back to school

today i received the back-to-school packet, jarring me into the reality that there are only four weeks left before the boys start classes. we are not in any way prepared. one of the things that has happened is that tiger has grown out of everything this summer, sometimes in between trying it on and taking it home. he's seven; it happens. the school packet was filled with the typical many emergency information forms and family info forms and school schedules. but that was only one-third of the packet. the other two-thirds contained the many ways in which i can pump and be pumped for fund-raising. so instead of harranguing you all year long, i am simply going to buy each of you a community school tee shirt (wear it or not, as you choose). please let me know what your size is (S, M, L, XL, XXL) and if you prefer short or long sleeved varieties. they aren't really very expensive, they aren't really very attractive, but hey, i wasn't consulted. if you have co-workers or fellow folk at other associations (think kung-fu, rapier fighting, fellow gamers, co-workers who need a gag gift, you get the idea) whom you think i could regale with these things, please don't hesitate to let me know. i feel as though i ought to do a bit to help out, since the boys receive such a generous percentage of the school's scholarship fund.

i called land's end to see if the school participates in its fund-raising program. typical of the hippie mentality, it doesn't. so i'm going to speak to the development co-ordinator and see what the deal is. three percent off qualifying purchases isn't a small deal, and there is a free logo set up, and free mailings to parents of the back-to-school catalog with the school's id number right on the back. since we all shop here anyway, what could be easier? then i found out that there is a gift-card program at land's end, wherein the purchase of $5000.00 of gift cards (which can be spent on anything in the catalog, online, or on land's end merchandise at Sears) yields a whopping 15% return. now, at first i thought that five grand was a bit much to try to find commitments for, since we would need at least the five grand pledged before we went to the school and said let's do this. then Tiger and i sat down and figured out all the stuff his growing-little-self is going to need for the upcoming year:

1 lunch box
1 sling bag
3 short sleeved polo
5 long sleeved polos
5 turtlenecks
2 corderoys
3 khakis
1 sweatpants
1 sweatshirt
1 hoodie
1 polartec pullover
3 oxford shirts
2 chambray shirts
2 cardigans
3 crew sweaters
3 vests
5 teeshirt
4 pkgs. Socks
1 leather oxfords
1 squall jacket
4 pkgs. boxers
2 belts
total $999.00 (before tax and shipping)

suddenly five grand didn't seem like such a stretch.