Sinner's Alley Happy Hour (Part 1)

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2641

<p>Calmom, mucho congrats to your CALgirl! Can't help but cheer for good, ol' CAL. :) I think it's an ideal place for upper-div transfers, and it's as good as it gets for grad students. I'm not crazy about it for freshmen, though. SluggJr has a couple of older friends who transferred to Berkeley this year, so it was on his radar when he filled out his UC app. He's a much better fit for Davis, though, so being rejected from CAL really helped move him in the right direction. </p>

<p>Barnard, wow...seems like a great fit for Calgirl! The Pell Grant is a nice bonus. Yeah, I'd start with the spread sheet and see where that takes you. There must be some magic out there for getting these deserving kids all the way through. Good luck! </p>

<p>Everyone gather around the licking log for Calmom and Curm. Now, lick like you've never licked before, my friends!! In two minutes, we will switch to licking limes and salt from the rims of our margaritas! :D</p>

2642

<p>Hallelujah!! :):):):D:D:D
Champagne all around, on the house!!!</p>

<p>Barnard financial aid department is wonderful!! Amazing!!</p>

<p>(More to come later, I need to do a quick run to the post office to see what other marvelous news today brings)</p>

2643

<p>Here I am pulling up a chair and sitting right next to you (will try not 2 whisper, I told you so, too many times :) ) </p>

<p>I'll just be happier than I am now Because I have really made this chicken bucket hat work for me and even though I would have given it up for the cause, I really did not want to :cool: </p>

<p>Great news, so it looks like NYC is in your future? </p>

<p>toasting a BIG GLASS to you and your D.</p>

2644

<p>Omigod, the licking log worked! :D The pitcher of margaritas must have helped. WOWEE-ZOWEE, Calmom!! I'm pretty sure that Sybbie will share the chip baskets if you want to do a jig on the bar. :cool:</p>

2645

<p>I'm throwing around crescent sparkles left over from the eclipse! FA departments can do marvelous things!</p>

2646

<p>calmom! :D :cool: :) :D</p>

<p>Aren't the drinks actually on Barnard? :rolleyes:</p>

<p>Such a happy day for a mom and D who have really walked the walk of a well-designed admissions process. On a serious note, and in a more serious location than SA, I wonder if there is a thread here for others to learn from. I know you always have felt your D's stats had "issues." Do you think her acceptance results are the exception that proves the rule? Or is there something to share with others of the less-than-sparkling stats? </p>

<p>Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled carousing.</p>

2647

<p>"licking log?" did you say ? "log?" SPLCHT!!! I thought you said "dog!!!"</p>

2648

<p>What is this licking log made of? Chocolate, I hope!</p>

<p>CALMOM--That sounds good so far, can't wait to hear more!!!!!!!!!</p>

2649

<p>Go Calmom D!!!! That girl was made for New York. The initiative she showed in her college visits, I am telling you, made for Manhattan. That's where I spent my early 20's. If I can make enough $$$ in my current venture I want to retire there:).</p>

<p>Yahoo! </p>

<p>Licking log, BTW, is a salt lick I would bet. If goats are like cows that is.</p>

2650

<p>I'm baaaack!! </p>

<p>I was sidetracked somewhat because when I went to the post office there was a big faaat envelope from.......</p>

<p>University of Chicago!!!</p>

<p>No, Chicago is no longer in the running -- at this point it's just one more feather in a well-feathered cap. My d. ignored all of the very pretentious essay prompts in the Uncommon App, instead submitting a friviolous Onion-style news story with the headline "Fun Dies in University of Chicago Classroom; Students stunned to find beloved classroom entity gone". After being deferred in December, she mailed them a very skinny envelope containing a copy of the American-girl-in-Russia essay that had gone to all the other colleges, plus a graded writing sample. </p>

<p>But Chicago has not enclosed a financial aid award (bad move when we are taking bids), and at this point the grant from Barnard dwarfs them all. I had been stressed out because the Barnard financial aid award said it was "based on" my son enrolling full time in college, and the errant son is wavering... but it turns out that they read between the lines and calculated the award assuming he is NOT in school. If he goes back to school, even part time, they will give us even MORE money. </p>

<p>I had a wonderful chat with the lady from financial aid about all the ins & outs of what they do with ex-hubby's income, what they do with my inflated Califoria home equity (answer: they deflate it), what will happen when & if my son is over age 24 and still in college, etc. All my worst fears have been eliminated. These people will take care of us! </p>

<p>NYU also sent the FAT envelope today and the very SKINNY (anorexic) financial aid offer. No wonder Ashley Olsen nearly faded away while she was there -- they starved the poor girl! My lovely daughter still will brave her way to Gallatin's University Day reception -- if nothing else, perhaps she will get a glimpse of Mary Kate -- and she gamely plans to march into the NYU financial aid office on Monday and demand her DUE! </p>

<p>What my daughter REALLY learned in Russia is that she likes vodka with grenadine -- so for everyone in Sinner's Alley, here's the drink of the day, taxen from drinksmixer.com:
[quote]
Feel Like Holiday recipe
1 cl vodka
1 cl grenadine syrup
10 cl Champagne</p>

<p>Stir vodka and grenadine with ice. Pour into a champagne-flute without the ice. Fill up with champagne.</p>

<p>13% (26 proof); Serve in: Champagne Flute

[/quote]
</p>

2651

<p>Barnard, calmom and calD........ Feel the love ;)</p>

<p><em>sips from champagne flute</em></p>

2652

<p>Calmom! What a wonderufl story! We are hearing so many wonderful stories this year! Soooo great.....</p>

<p>Does a girl with an interest in Russian and a willful anti-authoritarian personality go anywhere BUT New York??</p>

<p>My husbands two frat brothers visited Russia in 1981 with a Young Businessman's tour. They stopped in New York before they caught the plane out. They had two enormous suitcases. Inside, there were bags and bags of Disney trinkets and second hand jeans. They had two backpacks full of persoanl clothes.</p>

<p>They checked into their St Petersburg hotel, ditched the tour and sold their wares. Then, armed with thousands upon thousands of roubles and two dozen new Russian friends, they took a five day tour of Russia's finest restuarants and bars with the Russian entourage in tow. The tour organziers were a bit alarmed but they did catch up with the tour for the last few days.</p>

<p>When they were due to arrive in New York, we got a call from one's sister. Had we seen '___"? He was supposed to be in Nantucket to be a groomsman in her wedding. They hadn't seen or heard from him.</p>

<p>Turned out they had gotten off the plane from Russia and gone directly to a Yankees game. </p>

<p>He made it back in time for the rehearsal dinner.</p>

2653

<p>Barnard is the best of <em>all</em> worlds-- a small LAC, a women's college, an Ivy-- and in NYC!</p>

<p>How wonderful for your D!!!</p>

2654

<p>Cheers the two frat brother's sound like my son. Now I need to find a college for that type of personality.</p>

2655

<p>Now don't uncross those fingers yet. Jmmom still requires the collective breath-holding for her S and his possible transfer. Keep chanting everyone.</p>

2656

<p>Cheers, Russia has changed a since then. My d. took 2 trips, the first to St. Petersburg for 3 weeks with a group from her school. She returned from Russia with 30 DVDs, including one of the latest Harry Potter movie that had only just opened in American theaters. She happily proclaimed that DVD's in Russia are only $3, so she had stocked up. (Apparently my math-challenged daughter could not figure out that 30 x $3 = $90). </p>

<p>She was in St. Petersburg for the White Nights and while she was there I emailed her and asked which ballet she would most like to see at the Mariinsky theater. She told me - I went on line and picked out 2 from an interactive theater map seats and purchased them, for will call. They were up in the balcony, so the net cost was under $20. For me, the whole process was faster, easier & cheaper than purchasing local movie tickets online at Fandango.</p>

<p>Her second trip was to a somewhat more remote location, in a smaller town about 2 hours' from Moscow. I could track much of her doings by the frequency of ATM charges (I had set up a joint checking account before she left for ease of transfer). Right before she left there was a big withdrawal of around $100 - I wondered why. It turned out that she was friends with a Russian kid who worked waiting tables in Moscow and she had gone to the ATM to pull out roubles to exchange for American dollars that he picked up in tips. </p>

<p>She came home with several issues of the Russian Vogue magazine. I took one look and pronounced, "Lenin must be spinning in his tomb." Though the DVD's were cheap the clothes were not -- and I wasn't too pleased with the $75 italian leather shoes she bought in St. Petersburg, either. </p>

<p>I still think that life is still probably pretty tough in Russia away from the cities, but St. Petersberg and Moscow are booming, and the days when an American could make a buck selling off trinkets are no more. My daughter did learn that Russian teenagers do not have cars, and that standing for an hour in the December snow waiting for a bus to come can be a very chilling experience.</p>

2657

<p>You are absolutely right, Alumother!</p>

<p>All right Jmmom - get ready to catch -- I'm tossing some of our family's good luck over to you.</p>

2658

<p>USC would be a good start mom60. One of those boys ended up as a founding partner of one of the largest sports entertainment businesses in the world (many boys would give their right arm to work there). The other is the number two guy in a well known, highly respected investment advising firm.</p>

<p>LOL calmom, I knew Russia had changed via my Russian friends. My S brought home gobs of DVDs from China because they were $1. It is funny to read the Chinese version of English subtitles...but anyway, very thrilled about your D's big fat letters.</p>

2659

<p>
[quote]
Jmmom still requires the collective breath-holding

[/quote]
Thank you, Alu. But you might not want to start this particular procedure yet - many of the answers won't be forthcoming until late May. Exhale... inhale.... exhale.... (He does have a few safeties in the bag, one with $; but I don't think any of them are "loved" safeties ....)</p>

<p>Got it, calmom. Your luck is very high calibre and I will take all of the leftovers that you've got!</p>

2660

<p>Jmmom, for you I will inhale for a v. long time....</p>