Couch 183: Stroopwafel salted caramel.

((Mobius))
I am so sorry for your loss. I am glad your mother was able to be at peace in her own home when she passed.

atat, how is new cat doing now?

This is a fraught time of year to lose a parent (not that any time is a good time). I hadn't spent Thanksgiving or Christmas with my parents for many years, but still, navigating these holidays shortly after my dad's death has been difficult and I expect as Christmas draws nearer it will become worse. I know he's not there. I can't buy him a present or call him to wish him a merry Christmas. I worry about my mother being alone too. My heart goes out to anyone who's lost a parent or anyone important to them.

Yes it is. My dad passed away in December of 2013. That first Christmas was difficult on my family. It has gotten better with time, it's been quite awhile since I've thought "Oh, I should ask my Dad about th- oh - I can 't." I've lived across the country from my family for a long time now so I'm not there all the time with the constant reminder that he's gone.... so my mind and heart would forget sometimes. It's hard.

Settling down, less clingy, returning to her usual imperious little self.

I don’t know if it’s junior cat but all I want to do these days is lie in bed.

My father’s birthday was three days before Christmas. It all rolls together.

I find myself wanting to ask my mother stuff, then being taken aback somewhat as i realize i cant. Then i realize i probably couldnt even have asked her when she was alive, so then that grounds me. But still.

Huge couch group hug. It's difficult dealing with losses at any time, but for me, getting through the holidays is bittersweet and I will be glad to see January.

MobiusPsyche I'm so sorry about your mother. I hope you find peace.

So I'm taking a little getaway by myself to relax, recharge and do some writing. All the overtime I've been working, gonna spend some of the $ taking care of me after leaving therapy and my son moving out. At a charming little hotel about 40 miles from home. The view from my balcony, and my bed it's a cool headboard!

Much needed Artie time has begun! (oh yeah eta: also a reward for finishing my Stats class! Well there's one more class period, but I finished the homework and the take-home exam yesterday so there's nothing left to do but to go and turn them in at this point.)

Looks lovely, Art! Enjoy.

Wish me luck. The room is covered with ribbons, and covered with tags. It's covered in packages, boxes and bags. But no tape! I got tired of losing the tape, so I bought a giant pack of tape and put it in a "safe place where it won't get lost." HA. I am old enough to know better.

I'm pouring a glass of wine, then I'm goin' in. Wish me luck.

((Mobius)))

Good lick i am the worst present wrapper ever. Looks like snake tried to wrap them

My 15 year old D with bad social anxiety has just boarded her first solo plane trip. She will have to navigate a large capital city airport, i hope she will be ok.

Good luck!! When I was in college many moons ago, and would come home for Christmas break I worked part-time as a gift wrapper at a fancy jewelry store that had all kinds of expensive stuff not just jewelry. I learned the fine art of gift wrap there; we had really nice, thick, kinda like foil-embossed silver and gold paper. That was a fun gig. The sales people that worked there would all bring their personal christmas gifts they'd bought for family/friends and have me wrap them lol! i must confess i wrapped my own there too!

Good luck! I still have to wrap, not looking forward to it.

I just use gift bags. Yeah, requires some tissue paper, but still generally less effort than wrapping! And Target usually has really cheap gift bags (sometimes in dollar section, but haven't checked this year, as I'm not to the bagging/wrapping stage yet).

Just emailed ex-MC about the anniversary of the rupture phone call. Probably a sh*tty email, but I'm still dealing with the effects of what he said a year later, so I think it's justified...

Oh, okay! I guess i will have to wait til NEXT year for my "i apologized to t for interrupting his game watching" hanukah miracle! But im not giving up!

I have like 20 half rolls of tape. Ghosts of xmas past!

the last thing t and i talked about the other day was my studying psychology. she's really encouraging me to continue pursuing my desire to work with kids, like grade school age, in a school setting. i was bullied all the way through grade school by the same kid and I know the lasting effects it had on me when nobody could/would do anything about it not even my parents. Of course this was before we really knew how damaging bullying is but still I know. I lived it. Between that and the stuff at home... yeah. I want to be that someone who can do something to help kids. If there had been someone like that in my grade school I might have been able to get help. Anyway t has been encouraging me ever since I went back to school to apply for a Master's program instead of taking classes at the Community College. Well, I finally took the step to request information online from a couple of different schools re: their Master's programs. I don't know if my BS is too long ago to count, if I really do have to continue the way I'm going now and get a 2nd BS and then do the Masters? I just don't know how it works. Or if I am even capable of graduate studies. Or if it is really even feasible to start something like that at 56. t told me don't even tell them you're 56. it doesn't matter. age is just a number. do what your heart wants. anyway This is something I've been thinking about for like a year now, don't talk about much because I've been afraid of starting something I can't finish, but it's starting to become a dream and something that I want. I guess if my current prof can stand up there and teach stats at 80-something, I shouldn't let being 56 stop me! I decided I am going to start talking about this as another step towards maybe actually making it a reality. I just don't know if I have what it takes for graduate school if an undergraduate stats class is so hard.....

Artie - ive looked into this a bit for myself. It seemed to be, you dont need a newer degree. Its more a matter of having the prereqs. THEN it might affect how many elective / specialization type classes you end up taking, compared to other students (which who cares), because you are taking as masters classes what others have had as undergrad. I think.

I think this is right. What I would do is see what the prereqs are in your programs of choice, and if you can do them at your community college (it’ll be cheaper probably).

And dude - age is on your side.

When I went to grad school, there were a couple of people there in their 50s. I definitely wouldn't let age stop you.