NM, is D2 on the tax side?
RM, more money may not buy happiness. As you point out, that set of studies doesn’t capture things over time as we habituate to our current level of income. Income going up more slowly than expenses will make you less happy as your true purchasing power is declining and it everything is relative, in this case to last year… But, in my view, from does buy security. If a kid is sick or you need to pay for uncovered medical treatments or … .
On my bucket list is to learn to do stained glass and spin most/all of my own yarn. I’ve taken spinning classes but don’t have my own wheel yet. On my list of things to buy.
shaw…yes, she is on tax side for M & A and international. She didn’t want audit and have to be on the road all of the time.
RM…my bucket list also includes lots of travel and photography!
NM, in my experience, the very top tax people at the Big 4 firms are usually very bright; much more variable as you go down. Not so clear that you get many bright bulbs on the audit side (I can think of one exception). So, she may have the opportunity to work with some very good people.
RM – Knitting. I’m (slowly) working on a sweater; back and right front are done; and now I’ve redone the left side about 5 times. The stitch pattern is very forgiving, but still: errors were too glaring at one point I thought. I can no longer do it while watching TV or without lots of light… dark, lightweight yarn with pattern that needs counting and eyes needing stronger glasses!
I understand Zetesis. I’m very picky about my knitting. A couple of people have posted picts of their blocks on the knitting website that I belong to and well – I wouldn’t post those! Glaring mistakes. Guess I just want it to be “right”. 
Lefty klutz that I am, I never got the knitting/crochet knack. Which is likely why mcson’s most rare and precious article of clothing isn’t the beautiful, expensive cashmere scarf I bought him a few years ago to go with his full-length wool dress overcoat…No the next time I saw him in his wildly expensive coat, he was wearing the old, tired and highly flawed red scarf I’d knit him in an uncharacteristic flurry of domesticity 
I’d asked if he’d lost the cashmere one. He’d said no, but liked this scarf better because I’d made it for him! It certainly created the “eccentric” effect when coupled with the coat
kmc – how sweet!
Love that story, kmc! My grandmother taught me how to knit when I was fairly young. Then my mother really got into it; she helped me with a couple sweaters when I was in HS. A few years ago I started up again, and have the front of a sweater about half done. I really should haul it out again. I’m pretty much a perfectionist on everything I make – at least in the craft department! At family camp (1 week in July every summer) I’ve made a fair amour of jewelry, mostly beaded stuff. Some of the patterns are fairly intricate, and the (seed) beads are very small. Doesn’t matter – if I get all the way to the end and find an error, I unstring it all and start over. I’ve also done a little basic stained glass at camp.
I’m finally over the cold H shared with me, and went back to the gym this morning. I’m sure I’ll feel it tomorrow, but it’s good to get back in the routine.
So glad the time has changed – makes it seem as if spring will actually arrive, in spite of the mountains of snow we still have. We need 2 more inches of snow to break the record here, so I’m hoping we get it – if we’ve gone through this really awful winter and don’t break the record, it’s a total waste, right?
Today is a medical day. 10 days ago, my car was hit on the passenger side by a car that I am pretty sure was running a red light. The young woman on the passenger side was not wearing a seatbelt and when their airbags inflated, she threw her hand up, which was pushed forward by the airbag into her oncoming face and looked like she would probably have a black eye. My back, which has been problematic for a few years, felt fine when I was standing there but not so good afterwards. So, I had a massage before I left for the UK and returned Thursday night from Frankfurt. On Friday, I had PT before driving for NJ to help my mom with her tax returns (which is generally a thankless task – I take care of it and then she complains about it). Today, acupuncture and chiropractor. Nothing really bad, but I’d like to get this straightened out, so to speak.
Shaw, that sucks. Be well! Sendin ya healing mojo.
Good Morning! We are having early spring weather with temps in the 50s and possibly 60 this week! Hooray!
Feel better shaw!
I am accompanying H to a conference in Chicago next week. We fly out on Sunday. Will miss the St Patrick’s Day shenanigans by a day as the parade and dyeing of the river occur on Saturday. H’s conference is downtown so I hope to do some shopping and find some good restaurants. Suggestions?
NM, I have never been able to get a reservation at Frontera Grill but I’m going to keep trying as we visit older D. I’ve heard it’s really good.
Trying to make plans for her graduation. The other two kids will be in summer school but H and I would like to take a road trip up. There are layers of complexity beyond “they fly we drive.”
KMC, another lefty here who never learned to knit or crochet. (I also couldn’t ever get the hang of french braiding hair, even thought dancer D and cheerleader D both needed it.)
Shaw, I hope the treatments helped!
I’m a lefty. Knit but don’t really crochet. I can do an edge on a knit thing but that’s about it.
Shaw - hope you are feeling much better.
I’m feeling OK but it will just take a while to get back to where I was but it is a life-long management thing. I’ve hired a personal trainer who is also trained as a PT to come to the house twice a week. Plus yoga once a week and PT once every two weeks for a little while longer. I also have a chiropractor (just started) and acupuncture (randomly scheduled). And, I’m traveling. So, I feel like my time at home is now packed with medical stuff.
I went to the eye doctor for chronic dry eye issues. Same thing Shaw…life long management…wishing for the magic pill.
Boston area folks, I do hope you break the snow record. A few years ago we were up against the “most consecutive triple digit days” record. But on the record tying day the sky clouded over and we didn’t reach 100. If you’re going to suffer you might as well break a record.
Exactly, mp! I actually want more snow, but just enough to break the record. And then we need to be DONE!
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I never got good at it, and gymnastics D needed it. Fortunately there were always other moms at the meets who did gorgeous braids and other “hair things.” I wielded a pretty mean can of hair spray, though. 
We’re off to RI this afternoon for 1 night to check on the house, H’s boat, etc. We’re SO glad we went with the architect’s recommendation of a metal roof. Snow just slides off and there is no ice build-up to worry about. We’ve been hearing so many stories of water damage from melting ice dams, etc. What a mess!
shaw – hope you feel better.
NM – have a great time in Chicago. I’ve spent several days on various trips prowling downtown while H was at conferences/meetings. Mostly I played “tourist” instead of shopping. Still, the Magnificent Mile does have a lot of great stores.
Sounds like a good plan, shaw.
As a child I learned to knit but for some reason could not get the hang of crochet. I am pretty good at the hair braiding, but luckily D was in HS when she joined the dance competition team and one of her friends was the hair expert. I was busy helping my neighbor’s (younger) D with makeup. Her mom doesn’t wear makeup at all so I stepped in.
Have fun NM! Chicago is one of my favorite places.
CBB I was also the gel and spray enforcer mom on dance team…no whispies.
That is one difference between suffering through triple digit days vs snow…the roof never is at risk of caving in. (Although we do have our risk of foundation problems when the clay soil is super dry.)
I need a virtual hug. Legal department is totally empty because everyone is at an offsite event that I didn’t know that anyone was attending (Telling myself not to ascribe negative intentions to the neutral actions of others.). Computer issues. Work that I can never get finished.
Of course the two expelled OU frat boys were wealthy Dallas kids. Why am I not surprised. We all tell our kids not to bow to peer pressure when it comes to drugs, drinking etc. I guess we need to add racism to the list.
HUGS MP