<p>
Our 14 year old choc lab and one of two cats went to doggy/kitty heaven in 2003. We have a calico left. S, who after all is off to college in 7(!) months, wants to be sure we’ll get another cat when Hallie is gone. What’s up with that?</p>
<p>Me: BA Rutgers, MA (Southern history) UNC, retired from Federal Government. Current employment on the left.</p>
<p>Spouse: BA, American International College, MSW, UNC, Post-masters in Health Care Administration, George Washington University. Currently Chief of the Branch in US DHHS that gives out all the state mental health block grants and funds the DHHS Protection and Advocacy Programs.</p>
<p>Son: IB from Washington International School, DC, second year USC Film School, critical studies program.</p>
<p>Me: AGS Spoon River College; BB Western Illinois; 18 hours grad studies at Indiana State. 1st gen college student. Decided to take the 14-year plan to graduate with my undergrad. Logistics Manager for a distribution company. Community/junior colleges do serve a purpose.</p>
<p>Spouse: AS, Carl Sandburg College; BS, Southern IL Univ; MBA, Western IL. Exec Director of a domestic violence agency providing emergency and transitional shelter, legal advocacy and support svcs.</p>
<p>S: Senior, Eagle Scout, OA Section Vice-Chief, V soccer, wants to major in IE, leaning towards Bradley Univ, possibly Purdue or UIUC.</p>
<p>D: 11, 6th grade, loves softball, smarter than her brother but doesn’t know it, argues with him now but will be lost come fall.</p>
<p>Semi-rural NJ public schools–in the “nice” part of the state.<br>
BS and MS UW-Madison in finance and real estate.
Have worked in large scale RE finance since college–a long time. Stints in Chicago, Atlanta, LA, Austin, and Seattle. Extensive work travel allows for many college visits.
Recently married former hs sweetheart around 30+ years later after chance internet meeting.</p>
<p>Me Calif born & raised & still
good large public HS
Brown University</p>
<p>H Va born & raised
Pvt HS
UVa undergrad /NYU grad</p>
<p>D- HS senior (lg CA public), in 3 places EA and waiting on several apps</p>
<p>S- 8th grade (pvt)</p>
<p>S- 2nd grade (public)</p>
<p>After many years with pets, we are blessedly DOG FREE!</p>
<p>But my childhood dog, a Labrador, DID have seperation anxiety. One time we left him in the family station wagon in a parking lot, and while we were gone he <em>ate</em> the entire dashboard of the car, like he was trying to tunnel his way out through the engine! :0</p>
<p>We have a Harley pig come visit the skilled nursing center-pet therapy for the residents. I do not like Harley and he knows this. I don’t like the snort snort and I think he could eat me-he is bigger than me. Several years ago I tried to be brave, I stood there and gave him a treat-he snort snorted and drooled all over a new pair of Ferragamo’s. Last month he came by (owner had been off for chemo) but I missed seeing Harley. Owner says Harley is getting old and cranky in his old age. I have known Harley for 8 yrs and I think he was a few yrs old when I met him. Harley does bring lots of joy to the patients-I think we just had bad first impressions.</p>
<p>Oh, I went to USC and became a pharmacist because I hated being a secretary while going to college to be an executive secretary. I had a BA social science/history degree but when I asked for a replacement diploma I was given a Social Science/communications diploma. I called but the lady said no mistake was made and “in my heart I have a degree in History”. As far as I know my Pharm.D is still a Pharm.D I have no idea what the “in my heart” stuff in, I think communications sounds better but my husband says “Isn’t that the degree the football players used to get”. I wonder who runs the offices.</p>
<p>Son-music performance trumpet at Univ of Redlands-just played at NAMM.</p>
<p>H-from NJ, college in TX-Sales</p>
<p>Dog-Chips (after a dog war hero) very mellow in his older age, Adopted when he was about 9 mos. He was rejected by lab rescue because he might be part mastiff and not pure lab. Misses the kid dearly. Has has had better medical care with Vets with more degrees than any of his human family have ever had.</p>
<p>I wish I had some fascinating tidbits or witty descriptions to add but I don’t so I’ll just give it to you straight:</p>
<p>me - average public HS on Long Island (affectionately known at Matzoh-Pizza and I graduated with Joey and Mary Jo Buttafucco), Duke '78 (wouldn’t get in to today and not sure how I got in then since just about every other school rejected me or wait-listed me). Worked for the “good hands” people in personnel (back when they still called it personnel, not human resources) where I met my husband. Quit working when my D was born and still think that, 18 years later, I would still need a vacation before going back to work. Discovered tennis 8 years ago - play ~4x a week and now work part time at the racquet club. Need a real job soon but feel I have no expertise in anything (except college counseling of course!)</p>
<p>Hubby: SUNY Albany. After the “good hands” years, moved into mortgage banking. Job has taken us from NY to Maryland to Pittsburgh to Indiana (try being a Colts or Pacers fan nowadays).</p>
<p>D: freshman at DePauw, doing great, especially gratifying after struggling through severe depression in HS</p>
<p>S: soph in HS, sullen, un-motivated, slothful, just your average teenage boy. Bright but doesn’t care - bad combo.</p>
<p>Two cats: Spot and Jo-Jo who is also known as the blonde of the cat world (sorry to all you blondes out there) but she is one dumb cat.</p>
<p>I do not like Harley and he knows this. >></p>
<p>Hmmm…maybe it is the SAME Harley, LAmom. Our Harley adores my husband, will do anything for him. But me, eh, I’m just something to snort at, fart at, and ignore. </p>
<p>I’ve heard pot-belly pigs can live for 15 or more years. </p>
<p>I’m counting.</p>
<p>This is the first time in our marraige we haven’t had any dogs. The last two, both greyhounds, developed cancer and had to be put down. I did like having greyhounds. Wonderful dogs. Great pets. Smart enough to be interesting but not smart enough to be troublesome.</p>
<p>fredo, you did a wonderful job in posting with wit! I laughed outloud several times and am very impressed at your high school classmates, too!</p>
<p>“Quit working when my D was born and still think that, 18 years later, I would still need a vacation before going back to work.” Love this - and it gave me the biggest laugh - a laugh of recognition. </p>
<p>You’ve mixed in some very serious comments with the humorous - it’s wonderful that your daughter is doing so well after a rough time earlier.</p>
<p>P.S. I worked in “personnel” too. I’m very good at helping other people figure out their options…but not too good for myself. ;-)</p>
<p>Fredo and Blumini: I worked in personnel too! I quit when my daughter was about a year and a half old–I hated leaving her in child care and really ached for her when I was working. I have been out of the work world for almost 16 years now. I have been thinking about going back to work, but I really need to take some courses to pursue any of my interests. My kids laugh at me when I tell them only the secretaries had “word processors” when I quit. I have managed to learn how to send emails and search the net, but my computer skills are awful. I enjoyed your post very much, Fredo. I can SO relate to the need for a vacation before returning to work and the feeling that I have no expertise in anything. BLUMINI, I am also not good at figuring out my options, but I can help others. I have done the school volunteer, PTA president thing, but those skills aren’t too marketable. I am feeling very menopausal and grey these days.
I was born in West Virginia, attended high school in Virginia, attended Mary Washington for two and a half years, and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. I worked as a housekeeper for two priests, which is not a job I would recommend to anyone, before I found a job in personnel management with the federal government. I met my husband at work. He was a cute little Army lieutenant from Puerto Rico. He has a civil engineering degree from UPR and a master’s in public administration. He completed the course work for a master’s from Cornell, but he was called to active duty before he finished the thesis. His work has taken us to Germany, Puerto Rico, Chicago, Charleston, SC, Washington, DC, and Cincinnati.
D: Senior, accepted EA to Chicago, several applications pending. She has interests ranging from art to biology and is very excited about college.
S: Eighth grader, gearing up for the jump to high school, big baseball fan who also loves history and politics.
We have an extremely personable mini Yorkie, who was an adoption and has added to our lives immensely.</p>
<p>We have an extremely personable mini Yorkie, who was an adoption</p>
<p>pattykk,</p>
<p>You’ve got my dog!! When we went to adopt a dog, I told my daughter that is what we were going to get. But just like going to the supermarket and getting everything except for what you orginally came for, we got this border collie, lab corgie mix with issues.</p>
<p>I also was one of those people who started out in HR when it was personnel. Hey you would be suprised at how many transferrable skills stem from being a PTA president (you just never really thing about it while you are doing the job).</p>
<p>sybbie719 is right about transferrable skills, pattykk - you just need someone else to point them out to you. Perhaps we should have a forum devoted to returning to work 
- though it doesn’t really fit with CC’s mission, I don’t think.</p>
<p>Hi Blumini,</p>
<p>You must remember we now have a our own cafe, so it can be a thread there. If so many good college tips come from the parents why not back to work strategies (because college has to be paid for)?</p>
<p>pattykk: well, I’m probably more pre-menopausal and my grey is well hidden under what I call “store bought hair” but that’s about the way I feel. I know I’m reasonably intelligent and I’ve got sound administrative skills (I love to organize things and make order out of disorder: I call it crossword puzzle syndrome). But I get overwhelmed thinking who wants to hire a 48 year old homemaker who’s been out of the workforce for 18 years? And where on earth would I work? And blumini, you’re right, we do need maybe a thread on returning to work. Maybe in the new parent cafe?</p>
<p>How weird I also started out in personnel before it became Human Resources and also worked in insurance for the same company that became employee benefits.</p>
<p>At times I have lived in NH, Maryland (outside DC), update NY, Deleware coast, LA, SF, NYC burbs (in NJ), and Boston.</p>
<p>Me: Public HS in MD, undergrad engineer at Cornell, Master’s in engineering from Stanford, and 10 years later B-school at MIT (Sloan).</p>
<p>Professionally, started off doing operations research stuff (math modeling of business problems) which eventually evolved into more general business consulting … then B-school … since then have become more of a supply chain guy with some process improvement consulting thrown in also.</p>
<p>Wife: wishes to remain hidden but also a math/science geek … and she and her friends are WAY smarter than I … she has BS, MS, and PhD from top tier school.</p>
<p>Kids: 3 great kids who all are growing into their own unique beings … despite whatever plans we have for them! It’s fun trying to guess what they want to do for a living when they grow up … I’m guessing there is one archictect and one engineer in the bunch.</p>
<p>Random stuff that might help in CC: pretty good runner in HS who was “lightly” recruited, started off college as a Navy ROTC, got through college without drinking, drugs, or fraternaties (no comment on women), got through an IVY without having been a prep.</p>
<p>I’m sure that ranks as “too much information”</p>
<p>Mind if I post? 1. My profile is a bit different than most here, 2. I’m reentering the work force after 18 years, and 3. I love to talk about my dogs!</p>
<p>Me: Parents, U of MN, me, U of MN, H, U of MN, H’s parents, U of MN, 3 brothers, U of MN, 3 sisters, U of MN, BIL, U of MN, SIL, U of MN.</p>
<p>Guess where my D does NOT want to go to school? First correct answer wins a pitcher of beer at the Big Ten and tickets to a Gopher hockey game (wait–make that Gopher hoops, I’m keepin the hockey…)</p>
<p>My History degree has served me well over the years, perhaps not in any employment capacity, but as a head-shaking old fart who watches news programs and complains that it’s obvious that no one studies History any more.</p>
<p>I worked in, and hated, sales and marketing. I recently got a license to appraise RE and I’m serving my apprenticeship… something to consider for all you puzzling over what to do. The ed requirements are not long or expensive, and if you have a spouse who gets benefits and has steady income, you can provide a bit of a supplement, though not get rich. That is what I am hoping to do.</p>
<p>I promised not to post about Kid 1 until decision is made. Applied to 1 top 25 university, 2 LACs west of the Mississippi, 2 east coast universities, 2 midwest universities. Accepted rolling or EA into 3 so far. Likes them all.</p>
<p>Kid 2 is a freshman, smart, a bit of a slacker. We will be starting him thinking and looking in early 10th grade.</p>
<p>Now for the dogs! I’m allowed to talk about them! I have 2 labs, a black and a white. They are 80 lb lap dogs who sleep all day and spend the evenings vying for the position between mom & dad on the couch (they can both fit if they squeeze, but then one will start hogging and the other one will get miffed and leave…for a while). The old, deaf, blind one can catch a peanut , her jaws snapping shut as it comes at her, but the young one will let it bonk her right between the eyes. We know she has reflexes, cuz she blinks. Then she daintily picks it up off the floor and eats it. </p>
<p>Thanks for letting me share. :-)</p>
<p>ezduzzit</p>
<p>ez,</p>
<p>I loved your post, LOL as I was reading it. I think you should demand a family discount from U of MN (what the heck, with as much money as your family has paid to the school in tuition, you should be entitled to a few freebies).</p>
<p>I am glad you are loving your lounge lizards :)</p>
<p>Me: grew up in South Dakota, went to Lutheran College for one year, transferred to UChicago (followed boyfriend, who is now H). Worked as a secretary for a few years, last job was in personnel 18 years ago. Have lived in California since 1980. </p>
<p>H: grew up in South Dakota, undergrad at UChicago, MA from Berkeley (musicology)–now works for a bank.</p>
<p>We have five kids:</p>
<p>S#1 is in his fifth year of college (counting two and a half years at a community college) at a Cal State in Northern California, struggling academically.</p>
<p>S#2 is a freshman at UChicago–he made it in by the skin of his teeth after being waitlisted. But is doing very well, first quarter got all A’s. He thinks his classes there are “fun.”</p>
<p>Both boys were, shall I say, "high maintenance? Let’s just say that Jamimom’s posts really resonate with me. . . </p>
<p>D#1 is a sophomore at a local Catholic High School. She told one of the teachers there how well her brother is doing at Chicago, and his stunned reply was “you mean he is actually doing the work?” She is gradually morphing into a math/science geek–maybe–a couple of years ago it was all singing, drama, the arts–well, we’ll see. Good student, so nice to have after all the school issues with her older brothers. She has NO idea where she wants to go to college.</p>
<p>D#2–6th grader. Social. Very social. Loves drama, music. Have scaled way back with her, but her performing arts activities constantly conflict with one another. Good student. Easy. A little moody lately, but I think she’ll come out on the other side okay.</p>
<p>D#3–six years old, a first grader. Not a good student. Refuses to do homework. Oh boy. Here we go again.</p>