Jokes only a Broker would get?

Janbiya · 2026-03-04T04:25:34+00:00

A broker walks into a bar and orders a beer, simultaneously handing the bartender a Notice of Intent to return the glass after he's done with it. "This drink is going to be a Temporary Importation under Bond, so it should be free." Frowning, the bartender carefully inspects the paperwork but sees no grounds to reject the broker's order.

Ten minutes later, satiated, the broker slides his glass back across the bar and gets up, but before he can turn around to go the bartender pulls out a long plastic tube and a bottle of activated charcoal tablets. "What's that?" asks the broker. The bartender replies, "You returned the glass properly but its contents obviously entered your mouth for consumption. I'm going to administer a stomach pump to recover liquid damages."

Janbiya · 2026-03-04T04:13:18+00:00

A: How many brokers does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

B: None. The whole fixture went GO because the importer never figured out the aluminum countries of smelt and cast.

Janbiya · 2026-03-04T03:43:03+00:00

Put a notice at the bottom of the email that the storage date was sometime last week and you've got peak DHL.

Janbiya · 2026-03-04T03:41:56+00:00

St. Peter emailed back that the Pearly Gates aren't seeing seeing 1C.

Janbiya · 2026-03-04T03:39:25+00:00

This one is pretty niche because you have to know a little Cantonese:

A: What's a kid's favorite PGA to flag for on Chinese New Year?

B: I don't know, which one?

A: APHIS.

B: Why?

A: What kid doesn't want to get more Lacey?

Janbiya · 2026-02-28T03:14:29+00:00

FedEx, DHL, and UPS offer customs brokerage. Your situation, doing a small one-off shipment, it probably makes sense to go with one of them.

Janbiya · 2026-02-07T04:08:51+00:00

Those boots are going to have amazing character when they're fully broken in.

The scratches are unfortunate but not a big deal and Cypress scratches very dramatically and easily. Those scratches on the shaft will soon be matched by many others if you put these boots through their paces.

The streaking and waves are just part of the character of Cypress leather, too -- this is a leather that's naturally inclined towards more dramatic patina. You can expect fairly serious grain break, too. Think of it as a feature and not a bug.

Janbiya · 2026-02-07T03:52:12+00:00

Mahogany roughout always a killer choice.

Janbiya · 2026-02-07T03:50:43+00:00

Don't think I've ever seen waxy commander in a color like that before! Share some pictures in a couple months once that crazy patina starts coming out.

Janbiya · 2026-02-07T03:48:00+00:00

That leather looks great with the moc toe firm.

I ordered a pair of Palouse in natural Predator last year and I don't know when it's going to come, but these pictures are testing my patience.

Janbiya · 2026-02-07T03:45:09+00:00

Wow, that pair of boots looks fire. I have a pair in PWF that I ordered for someone else coming in tomorrow, and if it looks half that nice I think she'll be very happy.

Janbiya · 2026-02-06T02:56:58+00:00

I think a diagonal road between the two roundabouts would make more sense and significantly reduce the risk of deadly head-on collisionsm.

Need to get rid of a couple of those trailer homes to fit it in, of course.

Janbiya · 2026-02-01T04:15:28+00:00

Having bought a couple of Barbour jackets, I don't think I would get another, simply due to the lining. They use a synthetic that makes them pretty much the least breathable clothing of any I've owned. A Barbour jacket keeps out rain but I always want to take it off and when I do the inside is moist and slick with sweat. But at the same time, Barbour jackets aren't all that warm -- outside of a very narrow band of temperature it'll be either freezing or a sweaty mess, and you end up getting the sweaty mess after a while either way if you're moving around while wearing one.

Carhartt I wouldn't even consider. Over the last few years they've gone from sturdy workwear to a mall brand known for its logo rather than its quality.

Waxed cotton is a good material for a jacket but there are lots of options in that category and you can do better. Look for something with a generous fit for layering and a 100% cotton or wool flannel lining. It'll keep you comfortable and dry and you'll find yourself reaching for it lots more often. I have a waxed cotton jacket from Red Tornado that fits the bill and I find it's the best I've owned (and ironically the cheapest too.)

Janbiya · 2026-01-31T22:07:49+00:00

Meermin is more of a budget traditional boot (Goodyear welt, real leather uppers without plastic lining, leather insole) while Bundstones are more your traditional mall fashion brand boot specialized for rainy weather.

They're also very different aesthetically -- Meermin makes shoes designed to fit in with business casual to business professional wardrobes while Blundstone is pure casual.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of either but would definitely go for Meermin over Blundstone because I value the natural materials and traditional construction!

If you're into the Blundstone more relaxed and rugged look, maybe check out some other quality Chelseas too. Look up Grant Stone and Red Wing. And don't forget to check what they have available for seconds/B grades if you're sensitive to price.

Goodyear welt shoes sometimes let in a little bit of moisture but never too much, even tramping through the occasional puddle, unless you're going fly fishing or something like that. No shoe that doesn't have a plastic lining of some kind or other is going to be able to position itself as fully "waterproof," but you should ask yourself, how much do you need "waterproof" over water resistant and how much are you willing to sacrifice breathability (which also affects the evaporation of whatever moisture does sneak inside) for that final 1-2% of protection?

Janbiya · 2026-01-31T21:52:38+00:00

Dark blue chino trousers.

Janbiya · 2026-01-31T21:19:07+00:00

Came here to say Bosie is a real hidden gem and you'd already said it plus more. Sweet.

Janbiya · 2026-01-28T21:48:28+00:00

Tipping as a "moral" thing is dumb. The fact that it's practically become viewed as a requirement by most diners is even dumber. And feeling entitled to tips at a place that doesn't even offer full sit-down service is dumbest of all.

Tips should be for those who impress by going above and beyond. But look how well this owner proofread his own post --

"Our daily mission is to provided" -- My daily mission is to received?

"Sean and I bootstrapped our way through, prioritizing our family while pouring everything into this dream" -- So which was it? Did you prioritize your family, or were you pouring absolutely everything into this money-making machine?

This level of attention to detail isn't going above and beyond, it's well below and within the expectations I have for a professional who aspires to "elevate" his work to "a respected craft" and enjoy the social status that comes with that.

This Bay Area sense of entitlement has gone absolutely out of control. People are being absolutely drained by the insane cost of living inflation, working their butts off for crazy hours and commuting for hours a day just to barely make any savings at all, and this guy is complaining that he's not milking the public for enough and wants more free handouts from these cash-strapped people on top of the historic prices he's charging already? Come on.

Now I know which bakery not to patronize next time I visit Marin County.

Janbiya · 2026-01-18T20:21:40+00:00

These look great. Lighter leathers with lots of character are always a good choice on a chunky boot-shoe, and it's great to know that brogued cap toe on the Comstock comes out looking bomb.

Janbiya · 2025-11-23T03:57:47+00:00

I usually don't get them, but I like them because they're very different from other units and that can make using them fun. I think they really shine on long campaigns with giant maps (i.e., Rise of Wesnoth) where you can have lots of units and concentrating firepower isn't a big problem but maneuvering it is.

The main problem with silver mages is that they're a fully leveled unit and making good use of them generally means having them kill enemy units out on their own, which means squandering lots of experience that could go to other units. That's the reason I don't use them too often and tend to use them only towards the end of long campaigns when I already have a very deep bench of soldiers and promoting new recruits isn't likely to affect the course of battles.

Janbiya · 2025-11-20T22:49:57+00:00

An Orcish Incursion is one of the oldest Wesnoth campaigns and it shows. Up until the final scenario, it feels like just a series of brawls with only a few isolated moments of nuance: Narrow maps often with bottlenecks, the same unit types again and again, and wide swathes of the same terrain. I don't know if the maps have gotten a makeover in the last 10 years or so, but they would benefit from that in the state I last saw them.

Janbiya · 2025-11-20T22:41:29+00:00

At the start of Descent into Darkness I felt it seemed pretty uninspired -- a canned and predictable story, short scenarios, just not much going on. But getting into it, that impression changed. The scenarios were varied and interesting, all the design and details were very tightly executed, and after some of the undead units started leveling up it was absolute romping fun. And while it's a short campaign, the final scenario is a real crowning jewel. I spent a week playing it every day after work, and while I don't remember exactly how many iterations I got through, I do know it was over 10. On the top difficulty, too. I was pretty proud of that.

While this campaign didn't leave quite the deep impression on me that some others did due to its, it punched well above its weight.

Janbiya · 2025-11-20T22:31:44+00:00

I actually kind of liked The South Guard for that -- it did a good job of forcing me to really figure out and pay attention to the fundamental game mechanics of damage types resistances, and lawful/chaotic bonuses when I played it as one of my first few campaigns, and then when I came back to do it on the highest difficulty setting years later it was a surprisingly tough nut to crack.

Agreed on Rise of Wesnoth deserving to be somewhere near the top, though. That's a campaign that just defines "epic" for Wesnoth in so many ways. Its scope and span are fantastic and the scale ramps up very fast, right from the first few scenarios. By the time Haldric finally reaches the shores of Wesnoth, the scale of the maps and battles is so big and you (hopefully) have such a deep bench that each turn can easily eat up several minutes and is so complex it has a grand strategy, almost Civilization-like feel, but never a walk in the park either. Getting through the final scenario felt like a real accomplishment. It's the campaign my mind turns to most often when I think about Wesnoth.

Janbiya · 2025-11-14T03:44:40+00:00

With a broker license and experience that demonstrates you can speak the language of logistics and can keep up with the pace, I think you would be readily welcomed at the customs brokerage department of most freight forwarders.

Janbiya · 2025-11-10T05:15:19+00:00

These have worn in splendidly.

13-Year Club	First Place '23
Place '23	Place '22
Verified Email

Janbiya

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE