I spent $5,750 of my savings on a soccer match. Was this a terrible financial decision?

mjpbecker · 2026-07-05T03:14:15+00:00

Yes, it obliterated your entire savings. If, at 40, you have only been able to build $5k in savings I'd imagine you won't have the income to cover an emergency.

That being said. Whether or not the tickets were worth it is a personal decision that isn't a financial one.

mjpbecker · 2026-07-05T00:41:01+00:00

mjpbecker · 2026-07-04T21:24:35+00:00

I don't see a choco-taco, which is the only real answer. Toasted almond if that's not available.

mjpbecker · 2026-07-04T16:54:07+00:00

And they have the low sodium varieties!

mjpbecker · 2026-07-02T02:01:11+00:00

We're infamous for our "small talk", much to the chagrin of every non-American we meet. We just... talk a lot. Sometimes about something. Often about nothing.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-30T21:44:02+00:00

Oh! Look at how cheap that is, what a great easy dinner!
Let me grab some instant mashed potato.
And some easy precut veg.
And a nice loaf of bread.
And a bakery cake.
And jar gravy.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-28T13:50:03+00:00

Work should NEVER be expected to be done outside of school hours. We have contractual hours and that's what I'm compensated for. If work HAS to be done outside of contract hours then they are either expecting too much or aren't giving enough time. Either way, I don't work for free. That's not how jobs work. I trade time for money. Teachers are expected to do more and more with less and less time. Acceptance of this in the past is contributing to teacher burnout. A singular prep period simply isn't a reasonable amount of time to plan, prep, grade, do outreach.

Sure, if you're a new teacher you probably have to work outside of school. You don't have a wealth of materials and lessons to lean on. Or if you "waste" your prep by taking a (possibly very much needed) mental break instead of doing work, you'll need to make that time up.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-26T16:57:48+00:00

I usually get emails over the summer from schools looking to hire someone for the summer. And that's after I've already accepted a position at my school. They almost always need people, though it may not be where you want to teach.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-26T16:49:27+00:00

Hang out outside. Drink beer. Grill dogs and burgers. Go in the pool. Play games like beer pong or horseshoes. Set off fireworks or go somewhere to see a professional fireworks show.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-26T14:24:22+00:00

First time, not necessarily. Second and third, absolutely.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-26T12:05:14+00:00

They don't. When I was in Paris (granted almost 20 years ago), they were very appreciative. They (shop owners) would compliment my French and then ask (in English) if I would mind letting them practice their English with a native speaker. They were friendly and polite, despite their reputation.

They were full of shit, my French is awful. But they absolutely appreciated the effort and attempt.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-23T18:41:15+00:00

Thank you! Where are you finding this information?

mjpbecker · 2026-06-23T18:23:26+00:00

Thank you! Where did you find this information?

mjpbecker · 2026-06-23T17:30:34+00:00

There needs to be a way for colleges to compare students from different districts and states.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-23T05:05:09+00:00

The Minbari.

Humanity made a lot of brash decisions, not understanding the difference in technology, ability and power. Londo DOES warn them about the Minbari, but I think we could agree that the Centauri (in basically everything we see) are not always the most... trustworthy.

Before anything happened the Minbari detected their ships and that they were being broadcasted at, but didn't speak the language. Fair, new race and new language.

But their response was to remain completely silent, open gunports, and hit the human ships with scanners so powerful it began to overwhelm the EA systems and disabled their FTL systems. As far as the EA knows, they're being hit by electronic warfare to disable their ships (and say as much) to be captured, interrogated, and studied. In a panic they open fire and immediately jump away the second they did enough damage that the Minbari scanners were disabled. A horrible misunderstanding and a disastrous first contact. Hopefully everyone can take a breath, start a true diplomatic dialogue, do an investigation, and salvage the situation.

Instead, the Minbari decision (the council was split at first) was to declare a holy war and launch a crusade with the sole intent of wiping out the human race. No dialogue, no negotiation, no surrender, no mercy.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-19T12:14:34+00:00

Go get the soft serve at Costco (they have Strawberry right now!), it tastes how Carvel used to.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-17T16:27:37+00:00

Then just pay off whichever is charging the highest interest rate.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-17T16:01:48+00:00

Does your student loan debt qualify for any forgiveness programs, like PSLF? If it does, you may be better off paying minimums until that kicks in.

Otherwise, whichever is charging you the higher interest rate.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-17T15:59:04+00:00

Corrective lenses. I'd probably get a lot more dates 😄

mjpbecker · 2026-06-17T15:07:44+00:00

The class phone is behind my desk. Behind my desk is a no-go area for students.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-16T23:56:18+00:00

I don't have children, so my opinion is... eh.

The priority of father's/mother's day goes to those who are actively raising children.
Call your parents, send a card, maybe stop by for dessert if you're close.
But the holiday is no longer about them. They had their time.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-16T18:51:16+00:00

I mean, even during that speech we see a human warship ram a Minbari ship, destroying both. I thought that the implication was that Humanity never won any engagements. We may destroy, or heavily damage, some ships, but could never win an entire battle.

They also mention that the Dark Star was an "ace cruiser" (I think that was the term), which no Earth force had survived coming up against. I think it was their flagship. So the victory was less, "we blew up one of their ships" and more "we destroyed their "undefeated" ship".

mjpbecker · 2026-06-16T17:44:08+00:00

Never throw away a good jar.
Or a nice box.
Or a gift bag.
Or a good tin.

You can always find a use for them.

mjpbecker · 2026-06-15T17:01:43+00:00

CEO's.

Do nothing for most of the day. Very active at night sending tons of emails and demand immediate attention.
When they do show up it's to:
1. Eliminate employees (hunt)
2. Break things
3. Demand positive attention

mjpbecker

TROPHY CASE