<p>Hi Mycroft!</p>
<p>I’m relaxing with a glass of wine after 6 hours at the office. It wasn’t that bad, I got some things done that needed doing. </p>
<p>That football game better be a good one as it is the reason that H and I are not attending euchre tonight!</p>
<p>We are relaxing at home tonight. The tree is down and out, awaiting recycling. And we’ve vacuumed pine needles galore even though the tree was quite fresh and held up quite well. Dragging it out the front door always manages to leave a trail of needles. We’re hoping to stay in, watch a movie and enjoy a Wegman’s Tomato Pie with a glass of wine or two. </p>
<p>We stayed in Williamstown after dropping our son off at school to tour around a bit, since we realize our visits there are winding down as this is the final semester. We have eaten out enough these past few days and are ready for a night at home, but after the doing so much around the house to put decorations and lights away, I was not up to cooking dinner. Wegmans to the rescue!</p>
<p>FallGirl…LOVE euchre! Perhaps a euchre tourney is order on the bus??? ;)</p>
<p>^ NM, I would love to play euchre on the bus!</p>
<p>S2 and S3 in the house for the weekend…with S3’s BFF.</p>
<p>From the noise reverberating throughout the house, I feel like they are 12 instead of 22. They still think football is an indoor sport, apparently.</p>
<p>I love it.</p>
<p>Lots of wine watching a losing effort. TA…sports rule in our house too. Boring game. Going to read! Yay!</p>
<p>Sports are very big in our house too. Have had football on for hours now! I am debating going to DC with S2 tomorrow. His appointment with his employer is Monday morning but the Washington Wizards are playing Monday night and I’ve never been to an NBA game. It is tempting as S1 lives near the Verizon Center so could walk to the game. Could also have lunch at Rasika or Zaytinya on Monday. Not sure I want to splurge on tickets and lunch though.</p>
<p>No football fans here, but Indian or Lebanese?? Now, THAT would get our attention!</p>
<p>ok…trying not to panic. Went to get ready for bed and I have huge red welts on my face. Not allergy prone except to coconut and Demerol. Didn’t have either today. Should I worry??? :eek:</p>
<p>NM–what have did you eat today? Does coconut oil cause this? If you have some prednisone or benedryl?
Saw Lincoln. I liked it OK (and was a USHistory/psychology major). Acting was amazing but just too much dialogue for my poor hearing.
Did have an amazing bar menu dinner after. Snowshoing tomorrow. We will see–I no longer want to crosscountry as I fear breaking something but I hate sweating.</p>
<p>Got to the theater at 6 for a 6:30 show. Turned out to be a 60 seat theater and we were to hold seats for 2 friends. After 6:15 at least 20 people asked us for the saved seats and then about a dozen could not find seats at all. Theater says they do not oversell but others come in from different shows they have seen and take seats. H called all phones and could not find the couple. He gave the saved seats away at 6:40 and, of course, 2 minutes later they arrived. He apologized and felt badly. The couple who took the seats just a minute before just said, “oops”.
I was not upset with H, although I would have waited 5 more minutes. Mainly because this couple is often late. They are just unpredicatable. One time 2 hours late to a brunch and another smack on time. We have sat in restuarants waiting for 45 minutes.
I did think the “oops” couple was not gracious and I know I would have grabbed H and said, “thanks anyway”.
These are D’s future inlaws! H called and they were Ok.
Guess just unloading here. Maybe not feeling that bad about it:) and shame on me.</p>
<p>Welcome Mycroft… always room for one more at this table of ours.</p>
<p>Yikes NMN - that does not sound pleasant. We’ll just blame the vikings miserable showing and hope you have some Benedryl in the house and it’s all a distant memory by morning! </p>
<p>D2 is packing for her 8:30 flight in the morning. Why she waits until the last minute is beyond me. Truth is, I don’t know how thrilled she is about going back. And I mean, I really don’t have a clue. The child is an enigma.</p>
<p>I know it must sound terrible, but I am really looking forward to having my car back all to myself and less clutter around here. Of course, the majority of the clutter is the decorations STILL not put away, but they are on my agenda for tomorrow without interruption or delay. The point is, however, I feel pretty guilty for feeling a case of happy feet coming my way. My seriously… holiday’s are exhausting!</p>
<p>Still not sure how I am going to pull off my agenda for the month which includes getting this house on the market AND this surgery where I am not allowed to lift anything for two weeks or something. I was really on a roll before everyone arrived home, so I am really going to have to push through the bigger stuff in the next week. And I have to say, H is not very helpful, but to be fair, I’m not sure he’d do it “right” regardless. Im almost sure he’d toss some family heirloom while keeping a karaoke machine (which I found today). </p>
<p>Still trying to figure out to whom I should donate our world book encyclopedias. I also have to wonder how many people have encyclopedias to donate these days? And at what point will kids no longer know what encyclopedia’s even are?!?</p>
<p>and icing on the cake? H has a cold. So not only isn’t he helpful, he’s needy. And still slightly in the dog house. He’s been taking nyquil and daycare religiously - which is a new one for him - and is snoring up a storm! I would go sleep in the guest room had I not just changed the sheets and washed the duvet cover so it’s all perfectly plumped (and wanting it to stay that way.) Might have to invest in some better earphones/earplugs.</p>
<p>Sorry about the snoring! I hear you on the “inconvenience” of having the kids home. I had moved all my stuff into their bathroom in their absence, and now have to share with H. Also, D’s bed was my refuge from H’s snoring. </p>
<p>Today after church D and I are attending a “Prospective Student Info Session” for her school. We attended this when D was a junior in high school. H was mentioning how impressed we all were with the students who spoke at the event when D was 16.</p>
<p>D signed up for the GRE yesterday - will take in 17 days! I was able to find a couple of guides at the library yesterday. D needs to re-learn math. I had to do the same when I took the GRE my last year of college. I had my roommate help me (she was pre-med and a genius) and I ended up scoring higher on the math section than the verbal section! </p>
<p>NM, hope the hives are dissipating. Every once in a while I will get hives. Usually don’t know what caused them.</p>
<p>NM, Hope the red welts on your face have gone away.</p>
<p>college_query, Good luck to your daughter on the GRE.</p>
<p>Modadunn,Good luck with getting your house on the market.</p>
<p>S1 responded this morning to my email about potentially coming to DC with S2 today with a “That sounds good.” So I am going to DC for a couple of days and sleeping on
S1’s couch. Now just have to decide where to have lunch tomorrow while S2 is at his meeting and S1 is at work. Indian or Lebanese? Am leaning toward Indian.</p>
<p>A few days in DC sound great, sevmom, although I think S1 should be sleeping on the couch! I vote for Indian. This summer we had a great meal at Farmers, Fishers, Bakers; it really reminded me of a great meal we had at Zingerman’s Roadhouse in Ann Arbor. I have to admit Zingerman’s was one of the reasons I wanted D to go to UM! </p>
<p>NM, could you have possibly eaten anything that had coconut oil in it? I was at Costco and noticed huge tubs of it - evidently it is quite popular now. Who knew?</p>
<p>We saw Les Miz the other night. Decidedly mediocre in my opinion (ShawWife who loves musicals including the Broadway version of Les Miz) agreed. They made a decision to let the drama predominate and so would talk some of the singing lines and emote (when they were upset, they’d choke up while singing). We’d heard that Hugh Jackman was a terrific singer, but I thought he was awful at the singing but very good as an actor. Russell Crowe, who people said was not good, I thought wasn’t bad. Ah well. They should have decided whether it was a musical (and really let go with the music) or a drama (and done without the music). By not deciding, I think it fell flat.</p>
<p>We had dinner with a lovely couple and their son. We became friends with them when the son and ShawSon entered pre-school at age 2 1/2. The son, who really had social skills issues (I would have said Aspergers-y), really matured dramatically in the last two or three years and was terrific and engaging at conversation. What did we call them, ESM? What a change. The dad is a psychiatrist and his older son is in med school and now the younger son, who was a political science major (and extremely bright, especially great at memorizing and sorting out facts) is now attending one-year program the prepare non-science majors to apply to med school and is looking for a job for next year in a lab. I think it must be gratifying as a Dad to have both kids choose to follow him (and the older son is at the same med school the Dad attended).</p>
<p>sabaray, He’s actually been good about giving up his bed(and sleeping on the couch himself) when it is both H and I visiting. But I will insist it be me that sleeps on the couch this time since H is not with me and he needs to get up for work in the morning. We bought a queen size good airbed for his apartment when S2 lived with him for the summer during his internship so S2 can sleep on that. Anything to save a buck on a hotel room!</p>
<p>Thanks,FallGirl,Need to go to lunch within walking distance of son’s apartment (familiar with the area and will be by myself, don’t want to take the metro since there are lots of great restaurants within walking distance). Will probably end up at Rasika. Also looking forward to seeing my first NBA game. Now,if only S2 will get out of bed so we can gt on the road!</p>
<p>Shaw, that’s EDM, evidence of dawning maturity. I am coming to believe that the delayed improvement of executive function really exists, as mcson seems to continually improve (my own personal lab rat ;)</p>
<p>So, EDM to report – mcson had announced to me previously that because he and mcgf did not want to be apart anymore, he’d agreed to go to San Francisco with her this summer for her internship, then return to Ann Arbor in fall. I understand living like you mean it and all that, but couldn’t get my head around how exactly he intended to coordinate finding any kind of sustaining work in either city. But I shut my mouth and left him to work out the logistics.</p>
<p>So yesterday, he told me that he has now discussed in depth with her how impractical this would be and intends instead to stay in Ann Arbor, where he’s already applied for a few career related jobs and where he has access to a studio to further develop his work. That way he has a better chance at legitimate or at least sustaining work while she finishes her degree upon return.</p>
<p>It sounds obvious to the adults among us, but believe me, this is a great stride in terms of EDM for him 
I am relieved, and hopeful that things will work out for him, so that these kind of practical decisions are rewarding ;)</p>
<p>Any EDM that was apparent before break went missing during it for S. I heard a lot about a mental break as he sat in front of a video game for several days on end. However, I think he is intending to finish his thesis in the hopes of achieving dept honors. Problem is, I guess, that only three students last year received them in a slew of others trying to. So the incentive isn’t awesome. He would have to majorly screw up to not end up with graduation honors however, so that’s good. Then there’s the fact that he’s received the rung above dean’s list for almost ever semester in which he’s taken four classes (except first semester freshman year and one semester where he made Dean’s list only), but this last semester he is only taking three classes because frankly he just needs the two classes for his major. When I suggested he take a “fun” class, he said everytime he does that it ends up being his worst grade proven by the B+ last semester in macro econ. And all I can say to that is good for him because if I didn’t like a class, I would be hard pressed to get a B anything.</p>
<p>Looks like D remembered to pack all her stuff and there was no last minute crisis in getting her out the door. Of course, all three of my kids left here with the need for me to mail them something. D1 - just things she forgot in the mayhem of Christmas, S2- things he couldn’t fit in the 50lb limit of his luggage (although they would have fit) and D2 - a box filled with some bulky things plus the new pillow (which is seriously nice) she got for Christmas. So … I’ve got that to do. </p>
<p>I think I will take pictures of the kids rooms once I have them all clean again and then start “depersonalizing” them to reduce visual clutter. Sounds like a plan… but first I have to clean the bathrooms and wash all the sheets and towels. Glad it’s Sunday…</p>
<p>D has another week at home; leaves next Saturday. I’m actually traveling at the end of the week, so I’ll leave before she does. At the time, I thought I would be ready to have her gone, but now I’m wishing I hadn’t booked the trip (missy, on my way to Dallas). D was gone last weekend for four days to see her sister. That was a good idea all around.</p>
<p>It’s been a quiet weekend – H out of town to his aunt’s funeral; D to the local Anime convention. She doesn’t like people to know she and her friends “cosplay” because lots of people think it’s a bit … weird. She spent a lot of time over break working on her costume (sewing, making props, etc.). One thing about cosplaying – she taught herself to sew, and even design some things; she asked for books on sewing for Christmas. She now has plans to make pillow throw covers, a tote bag, and a few other things this week. And get her hair (drastically) cut and maybe colored. We’ll see.</p>
<p>Nothing vaguely academic has darkened the horizon. Her last semester is pretty light – first time she hasn’t carried 16 (or more!) units, and among them this time are dance, piano, research (time, but no homework), and a 2 unit “senior seminar.” If she does get into grad school and decides to visit some/all, she’ll have a fair amount of travel – all her schools are in the west …</p>
<p>NM, hope you are better this a.m.!! Sounds scary.</p>
<p>I’m baking “Three Kings Bread” (but am not sure it is turning out …) for Epiphany; gotta go check on it.</p>
<p>NM- I hope you are OK. I second the suggestion of the hidden coconut oil. Kind of like peanut/peanut oil that is in all sorts of things that you wouldn’t expect.</p>
<p>sevmom- Enjoy Rasika! Let us know what you think.</p>
<p>I enjoy reading all of the posts here. I am another one who loves my family, but appreciates those times when I have a quiet house.</p>