blurf
I need sleep
lots and lots of sleep
to the end, I am copping out and just throwing my sig at all of you.
but before I go, I want to state unequivically that I HATE WINTER.
nuff said
sweet dreams all
Update number 3ish on my education plans that I’m sure you all don’t care about:
I’ve cut two superfluous courses from my Poli Sc/Math/(stat) schedules, which leaves both of them with space in the last semester. My mom suggested that I try to arrange a BA/MA program, so a. that space wouldn’t be wasted and b. I could take a little less time for my master’s. Currently I have it set up so that the last two courses I take are upper-level math electives, but I could easily rearrange that to make them upper-level political science electives, thereby making a relatively simple transition. Furthermore, it appears that combining a bachelor’s and master’s degree is not all that unusual, since one of the grad school electives I looked at had as a requirement that the student be one of: [Dual, Regular Masters, Provisional Masters, Graduate Dual, Bachelors/Masters, Commonwealth Campus, Regular Post Masters, Doctoral students only], and the Bachelors/Masters one sounds an awful lot like what my mom proposed.
Plus, one of the two advisors for Poli Sci at Tech happens to be the teacher for the Poli Sci elective I’m taking this semester. So that should make things a bit easier.
:Waves frantically back:
Yeah, it’s been a whole year. I’d say I couldn’t believe it, but I can. What I can’t believe is how the little, tiny, helpless kid turned into a manic-energy toddler in just one year. It doesn’t seem possible. It’s like watching really fast evolution. Really fast.
(((Rebo)))
Kisses all round. Must run around and tidy.
Oh, I think I forgot to send good wishes to ReboDad. ::Sends lots of good thoughts and prayers::
OK, I have to say, my internet nephew is incredibly cute. I was just noticing the other day that he was almost one. His birthday is tomorrow, right??? Someday I’m going to make it to TO to actually meet him!!! (Well, and his parents, too. :D)
We’ve got the cold and snow now and it’s actually lovely. As long as you don’t have to drive in it. We’ve got about 4 inches of the fluffiest, lightest snow you’ve ever seen. It’s frosting all the trees and shrubs and looks very picture-postcard-y.
Guess I need to get something done…
Back later.
ETA: we do care, Cap’n. I, for one, am re-living the difficulty of deciding what to do with my life. Currently, I’m doing none of the above and quite enjoying it.
GT
I love the orange picture. “And just what do you expect me to do with this?” he asks.
heartfelt, heavy sigh
We buried Babe on Monday. I mended fences with another sister-in-law, Lucy, who was, miraculously, sober. Thank the Lord that I did.
Yesterday, Tuesday, the day after Babe’s funeral, Lucy began having grand mal seizures. Her heart and breathing stopped for just under half an hour befor the EMT’s arrived. Two hit’s off the defibrillator, intubation, and she’s in the hospital. They called for a medavac, but the weather is too bad in Anchorage to fly. The weather continues to be too bad to fly in.
Lucy has never had seizures before. She was (is) in acute alcohol withdrawal.
I have rarely felt so bleak about a situation.
Thanks for listening, you guys are great.
beep beep beep beep beep
I got an order for a pallet-load of hugs to be dropped off at this thread?
Unload 'em!
whirrrrrrrr
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Gah. Blrf.
I am reading along, just too tired to comment. And too cold, too–high tomorrow is NEGATIVE 6F here, so pardon me for not sympathizing with all you thin-bloooded Southern wusses.
Sorry to hear of all the health problems. Stay safe and warm, Dopers.
:: hugs for kai and Rebo ::
Not much to report here. Still have a buttload of work but life is good overall. Except the cold, but with the Chicagoans here I dare not complain. 
Oh, kai, I’m so sorry about Lucy. I wish there were something I could do. ::Heaps more hugs on the MMP::
It’s not going to be quite that chilly here tomorrow, rigs, but close. I’ll be wearing my almost knee-high boots as well as my heaviest coat. I’m doing a happy dance because a couple of kids stopped by with shovels and cleared out my walk and the sidewalk and the entrance to my driveway (from the sidewalk to the street). They did it for $10; definitely worth it.
Now I’m tired. I think I’ll crawl into bed.
Is it Firday yet?
GT
First, hugs and good thoughts/prayers in the direction of Rebo and ReboDad. I know you can make the food taste good while being good for him, Rebo. Also, try some of that Mrs. Dash salt-free seasonings - they are tasty, believe me.
Next, more hugs for kaiwik and her family–you’re all in my thoughts and prayers too.
LiLi, Nat is such a cutie, it is hard to believe he’s almost a year old. Thanks for sharing him with us. 
So glad that the week is half over; two more days to go but unfortunately they’re probably going to be the coldest we’ve had in ten years or more! :eek: Ah well, I’ll just layer up I guess.
More hugs and prayers going out.
Oh kai. 
Seems like it’s just one thing piled on top of another, and I can’t imagine someone less deserving of it. Sending healing thoughts to you and Lucy and the rest of the clan.
gt, I know Nat’s got a winsome smile and all, but be glad you’re not in TO at the moment. It’s viciously cold… we must have gotten hit with the same cold front as poor rigs and the other Chi-town Mumpers, and they’re calling for more of the same tomorrow (the low, with wind chill, will be around -22F… brrrrrr) I’m going to go curl up under the covers in a minute with a Boy and two cats to keep me warm, because this is just ridiculous. The poor furnace is going just about non-stop to keep us cozy, and I’m praying it doesn’t kick the bucket like it did last year when this weather came for a visit.
Can someone explain to me how a pile of dirty dishes magically appeared in my sink? And why haven’t they washed themselves yet, dammit? I’ve been ignoring them for two days now in the hopes that they’d get the hint, but apparently these aren’t just dirty dishes, they’re dirty lazy freeloading dishes. Hmph.
It’s really weird that if anything we’re having a warm spell – mid 30s for highs? WTF? I should be freezing my ass off, it’s January! Though perhaps I should be careful what I ask for, seeing as what happened when I wanted snow. Speaking of which, we aren’t supposed to get any for days. sigh I still like snow when I don’t get nearly two feet at a time! And my house stays nice and toasty – at least it has when it’s gotten to -15F or so overnight a few times so far this winter.
I’m told this will soon change and we will be freezing our asses off again, that this isn’t unheard of in January. Fine by me.
{{{{{kai}}}}}
Well, as the proverb says, “when rape is inevitable might as well enjoy it.” You’re stuck going on a cruise. Darn it all to heck, man! 
I’m by no means young, ye whippersnapper! DailyKos is just liberals, and that networking site I sent you to is likely to be of use since a lot of DailyKos members (Kossacks, get it?) are resident in Cali–I’ve seen some job leads on there and the site is all about networking. Thought it might be of some use to you guys…
{{{kai}}} Good gods, girl, if it ain’t one thing it’s everything with you! Man, that is some hard lines and I’m sending you all the good thoughts, karma and healing wishes to you and yours. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and if it gets to be too much go for some counselling, y’know? That’s some trauma you got going on there, don’t be afraid to deal with it any way you need to…
OMG, squeeeeeeee @ Gnat! He’s so friggin’ kyoot I just wanna bite his feetsies and make him giggle…
Speaking of cute, we attended Grandboy’s Winter Concert tonight and he is absolutely amazing. I realize I’m prejudiced and all, but he really is very talented on the drums–lucky for me the SIL and daughter recently bought a very nice HD video camera and they recorded the whole shot so I’m hoping to have YouTube proof quite soon. He plays in the jazz ensemble and also is the drummer for the school rock band–they did several numbers, ending up with a Cake song, “Never There,” and it was damned good. I love those kids, they are so talented and cool. It’s just like “Fame” except they’re all very short and there are hardly any black people… snerk
The goggies are all tired–Himself and I walked them out to the butte and back, throwing a tennis ball all the way. It’s hilarious, but carrying the ball in his mouth seems to work on Bear like a pacifier–he noms it and plays with it but he also is calmer and easier to walk. Widget gets pissed at him for being all Ballsy McBogartson though and tries to steal it out of Bear’s giant maw. Good luck with that, little dog!
What I said out loud when I read about Lucy isn’t appropiate for this forum {{{{{{{{{kai}}}}}}}}}}
I’m all for going to Toronto and meeting nice people, but preferably in late spring. There’s very few places where late spring manages to be yucky… I hear Toronto is a lovely place but I’d rather see it snowed only in pics and I’m told it can get ridiculously humid-hot in the summer. I’m allergid to humid-hot 
I had a job once that involved a factory in Toronto but I wasn’t allowed to go visit because we were based in the US and the travel and legal people weren’t sure how to get a Visa for me. They figured that sending an American was less trouble than finding out. So I got to go to Louisville, San Francisco, LA and Houston instead… oh the drudgery…
Lucy is in a medical induced coma, she and her mom were medavaced into Anchorage during a brief break in the weather. Lucy’s fiance and her two sons are there as well. I’ll be calling the last sister, Susan tomorrow to get together and put Babe’s obituary together and delivered to the paper.
My son is not handling this well, I may keep him home tomorrow. #3 daughter is dealing with her emotions, I suspect in large part out of regard for her cousin, Babe’s son, they are very close. Skiffman is in shock and is exhibiting signs of depression. I am in shock myself, and am just trying to hold myself together for as long as I am needed. These dx’s aren’t just my WAG, Charlie (remember Charlie and Trish of the stack fire?) is a bona fide Physician’s Assistant, and Trisha sent him over to check up on us.
Please allow me to give the MMPers a blanket hug, my brains aren’t working clearly enough to thank everyone individually. Normally I crawl under my rock and lick my wounds, it’s really sort of nice to not try and carry this all silently on my own shoulders. You are all a gift in my life.
{{{kai}}}
Yesterday I finally made it to the Y for a ‘fitness assessment’. (I’ve been trying to schedule this appointment* literally *since before Thanksgiving and no one has wanted to call me back.) And there was this 3 minute step test where they checked your heart rate after you were done… Let me just say that on a good day steps and I are not friends ever since I feel down the steps at TVMan’s house several years ago. But having to climb up and down for three minutes wore me out. I almost thought I wasn’t going to be able to walk as I was leaving the Y. Yes, I know, I’m a wimp. But that’s the whole point of this, getting in better shape.
In other strangely conflicting news, I now have my license to sell stuff at the flea market. We’ll start selling cookie dough, cupcakes, and baked chocolate chip cookies today. However, I am significantly behind last January’s revenue and don’t have nearly enough money to pay this month’s bills. I’m honestly not sure how I’m going to stay in business much longer. I realize that I’ve said this before, but everytime my financial situation gets worse and worse. And the most frustrating part is that if it hadn’t been for me being sick for so long then I wouldn’t have run up so much debt trying to keep the business afloat when I couldn’t do the work myself. We’ve made so much improvement and cut so many costs that if it weren’t for that huge chunk of debt that we’d actually be doing pretty decent. [/whine]
I know, it’s not just me and it’s not even personal. It’s just the damn economy.
{{{kai and CutiePie}}} Don’t know what to say. Well, just keepin’ both of ya in my thoughts and prayers.
Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffienatin’ here. I don’t need to be in ‘til around nine today so I’m leisurely drinkin’ coffee and considerin’ what to do for brekkies. Since it’s so cold and all, maybe a trip to IHOP for some nice warm pancakes would be good.
Oh and it’s my Firday! YAY!!!
Ok, I require more caffiene.
Later Y’all!
Please do keep us updated on how you and your family are coping, kai.
So sorry about the money troubles, Pie. Are you working with your creditors to let them know about your situation? It’s in their best interest for you to succeed, especially now that there are so many people in money trouble, so they might give you enough breathing room to let you finish getting stable. Hugs.
Yay for Grandboy’s fun concert. I’m looking forward to the YouTube.
It’s freaking cold out today, -1 Murrkin, -18 Furrin. Brrrrrrr. Really don’t want to go out. But it still looks lovely. Because it was so cold out when the snow fell, everything’s all sparkly.
Off to get ready for work. I just need to survive today and tomorrow and then I have 5 straight days off. Hooooooooraaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy!!!
GT
{{{kai}}}, {{{PieBabe}}}
Can I come get mine in person? I’m serious. I have to go to Kinston next Firday, and I’ll have an opportunity to stop in Greenvegas either before or after. Yeah, I know how much of a weirdo I am, but I figger 20 minutes to say hello in a public place won’t result in you becoming NC’s next ax murder statistic.
Bobbio’s firefighting tip of the day:
If you heat with a wood stove and the chimney catches fire cuz you haven’t swept it in a bazillion years, shut the dampers on the stove, throw a pitcher of water on the fire in the stove, and slam the door shut immediately. The resulting steam explosion will blow out the chimney fire like a birthday candle.
I got paged to a chimney fire last night, and the flames were shooting 4 feet out the top like a torch. The good ol’ boy sheriff had the homeowner do the pitcher of water trick, and we never took line one off an engine. 
Doesn’t work with open hearth fireplaces, however.
There’s a blurf or three for y’all. I was 2 hours late getting to bed because of that fire, and we’re expecting more calls with the cold snap. Some moron in the county is going to knock over the kerosene heater in the next couple of days.