Stijn!!

[Rick V]

You have had more time off in the last 6 months than I have had in the last 15 years

[svandamme]

20 days a year,
.5 day / month worked because we work 40 hours on a 38 hour contract
then 4-6 public holidays...

But then again, i do have on average 2 hours a day that i sit in my car just getting to work

I can't complain.

The one with the most holidays, is our Nordic Guerrilla poster...

[Rick V]

I took a 4 day weekend last year to go to Missouri, for my daughters Army graduation, I took a 4 day weekend the year before that to go visit a friend, I took a 4 day weekend 2 years before that to go run the Dragon with a bunch of friends. Anything beyond that, I don't recall. I think I need a break

[svandamme]

That's unpayed leave i presume?


Ours is payed, + we get a holiday pay once a hear...

But there's a price for all that, i get to pay 13.75% social security on my gross, and another 55 % tax on my gross... so for every buck i make, i get maybe around 40 cts cash in my hands

[Rick V]

True, but still I am getting very very tired. Not like I need to sleep a little later, but tired from deep inside. I think Lanna and I need to just go somewhere, and leave the phone and laptop here, a complete disconnect if you will.

[svandamme]

Go for it.

I went without a single day of holiday in 2008, because i had just moved from Holland, and had no holiday right built up in Belgium...
I was just beat up and worn out by the beginning of 2009...
Then i bought my house... used up most my days on that... finding it, buying it, moving, renovating....It's only now that i'm finally catching up with some me-time...

[Rick V]

Originally Posted by svandamme

Go for it.

The last time I "went for it" I almost didn't make it back

[svandamme]

lol... that sounds familiar as wel
There was this great 2000-2001 outburst i had...

[Rick V]

OMFG I detest stupid people. The battery in the MB finally gave up, after 8 years it was borrowed time, so I yank the battery out, throw it in the back of Peggy and head into town. I swing by Advance Auto, since there batteries are made by Johnson Controls, AKA Interstate, these will work.
I roll up to the counter and the following conversations takes place.
Me: Good morning, I need a Battery for an 02 Mercedes, C240
Dumbass: Sorry we don't have one
Me: Do you have one across town?
Dumbass: No we don't stock batteries that are mounted in the trunk.
Me: Okay that is fine but mine is under the hood
Dumbass: No it isn't, your battery is located in the trunk.
Me: Hold the phone there partner, you see these patches on my jacket? You see this Mercedes key in my hand? You see the Battery I have here for a core? Trust me it came from under the hood. There is an issue with whoever programmed the info in the computer. The C230 is mounted in the trunk, not the C240, so now that we have that covered do you have a battery that will fit my car?
Dumbass: No Sir we don't stock trunk mounted batteries.
Me: I see you hail from the shallow end of the gene pool
Dumbass: Huh?
Manager: Sir can I help you
Me: Yeah do you have a battery that fits my car?
Manager: No Sir we don't stock trunk mounted Batteries.
Me: Is breathing the only requirement for employment here? Y'all have a nice day I need a smoke and some coffee.
I walked out and got my battery, at the Advance across town.

[the_webbster]

Originally Posted by svandamme

The one with the most holidays, is our Nordic Guerrilla poster...

I think I felt someone talking about me so I had to bust in here. or did you mean the doc? 5 weeks paid holiday here, except when I was in-house at my current job I got an extra week of days here and there. now that I'm my own boss, I think I had 10 weeks all in all last year.

work to live, not live to work!

So, it was my birthday last week. My present from my family was a surprise trip to BELGIUM!! first weekend in April I'm coming down to watch the Ronde von Vlanderen and ride the cyclosportif. how about our men of the lowlands - where do you guys live and are you guys going to be around that weekend?

[svandamme]

i should be, and isn't Dottore also coming in April??
Mind you , i ain't going to the Ronde ... i just can't be arsed to wait hours for a bunc of cyclist to zoom by, only to realize it's gone in 60 seconds and no crashes. but i think Lance will be riding it as well... so even more crowds

[Geronimo '74]

I'm game for beer, just let us know in time!

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by Rick V

OMFG I detest stupid people. The battery in the MB finally gave up, after 8 years it was borrowed time, so I yank the battery out, throw it in the back of Peggy and head into town. I swing by Advance Auto, since there batteries are made by Johnson Controls, AKA Interstate, these will work.
I roll up to the counter and the following conversations takes place.
Me: Good morning, I need a Battery for an 02 Mercedes, C240
Dumbass: Sorry we don't have one
Me: Do you have one across town?
Dumbass: No we don't stock batteries that are mounted in the trunk.
Me: Okay that is fine but mine is under the hood
Dumbass: No it isn't, your battery is located in the trunk.
Me: Hold the phone there partner, you see these patches on my jacket? You see this Mercedes key in my hand? You see the Battery I have here for a core? Trust me it came from under the hood. There is an issue with whoever programmed the info in the computer. The C230 is mounted in the trunk, not the C240, so now that we have that covered do you have a battery that will fit my car?
Dumbass: No Sir we don't stock trunk mounted batteries.
Me: I see you hail from the shallow end of the gene pool
Dumbass: Huh?
Manager: Sir can I help you
Me: Yeah do you have a battery that fits my car?
Manager: No Sir we don't stock trunk mounted Batteries.
Me: Is breathing the only requirement for employment here? Y'all have a nice day I need a smoke and some coffee.
I walked out and got my battery, at the Advance across town.

I have given up with Battery goons. I just walk in with a battery, and i tell em, give me one just like it... if they ask what car, i tell em it's for a custom vehicle that has no name... i want a battery, this size, this voltage, and so many amps... pronto.

[svandamme]

btw Webster, the Ronde van Vlaanderen is passing about 35 clicks from my door.
If you go watch it in the early parts, not the finish (which is further away), i could throw a BBQ or something...Markus.. maybe you should just get it over with and come on down here as well.

I'll check when Dottore is coming , maybe it's the same time frame

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Rick V

OMFG I detest stupid people. The battery in the MB finally gave up, after 8 years it was borrowed time, so I yank the battery out, throw it in the back of Peggy and head into town. I swing by Advance Auto, since there batteries are made by Johnson Controls, AKA Interstate, these will work.
I roll up to the counter and the following conversations takes place.
Me: Good morning, I need a Battery for an 02 Mercedes, C240
Dumbass: Sorry we don't have one
Me: Do you have one across town?
Dumbass: No we don't stock batteries that are mounted in the trunk.
Me: Okay that is fine but mine is under the hood
Dumbass: No it isn't, your battery is located in the trunk.
Me: Hold the phone there partner, you see these patches on my jacket? You see this Mercedes key in my hand? You see the Battery I have here for a core? Trust me it came from under the hood. There is an issue with whoever programmed the info in the computer. The C230 is mounted in the trunk, not the C240, so now that we have that covered do you have a battery that will fit my car?
Dumbass: No Sir we don't stock trunk mounted batteries.
Me: I see you hail from the shallow end of the gene pool
Dumbass: Huh?
Manager: Sir can I help you
Me: Yeah do you have a battery that fits my car?
Manager: No Sir we don't stock trunk mounted Batteries.
Me: Is breathing the only requirement for employment here? Y'all have a nice day I need a smoke and some coffee.
I walked out and got my battery, at the Advance across town.

LOL! Classic!

[porsche4life]

Rick I see your advance is about like the O'reillys here in town... We look up the part #s and take that number in... Don't give them any more info than that....

[Rick V]

Okay first a little background.
My Dad is a widower, and he now has a girlfriend. This is important, so remember this.
Okay My son is divorced, and they have a kid, the Grandson, he is awesome, great kid, tons of fun and always upbeat. We get him every other weekend, like this weekend, the house is a mess of cars and trucks and helicopters and such.
Well For Christmas dad's girlfriend gives Austin a toy truck, Keep in mind we have yet to meet the girlfriend, but she seems to be a nice lady, and she thought about a kid she never met.
Okay the truck, Dodge Ram, it has the flashing lights, the big block engine sounds, it goes forwards, backwards, and it dances, yes I said dances. Well in order to dance, it has to have music, well it sings. The cotton eyed Joe, it sounds like Larry the cable guy. complete with fiddles banjos and other instruments of bluegrass mayhem. Did you know that this truck, will store the amount of button pushes. If you push the button fifty-bazillion times it will play the cotton eyed Joe fifty-bazillion times. Ask me how I know. Well last night I flipped the switch off for the sound, too bad that kid is too smart for that. He figured that little trick out in about half a second this morning.
I think I am gonna see if I can program it to play some Black Label Society or something. arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh. How did I survive being a parent?

[porsche4life]

There weren't as many toys that made that much noise when your kids were little...

[Rick V]

No my kids themselves made all the noise. They were worse

[Geronimo '74]

Originally Posted by svandamme

btw Webster, the Ronde van Vlaanderen is passing about 35 clicks from my door.
If you go watch it in the early parts, not the finish (which is further away), i could throw a BBQ or something...Markus.. maybe you should just get it over with and come on down here as well.

I'll check when Dottore is coming , maybe it's the same time frame

GREAT IDEA!!
Can I come??
Can I come??
Can I come??
I'll bring beer!