Parents of the HS Class of 2009 (Part 1)

Parents of HS Class of 20xx
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<p>I have no idea how I will get our grill off the deck in the current weather….or rather depth of snow. I guess nothing major showed up via inspection, so that’s good. Still don’t know what did show up, but i am sure we’ll hear eventually.</p>

<p>Woody - S is currently living with his GF and her two roommates. Bought a clothes rack from “some store called Home Goods” and actually set up a nice little compact closet for himself. Im not sure when he’ll start looking for a place of his own but for now just getting his feet wet. He has no less than five people who all have places where he can stay, but at this point, while further uptown than he wants to be, this is working great for now (so I think - haven’t really talked to him). He should however be getting his MCAT score back soon…….</p>

<p>They’re dropping off the radon test today. Our closing is March 20. Insane.</p>

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<p>That seems really fast Moda. I’ve been trying to figure out when D should start seriously looking. She would like to not renew her lease and have something to move into in Sept. I did just spy a really nice looking property on line that is within what they believe is their price range (haven’t gone in to get prequalified yet).</p>

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<p>Happy vicarious househunting RM. Moda, if you are at the end and they are still negotiating, say no. To close off a deal, you can offer a choice: Price X with the furniture (or whatever); Price Y without. You choose. If the market has turned up in the area, you may not need to accept a weak deal.</p>

<p>We’re hoping the sun lasts so the roofing guys and fix the studio roof. Then let the demolition/demolding begin. If we can’t fix it, we’ll have to move. In part because we didn’t ask our neighbors to pay for cutting down trees on our joint lot line and in part because ShawWife is so wonderful and generous as a neighbor (and with help I’m OK too) , they gave us a little 3’ triangle of land that enabled us to create two building lots from one (though they retain permanent use of the land). They told ShawWife that they didn’t want us to move and I would feel guilty doing so given their generosity. </p>

<p>We also share a moldy country house in the Laurentians. Need to figure out what to do with that. </p>

<p>Saw a great play in NY – a revival of Dinner with Friends by Donald Margulies. Won the Pulitzer. Plus stellar acting by Jeffrey Shamos. </p>

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<p>Wow, that’s fast Moda. </p>

<p>Shawbridge – good luck on the roofing front. And yikes, your Canada house has mold too? </p>

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<p>The Canada house has had mold for a long time. Shoddy construction from the start. Several attempts to fix, but I think it is now in the structure. If I lived nearer and owned it 100%, I’d knock it down and build on what must be a grandfathered site (I’m sure you can’t build that close to a lake anymore). But, it is jointly owned an 6 hours drive. Not clear what we should do.</p>

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<p>Hello hello, good to read what everyone is up to. Today was a long to-do list, virtually all of it non-billable, everyone thinking everything is urgent. I am in one of those “technology makes me want to weep because I am a freakin’ idiot” funks right now. Older D wanted to be able to Skype with me during work hours and I spent over 90 minutes trying to figure it all out. I think I’ve got it, but of course, now she’s in bed. She applied for two interships but just this morning realized that they had probably called her cell #, which she doesn’t have access to. We got her password and checked her voice mail, both had called her - twice each - to set up interviews, weeks ago. One has now been filled, another is pretty far into the process. And that’s my “with it” child. I want the bus to pick us all up so we can go somewhere warm and meet in person.</p>

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<p>Oh missypie… that is just awful. I really hope other opportunities come quickly!</p>

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<p>Oh that is too bad MIssy! But when one door closes, another opens? Maybe?</p>

<p>I have two movers scheduled for tomorrow. They will pack on the 17th, move on the 18th. So far, I’ve only heard about smoke detectors in bedrooms, which I have in a drawer, but removed because they were added during basement remodel, aren’t hardwired into the home and so the one on the landing, which is hardwired, would go off first and the bedroom ones would only work well if fire was in bedrooms. Batteries always went out at 2am so I ended that about two years after they were put in. Also, two broken seals on windows and had a window guy come today. Both are big and both need to be tempered glass - total will run around 1350… which I will offer our washer and dryer since they failed to add it and seem to like to take our stuff. Might throw in a few bar stools etc. Last resort we’ll offer to pay and push closing because that would throw them into another month of temporary housing rental with three small kids. I don’t like to take advantage of people, but they seem to have no issue in reverse!</p>

<p>MCAT scores out tomorrow… EEK! Mostly just getting up to speed on the client list, S did text today saying he was enjoying himself.</p>

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<p>D1 got two calls today for interviews this week. She is excited but really likes working her temp job in HR. Keep your fingers crossed! </p>

<p>Moda…good luck with the scores! Hold your ground on the house stuff!</p>

<p>missy…ugh! Didn’t they try to email her? </p>

<p>shaw…so sorry you are dealing with the mold issues. Being ill is the worst! I hope you get things resolved quickly. Take care.</p>

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<p>D arrives home tonight with her dog. Her GF, “S”, dad died on Sunday night. She and her H stayed her the past two nights and another friend of theirs the two night prior. Tonight with be D and S. All nice to have around although H and I have talked and listened for hours on end as they are so upset and the situation so sad.
I did not actually know the Dad or his wife which is odd in of itself as S has stayed with us so many times over the years. Memorial in 10 days. S said that things would be so much easier if her Dad had talked/written down what he wants. Now there is a D, a B, and a stepmother all trying to be careful with each other and no one feeling that they can just take charge.
H and I have talked with D but I have promised we will update our will and make a plan for her and S to follow.
H and I want such very different things it is amusing. His is classic and mine is edgy. </p>

<p>mp, hope your D gets a good call soon.
Mod, wow, that is moving fast.
NM, Wonderful!!!</p>

<p>I am waiting for the time I can post without some big negative thing to share. Since Thanksgiving I have had 3 deaths and 2 surgeries and 1 major breakup. I want the bus, sun and some interesting company.
My other big stress is that H and I must decide by May if we will take his pension in an annuity or not. Traditionally not many did but since 2008 about 30% have. Anyone have an opinion here?</p>

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<p>Yeah NMN!!! Any chance this temp job could evolve into something more permanent? I know you said she felt the bloom was off the rose for working the hours of sports stuff, so maybe this would be something? I always like to ask people what they THOUGHT they’d be as a kid, what they wanted to become in college (or when those aspirations are formed) and, especially if it’s really very different, what was that moment that the college direction changed to the current one. So many times that transition happens because they took a random job because they needed one and it led to this or that and… honestly, I find life trajectory fascinating!</p>

<p>Trying to hold firm this is true. It is a very young family… I bet I can trade a lego table too. ha ha.</p>

<p>H comes home around 10. I’ll have to drive to the airport to pick him up, but we figured out today I haven’t seen him since Feb 11! While Im gone for the summer longer than this, it seems weird </p>

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<p>Bus is on the way. We had the nicest day here today we’ve had in a month. Warm, sunny, and just fantastic. Even the bees were out doing their thing. (Truth…put a blooming potted citrus tree outside, and even in February the bees show up within fifteen minutes on a day like today.)</p>

<p>MP – the internship folks called, and she didn’t know…that is the stuff of nightmares. Ugh. Maybe – possibly – she should get an app that translates voice mail into email/text messages? It works better than you might imagine. Some stuff gets garbled, but mostly it comes through fine. It doesn’t get rid of voice mail, but it makes it a whole lot easier to not lose stuff in my experience.</p>

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<p>MP same thing happened to D1 when she was in Spain. didn’t get an internship that semester but in the end it was all good…
Moda maybe you could throw in a kid or two or an H, depending on how you are feeling about them that day. let us know hoping for great MCat results.
worked out with the trainer, went to yoga and fired my oncologist today. I have had him for 20 years but along with my doing what was better suited for me life change, he became a casualty. Decided to change hospitals for all my care as I was very dissatisfied with the one I currently receive care from. have tosay it was more painful than I expected but I feel good about the change.
prayingthe new year brings all the kids happiness, and healing and good things</p>

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<p>dte…You made me laugh out loud with your advice to Moda! :slight_smile: Ha! Love the idea of throwing in kids and H!
Hoping the new oncologist brings you better care and peace of mind.</p>

<p>missy…does D have any more apps out for future internships? Can she contact them and explain she is out of the country and needs to be contacted by email? When I was in Europe in the fall the student I was visiting did her interviewing through Skype.</p>

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<p>I also love the idea of throwing in a kid or two with the house.</p>

<p>DTE, Sounds like you are really empowered regarding your health, which is terrific. As y’all may recall, a few years ago I fired my opthamologist…I realy need a new one now. I think the deal with doctors is that many are just fine when you don’t have any chronic conditions, but show that they aren’t all that great when there are actual “issues.” </p>

<p>As for the internships that got away, she really should have thought of that. Yes, she had her email address on her resume but they only called. Have I ever told you about H’s terrible voice mail story? We went on vacation back in the day when you had to go to a pay phone to check home voice mails. The pay phone outside our rented condo didn’t work, so we didn’t check voice mails all week. When we got home, there was a heartbreaking series of voice mails for H. [Note here that H is a MAJOR fan of the British royal family.] The Queen of England was coming to town and they wanted H to part of a solo quartet at a concert in her honor. They called every day for about 4 days. The final message was that they had to find someone else because he hadn’t returned their calls. </p>

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<p>Bus needs to come get me.
Servers down, studio in complete disarray, mystery problems with new studio’s connectivity, and it’s not even moving day yet. SOS ;)</p>

<p>That’s all for now. Going to crawl under the desk for a spell. </p>

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<p>Oh, MP – I’d have cried. </p>

<p>I hate voice mail. Years ago I worked for a partner with the s l o w e s t imaginable speech, and he used to leave impossibly long messages. You’d be dying to come to the end…and then suddenly in the midst of the boredom there would be something important like a phone number…and no way to get back to it without re-listening. Aargh.</p>

<p>DTE – Good for you. I hope your new choice is everything that you need.</p>

<p>Throwing in a kid with the sale…not so sure about that…but I’d be first in line to throw in hobby equipment. </p>

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<p>The scores are in! No prep class, all self-study and lots of practice exams… drum roll… it’s a 36!! S called almost immediately, which made me very happy because I hadn’t said anything but he knew I’d be dying to know. He said had it been even one less, he’d have been bummed but one more he’d have been ecstatic. So hitting at goal was hugely pleasant relief, and a very solid score. Wish analyst was here… maybe she’s reading?? anyway… this is the first place I came to share such news.</p>

<p>He was VERY talkative… nearly first one into work, always one of last to leave. Mostly because it’s a desk to get done other stuff.</p>

<p>On the downside, his uncomfortableness at asking questions of his job offer has him quite confused now… it said heath and other standard benefits. i told him to ask specifics, but truth is we ALL assumed heath insurance, but he says from what he can tell it’s actually a membership at one medical group which is surely not health insurance. And too, if that’s it, it surely does not seem ‘standard’ AND… he thought there was a new phone in the picture, but apparently no phone benefit? Not a plan, not a phone? Doubly weird when part of job requirement is phone access/prompt email stuff where it’s expected to have on phone, including text communication. So my question is… if these two things aren’t standard, what the heck is? He will undoubtedly figure it out. He is typically very comfortable asking a lot of questions, but he doesn’t quite yet feel the confidence in the midst of newness to ask a lot of questions. If confident, he has no issue asking questions assuming if he has to ask, no one else knows he answers either! :slight_smile: Very much NOT the case here. So I reminded him of a really good family friend, he can trust him to give fatherly advice and lives in NYC and will have great insight into the type of firm S is working for. S is to have lunch next week with his boss to go over how things are going, and i think he should study up for it so he can better ask the questions and frame his argument. Not having these things is like a $200 hit to his monthly budget, which is considerable. He also good a very good idea what his take home is going to be, and it’s a tad less than he thought. so he’s a little stressed.</p>

<p>He got a lead for someone looking for a NYC roommate from a real estate agent I met a few weeks ago. I told him about S moving there, and his friend called him saying she was living in some sort of 10 room house with a bunch of young women - some like her who have a job and others who spend their days trying to figure out how to get men to pay for their social life, their rent or all of it. It creeps her out. :slight_smile: He’s definitely kicking himself for not taking what appeared to be too easy… but was really just amazing timing that he decided to pass on. </p>

<p>NMN - how did interviews go and did you ever say how dryer was resolved? Maybe that happened while at my mom’s</p>

<p>DTE - I don’t want to pry, but i didn’t know you wanted to fire the oncologist. Can I ask why? Is it just about switching hosptials or do you feel your care will be greatly improved at other place WITH other doctor? </p>

<p>I think Mom is having some withdrawal from just the schedules of chemo, illness, docs. But says nursing, bath aid and the social worker for hospice are all REALLY REALLY wonderful. Hoping that experience continues.</p>

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<p>That’s terrific news, Moda. All of that hard work really paid off for him! </p>

<p>D went through much of the same as Modason when she first started - her division is relatively new to the program she’s in so much of what was presented as standard doesn’t apply to her division which has been a bit of a disappointment. Not deal breakers, but when you think you’re getting something and learn you’re not it can leave a bit of a sour taste. </p>

<p>KMC, hope you’ve come out from under your desk. I’d offer to come help but I feel like getting under my desk too! </p>

<p>I have to say this whole change in CC format - I hate it. I know that there had to be changes to the platform - I get the whole technical thing - but all of these great communities and discussions are just falling apart. It’s really sad. Analyst, if you’re reading - we miss you!</p>

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<p>That’s an awesome score, moda - although I admit I had to look it up!</p>

<p>It’s kindof funny but early on, D got a lead for a roommate who graduated with your son. The girl was looking for someone to sublet a room after her first roommate moved on. D also heard of a group from your S’s college who is renting a huge house in upper Manhattan…somebody’s granny’s house. There are about 10-12 kids living there. I could ask further if he is interested…</p>

<p>And Sabaray… I agree with you. I’m not as tuned into CC as I was. Change is hard enough but if I don’t see a benefit, change is VERY hard!</p>