Places to Go and Things to See

Today is a mix-match of things. Why? Well because it is a Saturday and I am awake before 6 a.m. I do not know why I was awake but it was a good thing as Princess Emma arrived to sleep on my couch at 6 a.m. Also by 6 a.m. on a Saturday we have Granny M awake making sandwiches for the nephew who is now (thank you Lord) working 7 days a week. The niece is making coffee for herself and feeding the newborn. College Girl is up and walking the dogs before heading off to school for today's performance of Peter Pan.  Now that means on a Saturday morning at 6 a.m. only one person is sleeping in my house.  Who is that?  Dear is sleeping.  He does not have to work at job #1 today and no longer has job #2!  Yipppeeee! (Rays of sunshine and rainbows are all around.)  Yes, last night was his last night to work.  After 6 years he is no longer working 2 jobs.  I am thrilled.
What else is going on?  Oh over at Skyler's Dad aka Some Days It's Not Worth Chewing Through the Leather Straps....there is signage.  Yes, signage.  Oh my and funny too.  CG and I have already laughed and cried from it this morning.   Go see for yourself.  Now it is a lil after 7 a.m. here.  Princess Emma is sleeping, Granny M is sleeping, Dear is sleeping, Niece (along with babies) is sleeping,  Dogs are sleeping,  Cats are sleeping.   College Girl has left.  And yeah, I am awake.  Why?  Well because I can not go back to sleep.  Must be some gene I am missing.  But once awake always awake or so it seems.  Then at 3 p.m. today my head will be nodding while I pretend not to want to nap in the middle of the day.

I did get a new book to share with the Grandbabes next weekend.  (Yes, I have them finally again!)  It is a beauty of a book about the lives of the people who work shrimp boats in the Gulf of Mexico.  You know, where so much oil was spilled....and made their lives even harder to live now.  Ok that is not in the book, just my thoughts.  But, in a beautiful world, you would find Salty Seas & His Heroic Friends.  The story is told by the shrimp boat, Salty Seas.  His friends are the seagull, pelican and dolphin. They work hard to save the Captain from a shark when he is knocked overboard.  Wow!  This is a thriller for the kiddos.  Me, well I just want to hang up the pages as the art work is beautiful.  A real rainbow of color.  I would be thrilled to have this artist do a whole mural for me.....what a dream.
Otherwise today we are going to go to see Peter Pan at the theater my College Girl is in.  She is a pirate (yes, girls can have a mean streak too) as well as the horrid crocodile.  We are taking Princess Emma to see her sissy in the play as well as my niece and her two lil ones.  What an adventure.  Then this afternoon Dear and I have a wonderful day planned of cleaning our room.  Gosh who thought it could get so fun?  Actually I am so way behind on putting up clean clothes.  And we had our bed on risers.  One of them gave way....NOT on my side of the bed!  So all that stuff we had stored under our bed we had to clean out.  Now we are actually going through it all and getting rid of what is not needed.  Putting other things in to a proper storage container.  And those silly important papers that for some reason I had stored under the bed can now go in the file drawer.

This evening I plan on curling up with a book.  Yes, one of all time favorite things to do. I have a new one.  You knew that!  The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman is a interesting mix of fantasy and reality.  It is a combination of western, adventure and magic in a sci-fi kinda way.  Hard to tell you but I know that I am already trying to carve out time for myself so I can continue reading it.  I promise you it is not a easy glib book, but one that has you really digging in deeper.  It is a world that is only half made so far.  Can you imagine that?  Of course there are the power struggles as well as the explorers to see what lies in the unknown.  We are always trying to see over that next hill, past the big trees and into tomorrow.  I do love that it was compared to Stephen King's The Dark Tower.  Pretty high praise there.
I am enjoying this one so much....love being taken away to a different place.  And I am hanging out in this half-made world wondering what is going to happen next.  Where will we travel to....and find....and discover....and?  Just my kinda book.  Wanna share?  Well I will....with you.  If you would like your own copy I have a second copy of it right here.  And will mail it to one lucky reader.  Just leave me a comment on where you would like to explore.  What you would love to see or experience.  Make sure I have your email as usual so I can contact you.  Oh and if you follow me on GFC I will give you an extra entry.  As well as my twitter and facebook.  So put those in the separate comments too!

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1.03.01

Painting the Stage Green

It is time to get the show up and running. College Girl is working like crazy....well like me?  Peter Pan is the children's play.  And there is so much to be done.  They just finished the first show of the season.  Now it is time to redo everything and make a stage from a french pub to a pirate ship.  That takes a lot of talent and a lot of paint.  Yes, paint.  They paint everything.  Nothing is as it seems in the theater.  Instead it is all faux designs to look like wood or bricks or marble or whatever you think it is.  CG even has paint clothes.  Yes outfits just for painting in.  You never know what you will have to paint or the contortions to get to the different pieces.

Well now it is much much much easier for her to do.  Why?  Well because Super Mom (yeah, that's me) sent her a magic Green Toad to help out.  No she did not have to kiss it to make the magic work.  Instead it is a great pivoting paint system.  So with her magic lil helper she did not have to twist and bend and contort.  Instead the 360-degree rotating brush head did it all for her.  A flip of the wrist and College Girl was zipping through painting chores.  I sent her a ergonomic handle along with a brush and a roller.  This was a great starter set.
Why is it called Green Toad?  Well because it is Green.  Not just in color but also that it is made of recyclable, compostable and biodegradable materials.  Pretty cool huh?  I do thank Green Toad for sending us a starter set to try out.  It has made it's way to the theater at the college now.  I know I will not be seeing it here, but College Girl says it is the hit of the play....well at least with the crew it is.

Oh and CG suggested that I post the following tips.  Being on our 4th year of being a college mom I have learned to pull back and let her do her own thing more.  But oh that first year I was right on top of her all the time. I wish I had thought of the following then and not had to learn these tips on my own.

5 Ways to Parent a Successful College Kid

By Larry and Meagan Johnson

Adapted from their new book, "Generations, Inc."

In a recent poll of freshman students, 1 out of 10 freshmen had parents who called them every day or every other day. Another survey found that 4 out of 10 college students (38%) had parents who had spoken with or attended meetings with their academic advisors. Almost a third (31%) had parents who had called professors to complain about a grade. One in 4 described their parents as "overly involved."

Yet 65% of these college kids still asked for their parents' advice on academic and career paths. That doesn't surprise us. We have studied this age group, and found that today's college-age kids are quite unique in their needs, preferences, and abilities. They are also closer to their parents than any other generation before them, and this presents interesting challenges for both kids and parents.

Here are some ways parents can help them, without hovering.

Learn to text.

If you want to talk to your college kid, text, don't phone. Or make an appointment by text to phone. Find out his or her class schedule so your text message isn't buzzing in his pocket during a lecture. This crop of college kids sleeps with their phone, so you might as well join in.

 

Guide, don't decide.

If your child is like most of his peers, he probably asked for your help in choosing classes, planning his schedule, and picking extracurricular activities. That's typical of this age group, which has closer ties to and better communication with parents than previous generations. The best way you can help a new college student is to ask leading questions, offer some suggestions, and leave the rest to him.

 

Let them fail.

A crucial part of the learning experience is failing. We're not talking about failing a class. We're talking about signing up too late for a class, or missing an appointment with the counselor. If your child was used to Mom or Dad being the organizer, alarm clock, and reminder, she is bound to make some mistakes. After she does, talk to her about it and ask her what she might do differently next time.

 

Resist your inner editor.

Many college kids these days send papers home for Mom to "edit." In her high school days, that might have been a euphemism for "rewriting." But now your kid is career bound, and writing for her won't benefit your child when she has to demonstrate writing skills at her first job. Use this time to coach, teach, and encourage your budding writer to seek help from the writing center and free tutors all colleges have these days.

 

Keep parenting.

Today's college kids aren't different from their predecessors in terms of partying and going crazy with their new found independence. There's nothing wrong with talking to your kid about doing his homework, and about partying, sex, and other risky activities. Kids at this age still want limits, and although you won't be there to oversee all their social activities, they want to know that they are still accountable to someone other than themselves.

 

Weekend Fun

Image by sachac via Flickr

This weekend was a great time spent with College Girl. Lucky to have tickets to the musical "The Boyfriend" that the theater department presented. CG was in charge with the sound design this time around. We arrived early so there would be time for dinner and drinks before the show. This was fun loving and a bit surprising. You see we did the round of desserts that all of us shared. Two of them were hot cobbler and hot brownie, both with ice cream on top. Now Dear Hubby has a horrid tooth ache so steered clear of the ice cream. But was thrilled to taste the hot melted butter that was on the hot desserts. Of course we all dug in as soon as he started saying how yummy it was. I made sure to have a big scoop of ice cream with my cobbler. And was it ever butter-y! So strong of butter, hot melting butter! Yes, Butter! NOT ICE CREAM! Our lovely waitress thought she was scooping ice cream but instead it was big scoops of butter. So yes sir-ee, I had a mouth full of butter. BLAH!

Well, talking about College Girl and shared interest, I wanted to tell you about "Book by Book". This is a guide on creating mother-daughter book clubs. We are both avid readers. I love sharing stories with her. I do wish I had this guide when she was younger. It helps to have tools on how to create a book club. A great part of this is the listing of books that appeal to the mother-daughter audience. It also helps to share what activities you can plan too. I wonder if I should start up a neighborhood book club for moms and daughters? It is an idea.

Skills Cross Over

I keep talking to College Girl about her college major.
As with most moms, I want to be sure she can have a good career after school is done.
And my fears as to what she will do with a theater degree show all the time.

I know she is not into the acting but the behind the stage work.
And she has talked of teaching too.
Now she is helping me see of other areas that her college major can help her at too!

For example how do you like all the different looks you get at a trade show exhibit?
You know where it looks like you have walked into someone's living room.
Or that a space age diner has just opened up in the middle of a show hall.

Yes, scene design is used for these trade show exhibits.
Along with skills of carpentry, set design and set up and tear down even.
Knowing how to set up lighting and paint backgrounds are skills that are used for trade show exhibits too.

Of course she can also use these skills in the theater as she hopes too!
Silly mother worried that her college girl will not find work.

What's Up with This?

Tonight my husband has a date.

And it is with a much younger woman.

The hardest part about it is that I am asked to be the chaparone.

Which I have agreed to since I feel I need to know what is going on.

Also my college girl is going out tonight with a much older man.

I want to warn her of this folly.

But you know when your 22 what does your mom know.

So what should I do.

I think I am going to ask Nessa to help me out.

She is so much wiser than me in ways to handle family problems.

I think that it is time for me to uncover my wicked ways.

As your well aware I adore my husband.

But I have set him up.

Yeah with my daughter.

LOL

Tonight we are going to "The Last Picture Show" Drive In Theater.

It is a request my daughter wanted.

She pointed out that it was something that her generation does not have.

So we found one in Gatesville Texas.

And a fantastic bargin too.

The double feature this weekend is "UP" and "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" .

At only $10.00 a car load.

We have asked Nessa and her gang to join us.

So what are your plans this weekend?

Mardi Gras in Florida?

Did you know that Mardi Gras was still going on? I didn't! But it is at Universal Studios Orlando. And I wanna go! Actually we had a email from one of CG's old high school friends. She moved to Florida several years back but they have always stayed close. Thank goodness for Internet and messenger for that. Well she called to talk to CG about her theater internship. It seems that a lot of theater students will get jobs acting at the theme parks during the summer. There is also costumes, makeup and sets that has to be designed every year too. And since she had been visiting USO during their Mardi Gras show she was all pumped up.


Universal Islands of Adventure is divided up into "islands" . Yeah, I just said that redundant sentence. Silly me. Oh well. As CG would say--On with the show! Jurassic Park would be a great place for CG to get experience with set design. Seuss Landing is a marvel of ideas to make costumes of all kinds. Marvel comic book superheroes have to have great make up. There would be so many places that CG could learn from. We know that looking into an internship is a hard process. It is nice that her friends are out scouting around for her.

I wonder how many people it takes to put on these productions night after night. You have the floats to create, decorate, maintain for months. And the complete "street" is a a marvelous set. Recreating the atmosphere of New Orleans right down Bourbon Street. So many actors and actresses (I know not politically correct wording here.) I am not surprised that CG would love to live in this type of fantasy world all the time. Of course it all comes with some really hard work. But think of the fun you get to have too?

And you know I would be all about the food! Yes, I love quick, yummy treats anytime. I know we would not be able to eat it ALL. LOL But you understand. To get to try so many different items. I made a foodie out of my CG. But she is still just as thin as can be. Oh how I wish I had those genes.

Well this is another aspect of what a internship may be for CG. Good thing we have a whole 'nother year to make a final decision. And find a way to finance the time period too.

CG checking out the Beach

CG is working on finding a summer theater internship. She loves doing the tech work. Building sets, making costumes, lighting and sound design. Currently she is learning makeup design.

Ghosts and Legends Theatre in Myrtle Beach has a very interesting show. CG is looking at internship there. Most have a small pay but not much. So earning more income or finding housing is important. Myrtle Beach Hotels are some of the ideas that the group is looking at. Also finding part time positions at Myrtle Beach Resorts in exchange for housing and food. There are ideas of how to approach from the leaders in the department.

I am not sure how to look at it myself. I have never had CG far from me. But this is part of what she will have to do to earn her degree. And she is getting old enough to start spreading those wings. I wonder if there is room for me at the Myrtle Beach Resort?

College Girls Last Night with Mom

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College Girl was talking to me today about set design for a play. And we got off looking for modern furniture. While we were surfing the web the site GO CONTEMPO popped up. And we fell in love with all the cool looking things there.

Especially the Heller-Bocca Lips sofa. I could just die to have that in my bedroom to lounge on. Fire engine red lips where I would lie back with a book in one hand and a cool tall drink in the other. That would be the life. What do you think?

Any way as we were swooning over these lips the name Frank Gehry caught College Girl's eye. She is always looking into who is new or doing what in the decorating scene. He is a celebrated architect that is in many museums. He has won the Pritzker Prize, the National Medal of Arts Award and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. And he now has a line of contempo furniture. The Frank Gehry Furniture Collection is modern and futuristic. Like beautiful silver orbs that decorate a "James Bond" set. College Girl would just love being able to do a play or movie like that.

There is a cool resin "marble column" that can be the wildest lounge ever. College Girl said she would use in in a Greek tragedy as if the columns of a Colosseum had toppled. And now the heroin was reclining on this while she looked at all city that had came to rest at her feet. Isn't this a great way to use such interesting furniture. College Girl thinks that set design in the theater is one of her favorite subjects. Now she just wishes she could get all of the cool furniture over here at GO CONTEMPO to use too!

Well it is great that she is a theater major. We will be moving her into the dorms tomorrow. Oh how I am going to miss her being around. I love having her here with me to day dream with.