Random Thoughts

[Panama Red]

Hey, thanks! I’m up early on a day off, getting ready to skin the inside of this SOB I’ve got... lots to do today.

I had somebody last week tell me how their 32 year old son that still lives at home couldn’t help them around the yard, because he worked 40 hours a week. 40 hours? Man, I leave the house at 5:30 in the morning, work a ten hour day, then go run my gym for three more hours, and get home at 8:30 in the evening, and I’ve still got to maintain my yard, and the warehouses that we own, and I’m refurbing a trailer, AND trying to keep Mrs Red happy... don’t even start with me.

Sorry, day off rant... didn’t mean to go there. Anyways, I just missed a teeny tiny Airstream a lady had for sale local. $600... never got to see it. She had it sold before I could get there. Although, and I hate to admit this, it is kind of nice working with screws instead of rivers. There, I said it! Yes I did...

Alright, got to put together this weeks workouts, get over to Home Depot for an air nailer, skin a trailer, go pick up the toilet that USPS won’t deliver... but first, this awesome cup of coffee.

-Red, keeping the random in Random Thoughts...

[Rocinante]

Worst part about being retired: No more days off. Not a one.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Worst part about being retired: No more days off. Not a one.

I'm not REALLY retired. I'm just in day 1068 of a VERY long weekend!

[OTRA15]

Only 37 until you catch up with your WBCCI number . . .

[DaveP]

I want to retire, but I am afraid to. We keep spending too much $$$$$! What do they say? You can't take it with you?

BTW, I love this thread!

[mythbuster88]

I used to be retired.

Then an Airstream entered into my life.

[Photobum]

I think that may someday be my story. I got the AS in 2014 but the tow vehicle in 2003. And someday I may choose to replace the TV.

[Panama Red]

So I bought a new narrow crown stapler to re-skin the inside of this little canned ham I have. I didn’t go to Harbor Freight, like I usually do, because I wanted a bit higher quality. Ended up buying a name I’ve known for years, used to be really high quality stuff, Porter Cable... Stupid stapler quit before I got through on course of staples. Striker return spring must have broke, because the little striker pin would no longer return. It moved freely enough, you could bump the stapler against your hand and it would return, as long as the staples were removed. Returned it to Home Despot, and bought a Rigid. I’ll let you know how this one turn out.

-Red, starting to miss rivets...

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Worst part about being retired: No more days off. Not a one.

Best part of being retired: Driving past the airport and not turning in! Especially at 4 am.

[sbowman]

I have often wondered if retirement is a frame of mind, retired from what? Is it a life style change? Is it a greater opportunity to expand on the AS forum or for that matter other forums of ones interest? I know we have less squirrels in our bird feeders.

Safe travels

[xrvr]

Best part of being retired is not being expired!

[sbowman]

Originally Posted by avionstream

Best part of being retired is not being expired!

Amen!

Safe travels

[DaveP]

So, at the doctor's this morning, he tells me he is retiring in April. Then he says, you know we are the same age... I look in the mirror on the opposite wall and think, dang, I thought he was a young guy...

Guess I can't die young and leave a good looking corpse anymore!

[switz]

Typical funeral home phrase: " He/She looks great". No, they look dead.

Cheerful message in Tombstone grave yard.

As you pass by, remember me. For as you are so once was I. And as I am, you soon will be. Remember me.

[Panama Red]

I’m a member in a Facebook group for Canned Ham owners... odd group of people. They have an unwritten rule against talking poorly about Previous Owners, so as not to hurt the feelings of someone who may do a crap repair on their own trailer. Seriously! EVERYTHING I have repaired to this point on this little Canned Ham is due to crap maintenance by Previous Owners. Everything! Tell you what, just do your best preventive maintenance, and I won’t say one negative thing about you. But do a “repair” that causes more damage than no maintenance at all and expect me not to comment? Now we’re talking crazy talk... Sorry, I’m feeling the pressure of my self imposed deadline. Well, it’s only self imposed by me buying a camper that wasn’t any where near ready to camp, and I have to have it ready by January 11th... what the heck was I thinking. Busy weekend coming up!

Dear Previous Owners of my rotted out Canned Ham, you are probably all some of the best people in the whole planet. I’m not questioning your morals, or calling you malicious, or saying anything about your character. You are AWESOME people. I love you bunches! But for the love of all things aluminum, get some help when you go to make a repair on your camper. Read repair forums. Ask people questions. Practice on scrap material. And if you just can’t get the hang of it, pay someone to do it right. You will thank me, your trailer will thank me, the next owner of your trailer will thank me...
Dear next person to own my camper, sorry for some of the short cuts I took. I was in a hurry. Go ahead and talk bad about me. I’m a big boy, I can take it!

-Red, sometimes part of the problem, sometimes part of the solution...

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by SteveH

I think 20% for taking an order and bringing the food to the table is too much. 10% should be enough for that job, after all they wait on several tables at a time.

I usually tip 15%, but what did that waitress say as we left?

OLD POST, but did you know that in many states wait staff still get less than $3.00 per hour and many of their customers are unkind, unwashed and sometimes borderline insane. Jack Nicholson was a pussycat by comparison.

I leave a bad tip only for truly wretched service without extenuating circumstances.

Remarkably great service? I call the manager's attention to it AND drop $20 for a $12 check. (About once a year if that)

Paula

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

OLD POST, but did you know that in many states wait staff still get less than $3.00 per hour and many of their customers are unkind, unwashed and sometimes borderline insane. Jack Nicholson was a pussycat by comparison.

I am reminded of an incident that happened to an acquaintance of mine who worked at the New Orleans Hard Rock Cafe.

A celebrity family of four (all adults)-- who will remain nameless because they are political figures-- went to the Hard Rock for drinks and dinner. The manager recognized the family, and assigned my acquaintance to serve them, and only them, for the duration of their stay. In the space of six hours they ran up a total tab of $396 and change. Even including four meals and accounting for French Quarter drink prices, that's still a lot of drinks to be served to just four people. Because there were only four in the group, no gratuity was added to the bill; gratuities are only added for groups of six or more. As she tells the story, this political family got more rude, more condescending, and more obnoxious with every drink served, not at all like their public personas on television.

The head of the famous family paid the tab with $400 cash, and graciously said "Keep the change." My acquaintance was heartbroken. She had worked hard her whole shift serving that one table and only that one table, and got less than $4 in tips. Since her wages were "$2 per hour plus tips" according to her employment contract, she put in a grueling six-hour shift for less than $16 total wages.

I used to moonlight in a bar in the French Quarter when I was younger, and I learned to not only appreciate but also reward good service after having been the one having to serve rude and ungrateful patrons while smiling and pretending that I and my co-workers actually enjoyed being treated like third-class citizens for wages too cheap for even illegal aliens to endure just because of a loophole in minimum wage laws.

[switz]

Various owners of the food establishments got a slave labor law passed so they could make even more profit off of their employees. Every other business has to pay the so called living minimum wage (try and do that) and restaurant food prices have only gone up with time, but not the pittance hourly wage for wait folks.

End of rant.

[Photobum]

I spent ten years tending bar and waiting tables in some of the best places. People vary in many ways, and one of them is recognizing others for their efforts. I will say that the lessons learned make one a better person, and more prone to recognize others for their efforts.