@ Randoms week 10/14

[atexan]

Oct 15, 2019 10:00:44 GMT -5 candreco said:

Oct 14, 2019 10:59:41 GMT -5 atexan said:

I made a pumpkin stuffed with everything good for dinner last night and neither of my asshole children would eat it. IT IS BREAD, CHEESE, AND BACON WTF.

I also made pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal muffins to eat for breakfast all week, and DS1 refused to have one this morning. FINE, MORE FOR ME, ENJOY YOUR GO-GURT.

Oh man, I love that stuffed pumpkin recipe.  I make it in acorn squash halves since I'm the only one who will eat it.  Plus you bake it cut side down so the filling gets a delicious browned, crunchy layer on it.

DH has been OOT for 5 weeks, and I'm getting really tired of just cooking for kids, even relatively non-picky kids.  I want an adult around who will actually appreciate it when I put some extra effort into meals (and then do the dishes).

Oh, I'm definitely going to try that next time!

My husband is pickier than my 2 year old. Nobody appreciates my efforts but none of them cook so too bad for them. I let my 6 year old pick one dinner per week, and then I usually make him help me prepare it. He usually picks pb&j (which my husband won't eat so too bad for him), chicken nuggets, or pancakes. My husband doesn't contribute to meal planning ("anything you want for dinner this week?" "i don't care, just the usual stuff.") so he doesn't get to complain.

[eddy]

Oct 14, 2019 10:39:16 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Any MOOKs dealing with the Fortnite outage? lollllll Fornite did an event yesterday and ended it by displaying a black hole on the game and essentially disabling it. My kid has been fine about it, a little grumbling just because he is used to playing while he talks on the phone with his friends but its a very strange way of going about whatever they are doing.

My DS is a cynical 6th grader who determined the people who run Fortnite are garbage even before this event. So this is adding to his narrative.

He of course still plays and was excited about the event. He asked that we not schedule an activity in the middle of the day on Sunday.

And then he comes up and is like, It isn’t working lolololol.

[jeaniebueller]

Oct 15, 2019 13:23:27 GMT -5 eddy said:

Oct 14, 2019 10:39:16 GMT -5 jeaniebueller said:

Any MOOKs dealing with the Fortnite outage? lollllll Fornite did an event yesterday and ended it by displaying a black hole on the game and essentially disabling it. My kid has been fine about it, a little grumbling just because he is used to playing while he talks on the phone with his friends but its a very strange way of going about whatever they are doing.

My DS is a cynical 6th grader who determined the people who run Fortnite are garbage even before this event. So this is adding to his narrative.

He of course still plays and was excited about the event. He asked that we not schedule an activity in the middle of the day on Sunday.

And then he comes up and is like, It isn’t working lolololol.

My DS implied that he wanted to stay home from family activities on Sunday because of it and I was like, lol no. And he ended up being glad given how they ended it. I guess its back up now.

[mbcdefg]

If you have a child in daycare, what’s the staff turnover like?

[ssmjlm]

Anyone deal with overcrowding in schools due to residents in other districts claiming homelessness and then using a relative's address they can enroll in another district?

We just added a 6th kindergarten class. There is no way there are that many more kids in the area because there's not more development. Apparently the resource teachers are finding out that the kids don't live in this district and are being driven to bus stops while their parents claim they are homeless.

I don't think the county has enough resources to handle investigating all of the claims, but parents are upset and schools can't handle the influx, there's not enough room.

Anyone have any ways to approach this? Some people are talking about going to a school board meeting, I'm friendly with a local state delegate and plan to talk to him about this.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Oct 16, 2019 7:55:26 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

If you have a child in daycare, what’s the staff turnover like?

Ours varied. Until my daughter was 3, very little. One of the baby teachers moved to pre-school, another teacher retired, and I think there was one teacher that got promoted internally to an admin role.

Then there was what felt like a mass exodus. Not really, but it felt like a lot of the teachers my daughter had had left in a short time (though 3 got promoted into new roles so they were still around). After that, it calmed and then a teacher left every now and then but nothing major.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Oct 16, 2019 8:11:54 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Anyone deal with overcrowding in schools due to residents in other districts claiming homelessness and then using a relative's address they can enroll in another district?

We just added a 6th kindergarten class. There is no way there are that many more kids in the area because there's not more development. Apparently the resource teachers are finding out that the kids don't live in this district and are being driven to bus stops while their parents claim they are homeless.

I don't think the county has enough resources to handle investigating all of the claims, but parents are upset and schools can't handle the influx, there's not enough room.

Anyone have any ways to approach this? Some people are talking about going to a school board meeting, I'm friendly with a local state delegate and plan to talk to him about this.

What are the racial and socioeconomic makeup of the school?

ETA: Also, how do you know these kids aren't truly homeless?

I ask because, if it truly is a huge problem (which I doubt), if it's lower income people sending their kids to a "better" school district, the answer is that you should do nothing.

[mbcdefg]

Oct 16, 2019 9:53:28 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Oct 16, 2019 7:55:26 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

If you have a child in daycare, what’s the staff turnover like?

Ours varied. Until my daughter was 3, very little. One of the baby teachers moved to pre-school, another teacher retired, and I think there was one teacher that got promoted internally to an admin role.

Then there was what felt like a mass exodus. Not really, but it felt like a lot of the teachers my daughter had had left in a short time (though 3 got promoted into new roles so they were still around). After that, it calmed and then a teacher left every now and then but nothing major.

Thanks - MH and I were just saying the other day that maybe Ms.X (whom we both really liked, MH especially) is out on vacation since we hadn’t seen her in a while. Then we woke up today to a lengthy email from the center director saying Ms.X has been fired for not following center protocol and for being toxic to her coworkers. MH is really pissed since she seemed super organized and he liked her, and another organized teacher we really liked left after only a few months last year (it didn’t seem like it was on bad terms though, at least not to this degree).

They do have a bunch of teachers who’ve been there most/all of the two years we’ve been sending DD, but they seem to cycle through new people very quickly and they’re always a bit short handed. I’m not mad that they want to be picky about who they hire, but idk if the candidates are just not good or if the director is being unreasonable. We’re confident in the director but she’s just a little ... *much* ... at times.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Oct 16, 2019 10:34:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Oct 16, 2019 9:53:28 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Ours varied. Until my daughter was 3, very little. One of the baby teachers moved to pre-school, another teacher retired, and I think there was one teacher that got promoted internally to an admin role.

Then there was what felt like a mass exodus. Not really, but it felt like a lot of the teachers my daughter had had left in a short time (though 3 got promoted into new roles so they were still around). After that, it calmed and then a teacher left every now and then but nothing major.

Thanks - MH and I were just saying the other day that maybe Ms.X (whom we both really liked, MH especially) is out on vacation since we hadn’t seen her in a while. Then we woke up today to a lengthy email from the center director saying Ms.X has been fired for not following center protocol and for being toxic to her coworkers. MH is really pissed since she seemed super organized and he liked her, and another organized teacher we really liked left after only a few months last year (it didn’t seem like it was on bad terms though, at least not to this degree).

They do have a bunch of teachers who’ve been there most/all of the two years we’ve been sending DD, but they seem to cycle through new people very quickly and they’re always a bit short handed. I’m not mad that they want to be picky about who they hire, but idk if the candidates are just not good or if the director is being unreasonable. We’re confident in the director but she’s just a little ... *much* ... at times.

I think that email would give me pause.

Even if it's 100% true, a simple "Ms.X is no longer with our center and we are looking for a replacement" should suffice. Unless it was a really extraordinary circumstance, i don't think the parents need to know the details.

[mbcdefg]

Oct 16, 2019 11:07:39 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Oct 16, 2019 10:34:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Thanks - MH and I were just saying the other day that maybe Ms.X (whom we both really liked, MH especially) is out on vacation since we hadn’t seen her in a while. Then we woke up today to a lengthy email from the center director saying Ms.X has been fired for not following center protocol and for being toxic to her coworkers. MH is really pissed since she seemed super organized and he liked her, and another organized teacher we really liked left after only a few months last year (it didn’t seem like it was on bad terms though, at least not to this degree).

They do have a bunch of teachers who’ve been there most/all of the two years we’ve been sending DD, but they seem to cycle through new people very quickly and they’re always a bit short handed. I’m not mad that they want to be picky about who they hire, but idk if the candidates are just not good or if the director is being unreasonable. We’re confident in the director but she’s just a little ... *much* ... at times.

I think that email would give me pause.

Even if it's 100% true, a simple "Ms.X is no longer with our center and we are looking for a replacement" should suffice. Unless it was a really extraordinary circumstance, i don't think the parents need to know the details.

Yeah it was very odd. She mentioned in the email “I never do this but” and went on to say that Ms.X was contacting parents on her own with her own version of the story. So I guess she wanted to get out ahead of the story.

Even if the director is 100% in the right, the whole thing has just left a very bad taste in my mouth.

[Velar Fricative]

Oct 16, 2019 7:55:26 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

If you have a child in daycare, what’s the staff turnover like?

DD2 has only been at the current place since July but there has been no turnover that I've seen so far (it's a bigger school though, so there could be higher turnover in the other part of the facility). Based on staff bios posted, there's a healthy mix of long-time caregivers plus younger people either in college/grad school pursuing education degrees or just graduated and gaining experience. I imagine there is turnover once they get DOE jobs because that's mostly everyone's end goal, but then they get replaced by people who were just like them a few years back so I don't consider that "bad" turnover. The director has been there since it opened a few years ago and seems very well-liked by staff.

Her previous place though? DD1 went there from age 3 months to just before she started K (she's now 6yo) and when she started there, they had a similar mix and positive dynamic described above. Yes, there was turnover, but I totally expect that in this VHCOL city where daycare providers aren't the best-paid workers. A few years later, when the city got free UPK (and now we have free 3K), they declined it and stayed fully private and that drove enrollment down and teacher turnover increased very dramatically. I noticed more hostility towards the director as well. Turnover became super unreasonable to me and it got to a point where staffing was so lean and by the time we left in June, most caregivers were parents of kids. The staff we liked that left took opportunities elsewhere and out of education, so this place wasn't attracting people looking for an education career. While I am not against parents working as caregivers in their own kids' facilities, I do not think that should comprise the majority of staff. 

I think in our area, we have to expect decent turnover but if there is a sudden increase or it just becomes unreasonable, that's a big red flag. 

[notreal]

Oct 16, 2019 8:11:54 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Anyone deal with overcrowding in schools due to residents in other districts claiming homelessness and then using a relative's address they can enroll in another district?

We just added a 6th kindergarten class. There is no way there are that many more kids in the area because there's not more development. Apparently the resource teachers are finding out that the kids don't live in this district and are being driven to bus stops while their parents claim they are homeless.

I don't think the county has enough resources to handle investigating all of the claims, but parents are upset and schools can't handle the influx, there's not enough room.

Anyone have any ways to approach this? Some people are talking about going to a school board meeting, I'm friendly with a local state delegate and plan to talk to him about this.

I sincerely doubt this is as widespread a problem as you think it is.  If the county doesn't have the resources to deal with student overcrowding, they really shouldn't be using them to look into unfounded gossip.

[ssmjlm]

Oct 16, 2019 9:55:02 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Oct 16, 2019 8:11:54 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Anyone deal with overcrowding in schools due to residents in other districts claiming homelessness and then using a relative's address they can enroll in another district?

We just added a 6th kindergarten class. There is no way there are that many more kids in the area because there's not more development. Apparently the resource teachers are finding out that the kids don't live in this district and are being driven to bus stops while their parents claim they are homeless.

I don't think the county has enough resources to handle investigating all of the claims, but parents are upset and schools can't handle the influx, there's not enough room.

Anyone have any ways to approach this? Some people are talking about going to a school board meeting, I'm friendly with a local state delegate and plan to talk to him about this.

What are the racial and socioeconomic makeup of the school?

Racially the majority is white, with Asian second.  We have a huge military population and have Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard bases all locally.

Of the neighboring 2 districts, one is predominantly white, although economically poorer.  The other is predominantly African American and economically poorer than my district, but equal the previous one.

One of the districts has focused significantly on PR this past year talking about providing free breakfast/lunch to everyone and high graduation rates.  I have a lot of friends who teach in this district and have children enrolled and they like the district, so the exodus for my small sample doesn't make sense.

The other district is well known for its sports and used to have the issue of middle/high school kids lying about addresses to play football for specific high schools.  So again, seems interesting and whether it's an elementary problem or will this stay through middle and high, which are also overcrowded.  FWIW, the middle and high school are not known for sports, at all.

This county has a lot of issues, including the schools.  There are few county resources and a lot of complaints by newer/younger residents about the lack of community things like sidewalks, decent libraries, a rec center, etc.  So while it may be "desirable" to an outsider school wise, it's not all that in the grand scheme because those other districts actually have community centers and lots of local programming.  My own kid is going to gymnastics through another district b/c my county doesn't have it.

All that to say, I don't know why the elementary schools are the main focus, but ours is one of several facing this challenge.

[ssmjlm]

notreal, see my response above, this is an issue with about 5-6 of the elementary schools. All located in areas where there's no land to build and little real estate turnover. I just happen to hear it from the teachers Monday while at a PTA event.

[dcn]

Oct 14, 2019 14:44:30 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

My random is that I had a kid-free weekend and ended up watching my two nephews for my sister. I know I shouldn't complain, but those kids are so obsessed with video games and youtube it's f*$king annoying. I mean that is all they want to do on a weekend and they act out when I said to turn them off. I don't know why, but my kids are so not into electronics like that... not allowed a gaming system or fortnite on the computer... mostly play minecraft and watch youtube and then I make them get off at 1 hour per day max. I don't envy those of you who have kids obsessed with gaming. It's boring and hard to parent those kids (maybe not all kids, but my nephews for sure and my sister usually has to fight them after 1-2 hours on the weekend - she's pretty serious about that).

Also what do you get a 7 year old who already has scooters, bikes (multiple), a ninja line, and all sorts of toys for his birthday? I am striking out trying to get my kid a present for this week. Ugh.

We gave ds1 a piano keyboard for his bday this weekend. Also books, 2 games (super tooth and catan jr) and some new sunglasses and pants.

[wawa]

Oct 16, 2019 12:22:46 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

Oct 16, 2019 9:55:02 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

What are the racial and socioeconomic makeup of the school?

Racially the majority is white, with Asian second.  We have a huge military population and have Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard bases all locally.

Of the neighboring 2 districts, one is predominantly white, although economically poorer.  The other is predominantly African American and economically poorer than my district, but equal the previous one.

One of the districts has focused significantly on PR this past year talking about providing free breakfast/lunch to everyone and high graduation rates.  I have a lot of friends who teach in this district and have children enrolled and they like the district, so the exodus for my small sample doesn't make sense.

The other district is well known for its sports and used to have the issue of middle/high school kids lying about addresses to play football for specific high schools.  So again, seems interesting and whether it's an elementary problem or will this stay through middle and high, which are also overcrowded.  FWIW, the middle and high school are not known for sports, at all.

This county has a lot of issues, including the schools.  There are few county resources and a lot of complaints by newer/younger residents about the lack of community things like sidewalks, decent libraries, a rec center, etc.  So while it may be "desirable" to an outsider school wise, it's not all that in the grand scheme because those other districts actually have community centers and lots of local programming.  My own kid is going to gymnastics through another district b/c my county doesn't have it.

All that to say, I don't know why the elementary schools are the main focus, but ours is one of several facing this challenge.

I'd step really carefully relying on what is essentially gossip to assess this.

[isabel]

Oct 16, 2019 11:07:39 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Oct 16, 2019 10:34:23 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Thanks - MH and I were just saying the other day that maybe Ms.X (whom we both really liked, MH especially) is out on vacation since we hadn’t seen her in a while. Then we woke up today to a lengthy email from the center director saying Ms.X has been fired for not following center protocol and for being toxic to her coworkers. MH is really pissed since she seemed super organized and he liked her, and another organized teacher we really liked left after only a few months last year (it didn’t seem like it was on bad terms though, at least not to this degree).

They do have a bunch of teachers who’ve been there most/all of the two years we’ve been sending DD, but they seem to cycle through new people very quickly and they’re always a bit short handed. I’m not mad that they want to be picky about who they hire, but idk if the candidates are just not good or if the director is being unreasonable. We’re confident in the director but she’s just a little ... *much* ... at times.

I think that email would give me pause.

Even if it's 100% true, a simple "Ms.X is no longer with our center and we are looking for a replacement" should suffice. Unless it was a really extraordinary circumstance, i don't think the parents need to know the details.

I agree with this. I reacted to the "toxic" statement. That is unnecessary information and pretty unprofessional in my opinion.

mbcdefg, FWIW, our experience has been the following:

In the toddler classroom (1-2): The initial teacher went out on maternity leave and didn't come back, she was replaced by a teacher who stayed for about 2 years. That teacher left to pursue her master's in elementary education. All other teachers in that room have been around since we started.

In the mini classroom (2-3): The same lead teacher has been with the school for over 10 years. She has had various floater teachers who are the second teacher in the classroom. One has been in there for a while, but moved to part time (I think she's 2-3 days a week) to pursue her master's in elementary ed. All the other teachers who assist in that room have been there since we started.

In the primary classroom (3-5): The lead teacher that was there when DS1 moved up left after about 2 years. She got divorced and wanted to be closer to family. She was promoted within the company to a location in her hometown. I miss her a lot. They replaced her with another out of state transfer and he was not a good fit. Too young, not enough patience. He is still at the school, but in a different role and they are working on filling the lead teacher role. The second teacher in that room has been there since we started.

So overall, some turnover, but not a crazy amount. This recent experience with the teacher that took over the primary room almost caused us to leave and did cause some families to leave because he really has no business in a lead role. Ultimately, our director made the right call and the class is currently being lead by our assistant director who is amazing. I kind of hope he just stays in there as lead until DS1 moves to Kinder.

[kilgrave]

In related news to my kid's mustache... today is the day we can start picking up high school enrollment packets. 

::breathes into paper bag::

[pixy0stix]

Oct 16, 2019 13:32:50 GMT -5 kilgrave said:

In related news to my kid's mustache... today is the day we can start picking up high school enrollment packets. 

::breathes into paper bag::

This is not possible.

[kilgrave]

Oct 16, 2019 15:04:44 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Oct 16, 2019 13:32:50 GMT -5 kilgrave said:

In related news to my kid's mustache... today is the day we can start picking up high school enrollment packets. 

::breathes into paper bag::

This is not possible.

I am now constantly thinking "this is the kid that's going to take care of me when I'm old and decrepit... I hope." 

And also: "OMG we're almost 2/3 through! He's going to graduate! We can do this!"

[Dznyprnces]

Oct 16, 2019 7:55:26 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

If you have a child in daycare, what’s the staff turnover like?

Lurker chiming in. I teach preschool. Unfortunately, it’s a high turnover field. The pay is crap and there are no benefits (at least, not at the 2 corporate and 1 non profit centers I’ve worked at). Some people do it short term while they pursue a degree. Some people do it short term while their kids are little (usually a discount on childcare is the only benefit). I’m currently at a small, Church based center. I’ve been affiliated with this center for 7 years (I’ve worked here almost 5 years, and before that both my kids went there). In those 7 years, we are on our 3rd director, 2nd assistant director, and we’ve had several teachers cycle through. Unfortunately, that’s just kind of how it is. The pay is not enough to support yourself, much less a family. It works for me because my husband is the breadwinner, and this allows me to work and still take my kids to/from school and have all the same holidays off as they do. But, if I needed to contribute more to our household, I would need to leave the field.

[mbcdefg]

This guy is 20 so I guess this isn’t @, but (a) just in case and (b) there aren’t any non-@ randoms today anyway, so ...

20 year old arrested in Iowa bar after using McLovin fake ID: www.wtol.com/article/news/nation-world/university-of-iowa-student-accused-of-using-fake-mclovin-id-to-get-into-bar/507-93033c9d-87b8-4332-8a23-5c9ebf3b58f5

[eponinepontmercy]

We had a conference with DD's teacher today and it went pretty much as expected. She's sort of behind in reading, at least in comparison to the rest of her class, and needs to keep working on math. Her teacher thinks that once the reading improves, everything else will, too.

But, she participates and is funny and happy. She seems to be getting more shy and less confident with friendships. She tends to gravitate towards one person, who she also complains about all the time. So, we need to get her hanging out with other kids.

[jamaicam]

There are moments when I really move my kids' school and am so happy that I am bringing them up in a country where, despite its many issues, they are the majority. Monday is National Heroes Day so that have been learning about National Heroes. My 5 year old came home and told me all about Marcus Garvey, including that he taught black people to be proud of who they are and that they are powerful people! He also knows that Nanny of the Maroons fought the evil British who were slave owners.

[pixy0stix]

Why does my kid hate long sleeve shirts? He's always pulling at least one arm out of them and hiking half the shirt up around his neck.

[mbcdefg]

MH is meeting a friend tonight right after work to go see a hockey game, so it’s just me and DD. I don’t want to cook or mess up the kitchen, especially since I still have to clean much of the house anyway, so I plan to give her leftovers for dinner and then do the usual bedtime routine and put her to bed at 7:30.

I’m *very* much looking forward to sitting quietly by myself after she goes to bed. I want to have the house clean and the pets fed well in advance so I can just shower and then snuggle up on the couch once DD goes to bed.

It’s chilly and windy outside, and I don’t feel great - I just want to get something yummy to eat and watch DVRed sitcom reruns in total silence. So what do I want for dinner? There are a lot of takeout options near me but nothing is standing out.

[sonrisa]

Oct 16, 2019 8:11:54 GMT -5 ssmjlm said:

There is no way there are that many more kids in the area because there's not more development.  

Development and rate of housing turn over isn't the only thing that affects enrollment.

My kid's school dropped from 150 kindergarteners there years ago to less than 100 this year. They have always been incredibly strict about enrollment criteria and proof required. There is zero new development in our town and the rate of home turnover hasn't changed. But the economy and housing market have fluctuated so the kids fluctuated too.

My third grader was born at the housing market drop. Now prices have doubled. Rental prices have risen as well.

Fewer young families can afford to move in. Those who do move in are more likely to be able to afford and to opt for private alternatives (especially after the overcrowding of recent years). 

In fact, the percentage of lower income families has probably increased. The cost of the subsidized housing developments haven't matched local price increases so low income families have been able to stay in the community.

[somersault72]

I am not OK with your 12 year olds having mustaches as I have an 11 1/2 year old. No, no, no.

[Velar Fricative]

I did something stupid tonight and signed up for the lottery for the NYC half marathon on March 15th. I find out on November 20th if I got in. Keep in mind that I have no idea when I am going to train due to childcare, I haven't run with any consistency since before 2016, I've barely done *any* activity since then and am towards the heaviest of my non-pregnancy weights, and my foot is currently in a walking boot due to stupid foot issues again (at least no fracture this time) and the earliest it will come off is on Halloween unless the doc says I need to keep it on longer. There are a gazillion races, including many much shorter ones, that I could have just strived for as a future goal but I was purging some old clothes and found my marathon shirt for the NYC marathon back when I was supposed to run and then Hurricane Sandy happened and it was cancelled. I felt a lot of feels and I just keep thinking of how happy running used to make me, and even though this is only the half distance it is a cool race course. And then Facebook read my mind as it always does and advertised the half lottery signup which began today.

There's more of a chance that I won't get in and then I'll dodge this bullet but I also still want to get in and I would just do some run/walk combo and hope I don't hurt my foot.

[wawa]

Oct 17, 2019 21:28:26 GMT -5 Velar Fricative said:

I did something stupid tonight and signed up for the lottery for the NYC half marathon on March 15th. I find out on November 20th if I got in. Keep in mind that I have no idea when I am going to train due to childcare, I haven't run with any consistency since before 2016, I've barely done *any* activity since then and am towards the heaviest of my non-pregnancy weights, and my foot is currently in a walking boot due to stupid foot issues again (at least no fracture this time) and the earliest it will come off is on Halloween unless the doc says I need to keep it on longer. There are a gazillion races, including many much shorter ones, that I could have just strived for as a future goal but I was purging some old clothes and found my marathon shirt for the NYC marathon back when I was supposed to run and then Hurricane Sandy happened and it was cancelled. I felt a lot of feels and I just keep thinking of how happy running used to make me, and even though this is only the half distance it is a cool race course. And then Facebook read my mind as it always does and advertised the half lottery signup which began today.

There's more of a chance that I won't get in and then I'll dodge this bullet but I also still want to get in and I would just do some run/walk combo and hope I don't hurt my foot.

I'm excited for you. I hope you get in. You talk about running more than anybody I know who doesn't actually run regularly. (Except maybe me...). I hope you find the joy in it again this time around despite the logistical struggles.

I also just signed up for a half. My first road half. (The other one I ran was on trails) Mine is a week after yours. 😁

I haven't been able to figure out my run schedule with any consistancy since I changed jobs a little less than 2 years ago. My commute got longer, my job got more intense and I have struggled to make the time ever since. Current issue is that sizzli wakes up stupid early and if he finds me gone he'll stand on the couch looking out the window and crying till I come back and it breaks my damn heart.