Sorry you had a hard session, Ruh Roh.

My son was accepted to another university; I think this is the one he's decided he wants to attend. It is a bit smaller, still in commuting distance, and has a more personalized music program. I'm glad he's decided to commute rather than go somewhere where he would have to come up with room and board. We have his tuition completely prepaid, but not room and board; that would be on his dime. After talking to his cousin who is still paying off her college loans twelve years later, I think he realized there was wisdom in commuting and hopefully getting out of college debt-free. We are fortunate to live in an area with several excellent universities nearby within commuting distance all with excellent music programs, so that helps a great deal. Yes, it would be nice for him to have the whole college dorm experience, but college has become so incredibly expensive anymore. The financial prospect of college debt is an important consideration.

I'm a bit brain dead. I'm scoring SAT essays online right now in the evenings, and reading bad handwriting on a computer screen hurts my eyes. But the little extra income helps since my husband just finished up one surgery and is headed into another in March, not to mention the added expenses of having a senior in high school (choir trip to Disney, AP tests, cap and gown, portraits, private lessons, etc., etc., etc.) It is actually a pretty easy gig; I just sit here and grade in my jammies. It's just hard on my eyes.

Finishing up my second week with a new set of students -- all AP classes this semester which is really nice. HUGE classes, but good kids. I'm enjoying them. They've already started harassing me; I think they've figured out my odd sense of humor. We'll get along well.