The longest thread ever

[YmoBeThere]

I too would love a ban on fireworks as I watch my cats hide in fear. After a few live fire exercises as both an Army brat and in myself(no PTSD either, in during the '90s when deployments were minimal) fireworks are both boring and merely a source of potential bodily harm to hands and fingers.

[Bostondevil]

I have a party to go to with a bunch of physicists. The Russians among them will make me drink at least a little vodka. Then I will make them listen to me sing "Auld Lang Syne". I've been doing this for the past few years. It's become a tradition. New Year's Eve is my least favorite holiday but now that I celebrate it with a bunch of physicists every year, it's not so bad.

[OldPhiKap]

I have a party to go to with a bunch of physicists. The Russians among them will make me drink at least a little vodka. Then I will make them listen to me sing "Auld Lang Syne". I've been doing this for the past few years. It's become a tradition. New Year's Eve is my least favorite holiday but now that I celebrate it with a bunch of physicists every year, it's not so bad.

Tell them this one:

A physicist walks into a bar. He orders a beer, turns to the stool next to him, and offers it a beer. He finishes his drink and then leaves.

The next day he returns to the bar, orders a beer, and offers a beer to the stool next to him before finishing his drink and leaving.

This continues on for a week before the bartender finally asks, "Why in the world do you keep offering that stool a beer?"

The physicist replies, "The laws of physics dictate that there is a slight possibility that at some point the matter above this stool could reform into a beautiful woman, who would then accept the drink."

The bartender is puzzled for a second before replying "The bar is full of beautiful women. Why not see if they will accept your drink?"

The physicist quickly laughs before saying "Yeah, but what are the odds of that happening?"

[YmoBeThere]

Freezing rain starting at 5 PM NYE through Tuesday morning. Only if we are lucky.

[weezie]

Black eyed peas soaking, smoked turkey ready to add tto rice, garlic, jalapeno pepper, bay leaf, thyme. Cornbread fixings assembled. Bloody Mary ingredients checked.

Here comes 2018!

[Bostondevil]

Number 3 son has finished and submitted 9 of 12 applications. Of the three that are left, one is due Tuesday, one on the 15th, and one not until February 1st. Time to start pushing Number 2 son who is applying to 12 schools as a transfer student. I've asked both of them if they wanted me to lay off and just let them get the applications done without me. Both realized that no, they wouldn't get done unless I kept them on task. And both have been rather nice about me pushing them ever since.

That said, UVA's supplemental essay questions had even me rolling my eyes.

Number 10, due on Tuesday, is Stanford with it's 8 short answer questions and three additional essays. And he's not getting in. Except. He's applying because of his communications with the chairman of the Classics Department. He doesn't really want to go to Stanford but he does want to study with the professors in Stanford's Classics Department.

[Bostondevil]

Black eyed peas soaking, smoked turkey ready to add tto rice, garlic, jalapeno pepper, bay leaf, thyme. Cornbread fixings assembled. Bloody Mary ingredients checked.

Here comes 2018!

I have a can of black-eyed peas because, despite my admonishments that they bring good luck, nobody but me will eat them.

[weezie]

...UVA's supplemental essay questions had even me rolling my eyes...

Tell us BD and let's see if we can help the lad!

And while you're busy browbeating them into those essays, tell them that the "Legend of the black-eyed peas luck" includes good fortune in meeting lovely young ladies in the coming year.

It's fun to watch guys fall for stuff like that.

[-jk]

Number 3 son has finished and submitted 9 of 12 applications. Of the three that are left, one is due Tuesday, one on the 15th, and one not until February 1st. Time to start pushing Number 2 son who is applying to 12 schools as a transfer student. I've asked both of them if they wanted me to lay off and just let them get the applications done without me. Both realized that no, they wouldn't get done unless I kept them on task. And both have been rather nice about me pushing them ever since.

That said, UVA's supplemental essay questions had even me rolling my eyes.

Number 10, due on Tuesday, is Stanford with it's 8 short answer questions and three additional essays. And he's not getting in. Except. He's applying because of his communications with the chairman of the Classics Department. He doesn't really want to go to Stanford but he does want to study with the professors in Stanford's Classics Department.

My older has three applications in and two acceptances so far. Won't hear from the third until spring, alas.

Can't imagine applying to 12! Yikes...

-jk

[sue71, esq]

Number 3 son has finished and submitted 9 of 12 applications. Of the three that are left, one is due Tuesday, one on the 15th, and one not until February 1st. Time to start pushing Number 2 son who is applying to 12 schools as a transfer student. I've asked both of them if they wanted me to lay off and just let them get the applications done without me. Both realized that no, they wouldn't get done unless I kept them on task. And both have been rather nice about me pushing them ever since.

That said, UVA's supplemental essay questions had even me rolling my eyes.

Number 10, due on Tuesday, is Stanford with it's 8 short answer questions and three additional essays. And he's not getting in. Except. He's applying because of his communications with the chairman of the Classics Department. He doesn't really want to go to Stanford but he does want to study with the professors in Stanford's Classics Department.

Are you permitted to discloses the list of 12 for each of them? What about first choices?

[Bostondevil]

Tell us BD and let's see if we can help the lad!

And while you're busy browbeating them into those essays, tell them that the "Legend of the black-eyed peas luck" includes good fortune in meeting lovely young ladies in the coming year.

It's fun to watch guys fall for stuff like that.

He has them done now but UVA's questions were (paraphrazing): 1) Pick something from the world of art, science, mathematics, or literature that has surprised, challenged, or unsettled you and tell us why. 2) Students often paint messages on a bridge on campus. What would you paint there and why?

[Bostondevil]

My older has three applications in and two acceptances so far. Won't hear from the third until spring, alas.

Can't imagine applying to 12! Yikes...

-jk

My kids don't do early decision. None of them have ever had a clear cut first choice plus making those November deadlines, just not gonna happen. Number 3 wants to study an unusual combo of subjects and most of the schools that have the combo are ones he wouldn't have a prayer of getting into if he was looking to major in biology on his way to med school. I told him to give it go at a bunch of places because he only has to get into one.

[YmoBeThere]

Will 2019 ever get here?

[Bostondevil]

Are you permitted to discloses the list of 12 for each of them? What about first choices?

Sure.

The reaches - Duke, Harvard, Stanford, Cornell
Small liberal arts - Bowdoin, Dickinson, Union, William & Mary
Bigger state schools that have the programs he wants - UMass, UVA, Michigan
Safety school - Vermont

Right now, I'd say William & Mary is the first choice. I'm fairly sure he will be accepted there. I have no idea what his reach schools will do with him. He is a good student but not a great student, A's and B's. His SAT scores are good but not great. Then, of course, he whips out a perfect SAT subject test score in World History. He's already taken Classical Greek at the Harvard Extension School and Intro to Historical Linguistics at Harvard Summer School (and got A's in both). Both of the profs wrote him letters of recommendation. He only scored a 4 on the AP Latin exam but he's one of only 1800 kids in the whole world who did at least that well. He's one of only 6500 kids who even took it. In his essay he tells the stories about what lit the spark in him in terms of wanting to study Latin and then historical linguistics. Then he talks about the questions that fill his mind on the subject and what he hopes to learn in college. Then he talks about the language he created in an attempt to develop his own language isolate. (Language isolates are a particular fascination with him.) So, who knows? And if he gets into all of them, he may still pick William & Mary. I figure he's really only competing against other kids who want to study classics - if they have the department, they will all admit at least some students who want to study that.

[Bostondevil]

Will 2019 ever get here?

Only 364 days!

[-jk]

My kids don't do early decision. None of them have ever had a clear cut first choice plus making those November deadlines, just not gonna happen. Number 3 wants to study an unusual combo of subjects and most of the schools that have the combo are ones he wouldn't have a prayer of getting into if he was looking to major in biology on his way to med school. I told him to give it go at a bunch of places because he only has to get into one.

Not early decision, just early notification. She can take her time. (And worry less...)

-jk

[weezie]

I kept my woolly warm Duke hat on all day.
I'm kinda enjoying the cold snap!

[mattman91]

Looks like Wojo (my '06 Chevy Trailblazer) has kicked the bucket.

Great start to 2018.

[-jk]

Looks like Wojo (my '06 Chevy Trailblazer) has kicked the bucket.

Great start to 2018.

My 2003 Pilot is getting a new(er) transmission under warranty. I'm (reasonably) satisfied.

It was EHK's Pilot before mine. 240K and (mostly) going!

-jk

[mattman91]

My 2003 Pilot is getting a new(er) transmission under warranty. I'm (reasonably) satisfied.

It was EHK's Pilot before mine. 240K and (mostly) going!

-jk

I was 18 miles away from 190k.

He's on life support right now, but not looking good.

This is an unofficial vigil.