[raydan]

A credit union is not a bank... I should stop using the "B" word.

[fifeboy]

raydan raydan:

A credit union is not a bank... I should stop using the "B" word.

I know, I use a CU. Just like to give you a hard time

[rickc]

My first REAL job was joining the military at 17. All my jobs before that were part time, or seasonal jobs. My first permanet duty station was Germany. I remember thinking it a paradox that the Gemans got over 30 days vacation a year, while still being a very industrious people. I remeber going out to dinner at an outside restaraunt on the Moselle river,and staying for several hours. No one was pushing us to leave. We just kept drinking brandies,and Irish coffees. Being in the military, I had 30 days leave a year. I actually took 30 days off at one time. I bought a 30 day Eurorail pass, and hit the road. I travelled all over Europe staying in gasthauses, hostels, b&bs, and a few hotels. Needless to say I had a ball, and met a lot of cool people. Being a dumbass kid I assumed that was the way the world was. I did not realize what a pain in the ass it would be to get a day off work out in the real world. I've had temp jobs that lasted for years with no vacation. Most permanet jobs have no vacation the first year.One week a year after the first year for a few years. Once you get 2 weeks vacation you top out. Even then the company acts like its going under if you actually take the vacation time. You almost need to get Family Medical Leave Act paperwork to get a day off in some places. This Puritan work ethic that we have makes us feel guilty about taking any time off work. I'm sorry but there is a lot more to life than working every day untill you die. Almost every fond memory I have of my time on this planet is away from my job. We can learn from the Germans here. They get generous time off from work. No one is calling them a bunch of slackers. They get their work done,and then some. They meet their resposabilities. They are the ones doing most of the heavy lifting to bail out the EU countries that are defaulting. I am all for us North Americans getting some more time off from work. Who's with me?

[Vamp018]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Thanks to the taxpayers of the State of California every year I get...

15 days paid vacation.

10 days sick time.

2 'Professional Development Days' (which I can use however I choose).

2 'Personal Holidays'.

1 day of 'Informal Time Off'.

12 days of 'Personal Leave' time.

And there's also eleven paid holidays per year.

That's an annual total of 42 days off from work.

Which is utterly absurd.

Now why is that utterly absurd?? All of us currently in the Armed Forces only wish we could get a package like that. Bad enough waiting for a small liberty to go get drunk at the USO while waiting for R&R. Some of that R&R is payed and some isn't. I'm two years without any R&R time and it's racking up, but nobody in the officer's rank in the USCG wants to cover my Det along the US-TX-Mexico Border while I go R&R to the Caribbean sucking Cuban rum and smoking up Cubans and sun bathing near nude and scuba diving.

Raydan Navy Federal Credit Union is who i bank with and there excellent customer service and helpful. It is also the Official Credit Union of the USCG and most trusted by our members.

[Unsound]

Vamp018 Vamp018:

while I go R&R to the Caribbean sucking Cuban rum and smoking up Cubans and sun bathing near nude and scuba diving.

Probably not a good idea to brag about your illegal and treasonous plans online.

[BartSimpson]

Vamp018 Vamp018:

Now why is that utterly absurd?? All of us currently in the Armed Forces only wish we could get a package like that.

Because most of those taxpayers who pay for this only get ten days paid time off per year and many of them are never allowed to use it. Oh, and they're all going to work on all of those holidays I mentioned.

Vamp018 Vamp018:

Bad enough waiting for a small liberty to go get drunk at the USO while waiting for R&R. Some of that R&R is payed and some isn't. I'm two years without any R&R time and it's racking up, but nobody in the officer's rank in the USCG wants to cover my Det along the US-TX-Mexico Border while I go R&R to the Caribbean sucking Cuban rum and smoking up Cubans and sun bathing near nude and scuba diving.

I sure hope you're not posting this over a DoD network or you can count on a visit from the CGIS. Might want to make sure your shoes have a shine on them.

Vamp018 Vamp018:

Raydan Navy Federal Credit Union is who i bank with and there excellent customer service and helpful. It is also the Official Credit Union of the USCG and most trusted by our members.

I used to use Washington Mutual (before they got taken over by Chase) for the simple reason that they were NOT so close to the military. I never liked the idea that the people handling my banking were close enough to be cozy with anyone wanting to know what I was doing with my money.

[bootlegga]

Unsound Unsound:

bootlegga bootlegga:

True, but things like mortgage payments take precedence over a vacation.

Only if you're responsible

Actually, most banks will let you skip a payment, or two depending on your payment schedule, without any harm to your credit. Obviously it shouldn't be a regular thing, but I'm a firm believer that a vacation is an important enough thing that it's worth adding a month or two to your amortization.

If it was a case of missing one payment, it'd be no big deal.

However, given that I work in a non-essential role at the university and layoffs are definitely coming in my department in the very near future, I'd rather build a bit of a war chest to cover a period of unemployment rather than blow it on a trip to Ontario.

The only hope I've got to go on that vacation is to find work before the layoff notice comes in the next month or two...well, aside from winning the lotto, though of course I'd have to buy a ticket for that to happen!

[Vamp018]

The DoD/CGIS could care or less what I do on my own time/R&R in the Caribbean so long as it's within the laws of the nation I'm visiting. However we may not bring back any Cuban cigars or rum into the US.

[BartSimpson]

Vamp018 Vamp018:

The DoD/CGIS could care or less what I do on my own time/R&R in the Caribbean so long as it's within the laws of the nation I'm visiting.

Keep telling yourself that.

[DanSC]

Vamp018 Vamp018:

The DoD/CGIS could care or less what I do on my own time/R&R in the Caribbean so long as it's within the laws of the nation I'm visiting.

Just make sure you'll following all the laws. Make sure you shoot anyone who questions the Royal House of Castro.

[Unsound]

bootlegga bootlegga:

If it was a case of missing one payment, it'd be no big deal.

However, given that I work in a non-essential role at the university and layoffs are definitely coming in my department in the very near future, I'd rather build a bit of a war chest to cover a period of unemployment rather than blow it on a trip to Ontario.

The only hope I've got to go on that vacation is to find work before the layoff notice comes in the next month or two...well, aside from winning the lotto, though of course I'd have to buy a ticket for that to happen!

That sucks. I hope things work out for you.

If you can;t have a vacation try giving the kids away for an evening and having some drinks with umbrellas in them with the wife. It's not quite as good as a real trip, but still fun. Wife always laughs at me when I put the umbrella in my beer though