Friday Five!

Are you kidding?  We had home made pizza the other night and I was consumed with jealousy for your pizza oven. 

I was convinced to buy some random jar of tomato sauce and it was sweet as candy!  It completely defiled the homemade pizza I had been planning all week.

I'm sorry unnecessary envy spoiled your pizza.  When we do finally get a free day to assemble the Uuni and make our first pizza, I will post photos of it to make it up to you.  The photos may or may not also contain zombies.

Ah, another Friday.

1) Arms are still sore from carrying Hamster Prison a mile two days ago. (Hamster is like a New Hamster, very happy, it seems. Wants to be taken out of the cage for "run around in the transparent ball" time.) Need to find someone to do a proper deep-tissue massage. Back has nerve damage and it's shooting down my leg, not keep on turning to drugs for it.

2) Couldn't get blankets to dry in dryer and damp blankets are now hanging everywhere. Those that would fit in the washer-dryer, that is. Set dryer on highest setting for blankets and forgot to turn it down when drying daughter's cotton sheets. Never seen wrinkling quite like that before.

3) Waiting for delivery from Amazon of new bedding for Hamster Prison. Have three different notifications, all telling me that bedding will arrive on different days. Not sure which one is accurate - you'd think it would be the last one, but that's not always the case.

4) Received another "thanks for applying, but someone else was better suited" email from what would have been a great job.  Shortly thereafter received a phone call re: job that I interviewed for many weeks ago. I had been placed on the "reserve" list.  Caller asked if I'd be interested in a full-time day shift instead of a part-time night shift. When I responded in the affirmative, was told to just sit tight, they'd be contacting me "in a few weeks."  I am taking this as a really good sign. (I hope I'm right.) Pay would be approximately 1/3 of what I was making the last time I worked, but, hey, it's a job and an "in" to the system - assuming I pass security and they actually do hire me.

5) Received the translation for my education from Naric (yes, I weaked and did it).  Apparently my BA is an Honors Degree BA and my Masters is a Masters, but my high school diploma is "GSCE 9 - 4" with the annotation that it applied to the classes I took in Grade 12.  I was only in Grade 12 for 3 months, part time. One of the classes was Probability and Statistics, which I got a D- in (still passing) because I managed to get my name written on all the tests. So that is a "GSCE 9"?    Nothing about the three years of honors (advanced) English courses I took, because none were in Grade 12 (they didn't offer a 4th year English course).  What in the world...?   

Oh, well, It's Friday. I'm going to have steak for dinner and then watch bad movies on the Roku. There's always "Mega Shark v Giant Octopus" as a fallback.   

Is there a fee/how much is it for a Naric assessment of one's education?  If I ever do need to work, it would be handy to have that done.

I'd high-five you to share our mutual membership in the sore arms club, but my arms hurt too much. 

Is there a fee/how much is it for a Naric assessment of one's education?  If I ever do need to work, it would be handy to have that done.

I'd high-five you to share our mutual membership in the sore arms club, but my arms hurt too much. 

Sympathies on the arms... I can't raise mine over my head again. It'll pass. Eventually. Soon would be good.

Naric does charge. I got a "Statement of Comparability". https://www.naric.org.uk/naric/Individuals/Services%20and%20Prices.aspx

It wasn't cheap, but they'll do as many qualifications at the same time as you have. I technically have 4 diplomas, but one was from a college that doesn't have a program that translates to UK standards, so they couldn't give me anything for that one (and the 70-ish semester hours it entailed).  I'm still trying to sort out the high school/GSCE thing... it saith "GSCE (grades A*-C/9-4)/Scottish National 5 (Grades A-C)/Intermediate Welsh Baccalaureate"  Sooo, that's equivalent to GSCEs in England, and 9-4 is just the title of the testing scheme, or? [help!?]

Sympathies on the arms... I can't raise mine over my head again. It'll pass. Eventually. Soon would be good.

Naric does charge. I got a "Statement of Comparability". https://www.naric.org.uk/naric/Individuals/Services%20and%20Prices.aspx

It wasn't cheap, but they'll do as many qualifications at the same time as you have. I technically have 4 diplomas, but one was from a college that doesn't have a program that translates to UK standards, so they couldn't give me anything for that one (and the 70-ish semester hours it entailed).  I'm still trying to sort out the high school/GSCE thing... it saith "GSCE (grades A*-C/9-4)/Scottish National 5 (Grades A-C)/Intermediate Welsh Baccalaureate"  Sooo, that's equivalent to GSCEs in England, and 9-4 is just the title of the testing scheme, or? [help!?]

9-4 are the English numeric values for the letter grades with A* being the 9, C is the 4, I believe.  At least that's what it means for A levels.  (I am always fascinated by A-level results time every year.)

Friday...

When you own a business and are home-based, every day sort of seems the same because I work non-traditional hours Monday to Sunday, I don't commute and I'm never not thinking about work. But today the excitement is:

1. Being a total slob! I'm not doing jack-s*** today! I've not changed out of my pj's (it's nearly 1pm) nor have I left the bed, apart from going to the bathroom. I've got three kitties on my bed and Netflix on the computer. Yes!

2. Excellent! My husband just walked in and brought Popeye's spicy chicken strips and mashed potato with Cajun gravy. Yes, please!

3. My daughter sent a text that she bought me a t-shirt that says, "My way or the Chardonnay" on it. It's appropriate because I just cracked open a bottle to eat with the chicken.

4. It's beautiful outside with super low humidity. Well, for Houston. It's 68F and only 46% humidity. It makes me want to get dressed and go outside but I've got a purry Tortoiseshell cat next to me and she demands cuddles and she won't be denied.

5. My husband was talking to a potential client while on speakerphone. It cracks me up that the woman was blatantly flirting with him! He's from the north but he puts on a "Home Counties/ posh Cheshire" accent (he's from Wigan). In the past, I may have been rattled but now it's all, "Speak the Queen's English and get that sale!!" I should be ashamed! I'm not though. Prosecco doesn't buy itself! Lol


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Your 1 and 2.... ohmigawd, I am so jealous!

And the rest is just amusing.  What kind of business is it?  Do you work together?

9-4 are the English numeric values for the letter grades with A* being the 9, C is the 4, I believe.  At least that's what it means for A levels.  (I am always fascinated by A-level results time every year.)

So, if they say 9-4, what does that mean? I had four classes. One a barely passed, a couple were "A", the other was like a B+. On the Scottish scale it's a "National 5". NOOOO clue there!

So, if they say 9-4, what does that mean? I had four classes. One a barely passed, a couple were "A", the other was like a B+. On the Scottish scale it's a "National 5". NOOOO clue there!

Here’s an article about the National grades (I don’t know anything about them though):
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-27032316

They recently changed the grading system for GCSEs - they no longer issue grades but numbers instead!

Here’s an article:
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-40826391

I think 9-4 is the equivalent of A*-C grades.



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9-4 are the English numeric values for the letter grades with A* being the 9, C is the 4, I believe.  At least that's what it means for A levels.  (I am always fascinated by A-level results time every year.)

A-levels are still graded by letters (A*-E), it’s GCSEs that have the new number grading system (9-1).


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Huh.  So the report I have means I have the equivalent of a pass on GSCEs in England for four subjects, I guess, with no actual grade given? I find it hard to believe they'd have awarded me a "9" for Probabilities and Statistics given I was so abysmally bad at it.  I think they gave me a D- just so I would not have to repeat the course - I was already enrolled in the community college early enrollment program concurrently and doing well, so it would have made the high school look bad. I guess. NO idea....  but I'll assume it's four GSCEs and leave it at that. I just hope whomever I have to give the report to won't ask me.

Perhaps I'll email the company and see if I can get a clarification.

Huh.  So the report I have means I have the equivalent of a pass on GSCEs in England for four subjects, I guess, with no actual grade given? I find it hard to believe they'd have awarded me a "9" for Probabilities and Statistics given I was so abysmally bad at it.  I think they gave me a D- just so I would not have to repeat the course - I was already enrolled in the community college early enrollment program concurrently and doing well, so it would have made the high school look bad. I guess. NO idea....  but I'll assume it's four GSCEs and leave it at that. I just hope whomever I have to give the report to won't ask me.

Perhaps I'll email the company and see if I can get a clarification.

Did it specifically say it was only in 4 subjects? The ‘9-4’ is referring to the grades you got, not that it was 4 subjects with a 9 grade... it means that you got between a 9 (A*) and a 4 (C) grade for each of the subjects you took.

Normally a US high school diploma will be assessed as being the equivalent of at least 5 GCSEs grades A*-C (or I guess grades 9-4 in the new system)... because the minimum standard requirement to continue your education is 5 GCSEs with a passing grade (C or higher in old grades or 4 or higher in new grades), including English and Maths. So, if you say you only have 4 GCSEs that could look weird because it implies you didn’t get good enough grades to get A-levels or get into university.... which you obviously did.


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Hi. It says for all courses taken in 12th grade. I was there for 12 weeks, half-days, which is four courses. Plus I took two over the summer between 11 and 12, so I guess those could count?

Hi. It says for all courses taken in 12th grade. I was there for 12 weeks, half-days, which is four courses. Plus I took two over the summer between 11 and 12, so I guess those could count?

I think what they are saying is that even though you did not complete grade 12, they are allowing the courses you did take to count, so that they can assess your qualifications as having the equivalent of 5 GCSEs A*-C (or 9-4).

Actually, I did finish grade 12, I just did it in 11.33 years.   But in any event, if an employer is going to give me static over high school when I have three (two verified by Naric) additional degrees, it's not an employer I'd want to work for anyway!