<p>Congrats GMom! I think you did wonderfully. You have several outstanding issues but each successful interaction builds a base to attack those in time. I can’t express my admiration enough for how you stayed quiet with her touching the piercing…it would have tested me beyond endurance. Switters has some good ideas about the food. Not only are you going to start resenting feeding someone else’s kid but your daughter my find this a bit much to have her roomate eating all her things. It may breed resentment with the non-celiac roomate also that it seems a bit two against one so you the smart thing taking her along for a shopping trip. </p>
<p>So…I see that I am not the only one who is observing the odd sleep habits of foundation art students. My S seems to be on the oddest schedule and is frequently stressed on the phone and I know he has slept through classes. I sent him an email on Thursday and he answered at 2 am in the morning because he had slept from 4pm to 2 am so I shouldn’t worry because he is getting “plenty of sleep”…I did call him on Sunday at 10pm and could barely hear him over the sound of saws…he said he was just getting started working on a sculpture…I envisioned him distracted by my call and then having the saw rip through his other hand so I said get off the phone and please turn it off…don’t answer it! So sleepless working with saws, welding equipment, etc…sounds like a recipe for disaster. Is this going to go on for the next 4 years or is this some strange rite of passage for art students?</p>
<p>Gmom, I’m glad to hear about your visit. You are very dedicated - 3 coolers of food! I’m sure your daughter is very grateful.</p>
<p>About the train - we put our youngest on Amtrak alone this summer (she’s 15). It was a nine hour or so trip, from Savannah to DC. She was perfectly fine! Of course, the train originated in Savannah, so it wasn’t very full (only 4 other people in her car) but by the time it got to DC, every seat was taken. There was a couple on next to her the whole time who promised to look out for her and help her get her luggage down if she needed it. She was met in DC by a friend and her mom and that went smoothly too. Now, with your D taking the train herself from Baltimore, she’ll have to do a little more navigating herself. Kids this age can be really resistant to the idea of public transportation, especially if they have to figure things out themselves! Once she does it though, she’ll feel great, and be empowered to try again (we hope!).</p>
<p>For pricing though, the earlier you reserve a spot the better. For our D3, we looked online about a week and half before and the price was $105. When we finally reserved it (2 days before) it had jumped to over $200. We found out later that the lowest price would have been $95 or so and the price goes up as seats get sold. One person told us that the price went up on her once while she was waiting in line! So if you know she’ll be taking the train for Thanksgiving or in mid-October, make sure about it as soon as you can and buy that ticket!</p>
<p>In worse news, D2 informed me that she has to go photograph prostitutes for a MICA project. Something about illustrating a poem and the poem she chose involves prostitutes. This is her idea too, no teacher is saying she “has to”. She was very indignant that I was worried about her! Do a Google image search kid and keep yourself safe and your mother happy! I’m resolved to try not to think about it. They think they’re so invincible. " I took kung fu, Mom". Yeah kid, you’re a green belt, so what?</p>
<p>Greenwitch: Maybe she could get MICA girl to dress up like a prostitute and pretend for the photo shoot? I can’t believe I just said that, lol!</p>
<p>Actually the Aspie girl went by train to Savannah and back for a girl scout trip. But the whole troop was there so it was quite different than going on your own. MICA girl has flown to the west coast by herself without any trouble before as well. I think it’s just an irrational fear of the unknown. Maybe I’ll suggest to her that she ask the celiac roomie if she wants to come up to NY for the Fall break in October and then they could both figure out the train and we’d give them both a ride back to Baltimore. The other room mate is from Brooklyn and I think she came down by train on move in day, so surely she could ask her for directions and what to expect on the train. But I want her to figure this out on her own. She’s still avoiding the public transportation in Baltimore. She told us that she was supposed to figure out how to get to a particular art museum that we drove by (I forget the name of it) but hadn’t done that yet. She was thinking of asking a (gasp) boy about it. ‘Anthony’… she said she and ‘Anthony’ were planning to ‘hang out’ later. I kept quiet about ‘Anthony’; except at dinner I couldn’t stand it anymore. Who is Anthony? I asked. She said ‘he’s this random kid that’s the only kid at MICA that happens to like the same kind of music that I do’ and apparently she doesn’t know much more than that.</p>
<p>I didn’t get the impression that there were sleeping problems with D. She did say that it was ‘fun’ to eat at midnight after the celiac roomie was done with classes – they had meatballs together then – I don’t know with what… knowing them, just plain meatballs… maybe with ketchup. </p>
<p>Oh well. I’m glad that things seem to be going well at the moment. I see storm clouds on the horizon with school and the Aspie girl, so I’m glad to have one worry off my plate for a while, anyway.</p>
<p>Gmom - I heard that at Pratt, on the first day of orientation, you ride the subway around and around so that they’re sure everyone has it figured out. Good idea!</p>
<p>yes, he met someone and they like each other. They have some classes together. I stalked her on facebook. She is pretty. Her art seems really great. Dont have much more to report, but they seem to be being nice to each other.</p>
<p>Today on npr.org, they had a article on healthy cupcakes, made with things like black beans, and garbonzo beans. A couple were gluten free, and before meeting Gmom, never knew how important this could be. My SIL says she has a wheat allergy, but then again she is a hypochondriac, and has every thing imaginable :-). anyway, the cupcakes, especially the chocolate espresso ones looked really good, and I’m going to try them.</p>
<p>It may be arwen, I just had to google her and there is a striking similarity, but many of the young lovelies I saw on campus had that look, so I don’t know if she is the one you mean. Unfortunately its not loveblue’s D, she would definitely have kept him in line. But really, how appropriate is this, for all of posterity to be in on the young romance. Cut it out, Bears…or give us the dirt on your kids love life…</p>
<p>ps did we have a discussion about what the right amount of money to send a kid who is living in new york city is? Art supplies dont count, although we should all buy stock in Utrecht</p>
<p>G-mom is so right!..since we hear so little from the launchees it is time to find out more about the ones still to leave and their single parents…happily married does not mean I don’t crave the inside story on others’ romance…it is just so interesting! </p>
<p>Meanwhile, homecoming is looming this weekend with all the excitement and romance (so I thought)…I admit that I am proud but also very worried that D has been nominated by her class for homecoming court…it was a HUGE deal in my HS land of endless football, cheerleaders and school spirit. I can still see beautiful Holly Goldman dressed in a long evening dress with a tiara coming across the 50 yard line at half time… D laughed when I asked if she would wear an evening gown or at least a dress…she thinks short shorts would be best if the weather permits! knife to my romantic heart. It seems very different here–S was in homecoming court one year and wore JEANS?! when presented on the football field and he looked more dressed up than the homecoming king and queen who had on SWEATS?! What has happened to romance?! or at least homecoming?</p>
<p>woops secret is out!
my “theater job” and kid’s “employment”
well, that’s where bears dogs horses belong, couldn’t have helped.
switters love, I will look for the movie, but somehow I can tell what’s gonna happen…</p>
<p>homecoming! what we miss here at tiny island nation called manhattan!
do tell more!!
look at you miss America!!!
awwwww</p>
<p>OK one last bit
I ate said St. Marks Mamoun’s falafel $2.50 and it was superb. food wise you can eat good under 5-7 bucks per day around Cooper if you cook at least one meal, or do away with cereal and milk.
K mart is right there, IKEA Target is doable with Metrocard. you are the lucky one.
thou don’t think princess Arwen will go for 1 buck samosa. heheheh</p>
<p>yes I am getting the impression the late night diner excursions are on his dime. He loves that falafel. We are having a money heart to heart later today, he burned through a lot of it last month.</p>
<p>Oh my gosh, back in my HS heyday… I never missed a football game – and certainly not homecoming. It was what we did every Friday night, without fail. When it was an ‘away’ game, we’d pile into cars – way too many to be safe – but who was counting – and off we’d go to the other high schools. My brother was on the team, so sometimes my parents were there too (though we never would sit with them, lol).</p>
<p>Fast forward to present day and age in New York burbs. No football on Friday nights… not even a ‘real’ stadium. Football games are on Saturday mornings/early afternoon. What’s the fun in that? My kids simply don’t go. Actually they don’t go to any school sports events. Bah humbug, what’s with that? Just the other day I was asking them if they didn’t want to go to a football game… and I was answered with a resounding “NO”. </p>
<p>They are fuddy-duddy’s. That’s what I get for sending them to a parochial school. Even though the football powerhouses back when I was in HS were the Catholic high schools.</p>
<p>Well…about the money issue. Pittsburgh is really cheap for food and entertainment. There is a lot of free stuff going on and a nice meal for two college students could easily come under $30 since they won’t (shouldn’t) be drinking wine. I don’t think S has spent more than $50 on entertainment or food.</p>
<p>New York/Manhattan seems very expensive to me but since I go for work I don’t know where or if there are bargains. I defer to BandD and other experts about what is a reasonable amount of money for his situation. Perhaps you could ask him to text you each day what he spends on what for one week just to give you a sense of where the money goes and remind him to keep receipts for books and supplies (they can be used for tax deductions since you don’t get the tuition tax credit!). Is the free tuition at Coopers considered a gift? Do you have to pay income taxes on this? </p>
<p>We told our son and tell D that they must amass enough money working in hs to pay for books/entertainment/extras in college. I warned S that his meagre allowance would come to an end as soon as HS ended. This policy was based on my overestimation of how much a kid can earn in HS and an underestimation of the cost of books/supplies/entertainment.
But out of principal, S was told he had to pay for art fees and supplies too. I am not sure how much things are costing but I am feeling a little guilty. I told him to keep receipts for books and supplies and we would deduct it from his inter-generational “loan”…because he chose CMU over VCU he has to pony up $10,000 somewhere/somehow even if it takes him until he is 40 to pay us back.</p>
<p>I can’t believe it but he hasn’t complained about money yet. I did send him back after his one night visit with $40 and then I just sent $50 and bought him tickets to David Sedaris to entertain the friend who will be visiting since I figured I wasn’t having to pay for parents’ weekend costs. Those tickets cost $45 each for great seats and I can only imagine what a show would cost in NY. So this is far more than his old allowance so I am not really enforcing my promise…</p>
<p>He didn’t save all that much from working at Starbucks and graduation. However, I think the concept has been great because he tries to eat only on campus, he takes free transportation as much as possible, and attends only free events. I know he decided to order some books on ebay and says that he only buys supplies when he really needs them. He never, ever buys clothes (only owns one pair of shoes, one pair of boots). I figure I will help him restock at xmas and bdays. He is showing early signs of being as stingy as his mother…makes me proud.</p>