<p>D starts the third week (of ten) of her internship today. It’s turning out to be intense. She typically doesn’t get home til 6; one day last week it was 7. As a result, evenings are short. While during the school year I know she was often up til midnight or 1 studying, she’s typically in bed now by 10:30 or so; she’s just tired. She laments that she “doesn’t have a life” and that “summer feels like it’s already over.” </p>
<p>She also finds the work stressful, since she sets up and runs tests/experiments for important (even potentially “ground breaking”) medical research. “What if I screw up?” she worries.</p>
<p>At the same time, I think she’s proud of having this position, and of the increased responsibilities she’s been given; but it’s sure not a mental break from the routines of school work. </p>
<p>I asked her what she wanted to do in August (internship ends July 31). She said, “Sleep.”</p>
<p>Ugh… 8 pounds of hamburger in my fridge will now go in the freezer. The controlling body of HS Athletics changed the games this week to accommodate graduations - wisely so. They’ve had this conflict issue for two years depending on who makes it to the end. Why they can’t just push it all by a week is beyond me. But to this end, canceling team sleepover and will host a lite bite before the bus for the game that has been now pushed up a day. Oh well!! It is what it is.</p>
<p>It gives me great comfort to know I don’t have the only unappreciative self-absorbed teenage daughter. Seriously. And it helps to be able to say to H – I understand your frustration, but isn’t it good to know this is SOMEWHAT age appropriate. He said something about our older D never being like this and I tell him he just doesn’t remember because it was nearly 10 years ago that she was this age. She wasn’t a “you are ruining my life” screamer, but her issues were still … umm… issues. </p>
<p>Eddie… know what you mean about the job thing. Good to have one in this climate. There are all kinds of articles in our local press about kids having volunteer.internships… which surely doesn’t help the kids who really need the money to even afford to go back to school in the fall!</p>
<p>I could SO identify with the laptop story! I have that daughter. A few weeks ago I let her skip Sunday School to catch up on homework…she spent the whole time on Facebook and was still up late doing homework. I keep resolving that her senior year, I will stop playing Lady in Waiting to Her Majesty, but it’s often easier to just go along and I do know how much they have to do in HS.</p>
<p>As for the awards rant thread …I’ve posted a few times on it…I do think parents need a place to rant. But the thread is getting pretty ugly! </p>
<p>There was a guy at the HS who was one of the most talented, smart, good looking kids to ever come around…he also had the largest ego to ever come around (by senior year he was reduced to dating freshman girls because no one else could stand him.) His parents bragged so much that others avoided them. Believe me, folks at the school went out of their way to not give him awards. If his head had gotten any bigger he wouldn’t have been able to get through the door. I’d like to think that all CC parents and their kids are nice, but sometimes kids don’t get awards because they aren’t nice.</p>
<p>eddie…good to hear from you! Miss you! I also glanced at the Senior Awards thread. I almost posted but I didn’t think my post about D2’s BF winning the Senior Award for Most Likely to Never Grow Up would make anyone laugh out loud like I did! His mother, who is a teacher in the district, didn’t laugh either. ;)</p>
<p>D2’s final transcript finally arrived at her transfer school. Everything transferred but each class at the original school is only worth three credits and the transfer school awards four credits per class. Thank heavens for AP credits to push her total credits to maintain her status!</p>
<p>Missypie, you are correct in that the Senior Awards thread is getting a bit out of hand and at times I do think kids are overlooked (or ignored) for awards because they really aren’t nice. D has gotten her awards in spite of me, I think. </p>
<p>From the sounds of things, I missed a great Reunion this past weekend which makes me sad. I heard from some folks that I didn’t expect to and that was nice. It’s amazing- when I share with them the troubles son has had I am hearing so much about problems they’ve experienced in their own lives. Just goes to show that what looks so wonderful on the surface isn’t always as it seems. </p>
<p>In other news, I have decided to join all the new college grads in searching for a new position. In spite of all my legal training and experience I really feel the need to branch out into new areas. If I can just convince employers that I am capable of diversification! I guess I better practice asking if customers would like fries with their meal.</p>
<p>sabarary, good luck with your job search. H should hear this week or next week on the job he interviewed for a few weeks back (they said to expect three weeks and this Thursday will be three weeks). If he gets it, we will be living in two households so that will require lots of new stresses and probably less money on a net basis. However, since being downsized a little more than a year ago he has been bored to tears with his job so something needs to change. If this one isn’t the one, he will just keep plugging away looking but it hasn’t been easy. Several high profile people at my old firm quit their job last week and are rumored to be planning to start their own firm. I think we will see more of that (at least in my field).</p>
<p>I admire you! I haven’t had a job interview in decades. Last Friday I interviewed for a city board position and it was the first interview I’ve had since the 80s. It’s so hard to get into that selling onesself mode. Best of luck!!!</p>
<p>We did the two households when the children were young and it was painful but necessary. I work in litigation management and I am just burning out. I’ve launched some resumes and reached out to some contacts - I think that’s going to be key. Having been the victim of downsizing myself, I feel your husband’s pain. It’s hard to just go through the motions at work.</p>
<p>Okay I’m trying to think of how to say this without offending missypie! Let me try this: </p>
<p>As an attorney you are constantly selling a service provided by you, the attorney. To me, that translates to a continuous job interview- required to attract new clients and retain the old ones. </p>
<p>Somehow I didn’t think saying lawyers are always selling themselves would come across as very nice. :)</p>
<p>I don’t know - I guess I feel more in control in the client development process…also, I don’t feel as personally rejected if a new client doesn’t hire me. The other firm might have promised a lower rate, or their brother in law may be at the other firm, or whatever.</p>
<p>Well, I’m trying to be optimistic about the process. I know it’s a challenging economy but I’m too young to die of boredom! Of course there are always reasons why someone doesn’t get the business that are out of their control but in my opinion (and it’s only that) I think anyone in a service oriented industry is really focused on building rapport and relationships. Just my two cents.</p>
<p>There are lawyers who are brilliant at selling themselves/their services. Lots of those folks have 7-figure incomes! I bet you’ll do a great job in the interview process and it’s great that you aren’t letting inertia win!</p>
<p>When I was pitching new business constantly, I took every rejection of our firm personally and it was incredibly draining. I’m much happier now that I have limited contact with the outside world. H on the other hand has always had back office jobs and would love a travel/client focused job. He used to handle customer complaints and even enjoyed that, which trust me takes an unusual personality type.</p>
<p>I’ve become pretty cynical about the process, because it’s so seldom that you really have a chance for the business you’re pitching. I really did have a situation where we were asked to bid on work and spent quite a bit of time and effort and the client eventually sent it to his brother in law who gives them a big discount. Often, a company will have a clear favorite but is required to interview 3 or 5 firms. It’s difficult to figure out when you really have a shot and when you don’t.</p>
<p>Lady in Waiting to Her Majesty - I have to remember that. And you work missypie, I don’t, so I feel for you! Of course your daughter can’t come back at you with, you don’t do anything all day. I know she doesn’t believe that but I’d love to stop hearing it.</p>
<p>No daughter here, but I do seem to recall giving my mom a hard time…for a long time.</p>
<p>Latest egg news:</p>
<p>DS left today for 4 day campout with GF at folk music fest. He is an experienced camper and wilderness trekker so I am not worried about that aspect. </p>
<p>DH thought the whole trip was a fine idea, so I decided to practice deep breathing and go with the flow. Both kids work this weekend, so there is a non-mom-imposed time limit to this excursion.</p>
<p>Eggmom, I’ve been distracted for a few days, but I just wanted you to know I am enormously relieved that you’ve found a new b/i oven I have a real aversion to incomplete handi-work – unless it’s my own! Eg. I tend to push projects through to their sloppy “good enough” conclusion and then wander off to new frontiers (which is why the trim in the bath never got a second coat, or why the seams of the hall wallpaper never were properly post-glued, why the doorbell chime wiring is still hanging bare on my kitchen walls after wallpapering 5 years ago, why the patio stones I put under the swing last weekend are not and never will be level…you get the idea…)</p>
<p>As I read your progressive posts, I kept thinking about a former editor of mine who had a hobby-horse husband with a tendency to always be mid-project. Every time I was ever over to visit, there was literally a wall missing, exposed studs, an upper level in mid-construction, exposed subfloor…you get the idea. It used to drive my pal crazy.
However, one day, believe it or not (about 15 years later) they were actually and finally finished.
And now they have an awesome home that’s quadruple the space it used to be and very tricked out. (Now, of course, that it’s time to downsize ;)</p>
<p>km, thanks for the kind words. When I got home from work tonight, DH was on his backside under the oven hooking up the gas. It works! </p>
<p>We are going to run it for a while to burn off all the cooties. Also, DH downloaded operating instructions so that we know what the buttons do.</p>
<p>For 10 years we lived in a house like your editor’s: one project after another and never finished anything completely until it was time to sell. Then we moved here and managed to avoid major mahem until Eggson went off to college. DH loves the challeng of a new project/ hates the tedium of finishing it off. Tedium: that’s my job.</p>
I have a real aversion to incomplete handi-work – unless it’s my own! Eg. I tend to push projects through to their sloppy “good enough” conclusion and then wander off to new frontiers (which is why the trim in the bath never got a second coat, or why the seams of the hall wallpaper never were properly post-glued, why the doorbell chime wiring is still hanging bare on my kitchen walls after wallpapering 5 years ago, why the patio stones I put under the swing last weekend are not and never will be level…you get the idea…)</p>