The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[NotWise]

I've been gone for weeks and weeks and comeback to find my picture on the forum is gone. I can't find where you load it here, so I'm assuming (always dangerous) that is the same upload as on my Literotica profile. I go there and reloaded it, but didn't get cropped the same. But it'll be days before it changes there and in the meantime, I'm faceless here. HUM!

You're back! A lot of us had to reload avatars or load new ones. They were taking about ten minutes for approval.

 

[iwatchus]

I was worried about needing a major rewire for Mistress Natasha, but I decided after a reread, it was not as bad as I expected. Only one short section had real issues and the first section could use some wordsmithinging. I found a way to rearrange the paragraphs in the bad section to make it work the way I wanted. I few more editing passes and I will submit it. Maybe tonight, but more likely in the morning.

We have started our expected official heat wave out there. Unfortunately for my son and his partner, the heat pumps for the third floor don't get installed until the end of the coming week, so they either suffer or be sociable.

 

[NotWise]

I put up (froze) sweet corn for eleven meals for the two of us.

I have what seems like tons of Armenian cucumbers to slice, pickle and can, and more coming all the time.

 

[NotWise]

I was worried about needing a major rewire for Mistress Natasha, but I decided after a reread, it was not as bad as I expected. Only one short section had real issues and the first section could use some wordsmithinging. I found a way to rearrange the paragraphs in the bad section to make it work the way I wanted. I few more editing passes and I will submit it. Maybe tonight, but more likely in the morning.

We have started our expected official heat wave out there. Unfortunately for my son and his partner, the heat pumps for the third floor don't get installed until the end of the coming week, so they either suffer or be sociable.

Would you prefer suffer or sociable?

 

[NuclearFairy]

I put up (froze) sweet corn for eleven meals for the two of us.

I have what seems like tons of Armenian cucumbers to slice, pickle and can, and more coming all the time.

My roommate grew lemon cucumbers this year. The kids ate the flesh with a spoon and used the shells for water cups. It was rather adorable.

 

[NotWise]

My roommate grew lemon cucumbers this year. The kids ate the flesh with a spoon and used the shells for water cups. It was rather adorable.

My son-in-law grew lemon cucumbers a few years ago. Regular cucumbers have a short growing season here because of the heat. I try to grow them in the fall, but so far things haven't worked out very well.

On the other hand, melons grow like crazy. My charentais-style musk melons are about to start producing.

 

[NuclearFairy]

My son-in-law grew lemon cucumbers a few years ago. Regular cucumbers have a short growing season here because of the heat. I try to grow them in the fall, but so far things haven't worked out very well.

On the other hand, melons grow like crazy. My charentais-style musk melons are about to start producing.

Yeah same here. The kids love cucumbers so she tries to have some growing from spring-fall. She's started growing some mystery cucumbers for the fall harvest. They're from seeds from last year, so she's not quite sure what they'll be.

 

[iwatchus]

Would you prefer suffer or sociable?

Sociable. Unless she is being too sulky. I love her dearly but she can pose as middle school girl some days. My son will be sociable most of the time. I get along with him when I am not tempted to yell at him to get a job

 

[NotWise]

Sociable. Unless she is being too sulky. I love her dearly but she can pose as middle school girl some days. My son will be sociable most of the time. I get along with him when I am not tempted to yell at him to get a job

I've read that young people are having an especially hard time finding jobs. But then... I'm not sure I've ever heard it was easy for young people to find jobs.

The engineering school I went to used to claim that 97% if their graduates found jobs in their field. I think they cooked those books, but everyone I kept track of either went to grad school, got a job in their field, or they went back to the family farm or ranch. Dow Chemical hired the cream of the ChemE class (like my older sister) pretty much every year, and I think they still do.

 

[iwatchus]

Watching my students looking for jobs, it is definitely bad right now. College educated unemployment rate is way above no college required right now (my understanding without double checking) Mt son has gotten a bunch of interviews, but never gotten the nod for any of them over this stretch.

 

[NotWise]

Watching my students looking for jobs, it is definitely bad right now. College educated unemployment rate is way above no college required right now (my understanding without double checking) Mt son has gotten a bunch of interviews, but never gotten the nod for any of them over this stretch.

Gemini's answer is:

The job market for new college graduates in 2025 is challenging, with some experiencing difficulty finding jobs despite a low overall unemployment rate. This is particularly true for those seeking entry-level positions, as employers are hesitant to hire due to economic uncertainty and the impact of AI on certain roles.

 

[NotWise]

I just watched a video on Bloomberg about the effects of AI on employment of new graduates. It sounds bleak, but it also makes me wonder where their experienced people are going to come from in the future if they don't hire entry-level people now.

A piece of advice from one of the executives they interviewed was (paraphrasing) "train to be more human." He specifically brought up critical thinking skills and interpersonal relations.

The job market is worse in some fields than others. Engineering and medicine are hiring, for instance. An oddity is that the market is worse for men than it is for women, because men's fields of preference are more effected by the recent downturn, and women are more prone to go into fields like medical and educational services that are less effected.

The current poor market isn't entirely recent, so it can't all be pinned on AI, or a post-pandemic hiring slump. Unemployment among recent college grads is now worse than it is in the market in general, but that's on a trend that can be traced back to about 2012 (per a graphic in The Atlantic).

I know in my own field that many positions are only open to people with advanced degrees, and that's something else that can effect the job market. I would tell anyone going into engineering now that they should get at least a master's degree.

 

[AloneTooLong]

I just watched a video on Bloomberg about the effects of AI on employment of new graduates. It sounds bleak, but it also makes me wonder where their experienced people are going to come from in the future if they don't hire entry-level people now.

A piece of advice from one of the executives they interviewed was (paraphrasing) "train to be more human." He specifically brought up critical thinking skills and interpersonal relations.

The job market is worse in some fields than others. Engineering and medicine are hiring, for instance. An oddity is that the market is worse for men than it is for women, because men's fields of preference are more effected by the recent downturn, and women are more prone to go into fields like medical and educational services that are less effected.

The current poor market isn't entirely recent, so it can't all be pinned on AI, or a post-pandemic hiring slump. Unemployment among recent college grads is now worse than it is in the market in general, but that's on a trend that can be traced back to about 2012 (per a graphic in The Atlantic).

I know in my own field that many positions are only open to people with advanced degrees, and that's something else that can effect the job market. I would tell anyone going into engineering now that they should get at least a master's degree.

one of grandson's BFF just got a degree in (I think) Civil Engr. He was hired a few months BEFORE he graduated. He has started in their logistics department. Keep in mind this kid is FORTY. He has worked several different jobs/fields and just finally decided he needed a degree. His Mom has a Master's.

Grandson (also 40) will be completing his Bachelor's Dec 2026 (Criminal Justice). He is a LEO and has been for about 10 years, currently over the SRO (school resource officer for those not familiar with that) for a somewhat large (and growing) school district in the county where he is employed. He felt he needed a degree in order to 'advance' (and not be a patrol officer until retirement). He also has a K-9, cadaver trained--spent 10 days in Kerrville right after the flood. Dog is an English Springer Spaniel (and really goofy). She is NOT a chase/bite/bring 'em down dog. All the kids (elementary age) love her and she loves them also.

 

[MrPixel]

The story upload interface is excruciating. I just uploaded the 13 chapters of a story that's been sitting on my desktop since summer two years ago. If the whole thing was printed on 8.5x11 paper at a readable type size and face, it would be 220 pages.

But like I said, the upload interface... wow. Just wow. I learned on the last batch like this to have all the blanks like title, description, tags, and comments to Laurel prepared in a "key words" file for each chapter, and even with that, going back and forth with the cut-and-paste took 45 minutes of intense concentration. So, so easy, given all the clicks and mousing around, to get one's hands crossed and, say, upload the wrong file.

Which raises an issue. Has anybody else noticed the recent change, where the final confirmation page changes the submitted file name to internal gobbledygook? When you're uploading a bunch of files with similar names and your last chance to confirm transmission of the correct file... your file name isn't there to verify.

Glad this one is done. Hopefully Laurel won't be offended by the mass dump. Last time was perfectly okay; she let it dribble out one chapter per day. However, a lot of stuff has changed in the two years since the previous installment and I'm concerned about having tossed a wrench into the works.

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

Which raises an issue. Has anybody else noticed the recent change, where the final confirmation page changes the submitted file name to internal gobbledygook? When you're uploading a bunch of files with similar names and your last chance to confirm transmission of the correct file... your file name isn't there to verify.

Yes, I saw that on a recent submittal. The story, however, was posted with no problems. Mine was only one file, though.

 

[BeautyInTheStruggle]

Hi, I'm new to having an account here (long time reader), thought this might be a good place to say hi?

I dabble in writing and am trying to do better, so mostly I joined to comment on things in this area, and ask a ton of question probably.

I'd love to know more about the dragon that keeps the water hot.... and I like my coffee like I like my men.

 

[Belegon]

The problem with retirement for many people is that you lose a lot of your social interactions. That can make pretty fundamental changes to your way of thinking. I spent a lot of my career in a one-man office, so I didn't think it would be that much of a problem for me.

The last month brought a sudden uptick in my social interactions, and my attitude improved. Now I can see that I wasn't immune to the common problem.

TOTALLY TRUE FOR ME.... I spend way too much time alone for my tastes. and I'm now single again and trying to find a new person to date has been a major challenge. I resorted to the dating apps and found a lot of "not-what i wanted". I then decided I needed to figure out where I had met my most recent partners in romance and discovered that way back into the mid -90s I met every single one of them through work of one kind or another. That was a bit of an eye-opener. Really? Every single serious relationship since college? But yep! Every single one since college.

I am now searching for other ways to meet people locally and am going to try to get involved in some community organizations... and I might even look into taking some history courses at the local university. Couldn't hurt.... and I'd love to eventually get a history degree, just because I want it.

 

[dmallord]

Hope all of you are well. The few posts I've read sounds as though most of prior medical things are better. Mine are stable at the moment. Just low energy ebb. Not writing. Excpet in the political forum.

I was a little disappointed in the number of storiees submitted for the mike Hammer event. Just a handful. Mine is there scores about 4.4 at the moment. Not many reading it. Summertime slack time?

Take care.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Hi, I'm new to having an account here (long time reader), thought this might be a good place to say hi?

I dabble in writing and am trying to do better, so mostly I joined to comment on things in this area, and ask a ton of question probably.

I'd love to know more about the dragon that keeps the water hot.... and I like my coffee like I like my men.

Hi Beauty, welcome to the AH. The coffee is hot, care of Candy, there's an espresso machine that I seem to be the only user of, and there's a pot of boiling water for tea. I can't comment about the quality of the men around here.

The dragon in the basement is a friend of Handley_Page, who unfortunately hasn't been seen for a while.

Ask any questions you might have. We'll try and give you a sensible answer, but no guarantees.

 

[NotWise]

Welcome to the Coffee House, @BeautyInTheStruggle. If your questions aren't too specialized, then we'd be glad to give you answers.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

@BeautyInTheStruggle - please have a seat and enjoy! Just be careful with the cappuccino machine -- it is capricious and doesn't always want to work (at least for me). If the dragon gets frisky, there's a bucket of coal next to the counter. Just toss him a piece and he'll settle down.

I've got a fresh pot of coffee going and the teapot is hot. There are donuts and some monkey bread on the counter. The apples are starting to come in so I'll be whipping up an apple crisp one of these days ...

I'll be over in the corner working on my story. I'm stuck at the moment and trying to write my way out of a sticky spot, so if you hear some loud muttering, I'm just arguing with my Muse ...

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Welcome, @BeautyInTheStruggle! Pull up a chair and stay a while.

I cannot refrain from asking the obvious question, though. Inquiring minds and all that... You say you like your coffee like you like your men. Given that cantankerous caffeine machine on the counter, would that be pale and whipped to a froth? .

​

 

[Rustyoznail]

Welcome, @BeautyInTheStruggle! Pull up a chair and stay a while.

I cannot refrain from asking the obvious question, though. Inquiring minds and all that... You say you like your coffee like you like your men. Given that cantankerous caffeine machine on the counter, would that be pale and whipped to a froth? .

​

Or like me - white, full-bodied and a little bitter...

Work is being a pain. Trying to break in a new Director is hard work.

 

[NotWise]

I'll be over in the corner working on my story. I'm stuck at the moment and trying to write my way out of a sticky spot, so if you hear some loud muttering, I'm just arguing with my Muse ...

Here and I'm trying to write my way into a sticky spot.

 

[iwatchus]

Well, Mistress Natasha (my WIP) is in Laurel's hands now. I am curious about the reaction to it. I tried some different things in that story.

Now to do some more catch up reading while I decide what story is next from my keyboard.

Already getting hot out. I will probably work inside all day to stay out of the heat. Thanks for the tea water CK.