I like playing chess but have never been all that great at it. I also haven't played in decades. Some people like thinking about all the permutations, possible moves, strategy. I don't. It sounds like you are, to an extent, playing chess.

Today we decided to make a GB house for us between birthday parties, art class and Christmas party tonight. Having done this for many years, I like to look for shortcuts. Since it is that time of year and there may be others who are tempted to make GB houses, these observations may help you avoid some pitfalls. First, while many hands may make light work, DDs doing a conga line around the kitchen to “Jingle Bells” does not. It may seem like a good idea as a time-saver to leave the splash guard off the Kitchenaid but it just SEEMS that way. There is absolutely no pleasant way to measure out a cup of shortening and then “add it to the blended mixture”. And, over the din of the Kitchenaid, stereo playing “Jingle Bells”, the dishwasher and the water running in the sink, you hear some indistinct speaking followed by a barely discernable “right, Daddy?”, There is simply no good or safe answer to that question. I can’t stress this enough.

Hi Todd,

I'm very impressed by all your stats. and would love to see how my state compares with the rest of the country. I actually can't remember ever seeing the SAT results broken down like that before. What will you do with your conclusions once you are finished?
How have you been? Is everything going well?
I'm sure Pio will be able to help you with your backup, wheels perhaps? He sure solved our Christmas tree problems.

BigK,

My BIL is a fireman and some of his friends went to Australia to help with the fires. They have some wild stories to tell about their time in Australia. All I'm told is "they're a hospitable lot" and I know the local watering hole was involved. My guess is they don't actually mean water!

Nams,

You are such a good mother and a lovely lady. I can't be vengeful either, no matter how hard I try. We have to get up each morning and look at ourselves in the mirror. I may not like the lines and wrinkles I see appearing but at least I can look myself in the eye. I'm sorry your H is so insensitive.

Steph,

I am so glad you are back in your home. I'll have to come and visit you again on your thread to find out what is happening with you. I know you are getting lots of good advice.

Luna,

I love that song too. Have you heard the old version by Nina Simone? I have both artists on my IPOD and love them equally. I'm so glad you are doing better and are back posting. You are amazing with your strength to maintain plan B.

Pio,

Hopefully you are sailing into smoother waters now. It gets pretty turbulent out there when the storms blow in. I cried when I read your post regarding waking your wife to apolgize. I am very proud of you, it takes a real man to say I am sorry. It would have meant so much to your wife.

Your Christmas tree post made me sorry I have live trees in pots, I would love to give that a try! Does it matter we have heating in our cement slab?

2Much,

So good to see you here. I think my IC would disagree with you that I have it all together!

I am sorry you have been having such a rough time. Anniversaries, birthdays etc. that make you recall the happy years really are he11 and tough to get through.
Have you been deployed before? It's probably back on page 249 but have you ever tried finding anything on this thread? Not easy.

It sounds like you have much to do. Do you write lists? I live by lists. Write down what you have to achieve for moving and another one for staying and see which items coexist and achieve them first. Having a plan really does help with the mindset. It sounds to me like you are handling everything so well with the children, they are of course always our main concern and our source of love and affection.

I'm not sure how long you have been going through this but time really does make a huge difference.I know that is so frustrating to hear but it's true. I'm afraid that the fact that your WH will not discuss D and your future with you would make me crazy. I would find some way to pin him down and get some answers. Thiopental perhaps? Guess if we can't use it on terrorists we sure can't on WH's.- shame!

Is it better for you at all now that he is out of the house? I found my tension level dropped to zero when my WH left. The entire atmosphere in the home changed you could almost hear the house saying "phew" I hadn't realized how uptight we all were until he was gone. I think you are an incredibly strong lady, you have proven that already.

I would be interested to hear what BigK would recommend for you. Hopefully he will be along.

Now, I want to let you all know that I will be missing for a few days, not sure when I will be back yet. It's a business trip combined with pleasure.

I'll try to keep an eye on you all and will pray for peace and happiness for each of you.

Beth

Monday I had an MRI on my neck, a chiropractor appt, a psychiatrist appt, and a physical complete w/ EKG. My pharmacist did, however, get my prescriptions right. Picked up 4 - to the tune of $115.

Yesterday, my purse was stolen from my office or I left it where I ate lunch and it is gone. Along w/ my car keys, house keys, driver's license, credit cards, check card, insurance card, cell phone, cd of photographs, favorite watch, and 30" string or good pearls. Had to have locksmith unlock car, drill out ignition lock, make new key, then borrow neighbor's keys so I could get in my house. I missed hoop class and a Christmas dinner party. I was busy on the phone that day.

Today, I went to bank in person and took care of some things. Then I spent the rest of the morning cleaning house and dealing witn the locksmith again while he rekeyed all my deadbolts - and one key would not do them all. Had to have 2. Then I took son to orthodontist to get his braces on. Went to daughter's school to get her to pick up her retainers. Then I got my old retainer adjusted to try to nudge a tooth back where it should be.

I hope tomorrow is unexciting.

Hi Cinderella,

You poor lady. I've had that happen too and it's a nightmare to get everything straightened out again. I would give them any money I had if they would only leave me everything else. Weeks later you'll remember something else you had in your purse.

I hope that you get good news from your MRI. Sorry you are having such a rough time.

Hi Beth,

I am doing this for my own edification. I had catalogued Cali's scores. Pasted below are CA, CT, MS AND AL.

CT CA AL MS
INDIAN 976 1003 1063 -
ASIAN 1109 1069 1178 1105
BLACK 846 867 927 905
HISPANIC 895 897 1072 1083
WHITE 1061 1085 1162 1165
OTHER 978 1031 983 1079
NR 1004 1059 972 1093

Hi All!

I'm not fond of SATs in general. I understand the need for proper & consistent ways of tracking learning, I don't think SATs are an accurate reflection of one's knowledge & ability.

I would advocate for a standardized portfolio approach. Students keep portfolios of their high school work. Two years of work or three I'm not sure, but the biggest concentration of work coming from their senior years. This portfolio would show a number of important abilities. Writing skills,understanding of math & science, critical thinking, creativity, etc...I suspect colleges would object to the amount of work involved in determining a potential student's abilities & likelihood for success in college, but I think portfolios can provide a more complete picture, gathered over time VS a one day glimpse, at a students potential & ability.

One thought I have about the SAT scores you've shown Todd is this: I'd venture a guess that the minorities taking the the SATs are more likely to be the kids who see college as a viable option for their future. This being a group of kids who are working hard in school, seeing the potential payoff of college for them & parents that support their efforts. Where as the white group would consist of more middle class kids with more educational opportunities, SAT taking being one.

Hi Nams,

Hope you are well.

SAT scores are merely a starting point in my quest to attempt to understand what is wrong with our nation's schools. While I cannot disagree with the central theme of your contention, the fact remains that the SAT appears to be reliable and is valid - that is, it measures what it purports to measure. Whether it is the right measure is an open question. My goal is to attempt to understand what is wrong with our schools and more importantly, what solutions make sense. It may be overly ambitious since I am not trained in the area of education.

As I have delved deeper into the data, my "eyeball" analysis says that there is a strong positive correlation between SAT scores and all the factors one would logically expect to shape the scores: family income, parent's educational level, school performance, etc. In this country, we tend to divide data by ethnicity, perhaps because it is an obvious difference. My guess is that score differences are primarily a function of family income and all the attributes which accompany it. I will need to dig deeper to uncover such differences, if, in fact, they do exist.

(((((Cinderella)))))

I thought I was having a challenging time! Good News is you tackled it like a pro and have new locks, new meds and hopefully a Christmas list with pearls, watch and cell phone on it! I'm betting you had a nice warm bubble bath and glass of something (wine, hot tea, hot chocolate, java) to comfort the stress from the day. If you didn't then don't worry, I did for you complete with some chocolate (remedy for anything).

Hang in there Cinders, you are made of tough stuff and made me smile ear to ear and LOL seeing I was in royal company!

May today be better...my thoughts are with you!

{{{{{TKO}}}}}

Looks like most of us are having a tough time of it lately...thought we could use some hugz!

Yes, Todd, I'm well. Thanks for asking. E tu?

I was out Christmas shopping today. It's nice to see people haven't turned nasty yet. Guess it's still early days. <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Not a whole lot new with me except a recommendation letter that hasn't reached the school I'm applying to yet. Now I've got to pick it up in person & express mail it. Little nuisance in the grand scheme of things.

Thank you, Beth, for your kind words. Enjoy your time away.

The boys & I will be getting our tree on Sat. First lunch out, then the tree. Or maybe the other way around. Depends on how quick they are in the morning. It'll be fun!

Well we went to the Christmas party last night. Poor woman. Planned this party for months and has it professionally catered, nicely decorated and then has the party outside in her garden on one of the two days a year it rains in Saudi. What are the odds? We got a little wet. Gemela's GB house gift was the talk of the event. Santa came and gave a present to each of the children. One girl commented that Santa was so smart because he seemed to know exactly what each one wanted. Everything was going fine until the host put on a Kenny G Christmas CD and then suddenly a big fight broke out. I am convinced there is something to this Kenny G theory of mine. He is the root cause of terrorism.

Wonder what the G stands for?

Did you hear about the party at the White House? It seems that Laura Bush wore a $8,500 Oscar De Larenta dress. So did two other womens. Ms. Bush went upstairs and changed. It had to be a long night for the other two womens.

Now, I am sure it is just me but maybe the ladies of TKO can comment. If I paid $8,500 for a dress, the nearest one geographicaly better be in at leazt Milan if not Thailand. To have three show up at the same party has got to be embarassing to Oscar. That's over $25,000 worth of dresses at the same party and that's only three womens.

Meanwhile, I don't think I can find a more expensive tux than an Oxxford. Stretching it, maybe - maybe - $3,000. And frankly, I don't give a hoot how many men wear the very same tux.

I haven't seen that story but I can attest that WW has been in a scaled-down version of that situation and we have gone home to change a $40 blouse before. At least Laura had her closet nearby. Were they all three wearing the same shoes by any chance? I am still amazed that WW and I can be at a party and talking and she suddenly says "can you believe those shoes she is wearing?". I hate to admit it but I rarely notice shoes. One day I was standing in the hallway outside our conference room and our secretary came up with some papers for the boss to sign. She is Saudi and is completely covered. I commented that I thought her shoes were beautiful. She gushed. Amazing.

The good news:

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Late in the morning, I started to move a stack of drawers which is on wheels. I heard a "ching" sound. Looked between the drawers and the cube wall. There were my keys which I thought were in my backpack/purse. That meant the pack must be nearby. And it was..... <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" /> .....in one of the locked drawers. I am going to be sure I get that necklace insured.

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

The bad news:

<img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbt/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />

This morning the chiropractor called me personally. He said he had left 3 messages for me the day before. I knew this was not good. I saw him at 2 p.m. He was kind, he didn't mince too many words. He showed me the film from the MRI. When he touched one image, I saw it instantly. The report is ominous. severly deteriortated discs at C5-6 and C6-7. Moderately severe stenosis at C5 especially on left side. Moderately severe to severe stenosis on the right and severe stenosis and ossification on the left at C6. So, he is referring me to a neurosurgeon. One who has done surgery on him. Next Friday, I am scheduled for an epidural cervical injection. We will do all the reasonable things before I walk in the neurosurgeon's office. This is not good at all. Meanwhile, I got 14 trigger point injections today. It still hurts.

Pio,

Being guys, we are obviously handicapped. I couldn't care less if a guy is dressed like me at a party. I think it is kinda cool. I have never been personally involved, whether directly or by extension, in the "can you believe she is wearing the same skirt I am?" derby, but I have witnessed it at a few parties. The amusing thing to me is that the womens get mad at each other like it was a deliberate act.

Sometimes it IS a deliberate act Todd

Did those women forget that Laura controls nukes?

Cinders,

I'm happy and sad for you. Just remember to really think it through. Second opinions and all. And stop hooping for a bit.

Ooops, I was mistaken. It was not two other womens who showed up with the same dress as Laura Bush - it was three other womens. Can you imagine? And to make it worse, the dress was ugly. This Oscar de la Renta dude has to be laughing all the way to the bank!

I admit I'm not really clear on the whole designer dress thing so excuse (again) my ignorance but aren't those things supposed to be like one-of-a-kind or something? Aren't ALL dresses, in a sense, designer dresses? Some just have more famous designers than others. I guess charging all that money to all those women for the exact same dress, that's how Oscar pay la renta.