<p>Z…I want to hear all about your D’s travels! What an exciting time for her. I think I am in denial with D2 finishing at the end of the month…or maybe I don’t think of it as an end since she will be continuing her studies. Hmmmm…</p>
<p>Congrats to shaw’s S and mcson. Also to TA to your son for defending his capstone project. </p>
<p>S2 presents his senior project today at 1pm. He also had to write something up about it with the other 3 group members.Then, unfortunately, he has to get in the car and go to DC (about 4 hours away)to meet tomorrow morning with some people on a project his new employer might want to put him on. So, he can’t just relax for a bit after the end of his senior project and before the beginning of his finals.</p>
<p>The weather is terrible…40s, rainy, windy…and tonight is the first night of younger D’s show.</p>
<p>S2 made it to the second round from the phone screen a few weeks ago. He will fly out on May 14th and back on the 16th, which is good timing since he has to be out of his apartment on the 13th and has graduation on the 18th. He says he has some other leads and will start making phone calls next week. I’m happy he is moving forward.</p>
<p>Odessagirl has three more days of teaching US History and then she is finished with college requirements. She graduates on May 18th.</p>
<p>Travel and annoying hubbies - I believe we are going somewhere warm and sunny next year in late winter/early spring. I need the sunshine. We love to snorkel, so I’ve been looking into Grand Cayman. Hubby got on-line and found the cheapest place, I think. No ocean view - walk a block to the beach, etc. Ugh…I TOLD him I wanted a balcony overlooking the ocean. What part of that doesn’t he understand? Once Odessagirl and I were going on a bus trip to NY to see a show. We asked him if he wanted to go, he said yes. Then when I priced it out, he said it was too expensive. So we didn’t go. I’m still a smidge mad about that and remembered it last night when we were discussing accommodations on Seven Mile Beach, Caymans.</p>
<p>Eddie, the man-think on that one might be the odd phenomenon of getting absorbed in an online bidding war to slash the price – I’ve noticed that some folks will spend more billable hours arguing with Priceline than the savings are worth. I think it’s because try think Shatner’s challenging them to take him on 
Heck, I must admit, even I sometimes succumb to the game of it until mch walks over and says I wanna stay at x, x being the most expensive place that some other guy recommended.</p>
<p>When mch is involved in a trip, I can usually count on paying double what I normally manage by my own means It’s kind of an irrational frugality on my part. In cases like this, you’re best to tell Eddie-man to step away from the computer and just let you book it!</p>
<p>TA, I am sending s2 some good job interview mojo. Nice that he made it past the screening!</p>
<p>So, this is something that’s never happened to me before. I bought a cute dress for graduation and when I was finished hours of party.prep last night I put it on to accessorize (around midnight…mch wanted to sleep but was humoring me.) </p>
<p>Two things happened. A) mch immediately said it was not a good choice and b) it actually didn’t look right on me because of my weight loss – and it truly had looked good on me in the store. I’d bought it a size smaller because I knew I’d still be losing weight.</p>
<p>So this begat a rather frantic search for grad-wear, and its a good thing stores weren’t open at midnight or I wouldn’t have slept at all!</p>
<p>I ended up choosing a “goal dress” I’d bought on a whim several sizes smaller that now fits to a T. The surprise of it is that my actual shape – not just the belly fat – has changed.</p>
<p>The only downside, however minor, is that I’d also bought a lovely (but too glitzy for everyday) crochet and metallic chico’s jacket that I loved, and mch now insists its “too boxy” and not flattering over the dress. I realized he was right, even though I love it on the hanger.</p>
<p>In all, despite the what-to-wear panic, it was a pleasant surprise. </p>
<p>Before I go off and get into final departure gear, I just wanna share that my husband is a saint, btw. As the prospect of shuttling my x around and hosting him for the next 3 days approaches, and having him here with a blend of friends and family, old and new, the significance of mch’s magnanimity cannot be ignored 
Fair to say I ended up with the right guy, so thank you universe!</p>
<p>^kmc I am starting the day with a smile after reading that last paragraph.</p>
<p>analyst- sending the good vibes for your S.</p>
<p>eddie- stand your ground! You deserve the trip that YOU want. (and I hope that you and your D get to NYC, too).</p>
<p>TA…what good news for S2! So happy that he is having more opportunities. Sending the good mojo for his interview. Congrats to him on his thesis work, too!</p>
<p>kmc…I bet you will look stunning! Congrats again on the weight loss. I hope you can relax and enjoy the festivities with family and friends. You truly deserve it after all of your hard work.</p>
<p>So D2 did go to her department banquet last night. She was seated at a table with some top execs from one of the Big Fours and told at that time they were offering her a scholarship. She still has no idea the amount. Since she already has one from the school she is wondering how this one figures in. </p>
<p>Can you believe we are still having snow flurries this morning? So depressing.</p>
<p>For vacation H just leaves it to me and I’m anything BUT frugal. I figure it’s the one or two times a year I get to stay/spend whatever I want We have had some fantastic vacations and I don’t begrudge the spend. </p>
<p>Renting a place at Cape Cod this summer for a week. We waited to rent as didn’t decide until late that we were going to do it. Kids MIGHT join us so we figured a 3 bedroom – well I wanted it on this one street that has access to a private beach so we have a 4 bedroom. Don’t need 4 but it’s what we have because I wanted the private beach – yes we have been there before :)</p>
<p>I have not lost any more weight unfortunately and I will have to go dress shopping soon for the wedding. Oh well – I’m at the point now where it is what it is.</p>
<p>This week I probably gained. Can’t exercise since the surgery and of course it was a very bad time at work. Had to let someone go yesterday and the stress of that was unbelievable. I didn’t feel that he should be let go but have to go along with the decision and sound like you agree. Ugh. Well it’s over. I just want this week to be over and then I can move on.</p>
<p>Hugs to you RM. Hope your knee continues to improve and that you have a good weekend.</p>
<p>D finished at UCLA a quarter early (thank you AP and study abroad units!). So for her graduation present I bought her an iPad mini and a ticket to South America. She is in Argentina as we speak (she has already climbed Machu Picchu and visited Iguazu Falls). She will walk in the graduation ceremony in June. Her graduating is particularly poignant to me, because in her sophomore year I was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer. My goal was to see her graduate, and here I am (thanks to very smart doctors and a miracle clinical trial drug). These four years have been a lot harder than we could ever have imagined. But she did it. I am very proud of her. And she starts a good job in June! Ying and yang. Life. What a crapshoot.</p>
<p>tpt…congrats to D on her graduation and job! What a wonderful trip! Wishing you much comfort and peace as you battle for good health. Sending you strength as you continue your journey.</p>
<p>Congrats to you and your d tptshorty! Wow, finishing early and already has a good job, how wonderful, your d sounds quite resilient and focused to have accomplished what she has! You too have reached your goal of seeing her graduate, so you must have shown your d just how to be strong and persevere.</p>
<p>And I join Northminnesota in sending you strength. Enjoy every moment of the graduation!</p>
<p>TA, wishing good interview luck!</p>
<p>Eddie, there is no way on Earth I would allow H to book accomodations of any kind. I shudder to imagine where we would be staying. Stay strong! Insist on your balcony and view!</p>
<p>Kmc, sounds like a good problem to have. Glad you found something great to wear.</p>
<p>NM, congrats on D’s scholarship. </p>
<p>RM, letting folks go is just terrible. Hope you can have a relaxing weekend. </p>
<p>tpt, wishing you good health.</p>
<p>Last night on the local public radio station they ran a story about the current graduation rate at our local directional state U. Of entering full time freshmen, 18% graduate in 4 years. Eighteen percent!!! Part of the problem is apparently lack of advising…one girl was interviewed saying she had essentially none…all the course planning and selection basically done alone in her dorm room.</p>
<p>This is a large state U, but there was essentially the same problem at Son’s small, CTCL LAC. I remember spending a very long time on the computer when he was registering for second semester, trying to find enough courses with availablity to fill the schedule.</p>
<p>Older D’s school isn’t perfect, but I think the advising is strong. (It also helps that she is very diligent about setting up her appointment early in the quarter.)</p>
<p>Hi tpt - congrats to your D and wishing you good health.</p>
<p>RM- I was in your shoes several years ago and it’s awful. Hugs to you.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your daughter, tptshorty. How wonderful you will see her graduate in June!</p>
<p>Good luck to S2, TA!</p>
<p>Congrats on the scholarship,NM.</p>
<p>I’m currently in Pittsburgh visitng my sister. The Pittsburgh Marathon is on Sunday-lots of changes-clear plastic bags only for belongings-no backpacks , mailboxes and garbage cans removed,etc.</p>
<p>Congratulations to both you and your daughter, tpshorty. Go Bruins!</p>
<p>If I left vacation plans to H – we’d mostly never go anywhere. And even when we buy stuff for the house I’ve learned to be really, really clear on the quality level minimum. I have the world’s ugliest rod in my laundry room for hanging up clothes as they come out of the dryer. (I know it is only the laundry room, but galvanized steel?)</p>
<p>Congrats to your D, NM. </p>
<p>Today is my last Friday off. I am officially transitioning to full time. Will miss the Fridays, but was working almost FT anyway and for me it was time. Loved my years at home, but I confess that I am career oriented at heart. (maybe because I’m not that great at anything domestic except laundry and have always done well in the workplace). And I really like what I do as well as the people there. Have spent the morning doing things that I enjoy (mostly).</p>
<p>TA, best of luck on the job interview.</p>
<p>kmc, congrats. That’s a first world problem as my kids would say.</p>
<p>tpt, congratulations to your D and to you as you’ve persevered through really challenging times. My wishes for continued health.</p>
<p>The situation is completely different but my mother, who is deeply committed to education (she completed her PhD in the 50’s), will with luck get to see her first grandchild (who also happens to be the first grandson in an extended Jewish family where gender still matters) graduate from (a don’t forget to say prestigious) college late this month. She had breast cancer a number of years ago and then 10 years ago or so was hospitalized with a mystery ailment that turned out to be Guillane-Barre syndrome, a disease that temporarily paralyzes its victims from the neck down. There’s no test – it is a diagnosis by exclusion – and if you miss it, the victim’s lungs stop functioning, which tends to mean death. But, she was diagnosed and then had to learn how to walk again, etc. My father was a brilliant and relatively accomplished theoretical physicist and she sees in ShawSon’s mathematical and intellectual gifts something of my father. So, at age 88, this graduation will be especially emotionally poignant for her. My father grew up dirt poor during the Depression and received a full scholarship to college, where he thought he was going to become a HS math teacher (as during the Depression, HS teachers had job security). His professors there said, “Son, someone with your talent does not become a HS teacher” and he was admitted to the best departments in his field and had a great career. He was always grateful to his undergraduate school so I funded a small scholarship for a needy physics major with his name on it. Last month, the undergraduate school had a lunch to introduce scholarship recipients to donors and I suggested my mother go (I was as is frequently the case out of the country). My mother, who for unknown reasons is frequently implicitly critical of me (which seems strange since I am happy with my life and the contribution I make and I don’t think there is anybody who from an outside view wouldn’t view me as successful), told me, “Shawbridge, you did exactly the right thing by funding that scholarship. It is exactly what your father would have wanted. Thank you. It was wonderful and I was so happy to be able to go.” So, when she sees ShawSon graduating, it will be a big deal. [She doesn’t understand why he isn’t off to a PhD program immediately, and I’m sure will be critical of that, but OK]. </p>
<p>On firing, yuck. As the head of my firm, I have to do that if people cannot perform. Painful, especially if the employee’s spirit is willing but the brain is not. Remarkably, it is painful for people for whom not only the brain but the spirit is unwilling.</p>