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RTDNTOTO šŸ» Random Thoughts Deserving No Thread Of Their Own 20 (2025)

Whenever I come back from lunch (where I completely disengage my brain from planning and work) as I sit down and open my email all I can hear in my head is.....

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Does your library send you an email after you check a book out with the following information ?
You just saved $29.99 by using your library. You have saved $137.49 this past year and $167.49 since you began using the library!
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This amount is after I renewed my card.
 
MD Planner said:
We never had a B-R in my hometown. We had a DQ that closed for the winter with a plywood sign that said "See You Next Spring".
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The way things should be at DQ!


We don't have a DQ in our town but we do have the "Dairy Mat" right on the edge of downtown and the "Dairy Deluxe" a mile away at the south end. Everybody knows that the Dairy Deluxe > the Dairy Mat. Both places are old school ice cream stands that close for the winter (well, the DD only closes from like December 1 until Valentine's Day) with their menus posted as handwritten stuff on plywood and items printed out on paper in varying font sizes and there is no rhyme or reason to how anything is organized; they essentially serve the same stuff except that the Dairy Mat also offers hot dogs. Yet, at any given point on a summer evening the DD will have a line at the window 30 people deep while the Dairy Mat may have 4 or 5 people waiting.
 
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MD Planner said:
Why does Outlook give me a reminder that a meeting is CANCELED?
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Wouldnā€™t it be nice if Microsoft could deploy their AI bot and connected algorithms to operate in a way that actually mimics human desire (your desire to just cancel that meeting without an additional notification, ergo, a desire to have the machine to just do the fricken task management and get it done!).
 
MD Planner said:
We never had a B-R in my hometown. We had a DQ that closed for the winter with a plywood sign that said "See You Next Spring".
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There was a girl in a local B-R when I was a teenager that thought I was cute and so would always give me extra scoops for free. I didnā€™t get the hint, though.

Ditto that other cute girl that worked in the video game store. We always flirted and I always got free game rentals. (My now-wife and I were going out at the time, but werenā€™t exclusive. It used to annoy her to no end that Iā€™d flirt with other girls in front of her, but I didnā€™t see the issue since we had agreed we werenā€™t exclusive, and werenā€™t until we got engaged.)
 
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WSU MUP Student said:
Yet, at any given point on a summer evening the DD will have a line at the window 30 people deep while the Dairy Mat may have 4 or 5 people waiting.
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It could be simple marketing. "Dairy Deluxe" sounds like an ice cream place where I might be served milkshakes and sundaes. "Dairy Mat" sounds like a grimy patch of floor in front of the place where cows are milked while they may or may not also be pooping....I don't know a lot about cows.

Now, I, myself, would choose the Dairy Mat - because I don't take big risks in other areas of life where they could pay off; I just do it in little ways where it's guaranteed not to matter at all. I do love a wild card.
 
I had to stop at the gas station this morning before coming into the office. Looking at my Excel file of gasoline purchases, this is the first time filling up the Jeep since July 27. I don't get particularly good mileage, I just don't don't really drive many places any more.

Full disclosure: we did take a brief family trip down into Ohio for a few days a couple weeks ago but took my wife's vehicle, which does get good mileage and we barely put a dent in her full tank of gas on that trip.
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again, F#$ing Clerk's Office!

I can't record that, it's for a CFD Board. Yes! The one you are the board clerk of.
Do you have the minutes that I signed? Yes, of course I have records of the things you did.
When I ask for something to get recorded all I get is radio silence.

I so want to work for this department. You apparently don't do s@!t.

Edit:
TT, you have my permission to release jaguars in their office. Jaguars with lasers on their heads.
 
ursus said:
It could be simple marketing. "Dairy Deluxe" sounds like an ice cream place where I might be served milkshakes and sundaes. "Dairy Mat" sounds like a grimy patch of floor in front of the place where cows are milked while they may or may not also be pooping....I don't know a lot about cows.

Now, I, myself, would choose the Dairy Mat - because I don't take big risks in other areas of life where they could pay off; I just do it in little ways where it's guaranteed not to matter at all. I do love a wild card.
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We have a place called Ms. Story's Dairy Bar open since 1952. They serve foot long dogs and milkshakes through a walk up window. They are supposed to have a fantastic milkshakes and chili dogs. I still have never had more than a sip of my kids chocolate shake.


The parking lot gives me anxiety. No markings, no recognized traffic flow, just lots of asphalt and a bollard so no one runs over the building or the first few people in line. When I first got here, I made some recommendations improve their parking lot including making a smaller curb cut and I thought my stay might be limited due to the growing mob and pitchforks. During COVID it shut down and a new family took it over. Someone asked me if we were going to make them improve the site and I said "No."
 
bureaucrat#3 said:
We have a place called Ms. Story's Dairy Bar open since 1952. They serve foot long dogs and milkshakes through a walk up window. They are supposed to have a fantastic milkshakes and chili dogs. I still have never had more than a sip of my kids chocolate shake.


The parking lot gives me anxiety. No markings, no recognized traffic flow, just lots of asphalt and a bollard so no one runs over the building or the first few people in line. When I first got here, I made some recommendations improve their parking lot including making a smaller curb cut and I thought my stay might be limited due to the growing mob and pitchforks. During COVID it shut down and a new family took it over. Someone asked me if we were going to make them improve the site and I said "No."
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This sounds a lot like our Dairy Deluxe place - it's been there since the 1950s with the same family running it the entire time.

It's on the "Main Street" through the northern Detroit suburbs at a major intersection in a fairly dense neighborhood. It doesn't have its own dedicated parking lot but there is angled on street parking with the parking strip separated from the main road by a narrow curb. In the evening, traffic is roaring past on the main road and there may be a line of cars waiting in the parking strip for one of the few open spots; when you're backing out of your spot it's often hard to see what's coming from behind you and it's equally difficult trying to pull out onto the main street when leaving the parking strip. You can park in one of the two or three on-street parallel parking spots on the little residential road next to the ice cream place but the road doesn't go through anywhere past the Dairy Deluxe (the city closed it off years ago probably because of people in the houses right there complaining about traffic to/from the DD). So you either have to try driving through the very narrow alley which is often blocked by other vehicles or you need to try to make a three-point turn on the street where everybody likes to stand and eat their ice cream. There is a bank on the other side of the little street but they used to block off their parking lot during non-business hours (not sure if they still do).

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We go to DD quite a bit but very rarely do we go late in the evenings this time of year just because traffic and crowds can get so bad. When we do go in the evenings, we usually park at a park and playground a few blocks away and walk. We tell our kids that we do that so we can get some exercise and enjoy a nice walk but a huge part of it is really so we don't have to deal with the traffic.

One time earlier this summer our daughter and some of her friends wanted to go after a Thursday evening performance at their drama camp. I drove them up there and the line was at least 50 people deep at 9:30 PM so we all said nope and went a bit further down to the generic Oberweis chain place where we knew it wouldn't be as busy and they'd have some seats inside available on that hot evening. We left Oberweis probably around 10:15 and the line was still just as long but now there were a couple police officers out there trying to clear the crowds. I don't think there was anything unruly going on but the cars start spilling over onto that major highway causing more issues.

The mom of one of our other daughter's friends worked at the DD when she was in high school (late '90s or early '00s?) and said it was just as busy back then in the summers. They ostensibly close at 10:00 PM but the owner would keep the window open as long as there was a line and she says most Friday and Saturday nights they'd be open until well past 11:00 PM.

All this crowd at the Dairy Deluxe while the Dairy Mat up the street is virtually empty even though it's at an even busier intersection, has ample parking nearby, and is right on the edge of the very busy downtown where there are always tons of people out going to movies or bars and restaurants and families with kids at parks and stuff.
 
Didn't check the board until just now, meaning I've been a busy bee @ [city redacted] hall today!

I got delisted from the NYC Civil Service list for the City Planner exam (really just a credential review), because my undergrad is Canadian and the computer says I needed to have it evaluated for equivalence, whereas DCAS/City Planning themselves told me my NY Masters would supersede. I put my name in for it last year, well before my current job was even posted.

Regardless, I decided not to contest it. I feel pretty good here in Western New York and am not trying to go back to NYC.
 
JNA said:
Who else does that ? - Not me, how about you ?
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I do that, but itā€™s in a notebook in the glove box. All gas and maintenance (except car washes and other minor non-mechanical things.)

Date, Mileage, location, mileage, gallons, $.

This is useful since at the end of the year at tax time I can deduct business mileage. And, hopefully this year only, job hunt mileage.

Anybody who drives the car and either a) fills it and does not write it in the book, or b) brings the car home with less than 100* showing on the ā€œrangeā€ is banned from driving any vehicle owned by our household for 30 days.

* We let this slide to 75 during the summer, but never lower.

Borderline blasphemous, but luckily, it takes a lot more that that to offend me. Love this!
Maister said:
This is the funniest thing I've heard in quite a while:

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You ever have a coworker that talks in circles and takes forever to get to the point. You know, the thing needs to be discussed because the discussion of the thing is important and we should do something about the thing but the thing is a problem because the thing did something and can you just have someone do something about the thing?

Please get to the point quickly.
 
DVD said:
You ever have a coworker that talks in circles and takes forever to get to the point. You know, the thing needs to be discussed because the discussion of the thing is important and we should do something about the thing but the thing is a problem because the thing did something and can you just have someone do something about the thing?

Please get to the point quickly.
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Rick And Morty GIF by Adult Swim
 
DVD said:
You ever have a coworker that talks in circles and takes forever to get to the point. You know, the thing needs to be discussed because the discussion of the thing is important and we should do something about the thing but the thing is a problem because the thing did something and can you just have someone do something about the thing?

Please get to the point quickly.
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Thatā€™s me, but itā€™s because I work with federal grant programs and systemsā€¦which are circular in nature. Iā€™m sure the finance person enjoyed our meeting today.
 
Our locally owned ice cream place is
Licā€™s, abbreviated for Lloydā€™s Ice Cream Shoppes, was established in 1950 with 7 locations.
 
[Sarcasm]
OH MY GOSH! DID YOU HEAR! Travis popped THE question and Taylor said YES!... Oh she is going to be such a beautiful bride... and the most beautiful EVER. I wonder what their wedding colors will be? Do you think she will write a song about it... I MEAN COME ON, how can she not.

[/sarcasm]

Why is it this crap makes the local news... I don't give a rip. People in Kansas City might, but I don't.
 
All Nevada state offices closed indefinitely due to a massive cyberattack over the weekend. Figures this happens the same week after my Big Interview(TM). Not sure how long I hold on to wait for more info.

Jim
 
MD Planner said:
I hate to break this to you but I'm pretty sure the tax cuts and job bill that Trump did in his first term eliminated that particular deduction.
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It does look that way, through January 1, 2026, so I would take that to mean that, even though I won't file this year's taxes until 2026, no break on job hunt expenses this year.

JIm
 
It amazes me that some people think that moving a main sewer trunk line is like moving a sofa and that one can just scoot it out of the way... easy peasy.
 
ursus said:
OMG!!!! THEY"RE ENGAAAAAGED??!!?!? I'm just prepping myself to have the appropriate level of caring once I arrive home, where I will be judged if I don't care. :) I appreciate you letting me know! OMG!!!!!!!!
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jumbach said:
Dude. This is EXACTLY what I did for Reno.

Only itā€™s a slightly longer commute in the opposite direction, and slightly less pay but not insultingly so.

I should apply right this second.

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Done.

In fact, one of my former Reno coworkers is now a planner there and will talk me up to the boss. (He beat me out for the position he now has, but, honestly, he was the better fit. He called me after the offer to ask me what I thought, and I told him he should take the position.)
 
I love updating process guides and deciding I should just refer to the other easier process only to find out that process is out of date and needs updating too. Of course the guides don't really guide anything and don't tell you what they're for, they just kind of exist and we know how to use them.
 
Wannaplan? said:
Then why do you make these kinds of posts? All you do is amplify the thing you supposedly donā€™t give a rip about.
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To highlight that society is hyper focused on celebrities and altheas instead of things that matter. I don't give a rip about the content of the story, but I do care that it is something that people are infatuated by such that every media source is running the story.


That also poses the question of why do you respond to those posts unless you genuinely are interested in why I post it in the first place?
 
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