The Frying Pan

Jay

12:36

I took the bus to work today.

Like a pleb

:P

I was super unnecessarily stressed out by the whole experience

I knew the bus ride was about 1 hr

but the whole time I sat with my eyes out the window keeping watch like a sentinel making sure I didnt miss my bus stop

even 5 minutes into the ride when i knew my stop was nowhere near yet

Cindy

Hey @Jay. Are you getting your car back soon?

Jay

@Cindy the shop said 3 days after the parts arrive

so far the parts havent arrived :(

so best case scenario i get the car back by friday

but it doesnt look like thats happening :'(

Cindy

Bummer. :( Fingers crossed for you!

Jay

Thanks

Cindy

i'm super over-stressed this morning. Wish I could turn it off!

Jay

12:41

Ohhhhhhhh

"Expected delivery date: 08/07/15"

new update :D

thats friday

@Cindy Overstressed about what

waiting on the job?

Cindy

Cool! :)

@Jay The job situation mostly. We've hit the wall and can't pay several bills. And when that hits my credit, it will ensure that I won't get hired anywhere.

Jay

@Cindy do jobs check credit score?

i honestly wasnt aware of that

Cindy

Yes. And if you don't meet their criteria you are considered high risk. One of the last questions I was asked on the call last week was "We do extensive background and credit checks. Are you confident that you can pass them?". And just a couple of weeks ago several people who were hired on contingency where my husband works were let go. When their credit checks came back they were considered to be be too much of a risk.

Jay

I see

I guess i took it for granted since I havent "done enough in life" to have made my score gone bad

:'(

this makes me weep

Cindy

True. And my credit has been so good. I just hate the thought of it tanking.

Jay

12:51

@Cindy if your credit is good so far i doubt missing a payment or two will drastically drop it enough for you not to be hired

Cindy

@Jay Wow! Poor baby (car). :(

Jay

im going to go pick up my car on friday with a get well soon balloon

Cindy

@Jay That is true enough. But having current delinquencies showing is not good.

Jay

lol the people at the shop will think im a crazy loon

@Cindy Hmmm maybe itll make slightly less of a difference just because of the job type

Cindy

@Jay Let 'em think what they will. It's your baby, after all. :)

Jay

12:53

if you were applying to like a administrative job

it might look not that great if your credit doesnt look good

but maybe itll make less of a difference at a pharm tech job

Cindy

No, theft is a major consideration.

Jay

ah thats true

being around so much drugs

Cindy

Yes. And the job I had the screening for last week would put me in jewelry stores and dept. stores.

Jay

is there any sort of part time opening you can apply for while you are looking?

are you not a peoples person?

my roommate sophomore year had to get a parttime job at a grocery store and he really enjoyed it because he likes talking to people

Cindy

I'm applying for anything and everything. Almost. I've even applied to stock shelves. And yes, my work has always had the need for excellent people skills.

Jay

12:59

@Cindy theres a difference between people who are good with people, and people who enjoy talking to people

you can be terrific with people but you wont enjoy it unless you inherently want to regularly interact with other humans

im very good with people but i rather be left alone most of the time if that makes sense

Cindy

@Jay True. But I have also worked in retail settings and truly enjoy the customer interactions.

Jay

Ah i see

Cindy

The 'almost' above refers to a job I didn't apply for. There is a store reasonably close enough to me to work at and they have several openings. But they get robbed at gunpoint on a regular basis. (Thus, the many openings.)

Jay

@Cindy Yikes

Cindy

I do draw the line on some things.

Jay

13:05

Yea any reasonable person would [not work there]

Cindy

And I'm not holding out for full time. In fact, most of the jobs I've applied to are part time because there just aren't as many full time jobs open.

Jay

Where do you live again?

Cindy

Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better now. Almost back to my usual self, ready to go get 'em! I live in southeast VA.

Jay

I see

And no problem

sometimes the only thing you need is someone to listen to feel better

The frying pan is a place to get free therapy :D

Cindy

Really!

I'm off to apply for more jobs. Back in a while. @Jay Thanks again! :)

Jay

13:15

@Cindy Np! Good luck!

Jay

13:34

And then there was one

echo one

one

lol it auto deleted same word posts

Cerbie!!!

Save me from myself

gah I've had two cups of coffee since getting to work

my mind is whirring

Faheem Mitha

16:49

@Jay Define "good with people".

So did everyone disappear?

Jay

@FaheemMitha Yup but im back

back again

Faheem Mitha

@Jay And then there were two.

Jay

@FaheemMitha how was your weekend

Faheem Mitha

In the spirit of random word association:

Then There Were Five

Then There Were Five (1944) is a children's novel by award-winning author Elizabeth Enright. The third of her four books about the Melendy family, it is preceded by The Saturdays and The Four-Story Mistake, and followed by Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze. Then There Were Five takes place in the summer immediately following The Four-Story Mistake. == Plot introduction == The four Melendy children live with their father, a widowed professor of economics, and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, in an old house in the countryside of New York. Their Father has been hired by the government for a secret...

Jay

well thats interesting

Faheem Mitha

16:57

@Jay Ok, I guess. Various bits of tedious drudgery to perform. How about you? What news of the car?

Jay

@FaheemMitha estimated time itll be finished is this friday

so i had to take the bus like a pleb today

Faheem Mitha

@Jay I see.

Jay

I was super unnecessarily stressed out by the whole experience
I knew the bus ride was about 1 hr
but the whole time I sat with my eyes out the window keeping watch like a sentinel making sure I didnt miss my bus stop
even 5 minutes into the ride when i knew my stop was nowhere near yet

Faheem Mitha

@Jay I read somewhere that only crazy and homeless people take the bus in LA. I wonder if it is the same elsewhere.

Jay

lol no its not quite that bad here

but ive heard some stories

Faheem Mitha

17:00

@Jay Stressed out about the bus ride?

@Jay Glad to hear it.

Jay

@FaheemMitha yea i just couldnt relax. i kept making sure i didnt miss my bus stop

Faheem Mitha

@Jay You don't like riding the bus then?

Jay

but itll probably be less stressful tomorrow now that i have a better idea when my strop is

Faheem Mitha

Or just that you didn't know where to get off?

Jay

I wasnt sure when to get off

and if i mess up, it'll be really annoying to get to where i really need to get to

Faheem Mitha

17:02

@Jay Yes, it can be a pain to get off at the wrong stop.

Jay

and I was already a bit funky from waking up so much earlier than im used to

Faheem Mitha

Though personally I found driving in the US quite stressful. Though much less than driving in India, of course.

Jay

With driving, if you mess up its not as big of a deal

if you mess up with taking the bus, it'll take upwards of 2 hours to fix that

well at least for this bus route

Faheem Mitha

So, where is our favorite International Man of Mystery?

Jay

since it goes to a different state, its route is super long

Faheem Mitha

17:03

@Jay upwards of 2 hours to fix what?

Jay

so it only runs every 2 hours

@FaheemMitha to get to the right location again

Faheem Mitha

@Jay you cross state lines to go to work? yikes.

How many miles is your commute?

Jay

From pennsylvania into new jersey

Philadelphia is right on the border between the two states

so its not that far

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Oh. That sounds like a long way.

Jay

only about 30 minutes driving

Faheem Mitha

17:04

@Jay oh

We are missing the International Man of Mystery and the Intrepid Alaskan. It's just not the same without them.

Jay

but bus routes have many stops along the way so it takes 1hr to get there

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Yes. I kind of like public transport, but it certainly is a slow way to get places.

Jay

which isnt too bad. cause the other route would have entailed 3 transfer. This would take close to 2 hours

Faheem Mitha

I like trains at least. I even manage to have mildly positive feelings about Bombay trains, which is an accomplishment.

Jay

the 3 transfer route is cheaper though

Faheem Mitha

17:06

@Jay ok

Jay

but taking an hour extra out of my life is not worth the ~$2.50 ill be saving

although the 3 trasnfer route is more convenient time wise

it runs much more often

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Agreed. So by the car it's 1/2 hr?

Jay

@FaheemMitha if not traffic yea

Faheem Mitha

@Jay How bad is the traffic, typically?

Jay

and there normally isnt any traffic in the morning since most people are commuting into philadelphia rather than leaving

but on the way home, it takes 40-60 minutes

Faheem Mitha

17:08

@Jay I see.

@Jay Oh, that's bad...

Jay

which i dont mind. i rather be late getting home than late getting to work

Do you have to deal with commutes?

and if so, how long are your commutes

Faheem Mitha

@Jay No, I don't. I'm jobless. So it doesn't come up. :-)

derobert

@Cerberus we have our own Greece? Puerto Rico? Not sure where else you're referring too, though they're better off than Greece as they get fiscal transfers...

Jay

@FaheemMitha Woooo sleep in and dance naked on your bed!

oh wait thats what i do

Faheem Mitha

@Jay It's not as much fun as it sounds.

Jay

17:16

@FaheemMitha haha i know. I was unemployed for almost a year after graduation. Between dealing with family health issues, and everything, i had no motivation to look for jobs

but i was trying to make light of everything

I tend to do that for more depressing topics. Or I become overly imappropriate. I guess thats how i deal with life

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Making light of bad things is a valid way of dealing with them. When you aren't actually dealing with them. You know what I mean.

Obsessing about the bad things in your life is the fast track to insanity.

Jay

@FaheemMitha Its easy to say that. but much harder to avoid doing that obsessing

I know all too well

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Yes, I know. But you get better at it with practice.

And after you've courted a nervous breakdown with obsessing over stuff, you learn to dial it back.

Jay

@BaffledCook hey buddy, long time no see

BaffledCook

@Jay Hi! Just passing by

How's life?

Jay

17:22

@BaffledCook Gooood!

bad things here and there but mostly good now

How about you?

BaffledCook

Excellent! thumbs up emoticon

Me... well

Jay

Yay :D

BaffledCook

I think I talked about my separation last time I was here

Now, I'm in the middle of the divorce

Jay

oh no, i dont think i was here for that

BaffledCook

;-/

Jay

17:25

I'm very sorry to hear that

BaffledCook

Worse things could happen

Jay

On the bright side! People of all ages are dating now.

BaffledCook

Thanks!

Jay

Maybe it'll be fun getting into the dating scene haha

I was just reading a newspaper the other day(havent done that in sooo long) and there was a congratulations to this 76 year old couple who got married

I thought that was so adorable

BaffledCook

Yeah, my advice respecting marriage is: don't!

Jay

17:28

I honestly dont really plan on getting married

I know they legalized gay marriage in the US

BaffledCook

At least you can :D

Jay

but I never really had intended to ;)

BaffledCook

So, who's usually here?

Jay

The usuals has changed quite a bit

I only just came back about a month ago

after being gone for about 2.5 years

BaffledCook

0_0

Jay

17:32

haha i was busy with finishing university

and then family stuff

but its finally all settled down and I started at a new job

so im back here

BaffledCook

Cool

Jay

its good to be back here

its very therapeutic

BaffledCook

I usually check the 'review' button on Cooking

Jay

I was telling Cindy earlier how this is basically free therapist session

BaffledCook

:D

I use Twitter for that

Jay

17:33

hehe

There is usually someone in here to take the brunt of my ranting and fuming when something annoying happens in life

BaffledCook

Life is where annoying things happen

Jay

and @ElendilTheTall even gave me very good tips on getting a new blazer and what i need to do for the best fit

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Well, that's what International Men of Mystery do in their off time.

I figure James Bond must have a pretty good tailor, for example.

BaffledCook

I expect he does

My brother bought a knife resistant jacket that doesn't look like it

He likes to go on vacation to exotic places

Anyway, nice jacket

TRiG

Always dice your ingredients:

Fresh Guacamole by PES

►

Jay

17:48

what? like a jacket that protects you from knife attacks?

BaffledCook

:D Funny guacamole

Yes.

Jay

Well i moved into a pretty nice neighborhood

so i dont think thats quite necessary anymore

but during university

i lived in a bad neighborhood(cheap and relatively near uni)

that might have come in handy back then

BaffledCook

I think the jacket was a tat expensive

Jay

haha i can imagine

i guess i wouldnt have been able to afford it while in school

BaffledCook

Me neither. On the other hand, being poor, in a poor neighbourhood means you won't get mugged

Jay

17:56

thats not necessarily true

plus i generally wore pretty decent clothing

BaffledCook

So did I and I was never mugged

Wait, you were mugged?

Gotta go! @ me or something

Faheem Mitha

@Jay So you live in PA?

Jay

@BaffledCook One time I was jumped by several teenagers while i was walking home slightly intoxicated on my 22nd birthday. It was really nice talking to you again.

@FaheemMitha Philadelphia, PA

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Right, I meant to write Philadelphia. How is it?

@Jay That sounds nasty. What happened?

Assuming you want to talk about it.

Jay

@FaheemMitha One of the largest city by population in the US

so its has very nice diversity

Faheem Mitha

18:06

@Jay No, I meant how do you like living there?

Jay

and bigger cities are generally much more tolerant to certain people

I enjoy it here

it has good city vibes but also not so large that you feel lost in the crowd(NY City)

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Ok. That's good.

Jay

Lots of different cultures so the food scene here is pretty great

Faheem Mitha

I keep meaning to get some chocolate. I need my fix.

:message-135 Yes, that's a nice feature. Are the food prices reasonable? Do they have speciality groceries?

Jay

@FaheemMitha They have plenty of asian supermarket

H-mart is popular

and i remember seeing a russian supermarket

There is a small indian spice shop near my university that was very nice if you wanted to make really good curry

but these are just the places i know about

im sure there a plenty of other places

I actually live near a very popular african restaurant

they make really authentic african food which bring in a lot of the taxi drivers from all over the city

because a large number of them are from africa

I've been there once. It was good but a little too filling for me

I mean its africa so it makes sense

Faheem Mitha

18:22

That sounds good. I think I ate at an Ethiopian restaurant once. I think that's the only time I've eaten in an African restaurant. Like Africa itself, African cuisine is not very visible nationally.

I didn't much like it. I think it was a big sort of pancake thing.

What about the African restaurant you referred to?

@Jay I didn't get this last sentence.

Jay

@FaheemMitha meaning the diet in africa is usually make so that its really filling

the food was essentially a soup/stew with a potato dough ball on the side you dip into the soup

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Why is that?

Jay

its a third world country

they try to optimize their food to fill up as much as possible

huge portions with lots of starch

Faheem Mitha

@Jay Actually, it's a continent. :-) But I take your point.

Jay

Yes thats true

but generally the term is "third world country"

Faheem Mitha

18:50

@Jay What, for Africa?

And actually "optimize their food to fill up as much as possible" doesn't really describe India. Which is an actual third world country.

Tom W

That's a dinner plate. That guy went from finger-sized to that in literally, I am not kidding, a day

Faheem Mitha

@TomW I don't follow.

Tom W

I'm growing vegetables. Everyone needs a hobby I guess. I am alarmed at how fast that courgette grew

They do get bigger than that, but the intention is usually to pick them small

@ElendilTheTall does not approve of courgettes

Faheem Mitha

19:44

@TomW I see.

@TomW He doesn't? Why not?

Preston Fitzgerald

@ElendilTheTall has all sorts of food rules.

Faheem Mitha

@PrestonFitzgerald I was not aware of that.

Faheem Mitha

22:06

@TomW I've got to ask - why is courgette growth alarming?

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