66 thoughts on “October 21, 2014: 29 Years”

      1. For-profit education. My experience with a similar institution's housing arrangements makes this unsurprising. In 2001 I was paying $1200/month to share a two-bedroom apartment off Highway 13 in Burnsville.

        1. IIRC, we paid $800 or $850 per month for a two-bedroom apartment in a grad student housing complex in San Diego in 1988-89, before moving to a private complex (because the "grad student housing" was filled with undergrad dude-bros, because most grad students couldn't afford to live there).

          1. Man, I'm glad I went to Stout. My last three years there were spent in a 5-bedroom apartment that was about $1000/month total. Pretty doable on a DQ salary.

            1. I really wish my folks had taken a moment to have a conversation about how I was going to pay for my housing. I didn't get much help figuring things out when it came to higher ed, so I wound up making too many preventable mistakes, some of them very costly.

              1. Same for my wife. No one told her it was not the best idea to just take all of the loan money whether she needed it or not. Her sisters are currently making the same mistakes, too.

              2. For me, it's

                I really wish my folks had taken a moment to have a conversation about how I was going to pay for my housing higher education. I didn't get much help figuring things out when it came to higher ed, so I wound up making too many preventable mistakes, some of them very costly.

                1. Yeah, that too. I just finally finished paying off my culinary school student loans.

                  Thank goodness for the GI Bill after I got out.

                  1. In my case, my dad promised to pay for the equivalent of the U, which turned out to be about half of our out-of-pocket for the Alma Mater.

                    Things are a bit different for the Boy, on three fronts.

                    First, we've been saving for the kids' college since they were very young, and received some generous gifts from the various grandparents over the years that were sunk into college savings. The 529 account innovation has been huge, both because of tax-free accumulation on the accounts and because we use automatic deposits to the accounts.

                    Second, the employment environment for youngsters today is much, much different than it was back in my day. I was able to secure full-time summer and full or almost-full time winter break employment every year, and managed to save several thousand dollars per year toward my school expenses. In contrast, the Boy has found it very difficult to find any paying employment. Local employers won't take him because he won't be around during the school year.

                    Third, I enjoyed access to heavily subsidized Perkins loans as an undergrad. These loans did not even start charging interest until 9 months after graduation, and then the interest charges were again stopped for the five years I was in grad school. Basically, I was making money on those loans. Stafford loans today are not nearly so generous.

                    1. I've been saying it for awhile now, but I think this country is in for some sort of higher education tuition/loan crash (or maybe it'll just be a huge trade school/community college boom) unless some very significant changes are made. Whatever happens, I just hope everything is settled out by the time my kids are at that age. (and, from your descriptions and what my parents tell me about my younger brothers, that FAFSA is abolished.)

                    2. 'Mildly Forbidden Zone' SelectShow
                  2. There's definitely room in the marketplace for better "Career Technical Education."

                    mildly forbidden zoney SelectShow
    1. A year+ out with some perspective, Buffalo was actually a decent place to live. I was personal circumstance that made that a hard year. In a different situation, I could see myself there.

    2. North Buffalo is practically the suburbs. Three more years and I can leave that lousy demographic.

  1. New Guy, are you out there?

    Actual Spoiler SelectShow
  2. I haven't shared much during the process for fear of jinxing it, but it's finally official: next month, I'll be leaving the law firm I've been clerking at for the past three years and heading over to St. Paul to take a position with the MN Dept. of Veterans Affairs.

    Hat-tip to CarterHayes and Jeff A for their suggestions and insights over the past few months. I took what you fellas said to heart and I couldn't be happier with the outcome.

    1. My bus goes right by there! Another Citizen in downtown St. Paul. I haven't seen Will yet; I assume he's hiding. Or I just don't get out enough.

      1. I haven't seen Will yet; I assume he's hiding.

        He's lying in wait to take a photo of you when you least expect it.

        (But big congrats to you, Coc! Sorry to see you leave downtown Mpls., though.)

      2. sean & Pepper - I was just thinking about where the change in location puts me in proximity to other Citizens. I rather liked the lunch-caucuses in Mpls and will miss the ease of connecting with folks, but now we have a quorum in StP!

        1. If you dislike walking far but don't mind some waiting, the Green Line is pretty close. The final stop is 1.5 blocks to where I am and I think about the same distance from The Pirate.

          Let me know when you get settled and we can arrange a mini-caucus. Despite my disparaging remarks when Will started here, it's bustling enough during work hours.

      3. Is the Gopher bar still there? Classic St. Paul joint. Coneys and Schmidt beer. After getting married, we lived in the Gaultier Towers for a year in Lowertown.

    2. Congrats again, especially now that it's official. I may ask to pick your brain from time-to-time if/when vet-related topics emerge.

    3. Congrats! (Now that you've got that out of the way, do you want to help me find something?)

        1. Right now I'm finding it be mostly a waiting game. I have 11 applications out currently, and a 12th should be done tonight. I've only gotten a single rejection so far. Another oversized handful of applications will be sent by the 31st. Lots of things I'm really excited for, so patience is in short supply.

          1. I know exactly what you're talking about - my job career search lasted 16 months. After a while, even the rejection letters were a welcome sign that my applications were being reviewed. I was astonished at how many applications resulted in absolutely no follow-up. I hope that's not your experience; it's pretty demoralizing.

    4. Appreciate all the well-wishes, both for the new kiddo and the new job. I really do love this place - brightens my world every time I visit.

    1. I like(d, I guess, he sucks lately) Weezy and while I never took the SAT, I did have pretty high scores on my ACT. Hrmph.

    1. The MLB should really think about doing something about how long it to fit the playoffs to start. Seems like its been a long time since there's been any baseball.

        1. My joke got auto corrected to death. It was supposed to say it seemed like it took forever for the playoffs to start because none of it has been on a channel I can watch.

      1. I've advocated having multiple options of when the WS starts based on having at least one day off for each pennant winner. Like, it could have started Friday.

  3. I met a guy tonite at work who also grew up in Panama (Canal Zone).

    We were both there in 1966-1969. He was older than I, but we shared many of the same experiences - he lived at Fort Kobbe, me at Albrook Air Force Base (jungle, ginnips, sugar cane, iguanas, sloths, snakes, coati mundis, trips to Panamanian islands, Jungle training). Fun to catch up on shared experiences.

    1. jungle, ginnips, sugar cane, iguanas, sloths, snakes, coati mundis, trips to Panamanian islands, Jungle training [...] Fun to catch up on shared experiences.

      oh yes, my youth was quite similar as well.

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