anonemouse

I basically just sent them a highly scolding email. I told them that they won't like what will happen, in terms of assignments and exams, if something like that occurs again, though. I'll give them a second chance and then crack down, lol. But I do like the idea of a nice, long paper. Exactly. I wouldn't have been surprised to see the legless mouse at the end of a 8th or 9th grade biology class. Don't get me wrong, I'd have been disappointed, but stuff like that is what young teens do fairly often. The majority of these students, though, are in their 20s/30s. The tendency to destroy property should be long past.

To be quite honest, I vent here because it keeps the irritation from building up and me taking it out on them. I'll admit that I get annoyed when they do things that are legitimately annoying. It'd take a very strong person NOT to get pissed off when your students intentionally destroy university property. I'm not that person. I DO get irritated and upset when property is destroyed, when some of my students are whining seemingly non-stop because they want the class to be a "bird" course, when I have the occasional student that doesn't interact with me whatsoever (doesn't ask questions, hardly comes to class, doesn't bother to attempt extra credit assignments, yadda, yadda, yadda) and then asks for leeway at the end of the semester, etc. Does that mean that I don't enjoy teaching? Of course not. I do enjoy it, but that doesn't mean that I don't get irritated and frustrated with it and/or my students occasionally, and I think every single teacher out there will say the same thing. The difference is that they bitch and complain about their problem students to their colleagues and friends and I do it here. Any job out there is going to have some aspects that annoy the people that work it. I appreciate my good students, and they return the sentiment (for example, I get free Starbucks stuff every so often from my former students that work there). The problem students are the annoying aspects of the job that I just have to live with while I'm doing the job, and I live with it by venting so that I don't burn out or take things out unnecessarily on my good students.

One of them tore all the legs off of a stuffed mouse (real mouse) that we were using as an example in one of our labs. I don't know which one did it, so I'm thinking of giving them all a nice lecture tomorrow in class. There are several reasons that I'm pissed right now. One, that was a formerly-living organism that deserves a lot more respect than that. Hopefully, when whomever tore the legs off of it kicks the bucket themselves, someone will respect them enough not to rip their arms and legs off. Second, they destroyed university property. Someone either had to pay for that mouse or had to put in the effort, time, and expense of trapping it and having it stuffed. Third, it was extremely childish, on the same level (to me, anyway) of a 10 year old tearing the wings off of flies just because he can. These are college students, you'd think they would act with a bit more maturity.

What are you ladies wearing right now? Are your binders/compression garments obvious? The reason I'm asking is that if I have surgery in early August (which is when I'd like to have it), I'll probably be going back to teaching while I'll still be in a binder or garment, and I don't want everyone and his brother to know that I'm wearing one.

Here a list that I took to my PS consultation (these are all for tummy tuck and breast lift): Can you tell how far apart the abdominal muscles are before the surgery? How aggressive are you with muscle repair? How tight do you pull the skin down? Where are the drains placed? How long will the drains be in? Will I have to wear a binder or compression garment? How long will I have to wear it? Is it included in the price? How much are you going to take off? Is lipo included? Will I wake up in pain or is that controlled already? Where is the scar placed? How far back does it go? How long until I will be able to stand straight? How will the lap-band port affect the tummy tuck? Will the incision be closed by staples, stitches or glue? Is pain level controlled by a pump after? Will I be able to get any medications (pain/nausea/etc.) in liquid or small/split-able tablets? Will I lose nipple sensation? How long before I can return to work? To exercise?

Ditto from me! Except I'm a Tennessee/Kentucky wannabe! Good luck Frangipani! :thumbup:

Of course! I'll probably put a link to the thread in my sig, too.

I think that's very true. My whole position is that I hate to see someone giving up on themselves and on their band when they haven't even attempted to truly utilize their tool. To me, it's almost a slap in the face to those people who have really tried to make this work for them and still haven't had success or have had only limited success. And I know other people don't necessarily see it that way, but that is what really bothers me about this whole thing. If they've truly had problems with their band or if they've honestly got health problems that prevent them from losing weight or make it extremely difficult, I have tons of sympathy for them and you would never have seen me replying in a harsh, "get your butt in gear" fashion towards them, because that would not have been an iota of help to them. But someone that basically says "I just don't want to" or "I don't feel like it" and then wants sympathy/support for being a "band failure"? That's a whole 'nother ballgame.

I'll definitely keep everyone updated! If I decide to go ahead and do it, I'll probably start a thread over in the plastic surgery forum with before/after shots.

Lol, I don't think I've EVER had perky boobs or a flat belly, so I'm REALLY looking forward to it.

Oh, I've already gone on consultations, lol. :biggrin2: I went to three different surgeons and found one that clicked really well. I love her, I'm just not thrilled with spending almost $13,000 (but it won't be any cheaper with anyone else, so I'll probably bite the bullet and do it). The way I'm going to look at it, I think, is that I could have finished grad school with that much or more of loan debt, but didn't, so it all rounds out in the end.

Yep, my first goal is to weigh 140 pounds (longterm goal is 125, though), and I promised myself that I'd make appointments the first day I see 140 on my scale. I'm almost psyching myself out of it, though, worrying about finances. I need to make up my mind soon, though, 'cause if I want to have surgery in August, I need to call and schedule a date within the next few weeks. Otherwise, it's gonna have to wait until December, due to work and stuff.

Bingo, Wasa. No one here is saying that all slow losers or people who have problems being banded are horrible, lazy people. But the simple fact is that Brandy has openly admitted that she's non-compliant with a lot of the necessary behavioral changes that come along with banding. And I'm sorry, but it isn't at all supportive, IMO, to basically just tell her, "I'm so sorry that you're having trouble, just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be a success." To put it simply, being banded takes work and it takes making CHANGES to what you are doing. If what you are doing is what made you fat in the first place, what makes you think that you'll suddenly start losing weight if you continue to do it? Yeah, there's a few people here who have lost a lot of weight while not restricting what they eat or not exercising. They are the extreme minority, though. And if you read through their posts, you'll see that many of them have just exchanged one eating disorder for another, because the only way they've been able to succeed is by basically starving themselves on extremely tiny portions and yacking it back up. The fact is, for Brandy to become a successful bandster, she is going to have to make some changes. No one said that she suddenly has to become a marathon-runner or an aerobics instructor or a nutritionist, but she has to do SOMETHING. And yes, if she had made this thread in one of the support forums, I can guarantee that no one would have confronted her as harshly as they did in this forum. But she didn't make it in one of those forums. If someone makes a thread in Rants and Raves, they should be prepared for what they get.

Ha! Don't forget the case of Mt. Dew!

Is this where I can stick in my "God is a god, but all gods are not God, capital-G versus lower-case-g" speech?

Brandy, no matter how harsh posts get, no one here truly wants you to leave. And I DO mean no one, even Wasa. You're a great person and an asset to the board. It's just hard for many of us to sit here and watch someone defeat themselves. We just want to step in and intervene and set you on the right track to being a success. Sometimes, that comes across too harshly, and I apologize for all of our posts that have seemed that way.

I personally look at stuff like this as an intervention. In many cases, we can see what a person is doing (in many cases, defeating themselves) before they themselves can see it. Just like when people try to get their friends out of abusive relationships. The people around the person can see that they are in a bad situation before the person IN the situation can.

Seriously, we all need to get together at some point, plan a trip to somewhere. Of course, that would require funds, which (at least on my part) is iffy at the moment (stupid wreck screwed up plans for my own PS, yadda, yadda, yadda).

Damn it, how did I miss this post?! Wasa, hope you're doing wonderfully, and I'm so happy to hear that you finally found a plastics guy that you really like!

Erica, I know how you feel. I've felt the same way in the past, and that's why I generally stay away from many of the support and question/answer forums now. It does get frustrating to see so many "Debbie Downers" or the same questions asked over and over and over. I understand the irritation with people that don't seem to do their own research, or who don't listen to their doctor/nutritionist, etc., and then come here and complain/whine/bitch. Frustration with those people is understandable and justified, IMO. There are people out there, though, that do have sucky doctors that didn't inform them (doesn't negate the fact that they may have failed to do research themselves, but still...), and those people should be given a little more latitude than others. My suggestion for you is to maybe stay out of those forums for a while and give yourself time to cool off. I generally restrict my own LBT visitation to Rants and Raves, the Lounge, and the plastic surgery forum. Believe me, you become much more accepting when it's not constantly in your face.

I ditto the white vinegar. It feels so good, and the smell goes away pretty quickly.

Exactly. If someone is "angry at God," then they are absolutely NOT an Atheist, since the whole concept behind Atheism is that we don't believe in a higher power, period. You have to believe in something or someone in order to be angry with it/him/her. Otherwise, there's nothing to be "angry" about, because it doesn't exist.

Ditto. I'm generally easy-going and I usually let stuff slide off of my back, so I usually don't think there's anything to forgive. "Shit happens," as the saying goes. That said, however, whenever something happens that is major enough to cause me to hold something against a person, I don't forgive and I don't see any reason to "need" to. When something like that happens, that person just doesn't exist to me anymore. Not forgiving them isn't going to affect me, bother me, hurt me, whatever, because that person becomes absolutely and completely irrelevant to my life. I just put them out of my mind and go on with my life without them. No pain, no guilt, nothing. I believe we're stuck with the life we're living today, that there isn't anything beyond that, so there's absolutely no reason to either let someone get to me or to potentially hurt myself by letting someone that was apparently so untrustworthy that I've held something against them back into my life. Like Wheetsin said, I'm not the type of person that has a grudge against people behind their backs and is all nicey-nice to their faces.

I honestly think that a reason that she may be jealous is because you are able to do this with no input from anyone else, that you're able to just decide to do it and do it. She, on the other hand, has a husband who has to have input into monetary decisions. I wouldn't doubt a bit that she probably got overruled on having surgery in favor of paying off her house. That, to me, seems to be the most likely reason that she's angry with you. Otherwise, her reaction seems rather extreme to just be a reaction to you having surgery in Mexico rather than the United States.

Yep, she's jealous. And I know it really hurts, but think of it this way.... If she gets over it and becomes a friend again, you know you've got a good friend. If she doesn't, you know you're better off without her.