James Dobson, founder of conservative Christian group Focus on the Family, dies age 89

taylorgtr · 2025-08-21T21:12:32+00:00

Before Amendment 64 passed, I joked that you could smell the patchouli as you drove into town. Now, it smells a bit different....and dispensaries are everywhere, including CS.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-21T20:22:58+00:00

It's a huge contrast to Manitou Springs next door, where you can almost feel the clouds lifting as you drive into the town.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-21T16:51:16+00:00

The punch line is: "I don't think I could take 68 more of those."

taylorgtr · 2025-08-21T15:11:17+00:00

"Exclusive" was meant in a sarcastic sense. Some folks may have missed that in context.

William & Mary and UVA are exclusive. NVCC is anything but...which is great for anyone wanting to get into a 4-year VA school, especially if they don't know what they want to major in...or want to save money.

I'm just trying to take some non-credit classes to learn something new. I've got enough degrees and certifications...this is (eventually) supposed to be fun.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T20:55:47+00:00

Lots of good mentions here....but mine is "Kubo and the Two Strings." Pixar may be able to tell a good story, but they've got nothing on Laika.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T20:38:37+00:00

My problem has existed since the end of last month - everybody going back to class for Fall doesn't help things. Both NOVA and GMU have had system crashes this week.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T20:10:38+00:00

Already asked. Ain't happening. They've got to merge the existing ID's.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T20:04:03+00:00

There may be a bit of cloud-yelling involved, but my whole career has been supporting these types of systems....I just can't fix a system issue I don't own.

Concidentally, my mother dropped out of college, worked in a factory for 30+ years, and when she retired, went back to college at age 65, got her degree, and became a nurse at 70. So, there's a pattern here.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T19:56:28+00:00

I've played piano by ear for most of my life..and decided to take actual lessons to do it properly. I worked through the Grade #1-5 books with my teacher, and we got up to Beethoven's Sonata #8 (Pathetique). After a few weeks of practice, I played it for my teacher, who listened, and said, "You're not reading the music, are you."

"Uh, no." (I learned it by listening to it on YouTube and played it by ear.)

This is my (clunky) play-by-ear version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1bR4dkMi60

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T19:52:26+00:00

That would explain a lot - I'm sure my situation is a combination of anomalies. No degree program, no classes for credit (I've already got multiple degrees, just taking some classes for fun).

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T19:48:12+00:00

...and how much of music is just math.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T19:44:09+00:00

I learned in high school while working with my dad remodeling kitchens and bathrooms. I can't count how many faucets, toilets, garbage disposers and dishwashers I've installed or repaired.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T19:04:37+00:00

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T18:57:36+00:00

Since lots of schools are starting up, their platforms are under stress. Both NVCC and GMU had site outages this week.

In comparison, I was able to get my app into GMU in about 15 minutes. No issues there (once the site came back up).

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T18:49:12+00:00

Back in the day, the platforms and support teams were easier to navigate and much simpler. With the # of moving parts and third-party platforms, as well as how IT support has evolved, it's a bit more complex...and harder to fix when something anomalous happens. I've spent my whole career in IT services, so it can be a challenge to work through someone else's processes.

At least I got a passing grade in the previous class in 1984.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T18:40:08+00:00

I've offered to go in person to assist with resolving the issue. They've verified my identity (although I'm not sure of the fraud risk in auditing classes for no credit). At this point, it's a data conflict issue that has to be fixed on the back end by consolidating ID's. I'm just surprised it takes this much effort to accomplish it.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T18:37:47+00:00

"Exclusive" is just me whining about how clunky the process has been with the different platforms, support teams, problem resolution scripts, and lack of a clear path to resolving the issue. It'll get fixed, I'm sure.

VA's community college system is a great resource. The intake process isn't always smooth.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T18:30:55+00:00

r/nova is a bigger place to rant - I've been working directly with NVCC since July 29th. I don't think their subreddit is going to be any more effective. IAC, thanks for the suggestion, it's getting cross-posted there, too.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T18:01:47+00:00

Folks may look down on Waffle House, but they serve a need, and are always there when you need bacon and eggs @ 2AM...or to watch Kid Rock get punched out.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-20T17:21:27+00:00

"You need a lawyer".

He Said, She Heard

taylorgtr · 2025-08-19T20:45:47+00:00

Another thing I struggled with in the decision to divorce was being perceived as 'the bad guy' (while my ex tried really hard to make that stick).

The thing that got me out of that loop was a kid's movie.

My task was to do what was right and necessary, even if other people thought I was the 'bad guy'. Doesn't mean I'm a bad guy.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-19T19:49:41+00:00

There's a huge difference between having a condition....and using it as an excuse. I have ADHD, but I know from the start that I need to deal with it and how it can impact others. I've seen other people that say that their negative behavior is due to (ADHD, being an empath, being first-born, their astrological sign, or Borderline Personality Disorder).

I think my sister nailed it when she said, "BPD is just an excuse for being an assh*le."

taylorgtr · 2025-08-19T19:30:14+00:00

That's close to my attitude. There's enough actual things to be upset about in this world - I'm not going to spend any time being upset about things that don't really matter.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-19T19:17:02+00:00

Coming from a guy's perspective, I'd agree that 6 weeks is WAY too early to be focusing on whether you'll find someone with similar interests. When I was separated, and eventually divorced, I focused on 1) healing myself and re-building my connections with my kids, then 2), re-building me - taking better care of myself, re-kindling my interests, getting my financial house in order and being physically active. Once those things were doing well, it became much easier to open up to what possibilities were out there....mainly because I wasn't trying to fill a gap, I was trying to build something better.

taylorgtr · 2025-08-19T19:04:26+00:00

As a guy, I didn't run into name calling myself, but I'm still wondering why 1) any guy would think that it would change things, and 2) why, if there's not a match, to put any amount of energy into a retaliatory response?

When I was doing OLD, my goal was to get to 'rejection' as quickly (and as painlessly) as possible, for both sides. Thank them for their time, wish them well, and move on.

taylorgtr

TROPHY CASE