moakley

I had one of those. They handed out Starbursts, and I made paper cranes out of the wrappers. Some of the time I doodled. I think most people nowadays understand that doodling doesn't mean you're not paying attention.

In hindsight maybe the paper cranes gave me away a little. But then when it came time to get into the actual meat of the meeting, I gave some really valuable insights and solved a problem that no one else could figure out. As long as you're demonstrating your value, people will be more generous interpreting your behavior.

But every work environment is different. I had a pretty good handle on mine and had already built up a good reputation.

Yeah, I argue this shit online all the time, too. That's why I listed "argue" in the things I'm able to do.

This is making a good point, but I still have to be here for my kids. I'll donate, vote, and argue, but I'm not fighting anyone off because my kids need me.

Leaving the country is also an option we're looking into, but my wife thinks we should stay here and continue to do what little we can.

It makes sense to me. Different people might need to get different things out of the meeting.

Sometimes at work I'll need one piece of information, but it's contained in a thirty minute presentation. Or I might not know how much information I need, so I'll start with a summary. If that's not enough, I'll watch a recording of the presentation.

It was years ago and I probably misremembered that part. I only skimmed your comment because craps is so boring, but yeah it's probably whatever you said.

Thanks for the correction.

Was it different in other parts of the world or something? When I was growing up, if you could hear a dial tone, incoming calls would receive a busy signal.

It's the armpit of America. You can tell you crossed the state line because of the smell. The rest of the state gets.. better, but that's a low bar.

(I grew up in New York and honestly I'd even take Jersey over where I live now.)

Yeah, I've got that too. But confidence leads to complacency. I've thankfully never had it happen when it mattered, but on a couple of occasions I've found myself not being hypervigilant when I normally would be. It's back on once I notice, but it only takes one slip up.

Most of these cases also involve a change in routine. You go about your normal day, feeling the way you normally do, because your mind has forgotten that something is different. Trusting your instinct to overcome that just isn't a foolproof plan. I mean there is no foolproof plan, but there's also no harm in taking a little extra precaution in your routine like putting your shoe or your wallet in the back seat.

... is that Dean Cain?

The biggest thing that most of those people have in common is that they think it couldn't happen to them.

I don't think it's because the bet is different so much as it's because the bet is against the person rolling. I'm betting that that person is going to "lose". It's just bad vibes.

But yeah, obviously my bet didn't affect the outcome. That just makes it funnier that it worked out that way.