Have Credit Card, Will Travel

I have a confession to make. And it will come as no surprise to anyone who has been reading this blog, whether it be for a week, a month or even the last 7 years.

I'm a dyed in the wool cynic.

Perhaps it's due to my grossly oversized nose -- an aquiline projection from my face that makes it difficult to pass through narrow doorways and entrances -- but I can spot Bullshit from 5 miles away.

Which is why I raised an eyebrow about the University of Colorado's Parent's Weekend.

I didn't want to go.
My wife didn't want to go either. She's had a lot on her plate.

And frankly, with two out of state tuitions, room and board, laptop maintenance, and unlimited data plans for the incumbent iPhones, I didn't want to part with the money -- money reserved to keep me out of a dirty nursing home sometime down the road.

My daughter, on the other hand, desperately wanted us to drop everything, board a cattle car to Boulder and take her out for real (meaning not dormitory) food. And using a deft combination of writing and well-honed passive aggressiveness, let us know in no uncertain terms how much she want to see us.

Witness this phone text sent prior to big weekend:

That's my daughter.
Everything she knows about persuasion, I taught her.

Well, we did end up going. And just as I had suspected, spent two and half days shopping for college student resupplies, including a brand new iPhone and a duvet cover.

Her roommate got a new bike.

And the two girls across the hallway, got new winter boots and winter coats.

If I didn't know better, and unfortunately I do, I'd suggest this whole Parent's Weekend thing is just a cleverly disguised marketing stunt to pump fresh revenue into the coffers of Colorado retailers. In fact, I was chatting it up with the store manager at Patagonia who told me this is one of his busiest weekends of the year.

Of course, it wasn't a total loss, as we managed to get a little west of the town and take a nice stroll up towards the Flatirons. And I was able to get a snapshot of Abby and I, which brings me to a grand lifetime total of 27 photos.