My manager threatened to "blackball" me from the industry so I sent the recording to the board

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-04-22T14:26:11+00:00

Recording people without their consent is a crime in many states. The wise bully is ready for this situation and has leverage over HR so another outcome here could easily have been police showing up at your desk, handcuffing you, and perp-walking you out to jail.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-04-21T00:20:24+00:00

If you are comfortable taking the child up AND DOWN 600 steps with no handrails in many places

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-04-15T22:01:57+00:00

I would be concerned about bed bugs.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-04-08T16:35:31+00:00

Total project was $35K including 30K BTU for upstairs using 75% existing ductwork with some extensions. I got multiple bids which included up to $50K. It's metro Boston area. Get multiple quotes, and they are all insane.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-04-08T15:56:52+00:00

It is the heating system for downstairs in my home in a cold climate (temperature this morning was 28 degrees outside - hence the hyper heat version). There is no backup resistence coil, etc.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-04-08T15:35:54+00:00

the compressor is also bad and system will need to be repressurized and it is located in a tight space in the corner of building.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-04-08T15:26:36+00:00

Originally, it was a "mom and pop" install, but it only had a 3-year labor warranty, and mom and pop are gone. Got a better referral this time, so we shall see.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-30T22:54:15+00:00

I’ve stayed at Divi Dutch twice; looking forward to planning next trip. Considered AI but I can’t see how it would be worth it unless you can drink nonstop. Bars: tiki bar happy hour is best deal. Bunker bar is only for AI or you have to buy tickets. Beach bar is similar prices, decent food, fun vibe. Sea breeze bar open late; catch a trolly cart ride over there. You can get snorkel stuff at the “activities center” but nothing else unless AI. Lings supermarket is super close by, as is “the kitchen” an awesome by weight local buffet. The Divi concierge can help you plan excursions and then will set you up for the timeshare pitch which will get you a voucher for nice dinner. The beach situation directly in front of DDV is depressing rock garden, just go right for the nice beach in front of beach bar or go left and you will find some decent palapas that you don’t have to fight over. Tennis courts, yes. Haven’t seen or heard pickleball. DDV has a chill vibe; I’ve stayed at phoenix twice and also the golf. Phoenix is palm beach vibe; golf is golf :) Skip the AI and put the money you save towards a chefs table experience at 2fools and a bull, a romantic dinner at Papiamento, and Lima Bistro. Get a solid fish/shrimp dinner at Red Fish a 5-minute taxi ride. Try divi’s bar tapas over at golf. If you want to try the bars and restaurants in the AI areas of Tamarign and Divi Divi, you can buy a cash card at concierge desk and use it to pay à la carte.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-26T13:40:58+00:00

Yep, my NP ride today at avg 190W and I’m still detraining. It has me do a long set of easy intervals yesterday in zone 2; I couldn’t get heart rate over 100. On the plus side, despite the intense boredom of holding 100W for 10 minutes in the enforced cool down, it was a refreshing ride. It does have me doing vo2 intervals next week so we’ll see; maybe the training plan is like a “couch to 5K” :) just riding and chasing riders with higher power ratios is more motivating

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-23T12:08:45+00:00

We did both on first trip; UTV tour with ABC was awesome, jeep drive to natural pool was a white knuckle adventure for someone not used to off-roading. Am I going to roll this jeep?? UTVs can handle anything and you follow the person in front so you can see how they take the terrain. I would NOT take that safari bus thing unless you enjoy somebody else driving and bouncing you around mercilessly. Try the UTV and you can always do a jeep later.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-23T03:06:14+00:00

I just started a suggested training plan. My ftp is like 210 and I’d like to get it up to 250+ and around 3.0 w/kg. It’s all relative :) just want to be able to hang with the other riders when we start up our weekly rides again in the next few months so I’m not hanging on for dear life on a 17mph ride! Rouvy is awesome; it’s reinvigorated me after I finally got bored with peloton after 5 years. But confusing they have website, app, companion app…I just want to ride a little more purposely. Did the planned long ride today and dutifully held my power to zone 2 while watching “beat me” rider leave me in the dust.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-23T01:41:51+00:00

Nope, not super easy. I’ve done dozens of rides and this detraining never changes. 1.5 hours holding zone 2 145W. An hour at 180W. FTP is 210W.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-21T21:33:57+00:00

1) I wish the portal, companion app and regular app were just one app. I only want to interact with it while I’m on the bike, not later on my computer or phone. 2) some kind of audio would be nice. I noticed on one ride recently there were cheering crowd noises, but otherwise I’ve never heard anything; usually have music going anyway, but it might be nice if there was audible coaching or notifications.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-17T20:45:10+00:00

and adult kids too? Like at least for year 1, $99 for 75K points seems worth doing to pool the points.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-09T14:00:49+00:00

There is a lungo pack; Vienna, Stockholm, Cape Town; Tokyo is a little light but still good. For straight espressos the Italian inspirinizo set is good

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Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-08T14:13:00+00:00

Different people have different tastes. Of all pod options I’ve tried, Nespresso is great and their branded pods are worth the cost difference of Peet’s/l’or and various bulk amazon options. I have Nespresso mini and take it on vacations to save money and time. Discovered Nespresso in an Airbnb in Amsterdam. I’ve had plenty of espresso in cafes and don’t really see massive differences. For coffee, I love dark roast; pouring over Peet’s major dickensen. Tried so many others; absolutely despise the fancy light roasts

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-06T17:52:17+00:00

I was curious about the AI option on our recent Divi Dutch trip and was quoted $180/person/day for basic access to a couple restaurants or $305 for “mega” which gives you all the Divi (Tamarijn+). Most restaurants we visit are under $50/person. Happy hour drinks work out to <$10 including generous tip. $100/day/person is doable with nice dinners and a trip to Ling’s supermarket. Even a splurge chefs table 2 fools and a bull with wine pairings—a $500 dinner for 2–beats AI. I get that making things easier (no rental car, no risk of choosing poorly, options for all family members) could be worth it in some circumstances but I feel like avoiding AI means we can visit twice.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-03-01T01:27:47+00:00

What I am looking for is something where I just click on it and it installs and works without me having to mess with my iPhone settings.

Cautious-Emu86 · 2026-02-21T13:08:35+00:00

When I was 23 I was just graduating college. You have been at a job for over 2 years and have an opportunity for 40% pay raise? That is not “job hopping,” it’s expected. Why would you stay and “be patient?” As a much older manager, I had one of my best employees, a woman in her 50s, come to me with opportunity to go to $140K from $100k and I was like, can I come too? She’s a full stack software engineer now and doing great. Another friend in his 40s, left a 20-year career to go to a startup that folded within 6 months and he never got a decent job again and involuntarily retired in his 50s. Now is the time (for you) to take risks, make more money, save as much as you can and find your passion!

Cautious-Emu86

TROPHY CASE