Parents of the HS Class of 2009 (Part 1)

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
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<p>So sorry, oregon. I admit that I was amused at the juxtaposition of those comments, as if you were moving to Spain for good, to get away from the situation.</p>

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<p>That describes me perfectly. I always hate hearing folks say “just find a sport you enjoy”…well, that hasn’t happened yet, no fun to always be the worst. (In college, a group of us took Fencing. No one in the class had ever fenced and I practiced and practiced and was determined to be good at it and at the end was far and away the worst in the class. [Not my imagination - we had a “fence off” at the end of the semester and I came in last.])</p>

<p>I agree about other threads and other boards. Did you see the last episode of Thirty Rock, where Liz is on some board asking about bicycles and everything she writes is met with mean comments?</p>

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<p>Hoping to have a nice quiet evening at home. Will see how that goes!</p>

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<p>yep–moving to Spain to get away from my family :).
They have accused me of moving to Oregon for the same. I did not but it did turn out for the best.
Tickets purchased. Should be fun
Mom called here and did not want to talk to me–just to H and go over her meds (all more than he would ever agree to on his own). And went on and on. I was smiling ear to ear as he needs a dose now and then.</p>

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<p>to all of us non sportsy folks (archery was my only good thing. Got a “D” in badmitten)
Try Kettlebells–they really are fun and great workout. I hate clubs as it is all toooo sweaty and stinky for me.</p>

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<p>Waiting for the big storm here. Snow day! They announced closings last night - snow was supposed to start last night, but hadn’t yet when I went to bed. When I got up to take the dogs out, I peeked out the window to determine what kind of footwear I needed. Snow hadn’t started yet. It just started while I was out with the dogs!</p>

<p>We did NOT rush to the grocery store last night - were reports that the shelves were empty anyway. But now I’m noticing all the things we’re out of or almost out of! </p>

<p>Missypie, I’m another one without an ounce of athletic ability. I was supposed to have a fitness assessment this morning at our wellness center (been putting it off since fall) but rescheduled for yesterday morning due to the forecast. Our wellness coordinator was asking what kind of activities I enjoyed. I don’t like to run. I find aerobics completely stressful because I can never figure out the “steps” and am always behind. I do like walking and swimming.</p>

<p>Just looked up kettlebells - wondering if I would hurt myself or someone else? </p>

<p>NorthMinnesota, hope you had that quiet evening at home!</p>

<p>oregon101, Spain sounds lovely!</p>

<p>RochesterMom, I would feel the same way. I guess you just need to move on and hope for the best. It sounded like a really great opportunity and I hope in hindsight it won’t be a huge mistake.</p>

<p>Missypie, hugs to your D. It’s hard when they are hurting.</p>

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<p>I hope things are looking up for MissyD. It is very, very tough when they are disappointed. </p>

<p>I’d like to join the club of non-athletes. Putting one foot in front of the other is about all I can manage most days. Oregon, my kettlebell is due to arrive today and I am really excited to try it out. Sabadog will be resting in his crate for his own protection! :wink: I also get in quite a few walks during the day and I also like the elliptical. Too bad we can’t be workout buddies! Sabadog and I finished our class and are now signed up for another. I am really enjoying it; if you ask him if he wants to go to class, he just goes nuts wanting to get in the car. I guess he likes it too. </p>

<p>D got an email asking her to rank her choice of start dates from several options, so now the search for housing will begin in earnest.</p>

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<p>Disclosure: I failed archery in HS PE because I could not hit the target even once in 6 weeks. At the time I claimed that I could not see it (but I was wearing my contacts). </p>

<p>Spain sounds lovely, oregon, enjoy!</p>

<p>C_Q and everyone else in the storm area, take care and be safe.</p>

<p>RM - I completely agree with you re:interview. Frustrating when you can’t get them to take your advice. On the other hand, she seems to know what she does/doesn’t want and something will come up.</p>

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<p>I guess I am a “former” athlete. :wink: I did play competitive tennis for many years and actually made it to Nationals for several years. I have also played in volleyball, bowling and golf leagues. Now I just walk, hike and ride the recumbent bike. Just be careful with the kettlebell workouts. That is how I injured my back. I am hoping to start golfing again with my family this summer. If I could just be consistent with exercising!</p>

<p>We are also getting snow starting late tonight, only 4 inches or so and then more early next week.</p>

<p>I am in talks with a girlfriend to make plans to go to Europe in September. Her daughter will be studying at the London School of Economics next fall semester and my friend wants someone to go with her to visit her daughter. I hope it works out! :)</p>

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<p>Last night H and I Skyped for the first time. H was talking to older D on the phone and she said they should Skype, so Son showed us how. (I bought a camera for our desk top Christmas of 2011 but we had never used it.) D seems fine. She’s already to the “screw 'em” stage in her disappointment (which is a bit further than I gotten.) </p>

<p>In school archery, I hit the target at the very closest distance (20 feet?) But my technique must have been terrible because my arm was so bruised I must have looked like a junkie. I am actually very fortunate to have been in school pre-title IX because if “everyone” had been doing sports, I would have been more of an outcast than I already was.</p>

<p>Fallgirl, your story reminded me of a story James Thurber told in his autobiography. He was blind in one eye and had poor vision in the other-he and his brother were actually playing William Tell and James got an arrow to the eye. His mom was a Christian Scientist so she didn’t take him to the doctor for some time, so by then his “good eye” was also damaged. Anyway, he failed college bio twice because he could never see out of the miscroscope. Obviously the pre disablities rights era.</p>

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<p>I actually was an athlete in HS – basketball, field hockey, track, cross country (2 fall sports which was interesting on somedays!). I tell my H that when I finished track in my senior year I hung up my competitive genes and decided to become a couch potato. I think I was just burned out. So many years later I am very over weight. I also did horseback riding – just for fun in HS and college and I think that helped keep the weight off – it’s a lot more work than one might think! These days I don’t even think I could get on a horse say anything about if the horse could move if I DID get on :)</p>

<p>Thanks for letting me vent yesterday. We found out that she had told the company no interview over the weekend and I was just stewing about it. I know that things will work out. She is a smart kid – I just think that she has enjoyed college so much that she doesn’t want it to end. She needs to get in the right frame of mind though and seriously look for a job. I think once some of her friends at college start getting offers she will be more inclined to get serious. Currently none of her friends have anything lined up so that is not putting any pressure on her.</p>

<p>Oh well – I’m looking forward to my cruise in March! Between D and my job I need a break!!!</p>

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<p>MP, for the next step, techy kids are now using Google Hangouts, though you need to register with Google+ for this, I’m pretty sure. You can have multiperson video calls.</p>

<p>Athletics. I played one varsity sport in HS and another one in college (NCAA and AAU). Minor sports. I was never that good but worked hard on making my teammates better. I rowed single sculls in grad school for exercise. My body is still geared to 4 PM - 6 PM practices – I hate getting up in the morning to exercise as my muscles are tight. I have a natural slowdown at 3 PM – I always have my two shots of espresso (usually in a latte) right about then, but in an ideal world, I’d head off to exercise. But, it’s hard to stop in the middle of the day to exercise.</p>

<p>ShawWife and I returned to our house from Florida. We expected the painting to be done but the several of the crew had gone for school break so one lonely guy was painting. She has developed an allergy to all of the construction dust/chemicals (rash, breathing, …) so we headed to a hotel for two nights. Not so bad today, but we may be in a hotel for a few days. If so, I’m thinking we go to NY for the weekend. Anyone seen any good dramas in NY? Likely off Broadway.</p>

<p>We’ve arranged for the floor sanding when I’m in Mexico so she’s going to come with me and hopefully stay in the Kobe bling/two girls suite. But, I think we’ll have to take a side trip someplace to make it long enough for the foul stuff to stop bothering her.</p>

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<p>Oh my, so much going on here!!
Hi to everyone…impressed by HS/college days of glory. PE in my HS was a choice between ballet and modern dance, so not much opportunity to test my physical prowess but I have a pretty good idea of how horrible I would be!
oregon - I have to warn you…my H’s completely narcissistic grandmother refused to eat in the dining room of her nursing room. (She actually just wanted to make someone do something ‘special’ for her.) As a result, they found her face down dead in her beef stew one evening after choking on a piece of beef…and no one around to do the Heimlich.</p>

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<p>Hi all – just poking my head in quickly after long early a.m. meeting. Will catch up tomorrow, but Shaw, how about The Book of Mormon for a good broadway play?
Rave reviews and I’d be there in a heartbeat if I could rationalize a getaway at the moment.</p>

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<p>Sabaray, is your D using a rule of thumb to determine how much rent she can afford? I am starting to think about how to advise S2 on this point. He will be inclined to look for the cheapest housing he can find. I’m thinking I may need to encourage him to pay a little more so he isn’t living in a bug-infested unit where the air conditioning and laundry machines are always broken, but I don’t want him to stretch his budget too much. It makes sense to base rent on a percentage of his take-home pay, but I find take-home hard to estimate without knowing his health insurance plan and other deductions. I have seen 28% of gross as a rule of thumb, but that seems high to me. </p>

<p>RM, the fact that she was sought out for that job means your D is an attractive candidate so I’m sure she will get other opportunities, but I feel your pain. I was like you on the athlete front. Played field hockey, soccer, and volleyball in both high school and in the military. Also rode horses (English and Western competitions). Used to do a lot of hiking as well. Now I am an overweight couch potato. </p>

<p>Our family is taking a tour of Ireland in June. S2 had expressed interest in doing that with us. Since S2 rarely wants to travel, H leaped to book it immediately.</p>

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<p>Good Morning - Early Afternoon?</p>

<p>I think I am kind of caught up… and will start with YEAH Analyst’s S!! That is awesome and well deserved. As my S likes to respond to good news, Woot!</p>

<p>Don’t know if there was a lead in to MissyPie’s D’s disappointment, but I hate to hear my kids cry (unless I’ve caused the tears :slight_smile: Kidding - kinda.</p>

<p>Went to TN and had a good couple of days with my Mom, have a new appreciation for her husband and realized just how great my H is to have around to keep up lively banter about nothing at all. My mom gave me my grandmother’s gold charm bracelet and while we removed some of the charms that were too large for me, most remaining very much apply to my own life now as well. I kept both mine and my mother’s “heads.” Mom has a jeweler who will buy gold and so I’ve encouraged her whatever she can. She also, surprisingly, gave me one of her rings, my childhood favorite. It’s a band of half sapphires and half rubies with two hinged (kinda) bands of diamonds that allow you to wear the ring a lot of different ways including on a chain. While the bracelet is fun, I haven’t taken the ring off. </p>

<p>It was great to see D, where they won their season opener. Small brag, but what was most fun was introducing ourselves in the stands and hearing how D’s reputation as a great teammate proceeded her. Lots of kind supportive words starting with, “Oh! My D tells me your daughter is a great player.” Then after the game, D told us she was named the Team’s Unsung Hero of the Week - a little honor given every week of the season. Not bad for a kid that didn’t play! She seems to much happier now. Today they left for the east coast for the weekend. They literally fly everywhere they go AND are treated very well.</p>

<p>Confession: I made raisin oatmeal cookies at my Mom’s. She couldnt find my grandmother’s recipe and so we used the one off the back of a can of Organic Oven Toasted Oatmeal. Honestly, they were the best oatmeal cookies I’ve ever made. I think it was the oven toasted oatmeal, my mom thinks it could have been that I used sea salt (mostly because I didn’t know it was sea salt) and her oven is perfectly calibrated, which I am now convinced my oven desperately needs. Recipe said 10-12 minutes and it was exactly 12 minutes for cookie perfection. These cookies were SO good that when D got off the plane upon her return to school, she texted, “Your cookies were a hit” and then, “Seriously, everyone was obsessed with them and are disappointed you aren’t coming next weekend…thank you so much!!” And yes, I’ve memorized just about every line because this is so not her typical MO. Mostly, it’s radio silence. I think she might be loosening up, but still… two exclamation marks is a big deal for her. She never uses punctuation in text. :)</p>

<p>As to other threads… I venture every now and then, but mostly it’s a massive repeat (and defensiveness) that seems to encourage a lot of “I know best” mentality. I guess it’s easier to pounce and judge when you don’t actually have to look anyone in the eye. Not sure there, but mostly I stay here with the wonderful group we’ve created.</p>

<p>You guys are all such worldly travelers and I am just excited to be going to California at the end of March! We are forever making command appearances it seems leaving personal choice for vacation dollars very limited, especially this year - the absolutely most expensive year in the history of our lives to date. I am thinking of having a plaque made.</p>

<p>On the home front -literally. The stager I thought I had hired simply was just too unreliable to count on. I really liked him - when I heard from him. Was horrible at responding to email, texts and phone calls. Was late or missed appointments and never seemed to remember my “story” - tad annoyed. So the realtor brought in a staging Company who made me feel as if every accessory I had in my house was horrible and I need to replace it all with their accessories package to the tune of 3 grand (umm, no), not to mention the condescending sales pitch and punch list that included removing magazine from my kitchen counter and making mention of a sweatshirt laying over a chair in my bedroom. So now I’ve reached out to a friend of mine’s stager and hope she will work on a hourly basis to just put stuff as it should be and I will pack up the rest. If NorthMN wasn’t so busy with her own remodel, I would hire her! Seriously, it shouldnt be this hard and while I want to show this house in it’s best light… everyone who comes through the door has an opinion, some very conflicting. Paint the foyer to No! Don’t paint the foyer. So guess what? I am not painting the foyer. Duh.</p>

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<p>Ah, bug infested units,TA. That is what I’d like S2 to avoid as well. S1 rented a house with 4 of his college buddies after graduation. The landlord of course neglected to inform them there had been a roach problem. It was a decent small house in Arlington but they moved out after a year, partly because the roach problem never really got resolved. The landlord would send someone over to treat but they would always come back. I think they just got tired of dealing with it and really got tired of dealing with the landlord.</p>

<p>I can’t get S2 to think about housing yet. He says things woudn’t be available this far out anyway and his older brother kind of backs him up on that. So, I imagine he really won’t start looking in earnest for housng until after he graduates.</p>

<p>I was /am not athetic at all. Tried tennis lessons with some friends in HS but was the only one who was left handed. Didn’t help that the instructor pretty much said do the opposite of what we’re doing! Only left handed person in my golf class in college too!Walking for exercise would be the most appealing thing for me. Husband and sons are all athletic though.</p>

<p>All the upcoming trips sound fun-cruise,Spain,Ireland!</p>

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<p>Here is what I am wondering. If all of you athletic ladies had been in my PE class in HS (sorry Shaw but gym class was segregated by gender back then), would you have been nice to me or mean to me? Would I still have been chosen last and yelled at when I couldn’t do whatever I needed to do with the ball in question?</p>

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<p>Moda…nice of you to say that! I would trust your gut when making decisions about painting/staging. Parade of Homes is in March. I think you should try to do some tours and look at how things are set up and take notes on what you think would work in your space. Also check out staging blogs online. You could also post pictures on Gardenweb in one of their forums and they seem to be very helpful in giving advice. When interviewing a stager make sure you tell them what your budget is…don’t let them tell you what they want to spend. </p>

<p>Hope some of these tips are helpful to you.
[20</a> Top Home and Virtual Staging Tips «](<a href=“http://virtuallystagingproperties.com/20-top-home-and-virtual-staging-tips/]20”>Tips for Staging a Home for Sale - Virtually Staging Properties)</p>

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<p>TA, I think 28% of gross is reasonable, particularly if he is going to be living alone. D has found that many of her peers are paying far more than that, but that is in the D.C. area. I would not doubt that rents are substantially lower where S2 is headed. If D ends up living alone, she may go up to 35% but she wants more from her housing than your son does, I suspect. </p>

<p>There are also a number of online calculators that purport to compute take-home pay based upon the information you input. We’re going to run those numbers prior to heading up to look at some properties - the reality of taxes may cause D to rethink the level of rent she is comfortable with. I am hoping she will be able to find a roommate; most of her close friends are headed out of the area, which is too bad. </p>

<p>I did run track in high school and cross country for a spell in college, but I was never a star. Anything that involved a ball was an absolute fail for me. I do enjoy ice skating and took many years of lessons but never competed. Sailing is also fun! </p>

<p>Moda, welcome back. I’m glad that things are going so well for your D. Nice to have the respect of your teammates.</p>

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<p>On the whole athletic thing… I was a cheerleader in HS and college. And was an equestrian at boarding school. I can ski - both water and snow and I used to be a pretty decent tennis player. And back when oldest D was a tot, I used to teach aerobics! That all seems like a life time ago. Now most of my cheering is done from the stands and if one could burn calories to do that (vs eating candy in nervous habit), I’d be awesome!</p>

<p>And I don’t recall our PE classes being uber competitive, but if you had the same sense of humor as you do now, Missy - I have no doubt you would have been on my team. I was not a very serious kid in PE, this is certain.</p>

<p>PS… thanks for the link! off to take it to task.</p>