Offtopic Sofa Time

[ThyneAlone]

That is very helpful, I understand it a lot better now. And the other thing is that your semesters do seem quite different from our timings. We have a 13-week term early September to mid December with, in my case, a 2-week break in the middle - a lot of schools only have one. Then there are 2 further terms (early January to late March, mid-April to anywhere between early to late July depending on the type of school) with a mid-term break of a week in each. Unis and colleges don't usually have half term breaks but they finish earlier, usually post-exams. And then comes the summer break, 6 to 8 weeks, before it all starts up again.

[skftex]

Well some schools start earlier some a bit later but for the most part, a whole year is considered the school "term". Some schools use the semester system, some use a 6 week thing and some use 9 weeks. All that means is that grades are given in that period. Usually schools go from late August to December (mine starts late August, finishes the second week of December). Then January to June if you are talking high school and lower. Mine goes from mid-January to the second week of May. Which is about normal for colleges and universities but that does vary a little. Then in college, if you don't take summer courses you are off from 3rd week of May to late August or early September! I'm dumb, I take summer courses pretty much all the time. LOL

[Sinkwriter72]

I can't remember how it is with high school anymore, but my fall and spring college terms are 16 weeks each (except for the summer session which is crammed into 8 weeks, and you can take the summer session or skip it, depending on how quickly you want to complete your program).

Switching conversations for a moment...

Apparently my car is a hazard in my aunts' driveway. First, it was a few weeks ago when my aunt accidentally kicked up a rock or something with the lawn mower and shattered the passenger seat window of my car. Today, I got out of bed only to be told that she had backed out of the garage and accidentally scraped the side of my car because she was distracted (some tree guys were still at the house, taking down some branches and one dead tree). It's not pretty. The front passenger side bumper is all scraped up as well as along the passenger door and around the front wheel. And I think the mirror is a bit askew.



But I couldn't say "Oh no! My car!" or get upset because 1) it's just a car, and 2) my aunt was so upset, I couldn't possibly get mad at her.

I confess I did have an internal thought moment of "But I just got my car fixed! Not again!" It's more a pain in the butt than anything truly terrible, though. Simply because now I'll have to coordinate with her insurance guy coming out to make an assessment of the damage and determine where I can get it fixed, and then I'll have to make arrangements to get it fixed, and coordinate that with my work and school schedule. Like I said... a pain in the butt. *sigh* What can you do?

[Sinkwriter72]

P.S. Here's a picture of my poor car, from when my aunt accidentally kicked up a rock with that lawn mower and smashed my back passenger window. OUCH.

[skftex]

Sorry about your poor car Sherry.

[Sinkwriter72]

Yeah, me too. The poor thing's been through a lot this past month. And I wasn't even driving!

[MarinaDuister]

Yeah, me too. The poor thing's been through a lot this past month. And I wasn't even driving!

Is your driving style that bad??? I obviously don't have any experience, but I'm sure that window was kind of sad... did you have you car fixed yet? Bet they don't like scars Goodluck with that

[cutenebula]

http://s288.photobucket.com/albums/ll17 ... choolwork/

My usual link with some new pictures (^_^)

Hi to all!!!
I'm not at school anymore!!! I'm done with it Woohoo!!! But now, I'm trying to create my internet site, and also I'm preparing to start my selfemployed little company I'm supposed to be registered this week or next one.

I was worrying about finding customers, but the painter whom I worked with probably found me 2 contracts and the lady who is going to print my professionnal cards may have something for me, as someone asked her to print something as a painted like and she can't. So she's going to see if this person could be interested in a real painting

I also have some add already done for my little village; the mayor wants to talk to me about my diploma (he seems interested in the fact that I can give lessons, so maybe he'd like me to give a class for kids or something like this...) and also wants to include my add in the village bulletin

I may also participate to an artisan fair in the beginning of september and so talk about my activity and hopefully have some interesting contacts and maybe customers

So, yes, I'm sorry, I'm really busy... But I love it!!! :banana-dance:

I'll try to come here more often, because I miss you all

Hugs to all!!! Have a wonderful week

Véro
aka the waffle lady (my waffle iron is dead, but not my love for waffles!)

[FishFlyingBy]

Wow, Véro, this sounds so great. It's wonderful to hear that your painting career is going well and I hope you'll get a lot of customers. I'm happy for you.

[SmackyKennedy]

Hi everybody! It's been a while again, but I've been pretty busy and just didn't know what to say. Hope everyone is doing well.

VERO. Holy. Moly. I am impressed and insanely jealous of you right now. Gorgeous work! That Fresco one is my favorite. Congratulations on finishing and good luck getting clients!!

[MarinaDuister]

Hi!

I was reading this but now I feel stupid for replying because I have no experience at all in the dating business... Absolutely NO experience.. Well, except for that 1day boyfriend I had 2 years ago, but further? Nope.. I'm 14, and feel like Lonesome George (the 100years now dead turtle virgin) because it seems like I am the only one around who has never kissed or something.. It's not like I have to have kissed but, yeah, I wish there was just somebody who liked me... I'm not that pretty, bit to the bigger size (and no, not in length, i'm 1.64m).. So yeah..
If we could only all find that one perfect person (aside from TJ, he's soooooo close to perfect) this world would be a nicer place to live!
Any thoughts on this whole story???

And for you: I hope you'll find that one person, and wish you all the luck and happiness one can have.
"We're gonna live together, and we're gonna love together, and we're going to have so much fun. And a little pain, but we're going to live a life anyone would die from jealousy'' <-- someway Angela quote.. I found that soooo sweet when she said that when they married in jail.. Also I almost died from laughter when he said "how long did he say he would be gone?' i was like OMGGGGGG DID HE REALLY SAY THAT?!?!? naughty hodgins.... Hahaha sorry total spinoff..

Marina
#1 Bones fan in the Benelux (top that Wendy XD), Bones addict, Newgirl addict, Switched at Birth addict, and also brave student

[TJ4ever]

Sherry, sorry about your car! ...I know I'm a bit late for that. Wasn't here for a while. It's propably been repaired by now?!

[LittleCrazy]

Nice

[ThyneAlone]

Hi LittleCrazy! Now when I said write about yourself I didn't mean you had to sum yourself up in one word! Nevertheless, great to see you posting. Have fun!

Btw you'll have noticed that I have been lifting your individual posts and transferring them to the relevant threads. This isn't just me being OCD and tidying the boards (OH yes it is, chorus the others); it often helps if you can read other people talking about a topic that interests you, seeing how they do things etc. Eg I have merged your Talk TJ request for help writing a letter to the bigger topic 'Fan Letters' as lots of people do share and discuss your problem!

[ThyneAlone]

..and now, to more general greetings. Sherry, I am so sorry about your poor car and equally sorry to be coming in so late about it. As if you didn’t have enough to do with work, and then landed with this as well! You have our sympathies in my home as we have had similar problems in the past.

HI to everyone else too. I am now,, phew, wipes brow..finished for the summer. I knew I would get there but it has been truly horrible at times. My mother’s death in November has coloured the whole year, and I am still very concerned about my brother’s ability to cope with both his work and the care of my Dad (he refuses to enlist help, although he suffers from bad health himself). I haven’t been exactly in the pink either, and have suffered some signs of vocal exhaustion in recent weeks, so I have been deprived of one of my main outlets – choral singing. Hopefully I will be able to rest my voice during the vacation, as I need it for my job as well! The job, incidentally, has also been a case of the swan seemingly serene on the surface but paddling frantically hard beneath to keep up. Academically I have had to cope with taking a different, younger, group on my Easter French trip and struggle with a new exam and a different syllabus – I have NO clue how my 16-year-olds are going to fare with it – and pastorally my charge of Peer Support has thrown up some practical difficulties, mainly communication frustrations, which will have to be solved next year. And then, on a personal level, neither of the boys are anywhere near getting a job yet after a year of effort. <<Sigh>>

Well, Sharon, to answer your question in the chatbox (can I just put in a short plea for people to use the boards as well as the box, as the comments endure and more members see them? I know Sharon, Sherry & Hanne do post here faithfully as well, but I miss loads that others – including TJ! – contribute, because I have not been able to visit frequently enough of late), my holiday is about 8 weeks. We are back I think on September 5th. It sounds a lot but there’s a large amount of next year’s preparation to sort out and we are determined to get a new kitchen fitted and arrange a visit to my father and brother. Ian and I were planning a brief excursion to London around the time of our 26th anniversary, but it’s going to coincide with the Olympics, so that is a definite rain check!

Talking of sport, again coming on the back of the chatbox, the papers today are crammed with Wimbledon. I was, as usual, absorbed by the whole tournament and I saw the last 2 sets of the Murray/Federer final (after returning home from watching The Amazing Spider-Man). With a kind of wonder. Federer’s tennis is sublime, there’s no other word for it. Elegant, intelligent and a joy to view. Murray played some of his best tennis ever but it wasn’t enough; still, he didn’t disgrace himself. Not surprisingly, they had to put the roof over the Centre Court as the weather is still monsoon-like here. Thanks for your concern, Sherry! We personally, near the Mersey estuary with its wide flood plains and fairly sheltered, have suffered no more than huge inconvenience so far ( for instance, our end-of-term service had to be re-organised at about 15 minutes’ notice to take place in the main hall instead of the usual church affair – the rain was sheeting down so hard that shepherding 500 people 10 minutes along the road would have left everyone sodden and frozen), but I feel deeply for those who are flooded out.

Another quick chatbox reference – see how much there is to comment on, when I have time? – I recently mentioned there a radio programme we have here which is called ‘I’ve Never Seen Star Wars’. I think it has recently transferred to TV. The idea is to get people to do things that they have never done before, ranging from adventurous ambitions like doing a bungee jump to surprisingly ‘normal’ stuff like wearing jeans or listening to particular types of music. A question for everyone – what would you like to do (for yourself, not others) that you have never done in your life? I’d like to do something creative – paint a great work of art, write a book, or compose a wonderful piece of music. What about the rest of you?

Sherry, I’ve never seen Princess Bride either!

[hanneDK]

Hello to you all..

Big hello to all Newbies Make yourself at home maybe one day I'll stumble into you in the chatbox or on the porch as (think you (Sharon) called it one time during one of our chat sessions with TJ last year. )

Gonna make this short..

I'm good, working like mad both on the job but also at the gym.
So far I've lost 18,5 kgs - 1,5 from reaching 20 kgs (has lost while seeing my dietician). However I'm still 3,5 kgs from reading one of my first targets. Working on to have them lost before my trip in 3 weeks.

If I succeed, my PT has offered me a free session with her after my return.. one hell of an offer to get - it came as a surprise for me - never saw it comming I was almost in tears afterwards, because I not used to get something like that.
I'm so gonna work my butt off both with diet and time at the gym in order to reach that goal.. Had I received such an offer in February I would've become seriously stressed. However now I've come so far mentally that such an offer don't bother me the slightest.
I take one day at a time - doing my best to stay away from all bad things.

So Steph and Jude, the next time we see eachother you might not be able to reconize me

Hmmm.. better get back to the dishes.. see you all later!!

[SmackyKennedy]

Way to go Hanne!!!

Also, just switch to paper plates, lol.

[ThyneAlone]

..or just stop your family from eating vast amounts of home-made spaghetti bolognese, ho-hum (me on washing-up duty this morning, no actually our kitchen doesn't have room for a dishwasher )!

Hanne, well done! That sounds fantastic! :eusa-clap: Though being fairly ignorant of these things I will have to look up what 18.5 kilos is in pounds and stone...

Hope I will be able to see you but frankly it depends on when I am able to get down south and see my family. I'll try and organise things so it works out.

[FishFlyingBy]

Hello to all of you.

First of all, congratulations to you Hanne, 18.5kg is fantastic. I'm sure it takes a lot to go through with a diet and you can be very proud of yourself.

I'm back from my vacation and it was wonderful. First we went to Stockholm then by train to Paris and last but not least, to Nice. All the places are really great and amazing. Especially the train ride from Paris to Nice was a great experience, driving along the French coast. But I have to say, my favorite place was Stockholm. All the water and the beautiful islands, it is a wonderful place.

Here are some pictures of my travels, if you are interested: http://s1135.photobucket.com/albums/m63 ... 1QQtppZZ24

But I also enjoy being back and working and spending some time here with you.

During my vacation I was also informed that I have passed my exams and have already received my certificate. Plus, now I have the option to go on for another year and then I will be able to enter university. I would really love to study abroad one day.

[skftex]

I had to look up what 18.5 was in pounds too Steph. Great job Hanne!!!

Congrats on your certificate Anya! Great photos too.