Disqus - Latest Comments for bubelah

Re: Deputies investigate possible drowning at Mickler's Landing

LS — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 20:27:25 -0000

The news video report is completely inaccurate. He wasn't walking and just collapsed and was dragged out into the ocean. He was swimming with his wife when it happened. Grigoriy was fun, larger than life person. We are all shocked and still cannot believe it happened to him, that he is gone, that we will never see him again or hear his voice.

Re: job junkie

LS — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:51:49 -0000

Ruby, I have a friend with a similar situation. She was in the same analyst program when we graduated from College. She was very promising and advancing, moved on to another company to do trading. And was very successful, big commissions rolling in. But she was stressed beyond belief. So one day she quit, moved from NY to Arizona and is a math teacher. She loves it. She is happier and enjoying her life, even though her pay doesn't compare but that doesn't bother her.

Re: how to avoid giving gifts at work

LS — Fri, 14 May 2010 09:14:35 -0000

I remember back in Russia, if it's your birthday, YOU bring a treat for the whole department to celebrate YOUR birthday if you want. They would make tea and have a cake for the afternoon tea ritual. That's all. No gifts. I don't know how it's done now. When I started to work for an American co. in the US I brought a box of nice chocolates for my b-day and everybody looked at me strange and said that's not how it's done. I felt a little weird, but everybody enjoyed the chocolates and asked what was the occasion and took me out to lunch. I felt like I was trying hard to tell the whole World that it was my b-day, when in reality I thought I was doing what "normal" work environment required. I din't do it since then.

Re: What is the Point of Saving, the World May End Tomorrow?

LS — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:12:35 -0000

I really enjoyed your post. Well written and so true. It is a fine balance, indeed. We sure struggle with it. We do save, but sometimes we focus way too much on saving and forget to enjoy our lives right now. Then we catch ourselves and start "enjoying" by spending and go over. I always compare it to losing weight - you starve and starve and deny yourself and then you get tired and one day you binge and all your efforts are gone plus you gain extra pounds. Same goes for money: you save and you save and one day you get burnt out b/c you are not having any fun at all. Then you go and spend like there's no tomorrow. Finding the middle ground is a key!

Re: green shame

LS — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:13:36 -0000

Guy, we have similar issue - we try to eat healthy, organic, locally grown, etc. food, but b/c of that our grocery bill is outrageous. Why does healthy food cost so much? It is hard to be frugal and healthy. It's almost impossible and shouldn't be tried, they don't go hand in hand, unless you grow your own veggies and fruit.
As for cloth diapers - your sister might last long enough as long as she starts potty-training from the start. When my younger sister was born (I was 12) we had no disposable diapers and we had to use cloth ones. Yes, doing laundry and looking at all the nastiness was my dad's, mine and my sister's resposibility. But in Russia, babies are potty trained early, so my sister was fully potty trained by the time she was six months old. I cannot see how you can do cloth diapers till your kids 2 - 2.5 y.o. You will never leave your house for fear of mess.

Re: babies in bars

LS — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:57:33 -0000

Well, yes, of course, everything is relevant or irrelevant in comparison. If I told some people in my circle that I took my kids to get flu shots and gave them infant tylenol when they had fevers, they would think I am abusing them.

Re: small human regrets

LS — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:58:57 -0000

I live according to the postcard you got. I do not have any regrets about raising our kids. Yes, I admit we have flaws, what we do is not perfect but I don't dwell on the past I move forward, I acknowledge what needs to be done different. But you already knew that since you know me so well.

Re: embrace life

LS — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:46:13 -0000

What a memorable advertisement! I liked it.

Re: the bucket list

LS — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:11:13 -0000

"Milk a cow" ??? Haha... Why would you want to do that? I did it once. I was about 6 or 7 y.o. when I spent summer vacation in a small village in Ukraine. My great-aunt used to work at milking farm and she took me and my sister there. I even got to taste the milk right from under the cow. Yuck! Smelled so bad. Good luck with your bucket list.

Re: how to stop drinking soda

LS — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 09:04:07 -0000

That's so me. I don't drink soda, we don't buy it, don't have it at home. But if it's available I start craving the taste and will have sprite at a restaurant. But very rarely. Now unsweetend iced tea is my choice.

Re: too busy for vacation

LS — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:30:02 -0000

My sister is a doctor. Steve, you know that even she takes vacations. Even though she saves lives and performs surgeries, she is still human and she has a family. She plans ahead. However, she is very, very reluctant to take a sick day off or a personal day. I think, she's never done it, even when she or her son feels suddenly sick.

Re: everyone is special and unique just the way they are

LS — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:47:07 -0000

Wow! How is it possible? You don't have TV at home? Sorry to ask the question ;o)) What do they and you do all day together? I admit that I do turn the TV on when I have to do some chores in the house and don't want them to get in the way (like cooking or cleaning). Very admirable, btw.

Re: leaving the northeast, a retrospective

LS — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:25:25 -0000

You are right, it's strange to me that we are in mid-October and still have summer with 90+F temperatures. A loooooong summer! And the thought of snakes scares me to tears, but so far I've seen only snake skin next to our house.
We are planning to visit NE in Fall and for winter holidays. Hope to get the variety this way.

Re: lack of communication, or stupidity?

LS — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:51:49 -0000

I think you are missing the point here. I agree that there should be some separation of duties. Whoever does it better should do it or whoever has time. I do a better job cleaning, so I do it. Steve's duty is to take out the garbage. But I still know where the trash can is and when are the garbage pick-up days. So when Steve's on a business trip we are not drowning in trash. The point is that both parties should be aware of how much money comes in and how much money comes out. Two people in the family do not need to be involved in bill payin but both should be aware of the expenses and how to do it, in case one of you falls ill, or dies, or hits the road.
I am sure your wife knows how much you make and how to get cash from ATM, in case she needs it.

Re: the professional hitman

LS — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:46:19 -0000

Sounds like a good plan. Let's say you don't deliver the project within alotted time frame and go way beyond it. What happens? Do they start subtracting the money from your $50,000 fee?
They say here's $50,000 for the project to be completed no later than 16 weeks from now, no exception. You may deliver in 8 weeks which is good for you, or you can deliver 18 weeks from now. As a client I want to be protected. What do we do?

Re: the myth of stable employment

LS — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:37:41 -0000

Well, someone I know was "separated" they call it?? from the Army? In other words she was let go, laid off, fired... Army is going through recession too and they have budgetary problems too. So, if they find even slightest fault with anybody's conduct they will discharge them. Our nanny is an army wife and she explained these things to me.

Re: lying in the workplace, part 1

LS — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:30:43 -0000

I would guess that Mary stayed and Veronica was fired. Mary was not intentionally wrong, whereas Veronica was sloppy and careless on purpose.

Re: the myth of stable employment

LS — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:25:18 -0000

It's not exactly diversification if everything you do somehow related to banks or to one industry only.

Re: where the dogs are

LS — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:33:31 -0000

I don't trust dogs. Or any animal for that matter. And no matter how many times you tell me that your dog is nice and friendly and never attacks or bites anyone. It only takes one time.
I got attacked by a great dane when I walked into my friend's house totally unaware of its existence. And it attacked me out of the blue. My friend and her family tried to pry the animal away. Afterwards, they swore that it never attacked anybody before and that it is the friendliest doggy in the world and they don't know what happened to it this time.

Moral of the story: don't confuse fear and mistrust. (ok, maybe not very relevant here, but beware!)

Re: linklings, jimmy buffett and being there edition

LS — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 12:05:05 -0000

I love margaritas too, but I never heard of Jimmy Buffet, until Steve introduced him to me via CD a month ago. Sorry, I am a foreigner ;o)

Re: re-engineering your thinking

LS — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 09:52:56 -0000

Wow! Steve, great post!
People should not live in the dreams of some distant future, even though everybody should save for retirement. But you have your life now too.
We have built a fantasy that we want to retire early, which means NO work for most people. Thanks to imporoved longevity the average retirement (after age 65) is about 20 years. You think that 20 years of free time is a dream come true. It's NOT.
I also believe that when old people are unoccupied with anything they are more likely to feel disoriented and depressed, have more time on their hands to concentrate on aches and pains. Working in retirement is good for your health and early retirement can be harmful, especially if retirement means a more sedentary and less intellectually stimulating lifestyle.

Re: how much is that tree out the window?

LS — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:51:08 -0000

I used to work for a "mega-corp" where my desk was staring straight at the nicest view overlooking Hudson River, Statue of Liberty and Verrazano Bridge beyond it. Then a giant condo building was built and ruined it. I loved gazing out and rest my eyes. Now I regret that I didn't take any pictures. I think if you have a window in your working space it's a big plus.

Re: how much is that tree out the window?

LS — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:03:11 -0000

ARE YOU SERIOUS????? Ok, I haven't heard this one before. It's so STUPID!!!

Re: how to have a happy childhood

LS — Thu, 28 May 2009 09:17:16 -0000

I will add a few words "for" having winter - I love snow to some degree, mostly first few times it snows in winter. It's beautiful, it's calming, it's charming. That's it. After that it's old news. I enjoyed skiing as well but that was before I had kids. We had fun time going outside with our son and played in the snow and built a snowman. Most of the time we spent indoors, though, because of our infant daughter. Try to bundle everybody up for half an hour only to spend 15 minutes outdoors. When we had only one baby (read before baby can walk, after they learn to walk they don't want to sit still) I would take him for a walk in a stroller on a cold winter day. I was the only freak walking outside. Everybody saw me out their windows and knew it was ME.
We used to say good-byes at the playground in November for the winter. "See you in 6 months" - we would say. We did organize playdates here and there but not everyday. Anyway, it's not all black and white. So, for all you people staying behind, don't be too jealous, just a little bit.

Re: why I spend

LS — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:09:41 -0000

For me it's Traveling. I don't mind spending any money on it.