Grand Rapids Nesties
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
What Up Wednesday
Good Morning!
How is your day treating you so far?
Everyone ready for Halloween?
Speaking of that, I have no idea when the kiddos are actually trick or treating this year in our neighborhood. My nephew is almost 2, and my bro and SIL are bringing him trick or treat driving him to each relative and friends house (we all live w/in about a 10 mile radius of each other). I have no idea what he's dressing as and I can't wait to be surprised.
Re: What Up Wednesday
Hello. My day is okay, I suppose. Same old, same old.
I am not ready for Halloween. We need to purchase candy. And figure out when trick-or-treating is. And we're talking about carving pumpkins this year, and if that's the case, we need to purchase some pumpkins. And then carve them.
We haven't purchased candy yet on purpose. Since candy doesn't last 5 minutes in our home, I wait until the day of to purchase. :-)
We are ready! Costumes ready, pumpkins here and ready to be carved. We know trick or treating is on Monday night in GR, and I'm happy with the weather forecast.
Our morning is good. I'm doing some research for tomorrow's interview, and Henry's playing with his new toy that's a truck/toolbox hybrid right next to me. Flu shots for Willa and I this afternoon.
I finished a book last night that you should read. http://piperkerman.com/orange This woman writes in a way that I think a lot of people here would appreciate. And she made me more aware of what the War on Drugs has done to instutionalize people for minor offenses.
I have been sick and am still not feeling well. I am missing my second strength training class of the week this morning. Which is making me feel really blah.
We have decided to hand out playdoh and suckers this year for Halloween. I am trying to eliminate the candy binge I go on every year.
Good morning. I'm wearing something new, so that has helped my outlook today. Also, I get to go to my favorite job this afternoon, which is nice to look forward to.
We don't celebrate Halloween, so it will be just another weekend for us, which is just fine.
I woke up to my alarm going off...in my dream. My actually alarm didn't go off until 25 minutes later.
Totally not ready for Halloween. Decorations are buried deep in the garage, no candy and no pumpkins. SS wasn't interested in carving pumpkin so I haven't really thought about picking any up.
DH is out of town today for work so I kind of have a a free day to myself of sorts.
Aw. Cute costume idea and your Halloween plan sounds fun. I am sure your SIL will like the company.
No kidding!
In other celebrity death news, I am so sick of hearing about the Michael Jack son doctor trial. Can we say SLOW NEWS DAY?!
Oh, yeah, decorations. I usually put up fall/Halloween decorations, but I didn't do that this year. Partially because I was lazy, partially because we were going to be gone for a good chunk of October, and partially because I decided I didn't like most of my decorations.
I did however put out a pumpkin candy dish. But that was just because I needed something to contain my candy corn supply.
Thanks, Amachuta. We're gradually learning more about the circumstances leading up to his death, and it's just heart-breaking.
I'm looking forward to fun plans on Friday and just being away from school, although I'm sure there will be considerable school-related work to do.
It's at that point in the semester where things start feeling really out of control. I also got my first graded assignment back in legal writing yesterday and I'm mad. I get madder and madder the more I think about it.--Okay, this is funny so I'm leaving it. While typing this, I decided to go check to see if the prof posted the score distribution (one of my classmates was discussing it with me this morning and based on what she said, I thought I was in the middle clump of the bell curve). This was the source of my fury. I don't mind not being at the very top edge of the curve, but I want to be above the middle clump. So when I checked the official distribution, I discoved that my class was mistaken and my score actually was the bottom of the top clump, rather than at the top of middle clump. This makes a HUGE difference to me. I'm still mad about the mistakes I made as most of them were due to sloppiness on my part, but at least I'm in the pack I want to run with.
Oh, and dudes, I'm fully aware that I'm a total nutcase right now.
I'm also belated on this. I've mentioned this before, but one of my ex-BFs committed suicide several years ago and it was so devastating. My heart really goes out to B, because these things often affect us so much more than we might "expect" them to. Thinking of B, and the family of your friend.
Hats off to you ladies who decorate for Halloween! That's impressive. We haven't even decorated for Christmas the last several years because we've traveled over Christmas week and it just felt like a lot of work to not even be there (plus my paranoia about the cat chewing light wires and hurting herself). Our cat nanny probably thinks we're grinches. Or Jewish.
If I'm not fetal with a pacifier after finals this year, I'd like to decorate since I'll be home a lot to enjoy it.
I am so sorry for your loss, Kasa. My heart goes out to you, your H and your friend's family.
Thank you, everyone.
Regarding his students... I was just reading the "memories" section on his Life Story page. A number of his former students are leaving comments about what a great teacher he was and how he really influenced them and impacted their lives. One person said that he decided to become a teacher because of him. Those comments totally made me cry. I had to stop reading.
I think it's hard to be down when you have a house full of festive Christmast decorations.
My grandmother announced one year that she was going to be Jewish and thus not decorate for Christmas (they were leaving for Florida around that time). It was truly hilarious and my family still laughs about it. My grandma is like the most Catholic woman ever. I told her that I was pretty sure there's more to the Jewish faith than not putting up a Christmas tree.
That got to me, too. Small comfort: His legacy will endure with this new teacher! That's what I choose to believe.
Also no decorations here. We also won't be decorating for Xmas since we'll be on vacation. And I'm kind of happy about it because I'm lazy. I should probably spend any time I would have spent decorating on dusting or cleaning the baseboards or some other task I never do.
So awful. If it helps you or B, there were a few stories on NPR I found extremely interesting and somewhat eye-opening in regards to suicide. The main one was from Michel Martin, after her brother committed suicide. If you think it might be helpful at some time, here are the links:
Maybe Someday Love Will Cure Despair
Listeners Identify with Host
Deconstructing 'Myths About Suicide'
Chymes, did you know him too?
Kasa, I'm hoping for comfort for all who knew this teacher. I hope all of the "whys" ebb away with time, and leave peace and good memories.
No...just reading what Kasa shared moved me.
Chymes, I like your perspective on his legacy in new teachers.
Kasa - hang in there. My bf back in 2002 committed suicide and it tore me apart. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
Regarding Halloween, I am dressing up as a whoopie cushion and I actually have a farting machine to go along with it. I cant wait. LOL