True, I should have been more clear that my ask to

Yes, this post is very true...sm [2008-12-01]
She claims to love her cats but she can be very mean to them. She constantly screams and swears at them. I wouldn She was one of the select chosen and with her narcissistic personality, she will absolutely refuse togive up her weekend at the cabin because she has no one to feed her animals while she is gone. She would rather see them starve.

My daughter mentioned True Blood before [2008-11-18]
but I told her no way. She's only 14. I heard about the series, but I haven't had a chance to watch it. If I had a moment to read, I'd like to read the Twilight books myself, but I just can't seem to find a minute to do any reading. My daughter is going on Friday with her Twilight school group and then again on Saturday.

Yeah, the True Blood series is basically like soft porn... [2008-11-18]
definitely not advisable for a 14 year old!!!

This Is So True [2008-11-15]
When I took an IQ test and scored 166, I thought it was a huge mistake.I struggled in school, which I believe is because I was bored. I am very good with technical things (computers and such), but I learn by doing not by reading. ThereI have had depression my whole adult life, but Iwrote about those with higher IQsare just like me. I always thought I was dumb because I did not get As or Bs in school and could not retainmost of whatI read. Of course, like I said, ADD plays a big role in that. Thanks for your post. Made me realize some things that I hadn Only my husband knows my IQ score...I don't want my friends or other family members to know (I don't think they would believe it).

True....nm [2008-11-14]
ss

So true! [2008-11-03]
Me too! I always figured I must be the only poor schmuck out there hooked on a product, because they pull it from the market!

This is true scripture. However, I made a point [2008-10-16]
when the parishioners in Sunday School elevated themselves as better than the people who were not at church that day. I pointed out there are many reasons, such as having to work, or having to tend to a sick person, or being ill, including emotionally challenged. THey had no clue what I, as the Pastorus versus them disgusts me. Truly it does. BTW: I have to transcribe on Sundays, because my husband's Pastor job does not pay enough for me to quit and guess what, as MTs we have to work weekends. I work because I have to. And not because I am avoiding regular church, which BTW our denomination does not offer services other than Sunday morning.

How true. It is such a shame for some of these breeds to all [2008-10-13]
be put in a category of being dangerous, etc. Like I stated in my post above in reply to the Pitbull in the Halloween costume some breeders play on some of the traits of the ones they feel will be more aggressive, larger, more muscle, etc. Then they breed them with another dog they feel has that potential, and so on. A responsible breeder who is concerned only for the well being of the dog and loves the breed will breed only the ones who do not display aggression or the potential for it. I once went to the house of a friend whose dad had a Doberman for years. The dog was there that night, and to be honest I was afraid. I entered the house cautiously to find that the dog was afraid of ME. She had a squeaky toy and lay under the chair all night playing with the toy. She was a thing of beauty. I will never forget her and I learned new respect and to do some reading and research before coming reaching conclusions.

How true. It is such a shame for some of these breeds to all [2008-10-13]
be put in a category of being dangerous, etc. Like I stated in my post above in reply to the Pitbull in the Halloween costume some breeders play on some of the traits of the ones they feel will be more aggressive, larger, more muscle, etc. Then they breed them with another dog they feel has that potential, and so on. A responsible breeder who is concerned only for the well being of the dog and loves the breed will breed only the ones who do not display aggression or the potential for it. I once went to the house of a friend whose dad had a Doberman for years. The dog was there that night, and to be honest I was afraid. I entered the house cautiously to find that the dog was afraid of ME. She had a squeaky toy and lay under the chair all night playing with the toy. She was a thing of beauty. I will never forget her and I learned new respect and to do some reading and research before coming reaching conclusions.

true story lol [2008-10-09]
We had a neighbor who used to work for a vending machine company. Well he retired, and I guess they get to keep like so much candy or whatever, or maybe he owned the company, I don't know. Anyways, he gave us a five POUND box of runts. You know the candy that is shaped like fruit (which always was kind of an oxymoron to me...) anyways, when we bought our new house, the realtor gave us a candy dish as a housewarming gift (is that common practice?) Well long story short, I totally attribute that box of runts to my ten pound weight gain when we moved in! Fortunately some renegade mice got into it and we had to throw the rest out!

How many of you think this might be true [2008-10-02]
That young men marry women who look similar to their moms? I heard this once and I started to take note... I'm beginning to think that maybe there is some truth to it...

How true. Last night I was thinking SM [2008-09-30]
Wouldnand if the abusersthe animalswho suffered at their hand. I don There must be a special place for animals. I pray there is.

so true [2008-09-11]
In our state they had instituted a program called young 5, which was basically a year of pre-K where they did the exact same cirriculum as K. I saw no point in it as my child was K ready, so I insisted they just go ahead and put him in Kidnergarten. His teacher kept hassling me about it during conferences. She was an old battle-ax that insisted she knew better than me and he belonged in pre-K. She couldnemotionally immature (what 5 year old isn She informed me that sooner or later, he'd be held back a year because of my arrogance about his ability and pushing him into something he wasn't ready for - SHE knew, SHE had been in the business a long time and SHE was the expert. He started high school this year at the age of 13 (hebeen held back a grade due to emotional immaturity - in fact he I think when he graduates I'm going to track her down and rub her face in his diploma - I'm still peeved at her after all this time for trying to bully me into keeping him back a year .

The news does tend to be bad, true. Put your head back in the sand then. [2008-09-04]
However, see if you can stomach this....2 yr old toddler disappears for a month as her mother appears to party like a 22 year old with no children by the camera's eye. When grandma finally realizes something is amiss upon discovering her daughters abandoned car with the smell of decomposing human tissue in the trunk, the 911 calls begin. Casey Anthony is a deeply disturbed young woman who by all appearances seems to have done away with her beautiful little girl by means of a shovel and gasoline. The truly unfortunate person here is the child, Caylee, whose mother is a monster.

Let me try to be more clear...lol [2008-09-03]
I wash my hair with the dandruff shampoo...although I don I use the facial scrub in the shower to open up my pores so that when I put on the peroxide, it can get into my pores. If you just dab on peroxide without the scrub first, it won't do much.

i can't believe you are falling for someone's story that probably isn't true [2008-08-24]
Really, who, in the situation this Philly girl describes herself to be in would REALLY talk about it the way she does? Either this is a very lonely financially strapped person who is living a make believe life for the sake of those on this board, or she is insane. I don You know,if it is on the internet, then it just has to be true NOT. People like that make up situations and cause chaos and friction in order to get the responses that she has been getting. That is the payoff. The responses. This person is not who she says she is, so we can all just feel sorry for this person with the make believe life who acts totally opposite to the position she states she is in.Her behavior is more telling than her words.

I'm in a large city and what you said is not true here. [2008-07-08]
nm

True, but she is not going to get that much, - sm [2008-07-01]
maybe a few thousand, Iwhat could have happened, etc. in the end though I just let it go and switched doctors to the one who saved me. But yes, people are sue happy, but sometimes it is warranted.

assume this is true. God help you [2008-06-29]
and get away from him. get to the women's shelter, in fact, you probably need the witness protection program. he cannot legally drop insurance on the kids with a court order. There has to be someone legal to help you and the women's shelter or crisis abuse hotline knows all the numbers. outside of your kids it does not sound like you would be leaving much behind if you just went with what you could carry. I would take ANY death threat seriously and the fact he is now turning it on the kids is worrisome. Good luck.

Not true [2008-06-12]
I have a pointer mix that is pure muscle. When he gets his mind set to something, its pretty hard to stop him, which is why we train him constantly each and every day. If you are the pack leader, the animal will almost always listen to you, even in the heat of the moment. I have worked with trainers personally and seen dogs rehabilitated once they have an outlet for their frustration and have a packleader in place. Its against animal nature to go against the pack leader. Lots of dog breeds are muscular and strong. Any dog can bite someone... don The reason most people even draw on them as a killer breed is because of the media and because that is the way they are portrayed, but in the end (through my own personal experience and education) its the owners that are responsible for the dog. Good training and a knowledge of dog language/behavior/signs and signals is very very important. Its pretty easy to just put the dog down though and take no responsibility as the owner. Its really easy to say... ohh, its the breed and lets ban it instead of doing to work to make sure that dogs or other animals can live as balanced members of a pack. That's how people are though... whatever is easiest.

this is true for me. [2008-05-13]
I have been sent to collections and told that I have to pay in full. I can not pay in full and regularly make small payments. I am still seeing physicians at the same entity and have to talk to a financial counselor at the visits every so often but I do not believe there is anything they can do as long as you make regular payments and show an effort.

Not always true about minimum payments - sm [2008-05-13]
One of my kids was seen in the emergency department last April and we didn't get a bill for the visit until September. The outstanding bill was about 800.00. As I have always done in the past, I made payments, no less than 100.00 per month to get it down. Along with the second statement in October was a letter from the hospital stating that we would need to choose one of three payment plans. 1. Payment in full. 2. Two installments for half of the balance each time. 3. Apply for a credit account at 18.9% interest. This was definitely something new and I ignored it. There was NO way I was going to choose any of those three when I have always done as I was doing, making payments of no less than 100.00 per month until the balance was paid off. Guess what.... when the balance was down to 200.00, they turned it over to collection. Yep. Turned it over. Be very careful.

That's more than a shame, if it's not true. [2008-05-13]
//

Why is this so bad? It's true. [2008-05-08]
v

Re-read that - boy that is clear as mud isn't it? sm [2008-04-24]
I went to see my family, stayed in an inexpensive condo (cheaper than hotels in the area), realized they had not charged me and told them, now a couple months later they still have not charged me. I want to call again and tell them but I am also very broke. What would you do?

This is what it is really all about.. [2008-11-30]
We all have a little bit of that Christmas excitement as well the true reason for the season even as adults. My Dad used to wrap things like Smiths Brothers cough drops, dominoes that he had lying around, peanuts, a bar of soap, an old deck of cards, a candy bar, and things like this... Well my SIL (my older brother Now granted my Mom would get things from Avon and give us as well, but these little things from my Dad would cause all of this giggling and laughing and thanks Dad; I really need these cough drops. He just got a kick out of it for sure and so did we. RIP: Mom and Dad (2006/1995,respectively). We miss those gifts!

we don't exchange gifts either [2008-11-29]
We stopped exchanging gifts about 30 years ago. When my husband and I first approached the subject, we met with some resistance, but we stood our ground and said we would not be buying gifts. My husband is the oldest in a family of 7. By the time they all married and had children, the number could have been quite staggering to buy for. I was a surprise baby, my sisters being greater than 11 years older than I am, so when they began their families I was too young to buy anything to buy for them and so never started doing so. Now both of our families agree the holidays are much more enjoyable without the stress of the gift buying, worrying about what to get, how much, will the like it, can I afford it, etc., etc. The true gift of Christmas is the love we feel for our families and all we ask is time with them, and everyone agrees on this. We usually bake or take small treats to the families are who have misfortune of spending Christmas at the Ronald McDonald House in our city due to the illness of a child. Often the other kids in the family (the healthy ones) get lost in the shuffle of caring for a child with cancer. There is no gift one can give as great as giving and bringing joy to a family in such a situation. Anyway, my point is that there may be others in the family who will feel the same way, that it is just too stressful, and you may find that they will appreciate the holidays much more if the gift stress is taken out of the equation. I should add here, I do buy something for my own children but usually one or two things and my grandchildren because, after all, Santa still comes (!) and I do think Christmas gift giving is for children. Watching my little ones open is a gift a truly a fun thing to do and makes me happy. I do ask my kids not to buy for me or my husband because they have young families and can't afford the extra money. I have always told them I would rather they spend time with me any day then go out and buy a gift.

Thanksgiving [2008-11-29]
1939 to 1940 Abraham Lincoln href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt>Franklin D. Roosevelt broke with this tradition. November had five Thursdays that year, and Roosevelt declared the fourth Thursday as Thanksgiving rather than the fifth one. In 1940, in which November had four Thursdays, he declared the third one as Thanksgiving. Although many popular histories state otherwise, he made clear that his plan was to establish it on the next-to-last Thursday in the month instead of the last one. With the country still in the midst of The Great Depression, Roosevelt thought an earlier Thanksgiving would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas. Increasing profits and spending during this period, Roosevelt hoped, would help bring the country out of the Depression. At the time, advertising goods for Christmas before Thanksgiving was considered inappropriate.

I have a very old Sunbeam egg cooker [2008-11-28]
makes soft, medium, and hard boiled eggs. It also has a point in the lid (where you measure the water for the type of egg you want) and you use this to put a hole in the end of the egg, so this may be true. I love this cooker. Uses no more than a 1/4 cup of water and automatically shuts off when the eggs are done. Never a guessing game. Don't know if they still sell them but I'll be in a world of trouble if this cooker dies. Of all the automatic counter-clutter devices I own, this one is my favorite.

if you aren't doing it out of love [2008-11-27]
and because you want to, then don't!! You could allow others the opportunity, go out to eat, volunteer at a public dinner, etc. That's silly to do it all with that attitude. Be true to yourself.

middle-aged [2008-11-26]
The only time the kids are allowed to hang out at my house is on my days off. If my kids are bored, they do some of the chores I would have otherwise had to do like cooking, cleaning, fixing things around the house, etc. As far as I am concerned the cure for boredom is WORK and the cure for work is play, in that order. Why should they goof around and eat your food while you bust your tail? Put them to work or send them home. My son also volunteers for the local museum when he becomes too self-absorbed for anyone to stand him. That snaps him back into shape! and you are right,the dropping/picking up is a giant pain. And not that it is true, but my son says that the mall is where they are hooking up in the dressing rooms, so I don't think I would pick that as an alternative....just me...

Do you think cures are really hidden from us? [2008-11-22]
I used to think this was silly when people thought this, but as I've seen things happen in my own life and look around at our world, I think this could be true. For example, I have used several products that are not FDA approved and they work better than most things my doctor's pills didn't cure. I used a salve to cure my skin cancer when doctors didn't get it twice with surgery. I used the itworkspaste to remove my moles, skin tags and warts. I use sota instruments who bob beck recommended on youtube as the device of the future which fights all viruses and bacteria. I've seen it get rid of my moms bronchitis, my dogs paw infection, my sons mono, my flus, etc. I asked the cancer salve people why this wasncause it and if the pharmaceuticals can't get money from it, then most likely you won't see it FDA approved unless you had millions of dollars. And if the FDA cared so much about us, why in the world would we allow cigarettes to be legal? Think about it...the cigarettes keep you hooked, you get cancer, then go through the hoop of chemo. You become a great high paying customer. What are your thoughts on it. And, have you ever used a product that is not FDA that you swear by? Please share...thank you!

I agree with all of the above. sm [2008-11-21]
You are younger than you think. Also, I do not agree with the 2nd BOS but I do read their foolish rules, and especially learn the dosages, etc. That is the only worthwhile change that is important. I think you would do great working on your own with your own accounts as you have a lot of years ahead to work, but either way, you will do well. Some of these tests are ridiculous,so don't feel bad about them as they are looking for low-rate compensation and I found SOME of those in supervisory positions, only some, don't know what they're doing. Some of them are not true transcriptionists. So don't be discouraged, there is something out there for you. Don't settle for less, it's not you - it's the way the industry is right now and many are being taken advantage of. Be choosy, don't work for less than you're worth. You can do it! Watch out for those who may try to take advantage of you though - there are some money-grabbing numb nuts out there running these companies. Be choosy who you trust. Trust yourself! Good luck! {{ }}

I'm a virgin, help a first timer out .. [2008-11-21]
BLACK FRIDAY Shopper's!!!! Ive NEVER in my life shopped on Black Friday, it used to be of no interest, then it got interesting for awhile, but DH hated the idea and I dont shop without him unless I absolutely have to and/or dying to get out, and now the interest is back with DH on my side! So I am excited, or should I be frightened, is it a true mad house? I need some tips and info. Do you have any tips for a 1st Timer?? What time do you get at the store? Do you have to get a coupon or something to be allowed IN? If so, where do you get these coupons? What time do stores typically open? What times do they take the sale prices down, is it usually an all day thing, or an end at lunch type of thing? And most important of all. I am a fan of the old fashioned way..... newspaper ads to see who has what deal. Where do you get this? Does it come out THIS Weekend or on Thanksgiving Day?? Thanks so much!!!!

mine's probably obvious [2008-11-21]
aside from the fact that i my initials for tying are MS, which are very common. so, many, many years ago, to separate myself from the group, i changed my initials to MX, which no one had. now, i also, as is probably common, some of us have other screen names here than just our primary. i have more than one identity here, which shall remain nameless. another one of me is much more of a trouble-maker than the true XanaX, another regards being an ex-employee for another company, and yet another regarding my location in this country. i

I agree with the posters below. [2008-11-20]
You need to move closer to family and see a doctor. You can also find the local social services department and they will provide free medications for 6 months. you will have to see one of their doctors but and fill out some paperwork but that's the only catch. Depression is higher around the holidays. The weather, finances, family, on top of every day stresses can be overwhelming. Being in this antisocial job doesn't help either. I have often thought of getting something a few days a week just to get out of the house. I think it would do anyone good. Know that things could always be worse and they will get better. Your grandson is young, he doesnwhere as this is a common occurrence in kids. I thought it was only my child but since have found many others are the same. Keep your head up and do what you can. It's ok to cry and vent to others. Don't keep it all bottled up inside. You will be surprised to find who your true friends and family are when you open up and really need them.

Amazing [2008-11-19]
I was around 10 years old when this happened, and to this day, in my mind I can see I dove repeatedly... I was just a kid then, but he sounded completely fake to me. Just...creepy. Amazing how clear that image is, for some reason; my first memorable experience of someone famous getting away with it. I think my little psyche was just completely blown away. Little did I know then that this is just the way of the world.

In relation to the grocery shopping post, let's talk eating out [2008-11-18]
We eat out for dinner once a week (usually on Friday nights when my husband gets back into town) and then usually end up eating lunch out on Saturdays and maybe even Sundays (fast food). I/We really need to cut this expense from our budget or at least just greatly reduce it! Would love your suggestions. How often do you eat out and what is the average you spend per meal? For those of you who donfeel like cooking, serving, and cleaning up? My husband won't cook unless it's to grill (too cold to do that now) and then my son is okay to help clear the table some but not to actually rinse the dishes, wash pots and pans, etc.

I try not to even think about it until after Thanksgiving [2008-11-18]
It annoys me just a little that everyone forgets about Thanksgiving. It it a true American tradition/holiday that has pretty much just a prelude anymore to the commercial, overrated Christmas. The people across the street have their glitzy white shimmering tree up. I just don't get it...

Pitbull Hero [2008-11-17]
Stray Pit Bull Saves Woman, Child from AttackerPet Pulse Staff Reports Browse NewsFront Page BY CATEGORY:Alerts Notices Animal Attacks Care Safety Crime Law Cruelty Abuse Deaths Accidents Entertainment Health Science Heroes International Lost Found New Trends Petlanthropy Strange But True Survival BY PET:Dogs Cats Fish Birds Horses Reptiles Small Pets Other Pets November 5, 2008 A dog came out of nowhere and stopped a knife-wielding robber from accosting a mother and her young son on Monday afternoon. (Pet Pulse Illustration by Tim Mattson) PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The wandering 65-pound Pit Bull mix might have seemed menacing to some passerby, but one woman will always remember him as her guardian angel. The dog, which authorities think is lost and not a stray, successfully thwarted a robbery attack on a mother and her 2-year-old son, who were held at knifepoint Monday afternoon. The Florida woman, who has been identified by authorities simply as Angela, was leaving a playground with her toddler son in Port Charlotte when a man approached her in the parking lot with a knife and told her not to make any noise or sudden movements. Angela didn't have to do either to protect herself and her child -- a dog mysteriously ran to the scene and charged the man, who quickly fled. I don Animal Control Lt. Brian Jones told Pet Pulse. I don The exceptional part of the story, Jones said, is that the dog had never met or even seen the people it quickly jumped to defend. You hear about family dogs protecting their owners, but this dog had nothing to do with this woman or her kid, Jones said. He was like her guardian angel. After the alleged thief ran away, Angela quickly placed her son, Jordan, in the car and tried to drive off. Before she could, though, the dog jumped into her backseat, waiting with her for the police and animal control officers to arrive at the scene. The dog was transported to a local shelter and if his owners donAngel. Animal control officers and shelter workers believe Angel is lost, and not a stray, because of his good health, sturdy weight and mild temperament. It Jones said of Angel's possible owners. For Angela, it doesn't matter where the dog came from, just that he was there when she needed him most. I don Angela told NBC2 News. For a small town with a population of 46,452, animal control officers were kept busy Monday afternoon. Jones says they department also responded to a report about a boa constrictor in a church parking lot. The snake found its way into a car engine and was able to be removed without being harmed. It took three people to move the massive, seemingly random placed snake. It he said of the Gulf Coast town. And we can go for four or five months without the media contacting us about a story. It Officers from the responding county sheriff's office canvased the area and were unable to locate the suspect described as being in his 20s, tall and dark haired. Tell us what you think about Stray Dog Saves Woman, Child Held at Knifepoint below. Share your favorite videos by clicking on the ZootooTV tab. Send us your story ideas by e-mailing us at news@zootoo.com or by calling us at 877-777-4204. Pet Pulse reporter Amy Lieberman and NBC-2.com contributed to this article.

Need some advice on an old friendship -- [2008-11-16]
I got divorced 7 years ago. Started out as a friendly divorce and then I started dating a man that my ex did not like (because he is black) and we quit speaking at all. Then, one of my very good friends started backing off from the friendship andI thought it was because I was openly dating a black man. Well, 4 months later, I heard that she was dating my exhusband. I called her and asked her about it and of course she denied it, could not believe I accused her of that, she would never do that to me..... on and onand on. To make a long story short, of course 2 months later I found out it was true, they had bee seeing each other for about 6 or 7 months. Anyway, during that time period after I knew that they were together but before they broke up, I would call her occasionally if I needed information on my son (who lived with his dad and would not speak to me at that time becaue of brainwashing) and we stayed friendly on the phone, felt like old times, etc. Then they broke up and now occasionally I get the urge to call her or she will call me for something, and it is like nothing ever happened. We laugh and cut up and it I have some thoughts though about when it really started, before we were even divorcing or during the divorce, and then sometimes I get really mad because she lied to me in the first place and let me keep trying to have a friendship, and then sometimes I miss her and think it does not matter because we were divorced and he was free and I definitely did not want him back. My problem is what to do? Forgive her and forget her... forgive her and be friends again... ask her the questions I need answers to and then decide whether to be friends??? And the other big problem is my new husband gets very upset every time I even speak to her because she did thatto me when she was my friend and he says you never go behind friends to their love interests. Advice please....

Yep, RUN, she was never really a friend to start with. [2008-11-16]
A true friend doesn Dating a friend Sounds like your new husband has a good head on his shoulders. Hope it works out well for you.

Yep, RUN, she was never really a friend to start with. [2008-11-16]
A true friend doesn Dating a friend Sounds like your new husband has a good head on his shoulders. Hope it works out well for you.

I say forgive, of course, but forget, NO WAY......sm [2008-11-16]
To be a true friend and truly care for someone, you first have to respect them and honor their dignity....how can care for anyone, friend, lover, or whatever, if you cannot be TRUTHFUL? How can you say you respect someone whiile blatantly lying to them? As a Christian and hopefully good person, I belive we always have to forgive, but to forget as if nothing had happened, that is impossible, I would think. She betrayed you by lying, not by seeing your ex, that is HER problem if she wants a second-hand loser, but friendship is a sacred bond, I am sure you can forge some newer, better friendships, can you ever feel any confidence in this woman again? Just my firm opinion, I had this done to me many years ago when very young, and although we tried, the friendship was never the same, for obvious reasons. God bless in your decision!

I need some advice [2008-11-15]
Ok this is the story: My husband is still friends with his first girlfriends family. This does not bother me. She did a couple of things to really disgrace her family when she was dating him but after a period of time he still kept in touch with them as we live in a very small community. When we met and got engaged they were all very kind to me and the mother even did the cake and flowers for our wedding. The ex is never around much so no big deal. Well this past weekend her great grandmother passed. My husband had known this woman for sometime and the mother asked him to come to the funeral and told me I was not to feel like I shouldnI. To which the ex rolled her eyes and looked at her HUSBAND. So we walked away. To tell you the truth, we didn't really care. Well we get a phone call about an hour ago from the exum we aren Well, knowing how immature the ex and her husband are, we knew they were behind this (plus we could hear them in the background). So my husband told the boy Look, it Well a few minutes later he gets a text message from the brother saying my mom can (which obviously is not true since we saw her Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon and she was obviously not mental). So my husband sent back a message saying Look, whatever issues your sister has with me and your mom having an ADULT friendship, she needs to take those up with your mom, but quit trying to start drama. Well a few minutes later the phone rings. My husband handed me the phone. Knowing how mad he was at the moment, I answered. It was the ex. She asked if she could talk to him, and I said No. This needs to stop right now, it She said well my mom is really going crazy and she can. She went on for about five minutes and I said fine, we won I'm just so angry right now! I mean this is high school drama! What would you do? I know the mom will be absolutely heartbroken if my husband and I just stop coming to see her and talking to her (since her lovely daughter never comes home). I mean except for the funeral, we never go around if she is going to be there, and we don't sit there and talk bad about her or anything. I honestly think she knows she screwed up by messing around on him SIX YEARS AGO and is just upset that he's married and happy and it sounds like her husband is a jerk.

Alternative Christmas celebration and [2008-11-14]
Does anyone here NOT celebrate the traditional Christmas with their kids...specifically I am referring to the Santa portion. I am thinking about doing this with our second child (currently pregnant). Our first child is now old enough to know the truths and it is kind of a relief to be honest. I have tried and tried to stress the importance of family and the true meaning over Santa but its really hard. Recently I have just been thinking that may be next time it would be easier all the way around to not follow that but wonder how it would work with school, people asking, etc.

Explaining a couple of things sm [2008-11-14]
I studied IQ as part of my Masterget you because your sense of humor is probably well off the beaten track. You probably lack social skills from an early age. Your peers would play childhood games while you preferred to try to improve upon the toys they played with. In school, you didn't have to work very hard in most areas. It all came very easily. You didn't learn how to learn, which is a very valuable skill. You probably have a low frustration level and when something doesn't come very easily, you are prone to giving up. Because you see the world in completely different terms than people of more average intelligence, those same average people call you crazy or mentally ill and tell you that you should be locked up. You don't fit in and despite the higher intelligence, you are remiss to know how to accomplish the feat of being more ordinary. I alluded to this in my previous post. I have the unusual combination of being very artistic, creatively gifted AND being rather intellectually gifted. Yes, I did fall at the 99.6% percentile on the Wechsler. I know what it means and I have a firm understanding that indeed, that score suggests that I possess more intelligence than 99.6% of the people who have taken that test, and only 0.4% are smarter than I am. It has been a life-long struggle to fit in. I am too cerebral for artistic people, and too artistic for intellectuals. I literally have no one I fit in with. I have learned to tone myself down to make it work. I didn't say dumb down, I said tone down. That means I don't intentionally talk over the heads of others and I won't cram what I know down anyone's throat. I have had those people in my life who have been jealous of me. I learn quickly if it is artistic, musical, creative, the written word, history and philosophy. I struggle with math. I took piano lessons 10 years ago. I had 40 of them and had never played the piano before. In 40, 1-hour lessons I could play the Moonlight Sonata in piano solo (not a dumbed down easy version). Most people cannot do that. There many other things I have done in a similar fashion, but this is an example for you. You ask why I am an MT if I am so smart. I make very good money as an MT and I enjoy the challenge. My photographic memory comes in very handy too. I often stop and read up on a disease process I am transcribing about, so that I know what it means. Show me a word once and I'll know it forever. It makes my job easier for me to accomplish. This all sounds like I am blowing my own horn, but I am merely trying to explain. Being highly intelligent wonreally smart is not only not helpful, I think it is the root of the housecleaning issues in my life. In short, it is just great to have a good ol' high number and in the end it makes absolutely difference...if you don't count the fact that people with IQs over 150 are 3 times more likely to be depressed and commit suicide than the average population. People who are 125 to 140 are the most fortunate. They succeed in greater numbers in school, in a job, in life. They are very bright, and likely have learned how to learn. They are more likely to persevere in the face of frustration and challenge. It really isn't all you think it is.

Before you push the panic button sm [2008-11-14]
This is a recession, quite possibly the mother of all recessions. It may turn into a depression, but it will run a very distant second to the Great Depression, IF it does. Pre the GP (Great Depression) you several things going on that are NOT true today. We had come out of WWI not that long before. It had been a very bloody war, the first war with mechanized destruction. What the Doughboys witnessed was for them what we saw on 09/11...unimaginable death and destruction. It changed how they viewed America. When these boys came home from the war, they came back to the farm, by and large. We were an agrarian country and with the exception of east coast, there were hardly any factory jobs and most people worked the land. Plenty of places all over the country people worked on shares and they were not all in the deep south and they were not all black. There was not nearly the land/home ownership that there is today. Most of these dirt farmers lived in poverty and barely scraped by enough to eat twice a day. When the great Dust Bowl came through Oklahoma, it took the enormous clouds of dust eastward and dumped it into the Atlantic Ocean. This was a man-made disaster and the story of the Joads in the Grapes of Wrath centers on the Dust Bowl and the farming habits of families, like the Joads caused them problems. It was their fault that the top soil blew across FDR's desk in the Oval Office. There was no infrastructure to speak of, in those days. There were roadways, but not the spider web of paved roads there are today. Goods were carried on the rails, not over the roads. You didnin town and the Sears-Roebuck catalog. If you couldn't find it there or could not afford it you either cobbled something together or did without. You can look the Coal Miner's Daughter about being so low-down dirt poor it is unbelievable. That movie is quite cleaned up and Hollywood presentable. You could look at the sparse surroundings of the ranch house in Broke Back Mountain where Ennis goes after Jack dies, and while the time frame is more modern, the very plain, only the very basics of life appear in that ranch house. They are both a bit sanitized, but reasonably realistic. Today, Americans live extraordinarily different lives than we did 80 years ago. Most people have a vehicle. Most people have more than a dirt floor shack to live in. We, have thanks to the Great Depression and FDR's recovery plan, electricity, roads, water, sewage and other sanitation. We take these things for granted, but we should not. The GP did bring some food shortages, not because of the depression, but because of the lack of infrastructure combined with people on the move to find work to subsist. The food shortages you are thinking of came with WWII and rationing...another problem secondary to lack of infrastructure and subsistence farming where there was not enough food produced to meet the need. If you are going to stock up on food, let be for more common sense reasons. If you put your money in the bank, you will make 2% or 3% return on $500. If you put that same amount into nonperishable food (think canned goods), you make a better return on an investment. You don't earn 2% or 3%, but you can end up leveraging against future price increases that will meet and exceed what interest you make from a bank, which is nothing right now. You will need food whether you buy it now or buy it later. Squirreling away extra under the bed or whatever place you can find room, is a wise investment...financially and in peace of mind.

It is entirely your decision to do what ...sm [2008-11-14]
you want. I personally thought it was so fun doing the whole Santa thing with my son. I guess different for everybody. It is true that the true meaning of Christmas has nothing to do with Santa, but it just makes it fun with the little ones. :)

How Rude!!!! [2008-11-13]
Good for you! The fact that she told you to hold on while shefinished texting would have sent me right over the edge! Congrats to you for teaching her a lesson her parents obviously don I have 2 teenage girls and we have made that rule quite clearthat they will lose ALL privileges if they even thinkof texting while driving or talking while driving. The phone must be turned offwhen they drive and we have tested them on it many times just to make sure they are following the rules.