So tomorrow 2 sporting events to keep an eye on, the annual boat race and (now that I am invested, apparently) the final 4. So light blue and orange, respectively.
So having canceled the visit to Boulder, we extended our stay in NYC. Consequently, I have finally tried Magnolia Bakery’s famous banana pudding and yes, it’s all that. (Disclaimer: I love most anything with bananas.) Today was spent in the Met and Central Park, and we’re going to see Chess on Broadway tonight. Then finally (it feels like we’ve been gone for ages, but it’s only a week) heading home tomorrow. Our flight is while the basketball is on though…
Adore Chess so much. I still listen to my original CD set of the original London cast. Elaine Paige will always be my Florence. (Side note for any Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans- Anthony Head (Giles) is the brother of Murray Head who originated the role of the American and sang “One Night in Bangkok”. He replaced Murray in the London production.)
Ok, D26 got through the math placement hurdle, is now tackling foreign language hurdle.
which means more confusing instructions and bureaucracy.
There are TWO types of foreign language placement exams:
an online one through the student’s “Next Steps” center. You take this to figure out what level of foreign language class to enroll in. It is not clear whether or not this one is proctored. Website doesn’t say.
a ‘language proficiency exam’, which is proctored online through a website. If you want to be able to ‘test out’ of a foreign language, then you take this test. Has to be scheduled ahead of time and it uses special test proctoring software.
So she’s starting right now with #1.
Kind of glad that she isn’t doing a BA because BA degrees require 4 semesters of foreign language (used to be 3). BS or BAS requires only 2 semesters.
You always know the best trivia, lol! I think I knew that about Anthony Head – possibly because you may have mentioned it when we talked about Chess here before? – but I had forgotten.
Love Buffy, as you know. I was sad to hear about Nicholas Brendon recently, and I also hated to hear that the reboot isn’t happening.
Correction: the placement exam said she should enroll in 3rd semester Spanish. This now means that she needs to take the proficiency exam, which is online and proctored, in order to get GE credit and not have to take a foreign language class.
D is visiting Seattle and UW today and tomorrow. Enjoying the weather, general pacific northwest vibe, urban amenities, and the food. What did D learn today? “That I definitely do not want to go to college anywhere other than the west coast.” She is actively withdrawing her non west coast acceptances as we speak.
Ditto! A word to the wise about the Bway production: if you go with the notion that you’ll hear that amazing music performed beautifully, you’ll be happy. Do not hope for much in terms of staging and the book. The book is truly horrible. Standout performances by Nicholas Christopher and Hannah Cruz are worth the price of admission.
D26 just completed her first admitted students day visit at Wellesley. Not entirely sure she learned much EXCEPT that it’s definitely in the running and she can see herself there. Now she wants to see more for a comparison. “Vibes” is among her top 3 criteria, and this one was “Vibes are good!” I’ll take it!
I’ve never seen it before so don’t have anything to compare it to, but that was definitely not our impression. We thought the obvious updates were pretty funny and the rest of the audience seemed to think so too. Not sure what else was changed (I do know the ending is different than the original West End production)
The staging is pretty stripped down for sure. We all had a blast anyway.
When my older one did it in high school, my S25 and D26 were only 11 – and they didn’t understand ANY of the story, lol. There’s some really confusing political intrigue, and they were both like, um, what is happening right now?
Did you see Lea Michele in it? I don’t always love her, but Nobody’s Side is my favorite, and I think she does a nice job with it.
one to go 