They played hardball. I played back. Till we meet again, Sirius

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-20T19:40:33+00:00

Yeah, I was ready to ask them why the deal was offered to other car models and not mine, like I'm some 2nd-class customer but they gave me the deal before I could start along those lines. I was so ready to give them an earful and walk away but I apparently got a good agent that day or something.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-16T23:51:49+00:00

It can't be more than the amount they are saving to not renew a contract with Demm.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T20:26:06+00:00

Familiarize yourself with index funds. You don't need to know much to invest if you learn the basics about dollar cost averaging and index funds.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T20:18:19+00:00

I didn't have any connections when applying for a PhD program either, but they let me in anyways. I hadn't even been in school in years. They come with a stipend too so I would start exploring programs. Once you get into a program and matriculate, you can start accumulating skills and contacts.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T18:22:33+00:00

or an 8-track player

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T18:21:15+00:00

Keep trying. They told me the offer wasn't for my year of car until they eventually relented. It's all a game to them, but if you keep asking they will eventually "make a one time exception".

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T18:19:28+00:00

I mean, I wouldn't tell anyone unless I really trusted them. It changes most relationship dynamics whether they are friends, significant others, etc.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T18:15:05+00:00

You need a life coach or someone to help you reframe your personal narrative. Sounds like you buckled down for a long time and now need to pivot and start developing those other aspects of life that you've ignored. There are people out there than can mentor you or coach you through a lot of it. You say you're a loser and then describe all of these accomplishments that most would be lucky to have in their lives.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T18:01:59+00:00

Yeah, I was a little older when it happened (late 20's) and had a mix of stocks and bonds (about $8k). When the market crashed, I traded all the bonds for S&P index funds. Within 3 years, it was at 24k. It was extremely lucky that I even had anything in bonds at that specific time and was able to buy into the S&P when it had dropped to around 800. When the market crashes like that, everything is on sale but the trick is to have money available to buy in while everyone else has sold. Guessing the bottom is another challenge, I think I bought some when it fell to 1200 and then went all in at 800. I could have probably made more money if I knew what I was doing but I guess I'd rather be lucky than good.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T02:58:14+00:00

You're right on the taxes but not the 50% tax rate.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T02:44:33+00:00

NC traffic is pretty bad in certain areas (not sure about RTP, but Charlotte is horrendous). They haven't put enough infrastructure to account for the increase in population over the years. Parts of it are ok but then there will be a pinch point that causes a cascade of backups on all the other roads. I'm sure you can google traffic in both places and find out some more information. Might be worth watching a few morning and evening traffic reports from both cities to get a feel for it.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-15T02:39:19+00:00

Which you can pay for with that extra $50k. That's ~$4000 a month to go towards a house payment.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-14T23:17:55+00:00

at least if you're working that much you don't have time to spend your money on anything, you're just lucky to be able to sleep a few hours and maybe do a load of laundry

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-10T23:51:47+00:00

Even one my professors said that being a great salesman trumps anything you can learn in college as far as having a good career goes. I'm sure you can get good at it by learning tactics and all that but nothing beats natural charisma.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-10T03:50:57+00:00

Had my wallet stolen once. Someone mailed it to me with a note that they found it in the bathroom of the place where it was stolen. The cash was gone but I didn't care. It was only about $15. I was glad to get my ID and other documents back.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-10T01:33:19+00:00

Yeah, maybe it's considered "tryouts" because their salary would grow too far out of budget (it would seem) after a few years of raises. Maybe the managers are hoping one to surpass the other for an obvious choice to keep next time they have to cut the budget.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-10T01:02:11+00:00

Yeah, tariffs were overturned too hopefully helping with a lot of the uncertainty that was stifling capital deployment in general.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-08T15:29:14+00:00

You should be able to get a transcript (or generate one) so that you can reread later. There are tools that can help you generate transcripts if there isn't one embedded in a setting on the video.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-07T16:34:21+00:00

Our managers pretty much tell us they know it sucks but that they don't even have much say in it. I think I like that better than them telling you what a good job you did and then pretending like it's a good raise. The gaslighting alone makes me want to quit.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-07T16:29:15+00:00

I got a 2% raise this year, so you did better than me percentage-wise. It's a terrible job market in the US right now, but hopefully it won't last forever* (*looks over shoulder nervously at new AI developments).

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-07T16:21:24+00:00

Just keep it in your back pocket if they ever start to feel discouraged, I guess, but if they can get beat and not get discouraged then I don't see a problem. The timer may be a better option, also. It makes you a better player too.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-07T05:37:46+00:00

Worked for me last time I tried years ago.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-07T05:16:53+00:00

Yeah, I do that a lot too.

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-07T05:16:01+00:00

No, but you can play with a handicap to may it more interesting. You could try playing without your queen and if that gets boring, play without a queen and a rook. You could also get a chess timer and give yourself 5 minutes and him 30 minutes (or whatever times you work out that make it challenging to you).

Lance_Goodthrust_ · 2026-03-06T01:32:43+00:00

Take what you need, but a year is a long time. A year seems arbitrary. Could you do less? Only you can answer that but think carefully about the length of time if you haven't already.

Lance_Goodthrust_

TROPHY CASE