working out for Disney

[Songbird76]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I know you've worked so hard and been through so much. So happy for you!!!

I was so relieved I almost started crying when he said I passed. My instructor had told me if I drove like I did the last couple of days, I had like a 99% chance of passing, so I knew I COULD do it if I stayed calm. We got back to the DMV, and I wasn't really sure, because I had made a couple of mistakes, like...on the navigation part, the GPS tried to send me into a road that is meant mostly for bikes, and you aren't allowed to turn in there from the road we were on. I was confused, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I started slowing down and the guy was like "No, no...don't turn in there." and that was near the beginning, so I thought that might have made me fail, but the rest went pretty well. I killed the engine once and it wasn't because I forgot to put it into first gear at the intersection....I just let up the clutch too fast. It happens. And I DID have to get through some sticky spots, which made me look better. There were a bunch of semi's parked caddywhompus on a curve in the Industry park, and I couldn't really see if anything was coming from the other direction, couldn't see if the semi in the middle was stopped or trying to get through, and the one was parked so there was just enough room to safely get past if I crept along at a snail's pace. And that's one of those things that could go either way...one examinor will say you did the right thing by creeping along, another one will say you should have just done a 3 point turn and go back the way you came, and another might say it doesn't matter as long as you did it safely. But I had to back into a parking spot, which is the "special" that I hate the most, but I got it perfectly in the middle, and because I was doing the text anxiety exam, I was allowed to take 5 breaks. So once I got parked, I told the guy I wanted to take a time out because that's the skill I'm worst at, and he said he couldn't tell at all because I did a great job. Whew. But we got back, and I got out, not completely sure what would count against me and I saw him wink and nod at my instructor as he walked towards us. I was soooooo relieved. He said the "basics were more than satisfactory". I have to wait a week for my license to actually get made before I'm allowed to drive...there's no temporary license here. But that's a small price to pay. M took me to Germany last night to have me fill up the gas tank on our car because it's been 20 years since I've done that, and I've never done it here. We go to Germany because it's so much cheaper. It was only $9.26 per gallon at the station a couple of miles from my work. It was something like $10.06 per gallon at one of the stations in the Netherlands. Anyway, once I get the actual physical license, M will teach me all the stuff about our car like how to set up my phone with the GPS in the car, where the switch is to turn on the lights, wipers, etc. Then I'm good to go.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I was so relieved I almost started crying when he said I passed. My instructor had told me if I drove like I did the last couple of days, I had like a 99% chance of passing, so I knew I COULD do it if I stayed calm. We got back to the DMV, and I wasn't really sure, because I had made a couple of mistakes, like...on the navigation part, the GPS tried to send me into a road that is meant mostly for bikes, and you aren't allowed to turn in there from the road we were on. I was confused, but I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I started slowing down and the guy was like "No, no...don't turn in there." and that was near the beginning, so I thought that might have made me fail, but the rest went pretty well. I killed the engine once and it wasn't because I forgot to put it into first gear at the intersection....I just let up the clutch too fast. It happens. And I DID have to get through some sticky spots, which made me look better. There were a bunch of semi's parked caddywhompus on a curve in the Industry park, and I couldn't really see if anything was coming from the other direction, couldn't see if the semi in the middle was stopped or trying to get through, and the one was parked so there was just enough room to safely get past if I crept along at a snail's pace. And that's one of those things that could go either way...one examinor will say you did the right thing by creeping along, another one will say you should have just done a 3 point turn and go back the way you came, and another might say it doesn't matter as long as you did it safely. But I had to back into a parking spot, which is the "special" that I hate the most, but I got it perfectly in the middle, and because I was doing the text anxiety exam, I was allowed to take 5 breaks. So once I got parked, I told the guy I wanted to take a time out because that's the skill I'm worst at, and he said he couldn't tell at all because I did a great job. Whew. But we got back, and I got out, not completely sure what would count against me and I saw him wink and nod at my instructor as he walked towards us. I was soooooo relieved. He said the "basics were more than satisfactory". I have to wait a week for my license to actually get made before I'm allowed to drive...there's no temporary license here. But that's a small price to pay. M took me to Germany last night to have me fill up the gas tank on our car because it's been 20 years since I've done that, and I've never done it here. We go to Germany because it's so much cheaper. It was only $9.26 per gallon at the station a couple of miles from my work. It was something like $10.06 per gallon at one of the stations in the Netherlands. Anyway, once I get the actual physical license, M will teach me all the stuff about our car like how to set up my phone with the GPS in the car, where the switch is to turn on the lights, wipers, etc. Then I'm good to go.

This is all so interesting...streets that are meant mostly for bikes and how to handle your GPS telling you to go there during an exam. Just so different. The handling of the parked semi's is also something...just the fact that it could be so subjective that one examiner could penalize you for doing what you did while another might approve of it. That's interesting that backing into a parking space is a special skill on the exam. Now that backup cameras are mandated on new vehicles in the US and so many have added sensors, I've gotten lazy with that one. Also interesting about the breaks! I like that, but it's also such a different kind of exam than what we see over here. Sounds like you got a great person to handle your exam this time. I'm gathering pumps are a bit different over there. Still, I understand the anxiety. I grew up and learned to drive in a state where we couldn't pump our own gas. It took some time for me to feel comfortable with it. Those gas prices pain me! Not that it's great here either, but I think our local avg is $2.86 US. I know some of that other stuff just varies car by car. My husband's truck is old enough that his only option is to connect his phone with a cable and have the sound for his phone play in AUX mode if he wants to hear the directions from his phone GPS. Oh well...no biggie...you are a licensed driver!!!! Wooohooo!!!

 

[Gabe1]

Just this morning, and I actually only came on to say I passed! So yay! I should get the actual license next week and I can't drive until then, but yay!!

I am proud of you! I knew you’d pass.

 

[Songbird76]

This is all so interesting...streets that are meant mostly for bikes and how to handle your GPS telling you to go there during an exam. Just so different. The handling of the parked semi's is also something...just the fact that it could be so subjective that one examiner could penalize you for doing what you did while another might approve of it. That's interesting that backing into a parking space is a special skill on the exam. Now that backup cameras are mandated on new vehicles in the US and so many have added sensors, I've gotten lazy with that one. Also interesting about the breaks! I like that, but it's also such a different kind of exam than what we see over here. Sounds like you got a great person to handle your exam this time. I'm gathering pumps are a bit different over there. Still, I understand the anxiety. I grew up and learned to drive in a state where we couldn't pump our own gas. It took some time for me to feel comfortable with it. Those gas prices pain me! Not that it's great here either, but I think our local avg is $2.86 US. I know some of that other stuff just varies car by car. My husband's truck is old enough that his only option is to connect his phone with a cable and have the sound for his phone play in AUX mode if he wants to hear the directions from his phone GPS. Oh well...no biggie...you are a licensed driver!!!! Wooohooo!!!

Yeah, driving here is just a different animal. The test is a lot more comprehensive. You do 10 minutes of navigation system, 10 minutes of interstate, a 60 zone, an 80 zone, a 30 zone, and 2 "special" skills like parallel parking, backing into a parking spot, forward parking, driving backwards around a curve, parking on an incline and getting going without rolling backwards either with or without handbrake, U-turn, or 3 point turn. I never actually took the driving test in the US, because they accidentally sent me a license instead of a permit when they sent my hardcopy, but my husband said when he took it in Wyoming, all he had to do was drive a couple of blocks, get onto the interstate, get off at the first exit, then drive back to the DMV and park. He didn't have to do parallel parking or anything. The whole thing took like 15 minutes. And someone I know from choir here lived in the US for a while and got her license there and she said the same thing...it was so easy and she was told they don't ever do things like parallel parking or anything in the road test. My husband heard on the radio a few weeks ago that the Netherlands is one of the hardest countries to get your license in. Most people I know had to take the test more than once. I personally am not likely to ever use the skill of parking backwards...I just don't see the point. Obviously I CAN do it, but I hate it and it's soooooo much easier to back OUT of a space than back INTO one, so why would I ever do that?
Pumping gas is pretty much the same. The station in Germany that we go to is only different in that you have to pay at a machine by the door rather than at the pump after hours. They have an ATM type machine and you go put in the pump number, choose the kind of gas you want, then you can go pump it. And there's no little catch thingy so you don't have to hold it. You just have to stand there and pump it. So you can't just set it on that little latch and go sit in your nice warm car in the winter and wait for it to stop automatically. But that's really the only difference. It's just that it's been 20 years since I've pumped gas, so I needed a refresher, and since we were pumping in Germany, and I don't speak German, I needed him to tell me what kind of gas we use and what the instructions said. But it recognized my Dutch bank card and gave me instructions in Dutch. If I go during the day, I'll have to ask if they speak either Dutch or English, but he assures me they'll speak Dutch...it's like a mile from the border.

Gas prices are insanely high all over Europe, but the Netherlands is one of the most expensive countries in general...not just for gas, but for everything. We tend to go to Germany for most things like Electronics, books, gas....and a lot of people choose to live just over the border because taxes and things are cheaper there, too. There are a couple of towns that are actually divided and have parts in Germany and others in the Netherlands. Apparently a lot of kids go to a particular bar in Dinxperloo because it's right on the border and if you go in far enough, you're in Germany and can drink beer at 16, where in the Netherlands, you have to be 18. It used to be 16 here, too, but they raised it a few years ago, so now the kids go to Germany. And a lot of people do their grocery shopping there. We're only about 15 minutes from the border. My work is a couple hundred yards from the border. They have had issues during corona because we weren't allowed to go into Germany without quarantining, but people would cross over to get gas or go get groceries, so they had to put border control agents everywhere to keep the Dutch out. Germany is a lot more strict with their corona regulations and the Dutch are pretty lax about it, so they didn't want the Dutch coming in and spreading it.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yeah, driving here is just a different animal. The test is a lot more comprehensive. You do 10 minutes of navigation system, 10 minutes of interstate, a 60 zone, an 80 zone, a 30 zone, and 2 "special" skills like parallel parking, backing into a parking spot, forward parking, driving backwards around a curve, parking on an incline and getting going without rolling backwards either with or without handbrake, U-turn, or 3 point turn. I never actually took the driving test in the US, because they accidentally sent me a license instead of a permit when they sent my hardcopy, but my husband said when he took it in Wyoming, all he had to do was drive a couple of blocks, get onto the interstate, get off at the first exit, then drive back to the DMV and park. He didn't have to do parallel parking or anything. The whole thing took like 15 minutes. And someone I know from choir here lived in the US for a while and got her license there and she said the same thing...it was so easy and she was told they don't ever do things like parallel parking or anything in the road test. My husband heard on the radio a few weeks ago that the Netherlands is one of the hardest countries to get your license in. Most people I know had to take the test more than once. I personally am not likely to ever use the skill of parking backwards...I just don't see the point. Obviously I CAN do it, but I hate it and it's soooooo much easier to back OUT of a space than back INTO one, so why would I ever do that?
Pumping gas is pretty much the same. The station in Germany that we go to is only different in that you have to pay at a machine by the door rather than at the pump after hours. They have an ATM type machine and you go put in the pump number, choose the kind of gas you want, then you can go pump it. And there's no little catch thingy so you don't have to hold it. You just have to stand there and pump it. So you can't just set it on that little latch and go sit in your nice warm car in the winter and wait for it to stop automatically. But that's really the only difference. It's just that it's been 20 years since I've pumped gas, so I needed a refresher, and since we were pumping in Germany, and I don't speak German, I needed him to tell me what kind of gas we use and what the instructions said. But it recognized my Dutch bank card and gave me instructions in Dutch. If I go during the day, I'll have to ask if they speak either Dutch or English, but he assures me they'll speak Dutch...it's like a mile from the border.

Gas prices are insanely high all over Europe, but the Netherlands is one of the most expensive countries in general...not just for gas, but for everything. We tend to go to Germany for most things like Electronics, books, gas....and a lot of people choose to live just over the border because taxes and things are cheaper there, too. There are a couple of towns that are actually divided and have parts in Germany and others in the Netherlands. Apparently a lot of kids go to a particular bar in Dinxperloo because it's right on the border and if you go in far enough, you're in Germany and can drink beer at 16, where in the Netherlands, you have to be 18. It used to be 16 here, too, but they raised it a few years ago, so now the kids go to Germany. And a lot of people do their grocery shopping there. We're only about 15 minutes from the border. My work is a couple hundred yards from the border. They have had issues during corona because we weren't allowed to go into Germany without quarantining, but people would cross over to get gas or go get groceries, so they had to put border control agents everywhere to keep the Dutch out. Germany is a lot more strict with their corona regulations and the Dutch are pretty lax about it, so they didn't want the Dutch coming in and spreading it.

While I don't understand the subjectivity by instructor allowed in the Netherlands, I do appreciate all of the things the test could include. A lot of those special skills get many licensed drivers into trouble. That's interesting that you never had to take the test in the US. While that sounds like a glitch on the state's part, I guess every state is different as well. While I think my driving test took about 20 minutes, I know mine was a bit different. Our closes DMV was in a nearby city in an area that was a blend of residential and industrial. The main road where the test started and ended was a 45mph speed limit. There were never any highways in the test. I had to go through the neighborhood and show I could understand and obey the various traffic signs, I had to make what they called a K turn...which I guess is a 3 pt turn, I had one downhill section where I had to show control, and then parallel parking as well as head in parking. We were allowed to fail one section and still get our license. I failed parallel parking. I actually cried. The test admin, who was kind of cranky, said he'd been doing this for over 40 years, was retiring after that day, and I was the only person to ever cry during a test. I find that hard to believe. My husband said the test is similar here, but also includes a highway portion and you have to pass it all. I recall my brother had something similar in FL. K turns 16 over the summer, so we're hoping to get her tested at that time...so we'll see.

Gas is rising over here as well, but I recall how expensive it was when we were in Europe in 2000. We have some of the cheaper gas in the US where we are, but it's still a hit to the wallet. The bar thing reminds me of so many stories while growing up. I remember kids who wanted to study abroad in high school often looked at which countries had more liberal drinking ages. Even during our college years, it wasn't uncommon for us to go over the Canadian border to drink legally. I had heard that a number of countries were doing a lot with border crossing like you've mentioned and Covid. Are you under lockdown again? My cousin in Astelveen posted over the weekend about going into lockdown again for the next 3 weeks.

 

[Songbird76]

While I don't understand the subjectivity by instructor allowed in the Netherlands, I do appreciate all of the things the test could include. A lot of those special skills get many licensed drivers into trouble. That's interesting that you never had to take the test in the US. While that sounds like a glitch on the state's part, I guess every state is different as well. While I think my driving test took about 20 minutes, I know mine was a bit different. Our closes DMV was in a nearby city in an area that was a blend of residential and industrial. The main road where the test started and ended was a 45mph speed limit. There were never any highways in the test. I had to go through the neighborhood and show I could understand and obey the various traffic signs, I had to make what they called a K turn...which I guess is a 3 pt turn, I had one downhill section where I had to show control, and then parallel parking as well as head in parking. We were allowed to fail one section and still get our license. I failed parallel parking. I actually cried. The test admin, who was kind of cranky, said he'd been doing this for over 40 years, was retiring after that day, and I was the only person to ever cry during a test. I find that hard to believe. My husband said the test is similar here, but also includes a highway portion and you have to pass it all. I recall my brother had something similar in FL. K turns 16 over the summer, so we're hoping to get her tested at that time...so we'll see.

Gas is rising over here as well, but I recall how expensive it was when we were in Europe in 2000. We have some of the cheaper gas in the US where we are, but it's still a hit to the wallet. The bar thing reminds me of so many stories while growing up. I remember kids who wanted to study abroad in high school often looked at which countries had more liberal drinking ages. Even during our college years, it wasn't uncommon for us to go over the Canadian border to drink legally. I had heard that a number of countries were doing a lot with border crossing like you've mentioned and Covid. Are you under lockdown again? My cousin in Astelveen posted over the weekend about going into lockdown again for the next 3 weeks.

Well I never liked driving and I really dreaded having to get my license. My mom told me I could renew my permit once, but I had to get my license when I turned 17. So I renewed my permit on my 16th birthday, but it takes a while before they send the hard copy. They apparently had an issue with the photo machine and they had to call a bunch of people back to redo their photos, which put them behind with doing hardcopies. They were in a rush to get caught up, they saw my birthdate and just assumed it was supposed to be a license. I didn't even notice it until a friend saw it and asked "When did you get your license??" and I said I only had a permit. She pointed it out, I thought she was joking, so I asked my mom and mom called the DMV, but they couldn't really take it back so they said congratulations.

Here, you can't get your license until you're 18. You can start taking lessons at 16.5, so E will start lessons in a year. She's not looking forward to it.

Well, it's only a partial lockdown, really. Everything is still open, it's just reduced hours and a lot of things require a QR code to prove that you've been vaccinated, recovered from covid, or tested negative in the past 24 hours. They are discussing the possibility of reducing the QR code validity to only people who are vaccinated or recovered. We reached a new record high of almost 21,000 cases in 24 hours. In the last wave back in July, the highest number was around 14,000 per day....we're over 20,000 per day now, so it's really exploded. They are worried about hospitals reaching capacity, and already they are having to cancel procedures for other things because they don't have the space. They can't put people recovering from surgery in rooms with Covid patients, but they don't have enough beds outside of the covid units, so everything else is having to be postponed. My driving instructor's wife needs to have some sort of surgery on her heart, but they can't get her in because the hospitals are all full of covid patients. So they are needing to reduce numbers, but people are really resistant to the idea of a lockdown. So they are mandating masks in public spaces, and "advising" distancing again which they weren't anymore as of about a month ago. They basically lifted the restrictions too quickly and now the cases are shooting up again, so now they want to decrease them again without actually closing things. So we have to see if it works to have restaurants close at 8pm, and to require the QR code....but the QR code has been in place since they lifted the restrictions in October, so I don't see how that's going to suddenly make it all better. The only difference is that you didn't need a QR for outdoor dining or for clubs and organizations like choir rehearsals, and now you do. And they are discussing the option of the QR code for negative tests not being valid for entry. There's one political party that is wanting to go even further and say that you have to be vaccinated AND have a negative test result in the last 24 hours for entry. The problem is that test locations are SO busy. My driving instructor got covid about a month ago and I had to get tested twice in that week to make sure I hadn't caught it from him. You could literally just show up at a test location....I made appointments, but I didn't really need one, and I actually had problems getting the 2nd test late enough. It had to be 5 days from my last contact with the infected person, but every time I tried to make an appointment, it would only give me options up to a couple of hours from the time I logged in, so I couldn't make an appointment in advance. I had to wait until late the night before I wanted to take the test to make an appointment for the following day, and I had the results a few hours later. My husband has a stuffy nose and headache, etc, so he needs to get tested, but it took him HOURS today just to access the site to make an appointment because the system was overwhelmed by so many people trying to get tested. He finally managed to get an appointment for tomorrow at 11am, but it's also taking a few days to get results, so by the time you get a negative result, it's not valid for entry to a restaurant or museum anymore, because it wasn't done in the past 24 hours. So if they decide to require vaccination AND a negative test for entry, they might as well just do a full-on lockdown, because no one will be able to get a valid QR code with the number of people needing to be tested.

And the QR code is causing a lot of controversy. We have to get our QR codes checked before every rehearsal for choir. When it was announced a week ago Friday, the board asked all of us how strictly we wanted to adhere to the regulations. Some people said if we required QR codes, they wouldn't be able to come, and some said if we DIDN'T require them, they WOULDN'T come. I had a parent teacher conference the night they discussed it, but apparently one of the gals took it really badly that they decided to require the QR codes, and she got mad and yelled at them all about how they were letting the government scare them into giving up their freedom, and she quit on the spot and stormed out. Not sorry I missed that one. I guess it was extremely awkward and no one felt like they could respond because she was so aggressive about it, so they all just sat there listening to her rant and then she stormed out and left all the app groups. So all clubs and organizations are supposed to check the QR codes each time, and I'm sure ours isn't the ONLY one with some members who were resistant to that because they can't get a valid code. So it's not really a lockdown, though that's what they are calling it. But it's kind of like what they did last year....cases increased and they didn't want to lock down, so they put in the mask mandate. That didn't bring cases down quickly enough, so then they put in a curfew. That didn't help, so they banned alcohol sales after 7pm or something....that didn't work. Every 2 weeks they would "Re-evaluate" and see that cases still weren't decreasing, so they'd try something else that was obviously not going to help much. Then finally it reached a point where they didn't know what to do and had to admit defeat and they locked down the week before Christmas, and then kept having to extend the lockdown because cases weren't decreasing fast enough because people were finding their way around restrictions. Some were just ignoring them completely and still partying, some avoided the curfew by just going to a party early and not leaving until the next morning, people refused to wear masks and businesses got tired of aggressive customers when they asked them to put on a mask, so they stopped asking. We ended up in lockdown from the week before Christmas to March. I'm guessing the same thing is going to happen this year....first they try the mask mandate and reducing hours, but that's not going to keep people home. So in 3 weeks, they will re-evaluate and they will discover that it's not helping, or at least not enough, and they will try something else bound to fail. They will try to avoid an actual lockdown and eventually have to lock down for even longer because it will get so out of hand. I'm thinking we're in for another Christmas with no visitors allowed and nothing open.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Well I never liked driving and I really dreaded having to get my license. My mom told me I could renew my permit once, but I had to get my license when I turned 17. So I renewed my permit on my 16th birthday, but it takes a while before they send the hard copy. They apparently had an issue with the photo machine and they had to call a bunch of people back to redo their photos, which put them behind with doing hardcopies. They were in a rush to get caught up, they saw my birthdate and just assumed it was supposed to be a license. I didn't even notice it until a friend saw it and asked "When did you get your license??" and I said I only had a permit. She pointed it out, I thought she was joking, so I asked my mom and mom called the DMV, but they couldn't really take it back so they said congratulations.

Here, you can't get your license until you're 18. You can start taking lessons at 16.5, so E will start lessons in a year. She's not looking forward to it.

Well, it's only a partial lockdown, really. Everything is still open, it's just reduced hours and a lot of things require a QR code to prove that you've been vaccinated, recovered from covid, or tested negative in the past 24 hours. They are discussing the possibility of reducing the QR code validity to only people who are vaccinated or recovered. We reached a new record high of almost 21,000 cases in 24 hours. In the last wave back in July, the highest number was around 14,000 per day....we're over 20,000 per day now, so it's really exploded. They are worried about hospitals reaching capacity, and already they are having to cancel procedures for other things because they don't have the space. They can't put people recovering from surgery in rooms with Covid patients, but they don't have enough beds outside of the covid units, so everything else is having to be postponed. My driving instructor's wife needs to have some sort of surgery on her heart, but they can't get her in because the hospitals are all full of covid patients. So they are needing to reduce numbers, but people are really resistant to the idea of a lockdown. So they are mandating masks in public spaces, and "advising" distancing again which they weren't anymore as of about a month ago. They basically lifted the restrictions too quickly and now the cases are shooting up again, so now they want to decrease them again without actually closing things. So we have to see if it works to have restaurants close at 8pm, and to require the QR code....but the QR code has been in place since they lifted the restrictions in October, so I don't see how that's going to suddenly make it all better. The only difference is that you didn't need a QR for outdoor dining or for clubs and organizations like choir rehearsals, and now you do. And they are discussing the option of the QR code for negative tests not being valid for entry. There's one political party that is wanting to go even further and say that you have to be vaccinated AND have a negative test result in the last 24 hours for entry. The problem is that test locations are SO busy. My driving instructor got covid about a month ago and I had to get tested twice in that week to make sure I hadn't caught it from him. You could literally just show up at a test location....I made appointments, but I didn't really need one, and I actually had problems getting the 2nd test late enough. It had to be 5 days from my last contact with the infected person, but every time I tried to make an appointment, it would only give me options up to a couple of hours from the time I logged in, so I couldn't make an appointment in advance. I had to wait until late the night before I wanted to take the test to make an appointment for the following day, and I had the results a few hours later. My husband has a stuffy nose and headache, etc, so he needs to get tested, but it took him HOURS today just to access the site to make an appointment because the system was overwhelmed by so many people trying to get tested. He finally managed to get an appointment for tomorrow at 11am, but it's also taking a few days to get results, so by the time you get a negative result, it's not valid for entry to a restaurant or museum anymore, because it wasn't done in the past 24 hours. So if they decide to require vaccination AND a negative test for entry, they might as well just do a full-on lockdown, because no one will be able to get a valid QR code with the number of people needing to be tested.

And the QR code is causing a lot of controversy. We have to get our QR codes checked before every rehearsal for choir. When it was announced a week ago Friday, the board asked all of us how strictly we wanted to adhere to the regulations. Some people said if we required QR codes, they wouldn't be able to come, and some said if we DIDN'T require them, they WOULDN'T come. I had a parent teacher conference the night they discussed it, but apparently one of the gals took it really badly that they decided to require the QR codes, and she got mad and yelled at them all about how they were letting the government scare them into giving up their freedom, and she quit on the spot and stormed out. Not sorry I missed that one. I guess it was extremely awkward and no one felt like they could respond because she was so aggressive about it, so they all just sat there listening to her rant and then she stormed out and left all the app groups. So all clubs and organizations are supposed to check the QR codes each time, and I'm sure ours isn't the ONLY one with some members who were resistant to that because they can't get a valid code. So it's not really a lockdown, though that's what they are calling it. But it's kind of like what they did last year....cases increased and they didn't want to lock down, so they put in the mask mandate. That didn't bring cases down quickly enough, so then they put in a curfew. That didn't help, so they banned alcohol sales after 7pm or something....that didn't work. Every 2 weeks they would "Re-evaluate" and see that cases still weren't decreasing, so they'd try something else that was obviously not going to help much. Then finally it reached a point where they didn't know what to do and had to admit defeat and they locked down the week before Christmas, and then kept having to extend the lockdown because cases weren't decreasing fast enough because people were finding their way around restrictions. Some were just ignoring them completely and still partying, some avoided the curfew by just going to a party early and not leaving until the next morning, people refused to wear masks and businesses got tired of aggressive customers when they asked them to put on a mask, so they stopped asking. We ended up in lockdown from the week before Christmas to March. I'm guessing the same thing is going to happen this year....first they try the mask mandate and reducing hours, but that's not going to keep people home. So in 3 weeks, they will re-evaluate and they will discover that it's not helping, or at least not enough, and they will try something else bound to fail. They will try to avoid an actual lockdown and eventually have to lock down for even longer because it will get so out of hand. I'm thinking we're in for another Christmas with no visitors allowed and nothing open.

I was like that when I got my permit and first licensed. I hated driving. My friend drove all the time while I usually only drove to and from school and lessons, as well as helping with my brother. It's still so interesting that they gave you the official one in error.

K is very excited to start driving. Part of me is too, because it would relieve some of the pressure on us being a taxi for the kids, but it's scary and expensive having a new teen driver. One of her friends tipped

Now that we're nearly 2 years into this pandemic, my feelings are all over the place on things. I think a lot of it is frustration. I can see all kinds of angles with what's going on with your part of the world. It sounds like getting tested over there is hard enough without additional mandates in place. I just see logic in a lot of arguments on both sides, which makes it even more challenging to decide what I think is right. I know the numbers there are really spiking, and you may be right about a no visitor Christmas again. It also is probably a warning sign for other areas that are starting to show mild upticks again...like it's about to boom. I just don't know what the answer is anymore. Obviously, you don't want it to spread, you don't want hospitals overwhelmed, and you certainly don't want to catch it...but it also starts feeling like a lesson in futility. Well, I'm going to hope things don't get too crazy for you guys. I am pretty certain we won't lock down again over here, but it doesn't mean we're invulnerable.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Checking in...not exactly the greatest news, but I need to get it off my chest.

I went in last week to have a mole checked out by a dermatologist. She didn't think it looked particularly threatening, but had enough little things that she decided to do a biopsy. I was trying to stay positive based on her optimism, but that was all dashed with my results coming back today. Unfortunately, it's a malignant melanoma. It also has certain things on the pathology of greater concern (like if I'm reading that report correctly, it may also be a rare kind with not so good odds and there's a decent chance it's spread), so I've been referred to the big cancer center here. It's the top cancer center in the US, so that gives me a lot of hope, but just can't believe this is happening. I made the mistake of Googling some of what I saw on the pathology and I'll be honest...it scares the heck out of me. The dermatologist already said they will likely need to check my lymph nodes and may remove the nail on my thumb over another concern I had, so needless to say...trying not to freak out...but it's really hard. It also doesn't help that it's happening around the holidays. Not that there's ever a great time for cancer

 

[Songbird76]

I was like that when I got my permit and first licensed. I hated driving. My friend drove all the time while I usually only drove to and from school and lessons, as well as helping with my brother. It's still so interesting that they gave you the official one in error.

K is very excited to start driving. Part of me is too, because it would relieve some of the pressure on us being a taxi for the kids, but it's scary and expensive having a new teen driver. One of her friends tipped

Now that we're nearly 2 years into this pandemic, my feelings are all over the place on things. I think a lot of it is frustration. I can see all kinds of angles with what's going on with your part of the world. It sounds like getting tested over there is hard enough without additional mandates in place. I just see logic in a lot of arguments on both sides, which makes it even more challenging to decide what I think is right. I know the numbers there are really spiking, and you may be right about a no visitor Christmas again. It also is probably a warning sign for other areas that are starting to show mild upticks again...like it's about to boom. I just don't know what the answer is anymore. Obviously, you don't want it to spread, you don't want hospitals overwhelmed, and you certainly don't want to catch it...but it also starts feeling like a lesson in futility. Well, I'm going to hope things don't get too crazy for you guys. I am pretty certain we won't lock down again over here, but it doesn't mean we're invulnerable.

Yeah, getting a license in error would never happen here. Since there's no such thing as a permit, and you can't apply for the license until you've passed your test and the DMV sends in your results to the city hall, there's no way to get one by accident. I'm still kind of amazed that they let me keep my license in the US. That doesn't seem safe, not knowing whether a kid can even drive at all. I don't know what would have happened if my friend hadn't noticed and I had tried to take my driving test. But it just doesn't seem wise the way they did it....I mean we called them to report it and let them know. They could have easily said to turn it in and they'd send a new hard copy and we would have done it. I'm glad I never had to take my test there, but it kind of surprises me.

I think part of your post got eaten. One of K's friends tipped.....? So does K have a permit then, or do you get the permit at 16? Is drivers Ed mandatory there?

I think the biggest problem here with the sharp increase is that they said our hospital infrastructure is going to collapse if the numbers don't go down NOW. We just don't have the beds. Last year in one of the first waves, there were actually people who died of other things because they couldn't get into a hospital. There were people who had to drive hours to get to a hospital that wasn't full. Or I guess it was ambulance transport...but hospitals had to turn people away because they didn't have room, so then they'd have to find a hospital that did, and that hospital might be in a different province halfway across the country. Granted, halfway across the country here is only an hour or 2 away, but still, it's not ideal. And we have more cases now than we did then. And then there are the people who need surgeries or what have you, and they keep getting postponed because they don't have the medical staff needed, or they don't have the space in the hospitals to admit patients outside of covid. Last year, they banned fireworks on New Years Eve, because the hospitals were so full of covid patients, they didn't have room for firework accident patients. Of course, no one seemed to adhere to the ban, and people just went across the border into Germany to buy their fireworks, and there were still a bunch of accidents with illegal fireworks, and they were the kind that have always been illegal in the Netherlands, not just because of covid, but because they are huge and dangerous. I think there were actually MORE fireworks last year than in previous years...usually they go until about 1:30 -2:00am....last year they were still going at 3:30. Banning them had the opposite effect, and police didn't seem to be enforcing it at all.

Austria has decided to go on full lockdown. They were going to just lock down for unvaccinated people, but they decided now to just lockdown across the board. Right now is the start of the Christmas Market season, and all the vendors had just set up, and had their QR code readers in place to check for vaccinations, and they no more got set up than they were told they have to close down. I'm not sure about Germany or Belgium. Then there were 14 dutch guys who went to Spain, and apparently at least 5 have corona and they left the hotel where they were supposed to quarantine. There are protests going on everywhere and people are setting things on fire, etc. It's just absolute chaos. I don't have the answers, but what we're doing is obviously not working!

 

[Songbird76]

Checking in...not exactly the greatest news, but I need to get it off my chest.

I went in last week to have a mole checked out by a dermatologist. She didn't think it looked particularly threatening, but had enough little things that she decided to do a biopsy. I was trying to stay positive based on her optimism, but that was all dashed with my results coming back today. Unfortunately, it's a malignant melanoma. It also has certain things on the pathology of greater concern (like if I'm reading that report correctly, it may also be a rare kind with not so good odds and there's a decent chance it's spread), so I've been referred to the big cancer center here. It's the top cancer center in the US, so that gives me a lot of hope, but just can't believe this is happening. I made the mistake of Googling some of what I saw on the pathology and I'll be honest...it scares the heck out of me. The dermatologist already said they will likely need to check my lymph nodes and may remove the nail on my thumb over another concern I had, so needless to say...trying not to freak out...but it's really hard. It also doesn't help that it's happening around the holidays. Not that there's ever a great time for cancer

Wow.....that's....not good news. I hope it's not the rare kind you mentioned! How long have you had the mole?

 

[MinnieM123]

Checking in...not exactly the greatest news, but I need to get it off my chest.

I went in last week to have a mole checked out by a dermatologist. She didn't think it looked particularly threatening, but had enough little things that she decided to do a biopsy. I was trying to stay positive based on her optimism, but that was all dashed with my results coming back today. Unfortunately, it's a malignant melanoma. It also has certain things on the pathology of greater concern (like if I'm reading that report correctly, it may also be a rare kind with not so good odds and there's a decent chance it's spread), so I've been referred to the big cancer center here. It's the top cancer center in the US, so that gives me a lot of hope, but just can't believe this is happening. I made the mistake of Googling some of what I saw on the pathology and I'll be honest...it scares the heck out of me. The dermatologist already said they will likely need to check my lymph nodes and may remove the nail on my thumb over another concern I had, so needless to say...trying not to freak out...but it's really hard. It also doesn't help that it's happening around the holidays. Not that there's ever a great time for cancer

Oh my. Sending positive vibes that the doctor can treat this efficiently and quickly for you. (Not the diagnosis you wanted, prior to the holiday season. )

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Checking in...not exactly the greatest news, but I need to get it off my chest.

I went in last week to have a mole checked out by a dermatologist. She didn't think it looked particularly threatening, but had enough little things that she decided to do a biopsy. I was trying to stay positive based on her optimism, but that was all dashed with my results coming back today. Unfortunately, it's a malignant melanoma. It also has certain things on the pathology of greater concern (like if I'm reading that report correctly, it may also be a rare kind with not so good odds and there's a decent chance it's spread), so I've been referred to the big cancer center here. It's the top cancer center in the US, so that gives me a lot of hope, but just can't believe this is happening. I made the mistake of Googling some of what I saw on the pathology and I'll be honest...it scares the heck out of me. The dermatologist already said they will likely need to check my lymph nodes and may remove the nail on my thumb over another concern I had, so needless to say...trying not to freak out...but it's really hard. It also doesn't help that it's happening around the holidays. Not that there's ever a great time for cancer

I'm so sorry to hear this but thank goodness you went to get that checked instead of ignoring it. Please don't google the symptoms any more though until you meet with your doctor again, it will just stress you out. (Although I give that advice I would probably google away too.) I really do wish you all the best in your recovery and treatments. Sending prayers, good thoughts & vibes. Also feel free to share any concerns, fears, and good things about this too here or in a pm if needed. Sometimes it just helps to vent even with the internet folk that care but haven't met you in person.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Wow.....that's....not good news. I hope it's not the rare kind you mentioned! How long have you had the mole?

I've had the mole for a long time. It's one that I can remember as far back as teen years...maybe longer. It started changing recently. I should have gone in back in July when I first noticed some changes, but so many other things got in the way. The rare kind supposedly starts from a more unthreatening looking mole, making it hard to diagnose early. I would assume the pathology report is correct since it says it's that kind of mole, but I'll have to wait on the oncologist and further testing to know just how bad.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Oh my. Sending positive vibes that the doctor can treat this efficiently and quickly for you. (Not the diagnosis you wanted, prior to the holiday season. )

View attachment 601901

Thank you! Yes, I am really hoping to get the ball rolling on this pronto. The dr's office called back on Friday, but for whatever reason, they called my work phone, so I'm going to call first thing tomorrow. I'm a little worried that they're botching some of this. The referral went in Friday morning, I gave a bunch of person info to the girl on the phone I spoke with and also completed a bunch of personal info on their online portal. I faxed over additional info as well. The late afternoon call tells me they aren't looking at my preferred phone number and may not have any of the information I've given. Sorry...rambling...just hoping to get my first appointment scheduled tomorrow without any more waiting.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I'm so sorry to hear this but thank goodness you went to get that checked instead of ignoring it. Please don't google the symptoms any more though until you meet with your doctor again, it will just stress you out. (Although I give that advice I would probably google away too.) I really do wish you all the best in your recovery and treatments. Sending prayers, good thoughts & vibes. Also feel free to share any concerns, fears, and good things about this too here or in a pm if needed. Sometimes it just helps to vent even with the internet folk that care but haven't met you in person.

I'm trying to avoid googling any more on the pathology details and trying to focus on other things. I appreciate the well wishes. I guess that's kind of the beauty of the internet and various forums and such. You may not know people in person, but it can be a nice source for support. It's all just a lot to digest right now, and I don't even know anything on the bigger picture yet. So, I'm sure I will be back to vent and share. Fears, frustration, and mental prep are my focus right now.

 

[Songbird76]

I've had the mole for a long time. It's one that I can remember as far back as teen years...maybe longer. It started changing recently. I should have gone in back in July when I first noticed some changes, but so many other things got in the way. The rare kind supposedly starts from a more unthreatening looking mole, making it hard to diagnose early. I would assume the pathology report is correct since it says it's that kind of mole, but I'll have to wait on the oncologist and further testing to know just how bad.

Sending you supportive hugs. I'm sure it's really scary right now. I wish I had some amazing words to make you feel better, but there probably aren't enough words in the English language to do that right now. But we're here, and we're thinking of you and sending positive thoughts your way. Keep us updated!!

 

[MinnieM123]

@Sans Souci , Figgy 1 suggested I pass along to you (a NJ news story I saw on CNN and shared with her today). The link is below, and she thought the location might be somewhere within range of your area in NJ. So, just an fyi only.

A Starbucks employee tested positive for hepatitis A, possibly exposing thousands of customers to the virus | CNN

A New Jersey Starbucks employee who handled food and later tested positive for hepatitis A may have exposed thousands of customers to the virus.

www.cnn.com

 

[Figgy1]

Checking in...not exactly the greatest news, but I need to get it off my chest.

I went in last week to have a mole checked out by a dermatologist. She didn't think it looked particularly threatening, but had enough little things that she decided to do a biopsy. I was trying to stay positive based on her optimism, but that was all dashed with my results coming back today. Unfortunately, it's a malignant melanoma. It also has certain things on the pathology of greater concern (like if I'm reading that report correctly, it may also be a rare kind with not so good odds and there's a decent chance it's spread), so I've been referred to the big cancer center here. It's the top cancer center in the US, so that gives me a lot of hope, but just can't believe this is happening. I made the mistake of Googling some of what I saw on the pathology and I'll be honest...it scares the heck out of me. The dermatologist already said they will likely need to check my lymph nodes and may remove the nail on my thumb over another concern I had, so needless to say...trying not to freak out...but it's really hard. It also doesn't help that it's happening around the holidays. Not that there's ever a great time for cancer

I'm so sorry and so close to the holidays and get well soon

PS vent away when you need to

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Sending you supportive hugs. I'm sure it's really scary right now. I wish I had some amazing words to make you feel better, but there probably aren't enough words in the English language to do that right now. But we're here, and we're thinking of you and sending positive thoughts your way. Keep us updated!!

Thank you! At this point, I'm trying to channel my frustrations into calling the hospital's melanoma center. I called just after 8am, but the girl who called me on Friday afternoon had just gotten in. So, I'm now waiting on a call back and playing that mental game of "how long do I wait before I call again?" I'll be the squeaky wheel if needed, but I also don't want to be so annoying that it compromises my service and care. Hopefully I can post later that I have an appointment set up.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I'm so sorry and so close to the holidays and get well soon

PS vent away when you need to

Thank you! Never a good time for this, but it's really not a good time.