<p>FL MM</p>
<p>My mother has adv stage cancer and neuropathy…Dad bought her a pad/tablet so that with light touch she could handle email etc on the screen–Better than a keyboard.
So if your father has sensory/hand/fine motor…a touch screen might be helpful.</p>
<p>I will say the “newer” technology has been a “challenge” for my mother even though she had been pretty computer savvy all of these years.</p>
<p>good luck.</p>
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>Back from a long hiatus…spent the summer moving to US after 9 years overseas. Lived in my mom’s house for over 2 months (shoot me now) while we looked for a house to buy. Moved a few daughters to college. Met Fogfog and her son at move in weekend. Not only were our kids in the same dorm and residential college they also had the same Freshman counselor (small world) Then moved into our new…and final home. After 15 houses in 23 years of marriage, told my husband if he moves again he is going with out me…I will hold down the fort and he can come visit. Finally decided its time to get back and catch up on my Facebook friends, back log of e-mail and of course CC. My freshman D is doing great, loves her roommates and classes etc. I will try and skim through the last 240 pages but you all are a very prolific group so I may just have to dive in blind.</p>
<p>Hope everyones kids are doing well…</p>
<p>Welcome back, EAO! Glad your D is enjoying everything. I will wave at you and fogfog from across Old Campus. Congratulations on finding a house and starting to settle back into life here. 15 houses is 23 years sounds like way too many. We moved a lot early on, but have been in the same house for almost 20 years now. My big project now that D is off at college is clearing out the accumulated stuff so that we can downsize!</p>
<p>Welcome back EAO. That is a lot of moving. Hope you enjoy your new normal. We are all adjusting.</p>
<p>Anyone heard from OWM?</p>
<p>No, but OWDad was getting a crashpad closer to his new(er) job to cut the terrible commute. My guess is she is either lost in her empty nest, helping OWDad set up his PT place, diving into her new job at the school, or all of the above. Hopefully she’ll surface for air soon and let us know she’s okay.</p>
<p>BI - You’re right. I forgot about her new normal.</p>
<p>DS Skyped today to tell us about the job fair at school and the course line up for new semester. The companies who visited sound so cool. Hard to believe they get paid to work at these neat places. Re: next semester - two required classes - math (linear alg, diffy Q and vector matrices), physics, software programs plus one more make 15 credits. DS is so excited about his options he may add two more or 1 1/2. So great seeing him loving learning.</p>
<p>So sad about Steve Jobs.</p>
<p>Just want to let you all know that I had a wonderful chat with D tonight. She is having a “great week”! Great responses to papers, exciting things going on, just generally very bubbly. Phew!</p>
<p>Lots has gone into this - not the least of which being the visit from her sister this weekend to look forward to, and then my coming in a couple more weeks. I do think sometimes these kids can really use a little dose of family/home. Some don’t - but in this case it is making a big difference. Also I think time is working its wonders on the transition; this is my “toe-dipper,” after all.</p>
<p>Thanks for listening - it’s so nice having this supportive group. Good luck to everyone with all of the October happenings.</p>
<p>Had lunch on the West Coast with ShawD’s roommate’s parents and then flew back East after a short business trip. Lovely people. ShawD, her roommate and two girls in the hall who became fast friends on the first day are still friends, doing things together. </p>
<p>Missypie, like your D, ShawD did a cartilage piercing last weekend (as did her roommate, who also changed her hair color). If this is the extent of rebellion, I’ll be happy.</p>
<p>EmmyBet, ShawSon came back periodically during freshman year, usually after a debate tournament in the Boston area. I think he found it relaxing. For those who are worried that coming home is a sign of delayed integration, he made friends and said his sophomore year was the best year of his life. He hasn’t been home thus far this year (junior year).</p>
<p>EAO1227, 15 houses in 23 years? Wow. What caused that? A job for a global company with lots of different assignments? All in different cities?</p>
<p>Anyone’s kids looking into housing for next year? I’m hearing rumblings of a co-ed group being put together including Bluejr. I guess it’s not any different then the 24hr/day dorm visiting they do now, but I think everyone needs their own space once in a while. We’ll let Bluejr figure it out on his own. It’s one of those things we didn’t count on in the ‘new normal’. :o</p>
<p>Welcome back EAO and hurray for EmmyBet’s D’s “great week”.</p>
<p>BI- yes my D is already talking about next year’s housing. Mostly because she 1) wants an on campus apt. which, as a sophomore, is iffy as it depends on seniority for placement there instead of dorms and 2) if no apt, wants to put together a “special cohort” hall with friends, etc. She says she has no problems with living with guys, as long as she does not have to share the bathroom so we will see how it goes. </p>
<p>D had her first (of what she hopes are monthly) dinner parties. Just two other girls attended due to scheduling conflicts, but the pot roast was “amazing” according to her. (I kept on thinking pot roast? pot roast? I have never in my life made or served pot roast but she wanted a one pot meal with red meat and vegetables so there you go.) Other students walked through the common kitchen asking what was that fantastic smell and she just preened (the last is my guess). She was bubbling over with her success and figuring out what she could do next time.</p>
<p>She also called to tell us (prior to the call about the successful dinner) about her great time acting as assistant to the TA in the canopy obeservation platform for ecology class- tethering and untethering other students. The TA was up in the area, but sat down in the middle without moving. D thinks he was uncomfortable that high up. Once the prof saw that D climbs like a monkey he kinda let her be assistant while he lead other portions of the class in the experiments. D told me that the harness was way too big and half the time she wasn’t wearing one. :eek: :eek: I interrupted to tell her that these are the kinds of thing we don’t want to know! I don’t think she believed me. Sigh.</p>
<p>The dinner party sounds amazing! What a social boost for our gentle flower! 
I love how college really opens up socially for kids who are out of the box. High school can be really hard if you don’t fit the mold…heck it’s hard if you do fit the mold. College can just be so much better!</p>
<p>Happy dance for EmmyBet and her DD. So happy for you both.</p>
<p>Ok, I’ll ask, what is cartilage piercing? I feel nauseous just typing it.</p>
<p>BI - I think DS’s housing next year is a suite of six single rooms with two bathrooms. Rooms can be any mix of genders.</p>
<p>When we skyped with DS yesterday, we saw some of his friends in the background. One girl was straightening up the two boy’s beds. I felt like jumping thru the camera and holding back her hands. Comments? Thoughts?</p>
<p>Kinderny - reminds me of my Albany to Buffalo ride on the back of bf’s motorcycle. I did not tell my parents until 10 years after the fact. Some things are better kept to oneself!</p>
<p>I know there’s a thread honoring Steve Jobs, however I’d like to post a single quote that I feel applies to so many of our kids. It’s one of my favorite quotes, not just of Steve Jobs, but favorite quotes period.</p>
<p>The Misfits
Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently – they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.
-Steve Jobs</p>
<p>**48 days to Thanksgiving break **</p>
<p>(Based on kids touching down at home on the Wednesday before TG. Some kids may get the full week and will land at home sooner.)</p>
<p>Welcome back, EAO. I’m glad to hear that your daughter is doing well, and that you are settling into your new home. I agree that it’s time for you to stay put!</p>
<p>Emmybet: I’m really happy that your daughter is doing better. I’m sure that the visits are giving her something to look forward to.</p>
<p>Kinder: Your daughter’s dinner party sounds amazing! </p>
<p>Interesting that BI brought up housing for next year. I want to warn you all that this can be very stressful while the kids are working things out. Sophomores usually have low priority for housing. If they’re looking at apartments or suites, it can be hard to get the right number of people. It’s also hard at schools where you have to find roommates this early in the school year, before friendships have jelled. I hope that our kids have an easy time of it, but don’t be surprised if they don’t.</p>
<p>Emmybet & Kinderny: So happy that your D’s are settling in! Love the dinner party!</p>
<p>kathiep & momtozach: So sorry about the breakups. Though it might be for the best in the long run, we worry about how they’ll react and cope in the short term. Hugs to all of you. S2 supposedly broke up with his GF the night before she left for college. It was a mutual decision not to go to college hanging on to a high school relationship. He was grumpy for days; she was tearful (according to her mom). Now that they’re away, I hear that they communicate almost daily but don’t consider themselves to be “dating”. They’ll both be home this weekend for their fall breaks. It will be interesting to see what happens.</p>
<p>BI: Thanks for that Steve Jobs quote – it’s one of my favorites, too!</p>
<p>KinderNY…
Is your DD using a crock pot or full kitchen.
She can make a lasagna, which would be a one tray deal–and it can be done in a large crockpot as well…
(using those par-boiled/oven ready noodles)</p>
<p>An enchilada type of casserole would be another good one-tray/crockpot option.</p>
<p>So nice she is finding her stride. :D</p>
<p>BI- Love that quote. Certainly he was a great visionary of our generation…though I am not a fan of the trekking in India so he could take psychadelic drugs part…there is no doubt what he contributed impacts many many facets of our world today.</p>
<p>BI Love the “misfits” quote, but apparently it was part of an Apple advertising campaign, but not written or spoken by Steve Jobs himself [Think</a> Different - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_Different]Think”>Think different - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>Kinder and Emmy, so nice to hear good news from your DDs :)</p>
<p>Glad to hear all the good news!</p>
<p>Pot roast is a very common dish here. It can be done in a pan over stove, crock pot or oven. It makes a great single dish meal with beef, starch (potatoes) and vegetables. </p>
<p>FL MM-My S also had his advising session for spring semester. He will have Calc, Physics, Computers and Programming, Statisc and supplemental TA for calc. It will make 15 hours. I gave him my words to get the required elective Visual and Performing Arts course out of way which will make 18 hours or 16 hours if he chooses not to do the TA supplemental class. He has four courses (15 hours) this semester and he said he has quite a bit down time.</p>