What's bugging you? (2014)

[jerichoholicninja]

Went wedding ring shopping with my fiance on Tuesday. The one she liked was over $1400 - after the sale price. (note: I'm "thrifty" and hate spending money on almost anything.) My jaw hit the floor when I heard the price but I wasn't going to say anything since she makes a lot more than I do and I felt I would be a little out of line to say anything. When the sales person asked me what kind of ring I was interesting in I said "something cheap." The salesperson gave me a smirk and showed me some rings. Mine will cost $72. When we got in the car, thankfully, my fiance was also floored by the price.

 

Gosh, that's a lock of money for some tiny rocks and little metal.

[Nottso]

Went wedding ring shopping with my fiance on Tuesday. The one she liked was over $1400 - after the sale price. (note: I'm "thrifty" and hate spending money on almost anything.) My jaw hit the floor when I heard the price but I wasn't going to say anything since she makes a lot more than I do and I felt I would be a little out of line to say anything. When the sales person asked me what kind of ring I was interesting in I said "something cheap." The salesperson gave me a smirk and showed me some rings. Mine will cost $72. When we got in the car, thankfully, my fiance was also floored by the price.

 

Gosh, that's a lock of money for some tiny rocks and little metal.

 

First of all, congratulations. May the two of you be as happy as my wife and I have been and for the rest of your lives.

 

Now I'd like to throw some old fart wisdom (or insane ramblings) your way. I'd be willing to bet that your betrothed doesn't really care if you buy her some big, fancy, color-this and clarity-that ring. It's the REST of the women that care; and believe me, they care. The size of the stone(s) and the perceived cost of the ring will be dissected and discussed at length. It's what they do (ladies, please don't kill me... you know this is how it works).

 

I am extremely fortunate that my wife and I both understand that there are very fundamental differences in men and women. Women over analyze everything; every word, every tone, every gesture and every facial expression. Men are idiots. We stumble along blindly, usually thinking about nothing deeper than a nap and a sandwich.

 

Here's how this all ties into your current situation. We bought our rings at Walmart of all places (and it was even her idea!). Mine is as plain and simple as can be, while hers looks like it was quite expensive but it wasn't. I think it was just under $400. It has one medium sized diamond, surrounded by a bunch of smaller diamonds, laid out brilliantly. It looks as good, or better than, most of her friends' and coworkers' much more expensive rings. Of course, the jewelry stores will tell you that you need such-and-such color as well as such-and such-clarity, but do you really? I don't believe there's a human being on the planet that can tell the difference with the naked eye.

 

So in our case, everybody won. We didn't spend a ton of money needlessly and she didn't end up feeling guilty about it. She knows that I love her dearly and we are every bit as married as anyone else is. And, "the rest of the women" were satisfied with the level of financial misery that I seemingly endured in order to "prove how much I love her."

 

If your future bride is as pragmatic as my wife is, maybe this could work for you too. Although how you would broach the subject, I have no clue. It could definitely be a slippery slope. Like I said, my wife is the one that suggested we buy inexpensive rings (thank Jeebus). Maybe some of the ladies here will chime in. Me? I'm going to have a sandwich.

[Patrick425]

Why is it that whenever the Biography channel does a bio of a rock band they don't have rights to the music of that band? They always end up playing some generic background "rock" music while telling the band's story. These bios would be much more enjoyable if they could play the music of the bands and show some actual footage of them in concert (Instead of showing the same still pictures of the band members over and over throughout the show).

[jerichoholicninja]

Went wedding ring shopping with my fiance on Tuesday. The one she liked was over $1400 - after the sale price. (note: I'm "thrifty" and hate spending money on almost anything.) My jaw hit the floor when I heard the price but I wasn't going to say anything since she makes a lot more than I do and I felt I would be a little out of line to say anything. When the sales person asked me what kind of ring I was interesting in I said "something cheap." The salesperson gave me a smirk and showed me some rings. Mine will cost $72. When we got in the car, thankfully, my fiance was also floored by the price.

 

Gosh, that's a lock of money for some tiny rocks and little metal.

 

First of all, congratulations. May the two of you be as happy as my wife and I have been and for the rest of your lives.

 

Now I'd like to throw some old fart wisdom (or insane ramblings) your way. I'd be willing to bet that your betrothed doesn't really care if you buy her some big, fancy, color-this and clarity-that ring. It's the REST of the women that care; and believe me, they care. The size of the stone(s) and the perceived cost of the ring will be dissected and discussed at length. It's what they do (ladies, please don't kill me... you know this is how it works).

 

I am extremely fortunate that my wife and I both understand that there are very fundamental differences in men and women. Women over analyze everything; every word, every tone, every gesture and every facial expression. Men are idiots. We stumble along blindly, usually thinking about nothing deeper than a nap and a sandwich.

 

Here's how this all ties into your current situation. We bought our rings at Walmart of all places (and it was even her idea!). Mine is as plain and simple as can be, while hers looks like it was quite expensive but it wasn't. I think it was just under $400. It has one medium sized diamond, surrounded by a bunch of smaller diamonds, laid out brilliantly. It looks as good, or better than, most of her friends' and coworkers' much more expensive rings. Of course, the jewelry stores will tell you that you need such-and-such color as well as such-and such-clarity, but do you really? I don't believe there's a human being on the planet that can tell the difference with the naked eye.

 

So in our case, everybody won. We didn't spend a ton of money needlessly and she didn't end up feeling guilty about it. She knows that I love her dearly and we are every bit as married as anyone else is. And, "the rest of the women" were satisfied with the level of financial misery that I seemingly endured in order to "prove how much I love her."

 

If your future bride is as pragmatic as my wife is, maybe this could work for you too. Although how you would broach the subject, I have no clue. It could definitely be a slippery slope. Like I said, my wife is the one that suggested we buy inexpensive rings (thank Jeebus). Maybe some of the ladies here will chime in. Me? I'm going to have a sandwich.

 

Thankfully my fiance did not want to pay that much so we went to another store and she found a ring that was $500 cheaper. It's still more than I wanted to pay for a ring but at least that's over and done with.

[Nottso]

 

Thankfully my fiance did not want to pay that much so we went to another store and she found a ring that was $500 cheaper. It's still more than I wanted to pay for a ring but at least that's over and done with.

 

It sounds like she's a sensible young lady. Good for you.

[Bikeage77]

I teach in algebra in MPS. This class has the highest failing rate at our school, most likely in all MPS high school. There's a little less than five weeks left of school (including exams). My afternoon classes have completely checked out, and kids who are passing have checked out and will most likely fail the semester because of it. Very frustrating.

[Patrick425]

I teach in algebra in MPS. This class has the highest failing rate at our school, most likely in all MPS high school. There's a little less than five weeks left of school (including exams). My afternoon classes have completely checked out, and kids who are passing have checked out and will most likely fail the semester because of it. Very frustrating.

 

Wow, that has to be maddening. I'm assuming that contacting the parents is a waste of time and that many of them would attempt to throw the blame right back at you.

 

My dad taught in MPS for over 30 years. He said in the early years he could joke around with the class and have fun and at the same time still have productive and meaningful lessons. He decided to retire (about 20 years ago) when it started to become more of a "babysitting" job. I still remember when I was living at home during some of those later years how worn down and stressed he would be when he would come home from work. I always felt so bad that his career had to end in that fashion, because in the early years he really loved his job and the students he taught really liked and respected him.

[1992casey]

Driving anywhere around Wauwatosa.

[pretendastronaut]

 

I literally just saw that video for the first time this morning. I just played it out in real life right now.

 

One of our sons is supposed to have surgery in a month, but now we find out that while the surgeon and the hospital are in-network, the outpatient center they scheduled the surgery to take place in, is out-of-network.

 

SUPER FUN TIMES!

[DatHoser]

pretend, that was spot on! Funny, but sadly accurate.

[Invader3K]

People who quit via text message with no advance notice, especially after they just received a significant raise.

[RobDeer 45]

People who quit via text message with no advance notice, especially after they just received a significant raise.

 

I would lose my mind on that one. BY TEXT????!!!! Grow the heck up! (would like to use other words) That is the weakest move ever.

[Invader3K]

People who quit via text message with no advance notice, especially after they just received a significant raise.

 

I would lose my mind on that one. BY TEXT????!!!! Grow the heck up! (would like to use other words) That is the weakest move ever.[/quote

 

It's slightly better than the always wonderful "no call, no show" quit that I've had happen a couple times too.

[hawing]

It's slightly better than the always wonderful "no call, no show" quit that I've had happen a couple times too.

I tell my (college student) employees that dropping out of a job like that is the Employment Kiss of Death. It's one of the very worst impressions you can leave on an employer. As an employer of college students, I have examples! My 'favorite' is the law school student who did that and then applied for federal jobs, for which he had to list me as a reference. Guess how that turned out for him. Actually, I don't know if he got a federal job, but I didn't give him a favorable reference.

 

I've yet to have anyone quit via text, but that may be because I don't give the students my cell phone number.

[logan82]

It's slightly better than the always wonderful "no call, no show" quit that I've had happen a couple times too.

I tell my (college student) employees that dropping out of a job like that is the Employment Kiss of Death. It's one of the very worst impressions you can leave on an employer. As an employer of college students, I have examples! My 'favorite' is the law school student who did that and then applied for federal jobs, for which he had to list me as a reference. Guess how that turned out for him. Actually, I don't know if he got a federal job, but I didn't give him a favorable reference.

 

I've yet to have anyone quit via text, but that may be because I don't give the students my cell phone number.

Sending a text takes more effort than just not showing up. I personally like the no call/no show that shows up a few days later and expects to still have their job.

[Invader3K]

Sending a text takes more effort than just not showing up. I personally like the no call/no show that shows up a few days later and expects to still have their job.

 

I had a guy like that once. He had only been around a couple weeks, but then no showed two days in a row. I called him and left him a voice message, telling him I accepted his resignation. He called back and tried to pretend he'd been laid off. I wasn't too amused.

[Menotti80]

Construction. Specifically on Burleigh Rd in Wauwatosa. There has been a Westbound lane closed just east of Hwy 100 for months now. The backups are substantial, especially during rush hour. And the worst part is that nothing is actually under construction! It is making me so frustrated I want to call somebody to complain or at least ask when both lanes will be open. But I have no idea who to call...

[Patrick425]

Construction. Specifically on Burleigh Rd in Wauwatosa. There has been a Westbound lane closed just east of Hwy 100 for months now. The backups are substantial, especially during rush hour. And the worst part is that nothing is actually under construction! It is making me so frustrated I want to call somebody to complain or at least ask when both lanes will be open. But I have no idea who to call...

 

 

Along the same lines...Grandview ave. in Waukesha. No construction, but they have made changes to the traffic light patterns over the last year that are ridiculous. Grandview is fairly heavily traveled, especially during rush hour. Some of the lights for side streets that cross or feed on to Grandview are clearly way too long for the amount of traffic on these side streets (compared to the volume of traffic on Grandview).

[Invader3K]

Construction. Specifically on Burleigh Rd in Wauwatosa. There has been a Westbound lane closed just east of Hwy 100 for months now. The backups are substantial, especially during rush hour. And the worst part is that nothing is actually under construction! It is making me so frustrated I want to call somebody to complain or at least ask when both lanes will be open. But I have no idea who to call...

 

 

Along the same lines...Grandview ave. in Waukesha. No construction, but they have made changes to the traffic light patterns over the last year that are ridiculous. Grandview is fairly heavily traveled, especially during rush hour. Some of the lights for side streets that cross or feed on to Grandview are clearly way too long for the amount of traffic on these side streets (compared to the volume of traffic on Grandview).

 

I know exactly the area you mean. It really is a pain to try to get anywhere around that time. I had to stop by the Batteries Plus down there a while ago, and I'd swear the horrible traffic tacked on about an extra half hour to what should have been a simple errand. Seems like there is way too much traffic in that area for what the streets were designed to handle.

[Patrick425]

Construction. Specifically on Burleigh Rd in Wauwatosa. There has been a Westbound lane closed just east of Hwy 100 for months now. The backups are substantial, especially during rush hour. And the worst part is that nothing is actually under construction! It is making me so frustrated I want to call somebody to complain or at least ask when both lanes will be open. But I have no idea who to call...

 

 

Along the same lines...Grandview ave. in Waukesha. No construction, but they have made changes to the traffic light patterns over the last year that are ridiculous. Grandview is fairly heavily traveled, especially during rush hour. Some of the lights for side streets that cross or feed on to Grandview are clearly way too long for the amount of traffic on these side streets (compared to the volume of traffic on Grandview).

 

I know exactly the area you mean. It really is a pain to try to get anywhere around that time. I had to stop by the Batteries Plus down there a while ago, and I'd swear the horrible traffic tacked on about an extra half hour to what should have been a simple errand. Seems like there is way too much traffic in that area for what the streets were designed to handle.

 

I actually called the city of Waukesha about Grandview Avenue on Friday. The person I spoke with stated that they were going to be upgrading the lights at Northview and Grandview but he thought the current light pattern was safe. I didn't say anything, but I was thinking ok, it's safe, but it's not logical? There is at least 3 times the traffic on Grandview that there is on Northview. The green light on Grandview should last longer. He also said that they were aware of the issues with the lights at Meadow lane (and the other smaller road 2 blocks north of Meadow) that crosses Grandview. He said that there is basically a malfunction with those lights where they are operating as if someone is constantly hitting the crosswalk switch. They are researching it, but get this, they may not get it resolved for a year or two. Ok???

[homer]

Cross Fit. Or more specifically, people that feel it is their duty to God and Country to promote Cross Fit on every social media platform they utilize.

[Invader3K]

Cross Fit. Or more specifically, people that feel it is their duty to God and Country to promote Cross Fit on every social media platform they utilize.

 

Oh man, I could say so much... But yeah, I petty much agree.

[jerichoholicninja]

Cross Fit. Or more specifically, people that feel it is their duty to God and Country to promote Cross Fit on every social media platform they utilize.

 

Oh man, I could say so much... But yeah, I petty much agree.

 

My Facebook friends are the opposite. They're constantly posting articles about how Cross Fit is horrible for you and is a waste of time.

[RobDeer 45]

It rubs me the wrong way but I have seen a lot of my friends get in really good shape. Not sure what the long term issues are, haven't looked in to that at all, but many have lost good amounts of weight. So if it puts them in a good place, in the end, I'm happy for them. It's funny though.

[Invader3K]

It rubs me the wrong way but I have seen a lot of my friends get in really good shape. Not sure what the long term issues are, haven't looked in to that at all, but many have lost good amounts of weight. So if it puts them in a good place, in the end, I'm happy for them. It's funny though.

 

As someone who works in the fitness industry, I'll say there are some really good basic concepts in Crossfit. However, with how some of the "boxes" are run and the workouts are conducted, there are some major safety and long term health concerns. There is an element in Crossfit that seems to push people to drive themselves past reasonable and safe physical limits during their workouts. There are also videos all over the internet of people doing exercises at Crossfit gyms that are just inherently dangerous and have minimal real world physical benefit. I do know a lot of people who train at Crossfit locations and are in great shape, so I'm not saying they don't get results, though.

 

I also heard second hand that one of the local physical therapists tells people, "Crossfit sends me a ton of business." Take it for what it's worth.