Checking in - deep in boxes and packing materials. Calgon, take me away! Or maybe the bus could come?
cq…where will you be heading? Any news on your H finding a placement?
missy…sending the fairy dust for pieson’s job search. Sorry you have been so terribly busy and hoping you get some relaxing pool time soon.
RM,oregon and CBB…the wedding plans all sound wonderful! Hoping you all can enjoy the process!
kmc…miss hearing more from you! Hoping you are feeling better and that you are not working too much.
Our trip to Ohio was bittersweet. So very nice to catch up with friends but sad to see my one friend battling pancreatic cancer. The walk was very emotional. I really enjoyed living in the little town where my friends continue to live but I think it was a good decision to leave and raise my family in a larger area. My best friend there hosted a party for us and it reminded me that EVERYONE knows your personal life stories. The trip has made me remember the pros and cons of living in a small town. I love to visit but I know we made the right decision for our family when we chose to leave so many years ago.
NM - I also grew up in a small town and couldn’t wait to get away. In 1979 my HS class for 10 towns was 79. Small? I love having options and being able to do things not that the Rochester area is huge but much bigger than where I grew up. Many of my friends still live in the area. After being gone for college there was no way that I could go back to that!
Oregon we are also doing house stuff although I think more cosmetic than you. Put in wood floors in most of the upstairs. Our bedroom, dressing room has not been done yet and probably won’t be for a few more years. Just painted the powder room, have ordered new furniture for the family room and that room will also be redone before the wedding. Probably with a wood floor as well. I love the wood and it is much easier to keep clean with the dog. Furniture will be here shortly and once the powder room is back in order we should start on that. Also painted the hallway (upstairs and down) with wood floor on the upstairs hall and the stairs themselves and the entry into the house from the garage was also painted. Would go faster I’m sure if we weren’t doing it ourselves but this way is cheaper. 
I hear you MP on not being as energetic as when we were 20 something. The long days lately have been brutal and as long as I go home and keep moving I’m okay. The minute though I sit down to read or do a puzzle or something it’s game over. I will sit there and watch TV at that point.
NM, we’re not headed anywhere, for now. Have to move out of the provided housing, and are moving stuff to storage. We’re going to visit my family in Florida for a couple of weeks, then will be back in the area staying in the apartment of some friends who go away for July and August (two teachers and their children). Hoping towards the end of August H will possibly have a job lined up. If not, we have more family to visit!
.Sending good hunting mojo, CQ!
Sorry I’ve been remiss in posting…my guide duties over at the pool forum have gotten a bit unwieldy and it seems that together with my am physio, watering, etc. I never have my formerly usual am time to post. I’m going to need to step back a bit from the pool peeps…I’ve got folks asking for phone numbers etc. for help 
Missy, so sorry to hear about work load! Any respite in sight? Eg is this transitional, or the new world order?
And re:
Would this be the naughty New Years guy? That’s both hilarious and wonderful for her! So cheers to that!
My own mother has been on a bit of a tear at the Polish Hall dances, I hear. Sounds to me like she has a few suitors but its early days yet. Her goal is to find out if they’re looking for “money or a nurse, which are the only two things they want at this age.” Hi ho.
Two girlfriends from Canukistan are headed my way next week for some pre-nuptial shenanigans, so I’m planning a few days off. Which means between now and then I have a lot of work to fit in
LOL, yes he’s the New Year’s Eve guy.
With any luck, my work load will slow down by November. I barely recognize myself in the mirror as it is; by then I’ll look at least 15 years older.
It is difficult that not everyone is sharing the pain. Quite a few folks will lose their jobs or move over to the other company - why should they work hard? The workplace is becoming more and more stressful - lots of bus throwing-under, closed door meetings, people voicing problems without suggesting solutions, etc. I could go on but if you’ve been in a corporate environment when big changes are occurring, you’ve been there.
I try to be calm and nurturing. I try very hard.
Woke up at 4:00 and couldn’t fall back asleep. I have started using a difusser with essential oils to help me fall and stay asleep. Has been working really well . I usually sleep until 6:00. Heading to the lake this morning but then will return home late Saturday afternoon for a grad party. Have a great weekend everyone!
We are watching one of younger D’s cats for the summer (I love it; H does not.) He will sleep at the foot of the bed, as long as we don’t stir. But when I get up for the bathroom, he thinks it’s morning/breakfast time. So this morning the cat and I were awake from about 4:30 on.
Wasn’t someone here a big fan of the Outlander series?
Yikes! I posted her real name by mistake! I will send it to you in PM.
Missypie’s question made me think of posters that are no longer here on a regular basis. Dredged from my memory I realize how much I miss their voices. A few I can think of at the moment: Our thread originator(she doesn’t want her name used online), EddieOdessa (Outlander fan),
theorymom,cpeltz,historymom, lindz, woody...where are you???, modadunn, arabrab, PRJ,Zetisis and so many others! Would be cool to have a college five year reunion thread next year.
I know! I miss them, too.
I’ll share this about Outlander even though Eddie isn’t here to read it. I have a long commute and check out books on CD from the library to pass the time. (If I have a good book going, I actually look forward to the commute.)
Last time I was at the library, I saw Outlander and remembered that someone on this thread really enjoyed the series on TV. All I knew is that it involved time travel. OMG and LOL. I had no idea it was a bodice ripper. I am now to the part with explicit sex. It’s only a book on CD but if you were to drive past me, you might see my mouth hanging open in shock. Of course, I will definitely finish the book and probably check out the next one as well. I shouldn’t be surprised but I’ve just never read that type of book before.
I have read all the regular Outlander books, and a few of the short novellas. That’s actually my least favorite part of the books - I like the historical references though. The show on Starz is fun.
I started listening to Outlander on Audible and was bored and then started watching the show on Starz, which was better but only watched a few of the episodes.
ShawWife just met me in the Bay Area for ShawSon’s graduation. He’s going to finish one degree and then finish the other one sometime next year, which means he and GF can continue to live in the dorm and remain resident advisors. This summer, he and his team will be in an incubator building getting their startup off the ground. We have a diploma ceremony today and commencement tomorrow. Today is his GF’s Bday and tomorrow is my Bday, Father’s Day and my son’s graduation from a world-class school. Life is good.
Plus, I flew here from Brazil where we are doing fascinating work and met yesterday with on eof the tech giants about potentially doing a really cool project with them. Life even better.
Hi all – I have not posted since my son’s HS graduation and forgot log in, etc., etc., and have even forgotten how to post here so apologies if this looks like a reply to Shawbridge. Son graduated from college, all well, etc. Met GF in his last month of highly-selective college filled with high-achieving classmates (had had classes with her since soph year so guess met her technically earlier but became BF/GF in his senior year; he had another college GF fr/soph/jr yr ) – relationship continued for 4 years over GF’s senior yr/son’s first job/long travel together/relocation near her grad school where son could not find decent job so he took one two hours away…and you can probably predict what happened – they broke up after four years. I never met her family but had corresponded (esp when they were travelling) and exchanged holiday gifts and so on. During most of the four years, I was dealing with elderly parents and far from GF/son as well as her family. (During the grad school relocation part, GF/son were far from both families.) So.
My issues are multiple ones and I need advice. Yes, I know people change, etc., etc. I do not have the full story on the details and have tried to be supportive to son. He rarely brings this up. It happened about a month ago. He has since left the location where he was (due to the GF grad school part of the story), a location he really loathed. The red flag for me was last summer when he offered to move to GF’s city and figure out employment (had new skills, certification), but GF said no, he would be bored and depressed. I told son, when he told me this last summer, it sounded odd since most young women I knew (and having been one) would have greeted a serious boyfriend moving nearby at year 3 of relationship with enthusiasm. I advised him to have a conversation with her, which he did, in which she said he misunderstood what she said, and things seemed smoothed over – although he did not move. I understand that being in a grad program means one does not have extra time, etc., etc., and during this time, son visited two weekends a month and GF reciprocated much less but did not have car at all times. Son often expressed desire to break up with GF for over a year.;
I am not clear who broke it off – it seemed to start with son and end with GF. but that’s a guess. He is very upset (but coping), and feels he wasted four years, esp the grad school part where he lived in an area not to his liking. I try to point out he emerged with great work experience and a certification and was older, wiser, etc., etc., but no one wants to hear this. In truth, I think GF strung him along the last year. She also ordered him to keep the break up off FB, not to tell her parents, mutual friends, etc., etc.
I did not know GF that well. I thought her parents seemed super nice and were kind to my son. At this point, I want to write to her parents and to her. BELIEVE ME, I KNOW HOW UNCOOL and HELICOPTER THIS IS. But I want to say to her parents – hey I am disappointed this did not work out/ended badly/ and to GF I want to say – how awful you were not to be more upfront last summer.
I also think GF became full of herself over her grad program and made son feel like plebian despite his cool computer specialty for which few academic programs exist. It’s more real world/hands on to learn and do.
Anyway – sorry so long – I shouldn’t send the letter, right? (I was going to send a paper letter – not email.) What I hope to gain, I do not know. Does closure exist?
Don’t write the letter. Or, in the alternate, write but do not send the letter.
I agree, don’t send a letter.
Yes, this is what my “rational, common-sense, don’t embarrass the kid or self” side is saying (I doubt reconciliation is in the cards but any correspondence could certainly make things awkward); it feels odd that this is the end of my (however remote and virtual) relationship (using the word loosely here) with her mother and (less odd because I didn’t feel as close to her) the GF. Do I just disappear? I live far so it is not like I’ll run into either at the mall and any mutual acquaintances are few and far between. If the GF’s mother wrote to me, I wouldn’t be offended but I also doubt it would matter much to me nor continue our remote, virtual relationship. It’s a very peculiar loss.
I know it’s difficult but be glad they didn’t marry.
Spot on. He had a preview of trailing spouse life (former GF’s field sets her up to live and work in only one or two places) and it was not for him. I know people make it work but unlikely in this case. He is also now involved in a short-term project he would not have pursued had he stayed with GF and feeling better. Lesson learned that he can articulate is he is not a long-distance relationship person. My lesson? Not sure.
ShawSon’s first love took a job in Chicago and then Australia after college graduation (she was a year ahead so he pined for her in her senior year but when she moved to Australia, he said, “Let’s give this a pass.” Doesn’t work that well for some folks. He figured that she was a pretty, social young CS major working in a software consulting firm where the M/F ratio was probably quite high and she was going to be among the prettiest females there and that she’d start something there.
ShawWife was in art school in a different city when I met her. I commuted for the year but she then moved up to live with me.