Peg Kerr's Blog, page 8

Transitions

We dropped Delia back off at college today. She was eager to go, and I am sure she will be happy, but now I'm going to have to get used to the empty nest all over again.

Alternity is ending. After seven years! Tomorrow is the last day, and oh, I am going to miss it terribly, and right now, it just seems as though it is very hard to have something I've cared about so much get removed from my life.

Tomorrow I go into my old office to pack up my desk.

This is all very hard.

(It would be nice if you would leave a comment if you liked Alternity. Once it is all over, I think I will come public with the characters I played. My goodness, it is a wrench to let them all go.)

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pegkerr @ 2015-08-28T00:01:00

This just doesn't feel like my life.

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New York -- and lost job

We just got back from a wonderful week spent in New York. My brother Chet lives with his family outside the city, in Irvington. We stayed with them and took the train into the city to sight see, to go to theater, to go to museums. It was just wonderful! The first family vacation we have taken in ever so long, and Chet and his family were so wonderful and generous. One or more of us saw the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Moving Images, the New York Historical Society, the 9/11 Museum. We wandered around the East Village, Chelsea and Central Park. We saw Wicked and Sleep No More. The girls had a wonderful time visiting with their cousins. A 10 out of 10 on vacations.

However....

I went into work yesterday, and by 2:00 pm I was called into the HR Director's office and informed I no longer had a job. As in this is your last day. Nothing personal. Reduction in workforce, due to the financial profile of the firm. I was not the only one to lose my job yesterday.

I have been given an agreement to sign, in order to receive severance.

I took a picture of my desk before I left, including the trophy I received for being the reigning Employee of the Quarter.

You know, I'm just going to leave it right there for now.

Twenty-three years.

Done.

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Dedicated savings for college

The girls have been stressed over money.

Delia has a good amount of savings still. (She managed to work about five months this spring, although she lost that job when summer started). Delia's financial aid for the new school year still hasn't been finalized, though. Rob and I will be filling out yet more forms this weekend and answering questions about medical expenses.

Fiona is frugal, frugal, frugal, but she went a good number of months last year without a job and her savings are all but gone. She is getting loans/financial aid, and I am helping both girls as I have been putting money aside for them in a 529 savings plan since Fiona was two. But she is going to be running things close to the wire. I have told her sternly to let me know if it ever looks like she can't make rent or she's starting to skimp on food and I will do what I can to help, and she has promised she will.

So I have been wracking my brains trying to figure out how to squeeze more money to put away for college for them each month. This month I hit on one idea and I've been putting it into practice.

I have always been a frugal shopper (thanks, Mom, you taught me well) but when Rob lost his job I really learned to buckle down and get serious. Thrift stores. Coupons. One of my favorite websites is RetailMeNot.com. Now before buying almost ANYTHING I will first check to see if I can find a coupon. Most of the time, there is.

I discovered that my gas station takes competitor coupons. THEN I discovered that they double their coupons on Tuesdays if you ask. Just think: for years I bought gas and it never occurred to me look for a coupon. Now I'm saving $0.20 per gallon. So I've been setting a reminder on my calendar to buy gas on Tuesdays and googling to find the highest local gasoline coupon.

As I said, I'm still putting money into each girl's 529 plan each month. But it just recently hit me: why not put my coupon savings in, too? What if I put in the extra dollar I save when I buy that bottle of nail polish when it's on sale? What if I put in the $0.10 I get for answering a trivia question correctly when I order coffee? I get emails from about five or six websites to let me know when ebooks go on sale or are free. What about putting aside those $2 or $3 saved?

I had been giving myself one indulgence a week by going out to dinner at a favorite restaurant each Friday night, but thinking about Fiona maybe looking at going hungry, I decided to look for a cheaper place to eat and put the difference in the college fund.

So this month, I started keeping track of all these various little pittances, ways I've discovered to shave money from the budget. How much money is it, really?

This month it will be an extra $50.00, which will be split between their two accounts above and beyond my usual contribution. I'm really pleased. I'm being frugal AND boosting my college savings.

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Trip to Mayo today

Had a follow up visit at Mayo today. Today's PET scan was perfectly clean, and the surgical wound is so well healed that we don't need to dress it or cover it any more. The total remission continues to hold strong. Yay! Only disappointment is that the genetic report on the tumor still isn't ready (way overdue). Next follow up is in November.

Read the rest at our CaringBridge here.

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Delia has jewelry for sale!

Some of you may know that Delia has been studying jewelry design with elisem (fabulous teacher) for nine years now. She started out as an apprentice but now has achieved the status of journeyman.

Elise is having an online sale, and a little over a dozen of Delia's creations are included (including three wandering wire necklace crowns). Please go admire and buy! Remember that you are helping a very bright and beloved daughter with her college expenses.

Thanks!

(And if you like the work she's doing, please leave a comment here for Delia. Creators can always use artistic encouragement!)

This entry was originally posted at http://pegkerr.dreamwidth.org/1733839.html. There are comments on the post.

More on Walter Palmer

Here is the text of the email that Rob received from his dentist, Walter Palmer:

To my valued patients:

As you may have already heard, I have been in the news over the last few days for reasons that have nothing to do with my profession or the care I provide for you. I want you to know of this situation and my involvement

In addition to spending time with my family, one of my passions outside dentistry is hunting. I’ve been a life-long hunter since I was a child growing up in North Dakota. I don’t often talk about hunting with my patients because it can be a divisive and emotionally charged topic. I understand and respect that not everyone shares the same views on hunting.

In early July, I was in Zimbabwe on a bow hunting trip for big game. I hired several professional guides and they secured all proper permits. To my knowledge, everything about this trip was legal and properly handled and conducted.

I had no idea that the lion I took was a known, local favorite, was collared and part of a study until the end of the hunt. I relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.

I have not been contacted by authorities in Zimbabwe or in the U.S. about this situation, but will assist them in any inquiries they may have.

Again, I deeply regret that my pursuit of an activity I love and practice responsibly and legally resulted in the taking of this lion. That was never my intention.

The media interest in this matter – along with a substantial number of comments and calls from people who are angered by this situation and by the practice of hunting in general – has disrupted our business and our ability to see our patients. For that disruption, I apologize profoundly for this inconvenience and promise you that we will do our best to resume normal operations as soon as possible. We are working to have patients with immediate needs referred to other dentists and will keep you informed of any additional developments.

On behalf of all of us at River Bluff Dental, thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Walter J. Palmer, DDS
River Bluff Dental
And here is an analysis of why it is an incompetent apology. (Notice, too, that he didn't kill the lion. He 'took' it.)
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You know that dentist, Walter Palmer

Nemesis of Cecil the lion?

He's my husband's dentist.

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A new soulcollage card

I took my supplies with me on a family vacation (more on that later) and tried and tried to make cards. I cut out magazines and pored over images I had collected for hours. I made only one card, which was frustrating, but I'm very pleased, on the other hand, with how this one card turned out.



The Universal Mother - Council Suit
I Am the One who bears and mothers the child. My womb and then my arms protect and cherish. I am the first to love and the first to be loved, and the One who teaches you how to trust. I am compassionate, nurturing, patient and kind. My power is deceptively simple, yet I embody all of Creation.

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An observation by Miss Fiona

Fiona (making a disbelieving, scoffing sound at the book in her lap).

Me: "What?"

Fiona: (Looking up from The Silmarillion) "Elves are dumb-asses. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise." (Goes back to reading).

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