Dear DH Our 12 year anniversary is Saturday and I don't want to do a thing. I don't want to go anywhere, I don't want to go out to eat, I don't want to have to shop for a gift. You said we should just skip mothers day and fathers day this year so can we skip our anniversary too? Wifey
Dear Sis Thank you for offering to take DD for 24 hours next week. Now if I could just not work it would be wonderful during those 2 days so I could have some alone time. Oh well I will take the quiet work time instead. Big Sis PS Good luck getting her to do school.
Dear DD Enough with the attitude. I know you are perfectly happy listening to the audiobooks for the entire day we are at work but you need to do something other than curl up in the office chair and listen to a book. I know it isn't screen time because the computer screen goes to sleep but you still don't need to veg out for that long. I want to see you be active again instead of a slug. Mom
We have 17 more days of school, and we are definitely limping to the end. Within that 17 days, you have 3 half-days. Even when you have "full days", you're only doing a couple hours of work anyway. So... just do the work. Just do it and don't whine and don't cry and just finish things up. Honestly. Because when you whine and cry and yell, know what happens? You do the work, and you lose privileges. So... again... just do the work. I'm tired. I've had enough of school too. Let's just get this sh!t done, shall we?
Love, Mom
Dear Freelance project -
If you could just finish yourself up, I'd be forever grateful.
Thanks, Mae
Dear Quarantine -
You're welcome to take back the weight you so nicely attached to my belly that butt. I'm all done with it. Thank you for loaning it to me!
Dear boss, Thank you for dropping off supplies from the office at my house for me! Coordinating a 1.5 hour round trip drive, during business hours, felt completely impossible and overwhelming for me this week and I'm glad you picked up on that and offered to just drop the stuff off instead. It was a huge weight lifted and way outside the scope of your job as CEO. Signed, Appreciative employee
Dear WPs, My kids' birthday party is Saturday. I use the term "party" loosely because the only people in attendance will be me, beau, his son, my kids, ExH, and ExH's fiancee. This will be the first time beau and ExH meet and we will have ZERO other people around to buffer the awkwardness. We will have some friends do a drive by, and my ex parent in laws and ex BIL will swing by to drop off a gift in the driveway and say hi. So... basically it's going to be a living nightmare of awkward, socially distant introductions, family blending, and chaos. ExH and fiancee better get the hint and only stay for an hour or so, not try hanging around all afternoon when the drive by window is over. Pray for me. Signed, Stocking up on alcohol
Dear Summer Camp, Reassuring us that you would be open for weeks this summer was great, getting an email that surprise, camp will be virtual, while still charging $300 per week (which is better than the $600 it was originally). is totally not acceptable. I signed DS up because I need the childcare. Darn straight I will be asking for a refund for all three sessions. Signed, Unhappy camper parent
Dear DH, Yes, you were right, we should hire a summer nanny. Signed, I give
Dear Work, So, faculty don't have time sheets. Telling me to figure out what I have done on an hourly basis for the last 2 months is laughable. I went back through my calendar and emails to reconstruct the hours. While watching two kids I have been averaging 45 hours per week, with one week at 58 when I had to grade all of the finals. No wonder I am so very tired. Signed, At least you also told me that I have to do it for summer now, so I will keep better track
Post by greenmonkey1 on May 20, 2020 12:31:38 GMT -5
phdmomma What does a virtual camp even involve? Our city camps have not made a decision as to whether they are opening for summer and if so, in what capacity. So we're all still hanging out waiting to figure out summer. The bible camp the kids attend decided to run as a virtual camp. It's really more "camp in a box" in which they send home all the snacks, lessons, and crafts the kids were going to do so the kids can do them at home. Definitely doesn't solve my childcare issue (although I might not have a childcare issue as I am adjunct faculty and with budget cuts might have no classes this summer).
greenmonkey1, It looks like an endless zoom meeting from their website, for the full camp hours. Which isn't going to work. An hour zoom meeting makes me want to cry, I can't see my kid sitting in from of it all day. How bad are the budget cuts looking at your institution? I am tenure track, and they are furloughing us all, with folks who make more being given more furlough days, to try and recoup some of the losses. I am set to teach the summer session (maxed out the enrollment in my new summer course), and need to get my research lab reopened on campus (it looks like we can start going back in waves in June). And summer is DH's busy season, so childcare is a super big deal right now, I also go up for tenure in January, so this was supposed to be pedal to the metal time, and it hasn't been.
I am relieved that you cancelled the plant tour today. I really didn't want to go. Especially since DH threatened to banish me to the basement for 14 days and wanted me to change clothes before I got in the car? Not even sure how that would work.
Signed, How did I get this job.
Dear DD,
Sorry you have to look at your birthday present for a month. Quit whining. But you wanted a room makeover, and in these times, it had to be ordered and shipped in time. We still have to paint also.
Signed, your birthday is not until the end of June.
I am done. Done with work. Done with school. Done with being the person trying to juggle it all. My 4 year old son just beat the first four levels of Super Mario Brothers 3 without losing his racoon tail. DD missed her zoom call because she was busy watching us play. We are currently in world 7, on pause while we have lunch outside on the patio while the cleaners are here.
Super Mario Brothers 3 counts as working full time for me and school for them, right?
Signed, Mentally checked out.
PS: I showed some true restraint today and held off on making a gin and tonic at 10am like I really wanted to do.
Dear k3am, have you been having your cleaners come the whole time or did they recently come back? I’m debating when to have ours come back. Especially now that I can’t walk/stand due to my sciatica/disc issue, and have to do things like take a shower while sitting in the tub that hasn’t had a good scrub in far too long 😬
Dear fancy snoo bassinet I rented that arrived today,
Please be worth it and help me get a little more sleep.
We are having our cleaners come back this week and I'm jumping up and down inside. I had sciatica with DD2 and DD3 and it was terrible. I ended up needing PT after having both of them. I would definitely bring the cleaners back if you're comfortable with it.
Thinking of you!
Dear DD1,
I'm so glad DD2 was the one to say it but seriously this is why we tell you to wear tennis shoes when you ride your bike. If you had shoes on, your big toe wouldn't have gotten stuck between the bike and pedal resulting in you falling off and the bike landing on top of you with your toe still stuck. I do feel bad for your banged up knee and bruised toe. DH had the hardest time getting her toe unstuck/pinched!
Thanks DD2 for playing doctor and a reminder of the rules
sdlaura, I think we lasted 3 weeks before we had the cleaners come back. We continued to pay them when they weren't coming, but eventually I texted to ask if they were comfortable coming and they were.
We have made a lot of decisions based on calculated risks on how we could make it through and best maintain our sanity during this periods. Having our cleaners come was one of them.
Also, people were once aghast at the idea of having cleaners come, but after SIP for so long with no end in sight, people are starting to relax. At week 3, our cleaners said they were cleaning 3-4 houses a week, and a lot of people weren't paying them if they didn't come, so they were very worried. We told them we'd continue to pay even if they weren't comfortable coming, but they said they were bored and wanted to work.
I'm pretty sure their schedule is pretty full now - we don't get much flexibility on days or time anymore. But they're not coming in their precorona time of 7am, so I'm not going to complain.
WPs I was thinking about taking tomorrow off just to give myself a little downtime. I just looked at the calendar and realize we already have a long weekend because Memorial Day is Monday! How can it already be the end of May? No way I can take tomorrow off because it will be a zoo, ugh. Me
Dear Birds outside Will you stop squawking! You are driving me insane. I feel a migraine brewing...
mellym tell me more about your sciatica recovery! How long/how much PT did you do?
k3am, we normally have the cleaners every other week and paid them for the first 3 visits we missed. When I forgot to Venmo for the fourth visit they reached out to say they wanted to come back and just let them know when. I need to discuss with DH...
greenmonkey1 , It looks like an endless zoom meeting from their website, for the full camp hours. Which isn't going to work. An hour zoom meeting makes me want to cry, I can't see my kid sitting in from of it all day. How bad are the budget cuts looking at your institution? I am tenure track, and they are furloughing us all, with folks who make more being given more furlough days, to try and recoup some of the losses. I am set to teach the summer session (maxed out the enrollment in my new summer course), and need to get my research lab reopened on campus (it looks like we can start going back in waves in June). And summer is DH's busy season, so childcare is a super big deal right now, I also go up for tenure in January, so this was supposed to be pedal to the metal time, and it hasn't been.
Endless zoom sounds awful, especially for $300 a week!
Good luck with tenure. I've seen so many friends/colleagues go through the process to know it is quite the endeavor. I just graduated with my phd last August and the plan was to adjunct until I have at least two kids in the same school (boys are 7, 5, and just 3). DH's job means I am the primary parent (he is basically unavailable) and that is really hard with a FT job. I honestly won't be ready for a TT position anytime soon. Kudos to you.
My University is cutting 20% from the budget. Everyone making $38K or higher and not in the union is taking a salary cut. They are running another round of voluntary buyouts and layoffs are on the table, but nothing is announced as of yet. Position cuts will come mostly from the adjunct lines and staff from what I understand. It is what it is. Hopefully I can get on the fall schedule and if not, hopefully I can get on in the spring. I hope you can get your lab up and running smoothly and tenure goes well.
Dear summer camp, It is total BS that you are refusing to refund my deposit. I've paid you $1300 so far and you won't let me un-enroll my kids and give me my money back?! Final payments aren't even due yet, you have no idea what if any services you'll be offering and you're only letting me "keep it as a credit on my account." My account for what, exactly? Before and after care for the school year that may not even open back up in the fall? Ugh. I was banking on that money to help pay SIL for her time watching the kids this summer. It's not a small chunk of change. Signed, Pissed off
sdlaura, I can't remember how long I was in PT - maybe 2 - 3 months? It was a lot of stretching exercises, hip strengthening and some massage. I also started seeing a chiropractor because my PT kept finding one leg was longer than the other so I needed adjustments.
Post by librarychica on May 21, 2020 9:33:50 GMT -5
Dear employer,
When preparing for this role I asked and asked about leadership training for years! Nada. Now, in the span of a few months, I’ve started leadership training “in preparation for a promotion,” received said promotion, and been enrolled in another 3 courses. That’s 4 courses between 9 months and 3 weeks long to complete this year! Plus my new job and most of my old job.
Sincerely, I’m doing no professional development in 2021