even more quiddities and agonies of the ruling class - a new rolling new york times thread

really love the social q's column https://t.co/Ogtf2iOnef pic.twitter.com/pdG7bbKBdt

— Sapna Maheshwari (@sapna) July 6, 2017

I don't know if this qualifies, but I'm trying to make sense of this:

"Heather Lile, a nurse who makes $180,000 a year, commutes two hours from her home in Manteca to the San Francisco hospital where she works, 80 miles away."

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/us/california-housing-crisis.html

While they do pull down huge salaries, the problem with most of these supernurses is they can't drive above 40mph.

the housing crisis in the bay area is completely real and has been for years afaict. It all seems stupid and horrible and completely avoidable

for sure but, you know, still...

it's insane.

http://www.siliconvalley.com/2017/07/08/the-latest-silicon-valley-housing-idea-on-a-landfill/

DC also has its fair share of people who have household incomes in that range and commute 2 hours but that's because they want the big house in the country, not because we have taken completely dumbass stances on density and transit from the 1950s

Also didn't San Mateo catch fire when a landfill exploded, like, recently? Or am I getting the facts wrong...

that was a gas line right?

pg&e

that wasn't landfill-related; it was a poorly maintained pg&e gas line in san bruno (in san mateo county).

that article notes the median house price is a "staggering" 500k. it's 800k in Melbourne now :( how are we worse than fucking san fran wtf

I think the 500k figure is statewide

looks like it's more like 1.5 mil for sf

Ty for the corrections

happy for my parents and their san jose home anyway

looks like it's more like 1.5 mil for sf

Jesus, as a median, thats insane.

[Removed Illegal Link]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DFSBu_UW0AEAmGr.jpg

New Harlem Resident Declares War On Jingle-Happy Mister Softee Man

She continued, "I said, 'It’s illegal for you to have your music on anyway, so could you please turn it off?"

His response: "Fuck off."

https://i0.wp.com/www.logoworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/logoworks-i-love-NY.png?fit=560%2C175&ssl=1

https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*5xjAo0Qk9f9__tiDQf9opw.png

not being on this list with nj.com and dilbert.com has got to hurt

dcurbanmom.com
wtop.com

drain the swamp

liberation.fr on this list!? jeez

expats presumably?

Mookieproof OTM

My wife hatereads dc urban mom so we are presumably part of that 23%

I was momentarily sympathetic to Mackenzie because I thought it said the music played from 7:45AM to 9PM. That might drive me to murder.

tbh the mister softee jingle *is* pretty annoying (and must send the drivers completely insane) but . . . maybe mackenzie wasn't meant for city living

wonder how she'd do with a retro-kitsch infinite blaring loop of some guy with an old-timey new yawk accent proclaiming ICE CREAM! GET YER ICE CREAM! ... ICE CREAM! GET YER etc

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/28/realestate/what-to-do-when-youve-picked-the-wrong-suburb.html

thing is, I can imagine a similar article being written like this every decade or so going back to the 50s

https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/science/study-happy-save-money-time.amp.html

Sorry for the Amp link. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/science/study-happy-save-money-time.html

I feel that one though - I felt like a horrible yuppie asshole when we hired a housekeeper to come in every other week as it was such a direct violation of my life-long scandinavian midwestern "how dare you think you're better than anyone else" ethos. But not having to spend 2-3 hours every weekend doing cleaning shit was so, so worth the $50 or whatever we paid each time, especially after having a baby.

it's weird isn't it. if you think about it, going to a restaurant is way more decadent, but it's hard to picture anyone feeling guilty about it.

Tracer, totally.

There are things that would just go undone if I didn't outsource them. Especially shirt ironing.

And house cleaning to the point where things are actually really clean and tidy. Do you know how good that feels? And after 20 years as an adult I know myself enough to know that I'm not going to achieve that myself.

Wash and fold laundry service is also a source of joy for me.

I am way more meticulous than our housekeeper about the bathrooms.

We get a maid service to come in every now and then and I'm grateful, not firstworld-guilty, about it.

HOWEVER, you need to tidy before the maids come. Like, they can't clean surfaces that are covered with toys and books and shoes and dishes, so you do a Big Tidy beforehand.

I sometimes wonder how much of the "Aaaah, things are CLEAN" comes from the actual maid activity and how much is from "Thank the gods that there aren't fifty-seven Matchbox cars on the stairs for once."

I tend to DIY a lot of house/yard/stuff. That said, there are lots of services that I will probably never use, but I won't judge others for using. With some exceptions.

http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/

Wowee.

The need to have keep things clean enough for the cleaners is a huge benefit for me. It keeps me from letting things slide.

Isnt it a bit whats the point of the cleaner, then tho?

(basically: I want to hire a cleaner. but I want one who will also do all that stuff y'all j ust said. Put toys away. Throw rubbish out thats been left under couches/beds by kids. Tidy up shelves. Etc. )

IDK. I know that "cleaning for the cleaners" is a thing. I'd bet untold stand-up comedians and sitcom writers have relied on that concept.

I guess to me it's like how, in a hotel room, before housekeeping comes, I put cans, food wrappers, receipts, etc. in the trash can, and put away my dirty clothes. They still have plenty to do -- actual CLEANING, as in washing stuff, vacuuming floors and furniture, mopping, dusting, and more detailed tidying.

A previous cleaner I had was very into tidying, which seemed great, but turned out to be a problem b/c she and her helper would put things away in places I couldn't find them. I appreciated the effort, but it made every evening after her visit like an Easter egg hunt. Like, fingernail clipper doesn't go in the drawer with the batteries, IMO.

Exactly. I also prefer to hide my own drugs and sex toys, thanks.

I cleaned houses one summer during college and we had one client, who we were pretty sure was straight, who sometimes left his suction cup dildo stuck to the wall in his shower.

booooooyeah

urk

xxxxpost
you stay in HOTELs? well la dee da, mr ruling class moneybags!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJDlW23UQAA6YoW.jpg:large

obv

I like the ad libs look of that. keep it on file and update the names as needed.

mad libs sorry