Parents of the HS Class of 2009 - Page 1872

missypie · 11-08-2012, 06:55 PM

If he is president, I would list it under ECs. Our chapter of NHS organizes things like blood drives, so the kids who actually do that should certainly "get credit" for it as an EC.

Modadunn · 11-08-2012, 07:02 PM

Right... that's exactly what he is. Honestly, I have known this kid his whole life and have a new respect for either his brain or his little rural school. He got a 33 on his ACT and between 760-790 on all his SATs. I really think he has a good shot, but I while I keep telling him that (he's applying ED), I also keep telling him there is a crap shoot aspect of this whole process that really isn't personal - unless you actually get accepted and then it's personal.

kmcmom13 · 11-09-2012, 06:28 AM

^too true!
Woody, thank goodness things are warming up/lighting up for you!
I've gotta say my few day stint without heat and hot water proved I'm no Susannah Moody either, and I must say I've never enjoyed washing pots more than i just did this a.m. ( I'll probably be one of those people the zombies eat early on in the zombie apocalypse, I'm afraid!)

Mch made the observation that while it's nice the boiler is now fixed, for that kind of money he wished they'd at least put racing stripes on it or something, because it still looks ugl as heck

TA, I've taken from your past comments that you were in bonds on Wall St in a former life. Have you read Michael Lewis's "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine"? I just finished it -- suspect Amazon recommended it due to having read Bond Girl. Quite fascinating.

I hope your s2 hears good news soon!

And sabaray, congrats on wrapping up the teaching and enjoying your new phase. I'm certain your students will miss you!

TheAnalyst · 11-09-2012, 06:48 AM

kmc, I wish it were a former life. Still in the trenches, just doing it electronically rather than in situ. I specialize in unrated junk muni bonds, for which business is booming needless to say. I don't read a lot of books on the market because I have zero intrinsic interest in this business, but did read that book and thought the author did a good job. I just finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and really enjoyed it. Not a recommend for S1 but will recommend for my mother.

college_query · 11-09-2012, 07:00 AM

Woody, hooray for power! kmcmom13, happy for your new boiler, even if it isn't flashy. FallGirl, glad you were able to speak up for yourself!

There was a round of layoffs at H's primary place of employment yesterday, which is a hospice. He was not expecting it and was a bit shaken. They let go a person or two in every area. Glad he still has a job, but his workload will increase and he will be on call more.

Hope everyone has a good Friday/weekend!

missypie · 11-09-2012, 07:17 AM

Wow, layoffs of hospice workers? Glad your H survived. Yesterday on NPR they interviewed a lady who had been laid off as a Special Ed teacher in the HS inside Cook Co. jail. I can't imagine that the need has gone down.

I am having drug side effects this morning. The pharmacy inside my building closed and now it's more inconvenient to get refills. So I waited 3 weeks and now my tolerance is gone.

Younger D is 17 today. But for 3 points on a report card grade, she would be the first of my kids that I've ever grounded. (Son had no social life so it wouldn't have mattered and older D never gave me cause.)

TheAnalyst · 11-09-2012, 07:51 AM

I am also seeing staffing cuts in the healthcare sector. As both federal (Medicare) and state (Medicaid) programs work to control healthcare costs, providers have to assume their financial situation will get worse not better, regardless of demand. Very few users of healthcare pay for that service out of pocket, so providers are at the mercy of private insurers (which have strong bargaining power on reimbursement rates and don't give anything extra away) and public payors, who are under immense pressure to become more efficient than has been the case in the past.

FallGirl · 11-09-2012, 08:18 AM

Sorry to hear about the layoffs.

mp- hope you're feeling better and that the reaction is very temporary.

analyst - I also enjoyed Major Pettigrew (and so did my mom), and relate to your not wanting to read much about your business. During my brief (5 year) time as a med tech I could not stand to read/watch tv shows about hospitals as I had enough of that at work.

H and I are hosting euchre group tomorrow night. I always look forward to playing, but in the last few years we have lost some of our regular couples to moving and other commitments and I fear that the group's days may be numbered.

(this is similar to something I posted earlier this AM- gremlins again)

NorthMinnesota · 11-09-2012, 09:56 AM

Good Morning! So glad woody has power. I was very concerned and worried. Still wish there was more we could do.
kmc...glad the boiler is fixed. I love my long hot showers! Good thing you have your hot tub!

cq...So glad your H made it through the unexpected layoffs!
FallGirl...H and I love playing euchre! There aren't very many people around here who play it. We also had a card group that played 500 once a month for 10 years that dissolved when the daughter of one of the couples broke off her engagement to one of the other couples' son!!! Two years later they got back together and married but the rift between the families is barely concealed and it is not fun to be together anymore.
missypie...ok, I will lecture you!!! Take care of yourself!!! Stay up with your meds!
TA...If you are looking for a nice read try The Secret Daughter by Gowda Shilpa. Currently reading Ru by Kim Thuy. It is more like poetry and is just a tiny little book that touches on Vietnam and Canada. The book is a bestseller in Quebec.

Modadunn · 11-09-2012, 10:59 AM

NMN - we had a similar experience here with Euchre - Maybe it's an east coast game? In any event, we were all good friends until the husband confided that to H that he was unhappy and then it came out he was having an affair with his wife's brother's wife (AKA the sister-in-law). It broke up the marriage, wrecked havoc on the family and of course, didn't last much past the finalization of the divorce.

I am back in the powder room removing the remnants of the glue. I had to let it dry out for a day or to because it was moisture was causing issue where the corners of the walls met.

Happy Birthday MissyD! Seemed to me the only person grounding ever penalized was me! We tied performance to older D's curfew. S was never an issue (and if he was grounded it was more about breaking curfew). Younger D we never had to ground and we were mostly worried about her lack of social life (only to find out the girls in her class were kind of full of themselves). Funny now that I hear that a few of the most popular and stuck up girls in her school are having issue acclimating to college. Go figure.

She finally made the roster online of her team although they got her major club team wrong and gave it to the competition. Not sure how that happened and she's not sure how to fix it without seeming petty but then too, she doesn't have a pic or a number on there yet, so there's obviously going to come a time when an update is warranted.

OK.. back to the walls........ hoping the plumber will call to say he has room to come today!

shawbridge · 11-09-2012, 11:29 AM

I thought The Big Short was outstanding. Great writing and thougtful analysis. I also enjoyed almost all of his books, starting with Liar's Poker and Moneyball, but Boomerang was a little less deep but really hilarious.

I'm investigating putting up solar cells on part of the roof, taking $$ that the insurance company would give us to replace the slate roof and using them for solar.

ShawSon had a second phone interview with the research job -- with the best academics in the field and he would be close to home. They will be deciding by Thanksgiving and are hiring 3 kids who are all really strong and their is probably latitude for real recognition of ShawSon's excellence. But, it's more of the same as what he's been doing just with superb mentors. It would be a great jumping off place to apply for a PhD but he wouldn't have time to fully explore the other options that are popping up (money management, big technology firm that has now contacted him, smaller firm with management training, possibly a couple of trading firms). It would, however, be a placeholder and he could apply for for those kinds of jobs for the next summer/year. Not sure as I would really like him to get a flavor of non-academic jobs to see what matches his skills/temperament the best. Then again, he hasn't been offered anything, so maybe this is needless worrying.

shawbridge · 11-09-2012, 11:30 AM

TA, that reminds me. Are there parts of the insurance business that want really smart, creative people (especially those with mathematical skills)? Reinsurance, maybe?

TheAnalyst · 11-09-2012, 12:03 PM

shawbridge, since you ask, my instincts for your S is to try to find a small boutique firm that will give him his head to figure out how to make them money, regardless of what business they run. He should be happty with a very low base in exchange for a high bonus or commission. That compensation structure lessens the risk to the firm, which means they will be less likely to want to micromanage him. The big firms have all moved away from this as they need their rainmakers to cross subsidize the masses. I think the business that the firm is in is far less important than the level of freedom they will give to your S and how your S is compensated. He seems like the type to want a direct reward for his efforts, whether in the form of a grade or dollars. I'm not sure how doing research fits with that idea.

missypie · 11-09-2012, 12:05 PM

Yesterday Son went to a classmate's house and they finished filming their 3 minute short for Directing class that involved a flying, flaming stuffed animal that caused all the smoke detectors to go off. The classmate is a married guy with 2 kids. I wonder if it is worse for your wife to come home to a charred stuffed animal on the driveway and the house reeking of smoke than for your mother to come home to the same scene?

It is a rather serendipitous pairing, Son and this classmate. Classmate is a very religious, very conservative guy and Son is rather outspoken in his socially liberal views. Nice that they could spend the afternoon together bonding over silly (but dangerous) stuff so soon after the election. Maybe our President and the Speaker of the House should be required to team up to make a 3 minute video that they have to write, shoot, edit, score and produce themselves. ObamaBoehner Productions. "Hey John, remember when we burned a hole in the bedspread in the Lincoln Bedroom?" "Barak, I thought the Secret Service was going to drown us with fire extinguishers."

Zetesis · 11-09-2012, 01:03 PM

Quote:

3 minute short for Directing class that involved a flying, flaming stuffed animal

I want to see this.