<p>Thanks, sabaray, for being brave enough to peek under the desk There’s room for two here, y’know!</p>
<p>So today’s a new day and whatever fresh hell awaits at least I had a lovely trudge up the hill, sun’s out, and I got myself a new, lightweight hiking jacket from Patagonia that was perfect for a 5 degree trek so I’m savoring the joy…</p>
<p>Kudos to Moda son! So nice how everything’s coming together for him.</p>
<p>Mcson checked in the other day after a little tax doc stalking on my part. He’s feeling really busy and there’s little wonder. On top of hs 50 hour wage-slave weeks, he’s trying to finish a music video for an artist in his former program, and his favorite local band saw the work in progress and now want him to do their music video for an album they’re self- releasing. He totally wants to do it but is having trouble finding the time. And the theatre types are all after him to do posters as he’s developed a bit of a rep now. None of this is anything that will keep the lights on, he noted :)</p>
<p>He’s one kid who probably wouldn’t have been ruined by a trust fund…but I’m afraid he lost the parental lottery on that front I hope some wealthy benefactor adopts the kid so he has more time to do the things he loves! </p>
<p>Oregon101 - I don’t post much lately either because everything is just pretty much negative around here. Not much good to say at all. I am so sick of winter and Seasonal Affective Disorder. Daughter is making choices that I most definitely do not approve of. I know things that I shouldn’t know. Hubby and I are fine, however. I can’t wait to get out on my bike and take a ride. Santa brought me a pink cruiser bike. I bought myself a white wire basket yesterday. For our 30th Anniversary (in June) hubby and I are going to the eastern shore for a long weekend - and we will take our bikes with us because it is nice and flat there. </p>
<p>Woo-hoo for Moda-son – top 5% on MCAT scores rocks. </p>
<p>McSon seems to have a good grasp on reality. Glad he’s being recognized for his skills, even if not with riches.</p>
<p>NM – I hope the lake is beautiful – I assume it is still winter? (We’re doing the Colorado thing – 60’s and shirtsleeve weather Monday, three inches of snow “broomable” snow yesterday, really cold but sunny today.)</p>
<p>Moda, congrats to ModaSon! So nice when things turn out well. </p>
<p>On the opposite end of the achievement spectrum, Son pressed the “send” button on the application to the 4 year school to which he wants to transfer…a good THREE DAYS before the deadline. </p>
<p>NM, can’t believe that with the weather you’ve been having you can stand to be on the lake. Brrrr…you could have likely survived as a pioneer woman. </p>
<p>Moda, will you please give me quick update on your mom? I think I missed something in the last few weeks.</p>
<p>Mom is home. They left in the chest tube, and the fluid seems to not really slowing down. But even if that is the case, the new antibiotics seem to be making her feel better. she has a nurse stop in twice a week and a bath aid three. A social worker with Hospice also stopped by sometime recently and Mom says everyone is so very very nice and very experienced. So i am grateful she seems in good hands.</p>
<p>S is hoping to meet up with a friend of ours in NYC who has worked for a very long time on Wall Street and hopefully get a quick lesson on some things while feeling free to ask TONS of questions. He is definitely a guy who is happy to always have S’s best interest at heart. As for the score… while the totals for 2014 won’t be out until 2015, for 2013 S’s score puts him in the 97.1% very very happy for him! Highest score of the year was 41! This does not include people who took the test and then cancelled their results but also includes those retesting as well. </p>
<p>what does shawwife think of the bf? i know my Mom’s husband loves her a lot but he is very much archie bunker in a lot of ways… cranky and a little racist. it’s not that i don’t like him, and mom does shake her head (so at least i know she still has the standards in which she raised us), but seriously, some of the things that come out of his mouth are beyond cringe worthy! </p>
<p>And yes, Missy … 3 days early is a feat, but i would still be like… take one more day to make sure all i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed. Let’s not forget that my D2 had one short answer that when asked what kind of activities could she envision herself enjoying named a group that was for alumni students of color, of which she surely wasn’t! But no one can accuse me of helping her with her applications!</p>
<p>H & I went to see a rental house today. Cute, cute… very $$ for size, but location is awesome. Not sure what we’ll do. And D2 sent us a text that said she was accepted into study abroad program that heads to new zealand in July. She is psyched. Hoping she knew it would be winter there - which is more like SF, than MN. so that’s a pius :)</p>
<p>Good morning. This is just proof of life…
High winds, snow, schools closed, my 7 am meeting cancelled…as god a day as anyone suppose to be packing the studio…I if I could just stop working and start packing ;)</p>
<p>Ugh. Three degrees here, with snow in the forecast. Kids were climbing on my tallest ‘snow’ pile yesterday. It is ice, on the outside anyway, and is much taller than the climbers. I guess that makes them ice climbers ;)</p>
<p>I am in awe of you movers. That is so much work! Best of luck to you all. As to how to move the buried grill, I guess you will have to wait for warmer weather. You could cover the thing with black landscaping fabric. That might accelerate melting. You could aim a propane torch at it to melt the ice. If you can get to it.</p>
<p>Shaw, regarding the mold sensitivity, my D had immense allergy problems that we tackled with improving her gut health (probiotics, diet) and detoxing. I did this too, and can say that, over time, it helped. If your wife has never detoxed, advise her to start slowly - if they say take one capsule, she should start with, say, 1/4 capsule until she knows she can tolerate the effects. Just a thought. Obviously you have to remove the mold too.</p>
<p>Doctors - are they still flunking out high numbers in that first year of Med school? We have an inlaw that just started last fall, and so far, so good. My friend’s oncologist fired her when she would not submit to follow on tests that she felt she did not need. D is being treated by an integrative physician that I feel very fortunate to have found.</p>
<p>Eddie, I don’t mind hearing bad news! But I know what you mean about not wanting to seem like you are griping. My dear Aunt is dying, my Dad, her bro, has had 5 skin cancer surgeries in 3 weeks that I have driven him to, and they live over an hour from me, with the lousy weather making that trip a constant concern. Once we figure out a landing place, I think we will move to be closer to family - but I dread the moving.</p>
<p>Huge congrats to ModaS on the great score! And kudos to mpS on being 3 days early!</p>
<p>H & I were gone for a day and a half. We were invited to a dinner re: his Alma Mater on Long Island, about 1/4 of the way out. Instead of driving from RI in toward NYC and out to LI, we took (with the car) the ferry from New London, CT to Orient Point, at the very end of the north fork of LI. The dinner was Tuesday night. We stayed overnight on LI and then spent yesterday doing wine tastings at various north fork vineyards. What fun! Obviously it’s the slow season, so we pretty much had the places to ourselves. We came home with quite a bit of wine – there are some really terrific vineyards over there. I spent the first 5+ years after undergrad living and working on the western end of LI, but had never been out that far. How very, very different – wide open spaces and farmland. </p>
<p>On Monday I went to an orthopedist re: my foot. I was SO scared the doc would say I needed surgery/a pin/ whatever. He said the 5th metatarsal, which is what I broke, takes quite a while to heal, but that all is well and I should be fine. In all his years he’s only had 1 case that required surgery. So that was a HUGE relief. I haven’t returned to the gym yet, but may try some of the machines out on Monday. I go back for a follow-up x-ray in 3 weeks so he can check the healing process.</p>
<p>2 weeks to PAD - puppy arrival day. The 4 of us seem to be split down the middle on the short list of names …</p>
<p>What did they do for your foot? I has one of those immense garbage cans land on my little toe and wow did that hurt. I did not see a doc and it is getting better, but I wonder what they would have done had I bothered to go. Lesson - be very deliberate with those mega cans, or wear steel toed boots.</p>
<p>What’s the short list CBB? We looked at this rental house and the down side is no pets, which is a huge downside when you have one. But honestly, those who will take pets are barely people worthy it seems. I am having a little bit of an issue with H as his aversion to buying is committing to being here 15 years. But tons of people buy a house to live in for five. But the truth is, renting for a year is very much limbo as well. Not sure he gets how much I hate living in limbo. And I am not sure I’ve yet found a way to word this that doesn’t seem contrary in some way. </p>
<p>OK, since (at least 1 of) you asked – here’s the short list of puppy names. Keep in mind this is a female Irish coated Wheaten Terrier: Keely, Kenzie,Gracie, Maisie, and Maddie. </p>
<p>Moda - we were only in our house near Hartford for 5 years. Initially we considered renting, since we had thought we might build a new house, but at that time there were hardly any rentals on the market. Then H thought we should go down the small condo path if we were going to be building, but after looking at a couple, I nixed that idea. At that point S was still in HS, so it wasn’t just the 2 of us. Plus we had a dog. Anyway, good luck.</p>
<p>Re: my foot. Last week I had gone to a walk-in place for x-rays. That’s where the doc started freaking me out, talking about pins, etc. They gave me a stiff-soled velcro shoe/boot thing to stabilize everything. I’ve been wearing it inside, but not when I go out. Last week it did seem to make my foot feel better. The orthopedist said I could continue wearing it or not; the break is healing; it just takes time. So no cast or wrapping of any sort.</p>
<p>I am so excited to say hello again! I have been reading but have not been able to post on either my laptop or my phone.
Mazal Tov to moda’s son on the great mcat score and to mp’s son for lack of procrastination!</p>
There’s room for two here, y’know!</p>