I'm perplexed always by these men who have acted inappropriately.

Just returned from three days and nights with a colleague in New Orleans, and we spent each night going out to dinner, jazz clubs, bars, and drinking just enough to be pretty loose. If there was ever a time to be inappropriate with a colleague, this would have been it. But I can't imagine myself, no matter how "loose," acting inappropriately or even saying anything inappropriate. I'd be disappointed with myself.

And I have always suspected most men think and behave like I do. I still do--despite all these accusations. But I know a host of women who disagree.



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I have ghosts from my past but they are mostly missed opportunities. Occasionally, at the oddest times, they come and visit me. I assure them that I still think of them and send them on their way. Sometimes it helps if I give them a piece of pie first.

I hope there are not too many ghosts in my future. I picture myself as getting smarter as I gain experience. Well, maybe not smarter but at least less stupid.

After my wild L.A.-in-the-90s days, I often think I'm going to answer the door one day, and there will be standing a gorgeous 25 year old - score! - but then she'll say, "Hi, I think you're my father."

I don't know how you do it John. My policy is never mix work and social life. I would never go out drinking with my coworkers. I would be afraid of getting too talkative and making a fool of myself. On the other hand, a jazz club does sound really fun. What kind of alcohol are you drinking?

I'm very similar, but I'm thinking this is more a midwestern thing. I used to go out after work with coworkers back in Ohio, but we all worked in the flats, and the bar was downstairs or across the parking lot.

It's so strange, especially reading some job posts. They trumpet their "amazing" social life, and especially in tech, talk about free lunch, keg parties, and all that other stuff. It's kind of spooky and strange to me.

I think that, depending on your city, your only friends will be those that you meet at work, and that's kind of shame.

Katy, I understand your policy, and it does make sense to me. For the most part, we stayed away from work conversation. I'm pretty good at not making a fool of myself, and I only usually associate with coworkers with whom I share a great deal of trust. And if I didn't associate with coworkers, I wouldn't have much of a social life. Being the only two people who know each other in a strange city for a conference sort of forces you together.

I tried a few house drinks at various places. One called an Oxford Comma was, for the English teacher in me, a must. (Another colleague asked if it were made from appropriate pauses and righteous indignation.)

Nice jazz club in the New Orleans Ritz-Carlton featured a great trumpet player.



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Hi

Nice to know I'm surrounded by such saints

Yeah, me and my GF go out with out our colleagues from school all the time. They're good friends.

I was pretty much a saint in New Orleans.

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Of course, you're with the GF. I have been out at conferences and elsewhere with single women colleagues. To tell the truth, it is much more comfortable to be out with coworkers who are happily married.

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Makes sense

I've been teaching an adopted kid maths for the past 4.5 years. He's struggling to get to university. 1% of all adopteds in the UK go to university, but he's still trying. The funding ran out in the summer, so at his request I gave him an hour's tuition a week in a public library near me. He's 19 now. Except that the local authority just deemed that that has to stop because I might be "grooming" him for who knows what. World's gone mad. Too bad for the kid, because I am the best maths teacher in the world.

do you also call English over there, "Englishes?"

But were you tempted?
No good points unless you resisted temptation.

No, and according to the current PC endgame, adopted children are called "looked-after" children.

Hard question to answer. She is a lovely woman, and under different circumstances that would be an easy yes. Under these circumstances, no.

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went out to brunch this morning with a large group of friends. there were about 20 of us and we reserved a separate room. about halfway through an older man (in his late 60s?) dressed as santa made his way into the room. he did a good job of looking the part: real beard and long white hair, little round glasses, good santa suit, etc. several women in the room got excited when he showed up and wanted to take pictures with him. the first woman that got up to hug him cracked a joke something along the lines of 'hey santa, no sexual harassment, ok'. his response was 'wait...me or you?'.

he went on to mention he has a clause (claus?) in his insurance policy that requires him to always wear white gloves when playing santa and to always have them visible when taking pictures. what a world we live in that has resulted in this being a thing

looked-after? isn't that what babysitters do? i thought 'adopted' signified the legal rights and responsibilities to the kid.

...and typing that made me think that using the term 'babysitters' is probably not a thing anymore either.

Very strange. In the US, an adopted child is no longer a ward of the state. A foster child is emancipated on his 18th birthday.

Your laws are strange, and I'm guessing that there is a mix up in terminology, or at the least, a loss in translation.

In America, adopted children have the same rights as biological children. Looked-after children are, like foster children in America, wards of the State. I think.

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I presumed that was the case here too, and didn't even think to tell anyone about the arrangement. Then the kid told his social worker, she freaked out, apparently, and the agency I work for advised me to stop. I don't know what the law is.

Probably my fault. I don't know the difference between fostered, adopted and looked-after.

All the Stephen Foster kids lived in his old Kentucky home.

I can only speak for the US, though your statistics reflect ours.

Adoption means the child is legally the child of the parents. This usually means no further support from the government outside of special circumstances.

Foster children are temporary residents of the parents, and are emancipated at 18.

There is another level that has foster care until they are 21, but this is reserved for kids who lived in group homes their entire life. They are put into transitional housing to finally learn how to live in the real world.

World's always been a bit mad. Mark Twain* said so and he is an unimpeachable authority.

If you haven't written a Math textbook yet, you should. DS will never deliver on his so we need you to fill the void.


*And he was by no means the first.

So...........a hint:

best-jazz-clubs-in-nyc