Today’s the big move-in day. I don’t want to make too much of it, because it’s only 50 miles away and it’s not forever, but it is a milestone, and it should be noted.
As it happens, two of my colleagues are also sending kids to Ann Arbor this year. One moved in Monday, and reported that Monday night he was introduced to something called Beer Olympics. Well, college is for learning.
In keeping with the spirit of the day, then, an image from the turnaround point in this morning’s very steamy bike ride:
Oh, and what should happen two days before we have to load at least one car (probably two) on an 88-degree day? The street work finally reached our driveway:
It’s OK, the cars are only parked a couple blocks away. At least we have a wagon.
So, bloggage:
Your daily Trump. Cue Samuel Jackson: English, m—–f—–, do you speak it? Roy is keeping up with Trump and the appalled assistants in the laboratory (you should pronounce that with the accent on the second syllable, please) as they watch their monster lurch around breaking shit. Here’s one roundup, with a callout to Coozledad.
You might have seen the story of the giant, overgrown sheep found living wild in Australia. Here’s the back story, including an After photo, post-shearing.
Y’all know I worry about your fitness, so here are some moves to tone your back. We do these in boxing class, yoga, Pilates — all of them. And I’m 57 and only rarely have back pain, and it’s almost always my own fault because I don’t take enough keyboard breaks.
Off to do a little work and then get those wagons greased up.
Dorothy said on September 3, 2015 at 10:56 am
Getting used to the quietness in the house is about the hardest thing when you’re an empty-nester. It didn’t take me long to realize why my mother was so overjoyed anytime one (or more) of her ten kids were home for a visit, even if it was just for dinner on Sunday. She’d say “The house comes back to life!”. So now I feel the same way when my kids are home.
Your street work looks far worse than ours is. They scraped off the surface and are going to putting down new between now and Saturday. I have been very carefully walking the dogs on the uneven surface and last night, dammit, I nearly tripped because I forgot just as I was stepping back onto our driveway. The edge of my sandal caught the cut edge and I almost did a face plant. My artificial left knee was grateful that I avoided that fall.
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brian stouder said on September 3, 2015 at 10:59 am
I would find having my driveway totally disrupted like that to be quite upsetting.
Normalcy is a GOOD thing, afterall (and today we might finally see the end of the POD unit on our driveway…HUZZAH!!)
That said, I did a 2015 thing when I saw the photo of the smashed driveway: I clicked on the broken piece of pavement that looks like a scroll arrow!
Then I figured it out, and felt stoopid!
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Deborah said on September 3, 2015 at 11:07 am
Goodbye and good luck to Kate.
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coozledad said on September 3, 2015 at 11:59 am
I read somewhere yesterday college marijuana use was at its highest in 29 years. Hmm. Where was I 29 years ago?
Just out of my sixth year in college, that’s where!
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brian stouder said on September 3, 2015 at 12:08 pm
College inhabits a strange land – or at least, a place I am estranged from.
With public funding cuts, followed by more cuts (with more of the same on offer) the pricing goes up and up until…what?
We have a son in our community college (IPFW) and our daughter is two years away from it, and we’ll do all we can, as will they.
Still, one cannot help but think one of the dynamics at play is culling – not just those that cannot do the work, but also those that could, but haven’t the resources to do so.
Which raises the question – is college about knowledge and education as an end in itself, or is it about qualifying for a specific career track?
Not being argumentative – just ruminating
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Connie said on September 3, 2015 at 12:12 pm
I remember my mother saying the hardest part for her was figuring out how to cook for four instead of five. My husband and I celebrated by sleeping with the bedroom door open.
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brian stouder said on September 3, 2015 at 12:20 pm
Connie, ‘sleeping with the bedroom door open’ got me giggling…Looks like a sleeper pick for Thread Win!
And a PS to the above – I have a colleague (who is my age, more or less) who has a law degree from Notre Dame.
As far as I know, he’s never practiced law – but clearly, the educational program he successfully completed did him no harm.
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Julie Robinson said on September 3, 2015 at 12:25 pm
And just when you get it adjusted they come home and you don’t have enough! Best wishes to Kate on the next step of her journey.
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Jeff (the mild-mannered one) said on September 3, 2015 at 12:31 pm
Entering our senior year; friends at church say “be careful, sometimes it seems like they beat you home, just when you thought you’d dropped them off!”
A week from Friday, by a quirk of the football schedule, this band parent is walking across the field with wife and son, and I’m already marveling at how fast it all went by. And remembering when I was a senior, not in band or on football team, just sitting in the stands and wondering if I’d be walking across a field smiling oddly someday. And I also distinctly recall noticing the one dad who had grey hair and thinking that must be weird to be that old and have a kid graduating from high school. Next week, I’ll have about as much grey as that guy I recall, but less than almost all the other dads, except for the ones with shaven heads (of which the football team has quite a few).
Grace and peace follow Kate down the road and into her classes!
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Judybusy said on September 3, 2015 at 12:47 pm
Good luck to Kate! I hope the mvoe goes smoothly–think of that two-block haul as part of the workout routine! My niece headed off last week to Bemidji State and they have organized wholesome activities such as visiting the headwaters to the Mississippi. I am sure you have prepared Kate well for the rigors of college.
Thanks for the back exercises–I have some very mild issues, and find that keeping up the back strength prevents a lot of pain and stiffness. It’s always fun to mix things up, too.
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Julie Robinson said on September 3, 2015 at 1:00 pm
Speaking of workouts, carrying all those boxes to the dorm can be wretched. At our son’s dorm, it was up and down a couple flights of stairs, no place nearby to park, plus typical August-in-Bloomington weather.
At our daughter’s school, we were met at the dorm by a bevy of heavy lifters who swooped in, unloaded the van, and told us where to park. By the time we got back, they had already hauled everything up to the room. Nice! Later we found out they were all volunteers, and indeed, Sarah joined them the following year. It said a lot about the school from the very start.
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alex said on September 3, 2015 at 1:26 pm
So she gets the slammer:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/kim-davis-federal-custody-contempt
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brian stouder said on September 3, 2015 at 1:44 pm
…and then a book deal, and lots of face-time on at least one of the cable news channels.
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john not mccain said on September 3, 2015 at 1:56 pm
Yeah, no. Unless there’s some cable news channel down around 969 or something. That’s not the sort of face Fox will give a lot of time to. One post-jail interview, one “Jesus said buy my book!” interview, and she’s in the dustbin.
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brian stouder said on September 3, 2015 at 2:15 pm
….until….the naked pictures surface (like Moby Dick).
Didja see the fish that “spawned” all over the president’s shoes? I’d say the fish Trumped the president, but that seems to give to much credit to the Donald
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Jolene said on September 3, 2015 at 2:44 pm
Brian, that scene with the fish was too funny. I loved when he repeated the fisher woman’s joke about the fish being happy to see him.
We may be lucky enough to get another Democratic president, but he or she isn’t likely to be as much fun as Obama.
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Jolene said on September 3, 2015 at 2:52 pm
Judybusy, your reference to the headwaters of the Mississippi made me smile. Scattered through our family archives are pictures of kids at various ages wading across that strip of water–first the six in my immediate family and then a few of the next generation. I can picture exactly the point at which the lake begins to run into the river.
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Dexter said on September 3, 2015 at 3:06 pm
And so it begins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxnGYYov7Lc
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Joe K said on September 3, 2015 at 4:28 pm
Your not kidding being hot, dropped some passengers at Oakland Troy about 10:45 this morning, hazy, and hot, got out before the storms. Actually have to go back Friday, five guys or Panera for lunch, stop by ill be there about 12:30, I’ll be dressed like a pilot, can’t miss me.
Pilot Joe
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Scout said on September 3, 2015 at 5:50 pm
Just want to say, that top picture is awesome.
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David C. said on September 3, 2015 at 6:00 pm
Dorm move in day here at UW Oshkosh is always a fiasco with cars lined up a quarter mile away from the dorms. Someone with a hot dog cart and portable toilet, or even a bucket with a curtain would make a mint. I don’t know why they don’t make appointments to smooth things out a bit.
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Colleen said on September 3, 2015 at 6:18 pm
Good luck to Kate. I’m sure she will do well AND have fun.
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Wim said on September 3, 2015 at 7:19 pm
Don’t you just love the sidewalk supervisors in photo 2?
Good luck to Kate and her parents, not that any will need it.
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Suzanne said on September 3, 2015 at 8:51 pm
I remember first time college move in day. Kid #1, not so bad. Plenty of parking, carts to use, weather cooperative. For Kid #2 it was hotter than the blazes (like 95 with 90% humidity) and we had to pull up in front of the dorm, dump everything on the lawn, move the car to a different spot, go back and start hauling stuff up. The elevator was only for going up, not down, so we had to drag the cart down from the 5th floor, load ‘er up, go up the elevator, and back down the stairs. After all the stuff was in, we went out to eat. The restaurant put us way in the back, I’m sure because one look at us hot,sweaty, tired people and patrons would have left in droves. By Kid #2’s last year, we had it down to a science. And it was never that hot again on move in day.
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Joe K said on September 3, 2015 at 9:08 pm
Not to be picky, but how could a elevator only go up?
Or were they only letting you ride it up and not down.
Pilot Joe
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Suzanne said on September 3, 2015 at 9:40 pm
Letting us ride it up, not down.
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