43 in two weeks. Still having lifelong career, family, intimacy and depression issues, so still bumping along.
**Doggio **and **Kopek **-- me three!
I mean, sure, I have three kids a wife and a job and we two earn our keep and raise the kids… But that’s really just window dressing. Truth is, deep inside there’s still a kid who would love to cast the shackles and go on a world-wide trek.
I hope I never outgrow the feeling 
As for transitioning – I finished high-school early, so I got to play at being “student” for two years before having to make up my mind… so by the time I had to go into the IDF I knew that I wanted to defer my service for (our equivalent of) ROTC, and I knew the field I wanted to study – Computer Science.
Got through college with flying colors (not straight A’s but not too far below that); did my stint in the IDF (air force); stayed on a few years as a pro; finally left for the private sector in 1993, when I already had one wife, one apartment w/ mortgage and one kid; and I’ve been working in the private sector, as a Software Engineer, ever since.
So I guess you might say I grew up effortlessly as a smooth process – or that I never really had to grow up, because I’ve never really had to face the music in any meaningful way.
I went right from high school to college, but it was a mistake for me. I mostly survived the first year, but since I was a commuting student riding my bike from home to the campus, it was an expensive version of high school. Plus I’d chosen a women’s college with a really good reputation where I never fit in socially. Most of my classmates had cars, nice clothes, no jobs, and daddies with fat checkbooks. Any wonder I visited a Navy recruiter before the second semester was out?
I think my real transition began in bootcamp - I found confidence and a direction for my life. Suddenly, I was making decisions without letting Mom and Dad guide me. And yeah, writing the first rent check a year and a half later was a dose of adulthood.
Oddly enough, tho, it didn’t hit me that I was an adult till my 37th birthday. I don’t know what it was about that number, but it suddenly hit me that I wasn’t a kid any longer. But, oddly, at 55, I don’t feel too different from that day 18 years ago. So I guess I’m still an adult and not a geezer, despite what a certain **bear **might suggest… 
FCD’s procedure went OK, but I found out he’s got to have 2 more done in the next 4 weeks. Hope it eases his pain. Poor baby.
Broken week this week, since Weds is Veteran’s Day. I can deal. 
Huh. You just made me realize that I completely glossed over bootcamp and Officer Training… Which is natural to me because the former is something everybody here does, and the latter is something many of my peers did, as well…
Different place, different culture, different rites of passage.
MOOOOOOM you might as well get use to sayin’ 56 cause you’re closer to that than I am.
I have sad news. My washing machine has bit the dust. It won’t spin. Alas. However, the poor thing is twenty years old, so I guess it had to happen eventually. I’ve never had to have it repaired. I had to buy a new dryer six years ago but washer was just pluggin’ along until today. So now I get to go buy a new one. I looked at Sear’s online. Dearly departed washer is a Kenmore. Interestingly enough, they have what looks like to be a nice Maytag on sale cheaper than the Kenmore that’s the same capacity. I know basically the Sear’s brand (Kenmore) is likely a Maytag or a GE. Anywho, I’m goin’ to Sears in a few minutes to look. If’n I find one I’m goin’ to pay Sears to deliver it and take away the old one. I can do all that myself, with the help of OYKW but this is one of those times when I feel the checkbook is my best tool.
RIP washing machine. Sniff You were a good one!
I’ve been on my own since age 17 but the moment I felt like a true adult was when I got a concert ticket to see my all-time favourite band. In Cleveland, OH. I live in Ontario, Canada. I realized then, as I planned my all-by-myself trip to make my lifelong dream come true, that I am now an ADULT and can go and do whatever I want without asking my parent’s permission. It was a wonderful feeling.
More likely, a Whirlpool or Electrolux.
There’s really only four major appliance manufacturers left - LG, Whirlpool, GE and Electrolux.
LG makes LG.
GE makes GE.
Electrolux makes Frigidaire and a raft of others that you won’t find at Sears.
Whirlpool makes just about everything else.
Sad to say, but Maytag’s gone down a bit in quality since they were bought by Whirlpool.
We’re completely smitten by our LG front-loaders. In a perfect world, you’ll come back from Sears and tell us that you bought an LG front-load washer and will be getting a couple hundred dollars in utility rebates.
Ours completely paid itself off within two years for the reduced water and gas usage. Not just paid off the difference over a top-loader, but paid off completely. Now, it pays us. 
We’ve stayed waaaaaaaaaaay too on topic today. So I’m going off-track.
I want a new ring. Does anyone have any comments/suggestions/preferences between these three:
Spiral
Leaves
Greek key pattern
Re: washers. We’ve got a GE front loader, and unlike gotti, I don’t really like it. It takes at least an hour to do a load, where all the top-loaders I’ve had can do a load in 20 min. It’s efficient in terms of water and detergent, not in time.
I’m still going through that transition (at almost-30). I’ll let you know how it works out.
RIP swampy’s washer.
I like the Greek ring, taxi. But then, I’m a bit partial to Greek design on jewelry, especially the meander pattern.
I stopped by Hotel Eyesore today after work/coffee. They finally opened today. I chatted with the former Morning Front Desk Lady (I’m the new Morning Front Desk Lady, apparently) and the Former Relief Night Audit Guy (now a front desk manager). They were all bubbly and cheerful. I’m glad for them. Unlike some people at Duckwood, I hope it works out for them. There are some good people over there and they don’t deserve to have their dreams ruptured.
All those @#$@%@# who quit without notice on the busiest day of October can fall flat on their faces, though. Totally classless.
I’ll go with a top load machine mainly because it fits the space in my laundry room best. Oh and I did not go to Sear’s tonight. It’s lookin’ ick out. I do believe rain is on the way. Besides, I will be within two blocks of Sear’s tomorrow due to work so I can go then. Plus also, instead I went to some friends’ house and now have approximately thirty pounds of fresh tomatoes. Yeah, I know. We shall be tomato eatin’ fools the rest of the week and a bunch will get made into some sketti sauce and possibly a batch of chili. I could blanch and can some (I know how!) but I think I’d rather make sauce or chili and freeze it. They’re both good things to have around.
taxi I second the Greek ring.
Another vote for the Greek pattern, taxi!
I think I may be over the stomach flu, more or less. I cooked a dinner of chicken and vegetables last night and have managed to keep it down, so I’m being cautiously optimistic.
It’s November but the weather’s ridiculously warm.
My transition to adulthood was immediate and unexpected. I legally emancipated when I was 17 and became instantly financially responsible for myself. I was a senior in high school. I will never forget the moment when I realized I was really going to go through with it. I grabbed a notebook and wrote down a list of everything I would need to do:
-Find full time job
-Medicaid
-Court papers
-Open new checking account
-Transfer car title
etc. Childhood over.
I didn’t start college until I’d been in the military, married and had a child. I worked 20 hours a week, cared for my 2 year old and my husband, while carrying a full load of classes. My GPA was 3.8, only because I, stupidly, took a beginning piano class, getting C+ because I (duh) had no time to practice.
So, I guess that shows being a bit more mature translates to better grades.
I am still fighting with it.
I’m gonna buck the trend and say the Triple Band one, taxi, but you should take that with a grain of salt because I have an irrational dislike of Greek patterns (and Greek men, but that’s not irrational because it’s based on a nasty past experience… however, I have no such issues with Greek food).
Speaking of being a grownup, the dishes piled up while I was partying away the weekend, as The Boy worked the whole time. Poor thing. And since grownups should know that there is no such thing as a Housework Fairy, I suppose that means I must go do some dishes.
Botheration.
in all honesty, taxi, none of those are really my style - is there a store where you can try them on? because sometimes pretty in a photo might not be so pretty on a hand. If I had to make a choice tho, I’d say the greek key.
hmmm - transitioning to adulthood. Well, I did go to college right after high school because that’s how my family worked. During my senior year, my sister became very ill, and passed away within a year after I graduated. I was numb and foggy during that time, then I avoided dealing with my grief by acting immature in many ways (though I was working for Dad, and did help around the house). Even after I moved out 2 years later, I couldn’t classify who I was then as an “adult”. It wasn’t I declared bankruptcy in (I think it was) 1989 did I shake off the cloud of irresponsibility and start taking hold of my life. And it wasn’t until a year later, when I had my folks over for dinner, and they saw that I was fine on my own, that they saw me as an adult.
My brother tells me it wasn’t until he actually bought a dining room table that he got that acknowledgement from our Dad.
Aw hell. I just found out my BFF from high school’s mom died back in October. Speaking of transitions to adulthood, that was my big one. She offered to help me take over a small country when my mom died, I’m returning the favor now. Look out Lichtenstein!
Hey taxi, this might be irrelevant, but I really like Christina Guenther’s work and she seems like a decent person, too. I’ve never bought anything from her, but I’d like to someday.
Well, I’ll just say that it was a long day after it finally got started this afternoon and I’m glad to be home now.
My day is just beginning! :: grumble ::
I got an email about a meeting I have to attend from 2:30 to 7pm. :dubious: What kind of meeting lasts over 4 hours? I’m going to be bored out of my mind.
maybe it’s really a surprise party for someone who has been promoted or is retiring?