4am. My first meeting is at 6am everyday.

Our taco bell closes at like 9pm, which blew my mind. I assumed no one ate there before 11pm and alcohol or other substances were involved.

There are 4 people in my household and no one eats the same thing. I have celiac and food intolerances. One kid has avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. My husband eats low carb. And while the other kid is picky, no one else is eating the same thing, so we just make him whatever he likes. Also, we free feed them like animals. Restaurants are difficult, there are like 2 we will all will eat at. Delivery works ok for my husband and the kids sometimes, but not for me.

Unpopular opinion: Immigration probably has a lot to do with it. Tech pays really well and they can recruit talent from across the globe (and bring them together in the US). You don’t hear too much about infrastructure or manufacturing industries recruiting on top talent from across the globe (they do rely on them for staffing shortages, but they are not seeking them out the same way tech scours the globe for employees).

I believe it. I live in an area with lots of 3 car garages and it is shocking how many people have to park in their driveway. There’s one house that charges in the driveway with the cord running under the garage door. Who needs a 3 car garage full of stuff?!?

Pickled asparagus.

I’ve left several jobs for greener pastures. In all cases, I learned a bit more about what I like and don’t about tech and non-tech (and big biz vs small biz, etc.). I went from tech to aerospace manufacturing, back to tech, to utilities, back to tech and then started my own company. I was shocked at how far behind some companies are from a tech perspective. I was pleasantly surprised at the slower pace. I thought the best talent was swooped up by tech (probably because they pay so much more). In the end, having more control, even if I’m paid a lot less, is preferred.

I use different ones for different things. Perplexity answers my tech questions best (what is the dax formula for ___). Gemini is good if I’m making something that needs more casual language or some help brainstorming. Copilot is good for corporate jargon. It plays nice with other MS tools, so if I need to connect it to a PowerAutomate or Power app, I can do that. I used ChatGPT to make a lifetime movie plot generator with great success.

I use Outlook - I have an M365 account. Actually, I have several, since I have accounts for all of my clients and they all use M365.

New Outlook is terrible. It is like Microsoft asked themselves, is there a way to remove the most useful parts while poorly trying to mimic Google with a cartoon flair? And they were able to achieve this lofty goal.

I use the old Outlook as a result and have figured it out well enough. I have several accounts in the app, which is nice. The search is terrible, but can be improved if you ask Copilot for search formulas. I can setup .oft templates so others can send mails I write. I can easily set up branded colors and fonts. So it is fine.

Androids version of Outlook is shameful, but I have to use it.

In terms of email management. I get somewhere between 75 and 150 each day, so I just tackle them as they come in. It I can’t take action right away, I mark it unread so I come back to it later.

Yeah, I was wondering about the US too. Also, I was expecting to see debt:income more like 30%. Am I reading this list wrong?

Ok, not an exact answer, but… In 2008, John Oliver had a bit that I thought captured the US culture of consumerism. He basically said that many countries could invent or even build an inflatable BBQ - but only Americans would actually buy an inflatable BBQ. Anywho, spending money, independent of whether a person has it, seems to be a cultural phenomenon in the US.

Not. I’m pretty much the same irl and online. Anyone who knows me could probably figure out who I am based on my posts (no need to wait for a doxing!). 🤷

I would be silently praying they don’t tell me about it.

Dumb question: wouldn’t working anywhere else be better? I think back on all of my jobs and I would rather work at McDonald’s than the one where I was paid $210k. Maybe there is something (even temporary) that can fill the gap while you find a better fit.

Tiktok by Ke$ha. 😉

They don’t even care if you finish!

Boeing has an awesome factory tour. So does Ford. Just buy tickets and for the day and time you want to attend.

Edit: here are some other interesting tours:

• chateau St Michelle winery
• grand Coulee Dam
• Amazon fulfillment center

I saw a mauve one yesterday. Could they start there?

You absolutely should. Shaggy is another excellent choice. Or be that person who sings the Macarena.

My cousin had a 1988 Dodge minivan with plastic covered seats and no AC. She called it “Big Ralf”