Posts by Gary Taylor50

Susan James said:They didn't take Judith out.
We didn't discover *Kids in the Zoo* until 8th grade, and we ended up reading *Fractions* in high school German class.
I wouldn't put that book on the mandatory reading list myself, unless maybe for a German elective (since it was actually quite motivating regarding the language itself 😬).

Yeah, they will integrate it; basically, they'll try to make sure the material doesn't just repeat itself across different subjects.

If something is that demanding, you don't even need to read it at home; just cover it during class. You aren't going to develop lifelong trauma over it. Frankly, I can't think of anyone complaining about anything more than that Judit story or those fishing tales.
Why on earth wouldn't you put *Children from the Station Zoo* on the list? A child psychologist—my neighbor's mom—handed that one to us when we were thirteen, claiming that, in her professional opinion, it's incredibly motivating for kids that age.
I truly believe we should be teaching and openly discussing certain societal issues right there in the classroom. Sweeping things under the rug and chanting "that doesn't happen to us" achieves absolutely nothing for society.

,"they’ll integrate it—meaning they'll make sure the topics don't overlap too much between subjects."
I don't get this. Why shouldn't things overlap? Wouldn't it be way more interesting to learn about a train station in biology class and then immediately dive into it from a chemistry perspective? That's how you actually grasp the concept—by getting the full picture. Or learning about ancient Mesopotamia in history class while simultaneously studying the geography of the region.

Susan James said:They aren't going to change the schedule at all.

Nikola Jokic made a great point: if people are bothered by religious studies or the topics covered there, they just shouldn't enroll their kids in those classes.
Personally, I wouldn't sign my kid up, since it's an elective.

It's honestly pretty funny to me how these critics don't seem to have any actual, well-reasoned arguments. Instead, they just bicker over specific book choices, and of course, they love to complain about the people who designed the curriculum. It still baffles me that they didn't just take a second look and admit the whole thing was flawed simply because it wasn't given a "blessing" right at the start.

Especially Paar, who seemed personally offended just because he wasn't consulted during the process.

Paar... Uhhh...
Honestly, I care way less about what books they're reading and much more about whether they'll actually be trained in finance and IT by the end of it. Will they even grasp basic chemistry or geography?
I remember hearing somewhere—not here, but elsewhere—that they were going to try integrating subjects, like mixing history with geography or chemistry with biology. Is there actually anything like that in this new curriculum?
As for the reading list—a friend of mine is a librarian at a local school library, and when we were chatting about it, she told me Tolstoy is just plain boring. 😁 Personally, he was my favorite thing to read during those three years of high school. So, I am genuinely thrilled they changed the list and finally ditched Judith. Maybe they should swap in *Kids in the San Diego Zoo*? Every kid ought to read that. Who cares about Othello if he ends up getting tangled up in a drug nightmare anyway?

Aside from the required reading lists and English class, does anyone else have beef with this new curriculum? I’m talking to you, physics teachers, math nerds, chemists—what’s your take? And what about religious studies? Are they actually going to cut back on those hours, or are we still stuck with religious content bleeding into subjects where it has absolutely no business being?

Michelle Sanchez84 said:It’s true; I heard the rumors too, and now I can confirm them firsthand. The damage itself isn't massive—it's an old car, so it’s not a huge financial hit—but what really gets under my skin is their sheer refusal to take responsibility. They’re trying to make a fool out of me. I took a hit to the front bumper, there’s paint chipping on the fender where it meets the bumper (not much, but it's there), two-thirds of a headlight bracket cracked (it was already broken and patched with plastic, but still), and some scratches at the leading edge of the hood.
All of this is documented and photographed, yet their insurance adjusters from Chicago decided everything was pre-existing and claimed only the bumper was damaged in the collision.
I sent several emails, demanding a new assessment. I even insisted that the adjuster be physically present during the disassembly, whether at a dealership or a local shop. I'm not backing down even one percent. All they do is send canned responses: "We don't accept appeals," "Our multi-person committee has determined the initial estimate is valid," blah, blah, blah.

As if their "perfect" photos weren't enough, the odometer readings they used for the assessment show roughly 81 miles less than what's actually on the dash. And we aren't talking about one little typo; the numbers are consistently off.
In short, just hope you don't get screwed over somewhere, because apparently, you will.
The lesson here is that you can't play fair with bottom-feeders. I've learned my lesson for the future: always assume everyone is looking for a way to cheat you.

I went through the exact same thing with State Farm years ago. It only got resolved because they eventually charged it against my comprehensive coverage, and State Farm had to settle up with the other carrier. Without full coverage, you're absolutely screwed.

Donna White50 said:You get more chances to actually end up with, say, 10% left over at the end of the month—which is like 3 or 4 times what we see here since our standard of living is honestly pretty rough compared to theirs.
I haven't lived it myself, but a ton of my friends headed abroad... the common theme is just grinding 24/7, seven days a week—some even pulling double shifts if you actually want to make some real money. You try to tell yourself that having $1,100 left over plus maybe $250 per kid is worth it, but meanwhile, you aren't seeing your wife or kids for months on end and you have zero life because, let's face it, as a foreigner you're treated like cheap labor. Major respect to the engineers who manage to pull decent salaries both here and over there that actually let them live well...

I honestly have no idea where you're working, but the lifestyle you just described is exactly what everyone around me is dealing with. They aren't even home on the weekends (myself included), and then at the end of the month, they're staring at a negative balance that makes you want to weep. You work overtime for pennies or, even worse, for nothing at all. It's infuriating. It makes this grind feel even more pointless compared to working abroad, where at least your bank account shows a surplus that justifies the effort. Things are just going to keep sliding downhill; there's absolutely no upward mobility in America.

Austin Long51 said:My experience has been the exact opposite. Everywhere I look online, I’m reading about every possible struggle—breastfeeding issues, sleep deprivation, exhaustion, you name it. Yet, everyone in my actual life just brushes it off with things like "it's no big deal," "it'll be fine," or "the baby will sleep through the night." It actually scares me because I want to be as prepared as humanly possible. I would love to hear some real experiences, something more grounded in reality... but people either hide the truth (those who just became parents) or they've simply forgotten how hard it was (the veteran parents). I just don't believe for a second that everything is as easy as they claim it is. 🕺

You want realistic? Fine. A close friend of mine didn't get a decent night's sleep for six straight months. Between the colic and the constant gas, she couldn't even touch dairy; she basically survived on toast and deli meat, praying that changing her diet would fix things. She struggled with breastfeeding for five months before finally calling it quits, and then—just when you think you've hit rock bottom—the teeth start coming in. To this day, she still gets nightmares about those first few months.😉

The kicks. Honestly, the kicking has been so relentless the last few days that I can barely handle it. Yesterday was brutal—I could hardly even walk because of the constant thumping in my groin area.
And then there are the people constantly asking if I’m "doing okay."
I've made sure to tell everyone that I'm dealing with a massive bout of sciatica and that I'm stuck in bed indefinitely (which isn't exactly the whole truth), so at least nobody is trying to come over and visit. 😁

"Now that things are basically hitting rock bottom... he’s just completely shut down.
Maybe he doesn't want me seeing him like this?"

Whatever the reason behind this behavior—whether it's illness, running away from his problems, dodging commitment, or just plain old running away from you—the reality remains: he’s shut you out.
Trust me, after six months of this, you aren't going to find clarity by trying to figure out *his* motives. It would be much more productive to focus on what's happening to *you* right now, and why you're handing him this much power over your life.

Ask yourself—and I mean really dig deep here—can you actually handle being with someone who bolts the second things get even slightly heavy? Can you deal with a partner living with MS? Are you prepared to care for someone who is bedridden? And honestly, why are you brushing off the fact that he’s vomiting blood in the morning like it’s some minor inconvenience? (Listen, vomiting blood is always an emergency). You can't help someone who refuses to accept help, nor can you help someone who actively fights you when you try. I'm certain about the first part; as for the second, I'm not entirely sure yet, but it certainly feels like he doesn't want any help at all.
The only move left is to let him go for now and learn how to live without the Normabeals. If he comes back, you'll see what happened. If he doesn't, then I guess it just wasn't meant to be. I'm sorry.

The only people who actually see me as a human being are the ladies working at the local 7-Eleven. I was stuck in a waiting room the other day for about thirty minutes—just sitting there like a statue—and not a single soul had the decency to stand up or even offer me a seat. It was just me and an elderly woman. Honestly, the level of courtesy out there is just... wow.

Honestly, my biggest disappointment has been the absolute lack of basic decency you see in waiting rooms and on public transit. Now that I’m pregnant, I can only say thanks to everyone who shoved past me on the bus or the subway just to get off first. Thanks for completely ignoring the fact that standing for 30 minutes is physically exhausting, and for certainly not offering me a seat. And a huge thanks to those who started grumbling when someone actually had the common sense to let me board first. Seriously, thank you to my fellow Americans for showing me your true colors. It’s nice to know you'd all rather stop to help a stray cat in the street than give up a seat to someone who actually needs it.