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Post by Merge on May 30, 2024 21:13:18 GMT
Lovely, but the online experts say it’s unlikely he’ll see jail time. Instead, he’ll continue to campaign on how abused and mistreated he is, and his cult members will lap it up.
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Post by Merge on May 30, 2024 14:42:07 GMT
Trump’s short list for AG includes Ken Paxton, who has been auditioning for the role by weaponizing consumer protection laws to go after organizations he doesn’t like here in Texas. www.texastribune.org/2024/05/30/ken-paxton-texas-ag-political-targets-health-care-lgbtqThey like to accuse Biden of prosecuting political opponents, but as usual, every accusation is a confession. A second Trump presidency would include baseless prosecutions of any and all Democrats and non-MAGA Republicans. When they show you who they are, believe them.
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Post by Merge on May 30, 2024 14:09:26 GMT
I’m sorry. Our Missy started having seizures once in a while around 18 mos. By the time she was three, they were increasing in frequency to about two per week. They checked for tumors or other causes and nothing was found. Diagnosed with canine epilepsy. We decided with our vet at that point to put her on phenobarbital. She’s been seizure free since then - and she’s happy and healthy at age 12.
It’s worth checking with your vet to rule out other causes, and then decide what to do from there.
ETA: at the time we decided to medicate, we had a real concern that our heeler, Ellie, would kill or injure Missy during a seizure if we weren’t around. Ellie was very freaked out by the seizures and would try to attack. Missy also seemed very distressed by the seizures and was not herself for a long time after each one.
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Post by Merge on May 29, 2024 1:13:52 GMT
With the chicken I would make rice paper rolls, and add some rice, julienned veggies and an Asian dressing. (Or, I would just eat it cold!) With the crab, I would make a pasta dish. I saved a recipe the other day, that was linguini with prawns and lobster, and I would use the crab instead of lobster. Or, I would make my very favourite finger food Asian Crab and Prawn Wonton Crisps. I love how the Americans are like, make tacos, and the Aussie says, rice paper rolls! Ha. Would never occur to me. We certainly have all the ingredients here for that and plenty of Asian restaurants, but it's just not the dominant thing here.
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Post by Merge on May 29, 2024 1:10:11 GMT
I went out to eat once and when the waitress brought our bill, it only had our drinks, not our meals. Brought it to the register and told them what we ate for dinner and that it wasn’t on the bill and the guy ringing me up said, “god is watching you!” Like god would be proud I was honest. I was so offended. I need god watching me to do the right thing? And in general I find the whole god was watching out or god saved us so self centered. Yeah, Ethel, god found your keys for you, meanwhile there are millions of people being raped and murdered, but you know, the free will of the murderer is central to gods plan 🙄 I always find it funny when people ask how you know right from wrong as a non-believer. IDK, babe, if it hurts or defrauds or oppresses someone else, it's wrong. Seems like you don't need a god to tell you that.
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Post by Merge on May 29, 2024 0:14:22 GMT
Look up "Marry Me Chicken." It's been around a while last night but I finally made it last night and it was great!
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Post by Merge on May 28, 2024 23:56:09 GMT
I also find it annoying when my favorite baseball players (and they almost all do it) point to the sky when they get a hit or make a good play. I get it, I’m excited too, but god doesn’t care about a baseball game. Really? I'm surprised that they almost all do it. I can honestly say that I have never in my lifetime seen a cricket player point to the sky when they hit a six or take a wicket. And the only time I've seen a football player point to the sky after a goal is if a loved one has recently died. In that scenario, it's not a nod to god, it's an acknowledgement of their recently deceased loved one. So, lots of professional baseball players in the US are either Hispanic immigrants or Black (or both). Both groups have higher rates of religious belief/affiliations than Americans as a whole. That's why. Lots have crosses tattooed on them somewhere. It's not to acknowledge a loved one who has died. The players will frequently thank god and talk about how god got them through in interviews. Perhaps I notice it more here - the majority of Houston's team are Hispanic immigrants.
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Post by Merge on May 28, 2024 17:23:52 GMT
I also find it annoying when my favorite baseball players (and they almost all do it) point to the sky when they get a hit or make a good play. I get it, I’m excited too, but god doesn’t care about a baseball game.
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Post by Merge on May 28, 2024 16:37:31 GMT
I only do Drive up and Go at Target. Though I haven't been inside my Targets in a while. So, I don't know if stuff is locked up, yet. It's really sad that we're a society that has to lock up our stores due to theft. It used to be that many/most things were behind a store counter and had to be retrieved for you by an employee. The idea that stores just leave tons of stuff unattended is a relatively new one in history. Theft will be a problem as long as poverty and greed are problems. If Target wants to lock stuff up at this point, though, I think they need to assign an employee to each department/section whose job it is to unlock stuff. They should be able to offset the cost of this with a lot less lost to theft. But I also agree with those who say to just use curbside. Or in my city, delivery is super fast from Target - usually one or two days.
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Post by Merge on May 28, 2024 14:35:15 GMT
This is one of the reasons I left the church and belief. Yes, many of them do believe that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. It's at the heart of the prosperity gospel that is so popular now. We hear every time there is a natural disaster that it is "god's judgment."
I don't want anything to do with a god who supposedly makes innocent people suffer just because he can.
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Post by Merge on May 28, 2024 14:31:59 GMT
I'd probably just make a cold buffet - chicken, crab, raw veggies and/or fruit, cheese, olives, good bread, etc.
Another option would be chicken/crab fried rice.
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Post by Merge on May 27, 2024 1:18:13 GMT
I like Aveeno mineral sunscreen for body. But truly I try to wear long sleeves (oversized linen top or rashguard) and a hat if I’m going to be out in the sun for more than 30 minutes.
For face I’ve been using Biore (the real stuff from Japan).
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Post by Merge on May 26, 2024 18:37:12 GMT
Excellent bones on that one and right in the part of Omaha I'd live in if we ever moved back there (ETA: maybe not - it's further south than I realized). Needs some updating.
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Post by Merge on May 25, 2024 17:06:31 GMT
Every day the state of Texas fails to implement both stronger background check/red flag measures AND better support for mental health is an insult to the memory of those who were killed. And the ones who died in Santa Fe. And the ones who died in the Sutherland Springs church. And the ones who died in the El Paso Walmart. And the ones who died at an outlet mall in north Texas. And on and on and on ... Yep instead the enacted unfunded or really way underfunded legislation requiring armed officers at every campus. I think they only funded around 16,000 per campus for this law. Ridiculous! Our chief of police told a group of campus leaders in my district that it costs around 100,000 to hire one office with salary, equipment and training. And my district has 273 schools and, like every district in Texas, is suffering from Abbott's refusal to release school funding because his pet voucher scheme didn't pass.
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Post by Merge on May 24, 2024 23:10:01 GMT
Every day the state of Texas fails to implement both stronger background check/red flag measures AND better support for mental health is an insult to the memory of those who were killed.
And the ones who died in Santa Fe. And the ones who died in the Sutherland Springs church. And the ones who died in the El Paso Walmart. And the ones who died at an outlet mall in north Texas. And on and on and on ...
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Post by Merge on May 24, 2024 23:05:46 GMT
Always, always, put AirTags or similar in any checked bag. When your bag misses the plane, it's not much comfort to see it sitting in the airport you left a few thousand miles away, but at least you know it wasn't stolen. And if it is stolen, you've got an address to which you can send police. Again, when packing a bag for travel: AirTag yes, bullets no.
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Post by Merge on May 23, 2024 1:57:40 GMT
Not really? Other than having "my" spot on the sofa and "his" chair. Our day to day is too varied to have much routine in it.
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Post by Merge on May 23, 2024 0:39:30 GMT
For real this time! My private studio is thriving and that's all I'll be doing. I don’t post often but I’ve read your posts about teaching. I’m glad you’re retiring! I’m jealous! Teaching is my second career so I have 8 more years. You must feel so good! To be clear, I am not eligible for state retirement yet. I would have seven years more and that's not happening. We've never planned on SS or TRS being available for retirement, so it's not an issue.
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Post by Merge on May 22, 2024 14:53:08 GMT
Toss a box in the cart for the school librarian. Or any of the specialist teachers who don't get the school supply bounty from the required lists. Guaranteed your art and music teachers can use them, too!
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Post by Merge on May 22, 2024 3:27:05 GMT
This is why I watch baseball. ![:P](//storage.proboards.com/5645536/images/OrTI4SBmZ2ZYSFv6ag4f.jpg)
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Post by Merge on May 22, 2024 3:25:08 GMT
I was all ![](http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r481/2peasrefugees/Smilies/confused.jpg.gif) ![](http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r481/2peasrefugees/Smilies/confused.jpg.gif) ![](http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r481/2peasrefugees/Smilies/shocked.jpg.gif) at "back to school" - I've always hated that the sales often start the first week of July, when we've barely gotten out of end-of-year meetings, But starting the sales when we still have a month of school left of the current year (or would they consider it "last year" already?!) seems particularly cruel! Merge , that's so exciting! Are you feeling any kind of bittersweet, or is it just plain SWEET? I don't want to derail the thread more than I already have so I'll be brief. My entire district has been taken over by the state because of ONE school out of 273, and the state-installed superintendent clearly has a mission to destroy everything that is good about the district. Leaving is just plain sweet. Two more weeks.
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Post by Merge on May 22, 2024 1:19:09 GMT
Have you considered buying a pad for under the rug?
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Post by Merge on May 21, 2024 19:46:55 GMT
That’s a good deal that I’m happy not to need next year. 😊 Are you really, really really retiring? For real this time! My private studio is thriving and that's all I'll be doing.
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Post by Merge on May 21, 2024 17:28:00 GMT
Dan Patrick, of Lt Gov of Texas, talking about they/us talking against the 'ruling class'... But no TFG is not the 'ruling class' Hard to figure it out!! (Wasted the whole day for a few hours) When a friend is in trouble, friends have his back," Patrick said. "The way he has been treated, you would see in Russia, you would see in China, you would see in North Korea, you would see in every little tin pot dictatorship across the world." "If the courts in New York come after any of you because of something you said, because you said something the ruling class didn't like, and that's what all these other countries are about," he continued. "They want to be sure that anyone that speaks up against the ruling class disappears.""They want to take him off the main stage because they know he is their biggest danger to take on the ruling class." "Isn't Donald Trump part of the ruling class?" one nearby journalist asked. Patrick quickly fired back: 'Now, no, you know what? Donald Trump is not the ruling class. Donald Trump is for every New Yorker. He's for every Texan, every, every state.""Donald Trump has put his whole life on the line, his whole life on the line for the American people," he added. Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka lashed out at the journalist. "Would a member of the ruling class be facing 730 years in prison?" he asked. "What a pathetic question, 730 years in prison, and he's a member of the elite. That's pathetic. You're not a journalist." www.rawstory.com/trump-surrogates-ruling-class/Dan Patrick is possibly the world’s biggest tool.
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Post by Merge on May 21, 2024 14:52:51 GMT
That’s a good deal that I’m happy not to need next year. 😊
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Post by Merge on May 21, 2024 13:57:22 GMT
I feel like an outdoor rug would get moldy in this climate. IDK. I've never been brave enough to try one.
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Post by Merge on May 21, 2024 12:24:22 GMT
School is expensive nowadays. He opted to go to a private school so he could play baseball. He did get some aid but the $100K was only for tuition, food and dorm living. No more. My daughter graduated from a state school and the tab was slightly over $100K for four years which was tuition, rent, utility bills and food. Her spending money was on her. He isn't quite sure of his plans. Said something about working in a water facility or maybe a lab. You would think with only one class left to take, dude would already have an internship or something lined up for post grad. Or if his grades are good, employers would already be seeking him out. When my SIL’s older kid was graduating with a similar degree, they had a job lined up for several months before graduation. A smaller private school does not always have the sort of job/internship placement opportunities that a larger one might.
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Post by Merge on May 21, 2024 12:23:25 GMT
Student debt is in his name. Even if married, do not assume his debt or refinance in his name as a couple. He can negotiate his own terms, like under a PLSF, or an income contingency plan. Your daughter does not have to take responsibility of his loan. Yes, they may need to combine funds to pay off his loans as a family while working for 10 years, but keep it in his name. Biden has helped with student repayment plans. Also, seems ridiculous for an undergraduate biology degree to accumulate $100K. That is graduate level expenses. I'd say he was living way beyond his means for a Biology degree to cost $100K. That is ridiculous, frankly. I graduated with a Biology degree and had about $10k debt, public school with Pell grants. My PhD, in Molecular Biology cost me $80K in student loans because my yearly stipend to live on was $13K. I'd like to know what BF as to what his plans are with this Biology degree. Startup company? I got my remaining loans forgiven under Biden as I have paid over 10 years and PSLF. Gl And how long ago was this? Times have changed substantially. My daughters have both attended a public university - one graduated last year, one still attending. Including room and board, which were not in any way extravagant, their individual totals for four years are right around $100K. They fully realize how fortunate they are to not have had to take out loans to cover that. I know neither my undergrad or graduate degree cost anything close to that. DH and I both graduated with a master's and he also financed his undergrad through loans, and our *combined* total for multiple degrees was about $75K. So things have changed a lot. ETA: forgot to add, that total for my kids includes the fact that they both got a roughly half-tuition scholarship. And it was still $100K each.
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Post by Merge on May 20, 2024 15:13:36 GMT
I just want to pop back in and say that I married a man with two history degrees, no real job prospects, and a significant amount of college debt, after only dating him for six months. I’m sure he did not look like a great bargain to my parents. To their credit, they said nothing.
We struggled for a while but it all worked out in the end. DH got motivated to complete an online MBA and move up the corporate ranks, and now is a successful business owner. Trust your daughter to know her own mind on this matter. No one is guaranteed an easy life.
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Post by Merge on May 20, 2024 2:14:10 GMT
Been there done that. She’s an adult and will have to decide whether or not she wants to carry the financial burden for another adult. He may also get his act together and surprise you. But what I know from experience is that criticizing or pushing him will only cause her to cling tighter to him.
Step back and let her figure out what she wants.
Oh and you’re never going to have a stress-free life. Turns out worrying doesn’t stop when they fly the coop. Buy some good wine and hang in there. You can be a listening ear and a soft place to land, but you can’t control her or him at this point.
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