Dingoes Step Into September YMMV - Page 5

[bec]

Sparkle - Don't give one professor the power over you to cause you to change the track you want your life to take.  If you decide this program isn't the thing for you, or that you want to do something else for your own reasons, that's one thing.  But, don't let mean, socially insensitive power trippy professors make those decisions for you!  You are amazing, and you will find your footing.  Be gentle with yourself.

It seems like there is a lot of upheaval in Dingo work land right now.  I'm happy our part in that is starting to calm down at least.  DH is loving his new job.  He's learning tons, likes the people he is working with, is well supported by the company (I think they actually wanted him to succeed!).  They are based out of Israel, so one of the big training classes is in Tel Aviv.  He will be going there towards the end of October for a couple of weeks.  I'm jealous!

Editing to add my own RR:  Boot camp on Tuesday, Tri class on Wednesday, and spin class this morning.  At tri class, we did the mile assessment.  I ran there (a mile) to warm up, then the test, then jogged home.  I did it in 9:49, and was pretty disappointed because it sure felt like a better than 9:49 effort.  This was short lived, because one of the coaches said that it was over a mile.  They thought it might be more like 1.1 miles.  This puts me on an 8:55 pace for the mile (which is more like what it felt like!).  I'm going to go out and measure it more exactly sometime.  I'm all lost without my Garmin right now!

[kerc]

Let me just put this out there: I was already late rsvp-ing to a friend's party. but only like a day. asked dh to mail the rsvp. next day began driving the sedan and he's driving the mom-mobile. Got in the mom-mobile last night to drive to soccer, what do I find? rsvp card. not mailed. I'm    and alsothat I can't go in the first place. Stupid job training. That's a whole other issue.

Academic jobs: job woes all over.

I can commiserate. For several years we had some really lean, rough, not enough work years. That forced me to apply for the job I currently hold. I got the job and am thrilled to be working. DH has since picked up too much work and feels like he can't turn it down. Lisa FWIW I think I would feel the same way you do about this particular job (I have a 10 mile commute -- that's a long commute for my city -- and it sucks to be so far from home, especially if my kids need me).

[sparkletruck]

Bec - WTG on all the work-outs. You have been so consistent, through working and stressing and kids, even getting your kids to push themselves! It is so awesome.

Real - I agree, I wouldnt apply for the job, but especially with that commute, and even if the guy doesnt know who you are, when the other person mentions you, they will think 'hmm, who is L?' and darn well find out The writing class sounds fun! You can totally do it. There was a good article on Rhetoric and current politics in the NYT Sunday paper last week or the week before. I'll see if I can find it online and link it for you ... here you go: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/category/draft/ Anyway, I love rhetoric, it's finding a particular "problem" to address related to the classic guys that I was having a hard time with, but all is well

JG - That sounds like a lot! I cant believe you arent getting paid!

Plady - Better too may kids than too few eh? 11 hours out of the house! wow. What did she think?

Mamajb - I know you eldest is not yet 13 but I started riding the bus to and from school every day on public transit when I was 13. Everyone did (all the kids at the school). And I agree with Geo, it opened up my world... 'you mean, I can get anywhere!...'. I used to take the public bus over to San Francisco for the day at that age, which I dont think I would have done if not for doing it for school. It's a great idea

Kerc - it sounds like you have a lot going on, with Dh working so much and the politics at your job. How is that panning out anyway? Good job fitting in the skiing!

RR: none. My rt. leg really hurts - same ol' same ol' (hamstring, back of knee, achilles), and I SWEAR it happens EVERY sept! I get in a grrove over the summer and then september comes and Im out. Anyway, I have an appt. with the PT for Monday, but in the meantime, Im really bummed out about it. I need the outlet, and I was feeling so fit, and to watch it slip away

NRR: My question is whether rhetoric functions more to find negotiated meaning or to exacerbate relativism. And I will talk about Plato vs. Isocrates views, and include an essay I read the other day about solitary confinement and how the horror of it is that without other people to compare perceptions of reality, you can go insane (i.e. we negotiate meaning all the time, like agreeing that green is that color over there, and without that negotiation, you dont know what's what)... bla bla bla

[Plady]

Morning mamas,

Bec - I love that your inner timer is so accurate!  Good job!

MelW -  what's MPH?  Masters in Public Health?

Real - Another nod for not pursuing the job with the crazy commute.  And here's hoping that your current contacts lead to something interesting and lucrative down the road.

Mommajb - Yeah!  Put him on the bus!

Jo - Hope dh is on his way home!

JG - Good luck with getting great results with all those new volunteers!

Sparkle - Yup on the crazy cycle stuff.  My mood can be especially erratic but then yesterday I had the. worst. cramps. ever.  Seriously, I rarely even get cramps and these had me doubled over in the kitchen.  What up with that? 

RR: Nope.

NSR: Still going strong on the no sugar no grains thing.  Last night we did actually give ourselves a pass to eat ice cream at the PTA's ice cream social since we were still at school when it began at 6 and it seemed cruel and unusual to drag the kids home just as it was being dished out.  Of course that made one more hour of being out but it was okay.  And both kids acknowledged that the ice cream made them feel funny.

[mommajb]

I lost a whole big post when my computer rebooted for me. Twice.

It turns out my older son(15) is not the problem. It is the middle child -not that I am placing blame. After 13.5 hours away from home (school, cross counrty, orchestra) he wants the 15min ride car ride not the 1hr 15min bus ride plus walk so that he has the time for homework. Fine. I am working on carpools where I can. Ds2 had a melt down at swimming on Tuesday and I threw a huge fit. It is a bit embarrassing but I hope dh heard what I should have said and will be a bit more available.

RR: another 4.5 slog through the fog. I hope the next run feels better.

I have been trying to write this post for two hours and it has been waiting for personals to go back in. Please know that I am thinking of each of you!

[Plady]

Mommajb - Would ds2 be able to get any work done on the bus?
 

[JayGee]

Mommajb- I guess I see your DS's point. And if I tried to do homework on the bus, I'd barf!

Plady - I am so impressed that your family is doing so well on sugar and grain free. I've got DH on board, but the kids are not so interested.

Sparkle - I hope the PT can stop your hamstring issue before it really starts.

RR - should be out right now, but instead I am on the computer

[kerc]

Originally Posted by JayGee 
 And if I tried to do homework on the bus, I'd barf!

Uh, me too.

Work is. Well. Work.

And hey, I should be getting paid in 2 weeks.

Turns out a paycheck takes the bite out of showing up daily, KWIM?

I did walk almost 6 miles this morning with friends.

[Plady]

Yeah, there is the barf factor.

JG - I'm not sure my kids are "interested" in being grain free.  They just haven't had any control over it.  And honestly, they are less strictly held to it.  I let them have sandwiches in their lunches now and then and C eats the school lunch which is made from scratch each day but still has plenty of grains in it.  So it's just at home that they're not getting any and that probably helps keep mutiny at bay.
 

[sparkletruck]

OMG Read this:

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2012/09/17/120917sh_shouts_allen

[Mel38]

Hello out there in Dingo-land!

Just a quick hello and an update on what's going on down here.  I got up at 3:30 today - yes, that's "a.m."! - to do my longest run to date: 16 miles, and done before the kids had to go to school! I feel like a

The weather has finally cooled down just enough so that it actually feels good out there in the morning. What a relief!

Kerc, yeah, that paycheck kind of makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?

Mommajb, ooh, that's bad when your computer starts randomly rebooting. Makes me very nervous. Your after school schedule sounds really demanding for you. Gosh, it's hard to feel like you can make all the kids have equally workable situations. I hope your DH does take on some of that burden, too.

Sparkle, oh no! A hamstring injury? How is it feeling after a few days rest?

Dang, bec, you are a beast with all those workouts! Good work!

Plady, MelW, Gaye, Real, Geo

I better go find something productive to do.

[Geofizz]

Alas, every other year so far, bullying has waited until November to get started...
 

Mama needs a run. 

[kerc]

Originally Posted by Geofizz 

Alas, every other year so far, bullying has waited until November to get started...
 

WHAT the h*ll is wrong with the community that it happens every year?  I'm so :hopmad for your children. grrrrr.  Then again just last week I witnessed a playground supervisor bullying a kid on the playground. That's the kind of stuff that makes me want to pull my "skirts" around my children and hold them tight.
 

Running related: I rollerskied for the first time last night and it was darn fun.Rollerskiing --->

But ahem, there are lots and lots of small muscles that are today sore. And I'm out of shape. And well, it was darn fun I'm doing it again next week. I might invest in kneepads.

Bonus fun event of the week: the clutch that has been dying a slow death is now dead. That means the bus for me. I have an 8am class on Friday. I left my house at 5:55am to be sure I got here in time. This is not sustainable. When is that paycheck?

[JayGee]

Geo - oh no! Your children should not have to deal with this. Hoping you can nip it in the bud quickly.

Kerc - that looks fun! I was friends with a bunch of guys from the ski team in college and they all rollerskiied until the snow fell too. You're right about the 5:55 wake up being unsustainable though. Yawn!

MelW - nice job on the long run!

Plady - you're right. Perhaps a little more "pressure" on the grain free would help them. Like not putting sandwiches in their lunches.....

RR - awesome 30 minute walk/run last night, but lots of pain this morning.

NRR - I saw the staff chiro at my PT this morning and he referred me to pain management for steroid injections to my SI joint and fibular head. He said my fibula has no mobility at all and gait changes from that have resulted in the SI joint dysfunction. Cautiously optimistic that I may be getting somewhere...

[Geofizz]

I've always wanted to try that.

It's simply not acceptable to be different at this school.  Anything that sets you apart as different - size, ethnicity, disability, or (non-sports) ability - is fair game.  I'd gotten the sense from the vice principal that there was going to be some effort to mitigate that, but no, we got an assembly about yo-yos instead.

[bec]

Geo - I am so, so angry for you!  Keep up the advocating!! 

Originally Posted by kerc 

Bonus fun event of the week: the clutch that has been dying a slow death is now dead. That means the bus for me. I have an 8am class on Friday. I left my house at 5:55am to be sure I got here in time. This is not sustainable. When is that paycheck?

So, what does it say, that when I started reading about your clutch dying, I was thinking, Well, what about a cross body bag, or get a wristlet or something.  New purse time!   Yes, I just got off work.

Had curriculum night last night for my oldest.  I think I am in love with the special ed teacher that is in charge of Katie's math class.  Katie also has her for resource class (a whole period where they work on study skills and she can get a jump on homework), for homeroom, and she co-teaches language arts.  So, Katie has the consistency of seeing the same teacher for 4 out of her 9 periods.  And, she was saying things that make me think she really, really gets Katie.  She just knows how she ticks.  Such a relief!

[Realrellim]

Geo--I have the solution. You need to move to Colorado and send your kids to R's school. It would mitigate the bullying and should take care of the academic stuff on both ends too because our school is really flexible in working to meet social/emotional/academic needs without getting stuck on age/grade expectations. You have a fabulous professional record, so you shouldn't have trouble securing a spot at one of our fabulous universities (no, not mine, though they do have a new science building and would probably jump at the opportunity--but you deserve better than the indecent exposure dude who appears on campus like clockwork in the fall and spring and the fact that while we fill an important mission, we essentially lack admissions requirements.

I really hope you can find some solutions. That's a hard place to be in, and even making friends with the other bullied kids isn't exactly the best solution.

Hi to everyone else! I am thinking of all of you--

[sparkletruck]

Real - Have you ever heard of "the naked guy"? Well, the naked guy was a fixture on my campus as an undergrad; he was a student, and I kid you not, he wore a backpack and that's it. He was arrested several times, and in the paper a lot, but he just kept doing it and, of course, everyone just got used to it

Geo - Are there others who have a similar experience with the school/bullying problem? What does the admin. say about it; do they acknowledge it? Are there steps in place? Can you, (are you allowed to) send out mass emails to parents to alert them to some of what is happening (and without mentioning names, perhaps point out where some parents might intervene)? Could you start a support group, or an empowerment agenda at the school (you know, with all your free time ) for kids both being bullied (I realize this would out them in a way they do not want to be further put on display) and for potential bulliers? I heard a segment on NPR once about NVC (non-violent communication) and how it was being implemented at an elementary school, and it ended up initiating a mentoring program, among other things. It sure seems like the bulliers need an education program (I'm envisioning clockwork orange style )

Mel38 - I am in freaking AWE of you! And then to finish the post you say "and now I need to go find something to do" as if running 16 miles before your kids leave for school isnt enough for the DAY!

Bec - That is so awesome about K! What a great feeling (and load off your mind!)

JG - fingers crossed that progress is imminent! Im waiting eagerly to hear

Jo - Any news!?

RR: well my leg felt magically improved yesterday morning so I went to the gym and did the regular: 60 minute bike intervals and 20 run/walk intervals. I'm now running (I do 1 minute running, 1 1/2 walking) at 8:30 pace which makes me happy, even if its only for one minute at a time I kept mt PT appt. and they couldnt find much out of whack, which is both good and bad. Im really sick at heart that I have now 3 injuries that have never really gone away and that I will just have to baby forever (pain in the arse, limits what I can do, etc) but I dont want anything really wrong so...

Meanwhile, heading for the gym in a minute for weight circuit...

NRR: same old same old. Paper must get started today

[1jooj]

Geo, I am shocked but not surprised. I find it just outrageous that this sh!t has to happen every single year, and for this to be the case, it seems to me that somehow staff/admin/someone in some position of authority has to be willfully turning a blind eye. I mean, after how many years should it be front of mind to at least keep an eye out and be watchful over how a kid is treated? Is the bullying really that sneaky that it's going unnoticed? I just don't believe that can be the case.  Hoping some better alternatives start to appear.

kerc, I drive an old stickshift beater and occasionally have mini panic attacks about the clutch. I like cars, I hate cars.

Mel38, 16 miles! Way to go! 3 in the morning is early like a crazy person! 

mommajb, "not sustainable" is what comes to mind. I sure hope there's a role your dh can play in splitting the load and helping get people where they need to be. Wow.

I think of you ladies daily and all your amazements. You've been such a help to me.

I am hanging in here, not doing any running but hanging in. Kids and I have been putting in the extra time to get ahead on school work, and both kids are really doing well. Ds is learning to be self- motivated and dd is learning to respect Mom.  We reviewed and set some academic goals for her, and she was part of the process, so we'll be in appropriate math soon, I think. Judging from the convo with the teacher, I think a lot of parents use online school to get the grade skips the kids need. I wonder how many do this and then go back to B&M with their desired placements. Just thinking. Anyway, both kids are catching on in French, and it is more fun that I assumed it would be. Bad news, my friend's 3yo dd got sort of half kicked out of daycare this week. She is disruptive and destructive at nap time (tip of the iceberg, yes my df's kids are a huge challenge) so now has to be picked up and brought home at noon. My 2 are pissed and panicking because they know the disruption will make it hard for them to learn. Bright side, as discussed, the library is always there, and we have the AM to get the hardest work done. And, just a few weeks before we head back, anyway.

Dh has an itinerary, so I hope to see him in a few days, and indeed he should be at the party. Food is confirmed, dessert is ordered, dress is hemmed, flowers ordered, and a few more details need to be managed. Then I think we will have enough help setting up and decorating, and God willing, all I want is clear skies. I am going to take a hayride, toast a marshmallow, visit with friends and enjoy fall in WI. Remind me of this when I freak out next week. 

And if I try to guess now, I would say that we are going to fly to UAE about a month from today, drop our stuff in the apartment and re-pack, and then fly to Morocco for 2 weeks. Best guess, but hard to say.

[Nickarolaberry]

Hi mamas.

I have been a pathetically out of touch Dingo but following along with everyone. I humbly apologize for my lack of personals and attention. In fact, seeing as our new year is upon us, please if I've done anything to offend any of you or hurt you, forgive me. 

Mel, wow mama! 16 miles before dawn! We're not worthy, we're not worthy...

Mommajb -   Yeah, that schedule is not sustainable. I thought I might go crazy from the Tues/Thursday 4-5 soccer, 5-630 karate, and 5-5:45 gymanstics schedule which has me literally driving around in 6 mile circles after working a full day. Yikes. I hope you get the help you need! 

Jo -- I so, so, so wish I could be at your party. I will be in spirit and I am hoping for many photos but somehow, some way, we need to find a way to meet IRL. A Hebrew blessing for your (already) marriage: "Gladden your companions as you gladdened Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden..Blessed is he who gladdens bride and groom."

It's good to hear your school time/work is proceeding productively and meeting your expectations. I know that was a big source of anxiety and even though WE all knew you'd be great at it, I guess getting into it is the best way to gain confidence, right?

Geo - Not. Cool. on the bullying front. Ugh, I don't understand where the 'authorities' are?! No child should ever have to go through this, much less repeatedly. I am seeing the unfortunate heralding of a minor bullying scenario for two of my kids and have meetings scheduled to try and head it off at the pass. Sigh. 

Sparkle, keep running! 

Sorry for whomever I've missed.

Life is kind of crazy here. Last weekend was dh's triathlon (the one he directs) and that was...insane. I have some funny stories but am still too wiped out from the whole thing to even describe them. I am loving my job at school but finding that maintaining a sense of order and organization is confounding me. The papers, the assignments, remembering to make the right number of copies for each class on the right day, remembering I wanted to look something up for this or that class, etc...sheesh. I don't even have time to use the bathroom for several hours each morning because I teach back to back classes. Then I come home and start the other more-than-full-time job (kids, house). I'm pretty tired. My running is suffering. I only got two runs in this week and I feel yucky, cranky, and bloated. I am going to have to figure that out better. I have to be in the shower by 6 a.m. to make everything work in the morning so time is a bit cramped...sigh. Complaints, complaints. When I pay close attention and really stick to the vegan diet (eggs tend to creep in without my noticing sometimes) I feel better physically. Dd1's bat mitzvah is coming up also and the planning is making me tense...also it seems people have expectations of being entertained the whole weekend rather than just coming in for the actual event on Sunday and I really had/have no intention of providing a weekend itinerary. For one friend I will make local Shabbat arrangements (as she doesn't drive, etc.) and very happily but for my family I do not intend to be the open house all day Saturday and Saturday night as it seems is expected (providing food, etc.). And I have to find a way to keep my well-meaning but essentially extremely difficult mother away from the house especially the morning of the bat mitzvah.

I am trying really hard to: a) be authentic with my emotions with myself and examine where I want to go from here (i.e. marriage, friends, etc.); b) figure out my next running goal/race because if I have no goal, I lose focus and it just doesn't seem to matter very much;  and c) keep my head above water with household tasks, work, etc. so I can be really present with my kids.