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Thread: What is making you happy right now

  1. #5671
    Job got reclassified. I got bumped so far up the payscale that my current position I've been in for 10 years with intermittent merit pay increases falls below the new position's minimum, so... automatic pay raise!
    "In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."

  2. #5672
    Quote Originally Posted by Ominous Gamer View Post
    Job got reclassified. I got bumped so far up the payscale that my current position I've been in for 10 years with intermittent merit pay increases falls below the new position's minimum, so... automatic pay raise!
    That happened to my sister's position at the VA. And since her salary is already pretty high, the sheer increase she was awarded was quite substantial. Sometimes working for the government has its perks.
    "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: Why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." - Werner Heisenberg (maybe)

  3. #5673
    The war college (federal) version of my (state) job pays twice as much as mine...

  4. #5674
    Cats++

    I live in a shared flat, and a new flatmate moved in yesterday. She has a cat. The cat, as it turns out, is not as shy as initially expected - by now, it has already explored my room, been on nearly every surface, smelled every object, and seemingly considers my room a part of its territory. i don't mind.

    I used to live in a flat with a cat once; if I ever posted any reason why that was no longer so, I was probably too drunk at that point to remember now any such posts, and if I didn't, let that remain so. Suffice to say, I missed this.
    Carthāgō dēlenda est

  5. #5675
    I want a cat.
    Other half wants a dog.
    We have neither.

    Quote Originally Posted by Steely Glint View Post
    It's actually the original French billion, which is bi-million, which is a million to the power of 2. We adopted the word, and then they changed it, presumably as revenge for Crecy and Agincourt, and then the treasonous Americans adopted the new French usage and spread it all over the world. And now we have to use it.

    And that's Why I'm Voting Leave.

  6. #5676
    Dude, settle for a dog. There are plenty of small breeds out there that have a calm demeanor. Getting a cat is like playing russian roulette with your sanity and property.

    ---

    My reclassification news has managed to get better. My merit pay increase for this year will hit the day after I'm reclassified, so my pay is getting bumped to match the new minimum, than 3.5% more the next day.
    "In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."

  7. #5677
    Get a serval.
    Hope is the denial of reality

  8. #5678
    Quote Originally Posted by Timbuk2 View Post
    I want a cat.
    Other half wants a dog.
    We have neither.

    Get both! If you adopt them young, and around the same time, they might bond to each other better (and not be territorial, which is always a risk in a multi-pet home). There's something special about cats and dogs growing up together. Maybe they help moderate each others extremes or something?

  9. #5679
    Dinner tonight with friends (beef shabu-shabu). I originally intended to make hoji-cha ice-cream but for some unknown reason the milk curdled while I was making the ice-cream mix late last night, so it looked like my dessert-plans were screwed. But then I managed to improvise a kind of soft matcha custard-like sauce (milk, sugar, vanilla, matcha, cornstarch, simmered and thickened and then mixed with whipped cream after cooling thoroughly) that I served with limoncello ice-cream and (improvised) sweet sesame-seed crackers (sesame-seeds, tahini, soft brown sugar, vanilla, lemon, syrup, butter, rolled out to barely 1mm thickness and toasted in the oven at lowish heat until caramelized). It was the BOMB. Absolutely fucking delicious, as was everything else. The matcha custard is going to be turned into ice-cream now.
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  10. #5680
    That sounds scrumptious! You're not just a home cook, you're a chef!

    (PS If you used eggs in the ice cream maybe the milk didn't 'curdle', but the eggs weren't tempered just right?)

  11. #5681
    I've stopped using eggs to make ice cream! I only use cornstarch to thicken the mix. I think the problem was either the tea or the soft brown sugar, although both were fine the last time.
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  12. #5682
    So I absolutely hate being away from home, but I love conferences, hotels, meeting new people and train rides. These past couple of days have featured an abundance of all of the above. Good to know I have a number of good options if I ever decide to move south. Although I love the dark and frozen north, I must confess there's something pretty wonderful about being down south with several lovely cities (including sthlm) and hospitals within 30-50 mins' of affordable travel by train.
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  13. #5683
    Even tho I'm an old geezer at 59 yrs old, and it doesn't make me feel "happy" that I'm closer to death, and the world (in general) doesn't value people in my demographic unless we have a public pension or a multi-million private investment...

    I gotta say this forum makes me feel happy. Oh, I can make chit chat with casual friends, or engage close or old friends in deep philosophical debates, but it doesn't compare with this place. It's somehow more pure and honest here, even though we never reach agreement. And that's a new level of "happy" amid the growing noise of a noisy world

  14. #5684
    It makes me happy that my 13 yr old cat is acting like a kitten in my new apartment! She has window sills to perch on, and window views catching kids running for the school bus, and then coming home, plus the small public bus, the Fed Ex truck, and the mailman too! Things she'd never seen in our previous home. Yesterday she got to to watch kids shooting hoops in the basketball court. Pretty soon she'll be able to watch people swimming in the pool. And she loves the wall-to-wall carpeting, another new thing. Makes the apartment seem like a big bed to her, stretching out anywhere she feels like, especially in the sun spots.

    My worries for the big move were just my own, she's adapted just fine, even thrived. She acts younger and happier than ever. Makes me happy

  15. #5685
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  16. #5686

  17. #5687
    It's late, dark, and quiet. I can hear muffled highway traffic, humming in the distance. I feel a cool breeze from the cracked kitchen window. From my balcony I can see lights in the parking lot across the way, even though stores closed shop hours ago. I live in an apartment now, situated at an intersection between state roads and highways, all under construction; a true crossroad.

    I'm trying to be happy where I am, even though I do miss my old home right now, where the early spring would have me clearing winter debris, collecting fallen branches, and pulling spring onions right about now. I used to love this time of year, the early growth and fresh green scents. Digging in cool soil with bare hands. I drove by my old house and was sad to see that no one lives there yet, and they haven't started the pre-spring garden work either.

    But I'm happy that I didn't wait too long to move, because age creeps up fast and without much warning, the same way summer does after spring.

  18. #5688
    New sounds and sights of Spring. Hearing the sound of basketballs bouncing on the apartment's court outside my kitchen window, well before the birds started chirping. Seeing a dad teach his kid how to hit a baseball on the tennis court, around the time bulbs are slowly pushing their way up from the ground, mostly silent and unseen.

    Funny how what you see and hear changes by where you live...and seasons can take on a new meaning when you move just a few miles, from a house to an apartment. I'm liking the newness

  19. #5689
    Senior Member Lor's Avatar
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    Seeing you delightful people still posting on here! It makes me feel all warm and giddy.

  20. #5690
    Primary school offers came out today; my daughter was offered a place at our local state school, just as we hoped.
    There's a man goin' 'round, takin' names
    And he decides who to free and who to blame

  21. #5691
    Morrowind from the original xbox was added to their backwards compatibility list today. I still have my original disc.
    "In a field where an overlooked bug could cost millions, you want people who will speak their minds, even if they’re sometimes obnoxious about it."

  22. #5692
    Woo! Extra day to do taxes because last-minute filers broke the IRS's back!

    But I already know I won't use that time wisely, so I just filed for an extension anyways.

  23. #5693
    At just 14, Millie Bobby Brown is the youngest person ever to make the Time 100 Most Influential People list.

    Quote Originally Posted by Steely Glint View Post
    It's actually the original French billion, which is bi-million, which is a million to the power of 2. We adopted the word, and then they changed it, presumably as revenge for Crecy and Agincourt, and then the treasonous Americans adopted the new French usage and spread it all over the world. And now we have to use it.

    And that's Why I'm Voting Leave.

  24. #5694
    I felt happy watching maintenance crews mow, fertilize, edge and mulch...from my apartment balcony, while I drank coffee and listened to music.

  25. #5695
    Senior Member
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    Yesterday we rented out our apartment in the center of Amsterdam. Only three weeks after the previous occupant left and without any help from intermediaries. That means that we're effectively keep 10% more of the rental income in our own pockets. It was the first time we considered an agency, but realised that even our limited actions on the side were more effective. Where everybody was trying to talk us into lowering the rent to a we simply went ahead with the same amount we'd already gotten before. I strongly suspect that for the agencies it was just a matter of opening up the place to a wider circle of potential renters with a marginally lower budget (of which there are a lot) and cash their commission fast without making an actual effort.
    Congratulations America

  26. #5696
    Let sleeping tigers lie Khendraja'aro's Avatar
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    Got a ticket for an orchestra version of David Bowie's Blackstar in Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie.



    Now, the "Elphi" as we residents call it is still new enough to attract quite a number of people to every concert, regardless of what it might be (including some very eclectic stuff), thus I'm not entirely sure that everyone was aware what they were in for. Blackstar, after all, isn't quite the fare people were accustomed to from Bowie if they only knew his songs on the radio. I loved it, though - the orchestraic rearrangement made a lot of sense.

    Managed to get a front row seat, even. Some more photos (some of them panoramic):



    That's the view from the middle of the Elphi.



    Another landmark of Hamburg: The Franck-Hertz-Tower.



    The steps to and from the main concert hall



    The view from my seat.



    Just to give an impression of how high the concert hall is.

    edit: Damn HEIC fotos. give me a moment.
    Last edited by Khendraja'aro; 05-03-2018 at 08:19 PM.
    When the stars threw down their spears
    And watered heaven with their tears:
    Did he smile his work to see?
    Did he who made the lamb make thee?

  27. #5697
    That place is just so fucking awesome... I kinda melt whenever I read about its design and construction. How were the acoustics?

    Also happy birthday
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

  28. #5698
    Let sleeping tigers lie Khendraja'aro's Avatar
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    While I'm not an expert, acoustics seemed just fine to me. I could hear the orchestra crystal-clear without distortions while any sounds from the audience were very muted.

    And thank you
    When the stars threw down their spears
    And watered heaven with their tears:
    Did he smile his work to see?
    Did he who made the lamb make thee?

  29. #5699
    Impressive pictures of the concert venue. Probably something you'll remember your whole life, Khen. Hang onto those memories

  30. #5700
    This week's Tavern Brawl in Hearthstone requires you to choose two cards, with which your whole deck will be filled. I chose Stonehill Defender (a 3 mana 1/4 taunt minion which lets you discover a random taunt minion) and Branching Paths, a 4 mana spell which lets you lets you choose between one of three effects twice (give your minions +1 attack, draw a card, or gain 6 armour). I faced off against a mage packing Mana Wyrm (1 mana 1/3 that gains +1 attack every time you cast a spell) and Arcane Missiles (1 mana deal 3 damage randomly distributed between enemies). Obviously my enemy's board quickly filled up with Mana Wyrms that kept getting stronger and stronger, and I kept getting pushed further and further down, reaching 3 health at my lowest. My wife shook her head in disgust and kept telling me to concede and try another deck. But I sang "We Shall Overcome" and kept building my armour back up until I discovered a Primordial Drake (8 mana 4/8 taunt that deals 2 damage to all other minions when it's played). At this point all but one of his Mana Wyrms were at either 1 or 2 health, having had to repeatedly punch through my Stonehill Defenders, so his board was almost completely cleared, I managed to regain and maintain my armour, filled my board with Stonehill Defenders, and then, slowly, triumphantly chipped his health down one 1-attack hit at a time until I finally drew another Branching Paths and could give my minions +2 attack. He'd been obnoxious at the beginning of the game so this was extraordinarily satisfying all on its own, but the victory gave me a card pack and in that pack was a golden Legendary minion (Grommash Hellscream). This was simultaneously the dumbest and best game of HS ever

    Thank you for reading my dumb story
    "One day, we shall die. All the other days, we shall live."

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