Mrs.J

I had stopped watching figure skating because it seemed to be a race to landing quads. I have never seen her two programs and looked up her short program yesterday. Wow what a breath of fresh air. I did not even notice the jumps. The joy and excitement I saw, she had created one of the most fluid pieces I have seen in a long time. Her free skate was just the same. Her musicality is amazing! Proof that you have to enjoy and love what you do. I applaud Alysa for taking the path she did. Towards the end of the younger Ms J’s junior riding career she had stopped having fun. She consciously decided it was not about the ribbons but about showing how much she loved riding. She took on the training of a friend’s young horse. And made the decision to stay on her large pony and have some amazing fun with her. She also really enjoyed being on an IEA team. A format where you ride a horse by draw that you have never ridden before. Not all riders can do it as it takes your skills and knowledge to figure out a horse just by a description on a piece of paper and maybe one test fence. Those decisions ultimately helped her with the choice of schools to attend. She chose a school with a wonderful IHSA club team. Where anyone can ride you don’t have to be recruited to ride. Those who do what they love will always come out on the top of life. Alysa skated like no one was watching. I thank her for letting us in.

So ended with .67” last night. Have .30” upon waking this morning.

Decent rain here now. Looks to be a nice amount behind it.

My deep dive question of the day. Do you (general) have issue with justifying purchasing things for yourself? I have gotten back into printmaking lately, did some holiday gifts for the kids and my husband. I did some lino blocks to make one of a kind t shirts. I do not own a proper printing press and have been using a brayer, a small hand press, or by standing on the inked block to press. My printing methods have been less than stellar according to my standards and I have seriously been eyeing a small handmade press. The thing is I am having issue with justifying getting it. The cost is not excessive but I think after being in mom mode I am struggling to convince myself of that. Mr. J has just told me to get it, yet I still find myself looking at it to order and am not pulling the trigger. I want to get back into my artwork and know the proper equipment is a must. But I am just finding it hard to spend money on myself. I am just curious if anyone else goes back and forth with this.

0.55 here. Had to drive in it later in the afternoon over to Baltimore to pick up the older Ms. J from a film set. Then drove her back down to DC. Driving on 70, 695 and 95 was not fun. The snow pack created a low fog and along with the rain the glare on the highways made it hard to see if you were in your own lane. Only 200 was decent as the reflective striping was still reflective.

41 and drizzle. I am not minding the rain to flush the dirty snow piles away.

Mr. J and I are not natives to MD. But our daughters are. Through them in school we learned the importance of the watershed. I grew up around the Maumee River which empties into Lake Erie and grew up understanding the importance of keeping waterways clean. I have found that those who do not live near their water source seem to think it just exists. Ignoring the surrounding environment. As for making jokes well some people just never grow up and it shows.

This system is causing some serious sinus pain. My whole left jaw is painful to the touch. Gums and teeth have that copper taste due to swelling. Left eustachian tube is plugged. And pressure in my left cheek and temple. Tea did not help so broke down and took Ibuprofen. Should hopefully clear out when the rain pushes through.

Backyard temp of 56.7 here. Lot of snow melt on the deck right now. Actually have the back screen door open for the cats. They are having a good waft.

31 currently. And I think I am going to start rating these cold snaps in bags of bird food. Currently on my 3rd bag since the snow back in January. While it is mainly to feed the birds in the winter it is also cable for our cats. Between suet cakes and the feeder and spreading seed on the snow covered deck they have had a steady stream of action. Even getting the squirrels up which prompts quite the frenzy at the back door.

Nothing wrong with weirdos. Always told our kids they got the short straw with their parents. One a Game Animator and the other an Artist who fixates on weather, transportation, and animals. Always told them if everyone was the same we would live in a very boring place. Must have done something right. One going the film track and the other enjoys studying dead peoples bones.

@AlexD1990 see you are in Lewes, DE. Mr. J and I took a trip back the end of September to DE as we had never been there. Stayed in a lovely AirBB just outside of Rehoboth Beach. We ventured up to Lewes. Visited the lovely museum in town. Had some Kickin’ Chicken in the beautiful park just behind it and then ventured down the streets to a secluded beach down by the Yacht club. Had a great time!

We tend to plan vacations as a family wanting to explore not just a different place but a different culture. Have experienced Costa Rica and last year Eastern Europe. Mr. J and I have been throwing around visiting PR and Belize and after seeing that fun cultural halftime show has it got me wanting to go somewhere.

Well that is not a surprise. That is the type. I was editing to add to my post while you were quoting so will also say the added part here. Why certain men feel that if a woman moves their body a certain way is sexual is on them and them alone. It is as pathetic as the ‘oh but her shoulders aroused me’ crap. Honestly the two Ms. J’s would have a field day with him.

Yep came here to say the same thing. Why certain men feel that if a woman moves their body a certain way is sexual is on them and them alone. It is as pathetic as the ‘oh but her shoulders aroused me’ crap. Honestly the two Ms. J’s would have a field day with him.

Yep! The concert we went to was so diverse age wise. Saw this one live and me and the Ms.J’s were both singing it. I have been to many concerts but the ones that I find the most memorable are the ones that are like a stage show. Beck, The Killers, Pulp and The Flaming Lips stand out for me. That being said David Bowie and The Cure shows were just jaw dropping musically.

You are welcome! We actually saw them in concert for New Years Eve at the Anthem down at the DC Wharf. Amazing show whole family went and we rang in the new year together.

She is a Japanese girl who battles the pink robots of course. Creation of The Flaming Lips a wonderfully entertaining band from OKC.

Morning alarm just came on. One can wish.

Just finished making cookies and noticed it is snowing. Not sure when it started.

Score the trifecta!

The panels have been up since 2013.

I see our friend the Extreme Cold Watch is back.

Yeah the “interview” process was strange. But I have seen this done before and is usually used to select out serious candidates. But the move from this process directly to a job offer without a face to face was one of the red flags that went up. You are correct though with AI this is just going to get tougher and tougher. Glad I could help so she knows what is going on out there. It honestly needs to be talked about more. But so many who experience it are embarrassed for falling for it. So they don’t. She is all good. Preparing for her face to face interview for an internship on Monday. So are we. It could have gone really south really quick. The fact that she has not heard anything from the person after Tuesday night tells me they knew she caught on and cut her loose as it was a loss of time for them. Unfortunately probably moved onto the next person. Scary that it is even happening to businesses as well. Did not know there is a state fraud center. This might be worth sending to them. Thanks all. One good thing is we had told her to not say anything to family as we thought it would be a surprise when she graduates. But because of this I have no one to open up to and it was really getting to me. I know I do not post much on this thread. It honestly moves to quick for me and I like to give every post a good read. But it was the only place that I felt comfortable with posting to.

Yes it is. And when you think you know all the ways out there they just keep reinventing themselves. Having been an art student myself I would have been over the moon with a commission so know what your acquaintances daughter went through. What we want now is the company that was directly spoofed to respond back to us. Because it was not until the end that the pieces fell into place. Their logo was used, contact name was used in the initial contact. Mr. J is giving them today to respond then he will try to call them. He wants to alert them that their name is being used in this manner. Not sure if they will care or not but if it was my company I would want to know.