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I The nest may be empty and silence reigns but not for long That's Life Andy Juniper Guest Contributor 9 | Thursday, September 5, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com 'm sitting here listing to the sounds of silence -- not the cheerless chartbuster by Simon & Garfunkel, but rather, the cacophony of quiet that has suddenly replaced the usual chaos and clamor around our home. Honestly, it's a little unsettling. After a long Labour Day weekend spent, well, labouring -- having not one, but two moving experiences -- my wife is back at work. And our kids? In one fell swoop, in one wild weekend, they ew the coop. Leaving me, like Kevin McCallister before me, home alone. On the Saturday of the long weekend, we helped our second son transmigrate from homestead to Hogtown, where he's starting another year at Ryerson University. The move into the apartment went smoothly. But even a smooth move is a day spent packing, transporting, unpacking, organizing, assembling, cleaning and grabbing groceries before nally returning home, exhausted, and subsequently dropping off into a deep coma. On Sunday, we were up and at `em once again. This time moving our daughter into residence for her freshman year at Western University. I'm not suggesting she was at all nervous about leaving home for the rst time, venturing out on her own and embarking on a whole new life. But over the course of the 90-minute drive to London, Ont., we did have to stop for a bathroom break. Or two. Or three. Thankfully, her move went like clockwork. Those Western masterminds sure know how to make the process of moving thousands of kids into residence as painless as possible. Aside from ef ciency, there was also atmosphere as senior students greeted each incoming car. Alas, for every kid swept up in waves of school spirit, there were ve freshmen awkwardly milling about, nerves on edge: gnawing ngernails to the quick, and futilely trying to beat back the butter ies in their guts. Never mind that by the end of orientation week many of these students will have made friends for life. We took a walk around Western, by then awash in frosh. The anxiousness on campus was palpable. Our daughter seemed torn between wanting us to stay with her for a while longer, and wanting us to get the heck moving so she could begin her new life. At some point during the walk, I received an alarm- ing call from our second son. The strident wail in the background was the apartment alarm he'd tried (and apparently failed) to set. Crazy times. Exciting times. But at once anxious and apprehensive times. To quote my niece, who took to Twitter and borrowed from indie rockers Alt-J as she set off for her university orientation week: "The fear has gripped me, but here I go." And... here I go. Making my own noise. Filling this odd and ubiquitous silence with new sounds, conquering the unsettling cacophony of quiet with the hum of activity. Spirits buoyed by the knowledge that while our offspring may well be gone, they're never really gone. There's abundant technology to keep us closely connected. And Thanksgiving's approaching. And the epic Christmas holiday. Oh, and then the four-month-long summer break. That's right, university students are actually still home one-third of each year, by the end of which I'll surely be looking forward to again hearing the sounds of silence. -- Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com, found on Facebook www.facebook.com, or followed on Twitter at www.twitter.com/thesportjesters. 150+ POINT INSPECTION MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE EXCHANGE PRIVLIEDGE BUDDS' CHEVROLET SEPTEMBER PRE-OWNED VEHICLE SALE 2004 BMW 6 Series 645Ci 2007 Buick Allure CXL Sedan 2010 Buick Enclave CXL AWD Convertible 4.4L V8, Manual,Black, 127,551 kms, Stk# O3005PB 4 door Sedan, 3.8L V6 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, Grey, 106,233 kms, Stk# EN3017PA 4 door SUV, 3.6L V6 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, Black, 94,180 kms, Stk# EN008L $ 24,800 $ 9,659 $ 24,988 2013 Buick Lacrosse 2013 Cadillac CTS Sedan 3.0L SIDI Sedan 2010 Chevrolet Cobalt LT Coupe 4 door Sedan, 3.6L V6 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, Black, 35,488 kms, Stk# R0293 4 door Sedan, V6 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, Silver, 22,587 kms, Stk# R0327 2 door Coupe 2.2L 4 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, Black, 69,159 kms, Stk# CR3107A $ 2013 Chevrolet Express 2500 Cargo 2012 Chevrolet Impala LS Sedan 2013 Chevrolet Impala LT Sedan 3 door Minivan, 4.8L 8 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, White, 30,515 kms, Stk# R0315 4 door Sedan, V6 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, Black, 59,719 kms, Stk# R0328 4 door Sedan, 3.6L V6 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, White, 26,307 kms, Stk# R0322 22,900 $ 33,385 $ 9,460 for once again choosing us the BEST #1 Thank You Oakville "Make your own Wine" "Make your own Beer" For the Past 16 Years in a row! $ 2013 Chevrolet Impala LT Sedan 2012 Chevrolet Malibu LS Sedan 2012 Ford F-150 XTR Supercab 4WD 4 door Sedan, V6 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, Black, 26,999 kms, Stk# R0321 4 door Sedan, 4 Cylinder Engine Automatic, White, 57,336 kms, Stk# R0333 4 door Truck, 3.5L V6 Cylinder Engine, Automatic, Blue, 42,369 kms, Stk# ES3007A 22,990 16,994 $ 13,300 $ 16,994 $ Some conditions apply. 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