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[Loud Whispers]

Lead the way Moses.

[Kadzar]

I think you've somehow stumbled into a Douglas Adams story.

[SealyStar]

Moses the Amtrak café car guy.

Why don't I have these fun sorts of encounters with strangers?

Re: relationships and families, though I'm fairly young, I always imagined having kids eventually. Then I realized that earning $30k a year as a single worker is approximately the same standard of living as supporting a family of four on $120k and I was like "Nope, fuck it, never having kids".

[Bauglir]

Kids also rack up secondary expenses pretty damn fast. School supplies, getting sick more easily, etc. On the other hand, they do eat less for the first couple of years, and they're a good long-term investment if you're the kind of parent who makes them want to pay you back for the effort you put into raising them. Plus, each person past the first tends to raise rent (or whatever other payments you have to make for pure living space) by a smaller amount than the last, which is why roommates are a good financial decision. Similarly transportation, utilities, and other expenses whose benefits are shared.

Not to mention the sentimental value, which I hear is more than worth it to most people who have kids.

[SealyStar]

The way I see it, raising kids with a spouse/long-term partner is kind of a zero-sum affair too. So far as I've thought of it both parents working is pretty much the only thing that's financially healthy for a family of four (the "standard family", also my family growing up) unless one of them gets an $80k+ salary. But it's hard to spend time raising the kids properly if both people are working, and you then have to pay for day care when they're young anyway. And if both parents work and raise the kids, that leaves not a lot of time for their own lives.

So eh on kids.

[SealyStar]

What about families of six?

I'm friends with a family of six. They raised four kids on a single income which I believe was somewhere in the 80k range; the mom wound up getting a part-time job when the oldest kid left for college at a churchy private school (shit's expensive) and has yet to get any job despite entering his junior year this fall.

As I got older, I realized more and more of their financial situation and why they always acted half-impoverished and budgeted so compulsively.

[Helgoland]

America, you cray-cray~

[Kadzar]

As I got older, I realized more and more of their financial situation and why they always acted half-impoverished and budgeted so compulsively.

This kinda reminds me of my family. I'm from a family of seven (me, my four sisters, mom, and dad), and I can recall having always eat store brand food (I remember something called "chocolate and creme sandwich cookies" or whatever that my mom insisted were just like Oreos, but they weren't; they only tasted like childhood disappointment), and I we never had cable and I never got any video games growing up (though that might have been due to the fact that my mom saw no value in them, in addition to her frugality). So I only ever got to experience these things when visiting friends or relatives.

[hops]

Spoiler: I'm on a train. This just came through the train's intercom. (click to show/hide)

"Fruit, hot coffee, sandwiches drinks, it's all here at the café car. My name is Moses, I'm your cafe specialist down here. Come down for a snack, a drink, or if you just want to chat and slowly unravel the secrets of the universe.

Also, it's worth noting that I'm mixing my specialty Amtrak 'Coast Starlight' cocktail, which has had rave reviews from our staff, our passengers. It's also the Captain's favorite -- well, when he isn't captain-ing, of course. It's not like he's drinking while he's- oh, nevermind.

So, have a good trip with us, folks. Again, I'm Moses in the café car. Welcome aboard."

~

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Moses speaking. I am not a robot, I'm a real human being with real human feelings. When you don't come down to the café car, it hurts my feelings a bit. A lot a bit. I'll now have to go internalize my feelings the only way I know how.

*pause*

I'm closing the cafe car down.

I'm going to go take a break in ten minutes. I'm going head up stairs, do some jumping jacks, and relax on the beach. Not sure when I'll be back. I'll have to deal with these abandonment issues... all the neglect...

10 minutes! Starting now!"

~

"The café car is open. You can choose to come in, or not. Either way, the world as we know it will continue to turn."

~

I walk into the cafe car and turn the corner.
Moses is there. He asks:
Mo: "Have you ever milked a cow?"
Me: "No."
"That's a shame. Have you ever watched vampire diaries?"
"No. Have you ever ran nude through a Latvian thunderstorm?"
"No. I've never been to Latvia."
"Well, I don't have cows or a TV."
"... touché."

I shit you not.

I got a massive Douglas Adams vibe just from reading that.

[Tawa]

Spoiler: I'm on a train. This just came through the train's intercom. (click to show/hide)

"Fruit, hot coffee, sandwiches drinks, it's all here at the café car. My name is Moses, I'm your cafe specialist down here. Come down for a snack, a drink, or if you just want to chat and slowly unravel the secrets of the universe.

Also, it's worth noting that I'm mixing my specialty Amtrak 'Coast Starlight' cocktail, which has had rave reviews from our staff, our passengers. It's also the Captain's favorite -- well, when he isn't captain-ing, of course. It's not like he's drinking while he's- oh, nevermind.

So, have a good trip with us, folks. Again, I'm Moses in the café car. Welcome aboard."

~

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Moses speaking. I am not a robot, I'm a real human being with real human feelings. When you don't come down to the café car, it hurts my feelings a bit. A lot a bit. I'll now have to go internalize my feelings the only way I know how.

*pause*

I'm closing the cafe car down.

I'm going to go take a break in ten minutes. I'm going head up stairs, do some jumping jacks, and relax on the beach. Not sure when I'll be back. I'll have to deal with these abandonment issues... all the neglect...

10 minutes! Starting now!"

~

"The café car is open. You can choose to come in, or not. Either way, the world as we know it will continue to turn."

~

I walk into the cafe car and turn the corner.
Moses is there. He asks:
Mo: "Have you ever milked a cow?"
Me: "No."
"That's a shame. Have you ever watched vampire diaries?"
"No. Have you ever ran nude through a Latvian thunderstorm?"
"No. I've never been to Latvia."
"Well, I don't have cows or a TV."
"... touché."

I shit you not.

I got a massive Douglas Adams vibe just from reading that.

Wanna go check and see if he's still in his grave?

[acetech09]

He's still at it. Didn't have my computer on to transcribe, but he's giving some people giggle fits.

Great man, he is.

[Teneb]

Spoiler: I'm on a train. This just came through the train's intercom. (click to show/hide)

"Fruit, hot coffee, sandwiches drinks, it's all here at the café car. My name is Moses, I'm your cafe specialist down here. Come down for a snack, a drink, or if you just want to chat and slowly unravel the secrets of the universe.

Also, it's worth noting that I'm mixing my specialty Amtrak 'Coast Starlight' cocktail, which has had rave reviews from our staff, our passengers. It's also the Captain's favorite -- well, when he isn't captain-ing, of course. It's not like he's drinking while he's- oh, nevermind.

So, have a good trip with us, folks. Again, I'm Moses in the café car. Welcome aboard."

~

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Moses speaking. I am not a robot, I'm a real human being with real human feelings. When you don't come down to the café car, it hurts my feelings a bit. A lot a bit. I'll now have to go internalize my feelings the only way I know how.

*pause*

I'm closing the cafe car down.

I'm going to go take a break in ten minutes. I'm going head up stairs, do some jumping jacks, and relax on the beach. Not sure when I'll be back. I'll have to deal with these abandonment issues... all the neglect...

10 minutes! Starting now!"

~

"The café car is open. You can choose to come in, or not. Either way, the world as we know it will continue to turn."

~

I walk into the cafe car and turn the corner.
Moses is there. He asks:
Mo: "Have you ever milked a cow?"
Me: "No."
"That's a shame. Have you ever watched vampire diaries?"
"No. Have you ever ran nude through a Latvian thunderstorm?"
"No. I've never been to Latvia."
"Well, I don't have cows or a TV."
"... touché."

I shit you not.

I got a massive Douglas Adams vibe just from reading that.

Wanna go check and see if he's still in his grave?

Tawarochir... what did you do to poor Douglas Adams' corpse?

Damn ninjas.

[acetech09]

Unfortunately, I do not believe we have zombie Douglas Adams. Unless zombie DA managed to grow an American accent, a good taste for hipster clothing, and most importantly, hair.

[Teneb]

Unfortunately, I do not believe we have zombie Douglas Adams. Unless zombie DA managed to grow an American accent, a good taste for hipster clothing, and most importantly, hair.

Of course not. It's clear Zombie!Douglas Adams trained the guy.

[Descan]

Nah, Ace is a character in the book written by DA. So is Moses.