Orientation at UNC Chapel Hill Went Fine

My Son Getting to Know His Campus - UNC

My kid made it to and back from orientation at UNC Chapel Hill without any problems. He enjoyed the visit to campus and got signed up for his classes. He got everything he wanted except for Spanish (which he may be able to pick up next month).

He also picked up his laptop computer. They want all the kids to have the same one and service there on campus, but kids can bring their own (but can't get help on campus if they do that).

The other thing they do at orientation is get a One Card. That's through Wachovia bank (with no fees) and is basically a debit card from what I can tell.

I had planned to drive my kid up to UNC but not to stay. Back when I went to NC State, no one (but no one) had parents at orientation. Apparently most parents do go with kids to college orientation now (in case any parents are wondering about that). It really wasn't an option though, because I had jury duty the day he left for orientation.

The kid-o is home safe and sound. He got iTunes loaded on that new laptop and also set it up with fingerprint identification. Pretty fancy - that.

I did mention that it would be a problem to have the computer locked with fingerprint ID if he ever got in an accident (can we all say - mother hen). The kid says, "Just bring it to the hospital and stick my finger on it." I asked him which finger, and he said I could just try them all (-:

I think this "going off to college" thing is harder on parents than kids.

That's the End of Jury Duty for Me - for at least two years

Yippee! The Judge Set Us Free Before Lunch

I'd never been called for jury duty before, so I guess it was my time to serve. That's what the letter said anyway. I did get mine put off until the summer. I teach public speaking, so that was going to be a problem if I got a long trial. There's just no way to get a substitute for speeches. All I had to do was go to the court house and fill out a paper explaining why I'd like to serve later. They were nice about that - here anyway.

On my scheduled day (yesterday) I went down to the court house. They had a note with directions (to the jury room) at the check in point. There's a list of things you can't bring in. One is a cell phone with a camera built in. Mine doesn't have a camera, and I didn't have it with me anyway. It's a good idea to check before, so you don't have to run back to your car to leave things you're not supposed to have. My mom had to take her sewing scissors back one time.

I signed my name and sat down in a waiting room. I thought I'd need to show ID, but I didn't. Just signed and sat.

We sat for a pretty long while. Then a man went over the basics of jury duty and showed us a video. First he turned on a kid movie by accident which made everyone laugh. Then we got the right movie.

In the meantime, I guess I was bored and also itching. I scratched a mosquito bite on my arm which then started to bleed. The nice man in charge had band-aids. He gave me one.

We watched CNN for a while. Everyone was very quiet and serious until the CNN anchor said a Japanese man had come up with a novel way to make money online. He does elderly porn. Collectively the entire room laughed.

We didn't get to see the story about the elderly porn man, because they gave us a break. Well, some people stayed in there. I went out and got some peanut butter crackers. They had some snack machines - mostly empty of snacks.

Finally the judge called us in the court room. We filed in and lined up in the courtroom on the benches kind of like at church. It was cold, cold, cold in there. Maybe they keep it real cold for the judges in those big robes or maybe for criminals who may be sweaty. In any case, I strongly suggest taking a jacket to court even if it is the middle of the summer and hot enough to fry eggs on your car hood.

They randomly called out 12 names. Those people had to go up to the jury box and sit in the chairs. The rest of us just sat in the audience and listened as the judge and then the lawyer asked some questions.

One man must have wanted out of jury duty pretty bad. When the judge asked if anyone knew any of the lawyers, that guy said that he'd seen one of them on TV. Then the guy said the lawyer's commercials were tacky and that he ought to be ashamed of himself. This guy said that the lawyer had himself a good education and all and that he looked like an ambulance chaser.

Well, guess you did not have to stay and serve on the jury? That's one way out I suppose.

I've seen the commercials too, and I don't have a problem with them. But, they didn't ask me anything.

The TV lawyer did not ask the questions for his side, but he probably should have. The lawyer asking the questions kept going off on tangents about "burden of proof" and other things that flat didn't make sense. The judge kept telling the lawyer, "Just ask questions." Then, off that lawyer would go again. He must have jumbled up his question list too, because he kept asking the same questions. The judge even put his head in his hands. He also told the lawyer that he could not ask the whole group and get a "yes" by show of hands and then keep singling out individual potential jury members and asking the same thing again. We all sat there with our poker faces and tried not to notice that the questions were not going well.

That took a good bit of time with the lawyer seeming more confused than those of us who had never been to court, but the time limit came around.

The defending side got a shot at the jury box the next day (today), so we all came back except the man who hates lawyer commercials and two other ladies let go on day one. It was supposed to be another day of questions but by the other side.

Today it was much the same, but we got to watch ballgames on TV while waiting. It felt just like home, since my son has those on all the time. I just gabbed with the lady beside me. You can talk in the waiting room though no one talked much the first day. I did talk a little to a guy who likes to barbecue and told him about my web site - Yes You Can Grill. He said I should try smoking some salmon, and I think I'll do that.

Finally we all go back in the court room. The judge tells us that the case is dismissed. They can try it again within a year if they want. But - no case this week. No reason why.

You could look around and see a lot of "yippee" looks.

But . . . the judge said we might have another trial we could do. They had called those lawyers and would let us know.

Back to the waiting room.

The other case wasn't ready, so they cut us loose. This was about lunch time. I went to Wal-Mart to try to find one of those new steam mops, but they didn't have any (guess I'll have to order online). Then, I got lunch for me and the kid at BoJangles. He was glad to see me home early - or maybe just glad to see a box of chicken and fixings.

The court officials said we'd done our part. We can't be called any sooner than two years to serve jury duty (which is drawn from both voting lists and driver's license lists). We also get paid. They didn't say how much, and no one asked. I didn't even know we got paid. Some man told me he got $12 the last time he did it. Hum. Perhaps it will cover the gas for two trips to town.

That's all I can tell you about jury duty. It was mostly just sitting around and waiting. There was no case in the end, and it's back to normal around here. I'm glad to do my duty, but I'm glad I won't spend a beautiful summer week or two in a cold court room.

The Kid Made it Up to UNC - That's About All I Know

Big Old Tree Behind My Son's Dorm at UNC Chapel Hill

My kid got up and out this morning about 5 a.m. and called me about 8 to let me know that he arrived at UNC. I did ask him if he was actually parked. Yes - Mom. And, I asked him if it was a legal space. They don't mess around up there about that parking. Put the car in the wrong spot, and it is tow city.

I had to go on to jury duty. I can't tell you a thing about that. That is the law. I see, hear, and speak no court case until I am picked or not and done.

When I got home I tried to call the child out of the nest. He is either very busy at UNC or he did not remember to take his cell phone charger. This is probably a toss up, so I will not worry on it.

The younger son and I ate some pretty gross heat up chicken nuggets and seasoned frozen fries that were not much better. I'm thinking to hit a fast food joint on the way home from jury duty tomorrow, because that heat up dinner just did not do it. I'd rather cook from scratch and may, since I have a lot of time to sit and think while waiting to do my duty to my country on the jury - though I may not need to. It just depends on how the dice roll tomorrow.

Off to UNC Chapel Hill in a Couple of Weeks

Visiting My Son's Dorm at UNC Chapel Hill

My older son graduated from high school this year and heads to UNC Chapel Hill in a couple of weeks. That was his top pick college, and he was excited to get in and looks forward to being a Tarheel.

Today is my kid's orientation. I was a bit nervous about him driving up by himself, but I have jury duty later today (my first time). He did call when he got there, so I guess that worked out fine.

We've visited UNC a couple of times. In fact, we dropped by last week on the way home from the beach to see his dorm. It's right on Franklin Street. Ut oh! It is a small dorm though, so it should be easier to meet and get to know new people.

College is a big adjustment. I remember! Having a child go off to college will be a big adjustment too I think. I'm excited for my son, but I'm sure going to miss him.

Kayaking on the Yadkin - A Good Day for My Son

My Son Kayaking Near the Waterfall

I've always heard that the teen years were really tough ones for parents (and for many teens too). I have not found that to be the case. My boys are great, and I'd rather spend time with them than anything else I can think of to do.

Sometimes other parents ask me, "What's your secret?"

I wouldn't begin to take credit for my boys being fine young men. They could make other decisions. They don't. I am blessed.

If I had to make a suggestion, I'd say that it's important to spend time with kids and also to make sure that you support their interests. Bored kids are going to be more likely to get into stuff.

When the boys were little I made sure they had all kinds of experiences. We went to libraries, shows, programs and even to watch a dance recital of the Wizard of Oz featuring some of the little girls from their classes. I wasn't looking to influence their interests. I just wanted them to have a chance to see what all is out there and make their own decisions about what they might like to get involved in.

My youngest especially loves water sports. He was probably about three years old when we took our first canoe ride. Over the years we have gone white water rafting several times. He took to all that like (cliche) - a duck to water.

After saving up his money, the kid bought a kayak. He did the research and found a used one on Craig's List.

He went up to the Bull Hole (a small local park) to kayak, but he missed having others around to enjoy the trips. So, he went back online and found HRL Paddlers. That's a local (or pretty close) kayak group. It's mostly adults - but also a few kids and teens. He got in touch and set up a trip.

Yesterday he took his second trip with the group.

My son really looks forward to the kayak trips and keeps checking back to see if the photos from his trips are ready, so he can show them to me. We check them out and talk about his travels.

If you have kids, try to give them lots of opportunities to check out fun things to do. Some things they will not get excited about. My youngest son would never want to get in front of a group and dance or act.

Now and then, a kid will find his or her passion. My son really gets excited about the water. I never knew that would be something he'd love back when we took the first canoe trip. In fact, he was kind of scared of the water during his preschool years. Now, he's like a fish. He loves to swim and will ride any watercraft he can get his hands on.

The kayak club has been great for my son. He gets to do something he loves and gets to do it with others who enjoy the same passion.

*I'd like to thank Neal and other members of the groups for making and sharing photos.

Kayaking on the Yadkin River - North Carolina

My Son and His Kayak Friends

My youngest son is hard to keep up with. He never goes in fast gear, but he is always on the go - slowly and surely. When he was little, I'd be saying, "Hurry up" to him and "Slow down" to the older one at the mall and places like that. We were a family slinky. All trying to stay together - and easier said than done.

I play a lot online, but I don't do it the same way my little-big guy does. I should explain that. He's the baby, but he's about 6 feet tall. He definately the tallest in the family. Must be some recessive genes.

The younger one loves to white water raft which we do on vacations. But, he wasn't satisfied with just the occasional trek. Nope. He got online and read up about kayaks and then found a used one at a reasonable price at Craig's List. Then, we found a group of kayakers in our area and got in touch. The next think I knew he was telling me that he had plans to go kayaking with his new water buddies.

Today was the kid's second kayak trip with HRL Paddlers. He had a great time as he did the last time. Getting outdoors makes him very happy.

I enjoy water sports, and I'm thinking I need to get a kayak too. The HRL group does have some extras for newbies. That's really great. Maybe I can borrow one to start with and then get a second one. I need to figure out if two will fit on top of the truck though.

*Note - The photo was taken by one of my son's kayak friends. The guys were goofing off, and it's clear they were having a blast.

Red Dirt Stew

Wild Hair Day - A Good One to Start a New Blog

I come from a long line of storytellers and writers - and some both. It only seems natural that I begin to capture our moments here online.

I already host a website called Yes You Can Grill and the Barbeque Master blog. But I really do more than eat - cross my heart and buy the next size up in jeans.

My first thought was to call this "catch all" spot of day-to-day ramblings - Cornbread Zoo. My older son said that we are pretty civilized, so I shifted to Red Dirt Stew.

Trust me. The dirt here is red. You roll around in it and try to wash it out, and you will know all you need to know about red dirt. It's thick with clay and hard to work when wet. When red dirt gets dry, then it cracks, whips around in the wind and makes a general mess of everything.

The piedmont of North Carolina is as good a place to live as any I suppose. The weather is generally mild. We're a couple of hours from the mountains and couple more to the beach.

The town is small, and my Mom always told me not to say anything if I couldn't say anything nice. I guess that sums that up.

This is definately a Southern blog and like our stews, you're likely to find anything leftover when I'm wrung dry from working and writing on food and cooking.