<p>Haven’t posted in a while, so much going on! </p>
<p>Love the Snooki diagram! Very funny.</p>
<p>WG - Sorry you missed your D’s award. Stinks, but at least you are all done with HS. She knows you would have been there is the school had it together.</p>
<p>DS did received some nice awards and scholorships at senior awards night:</p>
<p>AP Studio Art - outstanding achievement
Student Governement Officer (he is SG Vice President)
Service Award - for his dedication and hard work to the school and students
National Honor Society Award
The Frey Family Renaissance Scholarship - $1000
Garden Club Scholarship (future work with the environment) - $250</p>
<p>So that is very nice. What’s missing? DS was not called up for the “English, Science or Social Studies” awards. These are given to groups of kids, not just one kid. He is or should be part of each of those groups. DS pretty much checked out after 2nd semester and has been doing the bare minimum of work. His teachers know and seem a bit disapointed in him. He knows. They know. Not the end of the world for him, but I think he had a twinge of regret. Just a twinge. Good, maybe he learned something? I can only hope.</p>
<p>Now I’m feeling a twinge of regret: we don’t compost or make our own anything! We do recycle as best we can. Obviously I need to get it together a bit more. Hard to do it though while living in the midst of “consumer central/it’s all about me” Long Island. :)</p>
<p>We’re done. D received the IB Renaissance Award, which is appropriate. It was a group award, and nice. Got the hard-won IB/AP Bio medal which clanked against the IB medal when she walked around, so I was able to track her movements as needed. </p>
<p>Cheering was not too bad but there some airhorns which I hate and which really need to be outlawed. D’s bf Tebow’d as he walked across the stage; sigh.</p>
<p>I am still cranky about the block party that is but shouldn’t be happening in my cul de sac on the day of S graduation party. My friend who is the mom of the other family co-hosting for our boys is such an optimist. Her response? “At least you have friendly neighbors who want to get together and have a block party!” Hmmmm…</p>
<p>S2 final choir concert of the year was last night. This was another bittersweet one, as they said goodbye to the seniors. Many of the kids graduating in the choirs are very close friends with S1. These kids have also been so supportive and welcoming to S2. They are just a nice group of people. I am so excited for their futures and they will be missed. What is also interesting is that so many of the young men in the top choirs are graduating–big shoes to fill, especially since the jazz choir is tops in the state.</p>
<p>Update on the cat-- still not back. There are varying degrees of pessimism in our house.</p>
<p>Tomorrow is D15’s B-day so maybe he will come back.</p>
<p>Geogirl1-- I understand the checking out. My DD did the same thing. To be honest she comes by it naturally. Second semester of my senior year in college, I had 1 course where I largely checked out. Most of the kids in the class were freshman (I realized that I needed to take some Econ before grad school) and on the last day the Prof gave one of those “You get what you put into a Beloit education” speeches and cited me and several others that had gotten full-rides to grad school as good examples. But when I went by his office to get my final grade, he gave me a 15 minute lecture about how I had not put forth my best work and he hoped that I wouldn’t do that again.</p>
<p>jmnva–sorry that your cat is still missing. There would be major freaking out going on in our household if one of the cats went missing. I really hope your cat comes home.</p>
<p>Recycling, composting, etc: geogirl1 mentioned Hard to do it though while living in the midst of “consumer central/it’s all about me” Long Island. Here in the Atlanta suburbs I’m afraid many people actually believe recycling is anti-Christian (exhibits a lack of faith in God to take care of the planet). Same way that concern about climate change is a marker of unbelievers. I so wish I were making this up! I’ve had actual conversations with locals. We’ve been here 10 years and until this year, were the only family that put out a recycling box on our street. This year, one other household has joined us. Recycling costs just a $10 one-time charge for the container.</p>
<p>Airhorns etc.: jaylynn, our graduation ceremony was just like yours re audience noise. A bit of cheering, not too bad, plus a few airhorns. When I mentioned to DH that news story about the cheering mom who was arrested in SC, he said “Maybe she used an airhorn. I’d be completely in support of arresting all airhorn users.”</p>
<p>jmnva06 - I’m a Beloiter too! Which professor? I took that my freshman year, can’t remember the profs name though. M - something? Hope your cat comes back. Raising a glass to all the “I’m so done with HS kids”.</p>
<p>Weatherga - note to self- never move to Atlanta. That would be so incredibly frustrating to me. The lack of personal responsibility is so unnerving.</p>
<p>Wow, weatherGA. I guess it makes sense not to leave the Earth in good shape since the only people left after the Rapture will be Godless heathens like me :)</p>
<p>A very nice young man just came by to try to sell our family college prep software. It comes with online support for both student and family. It was so nice to be able to say that my DS wouldn’t need it, because he was graduating today.</p>
<p>D is off to Senior Picnic…last day of classes was yesterday for seniors. The next week is fun events. She finished with one B and the rest A’s. Just had enough of the bio finals/quizzes, etc. She just didn’t care anymore. I understand it, don’t love it.</p>
<p>Recycling in my area is easy. Trash collection is by private companies and I get a huge wheely recycling bin which does not need to have the recycling streams separated. It’s a great way to hide all the booze bottles and at the same time feel like you’re doing something good for the planet (especially since I will definitely be left here after said rapture).</p>
<p>The worst airhorn offender was one of my D’s friends. Her family is----not civilized, let’s say. Ugh. </p>
<p>Hope the kitty comes back. After we built a house in the semi-country in Wisconsin, I (TOTALLY LYING) told my daughter, then 5, that she should not let her cat out because it would get eaten by a raccoon in the woods (thanks, pediatrician mom for inappropriately scaring the sh** out of your own child) as a way to impress upon her the importance of keeping said cat inside. Of course on the day we moved in he got out and I’ll never forget the sight of her in her her nightie sobbing in the yard, “He’ll. Get. Eaten. By. A. Raccooooooon!” I will be responsible for so much therapy someday. </p>
<p>Of course he came back and has been an outside cat ever since.</p>
<p>(Newser) – Oh tragedy of radio tragedies: The brothers behind “Car Talk,” NPR’s much-beloved (and, incidentally, most popular) program, have decided to slip the car into park and turn off the engine for good. Tom and Ray Magliozzi today announced that their final new episode of the Saturday morning show will be recorded at the end of September, 25 years after its launch. The AP, which notes that elder brother Tom is 74, reports that the brothers are ready to “stop and smell the cappuccino.” NPR will air repurposed episodes in their absence.</p>
<p>jmnva06 - I graduated in '85, so we didn’t overlap. Since you seem to live a successfull life, I’ll assume my son has future. :)</p>
<p>911CS2 - I want to live next to you! </p>
<p>Not a cat person here. I declaired long ago that I was done with poop. Cat’s require too much poop management. Of course, this was before our move to LI and a house with a postage size lawn, where I now find myself scooping poop on a semi-daily basis. Still no cat for us.</p>
<p>Actually I thought of what it is! My cousin has a very little cabin way back in the mountains on a friend’s land inland from Arcata in Northern California. This area has extreme liberals, extreme liberatarians, extreme social/political conservatives and others. It is living completely off the grid that might be the vanishing point. As my cousin describes it the people he knows there may have very little in common on many regards, but share their overriding interest in being left alone to be completely self contained and sufficient. This is another place where all groups are more earth friendly because they really are depending on it for food, power, water and such cash as one might get from ranching and agricultural endeavors ;)</p>
Raising a glass to all the “I’m so done with HS kids”.</p>