June 7, 2026

by Dr. Plastic Picker

Given the Harvard entering class is about 1600 unique individuals, the idea that anyone knows the formula of how to get into Harvard – is really ridiculous. Some other parents have asked Mr. Plastic Picker, who is the Chief of the Radioactive Doctors Department, and he just shrugs his shoulders. It was an exhausting process senior year for all involved, just applying to college. It just happened that the top college our youngest was admitted to was Harvard, and it has that aura. But for all of us who are alumni and Harvard trained, we all know it’s just a place. It’s pretty similar to other places like Yale, Brown, Stanford, Columbia, Georgetown, Cornell, Berkeley, Clairemont McKenna Colleges, USC, UCLA, and on and on and on.

I’m glad she’s in and we’ve reveled as a family and community, but then moving past it. I’m relieved. Our daughter has made contact with the Harvard Ceramics program and other key people she will need to know while there. She has a vague idea of what she wants to study and professional goals. And we have our plane tickets and hotel reservations, and a move-in date. We are back to the regular world of having to do things together as a family, and are still celebrating – but not nonstop. It was very wonderful but a bit too much for my nervous system! Yesterday Mr. Plastic Picker and I went for a long walk. We ate food at home which has plenty of protein, and some fruit/vegetables. We are eating all the many many leftovers in our house, and re-centering ourselves. We had a last gathering of our girl scout troop yesterday which was very meaningful. And ended that chapter of our lives. It was twelve years together. That could be an entire book in itself! I am so grateful I was their girl scout leader, and got to have that experience with my daughter and her friends and the other moms. We had so many different experiences together!

How do you get into Harvard? Actually I got into Harvard too! But I’d rather ask the questions – how do I deep clean my bathroom? How do I fill the sink-hole in my backyard? How do I navigate menopause? How many supplements does any sane person take? Which hair-dye should I use? How do I get Mr. Plastic Picker to exercise more and stress less? Those are the questions I really want answered.

Our now two adult children went to the gym together yesterday, and they were laughing and had funny antics that they were showing us. A secret handshake that includes a robot-like ending. It’s really funny and endearing. We used our ninja air fryer and the turkey burgers turned out really well! And everyone had their burgers a bit different with different fixings. I never realized how the children don’t really like fresh tomatoes? Which is crazy since we have so many tomatoes every year! My son made this stir-fry with a bunch of leftovers and it actually turned out okay. I was initially horrified that he dared alter a fundamentally amazing Vietnamese dish by combining it with some dishes, but when he stir fried it with some left over salmon poke bowl and a random chicken tender – it was actually transformed into something really interesting! But most importantly he ate it and there wasn’t any leftovers and we had less food waste in our kitchen.

I know the blog has become more my blathering than anything. But it helps me sort things out in the morning. I have to write a letter of recommendation today, try to finalize an abstract by a student group. I’m not sure if they got it done correctly? And then make sure I show up where I’m supposed to show up this week. I have to email Harvard an email from our family regarding our daughter, so that they can place her in the right dorm with the right roommate. Thank you Harvard – I really appreciate that care and consideration. And then I have to finish ordering our Harvard freshmen ad for the yearbook. So lots of Harvard things to do for our Harvard-bound youngest. How did she get in? I think she got in because she applied and she was qualified and an interesting candidate. And it doesn’t hurt that both her parents were alumni. But we are proud of her, because she was admitted to another Ivy League college and a few other top notch schools. So if she hadn’t got into Harvard, she would be freezing her tushy off in Ithaca! Phew. That would have been close! Cornell is really really really really COLD!