TKD class last night. It is interesting -- they have a policy whereby siblings are not allowed to spar with each other. Dh and I both went to class last night, and the teacher had no issues with us sparring each other. Also sparred with a black belt (yikes!), but despite the fact he is 20-something, he teaches a lot and very much acted like a teacher in sparring, ie. only doing stuff that I could handle, plus a few things just slightly above my level. A good class overall.

Thanks for asking. With all the things going on at our house, financial uncertainty, all the kid concerts, birthdays for two nieces, and Christmas preparations, well, it's a lot. I love Advent; I did most of the preparations for that a month or two ago. So Advent looks the same to the kids. Christmas itself will be toned down a bit, but I did some shopping ahead of time, so there's that. I am really glad that I have learned how important exercise is for my well-being. I sleep better and feel better when I exercise regularly, plus my oncologist told me it's the best thing I can do to fight cancer. I am really grateful for this dojo, because they are definitely not out to make money. It's about $150/mo for our whole family to take classes twice a week, and we could go to more if we wanted to. TKD gives me accountability and something to focus on, because I have a hard time restarting after hitting a hurdle, such as being sick for two weeks.

TKD class this evening.

We've had this one for ten years and it's worked fine. https://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Thermal-Laminator-Professional-Laminate/dp/B0010JEJPC?pd_rd_w=JcY2L&content-id=amzn1.sym.41e0d52e-f045-4db4-b573-8db5df809cc8&pf_rd_p=41e0d52e-f045-4db4-b573-8db5df809cc8&pf_rd_r=A316BG9NWV13RZ66S8QW&pd_rd_wg=OnXSm&pd_rd_r=aa3d517b-9053-490b-9760-00716c5b459d&pd_rd_i=B0010JEJPC&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_m_grid_dv_rp_0_1_ec_ppx_pop_mob_b_bia_item_t

I knew a woman who died a few years ago at the age of 80-something. She was born in her parents' home, and got married and lived a few houses down the road from where she was born, and never learned how to drive. That didn't stop her from knowing and reveling in all the gossip of everyone both in her neighborhood, and the surrounding area. She knew everything before it happened. As far as I can tell, not driving did not impair her life as she wanted to live it at all.

Because of Blazing Saddles, Harvey Korman and Heddy Lamar are forever entwined in my mind. 🤣

Sorry, I can't help myself. [Pic removed by moderator because of board rules.]

Wow! It's just like my set, only painted differently. Love the jewels on yours.

Air, Land and Sea. My kids have been loving it. I liked it, too, because I beat dh, which is highly unusual. 😁 Here is a review -- https://www.shutupandsitdown.com/games/airlandandsea/

We live in an old house in a small community. The woman who lived here for fifty-plus years passed away in the early 1980's. Her daughter and son in law lived across the street. The daughter passed away 10-15 years ago. Her son in law passed away a few years ago. Shortly after his passing, there was an estate sale. Being a nosy neighbor, I went to the estate sale so I could see what the house looked like on the inside. The day I went, there was a nativity set for sale, and they wanted $50, but I did not buy it because I am cheap. The next day everything was half off, and it was still there, and I was willing to pay $25 for the set. I brought it home and discovered that the mother had painted these at a ceramics shop. Her name, and the date - 1962, are written on several of the figures. So my nativity set came back home, so to speak. It is fun to think that the nativity set in my living room was set up in this very house sixty years ago.

A relative of mine used to make pies in a toaster oven all the time. I would have never even considered/thought of it if he hadn't done it so frequently. There was nothing off or weird about them, and they were delicious.

This one is a favorite around here: https://www.food.com/recipe/hearty-and-quick-butternut-squash-soup-392850 I think I put in maybe a teaspoon of dried thyme instead of fresh. You need to cut the squash in half and scoop it out when it's done and that's about it. Everything else is just dumping. Also, I cook the quinoa in a rice cooker, which also helps make it easy.

@Pawz4me, thanks for adding this. Dh is vigilant about digital privacy and safety, and sometimes I forget that there are other opinions besides either being vigilant or ignorant/stupid.

There were rumors of a layoff for a couple of weeks, so we talked to a social worker at my last infusion, in order to be somewhat proactive, but they couldn't do anything until it actually happened. So we have numbers and contacts to get started with.

This is a small company, and they have farmed out 90% of their HR to some other company. What you get is what you get. So, one month's severance and health coverage until the end of the year. I'm not sure about the prescription piece. Under our current coverage, my pills come from an outside pharmacy that mails them to me each month. It's worth asking. Apparently, New York has a medicaid sort of program for cancer patients, so probably things will work out with that. It's just stressful in the meantime.

Our health insurance renewed on Nov. 1. Over the past year, I've had chemo and radiation, so we met the deductible pretty quickly. I haven't really seen any bills since Jan. or Feb. However, now that we are on a new cycle, we have had to co-pay for my monthly chemo pills. My understanding is that our insurance is billed $14,000/mo for them. We now have to pay $190. The company that manufactures this drug has a discount card that would reduce that price. However, in exchange for that discount, you have to waive ALL of your privacy rights. The notice said that they might receive more of your medical information than what they really need, and they will sell all of it to whomever they choose. Only the super rich can afford privacy.

Took a walk this afternoon, not quite 20 minutes. I also did some pattern practice with dd.

I appreciate you sharing your experience. I hope things work out so you don't have to move.

Huh. I have not heard of this. I will have to do a little research to see what it's about.

So, dh was laid off today. Under more normal circumstances, it wouldn't be too bad. We have savings. We can tighten our belts. But I am doing cancer treatment that costs thousands of dollars a month. And dh is a software developer, and that field does not have the opportunities that it once did. He has always worked remotely, but those jobs are really hard to come by now. We live in a rural area, where our families have lived for generations. I guess if we had to move, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but I really, really don't want to. That is all. UPDATE: Dh accepted an offer on Friday, and right now is busy filling out all the forms for his new workplace. The benefits are better than at his old job, and there is actually a career path for him to advance in that isn't management. He doesn't start for a few weeks, which is nice in that he will be mentally well-rested before starting this new position. I want to thank all of you for your prayers, thoughts, and support. I generally run on an even keel, so when I wasn't doing that and didn't have the option of crying on someone's shoulder in real life, I am so grateful I could come here and vent. It was a bit of a sanity saver. Thank you.

Google docs?

TKD this evening, with sparring. I started with a very helpful upper level belt. Then I had to spar against this little kid half my size and he started out with his fists flying. He was then told I was new to sparring and that he needed to dial it down, which he did. I also feel more confident about learning the new pattern.

I've been thinking of you, @saraha, and wondering how you and dh have been doing. I'm so sorry the news isn't better. Continuing prayers for you.

I think I might get this for my mil. I never know what to buy for her. Thanks for sharing!

Yogurt is yobi.