<p>G#, at least I can only mark your post as helpful once. Do you get notification? I wonder what happens if I mark my own post as helpful or like it. [EDIT it doesn’t let me like or mark my own posts as helpful! boo hiss!!] You can tell I am in software as I play with this new bboard system. I uploaded a picture (which is NOT me) and got errors, but it seems to have finally stuck. When I get around to it, I have another one which I am looking forward to putting up.</p>
<p>D2 is planning a coop and hence 5 year. D1 is on track for graduation and then is probably heading to grad school. She has one acceptance in but no word on funding yet, which she will need as the parent contributions will be over. She may eventually be interested in teaching, giving you a big thumbs up PMK as I understand how tough but valuable a job it is.</p>
<p>Checking in, getting use to new changes ( i hate change Lol). Re college news DD is waiting to hear on job after interviewing and has received several grad school acceptances. She has 5 more schools to hear from but I think if she gets a job offer she will take it. Such a time of decisions. As for me I am sick of this winter weather as I drive in it all day, spring can’t come soon enough. Stay warm all.</p>
<p>Coffee for a Friday morning. It’s magic coffee (a la Mary Poppins), so you can pick your flavor. OK, don’t know quite what got into me there. I am looking forward to the weekend. This week has seemed extra long. S will be heading off to an ultimate tournament later today, so I suppose I will spend my weekend monitoring twitter feeds. And attending my great-nephew’s 5th birthday party. Sounds like a pretty good weekend to me. Happy Friday.</p>
<p>Happy Friday! Thanks for the coffee @aliceinw !! We finally got winter here in Southern California (low 60’s a bit of rain). Still not close to what you all are going through, but enough for us to appreciate the sun when it comes back (and hopefully alleviate some of our drought). No college news, except my freshman, who last semester seemed to do nothing but pledge his fraternity, seems to be branching out nicely this semester. </p>
<p>Low 60’s I’ll take, and good to see SoCal getting some moisture. S1 headed off to Atlantic city for Senior Weekend - called to ask if he could charge $100 bucks on amex for a room- yuk, hope thats just his share, otherwise thats not much of a room! S2 signed up for JMU class of 2018 FB page - we go for admitted students day 2/17. Enjoy the birthday party Aliceinw! </p>
<p>Yet again, I am posting from my hotel instead of an airport… no going home again this weekend! I’ll look for you in the lobby for breakfast. Speaking of which… Alice, it’s past time to go home and get started on Twitter and birthday parties. ;)</p>
<p>
===== Hero of the Week ====. It sounds like you have much about which to be thankful and proud!</p>
<p>Tx5 – Let me know when S2 figures out what to do with his life, so I can pass the tips on to D2. ;)</p>
<p>Coskat – How’s that adjustment to change thing going? It’s great to hear that your DD has options… hopefully one of which will be a job offer. I think that D2 wants to work for a while to take a “break” from school.</p>
<p>
==== Quote of the Week ====
It sounds like your whole family also has much about which to be proud!
Re: Lord Byron – You’ll do great. The literary “kids” will naturally love him and you can bring on the math / computer geek kids by mentioning that the Ada programming language was named for his daughter, Ada Lovelace, who worked with Charles Babbage on the Analytical Engine. She is sometimes considered the world’s first computer programmer.</p>
<p>Jackief – I received no notification that you inadvertently marked a post of mine as helpful. The bboard software is probably smart enough to know that is not possible. Don’t tell anyone, but my picture is not the real me either. ;)</p>
<p>OK, I need some help. Let’s pretend that a certain member of this group lost a Super Bowl bet with his DW and must pay an unimaginable price. Oh, it’s worse than you can imagine… I am now subject to participate in a “Couple’s Massage” at the Spa, ugh! Is there a graceful way out of this or am I doomed to a “Day of Misery.” ;)</p>
<p>In wedding news, DW and D1 made me go into the Bridal Scam (I mean, Dress) Shop to see D1 in her dress. I lovingly refer to it as “The Day of Dress Altercations.” Do you know how much those altercations cost? I’m in the wrong business! Out of the goodness of my heart, I paid for them. D1 and the dress looked very nice, but the whole place was just creepy to me and DW said that I looked really uncomfortable. D1 had to try on everything with the dress including the shoes, belt, headpiece, and “bling” at which point I anointed her “Princess Sparkle Monkey.” You can imagine how well that was received. Oh well, score 1 for DW… D1 admitted that she was right about changing her hair color back to its natural blonde for the wedding. Score 2 for me with what I thought were snarky ideas that both DW and D1 liked… 1) small battery operated LEDs in the bouquet… they nixed the tacky color changing idea though. 2) The wedding is Easter weekend and is at an outdoor venue, so I suggested an Easter Egg hunt with wedding themed prizes in the eggs immediately after the ceremony while pictures are being taken (it’ll kill time and keep people from getting bored)… they nixed the part where I suggested that my sister-in-law dress as a crazed rabbit and ride around on a broom though. ;)</p>
<p>In college news, D2 awoke to a “blizzard” to start her final semester. I received a message that “University Offices are closed, but students have classes.” We have watched D2 cheering at a couple of games this week, but other than that not much “contact.”</p>
<p>S1 sent a text at 11:30 last night - “Mamaw would be proud - I broke a slot machine” Second text shortly behind that “I am now surrounded by casino employees” @-) His mamaw is a…(hmmm, what’s more polite than “obsessive”?)…gambler, so we are hoping that means he meant he hit it big. I don’t want to think of the alternative! </p>
<p>Good morning, Coffee is on, as are the steel cut oats - can’t make those in a kureig. I’m procrastinating - don’t want to go out and shovel snow in single digit weather. </p>
<p>ILfamily luck - S1 did actually break a slot machine, or more acurately (according to him) it broke while he was playing it. The casino staff gave him credit for the money he had in the machine, so we won’t be retiring to someplace warm any time soon. . </p>
<p>G# sorry you are not posting from the airport, or something like that. Still excited for your wedding plans!</p>
<p>We are home from a quick trip south to see DS dance in his second ballroom competition. it was fun. He did LOTS better that the first one, looked lots more comfortable. He TA’d the three ballroom classes, so probably had lots more practice, too. </p>
<p>We agree that we are impatient to hear any grad school application status changes, yes? WHEN WHEN WHEN?</p>
<p>G# - sorry you did not get to go home on Friday. I did manage to go home at a reasonable time, and actually did not have to work this weekend. What a pleasure. Great-nephew’s birthday party was a success, complete with treasure hunt and pinata - and a chance to visit with H’s extended family.</p>
<p>Not much news around here. I am hoping that S got home safely this AM after the red eye flight back to MSP from LAX, returning from a frisbee tournament. I’m going with the no news is good news, although he was supposed to text or email.</p>
<p>Happy Monday, and good luck with the grad school apps!</p>
<p>Hooray! S got his first law school acceptance last week. It was from a safety, the least selective of the schools that he applied to, ranked in the USNWR mid-20s. And he is still waiting to hear about merit aid. And I wish he had submitted his applications months earlier than he did. </p>
<p>I was much more involved in his college application process 4 years ago. I have forced myself to mostly stay out the law school application process. But I’m eagerly awaiting news on the outcomes of his other applications. </p>
<p>The number of law school applicants continues to drop, for each of the last several years. I guess students are finally figuring out that it is really tough to get legal jobs after law school, and isn’t really the best choice for someone who doesn’t know what else to do after graduating with a degree in the humanities or social sciences. S has wanted to go to law school for many years, and never really seriously considered anything else. </p>
<p>So, I’m excited for him that he is a step closer to that long held goal. </p>
<p>Congrats to Sacchi’s S, and good luck with the rest!</p>
<p>GSharp - we are all going to want to see pictures of this wedding, so start thinking about how that’s going to happen! :)</p>
<p>Eso - yay for seeing your S dance!</p>
<p>Spoke to D while I was driving home from work. She was working on her thesis, so she was probably happy for the break. I called her because I wanted to know whether she got to see Neil Patrick Harris while he was on campus, but then I forgot to ask! I’m guessing she didn’t see him because if she had, she probably would have mentioned it.</p>
<p>S has a new project at work. The old one was giving him fits, so he’s happy. It was R&D for P&G (contracted out to his company), and I guess they’ve given up on it for now. </p>
<p>A really bad winter storm is predicted for Va. along I-95…I am aware of this b/c SIL is there now interviewing for a job. He has been in the country for 3 weeks now, interviewing, and seems to be dragging winter weather along with him everywhere he flies! Sorry about that…Stay safe, everyone!</p>
<p>I will say that the new bboard software is better at figuring out my last visit spot in the thread, not just based on last time I visited cc (either of which is that frequent these days) Plus as I type this I noticed the “save draft” flicker so I guess we might have fewer lost posts.</p>
<p>And I “liked” sacchi’s post, and marked G#'s as helpful again (ha ha ha) but if people don’t get notifications, I’m not sure I see the point.</p>
<p>Good Morning! Happy Valentines Day! My sister and I took my mom to the UCLA basketball game and brought S2 back home with us. He is visiting the dentist first thing this morning and then going down to visit his GF for Valentine’s Day. This is really his first girlfriend and therefore first Valentine’s Day with a girlfriend. He was very sweet and asked me what DH and I did our first Valentine’s Day. Sadly I have no idea. </p>
<p>Congratulations to Sacchi’ son!! Woo hoo!! </p>
It’s great to hear that your DD has options… hopefully one of which will be a job offer. I think that D2 wants to work for a while to take a “break” from school.</p>
Second text shortly behind that “I am now surrounded by casino employees” @-) His mamaw is a…(hmmm, what’s more polite than “obsessive”?)…gambler, so we are hoping that means he meant he hit it big. I don’t want to think of the alternative! </p>