Re: Labor Day Weekend is a'coming!
Dragonwing
yet again, thanks to Grandma. I still have to find room for everything
and start unpacking it.
Life around here is starting to return to normal. Everyone was home
between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, which means I don't get my
work done during the normal daytime hours so I was up at insane-o'clock
every morning to do that. Ryan starts classes tomorrow - and can
someone please explain to me why they start on a Friday instead of on
Monday?? - and the girls go back to school on Monday, which will do
wonders for my patience and sanity <g>
Caitlin is getting braces next week. We've known for a while that she
was going to need them, and she had the initial consultation and x-rays
done back in October, but for financial reasons we held off on starting
until this year. She has several issues to address - slight crossbite,
crowding, and overbite - and will need to have them on for about 2.5
years, with springs attached for the last year; this last bit is to help
with the overbite. She's less than thrilled about this, but since most
of her friends have gone through the same or are going through it now
she has a lot of support. She's got spacers in right now and realizes
why Ryan hated them so much.
Ryan did well in his classes last quarter, with a B+ in math and A- in
both physics and writing. This quarter he's taking math, ME (mechanical
engineering, which is what he changed his major to last quarter, from
electrical engineering), geography, and chemistry. He's not real happy
about the chemistry class, but that's life; he knew he'd have to take
another chem class when he changed his major, and this is the last one
he needs. His classes start at 8 AM every day, but he's done by 1 PM
most days, and on Tuesday he has a scheduled 4-hour chem lab that won't
go that 4 hours. Not a bad schedule.
Sarah is being Sarah. We got her an electronic drum set for her major
holiday gift, and she's been beating the life out of it since <g>
Actually, she likes some of the sound effects it has, especially the
animal sounds. One of the teachers at her school is going to be giving
drum lessons to interested kids starting this month, and I'm thinking of
checking into that for her. Who knows, my kids could be the next Hanson
or Chevelle <g>
I'm surviving <g> The hole in my head hasn't closed up yet, but it's
making progress. Last week the doc discovered *something* inside that
wasn't granulation tissue; it was hard and flat. We think that was
keeping it from closing properly. As of my appointment yesterday it had
started to close up more. The doc didn't have the final lab report on
that bit she removed, but we should have that by next week's
appointment. The good news is that it is closing and doesn't hurt -
yay!!!
So what's new with all y'all??
Dragonwing
Liz
"Dragonwing" <m...@deltanet.com> wrote in message
news:504qndF...@mid.individual.net...
> So another holiday season is behind us. My kids made out like bandits yet
> again, thanks to Grandma. I still have to find room for everything and
> start unpacking it.
>
> Life around here is starting to return to normal. Everyone was home
> between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, which means I don't get my work
> done during the normal daytime hours so I was up at insane-o'clock every
> morning to do that. Ryan starts classes tomorrow - and can someone please
> explain to me why they start on a Friday instead of on Monday?? - and the
> girls go back to school on Monday, which will do wonders for my patience
> and sanity <g>
Ooh, good news indeed!!!!!!!!!! Now, one day take an hour off, just for
you. Not for work, not for cleaning, not for cooking or laundry or anything
of value. Set a timer and treat yourself to a break just like we get in the
outside world. Read or knit for fun or go out to eat. This is an order!
We're back from Delaware. My sister's wedding was lovely and they make a
very happy couple. He has a 150+ year old Victorian house that is about 3800
sq ft. It's lovely but boy, the work and expense to keep it in good shape!
We took a day to wander around DC and I got to see the WWII memorial. It
lives up to it's name - lovely. Gary & Anne got to see the White House,
Eisenhower building, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam memorial
and other such places for the first time - they really enjoyed that, in
spite of the walking around. I enjoyed showing it to them. Next time,
Philadelphia - haven't been there in years and I just love it.
My brother and sister in law are coming to spend about 5 days next month so
I'm going to throw a family bbq, it's between their birthdays, so is an
excuse to celebrate. Today I got word that a good friend of mine from
Brainerd, MN circa 1973 and thereabouts will be in CA in March! I plan to
take a couple of days off work to play. We'll go see The Amazing Kaitlin &
her folks and maybe something she's always wanted to see in LA. So
exciting!!!!!!
Liz
Dragonwing
> Ooh, good news indeed!!!!!!!!!! Now, one day take an hour off, just
> for you. Not for work, not for cleaning, not for cooking or laundry or
> anything of value. Set a timer and treat yourself to a break just like
> we get in the outside world. Read or knit for fun or go out to eat.
> This is an order!
Yes, ma'am.
This is something I was planning on doing anyway, once I get recovered
from the holidays. My actual work only takes 2 or 3 hours in an average
day right now, and even if I get another regular daily client I'll still
be able to take a break midday or thereabouts; my clients don't care if
I do the work at 10 AM or 10 PM as long as they get it on time. I have
a whole bunch of books on my "to-read" shelves, and I think it's about
time I had a daytime reading book in addition to my nighttime one and my
car one (I read at stoplights, okay?). Besides, if I read them faster I
can buy more <g> I already knit at night after I get Sarah into bed;
she still wants Mom to tuck her in, but her sister is old enough to do
it by herself, and I don't care how much she complains about it <g> I'm
finishing up two more felted bags, one tote like the one you saw before
felting (I have before and after pics on the camera so you can see the
difference; I still need to upload them to the computer) and that purse
my aunt requested. Just need to sew up the sides and do the straps,
then they go through the washer.
> We're back from Delaware. My sister's wedding was lovely and they make
> a very happy couple. He has a 150+ year old Victorian house that is
> about 3800 sq ft. It's lovely but boy, the work and expense to keep it
> in good shape! We took a day to wander around DC and I got to see the
> WWII memorial. It lives up to it's name - lovely. Gary & Anne got to
> see the White House, Eisenhower building, Washington Monument, Lincoln
> Memorial, Vietnam memorial and other such places for the first time -
> they really enjoyed that, in spite of the walking around. I enjoyed
> showing it to them. Next time, Philadelphia - haven't been there in
> years and I just love it.
I've never been to Philly or Boston. We went to DC 6+ years ago, but
that was the vacation from Hell, with the kids complaining about the
walking and the weather all the time. The Washington Monument was
closed for upgrades so we couldn't go in, but we walked the Mall from
Jefferson to the White House. The only problem I have with the WWII
Memorial is the placement. It's like they're trying to clog up the
biggest gathering area to prevent protests. I dunno, maybe it's just me
who thinks that.
> My brother and sister in law are coming to spend about 5 days next
> month so I'm going to throw a family bbq, it's between their
> birthdays, so is an excuse to celebrate. Today I got word that a good
> friend of mine from Brainerd, MN circa 1973 and thereabouts will be in
> CA in March! I plan to take a couple of days off work to play. We'll
> go see The Amazing Kaitlin & her folks and maybe something she's
> always wanted to see in LA. So exciting!!!!!!
That should be fun. Has this friend ever been to LA? If not, you might
want to take her to Venice Beach and really give her something to talk
about when she gets home. I recommend it for that "only in LA"
experience <g>
Dragonwing
Liz
> Liz wrote:
>
>> Ooh, good news indeed!!!!!!!!!! Now, one day take an hour off, just for
>> you. Not for work, not for cleaning, not for cooking or laundry or
>> anything of value. Set a timer and treat yourself to a break just like we
>> get in the outside world. Read or knit for fun or go out to eat. This is
>> an order!
>
> Yes, ma'am.
>
> This is something I was planning on doing anyway, once I get recovered
> from the holidays. My actual work only takes 2 or 3 hours in an average
> day right now, and even if I get another regular daily client I'll still
> be able to take a break midday or thereabouts; my clients don't care if I
> do the work at 10 AM or 10 PM as long as they get it on time. I have a
> whole bunch of books on my "to-read" shelves, and I think it's about time
> I had a daytime reading book in addition to my nighttime one and my car
> one (I read at stoplights, okay?). Besides, if I read them faster I can
> buy more <g> I already knit at night after I get Sarah into bed; she
> still wants Mom to tuck her in, but her sister is old enough to do it by
> herself, and I don't care how much she complains about it <g> I'm
> finishing up two more felted bags, one tote like the one you saw before
> felting (I have before and after pics on the camera so you can see the
> difference; I still need to upload them to the computer) and that purse my
> aunt requested. Just need to sew up the sides and do the straps, then
> they go through the washer.
I can't imagine reading at stoplights when you have a car full of kids -but
you probably get to be alone sometimes now and then. Sometimes I miss that.
Even when I'm driving alone -that's the time to catch up on the family phone
calls. Sometimes my head hurts because there are so few times that someone
isn't talking at me.
>
>> We're back from Delaware. My sister's wedding was lovely and they make a
>> very happy couple. He has a 150+ year old Victorian house that is about
>> 3800 sq ft. It's lovely but boy, the work and expense to keep it in good
>> shape! We took a day to wander around DC and I got to see the WWII
>> memorial. It lives up to it's name - lovely. Gary & Anne got to see the
>> White House, Eisenhower building, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial,
>> Vietnam memorial and other such places for the first time - they really
>> enjoyed that, in spite of the walking around. I enjoyed showing it to
>> them. Next time, Philadelphia - haven't been there in years and I just
>> love it.
>
> I've never been to Philly or Boston. We went to DC 6+ years ago, but that
> was the vacation from Hell, with the kids complaining about the walking
> and the weather all the time. The Washington Monument was closed for
> upgrades so we couldn't go in, but we walked the Mall from Jefferson to
> the White House. The only problem I have with the WWII Memorial is the
> placement. It's like they're trying to clog up the biggest gathering area
> to prevent protests. I dunno, maybe it's just me who thinks that.
I hadn't thought of that - I always think of Layfayette park as the main
place to protest, but you're right - the Mall is much bigger. It does block
free travel down the center of the grassy area, you're right - because of
the levels. But it was lovely!
>
>> My brother and sister in law are coming to spend about 5 days next month
>> so I'm going to throw a family bbq, it's between their birthdays, so is
>> an excuse to celebrate. Today I got word that a good friend of mine from
>> Brainerd, MN circa 1973 and thereabouts will be in CA in March! I plan to
>> take a couple of days off work to play. We'll go see The Amazing Kaitlin
>> & her folks and maybe something she's always wanted to see in LA. So
>> exciting!!!!!!
>
> That should be fun. Has this friend ever been to LA? If not, you might
> want to take her to Venice Beach and really give her something to talk
> about when she gets home. I recommend it for that "only in LA" experience
> <g>
>
> Dragonwing
>
Good suggestion. I'll mention it. You are right.
Today was Aunt Jean's first Chemo treatment. So far, so good. She's feeling
well - or was at 8 when I spoke with her. No nausea.
Yippee!!!! Two more to go and then radiation.
Liz
Dragonwing
Valentine's Day came and went. I got the kids Reese's hearts, the big
ones, one each. Sarah wanted to eat hers all in one day, but the box
said it was 4 servings so it was cut into 4 pieces, and she had one a
day until it was gone. Then she wanted Ryan's and Caitlin's <g>
Work is being it's usual unpredictable. January was a big month, but
February slowed down and not because it's a shorter month. For some
reason the docs don't see many patients in February. Still, I'm still
getting regular work, which is a good thing. I still want to get more,
though; gotta keep me busy or I'll cause trouble, and we don't want
that, do we???
I went to the dermatologist today for the last time - yay!! She just
wanted to make sure that everything was closed up and that the shampoo
she gave me last time was taking care of the scaling, which it is.
There's no recurrence this time either, so it looks like this head thing
is finally over. Woohoo!!!
Ryan made Dean's List honor roll in the engineering school last term -
yay!! This kid really is scary smart. He's handling his course load
far better than I ever did, and he's getting much better grades than I
did. He's a bit dismayed that his summer school classes are both in the
evenings, but the bright side is that he can keep his regular summer
sleep hours without worrying about missing classes.
Caitlin got her lower braces on last week, so now she's wired
completely. She's not thrilled about it, but she'll get over that
eventually, like when she gets them off in 2.5 years <g> She was happy
Saturday night after she got home from a choir event. She sings soprano
in our synagogue's choir, and they were one of four local choirs asked
to perform at a "Battle of the Choirs" for the URJ Biennial Convention.
She was all smiles when she walked in the door, then announced, "We got
a standing ovation, and the other choirs didn't!" Our choir is small,
with only about 15 people regularly showing up to services and other
events, but they have a nice sound, and our cantor knows how to pick
songs for these things. She chose 2 traditional songs that encourage
audience participation, one gospel-like rave, and When You Believe, from
the movie The Prince of Egypt. That last one is a real showstopper
anyway. Caitlin and her friend Paige were the only ones singing in one
part - if you've seen the movie it's the part in the song where the
child sings "Ashira l'Adonai..." after they cross the Red Sea - but
Caitlin has a stronger voice and at rehearsal I could only hear her so
I'm guessing it was the same Saturday night; apparently she got over her
fear of singing solo <g> I'm guessing that Cait will be encouraged to
try out for some of the High Holy Day solo parts this year.
Sarah is doing well in school and has become a world-class reader.
She's also finally realizing that reading can be fun and has started
reading chapter books on her own, without Mom nagging <g> She's also
singing in our synagogue's junior choir, and she's singing at services
tomorrow night and at our Purim service Sunday morning. This should be
fun.
I'm also bracing myself for Sarah's birthday party next week. Can you
believe she's gonna be 8??? We're having her party at a place called
Pump It Up, which is a place with giant bounce houses, slides, obstacle
courses, all kinds of fun stuff. And adults get to bounce free -
hehehe!! We ended up inviting something like 35 kids; had to invite
everyone from her class and some from her Sunday school class, then
there's the class she started the year in, plus some cousins and kids of
our friends from college. I'm really glad I don't have to clean up after
this <g>
And Caitlin's gonna be 15 in a few weeks - aahhh!!!!
So, what's up with anyone else who's here???
Dragonwing
Liz
No one else is here. You are talking to yourself...... hmmmm... <G> /ducks
and runs for cover....
Angela and Darryl took The Amazing Kaitlin to Atlanta last weekend to meet
that Grandpa and Great Grandpa. I guess she did pretty well with the plane
and even all the strangers, but they were glad to be home. She did learn to
say Elmo from her DVD, so it wasn't a total loss!
Sounds too busy over there. I can't keep up.
Hugs, Liz
Liz
she's brining her parents but that can't be helped. We're bringing Aunt Jean
who is doing remarkably well and Darryl's Dad, wife and step brother are
joining us all. The plan is to see the ponies and play at the play ground
for a bit. Have picnic lunches - we're each bringing our own - and then send
K home for her nap.
Beautiful day - really neat people. How can you lose? :)
Liz
and, in keeping with the name of the thread, I'd like to add that I am not
in labor
Sundancer
news:pOCGh.1982$nf5.1044@trnddc05...
LOL!
Sundancer
Dragonwing
> So, today we're meeting The Amazing Kaitlin at Griffith Park Carousel.
> Seems she's brining her parents but that can't be helped. We're
> bringing Aunt Jean who is doing remarkably well and Darryl's Dad, wife
> and step brother are joining us all. The plan is to see the ponies and
> play at the play ground for a bit. Have picnic lunches - we're each
> bringing our own - and then send K home for her nap.
>
> Beautiful day - really neat people. How can you lose? :)
Sounds like a winner to me :-)
> Liz
> and, in keeping with the name of the thread, I'd like to add that I am
> not in labor
Heh, me neither <g>
Dragonwing
Liz
> Liz wrote:
>
>> So, today we're meeting The Amazing Kaitlin at Griffith Park Carousel.
>> brother are joining us all. The plan is to see the ponies and play at the
>> play ground for a bit. Have picnic lunches - we're each bringing our
>> own - and then send K home for her nap.
>>
>> Beautiful day - really neat people. How can you lose? :)
>
> Sounds like a winner to me :-)
>
>> Liz
>> and, in keeping with the name of the thread, I'd like to add that I am
>> not in labor
>
> Heh, me neither <g>
>
> Dragonwing
>
Oh wow, it was a great day. We blew bubbles with the bubble wands that never
made it to our wedding reception - we played with a pinwheel, we blew a
whistle and a kazoo. Kaitlin took me for a long walk during which she just
walked up to people (small ones, her size or nearly), dogs and all sorts.
She climbed the hill near the Carousel and looked at it and at various kids
enjoying the day. She climbed down the hill with the biggest grin on her
face and jabbered the whole time in that prelinguistic way that kids have.
Don't get me wrong, she has quite a few words, but is still in that stage
where she wants to say more than she can yet. Understands it all, so when
she does, boy howdy, will her mom's ears get tired! :)
Liz
Dragonwing
Yep. They talk your ears off, that's for sure. And it's not just
girls. When Ryan was little, he would start talking to me the moment he
got in the car after school and didn't stop until he got home and had a
snack <g> There's gotta be a switch inside their heads that
automatically turns "on" when Mom shows up after school and stays
permanently in that position. I've heard it said that we spend the
first two years of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk,
and spend the next 16 trying to get them to sit down and shut up; I
agree <g> Sounds like you had a good time. She's such a cute little
thing, even if her name isn't spelled right <g>
My 'baby" turned 8 on Thursday. Scary stuff. She's still very much my
"baby", but she's starting to act more and more like a preteen girl, and
that scares me. She's really smart even if she's in a class that's a
year younger than her - she's in there for maturity issues because she
got started in school so late, but academically she's doing far better
than others in her class, and her teacher is giving her extra work and
harder work because of this - and we can only hope she uses her powers
for good. I just dropped her off at her friend Netra's birthday party.
They both started out one grade level higher and both were dropped down
so they're kind of best buddies, and they have the same birthday :-)
I'm also figuring out what I need to bring to Sarah's birthday party
tomorrow. We ordered the cake from Costco yesterday - white cake,
cheesecake filling, white frosting...are we sure she's mine??? - and
will pick it up tomorrow afternoon, along with getting some veggie and
fruit trays to bring. Her party is at Pump It Up, which is an indoor
bounce house thing. They have two arenas with huge bouncy things -
slides, obstacle courses - and adults get to play free :-) The kids get
45 minutes in each arena, then 30 minutes in the party room for cake and
goodies.
Then I get to start hounding Caitlin about her birthday. I'm not sure
if she wants to do anything with friends this year or not. Two years
ago she had a couple friends sleep over and go to Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Last year she had 4 friends go Cosmic Bowling. She hasn't said anything
about this year. All I know is that my mom is taking her to see Wicked
on the 24th, and we're going up the next day, which is Cait's actual
birthday, to do the March birthdays (me, Sarah, Cait, my brother). Mom
got her a PlayStation 2 so I'm gonna get her Dance Dance Revolution and
the pad. She's been wanting this game for years, but the version that's
available for GameCube isn't as good. This way she'll have her own so
that when she and Chloe play head-to-head she'll be even better at it
than she already is :-)
Now I better get started on work. Picked up 4 tapes from one office
yesterday - I'm guessing that 3 of them are the stuff they were looking
for but couldn't find, because the doc dictated the tapes but I never
got them - and need to have it all emailed out by Monday morning.
Tomorrow's a wash because of the party and everything associated with it
so I better make the most of the time I have left today :-)
Dragonwing
Dragonwing
Not much exciting happening. I've been relating what I call my
(mis)adventures in home improvement elsewhere. The latest is that
yesterday the asbestos removal company removed the old ducting so the
a/c guys can do the installation starting Monday. I've been told that I
don't have to be present the entire time they're here, which is a good
thing because I do have to take the girls to school and drive for work
in the morning, and pick up the girls in the afternoon; Ryan's school
schedule doesn't allow him to do either or I'd bribe him to help out.
The a/c company is licensed, bonded, and insured so I have recourse if
anything should happen. I did bribe Ryan to pick up the girls yesterday
afternoon ' cause I wasn't sure what time the asbestos removers were
gonna get here - I was told "Friday afternoon" but nothing more
definite. As it turns out, they got here at 11 AM and were finished
before 1 PM so Ryan didn't have to rush home.
Kids are all great. I taught Sarah how to knit a couple weeks ago after
she fell in love with some Rowan Biggy Print yarn in a peppermint candy
cane color (and it was Rowan...this kid already has expensive taste
<g>). Got her some huge, size 19 (15-mm) needles to work with it; this
yarn requires needles the size of fence posts. When we got home I sat
behind her and had her hold the needles after I cast on 10 stitches, and
I put my hands over hers and moved her hands to show her the knit
stitch. By the third row she was doing everything herself. I had to go
back to get more of that yarn - and this time not at the 35% sale price
the first ball was - and she now has a scarf. Last week I showed her
the purl stitch, and she's playing with that now. I'll show her how to
cast on and bind off later; at her age it's more fun to do the actual
knitting.
The other two are fine. Nothing new and exciting to report on them.
Both are doing well in school and are still involved in Scouts.
I'm still plodding along here. My workload increased this month from
both of my regular clients, and more work means more money, which is
always a good thing. I'm still knitting obsessively - just ripped an
almost-completed pair of socks (yes, I ripped an entire finished sock)
because I was running out of yarn on the second one, so I need to redo
them with a shorter cuff. I'm not too distressed by this because that
yarn is real nice to work with, and I don't have any more from this
company (Blue Moon Fiber Arts, www.bluemoonfiberarts.com, lightweight
Socks That Rock in the Midsummer Night colorway). I've also got a dress
for Sarah half finished - finished the front and need to make the back -
a pullover that just needs the collar and hems turned under, and a
cardigan that needs blocking and sewing together.
I'm also still reading whenever I have the chance. I started keeping a
book in my car sometime last year so I can read at stoplights and when
waiting for kids; this way I always have a book with me. I'm also
trying to take some time during the day for reading, and I read in bed
before turning out the light for the night. I've finished 14 books so
far this year and am working on 3 right now.
I still need to get my office/altar/knitting and reading room - formerly
the living room, but as I never entertain and we live in the family room
I figured I could change it - in order. I'll probably go get that
computer desk and hutch from Ikea this coming month and start using that
for my working altar/herb storage cabinet. Then I need to get the
bookcases set up so I can get the boxes of books put away. Then I can
shift my knitting stuff from the family room, where it's taking over a
corner and growing rapidly, into this room, where it can take over a
corner and grow rapidly <g>
Anyway, I need to get started on work so I can actually maybe do
something other than work and housework this weekend.
Thanks for putting up with my drivel <g>
Dragonwing
Dragonwing
Well, the a/c got installed just in time. The past couple days have
been ridiculously hot and dry - damn Santa Ana condition; I still say we
need to get rid of Utah, 'cause these things are always caused by a high
pressure system sitting over Utah <g> - but inside has been lovely! Got
the thermostat set at 78, and it's nice. I'm concerned about what this
is gonna do to the electric bill, but since we get billed every other
month I won't have to worry about this until July <g>
I kind of decided on colors for the house. I'm gonna go with a light
gray for the main part and a blue trim, and I still like the idea of a
red door. I'm supposed to be contacted by the contractor sometime in
the next few days to set up a time to discuss this all further and
commit to the colors. Once the painting is done we'll take a break from
the home improvement stuff, other than fixing up the little things (like
the cabinet doors in the hall that have been dented and otherwise
damaged for years, and painting the girls' room, and cleaning the
bedroom carpets, and possibly painting the interior), for a while. The
next major thing will be a kitchen overhaul, and I need to figure out
what to do short of knocking out a wall.
So, anyone else out there and doing anything exciting?
Dragonwing
Liz
I'm back - it's been a long time since being here - I did a google
search on my name: ejd52 to find a list of ng's I've posted to - some
just had wandered out of my memory.
Glad to have found this thread again!
Liz
ald
So I messed up my name in this group in Google, so sue me ;-) Still
off-line, hopefully the new comp and the internet connection arrive at
the same time, should be about a week for the computer. I'm now
working a *much* better towing job, directly for AAA Mid-Atlantic
instead of their sub-contractors. Only scheduled 8 hours a day (but
have been picking up plenty of overtime), paid by the hour instead of
by the call (and making *much* more that way), and they have this
entirely new concept to me, something called "benefits" ;-)
Seth (oldest son) is working and actually picking up overtime this
past week, although the company that's buying his pharmacy seems to be
trying to cut back on hours, so we're not sure how long that part will
last. Matt (youngest son) is now out on the left coast, living with
his mom, working a guaranteed 40 hours per week (Ok, so it's at the
"would you like fries with that" place, but he seems to be doing well
there and is dating his shift manager) and things seem to be working
out there as well.
Any one else? "Hello, McFly?!?" ;-)
Liz
Wow, that's good news all round! :) Both kids working is a very good
thing indeed.
Hey, just think - the title of this thread is only right once a year,
and that time will be here sooner than you realize.....
Liz
Sundancer
news:1184006838.8...@r34g2000hsd.googlegroups.com...
Hey, you!! I thought you had moved to China or something! I'm so glad to
hear that you and the boys are doing well. How old are they now? Are you
having empty nest syndrome or is Seth still at home?
Sundancer
Sundancer
news:QoMki.40098$sq4.33406@trnddc05...
Hey Liz. Sorry I pooped out on you at absk. How is married life treating
you?
Sundancer
ald
> Hey, you!! I thought you had moved to China or something! I'm so glad to
> hear that you and the boys are doing well. How old are they now? Are you
> having empty nest syndrome or is Seth still at home?
>
> Sundancer
Nope, just off-line for a while, and another month or so ;-/ Seth is
about to turn 21 in October (and teasing me mercilessly about it ;-) )
and Matt will turn 19 in December. And I *had* empty nest syndrome for
a few months while Seth was in Nashville Auto-Diesel College, but as
usually, he came back ;-)
Liz
Tis good mostly - sometimes sharing a house with someone can be
challenging, but we're adjusting. And now having two families seems to
fill our lives to overflowing, but mostly in a good way.
How's life treating you these days??
Liz
Dragonwing
Heya girlfriend!!! How you been???
Brief update. Ryan is kicking butt and taking names in school; made
Dean's list again so he's a perfect 3 for 3 for the year. Caitlin is
officially a sophomore in college and is taking driver's ed online -
yipes!! Sarah finished 1st grade, is reading really well - word
recognition at 6th grade level but comprehension between 2nd and 3rd,
which isn't surprising 'cause the other 2 were the same - and is
enjoying swimming lessons. She'll be doing several science day camps in
August, to help me keep my sanity during summer break <g>
Bad news. I totaled my car on Tuesday. Got the phone call from the
body shop on Friday afternoon. Yesterday went out and test drove 5
vehicles; Civic coupe 5-speed and Civic hybrid, Toyota Corolla and
Prius, and Mazda 3 sedan. With the number of miles I put on a car - my
Mazda had a smidge under 100K (99800+) on it, and I've only had it 4.5
years - gas mileage is a big concern, and the worst of these would have
me at 30 mpg (Mazda). I'm currently leaning toward the Civic hybrid. I
was really hoping that by the time I needed a new car I'd be able to get
a plug-in electric, but alas, fate intervened.
Dragonwing
kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom
Dragonwing
> Forget what everyone else said.
>
> Heya girlfriend!!! How you been???
>
> Brief update. Ryan is kicking butt and taking names in school; made
> Dean's list again so he's a perfect 3 for 3 for the year. Caitlin is
> officially a sophomore in college
Sheesh, I don't want her growing up that fast. She's a sophomore in
high school.
Dragonwing
kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom
Sundancer
I forgot that you have a Matt, too. My Matt is 26 now. I'm not even going to
talk about how old that makes me.
I had sort of the same thing happen as you did with Seth. My daughter moved
out (I thought for good), and then was back 1 1/2 months later. Matt had
just gotten married so he was gone as well. However, Shawn decided it was
just too expensive to live in the real world, so back she came. I so enjoyed
that month and a half by myself. I love my children, but I'm really, really
looking forward to empty nest syndrome!
Sundancer
Sundancer
-snip-
>>> Wow, that's good news all round! :) Both kids working is a very good
>>> thing indeed.
>>>
>>> Hey, just think - the title of this thread is only right once a year,
>>> and that time will be here sooner than you realize.....
>>>
>>> Liz
>>
>> Hey Liz. Sorry I pooped out on you at absk. How is married life treating
>> you?
>>
>> Sundancer
>>
>>
> Hi,
> Tis good mostly - sometimes sharing a house with someone can be
> challenging, but we're adjusting. And now having two families seems to
> fill our lives to overflowing, but mostly in a good way.
>
> How's life treating you these days??
>
> Liz
It's tough blending families, IMHO, and also living with someone after
you've gotten used to being on your own. I don't know if I could do it
again. I waffle back and forth on that and I've been in a relationship for 7
years. I do admire you!
Life is pretty good. I could do with a little less rain though. Can you help
me out with that??
Sundancer
Sundancer
> Forget what everyone else said.
>
> Heya girlfriend!!! How you been???
Pretty good!
> Brief update. Ryan is kicking butt and taking names in school; made
> Dean's list again so he's a perfect 3 for 3 for the year. Caitlin is
> officially a sophomore in college and is taking driver's ed online -
> yipes!! Sarah finished 1st grade, is reading really well - word
> recognition at 6th grade level but comprehension between 2nd and 3rd,
> which isn't surprising 'cause the other 2 were the same - and is enjoying
> swimming lessons. She'll be doing several science day camps in August, to
> help me keep my sanity during summer break <g>
Your whole family are mutants, aren't they? <snicker> You have every right
to be proud.
> Bad news. I totaled my car on Tuesday. Got the phone call from the body
> shop on Friday afternoon. Yesterday went out and test drove 5 vehicles;
> Civic coupe 5-speed and Civic hybrid, Toyota Corolla and Prius, and Mazda
> 3 sedan. With the number of miles I put on a car - my Mazda had a smidge
> under 100K (99800+) on it, and I've only had it 4.5 years - gas mileage is
> a big concern, and the worst of these would have me at 30 mpg (Mazda).
> I'm currently leaning toward the Civic hybrid. I was really hoping that
> by the time I needed a new car I'd be able to get a plug-in electric, but
> alas, fate intervened.
>
> Dragonwing
> kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom
I'm sorry about your car! I'm going to need a new car soon, too, and have
also been looking at the Civic hybrid. I have a Civic now and have loved it.
Talk about reliable! The Honda salesman told me that the Civic hybrids are a
little more expensive up front than normal non-hybrids, but that after a few
years you really start to see savings in gas. I also like the way they look.
What do you think about one in black (yeah, I know, it will show every speck
of dirt)?
Sundancer
Sundancer
I wondered about that, but I wasn't going to question you about your own
child!
Sundancer
Sundancer
Sundancer
Dragonwing
> "Dragonwing" <m...@deltanet.com> wrote:
>
>> Forget what everyone else said.
>>
>> Heya girlfriend!!! How you been???
>
> Pretty good!
>
>> Brief update. Ryan is kicking butt and taking names in school; made
>> Dean's list again so he's a perfect 3 for 3 for the year. Caitlin is
>> officially a sophomore in college and is taking driver's ed online -
>> yipes!! Sarah finished 1st grade, is reading really well - word
>> recognition at 6th grade level but comprehension between 2nd and 3rd,
>> which isn't surprising 'cause the other 2 were the same - and is
>> enjoying swimming lessons. She'll be doing several science day camps
>> in August, to help me keep my sanity during summer break <g>
>
> Your whole family are mutants, aren't they? <snicker> You have every
> right to be proud.
Yes, they are. We could be dangerous if we got together and could agree
on something to take out <g>
>> Bad news. I totaled my car on Tuesday. Got the phone call from the
>> body shop on Friday afternoon. Yesterday went out and test drove 5
>> vehicles; Civic coupe 5-speed and Civic hybrid, Toyota Corolla and
>> Prius, and Mazda 3 sedan. With the number of miles I put on a car -
>> my Mazda had a smidge under 100K (99800+) on it, and I've only had it
>> 4.5 years - gas mileage is a big concern, and the worst of these
>> would have me at 30 mpg (Mazda). I'm currently leaning toward the
>> Civic hybrid. I was really hoping that by the time I needed a new
>> car I'd be able to get a plug-in electric, but alas, fate intervened.
>>
>> Dragonwing
>> kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom
>
> I'm sorry about your car! I'm going to need a new car soon, too, and
> have also been looking at the Civic hybrid. I have a Civic now and
> have loved it. Talk about reliable! The Honda salesman told me that
> the Civic hybrids are a little more expensive up front than normal
> non-hybrids, but that after a few years you really start to see
> savings in gas. I also like the way they look. What do you think about
> one in black (yeah, I know, it will show every speck of dirt)?
I loved my Accord, the one that was totaled back in December 02. Was a
92 coupe, 159K+ miles on it, and still running great when it was hit.
I'm thinking either black or what they call metallic pearl, which is
actually a dark gray. The one I drove on Saturday was a pale blue with
the beige interior, and even if it didn't look like something my dad
would drive - and I better watch what I say because his current vehicle
is a dark green Accord sedan <g> - the light colors just aren't me, and
that interior doesn't stand a chance against Sarah the messy. Then
again, if I didn't let her eat in the car that wouldn't be a problem :-)
I also liked the Prius, but it's been my experience that Prius drivers
get this sense of entitlement just because they're driving a Prius. The
mileage difference between the Civic and the Prius isn't much for the
kind of driving I do, with most of my miles being freeway; the Prius
gets about 10 mpg better in city driving than highway (60 mpg city, 50
highway), with the Civic getting slightly better highway mileage at 51
mpg and almost the same city at 49. Besides, my brother-in-law drives a
Prius, and this is someone who has been "old" since I met him 26 years
ago. One of my best friends, who is older in age than my brother-in-law
but younger in spirit - recently got a Civic hybrid and absolutely loves
it. Guess which one I'm more likely to listen to <g>
Something else about the Civic. We asked about the hybrid batteries,
which are kind of pricy to replace. The salesman said that the new ones
are now warrantied for 8 years instead of the 4 of the previous
generation. At a cost of around $2500 to replace, that 8-year lifetime
is a lot better. There's also a tax credit that pretty much covers the
cost of replacing the batteries the first time.
Mike also mentioned that with the Civic hybrid I'd be getting all the
advantages and "feel good" effect of driving a hybrid without
advertising it to the world, and that's how I prefer to operate; just do
it but quietly, without attracting attention. I hate being in the
spotlight.
Now the big question is do I want to spring for the navigation/XM
package. Mike and Ryan think I should, but I don't think I'd use the
navigation often enough to make it worth the cost. I've got an XM
receiver in the house, and we installed the car kit in my Mazda so I
could use it in my car, and even without the package the Civic would be
XM ready and pretty much plug-and-play for the car kit. Mike wants the
nav package because it's a gadget. Ryan is thinking ahead. If UCI gets
to the College World Series again next year, he wants to drive to Omaha
for it with some friends and wants to use this car <g>
Dragonwing
kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom
ald
> I had sort of the same thing happen as you did with Seth. My daughter moved
> out (I thought for good), and then was back 1 1/2 months later. Matt had
> just gotten married so he was gone as well. However, Shawn decided it was
> just too expensive to live in the real world, so back she came. I so enjoyed
> that month and a half by myself. I love my children, but I'm really, really
> looking forward to empty nest syndrome!
>
> Sundancer
I got a little bit longer of a break, he actually survived in school
(don't ask me how, considering he was spending more time talking on
the phone with the girls back here than he was in *class*, not to
mention a forbidden word like "homework") for almost 5 months. But
still, yeah, it sure would be nice to have my privacy back ;-)
Sundancer
<sigh> Privacy. What's that? The month and a half Shawn was gone is the only
time in my entire life that I've lived alone for more than two days. So, so
sad. But, at least we get along most of the time. I've know other moms and
grown daughters who almost kill each other. I think it has something to do
with nesting. The daughters are ready to nest and can't do it in their
mothers' homes. Or some such stuff. Boys are easier. Messier for sure, but
easier, I think.
Hey, speaking of messy, ~Kyrian~ where are you and how are the goats?
Sundancer
Sundancer
> Sundancer wrote:
>> Your whole family are mutants, aren't they? <snicker> You have every
>> right to be proud.
>
> Yes, they are. We could be dangerous if we got together and could agree
> on something to take out <g>
Hey, why pick just one thing. Why not total world domination???
> I'm thinking either black or what they call metallic pearl, which is
> actually a dark gray. The one I drove on Saturday was a pale blue with
> the beige interior, and even if it didn't look like something my dad would
> drive - and I better watch what I say because his current vehicle is a
> dark green Accord sedan <g> - the light colors just aren't me, and that
> interior doesn't stand a chance against Sarah the messy. Then again, if I
> didn't let her eat in the car that wouldn't be a problem :-)
Oooo, I've seen the metallic pearl coatings, those are nice!
> I also liked the Prius, but it's been my experience that Prius drivers get
> this sense of entitlement just because they're driving a Prius. The
> mileage difference between the Civic and the Prius isn't much for the kind
> of driving I do, with most of my miles being freeway; the Prius gets about
> 10 mpg better in city driving than highway (60 mpg city, 50 highway), with
> the Civic getting slightly better highway mileage at 51 mpg and almost the
> same city at 49. Besides, my brother-in-law drives a Prius, and this is
> someone who has been "old" since I met him 26 years ago. One of my best
> friends, who is older in age than my brother-in-law but younger in
> spirit - recently got a Civic hybrid and absolutely loves it. Guess which
> one I'm more likely to listen to <g>
I can't afford a Prius, so it's totally out of the question for me.
> Something else about the Civic. We asked about the hybrid batteries,
> which are kind of pricy to replace. The salesman said that the new ones
> are now warrantied for 8 years instead of the 4 of the previous
> generation. At a cost of around $2500 to replace, that 8-year lifetime is
> a lot better. There's also a tax credit that pretty much covers the cost
> of replacing the batteries the first time.
>
> Mike also mentioned that with the Civic hybrid I'd be getting all the
> advantages and "feel good" effect of driving a hybrid without advertising
> it to the world, and that's how I prefer to operate; just do it but
> quietly, without attracting attention. I hate being in the spotlight.
>
> Now the big question is do I want to spring for the navigation/XM package.
> Mike and Ryan think I should, but I don't think I'd use the navigation
> often enough to make it worth the cost. I've got an XM receiver in the
> house, and we installed the car kit in my Mazda so I could use it in my
> car, and even without the package the Civic would be XM ready and pretty
> much plug-and-play for the car kit. Mike wants the nav package because
> it's a gadget. Ryan is thinking ahead. If UCI gets to the College World
> Series again next year, he wants to drive to Omaha for it with some
> friends and wants to use this car <g>
Aw, go ahead and get the whole package. Who knows, you may need it sometime
in the future. Are you sure you want to let Ryan take your new car that far
away???
Sundancer.
Dragonwing
> "Dragonwing" <m...@deltanet.com> wrote:
>> Sundancer wrote:
>
>>> Your whole family are mutants, aren't they? <snicker> You have every
>>> right to be proud.
>>
>> Yes, they are. We could be dangerous if we got together and could
>> agree on something to take out <g>
>
> Hey, why pick just one thing. Why not total world domination???
That's the ultimate goal, but I don't want to try to do too much at once
<g>
>> I'm thinking either black or what they call metallic pearl, which is
>> actually a dark gray. The one I drove on Saturday was a pale blue
>> with the beige interior, and even if it didn't look like something my
>> dad would drive - and I better watch what I say because his current
>> vehicle is a dark green Accord sedan <g> - the light colors just
>> aren't me, and that interior doesn't stand a chance against Sarah the
>> messy. Then again, if I didn't let her eat in the car that wouldn't
>> be a problem :-)
>
> Oooo, I've seen the metallic pearl coatings, those are nice!
Yep. Since the hybrid isn't available in Sarah's first choice of
color - I think it's called Atomic Blue, available for everything but
the hybrid, dammitall - this one is the best of the available options.
So it'll show dirt. Like I ever wash my cars anyway <g>
>> I also liked the Prius, but it's been my experience that Prius
>> drivers get this sense of entitlement just because they're driving a
>> Prius. The mileage difference between the Civic and the Prius isn't
>> much for the kind of driving I do, with most of my miles being
>> freeway; the Prius gets about 10 mpg better in city driving than
>> highway (60 mpg city, 50 highway), with the Civic getting slightly
>> better highway mileage at 51 mpg and almost the same city at 49.
>> Besides, my brother-in-law drives a Prius, and this is someone who
>> has been "old" since I met him 26 years ago. One of my best friends,
>> who is older in age than my brother-in-law but younger in spirit -
>> recently got a Civic hybrid and absolutely loves it. Guess which one
>> I'm more likely to listen to <g>
>
> I can't afford a Prius, so it's totally out of the question for me.
Well, the Civic hybrid is slightly more expensive, according to
Edmunds.com, with MSRP for the Civic at $22600 and the Prius at $22175.
There's also an extra dealer mark-up on the Honda, around $1500 that I
saw. The dealer we're working with mentioned that Honda plants are
gearing up for the new model year so they've gotten their shipments for
July, August, and September on the lot right now and are a bit more
willing to deal.
>> Something else about the Civic. We asked about the hybrid batteries,
>> which are kind of pricy to replace. The salesman said that the new
>> ones are now warrantied for 8 years instead of the 4 of the previous
>> generation. At a cost of around $2500 to replace, that 8-year
>> lifetime is a lot better. There's also a tax credit that pretty much
>> covers the cost of replacing the batteries the first time.
>>
>> Mike also mentioned that with the Civic hybrid I'd be getting all the
>> advantages and "feel good" effect of driving a hybrid without
>> advertising it to the world, and that's how I prefer to operate; just
>> do it but quietly, without attracting attention. I hate being in the
>> spotlight.
>>
>> Now the big question is do I want to spring for the navigation/XM
>> package. Mike and Ryan think I should, but I don't think I'd use the
>> navigation often enough to make it worth the cost. I've got an XM
>> receiver in the house, and we installed the car kit in my Mazda so I
>> could use it in my car, and even without the package the Civic would
>> be XM ready and pretty much plug-and-play for the car kit. Mike
>> wants the nav package because it's a gadget. Ryan is thinking ahead.
>> If UCI gets to the College World Series again next year, he wants to
>> drive to Omaha for it with some friends and wants to use this car <g>
>
> Aw, go ahead and get the whole package. Who knows, you may need it
> sometime in the future. Are you sure you want to let Ryan take your
> new car that far away???
I think I just took away the nav option by applying for a loan for only
$25000; that's about the sticker price of the nav model we saw including
the dealer mark-up, but if I subtract what I'm gonna get from the
insurance for my Mazda that brings it down well below that $25K number.
We still have haggling to do, with the first step being requesting
quotes online and seeing if the dealer can do better. I'll get quotes
for both and see what happens. If I decide not to get the nav I can
still get XM as a dealer-installed option.
I wouldn't have a problem with Ryan doing that trip; Mike likely would.
I'll burn that bridge when I get to it <g>
Dragonwing
Sundancer
"Dragonwing" <m...@deltanet.com> wrote:
> Sundancer wrote:
>
>> "Dragonwing" <m...@deltanet.com> wrote:
>>> Sundancer wrote:
>>
>>>> Your whole family are mutants, aren't they? <snicker> You have every
>>>> right to be proud.
>>>
>>> Yes, they are. We could be dangerous if we got together and could agree
>>> on something to take out <g>
>>
>> Hey, why pick just one thing. Why not total world domination???
>
> That's the ultimate goal, but I don't want to try to do too much at once
> <g>
>
>>> I'm thinking either black or what they call metallic pearl, which is
>>> actually a dark gray. The one I drove on Saturday was a pale blue with
>>> the beige interior, and even if it didn't look like something my dad
>>> would drive - and I better watch what I say because his current vehicle
>>> is a dark green Accord sedan <g> - the light colors just aren't me, and
>>> that interior doesn't stand a chance against Sarah the messy. Then
>>> again, if I didn't let her eat in the car that wouldn't be a problem :-)
>>
>
> Well, the Civic hybrid is slightly more expensive, according to
> Edmunds.com, with MSRP for the Civic at $22600 and the Prius at $22175.
> There's also an extra dealer mark-up on the Honda, around $1500 that I
> saw. The dealer we're working with mentioned that Honda plants are
> gearing up for the new model year so they've gotten their shipments for
> July, August, and September on the lot right now and are a bit more
> willing to deal.
The Prius' at the Toytoa dealership closest to me are from $23,400 up to
almost $29,000. The Civics are $23,100 up to around $25,000. So, I guess
you're right. My thinking must be outdated.
Have you seen the ZAP cars? If I lived in the city/town, I would get one of
their inexpensive all-electric cars. ZAP also has all electric sports cars
which go fast, but they are very, very expensive.
http://www.zapworld.com/default.aspx
Sundancer
Dragonwing
> The Prius' at the Toytoa dealership closest to me are from $23,400 up
> to almost $29,000. The Civics are $23,100 up to around $25,000. So, I
> guess you're right. My thinking must be outdated.
Yipes. And here I thought we had high prices. I think the supply of
Priuses (What is the plural of Prius anyway???) has caught up to the
demand out here 'cause there was no dealer mark-up sticker like on the
Civic hybrids I looked at.
And now I'm wavering again. I've been emailing a friend who got a Civic
hybrid about 6 months ago. I've known Norm for 20+ years - he knows me
better than my own mother by now - and he said that unless I really
loved it at first I probably wouldn't be really happy with the Civic
hybrid. He can see me in a bright blue Civic Si, but I've ruled that
out because the mileage is worse than the Mazda 3, and I am considering
mileage this time around. I can't say that I'm gonna be 100% happy with
whatever car I get just because of the circumstances, but now I'm
thinking that a "fun" car is the way to go. That brings us to the Civic
EX 5-speed coupe or the Mazda 3 sedan with a 5-speed. Back to
Edmunds.com we go <g>
> Have you seen the ZAP cars? If I lived in the city/town, I would get
> one of their inexpensive all-electric cars. ZAP also has all electric
> sports cars which go fast, but they are very, very expensive.
> http://www.zapworld.com/default.aspx
Those are great! If I didn't have to do most of my driving on freeways
I'd give these serious consideration. This is one of the drawbacks of
living here in the heart of "urban sprawl"; nothing is close.
Dragonwing
Liz
LOL! Sorry, no - but we'd take any you wish to send this way.
Liz
Liz
LOL! Yeah, I was gonna bust you on that one! <G> I can't get over her
being in High School and here you are putting her through college at
lightening speed! <G>
By next month will I read that she's got her PhD?
Liz
giggling
Sundancer
It's miserably hot in Louisiana. It's difficult staying cool. I think I'm
going to become a hermit and not leave the A/C. Although, can you be a
hermit if you have to leave the house for work? Semi-hermit? Half-hermit?
Smart?
Sundancer
Liz
fire danger but cooling off is a bit easier.
I must say though that I'm glad not to work outdoors this time of year,
but still in a shaded area with a breeze, I enjoy sitting outside for lunch.
Say, would you send me an email please? I have a quick question for you.
Liz
Sundancer
Email sent...Let me know what you think.
I know I'd rather have the humidity than worry about fire. That's really
scary! There's so much pollution in the air right now that there's a haze
over everything. It looks like smoke almost, like something is burning close
by, but nothing is. I suppose we'll get some relief soon with a storm in the
Gulf and another on the way. I've haven't done my stocking up for hurricane
season yet, I think I'll do that this evening. I do have a supply of
batteries, but that's about it. I need a list!!
Sundancer
Who loves lists.
Dragonwing
> I know I'd rather have the humidity than worry about fire. That's
> really scary! There's so much pollution in the air right now that
> there's a haze over everything. It looks like smoke almost, like
> something is burning close by, but nothing is. I suppose we'll get
> some relief soon with a storm in the Gulf and another on the way. I've
> haven't done my stocking up for hurricane season yet, I think I'll do
> that this evening. I do have a supply of batteries, but that's about
> it. I need a list!!
I'll take the fire threat. Where I'm at, though, that threat is pretty
low; Anaheim, for the most part, is pretty much paved over so it would
take a really good Santa Ana condition to spread any fire from the hills
over here. I just can't handle humidity. I've actually eliminated some
places for vacations because of humidity; I don't want to spend the
entire time in a hotel room, and I'd drop in a minute in any level of
heat with 90% humidity. That's the one thing I wouldn't like if my
dream opportunity of moving to Madison ever came true; too damn humid in
the summer. Then again, for as little as I go out in the summers all I
need is a house with decent a/c, and I'm set <g>
I wouldn't do well in any place that gets hurricanes or any other
natural disaster with warning. I do far better at crisis management,
which is why when we have quakes I calmly go into the girls' room and
get them leaning in the doorway with me; it's not necessarily the safest
place, but it's stable. Then I deal with anything else, and after the
crisis is over I fall apart <g> Having to prepare for something like a
hurricane would just put me into panic mode.
Dragonwing
Liz
was when we were on vacation once - I think that I prefer breathing to
the humidity. Earthquakes scare me more than fire, perhaps because as
Kim said, much of suburbia is paved and the rest is watered. Hurricanes
and tornadoes can be predicted and prepared for, so normal ones don't
freak me out, but the payback for not having earthquakes is living with
the high humidity and frankly although it's good for the skin, it's hell
on my sinuses. So in spite of it's many faults (of all types) I guess
I'm in the right place, although for different reasons than Kim.
Liz
Sundancer
> low; Anaheim, for the most part, is pretty much paved over so it would
> take a really good Santa Ana condition to spread any fire from the hills
> over here. I just can't handle humidity. I've actually eliminated some
> places for vacations because of humidity; I don't want to spend the entire
> time in a hotel room, and I'd drop in a minute in any level of heat with
> 90% humidity. That's the one thing I wouldn't like if my dream
> opportunity of moving to Madison ever came true; too damn humid in the
> summer. Then again, for as little as I go out in the summers all I need
> is a house with decent a/c, and I'm set <g>
Well, if you ever make it here, I have a/c.
Madison, Wisconsin? Isn't it really cold there in the winter? Brrrr!
> I wouldn't do well in any place that gets hurricanes or any other natural
> disaster with warning. I do far better at crisis management, which is why
> when we have quakes I calmly go into the girls' room and get them leaning
> in the doorway with me; it's not necessarily the safest place, but it's
> stable. Then I deal with anything else, and after the crisis is over I
> fall apart <g> Having to prepare for something like a hurricane would
> just put me into panic mode.
I'll bet you'd handle it better than you think.
Sundancer
Sundancer
> Dragonwing wrote:
>> Sundancer wrote:
>>
> After having lived through all of the above - okay the only hurricane was
> when we were on vacation once - I think that I prefer breathing to the
> humidity. Earthquakes scare me more than fire, perhaps because as Kim
> said, much of suburbia is paved and the rest is watered. Hurricanes and
> tornadoes can be predicted and prepared for, so normal ones don't freak me
> out, but the payback for not having earthquakes is living with the high
> humidity and frankly although it's good for the skin, it's hell on my
> sinuses. So in spite of it's many faults (of all types) I guess I'm in the
> right place, although for different reasons than Kim.
I know people who live in dry climates like Arizona who still suffer with
their allergies. But you're right, the humidity seems to make it worse. Just
about everyone here has allergies. I haven't known one person who didn't
sniffle and sneeze for at least part of the year. I sniffle and sneeze all
year. The more it rains, the worse the mold gets, and the worse my allergies
get.
Sundancer
Dragonwing
> "Dragonwing" <m...@deltanet.com> wrote:
>> Sundancer wrote:
>> I'll take the fire threat. Where I'm at, though, that threat is
>> pretty low; Anaheim, for the most part, is pretty much paved over so
>> it would take a really good Santa Ana condition to spread any fire
>> from the hills over here. I just can't handle humidity. I've
>> actually eliminated some places for vacations because of humidity; I
>> don't want to spend the entire time in a hotel room, and I'd drop in
>> a minute in any level of heat with 90% humidity. That's the one
>> thing I wouldn't like if my dream opportunity of moving to Madison
>> ever came true; too damn humid in the summer. Then again, for as
>> little as I go out in the summers all I need is a house with decent
>> a/c, and I'm set <g>
>
> Well, if you ever make it here, I have a/c.
I will remember that for future reference <g>
> Madison, Wisconsin? Isn't it really cold there in the winter? Brrrr!
Yeah, but I handle cold much better than I handle heat. With cold you
can always throw on another sweatshirt. In heat, you can only remove so
much before you get arrested <g> I'm from Wisconsin and still have
family there, even if they're not in Madison. I picked Madison because
as much as I really like the smaller towns I don't like the "small town"
attitudes that come with them. To give you an example, when we lived in
Oconomowoc there was one Jewish man living there - ppopulation at the
time of just under 6000 - and everyone knew who he was and where he
lived, and people would whisper to each other whenever he would walk by.
A lot of "outsiders" have moved there since we left 40+ years ago, but
there are still a lot of the old families there with the same attitudes.
Madison is a larger city - still less than 200000 in population,
though - and is a college town with more liberal attitudes. The Onion
was created there so it can't be all bad, and the student union once
pulled a great prank by having a mock-up of the Statue of Liberty's
crown and torch put out on one of the lakes in winter <g>
>> I wouldn't do well in any place that gets hurricanes or any other
>> natural disaster with warning. I do far better at crisis management,
>> which is why when we have quakes I calmly go into the girls' room and
>> get them leaning in the doorway with me; it's not necessarily the
>> safest place, but it's stable. Then I deal with anything else, and
>> after the crisis is over I fall apart <g> Having to prepare for
>> something like a hurricane would just put me into panic mode.
>
> I'll bet you'd handle it better than you think.
I dunno. I tend to fret given enough time to think about things, and
fretting is never conducive to getting things done. I need to just
react when the pressure is on. There's also the fact that I tend to
procrastinate until the last possible moment. Not good for something
that needs planning, but great for crisis management.
Dragonwing
Liz
like what I had in Memphis. My problem is that it just packs in there
like rocks and my head hurts terribly. My daughter and I would have 2-3
sinus infections a year between us and the family doc could never help.
We had an ENT specialist tho, who could prescribe good stuff, that
knocked the bugs out til next time.
Liz
Sundancer
> Sundancer wrote:
>> Madison, Wisconsin? Isn't it really cold there in the winter? Brrrr!
>
> Yeah, but I handle cold much better than I handle heat. With cold you can
> always throw on another sweatshirt. In heat, you can only remove so much
> before you get arrested <g> I'm from Wisconsin and still have family
> there, even if they're not in Madison. I picked Madison because as much
> as I really like the smaller towns I don't like the "small town" attitudes
> that come with them. To give you an example, when we lived in Oconomowoc
> there was one Jewish man living there - ppopulation at the time of just
> under 6000 - and everyone knew who he was and where he lived, and people
> would whisper to each other whenever he would walk by. A lot of
> "outsiders" have moved there since we left 40+ years ago, but there are
> still a lot of the old families there with the same attitudes. Madison is
> a larger city - still less than 200000 in population, though - and is a
> college town with more liberal attitudes. The Onion was created there so
> it can't be all bad, and the student union once pulled a great prank by
> having a mock-up of the Statue of Liberty's crown and torch put out on one
> of the lakes in winter <g>
>
Right now, I'd take cold.
Sundancer
Sweating unlike a lady.
Sundancer
> Tis true indeed. We struggle a little with allergies here, but nothing
> like what I had in Memphis. My problem is that it just packs in there like
> rocks and my head hurts terribly. My daughter and I would have 2-3 sinus
> infections a year between us and the family doc could never help. We had
> an ENT specialist tho, who could prescribe good stuff, that knocked the
> bugs out til next time.
>
It sounds like you definitely made the right move!
Sundancer
Sundancer
I'm way tired of cooking...anyone have any simple, delicious recipes they
want to share? Not just for Labor Day, but for any day.
Sundancer
Liz
wok that will do anything - shrimp and stir fry veggies, squash,
asparagus, anything. Also I like to put veggies and a fillet of fish
into paper and grill that, but being a heathen, I staple the paper shut
- otherwise I lose all the juices. I know - philistine!
Liz
~Kyrian~
"Liz" <ej...@spamproof.verizon.net> wrote in message
news:zn7zi.16058$4K6.15092@trnddc02...
> Sundancer wrote:
>> Cooking...Labor Day...
>>
>> I'm way tired of cooking...anyone have any simple, delicious recipes they
>> want to share? Not just for Labor Day, but for any day.
>>
>> Sundancer
> This time of year we grill a lot. I have a wonderful Stainless steel BBQ
> wok that will do anything - shrimp and stir fry veggies, squash,
> asparagus,
MMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
****Grilled Asparagus****
anything. Also I like to put veggies and a fillet of fish
> into paper and grill that, but being a heathen, I staple the paper shut -
> otherwise I lose all the juices. I know - philistine!
The Husband makes a 'red rub' for salmon,
then grills it -- basically, any spice/seasoning
that's red, plus brown sugar, plus a bit of maple
syrup --- ohhhh, good!
~Kyrian~
~Kyrian~
"Sundancer" <wind...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:qHRmi.28635$p7.1...@bignews3.bellsouth.net...
I was gone for most of the summer & had
a goat-sitter! Actually, several goat-sitters...
And they aren't so VERY messy. Usually.
~Kyrian~
Liz
> "Liz" <ej...@spamproof.verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:zn7zi.16058$4K6.15092@trnddc02...
>> Sundancer wrote:
>>> Cooking...Labor Day...
>>>
>>> I'm way tired of cooking...anyone have any simple, delicious recipes they
>>> want to share? Not just for Labor Day, but for any day.
>>>
>>> Sundancer
>> This time of year we grill a lot. I have a wonderful Stainless steel BBQ
>> wok that will do anything - shrimp and stir fry veggies, squash,
>> asparagus,
>
> MMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> ****Grilled Asparagus****
Yeah baby = it rocks!
My son in law used to grill carrots. Sounds weird, but he marinated them
in something mild but containing lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves,
then grilled them. Mmmmm. Most anything is good on the grill imnsho.
>
>
>
> anything. Also I like to put veggies and a fillet of fish
>> into paper and grill that, but being a heathen, I staple the paper shut -
>> otherwise I lose all the juices. I know - philistine!
>
>
> The Husband makes a 'red rub' for salmon,
> then grills it -- basically, any spice/seasoning
> that's red, plus brown sugar, plus a bit of maple
> syrup --- ohhhh, good!
>
>
> ~Kyrian~
>
>
>
Ooooo, I'll have to try that. Sounds good.
Liz
Sundancer
> Sundancer wrote:
>> Cooking...Labor Day...
>>
>> I'm way tired of cooking...anyone have any simple, delicious recipes they
>> want to share? Not just for Labor Day, but for any day.
>>
>> Sundancer
> This time of year we grill a lot. I have a wonderful Stainless steel BBQ
> wok that will do anything - shrimp and stir fry veggies, squash,
> asparagus, anything.
I love stir fry. Especially snow peas. I'm not too crazy about those
itty-bitty corn-on-the-cob though. They're just wrong.
> Also I like to put veggies and a fillet of fish into paper and grill that,
> but being a heathen, I staple the paper shut - otherwise I lose all the
> juices. I know - philistine!
>
> Liz
Hey, as long as it works!
Sundancer
Sundancer
> "Liz" <ej...@spamproof.verizon.net> wrote:
>> Sundancer wrote:
>>> Cooking...Labor Day...
>>>
>>> I'm way tired of cooking...anyone have any simple, delicious recipes
>>> they want to share? Not just for Labor Day, but for any day.
>>>
>>> Sundancer
>> This time of year we grill a lot. I have a wonderful Stainless steel BBQ
>> wok that will do anything - shrimp and stir fry veggies, squash,
>> asparagus,
>
> MMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> ****Grilled Asparagus****
>
>
>
> anything. Also I like to put veggies and a fillet of fish
>> into paper and grill that, but being a heathen, I staple the paper shut -
>> otherwise I lose all the juices. I know - philistine!
>
>
> The Husband makes a 'red rub' for salmon,
> then grills it -- basically, any spice/seasoning
> that's red, plus brown sugar, plus a bit of maple
> syrup --- ohhhh, good!
>
>
> ~Kyrian~
That sounds wonderful! I love to grill, but it's way too hot out to grill
right now. Even at night. I'm not moving from the A/C until October!
Sundancer
Sundancer
Were you off Ren Festing?
Are you staking the goats around the yard so they can trim your grass?
Sundancer
Liz
Oooh look! Posts! Not spam posts, but real posts! Wheee......
And yeah, we had a taste of your weather here last week! Yuck.
Glad to be back to normal calif weather.
Liz
Liz
It does and it tastes sooo good!
Liz
Liz
Don't they just eat right down to the dirt? Roots and all? Or is that
sheep??
Liz
not overly knowledgeable....
Dragonwing
I think it's goats that eat everything. The city of LA was
contemplating using goats to clear brush and stuff in Griffith Park to
prevent another disastrous fire. Goats will eat just about anything,
including the straw hat off my back when I was about 4 <g>
Dragonwing
Liz
That's funny now but must have been quite traumatic at the time! Still
<chuckle> it's hard not to grin at the mental picture!
I remember Mom talking about battles in WY between Sheep & Cattle
ranchers over that topic but somehow I think goats are worse, so if
that's true, might not be the solution. The plants are needed for soil
retention. They just need to be shorter.
Oh gosh, time for work. Bye ya'll....
Liz
Dragonwing
Well, not too much excitement happening here. The big deal here is
about my work. I've landed another client - woohoo! This is a
chiropractor, who I'll call Dr. A, who used to work with one of my other
clients, Dr. B. Dr. A was brought into Dr. B's office to allow him to
see more workers' comp patients; I honestly don't understand this logic,
as w/c claims are a pain in the butt to handle, but that's the office's
problem and not mine anymore. Anyway, Dr. A got fed up with Dr. B not
living up to their agreement and changing it when it suited him so he
left there several months ago. Since then I have noticed a decrease in
the number of w/c reports I'm getting from Dr. B's office, but he's way
behind on dictating them; I was shown piles of charts in the doc's
office that he has yet to get to, and these things need to be done in a
specified amount of time or no payment. Anyway, Dr. A works with
several orthopedists both in OC and in San Diego and decided to hire me
to do the w/c reports. I started for him last month, and I've been told
that once all the w/c work is transferred to him I'll be getting a lot
of regular work - woohoo!!!
This is a very good thing, because I suspect I may become a casualty of
Dr. B's latest round of cost cutting. Dr. A was telling me about this,
how Dr. B had tried outsourcing the w/c transcription to India to save
money, which explains the drop off I saw for a month or so. Dr. A
wasn't please with that so he started giving me the w/c reports again to
make sure they got done on a timely basis and got done right. I was
recently asked to provide an explanation of how I do my billing for Dr.
B's office, which flashed a red flag in my head. The gal who handles
the dictation for the office knows that he won't be able to get someone
to do what I do for him for less money, but he told her to ask me about
this anyway. I emailed them a long detailed explanation about the
different ways of billing and what some services will do to increase
their payment, things I don't do and would never even consider. What
surprises me most about this is that this is a rather young doctor,
younger than me, and he's already into the "money first" mindset. The
first doctor I worked for ended up retiring when Medicare stopped paying
in full for lab tests, but he was also nearing retirement age anyway and
this was the thing that pushed him out of practice. The last office I
worked in had a doctor who wanted us to interrupt him for phone calls
from his stock brokers; again, this was an older man who retired not too
long after I left that office. I expect that in an older doctor, one
who is planning on retiring soon and wants to get as much in as possible
before his primary source of income is gone, not from a man who is less
than 40 years old and has many years ahead of him. We'll see what
happens here.
The other good thing about work is that I got my digital transcribing
system up and running - woohoo again!! Dr. A sent me a bunch of wav
files over the weekend, and I was able to download them and play them
back just fine, and the digital recordings don't have the funky volume
problems I get with tapes. This means that I may be able to do all my
work from home without having to drive to offices, thereby saving me
from putting 125 miles a week on my car (which already has over 5000
miles on it and I've had it less than 3 months). It also means that I'm
not limited in distance; if that doc in Mission Viejo who called me
early in the year decides to go digital instead of call-in I can start
working for her, too. Now my only limits are my typing speed and the
fact that there are only 24 hours in a day <g>
So, anyone else here???
Dragonwing
The Rogue
wrote:
>So, anyone else here???
>
>Dragonwing
Good news indeed ;-) Yeah, I'm still here, somehow this thread got
dropped from my Watch filter, but it's back now. Lots of change here,
not too bad, but lots of adjusting. ;-) Main change is in work, AAA
decided they want all tow truck drivers to pass a legit DoT physical,
so despite the fact that I have a DoT card (admittedly from a quack,
but still) I'm now driving a light service truck (read: flat tires).
Same pay, which is good, except for losing the extra shift bonus since
they don't need a LS driver on graveyard, so I'm back to 2-10 shift,
which is more normal.
The other big change is that both boys are back home with me. Matt,
the youngest, spent about 3 months in Washington state with his Mom,
but came home when he lost the girlfriend and job that were keeping
him there. Seth, #1 son, has been home for almost 2 years now, but the
room we're renting is starting to get a *bit* crowded. Funny, I
thought it was *huge* when it was just me in it ;-) Oh, well, may have
to look into getting an apartment or a house, I should be able to
afford it now ;-)
Next? ;-)
ald
reply via email to ald_007_1999 at yahoo dot com
Dragonwing
this had a good day. We were supposed to do the big family dinner thing
as my parents' house, but that wasn't quite the case. Mom had a minor
medical procedure done late last week and just didn't feel like cooking
all day. She's had some strange, what was thought to be lung problems
for years. Nothing major that affected her daily life, but she sounded
horrible, with very raspy breathing. She finally decided to have
something done about this about 8 months ago. Well, with the HMO hoops
to jump through it took a couple months for them to determine that it
wasn't her lungs but rather scar tissue that had formed in the trachea
somewhere. She was supposed to have a laser treatment done on this in
June, but the doctor posponed it to August, then postponed it again
until the end of September. Then, when she went to have it done, it was
discovered that this scarring was further down than the ENT doc was
comfortable dealing with; he said he could have done it but was afraid
it would cause more problems as it healed. He was supposed to refer her
to a thoracic specialist up at UCLA, but the referral fell through the
cracks at the medical group and the HMO. She finally saw this new
doctor for the first time 2 weeks ago and had a dilation of this scarred
area done last Thursday. She sounds so much better, and she has a
follow-up appointment in a few weeks.
So Mom wasn't up to cooking but said we should still come up for the
day, and we'd figure out something for dinner. We came up with a better
idea. We got a Marie Callender's "feast in a box" and brought it up
there. Got a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams, veggies, stuffing,
cranberries, cornbread, and a pie. All we had to do was heat everything
up, et voila!! Instant dinner, more or less :-) Worked out really
well. Even my brother, when he showed up later and had already eaten,
had some of it, and we still have leftovers of everything but the mashed
potatoes. Guess what we're having for lunch today <g>
Anyone else there???
Dragonwing
B~
"Dragonwing" <m...@deltanet.com> wrote
<gentle snip of nice sounding Thanksgiving>
> Anyone else there???
>
me,me, ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and who else before I start prattling?
I'm happy your mom sounds like she is doing better!
B~ formerly MBP, remember? LOL ;-)
B~
"B~" <some...@windstream.net> wrote
>>
> me,me, ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> and who else before I start prattling?
>
There's an elephant living in the house with us now. He disappears most
days, but seems to find his way into the den in the evenings.
Hubby is very upset and worried about it; he thinks I'm ignoring and/or
neglecting- unable to look at it. I see it very clearly- however, I refuse
to give it more room than necessary, I refuse to let it sit on the couch,
and I have banned it into the corner. It's there, period. It clashes with
the furniture, but I'll be damned if it thinks I'm gonna dust it and take
care of it! Mike feeds it- unknowingly- with fear. It would starve to death
if it waited on me.
It is what it is.
I think sometime, this afternoon or evening, I'm going to lead it out to the
middle of the room, and turn the lights up bright on it! I want and need to
show Mike- it is nothing to be afraid of- and I think it will lose some
weight this way. It may take more than one viewing, though.
I also need to point out the dove to him- the one living in the foyer
chandelier. It's there to greet me each morning, and meet me each evening.
It coos to me as I pass under it- going from one room to the next. Hell,
its' been there since we moved here. It came with us from our old house, and
come to think of it- it's always been around me- for as long as I can
remember. Funny how hope is always there- waiting for us- until we look for
it, or need it. Sort of like faith, perhaps?
Dragonwing
>> me,me, ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>> and who else before I start prattling?
>>
> warning-repetitive prattling :-)
Prattle on, dear.
> There's an elephant living in the house with us now. He disappears
> most days, but seems to find his way into the den in the evenings.
>
> Hubby is very upset and worried about it; he thinks I'm ignoring
> and/or neglecting- unable to look at it. I see it very clearly-
> however, I refuse to give it more room than necessary, I refuse to let
> it sit on the couch, and I have banned it into the corner. It's there,
> period. It clashes with the furniture, but I'll be damned if it thinks
> I'm gonna dust it and take care of it! Mike feeds it- unknowingly-
> with fear. It would starve to death if it waited on me.
>
>
> It is what it is.
Good! I've always admired you for your positive attitude and outlook
even when things looked dim. You're telling this thing that it can't
take control. You're still in charge.
> I think sometime, this afternoon or evening, I'm going to lead it out
> to the middle of the room, and turn the lights up bright on it! I want
> and need to show Mike- it is nothing to be afraid of- and I think it
> will lose some weight this way. It may take more than one viewing,
> though.
Quite likely, but do it until he gets it. You can't just let it take
over and rule your lives.
> I also need to point out the dove to him- the one living in the foyer
> chandelier. It's there to greet me each morning, and meet me each
> evening. It coos to me as I pass under it- going from one room to the
> next. Hell, its' been there since we moved here. It came with us from
> our old house, and come to think of it- it's always been around me-
> for as long as I can remember. Funny how hope is always there- waiting
> for us- until we look for it, or need it. Sort of like faith, perhaps?
Remember "Fiddler on the Roof", how he was always there, even and
especially when things looked darkest? Same as your dove. There is
always hope. We tend to "take it for granted" and not see it when
things are going well, but when adversity hits we notice it.
You feed that dove and starve that elephant as best you can.
{{{{{B~}}}}}
And you know where to find me if you ever need to vent.
Dragonwing
Dragonwing
Fortunately, Hanukkah didn't overlap Yule or Christmas this year, which
makes it easier to really play up Hanukkah. I did okay with gifts for
the kids this year, including the two nights Ryan got handed cash
instead of a gift; he actually prefers cash, being a "starving college
student" <g> Caitlin got lots of CDs and DVDs, mostly 'cause she didn't
give me any other ideas. Sarah is still happy with just about anything.
My Yule "celebration" was just me waking up before sunrise and going
outside to greet the rising sun. I'm kinda low-key <g> I did have a
nice tree, though I didn't get a picture of it (again).
I still haven't gotten the kids convinced to let me give them gifts on
Yule instead of Christmas, so we did the gift opening at 10 AM Christmas
morning; Sarah always wakes up well before her siblings so the time was
agreed upon several days in advance to avoid her complaints and the
others' grumbling about having to wake up too early. We got Ryan a
bookshelf stereo; he's redoing his room here at home with the mindset of
"I'll be moving out of here in a couple years so I want to get things
that will move with me", and the stereo was one thing he wanted to
replace. Caitlin got DDR Extreme 2 for her PS2 and a digital camera to
call her own. We got Sarah a bunch of smaller gifts, including a
science set with a small microscope.
We went to my brother-in-law's house for the annual Hanukkah gathering
on the 26th. Doesn't matter that Hanukkah was over on the 11th this
year, there's always a gathering for the kids. I went along and brought
my knitting, as usual; most years I find myself "swamped with work" in
order to get out of going there, but I honestly had no work that day and
figured I'd go along to share the misery <g> Ryan and Caitlin got gift
cards from everyone, and Sarah got a cute jacket and another cute outfit
in addition to a couple gift cards.
The big family gift exchange at my parents' house was on the 30th.
Everyone seemed pleased with what I made them, even though Dad's sweater
wasn't finished; UPS dropped the ball and didn't get me the yarn in the
2 days I paid extra for so he only got to see a picture of it and the
color of what I had done at that time (I only need to finish the collar
now). The only one who didn't get something handknit this year was my
brother. He's a mechanic and doesn't wear nice things to work, and even
on weekends he pretty much wears t-shirts and sweatpants. He's also a
large individual - wears a size 3X in most shirts - and I haven't found
a pattern for anything I really like for him. Maybe next year. I also
didn't make anything for my uncle Jim, but I did get him a couple of
Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup champions beer mugs <g> My aunt Kathy - my
mom's sister - got a knit scarf, and I already got a request for next
year from Jim's wife, Kathie (recall that I have three aunts Kathy/ie),
for the same pattern to go along with her winter coat.
The kids all started school again on Monday so things are returning to
what passes for normal around here. They all had 3 weeks of break -
Ryan usually gets 4, but they started the fall term a week later than
usual this year. Gonna take the girls a few more days to get back into
waking up early and getting out of the house on time, but we're getting
there.
So what's up with anyone else??
Dragonwing
Who??
<gentle snip>
> So what's up with anyone else??
>
well, let's see....I've spent my bday in Jamaica and it was even more
wonderful than I imagined. I really need to buy lotto tickets, I'd
move there permanently in a heartbeat. It was cheaper for me to fly
and vacation there this year than anywhere else, even tho my brother's
feelings were a bit hurt cuz I didn't come to CA.
I'm having to read/post through google again which sucks frogs hairs-
but it's better than nothing!
I'm glad to read that things worked out well for your mom,
Dragonwing.
My life is still *boring*, except it is slowly being consumed by
doctors visits again.
Work is good, well- as good as work can be- and I am so blessed to
have one of the best bosses in the world!
Please keep your fingers crossed that our little lake house will sell
soon- that would be such a huge burden off my mind.
Hubby's son is going to Japan for at least 2 years- taking kids &wife
along, I will miss them so much. But it is better than him doing
third tour of Iraq or Afghanistan.
I should be at work today- but here I sit, <grins> I can go in
tomorrow- or even Monday to make up some time and finish up a few
things.
An old friend phoned last night- just to say she as thinking of me, it
was great to hear from her. I don't know where time goes- and I do
miss her, but sometimes it is so hard keeping up with everyone! :-(
I suppose that's enough rambling- the more things change- the more
they stay the same, LOL!
mmmwahhhhhh!
B~
Liz
Hey ya'll. Since I've gotten hooked on YouTube, I seem to be forgetting
other places where cool people are! Shame on me.
B - I'm so glad your birthday was good and that you did such a cool
trip! Many of my family members are going on a cruise leaving next
weekend. Aunt Jean, baby sister Anne and Kim - you know Cathi. There are
more, but no one anyone here would know. A group of about 12 I think.
They should have a blast.
We had a wonderful holiday season - as I think I've mentioned elsewhere.
I'll be more ready to begin celebrating the new baby to be once we get
past the next test. I think it should be in about 2 more weeks.
K has rsv, but I guess most all kids will have had it by their 3rd
birthday. Now her mom is sick too. That worries me, but she says they
are fine. Darryl is totally helpful of course and they have someone to
clean, so I guess I'll believe her. She's resting and that's about all
you can do for colds or rsv.
After Gary & I went hiking yesterday we ate at a wonderful greek
restaurant in Malibu. It was grand to sit on the patio (with heaters)
and enjoy a nice meal in the sea air. Especially so, given how hard it
is to get him off the couch. <G>
Gotta go - I'm trying to learn how to edit videos.
Big Hugs, Liz
Liz
> x-no-archive: yes
>
> Time to feed the thread <g>
>
> The good news is that Ryan doesn't need surgery. I'll elaborate. He
> went snowboarding in December for the first time, and, as is expected,
> landed on the ground most of the times he tried to stop. When he came
> home that night he said that he was landing on his left knee a lot, and
> after the last time it didn't feel too good. The pain was resolving
> slowly but was still nagging, so last month he saw an orthopedist, the
> same one who did my knee surgery back in 2001. Just based on where the
> pain was and the fact that it wasn't constant led the doc to think that
> it may be a torn meniscus, which is the same thing I had. MRI was
> ordered and done after the insurance company finally gave approval; I
> hate insurance companies. He saw the doc on Tuesday for the results.
> Turns out that nothing is torn, but he has a bit of tendinitis. The doc
> said that that's both good news and bad news, good because nothing's
> torn but bad because a tear is easier to fix than tendinitis; this will
> likely be a recurrent issue for him. He was told to take ibuprofen to
> keep the inflammation down, and he can do anything that didn't hurt him
> too much, which is good because he had stopped doing any lower body
> lifting and aerobic stuff and now he can gradually work back up. He
> also bought himself a strap to wear just below the knee to give him some
> extra support.
>
> Sarah's gonna be a Girl Scout! I've been trying since November to find
> her a close-to-home Brownie troop. My mistake was going through
> official channels to do this. I should have learned after what happened
> when Caitlin was in 2nd grade, and we didn't have enough girls to
> recharter the troop; we had tried to get our local managers to give us
> the names of interested girls so we could get that 5th girl to register
> the troop, but they wouldn't do that until all existing troops were
> registered, putting us in a classic catch-22 situation, so we just
> disbanded the troop. Anyway, I finally talked to Caitlin's Scout leader
> about this a couple weeks ago, and last week I emailed the leader of a
> local Brownie troop. Sarah will be going to their next meeting on
> Monday. We're not sure if she'll be in 2nd grade or 3rd grade with the
> troop; that will depend on which group she feels most comfortable with.
> She's in 2nd grade at school but 3rd grade in religious school so either
> one would work. If she's put with the 3rd graders she'll be flying up
> to Juniors in June so she won't get a Brownie uniform, but she can live
> with that. She's just thrilled to be a Brownie.
>
> Caitlin is doing better in school in the new semester. She really
> struggled with history and math last semester, to the point where her
> math teacher is allowing her to re-take the final so he doesn't have to
> fail her. This is algebra 2, the "chemistry of high school math" as her
> teacher calls it, the class no one really likes, and she absolutely
> hates it. There are parts that come really easy for her, but it's the
> stuff that doesn't come easy that's the problem. She convinces herself
> that if she can't get it immediately she'll never get it. The thing is,
> though, that when she breaks out of that mindset and gets it she really
> gets it. The school decided to split the class this semester, to allow
> those who need a slower pace and more help to have it. She's in this
> class now and is doing much better. Her frustration level has really
> come down, and she seems to be handling her homework much better.
>
> The history thing is a stickier situation. Her teacher and I know that
> she doesn't learn simply by reading; she has to do something else at the
> same time to get anything to stick. What she'll usually do is outline
> the chapter as she's reading it, or she'll go in her room and read it
> aloud. Either of these things increases her retention of the material.
> She also needs to review more before tests, and also take advantage of
> the fact that this teacher will allow students to re-take the test as
> long as they tell her that week. Her teacher suggested that she
> transfer into the world history class for this semester, but that would
> also mess up her science. She's taking US history and cell biology,
> which are 11th grade classes, and should be taking world history and
> chemistry, but at the beginning of the year she was placed in the world
> history and chemistry with all of the ESL kids, which isn't an issue,
> and was the only non-ESL kid in these classes. Both she and I didn't
> like this because it appeared she was being singled out so we decided
> she'd do the 11th grade classes this year along with the other non-ESL
> kids in her grade. Switching her to the 10th grade classes would mess
> her up for next year so we kept her in the US history and cell biology
> (where she's kicking butt with a good strong A), and she's putting in
> more study time before tests, which is paying off; she got a 94 on her
> first test this semester.
>
> I'm hanging in there. I just wish my docs would get their acts together
> and get caught up on dictating. I know for a fact that one of my
> orthopedists is about 100 workers' comp reports behind, going back to a
> year ago, and it looks like he's never going to even attempt to catch up
> on these. The new guy, a chiropractor who works with an orthopedic
> group in San Diego doing workers' comp stuff, still hasn't gotten
> everything together. When he gives me work it's a lot, and in digital
> form so I don't have to worry about tape issues, but I really wish he
> would figure out how to do each week's stuff that same week so I don't
> get bombarded. As usual, when I'm not working or dealing with kids I'm
> reading or knitting. I just started this for me:
> http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter07/PATTabotanicity.html
>
> Maybe I should have read the pattern before starting because if I had
> known I would be increasing from 140 stitches to over 500 right off the
> bat I may have put this off for a while <g> OTOH, it's knit top-down in
> the round so there are no seams so it's good to wear right off the
> needles, and since I already have two cardigans finished except for
> seaming I'm more likely to finish this before I decide to do those seams
> on the cardigans; at least the cardigans are open and don't have buttons
> and button bands (which never lay flat when unbuttoned, grr...) to
> hassle with.
>
> So anyone else out there, or do I keep talking to myself?? <g>
>
> Dragonwing
>
>
Nope, you're all alone in here - dontcha hear the echo??? Hellloooo???
Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now??
It's a kickin sweater and I'm sure you'll do a great job. I'd love it
see it when you finish. I saw some cool lace cuffs today, but they were
designed to be on their own - you could wear them with anything and
frankly, as beautiful as they were, I just couldn't see myself wearing
them. There was another (watching Knitty Gritty, if you haven't guessed)
lace that you could sew onto a denim skirt, jean hems, a top hem or
whatever but you knit it sideways - that way as you test it, you know
exactly where to quit rather than guessing gauge. Cool.
Glad to hear about the kids - I'm sorry C is struggling. Algebra can be
so ruined by the wrong teacher or so great with a good one. Good news
about Ryan's knee and Sarah's scouts. Cool.
We're moving the kids tomorrow to a 3 bedroom in the same complex.
Should be fun in the rain, no? I'll wave to your folks while I'm up
there - your mom continuing to heal?
Miss you lots, Liz
Dragonwing
Liz wrote:
> Nope, you're all alone in here - dontcha hear the echo??? Hellloooo???
> Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now??
Anyone? Bueller?? <g>
> It's a kickin sweater and I'm sure you'll do a great job. I'd love it
> see it when you finish. I saw some cool lace cuffs today, but they
> were designed to be on their own - you could wear them with anything
> and frankly, as beautiful as they were, I just couldn't see myself
> wearing them. There was another (watching Knitty Gritty, if you
> haven't guessed) lace that you could sew onto a denim skirt, jean
> hems, a top hem or whatever but you knit it sideways - that way as you
> test it, you know exactly where to quit rather than guessing gauge.
> Cool.
Last night I got to the part in the pattern where the sleeve stitches
are put on waste yarn for later, and now I just have to do about 4
inches of 2 x 1 ribbing - on 296 stitches, ack!! - then try it on to
make sure the skirt starts in the right place. Once I get to the lace
part things will be more interesting, and I won't be as bored with the
pattern <g>
I have a few books with patterns for lace edgings, and maybe one of
these eons I'll decide to embellish stuff with them. I saw pictures of
kitchen shelves with knitted lace edgings attached, and I like the way
that looks. Maybe once I get the kitchen done I'll see about doing
that. I know not many people will see them, but I like it.
> Glad to hear about the kids - I'm sorry C is struggling. Algebra can
> be so ruined by the wrong teacher or so great with a good one.
The thing is that algebra 2 covers so many different things that aren't
just algebra. She could deal with just algebra just fine, but it's
logorithms and all the other crap that she's having the most difficulty
with. Now that she's in the "slower" class she's doing much better and
hasn't needed help with her homework. I think the big thing was that
she was reluctant to ask for help from her teacher - who is really cool
and encourages the kids to ask him for help; he also turns on the radio
when they're working on homework in class and gives extra points to
anyone who can get both the song title and the band name <g> - and her
current class is set up to allow for more individual attention.
Good news
> about Ryan's knee and Sarah's scouts. Cool.
Yep. Ryan heaved a huge sigh of relief at not needing surgery.
Sarah's really excited. I'm sure she's told everyone at school about it
several times by now <g>
> We're moving the kids tomorrow to a 3 bedroom in the same complex.
> Should be fun in the rain, no? I'll wave to your folks while I'm up
> there - your mom continuing to heal?
Mom is doing fine. I spoke with her last night after the Oscar
telecast. She had her follow-up appointment a week or so ago, and the
doc said everything looks good.
How did the move go?
We need to do a "girls night out" movie thing sometime soon. Anything
coming out that looks good? Remember that my moviegoing pretty much
revolves around whatever Sarah wants to see, which explains why I
haven't seen any of the Oscar-nominated movies other than Ratatouille
<g>
Dragonwing
Liz
> Liz wrote:
>
>> Nope, you're all alone in here - dontcha hear the echo??? Hellloooo???
>> Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now? Can you hear me now??
>
> Anyone? Bueller?? <g>
LOL!
>
>> It's a kickin sweater and I'm sure you'll do a great job. I'd love it
>> see it when you finish. I saw some cool lace cuffs today, but they
>> were designed to be on their own - you could wear them with anything
>> and frankly, as beautiful as they were, I just couldn't see myself
>> wearing them. There was another (watching Knitty Gritty, if you
>> haven't guessed) lace that you could sew onto a denim skirt, jean
>> hems, a top hem or whatever but you knit it sideways - that way as you
>> test it, you know exactly where to quit rather than guessing gauge.
>> Cool.
>
> Last night I got to the part in the pattern where the sleeve stitches
> are put on waste yarn for later, and now I just have to do about 4
> inches of 2 x 1 ribbing - on 296 stitches, ack!! - then try it on to
> make sure the skirt starts in the right place. Once I get to the lace
> part things will be more interesting, and I won't be as bored with the
> pattern <g>
Oh nice - I do want to see it when you finish. I keep saying I'll make
something for myself one day, but then get distracted with stuff for
other people.
>
> I have a few books with patterns for lace edgings, and maybe one of
> these eons I'll decide to embellish stuff with them. I saw pictures of
> kitchen shelves with knitted lace edgings attached, and I like the way
> that looks. Maybe once I get the kitchen done I'll see about doing
> that. I know not many people will see them, but I like it.
I don't think I would - once they get full of dust and whatnot, I
shudder to think about it. Then if the dishes are a little wet when you
put them up. Nah, I'm not a good enough housekeeper for that. But lace
edging on something washable, now that I like.
>
>> Glad to hear about the kids - I'm sorry C is struggling. Algebra can
>> be so ruined by the wrong teacher or so great with a good one.
>
> The thing is that algebra 2 covers so many different things that aren't
> just algebra. She could deal with just algebra just fine, but it's
> logorithms and all the other crap that she's having the most difficulty
> with. Now that she's in the "slower" class she's doing much better and
> hasn't needed help with her homework. I think the big thing was that
> she was reluctant to ask for help from her teacher - who is really cool
> and encourages the kids to ask him for help; he also turns on the radio
> when they're working on homework in class and gives extra points to
> anyone who can get both the song title and the band name <g> - and her
> current class is set up to allow for more individual attention.
The right teacher might not always be in the right situation. Sounds
like she got things under control though. Good deal. She's too bright to
get a negative attitude from stuff like that.
>
> Good news
>> about Ryan's knee and Sarah's scouts. Cool.
>
> Yep. Ryan heaved a huge sigh of relief at not needing surgery.
>
> Sarah's really excited. I'm sure she's told everyone at school about it
> several times by now <g>
>
>> We're moving the kids tomorrow to a 3 bedroom in the same complex.
>> Should be fun in the rain, no? I'll wave to your folks while I'm up
>> there - your mom continuing to heal?
>
> Mom is doing fine. I spoke with her last night after the Oscar
> telecast. She had her follow-up appointment a week or so ago, and the
> doc said everything looks good.
>
> How did the move go?
Great thank goodness - the young folks had the beds and couches all
moved before we got there so all we did was to shuffle some boxes and
then help unpack. Kaitlin helped me figure out which stuff was to save
for the new baby and we put that into the baby's room. "Dere's a baby in
mommy's tummy and it's going to grown and come out". Later I was told
that she also thinks she has one too! LOL. You think that child could do
or say anything I didn't think was adorable??
>
> We need to do a "girls night out" movie thing sometime soon. Anything
> coming out that looks good? Remember that my moviegoing pretty much
> revolves around whatever Sarah wants to see, which explains why I
> haven't seen any of the Oscar-nominated movies other than Ratatouille
> <g>
>
> Dragonwing
>
>
I'm clueless quite frankly but I'll do a hunt maybe tomorrow. For Dev's
birthday on the Ides of March, we're going to do a Dr Seuss movie due to
be released that day. Big excitement - he's jazzed about it though.
Oh golly, it must be bedtime - I can no longer string words together
coherently....
<yawn>
G'nite.
Dragonwing
>> Last night I got to the part in the pattern where the sleeve stitches
>> are put on waste yarn for later, and now I just have to do about 4
>> inches of 2 x 1 ribbing - on 296 stitches, ack!! - then try it on to
>> make sure the skirt starts in the right place. Once I get to the
>> lace part things will be more interesting, and I won't be as bored
>> with the pattern <g>
>
> Oh nice - I do want to see it when you finish. I keep saying I'll make
> something for myself one day, but then get distracted with stuff for
> other people.
During most of the year I make some things for me and some things for
the girls. Starting around June or July I get started on the holiday
gifts, and I want to make another "Absolutely Fabulous" throw -
Colinette Yarns kit that is just to die for - for the girls' school's
annual auction; I did that last year and it got lots of interest.
I currently have two cardigans for me that just need to be blocked and
sewn together. Actually, the lacy one needs an attached I-cord edging,
which is a royal PITA to do so I'm putting this off for a while longer.
The other one I have no excuse for other than the fact that I hate
blocking and sewing things together. I think I can just steam iron
block it into shape then sew it together, which is better than having to
pin it out on a blocking board.
>> I have a few books with patterns for lace edgings, and maybe one of
>> these eons I'll decide to embellish stuff with them. I saw pictures
>> of kitchen shelves with knitted lace edgings attached, and I like the
>> way that looks. Maybe once I get the kitchen done I'll see about
>> doing that. I know not many people will see them, but I like it.
>
> I don't think I would - once they get full of dust and whatnot, I
> shudder to think about it. Then if the dishes are a little wet when
> you put them up. Nah, I'm not a good enough housekeeper for that. But
> lace edging on something washable, now that I like.
This would just be on the edges of the shelves hanging down. Not sure
I'd ever do it, but I thought it looked cute.
>>> Glad to hear about the kids - I'm sorry C is struggling. Algebra can
>>> be so ruined by the wrong teacher or so great with a good one.
>>
>> The thing is that algebra 2 covers so many different things that
>> aren't just algebra. She could deal with just algebra just fine, but
>> it's logorithms and all the other crap that she's having the most
>> difficulty with. Now that she's in the "slower" class she's doing
>> much better and hasn't needed help with her homework. I think the
>> big thing was that she was reluctant to ask for help from her
>> teacher - who is really cool and encourages the kids to ask him for
>> help; he also turns on the radio when they're working on homework in
>> class and gives extra points to anyone who can get both the song
>> title and the band name <g> - and her current class is set up to
>> allow for more individual attention.
>
> The right teacher might not always be in the right situation. Sounds
> like she got things under control though. Good deal. She's too bright
> to get a negative attitude from stuff like that.
Yep. I tell her all the time that she's a smart kid, but she just tells
me that I have to say that because I'm her mother <g> She knows she's
smart, but when she gets stuck on something it's difficult for her to
remember that. Fortunately, this class isn't really important in the
long run. I've been telling her that it's okay to not finish the book
because she's not going to use a lot of that stuff again, and next year
she has trig anyway, which is completely different and, IMNSHO, a lot
more fun.
>> Good news
>>> about Ryan's knee and Sarah's scouts. Cool.
>>
>> Yep. Ryan heaved a huge sigh of relief at not needing surgery.
>>
>> Sarah's really excited. I'm sure she's told everyone at school about
>> it several times by now <g>
About her Scout meeting. She had a blast! When Mike went to pick her
up at 8 she didn't realize it had been an hour and a half, she was
having so much fun. There's a big 3-night campout coming up in April or
so, but because she's never camped with them she can only camp for one
night but can be there for the daytime activities; this makes perfect
sense to me 'cause she doesn't know what's expected on campouts, and
this will ease her into them.
One thing I'm gonna be wary of. Last night when I was filling out her
paperwork and meeting people, one of the other mothers I was talking to
kept looking at what I was wearing. I'm not sure if she was trying to
figure out who was on my shirt - System of a Down - or looking at my
pentacle/Celtic knot. I'm gonna have to see what happens here. If I'm
asked what it is I always say it's a Celtic protection knot, which it
is, and that I've always loved Celtic knotwork, which I have since I
discovered it. I always wear this one out, and it's subtle enough that
only those "in the know" get what it is, and others just think it's
neat. I don't think there will be any issues, but I'm gonna keep my
eyes and ears open just in case.
>>> We're moving the kids tomorrow to a 3 bedroom in the same complex.
>>> Should be fun in the rain, no? I'll wave to your folks while I'm up
>>> there - your mom continuing to heal?
>>
>> Mom is doing fine. I spoke with her last night after the Oscar
>> telecast. She had her follow-up appointment a week or so ago, and
>> the doc said everything looks good.
>>
>> How did the move go?
>
> Great thank goodness - the young folks had the beds and couches all
> moved before we got there so all we did was to shuffle some boxes and
> then help unpack. Kaitlin helped me figure out which stuff was to save
> for the new baby and we put that into the baby's room. "Dere's a baby
> in mommy's tummy and it's going to grown and come out". Later I was
> told that she also thinks she has one too! LOL. You think that child
> could do or say anything I didn't think was adorable??
How cute! She's adorable.
>> We need to do a "girls night out" movie thing sometime soon.
>> Anything coming out that looks good? Remember that my moviegoing
>> pretty much revolves around whatever Sarah wants to see, which
>> explains why I haven't seen any of the Oscar-nominated movies other
>> than Ratatouille <g>
>>
>> Dragonwing
>
> I'm clueless quite frankly but I'll do a hunt maybe tomorrow. For
> Dev's birthday on the Ides of March, we're going to do a Dr Seuss
> movie due to be released that day. Big excitement - he's jazzed about
> it though.
That would be Horton Hears a Who, which will likely be the next movie I
pay to see; Sarah wants to see it, and I love Dr. Seuss. I still want
to see No Country For Old Men before it comes out on DVD, and I'd like
to see Sweeney Todd as well; I'm sure I can drag Caitlin to see that one
again :-)
Dragonwing
Liz
> Liz wrote:
>
>>> Last night I got to the part in the pattern where the sleeve stitches
>>> are put on waste yarn for later, and now I just have to do about 4
>>> inches of 2 x 1 ribbing - on 296 stitches, ack!! - then try it on to
>>> make sure the skirt starts in the right place. Once I get to the
>>> lace part things will be more interesting, and I won't be as bored
>>> with the pattern <g>
>> Oh nice - I do want to see it when you finish. I keep saying I'll make
>> something for myself one day, but then get distracted with stuff for
>> other people.
>
> During most of the year I make some things for me and some things for
> the girls. Starting around June or July I get started on the holiday
> gifts, and I want to make another "Absolutely Fabulous" throw -
> Colinette Yarns kit that is just to die for - for the girls' school's
> annual auction; I did that last year and it got lots of interest.
>
> I currently have two cardigans for me that just need to be blocked and
> sewn together. Actually, the lacy one needs an attached I-cord edging,
> which is a royal PITA to do so I'm putting this off for a while longer.
> The other one I have no excuse for other than the fact that I hate
> blocking and sewing things together. I think I can just steam iron
> block it into shape then sew it together, which is better than having to
> pin it out on a blocking board.
LOL! A lot of knitters have the same issue. I'm watching videos from a
YouTuber who is knitting hers in the round, somehow sleeves included.
When she finishes she will CUT it up the center to make a cardigan. I
can feel my heart racing with fear at the thought. It's intarsia, with a
cool pattern and great colors.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM_uhfSZVv8 if you're interested.
>
>>> I have a few books with patterns for lace edgings, and maybe one of
>>> these eons I'll decide to embellish stuff with them. I saw pictures
>>> of kitchen shelves with knitted lace edgings attached, and I like the
>>> way that looks. Maybe once I get the kitchen done I'll see about
>>> doing that. I know not many people will see them, but I like it.
>> I don't think I would - once they get full of dust and whatnot, I
>> shudder to think about it. Then if the dishes are a little wet when
>> you put them up. Nah, I'm not a good enough housekeeper for that. But
>> lace edging on something washable, now that I like.
>
> This would just be on the edges of the shelves hanging down. Not sure
> I'd ever do it, but I thought it looked cute.
I can understand that. Remember when shelf paper was a big deal and some
of it had ruffly or lacy edging?
>
>>>> Glad to hear about the kids - I'm sorry C is struggling. Algebra can
>>>> be so ruined by the wrong teacher or so great with a good one.
>>> The thing is that algebra 2 covers so many different things that
>>> aren't just algebra. She could deal with just algebra just fine, but
>>> it's logorithms and all the other crap that she's having the most
>>> difficulty with. Now that she's in the "slower" class she's doing
>>> much better and hasn't needed help with her homework. I think the
>>> big thing was that she was reluctant to ask for help from her
>>> teacher - who is really cool and encourages the kids to ask him for
>>> help; he also turns on the radio when they're working on homework in
>>> class and gives extra points to anyone who can get both the song
>>> title and the band name <g> - and her current class is set up to
>>> allow for more individual attention.
>> The right teacher might not always be in the right situation. Sounds
>> like she got things under control though. Good deal. She's too bright
>> to get a negative attitude from stuff like that.
>
> Yep. I tell her all the time that she's a smart kid, but she just tells
> me that I have to say that because I'm her mother <g> She knows she's
> smart, but when she gets stuck on something it's difficult for her to
> remember that. Fortunately, this class isn't really important in the
> long run. I've been telling her that it's okay to not finish the book
> because she's not going to use a lot of that stuff again, and next year
> she has trig anyway, which is completely different and, IMNSHO, a lot
> more fun.
Cool. Progress, eh? She'll be fine and seems awfully level headed, so
that's cool.
>
>>> Good news
>>>> about Ryan's knee and Sarah's scouts. Cool.
>>> Yep. Ryan heaved a huge sigh of relief at not needing surgery.
>>>
>>> Sarah's really excited. I'm sure she's told everyone at school about
>>> it several times by now <g>
>
> About her Scout meeting. She had a blast! When Mike went to pick her
> up at 8 she didn't realize it had been an hour and a half, she was
> having so much fun. There's a big 3-night campout coming up in April or
> so, but because she's never camped with them she can only camp for one
> night but can be there for the daytime activities; this makes perfect
> sense to me 'cause she doesn't know what's expected on campouts, and
> this will ease her into them.
Yeah, cool. Camping is something to break into gradually and that's a
good way. Day camp with only one sleep over. All these decades later, I
still remember my first campouts. Loved them. Never got over the joy of
it all.
>
> One thing I'm gonna be wary of. Last night when I was filling out her
> paperwork and meeting people, one of the other mothers I was talking to
> kept looking at what I was wearing. I'm not sure if she was trying to
> figure out who was on my shirt - System of a Down - or looking at my
> pentacle/Celtic knot. I'm gonna have to see what happens here. If I'm
> asked what it is I always say it's a Celtic protection knot, which it
> is, and that I've always loved Celtic knotwork, which I have since I
> discovered it. I always wear this one out, and it's subtle enough that
> only those "in the know" get what it is, and others just think it's
> neat. I don't think there will be any issues, but I'm gonna keep my
> eyes and ears open just in case.
Yup. It would be cool if some of the other mothers were in tune with you
and so awful if parents used differences to hurt her. <sigh> Intolerance
sucks. Let's hope she's in tune. It could happen....
>
>>>> We're moving the kids tomorrow to a 3 bedroom in the same complex.
>>>> Should be fun in the rain, no? I'll wave to your folks while I'm up
>>>> there - your mom continuing to heal?
>>> Mom is doing fine. I spoke with her last night after the Oscar
>>> telecast. She had her follow-up appointment a week or so ago, and
>>> the doc said everything looks good.
>>>
>>> How did the move go?
>> Great thank goodness - the young folks had the beds and couches all
>> moved before we got there so all we did was to shuffle some boxes and
>> then help unpack. Kaitlin helped me figure out which stuff was to save
>> for the new baby and we put that into the baby's room. "Dere's a baby
>> in mommy's tummy and it's going to grown and come out". Later I was
>> told that she also thinks she has one too! LOL. You think that child
>> could do or say anything I didn't think was adorable??
>
> How cute! She's adorable.
Yeah! How perceptive of you to figure that out! <G>
>
>>> We need to do a "girls night out" movie thing sometime soon.
>>> Anything coming out that looks good? Remember that my moviegoing
>>> pretty much revolves around whatever Sarah wants to see, which
>>> explains why I haven't seen any of the Oscar-nominated movies other
>>> than Ratatouille <g>
>>>
>>> Dragonwing
>> I'm clueless quite frankly but I'll do a hunt maybe tomorrow. For
>> Dev's birthday on the Ides of March, we're going to do a Dr Seuss
>> movie due to be released that day. Big excitement - he's jazzed about
>> it though.
>
> That would be Horton Hears a Who, which will likely be the next movie I
> pay to see; Sarah wants to see it, and I love Dr. Seuss. I still want
> to see No Country For Old Men before it comes out on DVD, and I'd like
> to see Sweeney Todd as well; I'm sure I can drag Caitlin to see that one
> again :-)
>
> Dragonwing
>
>
Ooh, I could totally do Sweeney Todd! Yeah. Wanna?
Liz
sweater and under 3 minutes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX85TZIt8yI
Dragonwing
Big month for birthdays at our house. First up was Sarah, then me, then
Caitlin. Had parties for the girls, Sarah's at a bowling alley and
Caitlin's at Pump It Up; should have been the other way around, but it
was fun watching a bunch of 16-year olds bouncing around the inflatables
at Pump It Up. Mine was just another day, but with presents, dinner
out, and the Bruins winning their second-round game.
What's new...not much. Caitlin got her learner's permit and is almost
ready to terrorize the residents of OC...as soon as she can get my car
moving without stalling it several times. She had her first lesson last
Friday, with the other two this week Wednesday and Saturday. She did
really well in her first one, and I think the only problem she'll have
is with getting used to the manual transmission. Mike took her out to a
large parking lot at Boeing on Saturday to get her started on using a
stick shift, and once she got the car moving she did fine with shifting.
Ryan started spring quarter today. His grades for last quarter were 1
B, 2 B+s and 1 A-, which isn't good enough for Dean's List but still
pretty good; the A- was in a history class, with the others being all
upper division engineering. He's doing something similar this quarter,
with 3 engineering classes - 1 with lab - and 1 political science class.
I won't see him until tomorrow morning when he wakes up - he works 9 PM
to 1 AM Monday and Wednesday nights so we don't see him all day - and
I'll get his projection of how the quarter will go then.
Caitlin and Sarah still have another week of spring break, and Sarah's
been driving me nuts today. Fortunately for my sanity, I'll be taking
Caitlin to choir practice today to get me out of the house for a couple
hours.
So, anyone else still here???
Dragonwing
Liz
Nope, you're all alone.
I'm just back from Vegas where we went to see how bad Annie really is.
Say, maybe you can point me to where I can learn what Staph Gram
positive Cocci and gram negative rods means.
I'm worried, she's depressed, it's hard and just now for the first time
today, I've got a few minutes where no one is talking at me. Yay.
Sundancer
Sundancer
Dragonwing
> Anyone home?
Yay!! Great to see you :-)
Yep, I'm still here. Gotta recover from having everyone and then some -
Mike's uncle Gary - at home and underfoot the past four days, and now
Caitlin's home sick from school today (but it should only be for one
day; my kids get "weird" sick, and just taking one day to rest and do
very little gets them back on their feet).
So what's new with you???
Dragonwing
Sundancer
news:66kfr9F...@mid.individual.net...
Hey, girl.
I'm on vacation this week. Trying to get some home projects done, but being
lazy more than actually getting any work done. I just don't have a lot of
energy.
Things have been rather stressful and sad around here. I can't believe
Beverlee's gone. I kept expecting her to bounce back like she's done so many
times before. I'm going to miss her so much. I lost another very close
friend about a month ago to a heart attack. Now Merritt (my SO), may have a
brain tumor. We're waiting on the MRI results now. I'm hoping it's something
less serious, of course, but we won't know until all the tests are in. It's
hard waiting. Overall, it has been a sad time of late. I'm trying to keep
positive. Not a lot of fun to be found at the moment.
Have you heard from T? I worry about her.
How are Mike and the kids doing? Is Caitlin feeling better?
Hugs,
Sundancer
Dragonwing
running around it <g>
Sundancer wrote:
> I'm on vacation this week. Trying to get some home projects done, but
> being lazy more than actually getting any work done. I just don't have
> a lot of energy.
Sounds familiar. When I have time that I'm not doing something for
someone else I tend to sit and knit or read and let the housework slide
even more than usual <g>
> Things have been rather stressful and sad around here. I can't believe
> Beverlee's gone. I kept expecting her to bounce back like she's done
> so many times before. I'm going to miss her so much.
Same here. I keep expecting to see a message from her with a "just
kidding" attached, but that isn't gonna happen. She will be missed
greatly.
> I lost another very close friend about a month ago to a heart attack.
> Now Merritt (my SO), may have a brain tumor. We're waiting on the MRI
> results now. I'm hoping it's something less serious, of course, but we
> won't know until all the tests are in. It's hard waiting. Overall, it
> has been a sad time of late. I'm trying to keep positive. Not a lot of
> fun to be found at the moment.
Holy crap, girlfriend. You hang in there, okay?? I'll keep candles lit
for you both, and the universe is gonna get yet another severe talking
to about this; I'm sure I'll regret it sooner or later, but it just
feels good to yell at the universe about this stuff.
> Have you heard from T? I worry about her.
She posted something over at the Shield a few days ago, but other than
that I haven't heard anything.
> How are Mike and the kids doing? Is Caitlin feeling better?
Everyone's fine. Cait slept for a few more hours yesterday morning, and
she was feeling much better by lunchtime. This type of thing seems to
run in my family when we get too overstressed or overtired. Something
just says "you're going to rest, dammit!" and makes us shut down for a
day. Fortunately for me and my kids it's not the form that my mom gets,
which is migraines; we just feel like crap until we take a few more
hours of sleep.
Let me know what you learn about Merritt.
{{{{{Sundancer}}}}}
Dragonwing
Sundancer
> Stupid OE wouldn't let me respond to this message directly, so I'm running
> around it <g>
>
> Sundancer wrote:
>
>> I'm on vacation this week. Trying to get some home projects done, but
>> being lazy more than actually getting any work done. I just don't have a
>> lot of energy.
>
> Sounds familiar. When I have time that I'm not doing something for
> someone else I tend to sit and knit or read and let the housework slide
> even more than usual <g>
Tomorrow I have a lot to do. Plants to get in the ground and a trip to the
crafts store. It will be the most I've done all week. I feel like a slug. I
need to go to the bookstore, as well. I don't have anything to read.
>> Things have been rather stressful and sad around here. I can't believe
>> Beverlee's gone. I kept expecting her to bounce back like she's done so
>> many times before. I'm going to miss her so much.
>
> Same here. I keep expecting to see a message from her with a "just
> kidding" attached, but that isn't gonna happen. She will be missed
> greatly.
She'll always be with us in a way, I know that, but I'm selfish. I'd rather
have her here in the present.
>> I lost another very close friend about a month ago to a heart attack. Now
>> Merritt (my SO), may have a brain tumor. We're waiting on the MRI results
>> now. I'm hoping it's something less serious, of course, but we won't know
>> until all the tests are in. It's hard waiting. Overall, it has been a sad
>> time of late. I'm trying to keep positive. Not a lot of fun to be found
>> at the moment.
>
> Holy crap, girlfriend. You hang in there, okay?? I'll keep candles lit
> for you both, and the universe is gonna get yet another severe talking
> to about this; I'm sure I'll regret it sooner or later, but it just
> feels good to yell at the universe about this stuff.
Thanks, I'm trying. It's difficult. I think I'm just zoning out of it all
out at the moment. Hence being a slug.
>> Have you heard from T? I worry about her.
>
> She posted something over at the Shield a few days ago, but other than
> that I haven't heard anything.
I really hope she's OK. She didn't answer my last email, but I didn't really
expect her to. I feel terrible for her and don't want to intrude.Maybe
sometimes it's better if people just leave you alone to heal.
>> How are Mike and the kids doing? Is Caitlin feeling better?
>
> Everyone's fine. Cait slept for a few more hours yesterday morning, and
> she was feeling much better by lunchtime. This type of thing seems to
> run in my family when we get too overstressed or overtired. Something
> just says "you're going to rest, dammit!" and makes us shut down for a
> day. Fortunately for me and my kids it's not the form that my mom gets,
> which is migraines; we just feel like crap until we take a few more
> hours of sleep.
I'm glad she's feeling better and that it wasn't anything serious. Sometimes
we do just need to rest.
>
> Let me know what you learn about Merritt.
>
> {{{{{Sundancer}}}}}
>
> Dragonwing
Thanks, I will.
Sundancer
The Rogue
<wind...@bellsouth.net> wrote:
>Anyone home?
>
>Sundancer
Nope, nobody, or at least nobody who isn't having problems with half
of their space bar (of course, the half I usually use. I *know*
there's another keyboard around here somewhere, just have to find it).
For some reason this thread fell out of my Watch filter, this post had
*better* fix that! ;-)
Sundancer
Hey, Ald, it's good to see you.
How on earth did you manage to screw up only "half" your keyboard??? I have
an old iMac in my attic if you want it, but the modem is fried.
Sundancer
Dragonwing
I was wondering the same thing. I mean, I have a split ergo keyboard so
it's entirely possible for me to mess up just one side, but if this is a
standard keyboard...that's talent <g>
I just recently got rid of my old Mac LC II, the one that got me started
with my work and online <snif> They wouldn't even let me try to plug it
in to see if it would still fire up before they demolished the hard
drive...oh well.
Dragonwing
The Rogue
Thankee, Sai, and it's not half of the keyboard (I'd be in a quick
scramble to find one of the spares then or even (perish the thought!)
go out and buy one), it's only half of the space bar ;-) This keyboard
wasn't the original one with my first machine, but it was a
replacement during that machine's life. Since then, I've replaced the
machine twice, but haven't had to replace the keyboard, at least up
until now. The space bar broke in half a *long* time ago (I don't
remember which of the boys I blamed for that, but you can be *sure* it
wasn't my fault in my eyes! ;-) ), but since both halves worked, I
didn't worry about it. Now the right side works only occasionally, so
instead of digging through the boxes in the closet (I'm *pretty* sure
the extra keyboards are in one of them), I'm trying to retrain myself
to hit the left side of the space bar. Good thing I'm not currently
playing any typing games or in any other way trying to figure out what
my WPM is ;-)
Sundancer
Have ya'll fallen off the face of the earth?
Labor Day is coming up again soon.
--
Sundancer
Dragonwing
> Where is everyone?
>
> Have ya'll fallen off the face of the earth?
Not yet, at least <g>
> Labor Day is coming up again soon.
It sure is! We're going to the UCLA-Tennessee football game that day.
Why on earth they scheduled the game for Labor Day is beyond me, other
than it's going to be on national TV. Great, we get to have the
slaughter witnessed by millions of people...<g>
How have you been???
Dragonwing
kimmeratsoylentgreenfielddotcom
The Rogue
wrote:
>Where is everyone?
Still alive and kickin' thankyouverymuch ;-)
>Have ya'll fallen off the face of the earth?
>
>Labor Day is coming up again soon.
Somehow this thread had fallen out of my Watch filter, otherwise I
would have seen your post earlier.
Sundancer
> On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:43:23 -0500, "Sundancer" <Sund...@redsun.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Where is everyone?
>
> Still alive and kickin' thankyouverymuch ;-)
Good to hear it! Are you doing well? And the boys?
>>Have ya'll fallen off the face of the earth?
>>
>>Labor Day is coming up again soon.
>
> Somehow this thread had fallen out of my Watch filter, otherwise I
> would have seen your post earlier.
>
> ald
> reply via email to ald_007_1999 at yahoo dot com
Well, Ald, if you would post once in a while, then it wouldn't disappear,
right? :o)
Sundancer
Sundancer
job a few months ago and seem to have a lot of free time, so I might
actullay get to post some. I love the job, but there's just not enough to
keep me busy for 9 hours. I've been spending time creating webpages for my
bookclub just to have something to do that makes it look like I'm actually
working.
I don't watch footfall. I know, I'm not an American, right? But, I hope you
have fun!
I have no plans for the day so far. The weather's so iffy right now it's
hard to really plan anything outdoors. Ah, Louisiana in August!
How are Mike and the kids?
Sundancer
Dragonwing
> I'm pretty good thanks. Good to see someone is still around! I started
> a new job a few months ago and seem to have a lot of free time, so I
> might actullay get to post some. I love the job, but there's just not
> enough to keep me busy for 9 hours. I've been spending time creating
> webpages for my bookclub just to have something to do that makes it
> look like I'm actually working.
Heh, I remember those types of days. The first medical office I worked
in often didn't have enough work to do on the days the doc was off so we
found "busy" work to get in our 8 hours. Then again, the days he was in
we were often there for 12 hours or more; maybe the lighter days were to
make up for that?? <g>
> I don't watch footfall. I know, I'm not an American, right? But, I
> hope you have fun!
If I hadn't been in marching band in high school and college I likely
wouldn't watch football myself, but now it's more than just the game.
The Alumni Band had its annual pre-season "blow the cobwebs out of your
instrument" rehearsal this past weekend, and it was nice to see everyone
I haven't seen since November. We do keep in touch via email. That's
not quite the same, but it's difficult to get together when everyone is
scattered all over SoCal - and some even further, like Fresno and the SF
Bay area - and has jobs and families and other life things interfering
with our fun.
> I have no plans for the day so far. The weather's so iffy right now
> it's hard to really plan anything outdoors. Ah, Louisiana in August!
Sounds like Wisconsin. Even when it looks nice you never know when a
thunderstorm will blow in (and this happened to me when I was about 12,
when we were at the lake enjoying the nice weather when the wind
suddenly started blowing and the clouds started rolling in. By the time
we got to the car a few minutes later it was pouring buckets on us).
> How are Mike and the kids?
They're all fine. Mike and the girls just left on a trip to the Grand
Canyon. I was supposed to go with them, but I'll get to my reason for
not going in a little while. The girls go back to school in 2 weeks,
and while they're enjoying their break it's never a problem getting them
back to school. Ryan will be entering his final year at UCI this fall.
He's been taking classes all summer to make sure this indeed is his
final year as an undergrad and to give himself an easier courseload for
the year; by taking 4 classes this summer he guarantees himself no more
than 12 units each term, including the senior project he has to do.
He's talking about possibly going straight to graduate school, but he
also knows that most big employers will pay for an engineer to get a
Master's degree so it would be beneficial for him to start working then
get that M.S.
Now for me. My transcription business is pretty much dead. Not because
I suck at it, but because a lot of docs are cutting back on "luxuries",
and the first thing to go is the transcriptionist. I had been trying to
recruit more clients for the past couple years, but no one had bitten.
So I'm going back to school instead. Tomorrow I start a 1-year program
in pharmacy technology that will qualify me to be a licensed pharmacy
technician. Essentially, these are the people who actually fill the
prescriptions and handle most of the work in a pharmacy; the pharmacist
does this stuff, too, but also handles dealing directly with doctor's
offices for new prescriptions and any potential problems with
medications as well as counseling patients about their medications. The
program is through Santa Ana College and is designed as a part-time
program that can be completed as quickly as one wants. The coursework
can be done in one year, then there's the externship part, which seems
like a lot at 320 hours (80 for outpatient/drug store, 120 for
inpatient, 120 for sterile products/IV prep), but that's only 8 weeks at
full time. I'm looking forward to this and hope to end up working for a
hospital; no Wal-Mart pharmacy for this girl <g>
That's it in a nutshell. I still hang around this place and a few
others on Usenet and will continue to do so until they completely shut
everything down.
Dragonwing
kimmeratsoylentgreenfielddotcom
The Rogue
wrote:
>"The Rogue" <TheR...@hellfire.com> wrote:
>> On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:43:23 -0500, "Sundancer" <Sund...@redsun.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Where is everyone?
>>
>> Still alive and kickin' thankyouverymuch ;-)
>
>Good to hear it! Are you doing well? And the boys?
I'm doing *very* well, thank you ;-) I got past my one-year
anniversary working directly for AAA in June, still going strong. The
boys are also doing well, both working, and driving each other crazy,
but that's what brothers are for, right? ;-)
>>>Have ya'll fallen off the face of the earth?
>>>
>>>Labor Day is coming up again soon.
>>
>> Somehow this thread had fallen out of my Watch filter, otherwise I
>> would have seen your post earlier.
>>
>> ald
>> reply via email to ald_007_1999 at yahoo dot com
>
>Well, Ald, if you would post once in a while, then it wouldn't disappear,
>right? :o)
>
>Sundancer
Too true ;-)
Sundancer
> often didn't have enough work to do on the days the doc was off so we
> found "busy" work to get in our 8 hours. Then again, the days he was in
> we were often there for 12 hours or more; maybe the lighter days were to
> make up for that?? <g>
They just plain don't have enough work to keep me busy. Coming from a highly
stressful job, it's taking me a while to slow myself down. I'm used to
jumping on each and every thing I need to do. I'm learning to stretch things
out. Pretty soon I'll qualify for government work.
>> I don't watch footfall. I know, I'm not an American, right? But, I hope
>> you have fun!
>
> If I hadn't been in marching band in high school and college I likely
> wouldn't watch football myself, but now it's more than just the game. The
> Alumni Band had its annual pre-season "blow the cobwebs out of your
> instrument" rehearsal this past weekend, and it was nice to see everyone I
> haven't seen since November. We do keep in touch via email. That's not
> quite the same, but it's difficult to get together when everyone is
> scattered all over SoCal - and some even further, like Fresno and the SF
> Bay area - and has jobs and families and other life things interfering
> with our fun.
I was on the flag drill team in high school, so football games were
mandatory. I had enough of it then. Having both LSU and the Saints
(Louisiana is a big football state), it's hard to have a conversation with a
group of more than two wiithout football coming up. I just nod and smile.
>> I have no plans for the day so far. The weather's so iffy right now it's
>> hard to really plan anything outdoors. Ah, Louisiana in August!
>> How are Mike and the kids?
I'm glad everything is going well with you guys. Good luck with school and
the career change! I'm sure you'll do great. I think you'll enjoy it.
> Dragonwing
> kimmeratsoylentgreenfielddotcom
Sundancer
Sundancer
> On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:28:16 -0500, "Sundancer" <Sund...@redsun.com>
> wrote:
>
>>"The Rogue" <TheR...@hellfire.com> wrote:
>>> On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:43:23 -0500, "Sundancer" <Sund...@redsun.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> Still alive and kickin' thankyouverymuch ;-)
>>
>>Good to hear it! Are you doing well? And the boys?
>
> I'm doing *very* well, thank you ;-) I got past my one-year
> anniversary working directly for AAA in June, still going strong. The
> boys are also doing well, both working, and driving each other crazy,
> but that's what brothers are for, right? ;-)
Always. I don't know of any brothers who don't aggravate the hell out of
each other when they're young. Brothers and sisters, as well. But most seem
to be great friends once they're grown and settled. I'm so glad you're happy
with AAA. It makes such a huge difference in your life, doesn't it?
>>> Somehow this thread had fallen out of my Watch filter, otherwise I
>>> would have seen your post earlier.
>>Well, Ald, if you would post once in a while, then it wouldn't disappear,
>>right? :o)
>
> Too true ;-)
So we should all post more, right? So,what can we talk about? Did they ever
find out if those guys found a real Bigfoot or was it a scam?
Sundancer
The Rogue
wrote:
>"The Rogue" <TheR...@hellfire.com> wrote:
>> On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:28:16 -0500, "Sundancer" <Sund...@redsun.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>"The Rogue" <TheR...@hellfire.com> wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:43:23 -0500, "Sundancer" <Sund...@redsun.com>
>>>> wrote:
>
>>>> Still alive and kickin' thankyouverymuch ;-)
>>>
>>>Good to hear it! Are you doing well? And the boys?
>>
>> I'm doing *very* well, thank you ;-) I got past my one-year
>> anniversary working directly for AAA in June, still going strong. The
>> boys are also doing well, both working, and driving each other crazy,
>> but that's what brothers are for, right? ;-)
>
>Always. I don't know of any brothers who don't aggravate the hell out of
>each other when they're young. Brothers and sisters, as well. But most seem
>to be great friends once they're grown and settled. I'm so glad you're happy
>with AAA. It makes such a huge difference in your life, doesn't it?
Sure does, and not living from paycheck to paycheck doesn't hurt any,
either ;-)
>>>> Somehow this thread had fallen out of my Watch filter, otherwise I
>>>> would have seen your post earlier.
>
>>>Well, Ald, if you would post once in a while, then it wouldn't disappear,
>>>right? :o)
>>
>> Too true ;-)
>
>So we should all post more, right? So,what can we talk about? Did they ever
>find out if those guys found a real Bigfoot or was it a scam?
>
>Sundancer
Scam, I believe. Hopefully the dire threat headed your way turns out
to be just as overblown. Mandatory evacuation as of 8 am? I'm hoping
the whole storm blows out to sea, and you and yours are safe, and not
inconvenienced too much.
Billie
> On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 13:04:07 -0500, "Sundancer" <sund...@redsun.net>
> wrote:
> Sure does, and not living from paycheck to paycheck doesn't hurt any,
> either ;-)
LOL. I always live from paycheck to paycheck. I wouldn't know what it's like
not to. I'm glad things are so much better for you these days.
>>So we should all post more, right? So,what can we talk about? Did they
>>ever
>>find out if those guys found a real Bigfoot or was it a scam?
>>
>>Sundancer
>
> Scam, I believe. Hopefully the dire threat headed your way turns out
> to be just as overblown. Mandatory evacuation as of 8 am? I'm hoping
> the whole storm blows out to sea, and you and yours are safe, and not
> inconvenienced too much.
I figured it was a scam. Anything to make a buck, huh?
Unfortunately, Gustav didn't blow out to sea, but we're all doing well. A
good bit of wind damage, but so much less than Katrina. It was still scary,
of course. And we will have problems now with more rain, tornados, and
flooding. It's the price we pay for living in a tropical state, I suppose.
Thanks for your concern!
Sundancer
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
The Rogue
wrote:
>Unfortunately, Gustav didn't blow out to sea, but we're all doing well. A
>good bit of wind damage, but so much less than Katrina. It was still scary,
>of course. And we will have problems now with more rain, tornados, and
>flooding. It's the price we pay for living in a tropical state, I suppose.
>
>Thanks for your concern!
>
>Sundancer
Glad to hear you're all doing well :-) Hopefully Ike spares y'all too,
although there's a *very* small chance I'll have to deal with Hannah
in the meantime. Fortunately, the last hurricane to do any real damage
around here was more than 30 years ago, and had the audacity to be
named after me, a fact that my sister will *never* let me forget ;-)