<p>Mercury is retrograde, which according to astrologers, means mechanical things that are ready to break WILL break ; )
Wait a minute, I resemble that remark. Hi ho.</p>
<p>KMcrindle, from your lips to the electric company’s…??? Last Monday our power went out. It was just us. The electric company came out, and discovered that we had a problem between the meter and the (1930) house. Buried line. The elecrician came out; then the president of the electrician company came out. (We learned this happens when you’re about to become VIPs). The exposed buried line, from about the 1970’s, has failed. They hooked us up overhead in a temporary fix.</p>
<p>Long story, and probably $10-15.0K later, we will be boring through rock from the NEW meter to our house, installing new conduit and line, moving the non code-compliant breaker box and installing a new one. </p>
<p>I haven’t checked in for a couple weeks…what’s with this mechanical failure stuff??</p>
<p>p.s. we ARE downsizing in 18 months after we build a smaller home, and hopefully after the real estate market recovers somewhat. Probably whoever buys THIS monster house will be happy that the electrical has been updated (I keep telling myself). Wasn’t EXACTLY cash we wanted to spend. Blech.</p>
<p>Furnace is fixed! Blower motor had “siezed” and needed new draft motor. Said it is getting old but will keep going for a while. Bad news was he said we need a new hot water heater ASAP! Thinking of all the new college expenses next year and all the home repairs coming up. GULP! Gosh, I hope D2 gets to work on that scholarship app!</p>
<p>NM, we had a similar situation a few years ago. Then we had to finally break down and replace the heat pump. Glad you survived and glad a new furnace wasn’t needed immediately!</p>
<p>Forget the scholarship application. While son is a true trivia king, he just doesn’t have the instant recall required. But at least one of our kids ought to get in on this!!!</p>
<p>[JEOPARDY</a>! College Online Test](<a href=“http://www.jeopardy.com/onlinetests/college/]JEOPARDY”>http://www.jeopardy.com/onlinetests/college/)</p>
<p>Ha! D already registered. I’m hoping for big money! Wait- maybe that’s Wheel of Fortune.</p>
<p>HAHA! I will forward this to D2…I can feel the eye roll already! She would never survive the scrutiny!</p>
<p>
Don’t shoot the messenger, SJTH ; )</p>
<p>Son was home for just a little over 24 hours, but I talked to him as much as I could about school, the peer mentor, etc. Everything is “fine” which is exactly what he said last semester, so my mind is not totally at peace. We went over and over what he needs to do if he isn’t getting something in class.</p>
<p>I am upset about the prof he ended up with for the class he is retaking. Three different profs teach the class and we asked - in person - for guidance on which prof he should take. We were given no guidance and chose this one because the class time caused the least disruption to his schedule. Turns out the prof is an adjunct, which is no big deal except that his only office hours are 30 minutes after each class. I know Son can ask the other profs for help, but it seems like when we were asking for direct guidance on who to take, the school could have told us that this guy has very limited office hours.</p>
<p>Missypie - CAn he switch sections at this point or too late?</p>
<p>Modadunn - Thanks for the Jeopardy! link. Too funny!</p>
<p>The other sections are full, plus he’d have to move other classes around, or even take different course. It’s a small school, so there are very few sections of most classes.</p>
<p>Would he be able to make the office hours or is there conflict there?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>He could certainly make the office hours if he knew he needed help right then. But if, for example, he starts to do the work after class and realizes that he doesn’t get it, the next office hours are after the next class.</p>
<p>I see… boy, that really hurts.</p>
<p>missypie…D2 has had great luck with emailing profs with questions. While most respond quickly with emails some have responded to her questions with phone calls…a little out of her comfort zone but was effective and now she doesn’t think of it as so “wierd”. She has one class where she has to do online work to demonstrate mastery of topics and even though she got 100% on a topic it wouldn’t give her mastery status. She emailed and prof was on it very quickly. Guess the program wasn’t working right. She was the only student from the class who contacted him about it and now he has connected her name/face. She hates stuff like that but hey, it works! Hope your S can take the chance to contact prof if he has questions! I keep saying…baby steps!</p>
<p>Not a chance, KM, I’m going to need your help with the electronic music stuff! S3 just took a DJ workshop, is signed up for an electronic music 5 week workshop (3 hours once/week) and seems to love it… I’m so happy to have you for advice!</p>
<p>But I wish maybe he was interested in elecTRICITY instead of elecTRONICS given the impending bill…</p>
<p>CBBBlinker</p>
<h1>TS will merely say he is handling it when we ask about housing. I guess if he is considering a frat that <em>his</em> does not give receptions for the parents or else he kept the fact hidden. I asked in an e-mail if he had signed up for the housing lottery, no answer.</h1>
<p>What was the frat like that Blinkerson is considering?</p>
<p>SJTH…I can appreciate your preference…that way he could have worked off all the GEAR he’s going to want to start buying. I’ve noticed that even with the tuition bills I have a little more left after paycheck now that he-who-must-acquire-technology is out of the house. Now it’s called an educational expense ; )</p>
<p>KM, yes, we’ve had the GEAR discussion, and I notice the level or chore completion has increased since he took the first class. That, and after I showed him the UMich info you sent (and the attendant acceptance rates to the EM program,) he has definitely amped up the schoolwork. Glad he’s just a soph…</p>
<p>I spioke to S ('11) on Sunday. He was nursing a cold last week but on Sunday it sounded worse with complaints of sore throat. I thought sterp and told him to see MD on Monday. I called him yesterday to see how visit went. He said he now had pinkeye and didn’t go to MD. He said he didn’t think he had insurance and would just ride it out.
Well, after lecturing him about eye damage and untreated strep possibly leading to rheumatic heart disease etc and so forth, (as well as the $$$$ we paid for student insurance), he agreed to see MD this AM. Lord, give me strength. Is it the male MD -avoidance gene kicking in??</p>