In and Out in a Day

[Where'sPiglet?]

Glynis - is Financial Literacy a required high school course in Utah? I think that's a great idea. We were required to take a semester course called Consumer Education (or Consumer Economics - the name varied from school to school) that was basic finance. We had a unit on the stock market, buying a car, choosing a career, and creating a budget.

Hopefully you all get to go to Disneyland. I enjoyed my trip last month.

The kids here are done with school. I am teaching summer school though (sigh), so I'll be done at the end of June. My summer will only be about 4 weeks this year.

I can't justify the cost of WDW right now either. I tried to book a trip to NY in July, but that fell through also.

As for the school evacuation form, my friend told me she put "beats me" on the form for the "Where are you evacuating to?" question. LOL. I told my brother I put him on the form for an evacuation location. Although if I drive all the way up there, I just might not drive back...

 

[PrincessInOz]

Happy Memorial Day.

Nancy - Wildlife seems to be plentiful in your area! I don't know whether to be or jealous! YAY for finishing the year. And congrats on a beautiful set of results. Hope you got a holiday worked out with Kady.

Ellen - Hope you're over the funk! That's the worse place to be. How did the run go? Was the stylist good?

Marilyn - Is your AC fixed in the house yet?

Robin - Hope your dad is doing okay.

Glynis - I hope you're enjoying the time at DLR. I haven't worked out if Alan made it with you or if you're driving by yourself. Hopefully, its the former.

Bethany - I'm going to be in Orlando late September/early October. I'm hoping that it will be calm during that time! End of June is a month away. Here's hoping it goes by real quick for you.



So did I mention? Late breaking news - my project from $#! is going to be delayed for at least 2 months. Y.E.A.H! That just means more re-work for me and my team. And they haven't yet decided on a new launch date. Any bets that it will be around the time when I'm supposed to be on annual leave?

 

[Glynis]

Hi, everyone! We are back from our anniversary get away! And now we begin the push for Disneyland! The good news is that Alan gets to go with us!!! Whew! That made for a happy anniversary, for sure!

So, here's our plan: We are leaving at 5:00 Thursday morning, and driving to the Four Corners area. We'll spend the night there. Friday we have to get to Tuba City, Arizona so that Alan can interview a Hopi chief for his thesis documentary. The kids and I will spend the day at a park or somewhere. When Alan is done, we'll drive a bit further into Arizona before calling it a day. Saturday, we'll cross Arizona (stopping at London Bridge in Lake Havasu, Arizona) to California. We'll spend the afternoon/evening at the beach, then crash at a hotel. Early Sunday morning, we'll head to Anaheim and be at Disneyland by opening, meeting the rest of my family there.

We are all so excited! Alan is getting me a smart phone for our anniversary, so I'll be able to take good pics and post them immediately. Hopefully I can figure out Instagram or Twitter or something. However, I will definitely be posting to facebook! We've begun the packing, and that is daunting, but it'll be ok.

I'll check back tomorrow. Off to decorate graves, buy some shoes, and pick out a phone!

 

[PrincessInOz]

That's great news, Glynis!

 

[Nancyg56]

PIO- The wildlife is really awesome! We are surrounded by woodlands so there is plenty of creatures hiding away. There is a lot of development in the area so the animals are getting crowded out.

Glynis- I am so happy that Alan can vacation with you!

I have a meeting with the English department head today. I can write so I did well in my Technical writing class, but I am really upset with the amount of feedback that instructor did not provide. I asked for some, and got nothing. Assignments were not graded in a timely fashion, and yet each one was built on the the previous one. It was impossible to know if we were on the right track. Anyway, I took the class because I needed to learn how to communicate properly in a workplace. I do think that those folks directly out of high school, or those who need help with written communication were in trouble. I want to make sure that someone complains. My grade was a 98, so this is not about a poor grade, I just do not understand how she is still teaching.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I have a meeting with the English department head today. I can write so I did well in my Technical writing class, but I am really upset with the amount of feedback that instructor did not provide. I asked for some, and got nothing. Assignments were not graded in a timely fashion, and yet each one was built on the the previous one. It was impossible to know if we were on the right track. Anyway, I took the class because I needed to learn how to communicate properly in a workplace. I do think that those folks directly out of high school, or those who need help with written communication were in trouble. I want to make sure that someone complains. My grade was a 98, so this is not about a poor grade, I just do not understand how she is still teaching.

Would you believe I was having a similar discussion with a friend of mine yesterday? She is doing an accounting degree; as a mature aged student as well.

She got an assignment back and being an accounting subject, she had a series of questions to answer. In the marked paper, there was just ticks and a marks assigned against each question. She couldn't actually work out why she got the mark for the question nor what she did right/wrong. So she asked the lecturer for more specific feedback or even to show her what was expected for each question to score 100%.



Would you believe the lecturer thought she was asking to have her paper re-graded??

 

[Nancyg56]

Would you believe I was having a similar discussion with a friend of mine yesterday? She is doing an accounting degree; as a mature aged student as well.

She got an assignment back and being an accounting subject, she had a series of questions to answer. In the marked paper, there was just ticks and a marks assigned against each question. She couldn't actually work out why she got the mark for the question nor what she did right/wrong. So she asked the lecturer for more specific feedback or even to show her what was expected for each question to score 100%.



Would you believe the lecturer thought she was asking to have her paper re-graded??

Lazy teaching! I had a Saturday class and was discussing my frustration with my online class. Would you believe that three students knew who I was talking about? Turns out they were in the same class. One student actually got the instructor's schedule and stalked her in school until she finally spoke to him. This is not okay with me. She does not post office hours, yet she is required to post 3 hours a week. She never participated in the discussions that she required, not even the first "introduce yourselves" one. We never knew if we were on the right track because she never provided any guidance.
This was an expensive course and people were paying for education, not simply grades.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Lazy teaching! I had a Saturday class and was discussing my frustration with my online class. Would you believe that three students knew who I was talking about? Turns out they were in the same class. One student actually got the instructor's schedule and stalked her in school until she finally spoke to him. This is not okay with me. She does not post office hours, yet she is required to post 3 hours a week. She never participated in the discussions that she required, not even the first "introduce yourselves" one. We never knew if we were on the right track because she never provided any guidance.
This was an expensive course and people were paying for education, not simply grades.

Yup. Not good enough....particularly when you realise that what they teach in classes today is half of what they used to teach in classes about 10 years ago. We're finding that most of the University graduates these days come out with barely enough specialist course knowledge to function in the work place. There is a lot more "learning on the job" required and mentoring to get graduates up to a level where they can self-function these days.

 

[Rogue26]

Ellen- I'm sorry I didn't check in earlier, that was sweet of you to offer to walk in my aunts name. Fortunately most people don't have it as severe as she did but its a terrible disease. I barely remember her being able to feed herself and I can't remember her walking at all.

PIO- my dads fine, he went into the hospital with cancer and left without it so it was a good thing.

Glynis- I'm so excited Alan will be going. That sounds like it will be quite a trip!

Nancy- writing just doesn't seem to be a focus. It seems like there is so much pressure to catch up with the rest of the world in math and science that writing has been forgotten.

Off to shower, I just finished cutting the grass. I'm glad I got out early because its already getting hot.

 

[Nancyg56]

PIO and Robin- you would cringe if you saw some of the papers that I read in the past year. I sent my papers to Donny for feedback, and thank goodness that I did. He has a marvelous command of language, but he communicates daily in his job. My accounting teacher is an adviser for the board of regents, and he said that they are discussing adding another mandatory Comp class into the curriculum, and as much as I hated that class, I think it is necessary. We had a research paper for his class and grammar and composition counted. He sent papers back that we a sea of red. How can anyone expect to be taken seriously in the workplace if they cannot present research coherently? How about a proposal? Not if you cannot write.

I remember when I was working at our call center. I had to screen messages before several members of the team were allowed to send them. This was Quality Services! And the guidelines....I had to rewrite them. They were appalling. And what was frightening, the set I rewrote were approved by Blue Cross of Ca. After that, I took the outlines and wrote them myself, for all of our projects, even if I was not assigned to them. I struggled with Outlook, my spreadsheets were rudimentary at best, but I pulled my weight just by keeping some of those folks from getting us fired.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Robin - Glad your dad is fine.

Nancy - I don't even want to know. I see a lot of written stuff in my job and spelling and grammar are non-existent. Seems like the youth of 2day wr8 in cde, KWIM?

 

[EJ4Disney]

Good morning everyone,

Robin ~ That is great news about your Dad. Praise the Lord!!

Nan ~ Glad school is over. Have you decided on where you and Kady are going?

PIO ~ I am embarrassed to say - I am not the best speller. Language was NOT my favorite class. Thank God for spell check!!

Glynis ~ I am over the moon that Alan is able to go. I am so glad things worked out.


Our weekend went from wonderful to sadness. Marty and Stephanie came on Friday night and stayed till Monday morning. We had a ball - so much fun and it was so good having her home. On Saturday the kids and I walked the MS walk. There were over 100 walkers/runners and a good time was had by all. Elizabeth came and cut, colored and trimmed us. We all look pretty again. Sunday we all went to church then lunch with the whole family. The boys went golfing and we set up a little pool and Lilly played - she loved it. We grilled hamburgers that night. Monday we went to breakfast then the kids left for home. That was the wonderful part.


Now for the sad part. Monday night Stephanie text me saying that Addie wasn't eating and her breathing was very labored. They had gotten some additional tests back the week before and it was definite that she DID have cancer. Her and Cooper played and romped all day on Sunday. It was so special seeing her have so much fun. Well, at 2:30 a.m. we got a phone call that Addie had passed. My heart is just breaking for them - actually all of us. Addie was only 5 and such a special dog. She will be so missed. These fur babies can sure wrap themselves right around your heart and Addie sure did that.

We are already under severe weather warnings today. This marks the 5th day of severe weather. We have had some scarey rides here lately. So far so good. Please keep us in your thoughts. I hate this kind of weather with a passion.

Make it a great day my dear friends.

 

[Nancyg56]

Ellen- I am so very sorry Your poor little baby girl. Please let Stephanie know that I am thinking of her and her family right now, losing a pet is not easy. I know that your family is like mine in that pets are part of the family, and best friends for our children.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Ellen - So sorry to read about Addie.

 

[Rogue26]

Ellen- I'm sorry to here about Addie. While everyone finds their dog special, every once in a while you come across a dog that leaves an impression on many people, not just the family. The way you speak of her, I have a feeling Addie was one of these dogs. I'm sad for your family but happy for Addie that it progressed quickly and she was able to comfortably play until the end. Those darn dogs, don't they realize what they do to us.

 

[EJ4Disney]

Good morning Ladies,

Ellen- I am so very sorry Your poor little baby girl. Please let Stephanie know that I am thinking of her and her family right now, losing a pet is not easy. I know that your family is like mine in that pets are part of the family, and best friends for our children.

Thanks so much. Stephanie had never seen something die, so she took it very hard. But they both were so glad they were with her at the end.

Ellen - So sorry to read about Addie.

Thank you for your thoughts.

Ellen- I'm sorry to here about Addie. While everyone finds their dog special, every once in a while you come across a dog that leaves an impression on many people, not just the family. The way you speak of her, I have a feeling Addie was one of these dogs. I'm sad for your family but happy for Addie that it progressed quickly and she was able to comfortably play until the end. Those darn dogs, don't they realize what they do to us.

Thanks!! You are so right, Addie was a special dog. She was a huge Harlequin Great Dane, who always thought she was a lap dog. We called her "Goof" because she always made us laugh. She will be so missed. But you are so right. I talked to the kids last night and they also agree. It progressed very fast and I know the kids would have had such a hard time making the decision. She did it her way and they both were there holding her at the end. You can't ask for anything more.


Marty and Stephanie had Addie creameated. Before though they (the vet) made a paw print in cement. It can be put as a marker or in the flower bed. I thought that was the neatest thing. What a nice thing to do. They are bringing her out and burying her at the farm. So sad, but they are getting along ok.

We had over 20 tornados in Nebraska last night. We had and saw 2 real close to the house. Yes we are the type that are outside watching. The 2 we saw were about 2 miles from us. They did no damage - thank goodness!! The wind was blowing at about 30+ mph and while we were batting down the hatches it completely was gone. There wasn't a breath of air anywhere. That is when it gets scary. There is more nasty weather predicted for today, but this morning we have a pretty blue sky.

Make it a great day my friends

 

[bigmerle1966]

Marilyn ~ In my world there is nothing worse than no airconditioner. Just ask my family. You know the saying, "If Momma aint happy than no one is?" Well for me it's "If Momma is hot, get her cool before she explodes" Yea I am not a nice girl when I am hot.

I am not a happy person when hot either and my DM is always cold so there are times when I come home and blow a gasket because the AC is off. My mother's response is always, it's beautiful out and there is a breeze. Please woman, it's 80, still outside and well over 50% humidity! It's going to be justifiable homicide!

Sorry about Addie.

And stay safe, these storms are scary!

I hope I never have another couple of weeks at work like the last two weeks. Ever!

You and me both! It's been crazier here than usual.

The AC is not fixed yet, they are coming tomorrow. My DM wanted to give me enough time to clean the family room so she had them come very late last Tuesday, I had it done Sunday night. Then they had to order a part, which they got in Thursday but at that point she was leaving early Friday for the beach and I wouldn't be able to stay at home for them until tomorrow. She is getting home today so she will take care of it.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Friday night!

 

[Nancyg56]

We had over 20 tornados in Nebraska last night. We had and saw 2 real close to the house. Yes we are the type that are outside watching. The 2 we saw were about 2 miles from us. They did no damage - thank goodness!! The wind was blowing at about 30+ mph and while we were batting down the hatches it completely was gone. There wasn't a breath of air anywhere. That is when it gets scary. There is more nasty weather predicted for today, but this morning we have a pretty blue sky.

Make it a great day my friends

Frightening! The wicked weather is making this a spring to remember. Please stay safe!

I am not a happy person when hot either and my DM is always cold so there are times when I come home and blow a gasket because the AC is off. My mother's response is always, it's beautiful out and there is a breeze. Please woman, it's 80, still outside and well over 50% humidity! It's going to be justifiable homicide!

The AC is not fixed yet, they are coming tomorrow. My DM wanted to give me enough time to clean the family room so she had them come very late last Tuesday, I had it done Sunday night. Then they had to order a part, which they got in Thursday but at that point she was leaving early Friday for the beach and I wouldn't be able to stay at home for them until tomorrow. She is getting home today so she will take care of it.

YUCH! Last year I did not test the AC in time because the heat came on so fast. Well, something was wrong and for me, immediately is not fast enough. You rMom wold be on my list, with that clean first move!

Friday night!

HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today!

Good news ladies! Marisa's financial aid was approved. She had to apply for special circumstances but she got the news yesterday! She is going to be a valuable asset in the skill center, and I know that is why things went so fast. She got one woman from a failing grade to a solid B. This woman had social anxiety and could not use the skill center so Marisa would meet her at the library in her town because that is where she was comfortable. She did this several times a week. Needless to say, the teacher for this class was advocating for her to be able to tutor, as was our accounting professor.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nancy - YAY for Marisa!

Ellen - I hope you're safe! Keep safe!

Marilyn - Hope the AC gets fixed.