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Laurel-in-CA

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About Laurel-in-CA

  • Birthday December 16

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    Northern CA

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  1. I have a 26yo living with me who still reacts *very* badly/just ignores repeated requests. Her dad has taken to sending photos of items to the family group chat with phrases like "Inspector Dad wants to know....whose is this?" The humor and distance of chat seems to help. I offer t his as a possibility because I know sometimes nothing works, but it has helped with our tempermental one.
  2. Sometimes you have to let go of not just the stuff but of the responsibility for finding the place for the stuff. Our question these days is more "who will take this" than "where can it do the most good."
  3. FYI, my oldest had maxillofacial surgery at the beginning of 2023 because despite wisdom tooth removal and braces, her teeth would not match up enough for her to chew properly. They peeled back gums, cut into part of her upper jaw and reset her front jaw & teeth, leaving the braces plus metal plates in place to help with alignment. It was done in a university hospital, where her orthodontist had recommended her for a consult. She at through a syringe for 2 weeks (yuck) and soft foods for a month after that. About 6 months to chew harder foods without pain, but a year down the line she is so glad she did it!
  4. Well, I like my Thorlo brand...low, ankle, or cuffed. The heel, toe, and ball of the foot are well padded. But cheap, they are NOT. OTOH, they last a long time.
  5. You probably read One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovitch, which is the only Solzenitsyn book under 600 pages or so! Gulag Archipelago 3 was my fave, but I read all 3 for my Russian history classes back in the 70s. That was one tough semester!
  6. If you have a local art college, they may do juried competitions that your kiddo can volunteer for or participate in. That's one way to get noticed. They may also have drawing classes on Saturdays that are open to the community for a fee -- including full nude life drawing, FYI. DD entered one contest from Derwent (colored pencil company) and the prize was more pencils...pretty good stuff and we listed it on her application. Parks & Rec in our old home had an oil painting class for seniors but dd was able to participate -- that gave her *some* experience with oils. Our current community has a National Arts competition every year, open to middle schoolers and above. And Art Trails 2 times a year, where you can go and meet the artists in their studios. Great way to find some encouragement/possible teaching. We actually have a county art officer who oversees the county's collection and displays in buildings, etc. Great person to talk to! And county fairs are usually open to all. Many art colleges have portfolio advice on their websites. With the state colleges, we found art didn't start until after general ed, so they weren't so concerned about a portfolio during initial application...only when you entered the art dept. (frustrating).
  7. DH is 66, laid off last June, and has been looking for work. But we're convinced they're mostly including them in interviews so they can't be accused of ageism. This last "no" when they flew him to AZ to talk to 4 people and then made us wait 2 weeks for an answer....difficult. So he's thinking of retiring, but I don't think he'll have trouble filling his time. He currently does bowling and ping pong lessons and wants to get certified to coach pickleball. He does all 3 of those sports, some times twice in one day, throughout the week. Plus he's done training to work with Stephen Ministry, which is meeting an hour a week with someone going through crisis, just listening (no advice -- I couldn't stand that) and praying for them and is part of that team on call at our church. We're thinking about training to do a beginners bible study as a team, too. That's really my sweet spot. And I'm starting a crochet-to-give fellowship group @ my house and playing pickleball with him a couple times a week; we walk @ lunchtime. I'm still working p/t from home with an old co-worker and that keeps my brain going! Plus we still have 3 young adults living with us. They help w/household expenses, but (in truth) I am eager for at least two of them to be on their own, and #3 is working f/t and a college junior.
  8. My dd took art classes from jr. hi to high school through a private provider...paid for by our charter. Her junior year they offered a portfolio class which was, I think, $600 list discounted to $350 for participants at that provider (so they took outsiders, but it was mainly for their students). They went through everything she'd done in sketchbooks and projects, chose the most representative and excellent, and put it in a big black portfolio (bigger than 11x17) with plastic sleeves. They also looked at things she'd entered in competitions - fairs and art contests. At the front they put an artist's statement - what drew her to art, what medium and/or artist she liked best, what her philosophy or aesthetic was - followed by a table of contents. They selected various media (charcoal, colored pencil, watercolor, b/w pencil, multi-media, etc.), some quick sketch exercises and some very finished work. Then they photographed it all and put it in the proper format for digital submission. And reproduced it to put in a small handheld portfolio -- 10x12 or smaller. Now, of course, it's all submitted digitally but if you go to national portfolio day that handheld physical portfolio comes in pretty handy! When we went on art school tours (only did 2 local ones), she took that handheld version along and asked the counselor to comment on it. That was helpful and we added a couple of things. Then sent it off with the art school applications. All this was about 12 years ago, FYI. It was well worth the time and effort as she got a yearly merit scholarship out of it. Most art schools ask for a portfolio, focused on the major the kid wants to pursue. DD got a BFA studio art but has retrained for graphic design (where there are f/t jobs) and enjoys her current work in signage, vinyl printing, and packaging. She keeps an up to date portfolio of current work online.
  9. Just finished My Promised Land by Ari Shalit - about his family's history in Israel, the path to failure with the Palestinians, and the challenges Israel is facing...up through about 2015. It was eerie reading it in light of current events with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the unwillingness and untrustworthiness of the two sides to make peace or begin to compromise. So many wounds, so little trust. The more I read (knowing I am an outsider), the more unsolvable the situation looks. Sigh. Well-written, very personal, but not as hopeful as he planned to be, I think.
  10. DH has been dying his hair for awhile so it will at least look grey, LOL. He is 66 and very fit (ping pong or pickleball almost daily, plus walk). I can't believe this nonsense hits people in their 50s, but I guess it is a reality. What a lot of experience and depth of understanding those firms are missing! We've decided that with my p/t income, social security, unemployment, and 3 kids helping with household expenses, we can make it another 6 months until he can register for full social security benefits. He's going to keep looking in his field, but also for something local and be willing to work p/t. If we can stay one more year until the last kiddo finishes college, then I'll be asking for suggestions on where to relocate! This is not a house or an economy in which to grow older gracefully, unfortunately. Thank you ALL for your encouraging and commiserating words!
  11. Third time in 3 years, 6-1/2 months this time and he just got turned down AGAIN after they flew him to AZ for a 4-person interview panel, which was the 3rd interview for the job. Years of experience apparently count less than...well, almost anything based on our experience. I am so sad for him and discouraged at how much it takes to pursue a job in the world of online everything. He will keep looking halfheartedly but will qualify for social security in less than a year. Maybe a job at a hardware store meantime? Ah, well, thanks for listening. One kid to get through college (still living @ home) and then we can move somewhere cheaper.
  12. Finished a really bad read for my Dec book club -- Home Sweet Christmas -- cutesie saccharin unreality that I only finished to complain about it in the monthly discussion. 8-) Rereading some old Dave Drake novels (military sci fi) since he passed on in December.
  13. I can so identify with this! DH has had a rough employment/unemployment thing going on since 2020. In 2022 he got a job at a company he thought he'd like to stay with, and he worked *really* hard to keep it, making changes, taking initiative in new areas. And then they decided to reorg and he was a casualty of that. He's been looking since mid-June this time and *finally* has what we hope will be a final interview and ????? maybe an offer. He flies out this Wed. for those interviews. But, what he's found, is that nobody even blinks at "I was laid off due to reorganization." It seems to be a fact of life in the tech world and no one has disqualified him based on that. Praying for your DH to keep his spirits up, make use of all the job hunting tools out there, and for you to enjoy this involuntary vacation with as much peace as you can muster.
  14. Ah, well, maybe when dh is working again! We are hoping on an interview in early Jan...they are flying him to the office and he'll be talking to 4 different people there. Hurrah!
  15. These are adorable but probably too late to buy as they come from the UK. Such cute possibilities! https://www.wolfandbadger.com/us/are-we-having-pancakes-side-plate-1
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