My kid is graduating
I’ve always said that my Significant Other and I have done our part for the species, because our (now adult) kid is a much better person than either one of us. ;)’
We’re heading off to New Orleans for my kid’s college graduation. We’re going to be there for about a week…in addition to the graduation, there are other events. One of them (proud parent puffs on fingernails, shines them on shirt) is the Phi Beta Kappa ceremony.
Graduating from Tulane (which some people call the Harvard of the South…although other colleges claim that too) with a 3.97 is a great achievement. Some of you may know that this is despite having had to take a medical leave at one point. Oh, in case you are wondering? Linguistics…and French. It was amusing for me when my kid was home on a break and we watched telenovelas in Spanish, I was hearing German YouTube from my kid’s laptop, and we saw movies in Turkish. π
Okay, I don’t usually tell you this much about my family, but I’m just bursting with pride right now. π
Why does this matter to you?
Being on the road for a week creates a different dynamic for me with this blog. We don’t take a laptop any more. I can write short things on my Fire, but I don’t really feel comfortable writing a thousand word piece that way.
That means I’ve been writing ahead (I’m actually writing this on Monday). That’s hard. I tend to fill up the unscheduled times in my life, so that I end up working near capacity. I think that’s true for a lot of people. To double the amount of time I spend on the blog (so I can write ahead) requires cutting back on other things some.
I suppose it might be healthier to allow some “empty” time ordinarily, but it just doesn’t seem to work that way. I recently said to somebody that I should make a t-shirt that says, “Stop…and don’t smell anything.” π That’s the realΒ mindfulnessΒ challenge, I think. Needless to say, I’d find that difficult. I did do the shirt, though:
Stop and don’t smell anything shirt
and a mug
Stop and don’t smell anything mug
Writing ahead may be an advantage for you as a reader..I may have time to do a lengthier or more thoughtful piece, for example, by writing it catch as catch can over a few weeks, rather than all at once on one day.
There are three minor negatives that I can see for you:
1. I may not be able to cover a major story as quickly and completely as usual. Let’s say that Amazon releases a few new tablets while I’m at the graduation ceremony…that might be tough to research properly in the first hour. π On the other hand, I do work full time as it is, and still manage to get to things in a timely fashion
2. I may not be as responsive to comments, although I’ll get to them eventually
3. I won’t have my older Kindles with me to do research…I’m only bringing myΒ Kindle Fire
By the way, my Significant Other laughs at the idea that I won’t be spending just as much time. π I do expect I’ll jump into the Business Center from time to time, and properly, our kid will probably spend more time with friends than with us. This isn’t a family vacation, like whenΒ we went to Boston in March. That means we may have more down time in the hotel. Our kid’s coming back with us Β for a month or so before moving to Boston, so we will help with packing and such, but still…
By the way, potential burglars…this doesn’t mean our house is empty when we are gone. π
In case you don’t feel like you are getting enough ILMK, I have scheduled
The Collected I Love My Kindle Blog Volume 1
to be free today. π
What am I taking on my Kindle?
Newsstand:
Okay, I admit it: I am taking two paper magazines with me for takeoff and landing. The FAA is looking at that rule, but for now, I don’t want to take the chance. I have recently, though, switched one subscription to digital, so I’m making progress. π I have some magazines downloaded, including National Geographic and the Smithsonian. It’s worth noting that I also have a subscription from Zinio I expect to read.
Books:
I have more books on my Kindle right now than I usually do. I’ll probably have about twenty, rather than ten or so. That’s just back-up…I shouldn’t need that many (my record is only three and a half novels in a day), but I do like to bounce around.
Music:
I’m not adding any music to my Fire, but I do have some on there. That’s not a big deal to me. Old Time Radio? Yes, I’ll bring some of those.
Video:
Partially to test it for you readers, I have rented a movie…
It’s a 2000 Japanese movie (based on a 1999) novel about a group of teenagers forced to fight each other to the death on TV. I do want to see how much it is like The Hunger Games, or perhaps I should say, how much The Hunger Games is like it. I’ve blithely said that you could watch a downloaded, rented movie on your Kindle Fire on an airplane without the internet, but I haven’t actually tested it. For one thing, I think $3.99 to rent a movie seems like a lot…there are so many free movies, and buying them doesn’t seem that much more expensive. I do go back and rewatch movies, and $3.99 to rent for 48 hours versus $14.99 to own it (so others on my account in the future can watch it as well) doesn’t seem like a huge bargain.
When I rented it, I got this:
“Reminder
This movie is not included with your Amazon Prime membership. You will be charged for this transaction if you continue.”
A banner appeared: “Your 48 hour rental is available until June 11 @ 5:52 AM”.
Those were both nice reminders. I’ll need to download the movie before we head to the airport, and then I’ll have 48 hours to watch it.
Docs:
I do have my travel information on there, but thanks toΒ the latest update, i password protect it. That makes me more comfortable if my Kindle Fire is lost or stolen (knock virtual wood), and I have had that happen once already. There are some pictures and such on there.
Apps:
I’m likely to play Dabble. π
Web:
If the flight has GoGo in-flight internet, I plan to try it out…maybe on the way back, since I want to try watching Battle Royale without it on the way out.
Well, enjoy the week! You’ll get at least a post from me every day, and I’m likely to sneak in a few others. π
Signed — a Proud Parent
This post by Bufo Calvin originally appeared in theΒ I Love My Kindle blog.
May 16, 2012 at 12:15 am |
You guys have every right to be proud. Savor it.
Rosemary Bodley
May 16, 2012 at 1:19 am |
Thanks for writing, Rosemary!
I appreciate that…I’ve had a lot to savor with my kid. π I’d say I started really asking for advice when my kid was, oh, about eight years old… π
May 16, 2012 at 12:32 am |
Oh, congratulations! That is a wonderful accomplishment!
May 16, 2012 at 1:20 am |
Thanks for writing, Andrea!
It is, and I think that’s important for parents/legal guardians to recognize. It’s easy to simply accept success after a while, to take it for granted…but anyone can start failing at any time, if they don’t keep working at it.
May 16, 2012 at 1:03 am |
I would have thought this to be a very private affair.
May 16, 2012 at 1:25 am |
Thanks for writing, capnlouie!
Well, I’m always torn about where that line lies. I certainly think anybody who would like to keep something like this to themselves, I think that’s fine. A graduation isn’t exactly private…it’s taking place at the Superdome. π I don’t say a lot of things in this blog…like my kid or Significant Other’s names or genders. I don’t typically get more specific about where we live than in the San Francisco Bay Area.
If you found it offensive for me to talk about this part of my life, I apologize. I made sure to include Kindle elements in it so it was still relevant. I always try and have a variety of posts during a month, so that all of my subscribers (thanks, subscribers!) feel like they get their ninety-nine cents’ worth…
For me, I’ve never minded when someone told me that their kid was graduating…I never thought of that as inappropriate to share.
May 16, 2012 at 1:08 am |
Congratulations, you deserve to be the proud parent. Linguistics is tough stuff; it was also my major at Stanford … “The Tulane of the West” … Enjoy your visit.
May 16, 2012 at 1:26 am |
Thanks for writing, Harold!
“Tulane of the West”…khee, khee, khee! I’ll tell my kid someone said that. π
Stanford is, of course, a great school. I’ve had relatives involved there as well.
May 16, 2012 at 2:02 am |
Congrats Bufo! I know how proud you are. My husband & I have 2 sons (15 & 20). We know we’ve raised much better people than we ever hoped to be. So satisfying to realize ‘we did it!’ and therefore MUST be damn good parents. π
Enjoy your sons shining time, it’s yours too!
May 16, 2012 at 3:41 am |
Thanks for writing, beadlady!
Congratulations on your two good kids!
One little thing: I haven’t said my kid’s gender…it’s always interesting to me which way people guess. π
May 16, 2012 at 2:03 am |
Congrats to you and your “kid” Bufo! I’m glad you posted about traveling with your Fire, as I chose to bring only my Fire and my Touch on a recent cruise to Bermuda. Epic failure to get on the Internet! Well, not quite epic, as I was able to get connected once each on both devices. For some reason, I was never able to to get to the screen where I had to enter my cruise login and password again. And the force was not with me, because I was never able to get their terrible mac laptops to get to my e-mail signon. Dislike being that disconnected from the world, as I have a tenant and a catsitter, I wanted to keep in touch with. Any advice for future trips?
May 16, 2012 at 3:47 am |
Thanks for writing, Zebras!
Oh, I hate being “netblind”! Sorry to hear you went through that.
It’s odd that it worked once and not again. Did you go in and tell it to forget the network? What I’ve found effective is to tell it to forget the network, turn off the wi-fi, turn it back on again, and then go to the Web tab.
I wonder if they changed the connection each day in some way, either a different password, or needing to get a different IP address of some kind. If so, telling it to forget might have fixed it.
May 16, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Yes, I tried that, and it still didn’t work. Unfortunately, when I was in the data center the one time it was actually manned, I couldn’t even get the guy to understand that I didn’t need his help logging into the internet, so I didn’t bother bringing up the Kindle issue or the e-mail issue.
May 16, 2012 at 7:35 am |
Congratulations!!! Be proud.. you know enjoy this feeling! π
May 16, 2012 at 2:02 pm |
Thanks for writing, KutyaRuntheWorld!
I’m absolutely proud of my kid…looking forward to what the future brings, and enjoying the present and the past. π
May 16, 2012 at 10:03 am |
Although I’m not a parent myself, I was a child of proud parents, so I do have a similar reference point strong enough to say that I know this is a thrilling and satisfying highlight in your life. I want to congratulate you and wish you a joyful celebration with your family. Sounds like you have every reason to be a proud parent. Kudos on a job well done. You have raised an asset to our American way of life. Society will be better for the parenting job you and your S.O. have done. Congratulations on a job (one of the hardest in the world) well and successfully done. Enjoy your triumph! !
May 16, 2012 at 2:05 pm |
Thanks for writing, J.L.!
All things in life involve an interaction with other people (living and dead), and success reflects well on all of us…as does effort towards that success, achieved or not.
May 16, 2012 at 10:45 am |
What great news, Bufo, and thanks for that happy glimpse into your family life. Congratulations to your child. What a great accomplishment!
And congrats to you and your Significant Other too. Few children can achieve at this level without a good model and support at home:
“Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.” –James Baldwin
May 16, 2012 at 2:06 pm |
Thanks for writing, John!
Great quotation!
Kids can, I think, do well without “a good model”…but one of the issues is how they then define having done well. The goal drives the results in so many cases.
May 16, 2012 at 4:04 pm |
Congratulations! It’s impossible to imagine, since my kiddo’s only 5 now, but it’s definitely something for the whole family to be really proud about.
May 16, 2012 at 4:59 pm |
Thanks for writing, Melissa!
I remember five. π
I think one of my parents had the best line.
When our kid was less than two years old, my Significant Other asked my parent, “When does it get easier?” My parent replied, “I’ll let you know…”
π
Of course, it gets better all the time…just not necessarily easier. 100% commitment is 100% commitment.
I’ve always said that classes in school should teach this:
“When are you ready to have a baby? When you are ready for someone else to be more important than you are twenty-four hours a day. If that doesn’t sound like a good thing, you aren’t ready.”
May 16, 2012 at 10:16 pm |
Congratulations on the Tulane graduation. Your family should be quite proud.
My daughter graduated from Ole Miss – another university that calls itself “The Harvard of the South”
May 17, 2012 at 1:20 am |
Thanks for writing, Georgia!
Oh, we are proud…and you should be, too. π
Yes, that seems to be a popular sobriquet…
May 16, 2012 at 10:48 pm |
Congrats to you and your kiddo! I can’t believe somebody objected to your sharing that information. I appreciate the fact that you are are knowledgeable about all incarnations of the Kindle and that you willingly share that knowledge with your readers. I really appreciate the fact that you let us feel as if we know you not just as the author of the blog but as a flesh and blood person with opinions and relatives and interests outside the Amazon world.
May 17, 2012 at 1:32 am |
Thanks for writing, Lady!
My secret is out…I’m not just bits. π
I’m not sure if it was a complaint, exactly …might have just been surprise. I think a lot of blogs benefit from showing some or the person behind them…it’s part of what differentiates them from traditional journalism.
May 17, 2012 at 12:08 am |
congratulations! My son graduated from Columbia and a daughter from Univ of Florida, Very proud of both so you will always be proud, espec. in these days of drugs, etc we are fortunate. Also wanted to let you know I watched The Help on my Fire on flight to Hawaii..don’t forget your earbuds, lol. Have a nice trip. JB
May 17, 2012 at 12:12 am |
Congratulations! 2 of my 3 graduated, my son from Columbia, and daughter from Univ of Florida. In these days of drugs, etc we are fortunate indeed when our kids get throught those trying times and turn out well. And by the way I watched The Help on my flight to Hawaii before xmas and enjoyed it very much, but don’t forget your earbuds LOL. JB
May 17, 2012 at 1:40 am |
Thanks for writing, jbgator9!
Great schools! When I hear Columbia, I think journalism …
I do have a nice little pair of over the ear headphones..
I do find earbuds uncomfortable.
I enjoyed The Help …I watched part of Battle Royale on the first leg. I’ll probablly write a review in The Measured Circle.
May 17, 2012 at 5:49 pm |
Congrats, Bufo!
May 20, 2012 at 12:43 pm |
Thanks for writing, Pineapple!
Thanks! The ceremony was yesterday…in the Superdome. I’d never been there. One nice thing abut watching a commencement from Tulane: lots of good jazz music. π There was a clarinetist (one of the professors) who could really blow…my Significant Other compared the prof to Benny Goodman!
May 19, 2012 at 3:25 am |
Congratulations to all of you!!
I totally understand. Our daughter just finished her junior year, and we whisked her off to spend some time with her before she goes off to a summer internship. I’m also a blogger, so I had to do things ahead. In one year, I’ll be in your place! You all deserve a big pat on the back!!
May 20, 2012 at 12:54 pm |
Thanks for writing, Laura!
Congratulations to your daughter on her internship! It’s been a tough job market for new college grads in the past few years…it shows that she is above the pack for her to get that.