Trails for Two

That's really cool.  Not surprised you picked him out of a crowd, since you knew what to look for.  Let's see, you've known that individual for 18 years?  Height helps, too.  So did he get to keep the cap 'n gown or just the tassel and the SMT bib?

Quite an accomplishment in this day and age to get him through 18 years with honors.  

Any further follow up by WSU on the interview for the work study?

You mentioned his class was 478 students.  My high school class was 800 and that was after splitting our 1,600 class, beginning my sophomore year.

By the way, I thought ( ) about whether you could get somebody at the paper to make a false 'Special Late Edition' front page with the huge banner headline 
BOWDER GRADUATES!!!!!
with a photo and a couple of stories about the graduate that says at the bottom, 'see page A10' with no page A10 to go to.
You can write, can't you?


Larger letters than the one below:

For this morning, 224 or down 11 for the total period.  Gaining 3 pounds since my 221 weight on Thursday morning is expected when the intestines are re-populated.  Now hope to reduce from this point.

Mark B wrote:Yup.




He's a graduate! 

It was a long ceremony, which happens when there are 478 graduating seniors, and they held it in a big indoor-outdoor amphitheater where they usually have the big rock bands play. These young rock stars were cheered on by a very large crowd (including a few people with horns). 

We got a front row seat and had a good view of Alec when his name was announced and he picked up his diploma, shook hands, etc. I don't think he ever saw us in the sea of people, but that's okay. We also had a good shot of him on the closed-circuit TV.



We (amazingly) found him in the crush of humanity after the event and got this grad night selfie.



After that, we packaged up all his grad gear and walked him to the bus for the all night "sane and sober" grad party. It turns out they went to a Bullwinkle's Family Fun Center south of Portland and spent the night there having fun. (Alita and I went out for margaritas and wonton chicken tacos. Yum.)

I picked him up, exhausted but satisfied, at about 5:30 this morning, and he's now sound asleep in his room.

Thank you guys for all your support, especially in this last year. It's been a bumpy flight at times, but we have successfully brought it in for a landing. Your thoughts, words and corny jokes helped that happen. Seriously. You guys are the best.

 
Good to hear that the evening went well and that everyone got to celebrate a bit.  It will be interesting to see how your life changes once you have an empty nest...more time to hike/run together maybe??

We/I enjoy being hear to listen and support.  I don't take the time to do that as often as I'd like...

ounce wrote:For this morning, 224 or down 11 for the total period.  Gaining 3 pounds since my 221 weight on Thursday morning is expected when the intestines are re-populated.  Now hope to reduce from this point.

Impressive results Doug!  Give Mark a break...he's still celebrating.  

ounce wrote:For this morning, 224 or down 11 for the total period.  Gaining 3 pounds since my 221 weight on Thursday morning is expected when the intestines are re-populated.  Now hope to reduce from this point.

188.6 this morning. Back up a couple of pounds. But my intestines were "populated" as you so delicately put it.

This has been a week of celebrations and such, so I'm not concerned. As the overall stress level falls, I suspect things will improve.

---

Alec enjoyed the all night party and slept until yesterday afternoon, got up for about six hours, ate dinner, went back upstairs at about 7:30 and was in bed until about 9 this morning. He's feeling more awake now, though he seems to be fighting off a cold. There seems to be one going around.

To answer your questions:

We found Alec after he sent us a photo of a landmark near where he was standing. Being that we could see about 18 inches in front of us (it was like a mosh pit), it was still kind of amazing. Alita saw him first.

He gets to keep the cap, gown and tassel. (He threw the cap into the air but retrieved it, thank goodness.) He had to return the SMT "bib" however. They reuse them. (So much that the silk screened lettering is getting a little worn now.)

I picked up his diploma yesterday morning, so it's absolutely official now. He's given us permission to throw away every scrap of his schoolwork, except his AP Bio lab journal, which he might need to prove that he had a lab-based AP class for college.

Alec had a video conference conversation/interview with the professor last week, and it seemed to go well. It's at the point to where they need to find the money and determine what they want to do. We have orientation in the last week of June, so we're going to contact them and see if she wants to meet in person while we're there.

800 students!? Down from 1,600!? Holy cow! That's an amazingly huge school you attended. Was it in Houston? It would be easy to be lost in the crowd at Alec's school (I was amazed to see the total number of students, since we usually only saw the band or the SMT kids.), but to have that number nearly doubled? Wow. Just wow.

Fun idea for a mockup newspaper. Being that I was a front page designer back in the day (among the many newsroom roles I've had over the years), it'd be pretty easy to do.

Our next steps, after jokingly asking Alec if he's done all his homework, is getting him ready for the world of adulthood, helping him get a checking account set up and stuff like that. He needs to do a math assessment (boo!) before the orientation, but it's only a couple of hours in the next week or so. So he can pretty much do whatever the heck he wants for a while. He's earned it.

nkrichards wrote:Good to hear that the evening went well and that everyone got to celebrate a bit.  It will be interesting to see how your life changes once you have an empty nest...more time to hike/run together maybe??

We/I enjoy being hear to listen and support.  I don't take the time to do that as often as I'd like...

Hey Nancy! I know how busy you are, so I'm happy to hear from you whenever you can jump in to the kiddie pool with us.

Alita still has four more days of work before her summer vacation. Three days of school and one day of inservice. So while Alec will be sawing logs in the morning, we'll still be getting up at 5. It'll be a bit of a preview for me of what's going to happen once we're empty nesters, since there will be a big chunk of time between when she leaves for work and when I need to leave for work.

My hope is that I will eventually be able to use that time to get back out on the roads, and Alita can use the time after she gets home from work to start back up again, too. On weekends, we can run/hike/whatever together.

We're kind of regretting selling the exercise bike we had years ago and didn't use, because it might be nice to mix things up a bit. Oh well. Maybe we'll check garage sales and find our old one up for sale by someone else!

No definite plans, racewise, yet. But in the long term, I think both of us would kind of like to see what'd it be like to do the full 24 hour race down near Eugene. We'll see.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:For this morning, 224 or down 11 for the total period.  Gaining 3 pounds since my 221 weight on Thursday morning is expected when the intestines are re-populated.  Now hope to reduce from this point.

188.6 this morning. Back up a couple of pounds. But my intestines were "populated" as you so delicately put it.

This has been a week of celebrations and such, so I'm not concerned. As the overall stress level falls, I suspect things will improve.

---

Alec enjoyed the all night party and slept until yesterday afternoon, got up for about six hours, ate dinner, went back upstairs at about 7:30 and was in bed until about 9 this morning. He's feeling more awake now, though he seems to be fighting off a cold. There seems to be one going around.

To answer your questions:

We found Alec after he sent us a photo of a landmark near where he was standing. Being that we could see about 18 inches in front of us (it was like a mosh pit), it was still kind of amazing. Alita saw him first.

He gets to keep the cap, gown and tassel. (He threw the cap into the air but retrieved it, thank goodness.) He had to return the SMT "bib" however. They reuse them. (So much that the silk screened lettering is getting a little worn now.)

I picked up his diploma yesterday morning, so it's absolutely official now. He's given us permission to throw away every scrap of his schoolwork, except his AP Bio lab journal, which he might need to prove that he had a lab-based AP class for college.

Alec had a video conference conversation/interview with the professor last week, and it seemed to go well. It's at the point to where they need to find the money and determine what they want to do. We have orientation in the last week of June, so we're going to contact them and see if she wants to meet in person while we're there.

800 students!? Down from 1,600!? Holy cow! That's an amazingly huge school you attended. Was it in Houston? It would be easy to be lost in the crowd at Alec's school (I was amazed to see the total number of students, since we usually only saw the band or the SMT kids.), but to have that number nearly doubled? Wow. Just wow.

Fun idea for a mockup newspaper. Being that I was a front page designer back in the day (among the many newsroom roles I've had over the years), it'd be pretty easy to do.

Our next steps, after jokingly asking Alec if he's done all his homework, is getting him ready for the world of adulthood, helping him get a checking account set up and stuff like that. He needs to do a math assessment (boo!) before the orientation, but it's only a couple of hours in the next week or so. So he can pretty much do whatever the heck he wants for a while. He's earned it.

Last Thursday morning, I was at 221 as I had stated.  I'm hoping to not go past 225, this week.  This will take some determination and real discipline.  This is where the bet helps out.  Lifting weights will help and being consistent on lifting weights will be even better.  I  might be able to get my 2 kegger abs to a 1 keg.  That'll help the speed.

As far as my high school, yes, it was in Houston.  Except for almost 2 years, where I lived with my folks in Huntsville, Texas after graduating from TCU, I've lived in Houston since 1964.  Texas since 1960.  

Alec with his checking account.  Ah, he's all grown up.  May I suggest him reading "The Millionaire Next Door" and/or listening to Dave Ramsey podcasts on money management things.  If he latches on to either or both, I think it'll be a big help to all 3 of y'all in rescued grief and put him on a right track.

Enjoy the journey.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:For this morning, 224 or down 11 for the total period.  Gaining 3 pounds since my 221 weight on Thursday morning is expected when the intestines are re-populated.  Now hope to reduce from this point.

188.6 this morning. Back up a couple of pounds. But my intestines were "populated" as you so delicately put it.

This has been a week of celebrations and such, so I'm not concerned. As the overall stress level falls, I suspect things will improve.

---

Alec enjoyed the all night party and slept until yesterday afternoon, got up for about six hours, ate dinner, went back upstairs at about 7:30 and was in bed until about 9 this morning. He's feeling more awake now, though he seems to be fighting off a cold. There seems to be one going around.

To answer your questions:

We found Alec after he sent us a photo of a landmark near where he was standing. Being that we could see about 18 inches in front of us (it was like a mosh pit), it was still kind of amazing. Alita saw him first.

He gets to keep the cap, gown and tassel. (He threw the cap into the air but retrieved it, thank goodness.) He had to return the SMT "bib" however. They reuse them. (So much that the silk screened lettering is getting a little worn now.)

I picked up his diploma yesterday morning, so it's absolutely official now. He's given us permission to throw away every scrap of his schoolwork, except his AP Bio lab journal, which he might need to prove that he had a lab-based AP class for college.

Alec had a video conference conversation/interview with the professor last week, and it seemed to go well. It's at the point to where they need to find the money and determine what they want to do. We have orientation in the last week of June, so we're going to contact them and see if she wants to meet in person while we're there.

800 students!? Down from 1,600!? Holy cow! That's an amazingly huge school you attended. Was it in Houston? It would be easy to be lost in the crowd at Alec's school (I was amazed to see the total number of students, since we usually only saw the band or the SMT kids.), but to have that number nearly doubled? Wow. Just wow.

Fun idea for a mockup newspaper. Being that I was a front page designer back in the day (among the many newsroom roles I've had over the years), it'd be pretty easy to do.

Our next steps, after jokingly asking Alec if he's done all his homework, is getting him ready for the world of adulthood, helping him get a checking account set up and stuff like that. He needs to do a math assessment (boo!) before the orientation, but it's only a couple of hours in the next week or so. So he can pretty much do whatever the heck he wants for a while. He's earned it.

Last Thursday morning, I was at 221 as I had stated.  I'm hoping to not go past 225, this week.  This will take some determination and real discipline.  This is where the bet helps out.  Lifting weights will help and being consistent on lifting weights will be even better.  I  might be able to get my 2 kegger abs to a 1 keg.  That'll help the speed.

As far as my high school, yes, it was in Houston.  Except for almost 2 years, where I lived with my folks in Huntsville, Texas after graduating from TCU, I've lived in Houston since 1964.  Texas since 1960.  

Alec with his checking account.  Ah, he's all grown up.  May I suggest him reading "The Millionaire Next Door" and/or listening to Dave Ramsey podcasts on money management things.  If he latches on to either or both, I think it'll be a big help to all 3 of y'all in rescued grief and put him on a right track.

Enjoy the journey.

It's definitely a journey, that's for sure. We go to Pullman next week for a few days or orientation for both him and us. It should be fun.

I think one of WSU's core classes deals with financial literacy. Going to definitely encourage that. 

I just hope this cold/cough that Alec and I have clears by then. He's been sick since the day after graduation, hacking away, so it's not like he's been able to enjoy his well-earned freedom. I've picked it up, too, but hopefully will escape with fewer symptoms. Generic sudafed and mucinex to the rescue!

186.0 this morning, down a little bit from last week.

Mark B wrote:186.0 this morning, down a little bit from last week.

For June 22, I was at 225 or up 1 from June 16.  Down 10 for the period.

I am fine with 225 and will attempt to lose 1 for the week.

As for yours, a few little bits add up. 

229 for the week.  Up 4 for the period, but still down 6 for this high stakes Monopoly bet.


Separately, regarding your week at WSU.  Back in the 90's and early 00's, down here there was a popular bumper sticker put on their Suburbans that said "My daughter and my money go to the University of Texas" or another college.  They were everywhere.  I was quite tired of seeing them.  So when my son went off to Baylor, I was going to come up with something different.

In 2003, I had a 95 Dodge Spirit with about 160K on it.  The Spirit died sooner than yours.  It made it up to 216K miles in 2005, when a connecting rod bearing spun making a deep sounding knock.  I bought it at 85K.

Until then, I made up a bumper sticker that said "I drive this old car because my son goes to Baylor."  I kept it on there until the car died.

I can sell you the rights for $1,000 Monopoly money.

Presently, one of my cars have 167K on it and I bought it at 19K.  This car, an '05 Malibu which replaced the Spirit, is the car where I've put the most miles on it myself.  It's pampered because it has a transmission that can't be pushed from a stop, nor taking a U-turn quickly.  But, I'd drive it 500 miles without thinking about it.  And the A/C still blows cold.

Congrats to Alec and you all as well!   Great job and I bet he is glad that is done.  College life is a whole different (and better IMHO) ballgame and I hope he loves it.

Like Ounce, I went to a large high school with a graduating class of 792.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Congrats to Alec and you all as well!   Great job and I bet he is glad that is done.  College life is a whole different (and better IMHO) ballgame and I hope he loves it.

Like Ounce, I went to a large high school with a graduating class of 792.

Hi Michele! I think it's a safe bet to say that we ARE ALL GLAD that he's done with high school. His last report card came in a few days ago, and he actually posted his best GPA since ninth grade, so he definitely finished strong. Woot!

He's also happy to have learned at orientation that he needs to only take ONE math class in college for his major. Woot! Woot!!

Alec is enjoying his summer but I think he's going to really enjoy his time in college. He's already registered for classes for the fall term, and the chance of him getting a work-study in the anthropology department is looking promising. We went to a multi-day orientation last week, and he came out excited. As did we. 

Amazingly large graduating classes for you and ounce. How'd you not just get lost in the mob? Alec's high school was one of the bigger ones around here, and that was definitely a problem for a lot of kids.

ounce wrote:229 for the week.  Up 4 for the period, but still down 6 for this high stakes Monopoly bet.


Separately, regarding your week at WSU.  Back in the 90's and early 00's, down here there was a popular bumper sticker put on their Suburbans that said "My daughter and my money go to the University of Texas" or another college.  They were everywhere.  I was quite tired of seeing them.  So when my son went off to Baylor, I was going to come up with something different.

In 2003, I had a 95 Dodge Spirit with about 160K on it.  The Spirit died sooner than yours.  It made it up to 216K miles in 2005, when a connecting rod bearing spun making a deep sounding knock.  I bought it at 85K.

Until then, I made up a bumper sticker that said "I drive this old car because my son goes to Baylor."  I kept it on there until the car died.

I can sell you the rights for $1,000 Monopoly money.

Presently, one of my cars have 167K on it and I bought it at 19K.  This car, an '05 Malibu which replaced the Spirit, is the car where I've put the most miles on it myself.  It's pampered because it has a transmission that can't be pushed from a stop, nor taking a U-turn quickly.  But, I'd drive it 500 miles without thinking about it.  And the A/C still blows cold.

I got finished my vacation week up six $#@! pounds from the week before, at 191. Grr! 

I was puzzled and ticked off, but I think I realized what had happened. I'd been very low-carb for weeks prior to heading out for our trip to Eastern Washington, where I didn't have much choice but eat carbs. I at least gravitated toward rice rather than wheat (which doesn't seem to agree with me), but I think it was like what happened when people used to do a glycogen depletion cycle before carb loading in the last week before a marathon to really pack in the maximum amount of glycogen for the race. I think my body grabbed on to every molucule of glycogen it could find. It doesn't help me feel any less frustrated, but it is interesting.

Good car choices. That's pretty much our strategy for the time being, absent the bumper stickers.

Edit to add: I was back to 188 this morning. Nice to be in the 8s.

Congratulations, sir!  Yeah, the body doesn't want to work that extra step of converting fat to fuel, so it was loving all those carbs, until it had enough.

I can relate to the digit of the weight more preferred.  I didn't want to attain 23x, at all.  This morning, I was at 227, so down 2 for the week and 8 for the period.  That's super!

As far as my high school, I never felt like it was SO big.  I guess that's partially because my mom made my lunches, so I didn't have to stand in the line for a tray of food.  And they kept the freshmen in their own building, for the most part.  The real pain was if you had to carry more than 2 books from your locker to two classes on the other side of the school.  No backpacks, back then.  Locker location was key.

I guess Alec's math class is related to calculus?  I couldn't get calculus.  Glad I didn't need it for an accounting degree.  How many hours did he register for?  I usually carried 15-17 hours (5 classes plus an hour or two for labs) and am just curious.

Well, enjoy the ride!

ounce wrote:Congratulations, sir!  Yeah, the body doesn't want to work that extra step of converting fat to fuel, so it was loving all those carbs, until it had enough.

I can relate to the digit of the weight more preferred.  I didn't want to attain 23x, at all.  This morning, I was at 227, so down 2 for the week and 8 for the period.  That's super!

As far as my high school, I never felt like it was SO big.  I guess that's partially because my mom made my lunches, so I didn't have to stand in the line for a tray of food.  And they kept the freshmen in their own building, for the most part.  The real pain was if you had to carry more than 2 books from your locker to two classes on the other side of the school.  No backpacks, back then.  Locker location was key.

I guess Alec's math class is related to calculus?  I couldn't get calculus.  Glad I didn't need it for an accounting degree.  How many hours did he register for?  I usually carried 15-17 hours (5 classes plus an hour or two for labs) and am just curious.

Well, enjoy the ride!

Yep. Preferred numbers are a thing. It's a slow process, and we need all the positive reinforcement we can get!

Ah. Lockers. My kid never had a locker the entire time he was in school. So that means he carried a very heavy backpack with him to every class, and always underdressed for weather conditions, because he didn't want to schlep a coat around with him to every class. And as far as lunches go, they gave them 30 minutes for lunch, which meant he'd only take a bag lunch, since by the time he'd get through the line, he'd have only a couple of minutes to eat. The upside is we had our lunch money account refunded, which we promptly rolled over to his college fund. 

Alec hasn't registered for a math class yet. My guess is it will NOT be calculus. He got as high as precalculus in high school but struggled. When he did his math placement test, he came in just short of college alegebra and trig (which is their version of pre-calc). I think he'd have to take two years of math to even qualify for calculus, and there's no way that's going to happen. There are some general math classes he could take, unless he definitely needs something for a higher level class. 

(I stopped taking math after advanced algebra/trig when I was a 10th grader. I scored just high enough to never have to take math in college. Part of me wondered what I was missing out on, until I saw Alec's precalc homework. Yipes.)

He's doing 17 hours, but one of those hours is marching band and another is a lab. So it's not too huge.

We're waiting on AP scores in a week or so to see what other extra credits he earned. Crossing fingers!

You and I were of similar aptitude on math.  I was 'accelerated' in math starting in elementary school, but couldn't handle geometry, word math problems (if Billy drove 30 miles...), and trig.  Algebra was a snap.  I stopped after my junior year, so I could clear the decks for senior blow-off courses and leave at 12:30.  I will say one elective I took as a senior that wasn't a blow off was Grammar.  Loved that class, but I've forgotten about all the participles.

As far as Alec and marching, I thought I read a year or two ago that he wasn't too keen on marching in college. 

So when is Parent's Weekend or whatever they call it now?

On weight, stick with your goals, tweak the method.  I haven't seen any increase in basal metabolic numbers since lifting weights, but I know it's going to happen.  Sorta like not losing any weight, but the pants fit looser.  I can say that since doing the leg lifts and this other bending over exercise that works the lower back, I stand more vertical.

So, consistency and persistency has helped me.

Now DROP and give me 20!!!!!!!!!

Whoa...this has been a busy post.  I've got some catching up to do.

Glad the trip to college was enjoyed by all.  It's encouraging to hear that he finished off his high school career well...I seem to remember some senioritis concerns in an earlier post.

High schools...my class was around 150 kids.  We knew most everyone.  We moved to Central Oregon before my kids started high school so they also had a class of around 150.  I loved math!  We're a math/science family to the core.  My progression through math classes got messed up when I left during my Junior year to attend school in Australia for a year so I missed some of the upper level classes.  Katie headed off the Florida Tech to study engineering and they informed her at her first math class that they don't use calculators...even in calculus.  They were using those calculators that were mini computers (and cost as much as a lap top!) even in her high school calculus class.  It took some time to adjust to that!  No one in our family can spell.

I get you on that digit thing.  I've gained a couple pounds...maybe a few pounds would be a more accurate statement...and jumped to higher digit.  I'm going to either have to watch what I eat or get back to more intense training or both! 

I seem to remember you mentioning that Alec was starting to like hiking a bit.  Hope you can find time to squeeze in some fun family time before he heads off to college.

ounce wrote:You and I were of similar aptitude on math.  I was 'accelerated' in math starting in elementary school, but couldn't handle geometry, word math problems (if Billy drove 30 miles...), and trig.  Algebra was a snap.  I stopped after my junior year, so I could clear the decks for senior blow-off courses and leave at 12:30.  I will say one elective I took as a senior that wasn't a blow off was Grammar.  Loved that class, but I've forgotten about all the participles.

As far as Alec and marching, I thought I read a year or two ago that he wasn't too keen on marching in college. 

So when is Parent's Weekend or whatever they call it now?

On weight, stick with your goals, tweak the method.  I haven't seen any increase in basal metabolic numbers since lifting weights, but I know it's going to happen.  Sorta like not losing any weight, but the pants fit looser.  I can say that since doing the leg lifts and this other bending over exercise that works the lower back, I stand more vertical.

So, consistency and persistency has helped me.

Now DROP and give me 20!!!!!!!!!

Funny. I had a heck of a time with long division at first (I misunderstood how to do it and kept doing it wrong for what seemed like forever), but once the light bulb came on, they moved me to the "advanced" math in about fifth grade. It was a rough transition, but algebra was okay and I LOVED geometry. But after something so logic-driven (I loved proofs), the drudgery of plotting parabolas day after day with no logical benefit, I pretty much threw up my hands in frustration and boredom. 

A friend of mine with similar math skills took calculus for non-math majors in college, and he told me that class made everything that came before make sense.... but I have my doubts. 

Alec wasn't a fan of the elaborate performances his band did at football season, so he only did that one year. He did march in the school's parade marching band all four years, though. And when he found out they PAID band members at WSU? He was, "Wait. What? I'd do it if they paid me." So there you go! A (semi?) professional musician is born, thanks to his mercenary heart.

They have a Dad's Weekend in November and a Mom's Weekend in the spring. Since he's going to be in the band, we'll probably go over earlier in the year and watch him play. The big organized weekends are zoos, and the lodging costs are ridiculous.

I think the thing that will really help me in weight loss is actually starting to get active again. That will be... soon.

nkrichards wrote:Whoa...this has been a busy post.  I've got some catching up to do.

Glad the trip to college was enjoyed by all.  It's encouraging to hear that he finished off his high school career well...I seem to remember some senioritis concerns in an earlier post.

High schools...my class was around 150 kids.  We knew most everyone.  We moved to Central Oregon before my kids started high school so they also had a class of around 150.  I loved math!  We're a math/science family to the core.  My progression through math classes got messed up when I left during my Junior year to attend school in Australia for a year so I missed some of the upper level classes.  Katie headed off the Florida Tech to study engineering and they informed her at her first math class that they don't use calculators...even in calculus.  They were using those calculators that were mini computers (and cost as much as a lap top!) even in her high school calculus class.  It took some time to adjust to that!  No one in our family can spell.

I get you on that digit thing.  I've gained a couple pounds...maybe a few pounds would be a more accurate statement...and jumped to higher digit.  I'm going to either have to watch what I eat or get back to more intense training or both! 

I seem to remember you mentioning that Alec was starting to like hiking a bit.  Hope you can find time to squeeze in some fun family time before he heads off to college.

Hey, Nancy!

Yes, we got through the last six months of high school. There was a lot of drama, thanks to driving lessons and tests, worries about GPAs and scholarships and other stuff. It was rough, but I think we learned some important things that might help all of us going forward. Oh, and that scholarship worry? When we asked somebody at WSU about losing the scholarship due to a lower GPA, she looked at us like we were crazy. "Once we give it, we never take it back. It's fine." There was lots of jaws on the floor and "but-but-but..." on our part, but she was adamant and pretty irritated that somebody gave us different information earlier. So much of the pressure we felt was unwarranted. That's unfortunate, but that extra $$ kind of helps ease the pain.

Those calculators are amazing. Alec has two of them. Maybe we can sell 'em at some point to some poor sap, if he ends up not needing them. Speaking of digital things, I wish I didn't need that dang scale, but it's the only thing that keeps me honest. Oh well. Things will be changing soon! 

We are heading to the coast for a couple of days next weekend to meet up with my stepmom, who is going to celebrate her 80th birthday with a trip to the beach. We're going get a place in Yachats and meet her there. It'll be Alec's last taste of sea air for quite a while. We'll try to get him outside as much as we can while we're there. We move him in to his dorm on Aug. 10, and classes start on Aug. 19.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You and I were of similar aptitude on math.  I was 'accelerated' in math starting in elementary school, but couldn't handle geometry, word math problems (if Billy drove 30 miles...), and trig.  Algebra was a snap.  I stopped after my junior year, so I could clear the decks for senior blow-off courses and leave at 12:30.  I will say one elective I took as a senior that wasn't a blow off was Grammar.  Loved that class, but I've forgotten about all the participles.

As far as Alec and marching, I thought I read a year or two ago that he wasn't too keen on marching in college. 

So when is Parent's Weekend or whatever they call it now?

On weight, stick with your goals, tweak the method.  I haven't seen any increase in basal metabolic numbers since lifting weights, but I know it's going to happen.  Sorta like not losing any weight, but the pants fit looser.  I can say that since doing the leg lifts and this other bending over exercise that works the lower back, I stand more vertical.

So, consistency and persistency has helped me.

Now DROP and give me 20!!!!!!!!!

Funny. I had a heck of a time with long division at first (I misunderstood how to do it and kept doing it wrong for what seemed like forever), but once the light bulb came on, they moved me to the "advanced" math in about fifth grade. It was a rough transition, but algebra was okay and I LOVED geometry. But after something so logic-driven (I loved proofs), the drudgery of plotting parabolas day after day with no logical benefit, I pretty much threw up my hands in frustration and boredom. 

A friend of mine with similar math skills took calculus for non-math majors in college, and he told me that class made everything that came before make sense.... but I have my doubts. 

Alec wasn't a fan of the elaborate performances his band did at football season, so he only did that one year. He did march in the school's parade marching band all four years, though. And when he found out they PAID band members at WSU? He was, "Wait. What? I'd do it if they paid me." So there you go! A (semi?) professional musician is born, thanks to his mercenary heart.

They have a Dad's Weekend in November and a Mom's Weekend in the spring. Since he's going to be in the band, we'll probably go over earlier in the year and watch him play. The big organized weekends are zoos, and the lodging costs are ridiculous.

I think the thing that will really help me in weight loss is actually starting to get active again. That will be... soon.

"Soon," he says.  Oi. 

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You and I were of similar aptitude on math.  I was 'accelerated' in math starting in elementary school, but couldn't handle geometry, word math problems (if Billy drove 30 miles...), and trig.  Algebra was a snap.  I stopped after my junior year, so I could clear the decks for senior blow-off courses and leave at 12:30.  I will say one elective I took as a senior that wasn't a blow off was Grammar.  Loved that class, but I've forgotten about all the participles.

As far as Alec and marching, I thought I read a year or two ago that he wasn't too keen on marching in college. 

So when is Parent's Weekend or whatever they call it now?

On weight, stick with your goals, tweak the method.  I haven't seen any increase in basal metabolic numbers since lifting weights, but I know it's going to happen.  Sorta like not losing any weight, but the pants fit looser.  I can say that since doing the leg lifts and this other bending over exercise that works the lower back, I stand more vertical.

So, consistency and persistency has helped me.

Now DROP and give me 20!!!!!!!!!

Funny. I had a heck of a time with long division at first (I misunderstood how to do it and kept doing it wrong for what seemed like forever), but once the light bulb came on, they moved me to the "advanced" math in about fifth grade. It was a rough transition, but algebra was okay and I LOVED geometry. But after something so logic-driven (I loved proofs), the drudgery of plotting parabolas day after day with no logical benefit, I pretty much threw up my hands in frustration and boredom. 

A friend of mine with similar math skills took calculus for non-math majors in college, and he told me that class made everything that came before make sense.... but I have my doubts. 

Alec wasn't a fan of the elaborate performances his band did at football season, so he only did that one year. He did march in the school's parade marching band all four years, though. And when he found out they PAID band members at WSU? He was, "Wait. What? I'd do it if they paid me." So there you go! A (semi?) professional musician is born, thanks to his mercenary heart.

They have a Dad's Weekend in November and a Mom's Weekend in the spring. Since he's going to be in the band, we'll probably go over earlier in the year and watch him play. The big organized weekends are zoos, and the lodging costs are ridiculous.

I think the thing that will really help me in weight loss is actually starting to get active again. That will be... soon.

"Soon," he says.  Oi. 

:shrugs sheepishly:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You and I were of similar aptitude on math.  I was 'accelerated' in math starting in elementary school, but couldn't handle geometry, word math problems (if Billy drove 30 miles...), and trig.  Algebra was a snap.  I stopped after my junior year, so I could clear the decks for senior blow-off courses and leave at 12:30.  I will say one elective I took as a senior that wasn't a blow off was Grammar.  Loved that class, but I've forgotten about all the participles.

As far as Alec and marching, I thought I read a year or two ago that he wasn't too keen on marching in college. 

So when is Parent's Weekend or whatever they call it now?

On weight, stick with your goals, tweak the method.  I haven't seen any increase in basal metabolic numbers since lifting weights, but I know it's going to happen.  Sorta like not losing any weight, but the pants fit looser.  I can say that since doing the leg lifts and this other bending over exercise that works the lower back, I stand more vertical.

So, consistency and persistency has helped me.

Now DROP and give me 20!!!!!!!!!

Funny. I had a heck of a time with long division at first (I misunderstood how to do it and kept doing it wrong for what seemed like forever), but once the light bulb came on, they moved me to the "advanced" math in about fifth grade. It was a rough transition, but algebra was okay and I LOVED geometry. But after something so logic-driven (I loved proofs), the drudgery of plotting parabolas day after day with no logical benefit, I pretty much threw up my hands in frustration and boredom. 

A friend of mine with similar math skills took calculus for non-math majors in college, and he told me that class made everything that came before make sense.... but I have my doubts. 

Alec wasn't a fan of the elaborate performances his band did at football season, so he only did that one year. He did march in the school's parade marching band all four years, though. And when he found out they PAID band members at WSU? He was, "Wait. What? I'd do it if they paid me." So there you go! A (semi?) professional musician is born, thanks to his mercenary heart.

They have a Dad's Weekend in November and a Mom's Weekend in the spring. Since he's going to be in the band, we'll probably go over earlier in the year and watch him play. The big organized weekends are zoos, and the lodging costs are ridiculous.

I think the thing that will really help me in weight loss is actually starting to get active again. That will be... soon.

"Soon," he says.  Oi. 

:shrugs sheepishly:

There, there.  It'll be alright.  So, which parent will cry first on August 10 after leaving the collegian behind?  Or whoop 'n holler??

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You and I were of similar aptitude on math.  I was 'accelerated' in math starting in elementary school, but couldn't handle geometry, word math problems (if Billy drove 30 miles...), and trig.  Algebra was a snap.  I stopped after my junior year, so I could clear the decks for senior blow-off courses and leave at 12:30.  I will say one elective I took as a senior that wasn't a blow off was Grammar.  Loved that class, but I've forgotten about all the participles.

As far as Alec and marching, I thought I read a year or two ago that he wasn't too keen on marching in college. 

So when is Parent's Weekend or whatever they call it now?

On weight, stick with your goals, tweak the method.  I haven't seen any increase in basal metabolic numbers since lifting weights, but I know it's going to happen.  Sorta like not losing any weight, but the pants fit looser.  I can say that since doing the leg lifts and this other bending over exercise that works the lower back, I stand more vertical.

So, consistency and persistency has helped me.

Now DROP and give me 20!!!!!!!!!

Funny. I had a heck of a time with long division at first (I misunderstood how to do it and kept doing it wrong for what seemed like forever), but once the light bulb came on, they moved me to the "advanced" math in about fifth grade. It was a rough transition, but algebra was okay and I LOVED geometry. But after something so logic-driven (I loved proofs), the drudgery of plotting parabolas day after day with no logical benefit, I pretty much threw up my hands in frustration and boredom. 

A friend of mine with similar math skills took calculus for non-math majors in college, and he told me that class made everything that came before make sense.... but I have my doubts. 

Alec wasn't a fan of the elaborate performances his band did at football season, so he only did that one year. He did march in the school's parade marching band all four years, though. And when he found out they PAID band members at WSU? He was, "Wait. What? I'd do it if they paid me." So there you go! A (semi?) professional musician is born, thanks to his mercenary heart.

They have a Dad's Weekend in November and a Mom's Weekend in the spring. Since he's going to be in the band, we'll probably go over earlier in the year and watch him play. The big organized weekends are zoos, and the lodging costs are ridiculous.

I think the thing that will really help me in weight loss is actually starting to get active again. That will be... soon.

"Soon," he says.  Oi. 

:shrugs sheepishly:

There, there.  It'll be alright.  So, which parent will cry first on August 10 after leaving the collegian behind?  Or whoop 'n holler??

That remains to be seen. I think there will be a lot of  initially, followed by  ,  then , then ; then, once tuition is due, ,  then,  then .

Or something like that.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You and I were of similar aptitude on math.  I was 'accelerated' in math starting in elementary school, but couldn't handle geometry, word math problems (if Billy drove 30 miles...), and trig.  Algebra was a snap.  I stopped after my junior year, so I could clear the decks for senior blow-off courses and leave at 12:30.  I will say one elective I took as a senior that wasn't a blow off was Grammar.  Loved that class, but I've forgotten about all the participles.

As far as Alec and marching, I thought I read a year or two ago that he wasn't too keen on marching in college. 

So when is Parent's Weekend or whatever they call it now?

On weight, stick with your goals, tweak the method.  I haven't seen any increase in basal metabolic numbers since lifting weights, but I know it's going to happen.  Sorta like not losing any weight, but the pants fit looser.  I can say that since doing the leg lifts and this other bending over exercise that works the lower back, I stand more vertical.

So, consistency and persistency has helped me.

Now DROP and give me 20!!!!!!!!!

Funny. I had a heck of a time with long division at first (I misunderstood how to do it and kept doing it wrong for what seemed like forever), but once the light bulb came on, they moved me to the "advanced" math in about fifth grade. It was a rough transition, but algebra was okay and I LOVED geometry. But after something so logic-driven (I loved proofs), the drudgery of plotting parabolas day after day with no logical benefit, I pretty much threw up my hands in frustration and boredom. 

A friend of mine with similar math skills took calculus for non-math majors in college, and he told me that class made everything that came before make sense.... but I have my doubts. 

Alec wasn't a fan of the elaborate performances his band did at football season, so he only did that one year. He did march in the school's parade marching band all four years, though. And when he found out they PAID band members at WSU? He was, "Wait. What? I'd do it if they paid me." So there you go! A (semi?) professional musician is born, thanks to his mercenary heart.

They have a Dad's Weekend in November and a Mom's Weekend in the spring. Since he's going to be in the band, we'll probably go over earlier in the year and watch him play. The big organized weekends are zoos, and the lodging costs are ridiculous.

I think the thing that will really help me in weight loss is actually starting to get active again. That will be... soon.

"Soon," he says.  Oi. 

:shrugs sheepishly:

There, there.  It'll be alright.  So, which parent will cry first on August 10 after leaving the collegian behind?  Or whoop 'n holler??

That remains to be seen. I think there will be a lot of  initially, followed by  ,  then , then ; then, once tuition is due, ,  then,  then .

Or something like that.

We went straight to   and skipped the panic when tuition was due as we told the kids they were totally on their own (helped after they graduated).  Then we realized how much they actually worked on the farm 

Enjoy the roller coaster...