[Puck]

amphibian, on 12 November 2015 - 09:25 PM, said:

Briar King, on 12 November 2015 - 09:13 PM, said:

How much is a Drivers License? Regular one here is $30 for 6 yrs.

In Germany, it's something on the order of thousands of euros and 30 hours of class/road instruction as determined by the driving class instructor.

Huge undertaking for most people.

^This. I've never heard of anyone who got away with paying less than a thousand euros, and you have to take special lessons, take the test, get your sight tested, and participate in a first aid course. So, even if you're a natural driving talent, it's expensive. Most people try to get their parents to pay for it when they turn 18 (that's legally an adult over here, and a big deal), because paying it all on your own can be difficult.

This post has been edited by Puckstein: 12 November 2015 - 10:10 PM

[Maark Abbott]

Yikes. For us, you have to do lessons, pass a theory and practical test. Don't think it was more than about £400 total for me.

[worry]

Speaking of driving woes, one week after my license plate was stolen and recovered, my car has been stolen -- and apparently recovered, though I have no details on the matter yet. Waiting on a deputy to show up now.

[Gnaw]

worry, on 12 November 2015 - 10:31 PM, said:

Speaking of driving woes, one week after my license plate was stolen and recovered, my car has been stolen -- and apparently recovered, though I have no details on the matter yet. Waiting on a deputy to show up now.

You keep registration info in the glove box I assume? Along with insurance info.


You're probably in danger of ID theft now.

[HiddenOne]

Worry, you may need to stop parking in front of that convenient crack house - there is probably a good reason that spot is empty.

[worry]

Thanks, Gnaw. You always know how to cheer me up!

@HiddenOne, I can't help it. It reminds too much of growing up listening to

[amphibian]

Yesterday was the Diwali/Lakshmi puja celebration for us Hindus. My brother and his wife cooked up the special foods, put all their lights on, and had the extended family stop by when they could. It was a nice, small, and non-noisy evening.

Their across the hall neighbor objected to this by opening the door, yelling at my brother, who had his door open at the time to let out our 10 and 7 year old cousins, then brandishing a hatchet, threatening to kill my brother if things didn't change immediately. My sister in law was terrified. My brother was too focused on getting the guy to go away to be scared, then realized he just got threatened with a hatchet.

WTF.

My brother and his wife went to the police, filed an incident report, and are now dealing with the unsympathetic building management office. They want to move right now.

So I'm researching NY landlord/tenant law to see if the management can indeed keep the security deposit despite a pristine apartment and zero damage beyond ordinary wear and tear.

[worry]

It would be downright ridiculous if they could.

[worry]

Car is in running condition. Registration (but not insurance paper) was stolen, as was the rear license plate again, so I'm gonna have to make a third police report. These are the moments we live for, right folks?

[Andorion]

amphibian, on 12 November 2015 - 11:27 PM, said:

Yesterday was the Diwali/Lakshmi puja celebration for us Hindus. My brother and his wife cooked up the special foods, put all their lights on, and had the extended family stop by when they could. It was a nice, small, and non-noisy evening.

Their across the hall neighbor objected to this by opening the door, yelling at my brother, who had his door open at the time to let out our 10 and 7 year old cousins, then brandishing a hatchet, threatening to kill my brother if things didn't change immediately. My sister in law was terrified. My brother was too focused on getting the guy to go away to be scared, then realized he just got threatened with a hatchet.

WTF.

My brother and his wife went to the police, filed an incident report, and are now dealing with the unsympathetic building management office. They want to move right now.

So I'm researching NY landlord/tenant law to see if the management can indeed keep the security deposit despite a pristine apartment and zero damage beyond ordinary wear and tear.

WTF indeed. That guy should come to India for Dewali. We would show him what noisy actually is.

Is the building manager giving any reason for not returning the security deposit?

[worry]

I saw your post, Demon Llama! I saw it with my own four eyes!

[A Demon Llama!]

I figured I wasn't really adding anything useful trying to be funny. 'Specially here.

[worry]

A Demon Llama!, on 13 November 2015 - 04:07 AM, said:

I figured I wasn't really adding anything useful trying to be funny. 'Specially here.

Sure you were! Mockery is the sincerest form of flattery.

[EmperorMagus]

I do not understand people that overwrite when writing essays and other writing assignments. I have to sell my soul to the devil to reach minimum word specifications and for some reason Professors see the need to have maximum word limitations.
What is wrong with people.

[Morgoth]

EmperorMagus, on 12 November 2015 - 06:45 PM, said:

She cannot for the life of her imagine me living on my own or leaving home until I'm married. (cultural thing, apparently if a guy lives alone without a wife/mother he will engage in depravities until dead)

There are worse ways to go I think.

[EmperorMagus]

Morgoth, on 13 November 2015 - 07:06 AM, said:

EmperorMagus, on 12 November 2015 - 06:45 PM, said:

She cannot for the life of her imagine me living on my own or leaving home until I'm married. (cultural thing, apparently if a guy lives alone without a wife/mother he will engage in depravities until dead)

There are worse ways to go I think.

No doubt about it.


I am quite serious about this belief though, both my youngest uncles are above the age of thirty and have their own houses, cars, and jobs but still live in their father's home because they are unmarried. One of them lived in his own house for a while after an argument with my grandfather (funny story: he is above 80 years old, proposed to a family acquaintance's 18 year old daughter. The guy knows my uncle..). The whole family had to gather to convince my uncle to move back in for some reason. My youngest aunt was already living with my grandfather so it wasn't like he needed someone to take care of him or anything.


Another funny aside, my father has 9 siblings. His father has five siblings and all of those siblings have more than five children except one who never married. To this day I do not know the names of half my father's cousins. Just imagine the awkward family get togethers with me also having trouble even understanding the language everyone is speaking.

[Mezla PigDog]

Briar King, on 13 November 2015 - 04:55 AM, said:

Why are DL so fucking insanely high $ in Europe? Hell I was just bitching at DMV at the increase in price until she told me that it was good for 6 instead of 4 yrs as of this yr. it was $10 in 96 when 1st got mine.

You have no idea how lucky you are in the US about the costs of driving - it is treated as a luxury not a right over here. Not only is it expensive to learn but the cost of cars and the fuel and taxes that go with it are crazy high in Europe. Saying that, the US approach to fuel and cars is a bit shit for global warming. The number of people in the US who drive gas guzzling trucks is a bit terrifying - kind of makes a mockery of my recycling attempts at home!

[HiddenOne]

I would prefer to drive a super efficient and fuel conserving truck, but somebody keeps forgetting to make the technology available.

Groove messing: My office has 2 new staffers and everybody is trying to make them look bad even though they've only been here 2 or 3 weeks and it takes months to get good at the job. This angers me since it reflects poorly on me by proxy. As if the operations problems that we contend with daily haven't been around for years anyway.

[Macros]

Getting a license over here, cost wise, is really dependant on how adept you are at driving, and the concentration required for it (especially the hoop jumping for the actual test) and how willing your family are to take you out to practice.
I had like 3 lessons then did my test, I forget the total cost but probably about the £200 mark.
There were ones at school (I still don't like sitting with them, they're just plain bad drivers) that had near 40/50 lessons and failed their test several times, the costs ran well over a grand.

That being said, unless you drive a super eco car, which will be relatively new, and thus more expensive, road tax is quite high and insurance for younger drivers can be prohibitively expensive.

[Mentalist]

EmperorMagus, on 13 November 2015 - 06:30 AM, said:

I do not understand people that overwrite when writing essays and other writing assignments. I have to sell my soul to the devil to reach minimum word specifications and for some reason Professors see the need to have maximum word limitations.
What is wrong with people.

Few people in academia are actually taught the value of concise writing, and when you actually get into the writing "zone" it's easy to just spew your stream of consciousness onto the screen. Also, lots of people don't really edit when they're younger, and a lot of basically redundant stuff gets left in.

As far as I remember, we generally had pg limits, so I'd type my entire paper in single-space, and then when I was done I'd double-space it, instantly making it look like I've written so much more. It was a good feeling.

Mentalist, recalls not so fondly sprinting to campus to hand in freshly-typed stuff for a 4PM deadline. Multiple times.