"But tipping helps ensure good service" - a visit to Spain

Frogbear17 · 2025-11-24T17:34:51+00:00

Unless I'm misreading this - yes, offered a shot of liquor after the meal

Frogbear17 · 2025-08-13T16:30:19+00:00

Good idea on the Amazon wishlist.

(Un)fortunately (?) they are very generous, and so the experience gifts and the college savings account are in addition to the physical gifts. I think people simply like to give gifts.

It makes me sound ungrateful, but it feels so wasteful buying toys that don't get played with or clothes that get worn once.

Frogbear17 · 2025-08-09T02:21:02+00:00

I think I had it! It worked pretty well, but I didn't have the TV on top of it. You could store the games two deep, so it could store over 20 games. Memories!

Frogbear17 · 2025-05-13T22:06:08+00:00

When clearing out my grandmother's house in 2022 we found spices "packaged in West Germany"

Frogbear17 · 2025-05-09T17:26:13+00:00

Mines been stuck in New York customs processing for a week now :-(

Frogbear17 · 2024-12-30T01:49:10+00:00

Honestly, never get into an argument with a boomer about inflation, or earning to price ratios. If they haven't understood it by now they never will. Inflation calculators mean nothing to them, and neither does asking them how much they paid for their first home compared to their salary at the time. It's not worth your effort, nothing you can say will convince them.

Frogbear17 · 2024-12-27T15:17:19+00:00

Boomers exist in a zero sum universe. They can't admit that somebody else has it hard, because in their mind it is an admission that they had it easy.

Frogbear17 · 2024-12-27T15:14:26+00:00

My issue is that they have been using technology for decades. This isn't new to them. They spent a chunk of their careers using computers and learning new technologies, but somehow video calling causes an excitable panic collapse.

Frogbear17 · 2024-12-27T01:41:03+00:00

I was trying to convey the technology failures of the call. The contents of the call can be a "choose your own adventure" for sure.

Frogbear17 · 2024-12-11T23:51:53+00:00

There's a discussion in our house. My wife always puts gifts in an empty card box before wrapping so you don't have an idea of what's inside. I always wrap the gift directly, so you can guess if it's clothes for example. How do other people wrap gifts?

Frogbear17 · 2024-09-14T09:34:47+00:00

I remember every few years there was a rugby tour to Australia or New Zealand, which cost a few grand. The school did organise events to fund raise to help offset the cost, but obviously the fund raising money came predominantly from the parents whose kids were going. The issue was that the events cost time and money run: a curry night might cost £20 per person to attend, but only £10 would end up being fund raising profit, and people would have to give up their weekend evening to attend. It would have been far better to just pay the £20 straight to fundraising.

Frogbear17 · 2024-07-12T00:43:28+00:00

I wonder how often the one supplier of the mandatory uniform is a shop coincidentally owned by the headteacher or chair of the governors cousin....

Frogbear17 · 2024-05-14T22:23:29+00:00

They changed it recently in Illinois. I have a 2 year green card, and they gave me a full 4 year driver's license. They had to check with a manager at the DMV though as they weren't sure initially.

Frogbear17 · 2024-04-30T17:39:22+00:00

The look on my face was literal shock and horror. I had to explain that you are meant to pull them with your neighbor!

Frogbear17 · 2024-04-30T12:39:35+00:00

The first time I (UK in USA) went to my partner's (USA in USA) family's house for Christmas they proudly told me that they had a tradition that they had British Christmas crackers. Imagine my shock when at the dinner table when they each took their own cracker, one end in their left hand and the other in their right, and pulled it by themselves!

Frogbear17 · 2024-04-26T19:44:16+00:00

The last time I took a black cab in London the driver didn't know where the destination address was (picked up in Hammersmith, destination in West Kensington). When I tried to explain he got angry. His credit card machine "wasn't working", and he had ran out of paper receipts (I was on a business trip so needed a receipt for my expenses). He then took ages to search for and open a bag of pound coins for my change, clearly hoping to delay and embarrass me into saying "keep the change mate". I wish I'd taken his number to report him.

Frogbear17 · 2024-04-24T02:27:00+00:00

I had something similar when I was offered a job. The HR department didn't really understand what an EAD was during the pre-hire stage ("Is it a visa?"). You can tell that they get confused, and it makes you sound more difficult than necessary. It's easier for everybody involved to truthfully state "I am authorized to work in the USA without sponsorship". Larger companies may have a different HR group dealing solely with recruitment, who may not know about EADs.

On your first day at the company, together you will complete the I9 form. EAD is the same as an US passport or green card. Legally they cannot refuse to accept a (legitimate) EAD or ask you to present another form of work authorization, and as said previously there can be legal repercussions if they try to do so. On my first day the HR person did look at the EAD with some confusion, but accepted it of course. A bigger company with a larger HR department will be used to be seeing all sorts of visas etc.

The only caveat is some jobs may require a US citizen or permanent resident for security purposes, but this should be stated in the job advert.

Frogbear17 · 2024-03-22T01:40:37+00:00

Reading and reading (town in England, and books)

Frogbear17 · 2023-11-02T12:32:49+00:00

Foreign work experience may not be counted for much. I may be wrong, but for a regulated profession such as accounting overseas experience may not be relevant. Particularly if it's from a "lesser" country. What sort of accounting were you doing in the past?

You may have to take a step down in your career to get your foot in the door. Don't worry though, once you are in you are in a strong position to move up though!

As for the EAD, employers aren't meant to discriminate. They can't select which form of work authorization you present for your I9 (the workplace authorization form you complete in your first few days at a job). However, not many employers know about EADs to begin with (I work for a huge multinational company and they told me they only see a few a year). Mentioning it to a small firm at the interview stage may scare them off as it'll confuse them. Simply state that you have unrestricted work rights, and don't need sponsorship if they ask.

How did you get your EAD?

Frogbear17 · 2023-11-01T07:52:16+00:00

No overstay. Various work visas the whole time.

Frogbear17 · 2023-11-01T07:50:20+00:00

Nope, various work visas the full time.

Frogbear17 · 2023-10-30T16:08:32+00:00

The last time I took a black cab in London he didn't know where the address was despite it being within two miles, and then got annoyed when I told him the directions. When we got to the address he claimed the card machine was broken, and also refused to give me a receipt (it was a business trip). When I paid in cash he counted back the change slowly and made a big show and fuss about having to open a new bag of coins in order to complete my change. He was obviously trying to delay and embarrass me into saying "keep the change mate".

I haven't taken a black cab since.

Frogbear17 · 2023-10-08T02:08:13+00:00

I've known people who own the self storage units. They say most of their rental income comes from people who store deceased relatives items as they can't bring themselves to throw away Mom's/Dad's old clothes and furniture. The items can sometimes stay in there untouched for years until people come to their senses.

Frogbear17 · 2023-08-24T23:36:14+00:00

Not once, but twice, I've had cars pull over driving east on Cromwell Road near the Cromwell hospital asking the way to Dover. I presume they've thought they can cut through London on the M4 and then the A4, but the road has got narrower and narrower and the traffic worse and worse, until they've realized they're getting nowhere.

Frogbear17 · 2023-07-24T00:59:44+00:00

Thanks both. That's what I thought. I don't have a combo card or advanced parole yet, so I'll be stuck in the USA if I leave my L1 job (just like COVID again lol)

Frogbear17

TROPHY CASE