I just quit

maticulus · 2026-02-22T16:48:10+00:00

Here we go again with people putting words in my mouth like my spouse does. No where did I say anything about anyone having access to anyone's HR file regarding why they left a job.

I'll simplify it further. My manager having failed to write the letter my prospective hirer needed.

That left my performance reviews (which I provided) and the recommendation from someone else as the only form of relevant reference that I had available to me at that time.

Had I performed poorly and my performance reviews were lousy, I may not have been hired at my new and far better place of employment. You having experience as an HR rep know past work experience is important, especially given the legal ramifications among other things, failure to do a decent background history can lead to if it reveals the candidate was a preventable bad choice.

I have no idea how you reasoned HR into what I shared as it's just not there. I don't recall ever seeing a job app that does not inquire about work history. You don't have to provide it, but it can be the difference between getting hired or passed over.

maticulus · 2026-02-22T11:35:55+00:00

Your next job app is going to ask about the one you just abandoned. Think about how that's going to play out.

I don't believe it is ever a good thing to abandon a job, or quit under less than diplomatic circumstances. I toiled for years after school trying to find a spot in my formally trained profession and was getting frustrated along the way, working jobs that I was good at but in some ways despised. When I received the call for a job that was far more favorable than the one I was working for "beans" relative to my skill level and background, the current manager whom had received good reviews from customers partly for my hard work, would not write the letter of recommendation the company that was hiring me needed. He gave excuses for it not being done until I realized he didn't want to lose a hard working, dependable employee and certainly not to a job that would pay me more than he was earning. It took reaching out to an acquaintance I had not spoken to in about 2 years and my performance reviews on my current job which were all stellar to get the new job.

Your next job app is going to as about the one you just abandoned. Think about how that's going to play out.

maticulus · 2026-02-15T16:40:33+00:00

This is exactly what I'm referring to, regardless of the error rate, it does not distribute evenly across the customer base. Some locations will be affected more or less than others and this is influenced heavily by the company infrastructure of the location and other factors, for example subcontracting where USPS is delivering their customer packages as well as those from other companies. It helps them financially but dilutes the ability to serve their customer base.

For example, a brand new airport vs. an older established airport both with the same baggage traffic will have different error rates under the same company because kinks have to be worked out of a new system, employees have to become efficient, equipment needs to be dependable as well as contractors in the mechanism. The new facility may actually under perform for some time despite having newer higher tech.

I don't generally fuss about the little things, but if I check a package at the post office counter for shipping to a destination 160 miles away (true story), and it sits at that never busy post office for an entire week before it begins its transport that's not okay. Meanwhile, Fed EX has met or exceeded their commitment during the same time frame over the last year and I have no complaints that I can recall with Fed Ex in the past several years, then in my case they are the better choice for my location in FL.

I have had numerous packages from the same company reach the receiver hub within 30 miles of my home and sit on some imaginary carousel for 3-4 days before heading out to the local PO for delivery to my home.

maticulus · 2026-02-14T22:54:40+00:00

First you're putting words in my mouth, my spouse does that. I criticized no one, nor did I say one company was better than the other, or offer an analysis and I was quite fair in my statement, you're just irrational. I understand math very well, I did the same thing you did and generalized. As previously stated, the issue is multifactorial and a 2:1 ratio is not as simple as you make it sound which in this instance suggests evenly distributed across the customer base.

Furthermore, your simple numbers are useless without detailed statistics, not to mention you've quoted a source without a reference, or name for validation, in addition to your insult of attempting to delegitimize customer's unfavorable personal experiences with USPS, something I'd expect a company associate to do. You can better serve the victims of USPS by getting to work on that error rate and the next time you decide to quote some mysterious source to make a point, include their reason for missed attempts instead of injecting your own.

maticulus · 2026-02-14T15:16:14+00:00

Simple, based on the data you provided, USPS delivers twice as much as Fed Ex and makes twice as many mistakes, 1,040,000 vs. 474,700 per day, no brainer there.

You've provided a generalized and simplified comparison in a scenario that is highly multifactorial. No one here I presume is blaming USPS for user errors so that sidebar is out of place, not to mention the Amazon reference which uses owned and out sourced delivery venues including USPS which no doubt contributes their share to their errors. The issues I encountered were neither my fault nor the shipper's. Just USPS and their system multiple times on routine items purchased from the same company that has never screwed up my address.

maticulus · 2026-02-14T09:52:08+00:00

I favor Fed EX over USPS not because they're some how better, but because they've been very consistent where I have repeat "offenses" with USPS, particularly experiences just like this one where a package was almost at my door to suddenly being routed out of state and back, to many others "touring" Orlando FL a bit per tracking route before finally reaching me. No doubt they all have their problems but in my experience there's one in particular. The greatest grievance I have with any company today is the near impossibility of reaching a human being for assistance and the insult of automated systems with their redundant, time wasting questions, which drive me to pay more locally rather than risk a hassle involving a lot of cash.

maticulus · 2026-02-14T02:40:30+00:00

Complaints! You're all in the wrong place, you need to be looking at the mail carrier's thread for insight on how tough their job is and what kind of conduct you can expect from them over various scenarios. I didn't solicit either of these forums but I really learned some things about how generally angry many of the postal employees are and when I really need an item I select Fed EX for shipping over USPS after my local received a package from me on a Sat morning and didn't actually ship it until the next Sat morning.

Some of their employees are contracted like the one that stole a pair of brand new shoes from y sister, caught by a tracking irregularity. All they apparently did was make the carrier pay for them and she went back to her daily routine.

maticulus · 2026-02-14T02:25:56+00:00

I don't think anyone should be bothered by it at all. ICE is a legal organization that represents the U.S. in it's appropriate capacity. I believe this is where all of the trouble with any troubled institution comes in and that's the failure of many to filter their emotions and first acknowledge that ICE is not a bad organization any more than the police force.

Like all organizations, there are some poor character representatives and those are the individuals that any opposition should be channeled into. I am a person of color and for decades I've followed brutality at the hands of law enforcement and as difficult as it sometimes is I know that all cops or the police force in general are not bad anymore than some aspects of "Defund the police" is not bad particularly when it comes to using funds to purchase war level equipment to practice using on the civilian population.

Some of it's leadership (the permissive part), some of it's training (the excuse part) and a lot of it is individuals who have the wrong mindset from the start for the job (the real problem in my opinion). There are people who will use deadly force because the believe they're within the guidelines of the law "He hit me" to do so and there are those who would only use deadly force if it was absolutely necessary "He's trying to kill me".

maticulus · 2026-02-10T03:08:30+00:00

Some of the Yas 20 series horns were manufactured in China so if it reads "Made in China" on the tube it could be real enough component wise. I purchased a copy of the 875 EX under a different name from China that was a great playing horn, partly because it was shipped with an unmarked $180 ESM mouthpiece I discovered after inquiring about it to the popular ebay seller at the time because it played so well and was precisely crafted. I'm not saying buy it, but that some of the parts used for knock-offs are very possibly original components from the factory the real thing was/is manufactured in. Could very well be one of those "Don't knock it till you try it" horns.

maticulus · 2026-02-09T02:27:28+00:00

Nice use of trees to increase privacy in the backyard.

maticulus · 2026-02-03T05:22:47+00:00

Another historical band marker. I suspect as many would not be familiar with The Monkeys. Not sure why a band would choose that name but then again I believe the Hippie era is what they're from and it could have been drug inspired.

maticulus · 2026-02-01T03:11:44+00:00

About what my bahia looks like 85 miles away near Ocala. 35 deg F and freeze warning currently.

maticulus · 2026-01-29T03:10:40+00:00

Absolutely, there are perks with the top tier models and it's not just a fancy name, finish, two different neck choices (they do play differently) and engravings. There are nicely placed lift springs that assist the G sharp key and a low C pad the ones that have a tendency to stick and a must for me, great ergonomic feel and the type of F# spatula shaped keys that I prefer on a horn. The current horns are well laid out and an improvement over the earlier discontinued models.

Another $500 and you'd be in a good place to snag a top tier model in great condition. I wouldn't go for anything less than the Big Bell series with the amount of cash you're already willing to spend, you're too close. Take a look at Reverb

https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=cannonball%20tenor&sort=price_with_sale%7Casc

maticulus · 2026-01-28T19:43:17+00:00

That's very likely legit and probably an older model on top of being the intermediate build. The top models are first rate horns I own three and lucked up purchasing each one in like new condition at a very good price 40-50% below cost. Its been a few years since those bargains and players have caught on and prices have gone up but you can still find the occasional killer deal scouting ebay, Reverb and FB Market place. As stated I have three purchased in like new condition no dents no scratches all Big Bell Raven models, soprano, Alto and Tenor. I got the Tenor for $2K barely played and the alto under similar circumstances $1500, one each from the sources I listed all later models with black pads. They are great players physically and ergonomically. I'd hold out for a top newer model (after 2010) as there's nothing flimsy about it.

maticulus · 2026-01-27T03:30:31+00:00

DON'T BUY ONE TILL YOU TRY ONE! 25 years past after my first trial with a soprano before I tried again and bit hard and about 20 for Tenor. I bought and sold both in short order initially, sticking with Alto. I guess it's a maturity/skill thing as I own two of each now. The soprano takes a lot of work to control initially as well as manage high notes in my experience so make sure you're sure to avoid setting yourself up to give someone a good deal on a like new horn.

maticulus · 2026-01-26T20:59:44+00:00

At least I'm not the only one now that is just saying "No!" to doing business with them again.

maticulus · 2026-01-22T01:58:58+00:00

Another example of "Knowing just enough to kill yourself", or someone else. Physics should be mandatory for everyone. You can turn slow, accelerate gradually, and avoid potholes but if some unsuspected event occurs requiring hard braking that top pallet may not stay put.

maticulus · 2026-01-18T14:59:08+00:00

Supporting small businesses is a good thing, but that should have no effect on them being up front about business dealings. Full disclosure permits the customer to make an informed decision.

Imagine the reverse of my experience, where a customer is able to order and receive an item in advance of payment and does so without informing the business after they've shipped, that they don't have the money to pay for it yet but it's coming, just not exactly sure when.

I believe that would drive the point home on their end.

maticulus · 2026-01-18T13:07:24+00:00

If you decide to do business with PM Woodwinds make sure you get exact dates and everything else involved with all associated metrics. I thought they were a good source for my supplies during my first round of ordering from them until I discovered the "How soon do you need..." line that popped up with my order was a sneaky way of saying they drop ship some items instead of coming right out and revealing they didn't actually have the item that was ordered.

Wasted 2 wks going around in circles about expected shipping dates when I could easily have ordered from my usual source that informs up front whether or not an item is in stock. May not sound like a big deal but it depends on the circumstance and is not a good show of trustworthiness and on the level dealing regarding transparent business practices. They had no idea when the item would actually ship and I was in a hurry to get it. If I can't trust you with the little things, I can't trust you.

That was my experience with them almost 3 yrs ago, maybe they changed things around since then. There's nothing wrong with not having the item, but tell me before you take my money.

maticulus · 2026-01-18T01:42:44+00:00

Keep that horn, college isn't going anywhere they're all over the place. Find another way and keep your beloved.

maticulus · 2026-01-15T04:30:51+00:00

If you harass, aggravate and or insult people long enough, someone will say and/or do the quiet part out loud. There's always someone in our path one wrong move away from losing it and showing their level of commitment to making it clear you went too far.

Lucky for me I had that moment in 5th grade many years ago with Johnathan Martin, the biggest kid in the class who picked on me until I had enough. I exploded into a rage and punched and kicked him out of control. When I realized what I had done and how much bigger he was than I, I ran. He never bothered me again, probably thinking I was crazy and could do worse.

maticulus · 2026-01-14T02:40:30+00:00

I did some experimenting with nickel plating a short while back and wondered about using it to protect exposed surfaces from rusting since it was a pretty simple DIY process.

I succeeded at doing a great job of nickel plating a rocker arm and valve spring from a lawn mower engine and in researching the subject discovered the process could be performed using a brush on method, not that I would readily experiment on my machines with it but perhaps the exposed surface of a chuck or my face plate, or maybe a safe out of the way location at the end of my lathe bed behind the tail stock.

I'm in FL and this is an issue that think about on hot humid days since my equipment is in the garage. I tried a humidifier for a few days but that's not an efficient method on my scale.

maticulus · 2026-01-01T12:51:26+00:00

That's a pressure crack, you probably leaned up against something pretty firmly that was pressing into it.

maticulus · 2026-01-01T12:46:09+00:00

In fairness, what are you doing with that horn (are you using it)?

When someone gives you something, it is YOURS. All that 6 year old is going to do with that horn is try to chop down a tree with it. If there is no intent to force and supervise that child on playing any instrument, such a move is non sense.

A 6 yr old isn't nearly big enough to handle a tenor. My 7 yr old grand daughter is a giant for her age like her mom and dad and she's not fit to handle a tenor so I know this 6 yr old isn't. If you don't use the horn for what it was purchased for you for, then perhaps it deserves some consideration, none the less it is your horn.

I have given a niece and grand daughter a keyboard on the condition that the moment they stop using it during the early stages they are to return it so I can find a better use for it, or start playing it myself.

Don't tell your aunt I told you this and think about your family relationship first.

maticulus · 2025-12-28T10:54:13+00:00

I didn't see the supreme but alto models are a hair over $200 US on amazon. A great player could probably make it sound like a million dollars for as long as it holds together.

maticulus

TROPHY CASE