That is how I am interpreting the high positivity.....low testing.

I loathe menu planning for non-picky people with no allergies, so I can sympathize. My barrier is trying to work around what is available at any given time (fresh produce that is not a wilted mess can be very limited here) and having meal substitutions in case key ingredients are not available. I have no excuse for hating it. I just do.

I just found our actual numbers. We are currently at 460/100,000 with a positivity rate of 22%. And I assume this is artificially low between difficulty accessing tests and public resistance to testing. That looks bad.

That is the case here as well. It takes way too much effort for people to access testing so you have to really *want* to test to get it done. The unvaccinated simply will not put in that effort, even if they felt compelled to test. There is now a culture to NOT test or isolate, even if symptomatic, amongst the "my rights" people. So our current high infection rates are probably actually much higher and I believe it is artificially inflating the breakthrough rates based on who is testing at all.

We are at about 45% vaccination rate and have the highest infection and hospitalization numbers ever. And that is saying something since testing is very hard to access and many people here will not test even if they have raging symptoms. The schools have no mask mandates and are not doing contact tracing. Many kids are out of school or showing up with symptoms. A child I am close to just got infected and has significant symptoms. Her parents contacted the school for contact tracing and they told them they were not collecting that info anymore. Nor do they even have a policy for quarantine because "Covid is no big deal for kids." She could (but will not) go back to school right now despite being symptomatic and having just tested positive two days ago. I am deeply disturbed. There is almost no masking in public. It is quite rare. The only exception is the university, which has reinstated their mask mandate after a surge amongst the students. Somehow, despite much higher testing access, the student population, even during this "surge," is still at a fraction of the public infection rate. Most students and almost all faculty were still masking at least part time even when the mandate was lifted for a brief time. I work there and my dd is a student there so that is a relief. We are all boosted. I still wear a mask in other public places and I am usually rewarded with the stink eye by everyone I encounter.

Canadian boot company that has been around forever. They used to be known for their warm non-nonsense winter boots. They have recently become a bit trendy but still carry the warm functional boot as well.

They make cute ones too.....or perhaps that is in the eye of the beholder. I can't say if they run narrow. I do have a pair and have had several over the years and don't find their fit to be different than the other brands I have worn.

Also, for others who are reading this with similar problems, standing in one place on snow/ice is the worst. I bring one of those foam garden knee pads or even a square of pink insulation foam to stand on. It makes a HUGE difference! I watch and volunteer for all-day ski and dog sled races in the worst of conditions and this has been a game-changer.

I have Raynaud's, live in a very cold climate, and spend a great deal of time outdoors, often spectating. Your first problem is two pairs of socks. It sounds like you are using up your airspace with socks, which will mean cold feet. One pair of 100% wool is what I would start with. If your boots are still too tight, you probably need a larger pair. There are all kinds of boots options out there but honestly, there is not a whole lot of difference. The fit and what you put in them will matter most once you have a decent pair (Sorel, Boggs, Kamik, etc......). Hot Hands are what saves me every time. I buy them by the case. You need enough airspace in the boots for them to work. They need to be activated outside of the boot for about 10 minutes before you put them in. This is very important. The stick on ones are nice for not shifting, but the ones made for hands last longer and put out more heat. I find they work best under my toes. That is a bit crazy making but you get used to it. Pro tip: Hot Hands can last up to 10 hours. If I have only used mine for a couple of hours, I put them in a sealed ziplock snack bag. That stops the reaction and they can be used again. Even a few times. I never rely on reused ones when it REALLY matters (just in case) but for everyday things, they work just fine. I have to use them in my mittens almost daily so I reuse those many times before they stop working. The really old ones, I still will use to pre-heat my boots then toss them.

I would not stress too much about this. She will really not make a poor impression as long as her clothing is neat, clean, and does not stand out. I'd say overdressing is more of a sin in the tech world than underdressing.

Business casual now does seem to include nice jeans. I would guess this is especially true in the tech business. My guess is they will be thrilled that she is not wearing PJs. "Nice" jeans are solid color, no rips/snags, no bling, not distressed, not too tight/trendy, etc.... As someone who is most comfortable in jeans, I have welcomed this development over the years. If she actually prefers slacks or skirts, that will be fine. If she prefers jeans, I'd suggest wearing a black pair or very dark blue on the first day to test the waters. Flats are fine. Heels might even be out of place. Tops do not have to be fancy. I typically wear solid color, long sleeve, fitted Ts, like what can be found at Old Navy or Gap and keep a cardigan handy as AC is often chillier than I prefer. She can easily convert the outfit to dressier with a scarf and cardigan, so she could keep those handy just in case.

Nope. I would not. We are having t avoid one set of relatives for the holidays for the same reason. I hate it but aside from the real risk, I am also in danger of losing my temper over the whole hoax thing.

My dd borrowed her best friend's just hours before friend's public school graduation. That robe got to graduate two kids in one day! Ha ha! It was very cheap. I don't think embroidery would have worked. One option would be to add a (the word is escaping me right now) band of cloth to drape around the neck. That could be personalized as you want and small enough for each of your children to save as a keepsake.

I agree! Every time I see these "must have" lists, I think of the tiny square footage available in many dorms. I say go as light as possible and plan to pick up things as needed once they move in.

I'd have him take it cold or with whatever prep he can manage beforehand. My dd took it cold. It's a long story but basically it was not our intention to have her take it cold and we anticipated that she would have to take it again to get the score she needed. She scored much higher than predicted (and much higher than the practice test I sprung on her a few months prior). It turned out she did not need to take it again at all. She needed a high enough score to get the max merit aid at her college of choice. Since she got it one and done, she saved a lot of wasted time on prep.

That would be a hard no for me. My dd is in the process of signing a lease for next year's college housing. She has run across an apartment complex in which one bedroom, of three total, is windowless in each unit. I do not understand how this is legal but the building was just completed two years ago so it must be to code. They are not cheap either so it was off the table for cost reasons alone.

Thanks for all of the responses! No, their facility does not have a social worker. That would be extremely helpful for a LOT of things. And since their lease is the only "proof of current address" I have, I am thinking a note from the facility manager or a bill for rent is not going to be considered a second item of evidence. But I might try it.....I could always switch down to non-enhanced if they rejected it. But, you have confirmed my thoughts that going with a non-enhanced ID is probably going to be my best initial step if all else fails. As of right now, they would be able to fly with that and if there is a possibility of flying later, a passport might be the way to go. Every. Little. Thing. is such a battle!

Thanks!

We live in a ToT destination neighborhood and always ToTed from home. We live in an old city neighborhood that on paper would appear to be the worst place to ToT (no sidewalks, lots of student rentals, low income) but because the area is older housing, the houses are very close together and lots of people decorate their house, have scary music, offer "treats" to the parents, etc...... People come from all over and no one that I know of minds it at all. In fact, before we were empty nesters, we hosted a big annual ToT party so all of our friends out in the country had somewhere to launch from. I have had to run to the store to restock candy a few years, which I do prefer to having a bunch leftover. Like others, I don't mind the extra people but the cars drive me nuts. Many parents will follow their kids with their car or have the kids actually get IN the car between houses. Our lots are 50 feet wide. This makes to sense! I have asked these people over the years and they say they do it because there are no sidewalks. So, they are making it MORE dangerous for everyone else. About 50% of the time, it snows on Halloween, making the roads and visibility even worse. As far as I know, no one has been hit by a car. But I know the city has been trying to discourage traditional ToTing for years and the police have stopped patrolling that night like they used to. Instead they hold a Treat Street thing downtown on some weekend day around Halloween. I think it is lame, honestly. Half the fun is being in the dark and seeing your neighbors and house decorations, etc..... Most kids do BOTH anyway so I don't see the point. I always hated explaining to dd that she could do one or the other but she was not going to end up with TWO giant bags of candy.

I was not a EE major but had to take Circuits I (and II and II for that matter) as part of my degree program. It took me 4 tries. Four. Sigh. But I did get through it on attempt 4 and luckily was able to waddle through II and III with one try each. I was never interested in EE anyway but if I had been, it would have been obvious right away that it was not for me!

I know nothing about this story nor do I have a real opinion on homeschool regulation, but I can say in my state, that no we never had to notify anyone, ever, that we were homeschooling. No testing. No hours reported. No registering as a homeschooler. Nothing. My dd has graduated (as in, I issued a diploma) and is a college student now but as far as our state in concerned, she did not exist as a "student" in any official capacity. I believe there are 14-ish states that fall into this category.

I have a lot of long distance nieces and nephews in that fun toy age (0-7years). We have a great local toy store that I have used almost exclusively for gifts for years. The problem is that they do not ship so I have to buy the toys, wrap them, then ship them. Even before the most recent shipping price hikes and reliability issues, the cost and hassle of shipping was getting unsustainable. So, I switched to Amazon since they will wrap and ship directly. But, I am not a fan of Amazon in general and their always-the-same-boring-bag "wrapping" is lame for kids. I am looking for smaller online companies that wrap (with the ability to personalize) and ship. Please share!

I just read this article as everyone in my family is reaching the booster eligibility date. One thing they wrote about is that people who had two doses (not J&J) AND had Covid will not see significantly increased protection from a booster. Anyone know how this might work out over time? If we know natural immunity from actually having covid wanes over time would that also mean the need for a booster increases? Dh had a "mild" but knocked-on-his-back case of Covid. Then was vaccinated three weeks after his positive test (that was the local recommendation at that time). I assume this means he should probably not get a booster now. But when, if ever, should he consider it? He is in a very high risk job situation so he is exposed on a regular basis. And.... Because dh is in a high risk situation and dd lives in a college dorm at a school with no vaccine or mask mandates, dd and I are chomping at the bit to get boosted. We both had Pfizer. It looks like Moderna is the way to go for boosters. But I do worry how we are going to have any real data with all this mixing and matching over time. I don't really like that we are all just supposed to choose our own adventure here. I would like to see some best practices before I get another jab. Is it worth waiting for a bit to see what shakes out?

I watched it and thought it was very well done. My only "complaint" is that despite how many legitimate roadblocks the main character faces, it still does not touch the true hopelessness many in her position face. I have never heard of a DV shelter that was so nice with individual spaces for family units....especially that had openings on demand. And the job/money/helpers math is just not how it works for many. The main character actually had a lot more lifelines than usual. They were clean, dressed, and fed almost continually. Who has a car gifted to them or has offers to stay rent-free in posh studio apartments? Pretty much no one. I think it was eye-opening but paints a rosier picture than many truly live through.

Please don't put them in a safe deposit box! I am on year three of a wild goose chase of trying to find my mom's important papers and who knows whatever else she put in a box. Somewhere. I have two keys for two boxes and we have not been able to find out what bank(s) they are in. She has dementia and cannot remember. She had her estate planning redone so we are good with that but had she not and those docs were in a safe deposit box, we would not have access to them to carry out her wishes. Our attorney has original signed copies of our documents so it does not matter too much where we store ours.