Ditto. 
Miss mynameiswhatever, too.
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Yes, @thumper1, my daughter and I both met your daughter, and ‘mootmom’.
If there is another NYC CC meetup, I may treat myself to an Amtrek ticket and join, so I would hope to meet you, too!
@buenavista, sunriseeast was one of those I mourned (from my upthread post) and latetoschool, interesteddad, and curmudgeon.
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Interesteddad… 
he disappeared from CC after a long absence followed by some sporadic posts. And not just CC. Apparently, he is missing IRL and still has not been found.
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I really miss interesteddad. He was the heart, soul and chief motivator for the first diet/exercise thread. I hope he’s on a beach somewhere or hiking some great peak. A very inspirational guy.
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While we’re in remembrance mode, let’s not forget fallenchemist who was so helpful regarding anything Tulane.
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We unfortunately could start a whole RIP thread for CC members who have passed away. I miss @curmudgeon and @lookingforward.
But their threads live on!
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Amen; and may he rest in peace!
When my daughter was looking at/applying to Tulane, @fallenchemist was kind enough to correspond with me numerous times via private messaging; his comments were always empathetic, witty, and informed.
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I actually think an RIP thread would be a really good idea.
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“I first arrived here almost 19 years ago (yikes) while researching NMF score cutoffs” - Same here, @Marilyn. And CC kept me company many a night on the home PC while I was doing software support tasks on the work laptop… lots of pauses waiting for progress.
Now retired, my ipad (with keyboard) sits on the kitchen breakfast bar. Lots of my online socializing and research is here. So much more fun than reading the online news about the woes of the world.
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I joined in June 2018 for my D19’s college process, along with some prep-school info for S22 — he was considering day schools for our move back to the U.S. from Switzerland but ended up preferring a public school. D19’s process went quite smoothly, as she considered several schools (and toured some with my DW) but applied only to her first choice, Parsons. Stayed on CC for S22’s college process, along with the various interesting chats on an array of topics. I really ran afoul of CC’s stats obsession only once, when I asked for advice after a schedule snafu left S22 with only four classes his senior year. I was roundly told that he’d never get in anywhere good with such a light load, but he ended up listening to his own counselor and sticking with what he had. Applied ED to NYU and EA to Fordham, and got into both.
Now I stick around mainly for the threads on NYT word games, along with the still-active 2019 and 2022 threads. Also a smattering of others that catch my interest, like the recent one on Brutalism on college campuses. This thread has reminded me what a fascinating and varied community we have here, and I may venture deeper into the Cafe again.
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I am still here for several reasons, the top one being that I learn something new every time I visit.
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Playing it forward for the advice and perspectives we got when our 2 kids were applying.
I also enjoy the discourse on various topics here. For the most part it is respectful and insightful, even if I disagree with some of the opinions/positions.
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Another old, old timer here. Joined in, I think, 2003!!! when S was a HS junior. I had felt we didn’t know enough when his older sister applied (she ended up transferring and then all was good) so I wanted more info.
Y’all stuck by me when he dropped out of college his senior year, and you were the biggest cheering section when he went back and finished with a flourish six years later!
Meanwhile, you all talked me through wedding planning for my D, and dress buying for it (I know nothing about either subject!).
Now I’m around mostly for grandparent stuff, book talk, and generally any time i need advice from helpful, good-hearted, smart people about just about anything.
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Like many of you, I initially came here seeking college advice but stayed for the conversations in the Café. I hung around because parenting doesn’t end with choosing a college—there are countless post-high school milestones where this community has provided invaluable insight. From move-in day and letting go, to navigating the empty nest, retirement, graduations, job hunts, wedding planning, and even the joy of becoming a grandparent, these discussions have been a constant source of guidance.
I deeply appreciate the intelligence, helpfulness, humor, and wisdom that so many of you bring to the table
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I’m going to add to my post above:
As a critical care RN, I witnessed some pretty extreme scenarios. What I will always remember are the people who were revived who mentioned something about the code. I never ever asked anyone if they had had a “near death experience”. But I always, when the opportunity presented itself, asked if they “remembered anything from when we worked on you.” Most said no, but a number of them would relate things they had experienced. The one that struck me the most was a man who had arrested for over 15 minutes before being revived. He told me that he went in deep, through a tunnel, into an indescribably bright light, and met God. He said “imagine the most eurphoric feelings you have ever had, and multiply them by 1 million.” He told me that God had revealed to him the purpose of human life. What he didn’t say was curing cancer, or achievement of any kind. It wasn’t leadership or good works. He said it was two things: Loving others and lifelong learning.
Now, I don’t know if this man’s experience proves anything about life or life after death. But I do know that it has influenced me in a way no other patient experience has influenced me. I make it a point every single day of my life to try to learn something new. I don’t think it has to be anything formally recognized. It could be a lone new fact I didn’t know the day before, or it could be a whole course of new data (I recently got my real estate license even though I really have no ambitions to make a new career out of it. It just seemed like a benefit to understanding my DH’s passion). And I would be lying if I didn’t give the credit for this undertaking to that patient from long ago, who inspired me to always keep learning something, no matter how trivial it might seem in the moment.
I always learn something on CC.
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Thank you for sharing that is an awesome story.
Though maybe not as impactful, but I imagine nearly all of us in everyday life moments reflect back on something or someone on CC said, taught us or shared.
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My daughter only graduated last Dec, so it’s not like I’ve stayed forever past college, but I like all the tips about wedding planning, vacations, grandchildren (who may someday go to college), movies, books, The Bachelor, Meghan and Harry, and many more topics.
I think the most helpful when my kids were in college were the tax tips, both to get the credits and how to handle my daughter’s scholarships.
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I forgot about how useful the wedding planning thread was! I needed a dress for my son’s wedding, and someone had posted about a dress they liked from Nordstroms(?) which was very comfortable. I went to the website, saw the dress they referenced and realized it was just what I was looking for. Start to finish, my dress shopping experience took about 3 minutes. I LOVE that dress and wish my nieces and nephews would hurry up and get married so that I can wear it again!
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Which one did you get?
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I am still here because I enjoy the smart, kind people that populate the page. I have received valuable information on a wide range of topics. My kids have even asked me to ask questions as we all feel like we get answers from normal (well, above normal) people.
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