September 16th, 2021 at 03:28 am
Yeah, that's how I feel all the time with our DD gone to uni. It's so quiet. No Taylor Swift blasting all over the house, no Phoebe Bridgers going long into the night, no endless phone calls. I do video chat with her a lot, but those other 23 hours are eerie.
In money news, I took a bunch of my university gals out for dinner. It's an annual tradition my mom started as a way of showing her friends how much she appreciated them. We had a lovely patio dinner on Saturday night, and it was great to see everybody. Our usual coffee shop grading and office hours have sort of dried up. After teaching hours masked, we all want to hunker down in our offices, shut the door, and unmask for a bit. Another reason to all get together.
Day to day spending has been minimal. I've become a library regular again, deciding to read all the Ian Rankin Rebus mysteries in order for the fun Edinburgh setting. Lots of cooking happening here too and much decluttering. I've made appointments for free flu shots, the dentist, and an eye check.
We've paid the first installment of DD's housing, and I'm tapping into the 529 as her tuition bill is coming up. Not much else new. It's very busy at school, and I have tons of committee work this year. I mostly stagger home, make dinner, watch the news, and start the process for the next day. More money news coming soon.
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No-Spend Days,
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September 7th, 2021 at 08:48 pm
I have no idea why, but I've had Sinatra singing "September Song" in my head for days. I guess it must be back-to-school time.
We're at Day 2 of masked instruction, and despite my qualms, it's going ok. Cross your fingers that it continues to go ok. All of our staff is nervous, students are unsure, but we're there and we're doing it.
In non-university news, our DD is safely ensconced in Scotland. We had a wonderful trip despite less-than-wonderful flights. On our flight out, the Chicago PD had to haul off the jerk in front of me for hitting a flight attendant and then refusing to mask. His horrible behavior delayed us two hours which meant 200 people missed their connections in Dublin. Part of me wishes they could've jettisoned him out at 35,000 feet. But I don't have enough good things to say about Aer Lingus. They were not my favorite airline before, but they sure are now. They handled things so professionally and even comped us meals and a hotel room for 8 hours so we could shower and nap before the next connection. And the paperwork for this trip was immense. But despite all that, we did it!
We had a great time in Edinburgh and environs, going all around and to the Scotish border abbeys and to Stirling, then back to the area where DD and I stayed last year with a trip to southern England for five days to visit DH's family. DD is handling thing brilliantly. She's signed up with the NHS, has a UK bank account, got her phone straightened out,and has been meeting people and exploring every day. Uni starts in another two weeks, and she's encountered the fun of adulting, realizing that despite making meals today, she'll have to make them again tomorrow!
The trip reinforced our desire to move back to the UK, so we've been decluttering and making a plan.
That's it for now. After all, it's September which means I have work to do!
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