| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
I'm really thankful this Thanksgiving
I just started a new job on November 10th after being with another company for 13+ years. I knew that I was unhappy with my old job--but I just didn't realize how dissatisfied I really was. My old boss is always putting himself first, and keeps everyone else from realizing their potential. :M
I came home on Friday and had a big smile on my face :D that hadn't been there for a long time.
The new position is a worksite marketing position with an insurance company. I've been selling insurance for 20+ years, so my skills are a good fit. We work with school district employees and counsel them on their benefits. We also sell products to fill in the gaps in their programs.
It is a virtual office position. I have a laptop with a wireless card, company car, and my cell phone is now my office phone. I'll spend most of my days in teacher's lounges and school offices.
The new company is so nice. Everyone is very helpful and wants each other to succeed. I've met about a dozen salespeople, and every single one of them is happy and loves their job. I've never seen anything like it--salespeople always complain about something.
I'm RVing this week, as my new boss let me keep my vacation plans we had made a few months ago. I'm staying at a RV park in Bakersfield, CA and will be traveling to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving.
With all that is going on in the economy, I am grateful that I have been given this opportunity. I've thanked my new boss a couple of times so far, and she said she has never had anyone be so happy to come to work.
I realize that many other workers are suffering in this economy. I am very happy that I've found a place that has given me all the tools I need to be successful.
My only regret is that I should have moved to this company about 4 years ago. :D
So when we're eating Thanksgiving dinner at a Las Vegas buffet, I'm going to be very thankful for what I have been given.
|
MFinCA
|
11/23/08 06:46am |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Gobbler Day & Camping
We'll be in Las Vegas staying at Sam's Town RV park. We are coming in on the Sunday before and leaving the day after T-Day. Thanksgiving dinner will probably be at one of the buffets there.
My mother will be with us, so we'll have family time together.
It is the 1st time in 24 years that we haven't been home on T-Day and we are really looking forward to this trip. :D
|
MFinCA
|
11/07/08 12:01pm |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: NASCAAR - season is too long:
For sure, there will be a reduction in the number of entries/raceteams. I fully expect at least THAT. Jr just needs to be thankful that NASCAR exists in the first place. What would he do without NASCAR? Does he know how to work a regular job?
I can't help but wonder if he's deep in debt?
Junior is worth between $50-75 million. He never has to worry about where his next meal is coming from. ;) He is partnered with Rick Hendrick for his Nationwide team--so no $$$ worries.
NASCAR starts in February and ends in November--it is way too long a season. 500-mile races are also too long. 4+ hours for most of them. I would make the races shorter, so they were less than 3 hours.
I would have races similar to the super modified format. A couple of shorter qualifying heats and the top 10 racers go to a final of maybe 125 miles or less.
I'd make the season go from April to September to miss the bad weather in Febuary-March and October-November.
|
MFinCA
|
11/01/08 08:11pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Can Not Find Our Dealer
For that matter even a NON Forest River dealer or general repair facility can do either warranty or non warranty work for you...The 2nd generation family-owned RV dealer I bought my TT from only sells TTs, 5ers, toy haulers, etc. No motorhomes at all.
So I was surprised to see a motorhome in their service bay about a month ago. I asked the service manager about it, and he said they were do some work on the plumbing.
He shrugged and said that they weren't turning away work on any type of RV in this economy.
The owner is a pretty astute business guy. He knows that these are tough times. I noticed while I was there that he didn't have a lot full of models. He told me they were keeping their stock down in anticipation of getting better pricing from the manufacturers.
He must have gotten some really good pricing, because when I drove by the lot last week it was full of RVs.
|
MFinCA
|
10/29/08 12:37pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Reno to Yosemite to Carmel
I am planning a trip west in Aug 09 first to Reno/Lake Tahoe, then on to Yosemite NP and from there to Monterey (Big Sur)
Big Sur is about 30 miles south on Highway 1 from Monterey. Monterey is easily accessible from Highway 101 to Highway 156 and then onto a very nice section of Highway 1.
Monterey to Big Sur on Highway 1 has lots of sharp curves and hugs the mountainside leading to the Pacific Ocean. Great views, but it will be challenging.
|
MFinCA
|
10/28/08 03:47pm |
Roads and Routes
|
|
RE: Gas below $2 in many areas now !
Please stop teasing me! :M
Here in the SF Bay Area, most stations are still selling RUL for about $3.20 per gallon.
We traveled about 200 miles north of here last weekend and I found RUL for $2.89. :)
RUL was priced at about $4.61 during the $140 a barrel days, so I am saving some serious $$$ for my 35+ gallon fill ups compared to then.
We will NEVER see prices dip below $2.00 a gallon here. :(
|
MFinCA
|
10/28/08 01:35pm |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Who thinks that the Dodge and GM merger is a good thing?
Dodge Duramax? Or Chevy Cummins? What will it be?
The merger may or may not be a good thing: From the article:
...."In a merged company, GM would take the driver's seat in product-development activities, say several people involved in the talks. It would retool several existing Chrysler products to base them on GM-designed vehicles, or kill some products outright, these people said.
GM is expected to save Chrysler's popular minivans and Jeeps. GM could also sell certain vehicle lines, such as the profitable Dodge Ram, to an auto maker seeking entry into the U.S. light-truck market.
The human toll of such a move could be high. The companies would slash duplicated functions from engineering to marketing. One internal estimate predicts at least 40,000 jobs could be cut from the roughly 166,000 people employed by the two companies in the U.S., Canada and Mexico....."
The biggest expense most companies have is payroll. Merged companies can cut those people that have duplicate jobs.
If they do merge, there are going to be a lot of people that lose their jobs. :(
|
MFinCA
|
10/28/08 01:27pm |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: California Highway Patrol crack down ?
I've towed our 6,000 lb. TT all over California--so I don't need the endorsement. The last 2 weekends have been visits to colleges for my 17 year-old daughter. We didn't take the TT and just stayed Friday nights at a local hotel. (Now I know why I like my TT so much). :D
2 weeks ago, we drove south about 300 miles to Santa Barbara. I drive around 70 mph when not towing. I had several RV rigs of different types blow by me going at least 75 mph. That is 20+ mph over the posted speed limit while towing.
This last weekend, we went north about 200 miles to Chico. Coming home on Saturday, I again was passed by a few RVs traveling at 75+ mph. One of them was driving a Class C MH towing a old trailer with a couple of dirt bikes. Those little tires on that trailer must have been pretty stressed in the 85 degree weather. :E
If the CHP wants to crack down on RVers, they can easily pick off the ones that are going 15-25 mph over the posted 55 mph speed limit. If they are truly going to go after folks that should have the endorsement, I'm sure that the word will get around so everyone that tows that heavy will get one.
I think that the CHP is stretched so thin that it probably won't happen.
|
MFinCA
|
10/27/08 05:22pm |
Towing
|
|
RE: Under age drinking?
When I was 17 years old in the 70's, my buddies and I drank alcohol frequently. Most of the time it was with our fathers. I knew that I could drink alcohol anytime I asked for it. We didn't use other types of drugs--just alcohol and tobacco.
Now my daughter is 17 years old. She doesn't really care for alcohol--just a sip of wine every now and then. None of her friends drink, either. Not one of them smokes.
At 17, we used to go over to my friend's house and drink beer and play pool or ping-pong. His parents were there, and MY parents knew what I was doing (I always told them). Of course, it didn't hurt that my friend lived right across the street from me. We just had to promise we wouldn't drive--and we never did.
My daughter and her friends get together and watch movies and eat snacks. I don't know why it is different for them than it was for me and my friends--it just is. :h
Now we can go out to dinner and drink wine. We just turn the keys over to our daughter so she can drive us home. :D
If my daughter wants alcohol, all she has to do is ask me. I don't want it to be a forbidden item--that might make her sneak around. I'd much rather know about it up front.
As an Army veteran, I do believe that if a soldier is old enough to put his/her life on the line for our country, they are old enough to drink alcohol.
But that is just MHO.
|
MFinCA
|
10/27/08 04:48pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Pep Boys Auto 500 from Atlanta
Just stating the truth, like it or not. Do you mean "greatness" as in God?I think that we are talking about greatness in sports. Since NASCAR has "teams" for each driver, I would consider the #48 team to be approaching greatness. Kind of like:
NFL - 49ers in the 1980s
NBA - Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan
I'm sure that others can come up with their own list of teams that can be considered a dynasty.
Dynasty to me means a championship team that repeats often over a number of years. If the #48 car holds on and wins their 3rd consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship--they should be included in any list of teams that dominated their particular sport for a number of years.
Jimmie Johnson and the #48 team have grown on me. Last year, I didn't like them as much--but now I'm liking them more and more.
Carl Edwards' necklace from the child was awesome. My wife cried when he announced he was going to wear it on the pre-race show. I had Victory Lane taped and just handed the kleenex box to my wife when Carl showed off the necklace in Victory Lane.
These guys are good. :D
|
MFinCA
|
10/27/08 02:09pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Martinsville Speedway Camping (PIC)
The only advantage I could see to getting there a little earlier is getting a more level site. The campground is on very hilly terrian, even where we camped several blocks of wood were needed.Is that grass I see in the photo? We've been to Infineon Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and California Speedway and always camped in a dirt or crushed gravel lot.
My bucket list has me RVing at as many NASCAR tracks I can and seeing races. Martinsville will definitely be on my "must see" list.
I will root for Joey Logano and the #20 next year. My daughter likes Carl Edwards and my wife is a Junior fan. I like them, too--so it is a lot of fun.
|
MFinCA
|
10/27/08 11:44am |
Travel Trailers
|
 |
RE: Doom and Gloom!
RE is about as close to a sure thing (profit) as you can get. It will take high roller investors in stocks 2 years at most to rebound, most of the average "joes" it will take longer, most will bail out before then. For myself, I haven't sold a stock in over 8 years. I can and will easily wait.
For such a "sure thing", real estate is killing my sister's finances. About 4 years ago, she received a huge divorce settlement. She called me to talk about what she should do with the money. I told her what I learned a long time ago from a very successful man: "Rich people don't have mortgages".
She was moving from their big house to one that was still pretty good size, albeit smaller. She could have easily paid cash for it and had $$ left over.
But no, she decided to listen to her "financial planner" AKA stockbroker and put 10% down and invested the rest in the stock market.
Two years later, she calls me up again. Seems like she has decided to move to Arizona (from California) in 2010 after her youngest child graduates from high school. She has found a house that she wants to buy IN ADDITION to the house here in CA. She asks me my opinion, again.
So I tell her it is crazy to buy a house that she isn't going to live in for 4+ years. I told her to wait until you are ready to move, sell your house here and buy there. Her answer--"real estate is a solid investment and it always goes up."
So she decides to buy the house in Arizona anyway--another 90/10 loan. Now she is stuck paying two mortgages on homes that are most likely valued at less than the loan amounts. A bunch of her cash is gone--maybe never to return.
Meanwhile, I'm still living in the home I've had for over 18 years. It used to be worth 3x what I paid for it, probably more like 2.5 times as much now. I'm paying it off in less than 3 years--so then I can be considered one of the rich people.
About 3 years ago my wife and I talked about moving to a much bigger house. We chatted about it for all of 15 minutes and decided we were just fine where we are currently.
With our daughter leaving for college next fall, we might just decide to move then. We probably won't get as much for our house as we would like, but whatever we buy will also be lower in price.
The next time my sister calls me and asks for advice, I'm tempted to tell her to do exactly the opposite of what I would do--maybe she'll make the right decision then.
|
MFinCA
|
10/23/08 05:20pm |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Towing w/Tacoma 2008
Does anyone out there (2 people together) full time in something smaller than a 25ish foot trailer? I can't imagine that we can do that!I know a couple that has been full-timing for many years in a 21' Class C MH, so it can be done. They even have 2 cats along with them.
For some very useful information about towing and weights, DavidG has an excellent website located here: RV Towing Tips
I would suggest spending some time reading his information.
Have fun!
|
MFinCA
|
10/23/08 04:29pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: I never thought about a Class A...
Check with Ford....not sure the Fusion is listed as 4 wheels down towable unless it has a manual transmission. You could tow it on a dolly since it is front wheel drive and eliminate the issues raised in the previous post. Thanks for all the good luck wishes--I appreciate it. The reason I posted the possibility of 4-down towing of the Fusion is what I saw in this post: Ford Fusion
I'll probably do the hotel thing while I prove my worth. My original plan was to do the truck/5er thing in a couple of years from now. But the idea of a Class A with the company car intrigues me...
Thanks!
|
MFinCA
|
10/21/08 03:41pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Some help needed figuring this whole college thing out
... We just returned from a visit to UC Santa Barbara. According to what I heard in a presentation, their engineering program is ranking right there with MIT now. ...
LOL, have you considered the source of this info/opinion!
The UC Santa Barbara people were biased based on these 2 sources:
One List
US News & World Report
I'll grant you that MIT (in your neighborhood of course) is probably the best. But then again, with an out-of-state tuition cost of over twice that of UC Santa Barbara it ought to be. ;)
My daughter is planning on majoring in psychology--so the ranking of the engineering department isn't a concern of mine.
|
MFinCA
|
10/21/08 03:33pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
I never thought about a Class A...
I've been a RVer for about 10 years now. The first 5 years was in a popup, then the TT in my signature. I always figured that my next RV would be a 5er. Now that idea might just change.
I'm near the end of negotiating for a sales management job with an insurance company. I've been in insurance for 22+ years--and this will be a good opportunity for me. The position comes with a company car--a Ford Fusion. About 3 months of the year I'll be out of town Monday-Friday staying in hotels. :(
Rather than staying in hotels, I'd prefer my own RV for these trips. My original thought was to do the 5er/Truck combo and negotiate for them to pay me for the mileage. I'd use the truck for client visits.
But with a car already in the deal (from what I've read here the Fusion can be towed 4-down with no problems), I'm rethinking my RV choice. A Class A with the the Fusion as a toad.
I've a senior member here with about 3,000 posts, and I've probably never posted to the Class A forum. So as the job thing firms up, I'll probably be doing some reasearch here on Class As.
Wish me luck!
|
MFinCA
|
10/21/08 02:03pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Some help needed figuring this whole college thing out
It seems from all the press that going off to college is nothing more than an excuse to party. If you really want to do right by your child, enroll him in a junior or community college for the first two years and make him earn the money to pay for it. Crass? No, it will teach him responsibility, how to manage money and as a bonus, you will have some control over his after school activities.
That depends on the child. For me, Junior College was a great alternative. I really didn't like high school, and didn't get really good grades. Junior College helped lay the foundation for my transfer to the local state university. I paid for my own university education by donating 3 years of my time to the US Army after JC. I have a BS in Finance.
My wife attended Junior College first because her family couldn't afford a university. She did very well at the JC, and was accepted into a very prestigious private college on a academic scholarship. She has a BS degree in Accounting.
It should be noted that each of us took JC courses that were transferable to the universities we chose. I didn't have a single class on my transcript that didn't count towards my BS degree.
Our daughter is ready to go off to a 4-year university. She is determined, and has very good study habits--those came from my wife. :o We have no doubts that she will succeed at that level. She has proven to us that she is worth the $$$ we will invest in her college education.
|
MFinCA
|
10/21/08 01:08pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Some help needed figuring this whole college thing out
2. Name counts. My husband has been a hiring manager at 2 top US corporations. When you've got nothing to go on except a GPA at a college, MIT is going to carry more weight than some no-name school no one has heard of. I disagree with this attitude-there are many smaller, lesser known schools who teach to the same quality as the Ivy League schools but put it this way. You've got two quarterbacks to choose from-both have the same qualifications. One is named Tom Brady, the other is Joe Schmoe. Joe Schmoe may cost less but be a better QB-who are you going to pick?
Bad example using Tom Brady. ;) ESPN Article From the article: "But Brady, who has more touchdowns this season than he did during his entire career at Michigan, remains the centerpiece of 13-0. A former sixth-round pick, the 199th choice of the 2000 draft, is redefining the position, just as Manning and Marino redefined it before him."
We just returned from a visit to UC Santa Barbara. According to what I heard in a presentation, their engineering program is ranking right there with MIT now.
This weekend we are visiting a state college, Chico State. We are scheduled to visit University of the Pacific (a private college) in November.
The University of California system has one application that a student can use to apply at all of their 10 campuses. It cost $60 to apply to each school. My daughter is going to submit the application for probably 6 campuses. She will have a "fall back" choice of 2 campuses, UC Riverside and UC Merced. Her GPA and SAT scores guarantee her a spot there.
Our hope is that she gets accepted at all 6 schools and then can pick which one she wants to attend. Of course, that will mean more road trips for visits. :R
|
MFinCA
|
10/21/08 12:55pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
RE: Camping rates
Yea, I was one of the stupid ones. Avg 75 per night in the Ocean City MD area CG's. It sure did put a dent in the wallet this year. Not next year.
You weren't stupid--it is the location. We took my mother with us and stayed last year at a RV park near Disneyland. I paid about $325.00 for 5 nights there. It was a parking lot with hookups, but I was using it as a hotel room, anyway.
My mother doesn't want to stay in the TT, so we booked her at a decent hotel just down the street. When she checked in, her bill was $1100+ for the same 5 nights.
Would I rather pay $1100 or $325? :@ Comparing the 2 bills--I didn't think that I was stupid for paying $60+ per night for a RV spot.
|
MFinCA
|
10/21/08 12:35pm |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Another one just called...
The best suggestion I can give you is to get Caller ID. Most phones have the display on them now. With Dish Network, I even have the incoming caller ID displayed on my TV screen.
All calls that come up "unknown" or are from a company or number I don't want to talk to go unanswered. If they want to leave a voicemail, fine. I'll get around to deleting it when I want to.
Unfortunately, my mother-in-law has her number blocked, so it shows up as "Private Caller" and we have to answer those as it might be her. :(
I haven't fielded a sales or political call in a long time. Life is better this way.
|
MFinCA
|
10/20/08 04:28pm |
Around the Campfire
|
|
