wow ... lot's happened.

Congrats to Nicole on her raise. And to meara on her job ... but you're leaving us! sob! Although you'll probably do well in Seattle - can we think of it as trading one Washington for another?

Colleges ... I graduated HS in 1969. HS was hell and my only ambition was to get the hell out of the miserable town we lived in and away from my family. I applied to four colleges, none local (HS counselors were no help at all - most of the kids I graduated with didn't go to college, most of the girls married within a year of graduating), got into three, waitlisted for one (the one I really, really didn't want to go to). Didn't make as much of the time in college as I should have - wasted a lot of opportunities which I regret now. But ... I got a good education, learned a lot academically and socially, so I'm glad I went there.

"YOU BROKE MY GOLDFISH!! HEY! YOU BROKE MY GOLDFISH!!"

Heh. Now I wanna get a kid, just for the amusement value.

In good news, my latest royalty check was for more than I expected. Apparently, not all college students know where/how to get their textbooks used, and for that I am grateful.

In bad news, the librarian with shingles is going to be out for the next week, and I think she may have a rough semester getting over this. She's a hard worker, and very sweet, but I wouldn't call her tough, so I'm not sure how she'll handle the pain.

Poor MM. His own daughter won't give him a break. Hee!

All too soon it is going to be...

"YOUR BROKE MY FLYING MONKEY. HEY. YOU BROKE MY FLYING MONKEY!"

the lunch of choice at St. Ursula Academy

Hey! I went to an Ursuline h.s. also. Small, all girls. I don't remember what all I ate for lunch except for on hot dog and tater tot day! yum! For 1st - 8th grade I had brought a 1/2 peanut butter on whole wheat sandwich for lunch every day so I know I started branching out when I got to h.s.

I mostly had a positive high school experience after getting over the weirdness of going from public to small, private, Catholic school where many of the girls had been in school together since kindergarten. I met my best friend almost right away so that helped. We could be freaks together! And even though there was a big jock culture at the school it was really very cool to be smart and/or arty. The principal sucked but the teachers were awesome.

What, the small group of us here can't be your entire social circle?

Ahem. I am accustomed to a very LARGE social circle. And OMG scared by the concept of having to create one. It's been a while. And I worry that maybe it's easier to create one in a transient place like DC, or when you're 22. Erm.

can we think of it as trading one Washington for another?

Heh. At teh interviews in Seattle I kept having to say "Yes, I'm from the *other* washington...."

So, I got a wonderful raise (27%!!) and a new position within my current company this afternoon

Holy crap, Nicole, that's awesome!!

In HS, I had frozen Reeses, cheese popcorn, and Diet Coke for lunch almost every day. Awful!

I was more a "carton of milk, bagel with cream cheese, and dingdongs" girl myself. Gotta get the calcium, y'know. (Or, milk was cheaper than soda)

Oxford and Cambridge, you can only apply to one of the two, and you have to apply outside of UCAS

You have to pick one? You can't apply to both? That sucks. What's the difference between them perceived to be? Do they have different reputations?

the librarian with shingles is going to be out for the next week, and I think she may have a rough semester getting over this

Ooh, yeah, shingles can be a bitch, leave lasting nerve pain and shit. Ouch.

oh dear, I'm sitting here giggling at the image of Em laying down the law to her father (get used to it - it's going to be a loooong childhood).

tommy, I'd suggest borrowing a child - get your entertainment and then return the child to its parents. It's not all laughs ... although if you feed the child lots of sugar, you can watch the parents burn out (I once heard that a store had a sign posted saying "unaccompanied children will be given candy and a puppy" as a threat to parents).

Yay Nicole and meara!

Poor Em's dinosaur. Such an ignoble demise. Crushed under the heel of the patriarchy.

High school - hated it, every single moment. Small private church-run school, sanctimonious hypocrites, all of them. Shed not a tear upon graduation. Applied to a Vanderbilt and a couple others. Got accepted to all. Wanted to go to California, went to Vandy because Mom wanted me close. Hated it. Went to summer classes so I wouldn't have to go back home. Graduated early. Eschewed grad school for the real world, probably a good idea, though I could have chosen a better career path. Often wish I had an advanced degree, but lack the motivation to go get one.

Poor Em's dinosaur. Such an ignoble demise. Crushed under the heel of the patriarchy.

It died in the name of Progress....

Awesome raise, Nicole. I'm glad you're being properly appreciated.

Yay job, Meara. It is hard to set up a new social network, but at least you've got friends there.

HS was hell and my only ambition was to get the hell out of the miserable town we lived in and away from my family.

Toddson is me. My dad's job moved us to a very small town in South Georgia when I was 13. I was the only new person in classes with people who had all gone to school together since first grade. I was also, as I am now, overly intellectual and socially inept. My dad was, well, my dad, which was never pleasant. I applied to every school I could find that had early admissions (admission after the junior year), was accepted by two, picked the one farthest from home and got the hell out of there. I wasted a lot of opportunities in college too, but I had the student newspaper, and on the paper I had some of the best times of my life. It also taught me the skills I've made a living with ever since, which is a good thing since I was an English major.