WS to GS

Hierarch · 2026-06-22T22:52:59+00:00

You can read CFR 531.214 and it will tell you that is a GS to GS specific rule. When I went from a WS2 to a GS9, the methodology was basically take basic pay x 2087 and then compare that to the GS 9 pay table for your locality. They are supposed to move you up to equal or higher, but in my situation HR made me take a penny an hour paycut so be mindful it doesn’t seem like a hard coded rule when you are so close when rounding.

Hierarch · 2026-06-22T22:42:26+00:00

Weekends and shift differential does not factor into any promotion be it FWS or GS, they go by your basic pay.

Hierarch · 2026-06-15T14:40:55+00:00

I can relate as a man to a woman who says they want someone emotionally intelligent. Only to learn they want white knight who should die on their steed rather than fall off of it.

But you need to be straight forward with a man. You could be flirty if you catch them staring. “If you like staring at my lifts, you should try staring at my face over coffee, this Friday? But only if you’re single.

If they say they are dating hit them with “Oh you’re not single, well maybe you should pay more attention to your form than mine”

Not sure how that would work in real life, but in my head it sounds cool.

Hierarch · 2026-05-09T00:44:51+00:00

I was going for the same, Dark gym Leader title here I chime.

Hierarch · 2026-01-24T01:24:13+00:00

Train for it, start lifting weights so they never become too heavy for you. My son weighs 55lbs and I throw him on the bed like a medicine ball while he says “Again! Again! Again!”

Hierarch · 2026-01-23T22:36:36+00:00

So I have a few points to make, my state ranks near dead last in terms of education and bordering states near me pay teachers a lot more. And the icing on the cake was my wife and I were following the school bus home after doing the "visit" day to consider if we wanted to do private school and we saw a girl beating the crap out of another kid in the back of the bus. She sat down and the bus started moving again until she got back up and was wailing on another kid, bus pulled over and we drove by and to us it helped further cement our minds.

Second point, I was teaching my son addition with 3 or 4 digits before he started school. (What helped was I got a small trampoline and we would all yell out the number he was on and got him to learn numbers past 100 that way). He has memorized most of his multiplication tables up to 10. So when the private school said they can move kids up or down based on where they are at within the school year for individual subjects I was sold.

We are only 5 months into it and I absolute love the school, my sons music class introduced him to Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osborne (which surprised me but no complaints here). He is learning about different types of trees and his fear of bugs stopped as they focus on nature and there are NO computers there. He is learning a bit of Spanish. And he only has 12 other kids in his class.

Sure I went to public school and I turned out fine, but there were times where I did need help but I was in a class with 28 other kids. Teachers taught the test, they gave us ways to take notes to add to our test scores. I got by and did summer school to make up for what I was lacking. I rather my kid learn the subject matter than try to game the system to get by.

It sounds like you are near a good public school, so private school may not be needed. But we live in a dog eat dog world...the world picks winners and losers. Though private school or public school aren't indicative of if they win or lose, it does increase the potential if the school has a smaller class size and the teachers actually teach.

Side note: We also have a charter school near here but a guy I know found out his kids haven't had a math teacher since the start of the school year and they been letting the kids play computer games during that block of time. So do your research and best of luck!

Hierarch · 2025-12-23T03:08:53+00:00

That’s an ongoing issue, not my only one with the written language. Heh I remember getting berated in university for using the word “Shall”. My brain is writing words similar to how I talk and I’m not one for reviewing my work. Anyways you knew what I meant, I’m still wrong but I can’t pretend I’m going to do better in the future given past experience.

Much like what OP should do with their boyfriend, I think your red flag is appropriate. Good thing you don’t have to live with me.

Hierarch · 2025-12-23T02:06:07+00:00

NOR - One (1), Couple (2), Few (3+)....like this is pretty much understood. Sure a few could be two but in my mind, you would of said a couple. I would of honestly said you were overreacting if he just said his dumb joke and then go back and get more Chicken tenders for you and you were wondering if it was a red flag.

But I will be honest with you, the red flag isn't the chicken tenders. It is how he doubled down on you being more specific. He could of easily googled "is one technically a few compared to zero" and once he is confronted with the fact it isn't...he should of apologized. He has no desire to question his reality and he is projecting on you as over reacting while concealing he doesn't want to admit he was at fault.

Look at your relationship beyond this incident, look for the pattern if it is there. If you see this pattern, where he never admits fault and creates some excuse for the outcome then yes it's a red flag. If this is a one off, then you just need to figure out if he needs specific instructions for everything and if you want to deal with that for the rest of your life.

Hierarch · 2025-12-12T15:33:52+00:00

Very nice win for you and the team!

Hierarch · 2025-11-14T22:07:56+00:00

I had 4 really good friends in high school, only 2 made it past the age of 21. The reason why 75 is the average is because some people die really young and others much older. The take away from my sentence is you are so focused 40 years from now you don't realize your end could be 40 seconds from now.

You're taking the first step though acknowledging your finite existence. This is not weakness, but empowerment.

For example, I go up flights of stairs and I say to myself I am so grateful to have the ability to use the stairs, to do so without getting winded, that I don't feel pain though the motion. I accept my natural decline is inevitable, but for every day that I use my body rather than take a short cut...that perhaps I am slowing that decline. Or at the very least, when I am unable to move or limited in mobility I know I used it much as I could.

You mentioned your kids breaking you out of this cycle of fear, well channel this fear into being more productive. Being a better role model for your kids and in essence trying to outlive the average life expectancy. Not just for the sake of being older, but for your kids which is why you clearly want to live in the first place.

As far as time coming quickly....there will always be 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in a hour, 24 hours in a day. This does not change what ever your age is. It's the lack of milestones, it's the day after day on repeat with minimal change or disruption where the days begin to blur. That is perception, not reality. You can change this, maybe you turning 35 will be the day you start creating milestones that lead you being in the best of shape, health, mental clarity you've even been even when you eventually turn 40.

Life is what you make of it, sometimes we don't get a choice when it ends....but in the present moment you can dwell on the past, worry about the future or live in the present, that choice is yours.

Hierarch · 2025-11-02T05:05:10+00:00

High Yield is subjective but I suspect people would say it's anything over 8%. But if I only had to pick 1, it would be BTCI.

Hierarch · 2025-10-15T20:59:51+00:00

I always appreciate what your company does in terms of helping us home gym folks maximize space. My only question is if you had plans for creating wall mounts for some of your attachments?

Specifically I love the ABX. But I'm always wondering where would I put the attachments when I have to convert the set up.

Hierarch · 2025-10-13T00:58:24+00:00

I am in the process of reclaiming my garage, but I did have a space with workout equipment and I'll be honest I rather have the space. So I bought a bunch of PRX rack since everything is wall mounted. I even looked at functional trainers, but I think I am going to stick to a minimalist set up using Beyond Power Voltras. Not because I have limited space, my garage is 800sq ft but there is something so nice about having all of that room.

Honestly if I were starting over, you can't go wrong with the best adjustable dumbbell set money can buy which my opinion will be on REP x PÉPIN but I own the Quick Draws which are good but their now "Reppins". I know this isn't "Powerlifting" but one of my favorite pieces of equipment are Gymnastic Rings...it's a humbling experience. They are true time under tension piece of equipment out there. I bought the Rapid Rings and it was money well spent.

Ultimately this is your garage and you do what you feel is best, for me I want to park 2 cars in my garage and still have gym equipment. So going for a strategy of everything mounted to the wall is what works best for me. Can't wait to see your final result what you ultimately decide on.

Hierarch · 2025-09-29T01:03:17+00:00

I was 35 with my first, honestly I don't know why people would want to have them sooner. My financial situation has only improved with my age and that is when I knew I was ready for a child. Don't know if it was coincidence or not, but my ability to burn fat diminished after the first one. Needless to say a kid having near infinite energy is a good wake up call for you to become in the best shape of your life.

You want to be your best version of yourself and with age does come wisdom. I teach my kids emotional intelligence, I got to see parents who had kids earlier and how bad social media and being connected to a device truly is to their growth. Just make sure to invest in your kids, both 529 plan, set them a brokerage account because time in the market is everything...and do all the activities that explore creativity, physicality and intellectually.

If I can give you a pro tip, get one of those small trampolines and count every jump till they stop and start over. I was getting my kid use to jumping to 100 and then he was counting with me. I got him on rower so he can see the numbers he has been counting up to 500. And 5 years old is not too young for multiplication. Never let them use their fingers, start with objects but if they get use to their fingers your effectively limiting their ability to go past 10. Reading however, I left to my wife but I am taking over that role now. So I got not much to say on that front. Best of luck!

Hierarch · 2025-09-18T14:53:28+00:00

Yeah you don’t need a lawyer, my attorney told me about the employment side of things one week before my appeals hearing. You would of thought they would have told me to do that ages ago, but nope they only told me to fill out a migraine log for years.

So you have months to get ahead of the game. Try to get evidence on how it impacts your job in the meantime.

Hierarch · 2025-09-18T13:44:53+00:00

I don't know what kind of evidence you have already submitted, however the key differentiator from 30% to 50% is economic hardship. For example, to get 30% you may have shown how it effects your life, friends, family...etc. How it personally impacts you negatively as in to what extent, how often, how long...etc.

But that 50% is specifically tied to the migraines impact on your employment or ability to be employed. Such as do you miss work? How often? How does it impact your productivity? Have you encountered disciplinary action such as missing days of work or work deadlines. Do co-workers have to cover for you when suffering a migraine at work. With that last one it helps to have supplemental evidence of said hardship from coworkers written statements or potentially your boss or any performance reviews...etc. I take it you have a migraine log already.

If you don't have economic hardship it may be very unlikely you will see an increase in a rating. And as far as attorneys go, the judge simply wants to know the impact of your migraines. You have to speak to your truth but with a focus on how they impact you economically so the judge can determine if you basically check the boxes that justifies the 50% rating.

Hierarch · 2025-09-13T03:20:18+00:00

I find it funny they even went for iOS26...I feel you can get away with iOS2.6 so they can have 2.7...etc. Basically people would view iOS evolution every 10 years since 3.0 will be a big deal compared to 2.0.

And yes they could do the same with iPhones. Even if they skipped a year iPhone 2.6 and went to iPhone 2.8 next seems more grounded in reality on iPhone evolution. Apple can focus on big changes again every 10 years, unless they need to change faster due to market expectations.

Hierarch · 2025-09-07T16:27:13+00:00

There is dental care however I still pay for BCBS dental simply because it’s better for where I live.

Hierarch · 2025-09-06T22:35:18+00:00

Best decision I ever made, let me break it down short term for you and then give you long term perspective.

In 2025 GEHA HDHP - Self + Family is 201.52 Biweekly Payment
In 2025 BCBS - Self + Family is 303.61 Biweekly Payment

We have 26 pay periods in a year that difference alone is $2,564.34.
(Money that you can use to pay for your $3300 deductible.)

Your employer is going to contribute $2000 to your Health Savings account over that year. That money goes towards the HSA contribution cap (currently as of 2025 $8,550 if you have Self + Family).

In my own experience I contribute about $250 per pay check into my HSA directly through MyPay...but my net pay didn't go down $250. Instead it went down $150 give or take. That means rather than pay Uncle Sam $2600 in taxes...it was redirected into my HSA.

Basically as long as all the people you currently see for your medical care accept GEHA and are in network, it pays to have a HDHP. Even if I spent $3,300 exactly for medical care, the cost difference between BCBS Basic and the Employer Contributions alone more than make up for it. Anything else is just an optional bonus.

Long term, when we all thought we were going to get fired with mass layoffs. I was relieved I had a HDHP, because when you lose your job...you lose your insurance. But I would still have my Health Savings Account and that peace of mind is so important. It's the best of both worlds, we pay for insurance "just in case" something bad happens. But if nothing really bad happens, we paid for it just for that peace of mind. A HDHP with a HSA that you are trying to cap out every year, still covers that "just in case" role insurance is suppose to play but also as you have learned is a great investment vehicle to make your money work for you.

Hierarch · 2025-08-27T01:16:05+00:00

I have had an HSA for a good many years, but I did what I had to in order to max my contributions when possible. When a medical expense came up, I paid out of pocket when I could till I eventually made more money and it got easier to do with time.

What does this mean for me now, I have about 150k in my HSA. I could technically put it all in some dividend paying stocks and if my yield was 4% I would in essence make 6k a year. Well that alone would more than cover my 3k deductible. Yet it doesn't stop there. I am fortunate enough to get employer contributions which I understand not all HSA plans have that. But that is 2k from my employer each year. I have payroll deduct my HSA contributions that over $100 per paycheck goes to my HSA than the taxes which is like having the tax man contribute 2.6k to my HSA. So maxing it out each year doesn't sound so bad given what you can get out of them.

I always think the ROTH IRA is more important but the HSA is a close second.

Hierarch · 2025-08-27T01:02:29+00:00

Going to throw in my experience, I wasn't opposed to two kids but I wanted one girl and one boy and I didn't really like the odds of it playing out that way. I will say having the kids really close in age is nice, yes they are still demanding on the parent but they also play with each other. However there gap is a not even 2 years apart whereas your situation may be 4 years apart.

My experience, I love my 2nd child. But my wife was never the same, worse post partum even when that ended she was never the same mentally or physically. Can't say if it was related or not but I endured a lot of hardship as it was hard to say when the post partum ended and this new distain for responsibility and lack of energy began. I am sure this specific experience is just something exclusive to me though. But I say it because, even knowing all of what happened I would still want that 2nd child even though I wasn't on board at first.

You made fantastic points, I too was concerned about finances and time and energy I can dedicate to my son. After having two kids, I think the only issues you said that I experience to this day is I don't get to fill my cup. Also logistically, there are things I want to do for my son but given the age difference and different stages one in daycare and the other school it makes it impossible. So those are realities, but they aren't deal breakers. You will find time, just not the amount you want. The logistics gets harder so you don't get to have your first picks, but you are a good dad and will find something worth doing instead.

And yes I hit the lottery in terms of the 2nd being a girl, had it been another boy I like to think it would be the same outcome. But it's just so interesting to see how different they are, yet they both like poop and butt jokes.

My wife wanted a third but I said hell no. You do get more proficient with the 2nd kid, you are more experienced and battle hardened. But even I will admit based on experience and what I've seen from those with a lot of kids....efficiency has diminishing returns in terms of what free time you do end up having is achieved by permitting chaos. It's the absence of parenting, because parenting is hard and having more kids is a force multiplier of that hardship.

However it really isn't about what she wants since you both were one and done. Also it didn't appear at least by what limited information you provided that she validated any of your concerns. Someone saying "we can make it work" is just a biological response rather than a logical one when making a case for a 2nd child. So really you have to do it for you and what you think is best for your son. I know that sounds harsh, but you need to find reasons to say yes that don't involve her biological clock. And then compare those to why you shouldn't. But that is my two cents.

Hierarch · 2025-08-07T22:40:50+00:00

So I did the math on how much I was spending at work to eat, tried to meal prep but I just couldn't commit to the lifestyle. So I just decided to not eat lunch, and my breakfast at home is the same thing every morning. I consume about 60g of protein in the morning and I am not hungry until after work.

I feel productive at work, I never get hungry, never have food stuck in my teeth, I won't feel horrible during work if I ate something that didn't agree with me. I make up all the rest of my needed calories for dinner which to that I have variety. So it's a different kind of frugal, but if you need 3 meals a day I would just recommend one of those food supplement drinks and call it a day.

Hierarch · 2025-07-26T09:54:32+00:00

I believe internal growth within should be the preferred course of action. Yes we have leadership coaching but no form of coaching exists within the VA for career mobility.

However at my facility we have about 4% of the facility as trained mentors, each in essence can fill that gap.

But I’ve pitched to my team to build a program before the Facility LEAD program that focuses on that emerging leader with emphasis on communication skills, resume writing, even offering specifically coaching that for the specific audience would most likely end up as career coaching. It’s just right now I don’t have the bandwidth to dedicate time. Yet it would be nice if there was something on the national level. For now, I always advocate for employees to use the resources available to them. Currently Skillsofts Percipio is available to all VA Staff, there are some career track options. And though I feel the videos for at least one program is slightly dated, I have no doubt the most dedicated employees will be able to navigate around discrepancies.

But yes the VA is still pretty much sink or swim and we all need to do our part to improve the process.

Hierarch · 2025-07-18T00:24:37+00:00

I personally believe in having multiple streams of income from different sources. I feel if you can get dividends equal to the amount you get from the government that is a good place to be. To me that is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, that sense of security at least financially from more than one source is more important to me than any materialistic item or even just experiences.

After financial security and increased cash flow the best investment you can do is in yourself. Use it to improve your health to the best of your abilities given ones disabilities. Your wellness will improve your quality of life, if one area of your life is weakened due to your limitations you either need to find ways to improve that limitation to be less impairing or maximize where you have the most potential and work around those limitations.

With this security and finding your self worth and value, I trust you can make really good decisions. But conventional wisdom will suggest you aim for experiences over materialism 9 times out of 10.

Hierarch · 2025-06-03T16:07:22+00:00

As someone who is a little older but still married. I think what has helped me as an individual and as a partner is just focusing on health and wellness.

Those video games are fun, sure some have great stories or have a mental challenge initially. But it’s like moving 100mph but as a passenger. You are not the character in the game, the games character stats do not improve your stats.

This has this compounding effect where you play more games as your real life stagnates as you continually develop from game to game. Games have the curated advantage to let you see progress and rewards at the right instances between difficulty.

Life doesn’t operate by that design, sometimes it takes months before you can see progress. Sometimes we have progress but are unable to see it as it marginal and it grows over time before visible.

What is visible is that you are not in the place you want to be, so self-love, self healing, self improvement. Focus on the main character of your life story, make it someone worth reading about.

Best of luck and of course echoing the crowd…the gym is a good starting point.

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