sandi

I got a second bachelor's degree while I was working full-time. You just have to cut out extra things like watching tv, reading anything non-school related, or basically having any free time. My daughter was very young then and I just got in the habit of studying for 3-4 hours every night after she went to sleep. It's hard at first but you get used to it. As someone else mentioned it helps if you have some flexibility in your work schedule or can take a day off occasionally if you need to catch up on schoolwork. At least once a quarter I ended up taking a personal day to finish a paper or study for an exam. I go to school full-time now and I much prefer it to part-time. Although I still probably put in just as many hours a week between classes and research. Good luck!

I thought it was my Mother's Day present!

Oh, I am very happy to get any amount of extra cash. Just not sure why I wouldn't get the $300 child rebate when I am eligible for it. Mine however, is not really being used to stimulate the economy. I just got root canal a few weeks ago that I paid for with a credit card. So my stimulus money is just going toward paying off my dental work

According to that I should have received an individual rebate of $300 and a child rebate of $300 for a total of $600 which was what I was expecting.

My stimulus check was direct deposited this morning but it was less than I expected. I got $300. I'm a student and my tax liability was very little so that is the correct amount I am eligible for. But I'm a single mom, claiming head of household with one child. I should have gotten $300 for her too. I personally think the whole stimulus thing is one of the dumbest things the government has done in a long time. But if they are going to give out money, I'd like what I'm supposed to be eligible for. Does anyone know why I wouldn't have gotten the $300 per child?

I've been using priceline for years to book hotels and I've never had a problem. I've gotten to stay in really nice hotels that would otherwise be way out of my price range. Have a great trip!

As a doctoral student, one of my areas of study is parenting in relation to academic achievement. Needless to say, I’ve spent countless hours reading research on parenting and I can’t stress enough how important parents are. I was just sitting at my desk preparing for a conference presentation on parenting and the development of reading skills when I took a break and saw this thread. I talk to parents all the time who have the attitude that once the kids start school their job is done (especially once children become adolescents). Parents seem to think that they no longer have influence in their children’s lives. However, even in adolescence parents are still the biggest influences in kids’ decision making. It’s the kids who don’t have involved and supportive parents who end up having to rely too much on peers. Back to education, children whose parents are more involved in their education have better academic achievement and more positive feelings about school, are less likely to drop out or engage in delinquent behavior, and achieve higher levels of educational attainment. Unfortunately, if education were not mandatory there would be a lot of children in this country who never enter a classroom. If you think illiteracy and lack of critical thinking skills are a problem now, just imagine how much bigger the problem could get. I agree there are problems with the current educational system. I think it needs a complete overhaul. I don’t have the answers as to the best way to fix it. But, I know that not requiring a minimum of education in this country is not the answer to our problems. BTW, I went to public school and even with my dismal K-12 education I still managed to get a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University. In a couple years I’ll even have a PhD. And my last comment, to all parents everywhere. The most important thing you can give your children is your TIME. No it’s not designer clothes and expensive vacations. Your involvement in their life is the best thing you can do for them.

I want to get a new laptop and I’ve always had PC (I’m on my third Dell now). I’m thinking of switching to a Mac, mainly because the lab I work in is all Mac and I’m wondering if there is some advantage that I don’t know about. Since I’m a lowly graduate student, I just get a desk and have to bring my own computer. I have a lot of statistical software that I use, SPSS, SAS, HLM, and R, does anyone know if I would have any problems running any of these on a Mac. I will also be doing some video stuff, but nothing too high tech, creating stimuli for psychology experiments (videos that kids watch). Should I just get a new PC or are Macs better?

I can sqeeze a 135 into my container but it's very tight. I'm not in a hurry to get back to a small canopy. I was thinking of starting on a 170 or maybe 150 and then I'll go from there. I took Scott Miller's course in Deland back in 2003 and found it very useful (I was jumping a Safire 2 109 at the time). I would like to take another canopy course once I get started again. More knowledge is always a good thing. Now that I'm a mom, I'm a little more risk averse. I'm all for anything I can do to reduce the risks (i.e., larger canopy, more training).

I still have my logbooks and most of my gear, although I won’t be jumping my gear for a long time (if ever) because it’s small. I’ll have to rent gear. Hopefully I can find a dz that has rental or student gear that will fit a short person (5’0”). I live in a different part of the country now, so I’ll be jumping at a new dropzone. I’m in Indiana; I’ll have to check out the dz’s here. Can’t wait to get started again!

I’d like to get back into skydiving after a few years off. I stopped jumping when I was pregnant with my daughter, fully expecting to be back in the air within a few months after her birth. Well, she turned 4 in January so it’s turned into much more than a few months. I’m finally ready to get back in the air, any advice from others who have returned after a long break? Does it all come back, or is it like starting over again?

Not all MBA programs are the same, you need to check out different programs and know what you want to get out of it. I know a few people with MBAs from University of Chicago and Northwestern University who are very happy with the education they received and the jobs they got upon graduating with their MBAs (starting salaries around 100K). Many top programs require you to have at least a couple of years of work experience before applying (as well as a high undergrad GPA and high GMAT scores). You may want to think about working for awhile after finishing your undergrad. If you have a couple years work experience you may be able to apply to better programs, possibly get your employer to pay for it, and have a better idea of what you want to focus on in your MBA (finance, management, etc). Also, if you are planning to go full-time, check into graduate assistantships. There aren’t as many available for MBA’s but there are usually a few each year. I’m in a PhD program (not in business) and my research assistantship pays my full tuition and a monthly stipend. They are primarily for doctoral students, but I believe most schools have some available in MBA programs.

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I'm moving to Bloomington, Indiana soon and will be looking for a fun place to jump. I'm returning to skydiving after a few years off. Are there any dz's somewhat close to Bloomington that I can check out?

Thanks for all the great ideas everyone! I have to submit my proposal next week so I'm going to see how much research I can find on some of these topics.

I have to write a paper for my Human Anatomy class (as if the class were not time consuming enough without a 10 page paper). I'm trying to figure out a way to tie it to skydiving. We can use sports, for example the knee in relation to running or the elbow in relation to baseball pitching. It has to be fairly specific to a particular body part or organ system. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

Congratulations! I’d wait until you have the baby to make the decision about skydiving. You have no idea how much a child changes your life until you have one. I only did about 10 jumps while pregnant and I planned on being back in the air within 3 months of having her. Skydiving was such a huge part of my life I never, ever thought I would end up taking a few years off. But now my daughter is a year and a half and I’m still not skydiving yet. Not because I don’t want to, believe me I still look up at the sky every single day and wish I was up there. I just haven’t been able to achieve that level of balance in my life yet where I can make time for skydiving. I’m a single mom, I work full time, I also go to school. My weekends are my daughter’s time. As badly as I want to skydive I want that time with her more. Yes, she has taken over my life, but I wouldn't change it for anything. Children are also expensive; the $1300 a month I spend on daycare would buy a whole lot of jumps. Someday I’ll get be a skydiver again, hopefully soon but if it’s longer that’s okay. The sky will always be there, my daughter’s childhood won’t. Fortunately skydiving doesn’t have an age limit. I fully intend to be skydiving when I’m 80 so if I have to take a few years off now, it’s not that big a deal. So for now, concentrate on taking care of yourself, have a healthy pregnancy, and enjoy it. It’s an amazing experience. You can figure out whether or not to continue skydiving after you have the baby. It’s really a personal decision; there is no right or wrong answer. Do what is right for you. And I think it’s fine to bring a child to the dz but I’d either bring a babysitter or have someone extremely responsible designated to take care of the baby while you're in the air. Sandi

The schools I'm applying to all require it. I'm really not too worried about though since I usually do well on those types of tests.

I just checked my zipcode (downtown Chicago). 49 sex offenders in my zip. I expected a lot since I'm in a heavily populated area, but 49. A few within a couple blocks. At least none live in my building. It's scary raising a child these days. So many pervs and psychos to worry about.

I agree, it's an aptitude test. I think that's why I'm not that motivated to study. I've actually got a couple weeks left to study. I really just want to brush up on my math skills. It's been many, many years since I had a math class. mmmmm, hershey bars! Oh, now I'm distracted again.

I need motivation. I took the day off work specifically to study. Of course now I'm just hanging out enjoying my free day. I need someone to tell me that the GRE is really hard and I better start studying or I'll never get into graduate school. Or anything else you can think of that might get me motivated to study.

I have a 13" Odyssey. It fits perfectly and is extremely comfortable. I couldn't get chest rings because there wasn't room and I have smaller than normal handles. You're going to love yours! When I got mine it was the first time I ever jumped a rig that actually fit. You won't believe the difference.

I discovered jazz in my early 30's. I primarily listen to old jazz. Count Basie Duke Ellington Benny Goodman Louis Armstrong

Any accountants out there? What are the advantages to incorporating versus working as an independent contractor? From what I've read so far it seems I could save more for retirement as a corporation. Someone told me I might be able to set up child care as an employee (me) benefit and make some of my daycare costs pretax. Is that possible? Are there any reasons I'd be better off as an independent contractor? I don't know that much about tax laws for small businesses so I'm just looking for some general info. And yes, I know I need to find an accountant.

I've been a vegetarian for about 12 years now. I never ate meat that much. I never really liked the taste of it, so it just kind of got phased out in favor of foods I like. Happy and healthy with my veggies and tofu!