<p>Thanks limner--we just talked to him and his friends made him a cake last night, he now has the new cake I ordered for him and they're going to a movie in <em>town</em>. I love how these kids look after each other.</p>
<p>Limner,
"Birthday in a Box" is my own creation. When my oldest celebrated his first birthday away from home I was so upset about it that I wanted to recreate the birthdays of his "youth!" So, I baked a cake, wrapped the layers in saran and foil, included a cardboard cake round covered in foil, a can of frosting, icing gel for writing "Happy Birthday", sprinkles, candles, explicit instructions for "assembling your birthday cake", plates, napkins, hats, forks and, of course, their birthday present. I lined a box with bubble wrap, packed everything in along with some fun confetti and express mailed it to his college. This year for my daughter's 18th I included 17 individually wrapped little gifts and an IOU for a larger gift that I want her to pick out herself when she's home for the holidays. They have loved getting and assembling the cakes, and I have a collection of pictures from their freshman year's birthdays. For second year I send a homemade chocolate chip cookie cake, third year is cupcakes that spell out "Happy Birthday" and senior year gets another "Birthday in a Box". The whole process has become another family tradition!!</p>
<p>All is great with our freshman S at Chapman U, Dodge College of Film, Screenwriting program in Orange County, CA.</p>
<p>THere were a few surprises first quarter, like the big So.Cal fires. He won't get home for T-day but we are flying him up to meet first cousins of ours and their college age kids in San Francisco.</p>
<p>Tonight he's attending the Hollywood premiere of a movie at the Academy Award theater, so it's red carpet time.</p>
<p>He and 2 roommates handle their "tripled double" quarters well, and that squish even saved us some money. Although we didn't hear much from him the first weeks, now that his rhythm is established with classes, he calls out often if he's in the mood to shmooz. </p>
<p>He got completely involved with his courses in non-major disciplines, especially History of Africa and a freshman fundamentals course that focussed on Spanish Colonialism. He found he liked the academics as much as his film major. </p>
<p>Is looking forward to next term when he'll pick up his h.s. Spanish again, in a community where he can actually use it. He'll take Computer Science, a second film history class and an English Lit course. Having survived Filmmaking I "Boot Camp" along with everyone else majoring in Film Production, he's ready in Spring to take his first actual course in Screenwriting. Technically, the brand new Knox building for film production is BETTER than many major film studios, so he gets to play with great toys to edit and produce short films there.</p>
<p>He was excited to hear a visiting speaker from Amherst MA named Aaron Lansky who created the National Yiddish Book Center and was responsible for the largest Jewish book rescue project in history. Basically he intercepted all those cardboard boxes of privately owned Yiddish books being discarded around the country around l970 as a generation died off. Sometimes his people pulled books out of dumpsters, and other great rescue stories. THen he created sets of classic Yiddish books, and shipped each set to a university library around the USA, so future scholars could study this great folk literature in its original language. Lansky's building now is on the campus of Hampshire College in Western Massachusetts. My S loved meeting someone who found a task and devoted his life to it, not much older than he is now. </p>
<p>So Chapman has been a good blend of LAC study and pre-professional introduction to film, exactly as promised. Very satisfying report. He always sounds happy and open-hearted. I'm glad to see his life open up.</p>
<p>Son #2 is almost done with SECOND quarter!!! Yikes. How time flies at WPI with the 7 week terms...</p>
<p>runnersmom,
I'd love the recipe for your choco chip cookie cake.</p>
<p>I can't imagine sending a cake by mail. There's a pie store near my S's campus, and their blueberry pie beats mine.</p>
<p>The chocolate chip cookie cake is actually a giant chocolate chip cookie. It's an entire batch of tollhouse chocolate chip cookie dough that I pat into a pizza pan that has been covered in foil. I bake it like the recipe for bar cookies. Once cooked I cool it, then decorate with royal icing. I then package it between 2 cardboard cake rounds, wrap it in bubble wrap and ship! I know that some bakery in the city of Chicago can provide "better" cakes than mine, but there's just something about getting the same cake you would have gotten at home. And truly, I understand that it's more my mishegos (if you understand yiddish) than what they care about!</p>
<p>Wow, runnersmom, I'm impressed--sending a cake for them to assemble. That may require a level of coordination that neither I or my son possess. :o</p>
<p>But I'll bet I can manage streamers, party hats, presents, and other assorted celebratory accoutrements. Thanks for the tips!</p>