Probably putting in the shower pan--the floor of the shower that is tiled over needs to have a specific slope as well as being waterproof. They usually cut it from sheet metal and stick the seams together.

Well, okay, I just tended to slack HARD instead of doing my work. And yet I tested highest of all the gifted kids in my gifted class.

This was me. (Except the part about gifted class. We didn't have that.) I tested through the roof but I was a super slacker. I used to joke that my epitaph would read, "Kristen is very bright but does not apply herself."

Yes, I was morbid even as a small child.

"Did you get labeled as gifted in kinder just because you drew an interesting picture?" There are plenty who do well on IQ type tests but still can't read and comprehend a paragraph of text. I dunno how, but it's true.

Wild. Labelled and coddled, maybe? Or possibly another intersection of gifted and learning disabled?

Thanks, Robin. GF said the same thing. Whee for shower tile!!!

I'm trying to remember if I ever had to take an IQ test. I remember all sorts of standardized tests but I don't remember an actual IQ test.

The news seems to be saying that in Iowa Obama is gaining on Hillary and Huckabee is threatening to overtake Romney and maybe move to being a first tier candidate. I need to find out more about Obama. I found out a bit more about Huckabee and a lot of his ideas make me wonder "How would that actually work?" and I worry about blurring of church and state.

"Kristen is very bright but does not apply herself."

ahhh ha ha

I'm totally tagging that shit.

Also, please please please let us out early so I can get home, do a load of laundry, make mashed taters and my sooper seekrit fabulous place settings, and get to Kat's to schnuggle Noah.

WHAT will it take for my Big! Boss to understand that I can't just tweak a few things on a website page and have it be a poster/flyer. Especially since I didn't a) design the website and b) don't have any access to updating the web-site or any of the files.

This is the second time in 2 days where I have been handed a sheaf of pages that literally pieces of our website cut and pasted to form a flyer. That she wants in about 10 minutes. (And we are the only people here, so I can't even get the web master to help me!)

I own my apparent waste of potential, and suspect it's made me a happier person.

This is one of the many reasons why we get along so well, Plei.

"Kristen is very bright but does not apply herself."

Oh, the ever-familiar "But does not apply herself" comment. Yeah, I saw that pretty often. But you know what? I had no burning drive or ambition to Do Something or Make Something Of Myself (other than, y'know, becoming the Wicked Witch of the West), so I saw no point to exerting myself to get straight As when I could get Bs with not a lot of effort. (Well, and Cs with a lot of struggling in math classes, but we won't speak of that.)

I'm sorry that Grace is still having such a rough go of it. She and all of you remain in my thoughts and prayers.

The testing and labeling thing is crazy making. I was always in advanced classes in HS and DH was always put in the slowest classes. He is a zillion times smarter than I am. In college we were in the same program and I studied untold hours while he never studied. He was in sports and worked. Never took a single note. He would read stuff One Time and get it. He reads very slowly and it is torture for him, but if he reads it he knows it forever. Bombed every standardized test he ever took.

The boys are both very capable, but don't give a shit. They do the minimum possible to maintain a level that doesn't get them grounded. I can't force motivation.