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Tiburon1724's Journal

tiburon1724
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03/16/2008 12:23 #43690

No Change for Now!
Category: work
So I had the Bed Bath interview and the guy was very straightforward about what they were looking for. Basically I'd start 2 levels below store mgr and maybe within 3 years work my way back up. The only new store opening in the area is in Batavia later in the year but that's the reason for the job posting. When he asked me how much $$ I'd need I jacked it up an additional $5k over what I was originally thinking because honestly I wasn't too thrilled about the job at that point...BUT if they'd have offered me that salary it would have made me consider it. I wasn't too sure about having someone else write my schedule and reporting so directly to someone else after a few years of being in charge of my own store. Then the very next day I get a rejection letter. My interview was at 1pm so that means as soon as I walked out he printed it out and dropped it in the mail!! At least make it look like it took some thought :( oh well I really didn't want it anyway :)

03/15/2008 16:26 #43679

Buying a House Sucks!
Category: house
So in much of the country you can close on a house within 2 weeks. Here it takes 45-60 days on average. There are so many people involved...the attorney, paralegal, both realtors, buyer & seller, processor, adjuster, and many more I'm sure I'm leaving out....so a simple thing takes dayyysss.....my parents said in Florida there are no attorneys involved so that explains that.

My target close date was Fri 3/14...yesterday. On Wednesday I get a message.."oh, we need proof of homeowners insurance" so I send that in. Then later Wednesday PM I get another.."oh we need a receipt proving you've paid the insurance for a full yr" so I send them that...

Thursday.,..."we're ready to close, HOWEVER....."
Great, however. Turns out the FHA inspector wants a little touch-up painting done and 2 downspouts repaired. arghhhh. So we end up getting the ok to setup an escrow so those repairs can be done later...i.e. in better weather. So we're ready to close then!!! Oh, wait...the realtor still needs another document from the seller, who's out of town. He has dropped it in the mail. Regular mail. Not overnight, regular. So now I have to wait probably until the end of NEXT week. I just want to move :(

So I know National Grid is the one to contact for power and I think it's National Fuel for gas, but who do I contact for water service in the city? And didn't I hear people in the city have to pay for trash pickup? Is that something I have to setup or will it just get picked up when I put it out and I later get a bill?

On the other hand, my plasma TV was delivered today and is MIND BLOWING!!!! :)
tiburon1724 - 03/16/08 12:31
Thanks frew, I'll give the water board a call since the form that's online is incomplete!! Paul, that's insane! I can't imagine what it's like when you're selling a house and buying a new one too that's gotta be 2x as frustrating!!
paul - 03/16/08 11:09
Our closing dragged on for so long. We were supposed to close July 11th according to the contract and it didn't end up really happening until October because of one problem or another on the sellers side! It was making me insane because we had already told our landlord we were moving out. Luckily, we got to move in "early" and get an early occupancy agreement for August 8th. Unfortunately, that means we inherited two tons of their stuff and trash. This is not an exaggeration - we had to weigh the truck on the several trips to the dump to get rid of it all.
drew - 03/15/08 17:10
For water, you need to send in a letter to the water board of Buffalo and tell them you've assumed responsibility for the property. You'll get a bill every three months.

With trash, you can just call. Find the number on the Buffalo website. You'll get a bill once every three months. And yes, they'll keep picking up your trash.

It took several billing cycles before they finally got our information correct. *roll eyes*

03/10/2008 23:53 #43613

Time for (Another) Change?
Category: work
So Friday I have an interview for store mgmt at Bed Bath & Beyond...I submitted my resume one night when I was especially burnt out from a hard couple days at work and actually got a prompt call. Not completely sure about it yet, but really that's what an interview is for...for both sides to evaluate their fit. I'd say if I can get an additional $10k/yr out of it, I'll jump ship, provided I don't find anything I object to and get a good feeling in the interview.

I do like my job don't get me wrong, and I know there will be hard frustrating times everywhere, but I don't like when my labor budget has been cut so dramatically I have to be the only one in the store for hours a day with a huge laundry list of tasks that need to be done and hordes of miserable, overly needy customers who think their shit doesn't stink because they live in Williamsville/Amherst.

Plus today I got my review..3.4% raise and $9300 bonus. Hello new roof for the new house! 3.4% is good for my cheap company, and that bonus is very atypical. In fact, next year if I stay I'll probably get no bonus. Anyone ever heard anything from current or former BB&B employees?
paul - 03/11/08 20:51
Thats the one thing that I hate about working for Roswell. There are no bonuses or stock options or anything. It all very standardized. I am a self motivated person, which is lucky for them, because otherwise there is really no incentive to do above standard work once you have exhausted all position upgrade options.
tiburon1724 - 03/11/08 19:33
well like I said, the bonus really is a fluke...right stores at the right time. They jacked up the goals so high that as of now the bonus pool for this year is at $0 and I'm sure that's where it will end up too. And is 3.4% really that good? I got spoiled at my prior employer, Disney, as each year we'd get a 3-4% cost of living increase in addition to our merit raise which was generally around 6% or so.
metalpeter - 03/11/08 16:59
That is one hell of a bonus and you want to leave why again? Seriously though I have no idea about Bed Bath... at all so no way to compare them. But what I will say is a bonus like that and a raise like that sure can make you forget about the bad stuff at work.
jason - 03/11/08 08:18
Jesus, that bonus is flush. Congratulations, and enjoy the new roof. =)

03/09/2008 22:14 #43598

New TV!
I finally bit the bullet and bought an HDTV. Decided on the new
Panasonic 42" Plasma with 3 HDMI inputs. Of course it's not available in local stores so I have to wait for it to be delivered!! Very exciting. With this I will sell my old 32" Sony Wega Trinitron SDTV. It has served me well for about 10 years and has been a great TV!! Anyone looking? :)


image
The old guy.

image
The new one!

tiburon1724 - 03/10/08 23:47
well I have another smaller TV too so I'll have one for my bedroom as well even if I sell this one...difference would be no TV in the guest room. The real problem with keeping this one is it weighs about 250 pounds and has smashed through every TV stand I've put it on except the current one. And I've lived in 5 different places since owning it...moving it gets tiresome!
metalpeter - 03/10/08 18:27
Don't get me wrong some people don't have a TV and get by fine, it would be kinda cool to be like. I mean if you have one. For example There Have been times that I wished I had another TV in my living room. I like Shows and sports so I would love to watch a show and then Have the Sabres on with no Volume. If I was a gamer I would have to have a special one just for that. Or if I was a Bigger Hockey Fan have one game with sound one with out or the same with the NFL.
jbeatty - 03/10/08 18:08
I don't know metalpeter. My brother and sister-in-law haven't had a TV since they lived in FL and they seem to be getting along alright. As much as I would love to ditch mine I would go nuts without PBS.
metalpeter - 03/10/08 17:54
I hate to say this but don't get rid of the TV you can never have to many TVs. You can watch the bills on normal cable and watch a good team on the HD, HA or use it for video games or put it in a room that isn't for company. But that is just me.
tiburon1724 - 03/09/08 23:17
..and then I realize you mean my existing TV, haha. I was thinking $300
tiburon1724 - 03/09/08 23:15
Circuit City and Best Buy both have it for $1099 this week.
drew - 03/09/08 22:30
how much?

02/26/2008 18:26 #43474

Wusses!!
Category: weather
I really can't believe this. There's a ticker on the bottom of the local channels showing all these places closed. CLOSED. For a little snow...in BUFFALO. I always heard how even with a ton of snow and bad weather everything in buffalo kept on going as usual but we get a dusting of snow and it's A) hyped up beyond belief even though it's BUFFALO and B) results in near shutdown of the entire county. WTF!!! Hell my drug store in Orlando stayed open during hurricanes....and we close businesses due to snow in the snow capital? Very disappointed.
joshua - 02/26/08 23:43
LOL - dude don't jinx us! Now we're gonna get crushed.

It has been very light though, that is true. Plenty cold here and there.
james - 02/26/08 22:21
It has been a very light winter. I think people are just itching for a snow disaster.
paul - 02/26/08 20:19
We used to be tougher till global warming hit.