luminousone Posted July 23, 2014 Author Share Posted July 23, 2014 Wow- my friend called me in tears because she is taking a course on technology and completely failing at it! She wants to quit it but I told her to talk with the instructor to see if he can line up some remedial help for her. She already paid for the course so she may as well get some credit. So glad my course was more up my alley! Link to comment
Silverbirch Posted July 24, 2014 Share Posted July 24, 2014 Very nice about your son's friend. Link to comment
luminousone Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 Had a great hike today - went about 5 1/2 miles out through some woods, by the river, and then through some meadows full of remnants of wild flowers. My friend's dog was delighted with the walk- lots of blackberries to snatch from bushes alongside the trail, scents from many animals, and some molehills to explore. On Tuesday we went to a different park and hiked by a pond. I was glad to see that the great blue herons have returned for the summer. Went to see my friend's new house that is almost done and she said she had heard voices in her house this morning when she was walking through the yard (she hasn't moved in yet) and when we walked around the house some windows were ajar. The house smelled like pot when we went inside and we had the dog with us and made lots of noise. There apparently had been some squatters overnight in the house. They figured out one of the newly installed windows does not latch properly, so that's how they got in. (I saw the fongerprints on the window whete they pushed it open). So she called the contractor and he came over to secure it. She also called the police but the people were long gone by the time she and I went into the house- the back door was unlocked so they probably slipped out that way. The contractor checked up in the attic and under the crawl space of the house too. My son got a letter saying that his scholarship is cancelled for this year until he gets his grades up. I expected that news but it still is a jolt. Since he is living with me this summer he will get a bit of push from me to finish some incompletes he just told me about and to get his GPA up. Sigh. He lost his summer job too, so he applied for another one on campus and the guy said he was going to be out of town for three weeks, but he would get in touch with him when he got back. Well, he got back on Monday, and of course he hasn't heard anything. I told my son that he should send an email saying that he is still interested in the job but my son was very reluctant to do that- he didn't want to seem pushy. Sigh. I told him to write a very simple email because the job is not going to just fall into his lap. Sheesh! And I stood there until he got the email done. He has so much growing up to do- I really didn't want to be a pushy mother- but he is living with me rent free right now, and I have to put some pressure on him so that he won't become a longterm freeloader. At least he got a good grade on his math class, and he is taking the second one right now, so hopefully he will get a good grade on that class too. Now that I know about the incompletes then I will be applying some pressure for him to get those taken care of before the end of summer. On a different note, two really sweet girls came to the door today to whisk him off on a bike ride. He has such nice friends. His social skills aren't the greatest, and I know he makes no effort to keep up the friendships. So very thankful that his friends make the effort. He is exactly like his dad in that respect. His dad always expected everyone to make the effort and he really doesn't have many close friends because of it. Link to comment
Silverbirch Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 well obviously he seems to attract people to him! Link to comment
luminousone Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 Not sure if you mean my son or my ex, but my son does, yes, despite it all. He is a very nice natured person - just not outgoing. My ex used to be a top athlete in school so he was very popular - so he got used to being the center of attention. And he never used to put forth effort because he didn't have to. But eventually people get tired of carrying the load so they drop away. He is a lazy friend and was a lazy husband... Link to comment
Silverbirch Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 Yes, I meant your son Lum. He does sound lovely! Link to comment
luminousone Posted July 25, 2014 Author Share Posted July 25, 2014 He is, Silver. And he has some growing up to do. He turns 19 in a month. Yesterday he told me that he was on the bus sitting next to a "homeless" person who had a better phone than he does. (Not sure how he knew he was homeless). So he thinks that his dad and I should get him a smart phone. Ha! That is what started the conversation about taking the initiative to get a job. He thinks we owe him the upgrade in phones but I told him it's up to him to get out there and get a job to pay for extras like that. Link to comment
luminousone Posted July 26, 2014 Author Share Posted July 26, 2014 I thought my son had sent the follow up email last night about the job application. But when I asked him, he said he couldn't think of anything to day so he gave up. So I made him write one and send it this morning. Just three sentences: "hope you had a great vacation. Just wanted to let you know I am still very interested in the position if it is still available. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.." Or something like that. He was reluctant to send it because he didn't want to "pester" the guy. I told him it is not pestering, but just letting him know you are interested. Link to comment
luminousone Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 I don't think my son got that job. I spoke with him about looking elsewhere for work- have to keep the pressure on him. My younger son got home from scout camp yesterday and today he went off to church camp. Gotta keep him busy to keep him out of mischief. He was coming down with a cold yesterday and now I have a slight sore throat. Aargh! A cold in the middle of summer! It feels weird not to have class work. I need to organize myself in order to study for my exam. There is so much I have forgotten! Link to comment
luminousone Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 Have a good rest Lum! Well that's the thing, Silver- I have much to do! Including having the discipline to study for my exam... Link to comment
luminousone Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 I have this remote control fan I got from Costco a month ago. It has a thermometer on it so you can see the temperature. You know it has been hot today when the air coming in is 80 degrees and yet it feels cool and comfortable... Sure love my fan! Oh, but my cat doesn't. She still growls at it but she will tolerate it on low... Link to comment
Silverbirch Posted July 29, 2014 Share Posted July 29, 2014 hehe, you with you fan and me trying to light the fire place. Of course the pooches love it. Link to comment
luminousone Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 hehe, you with you fan and me trying to light the fire place. Of course the pooches love it. Totally opposite! Link to comment
luminousone Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 This morning we are going on our walk early before the heat starts up again. Link to comment
Silverbirch Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 LOL, sun is not up fully when I take doggie for his walk before I go to work. It's so cute that even though he gets to run around off the lead, he still loves me to put him on the lead and take him for a walk - because we are both together I suppose. Link to comment
luminousone Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 Went for a walk today but it was so hot. Fortunately there was a nice trail through the woods. But I was so weak when I got back and my stomach felt weird so I took my temp and I didn't realize I had a fever. As the day went on I realized I have a stomach virus. Blech! In the middle of summer. I probably got it from my son before he went off to camp. And that explains the headache i have had for two days. Fortunately I don't have many obligations tonight or tomorrow. On a different note, I have realized I just haven't used my gym membership very much. So I decided to get a Total Gym and it arrived yesterday. I have most of it put together now I just have to figure out the exercises and get a routine going. It is going to help me strengthen my core muscles - I can already feel it from what I have done so far. Link to comment
luminousone Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 I felt so much better today - got lots of sleep and only had oatmeal and green smoothies today. I got lots of laundry done and I organized the camping gear into plastic bins. My youngest son came home from camp and he unpacked all of his stuff and put his laundry straight into the washer. And then he went off to his dad's for the week. They were going to go sailing this evening. Older son has been doing his homework with a study group so I am happy he is taking the class seriously. He has a midterm on Monday. I didn't think they would hire him for that job, but he does have an interview lined up for next week. I really hope he gets it! When the summer started, his old job told him there was not enough work for him for the summer so he hasn't worked since the end of school. Actually they gave him one week notice. But then my son ran into his former supervisor from a volunteer position in high school who had been a reference and who knows the people. They told him that my son was fired. So now my son is worried about what to say in the interview. I told him to tell the truth because they are going to call the reference anyway. I was thinking he could say that they told him that his position was discontinued for the summer. But that his former (former) supervisor ran into them and heard some things that they had been unhappy about. My son was disappointed that they never gave him that feedback so that he could work on improvement. But I also told my son to discuss what to say with the former former supervisor because he works in that field and knows most of those guys. There is a cricket that is chirping very loudly right beneath my window outside. It is a very sweet sound- it reminds me of my childhood summers. It has been so hot here- unusually hot. I am ready for some milder weather. It was especially uncomfortable when I was sick. Link to comment
Silverbirch Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 So sorry to hear you have been unwell Lum. What is in a green smoothie? I hope you are much better. So sorry for your son. It's not really fair that they have told someone they fired him, but gave him no feedback. I wish him the best for the next interview. Link to comment
luminousone Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Hi Silver- thanks for the good thoughts. It is too bad that they didn't give my son feedback because he needs to learn some things. For example he needs to communicate with them when he is sick and won't be coming in to work. I guess he got a really bad flu and was sick for a few weeks. He called in sick once but didn't after that because he figured they knew he was sick if he didn't come in. They also told his former supervisor that he got distracted too easily. Which is true. But he is now back on his ADHD meds, so that won't be an issue. It is all a part of growing up, and losing the job is good feedback for him too. It is just weird that they told him one thing and his former supervisor another. I'm glad he talked with me about it though, because we had a good conversation about what is standard protocol when you are sick. I also suspect that he didn't go out of his way to seek out extra work when he ran out of things to do. He said they didn't mind, but I am sure they did. Why would they want to pay him to do nothing... My son will be 19 in a month, but emotionally he is very young and has lots to learn in the game of life. As far as the green smoothie- I peel and freeze bananas. I use 1/2 banana, a few frozen strawberries, some spinach or kale, a stalk of celery, some green apple, yogurt, and milk. I blend it up in the blender and it is perfect for a very hot day! I usually add my probiotics to it too. Some people use water or juice for the liquid. Link to comment
luminousone Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 More about the smoothies: Sometimes I add a teaspoonful of organic coconut oil and some frozen pineapple and that is a very tropical taste. I usually have spinach or baby kale on hand, and sometimes I buy a "power green" blend that includes baby kale, spinach, baby beet greens, mustard greens, etc. You have to have a good blender though. In you case Silver, is there such a thing as solar power for small appliances such as blenders??? Otherwise you would have to turn in your generator for that. Oh, I think I remember a camping blender- I'll try to look it up. Link to comment
luminousone Posted August 2, 2014 Author Share Posted August 2, 2014 Now here's an idea: bike powered blender. The person writing the instructions is obviously not a native English speaker, so the directions are a bit cryptic. Actually, instead of only hooking the bike up to the blender, I would think it would be more useful to create a bike powered generator for powering anything. Link to comment
Silverbirch Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Hi Lum! I wasn't able to open the first video, but did get to see the bike-powered blender. A great idea, and I am sure there would be other handy powered devices which could operate from a bike. Somebody should market this! I will probably settle for a battery operated blender though. Reminds me that I need to go check out the camping stores to see what else would be useful here. Link to comment
Silverbirch Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 I googled pedal power and found some interesting links. Link to comment
luminousone Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 Silver- the video was a really cheesy you tube video about a guy that was lost in the woods and someone saved him because they had a solar blender to make up a drink to save him... About the bike power though- some years ago they had the US Olympic trials for track and field in our state and my inlaws got tickets for us. They had a bunch of booths there, including one set up by Nike and they had a bunch of stationary bikes hooked up to power. They had people signed up to ride the bikes, which then powered some big screen tv's so people could watch the trials up close. It was a cool deal, and the bikes were always full. Link to comment
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