<p>Great stories folks. Now we are ginning.</p>
<p>A+M fish camp was last week. A friend going to Oklahoma Christian went up two days ago for engineering camp.</p>
<p>We head out to Mass. on the 30th; D's best friend moves in to USC tomorrow!
We'll visit USC bestie before we head out.</p>
<p>It's all becoming so "real" now. Every day the huge recyling trash bin is getting more and more full. D is learning to really let go of stuff. It's hard on her, I can see it. And many, "Mom, do you want this?" or "Do you think I should save this?"</p>
<p>Sigh.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>Not a single prof or class section she wanted. She is registered for 11 hours. Signed up for 16 and 11 hours will not keep her scholarship in place - but I'm betting this has happened before. As of now, Freshmen English is all closed as are all the chem labs. <<</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Wow, not getting the classes you wanted/needed is what I associated with Big Impersonal State U, not small, warm & fuzzy LACs. I guess college is college - some things are the same everywhere.</p>
<p>We are doing the whole recycling thing, too. D has given away scads of clothes, softball equipment, tennis stuff ( sports she stopped playing or never played). </p>
<p>We are going to start loading the truck as soon as the temperature drops below a hundred, or as we like to call it "midnight". 106 today but the humidity was just in the 50"s . Not THAT bad.</p>
<p>Coureur:</p>
<p>Being shut out of classes also happened to S1 at LAC. That's the price for keeping classes a manageable size and not having TFs.</p>
<p>coureur, it was just that she didn't get the prof's or class sections she wanted. It was the chem lab and English class that were surprisingly and completely missing. She's already talked to advising today. They said "Don't worry. Happens all the time. We'll fix it when you meet with your advisor. "</p>
<p>don't need know stinkin' english!</p>
<p>I don't get this "pile of stuff" in the living room, weeks ahead of time. Could someone explain to me?</p>
<p>(S throws a few random duffle bags down the stairs as the van is idling in the driveway. He does pack the computer with the five speakers carefullly, though, as we're waiting to pull out.)</p>
<p>sushi -- Yes, D has been in touch with her roommate -- just don't think she has mentioned her need for the door space yet. They are currently trying to decide about floor coverings. D says she knows it's silly to worry about matching much but she also would prefer that the room "not look like crap." I wonder if the kids come back with any new/better vocabulary after the first term... ;-)</p>
<p>Haven't acquired a hand cart yet but will try to do that and figure out just how to get it there. I'm now considering at least one big box to be sent ahead -- the key is timing it correctly so it gets to the residence hall at just the right time... </p>
<p>And given that we haven't ordered the computer yet, I'm very hopeful that the Apple folks will check the conflagration factor on the battery before inserting and sending...</p>
<p>Speaking of burning up computers, anyone else made the modest investment in a laptop cooler (the one with fans that the machine sits on)?</p>
<p>I'm envious of all you with piles growing in the living room. My daughter leaves on the 5th for move-in; the 6th is orientation. I strongly suspect this means that the 4th, Labor Day and her 18th birthday, will be spent in a mad scramble as she finally realizes her favorite clothes are still in the hamper, that there is stuff she still needs to buy, and oh yeah, can she have a few people over for her birthday? I'm hoping this doom and gloom on my part is not prophetic, but as the ultimate list-maker, I can't begin to see that she even has a plan, much less is taking steps to implement it. I was hoping to see piles developing (as opposed to the mounds in her bedroom), because I drive a Kia Specta...cars don't get much smaller than that...and it would be nice to know in advance if I need to swap vehicles with a friend.</p>
<p>On the bright side, although she doesn't register for classes until orientation, her school does have pre-registration so she has "place holders" for all of her classes. Not that she really has that many choices anyway; music majors have so many required classes that her next three years are pretty well defined. But that's one less thing to worry about, and she's started the paper she has to write and turn in on the 8th; for now, I'll assume that she's focusing on that and the "stuff" part will follow.</p>
<p>I'm envious of your stories of stuff, too. I've barely seen my D in the last several weeks- she spends every waking moment with her friends and has hardly thought about the fact that she's moving 2,000 miles away in two short weeks. The kid is leaving Berkeley for Saint Paul and doesn't own a pair of closed toe shoes. She does, however, plan to take all of her tank tops and sandals.</p>
<p>I also find it interesting that some of your kids are actually cleaning out their rooms, deciding what to keep and what to toss. Mine plans to leave her room exactly as it is. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.</p>
<p>Until her friends leave (the first one goes off to USC tonight), I don't imagine I'll be able to get her to focus on packing a thing. I love hearing about your ever growing piles of stuff - it gives me something to look forward to.</p>
<p>KensingtonMom, I laughed when I read about kids cleaning their rooms...I've been fighting that battle unsuccessfully for so long that I know it's not going to miraculously happen now. My husband mentioned renting a skidster and a dumpster once our daughter is at college!</p>
<p>D. leaves her job in DC Mon to go back to school and start classes next Wed.
S. leaves home Sat. --hasn't packed a thing and says Fri night is plenty early enough to start--"Hey I just need clothes, bathroom stuff and laptop; how hard is that?" I know there will be frayed nerves Sat. morning, but I will stop and think about Cur's redneck ride and take time for a smile. (No flames here, I'm from NC--so I have the right to use the term "redneck"). Reminds me of when son was in hospital and I had to retrieve his vehicle from student lot and had forgotten to ask where it was parked. Was not a problem---only 3/4 ton pickup in a lot of BMWs, Audis and Lexuses :).</p>
<p>
Redneck would be one thing but it's the cultural blending of hip hop and redneck with a 3/4 ton 4x4 as the canvas. </p>
<p>I mean the wheels and tires are straight out of one of those "Pimp My Ride" TV shows. And you "cain't" get any more redneck then black rubber mudflaps with a chrome silhouette of the one and only Pamela Sue Anderson. Naked. :eek: :eek:</p>
<p>Well, I guess you could add a "My kid can beat up your Honor Student" bumper sticker, a big seller here locally.</p>
<p>No, curmudgeon, you need a "my mutt is smarter than your honor student" bumper sticker, with the dog silhouette.</p>
<p>"My kid can beat up your Honor Student"</p>
<p>You mean they sell those in other place too! LOL!</p>
<p>You're right about the blend of cultures. My son kept his separate--the old pickup for rednecking and the decked out SUV with 24s, chrome exhaust, tinted windows, sound system and LV interior for pimpin'. He has since matured and sold off to now drive a more sedate 4 door sedan (bless his heart).</p>
<p>Mezzomom - I thnk the only way I'm going to get D to clean up her act is to threaten to move her little brother into her room when she leaves. I reserve the right to go through there with a bulldozer.</p>
<p>Curmudgeon - be sure to dress for the part while you're at it. Something so that you can be spotted from a mile away :-)</p>
<p>D got home on the 30th from a 3 week adventure- started then and kept saying your sibs will be home on the 11 and 13, get everything done before. She's leaving tomorrow for a pre-orientation trip while we follow up with the loaded car. She's still packing as the friends come by and the hugs are given. She's been good and taken her sibs to the movies and we had family day today.
The dining room has piles, the bedroom has piles, the hallway has piles and it's slowly going into containers. We have a 19 hour drive with stuff that hopefully will fit into the vehicle we rented so we only have one 19 hour drive, not two!
We're going north, taking our cowboy hats and red shoes since everyone knows only cowboys and Dorothy live in Kansas!</p>
<p>Just in case it helps, I have been wandering the halls of my storied institution amazed at the steadily growing bustle of activity around our campus as we get ready for the arrivals. We get the chance to meet them (and you) during preview weekends and in person interviews, but it's nice to know that they are finally starting to arrive on our doorstep in a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>Today, I picked up the Freshmen Admissions files for the 5 students for whom I will be academic advisor next year. They still have that "new car" smell to them! Can't wait to meet them and see how much mileage they get to the gallon!</p>
<p>(As another aside, you should see the piles in my office these days; twould make the piles in your home look minimal at best).</p>
<p>K-Mom , I'm 6'3" and 300 lbs with </p>
<p>a southerner's tendency to wear pastels ,</p>
<p>a head the size and shape of a breadbox turned on end,</p>
<p>and I sport a biker goatee. </p>
<p>I don't <em>blend</em>. ;)</p>
<p>I HAVE had my once a year haircut. D insisted. She has asked about the goatee but it stays.</p>