Free talk Friday - 04.09.21

**I Touchdown There** · 04-09-2021, 07:15 AM

Happy Friday everyone! How we all doing?

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**GOTA** · 04-09-2021, 07:59 AM

Doing okay. Tired but okay. My oldest just finished the college application and decision process and it was crazy this year. Applications seem to be way up and acceptance rates are cut in half at many places. I still don't understand how they compare those who submit SAT/ACT scores to those who don't in SAT/ACT optional schools. I'm just glad he got into one of his top choice schools and it's over. His sister is still a couple of years away so hopefully the new rules are a little more established by that time.

**BcRaven** · 04-09-2021, 08:14 AM

Good Morning, I T T. Hope you and your three boys are doing well.

This past week I've experienced the good and the bad :
The Good = (a) Tuesday my G.P. told me my blood pressure had fallen into a good zone. It's been high the past few years. Now it is under control. If I go back in June, and the downward trend continues, he will lower the medication dosage.
(b) Ate at an outdoor Thai restaurant on Wednesday evening. It was our daughter's birthday, so we took her and her fiancé (they're getting married in September) out and had a wonderful time.

The Bad = The week before I visited my dentist and he looked at the X-rays then examined my lower right gums and jaw. I have an infected tooth that had to be removed or the infection was bound to spread to the jaw bone, that would require semi-major surgery. Nipped it in the bud and saw the oral surgeon on Thursday. After he confirmed my dentist's diagnosis, I was taken into the surgical room. He not only pulled the infected tooth, but the wisdom tooth beside it as the deterioration process started. He cleaned the open area, stitched it up, and now I'm taking 5 prescriptions for a week. Follow-up visit in 2 weeks, then he says I have to wait 4 - 5 months for full healing before installing an implant. Luckily the pain I had yesterday has abated (80% ?) this morning, but I can't drink anything Hot or Cold and can't eat solid food either. Bananas, apple sauce, and cooked, cooled cereal - here I come (LOL)

Still, life is good all-in-all and I should be back to normal (although my wife is still trying to figure out what that means) in 2 weeks. BTW, our RSR board Mock Thread has kept my mind off my woes as I have more important things to do. Like figure out who the Saints and packers would draft since I am GM of both... Bc

**BcRaven** · 04-09-2021, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by GOTA

Doing okay. Tired but okay. My oldest just finished the college application and decision process and it was crazy this year. Applications seem to be way up and acceptance rates are cut in half at many places. I still don't understand how they compare those who submit SAT/ACT scores to those who don't in SAT/ACT optional schools. I'm just glad he got into one of his top choice schools and it's over. His sister is still a couple of years away so hopefully the new rules are a little more established by that time.

Congrats, GOTA. Before you know it you'll be saying CON-GRAD-ULATIONS! What a process indeed. My wife wouldn't even look at the FAFSA application, which was insane since we knew we weren't eligible for financial assistance. Still had to do it four times. Ours went to University of Massachusetts Amherst (180 miles from home) and was glad to be away as a young adult. We visited often "Homecoming", UMass football, Dean's Luncheon, etc. So I can tell you from experience you and your wife will love it. To see our little flower blossom into an educated, confident woman is quite a grand sight to behold. She even did a semester abroad in Siena, Italy. The wife says, "If she goes to Italy, we're going to Italy. We had a wonderful vacation taking in Sorrento, Florence, Rome, and Venice. Funny part is we only saw our daughter for one day out of 16. Enjoy the ride it goes faster than a rollercoaster... Bc

**leachisabeast** · 04-09-2021, 08:32 AM

Still in lockdown in the UK but they are opening up the pubs for outdoor eating and drinking only on Monday, so at least I will be able to enjoy a few pints after work and be able to meet up with friends.

**leachisabeast** · 04-09-2021, 08:33 AM

Gyms and barbers are reopening as well so will finally be able to get a hair cut and try and get back into shape!

**Shas** · 04-09-2021, 08:46 AM

After two years of being a freelance consultant I'm starting a new, full-time gig Monday. I'm in Baltimore and my office is 2,800 miles away, in Oakland. I can say with confidence they wouldn't have hired me if COVID hadn't happened and everyone got accustomed to working remotely. The entire interview process was remote, too.

Crazy thing is this is the second job I've had in the last five years where I'm here and my boss is located in the Bay Area.

**ThankyouArt!** · 04-09-2021, 09:18 AM

SO this is "Free talk Friday"? OK........I am sick of it! I am sick of all the hypocrisy in America......I am sick of Covid. It's been so long that I almost forget what life was before. Now there are commercials selling mask and commercials with people wearing mask. I will wear a mask because you are supposed to. But if you can smell someones fart or someones perfume it isn't stopping some virus. Yeah, I have received the vaccine but I don't like it. They say you can still get the virus......says that a virus that you have a 97.6 chance of survival will help lesson the chances of getting sick.....huh? They say maintain 6 feet social distance but pack you on a plane butts to nutts? I get it....... I am just sick of it. "Free talk Friday"?......OK, I tired of feeling that I am supposed to beg everyone I meet for forgiveness because I am the most vile creature on the planet because I am a white male. I am tired of the Government spending money like a sailor on weekend shore leave. "student loan forgiveness"? It's not forgiveness they are just transferring the debt to the tax payer. I am tired of the fact that if I say any of these things I am labeled a bigot or some kind of neanderthal or not "woke". I am tired of not being able to say that I am against a person who is biologically a male and wants to compete against females........I have four grand daughters! "Free talk Friday"? I am sick of the fact that common sense isn't so common anymore. The Government wants to make "common sense" gun laws and yet has no intention to make common sense criminal laws? Look I don't care who is in office.....I am just sick and tired of them not caring about the common man...........or woman.....my bad! SO what am I going to do on the "Free talk Friday"? I am going to sit here and figure out what the Ravens are going to do with their first pick in the draft......that's what! I wanna go to work all week.......do the right thing and I want to sit on Sunday and watch the damm game. I don't want to see someone who makes millions of dollars tell me how they are protesting in the name of the oppressed. Hypocrisy is everywhere and yet we are somehow not allowed to call it out. I am just sick and tired of it. So have a great "Free talk Friday" everyone!

edit: BTW the morning show on 105.7 sucks so bad I can't even listen.......

**Ravenswintitle** · 04-09-2021, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by Shas

After two years of being a freelance consultant I'm starting a new, full-time gig Monday. I'm in Baltimore and my office is 2,800 miles away, in Oakland. I can say with confidence they wouldn't have hired me if COVID hadn't happened and everyone got accustomed to working remotely. The entire interview process was remote, too.

Crazy thing is this is the second job I've had in the last five years where I'm here and my boss is located in the Bay Area.

Congrats. I work for a Silicon Valley cloud company as well, and my last company was same. I can tell you I have never had so many recruiters reaching out as I have the past couple of months. Lucrative gigs with great companies. I'm not sure what's driving it but for now I'm staying put. I have a ton of RSU's over the next 3 years ;-)

**Shas** · 04-09-2021, 09:32 AM

Originally Posted by Ravenswintitle

Congrats. I work for a Silicon Valley cloud company as well, and my last company was same. I can tell you I have never had so many recruiters reaching out as I have the past couple of months. Lucrative gigs with great companies. I'm not sure what's driving it but for now I'm staying put. I have a ton of RSU's over the next 3 years ;-)

As a consultant I did some strategic planning work for start ups, including one that is trying to reinvent how people are hired. In researching the industry it's crazy to look at some of the hiring statistics. In DC the unemployment rate for IT professionals is -9%. And it's only getting worse with Amazon's HQ2 coming. By law they are required to hire 16,000 more IT professionals over the next three years to work out of the VA office. Crazy.

**Ravenswintitle** · 04-09-2021, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by Shas

As a consultant I did some strategic planning work for start ups, including one that is trying to reinvent how people are hired. In researching the industry it's crazy to look at some of the hiring statistics. In DC the unemployment rate for IT professionals is -9%. And it's only getting worse with Amazon's HQ2 coming. By law they are required to hire 16,000 more IT professionals over the next three years to work out of the VA office. Crazy.

Amazon Connect is one that is recruiting me and it is pretty interesting. Most are either unicorn or small tech companies with a new flush of funding.

**BcRaven** · 04-09-2021, 09:49 AM

Originally Posted by ThankyouArt!

SO this is "Free talk Friday"? OK........I am sick of it! I am sick of all the hypocrisy in America......I am sick of Covid. It's been so long that I almost forget what life was before. Now there are commercials selling mask and commercials with people wearing mask. I will wear a mask because you are supposed to. But if you can smell someones fart or someones perfume it isn't stopping some virus. Yeah, I have received the vaccine but I don't like it. They say you can still get the virus......says that a virus that you have a 97.6 chance of survival will help lesson the chances of getting sick.....huh? They say maintain 6 feet social distance but pack you on a plane butts to nutts? I get it....... I am just sick of it. "Free talk Friday"?......OK, I tired of feeling that I am supposed to beg everyone I meet for forgiveness because I am the most vile creature on the planet because I am a white male. I am tired of the Government spending money like a sailor on weekend shore leave. "student loan forgiveness"? It's not forgiveness they are just transferring the debt to the tax payer. I am tired of the fact that if I say any of these things I am labeled a bigot or some kind of neanderthal or not "woke". I am tired of not being able to say that I am against a person who is biologically a male and wants to compete against females........I have four grand daughters! "Free talk Friday"? I am sick of the fact that common sense isn't so common anymore. The Government wants to make "common sense" gun laws and yet has no intention to make common sense criminal laws? Look I don't care who is in office.....I am just sick and tired of them not caring about the common man...........or woman.....my bad! SO what am I going to do on the "Free talk Friday"? I am going to sit here and figure out what the Ravens are going to do with their first pick in the draft......that's what! I wanna go to work all week.......do the right thing and I want to sit on Sunday and watch the damm game. I don't want to see someone who makes millions of dollars tell me how they are protesting in the name of the oppressed. Hypocrisy is everywhere and yet we are somehow not allowed to call it out. I am just sick and tired of it. So have a great "Free talk Friday" everyone!

edit: BTW the morning show on 105.7 sucks so bad I can't even listen.......

There is still Free Speech in America and it's good that you've got a forum to vent. However, this is really a friendly Ravens board where we exchange ideas and it does have a certain personal touch. That said, there is a Forum : Politics, Current Events and Off Topic that is available to you to spill your guts out to, but this isn't it. I am not a Moderator nor am I a censor, but just an old, veteran poster. So, that is my opinion. ThankyouArt! I do hope you find a ray of sunshine that breaks through the clouds for you as life in America is not all bad... Bc