Notices by TayFoNay🍿 (tayfonay@beige.party)

This regal AF Norwegian goat wishes you a happy Midsommar 🌞

Even in the rain this place is fucking magnificent.

We’re in Norway watching local Hawaii news and saw someone we know from Chicago in a news clip about the first commercial flight from Newark to Greenland.

Norwegian marshmallow harvest is upon us

While the sun “sets” in Norway in June, it barely gets dark. This picture was taken at 11 pm and this is about it. Just 4 hours of “golden hour” light. It’s wild.

[wakes up]

WTF?

Meet the Eurasian Oystercatcher

Seems like a good day to leave the country.

Story time! This is long so I’ll 👋 should you scroll on by. Involves bullying but has a happy ending.

Today is my daughter’s last day at her school as she finishes 8th grade. We moved her and her brother out of the local public school 4 years ago, after they both did a full year of Zoom school due to COVID lockdown for 4th grade and kindergarten, respectively. If anyone asked me if I’d send my kids to private school I’d have been moderately offended. Both I and Mr. Nay went to public schools. I believe in public education, etc.

In 2nd grade the bullying started, peaking in 3rd grade. We’re talking middle school mean girls relational aggression shit. I was floored. The school did nothing, despite multiple meetings with the principal, who was new and spoke to me like a lawyer. She knew I’m a psychologist so maybe that affected the dynamic, I don’t know.

My daughter’s personality fundamentally changed from the bullying. People who knew her since she was a baby started asking what was wrong with her because she was no longer so outgoing. The principal admitted my kid was in a “particularly bad cohort.”

So I tried to socialize with the parents to help my kid and instead developed clinical depression that led me to take Wellbutrin for about a year. Turns out the apples didn’t fall far from the tree. It was like being thrust back into high school in my early 40s. I seriously considered moving out of the country. I was incredibly naive about suburban white moms and learned real fast what was expected and I failed miserably.

Then COVID lockdowns hit at the end of 3rd grade and my fucking god it was a relief in terms of getting her out of that environment. It also allowed us to pretty quickly identify she has ADHD. But inattentive type, so her teachers never flagged her. Her grades were fine. But she could in no way navigate her shitty peers.

I learned about her current school, which is secular and caters to kids with ADHD and others who may not fit into traditional public school models, from a patient. My mom offered to pay for half the tuition, and we transferred both kids.

Yes, I’m privileged to have the means to do this. That’s not lost on me in the slightest.

About 2 years ago my daughter told me she got her self-esteem back, having gone to her school and the experience she was having there. I shudder to think what would’ve happened to her if she stayed. Our fundamental core beliefs are shaped at these ages, and that’s all my psychologist brain was seeing happen in real time.

So now she’s headed back into public school in the fall for high school. Rejoining the assholes from her old cohort but with 2300 other students. Nearly a brown belt in karate, confident in herself, and way better prepared for the hell of suburban bullshit. She’s a bit nervous but I keep telling her she’ll find her people.

At the end of each year the teachers at her school vote on and give a little award for what best describes each kid’s character and this year she was given “integrity.” She’s going to be fine.

Everyone say hi to Boomer!

#DogsOfMastodon

‘Tis the season for sitting on the porch watching Midwest storms

I keep getting emails from Omada health to enroll in their diabetes prevention program so I can improve my diet and exercise behaviors. My information was given to them by the pharmacy my health insurance uses, Express Scripts, as a benefit for "eligible members."

Why am I eligible for this? Because I take an expensive AF biologic medication for eosinophilic esophagitis? Does this somehow imply that I don't eat healthy nor exercise?

Interesting.

Hi stats/math people: I've been doing statistical analyses for a long time and have never seen anyone use a 95% CI for percentages until joining the group I work with now. Like, 78% of people reported a thing [95% CI: 73% - 81%]. I don't get it. What is the actual value of this? I understand and have reported CIs in other contexts, like with means or odds ratios. I've been asked to add these CIs to a report I wrote to align with another report where this is done.

Appreciate any insights.

I like to think I have credible evidence that, by working as a psychologist the last 15 years, I’ve seen and/or heard just about everything. Then something like this happens and I’m like oh you sweet summer child.

Attention! I submit for your consideration THE MOST USA TOOT EVER WRITTEN:

Shareholders for the health insurance company United Healthcare are suing them because the company didn’t tell the shareholders in advance that they modified their business model to not automatically deny medical claims after the CEO was shot, so they missed their earnings targets and the stock shit the bed last month.

‘Sup?

This kinda feels like a cry for help

Fun origin story for the phrase “that came out of left field”

Before relocating to Wrigley Field the Chicago Cubs played on the near west side of the city, on what is now part of the University of Illinois at Chicago campus. The field was adjacent to a psychiatric hospital. Specifically the left field side backed up to the place. On warm days, the patients would occasionally yell stuff out the opened windows during games so the sounds came from left field. And an idiom was born.

I decided to withdraw a “revise and resubmit” (in publication speak that typically means a scientific paper will be accepted after some edits) on a paper that is heavily laden with “DEI” terms per the regime. 1 author is a green card holder, but has lived in the U.S. for 30 years. And my ass has to pass through CBP in June with my kids. The editor granted a 3-6 month extension so we can see how shit plays out in scientific publications, so the fact the DOJ is sending letters to journals about bias isn’t a good omen.

It’s fine :coolstorybob:

Die Hard is an Easter movie. Fight me.