<p>SLUMOM- Good to hear your happy news!</p>
<p>Yea! for SLU-D</p>
<p>Well done Slumom’s D! Our daughter took a picture of the Dean’s list certificate and sent it to her D and I via email. She said she’s never been so excited for someone to ask her what she got in a class in her life! It took seven years, but that IS her lucky number afterall.</p>
<p>D’s school has not had power all day; she just texted “it’s cold and dark …” Only dining hall open is all the way across campus, but apparently there is food service. Here it’s just raining …</p>
<p>Poor kids in the cold and dark! Let’s hope the power comes back on before the lap-tops need re-charging-then they’d be really despondent. Thank goodness for texting!</p>
<p>Sabaray-thinking good thoughts for you. I hope you and dh can have a good conversation and come up with a plan that you can agree on and communicate to your son.<br>
I think often of some of the risks I took as a college freshman, going out of my way to do stupid things, just because I could.</p>
<p>Oh Zetesis, I wish I had checked in earlier! We are a block from campus and we only lost power for a short time last night. If she is still without power tomorrow, I’d be happy to make her dinner or let her study in front of our fireplace :)</p>
<p>sabaray - you’ve been in my thoughts. sending {{{hugs}}}</p>
<p>congrats to SLUMOM and D! Our small town paper publishes a list of local kids who make Dean’s list at their respective colleges. I read the recent list with some envy, I will admit. </p>
<p>Our neighbors had a “blizzard party” tonight - such fun. We visit a lot in the warm months, but don’t see much of each other in winter so this was nice. One couple reported that their 20 yr old son is living at home, having decided that a 4 year college is “not his thing.” Seems neither the parents nor son are happy with the situation, but the parents are unwilling to fund an apartment and living expenses while S figures out what’s next. He is working and exploring CC options, so they are hopeful.</p>
<p>Zim, thank you for sharing your story and your wise perspective. I don’t think there’s a family I know that has been spared the fallout of some sort of abuse or affliction. Mine has not been spared, nor has my husband’s. We’ve been fairly open with our D about the family’s history of problems and it has shaped her into a strong sense of what she will and will not feel comfortable being around. She takes a very strong line. I think she may soften over time, but she has seen what the damage can be and it has really left an impression.</p>
<p>S received mail asking him to join the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) for $75. I was throwing the stuff away when it dawned on me that it might be legitimate. Turns out the school sent him and email and all. I did a search and some good schools have this also. I have never heard of it–anyone here?
So–while he is home AGAIN to ski with GF–I guess he is doing the work he needs to do.
I guess I just want it all.</p>
<p>bbl ^^^ We’ve had similar experiences in our extended families and my kids have taken this to heart, too. They have seen the fallout and realized that to the extent that these issues sometimes run in families, they would be wise to steer clear of those triggers.</p>
<p>Sabaray, sending many hugs and strength for the tough days ahead.</p>
<p>S came home for the weekend. Doesn’t look like he will get back to DC today. Flights are canceled. So the quest starts with WHEN can he get back! Tried to see if classes were canceled tomorrow but not posted as of yet. AU is closed today but that was all I could find.</p>
<p>Congrats on the dean’s list. Suffice it to say, never happened and unlikely ever to happen for my boys. I’m not familiar with NSCS. I would pay for Phi Beta Kappa, however, if that comes along for your student in the junior or senior year. </p>
<p>S1’s college has two spring job fairs (one for everybody and one just for engineering). Most of the companies don’t sound like much of a fit for him–can’t see him holed up in a cubicle in DC at any price even with the promise of travel–but there is an oil and gas firm recruiting on campus that appears to have jobs as a field engineer in Brazil and South America that would strongly appeal to him. It will be interesting to see if that firm has any interest in his background. If they do, then his consulting firm in Rio might have some competition.</p>
<p>S2 has a big calc test on Monday. The review session was cancelled due to weather, but hopefully this weather will be conducive to his staying inside and studying on his own.</p>
<p>Hi PRJ – the dorms got power/heat back last evening about 9 or 10. She called to say they were cold but all was well. She wasn’t on her computer most of the day, I presume to conserve power, so I have no idea what she did all day. She said it was too cold/blizzardy to go out, there was no electricity for homework, no food.</p>
<p>For a kid who’s never lived outside of SoCal, this is quite a different experience!</p>
<p>So I asked - what did you all do yesterday without power/heat? She said, half of her dorm snuggled under blankets in their common room/lobby and played all kinds of card games; and then they went outside and made snow angels, snow people, and had a snow ball fight … but today they really have to hit the books …</p>
<p>^^sounds like a great day, especially for a SoCal girl! Ask her if she can send you pictures - the village is really beautiful with all the trees coated with snow/ice.</p>
<p>Even though we had power, D2 spent most of Friday and Saturday out playing with friends, but she really has to work today. The streets are clear so there is no chance of school being canceled tomorrow.</p>
<p>I was thinking about the fact that you cannot have candles in the dorms so can’t get that old fashioned ambiance going. Flashlights pointed to the ceiling?
TA–good luck to your S1’s and his job search. stressful time but hopefully he will get where he wants to be.
My S is arguing about coming home again in 3 weekends beacause it is their 2 year anniversary. I know his school is a good fit but I seriously wish we had looked futher away. He comes home, needs a pick up to from the train station, needs a car (we are 4 with 3 cars) and barely talks to us. Did not eat one meal with us and literally talked about 10 minutes all weekend. Looking back we should have set the rules up before he left for school. He is tenatious at arguing and there cannot be a no. His stubborness is something to behold esp. when it comes to GF. Still, he will be told he can come in 3 weeks and then not again until springbreak and then one time in April and none until school ends in May.
AND his 17 year old GF needs to get her dang license so she can share the driving.</p>
<p>I have seen a ton of “candles” lately that are really lovely for the ambiance thing, but they’re actually flickering little battery operated flashlights. Some even give off smell! Great idea if you ask me.</p>
<p>Son called to say he bought all his books and except for one, was used. He spent… wait for it… $180 on books AND he’s a science major! I think they might be using the same book for part of his one class as they did last semester and I know he switched Math books with someone else taking Chemistery. I realize how little I know except that I had given him a blank check for something in the fall to which he still had! So believe me when I say I will be looking for exactly how much he writes himself a check for in the next few days!!!</p>
<p>
As part of a “finals care package” I sent D a battery-powered pillar candle. She said it’s great – it flickers just like a real one. Maybe not exactly the same, but close, AND it’s allowed in the dorm.</p>
<p>About those visits home…</p>
<p>We found out after the fact that eggson came to our city yesterday afternoon (less than an hour from school). In fact, he came to a friend’s house IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD for a scouting meeting. He did not call, stop by or even tell us that he was coming. </p>
<p>I was miffed alright. Eggdad called him on it and did manage to get a weak apology. Jeesh.</p>
<p>^^ I can totally see my S doing exactly that. So I guess it’s good that it’s an impossibility. I definitely get both sides of that particular coin.</p>
<p>^^And I’ve got a different “coming home” issue - D wrote me a sweet email a week ago asking if she could come home for part of her February break, something we hadn’t planned on or budgeted for, but of course, right? How could I say no? So I spent a fair amount of time researching possible flight schedules and prices, sent her the options a couple of days ago, and have heard nothing back from her :(. </p>
<p>Maybe she got a better offer…</p>