General chatter while we wait (and commentary on the "pull out method")

[shaescott]

Dobs are the COVID tests in CA the super deep ones that go all the way into your throat? Here they have nasal swabs (you have to do it yourself and you tilt your head back and insert until you feel resistance, which is deep but not throat deep) or saliva tests. I had my test today and it was the nasal swab. I had the swab super deep in my nose and it tickled and I sneezed with the swab deep in there luckily it didn’t hurt at all.
How is the fire right now, is it staying away from you guys still? That’s so scary, I hear about the fires every summer in CA but since I live across the country I really can’t gauge how bad one year is compared to the next.

AFM I got my clinical placement for med/surg II and I’m on a cardiac telemetry unit. I might have picked a different unit for my capstone if I’d known I’d be on a tele unit in med/surg II but hey, I’ll get lots of important and valuable experience. My program is running a skills refresher the first week of classes because it’s been so long since we’ve done med/surg physical skills and while I definitely need it, I’m not looking forward to all the prep work (watching lots of super long boring instructional videos) and having the “skills check” with the instructor who isn’t mean but kinda scares me nonetheless it seems that I’m going to be very very busy with homework this semester based on what’s due just for the first week

 

[DobbyForever]

Kaiser is overkill, so they do a throat swab and swirl around both nostrils for ten seconds. The nose thing made me involuntarily cry and felt like my nose was bleeding for a long time after, but it wasn’t. I have a very sensitive gag reflex, so she kind of got fed up with me. She told me not to cough on her, so I had to step back to avoid that each time she set it off. She was really frustrated, so when she got an opportunity she went hard and scratched my throat. It was sore for days. But it came back unsurprisingly negative thankfully. My poor mom has to get it done once a month even though they are doing DL!

Luckily, the red flag was cancelled and no lightening so no new fires. The AQI yesterday did jumped into the unhealthy for all range, and I was really sick from it because I had a lot of errands to run. So far today is looking better. We're right on the verge of good and unhealthy for sensitive groups. I have a patio lunch date with a friend now that I'm banned from my mom's anyway, but I need to find my mask that filters the smoke.

I forgot what you posted on your update and I need to run cuz I'm cutting my lesson prep mad close this morning LOL I mean I always do but it's so much easier to fake when you're in a classroom. Without parents secretly watching hahahahaha

 

[DobbyForever]

Haha good think I left when I did. I finished my last interactive lesson at 8:53 and my back to back zooms started at 8:55

sorry it doesn’t match up perfectly for your capstone but I love your positive attitude! And I feel you on boring training videos. Hang in there. Can you at least have snacks lol. Snacks make everything better. And sorry it’s homework heavy. it stinks now but the payoff later will be great.

 

[pacificlove]

Dobs, sorry your stepfather is a pos especially to your mom....



If covid has ruined a lot for all of us, it might finally be showing its positive side. People are looking to live more rural!
The first property DH and I bought we tried to rent out and then sell after we moved out. Had it on the market for 2 years with no response. (Oil tanked and the area heavily relies on it). So then we sat on it the last 3 years). I had a former coworker contact me this summer if he could buy it in a private deal, however he jumped off last minute stating personal reasons.
We relisted last Monday with a realtor, and had an offer by Saturday. This morning we had a second offer!!! Realtor disclosed that to offer #1, and they came up quite a bit. So we finally concluded this negotiation this morning and at least it won't cost us out of pocket to sell. (Selling for less then we bought for).
5 years of no response and 2 offers within days, WTF!

 

[DobbyForever]

Wow PL! That’s great news!!!

 

[shaescott]

Dobs yikes that throat swab sounds unpleasant. I have a super strong gag reflex so I’d have had the same issue. I hope your throat feels better now.

PL congrats on selling the house! That’s so awesome that the circumstances made people want a more rural home and it worked out in your favor.

AFM SO went to Montana with his family and brought me home huckleberry wine, so I’m currently drunk af off of that cuz it was much stronger than what I’m used to

 

[DobbyForever]

Lol Shae sounds like a good time with good wine.

it’s ok now. That scratch is healed. Now it’s just icky from the air quality and talking all day. Distance teaching is exhausting

 

[shaescott]

Dobs sorry about the air quality. Distance teaching sounds exhausting, I’m looking at how my sister’s school is doing it and I’m like “why?”

AFM I’m currently getting ready to go back to school. I’m very nervous as it’s my last year and of course there’s a risk of another shutdown. I move in in 6 days. I’m lucky enough to have a double room all to myself this year so I get two beds which I’m going to convert to a king, so I’m currently washing all my new king sized bedding

 

[DobbyForever]

Yeah. I like to think I’m doing ok. I think it’s beneficial how we’re running it, but I’m spending every A free minute doing tech prep. I’m reaching my 75-80% through whole group, but not being able to run my usual intervention groups my heart breaks for that my 15-20 we’re only live 160/300ish daily minutes. The rest is lunch/independent work. My students are tired though but they try.

Is the room a covid thing? They don’t want people doubling up? Or would you have been alone either way

 

[PrettyInInk42]

Dobby - I read your rants and I almost have no words. I second what shae said about apparently being so Christian, but still having sex outside of marriage. And I'm so sorry your stepdad is being such a dick. I have no desire to be a step-parent, but if I somehow ended up as one, I would definitely be accepting of my stepkid(s). Some people are just beyond reason. That's good that you're in less fire danger. i can't even imagine having to evacuate and risk losing everything. -.-

shae - Good luck when you go back to school. Hopefully the work load isn't that bad. And it's just one year. You can do it.

PL - Congrats on selling your house.

AFM, we had Alex's belated BDay party last weekend. It was alright. There were only like 12 adults total and two additional kids (4yo and 6mo). Hopefully things will be a little safer and we'll have a better turn out for Matthew's BDay next month.
Our furniture finally came. Just waiting on appliances. Once they're here and a couple more small paint jobs are finished, I guess it'll be time to properly move in.
The sprinkle went fine, I guess. I was told no SO or Alex just out of caution for the mom-to-be, but her husband and almost 3yo were there. And her FIL and BIL and uncle-in-law. Basically all the men on SO's side except him, his dad, and Alex. A few people asked where they were and I told them they apparently weren't allowed to come for safety reasons. I wasn't enthusiastic while I was there, but I did make polite conversation. I wasn't super torn up about the situation while I was there, but now it's Sept and she's apparently due in 12 days. She's about to have a little girl, with a husband who loves her, and she'll shrink back to being like a size 4 in several weeks. I know it's the same old story from me, but I'm getting sick to my stomach again just thinking about it. I really am surprised that I didn't cry when I found out Matthew was gonna be a boy, but both times, FOR A SPLIT SECOND, I thought about terminating and trying again. Like, that's not normal. Maybe I dealt with Matthew better cuz I'd had the MMC, so I was just happy to have a viable baby. Please know that I love my sons VERY much and I do NOT regret having them. I just had various visions and hopes for my life and there are a lot of things that haven't come to fruition. I'm sure everyone can say that, but it still sucks.

 

[pacificlove]

Well our house deal will probably fall through... The buyers bank did an assessment and it came back 20k lower then what we had agreed on sale price. If we accepted that, the 20k would have to come out of our pocket... The bank won't finance it otherwise. The buyers will most likely not want to spent more then the bank says it's worth.

I just want to pound by head into a wall...

 

[shaescott]

Dobs to be honest I don’t understand most of what you said about your class there with the numbers. Sounds like you can’t run intervention groups for the students who need more help?
The double room isn’t because of COVID, they’re still doing roommates. I was supposed to be in a single room but I think they ran out so they just stuck me in an open double room with no roommate for no extra charge. Sucky for them, awesome for me

Pretty that’s weird that they excluded your SO and Alex and none of the other guys. I’m sorry about the girl thing we know you love your boys, it’s just really hard when your dreams get crushed like that and then other people get your dream. Sending love

PL dang that really sucks Hopefully something/someone works out soon.

 

[DobbyForever]

PL I'm so sorry. I'm so shocked, too! I know 20k is a big difference, but usually around here there's sort of an unspoken just assess the property for the agreed upon price situation. At least that's what I was told when I bought my place. Keeping you in my thoughts that either they are willing to pay the difference or a new deal comes through soon.

Pretty it's a loss and it hurts. Your feelings are so valid. And sure on paper it's easy to say that thoughts like that are unbecoming, but I think you have to have lived it to get it. I love A. I really do. But sometimes it kills me that he has ASD and SPD and a speech delay. It's different, but similar I had a vision for how life was supposed to be with my child and it's not that. And yes I wanted a boy but only because everyone in my life wanted a boy and I'm a people pleaser. I wanted a girl. And every time I go clothes shopping, sure cool I can buy some cute gamer/ comic tees but I still get teary eyed going through the girls section wondering if that's ever in my future. Don't know if that helps at all to know. Hugs.

Shae ooo ic ic. Well woot for that!

The long short is with whole group instruction, a teacher is expected to successfully teach 80% of their students. Then you get in class intervention to reach like 5-10% more. Then you get out of class intervention to get the rest. But since I can't provide my usual small group instruction or move around the room hovering over kids working, I can't do any intervention right now. I don't have the time/ I wouldn't even know how in this digital space. And none of my students qualify for resource services. So it's great that 80-90% of my students are acing their exit tickets, but it bothers me as a teacher that that last handful of kids are getting a raw deal.

 

[shaescott]

Dobs do you use zoom for the online classes?

If so: There’s an option of breakout rooms, where you can assign specific students to different rooms. You may be able to have your intervention kids in one breakout room and the other kids in another, and while the main class works on an assignment you could work with the small group. Then when you’re done, you end breakout groups and it goes back to everyone on the same zoom. We use zoom at my school and the professors love using breakout rooms for mini group assignments. You can also message students individually, so they can send you messages if they’re confused about something without sending it to the whole class.

If you don’t use zoom, I’ve got no ideas I’m sure it’s super frustrating because you want to give all those kids the best chance possible at succeeding. Try to remember that you’re doing your best given the circumstances.

 

[DobbyForever]

We use Zoom. The issue with break out rooms is supervision. My mom’s district doesn’t allow them because legally we can’t leave students alone without adult supervision. Our district doesn’t have rules so I did it once and literally none of my rooms did anything. They sat in silence and asked me never to do them again

 

[shaescott]

Dobs yikes. Okay, so breakout rooms only work for much older, much more independent students, I see I’m sorry that didn’t work out.

 

[DobbyForever]

Yeah. I mean you just have to tell yourself that you're doing what you can. It sucks, but if I dwell on it then I'll go mad. So I'm trying not to.

 

[shaescott]

Dobs You’re doing awesome.

AFM today SO actually asked me to send him the link to the cheaper ring that I’ve been sending him for ages now (but of course he never keeps the link) but he’s never asked for the link before which sounds like he’s actually actively thinking about buying it... so of course I’m super impatient and curious and excited, and I hate surprises when I know there’s going to be a surprise because I want to knowwww, I hate not knowing things. I actually had a moment where I was like “I could hack into his email and see if there’s a confirmation email” but I wouldn’t do that, mostly because I know he uses those google generated passwords so I’d never crack it without just sneaking onto his phone, and also because I don’t want to ruin the surprise on his end, I want him to be able to surprise me because I know he wants to. But uggggh I’m so curious.

 

[DobbyForever]

You’re sweet.

haha I know what you mean. I overheard my ex ask my parents for permission to propose (my mom had a container I got as a teen in Thailand that I said I want my ring in so I knew whoever it was had their blessing). Plus I ended up having to pack it cuz my mom said no lol. We were like halfway to the airport and was like oops. So I spent the whole week waiting for my damn proposal. I was so irritable lol. Def no hacking though. The surprise is worth it

 

[pacificlove]

Shae, I agree, wait for the surprise! It's so much better

AFM, one of our first Nation communities here has just declared a state of emergency due to 4 confirmed cases of covid and more people with symptoms. We've been very lucky so far to almost no cases, but it just shows people have become too complacent... Ugh! I hope this ends soon.

As for our property, we were able to sell it! Paying well over 10k out of pocket, but the way I see it we would have paid that in mortgage and insurance over the next few months anyway. We'll have a tight few months to recover from that large expenditure.. at least the property will be gone and out of our minds!!