<p>Missypie, I’m sorry your mother is going through all of this. My father died in 2006; guess what? Our wonderful city bureaucracy is still sending Mom bills in his name; she’s given them a death certificate, gone in person, you name it; “it should be correct next cycle.” Famous last words. I firmly believe offices that provide service to the public need to have a bereavement specialist who understands how sad it is to get that monthly reminder and the importance of transitioning things without disruption or stress.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Turbo Tax made me laugh. One of the questions it asks is whether either of the joint filers have passed away. Once we clicked the “yes” box, Turbo Tax told us it was very sorry for our loss, then asked for the date of death. Interestingly, although Dad’s name was first on the return, after Turbo Tax knew he was dead, it addressed its questions to Mom.</p>
<p>My husband uses Turbotax. That seems nice that they have that built into their system to acknowledge a loss. Sorry to hear your mom had to go through that with getting things turned off. That really does make no sense </p>
<p>Happy Valentine’s Day to all!</p>
<p>When I made the mistake of telling the utility company that MIL had died (because she was getting a preferential rate for users of oxygen concentrators for which she no longer qualified) I was required to establish a new account, put in a new deposit, and so on even though it was being paid from the exact same trust account as before. Very annoying.</p>
<p>We are having trouble with our email opening. H was changing things on the computer during the same time frame that CC was hacked so it is most likely from his work.
Is anyone else having problems?</p>
<p>Older D texts that she has become annoyed, because news of her 100 has gotten around and now people are “obsessively” asking her how she studies. As if she’s discovered some magic trick or something. We’ve decided she should tell everyone that she constantly eats celery or some other food, maybe that highlights things with a pink highlighter, etc. just to see if she can get others to do the same.</p>
<p>I guess the real answer is just too dull for other students to believe…that she read everything over and over again and worked every single example problem (or whatever one has in Accounting.)</p>
<p>I just started following an internship site on Twitter. My, my, most of the internships advertised are unpaid and I bet that virtually all of them are technically illegal. I know that this conversation has been done to death on CC, but it really is exploitative to try to get so much free work out of college students. And I just love the ones - again, unpaid - that say “must be able to work at least 20 hours a week.”</p>
<p>missy…I am surprised that people are asking D1 about test. My D1 goes to a smaller U and people have no idea how other students do. Did the prof put her out there as an example??? That is uncalled for!</p>
<p>I was taking some stuff to the recyling and while in my robe was admiring the sky. It was a little bit clear and some stars and as it was about 11 pm I did a little dance–and then I saw a mouse run in the front door!!!
Woke H up who was not impressed. We had a mountain cabin for 10 years and cleaned up many a mess but this little guy was seen! So I am totally creeped out and H not at all–he did find a trap and put it out (not sure why we have one, as in 11 years have not needed one and now no one is even awake to hear me!–I found a turd in the guest bath so best bet is that he went into our bedroom that is a few feet away.
I lived in the country for many years of hippiedome days–what has happened to me!!</p>
<p>Eeek, oregon101! I share your dislike of mice. H told me he saw one in our living room last week, after I had gone to bed one night. He put out a trap with some string cheese. The string cheese disappeared but the trap was empty. He re-loaded with some provolone, and this time the trap was not empty. I suggested that perhaps the mouse was in a “friends and family” plan but H said he was pretty sure it came in when he had a nearby outside door open, which I wasn’t aware of. But I’ve been a little uneasy ever since.</p>
<p>Hope everyone had a nice Valentine’s Day! I’ve been trying to be careful about calories, and H purchased some nice chocolates, but very thoughtfully purchased all his favorite flavors, so hopefully I won’t be tempted too long. Had a nice dinner out. H was amazed so many people were out for dinner last night. I think in the past we have typically gone out to celebrate on an evening other than Valentine’s Day, probably working around the kids’ schedules, which we didn’t have to do this year.</p>
<p>Too busy at work, as usual. Implementing a new LMS (learning management system) with a VERY short time frame. The only good part is it’s our third time in 10 years (LMS vendors keep getting acquired and product discontinued) so we know the routine.</p>
<p>D reported she found a nice on-campus job to get her through the end of the year and graduation. Her former off-campus job ended when the store discontinued the brand and closed. They did give her a nice severance package, though. She’s working for the campus police office, helping with ID replacement and also gets to drive a little vehicle to transport people who need assistance getting places (usually people who have handicap access). She’s found knowing how to drive to be a great asset. A lot of students on campus are from huge cities with public transportation systems and don’t drive. Who knew growing up in a state where kids can get a restricted license at 14 would be such a benefit!</p>
<p>Hope everyone has a great weekend!</p>
<p>Still can’t get into the parent’s forum but can find this thread via search. No answer to my inquiry on the “contact us” but I realized I may not have had the appropriate box checked that allows them to send me an email so I changed that setting. This is a busy time at work so I suppose it’s just as well I can’t easily procrastinate with cc reading.</p>
<p>c-q, congrats on the new job for your D. Yikes on the mouse. I would be terrified.</p>
<p>Cool about the job, c_q. </p>
<p>Mice are cute in the pet store, even outside. Inside…no way! Many years ago when I was single and had indoor cats, I heard a very odd noise, followed by one of the cats bringing a live mouse for me to see. I shooed them both out of the bedroom, the next time I saw the cat, no mouse. I went to work, thinking that I would come home to a dead mouse. No. I heard a rustling behind the curtains. I put on some boots, got the broom, and shooed the little guy out of the house. I guess the cats were too well fed.</p>
<p>Yes, older D’s prof made a comment to the class about, “Now I know who I’m going to call on”, which mortifies D, because as I mentioned, she’s still lost in class most of the time.</p>
<p>Yuck, mice creep me out. Several years ago I saw on in the kitchen one morning and I kept looking for it all day. It finally resurfaced and I unsuccessfully chased it around with a broom trying to shoo it outside. Some time after that I heard my beagle bark and turned out she had caught it and “presented” it to me like a cat would. Who knew?</p>
<p>We found that peanut butter works better than cheese. :D</p>
<p>Yeah, you can leave those peanut butter traps out forever and they still get mice. We have them set all the time in the garage.</p>
<p>D has a single now, as roommate moved into her own single. She has found pals other ways, so no loss.</p>
<p>I have slipped now three times on ice at the driveway end. I am ready for a melt!</p>
<p>H and I worked for several summers as backcountry rangers; the cabin we lived in (“miles from nowhere…”) was a sieve, and we had to lock everything away at nights, because the mice came in droves. They ate or gnawed anything that tasted like food – or that had sweat, was leather, etc. And we slept in sleeping bags on the floor … can hardly bear to remember it now!</p>
<p>CountingDown is so right: peanut butter is much more effective at catching mice.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>OMG, Zetesis. Were you ever aware of being nibbled on at night? My dad always had a tiny scar that was a result of being nibbled on by a rat in his crib.</p>
<p>Good Morning! Had a very nice Valentine’s Day. D1 was passing through town with her work people so H and I were able to meet her for a drink. Nice to visit for a bit. H then made dinner for me which was a huge surprise since he does not cook! He picked up chicken breasts stuffed with wild rice and cashews that just needed to be baked and then made spinach salads with craisins,edamame and slivered almonds. Not bad for a first time dinner. He also gave me a gift certificate for a facial and a massage. I guess I need to send the wrong texts to him more often! ;)</p>
<p>I can handle mice but bats are darn right spooky!</p>
<p>Good luck TA! Hope they get it figured out for you.</p>
<p>cq…Who knew so many kids couldn’t drive!</p>
<p>No nibbles, but I often pulled my head under the covers to avoid even the possibility … of having a mouse run over my face. Truly, they were always more terrified of us than we of them, but still…</p>
<p>We used peanut butter but the trap is still empty. When H saw the turd behind the guest bath door he said it looked bigger than he remembered. Yuck, what if it is a rat?
I think it ran into the music room that is piled high with S’s clothes in bags getting ready for charity. We need to take pictures as this year it is going to really add up and need records. So guess what I have decided H is going to have to do with me this weekend?
Love (or hate) your stories. Will try provelone too. Intend to go buy a dozen and hope we succeed. Sleeping with mice on the floor with me…ick! I think of mice just in the kitchen, it is really buggin me to think he could pop out in my bedroom.</p>