violetismycolor

day by day: saturday, may 17...

Saturday:  

John arrived on Friday night and I picked him up at the Syracuse airport.  I had dreaded the hour-long drive, but after 2 days of packing boxes, going to the Goodwill drop-off and the post office several times, it was actually quite calming.  Added bonus:  a most spectacular pink and gold sky at sunset.  

After breakfast on Sat. morning, we went to the only-coffee-shop-in-town, The Barge (owned and operated by the college) and met up with my new friend, Walt.  I met Walt on Thursday morning at The Barge.  He is a retired English professor and we shared an hour or so, each morning, just chatting.  He and John also had a nice time meeting and Bonnie showed up at 10 to go to...

The History Reception:  where most of the professors came to schmooze with their (now former) students and their parents.  Bonnie's teachers were all interesting and friendly, and we finally got to meet Prof. Jill Harsin, her unofficial mentor and advisor.

More receptions, etc....like the AMS scholars...and the day was completed with the aforementioned flat tire.  Luckily, one of Bonnie's friend's had a dad-in-jeans who changed said tire for us.

We finished the day by taking Prof. Harsin out to dinner in the nearby town of Cazenovia.  Restaurants in Hamilton were impossible to get in to, and Bonnie had eaten at all of them before.  We (and bunches of prom night high schoolers) had a wonderful dinner at Lincklaen House.  

Unfortunately, we lost track of the time and forgot that Bonnie was supposed to be back at Colgate for the traditional Torchlight Ceremony, where hundreds of grads (some exceedingly drunk) carry sticks of fire around the Colgate Pond with fireworks blazing overhead, terrorizing lost ducklings and fellow students, alike.  

Bonnie arrived near the end of the ceremony, found her friend Dalia, and was regaled with stories of drunken frat boys trying to burn down trees.  Later, she found best friend-and-housemate, Erin...only to be told that drunken sorority girls had hurled a lighted torch her direction, she ducked it but not in time and she received a small burn on her hand and had her graduation gown sleeve CATCH ON FIRE!!!

Now, Bonnie has a real terror of fire and fireworks due to an early experience with a renegade sparkler, so she was nervous about this event before she even got there.  But hearing these stories, she was actually glad she was late and missed all the 'excitement'.  Erin said that she would forever remember the Torchlight by getting pissed off, over and over, at 3 thoughtless, drunk sorority girls.  

BB's graduation

We are in Hamilton, NY and our Bonnie graduates tomorrow.  Ack...2 kids DONE with their undergraduate studies, 1 to go.  Hard to believe that we have come this far.

But there's the bad news...the crappy car that we got from Alamo (a Pontiac Firebird, covered with scratches AND not very fuel efficient) got a FLAT TIRE tonight.  We are driving the on teeny-tiny spare tire (makes me nervous) and the old tire takes up half the trunk space, which we will need when we head out to go back to the airport on Monday. 

The good news, our BonBon is graduating Summa Cum Laud and she is so dang happy! 

mom's weekend info...

Mom's Weekend, OSU-style--was a blast. Not because the school has lots to do, but just because it was so much fun to hang out with Ross.

We started off (on Friday afternoon) by taking a walk along the riverfront in Corvallis. The city has done a great job making this area enjoyable and lovely. There are paved paths, for walking and biking, benches for sitting and pondering, scuplture, water features, a skateboard park, new restaurants and shops, etc.

After the walk, we found a little restaurant, where we split some cheese fondue and had dessert. Then we saw the movie, The Forbidden Kingdom with Jet Li and Jackie Chan, which we agreed was cheesy in parts but highly enjoyable.

On Saturday morning, I picked Ross up bright and early (10 a.m., he IS a college kid), and we went out for breakfast, followed by a hike at OSU's Peavy Arboretum, which is about 5 miles outside of town. There was an OSU-sponsored logging competition, which we saw a little bit of. But the major draw was the beautiful old-growth forest, complete with lots of spring wildflowers and a gnut swimming in the lake we hiked around.

After a quick lunch of Taco Bell and then a shower, we headed off to another movie, this time with Ross's friend Sarah and her mom. We went to see Ironman, which was really very good. Robert Downey, Jr. is not usually who I think of when I think 'superhero' and yet, he did a great job in this part. Jeff Bridges plays his incredibly evil nemesis, and Gwyneth Paltrow plays his faithful aide, Pepper Potts.

Dinner was delish onion rings and burgers at Clodfelter's Pub on Monroe Street, right across from the university, with Sarah and her mom. Then, Ross and I went on to the 9 o'clock Comedy Show, with 2 Comedy Central stand-up comedians. Very funny.

Another 10 am breakfast was had on Sunday morning. We picked up Ross's friend, Melissa, and enjoyed some Belgian Waffles with Strawberries. I took off after that, driving the backroads up to my parents' home in Woodburn. OMG, it was such a beautiful day and driving through the backroads of the Willamette Valley is a real treat. It's gorgeous.

All in all, a great weekend with The Boy.

mom's weekend...

I'm off to Mom's weekend. Ross and I are going to see a movie or two, do a hike, go to a comedy show, and just enjoy some one-on-one time.

mom's weekend at Oregon State?

***I call Ross on his cell phone this morning***

Me: Hi Ross. Any chance you have bought any tickets for events at Mom's Weekend?

Ross: Huh? Mom's weekend? When is that, again?

Me: Next weekend.

Ross: Then, uh...no.

Me: Well, I am looking at the website and see that they still have some tickets for the comedy show on Saturday night. I figured you forgot, but a mom CAN be hopeful, can't she?

Ross: Laughs nervously.

Me: I will try to see what else we can do...don't worry about it.

Ross: Thanks, Mom.

Ah, the life of the mother of a youngest child, who also happens to be a boy!

Japan, here she comes...

So Bonnie got into the JET program...teaching English in Japan to students anywhere from grade school to high school. She won't know WHERE in Japan till May, but she is excited...and scared. Oh my, another kid abroad. Mine just don't seem to want to stay home.

Ross will be going to St. Andrew's in Scotland for his Fall Term. That means that all 3 Calhoun kids will have spent at least a term there. What a wonderful thing for them to share!

Bonnie goes to New York...

Bonnie flew to New York this morning for her JET (teaching English in Japan) interview tomorrow morning. She called me as she was approaching her hotel, which is only a couple of blocks from where she is interviewing. She travels so confidently, she amazes me. Could this be the little girl who wouldn't talk to store clerks, even if it meant getting her favorite cookies or candies? Nothing could induce her to do it. She was so shy.

I remember getting near college graduation, when I was doing job interviewing and a company flew me to San Francisco for an interview. I think it was the first time I had checked into a hotel by myself. I rented a car, by myself, for the first time. I got all dressed up and went to try to convince someone to hire me. I am sure Bonnie feels like I did at the time. Very Grown Up. Very happy to be a Real Adult.

It is an awesome time for her. Her adult life is just getting started and she is heading for the stars...or Japan, which is almost as far. I feel very proud of her.

Ross...

My baby, Ross, turned 20 yesterday. OMG...how is it possible that I am now the mother of three twenty-somethings?

Ross came home for the weekend and got two dinners and two lunches out, an ice cream cake, and lots of presents for his trouble. Not too bad.

I joked with Ross that the day he was born, we had to be at the hospital by 6 am, as I was having a scheduled c-section. He made me get up early then and many days after that. But I really didn't mind. Ross was the easiest of my babies. He could spend hours just playing with his toes. He was so content. He was the one, though, who always had nightmares, growing up...he was forever climbing into bed with us, so we finally trained him to bring a pillow and blanket, drag it down the hall to our room, and climb onto our bedroom couch and fall back to sleep.

What a wonderful kid he was, and is.

Corvallis was snowy when I went to pick him up and it was snowy when I brought him back, though Portland didn't get any snow during that time. We are having our snow now. Well, last night and probably tonight. And tomorrow is my dad's chemo, so snow...your timing is just bad, you know?

BTW, Bonnie called to say that she had gotten an interview for the JET program. She so wants to go teach English in Japan...I think it is the ONLY thing she wants right now. So my fingers are crossed for her on this one. Her interview will be in New York City in a couple of weeks. She has to get herself there, and spend the night, too...at her own expense. But she 's okay with that. I hope she sails through the interview and gets to live her dream.

should I be worried?

This is a question you really don't want to hear from one of your kids.

And yet...

That is exactly the question that Ross IM'd me this week. (Regarding his wisdom teeth being extracted a couple of weeks ago): My cheek has this hard bump on it and is still sort of swelling. Should I be worried about this?

Answer: YES.

Then, more calmly: I will call the Oral Surgeon and get you an appointment for Friday (when Ross is coming home for his Birthday Weekend).

Boys + common sense = not very often

hmm....

the visit...

We had our nephew, Alex, here with his fiance this weekend.  It was great to put a face and personality to her name.  She and Alex seem to be pretty well matched.  They seem happy together and in sync with each other, so that was nice to see. 

We had several meals together.  Grandma Jean got to check the couple out and there was approval all around.  Yay for family cohesiveness.

Portland was gray and rainy for their whole visit but then got sunny today, now that they're gone.  Not trying to look too alluring, I guess. 

happy new year, but lose the teeth...

We had a great progressive-dinner-new-year's-eve party.  I actually made it till midnight, so maybe I'm not so old, after all.

Bonnie and Ross had to be at the Oral Surgeon's this morning at 7:30 for their wisdom teeth extraction.  Can you say 'Ouch'?  Bonnie is doing better than Ross, who is having trouble keeping his food down.  I blame the anesthetic.  But the surgeries went off without a hitch...that's the good news.  The bad news...my blender broke just as I was trying to make them milkshakes, so I used my hand beater instead.

I got Adam to the airport in time for his flight, but just barely.  The traffic was awful for 3 in the afternoon.  But he is safely back in San Diego.  Yay.  His girlfriend, Priya, was picking him up from the airport there.

Oh yeah, and my cold just doesn't seem to want to die.  Yuck.  And I need to be better by Tuesday cuz it's my dad's chemo day, again.

Got to get back downstairs to the kids...

toes, again...

Ross's run-in with the Podiatrist went fairly well...unless you count the 3 shots he had to get in his big toe.  Oh ya, and the cutting off of half his toenail.  And no promise that it won't happen again.  His toenail is too wide for the space on his toe...

He handled the whole shot-thing very bravely though, especially for a guy with a severe shot phobia.  He is doing well and doesn't even need all that ibuprofen they told him to take.

We brought along our own SilvaSorb (this is an anti-microbial gel that is made by AcryMed, the company where my hubby works), and told the doctor to use it.  He said they usually used something else, something called Amerigel.  We looked up 'Amerigel' and it is made with 'Oakin' which is an oak extract.  Huh?  It claims to have some anti-bacterial properties.

He also confused SilvaSorb with Silvadene, which is a sulfa medication.  SilvaSorb is anti-microbial and even kills MRSA, which is so much in the news these days.  Anyhow, he asked for some samples and I will bring him some next week when we go back for his one-week-after check-up.

Also:  Storm Watch...Bonnie is flying home tomorrow and there is a BIG storm a-brewin' in her area...I just hope she misses the whole thing... 

toes and things...

Ross has had an infected ingrown toenail since (at least) Thanksgiving, when he showed me its' delightful grossness for the first time.  We did lots of soaking with epsom salts and it started to get better. 

Then he went back to school.

I sent a big bag of epsom salts with him, along with a big metal soaking bowl.  I didn't hear any more from him, so I assumed that he had taken care of it.  Until he showed it to me again last weekend.

OMG!

It is now a red, throbbing, overgrown mess.  So, off we go this afternoon to the podiatrist.  He will need anti-bioltics, at least.  He will probably need it to be cut open and drained and dressed.  I warned him that he would probably get a shot of some numbing agent.  And he is deathly averse to shots.  He's not so thrilled.

I told him that I hope this episode teaches him that taking care of himself is not an option.  If he doesn't, it leads to worse problems.  Like needing shots...

home for the holidays...

I picked Ross up at OSU yesterday.   I had a good drive on the way down, listening to my iPod (through the car's radio), and singing at the top of my lungs.  I love to do that when no one else is in the car.  Then, helped Ross load up the trunk with all his stuff, and we went out to lunch.  He has a favorite place for burgers...a little pub across the street from campus.

When we walked back out to the car, there was my phone sitting on top of my car!  I had put it there when we had been packing the car in back of his dorm, and then we had driven about a mile.  I can't believe I didn't lose it.  Good thing Ross noticed it! 

We had a nice chat on the drive home and it is so nice to have him here.  Bonnie is coming home on the 15th and Adam on the 17th.  Can't wait...

leaving San Diego...

Adam (and 6 of his friends) left San Diego this morning, then spent the day in Orange County in San Clemente playing on the beach and drinking margaritas.  Tomorrow he and 3 of his friends are going north to San Francisco. Can anyone say 'road trip'?  He seems to be having some fun with this.

At least he is on his way northward and getting away from the smoke, which he said was giving them all headaches.

Adam called to say...

Adam called me today and started his conversation with "I just wanted to let you know that I am still alive." 

I said that he must be talking about the San Diego wildfires. And he said yes, that's what it was.

He said that they had just announced that they were evacuating Encinitas, about 15 miles away.  School was cancelled today and for tomorrow.  He doesn't know if they will have to evacuate but he heard that the authorities are afraid that the fires won't stop till they hit the ocean.  He said that the roads to the north, east, and west are so crowded that it would be hard to go anywhere, though he is hoping for a road trip to San Francisco. 

So, keep my Adam in your thoughts.  He's definitely at the top of mine.

back to school...

We took Ross back to school on Sunday.  He was so excited about it.  It took loading up both cars but we got his things all there.  Ross rode with me and Veronica rode with John on the was to Corvallis.  We moved Ross in with amazing speed and then took Veronica on a tour of the campus.  She said, "It's just like in American movies!" 

It's alot quieter in the house...

cooking catastrophe...

Bonnie called to find out how to carmelize onions yesterday.  Apparently, she then proceeded to cook said onions while we went on to talk of other things:

Bonnie:  *various swear words*

Me:  What's wrong?

Bonnie:  Some of the oil came out of the pan and hit the heating element.  It's on fire.

Me:  What?

Bonnie:  Where's the +*$%'ing flour?...I know that water will make it worse.

Me:  Is it out?

Bonnie: *more swearing*  Now the fire alarm for the whole apartment building is going off.

In the background:  Sounds of girls running into her kitchen, asking what is going on...

Bonnie:  I'd better call the fire department before they send a truck out here.  Call you back, mom...

Disconcerting....

departures...

Adam has departed to the land of sunshine (California) and we are a slightly smaller household.  Ross is talking about wanting to head back to school, too.  He misses his friends there and his friends here are leaving for their schools.  He has about three weeks left, but he's ready now. 

I don't take it personally.  I remember feeling exactly the same way.  When I was home for that first summer, I felt like I was on hold, waiting for my regular life to start again.  I wasn't all that good at living in the moment, which is what I strive to do now.  I want to enjoy the people and things that are here, instead of waiting for some big coming event to entertain me.  But that is what maturity is supposed to do, right?

Adam is taking those three days to drive south.  I hope he enjoyed visiting with his aunt, uncle, and cousins last night...that he will enjoy getting to know them better with no parents around to deflect attention or start conversations.  I hope he will enjoy getting to know my cousins, who he will stay with in the next couple of days.  I envy him the opportunity to drive Highway 101 from San Francisco to LA; it is such a gorgeous route.  And then, his BIG adventure will begin...5 years of a new home, a new school, new people.  I am so excited for him.  And I know that he will make the most of it, because that's what he does.

P.S.  Adam called about 1130 this morning from Yreka, saying he had locked his keys in the car and was waiting for the tow truck...and ya, when I had suggested his getting a Triple-A membership a few weeks ago and he had said he wouldn't have any use for it, that was a mistake!  (Adam, please listen to your mother...) 

calling all mattress salesmen in San Diego...

I am trying to find 'the perfect mattress' for Adam.  We found a wonderfully comfy Englander Taylor Pillowtop at a local mattress outlet.  Of course, NO ONE in San Diego seems to carry Englander mattresses.  Bummer.

So, Adam is out checking out more mattresses at Penney's and Macy's and is finding things he likes.  He may or may not just head to San Diego and find a mattress there.  But it is starting to be a major headache for him, and me (the mattress purchaser).