Comin' at ya this week from the magical land we like to
call...Extended Phase II! (And can I just add, the fact that everyone automatically
knows what that means kind of sums up the state of the planet right now, yeah?
Siiiighhh…) While the governor's announcement certainly came as no
surprise--and once again felt like exactly the right call--it goes to show that
some things haven't changed much lately. However, we do fortunately have a few
updates and anecdotes to break up the late-Summer doldrums...
Speaking of which, we've arrived at that inevitable point
in the season where a number of predictable things tend to occur….such as the
fact that I, for one, am thoroughly OVER the double-H'd-sword of heat
and humidity, and ready for the weather to take a turn. Alas, I also know that
this won't happen for at least another month, so we must carry on...with the
sweating....and whatnot. Also, Riley seems to have secured his membership in
the elite Boredom Club (founding member: yours truly) in recent days.
How do I know this? He came to me and asked, "Do you have any errands you
need run? Because I NEED to get out of the house!" That's right, the
nearly-17-year-old offered to complete my To Do List for me, just for the sake
of driving somewhere. But hey, fighting tedium by making himself useful? I can absolutely
get behind that!
However, both he and Derek reached milestones of a sort
this week, as they marked their last days (or nights, as it were)
of work. For Derek, who spent the past several months toiling away on a
10 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift--or 3, or 4, depending on how late they kept him--this
means a bit of a break to get his body clock and daily routine back to a
reasonable facsimile of normal, before he ships off to SC for the Fall semester
(more on that in a moment). And with his Senior year approaching, Riley decided
to end his tenure at the grocery store to focus on his studies, at least for
the beginning of the academic term, until he adjusts to his new 5-AP course
load, and submits all his college applications. (Stay tuned: we'll revisit that
shortly as well.)
So, now that we’ve arrived at the topic of learning
and whatnot, I had Derek do one final check of his classes before I settled his
tuition bill, just to see if anything had changed since the last time we took a
peek. And whaddya know…his entire schedule had formally been converted
to “online”. While we’re not entirely certain how this is going to play
out, I do hope they have additional in-person support for some of the more challenging
material…like the second level of Organic Chemistry that he’s required to take
(after barely skating by Orgo I, using that handy Pass/Fail lifeline to smooth
over his less-than-desirable letter grade.)
While it would theoretically be possible for him to remain
at home during all this, he’s understandably itching to go back, see his
friends, hang out on campus, and resume whatever kind of collegiate
life is available to him…for as long as it lasts. Besides, we’re locked
into a lease on his off-campus apartment anyway, and have to pay rent, so he
might as well spend some time there, right? Hopefully the habits that have been
instilled in him during his months in Casa WestEnders (masks! hand washing!
sanitizer! 6 feet!) will prove deeply ingrained enough to survive a return to
the potential chaos of a large university (fingers definitely crossed).
Riley will also be carrying on with the working-from-his-bedroom
phenomenon for the foreseeable future. Tomorrow he’ll be able to log on to his
student account and see what his daily agenda will look like for the
year. Then next Wednesday we have an assigned time to show up at a drive-through
pick up/drop off situation, where he’ll exchange the Chromebook he used last
year for a shiny new flip/touch/tablet…thingie….and a mobile hotspot.
Y’all…they are SERIOUS about trying to make this successful. (I mean, my favorite
part was that even preschoolers will be issued IPADS. What. The. What? Brave
new world, I guess…)
Meanwhile he’s plugging away at his Common/Coalition
App essays, as well as each institution’s unique requirements, and occasionally
wandering by to consult with me when he can’t quite decide how he wants to
address one of the writing prompts. (Naturally, I super-love these impromptu
editorial meetings. I look forward to the point when he’s ready to have me
do a read-through for more substantive improvements. It just…warms my little nerdy
heart…)
Then on a purely recreational note, I was able to get
together with some bootcamp buddies for a socially distanced paddleboarding
trip, thanks to one of our intrepid organizers who took it upon herself to
arrange the outing. Unlike last year, when we traveled to a nearby lake, this
time we tried a river setting. I actually found that I liked it better,
with the surface being smooth and calm due to the absence of motorboats whizzing
by at frequent intervals! And having attempted this activity once before, I
felt steadier and more comfortable on the board this time, making for an
entirely pleasant float down the lazy waterway.
We paddled, we sat down and chatted, we breathed in
the fresh air and admired the lovely landscape—it was an altogether delightful
foray into the mystical realm of…Saxapahaw. (I couldn’t resist throwing
that in there; it’s such a blast to say!) Afterwards—having earned ourselves a
whole bunch of calories with our wet workout--we congregated at a local eatery
called The Eddy, for a delectable brunch. Awesome exercise AND a yummy
meal? Yep, that’s a Win/Win!
Finally, you might recall that Derek and I launched an
ambitious Disney/Pixar film campaign in 2019, during which we viewed 19
movies in total, either first time experiences or favorites revisited. Well, given
how much we enjoyed that…and also the amount of free time we’ve
had on our hands…we decided on a different “project” in 2020. This one involved
identifying just a handful of what Derek considers the “top tier” flicks from
OTHER studios (primarily Dreamworks), and also plowing through some of
the recent offerings in the Marvel Universe one more time.
Thus we spent some entertaining Saturday nights with
such gems as Shrek, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda (the
originals only, no sequels!), Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Spiderman:
Far from Home, and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. And with that
very appropriate final, epic selection…we’re done. Which makes me a little sad,
honestly, but also feels like the right timing, with the college kid set to
head south next weekend and all.
So with one more official week of Summer 2020, let’s
make the most of it, shall we? We’re gonna get out there, thumb our
noses at the weather forecast…yeah, and then probably retreat to the air
conditioning for some cool drinks and (albeit Corona-depleted) baseball
on TV. Eh, sounds like a fine antidote for August antipathy…who’s with me?
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