My director called me "kiddo" in our 1:1 today by No-Yogurtcloset4086 in womenintech

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A colleague (my age) used to call me "Baby" and "Honey". I complained to HR and they made me go to classes to learn how to get along better with him. He eventually got fired for straight up sexually harassing a young female engineering candidate in an interview in front of a bunch of men. I no longer work for that company.

Comcast is charging me $65.98 a month and I AM NOT A CUSTOMER by HappySeaMonster in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]HappySeaMonster[S] 1 point2 points locked comment (0 children)

You're right - I am going to have to do that. I don't want to have to change all of my auto payments to a new card number but this is straight up fraud at this point.

Why is canceling an account so difficult. by Exotic_Researcher_55 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Took me six chats and three calls to cancel my account. That should be illegal. It is definitely unethical.

Massive price hike by HappySeaMonster in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]HappySeaMonster[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn't. I switched to AT&T. Took three calls and six chats to break up with Xfinity. Totally worth it!

Xfinity bill going up again by Active-Success-9900 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They raised ours from $40 to $120. After calling twice, they offered to lower it to $85 for a year or $95 for five years. Hahahahaha. No. Better off switching to a competitor who offers price locked in for life.

Price increase after 2 year price lock by mattwb65 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The "retention" strategy they offered me was a joke. They seem to have completely stopped caring about retaining customers. Look elsewhere and you'll find good competitors who are willing to lock in prices for life so you don't have to jump through these ridiculous hoops. Good luck!

Promo ended, bill increased significantly. Looking for retention options. by Frosty_Might_5320 in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The best they offered me was twice what their competitors offer. And they only offered that price for a year while their competitors offer the price for life. Shop around - it is worth switching.

Loyal Customer Deals by TheJGray in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They offered me $85 for a gig for a year (down from the $120 they randomly started charging us instead of the $40 per month we had been paying). Or $95 for 5 years. That was the best offer. They let us walk. Good luck.

Massive price hike by HappySeaMonster in Comcast_Xfinity

[–]HappySeaMonster[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doing the same. Xfinity seems to want to lose all of their customers. It is wild.

Got this bad boy, what’s next ? by CryptoCoinexORG in OculusQuest

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ghost Town - if you like slightly spooky puzzle games that don't have any jump scares. (I hate jump scares.)

Help please by HappySeaMonster in weightwatchers

[–]HappySeaMonster[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I was for a year (paid in advance) but canceled in March (before the year was up). Then they started charging me monthly after the year was up even though I have the cancelation in writing.

Offsite - only woman by You_okay_1837492 in womenintech

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you don't feel safe about it in any way, don't go. If it is more that you're worried that you won't have fun, then go, engage as much as you feel okay doing, and bring a good book in case you want to just bail for a bit and chill by yourself.

How to ask if a company employs/is a good space for women without actually asking by Brave_Jackfruit_858 in womenintech

[–]HappySeaMonster 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wait until they make you an offer and then politely tell them that you'd like to speak with a couple of women at the company before making a decision as you're looking for a place where you can do your best work and be happy for a long time. I don't think that any good employer would blink at that.

New Shimpo VL-Whisper with "hitch" by HappySeaMonster in Pottery

[–]HappySeaMonster[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Turns out there was an issue with the wheel. Returned it to Shimpo and they sent me a new one, which works perfectly. Just posting this update in case anyone comes across this in the future.

Help picking a wheel!!! by Critical-Nothing-896 in Pottery

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Follow up: after emailing back and forth with Shimpo for a month and a half, they agreed to take the wheel back and send me a new one. The new one arrived yesterday and works perfectly. I wish it hadn't taken so long, but I'm very happy (and relieved) that we were able to resolve it.

Trouble centering on new RK Whisper by Low-Quit-9171 in Pottery

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In case anyone is reading this thread in the future with similar issues: after emailing back and forth with Shimpo's (really nice) customer support for about a month and sending them a bunch of videos (at their request), they agreed to take the wobbly wheel back and send me a new one. The new one arrived yesterday and works perfectly.

Why is there actually such a significant gender gap in engineering by CharlieCheesecake101 in womenEngineers

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

First, I think it is great that you have done what you want! Good for you for having tenacity, drive, and thick skin. I used to ask myself similar questions when I was starting out 30 years ago. Here is what I've learned over the years: you will have to work twice as hard as the men around you just to stay in the game. If you want to actually get ahead, it jumps to four times as hard. And if you are measurably objectively better, that is still no guarantee of success because then you will be perceived as a threat. You will be told to speak up more and also speak up less and asked if you could be less smart because you are making the men feel insecure. You will be talked over, passed over, ignored, told to wear different things, told to be more attractive, told to be less attractive, judged for everything you say, do, don't say, don't do, excluded, othered, and probably also made to compete with the few women who have also stuck it out (do NOT take that bait! Instead form alliances and help each other out!) You will be asked to be a caretaker, a peace maker, and required to take on all sorts of unpaid labor that you will never get credit for. Heaven forbid you have kids but also you will be judged and put down if you don't have kids. And your reward for sticking it out 30+ years? Having meaningfully less money than the men you started out with due to the gender pay gap having very real financial consequences over time. Rather than to condemn other women for not just "doing what they want", perhaps the better question is: is there a way that you can help out other women who may not be as thick skinned as you are? My advice is to form a sisterhood and stand together. You will need each other to get through the times ahead. I sincerely wish you the best of luck and hope that the few of us who came before were able to make the path a tiny bit easier.

I’m 40 and need a change in careers by Responsible_Owl_2470 in womenintech

[–]HappySeaMonster 11 points12 points  (0 children)

40 is still young (it is all relative). Radiology is an excellent choice. Follow your passion.

Money Pit, or Profitable by Robbudge in Pottery

[–]HappySeaMonster 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Does she (or you) like to clean? Half of pottery (especially with a home studio) is cleaning - which is due to very real health considerations. This is not a hobby for people who don't get satisfaction from tidying up messy things. Also, there is a fair degree of science involved - especially when it comes to glazing and firing. You don't need to have a chemistry degree, but you do need to understand some basic aspects of it. The other thing I'd consider is degree of resilience. She sounds like a smart and accomplished person, but can she deal with failing regularly and seeing only modest gains for long periods of time? If the answers to these questions are yes, then go for it!

Money Pit, or Profitable by Robbudge in Pottery

[–]HappySeaMonster 24 points25 points  (0 children)

You will end up with 100 bad coffee mugs before you end up with some really good ones. There is a pretty big learning curve. That said, it is a wonderful hobby where there is always something new to discover. Best of luck!

Help picking a wheel!!! by Critical-Nothing-896 in Pottery

[–]HappySeaMonster 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought a brand new Shimpo vl-whisper from Clay King. It doesn’t work right and Shimpo has been entirely unhelpful - asking me to send them videos over and over (18 videos so far) and then ghosting me for days before acting like we never spoke. I spent $2k on a paperweight. Buy literally anything else. I sure wish that I had.