All my sympathies on this one, Keara – our son went through literally years of various allergic/immuno issues before we finally figured out the culprit was a combination of over-treatment and dietary limitations. It’s so difficult to be not only in that “helpless” position, but to amplify that with the health “care” industry’s disconnect with reality and humanity…
This is a minor b*tch in light of recent postings, however, I just purchased two tickets to a local performance in Feb/09 as a Christmas present for the XO.
Tickets to…Barry Manilow.
And, (this is the b*tch and moan part), I just know she’s going to want me to go with her.
sigh
Relax…Barry may be cooler than you think.
Dude…I feel your pain. I wouldn’t want to go to that show either. Lucky for me, when The Hubs goes to see Metallica, he’s more than happy to go alone.
Oooowwww! My eyes!!! Someone photoshop that jacket out of the picture! Where the frak did he buy that crime against humanity?!
Embarassing confession: I secretly like Barry Manilow—I used to have a bunch of his albumns. Don’t tell anyone.
But I don’t care about that, I’m leaving this B&M thread right now, 'cuz why? Here’s why? Our electricity FINALY came back on just now!!
Hip Hip HOORAY!!!
/Manilow On/
I can’t smile without you
Can’t smile without you
I can’t laugh, and I can’t sing
I’m finding hard (IYKWIM) to do anything
/Manilow Off/
hooray for thot’s
frakking lightbulbs !!
So, you took care of Tory, huh ? Wow.
And my Fraaking Toasters!!!
Yup. Tory is toast. It had to be done. I need my TiVo.
Hey now, that’s how he writes the songs that make the whole world sing…
(Actually, for all of his clicheed, sacharine craaaaap, Barry Manilow is capable of some very good songwriting. I find his setting of Johnny Mercer’s “When October Goes” to be simply stunning. Seriously. And remember, I’m the guy with the doctorate in music. So no jokes, you frakkers!)
I got my offer for summer funding and it’s NOT what I asked for. And the position I was offered (albeit without having to work the whole summer) only makes half as much money. We need the money big time.
Ugh.
And I forgot to mention - they won’t know if it’s actually a go until May. :mad:
With the partial summer still open, is there any opportunity to pick up an additional “freelance gig” of sorts, or is the gap too short?
Ugh! Casilda, you have my sympathies AND my empathy. I think if you’re able to make the DC meet up/frak party we need to have a serious academic job pity party.
I wish my finals would grade themselves. Also, I have TWO (count 'em, TWO) students failing my Theory II class. I’d feel bad about that one if only they’d bothered to show up every now and then.
The horror, the horror!
Seriously, ask if you can be on a business trip that weekend. There are limits to true love.
Yaaaaay!
We’ll have a pre-game session for those of us who have love/hate relationships with the academic institutions that employ us and/or lay us off.
I’m hoping to - but I got an email later in the day making clear that only a third of us got employment at all, so I’m kind of counting my blessings and thinking that there won’t be a lot else available, especially if people don’t have ANY employment in the summer from the U.
Totally. I’m just glad I’m not on the market market yet… it would be a very depressing year.
Haha, my strategy has been to not have a final exam for my course. However, I fear that that strategy may be eliminated because my teaching mentor wants me to have a final exam. Which will be a logistical pain in the behind.
Nevertheless, it hurts to give bad grades. For all the students out there: your teachers WANT you to do well. We don’t like it when you don’t learn. Just saying.
LOL, totally. My department generally takes good care of us (we have health insurance! And we get paid more than a lot of other departments…), but there’s only so much that can be done in the current fiscal climate. 
We’ll have a pre-game session for those of us who have love/hate relationships with the academic institutions that employ us and/or lay us off.
I’ll bring my battering ram.
Haha, my strategy has been to not have a final exam for my course. However, I fear that that strategy may be eliminated because my teaching mentor wants me to have a final exam. Which will be a logistical pain in the behind.
Nevertheless, it hurts to give bad grades. For all the students out there: your teachers WANT you to do well. We don’t like it when you don’t learn. Just saying.
I just got done grading exams. I had to do some grading gymnastics to keep things from looking gods-awful for these kids. I wonder if I’m doing a good job…
Now I have to deal with a pile of homework that was left ungraded by my TA. I was thinking of just averaging it out based on who turned how much in, but I may just scrap it entirely. I don’t know. I need to finish this before Thursday. I tell you what, though: I’m not collecting homework next term. I’m giving pop quizzes just to make sure they’re doing the homework.
LOL, totally. My department generally takes good care of us (we have health insurance! And we get paid more than a lot of other departments…), but there’s only so much that can be done in the current fiscal climate.
Tell me about it. It’s mid-December and I’ve yet to get a nibble, and I have perhaps two dozen resumes out by now. And my school’s endowment is expected to go down to -21% return by the end of the year, which makes me feel like my job is definitely on the chopping block.
Graduate School.
It’s not just a job, it’s an indenture
- as seen on a Clemson U grad student t-shirt
Apologies for those who saw me whinging about this on twitter. I’m still majorly pissed. I went to the shops this afternoon to get some fish from the fish shop. I was gone ten minutes max, and came out to see a big dint and lots of white paint on my car door. Many expletives followed.
I’m usually pretty chilled out, but this is the 6th time this has happened to me in the past few years. No note, no witnesses. Plus a few weeks ago I was without the car for 3 weeks, spent $500 excess and lost an insurance rating (again) getting the same door replaced. Plus, it’s my ex-boyfriend’s car, he’s letting me use it while he’s overseas.
Eeek. Sorry to hear about your son getting GERD. I think a couple of my 9-year-olds’ friends had that recently. I’ll find out.
Why won’t the insurance company pay for the meds after the end of the year? That seems kinda arbitrary.
I remember you getting migraines some months ago. Are these latest headache’s migraines or just headaches?
My son is currently on Prevacid solutabs, which is a tablet that dissolves in the mouth. He doesn’t swallow pills yet and he’s loathe to try. (That’s been a nightmare to get him to do–and we can’t use M&M’s to teach him because chocolate is a no-no for GERD patients.) Anyway, Prevacid is very expensive and the the insurance company is dropping it from their formulary in 2009. They will pay for generic Prilosec, but that only comes in a capsule form which we did try to get him to swallow plain, using olive oil, breaking open in applesauce, etc. with no success. Badger suggested trying mashed banana. I’ll have a few months of the current prescription’s supply left to teach him to take the other drug. The insurance company doesn’t care about the reality of the kid’s life–their bottom line matters. Having worked for an insurance company I get that, but as a parent it is extremely frustrating.
I remember you getting migraines some months ago. Are these latest headache’s migraines or just headaches?
I am prone to migraines. My mother has them so a) they are probably hereditary and b) I have a seizure disorder and migraines are a co-morbid condition of those with epilepsy. So, I must take meds to prevent that migraines, but stress, forgetting to take my preventative meds, certain foods, etc. can cause “breakthrough” migraines. So yes, these are probably stress-induced migraines. Sorry, for the long answer, but I thought having some background might help. I can only stay so zen…I’m pretty type-A. 