#2 daughter's college graduation ceremony is coming soon, and I must be more excited than I realized. A few minutes ago, I put water in the microwave, set the timer, and pushed the start button. Three times.
I had my elbows on the counter, face up to the microwave's control panel, studying the situation, when I realized that I'd left the door open. Of course, it wouldn't start!
I'm not the only one. My wife was going to pick up testing supplies for my blood sugar checker yesterday. At least, that was the plan. I hadn't been able to spot them. So, this morning, still unable to find the things, I called my father-in-law.
That actually makes sense. My wife and #3 daughter spend part of Wednesday afternoon over there, almost every week.
My wife couldn't remember where she put the supplies, so she asked #3 daughter. #3 daughter found them in "the black bag," a sort of carry-all that my wife takes with her most places.
Yep, we're definitely excited around here.
On top of the graduation, #2 daughter's boyfriend is here for a few days. Just in time to fix our cars. Well, one car and one van.
I think it was the cold weather that did it: #3 daughter's car battery had to be replaced, and the starter in the van gave out.
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Showing posts with label college. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday: A Busy One
Our son had a friend over today, for most of the afternoon. Those two had a good time, and a noisy one. Since family members are helping me get a somewhat-rushed information processing job done, the two boys were banished to the basement.
A little after that, there was an impressive crash. They'd fallen into, off of, or onto a ping-pong table. I didn't find out exactly which. They're okay, and so is the table. That last is good, since we're giving it away - and I'd just as soon have it in one piece when it gets picked up.
#2 daughter spent her last full day here. She'll be going back to college tomorrow morning.
I spent part of the afternoon where I'd worked for 20 years. Today, I did some makee-learnee: teaching how to make changes on a website. Then it was off to Melrose, some ten miles up the road, for what should have been a quick stop, picking up medications. I don't know why, but the clinic kept me there for the rest of the afternoon. Oh, well: it was a wonderful opportunity to practice patience.
The rest of the evening was pretty routine, apart from data entry dominating the activities. Our son and I read Garfield, as usual, of course. He asked me what "reciprocation" means: the word was used in one of the strips.
That's one of the things I like about the "Garfield" reading. It guarantees that, at least once a day, our son and I will set down, do something together, and maybe talk.
A little after that, there was an impressive crash. They'd fallen into, off of, or onto a ping-pong table. I didn't find out exactly which. They're okay, and so is the table. That last is good, since we're giving it away - and I'd just as soon have it in one piece when it gets picked up.
#2 daughter spent her last full day here. She'll be going back to college tomorrow morning.
I spent part of the afternoon where I'd worked for 20 years. Today, I did some makee-learnee: teaching how to make changes on a website. Then it was off to Melrose, some ten miles up the road, for what should have been a quick stop, picking up medications. I don't know why, but the clinic kept me there for the rest of the afternoon. Oh, well: it was a wonderful opportunity to practice patience.
The rest of the evening was pretty routine, apart from data entry dominating the activities. Our son and I read Garfield, as usual, of course. He asked me what "reciprocation" means: the word was used in one of the strips.
That's one of the things I like about the "Garfield" reading. It guarantees that, at least once a day, our son and I will set down, do something together, and maybe talk.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday: Conversations With a College Kid
#2 daughter and I had a longer-than-usual talk this morning.
One of the upsides to having a kid in college is that you learn without having to sit through lectures.
Like this morning. I knew that in American culture, opera was considered to be for the hoity toity, not the hoi poli.
I'd thought that this was crazy, because opera, even the 'serious' stuff, tends to be the sort of over-played, over-the-top, uber-dramatic display that made the Schwarzenegger action movies popular.
Somebody gets stabbed, and what does he do? Sings an aria! That's like your action movie, where a perforated perpetrator manages to get three or four pithy lines out before collapsing.
#2 daughter explained what happened - she's been learning this sort of thing from music history classes. (In her defense, her description was more conventional than what I'll write here.)
Over in Europe, you couldn't throw a rock without endangering an opera theater. Some cities had opera singers like Hollywood has extras. And everybody went to the opera.
In America, people wanted to see the opera, too. But, it was the upper crust who could afford to ship opera singers across the Atlantic: Beverly Sills and other American-made opera singers were generations away.
So, American opera was a rich-folks phenomenon. And stayed that way, for the most part.
#2 daughter also told me that the music departments in college are the acknowledged leaders in students and faculty with big egos. Second place went to the English departments.
One of my majors was English, and I can believe that ego assertion.
One of the upsides to having a kid in college is that you learn without having to sit through lectures.
Like this morning. I knew that in American culture, opera was considered to be for the hoity toity, not the hoi poli.
I'd thought that this was crazy, because opera, even the 'serious' stuff, tends to be the sort of over-played, over-the-top, uber-dramatic display that made the Schwarzenegger action movies popular.
Somebody gets stabbed, and what does he do? Sings an aria! That's like your action movie, where a perforated perpetrator manages to get three or four pithy lines out before collapsing.
#2 daughter explained what happened - she's been learning this sort of thing from music history classes. (In her defense, her description was more conventional than what I'll write here.)
Over in Europe, you couldn't throw a rock without endangering an opera theater. Some cities had opera singers like Hollywood has extras. And everybody went to the opera.
In America, people wanted to see the opera, too. But, it was the upper crust who could afford to ship opera singers across the Atlantic: Beverly Sills and other American-made opera singers were generations away.
So, American opera was a rich-folks phenomenon. And stayed that way, for the most part.
#2 daughter also told me that the music departments in college are the acknowledged leaders in students and faculty with big egos. Second place went to the English departments.
One of my majors was English, and I can believe that ego assertion.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Labor Day Weekend, Day 1
Our #2 daughter is back at college. Her ride picked her up about 1:30 this afternoon, bringing us back to having two kids in the house. It's relatively quiet here now.
Grilling lunch today was a special treat, since #3 daughter was able to keep me company. We must have both been distracted, since she usually sees to it that I don't zap the burgers. Today they came out rather over-done.
On the other hand, she noted that the back yard grape vine bore grapes. They're much smaller than what you'd buy in a supermarket, but have an intense taste. I wonder if our grapes are 'normal,' and the commercial ones have the taste of one grape, diluted through a much larger volume.
And now, in the evening, a south wind wafts the roar of the racetrack around our house.
Grilling lunch today was a special treat, since #3 daughter was able to keep me company. We must have both been distracted, since she usually sees to it that I don't zap the burgers. Today they came out rather over-done.
On the other hand, she noted that the back yard grape vine bore grapes. They're much smaller than what you'd buy in a supermarket, but have an intense taste. I wonder if our grapes are 'normal,' and the commercial ones have the taste of one grape, diluted through a much larger volume.And now, in the evening, a south wind wafts the roar of the racetrack around our house.
Friday, August 31, 2007
#1 Daughter Still in Interesting Times, #2 Daughter Briefly Back
Our oldest daughter's life, this week: She
Then, today, she slept for 14 hours and woke up with a fever.
There's supposed to be a Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times." Whether the saying originated in China, or in the April, 1950, issue of "Astounding Science Fiction," I can attest to the preference I'd have for stability, serenity, and predictability, in contrast to what this family has been experiencing lately.
Not that all surprises are bad.
After we'd finished eating supper (the evening meal, for this family), the doorbell rang. It was #2 daughter, home until tomorrow afternoon, when her ride comes through town again.
I've seen her, and exchanged a few words before she was whisked off by #3 daughter. At this point, #2 daughter is consulting with my wife on some matter that I probably wouldn't understand, even if I could hear them clearly.
- Got a job and moved to Alexandria
- Lost the job
- Got another job
- Lost that job
Then, today, she slept for 14 hours and woke up with a fever.
There's supposed to be a Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times." Whether the saying originated in China, or in the April, 1950, issue of "Astounding Science Fiction," I can attest to the preference I'd have for stability, serenity, and predictability, in contrast to what this family has been experiencing lately.
Not that all surprises are bad.
After we'd finished eating supper (the evening meal, for this family), the doorbell rang. It was #2 daughter, home until tomorrow afternoon, when her ride comes through town again.
I've seen her, and exchanged a few words before she was whisked off by #3 daughter. At this point, #2 daughter is consulting with my wife on some matter that I probably wouldn't understand, even if I could hear them clearly.
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