Zenkitty, I'm putting together a graduation gift for one of my neices too. I've done it twice now, for her older siblings. I put together a bunch of stuff they can use at college but might not think of themselves, but I try to tailor it to their personalities. I put in things like those little reading lights, book holders, book marks, an address book, a toy, etc.

This niece is getting a couple of strange things. I slept in her room when I was up there for the holidays and she has posters of Orlando Bloom and Sponge Bob Squarepants. So she's getting a homemade Sponge Bob picture frame holding a picture of Orlando Bloom. Also, a Sponge Bob toothbrush.

Excellent ideas! Thank you, mighty Buffistas. Where do I put the sacrifice?

Picture frames are good for going off to college, too.

Oh! Those frameless glass 5x7 frames from IKEA. I LOVE those. I have a bunch of postcards collected from various points in my life that I've put in them. It makes for nice "art." Or Art.

Can they please make nonstick covers for balance balls? Sticking to the plastic ouch!

I have to say, my mom gave me the best high school graduation present ever -- she collected advice from a ton of people, including current college students, about leaving home/living with roommates/being in college. I think she asked people I was close to, but also people she knew would be funny. She compiled it all, and got a calligrapher friend to make the cover, but you could just do it on a computer. That was a fabulous present. A pain in the ass to do, but not a lot of money.

Some favorite bits: If you don't have enough money for drinks and dinner, get a bloody mary. The drink + celery + bar nuts is practically a meal! Also, second hand from someone's dad: Tell your date you only drink Chivas, and you won't get drunk and taken advantage of. You won't like the taste, and he won't want to pay for much of it!

That reminds me: my brother is a poor grad student with a family (though well paid for a grad student.) He's found a good way to get free lunches. Seminars. Being a MAJOR Neurosciences university, it gets the supercatered type seminars nearly daily. He only hesitates when he enters the hall and everyone is wearing doctor's coats. Otherwise, he doesn't hesitate to fake it.

Sometimes, he even finds it relevent to his work (some alzheimers, but now I think he's more towards cancer.)

And yes, he sneaks leftoevers out.

This is the problem with my school: we have brown bag seminars. Hmph.

Sorry, Gud, we did kind of geek out on you there didn't we.

Don't be sorry, I didn't mean to sound like it was a problem. I had fun meeting you guys. Nothing wrong with a little theater talk, it's just I don't have much to contribute unless I start making things up.

It's all about the funding. UAB gets so much that when they accept a grad student in this program, the tuition is covered and the student gets a $20+K stipend. It's a sweet deal. And the only way my brother could do it.

OK, I'm watching what seems to be a SuperNanny reunion special. Why? I don't know. But I'm unnerved. I guess I had good parents (who were educators) and all my babysitting and nannying experience informs me, but so freaking much seems like Duh! Of course, I'm not a parent. But jeez, the behavior that is tolerated! And the fact that some of these parents seem so adrift and passive. Oy. It seems common sense to me. t /judgy

And the gay people put up with this?

Okay. So this is a weird thing that used to happen to me all the time in college. A huge pool of my friends were gay men. A lot of them expressed desire to have sex with me, or make out with me.

"Allyson, you're just so pretty. I would sleep with you, if you wanted me to. Do you want to?"

What the fuck was that all about? I sort of made up my mind that because it was early in the college years, and they were just coming out of the closet, the dudes I knew were just unsure of how to express affection without it being sexual in nature. But i could be wrong, often am.