what are you doing right now?

[jerseygirl]

Sorry chloe, hope you find a great job with good people
That must have been an awful position to be bad enough to resign

[finnime]

Stowing away the cranberry sauce and Chex mix, readying to make pie dough and pies: 2 apple, 1 pumpkin. DD made maple sugar blondies yesterday, too. And I'm making a cake this afternoon as it is DSis's birthday Saturday. I think we're good for desserts! Will make rolls dough this evening and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight. Or if there's not enough room, will let it rise in DD's refrigerator.

Need to make stuffing, too. I think it's okay to leave it out overnight. It's just seasoning, onion, celery, bread crumbs and butter until the turkey shows up.

[cooper88]

Knee Deep in Water Chloe Hugs. You will come out stronger on the other side, but job changes are rough for me and maybe for you too. You can do this!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Nov 21, 2023 22:06:08 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Nov 21, 2023 19:40:43 GMT -5 MarionTh230 said:

I worry a lot about becoming a burden for Kiddo one day. Especially with her being an only child it would be an extremely difficult burden to bare. I'm doing my best to make sure that does not happen but with the price tag that comes with elder care I don't believe this is a situation I can save myself out of. I just hope I do as much as I can to make it easier for her by trying to not be ornery and do as much as possible to have my affairs in order. Hopefully that will make it a bit easier when the time comes for all that.

That's really all you can do. Any of us could get hit by a bus tomorrow and need around the clock care. You never know. But deliberately putting yourself in danger just to be independent is wild to me.

Exactly. I know I can't control everything but I know I can listen to my kid and the physical therapist and use a walker to get out of bed.

As opposed to reaching for a far away dresser losing my balance and end up nearly dying on the floor. My only saving grace being it's thanksgiving so my granddaughter and her husband happened to be pulling in the driveway.

Or listen to the blind association and learn to live with my handicap instead of intentionally becoming a danger to myself and ending up in a shit hole nursing home.

Sorry I'm not in a good headspace. Yesterday with FIL triggered a lot of bad feelings about this time of year.

I'm going to bake and cook later maybe that will help me center. The girls are really excited about hosting

[Peace77]

Nov 21, 2023 22:41:18 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Nov 21, 2023 22:17:26 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Honestly, I'm surprised anyone works in education anymore. I hope you find something better.

I’m honestly not sure how to do anything else though.
And not just because I feel like a complete failure right now. I know I’m not technically a complete failure. It’s a philosophical difference that’s too great to overcome. I’m trying to convince myself that’s not the same thing as I screwed up.

Anyhoo, I don’t even know what I’d be besides a public school educator.

What about working for a charter school or a private school?  

You could work at a community college, teaching GED classes or in administration.

The corporate sector uses educators for training employees.  There are lots of possibilities.

[NoNamePerson]

Nov 22, 2023 9:20:20 GMT -5 finnime said:

Stowing away the cranberry sauce and Chex mix, readying to make pie dough and pies: 2 apple, 1 pumpkin. DD made maple sugar blondies yesterday, too. And I'm making a cake this afternoon as it is DSis's birthday Saturday. I think we're good for desserts! Will make rolls dough this evening and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight. Or if there's not enough room, will let it rise in DD's refrigerator.

Need to make stuffing, too. I think it's okay to leave it out overnight. It's just seasoning, onion, celery, bread crumbs and butter until the turkey shows up.

Don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but you might want to read up on Onions (cooked and fresh) spoiling. I learned about this years ago when everyone thought the mayo in potato salad caused illness in folks at a picnic due to being left out for a while. We were wrong

[andi9899]

Nov 22, 2023 9:29:54 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Nov 21, 2023 22:06:08 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

That's really all you can do. Any of us could get hit by a bus tomorrow and need around the clock care. You never know. But deliberately putting yourself in danger just to be independent is wild to me.

Exactly. I know I can't control everything but I know I can listen to my kid and the physical therapist and use a walker to get out of bed.

As opposed to reaching for a far away dresser losing my balance and end up nearly dying on the floor. My only saving grace being it's thanksgiving so my granddaughter and her husband happened to be pulling in the driveway.

Or listen to the blind association and learn to live with my handicap instead of intentionally becoming a danger to myself and ending up in a shit hole nursing home.

Sorry I'm not in a good headspace. Yesterday with FIL triggered a lot of bad feelings about this time of year.

I'm going to bake and cook later maybe that will help me center. The girls are really excited about hosting

Girl, you have been through so much the last couple of years that you can vent all day long. I've actually used your situation as an example when having the hard conversions with my parents. I've told them I'm not going through that and to expect me to is not only not ok, but it's in fact cruel. The hard stuff needs to get figured out now, not when they're in the ICU.

[finnime]

Nov 22, 2023 9:43:58 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Nov 22, 2023 9:20:20 GMT -5 finnime said:

Stowing away the cranberry sauce and Chex mix, readying to make pie dough and pies: 2 apple, 1 pumpkin. DD made maple sugar blondies yesterday, too. And I'm making a cake this afternoon as it is DSis's birthday Saturday. I think we're good for desserts! Will make rolls dough this evening and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight. Or if there's not enough room, will let it rise in DD's refrigerator.

Need to make stuffing, too. I think it's okay to leave it out overnight. It's just seasoning, onion, celery, bread crumbs and butter until the turkey shows up.

Don't mean to be a Debbie Downer but you might want to read up on Onions (cooked and fresh) spoiling. I learned about this years ago when everyone thought the mayo in potato salad caused illness in folks at a picnic due to being left out for a while. We were wrong

TY, NoNamePerson! I learned something that may help out my guests. I appreciate it.

[lurkyloo]

Hugs Drama.  It is so deeply frustrating when they stop thinking clearly, or maybe just stop caring about either practicalities or other people.

Chloe, I am sorry work is being unreasonable to this extent.  

[busymom]

Love the bracelet, Opti.  That's something I would be willing to wear, and I don't wear bracelets very often.


DH was supposed to have his last day of vacation today, but things got so chaotic at work that he got called in.  Oh well, we did get a lot accomplished while he was home.  

[Peace77]

Nov 14, 2023 22:27:25 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Today has been difficult. I didn’t even want to get out of bed, but I forced myself to. Then I went back to bed about an hour later because my stomach was hurting. 

I had to get back out of bed because Mister had sent a text saying the groceries would be ready for pickup, between 2 and 3pm. Which meant I was supposed to pick them up, since he is still at work during that time and today was my day off work.

I managed to do enough laundry to have things together for my work week that starts tomorrow. I still did not shampoo my hair. I ended up cooking pasta Fagioli (sp?) soup and garlic bread for dinner. I didn’t want to cook, but I gotta eat. 

He is trying to be nice to me, and keeps asking me what I need. What I really need is to  not waste any more of my time with a fucking asshole. But I don’t say that, I just say idk. 

The only thing I know to do right now is focus on me, at least enough to be able to go to work and get my money, so I can build my war chest, as Laterbloomer called it. I am not interested in further discussions with him, or really anything concerning him. I am concerned about me, myself and I. 

I have an appointment later this month with my unreliable counselor. Idc if the appointment actually happens or not. I am over therapy too. I wouldn’t be crazy if people would just stop playing with me, including so called “professionals” in the medical community. 

I’m just not even close to being in a good place right now. But I won’t be here forever, and eventually I WILL get to a better place mentally. I am sure of that. That’s pretty much all I have to hold on to, while I work through trying to get there.

I’m wondering if before you got sick and missed so much work — Did you always buy the groceries or pick them up?  I noticed that Mister didn’t ask you if you could pick up the groceries before he placed the order.  He just expected that you would.

My XH also called me a gold digger and it wasn’t because he had anything when we got together. We sat on floor pillows because he didn’t have any living room furniture.  It was partly grief and partly upset that things weren’t the way they were before.  I wasn’t working because I was dealing with health issues and setting up a non profit organization.  That wasn’t enough for him.

After my Mom passed away, my Dad wanted so much for everything to be the same that he paid to restart her business.  Never mind that she had no customers and still had cases of product stacked in the garage.

I wonder is Mister aware that you ran out of PTO?  I think the comments about gold digging by my XH and Mister aren’t referring to getting together but about the current situation.

[countrygirl2]

I was up till about 12:30 last night and hubs woke me up to go with him at 8. I drug myself to the bathroom and felt kind of spacey like I couldn't wake up so told him to go without me. I'm going to go to town here and get my things. Will cost more but ok, don't need that much. I really wasn't up that late, guess I'm going to have to go to bed even earlier.

I, like others am dead tired, have no idea why but am. I lay in bed another hour but couldn't go back to sleep so got up and got busy. Laundry folded, load in dryer and washer. Trash all dumped and out to put in trunk and made up our bed and just picked up, need to vacuum when I get back.

I put the filet mignon out to thaw, need to check the propane tank to the grill. Wondering how I'm going to get a new one and lift it up to the back porch. I do think it's out. Maybe the one on the Blackstone has some in it. Hubs is definitely not to lift something that heavy. They taste so much better on the grill than in a skillet. I think I can back up to the screened in porch door and wrestle it from the truck bed to the porch. Won't be far, but first to check it.

I weighed this morning and up a couple of pounds, my feet are hurting. That's what scares me, I gain weight and my feet will not carry it at all. I just need to remember each day I have been able to continue walking is a blessing. Without ozempic would not have even had that. I truly overdid it on that Thanksgiving feast last Sunday. Also got to quit eating raisins as a snack and back to raw veggies or steamed veggies. 

Also had on a different pair of shoes, very supportive ones, but different, that has not helped, so back to the Apex. I need to remember not so wide the next ones I buy, these have bigger toe boxes anyway so don't need wide in these shoes. I will take a pain pill today to get me through the day on my feet.

Need to put makeup on and go, DD wants Subway for lunch, I may just do that too. I have slipped a bit and eating things I have not for a year or more, so just need to watch it all. Only I can control it, but sometimes I like a different forbidden food, LOL! At least we are staying away from ice cream, we all love it and doing well not eating it. I'm wondering if I should make that pineapple upside down cake or not.  They sure love it.

[busymom]

I'm a night owl married to a morning person, countrygirl2.  He's up & ready to go before sunrise, and I'm the one still doing stuff after midnight.  We do well as a team, but it's hard for us to do anything together early in the morning, or late at night.  

[cooper88]

I may or may not have had black coffee and Nutter Butter cookies for breakfast.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Nov 22, 2023 7:19:29 GMT -5 taz157 said:

Nov 21, 2023 22:12:32 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

About a month ago, I think I mentioned being frustrated with something that happened at work. It had the potential to become a dealbreaker for me working there. Well the deal broke today. I’ll finish out the school year, but I’m resigning effective the end of the year. There’s no salvaging it. I’d have to compromise my principles to stay. And my boss has been clear that her philosophy is correct and mine is not.

I’m sorry. Could you work in a different district close to where you live?

Likely. There’s the chance my current boss ruins that though.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Nov 22, 2023 9:17:20 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Sorry chloe, hope you find a great job with good people
That must have been an awful position to be bad enough to resign

Well, I can wait until she fires me. It is a philosophical difference, but I don’t know how to make sense of all of it. I’m sure it all makes sense to her, but she won’t actually talk with me.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Nov 22, 2023 9:35:05 GMT -5 Peace77 said:

Nov 21, 2023 22:41:18 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

I’m honestly not sure how to do anything else though.
And not just because I feel like a complete failure right now. I know I’m not technically a complete failure. It’s a philosophical difference that’s too great to overcome. I’m trying to convince myself that’s not the same thing as I screwed up.

Anyhoo, I don’t even know what I’d be besides a public school educator.

What about working for a charter school or a private school?  

You could work at a community college, teaching GED classes or in administration.

The corporate sector uses educators for training employees.  There are lots of possibilities.

I did look at CC job postings last night. That may be a possibility.

[bean29]

Nov 21, 2023 22:17:26 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Nov 21, 2023 22:12:32 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

About a month ago, I think I mentioned being frustrated with something that happened at work. It had the potential to become a dealbreaker for me working there. Well the deal broke today. I’ll finish out the school year, but I’m resigning effective the end of the year. There’s no salvaging it. I’d have to compromise my principles to stay. And my boss has been clear that her philosophy is correct and mine is not.

Honestly, I'm surprised anyone works in education anymore. I hope you find something better.

   This.  I felt this way when my kids were in school as the pay teachers receive in my state is drastically reduced. But teachers in Wisconsin are still doing fairly well compared to other states.  Since the Pandemic though, teachers are really subject to a lot of Cray Cray, and they Cray Cray seem to be controlling the debate.  If I could, I would get out ASAP.  I have 2 nephews that are teaching.  One is 42 and makes over 100,000 a year, the other is 29 and making about 55,000/yr.  The younger one is the one that had the baby with serious heart issues.  He could have moved districts and gotten about a 50% pay increase.  He took a pass as he just felt now was not the time for changes in his job.  His son is just over 3 months old and has had 2 heart surgeries already.  He is doing well though.

Do you have a vested pension?  How dependent are you and your DH on you continuing to work?  I wish you luck finding employment that matches your principles and values.  The well being of our society rests on dedicated educators like yourself.  I hope you can find a way to continue working in education.  FYI, my DH has a degree in Secondary Education and has not worked in Education in over 30 years.  It was pretty much the politics that did him in.  He knows people that are doing very well in Education, but I told him he never would have made it this long as could not have worked in that kind of an environment.  Just saying, while dedicated educators are important, if it is not for you then you should by all means move on.  The management principles you have learned can be put to good use in another environment.

[lurkyloo]

finnime maybe it’s just Thanksgiving tradition but aside from ordering not making cake and skipping the chex mix your to-do for the day sounds eerily familiar, right down to the stuffing recipe!  I too had seen the warnings about onions out overnight but the bread and seasoning is going to sit out overnight and get nice and stale to absorb turkey drippings    

Also need to figure out how to dry brine an enormous turkey    I know better than to let DS come along to pick it out…went out and bought an extra box of roasting bags so that’s the current planned approach for containing the mess.  I have no idea how people manage to wet brine a turkey and also keep it cold.  Do they just not have anything else in their fridges?

[chiver78]

Nov 22, 2023 11:04:33 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

finnime maybe it’s just Thanksgiving tradition but aside from ordering not making cake and skipping the chex mix your to-do for the day sounds eerily familiar, right down to the stuffing recipe!  I too had seen the warnings about onions out overnight but the bread and seasoning is going to sit out overnight and get nice and stale to absorb turkey drippings    

Also need to figure out how to dry brine an enormous turkey    I know better than to let DS come along to pick it out…went out and bought an extra box of roasting bags so that’s the current planned approach for containing the mess.  I have no idea how people manage to wet brine a turkey and also keep it cold.  Do they just not have anything else in their fridges?

I used to use a 5gal Coleman cooler and leave it in the garage overnight. I also live in MA, where it's generally cold enough that this is a safe maneuver. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Nov 22, 2023 11:04:33 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

finnime maybe it’s just Thanksgiving tradition but aside from ordering not making cake and skipping the chex mix your to-do for the day sounds eerily familiar, right down to the stuffing recipe!  I too had seen the warnings about onions out overnight but the bread and seasoning is going to sit out overnight and get nice and stale to absorb turkey drippings    

Also need to figure out how to dry brine an enormous turkey    I know better than to let DS comer along to pick it out…went out and bought an extra box of roasting bags so that’s the current planned approach for containing the mess.  I have no idea how people manage to wet brine a turkey and also keep it cold.  Do they just not have anything else in their fridges?

This one is easy.  Use a cooler, make up a brine and put it and the Turkey in the cooler with a couple bags of ice.  I think I did a really big bird this way at my dad’s and the cooler worked out great (and didn’t take up fridge space).

The next part of the story is pretty funny.   When I pulled the turkey out of the brine, I set the cooler inside the garage, meaning to hose it out when I was finished cooking.  I forgot.  Fast forward to the next year, my use of the cooler to brine the turkey worked so well I decided to do it again.  Went to get the cooler and……….last year’s brine was still in it!  Surprisingly, it really wasn’t too bad (probably due to all the salt).  I cleaned it out, bleached it.  Washed it out again and used it the same way.  Second year, I DID remember to clean out the cooler!

[lurkyloo]

Nov 22, 2023 11:09:37 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Nov 22, 2023 11:04:33 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

finnime maybe it’s just Thanksgiving tradition but aside from ordering not making cake and skipping the chex mix your to-do for the day sounds eerily familiar, right down to the stuffing recipe!  I too had seen the warnings about onions out overnight but the bread and seasoning is going to sit out overnight and get nice and stale to absorb turkey drippings    

Also need to figure out how to dry brine an enormous turkey    I know better than to let DS come along to pick it out…went out and bought an extra box of roasting bags so that’s the current planned approach for containing the mess.  I have no idea how people manage to wet brine a turkey and also keep it cold.  Do they just not have anything else in their fridges?

I used to use a 5gal Coleman cooler and leave it in the garage overnight. I also live in MA, where it's generally cold enough that this is a safe maneuver. 

maybe if we added a bunch of ice too down here…but then you have turkey germs all over the cooler and a waste disposal problem with the brine    There’s a reason I never got into the process side of things 

I’m not actually sure the damn thing would fit into our cooler, it was too tall to defrost it in the sink.  d*** kid demanding the biggest on everything.  d*** me for not putting my foot down. 


ETA The Walk of the Penguin Mich posted at the same time I did and I’m pretty sure one of us owes the other a Coke 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Nov 22, 2023 11:04:09 GMT -5 bean29 said:

Nov 21, 2023 22:17:26 GMT -5 andi9899 said:

Honestly, I'm surprised anyone works in education anymore. I hope you find something better.

   This.  I felt this way when my kids were in school as the pay teachers receive in my state is drastically reduced. But teachers in Wisconsin are still doing fairly well compared to other states.  Since the Pandemic though, teachers are really subject to a lot of Cray Cray, and they Cray Cray seem to be controlling the debate.  If I could, I would get out ASAP.  I have 2 nephews that are teaching.  One is 42 and makes over 100,000 a year, the other is 29 and making about 55,000/yr.  The younger one is the one that had the baby with serious heart issues.  He could have moved districts and gotten about a 50% pay increase.  He took a pass as he just felt now was not the time for changes in his job.  His son is just over 3 months old and has had 2 heart surgeries already.  He is doing well though.

Do you have a vested pension?  How dependent are you and your DH on you continuing to work?  I wish you luck finding employment that matches your principles and values.  The well being of our society rests on dedicated educators like yourself.  I hope you can find a way to continue working in education.  FYI, my DH has a degree in Secondary Education and has not worked in Education in over 30 years.  It was pretty much the politics that did him in.  He knows people that are doing very well in Education, but I told him he never would have made it this long as could not have worked in that kind of an environment.  Just saying, while dedicated educators are important, if it is not for you then you should by all means move on.  The management principles you have learned can be put to good use in another environment.

Yes, and it's through the state. I can gain employment in another public school district and still have  all of it. I have the luxury of not having to find pay equal to my current pay check. I can go back to classroom teaching. I can go to a district that pays significanly less (this district does pay its administrators well). My husband is working full time but can retire at any time. I guess the short answer is, we will be fine regardless. Belt tightening will occur at minimum. 

[giramomma]

Nov 22, 2023 10:55:56 GMT -5 cooper88 said:

I may or may not have had black coffee and Nutter Butter cookies for breakfast.

Oh man. Nutter butters.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I’m going to hate seeing my bills come in next month.  Last night, I got notice from Briggs and Riley that they have 30% off.  My very well used Victornox bag that I bought at Tuesday Morning back in 2000 has pretty much bit the dust.  This was my 22” carry on, that I use for trips up to about a month.  

If I could, I’d replace it with the exact same model.  That bag was an absolute workhorse.  It was used and abused for 23 years, including the monthly back and forth I used to do to WA.  But it is no longer available, and this bag is probably the closest I’ve found.  It also has a lifetime warranty.  Fingers crossed it’s what I think it is when it arrives.  I hate buying things like this online.

[giramomma]

So even with getting my workload reduced in one area that we support, I'm still responsible for just about half of the total workload in this particular area. My teammates split the other half.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Nov 22, 2023 11:19:22 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

Nov 22, 2023 11:09:37 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I used to use a 5gal Coleman cooler and leave it in the garage overnight. I also live in MA, where it's generally cold enough that this is a safe maneuver. 

maybe if we added a bunch of ice too down here…but then you have turkey germs all over the cooler and a waste disposal problem with the brine    There’s a reason I never got into the process side of things 

I’m not actually sure the damn thing would fit into our cooler, it was too tall to defrost it in the sink.  d*** kid demanding the biggest on everything.  d*** me for not putting my foot down. 


ETA The Walk of the Penguin Mich posted at the same time I did and I’m pretty sure one of us owes the other a Coke 

Pull out all the crap and toss it, and pour the diluted brine down the sink.

[chiver78]

Nov 22, 2023 11:19:22 GMT -5 lurkyloo said:

Nov 22, 2023 11:09:37 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I used to use a 5gal Coleman cooler and leave it in the garage overnight. I also live in MA, where it's generally cold enough that this is a safe maneuver. 

maybe if we added a bunch of ice too down here…but then you have turkey germs all over the cooler and a waste disposal problem with the brine    There’s a reason I never got into the process side of things 

I’m not actually sure the damn thing would fit into our cooler, it was too tall to defrost it in the sink.  d*** kid demanding the biggest on everything.  d*** me for not putting my foot down. 


ETA The Walk of the Penguin Mich posted at the same time I did and I’m pretty sure one of us owes the other a Coke 

Mich covered the waste disposal, but I will say that using this cooler limited me to about 14lb max. I had a full-sized refrigerator in the basement in the last house, so I went bigger there a couple times. I have a huge stockpot/lobster pot that can hold larger. I don't know how big I *could* go, but it handled a 16lb bird with room to spare. 

[soupandstew]

I had a really good night's sleep with only one brief coughing spell, slept until the alarm at 6.  Fixed breakfast, got a haircut (finally!) and posted a lot of trades in Quicken.  I might take another nibble at the elephant this afternoon and start weeding out some family history/early childhood stuff.  

[snapdragon]

Just looked out the front window and watched a deer check out the front yard of the neighbor across the street.