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shootingstar

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Everything posted by shootingstar

  1. My latest with photos. Peace.
  2. Bike rides, gettin' my hair cut tomorrow after not having one since early January.
  3. It must have been a bargain basement price.
  4. Is this job that much money for you for this stress when you're retired? Rethink this, BR. I agree-- don't do jobs which could hold you responsible for public safety later on.
  5. My longest home mortgage has been about 7 years. Yea, I get obsessed about saving money and paying off early.
  6. My number of work meetings is 85% same as it was prior to covid restrictions/WFH. Some meetings are quite useful and for me, it does create a connection to others. I would be a fool to think I could do my job in total isolation and total independence. If one is an expert in something, you are expected to share/mentor others.
  7. Bye..at work or personal Bye-bye...sometimes for personal. Think of a very young child....that's what I do say to a young child. Hanging out with those who speak English, as a 2nd language...might tend to say bye-bye. It sounds more in "tune"....especially if you speak Chinese...and mix in English. Happens alot..reality of living in North America.
  8. Don't even have iphone yet. Still, even if I did, no I wouldn't track him nor vice versa. He has an iPhone. When I phone on iPhone, it isn't a long conversation anyway....it's just hard to hear with ambient noise on his side.
  9. What is the most ideal job for you at this stage (other than retire)?
  10. 3-4 meetings in 1 day is at least once per wk. Throughout the wk. have 2-4 other different meetings. Sometimes it's only half an hr. Others maybe 1.5 hrs. long. In these meetings, sometimes I am requjired to present/update others on my projects. I can't sleep through such meetings 90% of time: 'cause we share valuable information/issues, finalize solution/best approach and becomes often a de facto standard how we do things and what we tell users/clients. In between meetings, I'm jumping from responding to emails, assignments where some thinking ..and more chat with others at times, My former job in different dept. was only 1 meeting per wk. ...not same type of meeting at most. I am tired....and have been working full-time from home. I've been in office 4% of all time since early Mar. WFH has not changed much for me on timelines/volume of work for me.
  11. Yes, same here..grey and some very light rain. A funnel was spotted on edge of city today. Yesterday was a gorgeous bright day.
  12. I don't get refinancing unless one can't pay off the remaining small mortgage in 1 lump payment. Unless the mortgage interest goes back into your bank account and you won't die too early (and hence bank takes over house)... I don't see advantages when one is in their 50's, not to just pay off small mortgage (if it is small) after lst mortgage term is done. I guess I sound pretty dumb right now. I haven't had a mortgage in past 3 yrs.
  13. Just like some of the health facilities where my siblings work.
  14. Elementary school: Included jump the rubber ball. Our elementary school was 2 stories high and built in 1920's...so not all glass. Lots of solid brick balls so we could fling the rubber ball at wall super high and try to jump it when it first bounced onto the pavement. Double-dutch with skipping rope....I think I got past 2,000 jumps in 1 session. It makes me gasp just thinking about now.... I tried skipping rope a few years ago and found how much effort it took for me ...different muscles and different ways of using heart compared to cycling fast for many kms. I went through 3 elementary school years where I loved softball. Standing their in the "field" while it was 85 degrees F @ 90% humidity. Amazing what we played through. Our playgrounds had no grass..all cement. I was never interested in board games...did play Monopoly occasionally. Nor did I play much of any card games.
  15. I don't know all the steps in re-opening even part way which means adherence to OHSA in our jurisdiction. However we were told 30% occupation in any office floor….as employees that will be stickers in every meeting/shared common work area on the max. rm. occupancy for sufficient social distancing. Also stickers certain common surface areas...not to touch in board /meeting rms. That alone is going to be a lot of effort for our Facility Mgmt. dept. to prepare..because we own and use 200 different buildings across the city. In our main building, we do have floor directional arrows, cordoned line-up areas for the public. Masks have been bought for employees and are provided for pickup whenever we go into the office for the office workers --cloth, non medical. We have field staff which varies in their job requirements and who they work with. Front-line certain workers --firefighters, social work staff who work with vulunerable population have N-95. BEcause of thinly staffed buildings at this time, supervisors have to know which days their staff will be in office. From a security and safety perspective this is done. We've had public protest gatherings in front of main building...several times.
  16. It's good to have options and let the child/teen feel comfortable which that comfort is influenced by teacher(s), proper assessments. Here are 2 real life examples of people I know face to face....well: 1. 1 former close friend was put back 1 grade in elementary school (approx. gr. 4 or gr. 5) because probably her English language fluency was minimal when she immigrated to CAnada from Greece, with her family...at that time. She is my age. Anyway, I think 2 yrs. later or something, she was put back in my grade level with other kids. And guess what: she graduated from accredited major Canadian university with 2 university degrees: 4 yr. BA in French Language and Literature. Then BA in Education. In Ontario, I believe you must have 2 university degrees to qualify to even teach in public elementary, middle and high school levels. She actually taught full-time at our former high school! Then....she became the French /Foreign Languages Dept. head in the high school. When you are dept. head in Ontario high schools, you also must teach. I believe the school also provided elective German and Spanish courses for students. Not after school. This is a high school of approx. 2,000 students. 2. A cousin's son, immigrated to CAnada when he was 9 yrs. old. The family lived with me for 2 months since I had some "tight" room while I was completing my graduate degree. The boy was put back 2 grades in elementary school becasue ...primarily of his English probably. Anyway........ he completed high school and also graduated from a Polytechnical University (Ryerson University) in Toronto which is a large publicly funded university (just like Univerity of Toronto) in Computer Sciences. He is working IT in a Ontario government agency. 3. A brother-in-law who has a PhD and is an Engineering Professor (Engineering Sciences which can be the most theoretical/hardest engineering discipline) for past 30 yrs. at University of Toronto, did poorly in his final high school. In the 60's. Just shitty and not good enough to compete to get into any Canadian university engineering program...repeated his final year. He got in. In both 2 cases, I can't even stress enough: sometimes a child knows they are good/smart but they are initially limited by language. This is why ESL is critical, plus at home tutoring...and the parents having an interest in encouraging their child. I was an ESL child, but born in Canada. I began kindergarten not knowing any English. My father was so adamant that we do well in school, including reading alot from library. I had kind teachers. I also had some good friends...to socialize and use my English lanugage skills naturally. Like all children should.
  17. From his twitter comments, he's enjoying it so far. He probably tries his best to be cheerful. It certainly is a lifetime journey at a "historic" time...it really is. I will say personally, I have biked with dearie on several bike trips where we biked with our own gear..and it's freakin' obvious to myself personally, that certain rural areas of Canada are still majority white...in walking down the street, in stores and restaurants. I've had other friends comment to me, when they go on vacation in same areas. Nowadays a solo cycling tourer might look a tiny bit less wierd. But judging, from some car drivers...no, get outta the way.
  18. So I didn't know that Ontario was 1 of few provinces that still streamed students by separating them at start of high school (gr. 9) --into academic vs. technical/applied courses/classes, etc. This year they plan to more fully do away with the system. But then I'm not a parent, so am clueless to trends. Will say this though: the judgement of a teacher can have a profound effect on a child later in terms of how they are encouraged/discouraged in their studies/path they take.
  19. My red shorts is an actually shorts one can buy on Tesla website (I can't remember exact name.). Eldon Musk, entrepreneur/owner of the Tesla, likes to make eccentric (but true) remarks about his firm's too high stock which is caused by speculating investors who try to drive the price up, to sell/make money, etc. Before stock drops down.... and the cycle goes on. I don't have any Tesla shares.
  20. Unlike these red shorts, I do have a pr. of 30 yrs. white short shorts. But i'm never gonna wear them on this forum. Having a stock that drops $50.00CAN / share in 1 day, is like having a kid with temper tantrums every few wks. Jeesh.
  21. Do you have a security camera anywhere outdoors? Can you park the car indoors?
  22. He needs to check in with us here in the forum. And know that he's got folks with both of those interests. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-the-friday-edition-1.5634336/what-it-s-like-to-be-a-black-ornithology-professor-cycling-across-the-u-s-right-now-1.5636870 https://www.audubon.org/news/meet-harvard-ornithology-professor-biking-across-country So maybe someone here can tweet our forum to this guy, to wish him well. I don't have a twitter account. Probably one of the rare blacks cycling solo across the continent.
  23. Great shot, max (lst one).
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