There's always a misconception around this. I don't know where it got started, but it always comes up whenever anyone is discussing applying to new jobs.

Yes, an employer can simply say "Yes, so-and-so worked here from X to Y dates." They can also say "Yes, Larry worked here from X until they were terminated on Y date." They cannot say "Yes, Larry worked here until they abandoned their job unexpectedly while they were in in-patient rehab for a pretty gnarly drug addiction. Crazy cycle of uppers and downers, so whenever he did show up to work, we didn't know which Larry we were gonna get: Bouncy Larry or Sleepy Larry. Nice guy, but yeah, he got caught up in some crazy shit. I wish he could've had that much fun doing his TPS reports, but we all have our strengths and weaknesses, I guess."

So yeah, a former employer can say you worked there. They can give dates. They can say you no longer work there, and give dates. They can say whether you were terminated (I think why depends on whether there are legal issues pending, HIPPA issues at hand, or other similar restrictions) or whether you quit (and again, depending on the reason, why). They can say you were a good employee, called in sick every Monday morning, or couldn't get along with your coworkers.

Most don't engage because if that gets out it just looks petty for the company (especially so if the reason for separation was fairly benign and not criminal in nature). Just to keep their hands clean, HR departments just confirm employment and choose not to get into details. Good or bad, they let other companies take a gamble on you.

Even leaving out being petty, there are 4 possibilities:

1. You were a good employee and you're going to a competitor
2. You were a good employee and you're moving to a different industry
3. You were a bad employee and you're going to a competitor
4. You were a bad employee and you're moving to a different industry

For options 2 and 4, the old employer doesn't give a shit. You can be a great employee or suck ass for someone else and it won't affect them in the slightest. You're not going to a competitor and can't help or harm the industry or their competition.

For option 3, they're better off as a company if their shitty has-beens move on to competitors and harm the competition. Right?

That leaves option 1 - a 25% chance that you're going to another company that could negatively affect your former employer's bottom line. And in that case, you'd think they'd want to pretend you were the best employee ever and it's such a shame that you couldn't afford to keep them since they were a critical part of the company's success.

So just as a numbers game, it doesn't make sense to trash your reputation. Laws exist to protect Joe Employee, but even if they didn't, it's usually not a great decision for an HR department to want to trash their former employees.

Salem isn't terribly far. Lots of places there that claim to be haunted.

Also in the eastern part of the state is the Bridgewater Triangle. But that's not so much haunted as just other weird stuff like bigfoot-like sightings. There are claims of spirits there but it's more "creatures". FWIW, I lived a stones throw from some of that area for a decade and I never saw or heard of anything first or second hand.

eVeN tHe OnEs WhO gEt NaKeD fOr DoLlAr BiLlS?

I live in a neighboring town. It's relatively quiet - even the main roads through these small 495 towns generally aren't a distraction, and things are more or less peaceful, quiet, and pretty chill.

No input on the Mendon schools (I don't have kids in school), but as others have mentioned, having a zoo nearby is pretty sweet. It's not a world-class zoo by any means, but it's an awesome way to spend the day a couple times a year. For adults and for kids. I'm a grown ass adult, and when my parents drove up to stay with me for the weekend, we went to the zoo. We had a great time.

If the kids are outdoorsy, this neck of the woods is much better than most places inside 95. There are so many trails, parks, ponds, etc.

And Mendon has one of the few drive-ins left. If the kids are restless to the point that going to a movie theater isn't ideal, the drive-in could be pretty sweet. There's always people wandering about when it's warm before the movie (tailgating, throwing a frisbee, people-watching, going to the concession stand, etc)

Another comment mentions the traffic in Framingham. 495 is nothing compared to 95 most days. The stretch of 495 from about Milford to the Pike can get slow, but rarely as bad as 128 gets. If your work hours are even an hour out of "the norm", you'll be fine - not a lick of traffic. And I guess you could take 16 into Holliston and then 126 North into Framingham. Surface roads, but at least it'll be moving.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I assumed creating a fake backstory for a former bartender or customer would be enough, but maybe the story was to on-the-nose for some people?

No, one loses sight because of that.

I don't know if I laid the sarcasm on waaayyy too thick or if the sarcasm-glaze wasn't tasty enough?

How so? We all have "politically incorrect" thoughts. Most of us keep them under wraps and learn to function within acceptable societal norms. Some don't, but most do.

This guy is just asking for a place to crack a joke with likeminded individuals while having a tasty cold beverage at a reasonable price.

These places exist - townie bars, holes in the wall, social clubs, whatever. If you don't like them, you don't have to go to them. I generally don't, but don't begrudge those who do.

Now, does the original post read as a joke? To me, yeah, kinda. Could be a slight troll (if so, try harder OP). But if not, it's not like the dude asked for "a place that don't allow no trannies or negros, and has a solid mix of Johnny Cash and alt-emo-thrash-core on the jukebox. I draw the line at swastikas though, none of that bullshit cuz kikes are ok in my book". That, I suppose, would be cringe. But I'm not the official arbiter of good taste here.

Seems it's just a guy who wants to be around other guys, who want to be around other guys. Sharing a pint or two, gossiping about the other clientele. What's embarrassing about that? And I'm assuming, bonus points for a repurposed 1995 SI Swimsuit calendar on the wall. Where some drunk guy drew a thought bubble over Cindy Crawford's head saying something like "Call me, Jimmy, we'll have a fun night <wink>! XOXO, Cindy". But Jimmy don't work there no more - he moved to CT and sells insurance for The Hartford and has 2 kids. Eric is 12 and Cindy (it's a coincidence, I swear) is 16. He's on his second marriage, but this one is fresh and they're still in their honeymoon phase. Jimmy's on speaking terms with his ex - in fact they get along better now than they did when they were married. Anyway, they share custody and it all seems to be working out for them.

But anyway, OP just wants to hang out with people that like the taste of beer and the look of a pretty woman.

Are you suggesting new laws? We very well can't have new laws without catchy and sentimental names - come on, man!

You seen the list of laws we currently have? They're numbered and lettered - and we've used up all the numbers and letters. We're currently in the "child names" section of law names, and there are only so many catchy and sentimental names so we need to be a little stingy when it comes to new laws and regulations.

We could have an emergency Senate hearing or something that would enact the little used "fuzzy animal" clause of State Statute Eleanor 43b, from 1946, that would let us name laws after fuzzy animals instead of dead children. But that's only temporary in nature and it would expire in 12 months without overriding Senate Guideline Eleanor Gertrude Humphries. Of course, that would trigger the little used William J Eastman statue (penned in honor of little "Billy East" back in '71) so a second vote would have to be taken within 12 months. This is known both in the Senate and the House as the "Irish Twins" law. It's pretty controversial and is usually seen as a last ditch effort to preserve "God's Will" (although that can't be directly stated by politicians). Usually these types of laws do more harm than good, but it's not the law's fault - it's usually just that the enforcement agencies aren't equipped to deal with changes these significant in such a rapid-fire manner.

Anyway, what was I saying? I don't know how I got on a tangent about our official legal system.

Well maybe if Paw-paw splurged for the leech, it would've fed off his blood and grown to be leg-sized. Then Paw-paw and his leech-leg would've been able to travel the world as a medical marvel. Some real PT Barnum stuff.

I mean, it is a rock. In Plymouth. The most famous one in the whole damn town.

I've lived in the area all my life and can't recall it ever being hyped up as something amazing to see (except maybe like a 2nd grade field trip or something).

If you're expecting a rock in a basement jail cell, that's what you get. If you're expecting a song and dance down Main St, you're gonna have a bad time.

I think 40 is still giving a lot of grace time. I'd say mid 20s. Until you're nearing retirement. If you can collect benefits at 65 1/2, then you can start with the half years at 63 1/2, but only in the context of retirement, or other things where 65 1/2 is relevant. Otherwise you're wasting precious moments, heartbeats, and breaths on unnecessary nonsense.

What do you mean? I'm saying thank you, and depending on the temperature of both it and my surroundings, getting a cup of ice. Then I'm drinking it.

What else is there to do?

Watching this, I immediately felt something was off but couldn't tell what it was. Now that someone's pointed it out, I'm sure this is what got my spidey sense tingling.

I somehow missed "indoor" in the title the first time and was wondering if Water Wizz was still around. And if so, why you'd be interested in January.

Oh yeah, 781 and 978 came about in the late 90s. '97 or '98 I think. Spitballing here, but 508 was sometime in the mid 80s.

1/1 giraffe

Is this known as the "Fool me once, shame on you but fool me twice, shame on me" effect?

Jesus Christ. That is the most A+ insult I've ever heard. Bravo, good sir.

"Duped" by not looking at any historical weather reports?

There's a word for that: coma

"Your daughter" is a nice cover story for the burning questions we all wanted answered. 🤣

Sure, thinner air and weaker gravity due to higher elevation. But those alone don't come close to accounting for the record, compared to the previous record. The previous record holder could've done his jump from Everest altitude and, mountain slope notwithstanding, not beaten Beamon.

Yeah, people shouldn't be allowed to drive their cars in places where they haven't driven cars before!