Reading through the gray days of March

The college thing has been very exciting. It's been an amazing year. Of course part of the process is grueling. Last night I dreamt about walking on campus. Am I living vicariously through my daughter? Hmmm…. I've also been in touch with my Sophomore Year roommate, Barb, through Facebook!

Tom is currently reading The Gatekeepers, which I read just before passing it on to him. It's about a year in a highly selective college Admissions Office, primarily at Wesleyan. Tom summed it up best when he reflected that he's glad he didn't read it while we were deep in the admissions process. I don't know if it would be worse to read it while completing applications or while in the waiting game. Which reminds me, a group of assorted field hockey parents had dinner after a tournament last week, and one mother commented on the money spent on field hockey and whether it was worth it. AMM succinctly captured our shared perspective when she said, with hand gestures, field hockey moved my kid from a pile with this many (large stack) applications to a much smaller stack.

Yes, we've spent thousands. In this part of suburbia, almost every parent spends thousands on something. Tutoring, sports, music lessons, SAT Prep. A car. Private school. Or the worst option: some sort of troubled teens program. So, she's played two high school sports plus club field hockey. She's learned about winning and losing, making friends in new environments, trying new things and testing oneself. She admits that it is easier to get her work done with a packed schedule than when she has free time. (And, her lax coach just announced that 15 girls have 4.0 or higher GPAs!) So, we make choices, and deal with overpacked schedules, and we hope that when it's all done, they thrive and we survive!

Other reading: Adriana Trigiani's Brava Valentine. Her writing is masterful, and her characters are bright and lively! Ever since Lois told me about the Big Stone Gap trilogy, I've read every book she's written. In a period of less than 24 hours, I read Elizabeth Edwards' Resilience. Cover to cover start to finish. Well written, easy to read, but she still doesn't pass my test: She's not on my list of "someone I'd like to go to lunch with."

The Bride Will Keep Her Name was another fun read – three books in less than a week!—and one that made every minute on the treadmill fun. Lots of twists and turns in the countdown to the wedding. Set in NYC, of course. This book couldn't be set anywhere else. I thought the author was female until I saw his photo on the dust jacket. Jan Goldstein, has an uncanny view of the female mind!

Notes from a Former Early Adopter

Last week, Linda reminded me that it’s been quite some time since this blog has been updated. In the closing month of school I found myself involved in the coordination of or attendance at -- an import of Italian extra virgin olive oil (eight labels from seven producers) for Olio2go, a girls lacrosse team that went to the state finals, a Girl Scout trip to HersheyPark, a significant field hockey event known as College Connection, a Care Calendar for another family, a soccer tournament, end of season, and the preparation for the next soccer season, a birthday party, and an unfinished task of trying to get an elementary school bus stop off a 55 mph divided highway. (Does that meet the test of a sane adult?)

In the midst of all of this, on June 12, the Digital TV signal conversion took place. We knew it was coming (even in February) but never made it a priority. We’re really not in the dark. There are two other TVs and a computer running the Microsoft Media package—all on cable. It’s just the bedroom TV that lost the signal previously perceived by cute rabbit ears. Call me nostalgic, but this is the TV that carried me through months of pregnancy bedrest with just five channels. To think, I was once an early adopter.

As I now listen to the radio in the morning, I’m enjoying the fresh chatter. No longer the Barbara Harrison (NBC4) variety. WMAL doesn’t bring forth the same bleak daily intensity of shootings.

Perhaps by fall when the mornings are darker and the school schedules have returned, we’ll have a resolution on the TV. Black, silver, or white. Flat screen. Wall mount or stand. Cable or not.

Dog Daze

O.K. I confess! This will be a rant. I appreciate my neighbors' love for their dogs, but don't have the desire to complicate my life any further. I don't need one more thing to feed, care for, take to the doctor, or compensate for destruction.

I'm the neighbor who doesn't greet the dogs when I greet their owners. I don't pet them or scratch their heads. The English Bulldog, "Elvis" is my favorite, possibly because so many others don't like him. I appreciate his obstinate nature and the fact that he doesn't care if I scratch his head. Or not. When I look at him, I think he could have been named "Churchill" just as well. He's perfect for Mike.

That said, when my family asks when we'll get a dog, my reply is that I'll do it when I'm the only one living in the house. That may sound negative, but if you can hear the humor, it's not all that bad. I'll get a dog because I love to go for walks.

There's a time and a place for dogs. I've long been tired of folks who bring them to kids' soccer games and practices. They're against the rules on the sports fields and schools in this county. I'm OK with most rules because I think they were made by reasonable, well-meaning people. At South Run, I've seen dogs run onto the field in the midst of play. It adds a bit of chaos.

The real dog "stunner" occurred on Saturday in Annapolis, at the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Quarterfinal, Navy vs. Johns Hopkins. Let's say there were 20,000 people there. Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium holds about 40K. They even have "sky boxes" now. I'm floored by the three 60-70 year olds, dressed as if they had stepped from a Ralph Lauren advertisement, who entered section 106 and pushed to the center of a row (general admission seats) with their large dog. Can you imagine? The rest of us get our water bottles confiscated at the gate, and they bring in a dog weighing at least 80 lbs?

Puh-leeze. He was not a assisting the blind or infirm. He had no banner or jacket. He was merely accompanying the entitled.

OK, he was pretty well behaved. He only tried to get away once, and then came close to nibbling the shoe of another sports fan. I suppose we should be glad that he didn't try to chase the lacrosse ball.