Random Questions

Good but our homemade is better/just as good! It’s just a basic vinegary type spray.

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Cool, thanks!

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Suggestions for how to spend a 10 hour layover at Charles de Gaulle (9 am - 7 pm)? We have been to Paris before so don’t feel a need to see any of the big sights but would love to get out of the airport and get a nice lunch/walk around somewhere nice

Not sure about stuff around the airport, but CDG has a free movie kiosks in one of the terminals where you can get an individual tv and watch movies. They also have a hotel where you can rent rooms in several hour blocks if you want to relax privately or shower. The Espace Musee has rotating exhibits from the major museumals in Paris and is another lovely time killer.

You are looking at a solid hour each way from the airport into central Paris, and you’ll have to go through security…etc again so make sure to factor that into any plans.

Depending on timing, I would probably store my luggage at the airport and then maybe do one of the Seine cruises for some outdoorish, but not exhausting experiences. Or wander around Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, taking the train from the airport to the Gate du Nord which is beautiful in its own right.

Oh! You could also visit Saint Denis, the cathedral there is the first Gothic style cathedral and was the basis for a TON of later gothic cathedrals. I hear cute things about the area as well, but have never been myself.

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Do churches have times they’re generally open aside from when services are happening? I want to drop off flyers about an upcoming free event (and also let them know we need volunteers for said event) but obviously when they’re getting ready for services they’re going to be busy. Like if I try to hit a bunch of places on a Saturday afternoon driving around town are my odds good that there will be someone there?

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Most churches will have a church office with times that they are open listed on their website. I think during the normal workday would be likeliest, but it wouldn’t hurt to try Saturdays. Keep in mind that some denominations have regular Saturday services. Or that while the sanctuary or main hall might be closed, an office would be open.

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A friend of mine works in a church office; it’s a M-F job for the most part but there is always someone there Saturday as they’re preparing for services Sunday.

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Excellent, thank you. I thought they’d just be closed during the week aside from, like, Wednesday afternoons if they do Wednesday evening services or something.

Nah, most churches have someone or a few someone’s during the week to do finances, scheduling, help with ancillary group events.

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Churches have offices that are open during the week, but Saturday afternoon is probably the least likely time someone will be in.

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Did I see here before that people like this for filing taxes? I’ve used TurboTax for the last few years but it was expensive to file last year, I guess because I have to file a schedule and those are not free.

Oooh I discovered these at the Frankfurt airport recently and they were great.

Yeah, even with transit taking a while 10 hours is long enough that I don’t just want to hang around the airport. All luggage will be checked through so that’s not a concern. I think we’ll head to Gare du Nord and just walk around that area a bit and find a restaurant that looks like it has a nice lunch. Sacre Coeur was absolutely our favorite thing last time in Paris so if we have time to kill maybe we’ll wander back that way!

I was worried it might be a little chilly but it is apparently 57 degrees there right now so I think we’ll be fine :sweat_smile:

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I use them last year, and it worked fine. It doesn’t pull you through the process as smoothly as TaxAct or TurboTax, but I did my taxes on freetax and TaxAct and got the same result. It wasn’t free for me because of investments and contractor income, but it was WAY cheaper.

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Will you use freetax again? I do really like easy! I can’t remember exactly but I think I paid like $100 to file turbo tax last year because of my schedule C. I probably could have paid an accountant for what it cost me. I think that was the first time I had to pay so I was surprised, but I had already bought the cds so I just did it.

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Yes, I’m using it again this year. I’m assuming it will work out :slightly_smiling_face: I’ve been using TaxAct for years, but last year would have been around or over $100, and I just couldn’t do it.

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I think I will try it then. Thanks!

TLDR, how do you ward off/avoid discussions about "career ambitions" with your boss at work when you don't have any/don't want any (I'm paranoid so I'll probably eventually delete this).

Since the sub-team I am on is literally only me and my boss, we have a lot of one-on-ones, lots of brainstorm meetings, lots of co-working projects, etc. We work really well together and have a great culture within our team compared to other teams.
I am lucky that my position is very moldable and we’re always shifting and changing responsibilities to make it a good fit for me. Amazing, right? Well… We’re going to bring on another team member and we are co-writing the job description. This has prompted both my boss and my boss’s boss to bring up the idea of “career ambitions” to me. They would both like to know where I “see myself going” etc. It’s been coming up more and more.
I understand the concept of acquiring new skills in order to demand higher pay at this job and others beyond this job, but I honestly do not have any career “ambitions” to speak of. I want to do work that I do not hate and make enough money to pay my bills, save, and invest in retiring someday. That’s it. I do not enjoy working for a living nor do I believe in untethered constant growth mindset.
I have LOTS of ambition outside of work. I have visions for my little house that I am constantly working on and remodeling, I have ideas and excitement around my gardens and my community projects, but none directly related to working for a living except maybe “keep increasing income so that I can do more of the things I actually like and have excitement around”.
I am not sure how to respond to these inquires/conversations.
My boss goes to networking events after work sometimes, really emphasizes that I should come to a company dinner at least once a quarter when we all travel to have our quarterly team meetings, and is finishing their masters degree. Me? I’m just working a job. How can I smooth over these questions without seeming aimless to other people. I’m not.
Any ideas or experiences?

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So! This is a subject I am pretty passionate about. Managers should absolutely value sustainability/maintainers.

There’s been quite a bit coming out of Silicon Valley management books about “rock stars” vs “super stars” (Radical Candor is really into this.)

Ask A Manager has some columns on this too -
## do I really have to have career ambition?
## how do you move away from ambition and traditional career paths?
## my ambitious, driven self is gone – and I don’t feel like working anymore
## I feel no ambition whatsoever at work

(Let me know if you want this deleted later!)

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We have an 18 hour layover at CDG this summer. We will overnight in a hotel and then we’re just planning to walk along the Seine on a pastry tour! You can take the RER-B into the city pretty easily.

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I can delete if/when you want

I think the right balance to strike is to confirm (I do like this job and want to stay here) and then redirect (get them to talk about themselves). You can pick something minor, like a skill you already do now or a process that’s already happening, and talk about how you’d like to improve on that one thing.

“I love what I’m doing right now! I want to get better at --insert task that is hard for you or attribute you could improve on-- but I really enjoy -task you currently do and excel at-. I think by improving --task or process-- it could really help further the company goal of --insert broad company mission or goal–.”

And then-

“Where do you see our team going in the next 5 years?”

If you are really pushed into a corner you can say something like, “I see myself as a solid foundation to build a team around. I think one of my strengths is consistency and stability. Where I thrive is in showing up day in, day out, and producing/promoting/supporting/whatever makes sense here for your job. I get a thrill out of making sure things go smoothly, and I think I have a lot of opportunities to do that in the position I’m in now!”

So basically the focus is enjoyment/gratitude/mastery of your current job, because you are so into it. That’s what you’re all about!

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