# Vacation... what is that??



## Audi Driver P.E. (Aug 19, 2016)

Yeah, this pretty much sums up every vacation I've ever taken since I started working as an engineer (and patent agent).


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## Road Guy (Aug 19, 2016)

Mainly my fault I suppose but I think in 20 years I have only taken 1 truly "relaxing" vacation. I.e. No kids and actually was able to chill....


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## NJmike PE (Aug 19, 2016)

I was off all this week. We didn't go anywhere. Just stayed home. It was kinda nice.


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## P-E (Aug 20, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> Mainly my fault I suppose but I think in 20 years I have only taken 1 truly "relaxing" vacation. I.e. No kids and actually was able to chill....


Maybe a couple trips.  One or two international travel vaca (no access to email) and honeymoon (work not allowed).


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## Road Guy (Aug 22, 2016)

I don't count the time B4kids (honeymoon)  But at my honeymoon I didn't own a cell phone at the time - didn't matter 

I do enjoy weekend days when I get to the mtns where there just isn't any cell coverage, its actually very nice..


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## Supe (Aug 22, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> I don't count the time B4kids (honeymoon)  But at my honeymoon I didn't own a cell phone at the time - didn't matter
> 
> I do enjoy weekend days when I get to the mtns where there just isn't any cell coverage, its actually very nice..


Since I started working, I think the only time I truly felt "away" from work was when I turned my phone off to hike up Snow King.


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## NJmike PE (Aug 22, 2016)

so back at work this morning and it kinda has a different feel to it-kind of relaxed, rejuvenated. Rather than the type of vacation where you are constantly running around doing stuff or going away, we kinda just hung home. kids swam, taught them to ride bikes, etc. Highlight was tailgating and a concert on Saturday which did not include children.


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## snickerd3 (Aug 22, 2016)

we try to oscillate relaxing and action packed vacations each year.  Although this year was a mid level.  Once snickette is old enough for kids programs we might try a family beaches vacation.


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## Road Guy (Aug 22, 2016)

I'm not a big fan of cruises( like I wouldn't take one for just mine and the wife's vacation) but with a family they are excellent.

There is always something for them to do, always something for them to eat, and most offer a night time kids program so the parents can go out without worrying about the kids...

But I would wait till they are 6 or so where you can leave them for a couple hours at a time.

We took the kids on the excursions but some people even left their kids in "cruise ship day camp" while mom and dad went on the excursions to shore-which I thought was kind of a dick

Move....


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## willsee (Aug 22, 2016)

We've been on seven ? i think cruises with just my wife and I.  My son has been on two (he's 3) my daughter one (she's 1).  We enjoyed both of the cruises with the kids.  We spend time with them during the day, get off ship, explore.  Then at night put them in daycare from 5-10 or so so we can have dinner, gamble, drinks.  With the kids young we like the cruises since they have daycare available on-site and the workers are awesome.  We've also been to a beach house in South Carolina, twice with my son and once with my daughter and enjoy the cruise more than that.  It is more of a vacation and less work.

I never have worried about work back home while I'm gone.  I learned that the world still spins and things still get done while I'm gone and it isn't a concern of mine. 

I've worked with people that will lose vacation days every year for some unknown reason and I had to force people to take vacation and constantly reassure them everything will be fine while they're gone and we will manage.  If a company can't manage without an employee then the company has bigger issues.


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## mudpuppy (Aug 22, 2016)

I would never let a vacation day go unused!  I work to make money so I can travel, not so I can feel important.  If they can't get along without me then that's their problem.  Fortunately my counterpart likes to travel even more than me, so neither of us feel bad when we leave or have to cover for the other.

The problem now is my wife only gets 15 days off and I get 25.  Not sure what I'm going to do with the extra 10 days, but I doubt she'll let me take a week trip somewhere without her...


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## Ramnares P.E. (Aug 22, 2016)




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## Road Guy (Aug 22, 2016)

I may not get the grand vacations with no kids but I defin do not believe in loosing them either...

We're taking the kids to key largo to dive this summer-been saving a long time for it and am defin looking forward to it..

The kids can only dive to 40-60' yet they are old enough to stay at the house so mom and I can go get some deep dives in.. Been far too long!


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## mudpuppy (Aug 22, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> The kids can only dive to 40-60' yet they are old enough to stay at the house so mom and I can go get some deep dives in.. Been far too long!




Deep dive without the kids, huh?    Isn't that how kids are made in the first place?


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## Road Guy (Aug 22, 2016)

Practice rounds....

it's still fun to shoot, even if they are blanks


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## matt267 PE (Aug 23, 2016)

I think I'm going back to work this week.


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## SNAPE/SMOTT PE (Aug 23, 2016)

I think I'm going to just up and leave, just walk out, take PTO, and get lost where no one can find me. That's the vacation I need.


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## Supe (Aug 24, 2016)

SNAPE/SMOTT PE said:


> I think I'm going to just up and leave, just walk out, take PTO, and get lost where no one can find me. That's the vacation I need.


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## Road Guy (Aug 24, 2016)

So my HS kids (marching) band announced that next year they are going to Ireland? wTF!!

And there is a chance I may have two kids in the band next year 

I was Sitting in the auditorium surrounded by excited parents and I think I must have been the only one that was saying "fuck this shit". Like $4K EA! I don't think there is any real fundraising that can put a dent in that..

I know I am a dick but I told my son (who was "so" excited) he needs to fund 50% if he wants to go. As well as find time to clean his room and keep the boys bathroom clean, etc...

Wife then says I'm a jerk....

I don't know why these schools think the kids need this shit. I have zero desire to go visit these euro trash countries but I think it's way too much for these schools to put this on the parents.

And mainly this irks me cause there are lots of vacations I have put off due to kids and now I have to possibly pay $8k for kids to go?

And then we wonder why all the younger people grow up to be entitled little shits...


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## Supe (Aug 24, 2016)

Would flat out tell them they pay 100% or are not going.  They've got a year to cope with the disappointment that way.  I don't even like schools expecting parents to do fundraising for their kids, never mind forking over $4K to ship a kid off for band.  I've never spent even half that on a week long FAMILY vacation.


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## snickerd3 (Aug 24, 2016)

why does a marching band need to go to Ireland in the first place?  You are not a jerk, I  would require the same or more contributions from my own kiddos.


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## snickerd3 (Aug 24, 2016)

we have already had to have the vacations/things are expensive, you don't always get or go where you want because of the cost.  Life is full of disappointments, get used to it discussions with a 6 yr old.


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## Road Guy (Aug 24, 2016)

They have won the state band "competition" like 8 of the last 10 years... Guess they just have to one up themselves... The band parents are just fucking cult like... And the director just feeds off of it... Our old HS back home went to friggin CHINA last year....

I mean they just went to the rose bowl 2 years ago? That was like $1800.

I think our week to shithole central Florida last year was less than $3K for 5 of us!

The yearly band budget is something like $80,000!!!!!


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## snickerd3 (Aug 24, 2016)

^ that would pay for two new teachers in our school district.  That's nuts.


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## Road Guy (Aug 24, 2016)

That's not paid by the school / taxes. That's paid by parents and the every Friday night bingo scam they have going.. I think just from Bingo they make something like $50,000 a year....


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## roadwreck (Aug 24, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> I have zero desire to go visit these euro trash countries but I think it's way too much for these schools to put this on the parents.


Ireland is a eruo-trash country?  DAMNIT!!! I wish you could have let me know this before I was about to go there on vacation. :\


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## snickerd3 (Aug 24, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> That's not paid by the school / taxes. That's paid by parents and the every Friday night bingo scam they have going.. I think just from Bingo they make something like $50,000 a year....


well they can hold a couple more bingo nights and pay for everyone to go


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## csb (Aug 24, 2016)

I remember coming home from seventh grade after an EF tours presentation at school. My parents told me I was fucking crazy if I thought they'd shell out $1200 so I could go to Europe.


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## snickerd3 (Aug 24, 2016)

csb said:


> I remember coming home from seventh grade after an EF tours presentation at school. My parents told me I was fucking crazy if I thought they'd shell out $1200 so I could go to Europe.


I knew my parents didn't have that kind of money so I never brought home the paperwork from those things.


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## snickerd3 (Aug 24, 2016)

I did go on a DC trip in 7th or 8th grade, but I paid for it myself.


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## Road Guy (Aug 24, 2016)

How would a middle school kid cough up that kind of dough?


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## roadwreck (Aug 24, 2016)

Hookers and blow? :dunno:


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## snickerd3 (Aug 24, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> How would a middle school kid cough up that kind of dough?


i never spent birthday or christmas $.  back in the 90's with 4 to a room, i think it was only like $500.


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## Ble_PE (Aug 24, 2016)

Honestly, it's not right for a 12-13 year old to be expected to pay for something like that. Part of the responsibility of being a parent is giving your kid the opportunity to expand their horizons and travel to places like this (whether as a family on vacation or with school). Now $4000 to go to Ireland with the band is a bit steep and asking the kid to help foot the bill would be reasonable in my opinion, but if it were my kid and I had the means to pay for it all, I would. You reap what you sow so to speak, and I want to provide my kids with as much as I can while I have them at home. I'm not going to sacrifice my livelihood to do it, but I won't be stingy either.


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## snickerd3 (Aug 24, 2016)

my parents paid for dance lessons/costumes/competitions for us both.  that shit gets expensive


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## snickerd3 (Aug 24, 2016)

vacations growing up for us, were spending the weekend at the Holiday Inn Holidome in a nearby town.


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## MA_PE (Aug 24, 2016)

When my son was in high school they took a "class trip" to Italy.  My wife says "he HAS to go, all his friends are going"  $2500 &lt;smh&gt;.

Younger son was on the town bantam hockey team.  At the beginning of the year the coach said that we need to decide whether to go for a national tier or for the state tier title.  He pushed hard for national so we (all the parents) said ok, whatever.  Nearing the end of the season the team was in the middle in the standings so they didn't win locally, but we were the only "national bound" tean so we had a sopt in the national finals.......in East Lansing MI for ~$1500/kid.  The parents collectively said "we aren't going".  The coach wasn't happy.  the local team that took our spot got killed in every game they played.

On the other hand, a team from CO (imagine that) brought the team out to MA to play in a local tournament against northeast teams.  Their coaches approached us and other local teams for games while they were out here in addition to the tournament games, so the kids could get more playing time against northeast teams.  We were kind of amazed that the parents would pay that kind of money to get their 14-15 yos more hockey games, but people in Denver make fatty money.


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## mudpuppy (Aug 24, 2016)

roadwreck said:


> Ireland is a eruo-trash country?  DAMNIT!!! I wish you could have let me know this before I was about to go there on vacation. :\




Yeah, I wouldn't lump Ireland in with the euro-trash. Those irish mofo's will drink you under the table and then kick your ass.



MA_PE said:


> When my son was in high school they took a "class trip" to Italy.  My wife says "he HAS to go, all his friends are going"  $2500 &lt;smh&gt;.
> 
> Younger son was on the town bantam hockey team.  At the beginning of the year the coach said that we need to decide whether to go for a national tier or for the state tier title.  He pushed hard for national so we (all the parents) said ok, whatever.  Nearing the end of the season the team was in the middle in the standings so they didn't win locally, but we were the only "national bound" tean so we had a sopt in the national finals.......in East Lansing MI for ~$1500/kid.  The parents collectively said "we aren't going".  The coach wasn't happy.  the local team that took our spot got killed in every game they played.
> 
> On the other hand, a team from CO (imagine that) brought the team out to MA to play in a local tournament against northeast teams.  Their coaches approached us and other local teams for games while they were out here in addition to the tournament games, so the kids could get more playing time against northeast teams.  We were kind of amazed that the parents would pay that kind of money to get their 14-15 yos more hockey games, but people in Denver make fatty money.




Hey, look me up next time--East Lansing is right up the street.


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## goodal (Aug 24, 2016)

Nope, nope, nope.  No way would that be considered at badal's house.  Even if I had money running out every orifice.  Either the school coughs it up (ie. tax payer funded) or they fundraise it.  Frick, $4k a kid is a bunch of dough for them to "expand their horizons".  For one, I'm sure there are parents that can't afford it.  Do those poor guys get to stay home?  If up to me, they raise what they can raise and the whole band gets to do whatever they can afford even if its a trip to Dairy Queen.


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## Ramnares P.E. (Aug 24, 2016)

With RG and goodal on this one.  There is no freaking way I'm shelling out $4000 for my kid to go on a vacation.  If he wants to go badly enough then he can trade in cans/mow lawns/wash cars and do whatever it takes to raise the money to go, and only if his grades are freaking pristine.  I want the best for my kid too but I'm not emotionally scarred from not going on every freaking HS and college trip that came along.


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## knight1fox3 (Aug 24, 2016)

And let's keep this in perspective too. This is *middle* school we're talking about it. We didn't have those kinds of opportunities until at least high school. And by then, most of us had part time jobs where we could raise that much $$. I did go on a band trip to Myrtle Beach, but I think it was something like $500 and we took a bus. I had to borrow some of the $$ from my grandparents but paid it all back a few months later and wrote them a nice thank you letter and sent them some souvenirs.


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## Road Guy (Aug 24, 2016)

No this is High School.

I had more sympathy for them in middle school- each kid did some type of trip (DC, Band, etc) the cost was around $1000 ea. And they probably fund raised $200?

But this is different I think if I did pay for this I would need to do something for the other two. Keeping in mind he went to the rose bowl as a freshman.(who gives a shit about the PAC 10 anyways?)but the other band nerd parents thought that was a "big deal"

I think this is 100% BS but I like a competition so I am good with paying half if he will pay half. Right now he has $900 left in his checking account after mowing a shitload of lawns this summer. So if he is able to save all that and work next summer he may have enough to do it. But he has a car insurance payment coming up and he tends to whittle away his money (like most people).

I just in general would like to punch the band director in the face over this....


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## SNAPE/SMOTT PE (Aug 24, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> The band parents are just fucking cult like... And the director just feeds off of it... Our old HS back home went to friggin CHINA last year...


I thought it was just here that band was a big deal. It's as big as any of the sports (except football, nothing tops that in Tx).

I'm guessing band in now a cool thing? The "it" thing?


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## Ramnares P.E. (Aug 24, 2016)

Calm down, band will never be cool.


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## Road Guy (Aug 24, 2016)

It's more cool than when I was a kid- but they stay in their own world- my daughter who is in the same HS but not in the band said the rest of the school ignores them and they do the same.... It's a good program but it is all they have time to do. Runs 11 months a year.

I was a dumb jock in HS, but I had time to do other stuff in HS.

These poor kids have practice till 7 every night and then 8 hours on Saturday... I would not want to deal with it..

I think fairly common with big schools but the band "owns" its own 18-wheeler to haul their shit around in...


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## Ramnares P.E. (Aug 24, 2016)

That practice time is a major commitment.  For the number of hours you're talking about the program should be paying for the kids and their parents to go to Ireland.


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## Ble_PE (Aug 24, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> I was a dumb jock in HS, but I had time to do other stuff in HS.
> 
> *These poor kids have practice till 7 every night and then 8 hours on Saturday.*.. I would not want to deal with it..


Holy crap, that's crazy. I played sports pretty much year around, but it never took that much time away from my life.


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## knight1fox3 (Aug 24, 2016)

Ble_PE said:


> Holy crap, that's crazy. I played sports pretty much year around, but it never took that much time away from my life.


x2!!!


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## Ship Wreck PE (Aug 24, 2016)

What happens "at band camp" stays at band camp!!


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## Road Guy (Aug 24, 2016)

You don't get a long list of weirdly named awards by taking time off!

http://legacybands.org/about/awards/


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## envirotex (Aug 24, 2016)

My kids' HS has the same type of band program with the 18-wheeler and displays for competition that cost $$$...plus we also have insanely competitive football and swimming and golf and robotics and...if you can't find something that you can at least be district champion in you're trying not to.  The football-booster club budget is in the hundreds of thousands.  It feels like too much.  It is too much.


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## Dleg (Aug 25, 2016)

My high school was so big (886 in my graduating class) that we had both a band AND an orchestra, and orchestra was so big that we actually split it into two casts for the annual musicals, and still had a full orchestra for each.  The extent of our senior trip was a bus trip down to Durango, CO, for the statewide orchestra competition.  And despite our size, we sucked.  But we sucked LOUDER.


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## Supe (Aug 25, 2016)

My most expensive class trip cost maybe $150, and that was for a ticket to a broadway show and bus fare.  On the plus side, the girl cast as Gigi in Miss Saigon was pretty hot.


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## csb (Aug 25, 2016)

Supe said:


> My most expensive class trip cost maybe $150, and that was for a ticket to a broadway show and bus fare.  On the plus side, the girl cast as Gigi in Miss Saigon was pretty hot.


Well, she is the hooker up for grabs.


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## goodal (Aug 25, 2016)

Way back in the 90's, my senior trip to Chicago cost about $500 each and we all raised it through different events at the school.  Even given the cost of inflation...


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## Road Guy (Aug 25, 2016)

Some of the stories sound like when my grandmother used to tell me that all of her kids were potty trained by six months of age

It's a shitty position for the parents to be in, in my opinion especially when 90% of all the other parents think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread,


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## SNAPE/SMOTT PE (Aug 25, 2016)

You all are not making me feel good about school related organizations. I checked the local high school....my kid better sign up for the fishing team, or the gaming club. If I'm spending mega $$$$, it better be something the whole family will enjoy.


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## P-E (Aug 28, 2016)

I will be out of the office until 8-31
If you need immediate assistance please contact @Ken PE 3.0

Kind Regards,
P-E


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## NJmike PE (Aug 29, 2016)

P-E said:


> I will be out of the office until 8-31
> 
> If you need immediate assistance please contact @Ken PE 3.0
> 
> ...


I thought we fired him?


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## knight1fox3 (Aug 29, 2016)

NJmike PE said:


> I thought we fired him?


WHOA! Hang on there professor. We "fixed the glitch". So he just won't be receiving a paycheck and the problem will naturally work itself out. :thumbs:


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## Audi Driver P.E. (Aug 29, 2016)

My biggest beef with the trips and other bonus goodies is the way they always do fundraising.  Selling stuff that's overpriced that no one wants, and us parents end up buying it anyway. uke:


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## Road Guy (Aug 29, 2016)

so after much thought and dealing with some standard teenage BS over the weekend I decided that the boy can pay the full cost, including the passport fee's for the band trip..

He isn't too happy, he tried the sulking away approach " I guess Ill be the only one not going" lols..


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## snickerd3 (Aug 29, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> so after much thought and dealing with some standard teenage BS over the weekend I decided that the boy can pay the full cost, including the passport fee's for the band trip..
> 
> He isn't too happy, he tried the sulking away approach " I guess Ill be the only one not going" lols..


my response would be, I guess so.


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## Road Guy (Aug 29, 2016)

I have to admit its a lot harder to actually say that then you think it might be. 

When we found out our old HS back home was going to China, I was like _no chance in hell,_ _Not in my lifetime_, then when you get presented with the same scenario. Its just a lot harder to shift the burden to them for this when most of their classmates parents are "ecstatic" about it..


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## snickerd3 (Aug 29, 2016)

It's not on the scale of a trip to ireland, but minisnick has stormed off saying the same thing about something his friends have or someplace they are going.  I'm getting the practice in now.


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## P-E (Aug 29, 2016)

when I went to Cancun in my late 20's, I couldn't believe how many 17-19 yr olds were there in the Sheraton with us.  They ran up and down the halls all night drinking and screaming.

I couldn't believe that their parents were paying for them to be there.  Based on what I saw, if I had a daughter I wouldn't let her go let alone pay for it.


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## Supe (Aug 30, 2016)

Cancun is pretty much how "Girls Gone Wild" made billions.  I wouldn't let Junior go if it was the only place on earth safe from a nuclear blast/fallout.


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## Ramnares P.E. (Aug 30, 2016)

snickerd3 said:


> my response would be, I guess so.


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## csb (Aug 30, 2016)

Road Guy said:


> I have to admit its a lot harder to actually say that then you think it might be.
> 
> When we found out our old HS back home was going to China, I was like _no chance in hell,_ _Not in my lifetime_, then when you get presented with the same scenario. Its just a lot harder to shift the burden to them for this when most of their classmates parents are "ecstatic" about it..


I'm finding parenting harder as our kid grows up, because I can't exactly remember things my parents did when I was 5, but I sure as hell remember things from 11. It's easy to tell a kindergartner no about that second cookie, but harder to tell an older kid he can't go do something all his friends are doing. 

Don't get me wrong- I'm still the no fun parent for the house, but it seems to be more of a gut punch nowadays.


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## willsee (Aug 30, 2016)

Told my wife we can't go on a second vacation in January, so she is sad.


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## Road Guy (Aug 30, 2016)

I never felt bad telling my kid they couldn't go to a movie with their friends, or to an amusement park, etc. But even though I think this trip is stupid, I still feel a little bad about telling him to cough up $4K.  I think his grandparents will kick in some money..


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## Road Guy (Sep 6, 2016)

I don't know what level of "I need a vacation" is actively soliciting fights in parking lots of the grocery store but that is where I am at currently.


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## csb (Sep 6, 2016)

Went to Whole Foods again?


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## Road Guy (Sep 7, 2016)




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## knight1fox3 (Sep 7, 2016)

^ LOL. I love how it's Skeletor...


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## Supe (Sep 7, 2016)

knight1fox3 said:


> ^ LOL. I love how it's Skeletor...


I hope everyone else reads it in the Skeletor voice like I did.


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