@HMom16 , I hear you!! I too probably chose wrong! I think that most kids in high school and college spend some time “trying on” personae. I tend to think that we are hard-wired as social animals to try to find a way to fit in and conform at least enough to be a part of a social group. – our ancestors had to get along with the others in the cave! It actually takes a lot of intention for an environment to allow kids to do that not with the goal of fitting in but to determine who they really are. It can be a rough process, and many environments do not make it easier.
@gardentstategal …I hear you…25+ years ago, DH and I both taught courses at NYC schools. We both observed students (usually a group of 4 or 5) who would come to class each week (or twice weekly) with different colored hair. It was fun to watch the students grow/change throughout the year. Back then there was a famous barber shop at Astor Place that would do creative hair cuts. Sometimes the students would arrive to class with new piercings…nothing as drastic, however, as watching the evolution of one of Washington Square’s “wannabe” students, Billy Idol, hanging out on “campus”…It was fun back then when NYU had more of an “edge” back in the late 1980’s-early 90’s. :-B
Read the NY Post this AM during the World Cup half-time and saw the article on NYC prep school Headmaster earnings. A brief summary of compensation includes salary and bonuses…maybe housing allowance…at the top are Packer Collegiate, Horace Mann, Trinity School, Riverdale Country Day, Collegiate & NBS. Some of the schools have very large student enrollments. There is also a good article on private donors supporting NYC charter schools.
Go see “Sorry to Bother You”. And don’t read too much about it beforehand.
Did you see these two “Waters of March”…
Has anyone here seen the “8th grade” movie? :)]
@granny2: Thanks for sharing those links…what a contrast in presentation! While I appreciated Ms. Monheit’s vocal fireworks and her interpretation, I found her facial expressions distracting. Surprised that the audience didn’t explode after her performance…but then again, it was the Rainbow Room, so perhaps a little more subdued. I loved the Jobim solo version…and was not surprised the crown went wild. Thanks again for sharing.
@Golfgr8: Have not. I’m interested in seeing it, but I think that’s one I’ll see without the kids so as not to make ANY of us uncomfortable. Did you see it? Feel free to PM to share your POV on it.
My daughter headed out from Boston this morning to Boise, ID to visit her former room mate, so I looked at the weather report.
“Light smoke!” Sounds like another rough wildfire season.
@Golfgr8 , want to see it! A friend who reviews films for a living was really positive. Saw it with his kids (one college, one high school ) and they were equally enthusiastic. That piqued my curiosity!
@gardenstategal - DH and I saw it yesterday. We are glad that we previewed it before taking Golfkiddo. It is a brilliantly crafted film. There are comedic moments, but also very poignant moments. Most realistic depiction we have seen in film of the “agita” of middle school. Liked how the actors were actually middle school kids or early high school age at the time of filming. There are a couple of scenes that would have been awkward for our kid to watch with DH sitting there. However, the film provides an excellent platform for discussion of relevant issues including impact of social media on self worth, inter-generational and intramural-generational communication, anxiety, sexuality and values. There is one scene that I believe was particularly relevant for our kids that relates to threat of school violence and normalization of it. I think the film is rated “R”.
@Golfgr8 Waiting for my kid to return from the East Coast so we can see it together! I hear it is great!
Like all people past a certain age, I am prone to repeating myself. So forgive me if I’ve mentioned the Clifford Brown “With Strings” album. I don’t care if you’re a parent, a grandparent, or a student just about to head off to their freshman year of boarding school or college or whatever. Go find it and listen to it. Especially “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”. To my ears, it’s the definitive version of the song. Simply gorgeous.
Here, I’ll make it easy for you:
https://youtu.be/Wc8x1DGSWzk
ChoatieKid is just about to start his senior year of COLLEGE! I cannot believe that we are already starting to prepare for next year’s graduation. Where did the time go? Where? Is this how fast the rest of my life will fly? Why is CC still a daily habit? Why these random tears? I must be getting sentimental in my old age.
Hi everyone - I hear from my golf sources up in CT, MA, and NH that this is a very busy tick season. A friend who works up in the Great Barrington area says he has not seen it this bad in years. Please remember to pack the spray (the kind for deep woods)…Coat both yourself and your clothes when out on the fields - it will take a good frost to zap these critters. :bz
And West Nile as well.
Yes, ticks are very bad here. Tuck your pants into your socks, wear Deep Woods Off, do a tick check after being outside, especially in wooded or overgrown areas. Frost doesn’t kill ticks. unfortunately. They are hardy buggers.
We need a new button: “Helpful but frightening”
I’m far more familiar with ticks than I’d like to be, and I’ll offer two pieces of advice: 1. Make tick checks a part of the daily routine, especially if your kid spends any time outdoors. DS does a quick check when he comes in from practice and a thorough check before bed. Make sure your child understands how tiny they are, and what to do if they do find a tick already attached. 2. Treat shoes and clothes with permethrin. DS’s running shoes, running socks and tights are all treated, AND he uses either picaridan lotion or DEET spray on exposed skin. And use common sense! Stay in the middle of a path versus frolicking through the tall grass on the sides, and don’t jump into that pile of leaves.
NEJM had a recent article about tick borne illnesses - it’s a sobering read: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1807870
For those looking for more information, this is a very thorough document: http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/bulletins/b1010.pdf
Oh no! ChoatieDad and I had coffee and a delicious pastry in a little shop in Great Barrington on Thursday and did not check for ticks. I’m checking now… …All good. (ChoatieDad may take little longer due to fur.)
Usually, we’re just trying to avoid scorpions and rattlesnakes. Now ticks. 
We stopped by Choate on our way from NY to RI today and took some pics of the new buildings to share with ChoatieLT. Man, that campus has changed since he graduated! The new student center and the soon-to-be-completed performing arts addition to the PMAC are incredible. Just too bad ChoatieKid didn’t get to experience them. All you new Choaties/families are so fortunate.