Even a week later I was hearing stories from over my cubicle wall about the person who brought live crabs to the white elephant gift exchange. That went over pretty well.
This was a work party mostly around a White Elephant Gift Exchange. Somehow I hit upon the idea that I would bring live crabs as a present. As soon as I thought of it the idea stuck in my head and I had to try it.
I ended up buying three live dungeness crabs from a grocery store while I was driving to the party. Then putting them in a giant box with paper towels at the bottom. The box was wrapped and I put a sticky note that served as a warning label. It said not to shake the box, to move it as little as possible before opening it, and to open carefully.
Because of the size, and the warning label it got opened early in the event by someone I had never met. First he picked up the box, than someone noticed the warning label and he quickly and carefully set it down. He then opened the box. Every previous person had taken there present and shown it to the entire group. That clearly was not possible, so he just said they were live crabs in a shocked voice and rather quietly so most of the room didn't hear. People didn't believe what he said, so they just got up and crowded around to see. Eventually after two or three minutes of the event being stopped, someone reached in and pulled out a crab to show the rest of the room one of them.
The present got stolen a few times, so I know it ended up with someone who wanted it. At the end of the event after fifty presents my boss came up for some final words. His first comment was "who agrees live crabs the most ridiculous present ever?" which resulted in loud cheering. A shame I will never come up with a present to match it next year.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Getting Close
Looking at home prices in my area leaves me a little confused. They all do in fact seem to be stabilizing, but are all still way above where I expect them to stop. Not sure whether that is a sign my expectations are wrong, or whether this is just a false upturn. Looking at the graph I can't help but to notice just how symmetrical they are around the peak. Prices have gone down at about the same rate as they came up. Maybe that trend is about to break, but with high foreclosure rates and high unemployment rates I am still betting on hitting inflation adjusted 2000 prices(about 1.25 times the 2000 price). One or two towns is even there. Looking at the areas they range from Pico Rivera which is almost there only having another few thousand dollars to fall, to Brea which should go down more than 100k more to match my guess. If nothing else we are most of the way to my expectation so I won't have been too far off if I guess right.
There really is no risk in waiting, prices simply aren't going to rise rapidly. There are just too many people who watched their friends get burned. At the same time rental prices are really quite reasonable in comparison to the price of owning... Even if prices don't fall, following the ultra-conservative rule of only buying a home that is three times my income, there are many areas where I could afford a house today. All I must do is get to saving a down payment. Whether or not the market is bottoming out now, by the time I can save money it will have.
There really is no risk in waiting, prices simply aren't going to rise rapidly. There are just too many people who watched their friends get burned. At the same time rental prices are really quite reasonable in comparison to the price of owning... Even if prices don't fall, following the ultra-conservative rule of only buying a home that is three times my income, there are many areas where I could afford a house today. All I must do is get to saving a down payment. Whether or not the market is bottoming out now, by the time I can save money it will have.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Fashionable Generation?
If there is ever a New York Times article I am calling bullshit on it is this one. It is trying to make the argument that males in their teens to thirties dress more formally than the generation before it. I just don't see it. This is not to say that there are not members of my generation who are that way. The Wedding and Prom fetish seems to prove that case. However it is just as easy for me to go to hollywood and find hundreds of people my age in torn clothes with tattoos and piercings. Watching the author try to prove his point is painful:
I have never seen a college student come to class in a suit, except occasionally for a presentation... Girls in my class were almost always putting more attention into their appearance.
Oh my, four whole percent! If there is any story to be found in those statistics it is that America as a whole is running from suits. America's obsession with Weddings holds up the numbers for one small demographic group.
The rest is just marketing and cherry picking characters from pop culture. If you ask someone at a suit company of course they will say suits are popular with young people! And of course you can find a character in an obscure TV show who fits any stereotype you want to make.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/fashion/17CODES.html?em
“But the younger generation is looking at getting dressed up and making their mark,” Mr. Cohen continued. “It’s a real generation gap here. I teach at three different colleges, and I am amazed how dressed up some of the students are. Girls still come in their hoodies and pajamas, but boys come in their suits.”
I have never seen a college student come to class in a suit, except occasionally for a presentation... Girls in my class were almost always putting more attention into their appearance.
NPD figures for the year ending Nov. 1 indicate that sales of tailored clothing among men ages 35 to 54 were down 17 percent. Among men ages 25 to 34, sales were up almost 4 percent.
Oh my, four whole percent! If there is any story to be found in those statistics it is that America as a whole is running from suits. America's obsession with Weddings holds up the numbers for one small demographic group.
The rest is just marketing and cherry picking characters from pop culture. If you ask someone at a suit company of course they will say suits are popular with young people! And of course you can find a character in an obscure TV show who fits any stereotype you want to make.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/fashion/17CODES.html?em
Monday, December 14, 2009
I ran into the following quote in a New York Times article the other day:
Among those who dropped out, nearly 6 in 10 got no help from their parents in paying tuition. Among those who got degrees, more than 6 in 10 had tuition help from their families.
Half of students graduate college, so that works out to half of students who start college get any help paying tuition from their parents.
That really makes the FAFSA seem silly to me. It simply assumes students are getting quite a lot of money from their parents then offers students an amount of money based on that assumption. I doubt one in three students gets the expected family contribution.
Among those who dropped out, nearly 6 in 10 got no help from their parents in paying tuition. Among those who got degrees, more than 6 in 10 had tuition help from their families.
Half of students graduate college, so that works out to half of students who start college get any help paying tuition from their parents.
That really makes the FAFSA seem silly to me. It simply assumes students are getting quite a lot of money from their parents then offers students an amount of money based on that assumption. I doubt one in three students gets the expected family contribution.
There goes that hobby
The ballot initiative legalizing marijuana now has enough signatures to get on the ballot. It only took half the time we legally had to get the signatures. I guess I need a new hobby.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Trapped in a walmart
Well, that may well be the most exciting thing I have ever done. I went to walmart because I needed a box to put live crabs into for tomorrow's White Elephant gift exchange. Anyways, since I learned I have the legal right to say no, I now refuse to show my reciept upon leaving. I have done this at least a half dozen times without event. So when asked this time I promptly said no thanks and kept walking.
This lady was having none of that. She got between me and the door and insisted that since I had no bag she had to see my reciept. I said something to the effect of "you have the legal right to ask for the reciept, but I have the legal right to say no. It is my reciept I won't show it to you." Now, clearly this had never happened to her, so we repeated what we said in different wording a few times. Then another two or three security people showed up. I repeated that I would not show them the reciept, that I had one but planned to keep it. One was smart, he asked what isle I checked out on, I answered, and he ran off to see the security camera. I waited twenty seconds, got bored, and asked if I was under arrest. She said no, so I said I was leaving. She blocked the door, so I slipped between her and the door. Now I was a step outside, only she was determined to not let me leave. So she grabbed my wrapping paper so I couldn't get out with it. Now I faced a quandry, I could pull it and leave but a clever cop could probably label that assault. So I stood there defiantly tooking at her two or three seconds trying to figure out my next move. Then the security guard who previously left to check the camera showed up again, I didn't see him but he must have waved me on. With a stunned look she let go of me. She was sure she caught a criminal, rather than just someone who was stubborn.
Saying no to people who think they are authorities is great fun. The danger is really there that the situation could go out of control though. There were about four people questioning me, all hyped up on adrenaline since they usually have a boring job. One worker trying to be a hero could really make for a rough day. Walmart has deep pockets though, someone throwing punches could probably pay for Makayla's college.
This lady was having none of that. She got between me and the door and insisted that since I had no bag she had to see my reciept. I said something to the effect of "you have the legal right to ask for the reciept, but I have the legal right to say no. It is my reciept I won't show it to you." Now, clearly this had never happened to her, so we repeated what we said in different wording a few times. Then another two or three security people showed up. I repeated that I would not show them the reciept, that I had one but planned to keep it. One was smart, he asked what isle I checked out on, I answered, and he ran off to see the security camera. I waited twenty seconds, got bored, and asked if I was under arrest. She said no, so I said I was leaving. She blocked the door, so I slipped between her and the door. Now I was a step outside, only she was determined to not let me leave. So she grabbed my wrapping paper so I couldn't get out with it. Now I faced a quandry, I could pull it and leave but a clever cop could probably label that assault. So I stood there defiantly tooking at her two or three seconds trying to figure out my next move. Then the security guard who previously left to check the camera showed up again, I didn't see him but he must have waved me on. With a stunned look she let go of me. She was sure she caught a criminal, rather than just someone who was stubborn.
Saying no to people who think they are authorities is great fun. The danger is really there that the situation could go out of control though. There were about four people questioning me, all hyped up on adrenaline since they usually have a boring job. One worker trying to be a hero could really make for a rough day. Walmart has deep pockets though, someone throwing punches could probably pay for Makayla's college.
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