Posts by Lisa Grant2

Sanctions are going to absolutely wreck the Russian economy. It’s funny, though—I see so many people arguing they won't, and their only proof is... well, current exchange rates. Honestly, if I were playing Monopoly at home, I’d just decide the dollar is 1:1 too.
In the short term, sure, people can keep playing circus and keeping their heads in the sand. But long term? I think they’ve completely lost their nerve and have basically multiplied themselves by zero for decades. Past and future alike.

jadetinker85 said:That’s my plan too. It goes back to that idea of teaching a kid to actually play music rather than just stressing them out. I was at a local music school recently, and there were these intense exams going on—one parent was practically thanking Bob that their kid managed to pass. Honestly, with all the daily pressures kids face already, I can't justify adding this to the list.

Look, not every school is the same, and kids aren't clones either—nor are parents. For us, the whole point was just to try something different. He’s a high-energy kid, so we thought maybe it would help him focus better during school hours, you know? We wanted him to enjoy it without us breathing down his neck. Turns out, it was a great call, and I'd definitely recommend it. Plus, playing music gives kids such a huge confidence boost through performing. You know, standing up there in front of an audience... at first, it's just parents, but then it turns into actual little concerts. If that's what it takes to make the time, money, and driving worth it, then so be it. And yeah, he did try to quit right before his first big recital at the academy, but we talked him through it and didn't let him walk away. We made a deal: he tries it, and if he still hates it later, he can quit. He was terrified of messing up. Can you imagine? :-) Once he finally performed and heard the applause, he absolutely loved it. Long story short, he finished middle school doing it. Once he hit puberty, though, he decided he wasn't feeling it anymore, so he didn't want to continue in high school. The piano is still sitting in our house, though. Every now and then he'll sit down and play something just for fun, and who knows—maybe he'll pick it back up one day. If not, whatever. I even picked up a few things myself along the way, so I'm not just sitting around doing nothing. :-))

wanderinggardener12 said:I find myself wondering what people’s actual experiences have been with a functional music school? How does the curriculum actually unfold on a day-to-day basis? For a child in those first three or four grades, how many hours a week are we really looking at? What are the genuine advantages of choosing this type of institution, and just how much flexibility can one expect when it comes to scheduling?
The reality is, we live 12 miles outside of Washington, D.C., and since she attends elementary school here, the area around Washington, D.C. is quite manageable for music lessons—provided we aren't stuck waiting months for an opening. Does anyone have specific piano instructors they would recommend?

Our secondary option would be the Berklee College of Music over in Newport. Little Carmen mentioned she has her heart set on the piano. What is the reputation of the piano faculty there? We assume everyone is highly skilled, of course, but what we truly need is someone spirited—someone capable of building a genuine rapport with a child so she doesn't feel constant pressure.

Any other suggestions regarding piano studies and the early grade levels would be more than welcome. Ultimately, our goal is for her to play and to actually enjoy it. I have no grand ambitions for her to become a professional musician; once she’s older, I’ll let her decide for herself, and she can show me if that's the path she wants to take. I certainly wouldn't want music to become a source of stress or a heavy burden that eventually drives her to quit altogether.

Even though this is an old post, enrollment might still be open for some, so maybe this helps... Lima is doing piano at the Juilliard School in Newport, Rhode Island, and she's heading into 5th grade now, studying with Professor Lafayette. He’s great with kids, knows how to talk to them, and builds this fair relationship that also asks for some involvement from parents. For a little beginner, I think he's probably the best at that school. We're happy so far. Anyway, I didn't exactly answer the question directly, but at least it's relevant for this calendar year. :-)

Jack Cook73 said:So, he’s probably going to walk away with another A+ credit. Maybe one courtesy of State Farm...

Nah, he won't get anything from State Farm. That company is basically pacing nervously in front of a mirror in a wedding dress, waiting for a new owner while trying to fix its messy backside. As if they could actually save him.

And let's not forget how much print newspapers used to cost and how those prices were actually set. The last thing I remember was having ink all over my fingers from the New York Post, USA Today always had decent ads for phones and cars, and The Washington Post was mostly read by drunks. And that was pretty much it.
Nowadays, the only thing worth buying in print is an Alan Ford comic paired with a Bunker / Brix combo. Just spin that off into a separate company and let the rest of it go—whatever, man..🤷

Andrew Booth29 said:Energy probably accounts for maybe 10% of the final product's cost. Which means if energy prices drop by 20%, the end product might only get cheaper by, say, 2%—give or take. That is essentially what happened here; prices dipped slightly. Usually, the impact is even smaller because as energy costs climbed, industry and retail squeezed their own margins to compensate. Once energy prices fall, those margins are typically the first thing to be restored.

I get that, I really do. I just think prices in America shot up unrealistically high, and now they're actually dropping. It's the same deal with the banks. When cash basically vanished and banks were lending to each other at crazy interest rates, it made sense that consumer loan rates spiked. But now? Liquidity is fine, LIBOR and EURIBOR are low, money is cheap... yet I haven't seen interest rates budge for us.

I guess you could say getting out of this crisis ultimately comes down to the consumer. It seems more opportunistic to stimulate things by lowering prices, since that actually encourages people to stabilize and start trusting the market again.

The truth is, wages are probably going to stay flat—maybe even drop—while prices keep climbing. Any real boost in spending around here would likely only happen if banks finally dropped interest rates back down to where they were before the "crisis."

Nicole Barrett76 said:Oh, wouldn't it be grand if one could simply construct a pedal-powered submarine, dive into the Mississippi, and with just ten rotations of a pedal driving generators that power electric motors which then drive propellers, you'd find yourself on the opposite bank! And if one were able to smuggle through 1,000kg of frozen Coca-Cola vegetables every single day—obtaining them even cheaper through bulk purchases—imagine where one might end up! One wouldn't even have to bribe customs officials or deal with such trifles; one would finally be your own boss.

Americans, our future lies within the realm of science. Let us invest heavily in the development of small-scale submarines.

There’s really no reason to smuggle stuff; the personal allowance for weekly shopping is plenty. Submarines? Sarcasm? I don't even know what you're talking about...☕

Does anyone else remember when prices started climbing right as gas hit $3.25? Back when it dropped down to $7, you wouldn't have noticed a single thing changing at the grocery store. Now, premium gas is sitting under $2.75, yet I still don't see any actual relief—not even a 10% dip. All we get is some corporate PR talk about how retailers are just "waiting out the storm."

It’s honestly pathetic. A small bag of Kraft costs $8.75 here, but if you head over to a similar Target just down the road, it’s $7.25. Even cleaning supplies are way cheaper than they should be. Then you look at the Nestlé frozen veggies for soup at our local Kroger $3.75, while they go for $2.75 just a few blocks away.

thanks👍

Hey, I've been digging around on Google and searching everywhere, but I can't seem to find a decent website that actually lists all those nasty stabilizers they dump into processed foods. I was looking for something organized, you know? Like, a list where it shows the specific number code and then explains just how bad it actually is for you.
Does anyone know of a site like that? Thanks.

You could probably just use Total Commander for that too... I mean, I always use it whenever I need to do some bulk renaming...

Smear some warm sperm all over your face.
It’s like a two-in-one miracle... contraception and an exfoliant.

I guess the biggest issue is how everyone just lumps holidays together with long weekends, which basically turns into this massive, collective whining session where everybody just points fingers at someone else...

Just look at the Germans; they managed to pull themselves out of a complete disaster twice in a really short period... HOW, though? I mean, seriously.