RE: gifts, etc.

[Robert <http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert>]

 > From: ", Flora" <http://www.state.vt.us/~Flora.>
 > Date: Fri, 27 Dec 2013 17:31:51 +0000
 >
 >  > -----Original Message-----
 >  > From: Robert [http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert]
 >  > Sent: Friday, December 27, 2013 12:02 PM
 >  > To: , Flora; Flora E ; Flora E 
 >  > Cc: Noelle
 >  > Subject: RE: gifts, etc.
 >  > 
 >  > It should be.  The author's been on Science Friday many times.  Noelle pointed 
 >  > out to me after I had sent it, however, that it may be above her level since 
 >  > she's probably not going to be taking pre-algebra any time soon.
 > 
 > Xander tries 
 > to explain math to her quite often at the kitchen table.

That reminds me: he should be sure to concentrate on statistics.  That has
always been my achilles' heel in the working world.  I'll say so when
emailing him.

 >  > > Not sure if Xander started reading the book that you gave him. He commented  >
 >  > > about the book title in relationship to the photo on the front - that he 
 >  > > gets  > it - the train going off the cliff.
 >  > 
 >  > It's more than that.  Jonathan Zittrain appears on PRI's Marketplace Tech often 
 >  > and has a good, balanced perspective.
 > 
 > Ah, yes. I know him from PRI's Marketplace Tech.
 > 
 >  > > He needs to finish his college applications,  > but has been delaying. Maybe 
 >  > > you could send him an email directly.
 >  > 
 >  > I'll try, but he usually doesn't reply, for some reason. 
 > 
 > Keep trying. We know that he gets them. I think that he is interested in
 > what you do and what you think about, because I am always telling him that
 > things that he does and says reminds me of you.

OK.

 >  > > Nick didn't look pleased with his book, but I tried to tell him that we (  > 
 >  > > everyone, but Nick) saw the movie
 >  > 
 >  > I was pretty dissatisfied with the books he had on his wishlist.  In some ways, 
 >  > it's funny 'cause I always preach how people don't look at problems 
 >  > systematically.  Ironically, that's the only way Nick seems to look at problems 
 >  > -- he doesn't ever seem look inwardly.
 > 
 > You were able to infer all of that by looking at his wishlist?

That, and by what he's read in the past and talked about when we visited.

 >  > > and that she saw things differently than  > other people and that she 
 >  > > revolutionized the livestock industry. Nick is  > sometimes hard to talk to.
 >  > 
 >  > Well, it seems like if there's any way he could get out of the house for an 
 >  > extended period would be beneficial.
 >  > 
 >  > Has he considered volunteering for http://cvhumane.com/jobs/internships-unpaid/ ?
 >  > 
 >  > Also, has he considered getting any sort of counseling, e.g., 
 >  > http://www.phwcvt.org ?
 >  > It looks like it could be reasonably priced, but he'd have to be driven 
 >  > there, I guess.
 > 
 > He's still under my insurance (unless he is able to get his own insurance)
 > until he is 26. Nick, right now, is not interested in counseling whenever
 > I bring it up.

I imagine that hearing such a suggestion from one's parents is probably a
big turn-off.  He'd probably have to hear it from a teacher or a peer to
be convinced.

 >  > I saw that Community College of Vermont has a pass/nopass option instead
 >  > of grades.  That may be less stressful.
 > 
 > He took three classes there and passed his classes with minimal assistance
 > from Tim and me.

Great.  That sounds like it might be a good path to continue on, then.

 >  >  > He still hasn't started the process at all. All he says is that he wants
 >  >  > me to get him a job.
 >  > 
 >  > It's hard to get someone else a job.  Maybe he should volunteer at the
 >  > Humane Society and try to get a job from there.
 > 
 > He was volunteering at Hubbard Park in Montpelier, but suddenly stopped. I
 > think that something made him uncomfortable, but he never said what
 > happened. Tim got a call and had to go pick Nick up before the end of the
 > day.

Well, the advantage of a humane society is that you mostly interact with
animals, which can be safer and more comfortable than interacting with
humans.

 >  > Well, he could become an electrician
 >  > http://www.unions.org/unions/vermont/45/international-brotherhood-of-electrical-workers/9
 >  > That wouldn't necessarily involve attending college.
 > 
 > Yes, I thought that a trade might be a good thing for Nick. That is why I
 > wanted him to do Job Corps, but it didn't work out for Nick. Both Tim and
 > Nick (and one of my workmates who used to work at one of the facilities
 > here in Vermont) indicated that it was a pretty rough group of people.

Well, I think any blue-collar job is going to be that way.  So, either he
has to learn to deal with it (counseling) or get a white-collar job
(graduate from college).

 >  > Yeah.  Is he sure that he doesn't like cities?  I love living in cities.
 > 
 > Me too. I know that Tim doesn't like cities, but there are so many
 > advantages. I keep trying to tell Nick all of the advantages to living in
 > a city. I tell him that he never has to speak to a soul if he doesn't want
 > to, but you have access to so much.

Both are very true.