LiLi, it wouldn’t do any good - this school is a mess and few people are willing to stay as long as he has, so they wouldn’t do anything to chase him away. (Funnily enough, the teachers who’ve been here the longest are among the least competent; anyone with half a brain gets out of here ASAP.)
Also, you should post some pics of the baby gifts so we can squee. 
I love baby things.
Teacher is an asshat–can’t you deck him with some tae kwon do or just the Death Stare? I hate men like that.
Family gatherings: kids off and playing (which as a kid, I didn’t like so much–I HAD to play with my cousin Ellen who was a drip. Just a drip. That was on my mom’s side-(we never saw my younger cousins on that side of the family because my mom had a “falling out” with her two younger step sisters. My mom has “fallings out” with a lot of people–funny how it’s never her, but them…). On my Dad’s side, I was by far the youngest and was mostly left alone, although I did hang out with my brother a bit. I was either teased or ignored.
The adults were either discussing politics or the weather. Not much alcohol, but some. We fared better with grandparents (very rare to have gparents, aunts, uncles and cousins together all at once–we are too scattered). Then there was Conversation about travel and politics and issues of the day. There was a certain formality to these events–we girls were in dresses with sashes etc., but overall I remember pleasant times. Kids were allowed into the conversations, but you had to pay attention and contribute on topic.
My inlaws are a different story: conversation is centered around what you’re eating, what you’re not eating, how good what your eating is vs how is was last year etc. And we all watch the rugrats–it’s like they’re the free entertainment. I hated it when it was my kids (and I kept telling them to go play) and I really hate it now that it’s my husband’s nieces and nephew. It’s boring watching 4 year olds play. Sorry, but it is. I miss the adult conversations that used to fly over my head as the adults had apertifs or cocktails before dinner…
Happy Birthday, SCL!!!
I will take the 17th. It might just be a jumping off kinda post though…
Growing up we always had huge family get togethers. On my Dad’s side it was the yearly golf tournament/reunion. On my Mom’s side it was not as often, but much larger. She was the youngest of 12, while my Dad was one of three brothers. It was always madness and mayhem, and tons of fun for the kids.
Nowadays, we don’t get together as much. Most of my Mom’s side has passed on, including Mom, and they’re all spread out. My Dad’s side has shrunk a bit too, and all the elders don’t travel much. My husband’s side has just a few, but it’s fun to get together with them, too. We had a big (for us!) crowd of 9 for Thanksgiving, and lots of laughter, chatting and football commenced, along with lots of alcohol.
I just finished decorating my cubicle. It looks festive! Now I just have to do my house.
I better get some work done, now…
Thanks, everyone!
Sounds like tinyninjachef made out like a bandit on the gifts; I hope at least a few people bought larger sizes so he’ll have something to wear after the first week. A friend of mine got all newborn stuff at her shower and the baby outgrew some of the stuff before he ever had a chance to wear it!
Ah, family gatherings. Christmas was always load of fun at my maternal grandparents - Mom’s sister and three brothers and their kids (11) and sometimes some of Grandma’s kids (my grandma was really my step-grandmother but I was so young when they married I never bothered with that; she’s Grandma to me) and their kids and lots of food. The adults at the big table in the dining room with the kids eating in the family room or living room. Did I mention lots of food?
I almost put this part in the Pit but I realize it’s not really his fault - the guy who cuts our grass came over with his farking industrial leaf blower at about 9 this morning. I’m on second shift, so I was sleeping. Note the past tense on that sleeping part. When Mr. SCL pays him he is going to make a polite request for our yard not to be done in the mornings. If he wakes me again that leaf blower is going to be inserted in a bodily orifice at full throttle.
Another complaint. The other RN on Mr. SCL’s private duty case has given notice. Two weeks ago. No one bothered to tell Mr. SCL, even though he is supposed to be the case manager, and no one has been hired for the three 12 hour shifts a week she worked. There is no schedule for December - yeah, the month we are now in. I hate the agency that handles this case! Mr. SCL cannot work 7 12 hour shifts a week. Even if he was willing, he already works Saturdays at a mental hospital. So just what do they plan to do?
Guess I need to start picking out something to wear for work. Hope everyone has a great week!
Family get-togethers involve screaming arguments, racist diatribes, political polemics, threats of bodily and emotional harm, and assorted kinds of mockery. People drink in secrecy. Kids are to be seen and not heard, but since there aren’t any little ones now, that’s not too much of a problem any more. No appetizers are allowed, because that will ruin dinner. This rule holds even if dinner is delayed for hours. You can imagine how much fun they are when they’ve been deprived of food, but continue to drink. Usually, the secret drinkers will be hiding out in place, and the secret eaters at another. It’s even less fun than it sounds.
Party at Shadow’s house! Or not. Gah. (although it must be said that before my MIL got sober this sounds a lot like family events, EXCEPT that the children were supposed to stay close to her and remind her that she is wonderful).
Oh, and at MIL’s guests just came and went–by that I mean that dinner was for 3, but her brother couldn’t be arsed to show up at 3; he’d come at 5:30. She was usually maudlin by then; FIL was asleep on the living room floor (why? WHY? why would you go to sleep on the LR floor at all? He wasn’t drinking, btw). I did this once and said-no, I am not sticking around for the insanity. So, we go for about an hour and then leave.
I asked for it, and it arrived! Right now I’d guess we’re at something like 8 inches, and still falling, though it’s very light right now. But it’s supposed to keep this up pretty much all day and all night. My errand running is done and I’m staying here until it stops! It’s a mess out there, even though they are indeed very good about clearing the roads. It’s just that if it keeps snowing, the roads get bad again. When I pulled into the garage, I saw an SUV that looks like it rolled over. I hope everybody involved is okay! I’m not sure how they got it back here. And never mind the jerk in a truck with a plow that zipped around me while I was heading south, slowly, on the main highway just south of town. I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN IN CONDITIONS LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE! SEE THE OUT OF STATE PLATES? ASSHOLE!
I need to break out my snow boots, though, it’s not much fun stepping in snow up above your ankles in sneakers. At least I have on my nice wool socks. Brrrrrrrrrr!
Otherwise, I don’t know, the job hunt is on. I hate it. I absolutely hate it. But Sun Valley is looking for people for all sorts of positions, several of which are possible for me. I think my typknig skills just might get me into an office sort of job there. g I really wish my Spanish was better, because that would help there a lot. Tons of native Spanish speakers work up here, as odd as that might sound.
tinyninjachef has clothes for newborn through about two, I think. I’m going to sort it all by age/size category when I get it from Mum. I went out to dinner with Mr. Lissar, Other Quasi-Daughter and husband, and Attacks Husband after the shower, so we just loaded it into my parents’ car.
We should also get the dresser for him this week so we have somewhere to put all the damn stuff. I mean lovely stuff. There’s just so much of it that it’s intimidating.
Got about one-third housework done so far. Maybe it’s lunchtime.
Gah still got no heat and the contractors are irritating the living shit out of me!
Hopefully I should have heat by mid next week
I am leaving in about 20 mins to head to the airport for my week in Denver. Talk to later in the week!
Lessee, family gatherings…
When I was a kid, going to the maternal grandparents’ was the preferred option. It was pretty lively, they had a dog (we didn’t, so that was fun) and if my grandfather’s brothers showed up and had a few beers, they’d start in on “can you top this” which was always entertaining and mostly always a crock. Plus the food was always good - especially if my grandmother had gotten to the bakery - goooooooood pastry to be had in abundance.
Paternal grandparents’ place was less fun. It would just be them and us. They didn’t really speak English, and there was nothing at their house for kids to play with. But we were expected to visit every week. My dad was their only son and after his father had his first stroke, Dad would go over and help him shave and stuff.
These days, gatherings on my side of the family are insane - loud, too much food, too much drinking, too many conversations end because the person you’re talking to gets distracted and walks away. The main thing I don’t enjoy is all the drinking. I didn’t realize how much my sibs drank till I lived away from them and came back to visit. I fear for their livers.
On my husband’s side, things are a bit more civilized. There’s conversation, good food, no alcohol, and the only thing loud is the TV because my FIL is going a bit deaf. And as long as the racist, sexist jerk of a BIL is restrained, conversation can be entertaining and amusing. When he goes off on his rants, I find things to do elsewhere - even if it means taking the dogs out to pee.
Happy Monday, all! It’s brisk and very windy here, but as far as I can tell, no trees or big branches have fallen in my yard. So yay!
My kid called earlier asking for money. :rolleyes: She needed to put down the deposit on the venue for her wedding, so that’s good to go. She’s got one exam tomorrow and one on Thurs, then her semester is over, much to her relief.
I need to decide what we’re having for supper. I really don’t feel much like cooking, but I suppose I should. A bowl of cereal isn’t too satisfying.
Happy B-Day, Snakes!!! <flinging confetti with wild and reckless abandon>
And I guess that’s pretty much it for now.
Oh, goody! That place is so close to my house that I can crash the wedding! 
You don’t have to crash - I’ll give you an apron and you can tend to the buffet! 
Actually, I’m going to need to get someone to do just that - you know anyone who would be interested in making $50 for 4 hours or so of babysitting deli trays and ice buckets? I’m serious. Email me.
It’s rather quiet around here today. We’re not even close to page 2 and the day is almost over!
Cloud Maiden stepped on my glasses today while I was at work. It was partly my fault, partly the cat’s, and partly hers - I left my glasses out on the table, cat knocked them off, Cloud Maiden didn’t see them and … crunch. She’s offered to pay for a new pair, but I feel bad because I was careless about leaving them lying around. Maybe I’ll ask her to pay half.
Typical small town southern corruption. Bad is that I know the perp personally, she was in my EMT class; worse is that the grant money she ripped off was meant for MY fire department.
If you like to watch people flame out and fall from grace, Cottonfield County is the place to be.
Very nice OP, GT; it’s nice to think about family gatherings, esp. those of my childhood, at this time of year. Thanks.
My maternal grandparents were always my favorites to visit, and were the ones I was closest to. Their place was sorta small, though, so we all had to double (and triple!) up when we stayed there. They did have a -huge- yard, though, so there was always room to play outside. We always visited my Mom’s relatives too, they all lived pretty close together; my great grandparents had a large house & yard, and we loved going there. Except for Mom Mom’s parrot, Pol. lol We were all pretty scared of her. Sometimes, the grandparents came to visit us, which I also enjoyed. I was the first grandchild, so I suppose they probably spoiled me … a bit.
My paternal grandparents I only have vague memories of; we only visited them a few times; the last time I remember, 1959, my Dad had a big bust-up with his mother–we didn’t return for many years after that; his Dad passed away in 1961 and his Mom in 1966. There were plenty of cousins, though, and some family lived on farms (I remember bringing home some pea hen eggs that I wanted my Mom to serve me for breakfast … I think she served up regular eggs and told me it was the pea hen eggs LOL), so there was some fun to be had. His brothers and sisters got together for years, sometimes at Thanksgiving, and then more recently they had regular reunions on Labor Day weekend. I took my oldest back in 1984, when she was about 2 1/2–lots of people, all talking, much good food, and plenty of fun, although she was scared of Laddie, the old collie.
My SO’s family was never close–his Mom passed away when our daughter was only 9 months old; he was very close to his mother, but not so much to his father. He would go months and months without any contact w/his Dad or his brother or sister, but then when they were together, they’d reminisce for hours! His brother (2 yrs. older) passed away back in 1999 (cancer :(), and his Dad in 2002, so it’s just he and his sister now–there are some aunts and uncles, but they don’t see them very often.
My parents were divorced in 1978, so after that, my holidays were spent sometimes with my Mom and sometimes with my Dad; Mom had a small apt. and my Dad a house, but I didn’t often visit either, esp. as my kids got older–it was too much to travel, and too expensive as well. The last time most of us were together was Thanksgiving 2003, about 5 months after my Mom’s death. We enjoyed it, and my Dad put together a true feast (yes, I helped him, as much as he would let me, that is!!), but he’s just not able to host things any more – arthritis, loss of sight in one eye; he’s just generally slowing down.
My 20 YO son will be home from college next weekend!! I haven’t seen him since early August, so I’ll certainly be glad to have him home for the holidays. I’m planning a nice feast for Christmas, but suspect I won’t see him very much as he’ll probably be spending time catching up with his “homies” here that he hasn’t seen.
Sorry for rambling on, but I guess you made me think of a lot of memories today, GT, and I do thank you for that. I’m going to call my Dad tonight to see how he’s doing.
And Happy MMP to all - tomorrow’s Tuesday.
Okay, people, I have an interview in the morning. I can use any good vibes or whatever you could send my way, pleeeeeeeeease. I just turned in an application this morning, and got a call a few minutes ago! They’re quick!
I hope the roads aren’t too icy in the morning, but I’ll just have to be careful.
Good luck, alabaster lapin!! Just don’t tell them you want to be a vampire and you should be fine. 
Wendy Wobbleton Noble? That has such a Seussian ring to it. It sucks that she stole money earmarked for a volunteer fire department. Maybe she owed money to a cantankerous green fellow with tufted fur.
Home now. Dinner soon. House later. (I downloaded the last two episodes that I missed.)
Good luck on the interview. Fingers crossed!
We are quiet today. Where is everybody?
I’m trying to make a grocery/cooking list for post-baby eating. I think I should start bulk cooking and freezing either this week or next. Since it’s three weeks till Christmas (aagh!) and I’m due so soon after. So far I’m thinking mild chicken curry, beef stew, buns and muffins, rich pasta sauce, veggie and tofu stirfry, stuffed baked potatoes, creamed chicken. Mostly things that don’t require a knife or a lot of coordination. I’ll get some trail mix, too, I think. Easy to grab handfuls, and it keeps.
Now, now–she paid it back (so why didn’t the audit reflect that?). She looks a bit well-I was going to say scary, but really she looks kinda pathetic and like she might have an addiction problem of some kind. Just my intuition…