What's Happening In Your Life?

[sodascouts]

ah Chicago at Christmastime! I miss it! Glad you had a good time.

[TimothyBFan]

Welcome back Peek!!!

Brooke-Chicago at Christmas time has to be 2nd only to NYC. Isn't it gorgeous?!? Only your 2nd trip there? WOW. It's so easy for us to catch the train a couple blocks away and get there in an hour and a half, we don't even think twice. It cost $20 round trip and is so easy. In fact my daughter is going in next Friday for a Blackhawks game and again on the 20th just to walk around and see the Christmas stuff. What a great city!

[Freypower]

I adore Chicago & envy everyone who gets to go there.

We went to my daughter's high school orientation yesterday. It seems hard to believe that she will be in high school next year.

One thing though, I bought her a dress & shoes to wear to her primary school farewell which is next week & she has told her father she doesn't want to go. I haven't said anything to her yet. She doesn't seem to like socialising or being with other people at all. I wish she had come out right & said she didn't want to go in the first place. I don't actually know how she will fit in at high school.

[TimothyBFan]

That's a difficult one FP. It's hard as a parent also. I'm sure she will forge new friendships and be just fine. My daughter is a lot like that also. She's a senior this year and has lots of friends but no "best friends" and cannot wait to get out of there. She actually called me the day (she hadn't clued me in on when) they were to turn in their orders for caps, gowns, announcements, etc. from school and said she had just saved us a bundle of money because she ordered nothing! She has decided not to walk in her own high school graduation! I decided long ago to pick my battles and I refuse to force her, at the age of 18, to walk but I can't figure out why she doesn't want to. Her excuse is she can't wait to get out of that "country bumpkin school" and out of this "stifling small town".

Good luck FP!

[MikeA]

That's a difficult one FP. It's hard as a parent also. I'm sure she will forge new friendships and be just fine. My daughter is a lot like that also. She's a senior this year and has lots of friends but no "best friends" and cannot wait to get out of there. She actually called me the day (she hadn't clued me in on when) they were to turn in their orders for caps, gowns, announcements, etc. from school and said she had just saved us a bundle of money because she ordered nothing! She has decided not to walk in her own high school graduation! I decided long ago to pick my battles and I refuse to force her, at the age of 18, to walk but I can't figure out why she doesn't want to. Her excuse is she can't wait to get out of that "country bumpkin school" and out of this "stifling small town".

Good luck FP!

I can TOTALLY understand your daughter's decision Willie. I felt the same way. In fact, it sounds like your Daughter and I share a lot of things! God Bless Her and I'm sure she will be "all right!"

[Brooke]

Her excuse is she can't wait to get out of that "country bumpkin school" and out of this "stifling small town".

Lol! You live 2 blocks from an amtrak station and she calls it a "country bumpkin school"! She should see where I live and our school in a "village" of about 200 people! We would be "country hicks" I believe!

I'm sorry she doesn't want to attend her graduation. I think it's a very important life marker and I'm afraid she will regret it.

[EaglesFanatic]

One thing though, I bought her a dress & shoes to wear to her primary school farewell which is next week & she has told her father she doesn't want to go. I haven't said anything to her yet. She doesn't seem to like socialising or being with other people at all. I wish she had come out right & said she didn't want to go in the first place. I don't actually know how she will fit in at high school.

I was really introverted in elementary and middle school. I can honestly say that I only have two really good friends at school right now. I don't care for any of the girls in my class (it's hard when there are only 6 girls!) But what really helped me come out of my shell was softball. That is where all of my good friends come from. I would encourage your daughter to do some kind of team sport, or something outside of school. It's been the best thing for me! Don't worry about it FP, she'll be fine

[sodascouts]

Man, what a difficult time. I remember it was hard for me too back then; I was the "nerd" who would never be cool. Most of the "cool crowd" liked me well enough and thought I was funny, but they never invited me to their parties! I just found solace in hanging out with other nerds like me. We decided that we were cool too - just not universally recognized as such. I'm sure you're daughter won't be the only one who "doesn't fit in."

[Peekaboo]

Thanks everybody. I've still got a little cough and runny nose but it's getting better. I'm at least working again. I was actually a little nervous going back to work because I hadn't worked in a week but after a few tables of dealing i was back to my normal self. Like riding a bike. I did have a problem with one customer though. This guy was actually telling me to Shut Up. He was trying to get out of paying the ante by playing on someone else's bet. He didn't even know that I was taking his ante until he didn't have any money on the ante spot and I had to ask him for it. He got mad and said that I wasn't supposed to take it and that the last few dealers didn't take it. I just told him that I was only doing my job and explained the rules to him and he just didn't want to hear it and started telling me to shut up. I looked at the supervisor closest to me and asked "Are you hearing this?" She went to the pit boss and brought him over and he set the guy straight. That's only the third time a customer has gotten mad at me directly. The other two times the customers cussed at me but all it took was for me to give them a serious (almost mad) look and say sternly "Excuse me!" then they backed off because they knew that I heard them cussing at me. We (the dealers) always get the blame when the customer is losing. That's nothing new. We have to put up with that everyday. Either way I still smile and try to provide good customer service while still doing my job as a dealer.

FP, I hope that your daughter will be able to adjust well to high school. I had a blast during my high school years. I was really involved in sports and other extra curricular activities and that opened up friendships to a wide variety of friends for me. I was always friends with everybody, all of the different "cliques", and I didn't really feel like I had to belong to just one of them but I did have 3 friends that I considered my closest and best friends and I've been lucky enough to keep these friendships even now. Maybe if your daughter tries some activities like band or art club or like EF mentioned trying a sport will help her to be more social. Good luck, FP.

Willie, I'm a bit sad that your daughter doesn't want to walk in her graduation. That's a huge milestone and something that she could regret. But it's wonderful that you're being supportive of her decision. I think at that age it's very important for a teenager to have that kind of support from their parents. I'm sure she has some valid reasons for her decision.

[AzEaglesFan]

Well, I went in today for the first half of my Cardio test. The first thing they did was a test to make sure all my heart valves were working, they must have been ok because they continued with the nuclear test. They inject a radioactive tracer into my arm and I have to go out and drink a lot of water and wait a half hour. Then I have to sit still while a machine takes pictures of my heart as this tracer is pumped through it.
Next Mon is the last test and I have to walk on a treadmill to get my heart rate up and then go back and they will take more pictures of my heart. I don't get the results until Dec.22. Hopefully it will be a very Merry Christmas for me and they won't find anything wrong.