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Time has been flying by, so again I find I haven't posted an update in a long time.
Progeny has adjusted well to her university. We're so grateful. Since we helped her move in back in August, she has been home briefly once, and we have visited her there even more briefly. We thought we'd have lunch, do some walking and see campus, etc; she thought we'd have lunch and then she'd go study with friends, so that's what happened.
I still miss her. I am surprised at how much, in fact. I had looked forward to her independence, and I'm proud of her, but I hadn't realized how much I like having her here! And I hear from friends whose children are anywhere from a year older to a decade or more older that this won't really change: I will just keep missing her for the rest of my life, except when she's with me.
She does text often, sometimes about schoolwork but more often with jokes. She texts with Brilliant Husband while they're both watching the same football games. She texts with us sometimes about Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me on Saturday mornings.
In other news:
My university is in turmoil about various things. I don't want to go into detail. A combination of factors have torpedoed morale among faculty and staff. Our students seem to struggle with more than ever: finances (despite the fact that the U hasn't been allowed to raise tuition in some time), health problems (and lack of health care), even getting food. I went through virtually none of this in college: I remember having some health concerns, and my university's health services was uneven as most are, but I could get the help I needed. I wasn't well off, but I also didn't go into debt, and I regularly worked 10 hours a week in term; I commonly have students working 40 or more hours a week, some going part time, some going full time.
Don't believe people who talk about how indulged, lazy, or snowflake-y this generation is. Yes, I'm sure it's true of some (just as when I was a student). But the difficulties have skyrocketed, and what I see mostly are very hard-working, smart students who had uneven preparation and are living on the edge in terms of money, health, family, or some combination. And many of them succeed despite barriers I couldn't have imagined at their age.
So the students keep me going while upper administration and the state legislature change rules and make more work for us constantly.
Brilliant Husband is doing fine. He keeps doing music in various ways. His job is mostly fine, but it's just a job, not something he worries about all the time (and sometimes I am envious, ok?).
My younger brother's injured eye remains stable: no worsening, but no improvement. That's what we've come to expect. It's just continually disappointing, and we're coming up on the anniversary of the procedure that caused it. He still volunteers and has his hobbies on top of a demanding work schedule.
And the rest of the family is fine. The cats seemed to become clingy as soon as the weather cooled at all, which happened only recently, and BH keeps finding himself on the couch with one cat in his lap (often kneading him, which can be painful!) and the other cat up against his leg.
Recently, I was reading a journal article, and Phantom got in my lap. She got between me and the iPad, which made things a little difficult, but I made it work. And then she got out of my lap onto the back of the couch. Then she wanted to get back in, and she always seems to think that my breasts are convenient steps down to my lap. They may be for her, but OW! So she was in and out, in and out. I finally finished the article, and I had been for a run in the morning, and I decided that I could afford just to slide down flat on the couch and nap. I had my phone at hand, so I set an alarm. And I had a nap buddy. Except then my more normal lap buddy, Doofus, came along and jumped on the back of the couch. And he leaned down and started saying threatening things to her, so she hissed and jumped off me, which was a bit painful. I rolled on my side and though he'd nap with me; wasn't that the whole point of scaring her away? But no, he'd lost interest. She finally came back and walked right by my face, and I just wasn't sleepy any more. That was nearly the whole half hour I'd set aside, so I gave up and got up.
I'm very much looking forward to having Progeny back for Thanksgiving, even if it is only for about 72 hours!
Progeny has adjusted well to her university. We're so grateful. Since we helped her move in back in August, she has been home briefly once, and we have visited her there even more briefly. We thought we'd have lunch, do some walking and see campus, etc; she thought we'd have lunch and then she'd go study with friends, so that's what happened.
I still miss her. I am surprised at how much, in fact. I had looked forward to her independence, and I'm proud of her, but I hadn't realized how much I like having her here! And I hear from friends whose children are anywhere from a year older to a decade or more older that this won't really change: I will just keep missing her for the rest of my life, except when she's with me.
She does text often, sometimes about schoolwork but more often with jokes. She texts with Brilliant Husband while they're both watching the same football games. She texts with us sometimes about Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me on Saturday mornings.
In other news:
My university is in turmoil about various things. I don't want to go into detail. A combination of factors have torpedoed morale among faculty and staff. Our students seem to struggle with more than ever: finances (despite the fact that the U hasn't been allowed to raise tuition in some time), health problems (and lack of health care), even getting food. I went through virtually none of this in college: I remember having some health concerns, and my university's health services was uneven as most are, but I could get the help I needed. I wasn't well off, but I also didn't go into debt, and I regularly worked 10 hours a week in term; I commonly have students working 40 or more hours a week, some going part time, some going full time.
Don't believe people who talk about how indulged, lazy, or snowflake-y this generation is. Yes, I'm sure it's true of some (just as when I was a student). But the difficulties have skyrocketed, and what I see mostly are very hard-working, smart students who had uneven preparation and are living on the edge in terms of money, health, family, or some combination. And many of them succeed despite barriers I couldn't have imagined at their age.
So the students keep me going while upper administration and the state legislature change rules and make more work for us constantly.
Brilliant Husband is doing fine. He keeps doing music in various ways. His job is mostly fine, but it's just a job, not something he worries about all the time (and sometimes I am envious, ok?).
My younger brother's injured eye remains stable: no worsening, but no improvement. That's what we've come to expect. It's just continually disappointing, and we're coming up on the anniversary of the procedure that caused it. He still volunteers and has his hobbies on top of a demanding work schedule.
And the rest of the family is fine. The cats seemed to become clingy as soon as the weather cooled at all, which happened only recently, and BH keeps finding himself on the couch with one cat in his lap (often kneading him, which can be painful!) and the other cat up against his leg.
Recently, I was reading a journal article, and Phantom got in my lap. She got between me and the iPad, which made things a little difficult, but I made it work. And then she got out of my lap onto the back of the couch. Then she wanted to get back in, and she always seems to think that my breasts are convenient steps down to my lap. They may be for her, but OW! So she was in and out, in and out. I finally finished the article, and I had been for a run in the morning, and I decided that I could afford just to slide down flat on the couch and nap. I had my phone at hand, so I set an alarm. And I had a nap buddy. Except then my more normal lap buddy, Doofus, came along and jumped on the back of the couch. And he leaned down and started saying threatening things to her, so she hissed and jumped off me, which was a bit painful. I rolled on my side and though he'd nap with me; wasn't that the whole point of scaring her away? But no, he'd lost interest. She finally came back and walked right by my face, and I just wasn't sleepy any more. That was nearly the whole half hour I'd set aside, so I gave up and got up.
I'm very much looking forward to having Progeny back for Thanksgiving, even if it is only for about 72 hours!
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I am so glad Progeny is fitting in and doing well. I know you miss her like mad and are terribly proud of her, as you should be. :D Sad that you don't get as much time as you would like, but here is to hoping that she keeps you and BH in the loop in all things. I definitely do not look forward to the day my own young ones leave the nest...though there are times when I exasperatedly wonder if they would survive out there due to their own silliness. LOL!
Oy. This is one of the reasons I hesitate about going back to school. My life is so packed and we are so financially rocky as it is, adding to it does not sound great. And so many universities are not weathering the current economic and academic climate well.
Glad hubby is doing well job-wise and is worried in a natural way (as most of us are) - but I was sad to hear about your brother and that his condition hasn't gotten better. From what I gather though, he is soldiering on and acclimating better than most in his situation!
Och. CATS... That non-nap sounds rough, m'dear. Again. CATS. LOL!
So good to hear from you!
*HUGS*
From:
no subject
We get a lot of non-traditional students, and while they have at least as much stress, they're often a little better prepared for it—and have an even stronger sense of the value of education. So maybe some day, when life is a little easier, you can go. I know you don't always have a high opinion of yourself, but remember, I have read a lot of your writing and have known you for years. I think you'd get a lot out of college.
And you still have your boys at home for a number of years more!
From:
no subject
I certainly hope so. My only hindrance, is that I still have NO idea what I want to be when I grow up. :D Gotta get that figured first, I suppose.
Thank you, you are lovely. I can only hope it would definitely expand my horizons and offer better opportunity for me. Of course, I fully expect my boys to go to school. I want better for them.
I'm rather glad of that...even as they make me nuts, lol!