CollegeGirl rocks out with Carbon Leaf!

Okay ... this concert took place weeks ago but I just heard about this.

Carbon Leaf played at William and Mary in the beautiful and recently revitalized Lake Motoaka Amphitheater. CollegeGirl and her friends had been dancing up front during the opening act and a photographer from the W&M News wanted a picture of a student on stage with Carbon Leaf. CollegeGirl happened to be wearing a W&M shirt so he asked her to come up.

So, as you can see from this picture, CollegeGirl got to get up on the stage (with a microphone?) and rock out with lead singer Barry Privett. Now you have to understand that CollegeGirl is a huge, huge Carbon Leaf fan and if you were to glance at her list of Top Ten Things That I would Like to Do Before I Die But Never Will Because They're Too Outrageous, "dancing on the stage with Carbon Leaf" would probably fall around #3 just below "Winning The Amazing Race" but just above "Swimming with Dolphins" ... but only if swimming with dolphins ended up being a task on The Amazing Race.

I remember college being fun but I don't think I had as much fun as she's having. I'm not sure anyone has.

Boy, that cape sure looks familiar ...

The front page of The Flat Hat, William and Mary's school newspaper, features a big picture of the Thomas Jefferson statue that has been transformed into the Headless Horseman. The caption reads "The statue of Thomas Jefferson was dressed in full form for Halloween by unknown students."

Huh. I wonder who could have done that.

CollegeGirl 2.0

Apparently William and Mary does such a good job at filling up their students' brains that they forget basic skills like how to operate a telephone or to send email. Our poor daughter has only been able to make one phone call and send just a (small) handful of emails in the 2+ months she's been at school.

Fortunately, the part of her brain that knows how to update Facebook is still intact. For those that don't know what Facebook is, it's a part of what's known as social computing. You have your own page where you can post pictures, leave comments, and add applications that will do everything from show what books your reading to listing your course schedule to playing your favorite music. You can also post your "status" to let your friends and family know what you're doing. And it's pretty much our sole window into the life of CollegeGirl.

To share a taste of it with you, here's all of CollegeGirl's status messages since October 6th. Make note of the times some of these are written. All of them automatically begin with "CollegeGirl is":

• is zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......... 7:19pm, Oct 6
• is awake and wondering what to do tonight... 10:08pm, Oct 6
• is Tinker Bell! :). 6:28pm, Oct 7
• is madly in love with PC, now and forever. 6:56pm, Oct 8
• is suffering from a PC invasion... 7:47pm, Oct 8
• is rockn' the capture the flag... 1:56am, Oct 10
• is working....papers = bane of existance. 1:18am, Oct 11
• is finally at home...all native americaned out... 2:26pm, Oct 14
• is well rested from home, but glad to be heading back to W&M...not looking forwards to classes however... 12:42am, Oct 17
• is glad to be back, but trying to figure out what on earth is going on in her life....stupid exams... 1:43pm, Oct 17
• is madly in love with PC. I mean look at him... 7:11pm, Oct 17
  
• is PC must die... 8:44pm, Oct 17
• is yay! Rain! 1:37pm, Oct 18
• is yay! Rain! Boo, work.. 1:44pm, Oct 18
• is feeling sorry for her roomie... 2:59pm, Oct 18
• is blistered, tired, achey and wonderously happy with the most amazing weekend EVER!! Thanks guys! ♥ ...now to study my mind out for bio... 1:52pm, Oct 21
• is excited for Capture the Flag tomorrow...still in a glow over the weekend... 12:33am, Oct 23
• is excited for Capture the Flag today...I love windy fall days and dancing in the leaves... 2:28pm, Oct 23
• is enjoying the rain...I love fall. 3:36pm, Oct 24
• is enjoying the rain and baking muffins in D-wid! 4:50pm, Oct 24
• is pondering whether she wants to go out and play in the rain... 10:22pm, Oct 24
• is done pondering...going to head to WaWa and sing/skip/dance/slide through the rain swept campus! YaY! 10:35pm, Oct 24
• is disappointed by the lack of rain, but puddles are fun too! 12:04am, Oct 25
• is back from her second, much more successful rainy day encounter! 3:01am, Oct 25
• is hating chemistry with a burning passion... working on Bio in the dorm until 4, then to Swem for Bio Lab... 2:10pm, Oct 25
• is really wishing her Facebook photos would get their act together and keep their tags! 1:45am, Oct 26
• is not really sure cookies are supposed to look like this... 5:39pm, Oct 26
• is wondering what's going down tonight and how to make it to everything... 7:27pm, Oct 26
• is super history weekend, huzzah!! 10:43pm, Oct 27
• is at Rosewell for BBQ and bluegrass fun! Yay for History! ". 11:37am, Oct 28
• is yay! My eggs hatched origami birds, thanks guys!! 4:58pm, Oct 28
• is yay! My eggs hatched origami birds, thanks guys!! YEAH SOX! 2:55am, Oct 29
• is loving the weather! 2:58pm, Oct 29
• is messing around with her schedule... 11:46pm, Oct 29
• is trying to figure out what's going on with Halloween... 8:17am, Oct 30
• is IT'S HALLLLLLOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YYYYYYYYAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!! :) PS: The statues are da bomb! 2:23pm, Oct 31
• is sad Halloween is over...it was fun guys! Much love to you all for great evening! 2:41am, Nov 1

CollegeGirl Update: Dining with polMom in Richmond!

While the boys and I were out camping, CollegeGirl paid a surprise visit to Richmond!

Her way-cool Saturday history class had traveled up to historic Saint Mary's City, Maryland which was the site of the fourth permanent settlement in British North America as well Maryland's first capital. It has a living history center with costumed interpreters similar to Colonial Williamsburg.

After spending the day attending court, being put in the stockade, learning about tobacco farming, and climbing aboard the replica square-rigged ship Maryland Dove, the class headed back to Williamsburg and decided to stop in Richmond for dinner at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. In an act of daughterly devotion that earned many, many brownie points, she phoned her mother at home to ask if she would like to join them. polMom was so excited that she called us out at camp to let us know she was going to see her.

Her visit was brief but she did fill in some of the holes that her Facebook account didn't provide. She's still has major love for William & Mary, enjoys her classes, and is apparently still doing well. She didn't miss a beat from high school and is still quite the social butterfly, participating in lots of clubs and activities ... some of them of questionable legality. She's very proud of completing the traditional Triathlon, a set of three tasks to be completed by each student prior to graduation. I won't post the tasks here but feel free to check out this Wikipedia article on W&M traditions and see what you think of our saintly daughter.

She hangs out a lot with her fellow Dinwiddie Hall dorm residents in which have really seemed to bond into a great social and support unit. Dinwiddie is the smallest of the freshman dorms and is also the furthest away from the academic campus tucked back in the woods by Lake Matoaka. With only 44 students in the dorm, the setting is almost familial and the residents do a lot of activities together, recently forming the Flying Lemurs intramural team.

Apparently, the local WaWa on Richmond Road is something akin to a religious site and has even prompted the creation of a "Cult of the WaWa" group on Facebook. CollegeGirl and her hoard wait until the wee hours of the morning and creep across campus in the dark of night on their pilgrimage for late-night (actually early morning) snacks. If you're thinking of sending something to her, one of these would be a welcome gift.

Apparently there was blackout last night in Williamsburg which triggered a crisis amongst the many Wawa fanatics. CollegeGirl posted this at 1:08am this morning:

Was anyone else part of the 50 or so people waiting in front of WaWa after the blackout? Wawa closed?? I about died...

Hopefully we'll hear more from her in the days ahead but were very grateful for even the brief time she was able to spend with her mom.

Not Just an American Shrine

There's another way to keep up with CollegeGirl. She's taking a very cool history class on Saturdays that focuses on the history of the Tidewater area during the colonial and revolutionary periods ... pretty much from the founding of Jamestown in 1607 to the death of Thomas Jefferson in 1826. In return for giving up the bulk of her day on Saturdays, the classes are conducted as field trips to various sites around the Tidewater area.

Part of the class is writing a journal and they're available for viewing online. You can read CollegeGirl's journal by clicking here. For those technically savvy family members, you can also subscribe to her journal entries via the RSS feed icon on the upper right-hand section of the webpage.

Her first entry is entitled "Not Just an American Shrine" and provides proof that she's actually attending class, enjoying the experience, and can still write very well.

Enjoy!

MMD Volume II: Needles in a Haystack

Last week I included a mix CD in the package polMom mailed out to CollegeGirl at William and Mary. It was mostly some recent adult top 40 stuff but I thought I could do some more interesting and themed mixes in the coming weeks.

The new Lightscribe drive is super-cool and does a nice job etching a label on the disk that includes a track list but the type is really tiny and hard to see. I'd also like to have an explanation about why certain tracks were included in the mix. So, what follows is my first attempt at a mix CD post.

The inspiration for this disk was the Haystack online music service. It's a social music community whose goal is to help forge stronger ties between music and the people who love it. You can comment on music tracks that artists have offered and see what other "tastemakers" think. It's a great way to find new music and to be introduced to artists you weren't familiar with before. It should show up in CollegeGirl's mail today so let's look at the picks:

1. Battle Without Honor or Humanity
   Tomoyasu Hotei
   

   Okay, this song isn't from Haystack but it's the only one in the mix that's not. I just love the song as an opening theme. Plus it was used in the movie Kill Bill that had lots of women with swords so CollegeGirl should enjoy it.
   
   

2. Nervous
   Vaeda
   

   A good rocking Foo Fighters-esque song from the alt-metal trio from New York City. Lots of power-chording but also has a nice acoustic thing going on in the background. Good song to start things off.
   
   

3. The Great Escape
   Boys Like Girls
   

   Yes, it's all sugary, emo-blasted pop/rock. Yes, the band lacks substance. And yes, it was probably all written to appeal teen-aged girls. However, this song is the best thing the Boston-based band has recorded in their brief existence and it's just flat-out fun to listen to. Plus CollegeGirl is still technically a teenager.
   

   
   
4. The One
   Stroke 9
   

   A catchy pop-punk song that's the first single off the band's latest album, the wonderfully glowing The Last of the International Playboys. Everything on the album is good but there's something endearing about a punk love song that makes it hard to not include.

   
   
5. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
   Spoon
   

   I'll bet the execs over at Elektra Records are kicking themselves for dropping these guys back in '98. The latest album from the Austin, TX band, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, is currently one of the most heavily played at colleges across the country. The songs are beautifully crafted and use a wide array of sounds without overwhelming the music. This song has some great hooks and sounds like it came right out of Motown with its horns, tambourines, and bells. One of my favorite songs on the disk.

   
   
6. 18
   Bridges and a Bottle
   

   Another benefit of Haystack is that you can accidentally discover good music from obscure regional bands. I clicked the wrong button and ended up listening to this song from Harrisburg, PA's own Bridges and a Bottle. Playing primarily in their hometown and smaller NYC clubs, they are releasing their first album called Trojan Horse. I can't understand half the lyrics and have no idea where the song title comes from but I really enjoy it. Plus it's great to share music no one else has probably heard.
   

   
   
7. Wish Upon a Dog Star
   Satellite Party
   

   A trippy pseudo-psychadelic song that's the lead, and best, track off the bizarre Ultra Payloaded album. It's apparently a concept album about global warming in which a musician and a night nurse are beamed aboard an intergalactic spaceship party thrown by "Jim" who likes Earth because he uses it to sculpt ice caps. Yeah, I don't understand it either but the song is fun.

   
   
8. See the World
   Gomez
   

   This is a great song from this British band known for their bluesy rock. Critics have said that this is a song R.E.M. would have written before they started believing they were more than they really were. Bright acoustic guitar, upbeat lyrics, catchy tune, cute backing vocals, plus an exhortation to go out and get more from life ... what more could you want. I said Spoon's Cherry Bomb was one of my favorites songs on the disk but this is the best right here. Listen to it over and over again. It'll make you happy.

   
   
9. Carolina
   Matt Wertz
   

   Like the band Boys Like Girls, Matt Wertz is over-produced. His voice is too smooth, his song writing's not that great, and Marissa Brown of AMG said he's "just a product of lots of studio time and money rather than an artist with his own ideas and voice." All that's true but he did manage to get one nice song out and it's got a little mandolin thing going on which I know CollegeGirl likes. It probably didn't hurt that I first heard while down at the beach in Carolina.

   
   
10. Know Your Onion!
    The Shins
    

    I know, I know. New Slang is supposed to be the quintessential Shins song to include ... the best example of the band's talent ... beautiful and ethereal ... blah de blah blah blah. Know Your Onion! is off the same album and is light, fun, and the first Shins song I ever heard so it's on the disk ... so there. Plus if you listen carefully, James Mercer sounds just like a young Brian Wilson.

    
    
11. This Life
    La Rocca
    

    Seriously ... how many Irish piano rock quartets do you know of? The song off of last year's The Truth album is included because it reminds me of Electric Light Orchestra's stuff from the 70s which I love.

    
    
12. No Radio
    Dirty on Purpose
    

    Another random selection from Haystack recommendations that I enjoyed. Just great melodies, instantly memorable chorus hooks, great guitar work, and simple, low-key rhythms. A great drive-to-the-beach song.

    
    
13. Anytime
    My Morning Jacket
    

    This four piece band from Louisville, KY is built around the singing and songwriting of its leader Jim James. James is a more pop version of Neil Young and his talent comes through on Anytime which sounds like pop, blues, and country all rolled into one. A good song to help ease us down the backside of the disk.

    
    
14. What's the New Girl Wonder
    The Sharp Things
    

    The Sharp Things didn't settle for the neuftet sound ... they pushed on and became an onzetet! This 11-member (!) groups' latest album, A Moveable Feast, was recorded almost completely on a laptop but the recording is clean and smooth. Critics have hailed it as their best album and this song perfectly represents their retro-chic sound. It's probably not the best song off the album but I liked the link to CollegeGirl as the "new girl" at W&M.

    
    
15. Vampires in Blue Dresses
    Margot and the Nuclear So and So's
    

    Another big band, this one made up of eight members from Indianapolis. Last year the released their first album, The Dust of Retreat, which AMG says is "an album that both the casual music fan and music perfectionist will enjoy." Again, it's not the most acclaimed song off the album but, come on, would you pass up an opportunity to include a song called Vampires in Blue Dresses? No, I didn't think so.

    
    
16. Am I Wry? No
    Mew
    

    Had to include this one because I felt that Danish space pop groups were underrepresented on the disk. Actually, this one had to grow on me. I think it was the last song to make the cut. In the end I was swayed by the opinion of the Danish Music Critics Awards who gave Mew Band of the Year and Album of the Year back in 2003 primarily based on the strength of this song. I suppose it's okay.

    
    
17. Love and Memories
    O.A.R.
    

    O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) started out as a true local university band at Ohio State before hitting it big with a major label. It's probably how they manage to keep their homespun approach to pop while refining it along the way. Love and Memories is described as being "full of guitar and yearning, like a less self-righteous Switchfoot or a wordier Goo Goo Dolls." Me? I just enjoy listening to it and thought it was a godd song to have as we came up towards the end of the disk.

    
    
18. Hey Now Now
    The Cloud Room
    

    This song was a huge hit on college radio back in 2005. It sounds like a really cool David Bowie song and has that catchy-as-anything chorus to keep you coming back. If you like the Killers' Mr. Brightside, you'll love this. It grows on you a little more every time you listen to it.

    
    
19. Henrietta
    The Fratellis
    

    This Dublin band gets major points in my book just for naming themselves after the nemesis from the The Goonies movie. This song, which sounds like a vaudeville routine, was the group's second single and their firat top 20 hit in the UK. A nice high energy song from an Irish band that helps tee up the disc for the last song which is:

    
    
20. One Last Drink
    Enter the Haggis
    

    A perfect way to end a mix CD for CollegeGirl which pays homage to her love of Richmond Celtic rockers Carbon Leaf. On their website, this Toronto band lays claim to 18 different genres of music including rock, fusion, bluegrass, traditional Celtic fare, agitpop, folk, even Latin flavors. I don't know about all that but the first time I heard One Last Drink I knew it was going to be my disk closer.
    
    PS: I noticed on their website they've just recently added a tour date in Williamsburg on September 26th to play at Pints and Pipes which is not far from CollegeGirl's dorm!

    
    

9 ... er ... 8 Survival Tips for College Freshman

eyeRblog >> 9 Survival Tips for College Freshman

eyeRmonkey has some great advice for all you freshman out there (and you know who you are) that he's culled from his experiences at the University of Oregon. His #1 tip? Be more outgoing the first week as it will define the rest of your year:

"I feel like this is the most important piece of advice I could offer, but I also know it's the hardest thing to control. During the first week, be more outgoing that you normally would. Over the first couple days, meet and talk to every person in the dorm for at least a couple minutes. The best way to develop a community is to do everything as a group for the first week."

I can't imagine anyone much more outgoing their our own CollegeGirl so maybe she can focus on the other ones. Also, for some reason he left off item #5 but I'm pretty sure it was something about the importance of contacting your parents on a regular basis.

CollegeGirl moves in at W&M

Moving in
Originally uploaded by stepol

Well, we're officially college parents now. On Friday we helped to move CollegeGirl into her dorm at William & Mary. Taking two cars was definitely the way to go as we only had to navigate the one car with all the gear up to the dorm. That was a trick in itself as we had to thwart the evil roadblocking antics of the guy we now call MeanOldPoliceDude who tried to get us to unload our stuff at the furthest point from the dorm. After he moved on, we just loaded the car back up and drove right down to the dorm. So fie on you MeanOldPoliceDude!

I have to say that the dorm rooms in the Botetourt complex seem a bit small. Fortunately, mom and daughter had meticulously planned and had six different floor plans to choose from. When her roommate arrived they chose a plan and we quickly unbunked the beds and rearranged the room. The plans ended up getting shared up and down the hall as others arranged their rooms. We even had other moms and daughters coming in to check out the ultra-efficient closet organization.

We hung around until just after 1pm when CG had to go to her hall meeting. We passed on the President's welcome ceremony in order to turn in forms at Student Health and pay yet another fee at Blow Hall. We then took the boys to Pirece's Pit Barbeque for a great lunch. Afterwards, we decided it would be nice to pick up some drinks and snacks for CG so we headed to Williamsburg's only Ukrops. In the same shopping center was a Rue 21 store which is one of CG's favorites so polMom ran in and bought her a shirt with owl prints.

We hoped we could sneak back in to the dorm and drop the stuff off. The dorm was unlocked so we quietly went up the stairs and met CG at the top of the landing. You could see the "I thought you people were gone" look in her eyes but we explained we came bearing gifts and she grudgingly went back and let us into her room. We quickly dropped the stuff off and skedaddled back to Richmond.

Everyone asks if it was an emotional scene or hard to let her go but we've become so used to her being gone so much (teaching at Cub Camp, week-long kayaking trips, THIMUN, etc.) that it really hasn't sunk in yet. During the summer we saw her for brief periods about once a week so I'm sure we'll start missing those moments in the weeks ahead. Hopefully she'll manage to find a spare moment or two during the week to drop us an email or phone call ... or blog.