<p>Talked to DD in Baltimore…she said they felt the shaking but it took her forever to figure out it was an earthquake because it was so totally out of context. Haven’t heard of any major injuries, and am hoping that continues; I also hope that those of you affected have heard from your loved ones and that all are safe.</p>
<p>I imagine that G’town is erring on the side of caution. As one of my coworkers pointed out today, buildings there haven’t been retrofitted, and any safety codes probably don’t consider earthquake safety. It might take them a few days to look carefully at structural stuff, and I’d rather wait a few days than have an issue after everyone moves in.</p>
<p>Haha. With earthquake strongly felt in NC with buildings evacuated and with east coast hurricane talk, we are taking that as a sign that S was absolutely correct in choosing Pomona in Cali over UNC and Duke.</p>
<p>@ AvonHSDad - I totally understand the apprehension. There is structural damage to the Capitol and National Cathedral, as well as many, many other surrounding buildings. It shouldn’t take but a day or two for Georgetown to inspect and clear the dorms. What is it that Kinder says? Better drowned then duffers.</p>
<p>My in-laws are in Fredericksburg and you’d think they had been through a 9.0…emails to all the grandchildren…multiple facebook updates…my 20yo dryly quipped the only reason they had so much damage at their house is because they have too much stuff on their walls… :eek: Then we both cracked up…</p>
<p>There was a funny pic circulating on fb which says: “To any people on the west coast laughing about our “earthquake” today…” “let’s not forget about your “snow days”” and a pic of a family all decked out with winter clothes making a snowman out of a dusting of snow. It was cute! Wish I knew how to put that here. </p>
<p>Ds is back in his room at Pitt and met the roommate today, not sure how that went. Did our first family facetime which I just don’t like. Hope it made him feel better. It hurt me more than it helped honestly. I will have to get better at this. EmmyBet - hugs to you too!</p>
<p>From what we are hearing from people in the DC area…
…the news is very much “over blowing” the event/coverage and the damage is far more minimal…</p>
<p>No …the main towers of the Nat’l Cathedral didn’t fall (yes 3 decoractive spires 5-8 ft long will need repair)
No …the Wash monument is NOT leaning (yes it is closed as per protocol for inspection)
Yes, all musuems and public buildings like Universities etc are being checked- as it should be…
etc</p>
<p>gosh–you’d think adults would be better at remaining calm…what kind of role models are they!! Our teens and children look to the adults for the baromometer…</p>
<p>Evidently East coast plates are like solid sheets and from the carolinas to the southern new england area there was movement…</p>
<p>Wow. Glad that our VA/DC friends are all okay. I have called and emailed my brother in Charlottesville but haven’t heard back from him. That’s not unusual–even on a non-earthquake day, but still it would be nice to hear from him.</p>
<p>What a mess that would be at Georgetown to postpone move in. As if it isn’t emotionally charged already.</p>
<p>The first two days have taught me to add this advice: your child may well need a credit card to register for online assignment sites. DS2 found that out in his first Calculus class–that he needed to pay $47 for access to the online site. The used book that we rented did not come with the login or access code. New books did. He had to get a login and code from his TA and pay by credit card to get online to do his first assignment. We ordered a credit card for him but it came to our home address after he had moved in and I don’t want to mail it. So I gave him my CC number and then took the money out of the account we set up for his books and expenses, etc. He will take him his new credit card at the first home football game.</p>
<p>He really loves his classes. Only 19 people in his Honors Calculus II class. His seminar for Physics majors meets in the Physics library and has 25 student; two of them live on his floor. Physics I is a large lecture class. No discussion group or lab this first week. Tomorrow he gets to go to his honors seminar on The Science Wars. He loves only having to have four classes to handle. Because his high school was on a block schedule, he had eight at once. </p>
<p>Hope all of you hear from your launched children today!</p>
<p>@ OWM - C’ville had minimal damage. Lousia had a lot of stuff falling off shelves from what I understand. If you look at the thread of the parents cafe re: the quake Dean J from UVa posted two picture links that will give you an idea on post #60. The phone lines have been wonky all day and email and text delayed (Verizon reported real problems)…not to give your brother excuses. ;)</p>
<p>We considered the access code issue when getting the calc book new vs used. What a maze. So glad OWSon got it worked out. He is resourceful! It’s wonderful that he has such small classes. I saw a post where one of Bluejr’s friends from HS has a class at our BSU with 2500 students :eek: No idea what the class is but that’s insane no matter what it is IMO!!</p>
<p>@ fogfog - I stopped in to ‘see’ the 2012 group a couple of weeks ago and they were so nice! Hard to believe we were all there last year. It seems like forever!!</p>
<p>Avon, I suspect that the GT buildings will reopen tomorrow. The hospital was open this afternoon. There really doesn’t seem to be much damage. Now we just have to hope that the hurricane veers out to sea.</p>
<p>My D and I were having lunch at a restaurant when the floor started shaking. I thought that the child behind our booth was kicking us, but then we realized that everyone else felt it also. I felt really bad for my dog who was home alone, but she seems to be over it. D1, who is at Umich doing research, was mad that “something exciting finally happens at home, and I missed it.”</p>
<p>Amanda, Emmy and BI: I’m glad that you heard from your kids and they’re okay. It’s scary to be out of touch.</p>
<p>Congrats on the latest launches, Proudmom and Aria.</p>
<p>ST: Your D2’s gift was very thoughtful.</p>
<p>FLMM: I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying the trip. Your son sounds very patient. My D wants to get to school as quickly as possibly.</p>
<p>Anyone with TIPS for Move In
…
during a hurricane/heavy rain
(besides comfy shoes, and trash bags/rain coats etc…)
Man this will totally wreck my hair!!! hahahahahaha</p>
<p>Hello from MD where we have had an almost tornado Sunday, felt an earthquake tremble today and are anticipating a visit from Hurricane Irene this Sunday. But the good news is the packing is done for Sat. Morning’s move in. Stay safe one and all.</p>
<p>My thoughts are with everyone in the DC area. It is better to be safe than to rush back in to the building.</p>
<p>I was in Logan Airport on my way to Dallas today when I heard the news of the earthquake on the CNN monitors. I was sitting at the exact same American Airlines gate on September 11, 2001. It definitely brought back all those emotions that I had that day 10 years ago.</p>
<p>On a lighter front, D1 is officially on the FH team. She is one of 2 goalies, so she assumed that she would most likely make the team, but she was nervous until it was official. Of course, I found out on FB. :)</p>
<p>"Anyone with TIPS for Move In
…
during a hurricane/heavy rain
(besides comfy shoes, and trash bags/rain coats etc…)
Man this will totally wreck my hair!!! hahahahahaha</p>
<p>holy moley!!! "</p>
<p>I can use a few, too. We have to leave about 4am Monday morning from NY to get to Maine by 9! Not looking forward to driving 5 hours in hurricane conditions in the pitch black! And boychild is supposed to be leaving Tuesday morning to go sailing up the Maine coast. I expect the worst to be over by then but the ocean will surely still be very choppy. I’m in a fret already. </p>
<p>I was in my car running errands and wouldn’t have known there was an earthquake if I hadn’t had the radio on.</p>
<p>Georgetown update. It turns out that all dorms were inspected and were reopened late this afternoon as was the main dining hall. The University closed for the day as all buildings are in the process of being inspected. It was good to see that the school has an emergency preparedness program and that it worked as we were notified quickly and there were several updates throughout the day.</p>
<p>Everthing should be back to normal tomorrow or Thursday at the latest which is good as freshman move-ins begin Friday with new student and parent orientation on Saturday and Sunday.</p>
<p>Now all we have to deal with is a storm called Irene who may come to visit on Saturday evening or Sunday. Looks like I will have to find room in the car for umbrellas and ponchos. We move S into his dorm at 9 AM on Saturday so it should still be dry. :)</p>
<p>Sound like we will driving home in the rain on Sunday afternoon. At least we will be driving west which is away from the coast and the storm.</p>
<p>There’s so much going on! Congrats on all the successful launches and good luck with all the weather issues pending…</p>
<p>Very impressed with D’s school…received an email within an hour of the earthquake reassuring all the parents that the school is secure and safe…I’d heard about the quake from D who texted “we just had an earthquake–everything’s fine. weird.” I knew what she meant bc we’re from CA and are <em>accustomed</em> to them here but totally unexpected for my now PA girl!</p>
<p>D had a very fun story to share with us tonight. Classes begin tomorrow but all the engineering students had a meeting today. Broke them into 12 groups and each group had to work together to create a mechanism to catapult water balloons. The targets? The 3 deans of the Engineering School! Great fun, great bonding. D’s even more excited about starting class tomorrow. Somehow I don’t remember my college days being like this…!</p>
<p>My DH keeps saying that our kiddo and this generation don’t know what “real college” is…because the housing, food options etc are all so nice and so much fun!
hahaha</p>
<p>Our kiddo was listening to us talk about move in and somethings from our freshman year and thought our college experiences sounded “depressing”. I was thinking, huh? Because they weren’t depressing, just very average – cinderblock dorms, breaded mystery meat and canned veggies…and we took the classes assigned to the major.</p>
<p>In kiddo’s case- lovely refurbished historic buildings, fresh foods/salad bars, and you “shop” for the classes. Really much nicer.</p>
<p>Kiddo’s all packed.
The family packs today.</p>
<p>fogfog, I am quite envious of your early packing. A concept our family does NOT understand. </p>
<p>owm - good tip about the credit card. My other two kids did not have a credit card to start college, but I did get an extra card for this son over the summer just so he could pick up stuff and I wouldn’t have to reimburse him later. I never would have thought about it for accessing classes.</p>
<p>We had laundry 101 here last night. I taught son how to use our washer, including a pre-treater stick, the dryer, how to fold clothes, how to iron a dress shirt and how to use the miracle product, “Downy wrinkle releaser”. He was quite impressed with that stuff! We then had a discussion about using the hanger method for t-shirts or folding them up. I had bought some of those skinny hangers at BJ’s and he decided to go with hanging. </p>
<p>And then we actually hung up 40 shirts! There’s a little hook thing on the hanger that allows you to hang one hanger to another so you can actually put three shirts in the same spot that you would normally put one. oh, I found a picture - [Cascading</a> Hooks](<a href=“http://www.slimlinehangers.com/category_s/23.htm]Cascading”>http://www.slimlinehangers.com/category_s/23.htm) Isn’t that a neat idea? I am probably the last person to discover these. I hope his roommates don’t think it’s too weird. </p>
<p>Today, somehow he has to pack the rest of his clothes and write about 3 dozen thank-you notes. Tomorrow is our d-day, with move-in on Friday. We’ll drive most of the day tomorrow and spend the night. The forecast for us is perfect weather - high of 74, low of 57 and sunny for Friday! However, there is a chance of rain on Thursday and Saturday, which makes me a little nervous.</p>
<p>I have a top of the pile box that contains just a few things that I think we’ll need right away. Is there anything else that should go in here? Fan, duct tape, screw drivers, measuring tape, door stops, scissors, extension cords.</p>
<p>Emilyb, I right there with you on the storm worries. We plan to leave MD very early Monday morning to drive up to Boston. I really hope this one misses east coast. Don’t they know it’s major launch time?</p>
<p>Gsmomma: Congrats to your D on making the team!</p>
<p>Collage: I’m glad to hear that things are going so well for you D.</p>
<p>^ kathiep - Double check he’s allowed to have extension cords. Bluejr is only allowed to have surge protectors. Ka-ching!! Finding them with a cord that’s over 2ft now will cost you $15-$20 a pop unless you find them on sale. :mad: I did have luck at BestBuy where I found 8ft cords for $12/ online w/ free shipping.</p>
It’s wonderful that he has such small classes. I saw a post where one of Bluejr’s friends from HS has a class at our BSU with 2500 students :eek: No idea what the class is but that’s insane no matter what it is IMO!!</p>
At least we will be driving west which is away from the coast and the storm.</p>