Kid(s) leaving home - support group

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I have never had any desire to go on a cruise, but traveling on a silent, empty ferry eating entirely from vending machines apparently appeals deeply to me.

Yessssss. THISSSSSSSS.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Edward64

For more food oriented stuff, I also like this guy (2 channels). He eats some truly Andrew Zimmern type stuff but also has interesting Bourdain like conversations.

Best Ever Food Review Show - YouTube
More Best Ever Food Review Show - YouTube

I also watch Sonny pretty religiously. He's great & I think the Bourdain comparison is apt, in terms of content & production values.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I also watch Sonny pretty religiously. He's great & I think the Bourdain comparison is apt, in terms of content & production values.

I wish he would get rid of that stupid bandana. So what if you're going bald.

Also, IMO he seems disrespectful in some episodes. I don't think he does it on purpose to be mean but I do think if some of his subjects really understood what he was saying, they would be pissed. I would appreciate more sedate antics sometimes.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I wish he would get rid of that stupid bandana. So what if you're going bald.

Also, IMO he seems disrespectful in some episodes. I don't think he does it on purpose to be mean but I do think if some of his subjects really understood what he was saying, they would be pissed. I would appreciate more sedate antics sometimes.

He did a video about his hair transplant recently that was pretty out of place....obviously something he's tied his self worth to, for better or worse.

I also saw him addressing his approach to other cultures pretty directly...I'm sure I'll mix up the message, but it was along the lines of all cultures appreciate humor and joking, whereas treating someone's daily life with some kind of forced/faked solemnity is borderline insulting.

[Edward64]

I get that but the difference is the "humor and joking" is going over the head of the recipients as they don't understand English that well. So instead of laughing with them, he's kinda laughing at them.

Want to joke & tease some South Afrikaner at their hunting preserve, no problem.

[GrantDawg]

My son sent us some pics, and the first one was a taiyaki. It is a fish-mold bread that is filled with red bean paste. He says he can't get enough of them, and the street foods are incredible. The pics he sent of the Palace was surprisingly unimpressive. I expected much more. But part of his class is touring ancient temples. He went to two this week, and they looked amazing.

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[Edward64]

Had to google on it. I’ve had red bean fillings before in dim sum stuff, okay but not a favorite.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

My son sent us some pics, and the first one was a taiyaki. It is a fish-mold bread that is filled with red bean paste. He says he can't get enough of them, and the street foods are incredible. The pics he sent of the Palace was surprisingly unimpressive. I expected much more. But part of his class is touring ancient temples. He went to two this week, and they looked amazing.

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And what was the (YT video inspired) treat in Athens just before Will left?

Why the similarly fish-shaped Ssamanko, a bungeo-ppang filled with red bean paste and vanilla ice cream (basically the Korean version of taiyaki ... but with ice cream! )

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

And what was the (YT video inspired) treat in Athens just before Will left?

Why the similarly fish-shaped Ssamanko, a bungeo-ppang filled with red bean paste and vanilla ice cream (basically the Korean version of taiyaki ... but with ice cream! )

Neat! Though I do wonder what that red bean paste taste like that it pairs with ice-cream.What I read the batter is usually waffle or pancake batter, so I guess it is supposed to go with sweet.

[flere-imsaho]

Red bean ice cream is a thing. I know I've seen it around Chicago, especially in burbs with a lot of Koreans.

[Edward64]

I’ve had red bean ice cream. It’s not as sweet. It’s okay but I’ll take mint chocolate chip over it anyday

[Edward64]

Son now has his new state’s drivers license and plates. We’re taking him off our auto insurance. That’s pretty much the last vestiges of us supporting him other than he’s on our T-Mobile family plan & my wife’s complimentary Prime account.

[GrantDawg]

My son is enjoying Kyoto so far. He had an adventure thid week when temps hit ten year lows and snow shut down school for a day. He had to buy a coat, because he didn't expect it to get that cold. I asked him if they got mad at him for bringing William's weather with him.
My daughter just found a house to rent, and it is three miles from us! I'm super happy about that, even though I know it is probably just for a year ort so. They plan on buying once they have more money saved.

[Edward64]

Great he’s having a great time and exploring. Is he practicing his Japanese? I’ve always wanted to go somewhere and be immersed to learn another language (Mandarin is a leading contender, so if not China, maybe in Taiwan).

Son is far from us. I do wish he was a lot closer. I’m guessing daughter will stay in the Atlanta area after she graduates.

You should go visit him!

[GrantDawg]

I wish I could go visit him. Maybe when he inevitably ends up moving over there in a few years.
My daughter is married and not in school. They want to buy somewhere near here, but it probably won't be as close as the house they are renting. At the very least I hope they go a little further to get in a better school district for eventual grandbabies.

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[GrantDawg]

Simon got to tour the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan, including the oldest standing wood building in the world. Then he and a group of friends left to spend a weekend in Nagoya. Bullet train there and back.

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[Edward64]

That is pretty neat. I’m all templed out (visiting Thailand and Cambodia does that to you) but seeing the oldest standing wood building would be cool.

[Edward64]

@GD.

Somewhat morbid but suspect there'll be more opportunities for Simon to stay in Japan if he wants to, or at least relatively easier than before.

Japan is frakked unless they open up immigration (and be less bigoted).

Deaths jumped 8.9% in Japan in 2022 to almost double birth total
Record 1.58m people died, showing impact of aging population, COVID

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hopes to change the demographic trend with what he has promised will be an "unprecedented" set of measures.

Underscoring the gravity of the challenge in a parliamentary speech on Jan. 23, he said the world's third-largest economy was "on the brink" of social dysfunction.

It'll be interesting to read where Japan is in 2060.

[GrantDawg]

Wow. A number of countries are going yo be competing heavily for immigrants soon that have long fought against it.
He sent us a video of him heading to Hiroshima on the bullet train today. He is just having a blast.

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[Edward64]

I would love to visit Hiroshima & Nagasaki because of the history.

Need to put Japan to visit in the next couple years. Great he is having fun. It is fantastic you guys have given him a lifetime of experiences to remember.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Wow. A number of countries are going yo be competing heavily for immigrants soon that have long fought against it.
He sent us a video of him heading to Hiroshima on the bullet train today. He is just having a blast.

USA is too great for something like a bullet train. Didn't Japan know giant trucks were the future?

[Edward64]

Daughter has been dropping by to do laundry and had pizza yesterday. House she's renting with roomies don't have a washer & dryer. Not complaining, but I have to figure there is a coin operated laundromat closer than 1hr+ away.

She works and has a nice sum in her bank account. We've also given her permission to use our joint credit card for stuff (e.g. she is not on the college meal plan). Last months bill came out to about $500. Wife said majority of it was fast food and had a chat with her to be more careful.

[GrantDawg]

Simon got the chance to go to an anime convention in Tokyo over the weekend. He also explored this major arcade in the city. From the pictures, Tokyo doesn't disappoint. It is exactly as you imagine.

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[Edward64]

My son asked for some advice on filing Fed Taxes in previous years.

This year, nothing. Another sign he's truly an adult & independent (other than he's still on our T-Mobile family account).

[Edward64]

My kids used to play minecraft. I just texted them if they wanted below as a Christmas present. They said no. Good thing too, prices are outrageous

This pixelated outfit could be yours for $4,350 - The Verge

This pixelated outfit could be yours for $4,350

[GrantDawg]

My son just sent us a picture of the new face recognition scanner by the Osaka train station. I thought it was used for security, but it is actually being used as a way of registering your payment. Wild.

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[Edward64]

When I was in Asia, I realized the US is way behind in using digital cards/wallets like Apple Pay.

I wish digital cards were ubiquitous here. I'm not sure why it hasn't taken off.

[Ksyrup]

Blame the Big Wallet/Purse lobby.

I will admit, I have never used one at all and don't see a reason to. I don't even know which places take them (is it the same as places that use the card tap technology?), but some places don't take them, which requires me to carry my cards around anyway, and it's not that difficult to whip out a card and tap or insert the chip. It's a 5-15 second process, max, even with cards. So it's not a huge gamechanger to me.

[JonInMiddleGA]

In a few hours, Will turns 25.

Quite a few of y'all remember when he was born so I figured I'd mention that so you too can feel old a.f. lol

[Edward64]

Tell him Happy Birthday!

How's he liking adulthood?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Tell him Happy Birthday!

How's he liking adulthood?

He just msgd me

"Yoohoo ... kahlua ... try it"

So I'd say "adulthood" is still a work in progress lol

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

He just msgd me

"Yoohoo ... kahlua ... try it"

So I'd say "adulthood" is still a work in progress lol

SI

[Ksyrup]

Mack's back home after completing her freshman year. Looks like both semesters she will finish with all A's and a B.

On a related note, the one thing I hate about the college process is the FAFSA thing. I just got another email about hurrying to finish it. I fricking hate it. I don't remember the logins, it's confusing and complicated, and it doesn't change anything in the end. I only do it because I'm afraid there's some rule that to qualify for KEES money (KY's yearly contribution of money based on HS performance) a FAFSA needs to be completed.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Mack's back home after completing her freshman year. Looks like both semesters she will finish with all A's and a B.

On a related note, the one thing I hate about the college process is the FAFSA thing. I just got another email about hurrying to finish it. I fricking hate it. I don't remember the logins, it's confusing and complicated, and it doesn't change anything in the end. I only do it because I'm afraid there's some rule that to qualify for KEES money (KY's yearly contribution of money based on HS performance) a FAFSA needs to be completed.

It is absolutely a pain. I also have to do a supplements that includes answering a bunch more questions and uploading a bunch of documents (CSS, I believe). It is such a headache.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Mack's back home after completing her freshman year. Looks like both semesters she will finish with all A's and a B.

On a related note, the one thing I hate about the college process is the FAFSA thing. I just got another email about hurrying to finish it. I fricking hate it. I don't remember the logins, it's confusing and complicated, and it doesn't change anything in the end. I only do it because I'm afraid there's some rule that to qualify for KEES money (KY's yearly contribution of money based on HS performance) a FAFSA needs to be completed.

I didn't file one last year. They still got their KEES.



My son walked at EKU's commencement yesterday. He graduated over the winter, but we really wanted him to do this, and we're happy that he did. He's moved back home for a few months to try and save money while he builds flight time to works his way to an airline. It's been a frustrating time for him. Everything you hear about 'pilot shortage' is really, really winding down at the lower levels. It's going to be a total reversal in about 3 years time. He's been struggling to find jobs that don't require 24 month commitments. He's only about 350 hours away, and that's maybe 6-10 months worth or work. The plane he's been flying has been down for 10yr heavy maintenance since January. So he's been stuck.



The youngest has been a giant pain. He's trying really hard to be his own man, in his own life, but he's been super self centered, hardly a care about anyone else's life but his own. He's moving out in July, and moving in with his newly 18 gf. I think he's trading one situation for another, but they seem happy right now. Of course, I've told him that you both have lots and lots of life ahead of you and there's no point to get yourself bogged down (or pregnant) and that your lives can and will take difficult turns in the next 5-7 years. He is dead set on choosing his own path, and the one that likely results in some hard headed lessons to come.

[Edward64]

Daughter finished her junior year. She's in London now on a 2-week summer program with a bunch of others in her program.

She is like my wife and not one for international travel, but she's been sending pics and enjoying herself. First time she is truly travelling by herself without parents.

[GrantDawg]

My son is also an upcoming senior. He has a summer internship with Universal Music. It is work from home, but a decent paying gig.
We started planning out trip for his graduation. It seems we had to because there is absolutely no hotels available anywhere near Williams. The best we could find was some hotels in Albany, New York but that is a pretty big ride. Since my daughter and her husband decided they want to go, we are planning on driving (15 hours+), so we wanted to stay closer to campus and actually spend the whole weekend there. We finally lucked out on a whole house on Air B&B. It is on a big plot of land a short drive into the mountains (20 minutes). Pretty excited even though that is a year away.

[Ksyrup]

Dropped Mackenzie off yesterday at EKU for year #2. She definitely seems more confident and sure of herself this year. It'll take a little bit for us to get back into the groove of being by ourselves as the summer is just long enough to make her being around every day feel normal again.

[Edward64]

Son lives & works out of state. Visited him a month ago (wife & SIL did that last year ... someone has to watch our 13 year old Lab).

He picked a nice apartment, sparsely furnished but had all the essentials. Went to his office campus and visited a Sat morning food & craft market. Fridge was pretty empty, so was the pantry ... assume he eats out a lot (company has a nice cafeterias with subsidized breakfast & lunch). Talked about financials, he's doing okay, putting in enough for company 401k match and hasn't gone crazy with credit cards or buying a new car.

He is looking for a new job. He's in no rush (I told him give it at least 2 years, looks better on CV), he's satisfied at his current job but is looking for more. He wants to move closer to the South and mentioned Chattanooga as a primary target. That would be great, about a 2 hour drive from us.

All in all, a good trip and nice to see how he's doing in his early adulthood.

[Kodos]

I guess my time to join this thread is approaching. Lain, my older daughter, heads to Adelphi University on Long Island in a couple weeks. My wife and younger daughter, Miranda, are going to be a mess. I'll be sad too, but I feel like I will be in the best shape out of the three of us left behind in our home.

BTW, Lain was formerly my son, Noah. She is transitioning and uses she/her pronouns now. She's also on the autistic spectrum, although high-functioning. (I guess autistic kids are more likely to be transgender or gender fluid than non-autistic kids.) So in addition to the usual worries with a kid going off to college, there are the worries that come along with having a transgender child. A big part of the reason we chose Adelphi was that they have programs in place to help autistic and transgender kids out. Anyhow, Lain's time left at home is rapidly drawing to an end.

[albionmoonlight]

My friend has triplets that are all going off to college this Fall. And going from 3 kids at home to soon to be zero is really hitting them hard.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Kodos

BTW, Lain was formerly my son, Noah. She is transitioning and uses she/her pronouns now. She's also on the autistic spectrum, although high-functioning. (I guess autistic kids are more likely to be transgender or gender fluid than non-autistic kids.) So in addition to the usual worries with a kid going off to college, there are the worries that come along with having a transgender child. A big part of the reason we chose Adelphi was that they have programs in place to help autistic and transgender kids out. Anyhow, Lain's time left at home is rapidly drawing to an end.

That does sound challenging. Is Adelphi relatively close by e.g. home for weekends?

[Kodos]

Depending on traffic (it can be REALLY bad once you hit Long Island) 1-and-a-half to 3 hours away.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

My friend has triplets that are all going off to college this Fall. And going from 3 kids at home to soon to be zero is really hitting them hard.

That does sound hard. But then every aspect of having triplets sounds hard.

[GrantDawg]

It is great you found a good college fit for her, Kodos. That really helps ease the stress of a child leaving for college.
Simon finished his internship with Universal music yesterday. They presented him with a framed gold record which was cool. He feels like he learned a lot. On top of developing an app to help them track their various virtual machines, he was on a intern team that helped redevelop their whole IT trouble shooting UI. He spent his last days talking with everyone that works in the field he wanting to work in and picking their brains on how they got where they are.
He says his plans as of now is to move to the Atlanta area once he is through with school.

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[JonInMiddleGA]

Tomorrow I load Will off for his final school return to Miami. This semester will conclude with graduation in December.

I'd probably rate this one as one of the three toughest to date. Frankly, I'm not coping particularly well ... but it's gotta be done, so we do it.

[JPhillips]

We take my daughter to Tufts next Thursday. It's going to be difficult for us and especially for the dog.

[cuervo72]

Younger Child moved out about a month ago to a condo with GF and best friend that GF's mom owns (getting remarried and moved out). They've been back briefly a few times to pick some stuff up, but other than that, pretty quiet.

Son continues grad work at Purdue, moved out of "Bone Haus" into another house further from campus with a couple of other grad students. A more mature setting than with the trombones. He hasn't been home for more than a week in I don't know how long. Have realized for a while that he's officially left in all but the paperwork, though that's starting to get done with the USPS and possibly with the DMV.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Tomorrow I load Will off for his final school return to Miami. This semester will conclude with graduation in December.

I'd probably rate this one as one of the three toughest to date. Frankly, I'm not coping particularly well ... but it's gotta be done, so we do it.

Does he know where he wants to live after graduating?

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

We take my daughter to Tufts next Thursday. It's going to be difficult for us and especially for the dog.

Simon leaves Saturday, and the dog is going to be in mourning for awhile.