Wait for admissions decisions is an ordeal
Tom Petty had it right. The waiting is the hardest part.
The essays are done and the financial aid requests submitted. The applications for Kid No. 1 are officially in the hands of the admissions offices at 10 colleges and universities.
Tell me if this is normal: I think I may be more antsy than the applicant.
I realize that he is probably also nervous but not letting on. I have discovered, as legions of parents have before me, that 18-year-olds aren’t big on sharing major events in their lives like career goals, work schedules, weekend plans or what they had for lunch.
But I don’t think his anxiety could possibly top mine.
Tell me, wiser ones, why is this? Some of it, I understand.
I was never a big fan of high school, with its cliques and what struck me then as unyielding rules, like grammar. But once I hit college, and the correct major, it was heaven on earth. I would have taken writing classes all week if the professors offered them.
Surely then, some of this fixation with colleges is tangled up in nostalgia, a yearning for a time in my life that, while enjoyed in the moment was also underappreciated.
This seems to go beyond that, though. Because honestly I’ve gone a bit crazy.
I have relentlessly researched the schools on his list.
I know the location of the freshman dorms. I know the predominant styles of architecture on campus and the restaurants nearby. I’ve walked, virtually at least, all the paths between academic buildings, and I’ve marveled at what dining halls have become in the years since I left college.
I’ve even started a spreadsheet to compile the various attributes of the 10 schools on his list, and that I’ve done so really is saying something. Wary of all technology, I’ve willingly created a spreadsheet only one other time in my life: to keep track of my orchids, another obsession.
Clearly I’ve lost it. Right? I mean, there are bigger problems in this world right now than vetting a decision that ultimately isn’t mine to make.
I’ve offered my research should he desire it, but one thing I haven’t done is play favorites, because oddly, I don’t have any. I like his list. It is measured and thought out. He’s a self-starter and a driven kid; I suspect he would do equally well no matter where he ended up, whether at one of his safety schools or his “reach” schools.
Why then, does this matter so much to his dad?
Granted, I haven’t gone as far with my obsession as some parents apparently do, like those celebrities
delete social media posts and other information about their involvement afterward.
Federal prosecutors have sought to keep Watkins and others in custody as court proceedings against them continue, noting their involvement in the Oath Keepers militia and the potential ongoing dangers to the community if they were released.
In a court filing opposing Caldwell’s release, prosecutors wrote, “… as evidenced by her conduct leading up to, during, and after the attack on the Capitol, Watkins exhibited a singleminded devotion to obstruct through violence an official proceeding that, on Jan. 6, was designed to confirm the next president of the United States. Crimes of this magnitude, committed with such zeal, belie any conditions of release that would reasonably assure the safety of the community or by which Watkins could be trusted to abide.”
Prosecutors also said in court documents that Watkins remains a leader within a broader militia movement who helped recruit and train people in advance of Jan. 6.
But Watkins’ filing seeking release from custody paints a different picture: that of a former U.S. Army Ranger who served in Afghanistan, a smallbusiness owner hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and a transgender female at risk while behind bars.
Watkins’ attorney argues she “fell prey to the false and inflammatory claims of the former president, his supporters and the right-wing media.”
“Although misguided, she believed she was supporting the Constitution and her government by providing security services at the rally organized by Mr. Trump and the Republican lawmakers who supported his goals,” the document adds.
Kramer noted in court documents that Watkins has no prior history of violence or criminal convictions, that she provided her contact information to officers at the scene on Jan. 6, and that she turned herself into local police when she learned of her arrest warrant.
Additionally, Watkins entered the Capitol building 40 minutes after it had been breached by others and attempted to stop others from doing damage. “By the time Ms. Watkins allegedly entered the Capitol grounds and into the building, the doors were opened. No police officer suggested that the building was restricted or that Ms. Watkins was required to leave,” the court documents state.
Watkins also did not seek out members of Congress on Jan. 6, did not destroy or vandalize government property, and helped people who were injured during the event, the documents state. mkovac@dispatch.com @Ohiocapitalblog