Party Schools

Instilling good habits and beliefs in your college bound child is good. However, peer pressure and independence along with a family history of problems can still make one concerned. Hopefully no-one's school is on this list below because that does not help either. But regardless, sheltering a child from these things just makes them less prepared for the world after college; where consequences can be much greater.

From Princeton Review:

But the truth is, pretty much every school you go to (at least in the U.S.) is going to offer evenings in cramped frat houses with kegs of beer, people making out in hallways and toilets full of unflushed vomit. Even MIT -- which is, of course, notorious for its nerdiness -- is known for having killer parties. So fret not -- no need to transfer just because your school isn't high up on the list.The full list after the jump.
1. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
2. University of Mississippi, Lafayette, Miss.
3. Penn State University, University Park, Pa.
4. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va.
5. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
6. Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va.
7. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
8. University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
9. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.
10. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.

Made In Eureka

This is a bunch of really great products! Amazing you might say. Take a look.

http://www.scifi.com/eureka/madeineureka/

The CORRECT History

Wonderful video that we happened across on HBO. Amazing the history facts we are so sure about that are incorrect! Funny and educational -- great for college level classroom experience. Esh is ready for this stuff but I am not sure all kids attending college are. Actual classroom video footage that Gravity and I fully support. Learning should be fun at the same time as educational. Too much learning is boring and too serious. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6731102750245618218

Hardy Boys Game

OMG, they are developing a series of Hardy Boy PC games! http://www.hardyboysgame.com/

Phantom of Venice

Another Nancy Drew bites the dust! Mission accomplished. So now onward to the new game, The Phantom of Venice.

VA Summer

This summer overall has been a very nice one. There has been helpful rain and the economy here is actually pretty good. Houses are even selling here. Nice summer.

Royal Tower

We finished Message in the Haunted Mansion and have begun Treasure in The Royal Tower. We have found a room with golden walls!

A Day

It is interesting how a day works. You wake up, with something you need or want to do, or maybe a whole list of things to do. As you start though, typically small things happen that nudge the items on the "to do" list by adding, subtracting or changing something on the list. By the end of the day, things may have gotten done as desired or turned out completely differently than were planned.

What is also interesting is how different people react when these things that nudge the plans occur and how one feels by the end of the day.

Its also interesting to have a day with nothing planned and the day just unfolds. Things nudge you along on a wandering path.

In the end, the collection of paths traveled through the days is our life. For some people, their lives get recorded and go in to history books, but rarely do we get a glimpse of a Day in the Life of someone from the past.

Are those days still out there, recorded by photons, particles that were moved, sound waves generated? What if we had a way of collecting all the physical components that changed during the day, gathering all the photons, particles, etc. What would we have? Would we also get the feelings, thoughts, emotions that occurred?

I have to think that all of it is recorded in some form and maybe traveling in time might just be being able to recontruct all those pieces back in to a day.

So, maybe the next step is a "recording" device that encapsulates all physical changes (reflected photons, moved air waves, breathed air, chemical processes in the brain, etc.). Then those recodings could be used to truly relive a moment in time by simply playing it back.

Full Weekend

Esh has a full weekend. Tomorrow he gets together with some boys and girls close to his age to play D&D. Sunday he is getting together with his group of boys that adopted him when he was a HS freshman and they were seniors. About every two months they get together to play cards. The other three are all around 20 to 21 age group, but they really enjoy Esh's company and he theirs. Gravity and I will probably rent a movie on cable, read and play Scrabble and computer games. We might try a Tomb Raider game.

Grass On Beach

Memory Scents

Esh's group of six (they call themselves The Super Friends) were here again last night. I have begun to place one of my mother's tablecloths that I inherited from her on the table for their visits as The Super Friends are reluctant to use coasters for their drinks. As I removed the tablecloth today and began to fold it, the pervasive floral scent of my mother filled the air. The scent brought her back momentarily. Just now, I was looking at the baby grand piano that she so loved sitting in the corner. I am glad I have a bit of her in this house. Interesting how smells can evoke such clear memories.

Lake Kayaking

Wish I had pictures but we forgot to take the camera! Gravity and I just got back from kayaking on our lake (Esh is in a final exam right now and I decided not to go to class). It felt great! Although the summer VA humidity was there, there was a nice breeze. It felt so good we will definitely do it again soon. next time, I might take a camera.

Public Information

Some people really blitz when they discover how much information concerning them is out on the web. But no need for this; after all, it is public information (i.e. it is open to the public). No need to think that it would increase your chances of a burglary -- that would be crazy as the information is public anyway and already out on the web! Here is our information. You might want to research your own. Happy trails!

http://www.co.chesterfield.va.us/ManagementServices/RealEstateAssessments/Rea_Detail_Base.asp
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I realized this morning that I did not tell people how to find their own, and others', public information on the web. First locate their local government's site. It is your city or county depending on the structure of their local government; ours is a county. Then look for a link to either assessments values, recent sales, or tax information. Then key in the address. Voila! Public information is great.

Friendship Is Forever

We have so much to learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG0U&eurl=http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=lion&hl=en&sitesearch=

Requested

It is awesome that the tremendous six are requesting to have their meetings here. Many refer to this abode as the House of Science, Science Barn, Science Weasleys... Poor Esh though. He has been grounded a lot lately so he is sick of this house...

Game That Keeps On Going

So last night, we got ready to finish up Beyond Atlantis and then...it just kept on going. It was the EverReeady battery game. Much later than we thought, we finally finihed it.

Next, we are going to do a Nancy drew that we hav done before; "Message in a Haunted Mansion".

Thick Air

It is HOT today and humid. The air is so thick that it takes extra effort to breathe. Typical Virginia July.

Love the news bye on gravity' blog: "News Bytes of the Week--Tomatoes get thumbs-up; but peppers still hot." Hooray! I love my summer tomatoes -- sliced with a little fresh basil. Fast mustard chicken on my blog.

To Hell and Back

Yes. In Beyond Atlantis we go to Hell. It's right on the mark. You have to get a form, the form has to be stamped correctly by the correct 3 clerks in Hell (who might be on the ceiling or somewhere in the maze) and all the clerks are monotone worker bee types.

When we asked the bull (who gives out the form) what "correctly" means he gives a circular answer (sounds like bullsh_t). But basically we needed 3 stamps in the right color in the right order.

I think I've been to places like this before!

Oh, and by the way it was so we could get a stupid mushroom of immortality for someone else.

Hell was the most humorous part of the game.
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October Says:

Sounds like tax time!!

Wrapping Up

Beyond Atlantis is wrapping up. We are traveling through space!

We are not sure which game we will do next. I can not find Beyond Atlantis 2 although I know we own it.

Bold Move

Wow. What a bold move. Dr. Kroger died from a heart attack on Monk. Everyone was so respectful when they referred to Dr. Kroger, we all had the feeling that they were discussing Stanley Kamel. Very well done.

Although everyone appreciated the symmetry of the new office, we all agree that we like Dr. Kroger's office better than the new doctor's (don't remember his name!) office. Kroger's office was more "organic" and open. Esh thought maybe he liked the old office better simply because he was more used to it. Excellent show!

It was done tastefully and with the regular hunmor of Monk. What great writers.

To China We Go

After having finished Ireland, we have now moved onto China. We are tyring to helpthe monks get past the shadow so they can get water!

UVA Credits

It's official. Esh has 71 credits already at UVA; 37 from AP's, 23 from college courses other than UVA, and 11 from UVA itself. This also means that Esh has standing as a third year student and he is only 16!! I guess he could graduate within a year but he has no desire to do this.

This coming fall, Esh will be taking 19 credits: 3 credits in anthropology, 6 credits in physics (300 level courses), 3 credits graduate level math (500 level), 4 credits undergraduate math, and 3 credits in language. His schedule is going to work out really well with most of the classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so Tuesday and Thursday can be study days. I think at least most of, if not all, of Saturday and Friday night should be fun social time!

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Oops!! I forgot about this summer's classes totaling 8 credits. The total transfer credits will be a whopping 79 credits!!! Only 11 credits short of being a fourth year -- in fact, I just realized that as fourth year starts at 90 credits, then Esh will be a fourth year after his first semester at UVA as he will then have 98 credits! Terrific!

Traveling Through Beyond Atlantis

Last night, we listened to endless Irish music, searched for at least a million things (slight exaggeration), kept returning to the fox hole, freed two Gods, got a silver hand and sword for another God, spoke to a man who was half blackbird, rode a beautiful white horse across a lightning filled sea; and all of this while being an Irish monk! Next we go to China...

Cell Phone Saga

A month ago my battery fell out of my cell phone and would not stay in. So I glued it in. That has been working well...until today.

I was trying to call home and my phone said calling but never did. So I figured I'd just turn it off and then back on to reset it. All was going well until the message "Good Bye" showed up on the screen and stayed there. Was this my cell phone telling me it was going to die? I pressed all manner of buttons to get it to do anything, but nothing. Just Good Bye staring at me.

Now I know I can take out the battery to shut it down but I had glued it in. If I broke the glue, then the phone would not hold the battery and I would not be able to turn it on.

I spent 30 minutes or more (staring at Good Bye), carefully tweaking the battery away from the glue just enough to have it shut down but not fall out. Finally it worked. It shut down, the glue held and I was able to turn it back on.

I suppose the the cell phone was telling me a message and suggesting I might be in denial over its future. We'll see but at least I have another day with my cell.

Brilliant Idea

UVA and other colleges have developed a truly brilliant idea. An appliance referred to as a "microfridge" can be rented. It has a refrigerator, freezer and a microwave all-in-one! Absolutely brilliant! We will rent one for Esh, definitely!

Beyond Atlantis

After searching and struggling to find games that would install, we have started Beyond Atlantis. We are the light bearer and have a tattoo on our palm. We are currently ancient Mayan culture and trying to find the chulel in order to save the king's daughter from sacrificed in order to help the corn grow. We have already used the obsidian foot but we think we have to use them to do something. We cheat-guided after spending almost two hours trying to build the rain bow bridge (although Esh and October did a great job on it).

Drainage

This morning I have drainage going down the back of my throat. Gravity added a whole new perspective -- it is better to have drainage than not have it. SO true!

Searching

We rescued Yeesha!!

We are having a hard time getting some of the next possible games to start on the computer we are using so we might install all of the Nancy Drew games and redo them all! We will let you know...

Rainy Gardens

We are having another rainy day which is unusual for here during the summer. However, the gardens are gorgeous! Flowers are in full bloom and I am getting relief from watering plants.

The down side though is now Gravity will have to begin mowing the lawn again and bushes will need to be trimmed.

Dorm Room

Esh is thrilled! He got the dorm room he wanted. It is the room across from the room marked "triple". Great!

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P.S. I am in this posting frenzy because I am between paintings and we have a thunderstorm -- and this is the fourth, maybe fifth, day in a row of thunderstorms!

Open House

We are ending up having a very open house which is great! Last week one of Esh's friends called, asked if he could come over and then spent the night! It is so good that Esh's friends are so completely comfortable with us and our house, pets and all, that they want to visit often. In fact, we have had several requests from Esh's friends for us to adopt them... The best kind of compliment ever!

Hah! Not Room A-2

Ah hah! A-2 does not refer to room A-2. Instead it refers to bed A-2. Wow. They are very specific dorm assignments.

Monk Starts Again

July 18 is the day for the new season! And the questions keep mounting...What will the new doctor be like? Will he be in the first new season episode? Will he be in the same office? What reason will they give for the change? Etc., etc. etc.

And it will be broadcast in multi-languages!

MacGyver

Esh made a MacGyver discovery the other day. Wikipedia has an amazing web page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_problems_solved_by_MacGyver

Amazing!!! I can't imagine the time it took to construct this list.

Serenia

Serenia has too much water! We can't get it turned off so we can get into the old memory chamber and rescue Yeesha....

Room A-2

Esh and his room mate JL will be in room A-2. At this point, we are not sure exactly which room that will be but below is a floor plan for Esh's UVA dorm.

Roommate

Esh found out who his roommate will be next year. He is from Shanghai! His room will be on the third floor which will be lots of exercise.

Revelations

Exile has been finished so now we are beginning Revelations. The embedded movies are amazing! This is such terrific family fun!