<p>Eddie - I apologize for not mentioning it but I do so hope the sun shines for you soon. I know that funk and it’s not fun in the least.</p>
<p>MNM - not sure what their motivation is, but I am guessing they are in more of a hurry than we are since they’re transferring here from KC and closed on their own house last week. They wanted an early closing, which we are happy to do, but not at that price. THey need to come up about 25K. And when talking about a mortgage, that is not that much to them, but is a lot to us. We’ll see. My neighbor who put her house up as well had the floor refinishers there yesterday and the interior pictures of her house aren’t up yet either! Kind of ticked to be honest but not sure even her ex husband who is the friend we kept, knew.</p>
<p>NM, thanks for asking. Fang Jr is currently working half-time as a volunteer in a Goodwill-like store, doing stocking, while he looks for a paid job. His program is supporting him in this: he is in a group of students who all work at the Goodwill, and the program is helping him make a resume, get job applications, and all the other aspects of job searching and holding down a job once he has it. </p>
<p>So many things that are obvious to neurotypicals are not obvious to him. This job search support is necessary and helpful. Plus, seemingly, the job at Goodwill is not bad. He has never had a regular job, so he is getting satisfaction from getting things accomplished, and he likes having a routine established by someone else. (With his executive function problems, establishing a routine for himself is extremely difficult.) I think he is relieved that he is in a situation where he can succeed.</p>
<p>Moda - Good luck on the cold. I’m in day 12 and finally starting to feel human again.</p>
<p>CF - Good news – sounds like your son is making progress!</p>
<p>Not much for us. D is still trying to figure out what she is going to do after graduation. She is starting to figure out what she doesn’t want to do but still no – yes – that’s it! hurrah. Ugh. This is what happens when you go through 3.5 years of school with the idea that you are going on to grad school and then abruptly decide that no – your done!</p>
<p>Now the what to do with a bachelors in math and science. If anyone has any great ideas let me know. She has decided that she doesn’t want to write SW or be an actuary. Okay but what do you WANT to do? We paid a fortune for her education. I hope that she picks something other than working at Walmart! She has done well in school – not great – but well. She will probably graduate with a 3.4 or 3.5 so not bad. The only thing she does know is she wants to live/work in Me, Mass, NH, RI, or VT. Not that she is narrowing anything down! I know – this will all work out. I just need to keep telling myself that!</p>
<p>Tough one, RM. Hope she finds her passion! </p>
<p>I have a friend whose D is going through the same thing. The family paid full freight at Carleton where the D majored in math. Brilliant young woman. As graduation approaches she has no idea what she wants to do so is thinking about applying to Americorps. Has that deadline passed??? Anyway, the mom, who is a big muckity-muck, hardworking attorney for an international corporation, is just beside herself. The D has talked about going back to school to get a teaching degree if she can’t figure out what she wants to do. The parents have made a few side remarks about how she could have gone to a less expensive school and had the degree in 4 years. I never say a word!</p>
<p>LOL. I have kind of the opposite concern in that I suspect McSon may in fact be pretty non-discriminating in his job search ultimately and I’d actually rather he went back for a masters in composition But we’ll see. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with these perfectly respectable multimedia/graphic/production jobs he’s started applying for, but he was already trained and competent at THAT kind of work back in 2009 I think the fear has him by the you-know-whats – fear of creating, instead of making. But that’s his business now ;)</p>
<p>I’m staying in another fabulous hotel in Mexico City. Lovely courtyard in the middle of a bustling city. I had a huitlacoche and zucchini blossom omelet this morning. Just fabulous. The hotel should be good given the absurdly high rate we are paying. My client’s administrative staff seems marginal on a good day. They forgot to make reservations for us – they have always done so before but somehow thought one of my admin people would do so. I checked on Sunday and lo and behold, they had no rooms booked for me or for one of my employees. Very few rooms were left and the price was pretty high (although I never saw the bills from my other trips).</p>
<p>Busy work day, but very satisfying. I’m mentoring the young woman I hired a year ago. Lots of skill; simultaneously nice, warm, and odd/difficult personality. So, she’s doing a great job, but says stuff that is just inappropriate. One of my more senior employees seems a) threatened by her; and b) focused on the quirky and sometimes inappropriate behavior. I’ve got to figure out how to guide her.</p>
<p>After work, we went to a brilliant nouvelle Mexican restaurant. Can’t go to sleep because I ate too much, but it was sensational. Ingredients mostly highly indigenous – spices the Aztecs used, etc. Tomorrow night, I will go with the CEO of the client to an excellent Peruvian restaurant. </p>
<p>Good morning. I never thought I’d be so grateful for 50 degrees and a little sun! To celebrate the minor shift in the weather, mch and I had drinks after work with an old friend. I managed somehow to stay under my caloric budget and still squeeze in 3 glasses of Pinot Grigio…thank goodness there was sole on the menu Mch, on the other hand, ordered this gigantic triple-decker sandwich that would have fed a family of four…but then he actually removed more than half the bread and only ate the meat. This is kind of a “landmark moment” in his refusal to act like he’s dieting in a restaurant. In truth, I suspect he actually just COULDN’T eat it all…but hey, I’ll take any sign of cooperation I can!</p>
<p>Good morning! I hate trying to get ready to take time off, because there’s too much to do! Leaving later this afternoon for a conference in Philadelphia. Of course a crisis de jour at work this week meant I worked until 10 pm last night. Yuck. </p>
<p>shawbridge, the food sounds delicious. Colleagues keep telling me about places to eat while I’m at the conference; unfortunately I have been trying to be very careful about what I eat so need to avoid all the places they have recommended.</p>
<p>eddieodessa, thinking of you . . . </p>
<p>D has decided to make a quick trip home in a few weeks. She has been busy applying for jobs. Her bf has decided to attend graduate school in Chicago, which is much closer to us than the east coast. She is still in the running for some of the opportunities she’s applied for so depending on how things turn out, doesn’t know where she’ll be. Some of the opportunities start right after graduation, which is why she’s visiting home this month.</p>
<p>Finishing laundry, need to start packing/get myself together. Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!</p>
<p>Up early to organize and then out to run errands. Need to get to the stone showroom to pick out stone for the two fireplaces at the cabin and then off to meet some girlfriends for dinner. Will start scrapping after that and finish up on Sunday. Staycations just aren’t the same as real vacations…especially if there is rain and possibly snow showers in the forecast!</p>
<p>cq…hope you some fun down time!</p>
<p>shaw…sounds wonderful!</p>
<p>kmc…I will also be trying to negotiate the treacherous path between having wine with girlfriends and watching what I consume! Sounds like your H is making appropriate choices!</p>
<p>The inlaws’ plane leaves in a few minutes. It will be nice to have time at home with no guests, no company, not so much basketball to watch. I need to pull out all the winter plants/flowers. There are some relatively minor things we would like to do to the yard and house but I always have to wait until the tax guy tells us where we are to plan expenditures. We just received our K1s at work this week, so the last minute thing is not (always) my fault.</p>
<p>Beautiful day here – but Shawbridge’s dinner out sounds a lot better than ours. (Though we did fire up the charcoal grill last night.) We’re into almost-spring here, which is exceedingly pleasant. Drowning in paperwork to support tax returns for six different taxpayers including a trust, our HOA, a partnership, and two for my deceased m-i-l – and then our own. Even though I’m not doing all these returns, the paperwork required is scarily voluminous and it is frustrating that none of them are done, and the accountant preparing two of the returns that feed information to our return hasn’t finished with them. (All are in the 70-95% done phase, which means none of the papers can be really put away yet.) </p>
<p>NM – I’m trying to get back on the wagon too. Had a protein shake this morning. Need to get rid of the flubber that accumulated over the winter. </p>
<p>New learning: we have mink in our creek. Or so the wildlife people tell us. More than ever I want to get a critter cam set up to see all the goings on at night. And how’s this for ick: the biggest predator for mink? Other mink. And that’s just plain nasty.</p>
<p>North Korea: Utterly out of my control = not going to spend time worrying.</p>
<p>After watching the entire West Wing last year, Son and I now view these crises through the eyes as Leo and President Bartlet, etc., sitting in the Sit Room being briefed.</p>
<p>Of course, that’s not to say that I don’t stress about other things that are beyond my control but are more immediately connected to me…e.g., what score D will get on her ACT, whether a flight will be on time, etc.</p>
<p>I do think about North Korea, but that’s sort of a busman’s holiday for me. I’m always looking at situations like that and how people handle them (well, poorly, creatively, etc.).</p>
<p>I haven’t been to Madrid in a long time O101, but I had a very nice stay at the Ritz. In Barcelona, I had a great stay at the Hotel Arts (by the water) and at the Le Meridien (somewhat faded glory but great service).</p>
<p>I don’t have the patience to think meaningfully about North Korea without my thoughts devolving into what arabrab might call “mink think.” On one hand, the little voice in my head says “Sonny, don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.” I’m sick of delusional idiots and feel somehow that if we’d use it, the collective world citizenry has the power via forms of global communication to put an end to unilateral despots. However, I remain increasingly unconvinced that the collective world citizenry has evolved sufficiently or possesses the attention span to USE its power entirely to the good. And of course, a few EMPs would alter the face of that potential.</p>
<p>So I suppose my instinct is to ignore the little wack-job and have America mind its American business…of which there is no shortage…but that kind of thinking has served other bad actors and nut jobs well on the world stage. Which is why I would be a terrible world leader and the mothership should come get me soon ;)</p>
<p>Mmmmm, mink, I love Mink, they’re delicious! (Just kidding…)
As a species, however, it is unfortunate that we share traits with the mink. </p>
<p>So Shaw, you’re a much more disciplined diplomat than I. What might you do to quell the Junior in NK?
(And btw, there should be a world law where sons never follow their fathers in office…it makes for way too much international drama that, cooked down, amounts to “look at me Dad!”)</p>
<p>RE: worrying. I spent my entire childhood worrying about something (everything!) that never happened. I changed in my late teens and became much less a worrier. That lasted several years, until I had S. For some reason I was very laid back with my first child but have worried every day with the second. Among other things I am currently worried about college admissions next year, so as for N. Korea I am not thinking about it as my worry quota has been reached.</p>
<p>It is a beautiful morning for the first time in ages! Will be taking the dog on a long walk as soon as I get in gear. Worked a lot this week (quarter end), but don’t have to go in today. Playing euchre tonight. Counting the small blessings.</p>
But we’ll see. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with these perfectly respectable multimedia/graphic/production jobs he’s started applying for, but he was already trained and competent at THAT kind of work back in 2009