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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.
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Post by Merge on May 22, 2024 3:25:08 GMT
I was all 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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Post by Merge on May 19, 2024 15:25:55 GMT
No veggies for me this year except for the little pepper plants that are coming up from a jalapeno I dropped in a pot earlier this spring for fun. My herbs are fine and I bought and planted both an eastern redbud and a Japanese magnolia in the backyard as understory trees. And I have a big patch of native wildflowers for the pollinators this year, and I planted some other native shrubs as well. All seem to be fine but we haven't hit the brutally hot part of summer yet. Sometimes I wonder if I should plant cactus and agave and be done with it.
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Post by Merge on May 19, 2024 15:20:02 GMT
When we lost our heeler, our other elderly dog grew very depressed and was obviously grieving. We first fostered and now have adopted another, younger dog with lots of energy, and that's been a huge help to our older dog. She plays with the younger dog to the extent she is able, and is interested in her regular activities again.
Is there any chance your neighbors will adopt another dog?
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Post by Merge on May 19, 2024 1:01:08 GMT
A responsible gun owner would always know if they packed ammo on a trip and whether they used it all, and if not, how much was left. Then they would promptly remove anything left and store it properly. But Americans love their guns so much and it's easy to get one (plus ammo) that every Tom, Dick and Harry has one with little to no education, especially around safety. If you really want to be scared, think about how many people are carrying a weapon with a round in the chamber and no safety engaged and/or the trigger not properly protected. And who leave it in their unattended car so it can be easily stolen and used by criminals, or who keep it unsecured in their home so that their kid can use it to shoot a sibling or take it school. Or who think they’re John Wayne and pull it out to shoot someone committing a property crime, endangering everyone else in the process, or who pull out their gun to be the hero and get mistaken by police for the bad guy and killed, or who take it to a protest and shoot someone and then get acquitted or pardoned. I’m convinced that the stupid and dangerous gun owners far, far outnumber the responsible ones.
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Post by Merge on May 18, 2024 23:15:37 GMT
I wonder how many tourists from other countries have run afoul of this law.
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Post by Merge on May 17, 2024 18:38:56 GMT
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Post by Merge on May 17, 2024 15:06:15 GMT
This may sound counterintuitive, but I feel happier with myself in a suit that is a bit sexy than in a "mom" suit designed to hide everything. I bought this one from Amazon last year and I love it. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XBSL9Y3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1(ETA: last year they had more colors and sizes available - mine is a coppery color and size XL, I think.) Yes, my belly and thighs are on display, but who cares? Stand up straight and pull your shoulders back. I do not like skirt suits or anything with a flappy top. Just personal preference. I will wear a flowy cover-up over it for walking around and/or for sun protection. I have this suit --- I think Gennifer recommended it --- and it is so flattering. I got it in black. Yes! I couldn't remember if a pea recommended it, but I think you're right. I find it very flattering.
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Post by Merge on May 17, 2024 14:33:12 GMT
This may sound counterintuitive, but I feel happier with myself in a suit that is a bit sexy than in a "mom" suit designed to hide everything. I bought this one from Amazon last year and I love it. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09XBSL9Y3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1(ETA: last year they had more colors and sizes available - mine is a coppery color and size XL, I think.) Yes, my belly and thighs are on display, but who cares? Stand up straight and pull your shoulders back. I do not like skirt suits or anything with a flappy top. Just personal preference. I will wear a flowy cover-up over it for walking around and/or for sun protection.
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Post by Merge on May 17, 2024 13:54:47 GMT
Yep. I started doing this a few years ago in certain circumstances. Some men will move but most do not. It’s not even intentional or malicious - they’ve just been conditioned to believe that women will always make way for them, and most women have been conditioned to do exactly that in the name of being “nice” or “polite.”
I will say also - it’s white men. I don’t do this with men of color because as a white middle aged woman I may be perceived as a threat, but also, they’re far more likely to cede some space on the sidewalk to someone approaching.
Finally, like most women, if I’m walking by myself at night or any place that doesn’t quite feel safe, I’m always scanning ahead and will cross the street to walk if I see anyone approaching me ahead - male or female.
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Post by Merge on May 17, 2024 13:26:24 GMT
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Post by Merge on May 16, 2024 22:05:16 GMT
I already binged the first four episodes. So annoying that we have to wait another month for the rest. Not sure how I feel about Cressida's semi-redemption arc.
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