“Dad, I’m going to the library with my friend” Valkyrie said.  “That’s great Valkyrie, it’s good to go to the library with friends and get some studying in” I applauded.  I never went to the library with friends because I wouldn’t get much done. “Dad, I’m going to Mansfield Hollow Dam with my friend.  They… continue reading

“I want to save the planet.”  “I want to be green, live in a green world, do green kinda work”          “I want to make a difference in this world.”   We are in the middle of something called “eco-madness” here at UConn Valkyrie.  Students are engaging in ways to reduce the… continue reading

As I was preparing to head off to college I asked my dad “what should I major in?” Earlier this summer my department put a little video together to use with parents during freshman orientation, and you can hear my father’s advice.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X70przt4hAQ We’ve seen a ton of students in our office over the last couple… continue reading

Hey guys! Let me introduce myself, my name is…. Valkyrie? Seriously dad? Couldn’t you have used Sarah or Caitlin or something? When I hear the name Valkyrie I think of some dark black bird who hides in the shadows at night, waiting to feast on dead bodies. Great. Today officially marks my month-aversary with the… continue reading

Does every generation wish for a simpler time?  My goal this week is to read email at work only for 30 minutes in the morning, and 30 minutes before I go home.  At this moment I have 174 unread email.  No one talks to anyone anymore.  And when we are actually talking to someone, someone… continue reading

Valkyrie called and asked for a ride to the bank.  Ok.  This is good.  She is still calling me, and better yet, she actually wants to take money out of her checking account, and not mine. Don’t know how this happened but I’m not about to jinx myself by talking too much about it. So,… continue reading

My daughter did not want to “bump into” me on campus.  She wanted to “go away” to college, like most kids do.  I’ve heard from a few readers who echo this in their experience with their kids.  When I was looking at colleges my dad suggested I apply to the University of Bridgeport, and if… continue reading

Valkyrie was born on the third day of my employment at UConn.  She first set carriage on campus a month later, and has been coming ever since.  She loved it when the volley ball team threw People’s Bank balls into the crowd.  She won cash from a fan sitting next to her at Gampel when… continue reading

I’ve attended the last five convocations. I’ve gone alone, sat alone amongst the thousands of families and their newly minted freshmen. The beginning. I’ve listened to the speeches and marvelled at the robes en regalia. The first time I went I pictured myself sitting in the crowd with my daughter at some future end of… continue reading

So, my daughter, Valkyrie comes to UConn in two weeks.  “I’m soooo excited!!!” one of us exclaims!!  “Dad, calm down,” says the other. Back in June she told me that she didn’t care who her roommate was, and she wasn’t going to room with someone she knew from high school.  This seemed rather scary to… continue reading