The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[MinnieM123]

Well that's heartbreaking. I think I'd have issues, too. There was a boy in my class who was kind of like that...not quite as bad, but he would do things to disrupt the class and he had a huge problem with authority. I remember in 6th grade, first day of class, we went in and he couldn't find his desk. We had a new teacher, fresh out of college, and she says "Oh...I've heard about you. I have a special desk over here for you, against the wall and away from the rest of the class so you can't disrupt everyone!" which, of course made him angry and he immediately picked up a chair and threw it across the room. So she sent him to the little side room where the teachers in that wing did their planning and got supplies, and he completely trashed it. His home life was terrible and he was neglected and abused. He's doing really well now. He went to an alternative school our senior year...I went to prom with him. When we graduated, he joined the military and now he's married and has 2 little girls and he's a fire chief I think. He really straightened himself out. There's hope, but someone has to give him a break and get him in an environment that's more healthy for him! I hope they can get him what he needs.

That's an absolutely amazing story. Very inspiring.

 

[MinnieM123]

Sympathy, that's a long time to wait. The longest we have waited is just a little over a week.

Depending upon the reason why a specialist MD is needed, it can take a few months to get an appt. as a new patient. Unfortunately, that's not at all uncommon.

 

[MinnieM123]

Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. That was my brother's diagnosis initially too. Autism used to just be the classic autism you'll see where the person doesn't function at all. They changed Autism several years ago to Autism Spectrum Disorder, which basically puts many different conditions, like Asperger's, PDD-NOS, and classic autism under the same "umbrella", so to speak.

My parents are normally pretty good about not letting his behavior slide. It seemed to be the hitting thing that they were letting slide. But if one of them got whacked, you could bet he'd be in trouble.

I've always been the target for when he gets angry. Ever since we were kids. There was one time he got mad because he didn't want to be in a store, so he kicked me in the shin. Even though I was not doing anything. I think he was four and I was 10. Then when he could reach my head, it got worse, and of course being the shortest person in my family, I was getting whacked long before he tried it with my parents. My dad especially would just tell me, "Oh, he's being a typical little brother." No, typical little brother behavior is when he comes to me and starts tormenting, and I tell him to knock it off and go away. Annoying, but harmless, and pretty typical. The hitting was not harmless.

I don't really place the blame at my brother's door for that one; I love my brother. My parents, although they've been good parents overall, made the mistake of not stopping that behavior is its tracks when it started.

There should have been severe consequences when that behavior started when he was three or four. Because for a while in elementary school, he was hitting there as well. If they had nipped that behavior at home when it started (or better yet, had consulted with a behavior specialist when all this started), it probably wouldn't have taken until middle school for his behavior to be better at school. And now he's one of the better behaved kids at school.

It's one of those things where you look at your parents and go, "Ya know what, if I have kids, I'm going to do that differently."

Wow. Really sorry to read your recent posts about how your brother mistreated you. Even though he had behavioral issues, I wish more was done much earlier in his childhood, that may have kept his emotions under better control.

 

[MinnieM123]

Quick question, very random question:

Does anyone else really, really, really hate Adele's music (I don't hate her; she seems nice) or is it just me?

I think she has a very pretty voice.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Wow. Really sorry to read your recent posts about how your brother mistreated you. Even though he had behavioral issues, I wish more was done much earlier in his childhood, that may have kept his emotions under better control.

Thank you. It was never easy, and it's very hard because he's usually very sweet, but then he can suddenly turn into the Hulk. It also didn't help that when he wasn't talking, our pediatrician gave my mom bad advice, saying that she should just have me teach him how to talk, instead of going and getting tested earlier. There's a lot that could have been done that wasn't. Thankfully, as more research is put into this, families get better education, more help is available, so good parents can get the help and education they need.

 

[MinnieM123]

I had a very stressful day yesterday. Because of my son's emotional issues, the school signed him up for a 10 week program that helps kids with various problems...whether it's that they are shy, or they are bullied at school, or they have anger problems, etc. So yesterday was his first day and the cool thing is that it's held at the soccer stadium, so they get to interview professional soccer players, and such. But, it's a 15 -20 minute bike ride, and school gets out at 2:15 and we had to be there at 2:45 yesterday for this first one. I checked the tires on my son's bike, pumped them up, and we were headed to school and I realized my daughter's bike tires were really soft and she couldn't ride that far on them, but I couldn't get them to take air because there was a different....connector? I have no idea what that little tube thing is called. So I had to find another option for DD. I knew her one friend has dance on Wednesdays, so that wasn't an option, but the other friend maybe. But for the first time I can ever remember, her mom wasn't on the grounds to ask. So I asked another mom, but they had come by bike, so she had no way to transport DD to her house. I thought I was going to have to leave her for 2 hours by herself, which...she's 10, so I COULD, but I would rather not. The school grounds keeper has a bike pump, but he wasn't there on Wednesdays. So the principal came out and took a look, got one tire pumped up, but didn't have the right attachment for the other. I went home, found 3 different pumps, brought them all back and one of them worked, so I got her bike in order. I was so relieved. Until I got to the school to pick the kids up and there was a police car parked and an ambulance pulling up. I get around to the side where we pick up the upper grades and there's a courtyard full of crying children being comforted by parents and teachers. One of the fathers had been attacked 15 minutes earlier right next to the courtyard, and half the school had seen it. So now all the kids were afraid to walk home, lest they or their parents be attacked, too. (It turned out it was a bunch of the guys family members who attacked him...most likely an honor attack of some sort?) My kids were fortunately pretty much spared, DS being lost in his own world didn't even notice there was anything amiss and DD was too far back behind all the other kids to see anything through the windows. BUT, it was her classmate's father, and this girl is a friend of hers. Not a close friend, but a friend. And DD said that the little sister had been with the father and seen the whole thing and was found huddled in a corner crying, so her classmate ran outside and scooped up the little sister and brought her inside. When all the commotion was over and the kids returned to their classrooms, they found the girl sitting quietly with her little sister on her lap, crying. The whole thing was just disturbing. But we navigated our bikes through the sea of traumatized children and made our way to the street, but DD had fallen off her bike that morning and was nervous as anything about getting back on. DS bikes as slow as molasses, wouldn't let DD pass him, but she was having to go so slowly that she was wobbling and freaking out. Then we came to a giant hill on the bike path..it is SOOOOO poorly designed for bikes. It's steep and long and DS couldn't make it up. I was trying to get to the top before I stopped to wait because I'd never get going again on that incline. But DS is SCREAMING at me "Mommy STOP STOP STOP!!! I can't make it!! Stop!! Wait!" and I'm trying to shout to him that I'm going to just get to the top of the hill, and he's freaking out. I get up there and stop and DS walks up and then DD tries to get going again and falls off her bike. Again. So now she's freaked out and REALLY not wanting to go further, but we're only halfway there and I'm thinking we're NEVER going to make it. We made it across the train tracks without getting separated (barely. Just as we got across, the lights started flashing and the bars came down) and then the 2nd set of tracks, and we made it with 3 minutes to spare. Of course we were soaking wet with sweat because it was also over 90 degrees outside. Next week should be easier as it doesn't start until 3 and DD won't have to come with me because there won't be an informational meeting for the parents, so I can just drop him off and go home and go back at 5 to pick him up. AND it's supposed to FINALLY cool down starting this weekend. But I was a ball of anxiety yesterday and it didn't help that my husband was gone all day at some sort of fair for his work, so he didn't get home until 9 last night and didn't know anything about the incident at the school. And then my FIL had his surgery this morning so we were also all stressed about that. My friends have prescribed alcohol and cake.

Yikes. And I thought I was having a bad week at work, etc. Maybe it's the end of summer and people are just going wacko. Well, I sincerely hope that things get better for you and your children very soon. It's almost the weekend--hang in there!

 

[MinnieM123]

Thank you. It was never easy, and it's very hard because he's usually very sweet, but then he can suddenly turn into the Hulk. It also didn't help that when he wasn't talking, our pediatrician gave my mom bad advice, saying that she should just have me teach him how to talk, instead of going and getting tested earlier. There's a lot that could have been done that wasn't. Thankfully, as more research is put into this, families get better education, more help is available, so good parents can get the help and education they need.

Hugs to you.

 

[MinnieM123]

Mid-afternoon bacon break...!!!!!

View attachment 162250

And not only is the bacon delicious, but it's served on those elegantly designed paper plates--of which your company must have bought at least 50 cases! I believe that if you're still posting here on Magic in the next 20 years, we'll all still be seeing that same paper plate design for all the food treats you show us!!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Wow....why is this kid in a regular school? That sounds pretty serious and it can't be good for the learning environment of everyone else! Isn't there an alternative that would be a better fit for him, without disturbing the whole class?

It was decided that the treatment he was getting wasn't working so they (social workers, grandma, ....) decided to try public school again. There is a meeting tomorrow to determine the next step for him so we will see if he returns to the regular room or what...

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

So, one of my co-workers is also co-owner of a restaurant in downtown Austin called Bacon. No joke.
He was out of the office yesterday at a charity golf event.
This was on the kitchen counter when I got to the office this morning...

View attachment 162107

That is pretty awesome and I just told hubby and not he wants bacon. Then again when doesn't he want bacon!

 

[Goofyernmost]

Weird day today I finally had to sell my Caddy, because it was having some serious engine problems. Problems that I cannot fix due to lack of tools, place to do it and expertise. Engine repair is no where near as easy as it once was. Now days if you have to fix something like a head gasket the engine has to be pulled out and they want 6K to do that for an 11 year old car that, at best, books for $1500. So I finally gave in and sold it to a young guy that did have the space and the ability to repair it for a lot less then that and leased a new VW Passat. Has almost none of the whistles, bells and switches that my old girl had, but, is at least dependable and otherwise covered under warranty. I spent a small fortune on this car over the last few years and believe me absolutely nothing on a Cadillac is cheap, but, it got to be just to much for a retired person trying to make his money stretch out for the rest of my life and at the same time trying to stretch out the length of my live. So I say a sorrowful goodbye to an old machine and hello to a new less impressive one.
Out with the old...

In with the new! (not the same color, the new one is a nice tan.) They were out of red, sadly.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

He needs to be out of the regular classroom, so the other kids have a good learning environment. Not fair to punish the whole class with this one kids behavior.

I agree but because he is in Special Ed there are procedures to follow. Special Ed law.

 

[MinnieM123]

Weird day today I finally had to sell my Caddy, because it was having some serious engine problems. Problems that I cannot fix due to lack of tools, place to do it and expertise. Engine repair is no where near as easy as it once was. Now days if you have to fix something like a head gasket the engine has to be pulled out and they want 6K to do that for an 11 year old car that, at best, books for $1500. So I finally gave in and sold it to a young guy that did have the space and the ability to repair it for a lot less then that and leased a new VW Passat. Has almost none of the whistles, bells and switches that my old girl had, but, is at least dependable and otherwise covered under warranty. I spent a small fortune on this car over the last few years and believe me absolutely nothing on a Cadillac is cheap, but, it got to be just to much for a retired person trying to make his money stretch out for the rest of my life and at the same time trying to stretch out the length of my live. So I say a sorrowful goodbye to an old machine and hello to a new less impressive one.
View attachment 162417 Out with the old...

In with the new! (not the same color, the new one is a nice tan.) They were out of red, sadly.

That must have been hard to let the car go; I know you really loved your Caddie. But heck, the cost of repairs now is so expensive, that they often cost more than to replace the car.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Quick question, very random question:

Does anyone else really, really, really hate Adele's music (I don't hate her; she seems nice) or is it just me?

I wouldn't say hate, but I don't care for it. A couple of the early songs where ok, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to her. So I guess in the end I am indifferent.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

And not only is the bacon delicious, but it's served on those elegantly designed paper plates--of which your company must have bought at least 50 cases! I believe that if you're still posting here on Magic in the next 20 years, we'll all still be seeing that same paper plate design for all the food treats you show us!!

Maybe he just reuses the same paper plate all the time.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Weird day today I finally had to sell my Caddy, because it was having some serious engine problems. Problems that I cannot fix due to lack of tools, place to do it and expertise. Engine repair is no where near as easy as it once was. Now days if you have to fix something like a head gasket the engine has to be pulled out and they want 6K to do that for an 11 year old car that, at best, books for $1500. So I finally gave in and sold it to a young guy that did have the space and the ability to repair it for a lot less then that and leased a new VW Passat. Has almost none of the whistles, bells and switches that my old girl had, but, is at least dependable and otherwise covered under warranty. I spent a small fortune on this car over the last few years and believe me absolutely nothing on a Cadillac is cheap, but, it got to be just to much for a retired person trying to make his money stretch out for the rest of my life and at the same time trying to stretch out the length of my live. So I say a sorrowful goodbye to an old machine and hello to a new less impressive one.
View attachment 162417 Out with the old...

In with the new! (not the same color, the new one is a nice tan.) They were out of red, sadly.

Too bad about the Caddy, hopefully this one will be reliable for you. Tan is a decent color, but it would have been pretty snazzy if you had gotten red!

 

[MinnieM123]

Too bad about the Caddy, hopefully this one will be reliable for you. Tan is a decent color, but it would have been pretty snazzy if you had gotten red!

I was thinking that too, but changed my mind. I'm afraid that if he got the rsnazzy ed, he might drive like a wild man!!

 

[Goofyernmost]

That must have been hard to let the car go; I know you really loved your Caddie. But heck, the cost of repairs now is so expensive, that they often cost more than to replace the car.

That is actually the situation. I was spending that much each year just to keep it on the road, so if I'm going to spend it, I might as well have a new one. At least I won't be any worse off and I hopefully will be able to depend on a car again.

I am very upset and I know it's irrational because it's just a car, but, as I tried to explain to one of my daughters, since I retired and I now rent in a pleasant, but not fancy, apartment building, I don't own anything of quality. That was my connection to the good life and I did very much enjoy driving it and pushing all those buttons. Just hanging on to the old things, nothing else was staying stable either and it can all have a cumulative affect over time.

Now my grandkids are not going to elect to ride with me anymore, because they will not have all those special little "extras" to play with. What will they do without their automatic rear window and rear side window sunscreens. Or the cool air blowing up through the seats in the summer and warm air in the winter, or for me, the steering wheel heater or the lumbar massage feature in the seats. I'll miss my 6 CD player and built in GPS, Boise sound system and a number of other things that I never even used, but it was nice to know they were there.

I'm hoping not to spend as much time at the repair shop now, then I have in recent years. I haven't owned a VW since 1967 and that was a bug, however, it was pretty dependable even if the manifold heater burnt a hole in your leg trying to keep Vermont winters at bay. I liked the looks of this one and that is why I went that way. As far as I am concerned from now on a car is just a car. I'm old enough now to turn in what little remaining testosterone I still possess.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I was thinking that too, but changed my mind. I'm afraid that if he got the rsnazzy ed, he might drive like a wild man!!

I've always wanted a red car. To be fair I did have one, but that was more my wife's car then mine and I wanted one this time, but they were having some real good deals on the left over 2016's so you have to take what is available. Who knows I might of become a wild man. It is long overdue. Maybe when I have to go for a new one, when I'm 71 years old, they will find a red one and put a little spark in the old man.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Too bad about the Caddy, hopefully this one will be reliable for you. Tan is a decent color, but it would have been pretty snazzy if you had gotten red!

This tan has a very rich color depth and at least it has color. It's not white, grey, black or any number of the variations those three can combine to make. Now as I look out at the parking lot by my apartment, I have to wonder why we even have color receptors in our eyes. Everything is Black, White or varying shades of Grey. Probably more then 50!