<p>Tonight was fruitful; ds spent some time on the computer scouting out locations of stores near our hotel that weren’t in the Mall of America. He also shopped online (didn’t buy) for various things he’ll need, like cleats, etc. Target, BB&B, Academy and Dick’s Sporting Goods all close by, so we’re set. We also pretty much finalized his list of stuff to bring. My job is to divide it into what wehave and what needs to be bought and where – here or there.</p>
<p>Adding my son’s departure. Now if I can only figure out where everyone’s S/D is going. Where’s that nifty list?</p>
<p>8/07 AL34
8/08 RobD
8/11 somewhereinga
8/12 CaliforniaDancer
8/12 parent56
8/12 jc40
8/13 twinmama D1
8/14 MomLive
8/10 austinmtmom
8/16 MaineLonghorn
8/17 Swtcat
8/17 CheckersMidwest
8/18 archiemom
8/18 Footballmom104
8/18 PAVenturer (FDOC 8/23)
8/19 LIMOMOF2
8/19 mpabon
8/19 DougBetsy
8/19 Bubbe (GS)
8/19 BlessedTwice
8/19 mdemvizi (move-in) (FDOC 8/25)
8/20 anothercrazymom
8/20 veewhitty
8/21 2education
8/21 ShillyShally
8/21 1sokkermom
8/21 BUandBC82
8/22 boiledegg
8/22 bengalmom
8/23 psychmom
8/24 momof3sons S2
8/25 bclintonk
8/25 vballmom S2
8/26 coskat
8/26 limabeans’s S
8/26 Pengo
8/26 PAO2008’s D
8/27 showmom858
8/27 Lafalum84’s D
8/28 twinmama D2
8/28 zoosermom
8/28 astromom
8/28 Booklady
8/30 teenage_cliche
8/30 Sailorette
8/30 mablab
8/30 intouch1520
9/01 momof2inma
9/01 CountingDown
9/01 kindredspirit
9/01 missemily516
9/01 sewemma S
9/02 hopeful2014 S
9/04 GSharpM7
9/04 robinsuesanders S
9/07 aliceinw
9/13 lilmom
9/13 momof3sons S3
9/14 FindAPlace
9/14 psychmomma
9/17 jackief
9/17 artloversplus
9/17 PayFor
9/18 PaperChasePop esobayS (move in)
9/18 motherbear332
9/22 esobay S (classes start)</p>
<p>Hi, everyone! Just dropping by again because I was hoping to bounce a last minute schedule issue off of everyone (I register tomorrow at 6 am my time). It would be great to hear your opinions - it’s not super serious, but I would love to hear any thoughts! </p>
<p>Background info - as I may have mentioned earlier, I am interested in continuing with Chinese in college, but the only way to receive placement is to do an oral interview during orientation. My advisor has said I should sign up for a full load of classes, and then I can add/drop classes to put in Chinese when I get there, if I so desire. I am also contending with a required English class that I must finish by the end of freshman year. At least this semester, I can only fit one - Chinese or English. So here are the two options: </p>
<p>Schedule One: This schedule basically assumes that I’m taking English and not bothering with Chinese. I start at 8:30 MWF and 10:30 T/Th. My engineering lab is on Tuesday, which I really, really prefer. My free time is also in one large chunk, rather than lots of smaller sections, which works really well for me. The problem is that if I tried to put Chinese into this schedule, I would have to rearrange other classes like physics, and there’s no guarantee I could do that. But I feel like I would be very happy with this schedule, assuming I take English. </p>
<p>Schedule Two: This schedule basically assumes that I will take Chinese, and if I do take Chinese, it would work out really well. The problem is that I may not end up taking Chinese - I might not be able to get the class, I might place into a class not offered this semester, etc. And if I don’t take Chinese, this schedule isn’t as great - I start at 8:30 MWF and 9:30 T/Th, my free time is in smaller sections, my really long lab is on Thursday - but those are all little things; there’s no BIG issue. The nice thing is that if I am able to schedule the Chinese class, I don’t have to rearrange anything, just drop English and add Chinese. No worries about trying to switch other classes. </p>
<p>Should I just sign up for the second schedule and deal with the small inconveniences if I don’t end up taking Chinese, or else, if I am able to take Chinese, have a very smooth transition? Or should I go with the first schedule that I really like? </p>
<p>I didn’t want to create a whole thread on this issue because it’s not that big a deal, but like I said, if anyone has thoughts, let me know! (Sorry that was so long :o)</p>
<p>caldancer</p>
<p>I have a suggestion. I think you will do better without Chinese. If you want to learn Chinese, take an internship during the summer and go teach English in China or Taiwan. You will learn Chinese much faster that way.</p>
<p>CD - it sounds like the first schedule works just as well for you and is a lot less of a hassle. Could you take Chinese your second semester without having taken it your first semester? Or are you worried that you’ll forget a lot of your knowledge if you don’t take it first semester? Those are the only two reasons I would say to take the second one.</p>
<p>Stopped by Blockbuster with my dad to pick up a week’s worth of movies to watch at our cabin in NH. :)</p>
<p>artloverplus - thank you for the suggestion; since I have actually already been studying Chinese in high school, and would really like to keep it up - hence the desire to continue with it in college! </p>
<p>t_c: That is exactly what I’m worried about! I’m afraid that I’ll forget it (my biggest worry), and I’m also not 100% sure they offer the class I’m most likely to place into second semester (though I’d have to double check). But a semester isn’t too long, and I’ve retained Spanish pretty well since I stopped with that…which is why your reasoning definitely makes sense to me. In any case, thanks so much for your opinion!</p>
<p>CaliD, I don’t know how far along you are with the Chinese, but are you worried about taking (at least) a semester off?</p>
<p>Cross-posted.</p>
<p>
If nothing else, CC has taught me that reach and safety are relative terms and have little to no real meaning. Maybe the terms should have their definitions completely altered… now that would mess up CC. Reach = college that is outside the student’s comfort level in terms of programs offered and Safety is more in the box. For example, The Einstein’s son, Albert, is applying to his ‘reach’ school… The University of Being Able to Relate to People and Vocal Performance. Similarly, The Winehouse’s daughter, Amy, is applying to her ‘reach’ school… The Helsinki Institute for Advanced Physics and Hippopotamus Studies. (OK, maybe this one is plausible if she is a Chemistry or Abnormal Behavior major). :)</p>
<p>limabeans here’s the nifty list.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065327393-post2671.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1065327393-post2671.html</a></p>
<p>I have spent the whole weekend comparing Benefits Summaries, insurance costs, etc. and have had about enough. The job picture is becoming clearer and I want to be ready to make a switch. Nothing like potentially changing jobs, insurance, etc. after college already has the paperwork.</p>
<p>D2 is going to Washington, DC for a few days this week, so I did get Amtrak tickets taken care of. I guess most people know this already, but Amtrak offers 15% discounts for HS and College students through its Student Advantage program.</p>
<p>[Amtrak</a> Student Discount](<a href=“http://www.studentadvantage.com/content/?id=478]Amtrak”>http://www.studentadvantage.com/content/?id=478)</p>
<p>Had kind of a fun evening helping D2 try to figure out what classes to take for the coming year (or so). She described it as a giant logic puzzle without the answer in the back of the book. </p>
<p>Since I will be home tomorrow, I informed D2 that we are going out to take care of her banking to get ready to go to college. Our bank does not have a branch near the college, so we are opening a new account for D2. Does :rolleyes: mean Wow, I can’t wait to get up tomorrow and drive around to a couple of banks with you, Dad? :)</p>
<p>artloversplus the Renegade Fair sounds like it would have been fun - I love good-quality crafts. The American Craft Council holds an annual fair at Fort Mason and the workmanship of the crafts displayed is incredible. I think I missed where your son/daughter is going?</p>
<p>Whew, I’m back from Otakon 2010 (Google it, crazy stuff ;)) and just now catching up on the loooong backlog…</p>
<p>I’ve moved around a lot throughout childhood–not as much as a military brat, not nearly, but enough to make a difference. I have emotional ties to one place, ancestral ties to another, and physical “I spent X years here” ties to a third. Three different countries, in fact. It makes, “So where are you from?” a difficult question to answer. That said, I do believe that the situation is different if you move after grade school is done and the kid’s off to college… by then, their childhood is over (yes, really).</p>
<p>I leave for college on August 19th, for pre-orientation. And I won’t find out about roommate/dorm assignments until Wednesday, exactly two weeks before my last day “at home.”</p>
<p>On computers–I was originally planning to take my $400 cheapo Dell laptop to college. I changed my mind because it’s very heavy, almost a pound heavier than the new laptop that I bought, but it still operates very quickly and has had no technical issues aside from a corrupted RAM card a while back (they mailed us a replacement card). I have probably had the laptop for 3 years at least, and our family’s laptop usage trends toward 6 years… Admittedly, towards Y4+ the speed decreases noticeably. We have been a laptop-only family for a long time now, although most of the laptops are stationary.</p>
<p>All these cat stories are making me sad… I want a cat! I’m not a pet person, but cats are the one big exception. Alas, my dad isn’t a pet person AT ALL and refuses to budge. So in the Otakon Dealers Room, I splurged on the softest, most adorable stuffed animal I have ever seen: <a href=“http://www.squishable.com/pc/squish_narwhal_15/Big_Animals/Big+Squishable+Narwhal[/url]”>http://www.squishable.com/pc/squish_narwhal_15/Big_Animals/Big+Squishable+Narwhal</a>
Her name is Nora, Nora the narwhal. <333</p>
<p>CaliD, I plan to continue French in college and I do think that the continuity of learning a foreign language, even at intermediate level, is very important. Therefore, I vote for Schedule 2 because the inconveniences are minor and it sounds like Chinese is pretty important to you (as French is to me).</p>
<p>The Send-Off List, with some reorganization:</p>
<p>8/07 AL34
8/08 RobD
8/10 austinmtmom
8/11 somewhereinga
8/12 CaliforniaDancer, jc40, parent56
8/13 twinmama’s D1
8/14 MomLive
8/16 MaineLonghorn
8/17 CheckersMidwest, Swtcat
8/18 archiemom, Footballmom104, PAVenturer (FDOC 8/23)
8/19 BlessedTwice, Bubbe’s GS, DougBetsy, Keilexandra (FDOC 8/30), LIMOMOF2, mdemvizi (move-in, FDOC 8/25), mpabon
8/20 anothercrazymom, veewhitty
8/21 1sokkermom, 2education, BUandBC82, ShillyShally
8/22 BengalMom, boiledegg
8/23 psychmom
8/24 momof3sons’s S2
8/25 bclintonk, vballmom’s S2
8/26 coskat, limabeans’s S, PAO2008’s D, Pengo
8/27 Lafalum84’s D, showmom858
8/28 astromom, Booklady, twinmama’s D2, zoosermom
8/30 mablab, intouch1520, Sailorette, teenage_cliche
9/01 CountingDown, kindredspirit, missemily516, momof2inma, sewemma’s S
9/02 hopeful2014’s S
9/04 GSharpM7, robinsuesanders’s S
9/07 aliceinw
9/13 lilmom, momof3sons’s S3
9/14 FindAPlace, psychmomma
9/17 artloversplus, jackief, PayFor
9/18 esobay’s S (move in, FDOC 9/22), motherbear332, PaperChaserPop</p>
<p>CaliforniaDancer: I say go for schedule two. Continuation of classes is always very important especially if you want to continue with it… I am having an issue also with my language class so I am hoping to arrange my schedule around before I get to Ithaca.</p>
<p>Keilexandra: That narwhal is so cute and big, haha. Is it going to your dorm with you?</p>
<p>Had a lovely family dinner tonight with most of my family. We were celebrating four things: me going off to college, my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary, my uncle retiring, and one of my aunt’s birthday. My aunt and uncle are planing to come up to Ithaca sometime in October (they are now officially living in their roadtrekie (which is like a van/RV thing). They are just going to drive around the country with no permanent address. Oh my family is weird :)</p>
<p>17 days until I leave 
</p>
<p>^Yep! I even made sure it would coordinate with my green Anthropologie bedspread–my old comforter didn’t fit but my mom said we could just buy a new one to put in it–and seriously, HUGE HUGGABLE (piece of) HEAVEN. So amazing.</p>
<p>vballmom: My DD is lucky enough to be accepted by Uchicago, one of the lucky few who got off the waitlist…71 to be exact…Soooooooo, I am following jackief whereever she goes… :)</p>
<p>caldancer, even if you get in the Chinese class, you should still consider my suggestion. It is never the same when you are in a non-native speaking country learning their language, regardless where you are.</p>
<p>vballmom.
If you are serious about arts and crafts, you should have come to Fort Mason today, the hand crafts look great and lots of them!</p>
<p>Keil - l love the link to the squishables. I think I will order one to send to my D after she arrives at school. Do you know long they take to ship?</p>
<p>Caldancer, if English is a required class you may want to take it right away. Is there a chinese student organization where you can meet native-chinese speakers and practice so you don’t forget?</p>
<p>vballmaom…{{{HUGS}}} to you during this very sad time!</p>
<p>Lafalum…Thanks for the Shutterfly link! It’s SO nice to put some faces to the names. I’ll try to upload a few this week while DH and DS are at the lake.</p>
<p>GSharp…We switched the bank accounts last Friday. Since D won’t have a car, we decided she needed to have an account at the bank that has a branch on campus (Bank of America) so that she won’t be assessed ATM fees. Be prepared to spend some time. Between closing her former one and opening the new one, we spent about 2 full hours. :p</p>
<p>Keil…You’ve led such an exciting life for such a young person! Your travels sound fascinating. You’ve been very fortunate and blessed.</p>
<p>RobD…Welcome home! I know just how you feel. Last Sunday when we opened the garage door, it felt SO good! Of course, on our way home from the airport, we had to stop for “good” Mexican food. D has already decided this will be her first meal request when she’s home on break. Charlottesville simply doesn’t have awesome TexMex that we’ve grown to take for granted.</p>
<p>CD…If foreign language isn’t required, then I’d agree with artloversplus and say go with Option 1 and try to participate in an immersion trip. Perhaps you can go to China abroad your junior year, or better yet, meet up with YDS’s son and his roommate often. 
</p>
<p>P56…I hope your son’s wrist is healing!</p>
<p>YDS…So, what did you think about Inception? I thought about seeing it this week. (I’ve got to cram all my “fun” stuff in this week before starting back to work!)</p>
<p>ACM…Your meals always make my mouth water. I’m so impressed you cook for just yourself. When it’s just me, I typically will grab a salad or take-out Asian. Who am I kidding? Even when family is home, I tend to often grab take out! :D</p>
<p>SWTCAT…You and I’ve had this conversation before, and it makes me laugh when I hear things like that. Tell your neighbor to ask any of the high stat kids at my D’s private school if they think it’s a safety. They’ll laugh! 10% is now 8%…I hope her son really crunches his numbers. You know when people say nasty things like that, I believe it’s to compensate for their own insecurities. They try to elevate and bring attention to themselves (Look at how impressive I am!) when in reality, it simply does just the opposite. I’d keep a little distance this year. </p>
<p>Off to bed everyone! I’ll turn out the lights and set the timer on the coffee for tomorrow morning!</p>
<p>Good morning! Just finished catching up here, and now I have no time to write a real post of my own. </p>
<p>Wishing everyone a Happy Monday!</p>
<p>Happy Monday :D</p>
<p>Jc40- thanks for the coffee.</p>
<p>Swt- I am right there with you…remember ignorance is a bliss…I usually try to kill them with love ;)</p>
<p>Gsharp- thanks for the Amtrak link i was going to take care of that today.</p>
<p>Off to work I go… sending big 
to everyone</p>
<p>Good morning. Nothing to report. I hope everyone has a great day.</p>