The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[StarWarsGirl]

Ugh, how frustrating. At least you have the Sangria to help out!

Sangria is always helpful.

 

[Gabe1]

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1 day until Labor Day.

Look at those eyes!

 

[Gabe1]

Nothing happened or is about to happen to my knowledge. I was referring to the threat of rising global temperatures caused by normal planetary climate changes. That area of Florida was once under a lot of water, and it may at some point reclaim itself as part of the ocean. Don't cancel any short range plans to go there. Anything over 200 years you may want to think about.

Ahhh, I didn't get the climate change-warming from your post about @Cesar R M photo.

My guess is we don't have to worry about those buildings if they are going to be under water 200 years from now. That area loves to knock them down and build new and greater. The whole area looks so much different than when I was a child. Those small quaint resorts are a mere memory.

 

[Gabe1]

Awesome possum!!

Love the interior design of that place and the FOOD!!!!!!!

I was looking at the interior design too. So simple, easy to maintain, good wear and tear items and yet it has sophisticated. Kudos to that designer.

 

[Gabe1]

That's so sad! My dad is 83 and says he thinks he might not make it more than 10 or 15 more years. I already think 83 is doing pretty darn well...another 10 to 15 years, he certainly can't complain. I hope he does make it that long!!

My Dad cheated death multiple times. Doc's and ER Doc's kept missing his gall bladder issues and finally caught the 3rd time after being turned away from ER two times prior. The admitted him and were going to operate the next day until the surgeon saw him, he was orange. The took him up immediate. He was fine after that. He had quad bypass and flat lined 3 times before getting to hospital 2 miles away. He was like new after that. Then he had his hip surgery that went so well but he wanted the attention. He take out his old walker or take two canes, hold walls. Still when he thought nobody was watching he'd walk better than me. Annoying. But all these things happened after he retired. My Dad ran 6 marathons including Boston multiple times after 65 years old.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

I hope all of you are having a great weekend! Me not so much. It's been a mix of fun farm market time and hard work. trying to get all the items to fix our water issue on a holiday weekend wasn't fun! The local plumbing supply place had the pump we needed in stock and that was easy but they didn't have the pull rope or wire that needs replacing. We got the pump pulled out finally after a lot of pulling. . If that sucker ever needs replacing I'm paying somebody to do it! Once it was out the pull line and wiring looked pretty bad so we decided better safe than sorry and decided to also replace them as well. So off to a big box store to get both (who ever thought going to one of those could be considered a break) of course the first store only had the rope Any way we stopped at home and fed the boys before heading off in the opposite direction to get wire. Of course having to make extra stops means we lost daylight. Everything is laid out and ready to put together with any luck water will be running before noon. Guess who has sangria put together and in the fridge to go with dinner tonight. At least our friend who considered coming up here isn't going to get hit hard enough to need to come up.

Eek. Sorry.

Weekend's going fine here. Yesterday we went down to Baltimore City, had dinner at Dempsy's inside Camden Yards, and watched the Orioles game. Today I'm planning on getting all of my homework done so that I don't have to do any more until Saturday. I'm doing pretty well so far; completed one assignment. Still have a whole lot of reading to do though. Tomorrow, my maternal grandfather wants us to come out on his boat, so planning for that.

And the storm missed us completely. There were parts of the Eastern shore of MD that had some effects, but the most we've had is some wind. Absolutely no rain.

 

[Gabe1]

Well, there are only 3 schools here, but the thing about the Dutch education system is that it's split into various levels, based on academic performance. So each school has all three levels, and 2 of those levels are also split into a few different categories. The way it works here is that the school gives them advice in 6th grade, based on their previous academic record, and they also take a test, which used to determine which level they were allowed to choose, but they changed that last year, and now it's just used as a guideline and the teacher's advice weighs more heavily. So you have VMBO, which is the lowest, and split into trade-like schools, and a kind of regular high school, but at a slightly lower than average level. Then you have Havo, which is like a really high quality American high school. Then you have VWO, which is the highest level and is for the most gifted students. It's split into Atheneum and Gymnasium, the difference being Gymnasium has Latin and Greek added to the curriculum. Then one of the schools ALSO offers a Dual-immersion (English/Dutch) VWO level, and a Technasium, which is a science and technology based program. So first you have to know which level school you can go to, then what you want to eventually do with that diploma, because options are limited for the lowest level, and streaming from the middle level to the high level so you can go to a university takes a bit more time. So you have to know what you want to do, what you are capable of, and then look into what each school offers and how the environment fits with your personality. Some schools are bigger, or smaller, or have extra resources in an area that you might need it. The school with the dual immersion program and technasium is the only one that offers those...BUT, it doesn't look like they offer Gymnasium. So if you want Latin and Greek, you have to go to one of the other 2 schools...but then you don't have the options of Tech or English-based instruction. One school offers a program for students who are top talents in something like music or sports, etc, because those kids need extra training to stay competitive in whatever their hobby is, and they might have to go quite far away for that training, which is not conducive to a normal school schedule. So they get more flex time and independent study hours rather than classroom time. And then another one offers homework classes that teach kids how to manage their time and get homework done, and also offers classes for kids to learn how to socially interact. So there ARE only 3 schools to look at, but they all offer quite different things, and not knowing yet for sure which level DD will have the indication for, we can't actually pick yet. We've got a year and a half...DD is only in 5th grade this year, but this is when they have to start learning what's available and getting an idea of what they might like. It's just really overwhelming for her...she knows that her choice will dramatically affect her future career. And she's terribly afraid of failure. She's one of those kids that, if she doesn't get 100% on every bit of homework and every quiz, she kicks herself in the behind for ages. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, she's very hard on herself, and she doubts her ability. So she will probably get advice to do VWO, but then she's scared that she's not up to that kind of challenge, so she wants to do VMBO, which is WAY below her level and would mean she wouldn't have as many options later. She'd not be allowed to go to University, which you can only do if you've completed VWO level. So she got really upset because she wants the options, but she is afraid of failing at the harder levels. So we are just going to have to expose her to information about what's available in small bits and in a way that she doesn't notice she's learning about schools. And then by the time she has to make a choice, she'll have all the information without all the drama. Right now, she just shuts down when the subject of secondary school comes up. She puts entirely too much pressure on herself.

Ugh. Reminds me of German. Your fate decided so young even when that flies in the face of the development of the brain. I can only imagine some people also have had some PULL in where their kids attend and are recommended for.

But ultimately your DD is likely more fortunate than most. I'm guessing she can apply eventually for dual citizenship and attend a University in the USA later in life if she so chooses. Heck of a lot cheaper than being admitted to a University here as a citizen vs a student from over the pond.

 

[Gabe1]

I hope all of you are having a great weekend! Me not so much. It's been a mix of fun farm market time and hard work. trying to get all the items to fix our water issue on a holiday weekend wasn't fun! The local plumbing supply place had the pump we needed in stock and that was easy but they didn't have the pull rope or wire that needs replacing. We got the pump pulled out finally after a lot of pulling. . If that sucker ever needs replacing I'm paying somebody to do it! Once it was out the pull line and wiring looked pretty bad so we decided better safe than sorry and decided to also replace them as well. So off to a big box store to get both (who ever thought going to one of those could be considered a break) of course the first store only had the rope Any way we stopped at home and fed the boys before heading off in the opposite direction to get wire. Of course having to make extra stops means we lost daylight. Everything is laid out and ready to put together with any luck water will be running before noon. Guess who has sangria put together and in the fridge to go with dinner tonight. At least our friend who considered coming up here isn't going to get hit hard enough to need to come up.

{{{HUGS}}}

 

[Gabe1]

Eeek. StarWars Fireworks misfires and strikes a car. Captured by a guest on a Disney Bus. They don't belive anyone was hurt-fortunately.



vewser

 

[Cesar R M]

I hope you're having a wonderful time on your cruise.

so far so good, we got some rought seas (not too strong listing) but enough to make my mother a bit dizzy.

meet king julien, his costume is really well done compared to other dreamworks chars.

 

[Songbird76]

Ugh. Reminds me of German. Your fate decided so young even when that flies in the face of the development of the brain. I can only imagine some people also have had some PULL in where their kids attend and are recommended for.

But ultimately your DD is likely more fortunate than most. I'm guessing she can apply eventually for dual citizenship and attend a University in the USA later in life if she so chooses. Heck of a lot cheaper than being admitted to a University here as a citizen vs a student from over the pond.

Well up until last year, it was determined by the test, so no pull. If you didn't have the test score, you didn't get in. And the good thing about this system is that your education is geared toward you as an individual. It's not just the same general education that everyone else gets. And if you start off in a lower level and complete it, you can move up to the next level. It takes longer to make it through if you are placed into the lower levels, but it's possible for the most part if you really want to keep going.
I kind of hope the kids want to do an exchange program at some point. But we have YEARS before that stage.

 

[betty rose]

already on the ship, its awesome so far, its huge!!!.
will post pictures tonight.

It is, and you won't have trouble finding a ton of stuff to do.

 

[betty rose]

exactly, plus a few accidents (car) that could have killed my entire family and we by miracle.. didnt got us.
so yeah, id say I have more than three times said to death "NOT TODAY".

anyway, speaking of royal caribbean.. how the hell do I know which main restaurant im assigned to? I can no longer access my reservation information nor my planner.. ***..
and the tv screen doesnt show any resertvation, only a single main restaurant of the 3.

Guest services will help you out. They are very helpful, and someone behind the counter will speak your language.

 

[betty rose]

I dont fear death, I fear being bleeding on the floor with my entire body broken.. or worse.. lose hearing, eyesight and be completely useless and unnable to do any kind of stuff. Now thats a nightmare.

You are right, it's not the death thing. It's what running up to that time , can do to us!

 

[betty rose]

Time out with the kiddos and SonIL was great!
We ate at a place downtown called True Food Kitchen, on the site of our old repurposed Seaholm Power Plant...

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I had the grass-fed beef burger with umami mushroom, caramelized onion, arugula, parmesan, and mayo on a flax seed bun (medium rare, of course ). It came with a warm kale salad and sweet potato side.
I could have had one or the other, but, decided to try both at the suggestion of our waitress.
I'm not normally a fan of sweet potatoes (as y'all know, one of very few foods ), but, this was very good. The sweet potatoes were crisp and there were caramelized onions in the dish to offset the sweetness a bit. I don't even remember if I've had kale before, but, it was delicious...I killed the whole plate...!
DWifey had same, but, of course, had them kill the beef to death!
Unfortunately, she didn't like the sides as much as I did, but, I now have a snack for tomorrow.

DS had a chicken curry dish that was awesome and wonderfully spicy...he shared some of it with me and we were both sweating...!
There was also a shredded chicken lemon soup that we ordered a coupla' bowls of and passed around. It was really good, too!
Great meal, we'll be back!

Here's my burger and sides...and a portion of the glass of my local microbrew IPA...!

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I always carmelize my sweet potato's with onions, and red , green, yellow, and orange peppers. The tartness of the peppers help with the sweetness too. And lots of black pepper!

 

[betty rose]

That sounds like fun! Enjoy!

Thanks, we had a great time.

 

[Gabe1]

Well up until last year, it was determined by the test, so no pull. If you didn't have the test score, you didn't get in. And the good thing about this system is that your education is geared toward you as an individual. It's not just the same general education that everyone else gets. And if you start off in a lower level and complete it, you can move up to the next level. It takes longer to make it through if you are placed into the lower levels, but it's possible for the most part if you really want to keep going.
I kind of hope the kids want to do an exchange program at some point. But we have YEARS before that stage.

My Sis did a foreign exchange program to Germany in HS and Italy in College. My niece who attended a private academy in Ohio has had spanish since she was 4 years old all the way through 12th grade. She had gone to study in Guadalajara Mexico. My folks had 2 students sty with them from Germany.

I don't know of any schools here anyhow that have the same general education, I think those days are long gone in the US anyhow do to Federal Mandates. My DD was all over the place on the educational spectrum. She had an IEP for Special Education and also was bless with a high IQ so she was in a different type of Special Education for the Gifted. I am not a fan of TESTS to be a determiner of what track gets follow. There are so many kinds of Learners, auditory, visual but I'm not a fan for the way they determine what a student's learning style is. I'm a data driven person and I've yet to see and clear indicators that the methodology isn't flawed.

Some districts do track their students and I am a fan of that because it is usually a moving target. If you lets say have a student that just doesn't put effort into anything they are usually tracked lower to pound at least the basics skills down. When we have 4 classrooms in a grade The Gifted and Higher Learners that need less repetition are in group 4. Those moving a bit above the bar group 3, those right on target group 2 and those who tend to struggle for a multiple reasons are usually in group 1 and that class usually is packed with 1 on 1 aides or a few kids per aide depending on needs.

The good thing about the tracking is if Sally is in group 2 but excels in math she will move to group 4 for math instruction, that like reading can go a couple grade levels as they age and have more complex curriculum.

 

[betty rose]

Blah. I hate hearing things like that from @Songbird76 So much of all this is genetic. From high school I realized I was blessed with a high metabolism. As I've aged I've had to exercise more and watch portions a tad more but still blessed. But that is one aspect. I have always had hearing issues along with some odd vision issues. We all have our downfalls. So where I look at my weight as a blessing the rest is a pain in the tushie. It is always something.

Yes, we all have unique issues throughout life. As hard as it can be, it's good to try to move through them.

 

[betty rose]

Thank you!

I like it too.

 

[betty rose]

I love your adventure. I don't care for sweet potatoes either, I'm more a savory type gal. Sweating through a meal...well you know that so isn't me. Burgers looked awesome. The sides, well no matter how I've tried I can't get a handle on Kale. No matter how it seems to be prepared I'm not a fan and I'm such a lover of veggies. Too many others I genuinely love-Kale just not so much.

I hate kale, but I don't like anything bitter. That's the same for mustard greens. Yuck!