The problem today...

[Mike Cruz]

I mean, really?!?! This is an ad I found on CL today. Hey, I understand that not everyone is fluent in spelling and grammar. But if you are going to put yourself out there to try to drum up business, show that you are thorough enough to use spell check, look words up in the dictionary, use the SHIFT key when necessary, and punctuate correctly. I wouldn't hire this guy to pick up my trash! And, yes, I clicked SpellCheck to make sure I didn't murder any words. ;)

woodworking/carpentry - $1Date: 2012-08-10, 2:30PM EDT
Reply to:
Hey im wanting to exdpand my work and am looking for anyone who needs anything done with landscaping/carpentry/woodworking and am very mecanicly inclined. I can send pics of my previouse work i do any thype of woodworking and am a very hard and fast worker.

[Greg R Bradley]

Seems about normal for CL.

There are many posts on SMC that aren't much better.

[Bruce Page]

We have a guy trying to sell a dump thruck. He's been posting the same ad for several weeks.

[Ted Calver]

Granted he makes a poor first impression, but I'd look at his work before I made a judgement. There are a lot of talented folks out there who have mastered a craft or trade, yet stumble with the written word.

[John Coloccia]

The best electrician I know is practically illiterate. He knows how to ask for help and use a spell checker, though. Do a good deed, Mike. Correct it for him and send him an e-mail. Maybe he just doesn't realize how critical that first impression is.

[Rod Sheridan]

The best electrician I know is practically illiterate. He knows how to ask for help and use a spell checker, though. Do a good deed, Mike. Correct it for him and send him an e-mail. Maybe he just doesn't realize how critical that first impression is.

John, an electrician that's practically illiterate is going to be a dangerous electrician as he won't be able to read and understand the electrical code. There's a lot of reading and some mathematics required to be a tradesman...........Rod.

[mickey cassiba]

spel chequer iz yor frend. nevr unerestimate the ability of the stupid to outwit logical systems.

click 'add to dictionary'
makes all the red marks go away

[John Coloccia]

John, an electrician that's practically illiterate is going to be a dangerous electrician as he won't be able to read and understand the electrical code. There's a lot of reading and some mathematics required to be a tradesman...........Rod.

I appreciate your opinion Rod, but considering that you don't know this man, his knowledge, his work, and the respect he commands from others in the field, you're being a little presumptuous. Next you'll be professing that if you're deaf, you can't be a world class musician.

[Lewis Ehrhardt]

I, too, know a guy who was one of the best carpenter tradesmen in our town--couldn't read a lick, four of them big marks and one leetle one!

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, I get it that not everyone is well educated. I don't look down on those that aren't. And I've known some people that are close to illiterate, but are some of the best people I've known, and were great workers. But that does not preclude anyone from taking the time, and making the effort, to make that good first impression by putting together an ad that in the very least doesn't have spelling and grammatical errors. It is one thing to be selling something on CL with hacked English. But yet another to basically be putting out a resume, trying to get work, and not even capitalize the letter "i". I find that lazy. Which is not a trait that I want in someone I hire.

That said, I've got dependent clauses and phrases as full sentences in the above paragraph. But this is a forum, not a resume. I often start sentences on forums with "but" and "and". However, I'm not trying to get hired here...

John, I would take you up on that "good deed", but I've found lately that none of those go unpunished. The last few times I thought I was just helping someone out with a helpful hint (like an item on Ebay that was supposed to be for machine X, but was actually for machine Y; or the machine that was grossly overpriced and I simply tried to help the person out with what they've going for realistically) backfired on me. So, rather than try to help the guy and get possibly yelled at, I'll leave him be...

I actually heard the following on the radio a couple of days ago...and I'm paraphrasing (though, putting it is quotes): "A new study shows that those children with good handwriting have better success in life." I had no issue with that. But the person went on to add, "This basically boils down to those that learn to write by hand have better futures." WHAT? Kids aren't learning to write anymore? Are they simply typing with thumbs? Ok, end of rant. I just don't like the sloppy direction that the times are leading us in...

[John Coloccia]

Here's an interesting thing that happened to me:

I'm selling off some musical gear. I posted an add on craigslist, and the add says to call anytime. So at midnight last night, I get a call from a guy that wants to trade me some stuff for some of my gear. I had him send me an email with whatever he had in mind.

The e-mail comes in, and at 1:00am, I respond back to him and make him an offer. The last words of my e-mail were "Let me know."

Fast forward to today, I have several other guys interested in the items. I put them off because I was waiting to hear back from call at midnight guy (hey, I DID say to call anytime, and 12:00am counts as anytime, so I can't really be upset about that!). I go out with the wife, run some errands, have a bit of lunch and get back around 1:30. I still haven't heard from the guy so I took one of the other offers.

Finally, around 2:00pm, the guy calls be up and accepts the offer. I tell him that the item is now gone.

"I thought you promised it to me??"

Huh? I tried to explain to him that I made him an offer, and that he needs to respond. He had all night, all morning, and the beginning of the afternoon. I can't hold items while he's out looking for better offers...or sleeping, or whatever. For every deal I make, I have two more that I never hear back from EVER.

Needless to say, his undies are in a bunch, but I can hear he's a young man and I'm trying to be very nice about it. Seriously, though...if there's something you want, why aren't you aggressively pursuing it? When I was young, I would pester people to death and rush rush rush to get what I wanted, always afraid that the opportunity would pass me by if I was asleep at the switch. This kid was much too young to be this laid back already.

[Mike Cruz]

John, and your example above is my SECOND pet peeve about the youth today. Just as you described, when I want something, I actively and aggressively pursue it because I expect that I have to work at it to show my interest. The youth today seems to feel like they "deserve" everything. They are "due" everything. Granted that is not EVERY youth, but it seems to be a common attitude that is running rampant. When I was a teen, I knew I had to do whatever it took to have the PRIVILEGE of getting my driver's license. Now a days, all I hear is "I'm 16, it is my right to have a driver's license!". Or, if parents say "You don't get your license unless or until you get your grades up!", the kids just "wait it out" until the parents are forced to let them get their licenses so they can get to work or so the parents don't have to keep driving them around everywhere.

[Bill Cunningham]

Back in 2005, I was in the market for a boat. I saw a local newspaper ad for a 22 foot Cursor. He (or the newspaper) may have spelled it wrong. Shortly after buying, I discovered it was absolutely correct.:eek:

Finally sold it last summer..How do you spell relief?
N-O-B-O-A-T

[Mike Cruz]

Bill, what do they say?... The two happiest days of a boat owner's life... The day he buys the boat, and the day he sells it! Oddly enough, I'm in the market of selling mine. However, I don't think it will be one of "those" two days. I'll miss not having it. I just don't use it enough to justify keeping it...

[Bruce Page]

My dad’s favorite saying back in his sailing days was B-O-A-T, Bring-On-Another-Thousand!

[Kenneth Speed]

I was working as a purchaser for a store fixture company and the production manager hired a guy to cut plastic laminate. The laminate cutter has plainly never cut laminate in his life and, I suspect, had never used a table saw. He repeatedly attempted to cut sheet after sheet of laminate on the table saw free hand, NO FENCE! After about six hours I checked with a foreman to find out how many sheets of laminate had been ruined and went to the production mgr. and said, " You can keep him on the payroll if you wish but I can't buy laminate as fast as he destroys it." It turned out that he couldn't read a tape measure either.

[Mike Cruz]

And his response, Kenneth? I don't know if I really want to know the answer...

[Kenneth Speed]

Mike Cruz asked, "And his response, Kenneth? I don't know if I really want to know the answer..."

Got your attention, Huh? Yeah, it was surreal. The PM looked at me for a minute, never said a word, and then walked away and fired the guy about an hour later.

About the "Kenneth" thing, I thought I had to ..um..register with my "real" name so I entered Kenneth but please everybody just call me Ken.

[Bill Cunningham]

Bill, what do they say?... The two happiest days of a boat owner's life... The day he buys the boat, and the day he sells it! Oddly enough, I'm in the market of selling mine. However, I don't think it will be one of "those" two days. I'll miss not having it. I just don't use it enough to justify keeping it...

For me, the day I sold it was MUCH better.. Having spent 25 years in the commercial diving industry, I had many years experience with work boats of all types, and really thought I would enjoy owning a cruiser. The marina/storage/winterizing/maintenance started to be a real drag after a while. I will probably buy a 14' w/outboard for fishing. I love my Canoe, but the knees can't handle it anymore..I the same light, a friend of mine is going through the same thing with his airplane. He hasn't taken it up in 3 years, but it's still costing him big bucks. I'm glad I didn't buy one of those.. I may refresh my license and buy a ultralight though..hah

[John Coloccia]

For me, the day I sold it was MUCH better.. Having spent 25 years in the commercial diving industry, I had many years experience with work boats of all types, and really thought I would enjoy owning a cruiser. The marina/storage/winterizing/maintenance started to be a real drag after a while. I will probably buy a 14' w/outboard for fishing. I love my Canoe, but the knees can't handle it anymore..I the same light, a friend of mine is going through the same thing with his airplane. He hasn't taken it up in 3 years, but it's still costing him big bucks. I'm glad I didn't buy one of those.. I may refresh my license and buy a ultralight though..hah

Ha ha....my first thought when I heard people talking about boats was "You should just try owning a plane". That $2.00 fuel filter suddenly costs $50 the instant Mooney puts a picture of an airplane on the packaging. Figure on $100 after you've paid the A&P to install it. $20,000+ every 2000 hours for an engine overhaul hurts too. That's what drove so many of us to the experimental world. It may not even be much cheaper to build (though it can be), but you can do your own maintenance.

The incredible flying weather and ready availability (and incredible affordability) of aircraft that *I* happen to like flying is one of the few things I really miss about living in California. I haven't flown since I moved back to the east coast, and I do miss it.

[Bill Cunningham]

Ha ha....my first thought when I heard people talking about boats was "You should just try owning a plane". That $2.00 fuel filter suddenly costs $50 the instant Mooney puts a picture of an airplane on the packaging. Figure on $100 after you've paid the A&P to install it. $20,000+ every 2000 hours for an engine overhaul hurts too. That's what drove so many of us to the experimental world. It may not even be much cheaper to build (though it can be), but you can do your own maintenance.

The incredible flying weather and ready availability (and incredible affordability) of aircraft that *I* happen to like flying is one of the few things I really miss about living in California. I haven't flown since I moved back to the east coast, and I do miss it.

When I got my private pilots license, I could rent a 150 for $15.00 an hour and a 80hp Aeronca for $8.00 I guess those days are long gone, haven't touched the controls of anything for at least 15 years, and that was a AirCoupe with no rudder peddles...ha

[Mike Cruz]

Greg, I thought I'd let this thread run its course before responding to your post... I have to agree that posts that are written like that irk me...if for no other reason than someone else not taking the time to write in a manner that flows makes ME have to take the time to figure out what the person is trying to say!

[Jim Matthews]

Back in 2005, I was in the market for a boat. I saw a local newspaper ad for a 22 foot Cursor. He (or the newspaper) may have spelled it wrong. Shortly after buying, I discovered it was absolutely correct.:eek:

Finally sold it last summer..How do you spell relief?
N-O-B-O-A-T

That's funny, right there - I don't care who you are.
The first admonition from Ellen St. James in "Simplify your life" is Sell the boat.

While I think it good to know someone who owns one, I don't care to live next door.
There's always something (usually rare, out of stock, made from Unobtanium).

[Rick Potter]

On the other hand, I have found some of my best tool deals through ads like you mention. They are usually unclear about what they are selling, and most have no picture. I am always carefull to read any ads that are like that, knowing that most people don't even bother to read them.

If it has something I want in the ad, I can then let it mature, knowing that not too many other folks have seen it, thereby getting the best price. Lose a few this way, but say lav eeee.

Rick Potter