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Robert Smith

Posted: Mon May 20, 2019 5:06 pm
by Beebs52
I think this quite cool. We did similar for #1 son for a wedding gift.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/19/us/moreh ... index.html

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 6:58 am
by BackInTex
Yeah, I thought this was cool, but them my bad side started thinking:

1) "What about the folks that graduated in December?"
2) "What about those that missed this one by 6 hours and will graduate in August?"
3) "What about Sgt. Morris in row 7, father of 3, who earned his GI Bill and has no debt?"
4) "What about the guy in row 4, Cum Laude grad, who took 5 years, but worked almost full time and has no outstanding loans?"

But then I remembered Matthew 20:1-16

But, I still struggle with that one.

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 7:56 am
by silverscreenselect
BackInTex wrote:Yeah, I thought this was cool, but them my bad side started thinking:

1) "What about the folks that graduated in December?"
2) "What about those that missed this one by 6 hours and will graduate in August?"
3) "What about Sgt. Morris in row 7, father of 3, who earned his GI Bill and has no debt?"
4) "What about the guy in row 4, Cum Laude grad, who took 5 years, but worked almost full time and has no outstanding loans?"

But then I remembered Matthew 20:1-16

But, I still struggle with that one.
By that same token, you can criticize anyone who donates to any charity for not donating more or to other charities.

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 8:53 am
by tlynn78
I saw this and thought it was pretty cool. Whatever your situation in life, a gift like that makes a difference.

I used to have a friend (years ago) who was clearly a spoiled princess, from a well-off family, who married a urologist who made a very good living. I cleaned house and babysat for her. I would occasionally hear her lament her inability to go both to Paris and Hawaii in a single year because she "was in trouble for spending too much money shopping." Or she'd complain because her husband gave her a catered birthday party in their home instead of at a popular 'fancy' restaurant, stuff like that. It took me a while, but I gradually came to understand that a hardship doesn't have to mean the same thing to everyone for it to be a hardship. For me back then, cutting back meant eating (and stretching) a couple pounds of hamburger for a week. For her, it meant not spending $1000 on makeup in a week. It sounds ridiculous, but for her, that was truly 'cutting back.'

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 9:34 am
by silverscreenselect
tlynn78 wrote:For her, it meant not spending $1000 on makeup in a week. It sounds ridiculous, but for her, that was truly 'cutting back.'
Back in the 2008 recession, there were a lot of articles about how people could cut back on spending and what struck me most was how many of them didn't apply to me because I had never spent that way to begin with. At or near the top of most of those lists was cutting back on coffee at Starbucks and similar places. I am a heavy coffee drinker, but I've only been to Starbucks and similar places about a dozen times in my life and every time it was to meet someone who suggested that location for a meeting. There is a Starbucks next to the train station where I get off, and every day when I'm walking in, I'll usually pass two or three people from my office heading to Starbucks. We have free coffee in the office with a Keurig type machine. I don't like to have to keep going back for those little cups, so I brew pot in the morning and bring it in a large thermos.

I don't feel I've missed out on the Starbucks experience, but I remember the people back then who were shocked at the idea of giving up their daily trip to save a "mere" thousand dollars a year.

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 11:32 am
by Bob78164
BackInTex wrote:Yeah, I thought this was cool, but them my bad side started thinking:

1) "What about the folks that graduated in December?"
2) "What about those that missed this one by 6 hours and will graduate in August?"
3) "What about Sgt. Morris in row 7, father of 3, who earned his GI Bill and has no debt?"
4) "What about the guy in row 4, Cum Laude grad, who took 5 years, but worked almost full time and has no outstanding loans?"

But then I remembered Matthew 20:1-16

But, I still struggle with that one.
Seems to me that the moral of the parable is "Live with the bargain you made, and don't get jealous because others made better bargains."

But to me that's got nothing to do with this situation, which is an act of pure generosity with no return bargained for in advance or expected in the future. --Bob

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 11:43 am
by Beebs52
Bob78164 wrote:
BackInTex wrote:Yeah, I thought this was cool, but them my bad side started thinking:

1) "What about the folks that graduated in December?"
2) "What about those that missed this one by 6 hours and will graduate in August?"
3) "What about Sgt. Morris in row 7, father of 3, who earned his GI Bill and has no debt?"
4) "What about the guy in row 4, Cum Laude grad, who took 5 years, but worked almost full time and has no outstanding loans?"

But then I remembered Matthew 20:1-16

But, I still struggle with that one.
Seems to me that the moral of the parable is "Live with the bargain you made, and don't get jealous because others made better bargains."

But to me that's got nothing to do with this situation, which is an act of pure generosity with no return bargained for in advance or expected in the future. --Bob
The parable involved generosity, too.

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 11:43 am
by Beebs52
silverscreenselect wrote:
tlynn78 wrote:For her, it meant not spending $1000 on makeup in a week. It sounds ridiculous, but for her, that was truly 'cutting back.'
Back in the 2008 recession, there were a lot of articles about how people could cut back on spending and what struck me most was how many of them didn't apply to me because I had never spent that way to begin with. At or near the top of most of those lists was cutting back on coffee at Starbucks and similar places. I am a heavy coffee drinker, but I've only been to Starbucks and similar places about a dozen times in my life and every time it was to meet someone who suggested that location for a meeting. There is a Starbucks next to the train station where I get off, and every day when I'm walking in, I'll usually pass two or three people from my office heading to Starbucks. We have free coffee in the office with a Keurig type machine. I don't like to have to keep going back for those little cups, so I brew pot in the morning and bring it in a large thermos.

I don't feel I've missed out on the Starbucks experience, but I remember the people back then who were shocked at the idea of giving up their daily trip to save a "mere" thousand dollars a year.
Starbucks sucks. Battery acid

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 1:25 pm
by silverscreenselect
Beebs52 wrote:
silverscreenselect wrote:
tlynn78 wrote:For her, it meant not spending $1000 on makeup in a week. It sounds ridiculous, but for her, that was truly 'cutting back.'
Back in the 2008 recession, there were a lot of articles about how people could cut back on spending and what struck me most was how many of them didn't apply to me because I had never spent that way to begin with. At or near the top of most of those lists was cutting back on coffee at Starbucks and similar places. I am a heavy coffee drinker, but I've only been to Starbucks and similar places about a dozen times in my life and every time it was to meet someone who suggested that location for a meeting. There is a Starbucks next to the train station where I get off, and every day when I'm walking in, I'll usually pass two or three people from my office heading to Starbucks. We have free coffee in the office with a Keurig type machine. I don't like to have to keep going back for those little cups, so I brew pot in the morning and bring it in a large thermos.

I don't feel I've missed out on the Starbucks experience, but I remember the people back then who were shocked at the idea of giving up their daily trip to save a "mere" thousand dollars a year.
Starbucks sucks. Battery acid
Very expensive battery acid.

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 2:53 pm
by Bob Juch
Beebs52 wrote:
silverscreenselect wrote:
tlynn78 wrote:For her, it meant not spending $1000 on makeup in a week. It sounds ridiculous, but for her, that was truly 'cutting back.'
Back in the 2008 recession, there were a lot of articles about how people could cut back on spending and what struck me most was how many of them didn't apply to me because I had never spent that way to begin with. At or near the top of most of those lists was cutting back on coffee at Starbucks and similar places. I am a heavy coffee drinker, but I've only been to Starbucks and similar places about a dozen times in my life and every time it was to meet someone who suggested that location for a meeting. There is a Starbucks next to the train station where I get off, and every day when I'm walking in, I'll usually pass two or three people from my office heading to Starbucks. We have free coffee in the office with a Keurig type machine. I don't like to have to keep going back for those little cups, so I brew pot in the morning and bring it in a large thermos.

I don't feel I've missed out on the Starbucks experience, but I remember the people back then who were shocked at the idea of giving up their daily trip to save a "mere" thousand dollars a year.
Starbucks sucks. Battery acid
Dunkin' is worse. :roll:

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 4:10 pm
by SportsFan68
Maybe the Starbucks here is different, but my experience today makes me put in a good word for them. I was at a caregiver expo today, and Starbucks donated the drinks. I had an ice tea, a hot tea, and a coffee with half and half and stevia sweetener. All three were delicious.

Re: Robert Smith

Posted: Tue May 21, 2019 5:14 pm
by Beebs52
SportsFan68 wrote:Maybe the Starbucks here is different, but my experience today makes me put in a good word for them. I was at a caregiver expo today, and Starbucks donated the drinks. I had an ice tea, a hot tea, and a coffee with half and half and stevia sweetener. All three were delicious.
It's all subjective. I think their plain coffee is horribly bitter. The strawberry frappucino is tasty. But not worth a visit.