WarKitty's Feline Frenzy Random Banter #216

[FinnLassie]

How can you tell it's your 10,000 post?

Your profile has your post count! :)

[Teddy]

This morning, a dead man was found in the parking lot near my house. The police suspect murder. If I hadn't parked my bicycle in the bicycle garage and hadn't decided to sleep an hour extra, I could have been the person who found the body. The thoughts are unsettling, and having worked longer than I should, they're getting to me...

[FinnLassie]

I look like Ginny Weasley.... but I refuse to be a Gryffindor!

Spoiler: a terrible mistake

Show

This morning, a dead man was found in the parking lot near my house. The police suspect murder. If I hadn't parked my bicycle in the bicycle garage and hadn't decided to sleep an hour extra, I could have been the person who found the body. The thoughts are unsettling, and having worked longer than I should, they're getting to me...

That's... that's harsh. My dad once found a dead body on the front yard (shared by two other families in the rowed house) when he was coming back from night shift... no murder in that case, though, afaik it was alcohol poisoning. Glad my dad saw the situation and not me, I had to go to school for 8 in the morning then... I would've been the one to find the body.

[Spanish_Paladin]

I look like Ginny Weasley.... but I refuse to be a Gryffindor!

Spoiler: a terrible mistake

Show

That's... that's harsh. My dad once found a dead body on the front yard (shared by two other families in the rowed house) when he was coming back from night shift... no murder in that case, though, afaik it was alcohol poisoning. Glad my dad saw the situation and not me, I had to go to school for 8 in the morning then... I would've been the one to find the body.

Ohh, very cool Finnie!! ... It is a nice colour!

[LaZodiac]

I look like Ginny Weasley.... but I refuse to be a Gryffindor!

Spoiler: a terrible mistake

Show

That's... that's harsh. My dad once found a dead body on the front yard (shared by two other families in the rowed house) when he was coming back from night shift... no murder in that case, though, afaik it was alcohol poisoning. Glad my dad saw the situation and not me, I had to go to school for 8 in the morning then... I would've been the one to find the body.

Ooh, nice hair.

Good lord I'm glad I've never found a body. My Grandma had once, when she was an apartment caretaker. It was someone who died in the bath tub...months ago.

It was not good.

[2D8HP]

Good lord I'm glad I've never found a body..

The first one I saw was when I was about six years old.

A neighbor was carried downstairs. Her skin was greenish. Not blue, as in the expression "turn blue", but green.

The last (and many others) was in the Autopsy Room at the Medical Examiners, where I'm assigned to do plumbing repairs.

I don't think I'll ever not be disturbed by seeing (and especially smelling) the dead, but I think I now do a good job of not looking like it bothers me.

Thankfully the ME Office is scheduled to get a new building next year, and hopefully the plumbing work in that building will be assigned to someone else.

[Jon_Dahl]

I have one thousand subscribers on Youtube !!

[Teddy]

I look like Ginny Weasley.... but I refuse to be a Gryffindor!

Spoiler: a terrible mistake

Show

For some reason, I don't believe you on the "mistake" opinion.
Pretty.

That's... that's harsh. My dad once found a dead body on the front yard (shared by two other families in the rowed house) when he was coming back from night shift... no murder in that case, though, afaik it was alcohol poisoning. Glad my dad saw the situation and not me, I had to go to school for 8 in the morning then... I would've been the one to find the body.

I can imagine.

On relieving notes, the police had someone arrested already in the afternoon of the following day. I believe they must've had some leftover resources on standby from Valpurgis, since they really pulled some big levers on this one (over 20 investigators, for example)...

[TaiLiu]

Feeling weird about my career choices.

I got my MA in philosophy with the intention to go on to a PhD and try to get a job in academic philosophy. And I just...look, I love philosophy, but I'm not all that fond of academia anymore. There's a lot of "you have to be the absolute very best there ever was or you're worthless" type of attitude - which as you can imagine isn't the most friendly to those of us with health problems. There's also a pretty terrible job market, which the older I get the less I want to deal with. Of course, when I went into my field, the word was, just get a job in law if it doesn't work out, people always need lawyers. Now the word is don't get a job in law because it's way oversaturated.

So I'm thinking of going back to school, maybe getting a teaching degree. But I still feel really bad about giving up on my dream. And yeah, maybe if I had better grades I'd be more willing to go on - my grades got hit pretty bad by my health issues, and sadly academia is both very competitive and one of those fields where going to a "good school" is a lot more relevant.

I don't know. I just feel like I'm giving up and wasting my time by wanting a career change. I really love philosophy, I just don't like the academic environment and I want some stability.

Yeah, that's real. I think philosophy in the ivory tower has serious issues, even with the unforgiving job market, and so maybe you dodged a bullet there - but I get it, and I understand your feelings about giving up on your dream. You might be able to do philosophy outside of academia, though it'll obviously be harder than doing it inside the academy. You could probably try to publish papers in philosophical academic journals; in theory, they don't care about your degrees but about the quality of your paper.

Do you mind me asking about your philosophical background? I think you told me once that you did metaphysics...

[DraPrime]

I'm finally starting to become the go-to guy for technical problems I've always wanted to be at work. Nothing big yet, but still, people call me up when things don't work for them, meaning I've made at least some good impression since I started there.

As someone who's job it is to fix things, this is a fate worse than death. You want to be competent enough to keep your job, but not competent enough that people want to make you do things. This way no one bothers you with stupid stuff.

Then again, I deal with Marine Corps radio operators, a notoriously moronic bunch. Being a tech puts me in contact with them more than I'd like.

[2D8HP]

Happy birthday to me. I'm 32 years old and I'm going to party all day and night for this joyous occasion.

I hope you had a marvelous time.

[Bartmanhomer]

I hope you had a marvelous time.

Thank you. I got a lot of birthday plans today so I'm going to party like it's 1985. That's the year when I was born.

[FinnLassie]

Ohh, very cool Finnie!! ... It is a nice colour!

Thank you Choco Paladin

Ooh, nice hair.

Good lord I'm glad I've never found a body. My Grandma had once, when she was an apartment caretaker. It was someone who died in the bath tub...months ago.

It was not good.

Thanks!

Oh boy. Yeah. That's a tough one, when an old body is found. Apparently the smell isn't exactly enticing.

For some reason, I don't believe you on the "mistake" opinion.
Pretty.

On relieving notes, the police had someone arrested already in the afternoon of the following day. I believe they must've had some leftover resources on standby from Valpurgis, since they really pulled some big levers on this one (over 20 investigators, for example)...

It's a lot to get used to. Last time I dyed my hair was... well, exactly 5 years ago. That's why I feel like it's a mistake... many years of work and then I blob some colour on it.

Holy poopers, that's some folk.

Thank you. I got a lot of birthday plans today so I'm going to party like it's 1985. That's the year when I was born.

Congrats, I hope you have a really good time.

[LaZodiac]

Thanks!

Oh boy. Yeah. That's a tough one, when an old body is found. Apparently the smell isn't exactly enticing.

My Grandma said that, until the day she died, she could always remember that smell. It was, to put it bluntly, "the worst".

[Teddy]

As someone who's job it is to fix things, this is a fate worse than death. You want to be competent enough to keep your job, but not competent enough that people want to make you do things. This way no one bothers you with stupid stuff.

Then again, I deal with Marine Corps radio operators, a notoriously moronic bunch. Being a tech puts me in contact with them more than I'd like.

Yeah, the trick to actually have an enjoyable time being the go-to person is by not surrounding yourself with morons. There's no use in doing it if they don't get it. Also, it should preferably be a fairly static crowd so you can expect a new problem most of the times.

It's a lot to get used to. Last time I dyed my hair was... well, exactly 5 years ago. That's why I feel like it's a mistake... many years of work and then I blob some colour on it.

Ahh, yeah, that makes more sense. And don't worry, it's not like your hair is going to stop trying to undo every piece of work you put into it from now on.

Holy poopers, that's some folk.

Yeah. Sadly, it now seems they might have been following a blind trail.
(And I'm not quite sure why I'm trying to play a journalist on this case...)

[enderlord99]

Spoiler: Warning: cheesy. Also contains a lot of gore.

Show

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[WarKitty]

Yeah, that's real. I think philosophy in the ivory tower has serious issues, even with the unforgiving job market, and so maybe you dodged a bullet there - but I get it, and I understand your feelings about giving up on your dream. You might be able to do philosophy outside of academia, though it'll obviously be harder than doing it inside the academy. You could probably try to publish papers in philosophical academic journals; in theory, they don't care about your degrees but about the quality of your paper.

Do you mind me asking about your philosophical background? I think you told me once that you did metaphysics...

My biggest thing is epistemology, although I also do metaphysics and philosophy of science.

Part of the problem is that more and more content is behind a paywall now, and universities are the only ones with the money and inclination to have all the subscriptions. A lot of journals don't even offer personal subscriptions anymore.

I'm just feeling...kind of lost, honestly. I'm watching a lot of my friends who seem to have their lives on track and are settling down in their jobs and starting families and whatnot. Me? I work in a call center trying to figure out what to do with my life.

[Chen]

My biggest thing is epistemology, although I also do metaphysics and philosophy of science.

Part of the problem is that more and more content is behind a paywall now, and universities are the only ones with the money and inclination to have all the subscriptions. A lot of journals don't even offer personal subscriptions anymore.

I'm just feeling...kind of lost, honestly. I'm watching a lot of my friends who seem to have their lives on track and are settling down in their jobs and starting families and whatnot. Me? I work in a call center trying to figure out what to do with my life.

In terms of philosophy there might be some non-academic work in things like ethics. Otherwise the only non-academic options that I can think of would be writing books on the subject matter. Epistemology is almost strictly academic and doesn't come up very much in non-academic circles.

[Bartmanhomer]

My birthday was great yesterday. My boss and staff members throw me a surprise birthday party at the end of my work. To be honest, They really have me going. I thought they forgot my birthday and it will be just an ordinary day. But they didn't forget my birthday. I was really happy about that. After my job was over, I went to Barnes and Noble and I brought Poker For Dummies book. I just play Poker for fun not real money just to let you all know. Then I went to the library to go on the internet. Then I went to the Western Beef store to buy chocolate cake, two diet A&W root beer, mint chocolate chip ice cream and a bag of cooked fried chicken. Finally I got home spending time with my older brother and we eat food that I brought from the store. And that's what I did on my birthday.

[Jon_Dahl]

I just submitted my BA thesis for grading. It's about roleplaying.
I had thread about this, but it's so old that I'm afraid of thread necromancy and the subsequent warning...

[TaiLiu]

My biggest thing is epistemology, although I also do metaphysics and philosophy of science.

Oh, neat! Were there specific subfields that you worked in?

Part of the problem is that more and more content is behind a paywall now, and universities are the only ones with the money and inclination to have all the subscriptions. A lot of journals don't even offer personal subscriptions anymore.

That's true, although there are also well-regarded open access philosophical journals - Philosopher's Imprint, for one. And there are ways around the paywalls.

I'm just feeling...kind of lost, honestly. I'm watching a lot of my friends who seem to have their lives on track and are settling down in their jobs and starting families and whatnot. Me? I work in a call center trying to figure out what to do with my life.

That's fair. I would say that figuring out one's life is not a race, and that people are probably not as well off as they look, but you've probably thought those two thoughts up already. I'll wish you luck in finding your path, then.

I just submitted my BA thesis for grading. It's about roleplaying.
I had thread about this, but it's so old that I'm afraid of thread necromancy and the subsequent warning...

Oh, I remember that thread! What was the title of your thesis?

[enderlord99]

Are there any good Minecraft mods for 1.10 that care about the lunar cycle?

[Jon_Dahl]

Oh, I remember that thread! What was the title of your thesis?

The thesis was saved in a database where theses are semi-openly available to different universities. Saying the title would put my anonymity at risk.

[TaiLiu]

The thesis was saved in a database where theses are semi-openly available to different universities. Saying the title would put my anonymity at risk.

Ah, fair enough. Congratulations on finishing, then!

[Kalmageddon]

Feeling weird about my career choices.

I got my MA in philosophy with the intention to go on to a PhD and try to get a job in academic philosophy. And I just...look, I love philosophy, but I'm not all that fond of academia anymore. There's a lot of "you have to be the absolute very best there ever was or you're worthless" type of attitude - which as you can imagine isn't the most friendly to those of us with health problems. There's also a pretty terrible job market, which the older I get the less I want to deal with. Of course, when I went into my field, the word was, just get a job in law if it doesn't work out, people always need lawyers. Now the word is don't get a job in law because it's way oversaturated.

So I'm thinking of going back to school, maybe getting a teaching degree. But I still feel really bad about giving up on my dream. And yeah, maybe if I had better grades I'd be more willing to go on - my grades got hit pretty bad by my health issues, and sadly academia is both very competitive and one of those fields where going to a "good school" is a lot more relevant.

I don't know. I just feel like I'm giving up and wasting my time by wanting a career change. I really love philosophy, I just don't like the academic environment and I want some stability.

Yes, from what I know, academic work is very peer recognition based, however I don't think that competition should scare you off.
I know it sounds cliche but if you have confidence in your abilities and stay focused you can pretty much ignore every other aspects, things will go your way by themselves.
Besides, between you and me, it's not like a philosophy degree or what have you is going to be much use anywhere else. Don't take it as discouragement, I'm mostly saying that the narrower the focus, the more committed you need to be in order to make things work.
Besides, reading your posts in other threads I got the impression that stable financial independence couldn't arrive soon enough for you, do you really want to go back to the drawing board?

[WarKitty]

Besides, reading your posts in other threads I got the impression that stable financial independence couldn't arrive soon enough for you, do you really want to go back to the drawing board?

That's kind of the thing - it looks like the fastest path to stable financial independence is to go back to the drawing board. The path to going on in philosophy would be to spend a couple thousand dollars to get into a PhD, hope I get in somewhere (the success rate is not high), then play roulette hoping I can land an adjuncting job or two for a few years (which come with no benefits and often don't pay enough to live on), and then hope again that I can land a tenure-track job. That's not exactly a good path to financial independence.

I'm probably going to have better luck on the path to financial independence staying at my call center job and trying to work my way up than I would going on in philosophy.

[Kalmageddon]

Mh... You have a point. You shouldn't be forced into a career you feel won't work due to a sunken cost fallacy.

[Jon_Dahl]

Ah, fair enough. Congratulations on finishing, then!

Thank you, TaiLiu, but I still feel extremely anxious about the grade! I wrote three drafts before handing in the final version, and everytime I fixed everything, every single detail, she pointed out.

[Knaight]

That's kind of the thing - it looks like the fastest path to stable financial independence is to go back to the drawing board. The path to going on in philosophy would be to spend a couple thousand dollars to get into a PhD, hope I get in somewhere (the success rate is not high), then play roulette hoping I can land an adjuncting job or two for a few years (which come with no benefits and often don't pay enough to live on), and then hope again that I can land a tenure-track job. That's not exactly a good path to financial independence.

I'm probably going to have better luck on the path to financial independence staying at my call center job and trying to work my way up than I would going on in philosophy.

Have you looked at jobs which require a degree but aren't picky about which? I've heard that a lot of jobs that intuitively seem like they might need a business degree are accessible with all sorts of degrees, where anything particularly writing heavy (which absolutely includes philosophy) is particularly valued.

[Jon_Dahl]

I agree wholeheartedly with Knaight: you gotta fight for your right to party. I've been reading lots of statistics about the jobs that university graduates have found and they are often not what would expect. If you still have doubts, then just google the prime minister of Canada and that will be that.