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Should we stay or should we go?

hamandcheese — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:33:45 -0800

Life choices-filter: What should my wife and I do next? Hi all,

My wife and I are both well-employed and relatively successful mid to late twenty-somethings. We're currently in a mid-size Canadian city, but have aspirations to a lot more travel and work internationally. We'd like that to be soon, but could also pursue some pretty good opportunities here...

My wife works as the education manager at a decent size museum, and loves her work, but is not liking her job. The museum is owned by the government but largely operated by a non-profit society that does all of the fundraising, marketing, volunteer coordination, events, and education programs. Her society is in the midst of a major power struggle with the museum itself and her entire organization may quit or be kicked out before its all over, so she has no job security at all, and the work environement itself has turned into a rumor mongering, us vs. them, hellhole. Things are in arbitration right now, without the possibility for resolution until September (although they keep pushing the dates back, so there is no guarantee).

I work for an engineering company doing editing and graphic design, but find the soulless money-making focus and ridiculous stipulations put on my work by my corporate masters takes all joy and sense of purpose out my job. I want out pretty bad, but have managed to pay 3/4 of my student debt off in the past year, and know that I could get the last $6,500 paid within another 3 months. That would mean we'd be debt free, which of course would be awesome. On the side, I also have my own freelance editing, graphic design and photography business that has been growing fairly well without a whole lot of effort on my part. That said, it's still a pretty small-scale affair, but I feel confident I could do well with it if I had time to throw myself at it. I really enjoy this work because it is for myself and my clients, and because the projects are all very diverse. Photography has become my major passion, and my emotional side is telling me to quit my job tomorrow and throw myself into my own business to see if I can really grow it. I'm pretty sure I could make a go of wedding photography as well, and with all of these diverse things, could make enough of a living to get do reasonably well within a few months, and quite well within 1-2 years.

Now here's the complicated part: we've been talking about going overseas to work since we finished university 1-2 years ago. We don't really care where. If our debt was paid, we could take jo-jobs anywhere we could get work visas (such as British Commonwealth countries), and have a great time. With no debt, we could also look into volunteer opportunities in places like Africa. If we still carry some of this debt, we would probably be better off teaching english as a second language somewhere in Asia, but this would be cool too. I think we'd be happy to do pretty much any of these things.

Soooooo, with all of that as background, here's the dilemma: If my wife's society survives the museum meltdown, her job will be something worth sticking with a while longer. She's quite young to have a position like this and it is a really great opportunity for her if she sticks with museum or interpretation work, or if she gets her teaching degree (long-term goal). If this is the case, and we're going to stay here longer, then my choice would be to quit my job tomorrow (I dislike it that much), debt or no debt, and try to do the work I like doing. But we have no certainty that her job will last, and if I do quit my job to focus on the freelance work, and then she loses hers, we'll be a lot worse off financially than if I stick it out until they resolve it. (but I hate it!)

Should we stick it out, or should we start selling our belongings and looking into work visas?

Should I quit my job? Or would that be stupid? Should I throw myself into my own business, or would that be extra stupid since we plan to leave the country and travel within a year? (I really want to do both!)

Should we go teach english? Or do something else?

I'm not looking for definitive answers; I know we need to answer these questions ourselves. I'd just love some opinions. So lay it on me Mefites. Don't be shy.

Should we stay or should we go?

In the red corner, a bad mood. In the blue corner, an even worse mood. FIGHT!

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:41:49 -0800

I just got back from a psychiatric evaluation. The diagnostic impression is "chronic major depressive disorder versus dysthymia." What does "versus" mean in this context? You are not a/my psychiatrist. I know I should have asked him when I had the chance, but I was kind of thinking “hmm, I’ll Google that later.” Google didn’t really turn up anything. I could ask him again at my follow-up appointment in a couple of weeks, or I could call the office next week, but I admit I’m curious now.

I have a passing familiarity with the DSM-IV, but I’ve never heard “versus” used like this. My best guess is that, at this point, I seem to fit the criteria for both depression and dysthymia, and my psychiatrist has yet to determine which is a more appropriate diagnosis.

I was diagnosed with dysthymia a few years ago, so I suppose it’s also likely that “versus” means a revision of my previous diagnosis.

Or did I hear him wrong and he said something else?

Is this use of “versus” common in psychology/psychiatry/medicine in general?

If you have any ideas let me know. It’s not a huge deal, but it’s got me wondering. Thanks!

Prepare me for real life poker.

Thrillhouse — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:53:26 -0800

How does real poker compare to online? I've been playing online poker for a while now but have never played for real. I've been invited to poker night at a friends house and am not sure what to expect.

So, aside from the fact that online poker is much faster how is it different? What should I know (or know that I'll have to deal with) before going in that I don't have to know when playing online?

ALso, I'm fully aware that I'm using real money and not play money like online. I've been playing for a long time now trying my best to "pretend" that the money is real and I don't take stupid risks. I've gotten quite good at playing online.

MacBook-new or old?

nickthetourist — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:10:37 -0800

New MacBook or old MacBook Pro? After awaiting announcement of new Apples notebooks, thinking that would make the decision to buy easier, I am confronted with another question:

A new MacBook?
Or a previous generation MacBook Pro?

The price is almost the same for either.

Is there a good reason to go for the old Pro other than a larger display?

Thoughts?

hardwater stains

Infernarl — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:29:39 -0800

I just bought a new car, and it was kept out on the lot. I live in Portland where it rains a lot. It seems to have hard water stains all over (they are like permanent little droplets). What are some good ways to get them off? Windex does nothing!!

Where should I watch the Rugby World Cup Final in London?

complience — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 07:47:42 -0800

Where should I watch the Rugby World Cup Final in London? Where would be the best place for me to watch the Rugby world cup final in london, I can travel to anywhere in reasonable distance from west london?

Idealy im looking for big screens, cinemas, rugby clubs, awesome pubs,

btw im an england supporter .. (not that it really matters for rugby supporters)

Longtime Mac/Unix guy seeks Win XP for virtualization -- but which version?

namespan — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 12:49:13 -0800

The new Mac's on its way, the time has come to purchase a copy of Windows to run under virtualization on it. The question is, which version? And how to customize by size for my needs? What I want to use it for: primarily testing web stuff in IE 6 and IE 7. Secondary use -- I'd like to learn basic .NET development. Chances are I'll also be running a few miscellaneous PC-only apps over time.

The first thing I'm wondering is if it matters in the least if I choose XP pro over XP home. I see the different lists of features out there on the net, but other than Remote Desktop, none of them mean much of anything to me. Are there real pros to pro, and cons to home?

The second thing I'm wondering is how it's possible to get legal very stripped down installations of Win XP a lá TinyXP -- I see it discussed here and there, but I'm a bit of a torrent n00b who's wary of random ISOs from fishy tracker sites and isn't quite sure how these things fit with the concept of legally running your software. How can I either make sure that I get a nice trustworthy TinyXP version that runs smoothly, or how can I do minimal/stripped-down installs myself from a retail copy?

Which bike to get? VIPER vs Focus

complience — Wed, 02 May 2007 04:12:23 -0800

Which Mountain bike to get? VIPER vs Focus My trusty 15year old Diamondback Sorrento has seen better days and so needs to be replaced.

I have between £200 - £400 to spend. I've narrowed down my choices to these two fine looking bikes, but if you know of somthing else you think is better let me know.

p.s - yes i have a thing for black coloured bikes

so my choice is between;

Viper TR 1.0 Hardtail Bike 2007 £269
or a
Focus Black Hills Mountain Bike 2007 £399

Can anyone tell me if these are good choices?
Does anyone have experience of either Focus or Viper as a bike manufacture?

Obviously one bike is quiet alot more expensive than the other, is it worth it?

Im after a mountain bike that I can also use in the city, ill change the wheels around for slicks, thats why its a hard tail, does anyone know if you can get front suspension forks that you can completely turn off when you don't need them?

also posted here with pics:
http://www.cyclingforums.com/t393496.html

Viper TR 1.0 Hardtail Bike 2007 £269
specs
Frame : 7005 series alloy. Hourglass chainstays, wishbone seatstays and custom CNC dropouts. Disc and V-Brake mounts.
Fork : Suntour XCT 75mm Travel
Hubs : Front : XTX Alloy QR, 32H
Rims : DBM-1 Alloy, Silver 36H
Spokes/Nipples : Stainless Silver, Brass Nipples 14g
Tyres : Continental Leader 2.10
Pedal : Wellgo
Saddle : XTX
Seatpost : XTX
Handlebar : XTX XC Alloy
Stem : XTX
Grips : XTX
Brakes : Tektro V-Brake
Cranks : Shimano TX70 44/ 32/ 22T
Bottom Bracket : CH-52 Cartridge Bearing
Chain : KMC Z-72
Cassette : Shimano CS-HG30-8, 11-32T,
Front Derallieur : Shimano TY10
Rear Derailleur : Shimano M340
Shifters : Shimano ST-EF50-8

Focus Black Hills Mountain Bike 2007 £399
Specification
Frame 26" wheel, MTB Alloy 6061, Zero Stack
Fork Rock Shox Judy J3, Magnesium, Lockout preload, 100mm
Rear Derailleur Shimano Deore LX RD-M580, 27 Speed
Front Derailleur Shimano Deore FD-M510
Shift Levers Shimano Deore SL-M511, Rapidfire
Sprockets Shiano Deore CSHG50, 9 Speed Cassette
Chain Shimano CN-HG53
Transmission Front: 44/32/22, Rear: 11-32
Crankset Shimano Deore FC-M440
Bottom Bracket Shimano BB-UN26
Pedals MTB, Alloy-Cage, Silver
Brakes Avid Single Digit 3, V-Brake, Black
Brake Levers Avid FR5, V-Brake, Grey/Black
Handlebars Ritchey OE Flatbar, AL 6061, 580mm, black
Stem Ritchey OE 6#, 4-bolt, AL6061/T6, black
Headset Integrated Aheadset, black
Front Hub Shimano HB-M530 QR, Black
Rear Hub Shimano FH-M530 QR, Black
Spokes Stainless, Black
Tyres Continental Leader, 54-599, Black
Saddle Selle Italia X2 Eco, Black
12.6kg (medium)

Can a woman write a novel like a man?

gummo — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:24:29 -0800

Can a woman write a novel like a man? Please forgive me if this gets a little sexist. I'm trying to be the good guy after all.

I have a bet with a friend of mine who claims that he can't read books (fiction) written by women. That they have a different style. The he doesn't think the same way women do, and therefore can't ever get into a book written by a women. I bet him that he is full of it, and can't tell the difference simply from the content.

So the bet goes like this: I give him the first two chapters of 6 books. No title. No author. Any number of those books can be written by a women. He has to tell me which. With no mistakes.

My problem is this. At first glance, I'm having trouble finding books. A quick glance at the New York Times bestsellers list give me 3 books by women in the top 5 of each hardcover and softcover. All 3 are not too promising. Now none of the problems with these books are in and of themselves deal breakers as a selection. But combined as a whole, I'm nervous. The problems are these:
All 3 have female main characters.
Phrases like "Self-loathing lesbian", "kick-ass woman warrior", "discover eternal love", and "her soap opera life, her handsome lover" show up right in the synopsis. (synopsi?, synopsises?)
Not to mention the Pink. One of the books has a cover just dripping in pink. That can't be a good sign.
I thought I had a good one until I read a review of it which included the phrase "This neatly structured story is a little too moist with compassion."

Is my friend on to something? Am I doomed? I don't think so. Not yet. But I can't think of any books I've read recently that were written by women. My favorites are Stephen King, Crichton, Grisham, Koontz, Kellerman lately. Clavell, Asimov, Scott Card, and others back in the day. No women in that list.

So that's my dilemma. I'm perfectly willing to believe that there are books out there that meet my needs. My needs being, a few books written by women, but not clearly so. Or failing that, some books written by men that seem somehow to be written by a woman.

Oh. Also, they need to be books "we would both probably read". That doesn't limit me much. Basically, I'm just not allowed to pick any romance novels.

There it is. Hopefully I didn't offend anyone too much. Any help you guys (and gals) can provide, would be great.

I don't like the drugs but the drugs like ... faaaaaaame

kuperman — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 06:28:41 -0800

Not that I'm a fan or anything (and I'm not), but.... Back around the time of its release, a friend of mine forwarded me a very thorough point-by-point comparison of Marilyn Manson's Mechanical Animals with ... well, key points from David Bowie's entire career. It was a very good read and had a lot of insight into the recycling of ideas in music. My google-fu in this case seems to be weak at turning up what I'm trying to find - anyone willing to take up the chase?

Ad Agency for IBM Middleware's Boxing Glove campaign?

vanoakenfold — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 09:20:37 -0800

Seeking contact info for the advertising agency responsible for IBM Middleware's "You VS [Concept]" campaign that has been appearing in glossy business mags lately... I'm actually making a collection of the glossy ads and have taped them up on my wall -- they just give me a get-to-work feeling -- and I've got 13 different concepts/colors so far, but I'd like to know what the total is, and what I'm missing. I was hoping someone at the agency would be able to tell me (plus I could give them witty quotes about how good they are, perhaps in exchange).

I already did IBM's Middleware's site (per the advert)'s "email us" link, but the response apparently was just a keyword snag of boxing, a bot telling me about how IBM could help organize my sporting event. Psh.

So far, I've got 4x purple, 3x red, 4x blue, 1x yellow, 1x green.