Small Talk: 1, 2, 3 Non-Cheerleader Conversation

[kalibean]

3 hours ago, California Girl said:

My grandmother did not expect to have children, and then she had my aunt at 39 and my dad at 41, back in the time when people couldn't get help with fertility treatments.

I love hearing stories like these - I wasn't sure if I wanted kids until I hit around 35 (long story.) And since I'll be 40 this summer and I'm still single, it gives me a little hope :) 

Because I have mad respect for single parents, but I know I'm too selfish to start out that way. If that changes, I'll definitely start fostering and look to adopt tho. Just would prefer to do it all with a husband! 

Edited January 24, 2017 by kalibean
Damn you autocorrect

[EricaShadows]

Can I join the singles club here?  I'm happily single at the moment and don't mind a bit, especially since I kicked my last boyfriend to the curb because he was a lying bastard and didn't tell me some very important stuff until we were a year in.  See ya!  

[Oranaiche]

This has been without a doubt the most stressful work day I've had in years. I'm ready to go home already.

[EricaShadows]

That sucks, Oranaiche.  I know how it is as my previous job was HORRIBLE for stress.  My current job is SO much better and SO less stressful (if you don't count the potential emergencies that occasionally swing by to liven things up).

[Oranaiche]

9 minutes ago, EricaShadows said:

That sucks, Oranaiche.  I know how it is as my previous job was HORRIBLE for stress.  My current job is SO much better and SO less stressful (if you don't count the potential emergencies that occasionally swing by to liven things up).

I've been looking for other jobs for this very reason, but no luck so far. I've been in my field for ten years, but I'm over it.

[raindancer]

4 hours ago, EricaShadows said:

 

Can I join the singles club here?  I'm happily single at the moment and don't mind a bit, especially since I kicked my last boyfriend to the curb because he was a lying bastard and didn't tell me some very important stuff until we were a year in.  See ya!

 

Brand new singles club initiate over here too.  Been going through a very nasty, drawn out breakup with the man I wanted to have babies with and feeling very depressed.  Haven't been able to smile about much lately but you all challenge that in the best possible way.  Melissa Rycroft is a super cutie but you all are my favorite smile coaches.

[Silverleaf]

My great great great grandfather was an illegal immigrant from France

[LaurenBrook]

My random fact: I was homeschooled my entire life.  Never went to public, private, etc. school and LOVED it. Had zero issues with socialization and had no problems when I went off to college. People there never believed me that I was homeschooled; it was fun to break the stereotype that we all are nerds who like reciting the periodic table for fun and wear denim jumpers with tennis shoes. ;) 

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, LaurenBrook said:

My random fact: I was homeschooled my entire life.  Never went to public, private, etc. school and LOVED it. Had zero issues with socialization and had no problems when I went off to college. People there never believed me that I was homeschooled; it was fun to break the stereotype that we all are nerds who like reciting the periodic table for fun and wear denim jumpers with tennis shoes. ;) 

Homeschooling is great as long as you're getting the proper education. Fundies love to homeschool, but their children never learn anything proper. Like the Duggar girls are all mostly in their 20s and yet they have the personality of teenage girls.

[cherryblossom]

As a college professor, we actually have admission counselors specifically for kids that are homeschooled.  For the most part, those students are ones who have had a variety of options from playing football at the local school, to French lessons from another parent, frequent field trips (most of those are no longer possible in public schools), and being able to take a class from another school, such as a private school or take standardized tests there.  I have had these children in a very rigorous bachelor's program and there was no difference in their social skills and their academic skills were very high.  These kids are very different from how homeschooling was in 1950's-70's.   

[LaurenBrook]

22 minutes ago, heatherrrrz said:

Homeschooling is great as long as you're getting the proper education. Fundies love to homeschool, but their children never learn anything proper. Like the Duggar girls are all mostly in their 20s and yet they have the personality of teenage girls.

Well, I have also been serious about my Christian walk my entire life so I am not going to judge 'fundies' lol but that certainly wasn't the only reason my parents chose to homeschool us  - they actually were both public school teachers so they had nothing against public schooling but they felt strongly they wanted to manage our education.  Again, I absolutely loved it (and realize it's NOT for everyone) but I still don't know if I could homeschool my (imaginary LOL) kids. It's SO MUCH WORK as a parent if you are dedicated to truly schooling your children.  As you noted, BIG difference being homeschoolers and what we called 'unschoolers.'  I def knew some of those too.  thankfully PA is pretty strict with their education laws but some states def are NOT. 

 

18 minutes ago, cherryblossom said:

As a college professor, we actually have admission counselors specifically for kids that are homeschooled.  For the most part, those students are ones who have had a variety of options from playing football at the local school, to French lessons from another parent, frequent field trips (most of those are no longer possible in public schools), and being able to take a class from another school, such as a private school or take standardized tests there.  I have had these children in a very rigorous bachelor's program and there was no difference in their social skills and their academic skills were very high.  These kids are very different from how homeschooling was in 1950's-70's.   

You basically summed up my experience (minus the football lol - I did volleyball and dance).  1000000 field trips.  AP testing at public school. etc.  

[Guest]

Just now, LaurenBrook said:

Well, I have also been serious about my Christian walk my entire life so I am not going to judge 'fundies' lol but that certainly wasn't the only reason my parents chose to homeschool us  - they actually were both public school teachers so they had nothing against public schooling but they felt strongly they wanted to manage our education.  Again, I absolutely loved it (and realize it's NOT for everyone) but I still don't know if I could homeschool my (imaginary LOL) kids. It's SO MUCH WORK as a parent if you are dedicated to truly schooling your children.  As you noted, BIG difference being homeschoolers and what we called 'unschoolers.'  I def knew some of those too.  thankfully PA is pretty strict with their education laws but some states def are NOT. 

I sometimes wonder if I had been homeschooled how I would be. I'm an introvert anyways, so it really makes no difference on my social skills. I hated public school because of how much I was bullied, but a public school for the arts wasn't much better. I had to get a math tutor since me and math don't mix, but my mom wasn't much help with math either. I don't think she would have been able to homeschool me. I think it is easier to homeschool your children if you're already teachers, a lot of people do that I think. 

[California Girl]

1 hour ago, LaurenBrook said:

My random fact: I was homeschooled my entire life.  Never went to public, private, etc. school and LOVED it. Had zero issues with socialization and had no problems when I went off to college. People there never believed me that I was homeschooled; it was fun to break the stereotype that we all are nerds who like reciting the periodic table for fun and wear denim jumpers with tennis shoes. ;) 

Bless your mom, that is hard work and difficult to get right.

[LaurenBrook]

20 minutes ago, California Girl said:

Bless your mom, that is hard work and difficult to get right.

YES.  I don't know how she did it at times but she is a perfectionist and was also I believe valedictorian in high school and salutatorian in college so she was the perfect type of person to homeschool.  I think I'd go more the cyber school route if the public school in my area wasn't strong by the time I had kids. 

26 minutes ago, heatherrrrz said:

I sometimes wonder if I had been homeschooled how I would be. I'm an introvert anyways, so it really makes no difference on my social skills. I hated public school because of how much I was bullied, but a public school for the arts wasn't much better. I had to get a math tutor since me and math don't mix, but my mom wasn't much help with math either. I don't think she would have been able to homeschool me. I think it is easier to homeschool your children if you're already teachers, a lot of people do that I think. 

I'm an introvert too so i'm really thankful my mom had me involved in a million things or I could have struggled a bit in college.  I'm sorry about the bullying :( I am very glad to have missed out on that and mean girl crap.  Not that we never had drama but mostly my friends and i were always pumped to see each other and hang out that we didn't fight much. 

[Guest]

I did online college and it was just so much easier for me. I figured out that I learn best this way.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, QuiteContraryMoni said:

I'm supposed to be studying for my state boards that I am taking in three hours. Which I'm going to fail. I'm not saying that to be negative, I really going to fail them. But I can go take them after I study the areas I failed until I pass. So that's good.

Good luck! Get to studying.

[tobeyoungagain]

15 hours ago, EricaShadows said:

Can I join the singles club here?  I'm happily single at the moment and don't mind a bit, especially since I kicked my last boyfriend to the curb because he was a lying bastard and didn't tell me some very important stuff until we were a year in.  See ya!  

Sometimes I wanna kick my bf to the curb...shhhhh, don't tell

[tobeyoungagain]

3 hours ago, heatherrrrz said:

Homeschooling is great as long as you're getting the proper education. Fundies love to homeschool, but their children never learn anything proper. Like the Duggar girls are all mostly in their 20s and yet they have the personality of teenage girls.

what are fundies?

47 minutes ago, QuiteContraryMoni said:

I'm supposed to be studying for my state boards that I am taking in three hours. Which I'm going to fail. I'm not saying that to be negative, I really going to fail them. But I can go take them after I study the areas I failed until I pass. So that's good.

good luck!!!  keep us posted on how it goes - you got this!

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, tobeyoungagain said:

what are fundies?

Fundamentalist: a person who believes in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture in a religion.

aka The Duggar Family and The Bates Family but the Bates family is more lenient, they let their kids go to college and don't force them to get pregnant right away.

[tobeyoungagain]

19 minutes ago, heatherrrrz said:

Fundamentalist: a person who believes in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture in a religion.

aka The Duggar Family and The Bates Family but the Bates family is more lenient, they let their kids go to college and don't force them to get pregnant right away.

Are the girls not allowed to kiss or even hug (frontal) until they're married?  If that were the case, I'd be in a rush to get married too.

[Guest]

Just now, tobeyoungagain said:

Are the girls not allowed to kiss or even hug (frontal) until they're married?  If that were the case, I'd be in a rush to get married too.

Nope. They can only hold hands once they are engaged. They say that they'll allow their kids to make their own rules but none of them have.

[tobeyoungagain]

11 minutes ago, heatherrrrz said:

Nope. They can only hold hands once they are engaged. They say that they'll allow their kids to make their own rules but none of them have.

It's interesting ... I'm assuming divorce is off the tables as well?  I don't think that anna girl even separated from her husband (duggar) after the whole porn / molestation issue.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, tobeyoungagain said:

It's interesting ... I'm assuming divorce is off the tables as well?  I don't think that anna girl even separated from her husband (duggar) after the whole porn / molestation issue.

No divorce allowed. Which sucks in Anna's case since her husband is a perv and she has to stay with him.

[ByTor]

Wow, I'm learning so much from this board & now I can add homeschooling to the list!  So @LaurenBrook...how did your classes work?  On a typical school day, since your parents are both teachers, they would have been at work.  Do you watch a teacher on video?  Or did you do your reading on your own during the day and wait for your parents to come home to teach you?  What happens when you don't understand something...is there someone who can field your questions?

Watch @QuiteContraryMoni come back and say she aced her exam!

Edited January 25, 2017 by ByTor

[ByTor]

5 minutes ago, QuiteContraryMoni said:

I am from Minneapolis, and Mary Tyler Moore, whose show was in Minneapolis, and of whom we have a statue on Nicollet Mall where she tossed her hat in the air, died today, January 25th, 2017. After a 12 year journey through beauty school (it's a long, kind of sad story), today, January 25th 2017, I passed my state boards, impossibly. I fully credit MTM as my guardian angel. Time to have a cocktail and be happy.

TOLD YA!!!  Congratulations!!!

ETA: Sad news about MTM though :(  For the record, did you ever see the house they showed which was supposed to be her "apartment building"?

Edited January 25, 2017 by ByTor

[ByTor]

Oh geez, that house is spectacular!  

My mother is a huge fan of Mary's apartment in that house, she always says that is the perfect apartment for a single woman.  Sad how Mary's was so nice and Rhoda's was...well...not ;-)

[tobeyoungagain]

37 minutes ago, QuiteContraryMoni said:

I am from Minneapolis, and Mary Tyler Moore, whose show was in Minneapolis, and of whom we have a statue on Nicollet Mall where she tossed her hat in the air, died today, January 25th, 2017. After a 12 year journey through beauty school (it's a long, kind of sad story), today, January 25th 2017, I passed my state boards, impossibly. I fully credit MTM as my guardian angel. Time to have a cocktail and be happy.

Is this true?  I am SO sad to hear that.  I feel like so many of our greats have passed.  Protect Betty White!!!

[bigskygirl]

Another thing you do not know about me and may be considered unpopular: I cannot stand Betty White.

[Oranaiche]

@QuiteContraryMoni CONGRATULATIONS!!! ???? 

You rock! So glad to hear of your success. Now wanna come to Nashville and do my hurrr? Heh heh.

[EricaShadows]

Congratulations, @QuiteContraryMoni!  I remember reading the post about how you'll come back saying you aced your exam and lo and behold, the very next post was yours saying how you passed.  That was the best thing to see.  I'm SO proud of you.  I'd pass the champagne, but I can't seem to find the bottle that's hiding around here somewhere.

Someone had contacted me about a Craigslist ad I have posted and was interested in the item.  They wanted to know my location.  I told them where I could meet them (which was NOT my house) and what would be good times.  Haven't heard back from them since.  I'll try emailing them tomorrow if I haven't heard from them and, if they still don't respond, move on.  I suspect the email was from someone who hoped I would be stupid enough to give them my home address.

[parrotfeathers]

4 hours ago, QuiteContraryMoni said:

she put up all these political signs and so the house couldn't be filmed anymore. Thus, the new "apartment" she moved into.

I guess there are pissants in MN too.

[LaurenBrook]

5 hours ago, ByTor said:

Wow, I'm learning so much from this board & now I can add homeschooling to the list!  So @LaurenBrook...how did your classes work?  On a typical school day, since your parents are both teachers, they would have been at work.  Do you watch a teacher on video?  Or did you do your reading on your own during the day and wait for your parents to come home to teach you?  What happens when you don't understand something...is there someone who can field your questions?

Watch @QuiteContraryMoni come back and say she aced her exam!

FIrst - CONGRATS @QuiteContraryMoni ! As the kids say, slaaaayyyyy!! lol 

@BYTOR - my mom actually quit teaching after I was born (I am the second of three).  She was a stay at home mom so she would do our lesson plans, help us with homework, projects, etc.  She is also an incredible pianist so she taught us all piano till about age 10, then we took lessons elsewhere. She is a truly intelligent, amazing person (I'm not nearly at her caliber which is why i'm not sure i could homeschool anyone haha). My dad did all of our science courses since that was his area of expertise.  Homeschool groups are large networks, essentially - there is ALWAYS someone in the group who can help fill in the blanks where one parent may be lacking confidence in teaching or overseeing a certain subject.  Certain subjects we had extra help in...like French.  We did a program called French in Action that was videos and workbooks; I also took AP French and for that I had a professor in France and we worked together online. We also would get together within our homeschool groups to study certain subjects...like my best friend's mom is an outstanding artist (was her major) so once a week for about 7 years we got together at her house to study/practice different types of art. We had literature groups to read and discuss the classics, etc.  

[JC123]

On 24/01/2017 at 9:48 PM, tobeyoungagain said:

That's amazingly impressive!  And I love that you are a DCC fan too.  What do you want to do with the MA and PhD? 

Hopefully work in quantitative analysis (risk evaluation, pricing strategies, trading strategies for the stock market etc). I mean I could probably do that with just the MA but the PhD is funded so I thought I'd buy myself another year of education LOL 

[JC123]

@LaurenBrook that sounds amazing. It seems like your parents chose that because they thought it was best for you kids and they really thought it through with planning and structure etc - I think sometimes people try to home school their children because they don't like the system and it's their attempt to "get back" at said system. That's true of the people I know that do it here in the U.K anyway. I don't think these people realise that they're only hurting the child's chances in the future. 

[LaurenBrook]

3 hours ago, JC123 said:

@LaurenBrook that sounds amazing. It seems like your parents chose that because they thought it was best for you kids and they really thought it through with planning and structure etc - I think sometimes people try to home school their children because they don't like the system and it's their attempt to "get back" at said system. That's true of the people I know that do it here in the U.K anyway. I don't think these people realise that they're only hurting the child's chances in the future. 

Yeah, they definitely weren't trying to get back at the system...my dad taught for 40 years! 30 in public school and 10 at a Christian school.  

My husband was homeschooled for a while in high school and he HATED it, for what it's worth lol  He is very competitive and needs other students around to feel challenged.  So it's really to each their own :) 

[Guest]

My friend who is in school for nursing had her first clinical yesterday and she wouldn't go in the room. She's been working at a doctor's office for years, it's not much different at a hospital. She's silly.

[Oranaiche]

Guys, I'm so excited. I just pre-ordered a Fidget Cube from Antsy Labs.

https://www.antsylabs.com/

I've had Trichotillomania (impulsive hair pulling) since college (yeah, I'm cray cray ?) and while it's much better now than it was years ago, I still have the urge to pull when my right hand is idle, mostly when I'm watching tv or just relaxing. I can't wait to get this thing so I can click and spin and tap away instead of ripping all my f***ing hair out!

[Oranaiche]

13 minutes ago, QuiteContraryMoni said:

VERY cool! I have known a couple of gals with Trichotillomania and my heart goes out to you. One girl wore a wig because she had pulled most of her hair clean out. The other it was brows and lashes. It is NOT cray cray! It's a legitimate disorder and I think it's awesome that you're so open and seeking solutions! To your health, friend!

Thanks friend. ? It was really bad at one point and my hairstylist, who is wonderful and has been cutting my hair for ten years, really had to be creative to cover up my bad spots. Now you wouldn't know by just looking at me, but if I flip my part over I have a small little spot. It's annoying and dealing with the short regrowth sucks sometimes, but it is what it is. I'm not ashamed at all and I don't really think I'm cray cray, but I just have to laugh about it sometimes.

My mom and sister both pull their brows/lashes, so I don't suffer alone. My brother-in-law's one wish for their wedding day was for my sister to have eyebrows LOL. She buckled down and made sure she had eyebrows for the big day.

[tobeyoungagain]

13 hours ago, JC123 said:

Hopefully work in quantitative analysis (risk evaluation, pricing strategies, trading strategies for the stock market etc). I mean I could probably do that with just the MA but the PhD is funded so I thought I'd buy myself another year of education LOL 

That's fantastic - good for you!  Yeah option houses would love your skills or any hedge fund. 

[Oranaiche]

@QuiteContraryMoni you...are...ridiculous. AND I LOVE IT.

[TiaGrace]

5 hours ago, QuiteContraryMoni said:

Girl. I thank ya. This is LUNACY but it's fun fun fun!

Hey Lady DeDallasCowboysCheerleaders, I want to congratulate you on passing your exams. And that bathroom is utterly fantastic, love it! Please post more pics whenever you get a chance.

[Guest]

Moni, they should have you out at the star because you're obviously the DCC's biggest fan

[LaurenBrook]

THAT BATHROOM IS EVERYTHING!!!! 

[Guest]

I just found this really old show about flight attendant school on youtube and the lady in charge reminds me of Kelli "I'm going to have to let you go"

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, QuiteContraryMoni said:

HAHA I LOVE the old youtube vids about like, manners and hygiene and how to act in the workplace. They kill me.

The outfits omg I seriously hate remembering how I used to dress in this year.

[Guest]

Just now, QuiteContraryMoni said:

Girl, I Mean like ooooooldddddd vids

 

I wasn't around for that LOL the video I'm watching is from 2005 

[Guest]

Just now, QuiteContraryMoni said:

Thankfully, I wasn't either, but they're absolutely hilarious. 

I'll have to watch it later!

[California Girl]

3 hours ago, heatherrrrz said:

Moni, they should have you out at the star because you're obviously the DCC's biggest fan

Amen to that!  I used to think that they could (not that they should, mind you) invite any one of us who regularly post on these boards out for a VIP tour, and to guest judge at auditions.  But Moni really deserves it more than anyone else.  

Edited January 27, 2017 by California Girl

[PBSLover]

On 1/25/2017 at 2:27 PM, QuiteContraryMoni said:

I am from Minneapolis, and Mary Tyler Moore, whose show was in Minneapolis, and of whom we have a statue on Nicollet Mall where she tossed her hat in the air, died today, January 25th, 2017. After a 12 year journey through beauty school (it's a long, kind of sad story), today, January 25th 2017, I passed my state boards, impossibly. I fully credit MTM as my guardian angel. Time to have a cocktail and be happy.

SO HAPPY FOR YA, HONEY!!!!!!

On 1/25/2017 at 2:52 PM, ByTor said:

My mother is a huge fan of Mary's apartment in that house, she always says that is the perfect apartment for a single woman.

She needed a bedroom.  

[PBSLover]

On 1/26/2017 at 11:02 AM, Oranaiche said:

Thanks friend. ? It was really bad at one point and my hairstylist, who is wonderful and has been cutting my hair for ten years, really had to be creative to cover up my bad spots. Now you wouldn't know by just looking at me, but if I flip my part over I have a small little spot. It's annoying and dealing with the short regrowth sucks sometimes, but it is what it is. I'm not ashamed at all and I don't really think I'm cray cray, but I just have to laugh about it sometimes.

For brows and lashes try ReVitaLash. It really works and isn’t harsh like Latisse or whatever it is called.

9 hours ago, QuiteContraryMoni said:

Thanks woman!! I surely appreciate that! When it's complete I shall photograph it in all its neurotic splendor!

Looks great!!!!  You have to send to Kelli and Judy.  We should all do a search and try to find their email addresses.