Palms or Politics

[WaianaeCrider]

There is only one reason for me to leave Hawai`i.  That's because I can no longer change my diapers and I'm moving in w/one of my daughters.  And yes I did change their diapers when they were little.  Yea not as much or often as the wife did.  LOL  BTW I'm not wearing any yet.   LOL

[ahosey01]

1 hour ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

I left Orange County  for many reasons mostly for 2 reasons. 1- being taxation 2- being I couldn't afford to start a family there, even with my Wife and I having good paying jobs. I took a work transfer to Texas where I knew cost of living is better and I could still grow many palms I like. Now after this last freeze I believe I'm South Florida bound haha. If I can grow just about any palm I like and not pay Any state taxes seems like a win win =) 

T J 

OC2Texas2Floridapalmlvr

[redant]

People are overboard on both sides of the fence. My dogs however really give a crap about politics so usually it's just me and them (oh and my wife ) , living happily together in a palmy republican state.  The thing that binds me to FL the most is all my kids and grand kids live no further then 15 minutes away from me so I'll probably die here.

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

7 hours ago, redant said:

The thing that binds me to FL the most is all my kids and grand kids live no further then 15 minutes away from me so I'll probably die here.

That in itself is worth living one place. For a state to keep your family together is just plain awesome.

 

7 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

OC2Texas2Floridapalmlvr

That pretty much sums it up haha We shall see if it happens,  would be giving up 17yrs with my current Co. to start over. I'm 3 years away from 5 weeks vacay 

[ahosey01]

1 minute ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

That in itself is worth living one place. For a state to keep your family together is just plain awesome.

 

That pretty much sums it up haha We shall see if it happens,  would be giving up 17yrs with my current Co. to start over. I'm 3 years away from 5 weeks vacay 

I gave up like a $45,000 annual bonus this year to take a gig with a different company a month before the payout.  Haven't looked back since!  If it's right for you and your family, just make the move!

Edited March 4, 2021 by ahosey01

[AnTonY]

9 hours ago, chad2468emr said:

One thing that this topic has confirmed for me: Almost all of us palm-obsessed wackos are transplants from non-tropical climates. I've always wondered if this was the case. It seems we may have such an affinity for palms (regardless of whether or not we moved somewhere warm so we COULD grow palms) as a result of them being "new" and "different" in comparison to what we were used to. It seems that even if the bulk of us moved to a warm climate for other reasons, once we DID have the ability to grow palms, we either fell into it out of a then-developed interest or rapidly expanded upon an initial interest in them that stemmed from the urge to live in a warmer region in the first place. 

Seems so. But one thing I also wonder about is whether the more temperate, oceanic areas, places like New Zealand, Bermuda, etc can end up holding the same appeal as true tropical regions - even though the weather is cooler year-round, the temperatures are still mild enough to cultivate many species, as well as many of such oceanic islands holding their own endemic species.

Edited March 4, 2021 by AnTonY

[AnTonY]

With the division that has been stoked over recent years between parties over various topics - I'm actually finding that there is much more unity amongst people in terms of specific niche interests and hobbies, including palm and plant cultivation. That's why I like to focus heavily on hobbies like palm cultivation, I find the knowledge of ecology, plant growth, experiences, etc far, far more interesting than the next hot-button issue the media portrays regarding the political arena. 

Which brings up another point - there are technological changes predicted to come about the next couple decades (~2045 or so) that will radically transform society, civilization ...  even the very human form as we know it. These technological changes coincide with the H+, and when that commences, traditional issues as we know them will cease to exist. Interests like palm and plant cultivation would become far more important than ever, as entirely new dimensions to the hobby are added - in ways our minds today can't even begin to fathom.

 

[sandgroper]

2 hours ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

 

 

That pretty much sums it up haha We shall see if it happens,  would be giving up 17yrs with my current Co. to start over. I'm 3 years away from 5 weeks vacay 

Sorry to ask a stupid question but will that mean you'll get 5 weeks holiday every year for then on?

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

15 hours ago, sandgroper said:

Sorry to ask a stupid question but will that mean you'll get 5 weeks holiday every year for then on?

With my company once you get to 20yrs served, you get 5 weeks of Vacation on top of our 10 paid holidays 

[chad2468emr]

16 hours ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

With my company once you get to 20yrs served, you get 5 weeks of Vacation on top of our 10 paid holidays 

20 years..... wow. I work in advertising and in the ad agency world, anything over 2 years is rare and anything over 5 is almost unheard of. I’ve been at my current agency for 3 so far and I just don’t want to leave, so I’m a rare bird I guess. I hate starting new jobs, learning who actually has a sense of humor, who to avoid, etc. so honestly 20 years with one company sounds like bliss to me. 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

1 hour ago, chad2468emr said:

so honestly 20 years with one company sounds like bliss to me. 

In this trade 20 years is pretty normal. Most get hired when there 40 and retire at 65. If I retire at 65 will be 41 yrs for me =) 

[IHB1979]

6 minutes ago, chad2468emr said:

20 years..... wow. I work in advertising and in the ad agency world, anything over 2 years is rare and anything over 5 is almost unheard of. I’ve been at my current agency for 3 so far and I just don’t want to leave, so I’m a rare bird I guess. I hate starting new jobs, learning who actually has a sense of humor, who to avoid, etc. so honestly 20 years with one company sounds like bliss to me. 

I've been in advertising for years and notice this, too.  I don't think you are rare. Everyone is looking for positions that pay a fair salary with comparable benefits, offer room for advancement and a generally positive work environment. Most small to middle market agencies have difficulty offering all of these if they don't consistently achieve decent annual growth. Without the annual growth, employees are stuck and this creates the log-jam.  Depending on their situation, the good ones usually leave and the mediocre ones stay.  What's dangerous for a business is when these mediocre employees stay, especially the ones with no desire for growth, responsibilities, etc. They tend to amplify the logjam and auger the company down into the ground.

 

[sandgroper]

Is two weeks annual leave the norm in USA? 

[Ben in Norcal]

37 minutes ago, sandgroper said:

Is two weeks annual leave the norm in USA? 

It sure isn't in my industry.  You start off with 4 weeks, and after you reach a certain level, you get at least 5.  Not quite European, but it suffices.

[sandgroper]

Abiut the same as here then 4 to 6 depending on the industry and company. 

[Tyrone]

The uk is 2 weeks. 

[Ben in Norcal]

38 minutes ago, Tyrone said:

The uk is 2 weeks. 

For who?  I worked there for 9 years and had 6.

[Tyrone]

4 hours ago, Ben in Norcal said:

For who?  I worked there for 9 years and had 6.

Run of the mill labourers etc got 2 weeks I thought. I’ve got family and friends over there. 

[Ben in Norcal]

15 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Run of the mill labourers etc got 2 weeks I thought. I’ve got family and friends over there. 

Yeah maybe.  White collar workers get 6-8 weeks.

[palmtreesforpleasure]

Easy solution, migrate to Australia where you have a lot less pests and diseases for the palms and a multitude of climates to pick from,  no blizzards,  no drama, 

[Tyrone]

3 hours ago, Ben in Norcal said:

Yeah maybe.  White collar workers get 6-8 weeks.

I looked at the uk gov website after you asked yesterday and most workers get 5.6 weeks annual leave entitlement. So I’m not sure where the two weeks idea of mine came from. Maybe it was an old policy. In Australia we get 4 weeks. We are being worked to death here!!!!

[Ben in Norcal]

32 minutes ago, Tyrone said:

I looked at the uk gov website after you asked yesterday and most workers get 5.6 weeks annual leave entitlement. So I’m not sure where the two weeks idea of mine came from. Maybe it was an old policy. In Australia we get 4 weeks. We are being worked to death here!!!!

Hahaha!  Similar to the US.  People usually start off with 4 here, and then get 5 as they work their way up.  Honestly, when I worked in the UK, I didn't make enough money to take 6 weeks of holiday anyway!  All of the cheap flights to Spain, Dublin, Prague, etc. were pretty sweet for "lads weekends" though!  We British travel terribly. 

[Ben in Norcal]

2 hours ago, palmtreesforpleasure said:

Easy solution, migrate to Australia where you have a lot less pests and diseases for the palms and a multitude of climates to pick from,  no blizzards,  no drama, 

Yeah - most critters there are focused on killing YOU, not your palms. 

Honestly, though, love Oz.  Spent a month there in my 20s, the majority of which was spent 4x4 trekking from Broome to Darwin, and on the Barrier Reef diving.  Can't wait to go back.

[Tyrone]

9 minutes ago, Ben in Norcal said:

Hahaha!  Similar to the US.  People usually start off with 4 here, and then get 5 as they work their way up.  Honestly, when I worked in the UK, I didn't make enough money to take 6 weeks of holiday anyway!  All of the cheap flights to Spain, Dublin, Prague, etc. were pretty sweet for "lads weekends" though!  We British travel terribly. 

Do you guys get long service leave? Depending if you’re in the public or private sector you get an additional 3 months leave after 10 or 15 years of continuous service, then another 3 months additional leave every 5 years after that. I’m not sure if Australia is the only place with that arrangement. 

[Ben in Norcal]

1 minute ago, Tyrone said:

Do you guys get long service leave? Depending if you’re in the public or private sector you get an additional 3 months leave after 10 or 15 years of continuous service, then another 3 months additional leave every 5 years after that. I’m not sure if Australia is the only place with that arrangement. 

Nah, that doesn't exist here, for the most part.  I mean, who's at a job 10 or 15 years anymore anyway?

[Tyrone]

1 minute ago, Ben in Norcal said:

Nah, that doesn't exist here, for the most part.  I mean, who's at a job 10 or 15 years anymore anyway?

That’s why they offer it, to reward a very uncommon thing. Loyalty. 

[PricklyPearSATC]

Heck with palms or politics,  Seattle or Portland are my idea of ideal climate.  I like cool weather, rain and all the vegetation in the Pacific Northwest.   I grow palms because they can be grown here. I can't grow anything  in Texas that was in our beautiful yard in Seattle.  I would love to live in a place where I don't need AC 9 months of the year, I would love to live in place where I can hike year round...I personally think some of the crazy people up in the PNW is due to the perfect weather year round.  (Down here it's just too hot).  I would love to live in place where we don't have water restrictions.  I hate dragging hoses around my yard in 100 degree heat. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by PricklyPearSATC

[ashleyllanes]

I love the idea of this thought experiment. It's a fun way to explore our passions without getting into political debates.