I agree. It’s scary out there sometimes. S16 found out last night that a friend’s sister overdosed on heroin and died. She was twenty two and he has now lost his only sibling. S is so grief stricken. I feel so powerless to help him. His HS counselor knows, and she is pretty broken up too, but at least there’s another set of eyes on him. Heroin has stolen quite a few people in my extended circle. It’s is truly an evil evil thing.
@LKnomad, intense wind here yesterday, but I haven’t seen any damage. We got some showers but nothing like Dallas Raines told us we would get. This morning was a chilly mid 30’s here, but the wind dropped it lower.
@CAMidwestMom sorry to hear what your S is going through
How does UCLA notify about Regents? Is it through email or snail mail like USC?
@Mysonsdad just drove DS in for labwork about ten minute from our house. Counted 3 trees down. Dallas Raines predicted our rain pretty well.
@CAMidwestMom That is unbelievably tragic. Sending prayers and hugs for her family and yours. Life is fragile, and news like this is a reminder that a lot of the things I worry about are so trivial.
Thank you @Mysonsdad and @happymochi It has been weighing on me all day, because of the enormity of the loss and also it saddens me to see how much it is hurting him.
@CAMidwestMom that is terrible and tragic. It sounds like you’re S is well supported during his grief.
@LKnomad - um… are you my sister? Wait - I’m an only child. Never mind. I had an ok counselor, but great APUSH and AP English teachers. I started college at 15. I think I had on a Black Flag t-shirt in my orientation photo, too - but love the spiked chicken image. 
I loved loved loved college (fake ID helped with that), and was secretly hoping that S would apply where I went - he’d have very likely received piles of merit there, too. But no - he has his own path, which is fine. We all do, after all. I’m glad your sister found hers, and hope your son gets well soon and can jump right back on his own! (They’ve checked for mono too, I hope?)
@2manybooks you know, many people would benefit from leaving high school early. My sister didn’t go to any place fancy at all, either. She just needed that change in school type.
At this time they are testing for walking pneumonia. I am sitting at the x-ray place right now, waiting for chest x-rays while I read CC.
@LKnomad - keeping my fingers crossed for your kiddo. My S had the flu (real influenza, positive test results and all) in December of his junior year. It wasn’t good.
@CAMidwestMom - oh, how horrible. 
I had a few friends who were sucked into heroin. Another friend lost her son to it. It’s so utterly horrifying. It’s a huge loss, and a massive hit for kids who are just on the cusp of being adults themselves. All my best to your S and his friend, and my hopes and prayers that they’re able to get whatever support they need.
Wow, I’m so sorry to hear all the news-- trees down, people lost, kids sick enough for medical visits…somehow I feel like I don’t need to complain about spending six hours on thorny financial issues quite so much.
Still want to whine a little bit, though. I’d kind of like to smack Mr Petrichor’s former employer, who grossly under-withheld taxes last year, with a large and perhaps past-its-sell-by-date leg of lamb. We owe so, so much…I could practically send another kid to college for how much he under-withheld. :sigh: At least he’s a former employer.
I’m so sorry @petrichor11 . That is awful news.
@petrichor11 I really feel for you. We live off my husband business so we pay self employment taxes and every single year is is a shock. Just the writing that check to the IRS is painful. Yep, I understand.
@petrichor11 That is such a huge bummer. Sorry to hear it!
@2manybooks Thank you. He does have good support. His friend, not so much from what I know. S is supposed to go to Chicago on Wednesday through Sunday for Model UN. I know he doesn’t feel he can handle it. I’m torn between wondering if might be good to get away and put his mind on that or if it really is asking too much of him.
@petrichor11, sorry to hear about the tax issues.
How was the employer able to underwithhold? Doesn’t he have to go by what is on the W4?
Any way H could still invest in an IRA?
Hopefully you can claim the AOTC for both kids for 2016 and get your tax burden lowered next year.
And I’m sorry about the other tragic and life unsettling news and I hope everyone gets well soon.
@kandcsmom I feel so sad for your D’s friend, the father and both their parents. I went to what is now considered an inner city school. I think half of the girls in my homeroom were pregnant at some point during high school. A few at prom too. I thought my own kids were isolated from these types of stories, but a girl in my D18’s class was pregnant in 8th grade and again this year. She kept the baby the 2nd time. The baby’s father is much older - in his mid to late 20’s. So sad.
@CAMidwestMom Heroin is becoming an epidemic in many areas. The brother of a girl in S16’s class overdosed last year. Really tragic.
@mommdc asked the question in my mind…employer generally goes by what is on W4? if not, what happened?
There were a few girls in my school who ended up pregnant. I know 2 were a year ahead of me, failed 8th grade and then got pregnant at 15. There’s been a few over the years- less than half a dozen though today in government I found out a girl who I was friends with in kindergarten has an 18 month old. It’s so sad. There was a hate crime at a local state university over the weekend which was definitely shocking. Thankfully the 3 young women are okay though 2 have concussions.
@CAMidwestMom Sorry to hear about your S’s loss. News like that truly brings things into perspective. Losing a child is something you never recover from. It is a life long journey to adjust, including for siblings.
@mommdc, @GoldenWest …Long, long story. Some definitely shady stuff going on in that office, hence the “former” modifying “employer”. I was expecting that we’d take a hit this year. Not quite as much of a hit, but…it’s only money. The kids are doing well, and our house hasn’t fallen over or anything, so we’ll do.
@LKnomad , did they figure out what’s wrong with your son? I had “walking” pneumonia last year, but from what they said it’s just a lighter case of the regular kind. It still knocked me on my butt for a week. All I did was sit there unable to motivate myself to move except to try and eat at meal times and use the restroom. The antibiotics killed me appetite and gave me a rash. I was just miserable. Hope your S is better soon, whatever it is!
There have been a couple of pregnant girls at D’s school. Both have gone on to finish HS and go to college-one local, the other out of state. I’m not sure if she has relatives there or was moving with the father, but so far both are making it. I have a friend who works with addicts-it’s really a terrible thing, especially when kids are so young.