What's messing with your Groove?

[GGT]

Wait, what? Your Home Owners Association (HOA) dictates your internet connection?

[gogobongopop]

It may not sound like much during your arduous ordeal, gogo, but at least you don't have to declare Medical Bankruptcy or be deemed Indigent in order to get the care you need, like you'd have to do in the US.

Yes indeed.

It's a massive comfort to know the NHS has my back.

[Flixy]

So I'm not exactly happy at my job lately and need to decide by next month or so whether I'd like to stay or not. Been looking around for options, one is an agency who are pretty good in things like coaching and training which I value highly. They got me an interview for a pretty interesting project, and the director there already said he'd like to hire me for the job if I'm interested after one interview, so that went extremely well.

Cue initial contract discussions, and three agency offers me significantly less money than I expected. Turns out that because i didn't finish my MSc I'm essentially a scale lower than the job I'd be actually doing, and they say it's market conform for my CV. That may be the case, but if they're happy to charge a client based on my work level but want to pay me on a lower level.. that doesn't seem fair to me. I compared with people I know working there and they also got significantly more (around the amount I'd expect).

I know it's a luxury position to be in, especially these days, but I feel it is a bit unfair. Will try to negotiate, which I don't like, and am not so good at.

Update on this, I did complain and negotiated, and got exactly what I asked for Expect to sign next week. Thanks also for your replies guys

[Aimless]

Congrats mate, more great things to come

[Aimless]

Wait, what? Your Home Owners Association (HOA) dictates your internet connection?

Tbh I should probably call it a housing cooperative. The cooperative owns all the equipment, and the board has negotiated an exclusive deal with the new ISP, who has previously provided digital TV service to our coop. Elsewhere, you might be hooked up to the municipal fibre network, which would let you choose between many ISPs—but I suspect it would cost a lot more. This way, we've been able to upgrade from 100mbps to gigabit connection with no increase in monthly costs.

Other than, of course, the cost of this tech nightmare. So they refused to reconfigure the equipment to help me out with my original router. For several days, I didn't have reliable use of my old laptop even when it was hooked up to the main network pretty, or my Shield—to the great sorrow of my daughter, who missed "Papadoo" (Puppy-Dog Pals) terribly. I got a new router and AP, which worked great for a while, and then became unreliable. And then the router was fried. Then my laptop got fucked. Then my old PC got fucked, possibly taking the brand new wireless network card down with it. I went to work to use the computer there, but a weird bug prevented me from logging in, and sorting that out took much of the time I had to spare.

It turns out an issue with how the switches had been set up had resulted in a broadcast storm. Moreover, the ISP had reserved far, far too few IP addresses, which explains why even my other devices often failed to renew IPs. The fried router must have just been bad luck. The laptop issue may really just be an issue with the mains adapter, coupled with an almost completely drained battery when we were trying to troubleshoot at our local tech store; it's charging through a phone charger now, and I'm gonna try again with a new USB-C PD charger and cable. If nothing else, I might be able to back up those files that haven't been backed up yet. The fried PC might just be bad luck as well... it's been lying around gathering dust for months, and it is practically ancient.

This has been a singularly unproductive week and a half, but, on the bright side, I've been forced to update my tech knowledge a lot, which will be useful. I've also decided to go with separate router and AP henceforth. Hopefully the poltergeist has been placated, for now.

[Timbuk2]

Update on this, I did complain and negotiated, and got exactly what I asked for Expect to sign next week. Thanks also for your replies guys

That's awesome. Must feel good.

[Flixy]

That's awesome. Must feel good.

Yes! And to be honest also a little anxious, I have a bit of the 'imposter syndrome', and after asking for more I am of course expected to deliver. Of course when thinking about it rationally, it'll be fine, but still, big step up in responsibilities etc., always a little scary. But more excited to start

[Flixy]

So, I had a package to be delivered and since I expected not to be home I had it dropped off at a nearby store instead. Now I have to quarantaine so cannot pick it up for another week or so. Called DHL, and I cannot have it delivered to my home after all (it was already at the store), and I cannot have them keep it there for more than a week so I can pick it up. Oh, and it's a package I have to pick up in person and show ID, so I can't have someone else pick it up.. I know it's only a small thing (and at least I'm not sick), but I find it annoying that they can't be more flexible, and I doubt I am the only one who has this problem. Or perhaps most people just say screw it and pick it up anyway, but I'd rather not break quarantaine to pick up a new kettle (although the government advice does say I am allowed to go out to a store if I can't have someone else do it for me, as long as I don't have symptoms).

At least I checked with the store and they made a note, and as soon as it arrives back with them they will immediately ship it back - but they did warn then it often takes 1-2 weeks for the packages to arrive back with them.

[Aimless]

Huh, weird... here, we're allowed to pick up packages on other people's behalf, as long as we show both our and their ID.

[Hazir]

A little under an hour ago I took an oath of office. The reason why I did was because of a legal change in my employment status. Nothing changes in practice. But still it feels very very strange to give a legally binding promise to be decent and honest etc.

[Flixy]

Huh, weird... here, we're allowed to pick up packages on other people's behalf, as long as we show both our and their ID.

Normally you can, but the sender can specify that only the recipient can (like registered mail).

A little under an hour ago I took an oath of office. The reason why I did was because of a legal change in my employment status. Nothing changes in practice. But still it feels very very strange to give a legally binding promise to be decent and honest etc.

Sometimes I wish some of my coworkers would have taken that oath Though we do have to sign for a General Business Principles during our onboarding, which includes stating we'll work with integrity, honesty, etc.

[Ominous Gamer]

Hurricane Eta. Things are deteriorating fast. We are getting activated for emergency responses with barely an hour's notice. Multiple tornadoes. But I'll be damned if it doesn't look cool as fuck.

[Loki]

You mean they missed Eta's ETA?

[Hazir]

A rat chewed on the cables that connect to the sensor for the airbags in my car. I didn't trigger anything besides a warning, and it's been taken care of. But I paid €650,- for the pleasure.

[Hazir]

After half a decade of thinking that there was something seriously off with my bloodsugar levels today I got a kind of panicky call from my GP that he wanted to see me to talk about the serious chance that I could be a diabetic. For a rather long time I have known I was in a high risk group (too heavy, it's the favorite affliction in my family) and I kinda know the symptoms. Yet since I have been confronting a succession of GP's with my serious worries about the possibility I basically was told that my symptoms were psychosomatic, and CERTAINLY not related to diabetes, not even looking like something a diabetic could have. This seemed to be confirmed by blood tests. But then today I got this call, which left almost no opening to the possibility that it wasn't diabetes, but also came with an explanation how previous tests could have been as inconclusive as they had been.

Am I relieved or am I angry?

[littlelolligagged]

Am I relieved or am I angry?

You are both.

[Hazir]

You bet I am both. Started with medication today. Also had a critical look at things I eat. Seems like there's a lot that I should put on the 'maybe some times and in moderation' list.

On the upside; I should have jumped several millions of places on the vaccination waiting list.