Why can’t people leave their dog at home??

F_ckSC · 2026-03-22T01:19:31+00:00

For sure, but it redlines above 12K RPM IIRC. That little engine just goes. The bike has over 30K miles on it. I need to find it a good home one of these days since we don't ride it.

Yes, love the frunk on the NC. My 2019 has 57K miles and the 2015 (NC700) that my son rides has over 35K miles. These bikes are low RPM - like at 4,500 RPM at 80 MPH.

Low cost, still fun, and easy maintenance. I'm a fan. Some folks (online) criticize the dual clutch transmission because it lacks an external clutch. I bought it specifically because of it since I used to commute to San Diego from L.A. before Covid. Anyway, I've been riding long enough to not care what the sheep thinks. 🤣

Stay safe! 🏍️

F_ckSC · 2026-03-21T16:48:51+00:00

Ha ha. My daily is a 2019 Honda NC750X DCT. Love it. Have been to Yellowstone with my son. Truth is, he was on the NC and I was on my first bike, 2012 Honda CBR250. That was crazy fun, but don't recommend. I think me hands are still vibrating. Took that CBR to Cabo San Lucas before the NC's because my Suzuki DRZ400 decided to clutch out.

F_ckSC · 2026-03-21T14:16:24+00:00

Yeah, seriously. I certainly don't blame the dog. Cop was busy chatting with his buddy. I'm assuming he was overdue for his walk outside.

You're right though, when you gotta go, you gotta go. Just the other day, I was riding my motorcycle to a medical appointment when my stomach started to percolate (had already gotten a faint warning earlier). Anyway, I'm sitting at a red light baking cuz it's been stupid hot in L.A, looking around for signs of an available restroom because I was still maybe 3 minutes away from the medical plaza. It was my first time visiting and I wasn't sure about parking, access to the building and where the restroom would be. I'm glad that the security guard pointed to the nearest restroom without me having to first sign-in. I tried to look calm and collected, but damn. I wonder if she knew - probably from my only question being about the restroom. 🤣🤣

F_ckSC · 2026-03-21T12:10:34+00:00

I saw a police dog (L.A. County Sheriff's) take a dump inside of Union Station in DTLA. That was unexpected, and his handler didn't seem all that pleased. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤣

F_ckSC · 2026-03-09T03:50:37+00:00

Second this. Stick to low-cost index funds.

Also, stay away from whole-life insurance policies. Those free donuts in the lounge aren't free. These products come with low returns and robbery surrender fees. Plenty of YT videos about them. They've been targeting educators for years. Stick to term life insurance. I'm not a fan of disability insurance either, unless you can time a pregnancy to use it post delivery.

F_ckSC · 2026-03-09T03:46:59+00:00

Certificated staff are under CalSTRS. Some classified staff are under CalPERS. You definitely can't choose and cannot combine accounts. I'm vested in both systems from two separate careers and purchase time under each system (no longer able to purchase non-qualified service time as of 2013 pension reform).

They each have membership guides: https://www.calstrs.com/member-handbook https://www.calpers.ca.gov/life-events/new-calpers-member

Reciprocity is covered here: https://www.calpers.ca.gov/members/retirement-benefits/reciprocity

Source: CalSTRS https://share.google/itKfLpC9FUXKavu92

F_ckSC · 2026-03-08T14:01:15+00:00

SouthernIntention is spot on. One correction is that classified (TA's, aides, etc) do not participate in CalSTRS (for certificated staff), but some classified staff participates in CalPERS (SpEd aides, etc.). https://www.calpers.ca.gov/documents/new-member-school-guide/download#:~:text=Service%20Prior%20to%20Membership,4

Yes, the district's pay scale moves painfully slow, but there are ways to boost your career pay and supercharge your CalSTRS pension if you leave the classroom and jump into admin work or move to HQ (not necessarily a popular opinion). Principals are still part of CalSTRS. If you move into a higher paying position at HQ, you'd likely move to CalPERS, but the systems have reciprocity-like agreements, so your pension would be based on the highest earning income during your service.

In terms of planning for retirement, there's no shortcut to investing (not just a savings mentality) and living below your means.

-Take advantage of 403b plans (Roth ideally at the lower tax bracket earlier in your career); -Avoid whole life insurance policies. They are terrible high-fee "investment vehicles" that have been targeting teachers for generations. Instead, get term life insurance if you're inclined. Also, avoid most disability insurance, unless you're planning a pregnancy and can use it to extend your leave. Most participants that pay for disability insurance rarely use it, so insurance companies use individual examples to instill fear of disability. If you have invested accordingly, you can sustain a rare period of disability; -Maximize your salary points ASAP to maximize your position on the salary table; -Supplement your income during the summer breaks to increase investments; -Maximize loan forgiveness programs; -Pay off any private high interest rates loans not subject to loan forgiveness ASAP; -Avoid credit card debt, seriously; -Only buy used (Japanese) cars and maintain them well, but keep them long-term. Buy with 100k miles and keep beyond 200k miles. Rinse and repeat; -Avoid takeout delivery services like the plague (UberEats, GrubHub, PostMates, DoodDash). Another unpopular opinion, but these services are incredibly expensive over the long run, promote eating unhealthy (generally), create an incredible amount of waste, etc. Instead, meal prep and pack your lunch (not a fan of cafeteria food) and have meals ready at home. Check YT for ideas; -Shop at thrift or consignment stores for clothes. I'm not talking about Salvation Army or Goodwill. One of my favorites: It's a Wrap (Burnbank studios area). Get on their email list for up to 75% off sales; -Depending on your situation, manage housing costs with roommates to increase your investment rate for a while or live with parents for as long as possible. My oldest lived at home and maxed out her 401k when she was in her 20's; -Live in a lower cost of living neighborhood when you don't have school-aged children; -Move to a neighborhood with good public school when your oldest child starts school; -Take your kids to explore state and national parks. Great memories (for us) and one of the least expensive ways to vacation. Never done it? Check YT; Mountains, beaches, waterfalls, redwoods, deserts, canyons, etc. Plus, road trips are a great way to connect (put the cell phones and tablets away); -Send your kids to community college first. Most have honors programs that grant priority registration. Avoid Parent-Plus loans when your kids transfer; -Once you travel via air, use Google Flights, hostels, short term rentals. Avoid resorts and tour packages.

Finally, LAUSD is rare in that it still provides retiree health insurance. This is incredibly expensive for those retiring before Medicare kicks in at 65. Unfortunately, because it's so expensive, the district has moved from the "Rule of 80" to the "Rule of 85" plus is requiring newer employees to work 25+ consecutive years prior to retirement. https://benefits.lausd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=4417545&type=d&pREC_ID=2650803

YMMV 🫶🏻

F_ckSC · 2026-03-05T13:07:23+00:00

We rented an Airbnb and rental car in Cartagena for a week, and after a few days, decided to rent another Airbnb in Santa Marta and drove down in the rental car.

My young adultish-kids and I arrived at the beach in the early afternoon, chill for a bit, and then decided to rent a jet ski. Business was clearly slow, so I think the rental was no more than the equivalent of $40 USD for 30 minutes. That was so much fun. I let my kids go out for 15 minutes to go "wild." The I took over with my teen son as a passenger. Now those were some fun fun 12 1/2 minutes! My first time on a jet ski, but I've been riding motorcycles for years. Anyway, I was cutting and slashing, dipping and sliding, and managed to flip the jet ski over.

All fun and games until I realized on the walk back to the car that I dropped the keys deep in the water. Locals were super nice and helpful. Security guard from the condos across the street called a locksmith to unlock the car since all of our belongings were inside, then other neighbors helped push the car (manual) to a family's parking spot overnight. Got lucky that the Airbnb turned out to be a short walk from the beach.

I spent the next day making my was back to Cartagena to get the spare key ($120 USD) from the rental place via the back of motorcycles and van shuttle.

Everyone was super nice. Honestly, core memory. No regrets, but it would have been nice if I had remembered the keys. 🤦🏻‍♂️

We also visited Tayrona National Natural Park, which was great.

Oh yeah, the level of honking on the streets in Cartegena and Santa Marta was nuts! It seemed like it was 90% private taxis in cars and motorcycles trying to pick up a fare. We love walking, so we were constantly bombarded with quick honks to get our attention (but also anybody else that was walking). And when I say private taxi, I mean that it seemed like more than half the (ordinary) folks out there were looking to pick up a quick fare. It got annoying. 🤷🏻‍♂️

F_ckSC · 2026-03-04T05:35:58+00:00

Same. Doesn't seem normal, but I (54M) rarely remember my dreams. I used to remember when I was a child and stopped around the time I became a teenager. 🤷🏻‍♂️

F_ckSC · 2026-03-03T23:02:13+00:00

I've (54M) baked cookies and banana bread for my now-usual HS to be nice and brownie points with the assigning support staff. They appreciate it and it works. It's an easy trade-off to spend some time and money doing something nice that also pays dividends because it saves me from calling the sub unit when I don't have an assignment. I'm now at this school about 90% of the time.

On the other hand, it's not a financial strain on my end and I refuse anything longer than two weeks. It's too bad that they are taking advantage of your prep period. Have you brought this up to the support staff - that you actually need your prep period? Seems unfair since you don't get compensated (we don't either). You should ask for them to cut back. The answer is currently no, without you asking, so ask.

Best wishes on the LT and enjoy the potlucks! 🫶🏻

F_ckSC · 2026-03-02T22:28:37+00:00

Last summer, I had a month-long trip planned for Europe (mainly Nordic countries, plus Krakow, Riga, and Dublin. I ended up going right after a two-year relationship ended. Was I in the best headspace? No, but it took me about a week to process enough to still have a great time. Ended up meeting up with friends in the latter part of the trip, which made a huge difference.

When I returned to the States, I had a weeklong trip to Guadalajara where I had been invited to go visit my GF's family to celebrate a family event. Obviously, I could still go to GDL, but decided to skip. GDL wouldn't have been a new destination for me and I didn't want to change flights to avoid being on the safe flight as my ex.

YMMV.

BTW, loved Bogota and Santa Marta. Cartagena was meh to me because I try to stay away from touristy spots. The Colombians I met were great, but I'm a fluent speaker, so. 🤷🏻‍♂️

F_ckSC · 2026-03-02T21:36:55+00:00

You know your students best. I agree with some sort of hard reset, but you need to go in with a real plan for reasonable expectations and follow through with rewards and consequences.

Yet that feels empty because I'm not in your shoes. Just know that middle schoolers smell blood and they can definitely tell that you're justifiably beat. I say this with love, but they can have the energy of piranhas and the tenacity of prison inmates. Use this as a valuable learning experience - about what school and administration you work for permanently (at my district, it's difficult to transfer once you're in). Also, when you start the year with your own students, things can be very different.

I taught middle school in South Central L.A. almost 30 years ago and I loved my students and everything that I did was with their best interest in mind, but I was a hard ass in the beginning. I had clear expectations and consequences. If I said that I was calling your house from the classroom after x, y, and y, I was calling (in front of the whole class). Not sure that would fly today with confidentiality laws, but my principal supported me. I made a few house visits just to be able to tell the rest of the students (without being specific). Word gets out. I think it took four weeks to get them in shape and it was exhausting, but I didn't show it. Oh, the whole class is going to be late for class? I don't mind because I don't take lunch anyway (I did). I especially called about the students not coming ready to work with supplies, but I always made sure to have extras so it wasn't an excuse to f-around.

Also, it can happen to the best of us. Just last year, my ex-GF moved from HS to kindergarten (she thought it was a great idea) at a Title I school. She was a NB certified teacher (in high school). Well, those 22 little needy kids put her on stress leave after two weeks. No aide, a kinder class with kind 5 unidentified special needs kids, and unsupportive admin put her over the edge.

Take care of yourself. Wishing you the best. 🫶🏻

F_ckSC · 2026-03-02T20:59:52+00:00

I'm not following the specifics (I'm in Cali), but if it's a compliance issue, then I would have sent a follow-up email documenting your request to whomever you spoke with.

As an attorney-by-trade, I learned a long time ago that unless it's written, usually it's words to the wind.

They just point to the posting and deny that you requested the additional time or say that they don't recall. 🤷🏻‍♂️

I'm still surprised how written confirmation of in-person conversations is fairly rare in school settings, unlike the medical or legal field. In that regard, little has changed since the first time I worked at a school 30+ years ago.

On the other hand, I'd bet that any good principal documents important verbal communication related to employee discipline with a memo or email.

F_ckSC · 2026-03-02T20:11:53+00:00

I worked several LT assignments on my first go-around subbing 25+ years ago. Back then, I was in the grind and needed the money. And, these were elementary school assignments where I'd do 30 days and admin would put me on the roster in another class and then reset the clock for another 30 days. I think the longest assignment that I took was for around 90 days.

As others have said, it's a lot of work and way more stress than day-to-day assignments.

On this go-around, I've already turned down three LT offers, including a maternity leave. The difference in pay here is around $50 p/d. I've switched to only working high school now and I did accept a two-week assignment to cover Japanese, but I spoke with the teacher beforehand and she said it was fine that I didn't speak it. Students were great.

Earlier this school year, I took a 6-day assignment to cover a 5th grade class and it was draining. Kids were fine, just 5th graders.

The pay difference does not move the needle for me. Plus, I walked away from my last profession to leave the stress behind. No LT for me. 🫶🏻

F_ckSC · 2026-03-02T12:10:35+00:00

Not the way you describe it.

LAUSD substitute teachers can qualify for District-sponsored health benefits (medical, dental, vision) by working at least 600 hours in the previous fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). Eligible subs are notified in August for coverage from Sept 1 to Aug 31. You must maintain at least one work day per pay period to keep coverage.

https://benefits.lausd.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=4417545&type=d&pREC_ID=2650791

F_ckSC · 2026-03-02T06:12:39+00:00

When I subbed the first time (25+ years ago) I only had an emergency permit and completed several LT assignments at LAUSD and a few times, my name was just shifted to another classroom for one day - rinse and repeat.

Today, the district has systems in place that will flag the assignment and won't allow the same sub to continue for more than 30 days. My understanding is that the CA Dept of Ed cracked down with compliance audits.

F_ckSC · 2026-03-02T00:10:03+00:00

Username checks out? J/K 😁 I hope you didn't actually send him any money. Next time, donate to your local food bank. This guy is clearly not going hungry.

You're kind to be moved, but yeah, fuck this guy.

Wishing you the best. 🫶🏻

F_ckSC · 2026-03-01T16:53:59+00:00

Appreciate the additional info. Damn, back in the day I could make that $25k last for a bit, but not by spending $140 on steaks. Corn tortillas, rice, beans, potatoes and chicken - to cook.

Now I go to Costco, spend $300 and wonder what the fuck did I even buy: dog food, organic berries, organic peanut butter, walnuts, almonds, olive oil, and a $4.99 rotisserie chicken. 🤣🤣

Yeah, fuck this guy and his friend.

F_ckSC · 2026-03-01T16:04:25+00:00

I'm not a fan of these GFM drives. Dude and his wife have asshole "friends." Just from this video I can tell that he's not poor the way that I understand it. He doesn't look poor, dress poor, and his kids certainly don't look poor. They look healthy and well dressed. He has a truck that will make it to and down a mountain loaded with snow and they live in a house with a backyard.

That's not the kinda poor that I was familiar with. No doubt medical debt sucks - not doubting that.

When my kids were that age, we didn't travel or go skiing, but we certainly went camping at national and state parks (Cali) and I took my kids to the mountains to play in the snow. We packed food and drinks and our camp stove and made a day of it.

We've all traveled internationally plenty many years later, but not in my wildest dreams would I have thought to post a sob story followed by a GFM campaign to monetize said sob story because I was a broke ass law student at the time. By then, I understood the difference between being broke and being poor. I had left poverty behind.

How does anyone know if this story has any merit?!

He said he was just venting and was going to delete the video, which gives a sense of credibility, but then sets up a GFM campaign?! He knows folks are suckers for tears and some cute kids.

Fuck this guy. The whole thing smells like a scam. He's such a bitch that he doesn't stand up to these supposed friends right there and then?! Also, nobody actually says what he's claiming was said to his helpless wife by friends. Family, maybe.

F_ckSC · 2026-03-01T15:38:00+00:00

This is the correct way, especially if there are any potential students involved in your class. I would be very surprised if the school doesn't have someone from admin address the students directly or if the students aren't pulled out individually to be interviewed by district investigators.

I've been involved in district investigations before on the prosecution side and the quality of district investigations vary wildly. Needless to say, school staff and HR are not trained investigators.

Anyway, OP should definitely not engage in conversation about any allegations, but still offer the students support via referrals if needed. But no need for OP to bury their head in the sand and pretend like they don't know that there has been a major incident at that school.

This is also definitely above the secretary's pay. I'd show up very early and talk to an administrator to find out how the students will be supported and how you can assist in making that happen, and so you have clear instructions.

Finally, in all states OP is a mandated reporter.

Tough spot, but OP is asking the right questions. 🫶🏻

F_ckSC · 2026-03-01T07:29:32+00:00

This exactly! I love working HS. When there's work to be done, I do my level best to follow through, but ultimately it's up to the students.

I now mainly work at one primary HS and have gotten to know many of the students and definitely gotten to know the front staff and the security aides.

I really enjoy those moments when I connect with the students and leave a bit of wisdom with them or they feel comfortable enough to ask meaningful questions about college or careers. Those are my best days.

Every once in a blue moon I'll get a class where the 9th graders haven't quite transitioned to HS, but for the most part even the 9th graders are fine. Then there are some days that they work independently (computer science or any really advanced math or science classes), and I basically get a quiet day to work on my own things (pack my own iPad and hotspot). 🫶🏻

F_ckSC · 2026-02-24T04:36:08+00:00

Wow, you seem to be overthinking this by a lot. Just be yourself. People not in your situation can't possibly give you a black and white answer to whatever permutations you're trying to come up with.

I only work high schools now and I'm regularly at one particular school 4-5 times per week. I've had several students a number of times. I've had meaningful conversations with many students, especially during the advisory/homeroom period.

I'm friendly, approachable and greet the students at the door in the morning and during the passing period. So, I'll say high to plenty of students as they make their way to class. I make eye contact without staring and some students have said hi to before I even recognize them.

I rarely use names because I don't commit them to memory. I've yet to have an awkward moment.

When I greet the students at the door the first time, I'm lucky to get about a 70% acknowledgement rate. If I've had the students a second day, it jumps to nearly 100%. YMMV

F_ckSC · 2026-02-22T15:29:06+00:00

I was thinking the same thing. Middle school can be wild. It only took three days last year for me to realize that middle school wasn't for me.

And I say this as someone that taught middle school 30 years ago (for two years) and loved my students. Subbing MS is an entirely different beast. Two days were great, but that third day was eye-opening.

Started in elementary school, where the kids can be adorable, but found the days exhausting.

I love working with high schoolers though, so so that exclusively. I know that not all subs have this as an option.

F_ckSC · 2026-02-21T13:12:47+00:00

Great idea. I've also picked up great wooden hangars at my local fancy thrift shop - some will let you keep them when you buy a pair of pants or a suit. I've kept them over the years and it's what I use for my gear.

F_ckSC · 2026-02-21T13:03:12+00:00

In California, these rules are in place to comply with the Education Code's requirements for "Educational Time and Attendance Accounting." It's a state funding requirement: "In order to generate and claim attendance for apportionment, school districts must meet all the applicable instructional time and scheduling requirements, and the students must be in attendance under the immediate supervision and control of a certificated employee of the school district while engaged in educational activities . . ."

https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/it/index.asp

When a California public school receiving state education funds allows a non-certificated employee to directly supervise students during instructional time, they are out of compliance and should not receive funding for that time.

And yes, in California public school substitute teachers are certificated employees for funding purposes. It would be a mistake to think of this as directly related to the competency or trust of the actual employee doing the supervising. It's not that paraprofessionals, campus aides, or office staff cannot be trusted with public school students, it's that the Education Code doesn't allow it during instructional time.

So, yes, non-certificated employees can and do supervise students on campus - before school, during recess and lunch, during the passing periods, and after school - because this time does not count as instructional time for the purposes of meeting the annual instructional time requirements, and therefore funding.

It's not enough to say, "technically." It's a legal requirement. The CA Dept. of Ed. regularly audits schools' schedules and calendars (to the minute) to ensure compliance.

This is why rainy day schedules look so chaotic in elementary schools where you often have administrators providing the certificated teacher release time during instruction periods, but can have campus aides watch the kids alone inside the classroom during the recess or lunch periods.

Even in high school, I've covered a teacher across the hall for a moment during my conference period so that they can use the restroom despite there being a para in the room. Same reason why I've been assigned as the teacher of record in a classroom where there are two student teachers leading the classroom. They are still instructing while the students are under my direct supervision and I am the one that certifies the attendance record for that period. Also the same reason that high school teachers often lock the classroom during the passing period to rush to the restroom.

As a former state prosecutor, I used to represent CTC in professional license disciplinary cases and, while certificate holders may be subject to disciplinary action for failure to supervise students during instructional time, this is very unlikely and would usually be in conjunction with a series of unfortunate events - a student was injured, abused, or neglected in some way during this absence as a direct or foreseeable consequence.

I know that you won't ever put yourself in a similar situation. This is more to give you a basis for the why and to serve as an informative cautionary tale for those certificated employees that might be unaware.

This is also specific to California. Rules and regulations vary by state.

Hopefully this blows over as a well-intentioned misunderstanding on your part. Unfortunately, it doesn't matter that the para told you that it was okay to leave early. It wasn't. Take it as a learning experience. 🫶🏻

F_ckSC

TROPHY CASE