sohns

By beckysdad on Mar 12, 2012 at 2:52 PM

Becky gets along with with other dogs well unless there's a ball around. If there's a ball around then she ignores the other dog and obsesses on the ball. She's great with puppies as she's very tolerant and playful. Puppies can do most anything they want to her. She's not reactive when big dogs make mistakes so if they're being grumpy she ignores them and doesn't escalate. I was in NYC once but I was only about seven at the time so it hardly counts. I'd love to go. What was your favorite part of the museum? Do you have a style of painting that appeals to you the most? When I first retired I took a trip to DC and spent days in the various Smithsonian Museums and loved that.

By sohns on Mar 12, 2012 at 10:13 AM

That sounds pretty nice. Does Becky get along with the new neighbourhood puppies? Nothing in particular stands out from my trip to PR. It's my second time there and it was just nice to relax on the beach. NYC was fun because I got to see the MOMA. It's a huge museum, so there's still a lot left to see. Have you ever visited The Big Apple?

By beckysdad on Mar 12, 2012 at 10:09 AM

Delayed responses are perfectly acceptable when you're off doing fun things like you were. I'll bet Puerto Rico was a very pleasant change of pace weather-wise. Work does tend to stack up, though. Life is good here. There are few enough ripples in the pond of life at the moment and some new puppies for Becky to play with in the neighborhood so any complaints would be silly. Was there anything particularly memorable about PR or NYC?

By sohns on Mar 12, 2012 at 9:25 AM

hey! Sorry for the delayed reply, but I just got back from vacation. I was in Rincon, Puerto Rico for a week and then spent the weekend in NYC. I'm playing catch-up at work now and it's definitely wearing me down. How are you doing? What's new with you?

By beckysdad on Mar 4, 2012 at 6:19 PM

Hey there...long time no chat. Have you had any luck finding a job closer to home? How are the kittehs enjoying their new (not so new now) environment?

By sohns on Feb 2, 2012 at 8:23 AM

I don't usually film my cats (or anything, for that matter), but I did once record Hans playing with a piece of paper. It was hilarious because I never thought anyone could be so damn fascinated by PAPER! I "filmed" it on my Blackberry, so it seems like I can only send it to BBM/WhatsApp contacts or through Bluetooth. Otherwise, I'd definitely post it here.

By beckysdad on Feb 2, 2012 at 8:06 AM

So you're going to let a little thing like being able to pay your bills stand between you and Toronto? It's terrible how those addictions of food, shelter and clothing get in the way so much of the time. I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I don't know how someone could resist smiling while watching it. Any time you get to see a person, or an animal or kid get lost in something they thoroughly enjoy, you just have to smile and revel in their joy. You could no doubt do the same thing showing your cats enjoying the way you set up your new place.

By sohns on Feb 2, 2012 at 6:37 AM

Well, I took a look at the posting again and it's a part-time position, so I don't think I'll be applying to it. It's one thing to move for a job, but it's another to only work half the time and not be able to afford living in Toronto. That video was so sweet! Becky looks like such a sweetheart and she really loves the beach! It's like she's having the time of her life! Thanks for sharing that :)

By beckysdad on Feb 1, 2012 at 8:18 AM

The good news is the weather has been great out here. The bad news is the weather has been great out here. The snow pack in the Sierras is 60% below normal and we've hardly gotten any rain here in San Jose. Thank goodness last year was a very wet one. It makes it easier to get out and have a good time but you just know we're going to start screaming about water conservation soon. That second beach day I was planning...happened yesterday. Here's a video I made with some of the pics I took. http://cheezburger.com/beckysdad/vids/View/33134849 WHile that new job may not be ideal it's certainly getting you closer to home, right? Is there a town halfway between work and Toronto that would make for a happy compromise? Thirty minutes to family and work is pretty nice actually.

By sohns on Feb 1, 2012 at 6:38 AM

The Khan Academy is great! I'd love to see it being used in more settings. It sounds like you've had pretty good weather to be able to take Becky to the beach. It's been pretty mild here, too, but it's still wet and kind of gross. I hope it'll stay warm enough for me to go running outside this weekend; I miss it and don't really enjoy using a treadmill. There's nothing too new on the job front for me. There was a recent posting for a position about an hour outside of Toronto. My friend passed it on to me and insisted that I apply and if I get it, I can drive to that other town and commute. It's a pretty long commute and I'd rather have something in the city, but it's better than nothing, so I might as well give it a shot.

By beckysdad on Jan 31, 2012 at 8:01 AM

He hit almost all of them? Ah, clearly he's still in training. I'm sure you'll continue to work on him. ;^) Things are calm out here. With school back in session I'm back in the classroom with the kids a couple of times a week. I've worked through some tech issues that will allow us to use Khan Academy with the kids which will be awesome. My teacher friend doesn't enjoy delving into tech issues and troubleshooting but recognizes the value. It shouldn't have been a difficult as it was but it's all good now. I had a beach day with Becky last week and am planning another. She had a blast and I wasn't thrilled with my pictures so we have to do it again. Sucks to be us , huh? How's your world? Is there anything new on the job hunt?

By sohns on Jan 31, 2012 at 6:59 AM

haha wow, he got just about them all. I'll be sure to pass this on ;) How have you been doing?

By beckysdad on Jan 30, 2012 at 4:07 PM

I'm sure you have him well trained but share this with your boyfriend. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK2OakMoW_c I hope the new year is treating you well.

By sohns on Jan 15, 2012 at 6:53 PM

Funny you say that... I just made myself a cup of tea. I would be reading a book, but I don't have any new ones in the house and Nick took the eReader with him away for the weekend. Instead, I'm going to try a new show online. Have you heard of Grimm? It's supposed to be about fairy tale characters in the real world. I've been enjoying Once Upon A Time which has a similar premise, but I've been told that the two shows have very different takes on the concept.

By beckysdad on Jan 15, 2012 at 6:42 PM

There's definitely something to be said for kettehs to curl up with on a cold, gray day. They're a nice complement to a good book and a cup of tea.

By sohns on Jan 15, 2012 at 5:52 PM

They're fine, but they like to nap most of the day. I don't blame them...our couches are pretty comfy :) They love to sit on my lap and snooze, but that doesn't let me do much around the house.

By beckysdad on Jan 15, 2012 at 3:30 PM

I was able to buy the ones I was missing this morning so I've got a few friends I need to look in on to make sure they're covered, too. It looks like a lot of the last minute scrambling has paid off for folks. So the cats aren't providing entertainment for you?

By sohns on Jan 15, 2012 at 2:49 PM

My weekend has been pretty so-so. Nick's out of town and won't be coming back until tomorrow afternoon. It's just been me and the cats, which has been pretty dull. I ran out of coins, but Nick has Dr. Tinycat spares, so I plan on getting one a day from him. THanks for the offer...I should probably update my profile, eh? Is there anything that you're looking for?

By beckysdad on Jan 15, 2012 at 2:34 PM

I hope you're enjoying your weekend. Do you have coins to buy your Dr. Tiny Cat collecties or do you need some help? I have a few coins left and can help if you don't.

By beckysdad on Jan 9, 2012 at 2:25 PM

I tip my cap to him. It takes lots of guts to start your own business and be responsible for it's success. It has a very clean motive, too which won't put him in an adversarial position with his clients. That sure makes it easier to feel good about the effort on dedicates so many hours to...good for him.

By sohns on Jan 9, 2012 at 9:05 AM

Even small events/actions can use Peeramid to keep on top of things. It CAN be intimidating to ask others to join you, but you can just turn to a couple of friends and leave it at that -- that's the beauty of the system. you can be as involved as you want to be. I'm not sure how he plans on getting it funded in the long run, but I know that no matter what, there won't be a fee to use it. Once more public awareness of the tool gets out there, sponsors will approach him. We'll see :)

By beckysdad on Jan 9, 2012 at 8:37 AM

I just watched the welcome video on his site. It looks like a pretty cool idea. It would be interesting to see some case studies of ideas that came together. I can see applications here locally just for ways to improve our neighborhood. It can be very intimidating to suggest an idea and try to organize people. We've got a fairly active neighborhood watch group and some of us have come together to assist older folk in our neighborhood. We all pitched in one Saturday to do a major clean up of their yard as they had health(and financial) issues that prevented them from staying on top of it. We were thrilled to help out. There are plenty who could benefit from something like that and lots that would want to help. The really awkward thing is approaching someone you might help for fear of offending them. I'm sure that through networking we could grow a group of folks that want to help like that. With some word of mouth, someone close to those we might help might be able to broach the subject or the people themselves might be relieved to find that there are people who would want to help them. This is a very modest thing but I can see how the resource he describes could make it much easier. There are lots of things people in the community would be willing to help with and a forum like that could help these ideas bubble to the surface. I noticed it's a .org site. How does he envision the service be funded over time?

By sohns on Jan 9, 2012 at 7:14 AM

He's got his own business and it's online, so the main problem is figuring out the best visa for him. If we end up getting married before moving there, though, then I can just sponsor him. He's the creator of Peeramid, an online tool to organize people. They're currently in the beta phase, but you can check it out here: http://peeramid.org/ I don't think it'll be too bad straddling the 2 countries. I've been doing that since grad school and it's been okay. The holidays will be a bit of a pain, though. It's a 10 hr drive from Toronto to Vermont to see his parents.

By beckysdad on Jan 9, 2012 at 6:55 AM

It's fun working with the kids and the world is a better place when youngsters have more education and opportunity. Things get much easier when the boyfriend is open to moving, too. Is it a benefit or a hassle when you straddle two countries like that? I'd imagine there are a great many people that do it but I wonder how much it complicates things. My memory fails me...did you mention what line of work he's in? Can he readily find work most any place?

By sohns on Jan 9, 2012 at 6:32 AM

That's so cool! I remember when I was in Grade 5 and I was first introduced to algebra...I thought I was this lucky kid who got brought into the secret society of 'smart math that involved letters'. It's gotta be a great feeling when you realize that you've actually gotten through to those kids. Kudos on taking the time to help the next generation! :) My boyfriend is originally from PA, but moved to NY for school. He would like to move to Toronto with me, so that's one less thing to worry about. I've taken him there a few times to meet my family and he absolutely loves the city, so I'm looking forward to him getting to know it better once I find a job there.

By beckysdad on Jan 6, 2012 at 8:29 AM

Wow, infinite power...what a gift! I usually work in small groups helping kids with math. More often than not, I get the butterfly chasers. These are the kids that would stare off into space watching imaginary butterflies if left to their own devices. It's great fun working with them as one has to try all kinds of imaginative things to hold their attention. Goofiness and lots of celebration for wins seems to be pretty effective. I have those in abundance so it works out. Earlier this school year I got to work with the brightest kids and teach them algebra. I certainly never got exposed to algebra when I was in 4th grade but these kids did well. I like 4th grade. The kids are old enough that you're not spending half your time babysitting and yet it's just before the hormones kick in and introduce a whole different level of challenges that I'm not prepared to deal with. ;^) I don't recall...is your boyfriend originally from Canada, too? I hope something great comes up for you back home. From the little I've read and heard, Toronto is a great city.

By sohns on Jan 6, 2012 at 6:57 AM

What do you do when you volunteer at the school? I think it's really nice that you volunteer now that you're retired. It's a great way to spend your time and I honestly wish I had more time to do it myself. I'm definitely hoping to get a job back in Toronto, so the search continues. Our field is pretty widespread across the US and I usually see postings for positions on the westcoast, in the midwest, east coast, all over. There's usually more of a demand in highly populated areas and any place that has a big diagnostic laboratory. So, you'll never really see a posting for a job in Maine, but I always see a bunch for NYC and Salt Lake City (Myriad Genetics is located there).

By beckysdad on Jan 5, 2012 at 1:37 PM

I'm glad your holidays treated you well. I think there's a time when it's fun to go out and be wild on NYE but ultimately sanity returns and our festivities become more sedate but no less satisfying...and we tend to remember them better and don't have to refer to police reports to fill in the details. ;^) Quiet is good. An agenda for the new year? Hmm...more of the same. I'll continue to volunteer a couple days a week at the local school and outing with Becky always fill up a good portion of my time. Now that the video for Dad's side of the family is done, we'll be moving on to my mom's side but we'll take a short break. Mix in a whole bunch of visits to help the folks out with doctor appointments and tasks around their place and I'll be about as busy as I want to be. What about for you? Will you continue a job search to get back closer to home? Are there certain areas of our countries where your field concentrates or is work fairly widespread?

By sohns on Jan 5, 2012 at 9:42 AM

My holiday was really nice :) We had a quiet NYE, just stayed in with his family and had a nice dinner. I went to bed pretty early (around 12:30), so I think it's safe to say that quiet = better for me these days. I'm glad to hear you had a nice holiday, too. Now, what's on the agenda for the new year?

By beckysdad on Jan 4, 2012 at 9:45 AM

Sigh...yep, collecties coming to an end. My holiday was nice. Over the course of two weekends we managed to get everyone together for the holiday. Mostly we hung out, watched the dog and the youngsters and enjoyed good meals. How was your time with the family? I'll bet you enjoyed it when you and your honey were able to get together again for New Years. Did you go out someplace to ring in the new year?