it gets pretty crowded in my neighborhood with great decorations. there are few professional set designers in the area who go to town with their decorations.
i am at home working today (saturday). outside a wee child is crying/screaming. my first reaction is it sounds like my daughter and i better go see what's wrong. i look up and my daughter is right in front of me, playing happily with her big sister.
holy pavlovia, i am so trained by my kids i am all set to go help out with any child that is crying now! i was never one of those people who hated children crying, but this is just going too far ;-)
blakharp - there are studies out there that prove babies inherently know h ow to hold their breath in the water so it's not far fetched.
As for me, I bought all the parts necessary to dress up as a tree hugger, but in the end I didn't have the energy to dress up. Still hacking up something fierce, but the duration between the hacking has lengthened. YAY!!!
DubK - I have no idea what it is. Antibiotics aren't working as well I figured they would so I'm beginning to think that perhaps it's a virus. In any case, it's been going on for almost two weeks and it needs to go.
Sorry blackharp I didn't mean to offend, or to belittle you. I've been out of sorts these past few weeks. It IS amazing, amazing that it is an inherent trait still with us after all these millenia. Think about how many children could be saved from drowning every year if more parents taught their kids these easy life skills.
Hope everyone is having a good Saturday evening. I'm off to a party for a couple of hours. Don't forget, tonight we all get an extra hour of sleep as daylight savings time ends. Ciao.
my wife teaches children who are not gifted to do things from the province of the gifted. her private school is frankly amazing, though i am not yet convinced the kids come out in the end any better than kids who just watch cartoons.
anyway, she has 3 year olds who know all of the prefectures of japan, can recite poetry from the 16th century (the equivalent of shakespeare), and can read and write the japanese and english alphabets...and that's just warming up. in the end i believe the study in freakonomics has it right and destiny begins with your parents income and social standing, so perhaps none of the tricks the kids do are important. however it is pretty convincing evidence of the power of the human mind. the kids btw are not forced to do any of this stuff, they are all taught through play and probably aren't even aware they are in a school. that part is kinda cool.
I'm all into teaching toddlers how to swim, I was lucky enough to have started early as well. This video however is freaky, and the orchestrated screams of the infant were unnerving me because a parent never came running out. Sigh, I don't even know how they "teach" the infants to do that.
I could swim before I could walk... I loved freaking out lifeguards by sitting on the bottom of the pool for a couple of minutes, perfectly fine, until they started to get nervous.
I am blaming Motorola for my lack of love life this weekend... adorable boy finally called, and what happened? My f'ing phone completely flips out! It's dialing numbers, trying to connect to the web, turning speakerphone on and off, and basically making that the single most painful conversation I've ever tried to have. Seriously, the people at Motorola owe me so big for this it's unbelievable.
Hi all still traveling,
SH,
I am actually in Rajasthan right now and they do have some amazing textiles.
My roommate learned to swim by being thrown into the pool by his father,.]
I think he was maybe 5.
Hi philarct!!
And I feel like although i am missing Halloween I have been dressing up this whole trip and every is in "costume"so....
Another rough day for me here. WonderMan came back into LA and is now on his way back to Hawaii, which is sad but I was very grateful to get to see him again before he went. We all went out to dinner last night and he was a hoot. I'm glad to see him getting to be his old self. Camping on Halloween was fine, but I'm having a hard time not thinking of it as a waste of time.
And WonderKitty is really, really sick. We're now giving her IV fluids (with a bag and a needle and everything) but it only seems to be making her a little less uncomfortable, and she's still not eating and not really drinking water either. Plus she's starting to walk funny, no idea why. She cried through half of the night last night ... I really don't know what to do anymore. I'm not interested in taking extreme measures to prolong her life, I don't think it's right and I can't afford it anyway. I'm really upset because she seems like she's in so much pain, I mean - is it time to put her down? I've never had to do this before. I don't know what I'm doing. How do I know that? I'm so upset I can barely see straight and I have midterms tomorrow, god help me....
DubK, its sad, I know, but I say put her down. There's no sense in being in pain if its not going to help anything.
And my halloween did NOT go as planned. I was going to get groceries, and then rent some cheesey/non-scary halloween movie (think Bunnicula or something), but Husband called to say that his dad passed, and we had to go to our home-town. Sucks. Since I deal with death by focussing on trivial things, I'm worried that I'm going to get fired because I've been off work soo much this year, what with the baby and all that. Nothing I can do though. Its very wierd to select someone's casket. Death is such an inconvenience. It really points out how selfish we can be, you know? The man only saw Abe three times. That wasn't all our fault, he could've made an effort as well, but you can't help but blame yourself. It looks like we will be making the 2.5 hour drive to deep east texas every off weekend now to handle things. Yeah for being a grown up.
Oh, and on our way down Friday, there was a man standing on the side of the interstate in a black hooded cape, holding the riegns to a black horse. Creepy.
Wonder K, I'm so sorry about well everything, glad you got to see Wonderman one more time, for the holidays even. But Wonder Kitty isn't sounding good at all. I would say if she starts to hide or go missing for long periods then it might be time. Most animals have that instinct that when things aren't going too well for them to go off somewhere safe and quiet. I'm sorry. But all the best for your exams.
Nam great to see you are still enjoying your trip in India. Rationalist, I had the same problem with my phone. Less than 3 months after shelling out nearly $500 for it. Hence why I am both set and fearful of getting an iphone...seems like the more things your phone can do the more likely it can completely screw with your life.
And a glorious three cheers to Lewis Hamilton for being the youngest F1 winner, and afro decent
emkem, i wish your bf could stay extra couple of days. it is most difficult. and going thorough this for human, dog and cat friends, i do understand. look, the quality of life is down to nothing for the kitty. and if she is terminally ill, this must be the last stages of her desaese. i can't say anymore than that but if this has been going on for a while, and kitty is in pain constantly, you don't have many choices. it will be one of the saddest time but time will pass and it will heal the pain of losing her. she is crying because she is hurting big time. they usually put humans on morphin for times like this.
timing sounds shitty, but there is never correct time for these things.
we all love wonder kitty and greatful to her for driving you to los angeles. it is sad to hear she is in big pain and crying all night and day.
talk to your vet. they are usually very helpful in times like this.
WK- i'm so sorry to hear about wonder kitty- i would only reiterate orhan's advice on consulting your vet. only he or she can tell the difference between a serious illness that can be overcome or a terminally ill condition.
oh wonderk, i am so very sorry to hear about wonderkitty! she looks like such a sweet and loving beauty. Unfortunately I can't offer anything but a virtual hug. <<<<hug>>>>
sorry about wonderkitty. i had a wonderful wonderkitty who at the age of about 18 stroked out right after begging for some cheese. this happened at night and so she was paralyzed until i could have her put to sleep. another cat i had a sweet 16 pound diabetic named sidney died at the kennel while i was on vacation. they are both in kitty heaven. i love cats. i just gave pearl some extra treats and brushed her.
cats are great. wish we had one here. watching them age and get sick and sometimes pass away is not fun, but i guess it is a fair tradeoff.
I have watched my own father pass away and enough friends and family have died to make me angry at the world sometimes. death is such a bummer. The bonus of meeting up with friends and family at such times is a kind of automatic balm that i have personally always been grateful for, however.
anyway, good luck with school WK. I hope you can find the strength to concentrate with all the other important stuff going on round you.
TC is down in the dumps tonight, so I'll throw in my problems too. Been a crappy weekend, just horrible. Friday we found out Angus got into TWO fights at school last week. He has his mother's temper and is taking it out on other kids and this has become too common. So, Friday afternoon we made the decision to not allow him to go trick or treating this year as punishment. This is after I spent three weekends sewing him the coolest little road runner costume from a vintage pattern and he was SO psyched to wear it. Nothing but tears from both him and me Friday night, and I've been crying all weekend as he's still upset and I'm heartbroken. Next week we call the school counselor to make sure we and his teacher are on the same page about how to help him manage his anger. In the meantime, I'm 41 and still can't manage mine, so I'm feeling like the biggest asshole in the world right now for even imagining I could ever be a good mom. I'm sure it will work out but this parenting thing is just too goddamn hard sometimes.
DubK, it's very hard, but I have to agree with others - it sounds like WonderKitty is in pain and it is time to let her go. When we put down Gus we had a vet come to the house and our puppy died on Brian's lap. Then another company came half an hour later and took his body away to be cremated. When I put down my 18 year old cat, who I had since I was five, we did it at the vet. The former scenario is more expensive but more peaceful for an animal that hates the vet's office.
Don't feel guilty if you think it will ease WonderKitty's pain. She has had a good easy life with you and it is being a good caregiver for her to let her go when the time arrives. Lots of cats have kidney trouble - that was what made me finally make the decision for my cat - and it is very painful and very difficult to recover. Letting her go is likely the kinder course of action. My hope for you is that you feel secure and strong no matter what decision you make.
Sarah, sorry for your FIL. Hope your man is handling it OK - I imagine having Abe and losing his father makes him feel suddenly the weight of being "the man of the family" in a new way - good luck to you being his support for the upcoming dealing with what needs to be taken care of.
happier week for everyone here on TC and hang in there. Give lots of hugs to the people you love - it HONESTLY really does seem to help.
On a lighter (possibly...) note, is the Archinect poll timer wrong? Polls don't open until 6am on Tuesday, surely, which is more than 23 hours away, right?
But then my brain is mush after this hellacious weekend and election cycle so I couldn't manage 2+2 properly by now.
DubK: Sorry to hear about WonderKitty... As others have said, it might be time to let her go. Easier said than done, of course... My own cat is sitting here on my desk as I type this, and I try not to think about the time when I may have to make a similar decision about him.
In keeping with the gloomy theme of TC tonight, my own firm has begun a round of layoffs. One of the people from my project team was let go on Friday, and there are apparently "more to come". I think my position is reasonably secure at least through the middle of December, but who knows what will happen afterwards.
If the worst-case-scenario happens and I'm unable to quickly find a new job here in NYC, then I'll really be up shit creek. I have no savings, and unemployment benefits wouldn't even begin to cover my rent, much less any other living expenses. I'd probably find myself making a very hasty move to Cincinnati or to my parents' place in North Carolina, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. In the meantime, I probably won't be sleeping very well at night, though.
I am so sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down so much. You are all so kind and thank you for thinking of me. I have literally been sitting at my desk, designing in Illustrator and sobbing all day. I know you are right ... it's been especially hard since my roommate's cat just passed away from the exact same thing, so it's not like I have any hope. Anyway, thanks again.
liberty bell, I'm sorry about Angus. At least this is something that you can deal with, and you're communicating with his teachers, and I know you love him to pieces, so you'll work it out.
Various friends and associates, including my mother and tunamelt, just got out of the Obama rally in Cincinnati at my alma mater. The stadium was fuller than I've ever seen it for any football game. I know I'm probably overdramatizing the after effects but literally if he doesn't win on Tuesday, I think I'm going to take advantage of the free therapy on my campus.
DubK, I have a gift certificate to the local holistic rehabilitation center that I've been sitting on since last Christmas - if Obama doesn't win, I'm setting up an appointment for counseling!
No problem "bringing down the mood" - I think we all need a place to vent tonight.
LiG, hang in there too. Maybe a sudden displacement to your folks would give you time to work on grad school apps?
Well, I've pretty much decided to put off grad school for another year anyway, so I won't be putting apps together this fall.
Ending up in NC would probably be the worst possible thing for me, since there aren't likely to be too many architecture jobs down in that area. NYC, even in a depressed economy, would probably have a lot more opportunities just because of the sheer number of firms here.
If anything, I'd probably try to somehow end up in Cincinnati, since that's one of my top picks for grad school anyway, I'd rather shoot myself in the face than live in Raleigh, and I think Cincy might have a few more decent architecture firms than Raleigh.
At least New York State unemployment benefits would go much further in either Raleigh or Cincy than they would here...
Wonder K don't worry too much about setting the mood down, I suspect that may have been the reason for the minimal chatter here lately. Perhaps everyone is on edge not just about the pending election but also things in their lives. Let the tears out and enjoy the last moments with her if it is so.
Liberty my parents had a similar experience with me when I was about Angus' age - I knocked out some kid would was constantly teasing and berating me. They had first had punished and rebuked my actions, but when they finally met with the teacher they realised it was self defense. Find out what the context of the fight was, and deal with it accordingly. Don't beat yourself about it, from what you have described of him it seems as if he has a well developed personality and it may have a some reason behind it. Your motherhood is intact, believe me everything is okay.
Apologies if there are any major typos in the previous paragraphs. I had a boys (+2 girls) night at friends house. 4 beers (same one drunk by Dexter tonight on tv) and 2 glasses of JW Swing and I'm feeling well... happy. I was too sloshed to search for the hammered thread just yet so I've used TC as a little relieve
I was all set to tell TC how excited I was to see Obama tonight, but after all the horrible things everyone has posted, the wind in my sails is now comepltey gone. :o(
DubK - It makes me want to weep hearing about WonderKitty. She was such an awesome addition to our trip out West. I will definitely miss her sweet little face. I must agree with everyone here, consult your vet first, but I think it would probably be the most humane thing to have her put down. Love on her as much as you can while you she is still with you. And remember you gave her a wonderful life.
LB - I too am sorry to hear about Angus. You are in no way a bad mother, and don't you start telling yourself that. You are tackling the problem head on and are working with the teachers in order to curb his anger. There are some parents out there that would just blame the other kid.
SH - Sorry to hear about FIL. That sucks. Was it expected (is really ever) or was it sudden. I don't know what's worse really, not being prepared, or watching your loved one disintegrate?
LIG - I don't know what to say other than chin up and just try to remain as positive as you can. Things in the end work out for the best.
After the month I've had all I want to say is your loved ones, including your pets as much and as often as you can b/c you never know when it'll be your last to do so. Anyway, I'm off to bed. Sleep tight TC.
Sarah I totally missed the part about your FIL passing, I am so sorry. If it's any consolation I was already crying anyway, plus I did this last week with WonderMan. I hope for your sake there is no family tension about the services, will or any of that. Not so in WM's case. :o/
LIG, I am already experiencing high anxiety about the state of the job market when I get out in May and it doesn't help to hear that people got laid off in NYC, which is the last bastion of employment for our kind. Hang in there.
Sarah oh my I just say the note about the passing of your FIL my condolences. Sometimes with things like that you do need someone to focus of the little things, to help get them out of the way. Any job that thinks they should let you go because of personal things like death/birth probably aren't worth spending your time with.
hangover headache has started I'm now going to curl up in bed, g'night all
To try to focus on work, here is what my day holds: The cafe Owner ended up picking a pastry case that is 5' long after the approved cabinetry had already been built for a 4' case. Anonymous Corporate Landlord ignored my request for a cost estimate to remove 12" from the already-built cabinet and just went ahead and made the change - then sent the Owner a bill for six thousand dollars.
I deeply understand the urge to just get in there and build it yourself that so many of us architects feel! The approval channels are just ridiculous and end up costing everyone a lot. Won't be a fun meeting today but I may break out the line "I could have repaired that terrazzo with clear nail polish for five bucks!".
Post like that is why I am addicted to TC. Liberty you rock!! Have you ever thought of going the design build route? I'm consciously thinking of getting a small crew together to do small works - maybe that's what i'll call it. I just need to convince my contractor to come home for a few months from his already lucrative arrangement doing fit outs in Anguilla
i will be in dallas thursday judging for this competition.
in real life i have a really hard time drawing anything more involved than a stick figure!!!
somebody i asked a question years ago in 1985, i intend to talk about him a little...
any suggestions or insights about the state of deliniation world?
i just spent most of my weekend (except when i was teaching) putting together a kick-ass proposal for a prospective job - delivered at 2:15 this afternoon. sorry to have missed you all lately (we started working on this wed-thurs) but it's been nuts putting this thing together. we're the unknowns among a shortlist of people that the client has worked with multiple times before.
15 miles on the erie canal...in an unrelated story there is a movement going on around to raise the driving age. last week some 16 year old hit a deputy and killed a deputy who was directing traffic. also, a 16 year old did some vodka shots and smashed into a tree killing his 14 year old passenger and there was just a story about a 16 year old who rearended a school bus sending several students to the hospital. the driver's remark to police, " i did not see the bus." wtf? of course i was the worst driver in the world and almost rearended a car that was turning left while on the way to a frank zappa concert. if this would have happened me and the entire garage/punk band "vado retro" would have perished in a fiery crash. not to mention whoever was in the other car. probably a beloved grandmother.
it's a smash to see teenagers smash nice cars & kill themselves...maybe it make more sense just ot execute a bunch of teenagers...that way at least the cars could be spared
Thread Central
is hiring again...
though i will gladly dispute the "Most admired design firms in the country" by a freakin longshot.
in fact, a lot of their work is downright awful. especially here in the NW
Rationalist that is actually a cool custome, less for the shoes but rather because most of the goddess depiction in Rome is with curly red hair.
I don't know about you guys but I'm knackered, I didn't get a nap today, and I'm hungry - I think I'll be playing this Hallow's eve from my bed.
in honour of Halloween, a Michael Meyers Marathon??
it gets pretty crowded in my neighborhood with great decorations. there are few professional set designers in the area who go to town with their decorations.
Photos by abracadavra
cool pics abra.
i am at home working today (saturday). outside a wee child is crying/screaming. my first reaction is it sounds like my daughter and i better go see what's wrong. i look up and my daughter is right in front of me, playing happily with her big sister.
holy pavlovia, i am so trained by my kids i am all set to go help out with any child that is crying now! i was never one of those people who hated children crying, but this is just going too far ;-)
Daddy first, dr. jump second it happens to the best of us.
hey guys!
havent talked in a bit
how is everyone?
hope everyone had a good halloween
check this out, its the craziest thing
but its kinda cool
independent babies
philarct, that is crazy. i book marked it. how old is that little kid? they said they've taught 6 month old infants. that insane!
blakharp - there are studies out there that prove babies inherently know h ow to hold their breath in the water so it's not far fetched.
As for me, I bought all the parts necessary to dress up as a tree hugger, but in the end I didn't have the energy to dress up. Still hacking up something fierce, but the duration between the hacking has lengthened. YAY!!!
DubK - I have no idea what it is. Antibiotics aren't working as well I figured they would so I'm beginning to think that perhaps it's a virus. In any case, it's been going on for almost two weeks and it needs to go.
it just seemed amazing to me. i have never spent any real time with infants, so I'm sorry i didn't know this.
Sorry blackharp I didn't mean to offend, or to belittle you. I've been out of sorts these past few weeks. It IS amazing, amazing that it is an inherent trait still with us after all these millenia. Think about how many children could be saved from drowning every year if more parents taught their kids these easy life skills.
Hope everyone is having a good Saturday evening. I'm off to a party for a couple of hours. Don't forget, tonight we all get an extra hour of sleep as daylight savings time ends. Ciao.
my wife teaches children who are not gifted to do things from the province of the gifted. her private school is frankly amazing, though i am not yet convinced the kids come out in the end any better than kids who just watch cartoons.
anyway, she has 3 year olds who know all of the prefectures of japan, can recite poetry from the 16th century (the equivalent of shakespeare), and can read and write the japanese and english alphabets...and that's just warming up. in the end i believe the study in freakonomics has it right and destiny begins with your parents income and social standing, so perhaps none of the tricks the kids do are important. however it is pretty convincing evidence of the power of the human mind. the kids btw are not forced to do any of this stuff, they are all taught through play and probably aren't even aware they are in a school. that part is kinda cool.
I'm all into teaching toddlers how to swim, I was lucky enough to have started early as well. This video however is freaky, and the orchestrated screams of the infant were unnerving me because a parent never came running out. Sigh, I don't even know how they "teach" the infants to do that.
I could swim before I could walk... I loved freaking out lifeguards by sitting on the bottom of the pool for a couple of minutes, perfectly fine, until they started to get nervous.
I am blaming Motorola for my lack of love life this weekend... adorable boy finally called, and what happened? My f'ing phone completely flips out! It's dialing numbers, trying to connect to the web, turning speakerphone on and off, and basically making that the single most painful conversation I've ever tried to have. Seriously, the people at Motorola owe me so big for this it's unbelievable.
Hi all still traveling,
SH,
I am actually in Rajasthan right now and they do have some amazing textiles.
My roommate learned to swim by being thrown into the pool by his father,.]
I think he was maybe 5.
Hi philarct!!
And I feel like although i am missing Halloween I have been dressing up this whole trip and every is in "costume"so....
Another rough day for me here. WonderMan came back into LA and is now on his way back to Hawaii, which is sad but I was very grateful to get to see him again before he went. We all went out to dinner last night and he was a hoot. I'm glad to see him getting to be his old self. Camping on Halloween was fine, but I'm having a hard time not thinking of it as a waste of time.
And WonderKitty is really, really sick. We're now giving her IV fluids (with a bag and a needle and everything) but it only seems to be making her a little less uncomfortable, and she's still not eating and not really drinking water either. Plus she's starting to walk funny, no idea why. She cried through half of the night last night ... I really don't know what to do anymore. I'm not interested in taking extreme measures to prolong her life, I don't think it's right and I can't afford it anyway. I'm really upset because she seems like she's in so much pain, I mean - is it time to put her down? I've never had to do this before. I don't know what I'm doing. How do I know that? I'm so upset I can barely see straight and I have midterms tomorrow, god help me....
For once I wish someone would just tell me what to do.
DubK, its sad, I know, but I say put her down. There's no sense in being in pain if its not going to help anything.
And my halloween did NOT go as planned. I was going to get groceries, and then rent some cheesey/non-scary halloween movie (think Bunnicula or something), but Husband called to say that his dad passed, and we had to go to our home-town. Sucks. Since I deal with death by focussing on trivial things, I'm worried that I'm going to get fired because I've been off work soo much this year, what with the baby and all that. Nothing I can do though. Its very wierd to select someone's casket. Death is such an inconvenience. It really points out how selfish we can be, you know? The man only saw Abe three times. That wasn't all our fault, he could've made an effort as well, but you can't help but blame yourself. It looks like we will be making the 2.5 hour drive to deep east texas every off weekend now to handle things. Yeah for being a grown up.
Oh, and on our way down Friday, there was a man standing on the side of the interstate in a black hooded cape, holding the riegns to a black horse. Creepy.
Wonder K, I'm so sorry about well everything, glad you got to see Wonderman one more time, for the holidays even. But Wonder Kitty isn't sounding good at all. I would say if she starts to hide or go missing for long periods then it might be time. Most animals have that instinct that when things aren't going too well for them to go off somewhere safe and quiet. I'm sorry. But all the best for your exams.
Nam great to see you are still enjoying your trip in India. Rationalist, I had the same problem with my phone. Less than 3 months after shelling out nearly $500 for it. Hence why I am both set and fearful of getting an iphone...seems like the more things your phone can do the more likely it can completely screw with your life.
And a glorious three cheers to Lewis Hamilton for being the youngest F1 winner, and afro decent
emkem, i wish your bf could stay extra couple of days. it is most difficult. and going thorough this for human, dog and cat friends, i do understand. look, the quality of life is down to nothing for the kitty. and if she is terminally ill, this must be the last stages of her desaese. i can't say anymore than that but if this has been going on for a while, and kitty is in pain constantly, you don't have many choices. it will be one of the saddest time but time will pass and it will heal the pain of losing her. she is crying because she is hurting big time. they usually put humans on morphin for times like this.
timing sounds shitty, but there is never correct time for these things.
we all love wonder kitty and greatful to her for driving you to los angeles. it is sad to hear she is in big pain and crying all night and day.
talk to your vet. they are usually very helpful in times like this.
WK- i'm so sorry to hear about wonder kitty- i would only reiterate orhan's advice on consulting your vet. only he or she can tell the difference between a serious illness that can be overcome or a terminally ill condition.
I just got my second absentee ballot in the mail.
Any ideas on what I should do with it?
oh wonderk, i am so very sorry to hear about wonderkitty! she looks like such a sweet and loving beauty. Unfortunately I can't offer anything but a virtual hug. <<<<hug>>>>
sorry about wonderkitty. i had a wonderful wonderkitty who at the age of about 18 stroked out right after begging for some cheese. this happened at night and so she was paralyzed until i could have her put to sleep. another cat i had a sweet 16 pound diabetic named sidney died at the kennel while i was on vacation. they are both in kitty heaven. i love cats. i just gave pearl some extra treats and brushed her.
sorry to hear that WK.
cats are great. wish we had one here. watching them age and get sick and sometimes pass away is not fun, but i guess it is a fair tradeoff.
I have watched my own father pass away and enough friends and family have died to make me angry at the world sometimes. death is such a bummer. The bonus of meeting up with friends and family at such times is a kind of automatic balm that i have personally always been grateful for, however.
anyway, good luck with school WK. I hope you can find the strength to concentrate with all the other important stuff going on round you.
it is the day of the dead.
TC is down in the dumps tonight, so I'll throw in my problems too. Been a crappy weekend, just horrible. Friday we found out Angus got into TWO fights at school last week. He has his mother's temper and is taking it out on other kids and this has become too common. So, Friday afternoon we made the decision to not allow him to go trick or treating this year as punishment. This is after I spent three weekends sewing him the coolest little road runner costume from a vintage pattern and he was SO psyched to wear it. Nothing but tears from both him and me Friday night, and I've been crying all weekend as he's still upset and I'm heartbroken. Next week we call the school counselor to make sure we and his teacher are on the same page about how to help him manage his anger. In the meantime, I'm 41 and still can't manage mine, so I'm feeling like the biggest asshole in the world right now for even imagining I could ever be a good mom. I'm sure it will work out but this parenting thing is just too goddamn hard sometimes.
DubK, it's very hard, but I have to agree with others - it sounds like WonderKitty is in pain and it is time to let her go. When we put down Gus we had a vet come to the house and our puppy died on Brian's lap. Then another company came half an hour later and took his body away to be cremated. When I put down my 18 year old cat, who I had since I was five, we did it at the vet. The former scenario is more expensive but more peaceful for an animal that hates the vet's office.
Don't feel guilty if you think it will ease WonderKitty's pain. She has had a good easy life with you and it is being a good caregiver for her to let her go when the time arrives. Lots of cats have kidney trouble - that was what made me finally make the decision for my cat - and it is very painful and very difficult to recover. Letting her go is likely the kinder course of action. My hope for you is that you feel secure and strong no matter what decision you make.
Sarah, sorry for your FIL. Hope your man is handling it OK - I imagine having Abe and losing his father makes him feel suddenly the weight of being "the man of the family" in a new way - good luck to you being his support for the upcoming dealing with what needs to be taken care of.
happier week for everyone here on TC and hang in there. Give lots of hugs to the people you love - it HONESTLY really does seem to help.
On a lighter (possibly...) note, is the Archinect poll timer wrong? Polls don't open until 6am on Tuesday, surely, which is more than 23 hours away, right?
But then my brain is mush after this hellacious weekend and election cycle so I couldn't manage 2+2 properly by now.
sorry to hear about all that stress with your little one lb. i have no insights as i have no children and was the class bully.
Oh DubK... I'm so sorry. It really does sound like her time has come, and she will be missed.
LB, I expect they probably just set the countdown to the day, and so it automatically counted down to midnight instead of 6am.
DubK: Sorry to hear about WonderKitty... As others have said, it might be time to let her go. Easier said than done, of course... My own cat is sitting here on my desk as I type this, and I try not to think about the time when I may have to make a similar decision about him.
In keeping with the gloomy theme of TC tonight, my own firm has begun a round of layoffs. One of the people from my project team was let go on Friday, and there are apparently "more to come". I think my position is reasonably secure at least through the middle of December, but who knows what will happen afterwards.
If the worst-case-scenario happens and I'm unable to quickly find a new job here in NYC, then I'll really be up shit creek. I have no savings, and unemployment benefits wouldn't even begin to cover my rent, much less any other living expenses. I'd probably find myself making a very hasty move to Cincinnati or to my parents' place in North Carolina, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. In the meantime, I probably won't be sleeping very well at night, though.
I am so sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down so much. You are all so kind and thank you for thinking of me. I have literally been sitting at my desk, designing in Illustrator and sobbing all day. I know you are right ... it's been especially hard since my roommate's cat just passed away from the exact same thing, so it's not like I have any hope. Anyway, thanks again.
liberty bell, I'm sorry about Angus. At least this is something that you can deal with, and you're communicating with his teachers, and I know you love him to pieces, so you'll work it out.
Various friends and associates, including my mother and tunamelt, just got out of the Obama rally in Cincinnati at my alma mater. The stadium was fuller than I've ever seen it for any football game. I know I'm probably overdramatizing the after effects but literally if he doesn't win on Tuesday, I think I'm going to take advantage of the free therapy on my campus.
DubK, I have a gift certificate to the local holistic rehabilitation center that I've been sitting on since last Christmas - if Obama doesn't win, I'm setting up an appointment for counseling!
No problem "bringing down the mood" - I think we all need a place to vent tonight.
LiG, hang in there too. Maybe a sudden displacement to your folks would give you time to work on grad school apps?
'night all.
Wow... I'm jealous of tunamelt. Hopefully she'll grace us with a full report when she gets back to TC.
Apparently Nippert Stadium has a capacity of about 35,000, and it looked pretty packed when I watched the live feed of the speech.
Well, I've pretty much decided to put off grad school for another year anyway, so I won't be putting apps together this fall.
Ending up in NC would probably be the worst possible thing for me, since there aren't likely to be too many architecture jobs down in that area. NYC, even in a depressed economy, would probably have a lot more opportunities just because of the sheer number of firms here.
If anything, I'd probably try to somehow end up in Cincinnati, since that's one of my top picks for grad school anyway, I'd rather shoot myself in the face than live in Raleigh, and I think Cincy might have a few more decent architecture firms than Raleigh.
At least New York State unemployment benefits would go much further in either Raleigh or Cincy than they would here...
Wonder K don't worry too much about setting the mood down, I suspect that may have been the reason for the minimal chatter here lately. Perhaps everyone is on edge not just about the pending election but also things in their lives. Let the tears out and enjoy the last moments with her if it is so.
Liberty my parents had a similar experience with me when I was about Angus' age - I knocked out some kid would was constantly teasing and berating me. They had first had punished and rebuked my actions, but when they finally met with the teacher they realised it was self defense. Find out what the context of the fight was, and deal with it accordingly. Don't beat yourself about it, from what you have described of him it seems as if he has a well developed personality and it may have a some reason behind it. Your motherhood is intact, believe me everything is okay.
Apologies if there are any major typos in the previous paragraphs. I had a boys (+2 girls) night at friends house. 4 beers (same one drunk by Dexter tonight on tv) and 2 glasses of JW Swing and I'm feeling well... happy. I was too sloshed to search for the hammered thread just yet so I've used TC as a little relieve
Enjoy your week...
I was all set to tell TC how excited I was to see Obama tonight, but after all the horrible things everyone has posted, the wind in my sails is now comepltey gone. :o(
DubK - It makes me want to weep hearing about WonderKitty. She was such an awesome addition to our trip out West. I will definitely miss her sweet little face. I must agree with everyone here, consult your vet first, but I think it would probably be the most humane thing to have her put down. Love on her as much as you can while you she is still with you. And remember you gave her a wonderful life.
LB - I too am sorry to hear about Angus. You are in no way a bad mother, and don't you start telling yourself that. You are tackling the problem head on and are working with the teachers in order to curb his anger. There are some parents out there that would just blame the other kid.
SH - Sorry to hear about FIL. That sucks. Was it expected (is really ever) or was it sudden. I don't know what's worse really, not being prepared, or watching your loved one disintegrate?
LIG - I don't know what to say other than chin up and just try to remain as positive as you can. Things in the end work out for the best.
After the month I've had all I want to say is your loved ones, including your pets as much and as often as you can b/c you never know when it'll be your last to do so. Anyway, I'm off to bed. Sleep tight TC.
Sarah I totally missed the part about your FIL passing, I am so sorry. If it's any consolation I was already crying anyway, plus I did this last week with WonderMan. I hope for your sake there is no family tension about the services, will or any of that. Not so in WM's case. :o/
LIG, I am already experiencing high anxiety about the state of the job market when I get out in May and it doesn't help to hear that people got laid off in NYC, which is the last bastion of employment for our kind. Hang in there.
Sarah oh my I just say the note about the passing of your FIL my condolences. Sometimes with things like that you do need someone to focus of the little things, to help get them out of the way. Any job that thinks they should let you go because of personal things like death/birth probably aren't worth spending your time with.
hangover headache has started I'm now going to curl up in bed, g'night all
hi tuna
Hi Atechno :o)
Is the Election Day Clock off or something? Do the polls really open in 12 hours in some places? If that's really the case, that's kinda crazy.
To try to focus on work, here is what my day holds: The cafe Owner ended up picking a pastry case that is 5' long after the approved cabinetry had already been built for a 4' case. Anonymous Corporate Landlord ignored my request for a cost estimate to remove 12" from the already-built cabinet and just went ahead and made the change - then sent the Owner a bill for six thousand dollars.
I deeply understand the urge to just get in there and build it yourself that so many of us architects feel! The approval channels are just ridiculous and end up costing everyone a lot. Won't be a fun meeting today but I may break out the line "I could have repaired that terrazzo with clear nail polish for five bucks!".
Liveblogging my day: At this moment I'm watching the neighbor's cat pee in my planting bed.
And he just walked off without covering, wtf?
Post like that is why I am addicted to TC. Liberty you rock!! Have you ever thought of going the design build route? I'm consciously thinking of getting a small crew together to do small works - maybe that's what i'll call it. I just need to convince my contractor to come home for a few months from his already lucrative arrangement doing fit outs in Anguilla
sigh...I think I am the one away from the action
i will be in dallas thursday judging for this competition.
in real life i have a really hard time drawing anything more involved than a stick figure!!!
somebody i asked a question years ago in 1985, i intend to talk about him a little...
any suggestions or insights about the state of deliniation world?
factoid of the day:
One gallon of diesel pulls one ton of cargo 59 miles by truck, 202 miles by train and 514 miles by canal barge...i just spent most of my weekend (except when i was teaching) putting together a kick-ass proposal for a prospective job - delivered at 2:15 this afternoon. sorry to have missed you all lately (we started working on this wed-thurs) but it's been nuts putting this thing together. we're the unknowns among a shortlist of people that the client has worked with multiple times before.
15 miles on the erie canal...in an unrelated story there is a movement going on around to raise the driving age. last week some 16 year old hit a deputy and killed a deputy who was directing traffic. also, a 16 year old did some vodka shots and smashed into a tree killing his 14 year old passenger and there was just a story about a 16 year old who rearended a school bus sending several students to the hospital. the driver's remark to police, " i did not see the bus." wtf? of course i was the worst driver in the world and almost rearended a car that was turning left while on the way to a frank zappa concert. if this would have happened me and the entire garage/punk band "vado retro" would have perished in a fiery crash. not to mention whoever was in the other car. probably a beloved grandmother.
it's a smash to see teenagers smash nice cars & kill themselves...maybe it make more sense just ot execute a bunch of teenagers...that way at least the cars could be spared
anybody watched this?
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