<p>PRJ, our friends do that sometimes – Seders moved to the weekend. ShawSon was here for 3 hours Sunday and we leaned on him to stay (from spring break) for an extra day to attend the first Seder. He had to figure out how to get in his math homework – he has weekly homework in this class and the teacher drops the lowest two but he has not handed in two to go to meetings for his startup. So, he can’t afford to miss, but scanning technology to the rescue. Our second seder gets taken over by my lovely but unabashedly self-absorbed SIL, who has made it a showcase for the talents (musical and now maybe Hebraic, though the latter weren’t in evidence) of her kids and husband (to a large extent to the exclusion of other same-age cousins – my kids’ don’t feel excluded but are probably a bit perplexed by the self-absorption). It will be vegetarian (maybe vegan) and painfully politically correct – in earlier years, she excised the plagues because they weren’t nice. ShawSon will delightedly skip this, as would I if I could.</p>
<p>We aren’t redecorating like you guys but have been doing major construction. So, little creative stuff. We’re back in the house for a while. ShawWife bought a queen bed for ShawSon’s room – his 6’ off the floor loftbed supported by the wall and tree branches had to come down for painting the water-damaged ceiling/wall. That room looks sort of like a B&B bedroom now.</p>
<p>Anyway, back from a college visit. Younger D really liked the program and is very interested in the school dispite the fact that it’s too far north (too cold) and that the campus is undergoing lots of construction. I knew that the program would be perfect for her.</p>
<p>The program in which Son was interested left a lot to be desired, but I think he sees it as a vote of confidence that we’re looking at possible transfers schools.</p>
<p>Not that any of you will care, but the American Choral Directors’ Assocation is having its biennial convention in Dallas this week. H is singing with three different choirs and right now is having a dress rehearsal with a Very Famous (in Some Circles) Composer. Younger D was selected to participate in the HS Honor Choir. There are 4 from her HS participating. I thought we could each take a day of chaperoning duties but the other parents won’t respond - I’ve called, sent emailed, talked to their kids, etc. So, as a result, I am staying Wed-Saturday at a hotel about 8 blocks from my office, chaperoning while trying to keep the legal business moving along. It will be a very odd and tiring rest of the week. Older D has finals next week and I don’t think there’s a care package in her future.</p>
<p>MP of course we care. am amazed at the talent in your family.
D1 went back to school on sunday, D2 is here now. She seems to prefer her father’s company, which strangely does not bother me. He asks many questions about superficial things while I do not.
We will meet her boyfriend soon, apparently he is nervous. Any advice? Things to do or not do?
NM living vicariously through you.
Shaw how is son’s GF?
Glad all are enjoying the visits.
Hoping everyone is getting healthy.
Had a good workout with the trainer,first time Ihave felt good physically or mentally in a while.
Black smoke today, Our Cardinal is a front runner, not expecting it, but my H as met him several times, and worked with him. he likes and respects him. e blessed me when i got diagnosed again, gee does being a Pope havemore status haha</p>
<p>I preferred as a new boyfriend not to get the 40 question interrogation, at least not upfront. I think just being welcoming and asking questions nicely works well. Everyone loves it when people are interested in them.</p>
<p>My kids are afraid that ShawWife will be way too welcoming to new GF or BF.</p>
<p>ShawSon’s GF? Don’t know. She doesn’t have time to visit him. He doesn’t have time to visit her until the end of the semester. Hey, he doesn’t have time to sleep until the end of the semester. He has a math test tomorrow, but he called me before finishing studying for his math test, he had a phone call with an investor who has been talking with him but turns out invests the money of a well-known billionaire. He was reading an article on convertible bonds to identify the key terms but wasn’t sure what the market terms were for an early stage company like his. Just your average college kid’s afternoon.</p>
<p>No D1 has a boyfriend. Interestingly he is from Mn. It seems to g back to that all the time. Her internship was with Sen. Klobachar and my family is from MN.
I just dont want to say the wrong thing,or act the wrong way. I apparently dont get it. I asked her if she double dated with her BFF and
BFF boyfriend (she fixedthem up) and she said it would be weird. Ok??? so just want to follow the rules.</p>
<p>Envious of all of you who have kids home for spring break. Odessagirl doesn’t get one this year because she is student teaching - so I guess only the education majors are at her school right now - maybe spring sports kids, too. I don’t really know. Hubby saw her yesterday, as he took her a new battery for her car. Her car died Sunday night in a Walmart parking lot. She had jumper cables and had already opened her hood. A passerby offered to give her a jump, thankfully. She drove back to college but then couldn’t get it to start again. Another student is teaching at the same high school, so gave her a ride yesterday and it worked out well. She put on FB that in teaching she is experiencing extreme highs and extreme lows. In one hour she can go from tearing up at the stress of it all to tearing up at how amazing it is to teach. I really want to skype with her, but if she is too busy, I don’t want to cause her any more stress. I ask alot of questions, while my hubby does not. DTE - my girl also prefers her father’s company - says he is just easier to be with than me. I expect conversation…hello? Yes, I do.</p>
<p>I think D1 is just stressed about finishing her thesis and jobs and knows I ask the perhaps deeper questions that she prefers to not discuss. I got that impression when I mentioned this was her last time home on a break, and she snapped at me. Thanks Mom.bla bla. What she doesnt know is I am perceptive enough.
Eddie it is great she has found what she loves and wants to do. Good Teaching is so needed.</p>
<p>Blessed by possible popes, singing with famous composers, talking to billionaire investors…what a lovely assortment our 2013 parents-and-beloveds are ;)</p>
<p>It’s fun to hear about all the spring break activity too, which I missed this year. </p>
<p>DTE, exciting to meet the bf – just be yourself, as they say. I was nervous about meeting mcson’s gf last year but I should have realized any gal he was that serious about would of course be engaging and easy-to-be with – which she was/is.</p>
<p>Missy, this chaperoning shenannigans actually sounds like it could be good fun. Whether the other parents realize it or not, they’re missing an opportunity to get to know the other kids better, which is always interesting. Some of my fondest memories now of mcson’s hs career involved things that at the time I was “stuck with” while busy…like chaperoning foreign music exchange students because there wasn’t enough housing or covering a dance, etc. whatever else I was “busy” with has left no lasting memory or meaning comparatively ;)</p>
<p>I wonder. There may be a time for daughters psychologically separating from their mothers when talking to dad is preferable. I became the parent of choice for a while. Now ShawD calls ShawWife for things with emotional resonance and me for practical life questions and to tell me about her academic performance – I think she always wanted my approval of her academically and now that she is at the very top of her class, she calls me with every score. But if there were an emotional setback, she would call ShawWife first. Could the two D’s mentioned be at perhaps an earlier stage of the same transition or is it something else?</p>
<p>Have my scrapbooking workshop today. Looking forward to seeing friends but I am not as productive with my pictures as I used to be. I still need to finish one of D1’s wedding albums that is for me. I have already done two others!</p>
<p>D2 and I had a testy conversation yesterday. Drives me crazy when she calls for my advice and when I give my opinion she rejects it and tells me I “don’t get it” and then abruptly ends the conversation. She is stressed with approaching midterms and getting ready for spring break in Florida while working 20 hrs a week. The MS program she is accepted to has a meeting with incoming students on Friday and they want her to bring an updated resume. She was peeved that there was a meeting she had to attend and secondly that she had to update the resume. She asked if I thought she needed to print it on “good” paper. I said yes as you don’t know who will see it and what it is for. I casually mentioned that perhaps it would be used in an educational way so the program could help improve it or perhaps it would be seen by companies that will be screening/interviewing students for guaranteed internships in the program. That was when she lost it. Have I mentioned before how she hates change/transitions? ;)</p>
<p>NM, S2 is also stressed to the max. His spring break is the end of this month so he is on crunch time with projects and exams. He had paperwork to send in for his job (or I should say potential job) and waited over an hour in line at the post office only to discover they don’t handle federal express. He had a fed ex envelope to use to return the paperwork but didn’t understand the difference between the postal service and fed ex. That wasted hour killed him. He was sick on Monday, which he gets whenever he is stressed, and still feeling awful on Tuesday.</p>
<p>It sounds like your D wanted to vent and was expecting you to say, anything would be fine, so she could feel less stressed. When the conversation didn’t go that way, she got upset and unfortunately took it out on the messenger. I think regular paper should be OK in this instance. People are very used to seeing resumes printed off from a pdf file onto whatever paper happens to be in the printer or they make multiple copies on cheap paper to pass around. I doubt S2 has ever used good paper, but then again he doesn’t have the best job offer record so maybe Sabaray or Sevmom would have a more valid opinion than me.</p>
<p>Having lots of issues with the cc mobile app but NM, I think plain paper is fine. D hasn’t ever had to present a resume that wasn’t emailed or uploaded though; I honestly don’t think the type of resume paper is going to be important.</p>
<p>Very tired and D still has half an hour of rehearsal to go. Very disorganized event, the guy in charge (not the conductor) is a huge jerk, and the schedule barely allow the kids time to eat. Our “view of downtown” actually overlooks a busy RR station so major noise. BUT, determined to have fun. People really did travel from all over the country to participate. I just wish the folks in charge had planned a tour of the city or time to look around or something. These kids are going to spend 4 days in Dallas and only see the inside of a hotel. Is this what the world would be like if choral directors were in charge?</p>
<p>mp–hang in there–but geez. One reason I love to do my CEU’s online and not travel to a conference in a different ( or my own) city–just to only see that piece of propety. I friggin love doing my CEU’s online!
Again, hang in there and we all know you will make it as good is it can possibly be…</p>
<p>ShawSon also a bit stressed. Did an all-nighter to finish math homework and study for test. Then asked me to look over an application for an entrepreneurial contest and emails to prospective angel investors. No patience for some of my suggestions. Too tired.</p>
<p>Shae, “continuing education units.” and sending shawson the light. Suspect he is not alone in his crunch. Mcson is back to the grind too, by the sounds of it. I may be playing with fire here, but I had a chance to subcontract video work to him and he desperately wants it so I suspect between that production, his sr thesis and the imminent play the next 6-8 weeks will be a bit of a crush!</p>
<p>Missy, yes, I suspect that’s how he world would be if choir directors were involved That’s why they need people like you! Show em how to have some fun!</p>
<p>I’m not a worrier but I woke up worrying about how I was going to keep D fed…and by extension, how parents not from here were going to feed their kids. Isn’t that a terrible thing to have to worry about.</p>
<p>But speaking of continuing education, Texas attys have to have 15 hours a year and it’s due in their birth month. So I spent a couple of hours listening to boring online CLE. (Figured that if D was suffering, I should too.)</p>
That’s why they need people like you! Show em how to have some fun!</p>