Wolfram, long time no see.

I'm really confused - not at the recent developments, but from the start. For the people who paid with CCs - isn't that kind of the point of CCs that you can do chargebacks in a situation like this?

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ETA, sort of -

If they're falling apart, shouldn't they be offering you a little more to come back? I mean, it's been a while, hasn't it? But good regular job (if you want to go back) is worth taking either way.

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Hey Brenda!

I should clarify. Old Firm is offering me the same salary I was earning at (formerly) New Firm. Which represents a 35% increase from my last salary at Old Firm.

Of course I was criminally underpaid at Old Firm which was one of three primary reasons that I left. The other two were hating the cases I was stuck with because there was nobody else to work them, and the total lack of decent infrastructure and support. Old Firm is promising me the ability to pursue my own cases, and deference to my recommendations on changes to the infrastructure. It sounds like a good deal, but I'm afraid I'm going to be bogged down for months (at best) fixing the old problems before I can even start taking my own cases, and I'm not sure I want to walk into that.

In short, I've agreed to take a few weeks to consider it and work at an hourly rate on a few things at my schedule. Meanwhile, I'm free to pursue other opportunities too.

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Ah. That sounds like something you could make something out of, as long as you keep serious about boundaries and shit. They clearly, even at the time, didn't know how much they needed you. Good thing they're figuring it out.

[Since I haven't seen you in ages - I have a new job! Which I lurve! And which a) really uses and challenges the skills I've built up and b) pays me accordingly. That's what's new in my life.]

How are the bambinos?

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How are they indeed? You know that age where kids are so amazing and wonderful and cute, yet at the same time you sometimes want to throw them out of your moving car? Well my three and four year old were both that age tonight. And why can't my three year old understand the correlation between drinking before bed, and peeing in it? I offered to just pour his "last cup of water" out on his mattress for him and cut out the middleman. The baby is just taking her first tentative steps. She also nearly took a chunk out of my poor wife's finger tonight while my wife was looking the other way. My 7 year old declared tonight that she is never doing homework again. I remember how she feels.

Ah kids, I do love the crap out of them.

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Brenda, about the BE stuff, part of the problem was that the fans bought in advance. So far in advance that by the time the event actually didn't happen, it had passed the standard window for which credit card companies would chargeback. And they wouldn't chargeback for an event that "looks like it's not happening." Which is where some of it looks like malicious intent to me, because that prepaid money was evidently long ago spent on previous events that didn't profit. So when the fans were dragged along with "it's off, it's gonna happen, it's off, no, really it's gonna happen" right up until the actual date (and too late to cancel hotel rooms and plane tickets (not that those would have been refundable anyway, but still)) it made it almost impossible for the fans to recoup any of their own expenses, let alone the event fees.

Erm.

From someone who's totally not involved at all.

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Wolfram! Nice to see you round these parts.

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Wolfram, I'm sorry the New job didn't work out, but the offer from the Old Firm sounds interesting.

In short, I've agreed to take a few weeks to consider it and work at an hourly rate on a few things at my schedule. Meanwhile, I'm free to pursue other opportunities too.

This sounds good. I remember how burnt you felt before you left your old firm. I'm glad you get the chance to feel them out and take some time to decide.

Your post about your children had me cracking up. I know that age, very well. And don't feel badly -- my six year old is just starting to grasp the cause/effects relationship of water before bed.

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Hey Robin, good to be back.

Which is where some of it looks like malicious intent to me, because that prepaid money was evidently long ago spent on previous events that didn't profit.

I assume this is the event from a few months back that got canceled last minute and everyone flew out and ended up making their own fun? I don't know much about it, but it seems to me you just follow the trail of money. If someone can prove that the fan organizers took money for this event and used it on other events or on themselves, or even if they just took the money in bad faith knowing that the event was not going to go forward, that should be enough to constitute fraud.

I remember how burnt you felt before you left your old firm. I'm glad you get the chance to feel them out and take some time to decide.

Yeah. I'm also trying to make sure I protect myself with an exit strategy before making any agreement to go back.

Side note: Did this board get spell-check? Or is that just on my computer?

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Maybe the new Firefox, Wolfram?

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