<p>Dear Curm: When I read D your tale you made my daughter have the look of horror yours had, especially when you released the fourteen container lids down the stairs. LOL.</p>
<p>Hey buddy. Good job on the move in. I can’t wait for the Curm-does-medical-school sequel:).</p>
<p>Just please don’t let that story involve cadavers, OK? The stairwell antics in particular…</p>
<p>Curm, much sympathy on the moving in traumas. We can relate, in that my Son’s 1997 black box jeep hasn’t had working airconditioning since we’ve owned it. He declined our offer to at least have the system charged for the drive down to Memphis from Cincinnati. Cinci Dad offered to ride with son to keep him company on the way down; he almost made it. Around Jackson, TN he gave up and took me up on the offer of airconditioned comfort in my car. It was only 105 Degrees, I don’t know what he was complaining about!</p>
<p>Luckily for us this years dorm room was extremely accessible, on the first floor and only about 3 doors down the hall. No stairs at all, what a blessing.</p>
<p>
mythmom, that one might not make her top ten list. </p>
<p>Think middle school dance and D saying she would die if I went inside . Twist, anyone? It goes like this. 
</p>
<p>She would complain wildly and I would respond calmly by reminding her that my job as parent of a teen was to make her life a Living Hell on Earth. </p>
<p>So student readers, hug your parents. Things could have been much worse. You could have been mine. 
(I’m not going to let your britches get too big to be proud of who you are and where you’re from. There is no real or lasting self-esteem built pretending to be someone or something you’re not.)</p>
<p>cincimom, black jeep with no A/C. It’s a wonder they didn’t spontaneously combust. "It’s like this officer. Me and Bubba were on the 240 and there wuz these 2 guys in a jeep and they turned bright red and blowed up…uuhhhh… …oh yeah… it sounded like a train. …Is that camera really on? "</p>
<p>What day did you go down? We got there two Fridays ago. I think it was 102 or 103 in Memphis that day.</p>
1 Like
<p>OK I got through all the D tales without incident but Bubba and his friend have put me into the LOL camp.</p>
<p>Great story, curm! I can’t wait to share it with my husband and daughter…</p>
<p>I cannot write with the flair and humor you have, but I would like to share what happened to us last year:</p>
<p>We were moving darling d into an apartment-style dorm, so we had much STUFF to haul from Atlanta to NYC. I had gleefully downsized from the old family mini-van when d went off to college (got a mini cooper! Fun…doesn’t hold much STUFF), so we borrowed our oldest son’s in-law’s van. </p>
<p>Pretty un-eventful trip…van is in perfect condition as my son’s mom-in-law is a VERY meticulous individual. We get to the BUSY area around Barnard in Manhattan, unload all the STUFF, and my husband goes to park the vehicle while we begin settling darling d into her new digs. 3-4 hours later, we wait out front for him to bring the van around to pick us up for a quick trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond. </p>
<p>My phone rings…the van is NOT where he left it. Turns out, it was parked in an (he swears) ambiguously illegal spot and had been towed. AND, in order to get the van out of impound, we had to provide “proof of ownership” which, of course, we DID NOT HAVE. So, h gets to make a call that is never fun: “Ummm, your van is fine but it has been towed…I need the VIN, please!”</p>
<p>He did, eventually, retrieve the van. And we actually borrowed it again (thought the curse had lifted by now…) to drive it down to Naples, FL this past July for S#2’s wedding (so we could haul the gifts back to Atlanta). Hubby was driving one day and…was rear-ended.</p>
<p>This fall, we are flying up to NYC with our daughter. And plan NEVER to drive that van again!!!</p>
<p>Curm, thank you, thank you very much for that story. I laughed so hard, my lungs are now clear of everything but air. I’m with everyone else, waiting for your book to come out.</p>
<p>We’re flying to Minnesota to drop S off for freshman year. Air travel should bring its own particular joys.</p>
<p>
My W wouldn’t have bought the story either. :(</p>
<p>got to the storage place and discovered all S’s linens/clothes had been stored unwashed in cardboard boxes.Why wash the blanket/sheets if they’re just gonna sit in the SC heat for 4 months???
Threw em all away and started over…</p>
<p>cathymee, ewwwww! Not good.</p>
<p>cathymee,
Now THERE is a cautionary tale to share with my sons…</p>
<p>Cathymee:</p>
<p>Sick-nasty-gross
:eek:</p>
<p>Well, Cur, thanks for the enlightening post on why my daughter chooses NOT to have parental companionship on move-in day. Much, much easier on the psyche just to give the cab driver a big tip for extra help with the luggage.</p>
<p>cathymee,
I know what it’s about, girlfriend.
Son came home with a trunk load of linens/clothes, that he didn’t bother to unload for just a few days (in Florida summer heat). Finally brought it in.<br>
It smelled like VINEGAR.</p>
<p>Curm, we drove down this past Saturday, and unloaded on Sunday. It was really hot both days. I know that on Sunday we stopped at whatever that mall is on Poplar so darling son could pick up a game to play on his roomates new Play Station 3, and it was already 95 degrees at like 10:00 in the morning. So sad, the store at the mall didn’t have the game that he wanted! Husband and I weren’t all that upset as our darling son will need to spend most of his spare time mastering the final semester of latin that he needs to fulfill his language requirement!</p>
<p>Enjoyed your tale, curm, and hope you’ve had a chance to recover… I couldn’t laugh about the heat, though. I accompanied my sister to drop her son off in Carbondale IL, and it was 105-107 that Wednesday. I even briefly saw 108 on my car thermometer, while driving. Thank heaven he has AC in the dorm. My sympathies for everyone it the drought-stricken and overheated south.</p>
<p>Curm, That story was one of the funniest things I have ever read!!!You truly have an amazing way with words! I also had many-almost-snorting-tea-out-of-nostrils moments reading about your family’s adventure! Please don’t just be a lurker on CC! You help keep all us CC veteran parents sane with your wonderful good-ol’-boy sense of humor! Y’all write again soon- ya hear?</p>
<p>Curmudge…the trip out of the Lone Star State is priceless. Have you ever considered buying one of those mini icy fans you can hang around your neck…if it wouldn’t get tangled up in any puffy dice dangling from the rearview mirror…that is if the rearview mirror is still up there. Mine used to fall off in any heat over 90…wouldn’t stick up there.</p>
<p>Oh, Curmudgeon, you are balm to all of our souls who have recently done the Move-In day thing. Your tale makes me feel so much better about our 6 mile traffic jam, and the 3 1/2 hour drive that took 6 hours. Dante missed the very lowest circle of hell - I-95 in southern CT. But at least our A/C worked!</p>