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RegisterPosted by: db105
« on: February 25, 2025, 07:31:49 pm »Thanks for the update! Van was the littlest for a long time, when I started following your blog. 23 already!
Posted by: Jack
« on: February 25, 2025, 11:51:08 am »Van 28-Feb-02
F/A
He's about to turn 23. I still remember giving him his first spanking or the look on his face when he found out it was okay for boy's to have stuffies or the way he reacted to Bryce assaulting his Spanky Bear.
Van is going to be graduating college this spring. He graduated high school on time in 2020, even though it wasn't as exciting a graduation as it should have been, we still managed a small, socially distanced party. This year, we're going to give him the celebration all the other boys usually get when they leave high school. Mickey (who's going by Misha again, but he still let's us call him Mickey) was able to get several weeks of vacation approved, and he'll be here for it, then, when he heads back home, Van's going with him, and they're going to do a cultural tour of several European countries, as well as a few more physical adventures.
Van took five years to graduate college, but not because he had to figure out what he wanted to do. He will be graduating with a Bachelor of Music in piano performance and a minor in... art leadership and entrepreneurship (
) as well as a teaching certificate.
Upon graduation, he already has his next stop planned - he's coming home for a break year. He'll be living here again. He's been hired by the Bransom School District to teach music, and he'll be giving private lessons (approved through the school system and BCA). He had two major reasons for doing that. He's almost positive he wants to pursue his masters, but he felt like he really needed a break (and I okayed it financially), and he wants to spend time putting out his resume and audition videos, though he does already have a number of them done.
F/A
He's about to turn 23. I still remember giving him his first spanking or the look on his face when he found out it was okay for boy's to have stuffies or the way he reacted to Bryce assaulting his Spanky Bear.
Van is going to be graduating college this spring. He graduated high school on time in 2020, even though it wasn't as exciting a graduation as it should have been, we still managed a small, socially distanced party. This year, we're going to give him the celebration all the other boys usually get when they leave high school. Mickey (who's going by Misha again, but he still let's us call him Mickey) was able to get several weeks of vacation approved, and he'll be here for it, then, when he heads back home, Van's going with him, and they're going to do a cultural tour of several European countries, as well as a few more physical adventures.
Van took five years to graduate college, but not because he had to figure out what he wanted to do. He will be graduating with a Bachelor of Music in piano performance and a minor in... art leadership and entrepreneurship (
) as well as a teaching certificate.Upon graduation, he already has his next stop planned - he's coming home for a break year. He'll be living here again. He's been hired by the Bransom School District to teach music, and he'll be giving private lessons (approved through the school system and BCA). He had two major reasons for doing that. He's almost positive he wants to pursue his masters, but he felt like he really needed a break (and I okayed it financially), and he wants to spend time putting out his resume and audition videos, though he does already have a number of them done.
Posted by: kalico
« on: November 25, 2019, 11:36:11 am »Congratulations to van
I’m happy he will be close as I bet his furry family will also be... lol
Hugs kal
I’m happy he will be close as I bet his furry family will also be... lol
Hugs kal
Posted by: Jack
« on: November 24, 2019, 07:50:07 am »That's great! I hope he'll enjoy the school.
He should.
I have an old friend in that area (he and I used to be partners in a comic shop more than 20 years ago, but he bought me out over time). It's a good area with a lot to do. Better for him, Ryan attends the same school, has been there for several years, and can show him around.
Posted by: db105
« on: November 23, 2019, 09:54:03 pm »That's great! I hope he'll enjoy the school.
Posted by: Jack
« on: November 23, 2019, 04:19:01 pm »Big announcement time!
Van has received an acceptance letter on his early enrollment application.
He'll be attending school at the same college where Ryan will be a senior, but Van is required to live on campus his freshman year. That's actually good, since it settles an issue we'd been discussing.
Fido is Van's partner, but Fido also loves Zeke and Connor and Curtis, and he's certainly willing to accept me. More importantly, the dogs and cats and other bunnies are all part of Fido's herd (but apparently not the ferrets - he doesn't care for those weasels, no matter how nice they try to be). I think he'll be sad to have Van gone, but I think he would be miserable not to be here with everyone else.
Fortunately, Van will be close enough he can come home on a regular basis without a huge problem. Of course, that will depend on his practice schedule and what performances he ends up doing, but it'll still be good for him to be able to visit occasionally - for both of them.
Oh, and just to be sure, Van decided that being a vet would be really hard on him (seeing that many animals in bad conditions), so he is majoring in piano. Right now, he's getting a BA in Piano Performance, but he's planning to use some of his electives to work towards a teaching certificate as a fall back position. I have no trouble with him moving home for a year or so while he does auditions and everything, but I'm not worried about that right now, and neither is he.
Van has received an acceptance letter on his early enrollment application.
He'll be attending school at the same college where Ryan will be a senior, but Van is required to live on campus his freshman year. That's actually good, since it settles an issue we'd been discussing.
Fido is Van's partner, but Fido also loves Zeke and Connor and Curtis, and he's certainly willing to accept me. More importantly, the dogs and cats and other bunnies are all part of Fido's herd (but apparently not the ferrets - he doesn't care for those weasels, no matter how nice they try to be). I think he'll be sad to have Van gone, but I think he would be miserable not to be here with everyone else.
Fortunately, Van will be close enough he can come home on a regular basis without a huge problem. Of course, that will depend on his practice schedule and what performances he ends up doing, but it'll still be good for him to be able to visit occasionally - for both of them.
Oh, and just to be sure, Van decided that being a vet would be really hard on him (seeing that many animals in bad conditions), so he is majoring in piano. Right now, he's getting a BA in Piano Performance, but he's planning to use some of his electives to work towards a teaching certificate as a fall back position. I have no trouble with him moving home for a year or so while he does auditions and everything, but I'm not worried about that right now, and neither is he.
Posted by: kalico
« on: November 10, 2019, 08:22:46 am »Omg vans a senior .....
Sounds like a great way to enjoy the day ..,.
Hope you both enjoy your day together...
Hugs kal
Sounds like a great way to enjoy the day ..,.
Hope you both enjoy your day together...
Hugs kal
Posted by: Jack
« on: November 10, 2019, 08:08:17 am »Van is going to be staying home from school tomorrow.
Since this forum only goes back a couple of years, let me start by quoting this, from 11 May 2016:
"It looks like we finally have Van's high school situation settled (for now, pursuant to how he does with it).
Both because he wants to keep his options open for being a vet, and because they're classes that do better when they can be explained, he's going to be taking Biology and Algebra II with his classmates. He'll also be taking physical education with them, both for social interaction and to help him stay in shape and active.
His fourth period will be orchestra.
Lunch.
After lunch, he'll have about three hours, which will be split between two tutors: his piano tutor, and Mr. Y (who has been tutoring Zeke).
We're not sure how much Mr. Y will be doing. They have online schools now, and it looks like Van might be able to do the rest of his classes that way, so his time at school would be split between doing the classes and getting help with his homework (or even just doing it).
This is going to be a pretty heavy load for him, because it means he'll be doing an extra class or two. With a bit of organizational help, and if he approaches it with as much dedication as he does the things he likes, it should work out pretty well. Plus, Ryan pulled off a 9 or 10 period day when he was in high school, and he'll be around on weekends, so maybe he can give Van some help and encouragement."
Van has kept that basic schedule (as a reminder, he IS now a senior in high school). He's doing the Advanced High School graduation track. After some rough times (and a sore bottom or two) his freshman and sophomore years, he not only stepped up and kept up all his academics (classroom and online) along with his band and orchestra work, and making a little personal time on occasion, he also finished his online courses ahead of time - completing the last of his senior English requirements yesterday evening. He still has to take the final test, but that takes a few days to set up.
In the meantime, he came to me with a request, that I decided was more than valid. Van has offered Kenny the chance to Emcee the Christmas Charity Show this year, but Van is still doing most of the behind the scenes work, coordinating the acts and scheduling the numbers (to make sure they don't have 9 different versions of Silent Night and nothing else). And while the past couple of shows have been great, he's also trying to change things around so that, while all the traditional favorites are performed, it's not just the same thing. He's also working hard with Carter to make sure they have all the holiday numbers down. They deliberately didn't book many gigs this month, since they were very busy in October, will be very busy in December, and have a lot of practice to do. Van is also working with another new kid who's a keyboardist and a freshman, so the band will have someone to step in for him next year, if they want to stay together.
As to his request - after completing work he didn't need to finish for another 7 months or so, he's going to sleep in tomorrow morning. We're going to have lunch together, then I'm going to take him to the spa so he can get a massage, and a mani-pedi, and a facial (I have to be with him since he is a minor, so I'll probably get my hands and feet done while I'm there).
Since this forum only goes back a couple of years, let me start by quoting this, from 11 May 2016:
"It looks like we finally have Van's high school situation settled (for now, pursuant to how he does with it).
Both because he wants to keep his options open for being a vet, and because they're classes that do better when they can be explained, he's going to be taking Biology and Algebra II with his classmates. He'll also be taking physical education with them, both for social interaction and to help him stay in shape and active.
His fourth period will be orchestra.
Lunch.
After lunch, he'll have about three hours, which will be split between two tutors: his piano tutor, and Mr. Y (who has been tutoring Zeke).
We're not sure how much Mr. Y will be doing. They have online schools now, and it looks like Van might be able to do the rest of his classes that way, so his time at school would be split between doing the classes and getting help with his homework (or even just doing it).
This is going to be a pretty heavy load for him, because it means he'll be doing an extra class or two. With a bit of organizational help, and if he approaches it with as much dedication as he does the things he likes, it should work out pretty well. Plus, Ryan pulled off a 9 or 10 period day when he was in high school, and he'll be around on weekends, so maybe he can give Van some help and encouragement."
Van has kept that basic schedule (as a reminder, he IS now a senior in high school). He's doing the Advanced High School graduation track. After some rough times (and a sore bottom or two) his freshman and sophomore years, he not only stepped up and kept up all his academics (classroom and online) along with his band and orchestra work, and making a little personal time on occasion, he also finished his online courses ahead of time - completing the last of his senior English requirements yesterday evening. He still has to take the final test, but that takes a few days to set up.
In the meantime, he came to me with a request, that I decided was more than valid. Van has offered Kenny the chance to Emcee the Christmas Charity Show this year, but Van is still doing most of the behind the scenes work, coordinating the acts and scheduling the numbers (to make sure they don't have 9 different versions of Silent Night and nothing else). And while the past couple of shows have been great, he's also trying to change things around so that, while all the traditional favorites are performed, it's not just the same thing. He's also working hard with Carter to make sure they have all the holiday numbers down. They deliberately didn't book many gigs this month, since they were very busy in October, will be very busy in December, and have a lot of practice to do. Van is also working with another new kid who's a keyboardist and a freshman, so the band will have someone to step in for him next year, if they want to stay together.
As to his request - after completing work he didn't need to finish for another 7 months or so, he's going to sleep in tomorrow morning. We're going to have lunch together, then I'm going to take him to the spa so he can get a massage, and a mani-pedi, and a facial (I have to be with him since he is a minor, so I'll probably get my hands and feet done while I'm there).
Posted by: Zyngaru
« on: July 28, 2019, 11:55:47 am »The advice that I give young family members who go off to college or University, is to find part time work in your selected field of study, while in college. Then when you get your degree, you already have experience in the field which gives you a leg up on your competition, which is the other graduates that didn't work in their field of study, but worked at the local grocery store or fast food.
This has worked for the ones that stayed in school and graduated. They actually were put on full time with the companies they did part time work with and have moved up through the ranks fast. They are now in upper management with their companies.
This has worked for the ones that stayed in school and graduated. They actually were put on full time with the companies they did part time work with and have moved up through the ranks fast. They are now in upper management with their companies.
Posted by: db105
« on: July 28, 2019, 08:52:41 am »It makes sense to sample a bit before deciding, although it's not just the studies, but what he's likely to be working on after university that needs to be considered. I wish him the best of luck with whatever he decides.
Posted by: Jack
« on: July 27, 2019, 01:13:01 pm »Van knows that a college degree is de rigueur, and almost required, these days. He just can't settle on a major.
Right now, he’s leaning towards piano, because he’s been told he’s good enough to be professional. He’s still not exactly sure what he’s going to do with it, but he’s leaning towards classical or theater, though it’s a long time before he has to decide. The thing is, we've done some research, and we know it can be hard to make a living doing that, and even hard to find a full-time job. We do both feel he needs a good fallback position, JIC,but in Texas, you can get a job teaching with a bachelors, as long as you get certain required classes within a certain time period. He might take those classes anyway. We’ve also been looking at his college load, and he’s going to be taking classes in composition and music theory.
Van loves animals and would really like to work with them. The problem is that being a vet would be rough on him, because most of the animals he met would be in pain. He's thought about zoology, but it looks like it might be harder to make a good living with that than with a piano. The other problem is that the two best colleges in Texas (one for piano, the other for zoology) offer basically nothing on the other field of study, so he might have to make a decision soon.
One thing I have stressed with Van is that we have time. I've suggested he look at a five to six year degree plan, where he can take a variety of classes his first year or two before making any final decisions. I encourage that with all my boys as a matter of fact. Things are so complex and specialized these days, I feel like it's a mistake to lock yourself into something until you have a lot of information about it. In Van's case, with his variety of interests, I think that's even more important.
Right now, he’s leaning towards piano, because he’s been told he’s good enough to be professional. He’s still not exactly sure what he’s going to do with it, but he’s leaning towards classical or theater, though it’s a long time before he has to decide. The thing is, we've done some research, and we know it can be hard to make a living doing that, and even hard to find a full-time job. We do both feel he needs a good fallback position, JIC,but in Texas, you can get a job teaching with a bachelors, as long as you get certain required classes within a certain time period. He might take those classes anyway. We’ve also been looking at his college load, and he’s going to be taking classes in composition and music theory.
Van loves animals and would really like to work with them. The problem is that being a vet would be rough on him, because most of the animals he met would be in pain. He's thought about zoology, but it looks like it might be harder to make a good living with that than with a piano. The other problem is that the two best colleges in Texas (one for piano, the other for zoology) offer basically nothing on the other field of study, so he might have to make a decision soon.
One thing I have stressed with Van is that we have time. I've suggested he look at a five to six year degree plan, where he can take a variety of classes his first year or two before making any final decisions. I encourage that with all my boys as a matter of fact. Things are so complex and specialized these days, I feel like it's a mistake to lock yourself into something until you have a lot of information about it. In Van's case, with his variety of interests, I think that's even more important.
Posted by: David M. Katz
« on: July 01, 2019, 10:11:17 pm »For some reason I was thinking of Van's fiddle player, Eddie.
Does he still come around?
Does he still come around?
Posted by: Zyngaru
« on: October 03, 2018, 05:51:19 pm »I told Van, next time, just call AAA. That's why we have it. On the other hand, I'm glad he wanted to do it himself.
Yep, you might as well get your money's worth from a AAA membership. I do. I haven't had them change a flat yet, but I do have them tow 2 or 3 vehicles each year.
Posted by: Jack
« on: October 03, 2018, 04:47:41 pm »Jack how old is Van now? Seems like yesterday he was just a little guy.
Yesterday, Van had a flat. All my boys know how to change tires and do basic maintenance, but Van had to break down and call me, because he couldn't figure out how to unfasten the spare from it's container.
If it was one of those spares on a cable that has to be screwed to lower it down before unfastening it, I can see how he was befuddled on how to disconnect it.
No, actually it was pretty standard. I think this spare might have never been used before. The wingnut was stuck, and we ended up having to use some Liquid Wrench and a hammer to get the spare free. I told Van, next time, just call AAA. That's why we have it. On the other hand, I'm glad he wanted to do it himself.
Posted by: Zyngaru
« on: October 03, 2018, 08:12:38 am »Jack how old is Van now? Seems like yesterday he was just a little guy.
Yesterday, Van had a flat. All my boys know how to change tires and do basic maintenance, but Van had to break down and call me, because he couldn't figure out how to unfasten the spare from it's container.
If it was one of those spares on a cable that has to be screwed to lower it down before unfastening it, I can see how he was befuddled on how to disconnect it.