Class of '18 still nattering.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

forgot the old link hang on a mo...

Have you got a treatment plan or will that come after your results?

had a chat with ds in Real Time, was quite pleased
He seems to like his flatmates, who are all doing v serious subjects -hope it rubs off on his work ethic

and like Marmite's dd trying for some singing auditions on Friday. i had to bite my tongue because most of the societies he has signed up to are not really what I wanted - boo hoo..no sport...no bohemian activities...no hillwalking...and worse still no current affairs and definitely no chaplaincy.

Panda that is lovely, just what I would want for my ds. Cos in a way it is like going into the lions den isn't ...setting out for uni, all the things they have to work out for themselves.

Ursula oh dear what did she say? they are v irritating if you talk to them long enough, I find. they start to get bored and do it on purpose..

oh marmite that sounds miserable, hope swelling improves,just keep doing nothing.

She'd put a photo on instagram but then removed it. I told her I wasn't surprised as it was a pretty rubbish pic so she took umbrage.

Ursula. I should get an idea of my treatment plan on Monday I think. Taking DH with me as I will probably come out not knowing what has gone on!

Good luck for Monday marmite we will be rooting for you.

marmite definitely take someone with you if you can.

DS1 has joined the gym, but not sure what societies to try beyond the one for his subject. They have a quidditch team which sounds fun...

Really good idea to take someone with you marmite. I'm so glad your dd is settling well. Sorry about the long uncomfy week though.

I'm having a dodgy mole removed tomorrow too, but I've had a few done, so it's routine really.

Aww Panda :) that's lovely.

DS rang yesterday to discuss cooking times for his planned meal. He is quire perturbed at price of chicken breasts and had to settle for sliced chorizo as rings are so expensive! (He's been spoiled obviously!).
Was nice to chat, seems v enthused about course.
Today was a blank day. He had plans to try launderette this morning (assuming he had change), the rugby thus afternoon and rugby socialising tonight.
He really needs to get a job to pay for socialising (and chorizo rings)!

Hang on in there marmite. .

Had a rubbish day. Work is stressful and DD has had a range of challenging things to deal with and final straw was laptop (for uni) did not arrive at shop who promised it. So DD was stressy. Solved finally, cancelled order and JL had a few left. Fingers crossed arrives on Friday as promised.
My patience is frazzled as I have stressy boss at work at mo and stressy DD when i get home. Have to remember she's usually gorgeous. DD that is!

flatmouse how about suggesting chicken thighs?

marmite. Ask if you can record the meeting or get DH to take notes.

Impressed at the cooking, flatmouse!

We had a meeting with DS2's DSA funded mentor today. Weirdly she can't talk directly to his tutors about him due to confidentiality. So that's not particularly useful. He'll see her at her office which is in town, not near to the college as his 2 college days are really full. 9-5.15 with only an hour off for lunch. God knows whether it'll work. It relies on DS wanting to see her and letting her know what help he wants. She's an independent, not connected to the college and has no knowledge of computing. Seems nice enough but I'm not convinced it's the right support for DS2. What he needs is in class support but that isn't funded for HE.

DS2 isn't stressed at all, yet. I am though, violets!

Know the feeling ellen

marmite lots of love to you

voilets I hope things settle down for you soon

Hope all goes well with your various appointments/consultations/removals etc or whichever is more appropriate at the time.

I have just spent an evening at a gig full of what appeared to be mostly freshers. Lots of drunken girls and boys lying on the floors inside and outside the venue and others being carried out by their friends in sorry states. I went to the ladies to find one girl collapsed in a cubicle - she had so much to drink that she didn't know where she was so had to go and get help - I only went with DS and his friend because we were invited and on a guest list. That's a night I'll never get back.

That sounds awful starfleet.

Unfortunately DD's boyfriend is still drinking like this practically every night. The awful hangovers don't semm to put him off. He told her that they predrink pretty hard before they go out to save money. I'm talking about 9 or 10 shots of spirits here. I told DD not to try and keep up when she visits.

How do they afford this? And surely it can't be sustainable. Most of the students are studying history and seem to do very little work.

The irony is that on this morning's local news there was a report saying that young people are drinking less and taking fewer drugs than before. The reporter then interviewed several young people in Sheffield who said it just wasn't true.

We have a massive weed problem in our local "naice" maret town as well.

Ellen that is odd. Ds had a flatmate who was accompanied to lectures and took notes, funded under dsa. Did his needs assessment suggest it?

it is a vicious circle isn't it, the less money they have the more they drink in advance, instead of socialising with alcohol and food they are actually self medicating with alcohol.
My nephew said that the sporty people seem to drink enormous amounts to compensate for their healthy exercise (he was v sporty but a health nut (no pun intended) so didn't drink much after rugby or rowing)

However, I do remember drinking a LOT at university and in my twenties and thereafter not much at all - now I am teetotal and hate the woozy feeling alcohol gives me if I have even a glass and this seems to be the case with most of my friends and acquaintances (although they still manage a glass or twoI would say ). Most people do just manage to survive the drinking phase; I would say that not having enough money to buy alcohol AND food would educate you pretty fast that something has to give.

The front garden is full of rubbish, and mattresses. And prickly rose prunings. The rubbish collection is going to pick it up. I've been feeling terribly anxious all morning since I talked to ds1 yesterday, I cannot get it out of my head that he mentioned waking at 5pm yesterday. I think yesterday was the day he has a lecture at 6pm so possibly unusually no reason to get up at all, but still I worry a lot about his sleep patterns.

on the other hand we didn't do pre-drinking or nightclubs in the 80's. we had dinner parties even at university, the pasta and tomato sauce kind where everyone balances the plate on their lap in someone's bedroom or we went to the pub. So I suppose no spirits were consumed. Just wine in people's rooms and beer in the pub.

DS1 had an appointment with disability services earlier this week but forgot to go. After two induction lectures he was so exhausted that he went straight back to halls in the middle of the afternoon and went to bed.

They have a drop-in session today for those with mental health conditions and long-term illnesses, so I suggested he went to that, to check in with them and ask about the sessions with the specialist mentor that have been funded by DSA.

He just texted me to say that he won't be going as he doesn't need any extra support and he doesn't need the sessions with the specialist mentor either.

Third that is very frustrating for you. I bet you just feel so out of the loop after having years of helping him with all of this. Hopefully he will come to the realisation that he does need help but such a worry for you!

TheThird That must be so frustrating but hopefully something that the mentor is used to seeing.

Nettles I had clubbing friends in the 80s and predrinking was very much a thing because of the steep cost of alcohol in the clubs. Usually spirits because then you didn't need to spend so much time in the grotty toilets. My friend spent her disposable income on clothes and vodka, if clothes rental had been a thing then she would have saved so much money.