<p><a href=“http://www.hopstop.com/member?action=mobile_sms[/url]”>http://www.hopstop.com/member?action=mobile_sms</a></p>
<p>you can use it to get directions via text msg in NYC and a couple of other other cities.</p>
<p>astrophysicsmom, my S has the Calc III class from hell last semester. He should have dropped it or tranfered into another section. He really regretted it and really struggled.</p>
<p>I don’t have any funny stories of calls that he’s made but we make the strangest calls to him. We call, son how do you do this (usually computer related) or what program do we need for that. I did not know how much he did for us and how much we miss it.</p>
<p>Phone call:</p>
<p>D: Can I wear my jeans a second time without washing them?
QM: Yes, no problem.</p>
<p>Two weeks later
D: I think my jeans have mildewed.</p>
<p>Yep, many more IM’ingand phone calls since last night and today…she decided today after agonizing all day yesterday and today about it…she dropped the physics course, (since she’s technically got credit for it already with AP credits–and her transcript has been modified to show it; she wouldn’t have gotten any credit towards her major for it) but is keeping the text and the online access to the homework. She may audit it, thinking about that over the weekend…</p>
<p>The funny thing about it was that all her options were good ones—I kept telling her there was no wrong answer! She hates having things hanging over her head, I think she’s relieved, and is heading to her first Math lab/tutoring this weekend for Calc III. She’s OCD about this stuff, so I know that she won’t be happy until she is confident that she’s on the same wave-length as the prof… She brought 58 credit hours with her to college, (another good shout-out for public universities!!), so she can “afford” to take a light semester…</p>
<p>Me: How in earth did you get that grade in Intro to Electrical Engineering?
Son: I don’t know. It was an easy class.
Me: How did you do on the exams?
Son: Dad. Do you have to ask?
Me (thinking, “yes, I do”): So, how about the labs and homework?
Son: I did great the last part of the semester.</p>
<p>(uh-oh)</p>
<p>Me: What happened the first half?
Son: It was more like the first three-quarters.
Me: What happened the first half?
Son: I got an “A” on the final.
Me: What happened the first half?
Son: Meh.
Me: What happened the first half?
Son: Well. I already knew everything they were talking about so I skipped a lot of classes.
Me: How many is “a lot”?
Son: Nearly all of them.
Dad:
Son: Dad? Are you still there?</p>
<p>He is taking the class over this semester. Fortunately for him, his school will purge the first grade and replace it with this one in his GPA, but it will stay on his transcript.</p>
<p>I hope he never sees the “F” I have on my college transcript. You see, I should have dropped the class when I stopped attending the second week, but I never seem to have gotten around to it…</p>
<p>DD: Hi Mom. I think I’m going to do an immersion program during spring break?</p>
<p>Me: What are you “immersing” yourself in?</p>
<p>DD: I don’t know.</p>
<p>DS: (In school in southern CA). I’ve got a trip planned to visit a graduate school (in a cold snowy place in February).</p>
<p>me: Great. Do you have a coat? (Knowing all he wears in the “CA winter” is a hoodie)</p>
<p>DS: Hmmm… </p>
<p>me: I’ll ship one out tomorrow - with a hat and gloves.</p>
<p>Good one, WashDad. At least he figured out that cause/effect thing after only 3/4’s of a semester. I have a couple of nephews who never quite made the connection that not attending classes usually meant not doing too well in the class!!!</p>
<p>thumper1: That reminds me of the IBM commercial on now with the manager turning on the light in the large conference room to find all the people laying on the floor “ideating.”…when he asks what new concept they’ve come up with, a woman says, “we don’t know…we haven’t ideated that yet!!.” Good luck with whatever your D decided to immerse herself in…mine is looking forward to the immersion program into the swimming pool at the resort we’re headed to!!</p>
<p>Now remember first that we lived over 2 hours away from DS’s college.</p>
<p>DS: Mom…I need to talk to DAD!!!</p>
<p>Me: Is something wrong?</p>
<p>DS: MOM…I NEED TO TALK TO DAD!!</p>
<p>DH: What’s the matter?</p>
<p>DS: I was walking to the classroom building and ALL of the power went out…everything…the streetlights, the building lights…EVERYTHING.</p>
<p>DH: Sounds like a transformer failure somewhere.</p>
<p>DS: Dad…how LONG will the power be out?</p>
<p>DH: Could be two minutes, two hours or two days.</p>
<p>DS: How long will it take them to get the power on?</p>
<p>DH: I’m not God. I don’t know.</p>
<p>DS: What should I do? Do you think I should wait here on the street for the power to come on?</p>
<p>DH: No…go back to your apartment. (nodding his head in disbelief that this conversation had happened).</p>
<p>BTW…it was a major transformer failure and the power was out for about 5 hours.</p>
<p>DD: (calling from Italy where she is touring with two friends, it is about 4 am here): Hi Mom! Can you do us a favor?</p>
<p>Me (not awake at all): Are all you ok? What do you want?</p>
<p>DD: We are now on the train on our way to Pisa, and L. (her friend) thinks she read in a guidebook that you need reservations to go up in the Tower of Pisa. Can you look online and see if we can get reservations for later today?</p>
<p>Me - searching on computer (still barely awake, but even half-asleep better at online searching than anyone else they know): It says reservations are recommended, but you need to make them at least 30 days in advance. (Thinking … if L. read it in a guidebook and they knew what day they were going, why didn’t she reserve it before they left for their trip ?!?)</p>
<p>DD: Okay, thanks, bye!</p>
<p>Me - Can’t go back to sleep for rest of night!</p>
<p>A few days later:</p>
<p>Me: Did you get to go up in the Tower of Pisa?</p>
<p>DD: When we got there, there was a computer screen to reserve a time to go up and we noticed there was one time left that day for three people to go up so we quick got tickets for that time.</p>
<p>Me: Next time, plan ahead or if you don’t, please don’t wake me up in the middle of the night!!!</p>
<p>MotherofTwo…my kids would have told me to book the reservations for them online…</p>
<p>Mind you this is from when I was a college student…</p>
<p>I’d graduated the year before but boyfriend (now dh) was a senior. </p>
<p>Me: Hi Dad I’m in Boston for the weekend.
Dad: Oh, where are you staying?
Me: Where do you think?
Dad: Uh, oh, erm… silence.</p>
<p>Moral: Never ask a question you don’t want to know the answer to. :)</p>
<p>Mathmom, your post reminds me of the conversation I had with S during first semester. He was on a weekend visit to visit a friend who is a girl, not to be confused with a girlfriend, but who really knows? </p>
<p>Me: “Where did you sleep last night?” and as the words came out of my mouth, my brain was telling me…“why would you ask that, you definitely don’t want to know the answer!”</p>
<p>S: “On the futon”…</p>
<p>OK, I’ll try to believe it.</p>
<p>Mathmom: many years ago my freshman-in-college nephew came and stayed with me at my apartment in Boston for a few days. He and his (also-freshman) girlfriend told her mom they were staying with “nephew’s aunt.” We had a nice visit, which happened to include a memorable dinner at a Szechuan restaurant that had just opened. (Fabulous Szechuan whole fish. The restaurant is gone now; the proprietor went back to China. She missed her family.) We have many such visits as they go through college.</p>
<p>Fast forward about five years. Nephew and girlfriend are getting married. At the wedding reception, I introduce myself to girlfriend’s mom–which is when she discovers that I am only one year older than nephew… I think she was expecting someone older…</p>
<p>Mathmom, I learned that lesson early during S first semester. S told me that his roomates little brother was coming to visit for the weekend.</p>
<p>Mom: Where is going to sleep? Your floor?
Son: Oh don’t worry the floor is not uncomfortable.
Mom: How would you know that? Don’t you sleep in your bed?
Son: Well sometimes I help a girl friend ( again supposably not to be confused with a real girlfriend) with her homework and it gets real late. so she gives me a pillow and a blanket and I sleep on the floor in her dorm.
Mom: How far away is her dorm that you can’t walk back?
Son: Oh not far at all, I am in building 2 and she’s in building 1.
Mom: Aren’t the buildings connected?
Son: yeah they are</p>
<p>I stopped talking at that point and figured I really did not want to know much more.</p>
<p>DD: Mom, the movie we went to is sold out. Can you go on the internet and tell us what else is playing around here?</p>
<p>Me: Where are you? What are you near?</p>
<p>DD? Not sure.</p>
<p>And DH reminded me:</p>
<p>DD: I am Chambers St. Where’s the subway stop?</p>
<p>DH: I don’t know. I’ll check the map.</p>
<p>DD: Thanks Dad. (she’s a nice D)</p>
<p>DH: It’s right there.</p>
<p>DD: No, it’s not!</p>
<p>DH: Turn around.</p>
<p>DD: Oh.</p>
<p>Son (on phone): I’m thinking of living in International House next year, so I need a list of all the countries I’ve ever been to for the application.</p>
<p>His father (excited): I’ll send it right out.</p>
<p>(Husband spends the next day writing a careful list, with dates, of everywhere S has been since he got the passport with his baby picture on it. Emails it immediately, calls S…)</p>
<p>H: So, did you get that list of countries in your email?</p>
<p>S: What?</p>
<p>H: The list of countries for International House.</p>
<p>S: Oh. Well, I think I’m going to pledge a frat. But while I have you on the phone, could you send me some more boxes of contacts? Just the left eye ones.</p>
<p>HUH?</p>
<p>S: (getting ready for fraternity function) My pants aren’t fitting right, what should I do?
M: Don’t you have others?
S: Not that go with my blazer.
M: When are you picking up your date?
S: In about 30 minutes
M: I guess you’ll have to wear something else
S: Thanks alot mom.
5 minutes later
S: I borrowed a pair from one of my suite mates
M: Great! Have fun!
5 minutes later
S: I washed my dress shirts this afternoon and I guess I forgot to turn on the dryer so everthing is still wet.
M: Well I guess you could be late and turn the dryer on for a bit.
S: Maybe I could wear a different colored shirt
M: Maybe you could borrow one?
S: Good idea
5 minutes later
S: Can I put my blazer in the dryer?
M: Why?
S: There is water all over my closet floor and my blazer fell on the floor and got wet.
M: Why is there water on closet floor?
S: I think there is a leak in the bathroom.
M: Did you report it to anybody?
S: Not yet, what about the blazer?
M: Do not put it in the dryer
5 minutes later
S: I borrowed a blazer
M: Great
S:Why didn’t you send me down here with out any black socks
M: I did
S: I don’t have any anywhere
M: Didn’t you have a formal choir concert last week?
S: Yes
M: Didn’t you wear your tux
S: Yes
M: What did you have on your feet?
S: Oh
(In the meantime he has been digging around for black socks)
S: I found one black sock, in the water in the closet, I guess I’ll have to borrow some
M: Good idea</p>
<p>This took place second semester last year, this year no calls like this, thank goodness.</p>
<p>Aw, the calls are fun. Almost as if the kids were doing it for us to let us down easy.</p>