<p>Safe trips marmots-- hiyah!</p>
<p>You just have to remember that her clock has been reset-- so for her, it’s still evening at 4 am. ;)</p>
<p>Congrats to BHappy–and to all the mums of slackers. AS a single data point, I’m here to give you a few oddball tips:</p>
<ol>
<li> High Verbal SAT scores (730+) for boy BWRKS are like 24K marmot gold in the adcom game.<br></li>
<li> Adcom really aren’t looking at boy’s SAT Writing scores–especially if app essays are good and Verbal SAT is high.<br></li>
<li> Boy should consider NOT waiving confidentiality so that he can review recs and send in ALL the good ones–good would include those which were written by passionate supporters. Toss the vague ones. (Confidentiality is overrated–and I learned that the hard way with S1).</li>
<li> Boy should send in supplemental material that possibly indicates the source of his time-wasting/inattention in class. 'So THAT’S what he did with his time!"</li>
<li> BWRK boys should send in photos to Rah-Rah schools ONLY. Let the adcom form a mental picture on their own.</li>
</ol>
<p>BHappymom & the funny fairies a huge Congratulations on Harvard (ya know those marmots really get on their job when the fairies come calling). </p>
<p>SB & Alu, great news about your fellas. There not slackers, they’ve just got their own vibe going on.</p>
<p>Cheers, a belated congrats to your guy on his recent graduation.</p>
<p>Chicky finally got home from her study abroad so I get a break from the dog walking. Yeah!!! who said the party for the 5000 doesn’t bring good things.</p>
<p>sending out Happy Chanukah wishes to all who celebrate.</p>
<p>Keep em’ coming.</p>
<p>Cheers - what if your BWRK has unfairly long eyelashes and blue eyes that his mother thinks are to die for. Then do you send in the photos 
.</p>
<p>This seems to be the time when all the Sinners in the Alley have a respite from their repentence. Lifted from if not from Purgatorio to Paradiso, then at least out of any metaphorial gutters we might have found ourselves in.</p>
<p>Those of you who have gone to Second Life - send holiday greetings to Slugg and report back on any more SluggSon doings, as he is clearly the patron saint of the Alley.</p>
<p>Happy Hanukah to all.</p>
<p>Alu-
Where is sluggie these days???</p>
<p>It has pretty much been a red letter week for TSFS. Besides the PSAT, he also (a) got his braces off and (b) got his learner’s permit. In fact, those two occurances happened on the same day. As D said, “wow Mom, he pretty much became a man in one day.”</p>
<p>Yesterday we went driving for the first time. :eek: </p>
<p>I had forgotten that particular cocktail of emotion elicited by being in the passenger seat during that first session behind the wheel. A combination of a triple espresso, electroshock, nausea, and a fierce slapfight.</p>
<p>Slow down. Slow down! SLOW DOWN! NO, I MEAN SLOWER!!!</p>
<p>Stop. Stop! STOP!!! Jesus Christ, STOP NOW!!!</p>
<p>And a bit more like that.</p>
<p>At the end of the lesson he says “I did pretty well, huh?” :D</p>
<p>PS- BHappy I missed your page until today, BRAVO!!!</p>
<p>BHappyMom~</p>
<p>OMG!!!
CONGRATS ON HARVARD!!!</p>
<p>SB~</p>
<p>I am <em>SO</em> proud of your S!!!<br>
CONGRATS on the great PSAT score!!!
My D is also getting her braces off in the next month–and her driver’s license in Jan!!! </p>
<p>~b.</p>
<p>SBmom-
Lots of good news in the alley these days!! Congrats!! Drink up-- you’ll need it before getting in the car again!</p>
<p>Congrats to everyone on the excellent news of late. (Even those of you hiding the big stuff from yer drinkin’ buddies… we forgive you. Sort of.) And for those of you with new drivers… our empathy, many of us have been there before and it’s not pretty. It’ll get better… and then after you get out of the car when they have their license, you get to worry with the rest of us that it hasn’t gotten worse!</p>
<p>I have not seen sluggy in Second Life for several weeks, maybe they decided it was better in Hawaii. If I cross her path in SL, I will definitely shove her back in here for a tall frosty one.</p>
<p>In news on the home front, TSFH has himself scheduled to work almost every day over the holiday break: he is, apparently, serious enough about the saving-for-a-motorcycle thing that he’s willing to work rather than hang out on the couch watching TV. (Doesn’t hurt that the cleaning lady appears to have broken his gaming computer last time she was here by neatly stacking things inside the tipped over, open-sided case of his desktop machine… on top of the motherboard. Ouch.) Doesn’t bother me that he’s earning the big bucks, plus his boss is clearly totally enamored of him, and trusts him enough that she gave him the keys so he can open and close without her (he’s the only employee she’s trusted with that). I told him he should ask her for a supplemental rec for colleges. He rolled his eyes… but he might do it! 
</p>
<p>In related home news, I broke down and bought him a motorcycle helmet for Christmas. He still has to pick out the color and get fitted, and he doesn’t know about it yet, but I figure if it’s inevitable that he’s going to ride, at least I should provide him with top-of-the-line protection.</p>
<p>Sigh…</p>
<p>What’s everyone doing this weekend? I’m off to finish the last piece of gift shopping and try to get the stuff to UPS for sending to the east coast today! And oh yeah, gotta pick up H at the airport this afternoon… I wonder if I’ll recognize him after this 2-week trip. ;)</p>
<p>Alum, I sent in a stunning pic of older S and I think it hurt him. </p>
<p>You know how the movie is never as good as the book? Let them imagine how gorgeous your ‘slacker’ is…don’t let the photo frame him into a ‘category’. There are so many negative teen age boy ‘categories’ in 2006. But hey, these are my wacky tips for slacker boys only…feel free to toss aside.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the congrats…I think I’ve got ‘Horse Colic’ now and my intestines are in a twist…
, whew too much happiness…
</p>
<p>RE: boys and pictures- sent picture of DS in his ‘James Bond’ hallowe’een costume, (posing in a tux with a gun) to Grandparents who announced they have stuck it up on the fridge…Son nearly killed me :D, Haaaaahaaa</p>
<p>Page two rescue duly performed.</p>
<p>Having a reposado tequila, neat, and dreaming of warmer climes!</p>
<p>Anyone want to join me?</p>
<p>Weather is almost tropical for this time of year here (50s!!)</p>
<p>D arrived home from college today and we all decorated the tree. So far school has exceeded her expectations.</p>
<p>Both kids are off until January and in the fold. Life is good…</p>
<p>Marmots brought D home safely. Ahh. Just smooching her neck is its own intoxicant. Mothers are such addicts:).</p>
<p>Joining you in dreams of warmer climes - it’s frosty in the Bay Area tonight.</p>
<p>Sheesh. Send some down here. It’s been in the 80s today. I’m tired of heat…I want some winter.</p>
<p>Our two daughters arrived today as well. :)</p>
<p>Leavin’ to pick up son in about an hour! 
:D</p>
<p>He actually made his connecting flight!! YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>Now that the kids are arriving, here in the Alley we will be serving non-alcoholic versions of the real stuff…</p>
<p>Stock up on the ginger ale 'tender…</p>
<p>…ah yes the Shirley Temples & Roy Rogers…better stock up on the little umbrellas too…</p>
<p>Son who is 21 came home today. Not much of a drinker… I believe he might have a Guinness, though, to celebrate excellent exam grades. And other things to celebrate–his team qualified for the World Finals in Tokyo of the ACM-ICPC (that’s a computer programming competition.) He’s pretty excited about that and by extension, so are we!</p>
<p>Looking for exam grades from freshman son later this week. I’ll be back to celebrate, I hope!</p>