4 hours ago, LacesOut said:

It's very difficult to see your parents age, right before your eyes. Ugh. Both parents are in their mid-70's. Mom is physically losing it, Dad is mentally losing it. 😥

The wearing away of their images as a child.

My sympathies. Mine are gone. Take every moment you can. Don't be in a position where you are saying " if I only answered the phone " or " if I only stopped in more often "

After a 4 hour drive from a remote job I had been on..... I ignored a phone call from my father around 7 30 pm one night.... with the thought I will call him around 8 in the morning when I would be traveling again........ 5 am I received a call he was gone.

Tore me up for a long time.

Steve, ugghh, so sorry man.

#internetbrohug for ya. 😥

I'm just glad that my parents have made it to their mid-70's. My Mom still hosts/cooks everything for a Turkey Day Dinner. 🥰

And Yeesh, I'm only 54 and I feel like I'll be gone soon. 🙃

1 hour ago, LacesOut said:

Steve, ugghh, so sorry man.

#internetbrohug for ya. 😥

I'm just glad that my parents have made it to their mid-70's. My Mom still hosts/cooks everything for a Turkey Day Dinner. 🥰

And Yeesh, I'm only 54 and I feel like I'll be gone soon. 🙃

Nice man.... save me some turkey leftovers.

Ummmm........

2 hours ago, paco said:

Ummmm........

even on a cold morning, some models experience aerial erectus commonly referred to as morning antenna .

There are people in this world who can wrap presents, and people who cannot. I fall firmly in the latter category.

Amen to that.

16 hours ago, The_Omega said:

There are people in this world who can wrap presents, and people who cannot. I fall firmly in the latter category.

Same. Now if that present is a pork butt, and the wrapping paper is foil, completely different story

19 hours ago, The_Omega said:

There are people in this world who can wrap presents, and people who cannot. I fall firmly in the latter category.

I’m the designated wrapper. Clothes folder too. Schmoopie says I’m the really good but but I’m guessing that’s like telling a 7 year old that just did a chore that they’re the best at it.

2 hours ago, BFit said:

Same. Now if that present is a pork butt, and the wrapping paper is foil, completely different story

That’s a far more marketable skill.

still astounds me that i can do a pretty decent job of folding the corners on one end but even though i complete exactly the same steps on the other end, it all goes to hell in one swoop.

it's like trying to fulfill an order for two cheeseburgers. the first one comes out fine, medium rare, plain and dry as added. the second one comes out a forklift.

I think I just reached a new level of adulthood. Was looking over my final pay statement for 2025, and the deductions for taxes jumped out at me. Pulled up my old W2s, and using my first full year of salaried employment (versus the 6-months after May graduation) I just saw that my Reported W-2 Wages for that first complete year were $44844, and my Total Taxes for 2025 were $45,146.

8 hours ago, wholesale_Melvin said:

still astounds me that i can do a pretty decent job of folding the corners on one end but even though i complete exactly the same steps on the other end, it all goes to hell in one swoop.

it's like trying to fulfill an order for two cheeseburgers. the first one comes out fine, medium rare, plain and dry as added. the second one comes out a forklift.

I think I've been to your McDonalds

I wrap my presents by putting them into a plastic bag and handing said plastic bag to said jackhole who I had to buy a present for in the first place. 🙂

12 hours ago, LacesOut said:

I wrap my presents by putting them into a plastic bag and handing said plastic bag to said jackhole who I had to buy a present for in the first place. 🙂

and thanks again for another white elephant carton of condoms

I'm unemployed, AND a recovering alcoholic. Can anyone top that? Losers of the EMB..... let us unite! (maybe form a Union?).

Thank goodness I'm hott and sexy. If not for that, I'd have nothing in life.

🙃🙃

Please keep that post alive..... there are so many fun ways to respond that I actually can't choose.

On 12/28/2025 at 1:40 AM, wholesale_Melvin said:

and thanks again for another white elephant carton of condoms

Still in SA, TX? If so, hows that going? The wife and I are considering retiring soon. I said Florida. She said "how about Texas or Arizona?". We currently live in Delaware, where I am from. Wife is from Queens, NY.

Does Chickie still love you? 🥰🙃

1 hour ago, LacesOut said:

Still in SA, TX? If so, hows that going? The wife and I are considering retiring soon. I said Florida. She said "how about Texas or Arizona?". We currently live in Delaware, where I am from. Wife is from Queens, NY.

Does Chickie still love you? 🥰🙃

she sure loved me last night.

consider Texas, the political insanity isn't as insane, food is better, and a lot less humidity.

On 12/26/2025 at 9:50 AM, wholesale_Melvin said:

still astounds me that i can do a pretty decent job of folding the corners on one end but even though i complete exactly the same steps on the other end, it all goes to hell in one swoop.

it's like trying to fulfill an order for two cheeseburgers. the first one comes out fine, medium rare, plain and dry as added. the second one comes out a forklift.

I'm the same way. Cut the paper to the proper size, start off great with the 1st fold, then it all goes to hell. Winds up being more tape then paper. That might be hyperbole, or it might not.

Cube shaped presents use to piss me off due to all the wasted paper.

Then I learned this technique:

I may be starting a new job soon at a Marketing Company. They do the Marketing aspect for Financial Companies that don't want to do their own Marketing. New industry for me. Very interesting and exciting. 🙂

Anyways, it's a WFH position/job. And I'll need a laptop for like 75% of the work. My current laptop is a POS and 8 years old.

So, does anyone have any tips/advice for what new laptops are out there on the market?

Thanks. 🦅🏈

1 hour ago, LacesOut said:

I may be starting a new job soon at a Marketing Company. They do the Marketing aspect for Financial Companies that don't want to do their own Marketing. New industry for me. Very interesting and exciting. 🙂

Anyways, it's a WFH position/job. And I'll need a laptop for like 75% of the work. My current laptop is a POS and 8 years old.

So, does anyone have any tips/advice for what new laptops are out there on the market?

Thanks. 🦅🏈

I have a Samsung Galaxy book pro that I really like. Only drawback is the track pad sucks, hard. But if you're using it with a mouse it's great. Also helps that I have a Samsung phone, so it's really easy to share things between the 2

2 hours ago, LacesOut said:

I may be starting a new job soon at a Marketing Company. They do the Marketing aspect for Financial Companies that don't want to do their own Marketing. New industry for me. Very interesting and exciting. 🙂

Anyways, it's a WFH position/job. And I'll need a laptop for like 75% of the work. My current laptop is a POS and 8 years old.

So, does anyone have any tips/advice for what new laptops are out there on the market?

Thanks. 🦅🏈

Are you working as like an outside consultant? Otherwise they should be supplying you with a computer. (I personally liked the Lenovos I’ve had, but work recently ended their partnership so my business laptop is back to being a Dell)