OT - NO POLITICS A Hazy Shade of Winter

[smithformeragent]

I’m going to very likely have to let a teacher go this week.

Awful timing with the holidays coming up. Nice enough person, it just isn’t working out.

I’ve done everything I possibly can to support this person and I feel horrible.

I put them on an improvement plan, and I don’t see it getting any better. These kids simply deserve better.

 

[rfournier103]

I enjoyed working on the ARMY-NAVY game.

CBS treats the game with the same reverence that they show the Masters in golf.

Foxborough aced the test and the Krafts were told afterward the game they are now in the 5 year rotation along with Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and the Meadowlands.

That’s fantastic!

Glad you had a great day, @Fenway.

GO ARMY.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

I’m going to very likely have to let a teacher go this week.

Awful timing with the holidays coming up. Nice enough person, it just isn’t working out.

I’ve done everything I possibly can to support this person and I feel horrible.

I put them on an improvement plan, and I don’t see it getting any better. These kids simply deserve better.

The last comment is what makes the decision easier and more palatable I would say - the welfare and learning of the kids must come first. Still, it's never nice to have to do such things. But you seem to be doing it for the right reasons, and have given the employee a fair go. That's all you can do.

 

[smithformeragent]

Rocking out to Hamilton before Mass this morning!

 

[Bruinaura]

I forgot that when we lose power, the thermostat in this apartment sets itself to 62 when the power comes on.

No wonder I'm freezing

But hey it could be worse. A lot of people still don't have power and some don't have homes at all.

Yesterday was one of the weirdest days of my entire life. First my car gets rammed by a rental truck, then our town gets clobbered by a tornado. I woke up this morning wondering if I had dreamed it all.

 

[NeelyDan]

I forgot that when we lose power, the thermostat in this apartment sets itself to 62 when the power comes on.

No wonder I'm freezing

But hey it could be worse. A lot of people still don't have power and some don't have homes at all.

Yesterday was one of the weirdest days of my entire life. First my car gets rammed by a rental truck, then our town gets clobbered by a tornado. I woke up this morning wondering if I had dreamed it all.

Glad everything (relatively) worked out for you, hopefully for anyone close to you too

 

[Bruinaura]

Glad everything (relatively) worked out for you, hopefully for anyone close to you too

Thanks, as far as I know all family/ friends/ coworkers are okay. Our office has some tree and fence damage. My boss said earlier in the day, unrelated to the tornado, there was a major water leak inside. As of right now there is still no power in that area so I don't know if the office will be open tomorrow or not.

From accounts on social media, the amount of people in the community who are out and about helping is incredible. Food trucks setting up and serving free food, businesses and individuals showing up with trucks and chain saws and skid steers, you name it. We have a great little town.

Some of you may have heard of Taylor Swift? lol.... She went to high school here. The roof got blown off of it, or so it is being reported.

 

[GordonHowe]

I don’t know!!!

I have a few weeks before the next step in the process. Just going to enjoy the Christmas season and take it as it comes.

That's using your noodle.

Keep us apprised and good luck.

 

[Mione134]

View attachment 780846
Rocking out to Hamilton before Mass this morning!

Absolutely precious!!! Great choice of song to pump yourself up for Mass. Little Jake approves I think! Haha

 

[Bruinaura]

Preliminary report is the tornado in our area was an EF2 with 125 mph winds, 400 yards wide

 

[eightspokedb]

April 7 2024
85th Anniversary Gone with the Wind
Grand Rapids MI

....I DO give a damn.....

All I wanted to do was check IMDB for an actor that I thought was in GWTW....a few minutes later I have tix for the showing.

.... so happy.....

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Drove out to Phoenix for the night on Friday for Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks. Always makes me laugh that there isnt an interstate connecting Vegas and Phoenix. It's a pretty drive through Saguaro and Joshua Tree country, but the road is a state highway that is more like Route 1 (changes between 1 and 2 lanes) and you always get stuck behind trucks

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

Went to Cannon this weekend for the first time. Was not sure what to expect but loved it! Icy at the top but some slush at the bottom. It would be world class if they got a VT level of snowfall. We have the Indy pass and there are usually two types of mountains

1) Mountains that more "resort" types (Waterville, Jay, Pats Peak, Berkshire east)

2) Truly unique, unpretentious, throwback mountains. (Magic, Cannon, Whaleback., Middlebury, Black.)

I have yet to be to Saddleback or Bolton.

I grew up skiing at Mount Tom and Blandford in MA so I am a sucker for the throwback mountains. I feel ski areas used covid as an excuse to kick backpacks out the lodges which sucks. At Blandford we used to bring a crock pot to plug in for meatball subs at lunch.

Of course Mad River Glenn is the king of the throwbacks but I am waiting until the kids are older to become a shareholder. Indypass will do for now.

 

[TD Charlie]

Went to Cannon this weekend for the first time. Was not sure what to expect but loved it! Icy at the top but some slush at the bottom. It would be world class if they got a VT level of snowfall. We have the Indy pass and there are usually two types of mountains

1) Mountains that more "resort" types (Waterville, Jay, Pats Peak, Berkshire east)

2) Truly unique, unpretentious, throwback mountains. (Magic, Cannon, Whaleback., Middlebury, Black.)

I have yet to be to Saddleback or Bolton.

I grew up skiing at Mount Tom and Blandford in MA so I am a sucker for the throwback mountains. I feel ski areas used covid as an excuse to kick backpacks out the lodges which sucks. At Blandford we used to bring a crock pot to plug in for meatball subs at lunch.

Of course Mad River Glenn is the king of the throwbacks but I am waiting until the kids are older to become a shareholder. Indypass will do for now.

I heard some really good things about Cannon over the weekend. They've been known for being a little firm up top so that doesn't surprise me. I did Loon, Killington, and Bromont in Canada last season and Bromont was by far #1. The season was largely horrible but Bromont felt like perfect snow top to bottom, plenty of varied terrain available, no crowds, and I think it was like 40 bucks for a 4 hour ticket.

The lady is partial to Loon, but she's only experienced it with me 3x on heavy powder days. When the quad (well now it's an 8) and the gondy are up at an hour wait, the skies are totally gray and the snow is all fake and crunchy it's a different beast.

I'd like to try some different mountains this season. Was thinking Bolton last year so maybe I'll head over there. I wouldn't mind going back to Sugarbush, it's been a while. My aging knees just can't handle much these days, so I mostly stick to more gentle runs and cruisers

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

I heard some really good things about Cannon over the weekend. They've been known for being a little firm up top so that doesn't surprise me. I did Loon, Killington, and Bromont in Canada last season and Bromont was by far #1. The season was largely horrible but Bromont felt like perfect snow top to bottom, plenty of varied terrain available, no crowds, and I think it was like 40 bucks for a 4 hour ticket.

The lady is partial to Loon, but she's only experienced it with me 3x on heavy powder days. When the quad (well now it's an 8) and the gondy are up at an hour wait, the skies are totally gray and the snow is all fake and crunchy it's a different beast.

I'd like to try some different mountains this season. Was thinking Bolton last year so maybe I'll head over there. I wouldn't mind going back to Sugarbush, it's been a while. My aging knees just can't handle much these days, so I mostly stick to more gentle runs and cruisers

Not sure if your kids are getting into it. But the margic carpet at the Dartmouth skiway is free.

Also, Bolton has $25 night skiing Thur-Sat. I heard it is an awesome place after the clocks change because you can hit the non-lit trails for an hour or two depending on the light.

 

[TD Charlie]

Not sure if your kids are getting into it. But the margic carpet at the Dartmouth skiway is free.

Also, Bolton has $25 night skiing Thur-Sat. I heard it is an awesome place after the clocks change because you can hit the non-lit trails for an hour or two depending on the light.

I did a little night ski action one time years ago, and I really struggled with seeing the terrain.

My boys just turned 9. It's time I get them on skis. I started around 6-7 and was very strong on skis within a year. I have very vivid memories of the Wildcat summit chair, tree runs at Bretton Woods, and turning Deception Bowl at Bretton into a tuck run because I could never carry enough speed to get through the traverse at the end of it. I just worry that my kids won't take kindly to it unless it comes natural to them. I'm tempted to stick them in a half day lesson and leave them to it, but that's an awfully big ask of an instructor to take these two on!

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

I did a little night ski action one time years ago, and I really struggled with seeing the terrain.

My boys just turned 9. It's time I get them on skis. I started around 6-7 and was very strong on skis within a year. I have very vivid memories of the Wildcat summit chair, tree runs at Bretton Woods, and turning Deception Bowl at Bretton into a tuck run because I could never carry enough speed to get through the traverse at the end of it. I just worry that my kids won't take kindly to it unless it comes natural to them. I'm tempted to stick them in a half day lesson and leave them to it, but that's an awfully big ask of an instructor to take these two on!

Yea honestly the ski a few times a year and spend $$$ on long lessons setup can lead to angry people all around. Is there any mountains close enough to do some sort of Saturday morning thing?

Your South shore right? That's a tough spot. Not really close enough to Ward, Blue Hills, or Yawgoo valley. My kids have never really had "lessons" but they do ski six Fridays after school in the winter and just kind of picked it up from that. I am not sure we would have skied if we stayed in Marblehead.

 

[shelbysdad]

First day of real PT.....lots of stretching and exercises, along with bike riding ....can go all the way around going backwards.

Swelling a lot better, very localized in knee now instead of calf/thigh

Good bye to the walker

 

[EverettMike]

Hi everyone. Wally told me I should share this with everyone here again and I am more than happy to.

This is the sixth year I am heading up my family's Memorial Toy Drive in honor of my sister, Kayla Noel. She passed away unexpectedly due to complications from a chronic, debilitating medical condition one day before her 23rd birthday in 2011, just five days before her favorite holiday, Christmas.

Kayla suffered from gastroparesis and was in and out of hospitals a lot as a result. My sister was also a very giving, very generous, very empathetic person and during one such hospital stay she told my mother she wanted to come back and deliver toys to sick kids who were in the hospital at Christmas.

We began this Toy Drive ahead of what would have been her 30th birthday and over the last five years have donated thousands and thousands of toys to local Boston hospitals in her name. That has included donations from friends, family, total strangers, and members of this forum.

I know a million people are asking for donations this time of year and there are lots of great causes, but if you would like and can give to ours it's very easy. We're donating to Boston Medical Center and Shriners Children's Boston. While I will be delivering toys myself in person, both hospitals also have online wish lists you can buy from. Those needed items get sent straight to the people in charge.

I will include the links for the hospitals below. You can pick one, two, or three. Totally up to you. Whether you give a single gift or many, each toy represents some extra joy for a kid who really needs it during a very hard time.

If you make an online donation all you have to do is include a note on the order that says "For the Kayla Noel Drive." It's easy, but very important. That note is how they know the toys came from our drive and they can put one of our stickers on each item.

(If you can please also send me a DM letting me know what you ordered so I can keep track of what's headed in. And feel free to share this message and these links with anyone you like. You'd be stunned how many people I have never met give.)

This drive helps my sister fulfill her wish and it helps me and my family, who carry her in our hearts every day of the year, share her with people who never got to meet her. I don't have the words to express what that means to us.

So for those who have already given and those who will after seeing this, thank you. Thank you more than I can possibly explain.

Shriners:

Shriners Children's Boston- Child Life Gift List | Amazon Gift List

www.amazon.com

BMC:

Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

 

[TD Charlie]

Yea honestly the ski a few times a year and spend $$$ on long lessons setup can lead to angry people all around. Is there any mountains close enough to do some sort of Saturday morning thing?

Your South shore right? That's a tough spot. Not really close enough to Ward, Blue Hills, or Yawgoo valley. My kids have never really had "lessons" but they do ski six Fridays after school in the winter and just kind of picked it up from that. I am not sure we would have skied if we stayed in Marblehead.

I'm 2 hours from Wachusett, 90 minutes from Ward, but only a half hour from Blue Hills. I haven't been to Wachusett or Blue Hills in over 20 years, but I remember enjoying both of them.

Blue Hills is really the only option if I'm trying to avoid an overnight stay. I can do day trips to the White Mts but would never attempt it with the kids. Looks like Blue Hills has a half a post lunch ticket for 50 bucks a head, so for 2 adults, 2 kids, rentals for the kids, I can probably get away with it for about $250. Might be worth a shot just to get the boys on the magic carpets for a few hours, just to test the waters

 

[GordonHowe]

April 7 2024
85th Anniversary Gone with the Wind
Grand Rapids MI

....I DO give a damn.....

All I wanted to do was check IMDB for an actor that I thought was in GWTW....a few minutes later I have tix for the showing.

.... so happy.....

"Frankly, my dear..."

 

[Bruinaura]

I'm fairly certain every power truck in Nashville was stationed along a one mile stretch of road about a mile from my house this afternoon. There were dozens. Power poles leaning everywhere. I'm surprised they were letting traffic through at all.

We got power back in our office around noon. I had to go in because we had a massive water leak in the building, unrelated to the tornado, and we had to move furniture, files, all sorts of stuff.

It's been a crazy few days around here. Pass the cookies

 

[JAD]

I'm fairly certain every power truck in Nashville was stationed along a one mile stretch of road about a mile from my house this afternoon. There were dozens. Power poles leaning everywhere. I'm surprised they were letting traffic through at all.

We got power back in our office around noon. I had to go in because we had a massive water leak in the building, unrelated to the tornado, and we had to move furniture, files, all sorts of stuff.

It's been a crazy few days around here. Pass the cookies

Glad to know you're doing okay. There was concerned with the storms going through your area. It can be an unnerving experience.

 

[GordonHowe]

"Frankly, my dear..."

I missed your reference. Mine then was redundant. Enjoy the show.

 

[eightspokedb]

Slept through the first showing of Wizard of Oz.... hopefully I'll make it through the second ..... As long as I see the 'horse of a different color' I'm good....

' 39 was a very good year for movies.