Decorating: latex paint over stain grade hardwood?

[Oaktree]

In our current house, from inside the house, you'd only see two exterior windows on the east side. From outside the house, there were 3 windows visible. What the heck? I ran up and looked in the 3rd window. There was a 4' x 4' walled off area. I expected to see a skeleton in a rocking chair! So I went inside and ripped down the wall. Nothing in there but a bare floor. Now it's a closet. Weird but true.

Is there an actual window there or is it a frame, but filled in? I remember seeing that on several houses in my hometown when I was growing up. Always wondered the reason for it.

My first house had all sorts electrical hazards inside walls...live outlets, live switches (often as not with the switch in the neutral wire), free-standing splices (ie-no box). But no insulation.

 

[MossRoad]

I don't think it's unreasonable for a company to set limits on accumulating sick/personal days. Your wife's employer's new policy seems more than generous to me. I don't think any company I've ever worked for has even allowed employees to carry them over from one year to the next...use 'em or lose 'em. After all, the whole idea is so you don't lose income if you take a sick (or mental health) day...not intended to be saved up so you can take a long vacation. After all, that time has to be carried on the company's books until it's used.

I don't think it's unreasonable for a company to set limits on it either.

What is unreasonable is promising you something when they hire you, you work there 40+ years, then they take it away from you.

They should change it for new hires, but keep their promise to the ones they made it to.

They are weasels.

 

[MossRoad]

Is there an actual window there or is it a frame, but filled in? I remember seeing that on several houses in my hometown when I was growing up. Always wondered the reason for it.

My first house had all sorts electrical hazards inside walls...live outlets, live switches (often as not with the switch in the neutral wire), free-standing splices (ie-no box). But no insulation.

Actual double hung window. That's how I ran up and looked into it from outside.

 

[ultrarunner]

How long are you going to ride with that burr under your saddle?

Hope springs eternal???

My younger retired siblings left corp years ago and posed the same question.

They get it that I’m 7 minutes from work and I like interacting with patients and staff and that I have a great relationship with the boss and the Docs come to me for advice.

My sibling’s question is the above enough to outweigh enterprise directives?

Plus I’m guilty of buying into the concept of taking ownership and being empowered to solve problems.

I know many in the greatest generation where a steady paycheck trumped everything else…

I’ve got 10 weeks of vacation on the books and the plan is to start using it and not bow to pressure to always put off or cancel…

 

[ultrarunner]

If you want to get things done in this new corporate environment, I think you're going to have to figure out how to move things forward. Maybe the head of corporate security would be a new ally? Safety & security first. Decorating later.

I wondered if lighting would be the easiest and cheapest first step, but with you saying the copper wire keeps getting stolen, that pushes me towards thinking fencing/gating has to happen first.

I suggested cementing the in ground concrete j-boxes over a bag of sand… in other words it would be necessary to hammer open.

The regional manager positions are a continual revolving door… either leaving or promoted… longevity of more than a year or two doesn’t happen…

 

[ultrarunner]

A buddy of mine has a crane repair business and his first shop was in Oakland. It was too close to a residential area, but he thought he could make it safe with fencing. They just cut the fencing, and when he had dogs in there to keep them out, they killed the dogs.

He moved to another part of Oakland that was close to the Airport. This was better, but eventually they started cutting through the walls of his building.

Finally, he moved to San Leandro, where it's been better, but a lot more expensive.

Now he's trying to decide if he should give up on having a location in CA, or keep it open because one of his kids lives there and runs that part of his business. Or just retire and let somebody else deal with it.

Many opt to leave… property crime seldom comes with consequences…

Chevron just ended it’s 145 years in California vacating it’s beautiful campus for Texas… 45,000 people work for Chevron and plan is to trim up to 20% of the force.

1/3 of California gasoline refining capacity is Chevron and citing regulatory hostility the talk is to also shed the two refineries…

A very profitable Oakland steel mill with a very long history relocated to Tyler Tx and civic leaders celebrated…

 

[ultrarunner]

On that note, my wife has hundreds of unused sick/personal days in her 'bucket'. When people would retire, they'd pay out those sick/personal days. She's been an exemplary employee, only took maternity leave twice and a few days off during covid when she was bed ridden during her 40+ year career there.

Well, corporate just changed the policy that you can only take 80 hours of that time per year now. So, she will now never be able to get those days paid to her unless she stays about 12 more years. She's 62. That'll never happen.

At my old job, I had similar situation. Over the years, any sick days I didn't use got put into 'a bucket' that could be used to cover unpaid sick leave gaps and I'd get anything that was left paid out when I retired.

Then corporate changed the policy in early 2017 and said it had to be used before 2024 as sick days only, and 'the bucket plan' would end. No payout at retirement anymore. My planned retirement year was 2026. So they just took away any chance of me getting those days paid. Then a few months later, they outsourced production and let us all go. I'd get nothing.

A few days later, they let me know that since I had turned 55 in 2016, before the policy change, I was eligible for early retirement instead of just being let go. So I still had a legal claim to that bucket money ( don't ask me how, I have no idea). So I was able to use that bucket money to pay for health insurance for the next 2.5 years. So I did get the money value back out of it. However, anyone that was let go at the same time as I was that was under 55 years old got nothing. That was several dozen people. What a slime-ball move.

Also, it used to be if you were to take a buyout, you'd get 1 week's pay for every year you worked there up to 26 weeks max. It had been like that for 25 years. They changed the policy to only 13 weeks max, and let us all go two weeks later. Grrr....

And this was a family owned and operated business, but the generation of kids running it took on a corporate attitude and that was that.

The thing I learned from my years of loyalty to that family was this... it's a business, no matter how you think they may think of you, it's a business. At the end of the day, you are just an asset.

You owe them nothing but an honest days work for an honest days pay. They paid you for your services. They don't care you never missed a day of work. They don't care if a procedure was never cancelled due to facilities issues. All they care about is if you produce more than you cost them. That's it.

So my advice to you is to use up that accumulated time as fast as you can, because at any time, they can change the policy and you may never get it all back, if any of it.

At the merger my 480 hours of accumulated sick leaved was gone… never used a single day.

One of the managers went out the week of the merger and she got every hour plus vacation paid because she was out on sick leave days before the change.

On her return date staff put up a banner and balloons to welcome her… at 8 am she called and said I quit and asked one of her staff to box her personal office items…

Was she smart playing the system while promising to return with no intention of doing so?

 

[ultrarunner]

I don't think it's unreasonable for a company to set limits on it either.

What is unreasonable is promising you something when they hire you, you work there 40+ years, then they take it away from you.

They should change it for new hires, but keep their promise to the ones they made it to.

They are weasels.

Good point and I could list promises made and broken…

 

[ultrarunner]

The reality is that it's their sandbox, their rules. If you're not willing to do things the way they want them done, then quit and get a new job more to your liking. I sympathize with you, but it's not your decision to make.

As far as decorating fads, my wife will sometimes watch those houseflipper shows. Often as not we'll both cringe at the stuff these flippers do...white shaker kitchen cabinets, granite countertops, "master" bedrooom with walk-in closet, so predictable. Now maybe that's what sells houses in the cities where these shows are set...almost none of the finished renovations appeal to me in the least.

Paint vs "natural" finishes on cabinets...depends on the house. Ours is an almost 200 year old New England farmhouse. Cabinetry is painted, as it most likely was in the 1830s when it was built. Other than the "bones" of the house, nothing's original, but we have made an effort to do things that fit. Case in point; when we bought the place in what's now our bedroom the previous owner had put down particle board with linoleum on it. Wife & I went back & forth over what to do when (not if) we ripped that up. She wanted one of those modern engineered wood floors, I thought it would stick out like a sore thumb and voted for keeping the pine planks we figured were underneath. We agreed that we'd see what shape those planks were in...fortunately, they were in good shape, all they needed was a good sanding & refinishing.

Yes it is… I was ok with the planned closure and kept a tight fist on expenses… now that we have 15 more years I’m thinking ok… some much needed equipment and staff concerns will be addressed.

I may have to go but no one says it has to be quietly.

The days of losing PTO because I was maxed are behind me… I said to myself I’m never going to loose PTO again because there is never a good time for the company to let me use it.

 

[airbiscuit]

Disgruntled employees seldom leave quietly.