It’s back to school time again here at Casa Brillig and its satellite location, Universidad K1. This marks my fifteenth back-to-school as a parent, and my 41st year where the school cycle has a direct impact on my personal household routine. Grab a #2 pencil, a snack from the table where everyone put their shared snacks (I am old enough dammit that you *bring food for everyone to share* and not insist everyone bring their own with nosharingorelse), something to drink (if you look in the drawer of the desk up front, you’ll find a full complement of alcohol, because some days...) and find your seat below the story break, after a word from our sponsor...
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As I sat to write this, I went back and looked at my other back-to-school diaries from previous years. Seven years ago, when K1 was entering 7th grade (the same age K2 is now) and K2 was starting his school journey, I wrote this one. This is what I said about K1:
It's back-to-school week for my oldest child K1, who entered 7th grade today full of hope, determination, energy and excitement. She's planning her schedule around swim team, art club, citywide Youth Orchestra, and more.
She’s beginning sophomore year tomorrow STILL full of hope, determination, energy and excitement. This time, her Psych/Philosophy double major schedule includes five classes ranging from Intro American Sign Language to Social and Political Philosophy. She plays viola with an off-Broadway group, is active in leadership with her sorority. She’s also on the Executive Board for a group that goes to underperforming city schools and reads with kids once a week, and annually brings a group of middle schoolers to campus to help them see that they can and should aspire to college too. Oh, and lives in a freshman dorm as a school spirit/social activities/keep-the-homesickness-at-bay person. Nah, she’s not busy at all :).
And what of K2 on his first day of school back in 2010?
He's puffed up so proud, ready to take on the world and learn to read while making new friends and experiencing all that the world has to offer to a five year old who nine months ago was living in an orphanage a third of the way around the world.
He hasn’t lived anywhere but with us since then :-), but he’s still puffed up proud to start school. He’s excited to be taking Italian, ready to tackle history, science and english, trying cross-country in addition to his club soccer team, and says he wants “straight-A’s again” (which he DID do last year :-)).
As I type this I find out there was an email sent to the kids in his Team laying out what they need for supplies, that I most definitely did NOT get [update: it was a one-line URL in an email sent in JULY. The hell?] (shades of 2013, perhaps?). As I scurry around finding makeshift stuff to send in until I can go get the Official Size Binders tomorrow, please consider this commentary from a parent who has absolutely no problem buying a yellow binder off the class supply list.
On to what you really come here for, the trio of Top Comments, Mojo and Pictures that are the backbone of this community diary series. Thanks as always to my collaborator BeninSC, who were we in school I’d have wanted for my lab or book report partner every time. He’s just that good.
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
Note: Please remember that comment inclusion in Top Comments does not constitute support or endorsement by diarist, formatter, Top Comments writers or DailyKos. Questions, complaints or comments? Contact brillig.
From belinda ridgewood:
Mark Sumner posted a serious diary about levee failures in Houston, but of course Lord Dampnut's visit crept into the comments. wasplover posted a photo of the First Lady, and this led Richard Cranium to explain about her shoes.
From BeninSC:
These two comments appeared in Top Comments last night, but I appreciated them, so here they are tonight!
First, in response to Chrislove’s welcome comment about his experience in the middle of the hurricane and terrible flooding, BMScott made this clever reply!
Next, for some time I have felt that the AARP’s abject refusal to list party affiliation connected to important issues wasn’t non-partisan, because the beneficiary of their (cowardly, in my opinion) omissions is that OTHER party, the one they actually are fighting, while denying OUR Party, their staunch allies. With this comment, BMScott gave a much better perspective on what they do in reply to one of my comments about that. Well said, BMScott. Respect.
Top Mojo ala mik!
For Monday, August 28, 2017, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on the subject.
Top Pictures
2017-08-29, courtesy of jotter!
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