Don’t trust anyone. Even your friends, family, and pets are subject to this new clause.

Basically, this week I realized that I am not going to be seeing an ROI on a job I’ve been doing over the last month. I did not ask the person for a contract, because we had a verbal one, and I know him. I considered him a friend; you know, one of those friends who isn’t your blood brother or whatever, but a vague sort of friend. I charged him with an unbelievably low rate because I’m that nice.

And now I’m assuming he’s on crack because there is no other excuse for his dramatic, MIA behavior.

In the future, some 5 Golden Rules to Not Get Screwed: Continue reading “5 Golden Rules So You Don’t Get Screwed”

Well, it’s really not all that bad. I discovered yesterday afternoon that one of my friends at work coincidentally happened to have her car in for service this week, too, so we were able to T it together which took the sting out of it a bit, though it was COLD…

We also then conspired to both get off at the same stop and hit Ann Taylor. Again, all in the name of reducing the sting of taking the T.

I managed to pick up a pink cashmere sweater that had originally been $158 for $39.99 – go me. As my friend said, you just can’t afford not to take advantage of a deal like that.

She got 2 sweaters and some excellent shoes. Then we ventured home, agreeing that we really needed to get our cars back, since we could not afford to take the subway together every day. Bad influences.

This morning was not quite as fun. It is absolutely freezing here. I wore the heaviest cable knit sweater I own and I was still so cold. The sidewalks aren’t exactly shoveled on my way to my office so navigating the slippery street was an exercise in anxiety. Continue reading “Why I curse public transportation”

I have always been kind of a small town girl. I grew up in the little town of Andover, Vermont, and was very sheltered my whole life, only venturing to Rutland and Burlington for shopping trips and later when I had my own transportation, to check out the immense thrift stores in Concord, New Hampshire.

But a few years ago I started going to school in Rutland, and not wanting to pay for the gas I started to bus it. My friends were all horrified by this new aspect of my life. Riding the bus into and around Vermont did nothing other than putting a bad taste in their mouth. But for me, it was a newfound freedom. It is basically pointless to have a car in Rutland.

Continue reading “Don’t even think about talking to me…”

Change. Funny how that one word can be so intimidating isn’t it? I think it’s a given that most people would agree that being exposed to something completely foreign would induce some people to break a sweat or step on a few toes. But many people don’t want to change anything.

Staying in your circle of comfort is nice, comfort means safe, and safe means no stress. And who likes to be stressed needlessly, right? I recently visited one of my friends who is teaching adults who want to pass the GED test. And she is frustrating with her work.

Her adult students get free classes, free online tools and they know that passing the GED exam means earning a better salary, yet they usually don’t finish a prep course, they don’even try to pass the GED test and go back to their circle of comfort. So we talk about how well designed online resources such as online prep tests can help these students earn their GED and restore their self-confidence.

I think that pushing yourself to do things that you normally wouldn’t do is very important in growing as a person, spiritually, emotionally and financially.

Continue reading “Why Your Self Confidence Is So Important”

This is usually a headline during the examination season but, today’s news confirms that teachers are also cheating. Four schools had their results wiped out in three subjects and a fifth school was stripped of its English results in national curriculum (SATs) tests for “altering” the test papers of children. So unethical, the same teachers help with career choices. I have more trust in online career tests than in these teachers. There are many well-developed career quizzes that show you all the options and you can judge yourself without any pressure for you or your teen. I don’t want to be manipulated by some random teachers.

This is a fraud which is damaging not only to the schools but, also the pupils at the school and the whole system of testing in our schools. It’s the sort of scandal which prompted many US schools to outsource testing of students and I suspect we may be headed belatedly in the same direction.

As soon as the Government used test results to publish school league tables and also to determine school funding, it was inevitable that some teachers would find ways to influence individual pupil and school test results. I’m sure the vast majority of teachers would not even contemplate this but, just a few can damage the reputation of many.

Continue reading “Teachers cheating! OMG !”

Yep, it won. I’m at home today, sick. It’s not your run of the mill stuffy head/cold/sore throat. This, I think, is some sort of flu, since I am beyond exhausted and all of my muscles hurt, and oh yes, I have a fever. What I really think is wrong is that I’m sleep deprived. I don’t think I sleep as soundly as I’m supposed to, and often times I will wake up several times a night. I fall right back asleep without a problem, but the waking up leads me to believe it’s not a sound sleep that I’m getting.

Anyway, all that means that I’m home today. And my house is clean, so I’m not even cleaning. I’m actually going back to bed for a few hours, and then I really have to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I have a few errands to run, probably just to Target and pick up the dry cleaning or whatever, and then its back to bed for this girlie. I really can’t afford to miss another day of work tomorrow, so rest it is. Continue reading “What to do when you feel sick”

…but I say it just to reach you, Julia. ~John Lennon

I haven’t talked about this in great detail here, but Julia has had a very difficult time with tonsillitis and throat infections this year.

She had a bout of tonsillitis a little while ago and her tonsils like, tripled in size, and never went back down to normal. It’s affected her breathing, especially at night – she wakes up choking and literally gasping for breath several times a night and has started snoring like a trucker, something she never did before.

The broken sleep leaves her tired throughout the day and people often comment on her pale face and raccoon eyes. Her eating habits have also been affected, and when she had the flu last week her bulging tonsils egged her gag reflex on and really added fuel to the fire.

Continue reading “Half of what I say is meaningless…”

When choosing a roommate for your first year away at college, many people will consider living with a friend from high school. Perhaps the friend is your best friend or perhaps it’s someone you think you’ll get along with. Either way, living with someone you know offers you that sense of comfort of knowing that you’re still connected to home in case you get homesick. It also might prevent a lot of the awkwardness of meeting a new roommate.

But do you end up missing out on the college experience of meeting new people by living with someone you already know? Here’s how to decide if rooming with your high school friends is the best choice for you:

LIVING WITH A NEW ROOMMATE

When you live with someone who you’ve never met before, you definitely take a gamble on how well you two (or more, if you’re in a triple or a quad) will get along. Many roommates get along incredibly well and end up best friends, others simply co-exist, and some hate each other and clash.

However, when meeting a new roommate, your social circle expands. If you two hang out together, you begin to share friends, and you meet many people you otherwise would not have. You’re also exposed to new ways of life, whether through sharing different cultures, coming from a different area, or having different tastes.

Continue reading “Should I live with a high school friend in college?”

Let me be clear: I don’t want to be a problem parent. I want to feel like my children’s teachers and I are partners in guiding my girls’ education. I’ve experienced that a few times, and it is marvelous. I have seen my children thrive when we all collaborate together with teachers who treat both me and my children with respect, who are passionate about teaching, and who are available to me and my kids beyond the school bell.

Let me further state that I have no doubt that any teacher got into the profession for any reason other than to make a difference. It is a tough, tough job with lots of red tape and many responsibilities well beyond their pay grade. When I first meet any teacher, I always want to believe that they’ll be amazing.

Unfortunately, I have been disappointed a few times along the way. For the first few years, I tried to be a model parent at all times, and always believed that there was nothing to question about how the teacher was running their classroom. I witness many time teens who dropped out from high school because of teachers, sure there are always GED programs in the NYC neighborhood but I don’t want my kids to follow this road.

Continue reading “Confessions of a Problem Parent”