Where Did I Go To School?

johnday · May 16, 2004

Sounds like your doing good. It has drawbacks, but being your own boss can be great.
I hope you didn't take offense at my crack about being an engineer or CEO. It was all meant as being lighthearted. Sometimes my brand of humor can be hard to understand.
Where's 5030 when I need him? /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Cliff_Johns · May 16, 2004

( Looks like Bird, Frank, Gerard and yourself knew exactly what I meant.
I apologise for steering others off.
/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif Murph )

I understood what you meant, (as I pointed out in my post), but I wanted to make sure readers of your post didn't get the idea that 5/4 and 1-1/4 mean the same thing when they go into a lumber yard. When stated as 5 quarter, it's assumed that this is the rough dimension. When you ask for 1-1/4 it's just not as clear. People should realize this. That's all I was trying to say. I didn't intend to detract from the humor (albeit kind of sad humor) of the situation where the clerk didn't realize that 5 quarters is equal to 1 and 1 quarter.

Sorry if I offended.
Cliff

rockyridgefarm · May 16, 2004

( Where's 5030 when I need him? )

Wow - someone NEEDs him? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

ScottAR · May 16, 2004

Just replying to the bottom....

I guess I should start out by stating that I work at a home center so I have a certain amount of bias. This exact situation of 5/4--1 1/4 I find myself in 2-3 times a week with the roles reversed; me explaining it to a customer. Plywood measured in 32nds, if a door is right hand or left hand, insulation Rvalues and what they mean, the list goes on... I could write a novel thicker than a new york phone book about various stupid things I've seen customers do.

Sometimes they're trying to cheat physics or their eyes are bigger than their vehicle. Very often, they havn't the slightest notion that their actions could injure people or damage property. If we (that is company folk) give advice, it automaticly won't work. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

The point of all this rambling is that being this is a working,building,fixing type of place we as a group lose some perspective on the layman.

Sometimes stupid is behind the counter and sometimes it walks in the door. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

AndyM · May 16, 2004

Wow - someone NEEDs him? 

Yeah, I was trying to bring him out of the woodwork the other day too, with my theory on why there's a 40 cent difference between diesel and gasoline.

Where's Daryl when you need him? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Junkman · May 16, 2004

( Where's Daryl when you need him? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif )

..... I am filling in for him in his absence. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

AndyM · May 17, 2004

Sometimes stupid is behind the counter and sometimes it walks in the door. 

Two of the people I work with were insisting the other night that it's cheaper to rent a house than to buy one, because you're not paying property taxes when you rent.

Sometimes, it's not worth using any energy to show people where they're wrong... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

ScottAR · May 17, 2004

Indeed, one can treat the symptoms, but there's no cure for stupid...

I akin rent to paying speeding tickets... course, I'm a landlord. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

daedong · May 17, 2004

Here in Aust we moved to metric in the late 60s early 70s. it was introduced over over about 6 years
I finished school in the early 70s but learnt all imperial measurement. It was difficult at first to work in metric but i would not change back for anything.
Has there ever been any consideration in the US to go to metric

Bob_In_MN · May 17, 2004

Murph,

Not wood related, but yesterday my wife and I went to one of the local home improvement/DIY stores (one of the two major stores we have here in MN). They had a portable a/c unit that I wanted for our conversion van.

Anyway--they had the unit on sale for $297. So when we got to the check out my wife asked "do you know what the regular price on this unit is?" The woman at the register said "well since the sales price is $297, the regular price is probably $300". But, she continued, "to know for sure I'd have to walk over there and check (as she sighed and pointed to a counter 10 feet away). My wife and I smiled at each other and I said no don't bother.

As we walked out of the store I told my wife that I'm happy there are people like that in this world. It makes me confident that anyone willing (and able) to work hard should be able to find and excel at a job.

Bob