Where I Live Day? Also D-d gets good news.

[curiouswombat]

frimfram posted some lovely pictures of Cambridge a couple of days ago as an adjunct to her Hallowe'en story 'Reality Ends at the Checkpoint' (which if you've not read - go read!). She and I came up with the idea that a Live Journal 'Where I Live Day' would be cool - participants to put some pictures up of where they live (obviously!) on a certain day, so we all get a better idea of some of the rest of the world - not just the 'tourist brochure' stuff, but the real stuff. I know quite a few people already have put some pictures up that are what we were talking about - but - hey! you can recycle them if you don't want to do any new ones!

What do you all think? Good idea? Would you be willing to join in? Frimfram is cleverer than me and has made a poll - here is a link to the Where I live Day poll - http://www.livejournal.com/users/frimfram/40476.html#cutid1

We wondered whether soon was good, or would northern spring be better?

(There are two other questions as well - one is for AtS fans, and the other is related to a discussion about her default icon - is it a chicken or a tooth? Which is more interesting than 'which came first, the chicken or the egg?'!)

And in family news - Daughter-dear has just checked the UCAS website, and has discovered that she has her first offer of a university place - already!! It is from Glasgow, on 3Bs - which is cool, she only applied to places she would really like to go to, so even if no-one else offers a place she would still be happy with this one. So she has had the weight of waiting to see if anyone wants her lifted!

Comments

[keswindhover.livejournal.com]

Congrats to the wombat offspring! (and, a chicken)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Yep - definitely a chicken - I agree!

[kazzy-cee.livejournal.com]

YAY to DD getting her first choice! Whoo hoo!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Actually her first choice is York - but she would be happy with Glasgow if no-one else offers - and it has boosted her confidence that they must have offered almost as soon as they got her details, as it is dated November 1st - they must have read and gone 'YES!' as school only added the last bit to the form on about the 20th October.

[kathyh]

Many congrats to your daughter, that must be a big weight off her mind.

Definitely a chicken. If it's a tooth I need new glasses!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

She most wants to go to York - but knowing that she can go to Glasgow if York say 'no' is really good - especially for her self-confidence.

Apparently some people see frimfram's icon as a bloody molar!

[gillo]

Apparently some people see frimfram's icon as a bloody molar!

I definitely did, until very recently. It made a sort of sense, so i didn't query it.

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

Congrats to the daughter.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thanks - sorry I don't know how I didn't notice your comment yesterday! I guess she'll be checking the website every day now to see if anyone else has offered her a place.

[manoah.livejournal.com]

It's just proud mom time all over innit? Hoorah for Daughter-dear. She must be feeling extremely good about herself! And good on you and Speaker too, for being the wonderful parents!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Modern technology is a wonderful thing - in my day we just had to wait for the envelope through the door, and open it with the whole family watching - these days you can check quietly in the privacy of your own bedroom!

[gillo]

Yay! Go Wombatlet!

My baby also had an offer today. It's her last choice - Goldsmiths, but she'd be happy to go there if necessary. It's unconditional in her case - but she already has her A/L results.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for Gill the next generation! Even though they are not their first choices in either case they are so re-assuring for them aren't they? If Glasgow and Goldsmiths want them then it is more likely that York etc will also want them. Especially as neither Goldsmiths nor Glasgow are exactly easy to get into!

[gillo]

Goldsmith's isn't so very hard, but even so, you're right - it does a lot for her confidence.

[missmurchison.livejournal.com]

I can manage pictures of silos and flat farmland in whatever season you decide to do this! I can't guarantee they'll be interesting, though.

Congratulations to D-d! That's great news. I understand about the lifting of the weight. My daughter also has her first acceptance, for the honors program at a Big Ten school, so her fallback option is a very good one. She still has her eyes on another shiny prize, though.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Silos and farmland would be good - a definite contrast to London or New York for sure!

Those first offers are such a good feeling aren't they - even if the most wanted university doesn't come up with the goods, somewhere good wants them anyway, they have a definite future in Higher Education, and they know that they are really up to it, not just what their teachers or parents tell them.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Congrats to your daughter!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thanks. The British system means that they apply through a central organization to 6 universities, and so we have 5 more to hear from yet and then she has to decide, if she has more than one of them offering her a place, which she wants to go to. She can keep one more as back-up, so she might not actually go to Glasgow, but at least she knows that someone wants her!

[(Anonymous)]

It sounds a bit more organized than the American system, no huge surprise there. But anyway, I'm sure they'll all want her!
Sadly, my oldest daughter elected not to go on to college "for now" -- which for all too many people, translates into "never". You'd think she'd have learned from my no-chance-of-advancement job.

ahem ... looks like I got signed out, huh? Oops...

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

It sounds a bit more organized than the American system, no huge surprise there. But anyway, I'm sure they'll all want her!
Sadly, my oldest daughter elected not to go on to college "for now" -- which for all too many people, translates into "never". You'd think she'd have learned from my no-chance-of-advancement job.

Re: ahem ... looks like I got signed out, huh? Oops...

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

'S all right - I guessed it was you! I know what you mean about the 'for now' thing. Whilst a lot of British students take a year out, Kat's school encourages them not to unless they have very clear plans for it, and get their uni applications in now anyway, requesting a year's defferment. This is because so many who could do well will otherwise 'get a job for a year', and still be in the same job ten years hence.

Here it is easy to get a reasonably paid job working in the financial sector, so it doesn't seem a good option to go from £12,000 a year back to a grant/loans/savings for three years - but ten years down the line the job will not be paying much more than '£12,000 plus inflation', and those who went to university are on £25,000. I think it is also very much a thing they should do for experience - for the joy of being there, they will have to work for a living and do some things that they find boring for long enough afterwards.

Learn now, more pay later

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Yes, exactly. Take the time, learn everything you can even if it doesn't help you in a job later. If there are two things that have saved my sanity, it's fiction writing and learning to love learning just for the sake of learning ... which sounds like a roundabout sentance, but it ends up ... here.

[spikereader.livejournal.com]

Congratulations to Kat - even if she's not heard about her first choice yet, it is nice for her to know she's wanted and definitely has a place somewhere she is happy to attend.

I always thought it was a chicken, tooth never crossed my mind. Perhaps it is a hen's tooth, although they are very rare.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thanks - It IS a startled chicken, but she was suprised to find that when someone said 'Oh, isn't it a tooth?' that a number of other people said that they thought it was a tooth as well!

[ayinhara.livejournal.com]

The photography project is a win. Incidently, I just borrowed a digicam from a friend. I have been debating going digital for close to two years. The camera that I borrowed is one on my short list. If I like it, it will save me considerable amounts of money because dSLRs are still pricy. (My film camera is a SLR.) I will go out an photograph the neighborhood. The icon shows a scene on Bway and 113th St (southwestern side of Bway).

Congrats to D-d.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thanks - we will have to set a day, or maybe a week(!) and then spread the word around. My digital is old - honestly - about five or so - and has only got x2 digital zoom - the daughter is a more 'proper' photographer and hers has x5 optical amongst other major improvements over mine - I am hoping to upgrade to something similar because her pictures ARE clearer than mine!

I really like the picture you are using as an icon - we should get a real contrast between different people's pictures.

[cbtreks.livejournal.com]

Yay! Congratulations to D-D. I hope she gets her first choice as well. (I like the Where I Live Day idea, too.)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Typing with only my non-dominant hand again - see icon!

We will have to set a day for WILDay, as a lot of people think it would be good.

[mawombat.livejournal.com]

I totally think it's a great idea.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Great - I'm thinking naybe early December - Frimfram's RL is a bit distracted at the moment and as it was a joint idea I will chack with her, and then if both of us put up a date on our journals, and ask our friends to spread the word and so on it could be really good.