Teaching is hard to break into right now in a lot of locations. Many teachers that were going to retire didn't due to the Wall Street treachery.

Something I did with my girls - I showed them a list of what various professions paid and talked about how they could expect to live making those salaries. It was something they previously had not given a lot of thought to.

Good idea.

There are some great sites for all ages that look at careers, what one actually does, costs of the education, prospected earnings, and growth rate.I am on my phone but I will try to get you some good examples when I'm on a comp.

lies

Lies make you happy? Or is someone lying? :unsure:

I'm guessing he's saying career paths are more of a crap shoot than some folks let on. I still want to see those sites though. :)

Here's one:
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/

Carrotchops is making me happy. We just had a really nice cuddle.

Cuddling with BeeBee before getting down to work for the evening. :)

Got him worried because you've been seeing another dog. :haha:

ha! Maybe so :P

Today I am happy, again because of Carrotchops. We've just come back from his hydrotherapy session. he did 26 minutes with the treadmill on an uphill setting (yey). His muscle development is looking good and his foot placement much improved.

I've to take him back in three or four weeks for an assessment, and hopefully Rhona will sign him off from treatment, and he'll just be doing his exercises at home with me.

In the meantime, he's been given permission to have some off-lead free running. Got to give him a full ten minutes warmup walk before letting him run, and not with other dogs as yet, but at least he can have a bit of freedom again :) To start will be doing this every other day, and only for a short spell, but hey - I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

We're also well on the way to weaning him back off his pain meds. He started out on 25 ml a day, then once his groinstrain injury was all sorted we started dropping it down. Went down to 15 ml for a couple of weeks, and then 10 ml for a couple of weeks. Day after tomorrow I'll drop it down to 7 ml for a couple of weeks and if he's ok at that level we can then drop it entirely :)

Great news. Has the snow melted, or is he walking/running in it?

Great news for Carrot!

I am happy today because at the doctor's office today I weighed in at 125 lbs -- the likes of which have not been seen since about 2005. I weighed 145 when I got pregnant and 160 when I gave birth. Guess there are some pros to not being able to stuff my face with ice cream and cheese...

Yay on the weight Chocolatl!
Good job Carrot!!

Going to see an ocupational therapist for physio and massage on my hip today, then spending the afternoon with my 6 day old granddaughter!

Plus, nursing really pulls off the weight.

Look a moneymaking opportunity came to me through Twitter:


*prepares to enter full personal details and set forth on a path to riches*

:eyebrow: indeed. Nice to know you Poms have converted to dollars, rather than pounds, though.

Could you just enter the details of, say, your local Chief of Police?

The sun's shining and I'm leaving in 30 minutes to go camping. Woot. *happy camper*

Yay:)

She visited SUNY Geneseo yesterday and really loved it. The kids were more down to earth than the private schools, but still nerdy and academically sound. Since she went to a NY high school so we'd pay in-state tuition. w00t

Very cool! But do you think it's wise to send your daughter to school so close to such a wiggly river?

Is that paddle friendly? You could paddle all day and still be in the same zip code.

I believe it is. You could paddle all day and be only a five minute walk from where you parked your car when you put in.

Eva has a tooth. I probably should post in the unhappy thread about the loss of sleep over the last couple of nights too.

I have received my packette of brand new shiny brochures from my lead ..

it's a small thing, but I didn't have to ask or beg or cry or whine or threaten for 3 months to get it.... they were just done and sent to me (same with the vinyl display materials that arrived last week)

Its so nice to work with a) all the things I love doing b) with people who respect and appreciate my experience and opinion and position and who actively support each other c) and who are HAPPY to supply the tools one needs to do the job.

*sigh* I just wish I got paid for it.

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!!!!!!

Roger Hodgson - New show announced, pre-sale prom code - October 30th

5th Row Centre

Best seats I've ever had for a concert, and only the 2nd concert I've been to in the last 20 years.

I brought my motorcycle home today. It rained on me the whole way, and I got soaked, but I didn't mind. It was 89° here today, and I couldn't stand another day with 50 miles between me and it.

I'm just waiting for my buddy to show up and ride me back to Moms to get my Jeep.

Way to Go OE!

@ Jim: ya know...there's something about a viking on a bike that makes me go all girly.

What's making me happy: just got back from our morning walk. We met up with Ma and Nelle. Carrot and Nelle greeted each other like the bestest mates. I still have to be a bit careful: he is a very bouncy dog and one accidental swipe of those raptor claws could easily reopen the nearly healed operation scar down Nelle's side. But they really seem to like each other. Well, by which I mean Carrot totally lurves Nelle and just wants to bounce up and down in exuberance and smother her in kissies. Nelle is remarkably patient with him. I think she likes it when he is busy sniffing something on the ground and she can safely get a good look at him.

Was lovely.

I proactively avoided being rear-ended today. (I mean in my car, you pervs.)

To get to Minifobette's therapy clinic, you have to turn left across moderately heavy traffic, and there is no turn lane. It's the sort of thing that was fine when the road was rural, but now it is quite busy and you have to come to a dead stop with your turn signal on for half a minute or more, and the traffic piles up behind you until they can manage to get in the other lane to go around.

It is a death trap, and whenever I'm there I spend most of the time staring in my rear-view mirror, looking for people coming at full speed who don't see that I'm stopped. Today it finally happened, stupid kid had his head turned fully to the side looking at some random thing. I gunned my car forward at the last second, and he still would have hit me but the noise of my tires snapped him out of it and he swerved.

I've been staring in the rear-view mirror at that spot for three years, and it finally paid off. I don't feel so paranoid now.

Of course your car, otherwise you wouldn't have avoided it.:rolleyes:

Oh, nice defensive driving. :thumb:

Cow-orker didn't come to work today and I took Lil' Griff to see Streetlight Manifesto. Most excellent day.

At her age she should be enjoying stuff like that, but you're supposed to be a responsible adult now. It's a slippery slope, you know. :p:

Her dad has been carving that slope for as long as she can remember. I just think its neat that we had Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Boss Tones, and Skatalites in the house when she was a tiny and over the last couple years this ska thing has become a full blown passion. :)

Sorry if this is a bum note in the happy thread but...

Parents should share their passions with their children while they can. I know Li'l Griff is a long way off forty (?!) but I'm hella grateful that I was so close to my Dad growing up. The amount of things we can enjoy together can only diminish now.

I was at school with people who had far richer parents than mine. But in almost every case their Dad was effectively missing from their life. No doubt they are mid-way up the property ladder now. And possibly missing their own children's childhood. Who knows, I suppose some people can work overtime and earn money and still be around; I just remember those who didn't.

Daddies and daughters are special. You go, Griff.

Thank you for that. :)

I'd agree with that. I had some awesome times with Dad. especially during the time Mum was training as a nurse and doing weird shift hours. And any time off sick from school too *smiles* Dad was a night worker most of the time, so he'd always be around for some of the day.

Poor bugger must have groaned every time I was sick...no sleep that day :p

That little exchange brough to mind a bunch of lovely memories. A midnight walk through Queen's park with the dogs, with Dad pointing out hedgehogs, owls and bats. And telling spooky stories about the statues on the promenade...how every so many years on a particular night there's an extra statue. The White Lady.

Naturally, the particular year and night would be the night we were walking :)


That strange combination of smells that he had when he returned from work: machine oils and baked bread.

Watching him carefully pulling the slats from the hive, with the bees all docile and sleepy from the smoker.

Tales of boarding school and India.

Burnt stew, apologetically served with copious amounts of brown sauce to mask the taste.

Flash roasted and spiced chick peas filling the kitchen with pungent smoke.

His pushbike. Rode everywhere on that bike. Off to work in the evening, trouser legs caught back with bike clips. No helmet, it was the 70s/80s.

Hah. That's made me feel happy.

That would have fried my brain. I was spooked enough by Nesbit's Enchanted Castle!

I once asked Dads what he would say if I said this house was haunted.
I didn't think it was, I just wanted to hear his reaction. Because in all the books I read, children were too worried about being disbelieved to talk to anyone.

He said something along the lines of, "It's unlikely. The woman who lived here before us is still alive, and she was very happy here. But if you really thought that, then I would stay with you and make sure you were safe. And then we would speak to Father Harris [our priest, Mum is still in touch with him.]"

It was utterly practical and immensely reassuring.
He's a grouchy old git now, but that is why I still love him.
(If I'd asked Mum that question she'd have shut me up very quickly. Mainly by telling me to shut up.)

I heard the cry of the Wolf.
Which is to say I spoke to her today on the telephone.
She's as cool in person as she is on here.

Thanks to everyone who trusted me with their digits.
I will work my way through.

I was going to slyly post that I had an unexpected and wonderful phone conversation today ... it was rather like old friends speaking, really, the hard part was not tripping over each other to say the same things. It was great! Thank you, Sundae, for helping me to avoid doing things I needed to do, and then to get around to doing some of them ... taxes are still undone, but there is always tomorrow, and I got on with doing some cooking right after we hung up. You inspired me!

My hoi-sin chicken was lovely btw. Even saved some for Mum.

And later I got to watch the new series of Britain's Got Talent.
I can't help being a sentimental old thing; I love it.
The opening sequence with the flashmob of previous competitors had me simultaneously laughing and crying.

All in all a great Saturday night.

That young comedian was awesome. I expect him to go far.

Soaking up a beautiful Sunday morning, drinking my coffee and watching the birds fight it out at the feeders. The red-winged blackbirds are back along with the finches, cardinals, doves, jays, song-sparrows, titmice, chickadees, woodpeckers, etc. There are literally hundreds of robins on the front lawn/field. And our pair of nesting hawks is back. :)

Luckily the bird-eating squirrel has NOT returned.

Turkeys! Another flock on the north field, a gorgeous big tom herding his hens around, strutting and displaying like crazy. A jogger happened by on the road and they all took off up the field into our woods. They can really cover ground.

eta - the turkeys took off. The jogger stayed on the road. :p:

Jamaican Jerk Turkey Meatloaf with Garlic Quinoa (don't get impressed, the Quinoa came out of a packet and all I had to do was boil water and wait the right amount of time after I turned the heat to low. Ok, to be fair, I also had to remember to put the lid on the pot, and not forget that I was simmering it) is now reposing quietly in the refrigerator and will provide sandwiches for the week to come.

And my taxes are now done.

So I will be spending the remainder of the afternoon and probably most of the evening playing Epic Mickey 2.

I've only ever had quinoa from a packet.
What you s'posed to do to be real? Grow your own?

Joking aside, I love me some quinoa.
If "Doctor" Gillian McKeith never did anything else of value, at least she introduced me to it.

I'm thinking the entire shebang came from the packet, Quinoa by itself isn't exactly sandwich material.

the masters tournament. real close to a first aussie win but cabrera just did a magic trick.

lovin' it but hoping for scott.

congratulations adam scott on your green jacket!

I guess if I cared about golf that would be making me happy. lol

Good for him though. It's something no Aussie has ever done before, so that's a big feather for his cap. :)

Golf, in particular the Masters Tournament, is a guilty pleasure. I actually think it's fun to watch!

Of course, I was rooting for my Tiger, but he didn't have such a great time.

Only about 12 hours until BROADCHURCH.

and the grass has finally begun to sprout, adding a beautiful, if pale, green haze over the landscape.

I mowed our lawn yesterday. It felt good.

I'm glad that Bob Perry died. Yes, I know one should not gloat over someone's death but Texas homebuilder Bob Perry gave millions of dollars to Republicans for elections and GOP causes like the Swift Boat Veterans back when Kerry ran for President.

Not surprisingly here in Texas he was against any kind of immigration reform that would stymy his cheap labor force for building homes and was also a champion of tort reform to keep from being sued for his crappy homes any against any kind of law that would help workers.

RIP and good riddance!

:D

sounds like Maggie T. will have company.

I hit my highest weight ever 3 months ago, and I was not pleased with this. Today, I'm down 30 pounds...w00t!

Not sure where else to put this, but if you are on the mid-Atlantic east coast, you will probably be able to see a rocket launch in 2 hours.


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I've got an old cow orker that lives on Assateague. June would be a lovely time to visit. :blush:

Is he by the Assawoman Canal? No wait...that's in Sussex County, DE...

I'm going to see The Reverend Horton Heat twice this summer (June in KC, September in STL), Iron Maiden in STL in September and Depeche Mode in Dallas later that month. That's some serious awesomeness.

I actually felt like having sex for the first time in ages!