Sunday May 20, 2012
Summer blockbuster season has arrived - just in time for all those college kids coming home. Of course, kids going to schools on the quarter system are still slogging away, although there may not be any better midterm stress-reducer than a night at the movies, seeing "The Avengers" or "Battleship." (Both of which were really fun, by the way - and we parents need stress relief too!)
Also excellent in the stress-relief department? An exam week care package filled with non-sugary, brain-boosting treats and, perhaps, "Mission Impossible" or another new DVD.
Monday May 14, 2012
We usually think of graduation, final exams and the impending joys of summer at this time of year, but it's also the start of the Great Migration season, as students and new grads start planning to move from home to dorms, from dorms to home or into first, second or third apartments. Packing boxes abound, wadded up newspaper and padding materials are strewn everywhere - and who the heck moves a trash can with the trash still in it? Um, your kid, that's who.
So whether you're madly trying to steer your kid in the right direction, or watching from afar, making soothing "there, there" noises, here are few extra resources that may help.
Photo courtesy of Mateusz Stachowski, Stock.Xchng
Sunday May 13, 2012
Last weekend, we started talking about music conservatories - because when you've got a serious young musician, whether he's looking at undergrad or graduate programs, the types of schools you're looking at don't have marching bands. Or if they do, they have terrific pre-professional classical or jazz departments too. (Hello, Michigan!)
So last weekend the topic was the United States' top music conservatories. But there are plenty of conservatory-within-a-university options as well - and this list of the top music schools in the west is a great place to start. It spans the gamut from the glories of USC's Thornton School, which easily ranks among the country's best, to a state university whose colossal instrument museum is a treasure trove for would-be music historians.
Wednesday May 9, 2012
Graduation parties are funny affairs - so festive, so wonderful and, depending on the venue, so very, very challenging. I've thrown senior recital receptions and graduation parties at sites where there was no refrigeration, no stove and no running water, other than what streamed from the restroom tap and it all worked out fine. We even had hot coffee and nice, bubbly artichoke-parmesan dip. The trick, of course, lies in planning ahead and having a few tricks of your own in your party-hosting arsenal.
Like: Don't rely on a restroom's amenities to fill an iced tea pitcher, lemonade carafe or coffee percolator. Those taps sit far too low in the sink. Either bring a 1- or 2-cup measure to transfer the water from tap to carafe - and yes, that's every bit as tedious as it sounds. Or better, bring water in gallon jugs. Restrooms are fine places to dump out leftover lemonade, not to make it in the first place. No refrigerator? No way to heat things? Got you covered on that too...
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