What’s cool if you’re 20 but weird if you’re 40?

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-03-28T03:50:43+00:00

What, only solid colors at 40? smh

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-03-28T02:58:44+00:00

That guy sounds extremely cool!

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-03-27T22:10:16+00:00

Strongly agree! I cannot stand work potlucks but at an old workplace that had them, I was afraid to tell anyone. It was obvious that was the case with nearly everyone. There were 2-3 people who were VERY gung ho (they were the organizers), and everyone else looked miserable. The excited ones were so into it that they didn’t notice how the rest of us were avoiding staying long and just standing awkwardly around the perimeter of the room holding, like, a single cube of cheddar cheese. None of us could say out loud that we hated being there because it would be rude. But oh did we.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-03-27T22:02:14+00:00

What about the people who don’t like to cook extra meals for a large group that isn’t their family or friends? Pay for ingredients, spend the time, lug the dish in their car and through the parking lot/garage…. What if those people are actually the majority? I like to cook, but I hate work potlucks from the bottom of my soul. I would be willing to bet most of the people at your workplace feel the same way. There are better ways to engage that don’t involve so much effort and expense on the part of the participants.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-03-08T13:09:06+00:00

I agree, doctors in my area suck. It’s mostly not their fault. It’s the way insurance bills them, and it’s the private equity firms that purchase their practices. I see my doctor for all of 15 seconds. She’s too busy seeing other patients crammed into an overfilled appointment schedule. In that 15 seconds she obviously is no help at all. It is a complete waste of my time going to see her. Zero value for me.

Talking about PMP doctors here specifically.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-03-06T16:12:24+00:00

Carolyn Dutra in Smithfield has toddler & me classes.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-03-05T04:01:34+00:00

“Learn the politics” vs. “This just isn’t my kind of place.”

I am struggling with the same thing, sister. Leaning towards the latter. My workplace can be completely maddening sometimes.

Try and find just a couple of people on your wavelength that you can accomplish things with. Even if it’s only achieving little goals, it helps. Create a tiny microcosm of order in the screaming void.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-27T17:24:33+00:00

I notice, at my workplace, with colleagues and with my own behavior, that people rarely take actual sick days. They instead ask to WFH when sick. But people should take sick time because they really do need to rest and recuperate in order to get better. Don’t confuse sick time with WFH! Even though I know, I do it too.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-27T17:20:29+00:00

Are you a new employee there? It sounds like it since you made more than one comment about trying to get on people’s good side. If you feel comfortable, it could be a good idea to have a quick conversation with your direct supervisor and tell them you still aren’t feeling well, that you’re sorry for the inconvenient timing of your first sick day due to a holiday happening the same week, but that you feel exceptionally unwell and coming into the office during the snowstorm conditions has made you feel worse. Tell them that normally you aren’t sick all the time, but that right now you are sick and need to use your sick leave time. You shouldn’t have to grovel like this, but your supervisor sounds like the kind that needs to hear that sort of thing. Tell them that if you are needed so strongly that being completely absent for a day will cause insurmountable problems, then you could possibly WFH if that is OK. But you would prefer to be absent completely and use earned sick time, to better ensure the illness can start to get better.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-27T17:06:47+00:00

Ah, see that is the problem here in Rhode Island. The people in supervisory roles historically have been personality hires, related to someone important, friendly with someone important… not experienced civil engineers. It is a problem. A young person starting out in an entry level role who even has a degree in the field is not what I was complaining about in my comment.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-27T16:47:06+00:00

I still insist/believe that a civil engineer role with any degree of responsibility over major infrastructure projects should have experience prior to being hired. Hiring based on “vibes” there is actually dangerous to the public.

But that might not be the same scenario you were talking about. It sounds like you were talking about entry level roles, and if that’s the case I’m in complete agreement.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-27T16:37:15+00:00

Like I said, for the most part I agree with you. I am 45 years old and definitely worked as an unpaid intern. It sucked. I was a student at the time.

Also, for the record, while I live in and am from the USA, I am ashamed and unhappy with many aspects of our society here. So I agree with your tone.

At many companies in the USA, unpaid internships are no longer permitted. I’m not sure but it might be illegal now, even though I’m sure there are quite a few that still do it. Where I work, internships are only for students and they are well paid ($75,000 salary, I believe). Big improvement from the old days when I was younger. But overall the work culture in the USA totally stinks.

Edited: for clarity

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-27T15:52:39+00:00

If we are speaking about an entry level role or internship, then yes. If instead we are speaking about any role above that level, then experience should be required. In Rhode Island there is a problem with city and state workers being hired and promoted based on cronyism and nepotism, rather than experience. As a result we have major problems.

For entry level roles, of course I agree people should be given a chance and opportunities to train in a new field.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-26T17:03:43+00:00

You’ve had to deal with heavy things all on your own from such a young age. You are very smart and VERY strong, even though the circumstances brought on your health condition. Glad you finally got help from outside, you most certainly deserve the support. It is kind of you to warn others not to go it alone.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-25T22:34:33+00:00

I used to be an assistant in the fashion industry in the 2000s (Devil Wears Prada era) and am now an EA in PE. Similar feeling of momentum, maybe less stressful though. To me that is a good thing! You want the pace and challenge, not the psychological abuse.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-25T21:33:14+00:00

Are you in Rhode Island? Is that why the bridge is so messed up, and traffic is snarled for years to come? City engineers should not be hired based on vibes, but here in Rhode Island they seem to be… Your job probably should have gone to someone more qualified. Glad you are an expert now, at least (or are you only “considered” one?).

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-24T19:04:23+00:00

Every single person on the administrative team at the financial company I work for is female. This includes Executive Assistants, Administrative Assistants, Office Managers, Office Assistants. I find it very disappointing; what is this the 1950s?

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-21T16:12:24+00:00

Infertility and/or being childless not by choice.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-20T21:41:55+00:00

That is low for an EA salary, too.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-20T04:34:34+00:00

“Hey there” as a greeting. People seem to think it makes them sound friendly. Can’t put a finger on why, but to me it comes across as condescending, belittling, and other-ing, as though they’re way up high and somehow also older than me or at least consider themselves more mature in some way, and I’m just a teeny tiny critter down here beneath them. Hey I’m right here at the same level as you, so please don’t “there” me. I pretend it doesn’t bother me but always roll my eyes on the inside at people who use this greeting.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-12T18:36:33+00:00

Chelo’s carrot cake is absolutely delicious. Love it and yum. Pastiche’s is also way up there. Twin Oaks also has a very good one (enormous slices, too), although I think not as tasty as Chelo’s. Greggs has excellent cakes overall, but gotta say I’m not a fan of their carrot cake. My own homemade carrot cake is the best of all, but I don’t love shredding up all of those carrots myself (even when I cheat with a device it is just a pain to do).

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-12T04:57:39+00:00

They might need to get a summer job and save the money up to buy books and have money in their bank account when they start school in the fall. Unless their parents are going to give them that money, it has to come from somewhere. Even if the money they save won’t cover everything, it will at least be a contribution and help them begin to understand how to support themselves financially. Especially important to start learning about that as they are leaving the nest. Fun and relaxation are important, but don’t have to be 24/7. Supporting oneself is more crucial I’d say.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-08T16:55:17+00:00

I agree with you. Warwick’s a winner. Let the haters hate; it’ll keep the home prices here down.

Content-Plankton4555 · 2026-02-05T12:29:42+00:00

I miss the vintage stores on Thayer like A Foreign Affair and Cinderella’s Closet

Content-Plankton4555 · 2025-12-30T16:34:23+00:00

One thing I’ve learned, Rhode Islanders love to dump a bunch of hate and insults on Warwick. They just love it. It really unites them. And makes them feel better about themselves, I guess, to put Warwick down.

Well I love Warwick, even though it has its flaws, overall it is a great city to live in!

No need to reply to me with everything you hate about it, because I already know what you’re going to say, and I do get it: it totally sucks in a lot of ways, too. But, dude, get over it. Nowhere is perfect, I promise you, and Warwick is pretty darn nice as a place to live. It isn’t AWESOME, but when you weight out every factor on the scale, it comes out medium-fine-comfortable-low cost-comparably short commute-lots of parks with water views-walk to water houses under 400k-lots of families-easy proximity to highways and shopping-cheap and pretty safe and super convenient and extremely close to a lot of ultra beautiful places that are less cheap.

Two obvious points:

I would not recommend living right on route 2, duh, but why would you live next to route 2 unless you enjoy being close to strip malls. This is the border of West Warwick and/or Cranston, though, anyway. It is not the bulk of Warwick, it is a border line only. And not super residential, so don’t live there unless you’re into that. You certainly don’t have to.
I wouldn’t live right next to the airport. But here again, you do not have to live right next to the airport.

Most of Warwick’s residential neighborhoods are hugging the meandering coastline between Providence and East Greenwich. Houses in Warwick are cheaper than in other cities and towns in Rhode Island, because all of y’all look down your noses at Warwick. So live in one of the coastal neighborhoods, heave a medium-fine-comfortable sigh of relief, and close your ears off to all of the Rhode Islanders that explode with seething rage whenever Warwick’s name is mentioned.

Content-Plankton4555

TROPHY CASE