What are you doing for Labor Day?

[Vulcan Stev]

Me and mine are taking the day at its face value and working. I've got mountains (literally) of unsorted aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and empty glass that needs to be counted, sorted, and bagged so that I can actually circumnavigate the floor of the redemption center.

May your weekend be less stressful

[Cameron Goble]

I shall be seeking labor.

(Any Dire Paladins expecting a baby in the next couple of days? We could have a hat trick going here.)

[Xose Lucero]

I'll probably putter around the house and work on a couple of projects which are like my babies. Is that close enough? I'll also eat some baby carrots.

[Sir Golgotha, KEoPS]

Mmmm... baby (carrots)... the other other orange meat.

[Vulcan Stev]

Not now but P.I.T. #1 was born on Labor Day 17 years ago.

[Berin Kinsman]

Doing the BBQ thing Saturday, working Monday. For double time and a half. Because I need the money, and it's traditionally slow on Labor Day. So why not make a lot of money to sit in the office and doodle in a notebook?

[Charlie]

Oddly enough, I will be *preparing* to work -- creating/arranging my home office.

The company I work for is moving to a location that is approx. 45 minutes away from it's current location... which would extend my commute to 2-2½ hours each way (depending on traffic).

In an uncharacteristically accommodating move, they have allowed many of us the opportunity to work from home a few days a week. This is a Good Thing™. Were I to have to find a new job, I'd have to travel almost as far to make the same income.

Now all I'll have to worry about is resisting the temptation to play World of Warcraft during business hours. :-)

[Sir Golgotha, KEoPS]

I'll be working. The company I'm currently working with is mostly in France & Germany. To them it's just Monday.

[Deidzoeb]

I thought Europe and other countries were supposed to be even more gung-ho about labor day? Come to think of it, I think they celebrate it on May Day, which was avoided here either because it had Commie connotations or something to do with the Haymarket bombing in Chicago.

[Sir Golgotha, KEoPS]

It's in early May for much of Europe & parts of Asia. In Canada & the US it is in September. In the Bahamas it's the first Friday in June. In Australia I think it varies by state & territory.

[Deidzoeb]

What kind of can and bottle recycling do y'all have? Michigan has had the dime deposit for decades, so grocery stores finally have automated reverse vending machines. You feed empty cans and bottles into it, the machine verifies that they sell that brand, and gives you a receipt to get back your dime for each can or bottle. There are positives and negatives to this system. People from elsewhere freak out when they hear they have to pay an extra buck-twenty for a 12pack. And I imagine some outlanders are disgusted when they're shopping in a Michigan grocery store and see people roll through the aisles with garbage bags full of filthy cans. The damn can return areas are always in the back of the store.

I'm curious how it is done elsewhere. I know in Texas they sell cans for scrap, a few bucks for a huge bag. Sorry, it's weird to think in terms of recycling when we've been bribed for so long.

PS - For no apparent reason, Michigan skips this deposit system for bottles of water, juice, and liquor. Those all have to be recycled separately, even if the containers are made the same way as the cans or bottles of soda.

Re: what am I doing on Labor Day? We're supposed to be driving down to Mississippi to visit my father-in-law as of today, two weeks and two days of vacation, but we're waiting to see where Tropical Storm Hurricane Gustav hits before we leave.

[mrmontie]

Neither the gf nor I have jobs yet, so not really any different than any other 3 day period for us.

probably hitting the close beach (thats pretty boring, but still a free and close beach so i'm not complaining) today for a couple hours. Then hopefully going to a beach that requires a car with a friend who has one tomorrow. Maybe one of the ones more known for sea turtles. Those things are just totally awesome, insert all the finding nemo jokes you want. Its just amazing to swim along with them and watch them do their relaxed turtle thing.

Oh, and questions on redemption stuff too... Didn't know that Hawaii was the 11th state to sign on for that sort of thing. I've never lived anywhere that really bothered with it before, so this is a new thing for me. At first i thought it was an extra liquor tax when i was buying beer, but then a couple weeks later a recepit made it more clear.

So, questions... they have about 7 redemption centers on Oahu. the closest is a Goodwill. I'm guessing they sell it to somebody that actually processes it completely.

Not all cans or bottles say there is a deposit. or list the redemptive states. My coke cans do not, for example. Does this matter? are there even types that are not accepted or is it anything aluminum? same goes for glass i guess. I remember color used to matter.

Also, do they need to be intact? it would be alot easier to crush the cans at home for storage purposes, but a buddy of mine who lived in Michigan said they had to be able to scan the barcode. And somebody mentioned something about only bringing back what the store sells? but thats when its an in store deal...

I guess the bottom line is that its different everywhere. How does it work in Iowa?