How many of you have lived in the middle of nowhere?

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Xist

I am not hearing anything about push-ups~

Push-ups? Kids these days - WE used to have to do squat-thrusts :-(

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

Anyone can earn a Bachelor's in Speech (and Hearing Sciences) (and become an SLPA), but most graduates struggle to get into a Master's program. There are over 200 in the U.S., but the ones I know only accept 30 each year, but they have 300 applicants, and they only choose the best. I probably saw 100 openings for Arizona school SLPs when I looked two weeks ago.

Don't be disheartened by those stats because they are a little misleading. Sure, there is probably a 10 to 1 ratio of applicants to program seats available, but that's because people apply to other programs. They increase the likelihood of being accepted by applying to 8 different programs.

When my wife was applying for PA programs, she was up against odds like 1,500 applicants to 40 seats. She applied for about 6 and was accepted into half of them. Luckily for me, she happened to get accepted to OHSU, so I didn't have to move to Philadelphia. In fact, I didn't have to move at all.

As will most things, success is often the result of many failed attempts. This applies to dating, finding work, applying to schools, starting a business... if you want to increase your odds of a good catch, cast a larger net.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Push-ups? Kids these days - WE used to have to do squat-thrusts :-(

I was lucky if they only had me do squat thrusts! Our Drill Sergeant used to tell us he would take us into the woods and shoot us with machine guns, but there would be too much [expletive] paperwork!

When I learned to spill fuel, there was a Sergeant that thought it was cool to say "Forty five!" with a very deep voice.

Forty-five?

Forty-five what?

Forty-five squat thrusts. Just for his own entertainment.

One time he had staff duty and we heard "Third floor, by the water fountain, forty-five!"

Redpoint, right, but how many of those applications cost money? All of them take time, so all of them cost some money. I do not know if there is any difference except actually having experience, but I contacted as many places two years ago and only heard back from a handful. but this time twelve talked to me about working for their company (and a couple more let me know they did not have any openings).

ASU says "The average GPA of the class entering in 2016 was 3.55. Average GRE score was 302."

My GPA was 2.92 and my GRE score is zero.

I really need to take it one of these days!

[Xist]

I accepted the job Monday, worked five days, and was still trying to fix two cars. It was very frustrating that I was not ready to move, but I do not know how I could have done better.
I drove up yesterday. I finally just left with what I had ready and did not finish unloading until after midnight.
I may end up buying a trailer hitch, installing it on my Accord, and loading my big stuff into their smallest trailer.
All of that will cost less than renting the truck and car trailer. I guess I should have just bought boxes, shoveled everything I had into them, and loaded all of that.

[freebeard]

Yesterday I got a bicycle, a wheel barrow and a post hole digger inside the Dasher. I could never have done that with the Superbeetle.

[Xist]

We pulled over, I got out, and started laughing because while I felt I was hit hard, there only appeared to be minor damage to my bumper, while his front bumper is pushed in and it seemed like the impact damaged his van mechanically, it did not sound right. I showed my new supervisor and we saw backwards lettering, but we could not read it.

I did not leave my old house until I finally fixed the Accord, so having someone damage it almost immediately was interesting. I had wanted to wash my car to see how she looked with the new fender and bumper.

It seemed funny to wash a car after an accident. The letters smeared, so I guess it was dirt. There are also marks from his grill, so I guess my bumper pushed in his grill.

He is having a body shop replace the bumper. When I have the chance, I will take off the bumper to make sure everything else is good, but I will need to borrow tools, I left all of mine down in the valley. I still have things to fix down there.

I still need to finish packing, but I spent far longer fixing my car than packing, and I could only fit so much in my car. Now my landlord is offering to refund my rent if I clear out early, but I am not sure it makes sense to give up my room and stay in a hotel when I am down.

Somehow I thought school started yesterday. I had hardly heard from the district, so I e-mailed them to confirm they received my paperwork, and to ask if I was good to start Tuesday. The District Receptionist/ HR Assistant responded, but I did not receive confirmation from higher, so I showed up at school when I read the staff was supposed to be there. The front doors were locked, but my new supervisor got a hold of me, got me a badge, showed me around, and got me a computer account.

I went to the Page VA to see if they could pull my immunization record and then came home for a nap.

I woke up at 01.

I sold some old Army stuff on eBay over the weekend.

I think they want it.

I finally figured out how to turn off Google Job notifications, but only after seeing a full-time SLPA opening that was supposed to pay $60k.

That is for an SLP! The SLPA pay was exactly half. I applied at a school district that has still not filled the position, but my favorite was the school district in which I lived posted an opening, but when I went to the site I saw SLP, not SLPA.

There just do not seem to be enough SLPs to go around because there are not enough SLP programs, but that is also why they pay SLPs far better than teachers with Masters.

I hope everyone is doing great!

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Xist

I accepted the job Monday, worked five days, and was still trying to fix two cars. It was very frustrating that I was not ready to move, but I do not know how I could have done better.

Believe me, it could have been worse. I've spent a lot of my spare time for the last couple of weeks helping my neighbors move - after 50-some years in the same house. After 1) Donating several truckloads of artifacts, geological specimens, and equipment to various schools; 2) Several UHaul loads of stuff they wanted to keep; 3) A month of Craigslist ads; 4) A 4-day estate sale; and 5) Putting a few good but unsold pieces in various neighbors' garages; it still took 3 or 4 "Got Junk" trucks to clean the place out.

[Xist]

I was imaginging rich people problems. If they decide to move, they just hire people, right? But who decides what is worth keeping? Are they going to go through ten thousand square feet (or tens of thousands of square feet)?

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by Xist

I was imaginging rich people problems.

You're just not thinking rich enough. You don't move, you just choose which of your houses you'll stay at today :-) Decorators handle the furniture &c, and you have one of everything at each house. Basically, anyway: of course you keep your ski gear at the Aspen house, and your surfboards at the Maui one.

[Xist]

I am ashamed I did not realize that they would just have their servants get rid of everything a year old when the new stuff comes out.

I wonder how many servants have year-old designer clothing, shoes, etc.