LOL! I’m sure the others on his floor will appreciate that! </p>
<p>H actually saw S yesterday, to bring him & roommate another fan. S’s room is fine, w/ a great view of the Quad, but the window is odd – only the bottom third opens, and then it only tilts out a short distance. H & S rigged up a large box fan right on the window to draw in more outside air.</p>
<p>Earlier in the summer we all got new cell phones, prompted by my desire to be able to text, since both D & S would be in college. (Yes, I actually had a phone so old that it could not be used for texting!) I figured they would respond better/quicker to texts, especially S. But, in my old age, I also knew I needed a full QWERTY keyboard. Anyway, we all have unlimited texting, and it’s quite fun!</p>
<p>Love the cookie plan! Everybody wins. If you stipulated “homemade” that would be a lot of work, but a cookie is a cookie, and guaranteed friend-maker.</p>
<p>Laxtaxi, my H is feeling the way you feel. Watching football with me just isn’t the same as watching it with his son(s). H posted the high school schedule on the refrigerator and plans to go to the games, but I don’t think it will feel the same. For the last three years, H did not miss a single home college football game for our oldest and had a very elaborate tailgate ritual. But S1 is in Brazil this fall so he feels totally lost about that. The younger one’s games are 6 hours away (assuming no traffic) and all the hotels have long been booked, so H says he will stay at my mother’s which makes it an 8 hour trip each way. There is just a bit of desperation in that plan, in my view, but he just can’t imagine not watching football with his boys in the fall. Unfortunately, basketball season will be even worse because he has coached their basketball team every year since they were in about 4th grade. I don’t think it hit him when coaching last year that it was probably his last year of coaching. He hangs on every word of every email they write.</p>
<p>Sounds like the launches continue to go well. </p>
<p>Last night’s phone conversation went a bit too long, for mom and dad, of all people! Aspie Son felt the need to explain, in three parts, actual concepts he was learning in class…I guess better to go on and on to us than with the other students.</p>
<p>I found out more about the computer issue. He did attempt to solve his problem before calling me…he went to campus tech support. They told him if he was getting a blue screen it was a hardware issue, so he called me because the campus tech people told him he’d have to send the computer back to HP. When he finally spoke to HP and fixed the problem, he actually walked back to the campus tech support to tell them…they were appreciative and told him another student had just been in with the same issue.</p>
<p>The Febreeze heavy duty air freshener that I left in the room two weeks ago is almost gone…apparently the guy in the room next door (with adjoining restroom) microwaves smelly food all the time. I guess that’s one thing we didn’t have to worry about back in the day…I don’t recall anything cooking anything other than ramen noodles in the red hot pots.</p>
<p>Oh, one more thing…last night Son said, “Why didn’t you tell me that Ted Kennedy died?” I told him that is why I started subscribing to *Newsweek *freshman year in college - because I was missing all the news. But I told him that he has a nice little thing called news on the computer. I told him to go to cnn.com to subscribe to breaking news updates so at least he’d get the big stuff.</p>
<p>Today is packing day. I am going to buy the smaller sized boxes (whatever is 62 linear inches) to keep within the rules and of course, keep it at 50lbs. We SHOULD only take three bags/boxes between us, but not sure how this might work and in the end, I might have to suck it up. Fortunately, as someone pointed out, we wont endure the checked bag fee hike because of when we bought the ticket. While I am glad my H doesn’t travel a lot for business to far away lands, it sure would be nice to be an elite member with all the baggage rules. It’s not that I mind the rules, but I just really hate having to deal with airport people. I am sure once they get off the property they are perfectly fine people, but I am convinced that they have to go to jerk training seminars in order to be considered a worthy hire. That our flight is at 6:30 doesn’t make it any better. </p>
<p>Plus, one has to consider not only getting the stuff TO the airport, but also getting into a rental car. Maybe they will bump up up to an SUV but I doubt it. Another reason why the target run will probably have to wait until after drop off.</p>
<p>Admittedly I am starting to obsess just a tad, but I am REALLY not sure how I am going to pack a brand new suit and sport coat without crushing the hell out of them. Any ideas? Maybe it’s smarter to take one hang up bag as checked bag… but then I cant do the russian doll thing to bring it back. The other idea… can you carry on like one hang bag? Back to the airline website for me…</p>
<p>missypie, that’s so sad. I guess we really all do have to move on. H was having the watching football issue when S left four years ago. Last night he was back watching preseason and I stayed for about half the game. I can deal with about 1 game a week maybe a little more but more than that is just too much.</p>
<p>The hole is definitely there. I bring H up to date on anything I’ve heard from the kids over dinner and I know he’s trying to talk more about various things but we’re definitely in need of a shared activity to keep us moving. At least the diet is going well (he of course has lost twice as much as I have).</p>
<p>It took three phone calls of coaching but Son now has his first load of laundry in the washer. Yea!!!</p>
<p>At home, we do laundry only once a week (except for dance clothes) and because we’ve been a family of 5, that quantity of laundry allows for extreme sorting…one load of pinks/reds, one loads of blue/green/grays, etc. It worried Son to be putting all the colors in together. (I did have him separate lights from darks.) Pretty funny to hear the worry in his voice…no worry about his college classes, but worry about washing reds and greens together. lol</p>
<p>Whew! Got up early and drove for hours and finally arrived OOS for D2’s first preseason (not exhibition) game. H and D1 are driving from Ohio to meet us here. Haven’t seen D1 since June so am very excited for her to get here! Beautiful day for a game. Saying a brief prayer that all arrive safely and sending positive thoughts for D2 to get in game and play strong! I am nervous for her!</p>
<p>Wow… NMN… you are putting some serious mileage on your car and we have yet to leave the state! I did go to sports authority today to buy socks AND stopped at the gap and bought 3 (all they had) plain white t-shirts. As I was folding the ones he had, it was clear they had seen better and brighter days. So… at least he’s starting out on a clean slate. GF leaves tomorrow… Thank goodness. I am really quite sick of all the friend good byes as we are one of the last ones (besides Dartmouth and Northwestern who dont start until sometime third week of September).</p>
<p>I need a little nap and then I’ll be able to pull an all nighter. Ok… maybe I’ll make it until 2am. :)</p>
<p>Well we’re getting ready. Pack up on Sunday. Spend today at getting pedicures together. Good day but I could use some down time and just sit. Now H is how and want to chat. Ugh… Thought we were getting rid of the kids but S called and wants to come home next weekend. We’ll arrive back home on Thur and he comes in on Fri staying until Mon. I go back to work on Tues. So much for having some quiet time by myself at home.</p>
<p>Spent about 30 mins on IM with D this afternoon after her last class for the week. Got brought up to date on the amount of homework, plans for the weekend, highs and lows of classes etc. Felt good.</p>
<p>Dropped mine off yesterday. ::sad: Haven’t heard much other than a good night text from 1 and a phone call to dad for tech support w/ internet from the other. Upper classmen carried all the stuff in which was great but even with two parents to help it was a very long day.</p>
<p>I held my tears until the last goodbye and was grateful that they chose the same school so I would not to have to experience the good bye twice!</p>
<p>H had a phone call today. S is realizing he should have packed a few school supplies (duh), so is having a friend take him to Walmart tomorrow to stock up. He turned in a handwritten paper in English class and was chastised. He did his usual talk-back response that she hadn’t specified it had to be typed. I would hate to have this child in my class, but he says he is happy to type the paper, just didn’t know it had to be so it wasn’t really his fault. In general, he likes his classes and says he is keeping up with the work. He is still just carrying fruit for lunch but says he has about six apples in his room now so has it under control.</p>