. If it dies from the prune, it dies. Picture isn't good at showing it, but it IS about 6-12" off the house. I keep the back open.

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Second one - I would probably like to bring this down in size too, but I don't have any specific goals on this one.

Annnnd next lot we have hydrangeas and whatever these smaller bushes are, some sort of variegated bush thing. We just kinda of whack those down whenever. The Hydrangeas I'd like to get going better, from what I've read it's to get them after flowering but in the summer. So, I think I did that one right this year.

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The next one, this pain in the butt, I want to get these about half. Can I just lop the top off and shape them? Or is that one of those "that kills them" moments. I have no idea what these are. If that does kill them, I will probably get them gone. They were decent when they were smaller but now not so much.

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and last but not least this 'big' (it's Rhode Island, what can I say) tree in the middle of the front yard. I want to bring this down to about half the size, maybe a bit more. Not sure when this one should be trimmed up. No idea what kind of tree it is.

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The last one if it needs to go, it goes. We're not 100% NOT going to become the neighbor with the weird garden out front, that you see in VT. Something like this:

 

Fwiw I trimmed my bushes down and lopped off the tops as well. 3 out of 4 came back to a few years.
Trim in the spring not the fall.

 

Those look like some kind of Arbor Vitae. You can lop them, but they'll be ugly on top possibly forever and likely for a very long time. You may be able to cut them at a slope (imagine the top will be funnel-shaped when you're done, with the funnel facing "spout down") and let them grow in, but again, it will probably be slow. Most A.V. are planted as screens because their initial growth is fast and predictable, but like many similar types they don't always fill in well in damaged old growth areas.

 

The only thing I KNOW I need to trim soon/over the winter is the rhododendron. I think everything else is either spring after frost, or summer after flowering, depending.

Hmm. Good to know. And I think you're spot on to what they were planted for. I'll talk to the neighbor people and see if they use them as a light block/privacy screen at all. I might take that approach, lop the tops and buzz them into shape.

I don't know exactly what they are, but saw similar bushes described pretty much what you're saying. They don't take to "old-age" trimming well at all. They're weird, because they're only 3 of them next to each other at the end of the driveway. That's it. So, they feel out of place. But they are, I think, blocking the neighbors window from sun at times.

Thanks - I'll let you know I end up doing and how it goes

 

I Don’t have any rhodies lol.