This collecting stuff is a sickness! ~Patrick
Somehow, I just knew it...with your boyish good looks, had to be a brother!
Patrick, I did my undergrad at Drake University in Des Moines Iowa (yes there are more than just corn and cows there). Actually, I am a charter member of the Theta Gamma chapter and was Consul just before we went national.
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/1984-Headhunter-b...3A1|240%3A1318
How does everyone like this description?!
On a related note - everyone should read that book!!
Looks like a translation to me.
Got tickets to see this play on March 4th: http://www.grandtheatre.com/main_stage.php?sid=5
I'm hoping it will be good!
Just incase you might not venture into the Comic Tower - Bernie Wrightson is going to be at a Comic Con in California this coming weekend.
http://www.thedarktower.org/palaver/...ead.php?t=7343
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
Remember, Remember, The Fifth of November, The Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot.
Fellow Collectors.
I am going to a book siging on Saturday for Dan Simmons new book DROOD.
I am willing to get five inscribed copies of this book for the members here for $45 each shipped (USA only....sorry).
For every book purchased, $10 will be donated to this websites Haven Foundation Fundraiser.
PM me if if you want one!
FOR SALE OR TRADE
Dark Tower 7 Artist Edition n/a
The Waste Lands 1st Edition in Shrinkwrap $200
1984 Grant Gift Edition of The Talisman $400
Lisey's Story ARC $50
.
.
WANTED
Signed 1st Edition of Storm of The Century (Paperback)
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Oh my mood thingy up top says I am Angry - Damn Right I'm angry! Why you might ask - then again you might just stay away form me - after all I am angry!!!!!
So about 7 months ago my company (100,000+ employees) which does mostly IT Services was bought by another big compnay (100,000+ employees) which mostly sells IT Stuff! It was bad enough when they took away the retirement program and told us to invest more in a 401K and that they would do some matching dollars. It turned out to be less than my current 401K and retirement plans combined. So then in Dec they announce work force reductiosn of 24,000 employees and oh yeah a freeze on salary actions! My temp is going up, but I am still employed!.
Yesterday I come to work and there is a big lenghtly email from the big guy, the CEO of the new bigger company (200,000+ employees). He starts telling about 1st Quarter financials and how teriffic his new services division (that's us from the old company) is doing, but how poorly the rest of the company is doing! Company did earn over a $1B (yes that's a B as in Billion) but I guess that is not enough for Wall Street! His solution - let's cut every ones pay. He agrees to cut his own base pay (key word is base) by 20% which amounts to a $300K cut - a helluva lot more than us workers make and it's just his Cut! By the time the cut rolls down to the workerbees its 5% which means I move back to a salary I had 4 years ago - I have been waiting on a salary action but the freeze was in place! Temp gets higher!
OK he (the big guy) decides to do this to save jobs - on its own merit that is teriffic. This is about where it stops being teriffic! Further analysis shows that the big guy makes $1.5M base pay but also gets $42M annually in bonuses, incentives, stocks and stock options! Gee his $300K cut - he won't even notice it. My 5% cut I'll notice - I have one daughter getting married and three children in college; housing costs in the DC area are through the roof - yep I'll miss the 5% cut! Temp up to about 210 degrees!
Now to add insult to injury - he also says they are revamping the company contribution to the 401K. Currently they match 100% upto 1st 4% you put in, monthly; new plan will be 100% but evaluated quarterly and if the quarter financials are not great then they can reduce the match to as much as NO FUCKING MATCH! 211 degrees and about to blow a gasket!
So our beloved leader continues to live his life of luxury, making more money than he can ever spend; taking vacation trips (I better be quiet here as they may be the next to go) to exotic places and watching his favorite TV shows on his 100" Plazma, which the company probalby built and gave him for free anyway! I get to eat bologna sandwhiches for lunch and am thinking about a weekend job - oh I already have one weekend job - I guess this would be a weekend night job! Wifey going to have to get another job too!
What really frosts my ass is that my account which is a $10B deal all in of itself is operating on a 28% margin right now and all us (former self sustaing service company) are taking a pay hit to cover the asses of the rest of the pre-acquisition company's bad business practices! Oh yeah, the big guy also says that the pay for performance plan is still in effect! Huh? He says that if you perform well that you will get the reward back in your bonus at year end. I got a bonus once - I think it was back in the 20th Century! really! Oh the dreaded B word - there are no stinking Bonuses for the work force - they all go to the fat, dumb and happy managers who sit in their offices and surf the net and play solitaire on their really nice computers with the 24" flat panel screens while I work the spreadsheets and emails and access databases on my laptop with its screen about the size of my two fists, which are really clecnhed tightly right now!
Sorry I think I just hit 212 degrees! Steam is gushing out of my ears now - brain molecules are separating and gushing out my ears at a pacec faster than the big guys savigns account balance climbs. Dammit I can't see the spreadsheet in front of me and my updates are due in ten minutes!
Yeah I'm angry! real angry! Guess I better buy a Lotto ticket on the way home. it might be the best investment I make all year! :-)
DT Spoiler - Enter at your own risk!
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Wish you and everyone affected by the crisis, the best!
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CLUB STEPHEN KING (french website about STEPHEN KING, since 1992) : on : Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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Welcome to Corporate America.
That totally sucks, Bob.
"People, especially children, aren't measured by their IQ. What's important about them is whether they're good or bad, and these children are bad." ~ Alan Bernard
"You needn't die happy when your day comes, but you must die satisfied, for you have lived your life from beginning to end and ka is always served." ~ Roland Deschain
Bob, that really sucks. I REALLY hate it when they stick it to the little guys like that.
John
Bob- that totally sucks.
To put it in perspective- I wish I had a job in which my wages got cut. I was laid off 1 year ago this coming Wednesday. I worked for a company for 11 years and they consolidated my sales route into the other 5 in my state. They then offered me 2 options- severance package or a part time position for $10.50/ hour. Pretty sweet, huh? So here I sit sending resumes and writing cover letters for the past 51 weeks. I have had 3 interviews for 1 position in the last 2 weeks and I am praying for a job offer by the end of next week- all of this for a position in which is going to pay me close to 1/2 of my previous annual salary. AND I am actually happy and excited about this.
Basically what I am trying to say is this- it could be way worse!
Good luck to all on these boards that are being affected by these tough times, I am sure we will all pull through this with many lessons learned......
Oh belive me I am happy to have a job right now! Really!
It just torks me that my account does so god dam good and they are using us as fodder to cover up their messes. I wouldn't feel so angry if I was on an account that brought in a mil or two, but my account is huge - $1B annually.
And of course the executives that shine now matter what - kind of like all the wall street bonuses paid out last year for executives that helped tank our economy in the first place.
I recently read that the CEO of Circuit City was getting a big bonus and his company is in bankruptcy and now is totally shutting their doors and laying off everyone!!!!! It just ins't fair now is it! his millions should be spread out amongs the workers that are going to have a tough time meeting their mortgages and feeding their families!
DT Spoiler - Enter at your own risk!
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ditto and ditto again on the situation, Bob. Total suckage.
Wishing you the best.
My job is likely going to do another round of lay-offs before summer ( oh, I'm sorry, they call the layoffs - a Reduction In Force... a RIF ).
The Man In Black Fled Across The Desert...
...And The Gunslinger Followed.
“I’m always on the Batman rule, sir.” - Kate Kane / Detective Comics 857
"It is the story, not he who tells it." Except to us collectors who have to put limits somewhere. - jhanic
Remember, Remember, The Fifth of November, The Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot.
sorry for your troubles Bob.
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
I'm sorry to hear that, Bob.
Wanted list:
Ubris
Wow, very sorry to hear that Bob.
My company told us just after Christmas there would be no salary increases, typically 3% to 7%.
Still don't know about Incentive Compensation, hopefully by March 1st.
But I am still employed, so I got that goin' for me.
But we are bailing out the rich people with our tax dollars.
Still don't get it...
One more thing before I sign off...
Anyone headed to Daytona for Bike Week this year?
I am trying for a couple of days off, haven't been on the Harley in MONTHS.
PM me if you are, would love to buy you a beer (or three).
PS. Here is mine
[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=15joADaNbxE[/ame]
Last edited by willie3; 02-22-2009 at 01:31 PM. Reason: Link added
Hang in there, Bob.
Have a good time in Daytona, Willie.
Thanks to all for kind words! Especially coming form those also affected by today's wonderful economy. Isn't everyone!
I am still angry of course - suspect I'll change that is a day or two!
I vented and it felt good.
And Turtlex - at my place its called a WFR - Work Force Reduction! :-(
DT Spoiler - Enter at your own risk!
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Generally I'm still upbeat but some days, you know, you just get hit with a case of the gloomies. I have 3 1/2 weeks left in the office to wrap things up and then for the first time in my entire life, I have nowhere to go when I wake up in the morning. Jobs in my field are pretty scarce these days, and I have sent out my resume to 15 potential opportunities and not a single hit. Word on Wall Street is that there are 200-300 resumes for nearly every position that is posted. I'm good, but how do you compete with that!
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.