Kudos FG!
Missy, sorry your sib is a pita, but she’s on notice now 
All’s relatively calm here at the moment. Touch wood. I’m aiming for a summer that balances both revenue and r&r time…rare, exotic phenom, but here’s hoping
Congratulations on the promotion and raise, FG!
Fallgirl, I’m so happy for you. So often, people our age are “stuck” in their careers, others think they are content to be where they are, etc. Glad you advocated for yourself!!!
Congrats on the promotion and raise.
Congrats to you, FG!
Much happiness for you on the promotion AND a big raise, FallGirl. It sounds like a home run.
Congrats FallGirl!
MP, it will be interesting to see how your sib does this summer. I am sure your email was thoughtfully written.
RM, you are so young!
I had a wonderful telephone slumber party last night with my BGF who moved last fall. We were up until 4:30 a.m. and had so much to say. Great fun!
Well, I will confess I only made it from Friday until Monday and then I snapped. I was rude to H and did apologize the next morning. I did gain some insight regarding the two of us. He is totally a “community” person and I am a loner at heart. I do groups, even a group of two, successfully only for a few hours. This is not a good thing but something I have not been able to change. Same way as a little kid, always going off alone. On Monday morning I could feel his restlessness and that it was on me to make a plan and direct him. So snapped off and on during the day. I do think it helped though as when I went to the office Tuesday, gone until 8:30p.m., he had done many things and again today is self directed. He loves community, but as a participant, not a director. So all is fine but I do hope this is his very last
surgery!
In the 1970’s I worked on a spiritual path and one my assignments was to write my autobiography and other musings.I was looking that work over yesterday and, oh my, I have really changed so little. My outlook on such things as death and dying my issues with groups and so on has changed very little. I have mellowed and there are a few personality traits that I have managed to change but still was surprised as I consider myself insightful and work hard at change. My childhood feelings towards various siblings have remained the same. Many of my hopes and dreams also. Just very interesting.
Wondering if you think you are much different than you were in your 20’s?
Oregon that is an interesting question. I wish I had kept a journal years ago so that I could read it now. In many ways I am the same but have evolved in other ways - good and bad. I know that I have learned to think more before I speak, am less judgmental and more introverted. I am less energetic for sure.
I like groups and I like being alone. Not sure where that puts me. I’m “adaptable” I guess. I just need a bit of both. Love being with friends and family but totally okay with just me and the dog. Have to have a dog. 
Oregon, I am sure that I am less insecure, more introverted, and much better able to deal with people socially. I am also happier.
In a drawer in my old room in my parents house, I found my college application to my alma mater and the essay said that I wanted to use mathematics and statistics to have an impact on important social problems. I wanted to focus first on legislative behavior. Although the work has morphed, that is what I am now doing. In grad school, I was clear I wanted to figure out a way to have an impact and not just be a professor writing papers. At various stages, I have continued to make choices consistent with this feeling.
I don’t recall that I thought much about death and dying then. I was too busy building my life to be introspective about the end of life (and I may still be a little too much in that end of the world). I don’t think my grandmothers died until after I was thirty and my grandfathers had died when I was a little kid.
Congratulations FallGirl! what a nice accomplishment! Wishing you more success in your career!
I see my mother and recall how like her I used to be (after all, the female role model). I am so glad that I moved far away in adult life.
Last night, H talked to a guy who survived the Wimberly, TX/ Blanco River flood. What a harrowing story! They were a bit up river from the houses that were washed away from their foundations They received a volume of water but the current wasn’t strong at that point He said that looking out the river-side window was like looking into an aquarium…all they could see was water. Safety was only 10 feet away out the other door but he was the only one of his group tall enough to walk in it. The others in the group were about a foot shorter and were floating rather than walking. A strong current would have washed them away. The cars were vertical in the water.
^ Oh my, that is terrifying.
Thanks to all for the well wishes. I really thought I would have to fight for the money I wanted, so it was so nice to not have to.
So scary, MP.
Good morning! I am so fortunate to have such a short commute during my time at Corporate Headquarters! It rained and it rained and it rained last night and the roads and highways are such a mess.
The pictures of the water are awful. They reported that there has been enough rain to cover the entire state of Texas with 8". Hope all of you and yours are safe.
How much longer are you scheduled to be at the corporation, MP?
That is a scary number, oregon.
Blue skies and a gorgeous day here today. Just perfect. Plants are happy, and so am I.
Congratulations FG.
I am much different than my 20 year old self. I am older wiser. I didn’t know how life was going to take many turns and I would have to adjust the sails. many times. I thought I would be more in my career, but that wasn’t the plan. I had to put my energy into a life threatening illness and raising children. It was a mighty kick in the ass at 34 with two small children. I ran into my children’s 2nd grade teacher at the garden shop, she just raved about my girls. They were always well thought of in their schools. I know they are good people. I guess that is my legacy. As my career goes, it depends on the day how I feel about it.
In school we are reading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande, it is an interesting read. I quite understand now why my focus was never the same as my peers. I remember Shaw recommended the checklist manifesto by this author ,my dog ate it, requiring a 4000 hospital bill, so needless to say I keep this book away from him, in case he is just really fond of this author. It is funny as Shaw D would attest the class is about family theory and the majority of classmates are very young. they talk about the crisis people experience and I mentally check them off, yep, yep, yep that one too. Most people in the class have not married , no children, let alone lose a parent, have cancer etc… makes me feel very ancient.
dear sweet DT–you are wonderful and made me laugh. I am not a big laugher so thanks for the $4000 dollar dog/book story. H just ordered the book on ibooks so that will be my next read.
You are amazing for returning to school.
I thought I would have a much bigger career that I ended up having. I thought that I would love volunteering (hate it).
Thought I would be more of a people person. But alas, as I say to my clients when they are stuck, “who were you at age 5-7”. That pretty much, for many, is who we are at age 60. Maybe with tweeks but we are back to our best little kid self. It is not all bad as that is a pretty sweet age.
Thanks, dte. Having good kids is a great legacy
One reason I would love to meet everyone here is that we all come from such different places and life journeys and twists and turns and whatever and here we are. I love the book by Atul Gawande, but admit that had I read it in my 20’s I would not have gotten it nearly as much as I do now.
I liked some of the volunteering I did back in the day, but disliked a lot of it. At this point in my life I have no desire to volunteer. That may change when I retire.
Very quiet weekend. I did go to see Pitch Perfect 2. Cute movie, entertaining, not great. Am really waiting to see the biopic about Brian Wilson.