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Pr. Jae said:
I can really empathize with you here Bette. My eyes are around 12. One is about 11.5 and the other 12.5. My insurance will pay only $200. Of the cost. Still - that's better than nothing.
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Does your wife also have a benefit plan? Sometimes you can claim on both for partial payment.
 
or some universities have coverage through student health I think that there is a story here though How did you break your glasses Jae? (You have told us where)
 
Carolla said:
Does your wife also have a benefit plan? Sometimes you can claim on both for partial payment.
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That's how we do it. For my glasses, it goes to my plan first and then her plan. If it exceeds both, I get stuck for the balance but our plans, when combined, give fairly good coverage for vision.
 
Wow, woke up at noon today. (well 11:55). Much needed sleep in, though didn't et to sleep until about 1am.
I am home, and the house is empty. Oldest is working, youngest is away for weekend, husband is at hockey. The dog is lying at my feet and following me around. Relaxing, then will go to Dad's, take him out to dinner.

Last 2 weeks were full of highs/lows: of meetings for how to resolve massive growth in work, frustrations due to project manager doing everything but project management, of the end of bargaining a major purchase down by 70% (I was trying for 80%). Savings were about 10 years of my salary, plus 25% of that amount / year (wish that I got a cut), hosted a users group meeting, worked with a vendor for the next project, and just a myriad of other things, with highs & lows, and crammed 4 weeks of work into 2 weeks. I try to take each spot as a learning point, and given hierarchy walk the line between insurbordination and clear talk/expectations every day. This year shall be interesting.
 
That was certainly a FULL two weeks pinga! Good now to be home & relaxing ... I do love it sometimes when I have the house to myself.

Fairly quiet weekend here - and I'm glad of it too. Soon going for a walk - it's around zero here today, but damp. No snow. I was out this morning with a photographer from our local newspaper to do some photos for a Chase the Chill project I've organized in our community ... 3 United Churches will be tying out almost 300 scarves (that we've crafted & collected) this Wed - each with an invitation to Take This Scarf :-) Should be fun.
 
Ouch re: expensive glasses. But they are so necessary. Sounds like lots of busy people around here. I'm taking a break from one part of my life...I'm not doing any Licenses Lay Worship Leader church services, and I have to admit...I'm much more relaxed, and loving my total devotion to my wonderful class of 21 students. I had a great teaching week in that I did some reading testing and some students really surprised me with their growing abilities. I like that kind of surprise! And some students who have struggled with math are having eureka moments. I get very excited about their learning. Sometimes older students are sent into my room to sit and work when they aren't doing well in their room for whatever reason. Yesterday, I got so excited about a hard concept that my class was getting, that I went over to the student-in-trouble and beamed: I love teaching! Sometimes I think those older kids need to see/hear that!
 
Chaired my last Annual Congregational Meeting this a.m. I love the way we combine worship and work for this service! Followed by a fellowship potluck soup and sandwich lunch; two vegetarian soups this year! The Board presented me with a lovely arrangement of houseplants centred by a lovely fuschia-coloured kalanchoe.

I suddenly feel like I have the gift of time. Don't know how I will use it; don't know how long it will take me to lose that monthly rhythm. Plan to revive and re-energize my Green Team activities, to start, I think.
 
My Dad turns 90 this Feb, not the best time to gather folks for a birthday open house. After discussing with him, we have decided to have a birthday party at a kid-friendly, retro restaurant, then an open house in May when folks can easily travel. Throwing in a cake after church the Sunday before his birthday, and a surprise cake at the bowling group on the Wed, and of course, the requisite picture, and all is good. Glad that we were able to make it work.
 
BetteTheRed, thanks for your gifts to the church, and hope you take a well deserved break (or just do a fun project --- carolla's project sounds like a blast!)
 
Bette were you co-chair or chair of your Council? I become co-chair next Sunday at our annual meeting. I really want to do this but am so nervous because we'll be replacing our retiring minister next year and probably completing our affirming process not to mention other stuff.
 
Carolla said:
I was out this morning with a photographer from our local newspaper to do some photos for a Chase the Chill project I've organized in our community ... 3 United Churches will be tying out almost 300 scarves (that we've crafted & collected) this Wed - each with an invitation to Take This Scarf :) Should be fun.
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I may have posted this link before (apologies) - I think it is so cool and everyone talks about this in Ottawa but many of the statues (and we have many) in Ottawa get decked out with scarves and mitts in the winter. They just showed this year's crop on the news tonight but here's a clip from last year

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/mystery-yarn-bomber-leaves-scarves-around-ottawa-1.1648920

Here's a more in-depth write-up of the group

http://www.callmehannah.ca/2014/01/...net-with-their-scarves-on-statues-initiative/


 
Justme - it was seeing photos of Ottawa's statues clad in mystery scarves last winter that inspired me!
 
Justme said:
Bette were you co-chair or chair of your Council? I become co-chair next Sunday at our annual meeting. I really want to do this but am so nervous because we'll be replacing our retiring minister next year and probably completing our affirming process not to mention other stuff.
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Justme, I was chair. You'll be fine. There's always lots to do (and every chair has a crisis or three - it will be a long time before I can hear the words grand and piano without shuddering), but holy manners usually gets you through relatively unscathed. And there's a real feeling of accomplishment when your term is complete. (And we're about 3/4 through the Affirming process - had a unanimous vote to proceed on Sunday, and it's pretty smooth sailing, too, if the prep work is done, which it mainly is in an unofficially affirming church.)
 
So Seeler - another blizzard heading your way! I'm just putting together a little care package for you ... a big cozy duvet and down filled slippers, in case the heat goes out; a nice market basket of healthy foods you can eat without heating; a big water jug for drinking; a bucket of water to melt snow & keep handy to flush the toilet; and this nifty light powered by a tealight - it's very cool, a friend has one - http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=68887&cat=2 . If the roofer knew how to shovel snow, I'd send him along too!
 
Thanks Carolla. For the last couple of weeks we've watched crews working around our neighbourhood trimming trees from around the power lines - doing preventive work (last summer we were badly hit by a hurricane and they did a lot of emergency trimming - this is follow-up). I'm hoping that we won't loose power - or not for long.
We were out this afternoon and got our weekly grocery order - Tuesday is our usual shopping day. Seelerman checked the snowblower. And I borrowed a good book from a friend. I know where the Christmas candles are - and some tealights, and I keep a flashlight by the bed. We'll be fine.
But right now I should be curled up watching Jeopardy on a Boston channel. All I'm getting is storm news.
Looking out the window I don't see anything yet.
Seelerman and I will keep safe. I hope Seelergirl and family are prepared and STAY HOME. No job is worth risking your life on - except for emergency workers. Seelergirl's IT job, Granddaughter's school and job at GAP store, Grandson's school - they can wait.
 
Good to hear the arborists have been busy Seeler - that should be helpful in keeping the lights & heat on. Read on if you want a break from the storm reports ...

I went to the Franklin presentation last night - so interesting to hear from this person who was part of the actual discovery team. He's the chief hydrographer on the mission - one that is always going on in summer months up there - mapping the seabed to provide accurate maps for ships travelling through to supply the settlements & maintain Canadian sovereignty . There was much more chance & serendipity to the whole discovery than we would imagine - which was interesting to hear.

Ironically, they had planned to search an area farther north ... but the ice prevented them from reaching that area, so they headed southward to map & look adjacent to areas that had been previously searched. When doing this mapping, they take a helicopter & land it on a nearby island to establish a firm GPS point from which to make corrections when they are moving on the sea - necessary to improve accuracy. So he & colleagues chose an island on which to land - and consulted re where to land - found a location with many Inuit tent circles (apparently these are common). While he set up the GPS, the archaeologist & helicopter pilot went exploring a nearby tent circle - and there found a large, intact davit (crane like thing used for lowering items over side of the ship). It was stamped with British markings & once back on the research vessel identified as from the Franklin expedition. Lots of excitement & top secret.

The next day, they began to scan the nearby area - where Inuit folklore told of the sinking of the sailing ship (it was also interesting to hear of those stories). When they do this scanning, they usually put out a 5km long tether, then run the ship back & forth within that 5 km range calling it "mowing the lawn" - so you get the picture. The captain that day decided to put out a 7 km long tether ... and the ship was found at km 6! So imagine - had they used the standard protocol - they would have missed it completely!

Once the initial scans indicted a location, they used different equipment to create a much more detailed 3D image - quite amazing to hear how it all works. They were then able to measure accurately enough to determine it was the Erabus, not the Terror - as they were slightly - and I mean slightly - different sizes.

Then of course there followed a total communication blackout from the mission. Harper had to be the first to announce & had to wait from some from the mission to get to Ottawa. So their families knew something good was likely happening when no communication was possible - but had to wait to hear actual the news.

This April there will be an extended exploration dive taking place - apparently April is the best time to do it! They can set up a basecamp on the ice & drill a hole for the divers to enter. The ship is in quite shallow water & the dive suits will be hooked up to pumps on the surface that circulate hot water through the suits to keep the divers warm. There should be some very interesting data & information that comes from this, as so much of the ship is intact. The ship's exact location is still being kept very secret, for fear of vandalism by wealthy folk seeking fame ... sad to hear that.

Those are the highlights that I recall for the moment. I think the ship images are on the Canadian Hydrographic Service website if you haven't seen them already.
 
So hard to watch folks be disappointed when trying for jobs. I see so much of this with you men under 30. Good , talented, kind , and just want to have a fulltime job in their field.

(things like that make me blue, too).

I know, time sometimes helps, but, the market is just so hard for people trying to land jobs in some fields.
 
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