<p>Wow! I was traveling for most of the week and I am pages and pages behind.</p>
<p>D didn’t attempt to get info about any of her professors -I’m not sure she even knows that such “data” exists and I didn’t say anything to her because I always assume the feedback is skewed one way or the other. If she knew kids who had those professors and she knew enough about the students to understand how they would “rate” then it could be helpful. That’s the kind of feedback you can get once you are on campus and meet other students. In the meantime, our fingers are crossed for first semester!</p>
<p>On a personal note, my sister’s MIL of 30+ years passed away unexpectedly this week and it has really hit me hard. She welcomed me into her familiy along with my sister decades ago and in many ways felt like another parent to me.</p>
<p>Still no AP scores here in NW Pennsylvania. Went shopping with s1 yesterday and although I’m sure I saw this mentioned on another thread, I am disappointed at the lack of dorm items for guys. Lots of pretty stuff for girls, but nothing other than solid colors for guys! It would just be nice to find something cool and interesting for s1’s room.</p>
<p>Proudmom, so sorry to hear about your loss.</p>
<p>Proudmom: I’m sorry to hear about your sister’s MIL. She sounds like a lovely woman.</p>
<p>Arisamp: I’m glad that you heard from your D and that things are going so well. I’ve found that when kids are away no news is usually good news. It’s touch on us, however.</p>
<p>Emmybet: Sorry about the disapointing scores, but it sounds like your D has already bounced back. We still haven’t gotten D’s scores. She’s pretty pragmatic, and isn’t too worried since they won’t affect her schedule or requirements.</p>
<p>proudmom - I’m so very sorry for your loss. A welcoming in-law is a blessing of unimaginable proportion. I hope you will find peace in the memories you share with your SIL. Sending warm hugs your way.</p>
<p>For anyone that has a mortgage with Wells Fargo, they have a credit card that offers 1% cash back to the balance of your principle. We hold one credit card and never carry a balance. We don’t fly so airline miles are not really of value to us. We get some cash back on our current card but we really don’t maximize what we run through the account. If we put groceries and gas alone on another card that goes directly to the principle it could add up over a while…and it is certainly money we don’t have now!</p>
<p>ST - Ig Nobel looks very cool. It is actually on the night of the first day of RH. DS will probably observe the night before (RH eve) and that day (RH day), but not the 2nd nite. I’ll let him know about it. Many thanks.</p>
<p>Finally got my Shingles vaccine now that it has been approved for those under 60. What a relief!</p>
<p>AP scores finally crawled their way to Florida. DS was happy altho it doesn’t count. He just wanted to sharpen his programming skills. Hugs to those who aren’t happy with their scores.</p>
<p>The only reason I found dormco several pages ago was that an email came for kiddo re bedding from the “U” and then we got mail saying the email was not from the U…
hmm
I think there are some entreprenuers in CT :)</p>
<p>Spoke to kiddo after sending an email and FB message that the scores came in–figured the only way I’d hear kiddo’s voice until Aug…so I held 'em for ransom…hehehhe
kiddo is fine with scores since U doesn’t do much–
Too bad really because it would be nice to get rid of some liberal arts distributions…
oh well…</p>
<p>Hugs to all not happy with scores. </p>
<p>OTOH…that is what college is for–and so I suppose really making use of those 4 years is what its about…so chin up…
Frankly I have never been convinced that these 13-17 yr olds are really doing “college level work” and wonder what that says about our high schools and colleges…
Maybe we in the US really need to re-think our academic system…kwim</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the kind words. I realize that many of you are dealing with losses of your own or significant health problems and I am grateful for the support. </p>
<p>On the subject of spending money, DD2 has been pretty responsible this summer. She buys the occasional movie and visits her favorite Starbucks pretty regularly but is making good money and socking most of it away with the cash she received for graduation. She has plans to go to London for a mini summer session at the end of sophomore year and there is a gap of several thousand dollars between the cost and the scholarships offered by the school and honors program. She is hoping to save some $ from this summer and work next summer so she can help pay for the trip. </p>
<p>AK - good luck on your interview! And, if you find an outift that makes you look 10 years younger and 10 pounds lighter, please share with the class…</p>
<p>We’ve done a lot of our shopping and are now waiting for the local Container Store dorm night next week to buy the last large item. As for dry erase board, we found one @ Staples - 1/2 cork and 1/2 dry erase - can’t remember the exact price but it was not expensive.</p>
<p>I’m wondering… are there any parents on this thread whose S or D is NOT attending the HP premiere tonight? I thought I was going to be out of town so had previously given up my ticket to one of D’s friends. I got home early but am out of luck so will have to see it later this weekend.</p>
<p>arisamp: [Dorm</a> Co - College Dorm Supplies, Dorm Bedding, College Trunks, Dorm Furniture, College Posters, Twin XL Bedding, Twin XL Sheets, College Dorm Essentials, Dorm Room Rugs, Twin XL Comforter, College Bedding, Dorm Stuff, Dorm Decor and Cheap College Dor](<a href=“http://www.dormco.com%5DDorm”>http://www.dormco.com)</p>
<p>I think that it was someone on another thread that lives around the Buffalo, NY area; it is local to them…</p>
<p>edit: I posted before I read the last page of the thread w fogfog’s post</p>
<p>No HP premiere here; tickets are all sold out (and the kindala both have to get up bright and early for work tomorrow)…they’ll see it another time…</p>
<p>re: container store college night: someone I know attended in Cherry HIll NJ last week; said it looked like the Filene’s Basement wedding dress sale; given that you can get 10% off by creating an account online (and the college night is 20%), I might give up my extra 10% to save my sanity…I do not do well with crowds…</p>
<p>fogfog, The things that tend to go is just bedding and maybe a mini-fridge. I asked my son what color he wanted as a courtesy, but I thought he probably wanted blue so I got him a blue comforter and blue sheets. I think the item he really wants is a desk chair and probably the only thing he would want to pick out. I would get the bedding if you can guess (or ask) him the color.</p>
<p>My youngest son (the rising college freshman!) went to see HP with some friends. We watched (him for the 2nd time) part one this afternoon. It felt very decadent watching a movie in the middle of the day with the sun shining outside! I’ll watch it in a couple of weeks with a few of my friends when our husbands are gone for a golf weekend.</p>
<p>Neither of our teens are attending HP this evening…</p>
<p>We haven’t read or seen any of the movies!!</p>
<p>Frankly when I saw someone abbreviate with HP–since college shopping is on my rain I was thinking HewlettPackard…not Harry Potter!!</p>
<p>Had it been a year ago I would have thought HYP… ;)</p>
<p>We didn’t do the Pokemon thing either… we were living overseas during Pokemon and my jids had no clue what it was–and when people explained it to us/them - it sounded lame…</p>
<p>As for HP–we were overseas again and just had too many other things to read/do…and never bothered…</p>
<p>proudmomof2 - I’m so sorry for your family’s loss. (((hugs))) </p>
<p>In my travels today, I was at Marshall’s (aka TJMaxx/aka HomeGoods) and they had a TON of the boy bed sets that I was looking for these past weeks. And - best part was, the boy stuff was actually more represented than the girls for the first time. Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, good stuff. Might last a full four yrs.</p>
<p>ds is at HP but the rest of us are like Rodney, we fear crowds! Must be a jersey thing?</p>
<p>DS is heading out to see Harry Potter with some buddies from band tonight…but first they’re gathering to put together their costumes. DS does <em>not</em> wear costumes, but his former section leader is a girl of extremely strong will so he’s consented to wear a costume. However, it’s a t-shirt with an iron-on that says “Not A Wizard” so I think he’s going to pay dearly when she sees it.</p>
<p>proudmom - sorry about your loss. Your sisters MIL sounds like she was a gem of a person. </p>
<p>H is finally trying to book 1st semesters flights to and from school. He almost fell off his chair when he saw the cost to fly at Thanksgiving. :eek: And as we look at the schedule closer it ends up he gets a mini vaca in Oct. Never heard of that. Dorms stay open so we are holding off on booking him a flight back home then. If he wants to come home as the time nears we should be able to book an Oct trip at the last minute.</p>
<p>fogfog really, you haven’t read or seen any of the HP stories? How… unusual :)</p>
<p>S1 is working at overnight camp so he’s going Saturday night, which will be his first night off after it starts. S2 and S3 are <em>at</em> overnight camp and won’t see it until the come home late next week. H and I will probably go see a matinee tomorrow (this being a small town, you don’t buy tix in advance, you just show up ;-)</p>
<p>No HP here. I too thought you were asking about Hewlett Packard. I have not seen any movies or read any books. DS only read one that was required for school.</p>
<p>Proudmom: I’m so sorry for your family’s loss.</p>
<p>AmandaK: Good luck at the interview! Picture all of us cheering you on! And do pass along any clothing designs that subtract 10 years and 10 pounds.</p>
<p>fogfog: Count our household among those to fall for the “lame” Pokemon cards. I’m still finding stacks of those cards stashed in drawers. I thing the “addiction” here was fed by my husband. At the time that those were popular, he was traveling a lot and found them an easy thing to pick up at airports and stash in his briefcase as a little treat for the guys. HP fans here, too, though my guys won’t see it until the weekend.</p>
<p>ShawSon is an immense fantasy novel fan since we read him the Narnia series at age 3 and 4, The Hobbit in kindergarten and the entire Lord of the Rings Series in first grade. He even has co-authored a fantasy novel, but he has concluded that he has to move on and will let his coauthor finish it (six full drafts written, but more work apparently needed). We used to do the midnight Harry Potter book purchases, but in a sign of the times, ShawSon decided he was bored in our lovely little exurb/suburb and drove to a casino (he’s now 21) and as usual, made some money playing poker. </p>
<p>ShawD was never drawn that strongly to the HP world. </p>
<p>Good luck with the job interview AK.</p>
<p>We’ve done no purchasing yet as ShawD is away until August 1 and then we’re going away with her. But, she won’t know until early August what kind of room she gets (which may affect bed length), maybe Canadian stocks on sheets will not have run out. If not, sleeping bag?</p>
<p>Hope everyone enjoyed their HP fix… Had our family read the books in order and seen the movies etc I suppose it might make a bigger wave here.
I suppose for these kids its akin to the Star Wars fans of years ago…
My DH and kids are Lord of the Rings fans.
And we all liked Chronicles of Narnia. My youngest read the entire series around age 9/10</p>
<p>Ohio–too funny. Close friends of ours had a alot of Pokemon too–the dad would buy them on business trips so their boys had tons. I suspect a check in the drawers would find stacks today…though the kids are post college and one recently finished hs. :)</p>
<p>On the
Whats for dinner" front…last night we did chicken under a brick on the grill. Pretty amazing how great it turns out…I figured it was a gimmick–yet the thing cooked evenly, was tasty and skin was crispy not charred. </p>