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Author Topic: Four Year Wonders Got Married: Ochka and ML  (Read 317456 times)

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Offline Larry1

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Four Year Wonders Got Married: Ochka and ML
« Reply #250 on: May 26, 2016, 05:14:08 PM »
Yes these taste like real strawberries.  The way they all used to taste in our youth when mostly what you ate was grown by grandparents or other local folks.

We almost never buy strawberries, tomatoes or peaches from supermarkets.  They mostly taste like styrofoam (and don't ask me how I know what styrofoam tastes like).

Have you tried Plant City (FL) strawberries? They were better than what I could get at Publix.

There's a market here where the tomatoes are very good in late August and september.  The rest of the year they are nasty.

When I was a kid we got peaches that had been picked within the previous day or so. They were amazing. Now I've just about given up on buying peaches. As Jerry seinfeld said, "fruit is a gamble".

Offline Anotherkiwi

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« Reply #251 on: May 26, 2016, 05:53:19 PM »
Just today I washed carefully, cut-up, smashed with two sizes of potato mashers and added powdered sugar to about 250 strawberries.

Here we call it "icing sugar."  It's the staple topping for strawberries in this part of the world.

Offline ML

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« Reply #252 on: May 26, 2016, 07:25:33 PM »
Have you tried Plant City (FL) strawberries?

Never heard of it; but just now read some on Internet.

If they ship to supermarkets; don't know if they would be labeled as such.

Sounds good.  Can you send me some via email later in the year ?
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline ML

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Four Year Wonders Got Married: Ochka and ML
« Reply #253 on: May 29, 2016, 10:03:34 AM »
Ochka worked hard here putting in fairly large garden before she left.

Now she is working hard weeding and other tasks in her parent's super humongous garden in Ukraine.

I asked her to not gain weight while at her parent's, as she usually does.

She said she would try . . . but I doubt it.
Her mother puts out food like they are recovering from a famine.

The up and down with weight is not healthy.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline jone

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« Reply #254 on: May 29, 2016, 10:23:31 AM »
You wanna discuss your wife's weight on a forum?  You're a braver man than I am.  (Or maybe bravery has nothing to do with it.)
Kissing girls is a goodness.  It beats the hell out of card games.  - Robert Heinlein

Offline The Natural

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« Reply #255 on: May 29, 2016, 10:44:34 AM »
You wanna discuss your wife's weight on a forum?  You're a braver man than I am.  (Or maybe bravery has nothing to do with it.)


Maybe he weighted in the pros and cons and decided to go for it?

Offline ML

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« Reply #256 on: May 30, 2016, 12:31:23 PM »
OMG the strawberries just keep on coming.

In my previous picture, the basket was about 3/4 full.

Yesterday I picked and the basket was overflowing.  I gave several to a couple of neighbor families and ate some myself.

This was still left.  Took me three hours to wash, stem, mash, mix with powdered sugar, put in containers and into freezer.

I need my Ochka !!
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline ML

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« Reply #257 on: May 30, 2016, 12:33:35 PM »
Finally getting rain in western Ukraine the past two weeks or more; after a very dry earlier spring.

So Ochka and her family busy in the huge home garden pulling weeds, hilling up potatoes, etc.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline ML

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Four Year Wonders Got Married: Ochka and ML
« Reply #258 on: June 10, 2016, 10:25:25 AM »
Ochka has been working as part-time Adjunct Instructor in calculus courses for two years now.

A full time position was funded for Fall 2016.  She applied along with 30 others.

She was selected as one of 3 finalists, and went through full interview process just before she left for Ukraine.

Notice came today that she was not selected.

She will be quite disappointed.

But actually I am glad she didn't get the position; and she knew my feelings about this all along.

A full time position with all the lecture preparations, class time, office hours, exam preparations, grading, etc., etc., would have meant we had very little time together 9 months of the year.

Actually, I wish she would not work at all; but I know that she wants to do something . . . probably just to get away from me for some hours each week !!!

Probably the biggest negative of not having full-time job is the health insurance.  The top plan we buy for her costs over $500 a month out of pocket.

I hope she will not become too depressed about this.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline ML

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Four Year Wonders Got Married: Ochka and ML
« Reply #259 on: June 14, 2016, 10:21:33 AM »
The notification letter that she didn't get the full time job came in US Mail.

I didn't tell Ochka about it because didn't want to ruin any of her vacation time in Ukraine.

But a faculty member sent her an email of condolences . . . so she now knows . . . and is in bad mood.

A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline BillyB

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« Reply #260 on: June 14, 2016, 01:00:20 PM »
so she now knows . . . and is in bad mood.


But what is important is that you're in a good mood over the results. We have to live with you for a few more months.
Fund the audits, spread the word and educate people, write your politicians and other elected officials. Stay active in the fight to save our country. Over 220 generals and admirals say we are in a fight for our survival like no other time since 1776.

Offline Gator

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« Reply #261 on: June 14, 2016, 03:54:27 PM »
The notification letter that she didn't get the full time job came in US Mail.

I didn't tell Ochka about it because didn't want to ruin any of her vacation time in Ukraine.

But a faculty member sent her an email of condolences . . . so she now knows . . . and is in bad mood.

This is a huge disappointment to Ochka.  It is now important to make sure she does not become discouraged.  Among other things, I suggest you promise that you will search for other opportunities. 

Offline ML

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« Reply #262 on: June 19, 2016, 12:23:09 PM »
More on Ochka's teaching job situation.

Thursday, the Dept Chairman sent email to her asking if she were willing to teach 4 courses each semester as Adjunct Instructor and be eligible for benefits.  This is the same situation (course teaching load and benefits) that she would have gotten if she were selected for the Full time Instructor position that she didn't get.

(Currently she is Adjunct teaching 1 or 2 courses each semester with no benefits.  Previously when she inquired about lack of benefits . . . she was told that Adjuncts never get benefits.  So don't no quite how this new offer would include benefits.)

But with the Adjunct 'sticker' the pay is based on a 'per course flat rate' which adds up only to about 2/3 as much as the yearly contract for the Full time Instructor position.

So essentially he was saying she wasn't good enough to be hired for the higher paid full time job, yet she would end up teaching exactly same as the person who did get the higher paid full time job.

This is probably a sure fire age discrimination lawsuit . . . but even when the person wins . . . they lose . . . because of the subsequent working conditions they face.

The person they chose was 20 years younger than her.

Anyway, we talked at length about it.  I didn't want her to accept.  She thought if she didn't accept, she would have no chance in future for another FT position that might come available.  A lot of crying involved, so I finally relented.

We don't know exactly why she was not chosen, but 3 ideas:

1) Age . . . the Dept Chairman probably wants to minimize the number of times he has to go through the hiring process.  The younger the hire; the better the chance the replacement won't be needed for longer time period.  Of course there are hundreds of variables, but still.

2) Language skills.  Ochka is pretty good at English but, of course, she does have the accent.

3) Ochka isn't certain, but she thinks the person selected probably used a lot of computer graphics, etc., in his lecture presentation; whereas she gave a straight blackboard lecture presentation.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline HoundDaddyLee

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« Reply #263 on: June 19, 2016, 12:32:08 PM »
ML,


Very sad to read this. The flashier presentation may have helped, but I firmly believe it was an age thing. I see it so much in my profession (software engineering). I posted on another thread about how companies would rather have 3 H1-B visa employees than one experienced engineer.


Good luck to you both,
HDL

Offline ML

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« Reply #264 on: June 19, 2016, 12:34:54 PM »
In retrospect . . . I think we made a big mistake by Ochka choosing to pursue the Masters in Math when she finished the Intensive English Program.

Her original intent was to get a degree in business . . . probably an MBA, but it even better should have been a BS in accounting.

But, she made a big impression on a senior math professor when she sat in on one of his courses (just to get some experience in hearing lecture in English) when she was in the IEP program.  He pushed her masters application through and got her full tuition scholarship and pay as GTA without her even taking the GRE or any other entrance exam.

But, she should have taken the more expensive route of paying tuition to get degree in business or accounting.

Much more job opportunities at much higher pay with business and accounting.

Math people only make good money with defense contractors, etc., which mostly requires US citizenship AND there are no such jobs in our area.

But, on the other hand, with a non-teaching job, Ochka could never be able to go to Ukraine for a month in the summer as she needs to do.
« Last Edit: June 19, 2016, 12:37:30 PM by ML »
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline HoundDaddyLee

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« Reply #265 on: June 19, 2016, 12:43:07 PM »
ML,


If she is good with math, I would recommend she pick up some programming knowledge. Good software people are rare and we are importing bad ones.  :)


HDL

Offline LiveFromUkraine

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« Reply #266 on: June 19, 2016, 01:11:51 PM »
A lot of crying involved, so I finally relented.


Dang, she sounds tough.   She got her way even after you cried.  No male tears for that woman.

Offline Boethius

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« Reply #267 on: June 19, 2016, 01:28:53 PM »

I know a lot of academics, some from my days in grad school, and a few are retired law professors, including a former dean.  The academic world is pretty brutal,

Age is probably a factor, but so, would be academic qualifications.  Did the candidate selected get his degree elsewhere?  Universities usually want that for tenure track academics.  Does he have a PhD, or is he working on one?  That also is a consideration.  Has the candidate chosen published any academic papers?  Publication is often a big factor in academia.  Does it appear he has good social skills to schmooze potential donors?

If Ochka has benefits and enjoys what she is doing, this is probably a blessing.  Although she has less job security, she doesn't have many of the other responsibilities expected on the tenure track.
After the fall of communism, the biggest mistake Boris Yeltsin's regime made was not to disband the KGB altogether. Instead it changed its name to the FSB and, to many observers, morphed into a gangster organisation, eventually headed by master criminal Vladimir Putin. - Gerard Batten

Offline ML

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« Reply #268 on: June 19, 2016, 08:40:53 PM »
Boe, the full time Instructor job was not tenure track and only required a masters degree.  They did have opening for tenure track assistant professor also which required PhD.

The young man selected had just finished his masters degree at this same school, where Ochka got her masters 2 years ago.  Neither he or Ochka has any publications accepted or even submitted, and they probably never will.  He was the GTA for a hugely popular (with students) professor and probably picked up a lot of similar skills by working with that guy.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline ML

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« Reply #269 on: June 20, 2016, 10:14:47 PM »
Warning to all you guys looking for FSU gals.

They really tend to 'fall apart' after age 40.

Ochka will be back on Saturday, and I will just have to put up with her looks.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline onlyFSU4me

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« Reply #270 on: June 20, 2016, 10:27:31 PM »
You poor soul! I feel soooooo sorry for you!    ;)

Offline ML

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« Reply #271 on: June 21, 2016, 04:14:30 PM »
Today, Ochka flew from Kyiv to Dublin via Paris.

She will be in Dublin a few days to visit with a relative and two other couples from Ukraine.

Also, she will have a 'look-see' at the townhouse we bought a couple of years back.  It has been rented now for two years to the same family with no problems in rent payment, etc.

A big PIA was going through customs in Dublin.  She said there were 10 booths serving persons from EU and only 2 for non-EU.  Despite several of the EU lines being nearly empty, they did not switch people from the 2 very long non-EU lines to those empty lines.

She reminded how Kyiv is great now for incoming because if lines get too long, they quickly open up new lines.

It was around 85 in Ukraine for many days, but it Ireland it is 68, and the people there said: "It is pretty warm here."
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline ML

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« Reply #272 on: June 24, 2016, 08:34:18 PM »
Ochka is safely back in our home.

Jet lag is bothering her more than for previous trips.

Real estate market in Ireland is starting to show some improvement, but many bargains still seem to exist with townhouses, etc., that never were finished out before the bust hit.

We may think of buying some more, and Ochka's relative will finish out on profit sharing basis.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline ML

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« Reply #273 on: June 26, 2016, 10:08:32 AM »
Well maybe not so many remaining bargains in Ireland as I thought.

Our townhouse has increased in value about 30% in the three or so years since we bought it near the market bottom.

However, if we were to sell, we would lose a lot of that due to decrease in Euro compared to dollar.  That is if we converted to dollars.  Then there would be the taxes. 

Maybe we would wait until President Trump gave us amnesty to bring the dollars back tax free!!

Ochka's new apartment near US Embassy in Kyiv has also seen about 30% appreciation in about 2 years.  This is before factoring in any bombing damage from a further Russian invasion.
A beautiful woman is pleasant to look at, but it is easier to live with a pleasant acting one.

Offline Gator

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« Reply #274 on: June 26, 2016, 10:26:11 AM »
Warning to all you guys looking for FSU gals.

They really tend to 'fall apart' after age 40.

Ochka will be back on Saturday, and I will just have to put up with her looks.

I imagine you are more than ready for Saturday!

 

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