Sunday, August 06, 2006

Summer on the wane...

One week from tomorrow, school starts here. Chris is going to be in 10th grade. Hockey tryouts began today. Summer is almost history.

Last month, Greg and I went to Lubbock for New Student Orientation. It's about 440 miles from here, just under a seven hour drive. The plains of Texas. Home of tumbleweed, sandstorms, and flat prairie land. An occasional mesa. Oh, and massive wind farms on the mesas. Pretty cool.

Texas Tech is a gorgeous campus in the middle of a mediocre town. And so new. I mean, everything seems so new. It's funny how I've lived in Texas for ten years, and I should be used to it, but everything is young here. The northeast is so old.

Greg is ready to go. And he's been to Tech the last two summers for band/orchestra camp. Observing him while we were there, I see that he is very comfortable on the campus. He already knows so many people: other students, staff, office personnel. Am I a terrible mom because I'm not really worried about him? The first night we were there, we went out to dinner. Went to see "Pirates of the Caribbean" and driving back to the hotel, listening to the radio, he actually recognized the disc jockey! "Oh, that's so-and-so. He's in the band." Band was his whole life in high school, and I think it will be the same in college. As a matter of fact, I was a little surprised at his schedule. No math? Nope - he scored a 5 on the AP calculus test so that will be his college credit. The only non-music course he will be taking this year is Poli Sci. Everything else is music theory, music this and that..... That's where his heart is. Oh, and he has to take piano. Can someone tell me how they teach a college course on piano? I am picturing a big lecture hall filled with grand pianos. In reality, it's probably a room filled with little casio keyboards or something.

So the second day, I dropped him off at the dorm, and didn't see him for two more days. I had stuff I had to attend, he had stuff he had to attend. But everytime our paths would cross, he was with a couple of friends that he knew from band camp. He introduced me to a couple of people in the music department staff. He showed me some of the on-campus sites. Like I said, it's almost home to him already. And all the kids that were there? I have never seen so many attractive young people in one place in all my life. Boys, girls - many beautiful kids. Texas sure does grow some good-looking youngsters.

He's ready to go. Hell, he's already gone, really. The past two weeks, he's been so busy and hardly home. Get-togethers with all his friends who are going to school all over Texas. I'm gonna miss his big boisterous laugh around here. And the hugs. My son is a hugger for sure.

He's got a few friends from high school who are also going to Tech. One of his best friends is going to be his roommate. I asked him if he was sure about that. Sometimes you're better off NOT living with a good friend. He says "There are some of my friends that I know I couldn't live with. But Matt and I could get along together pretty good." I hope he's right. So in two weeks, we pack him up and make that long drive to Lubbock and drop him off. I'm excited for him. I hope that it is going to be the best time of his life. I'm almost envious. I know he's going to do well. But I will miss him. And his father and grandmother will miss him. And his brother is gonna miss him alot. But he's going to be fine. I hope that his troubles are few, and his successes are many. In the dedication page of his yearbook, amongst all the scripture quotes from other parents, I dedicated this Irish blessing to him (because I don't follow scripture and that would be fake coming from me):


May God grant you always...
A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.
Laughter to cheer you,
Faithful friends near you,
And whenever you pray, heaven to hear you.


So he will be off in two weeks. I think he's going to be okay. If not, he can always come home. But I don't think he will want that.

As for you guys? Well, this little blog experiment isn't really working. So if you wander in here and wonder where I've gone, I have a solitary blog. It's just a place where I place my random thoughts and boring rhetoric. Stop in and visit me. I won't desert this place completely, but if you're looking for me, odds are good I'll will be writing there more often than here. Just hustle on over to 45Plus and make a sarcastic remark or something! And if any of you all ever come back here (or find your passwords), I'll check in now and then to see what's up.

hugggggggggggggggggggers,
ME