Rating: NSS
Today would have been the day--too bad Congress did something about it. The DTV countdown would have expired, had it not been prolonged. Perish the thought someone might miss an episode of their favorite reality show. Ah yes, the government is requiring the switch and does not want anyone to not have access to important information. All well, fine, and good, yet we all know that the news is not top television viewing priority for many.
In other news, GM and Chrysler are cutting around 50,000 jobs. What can one say? I suppose I could make a glib comment about the triumph of capitalism, or I could make sarcastic remarks about bailouts. I could, but when it comes to 50,000 jobs, something gets lost under a sardonic tone.
A school district in the metro St. Louis area has "seclusion rooms," according to the local evening news. Part of me says, "Gasp!" Part of me says, "What were they thinking?" The teacher part of me says, "I'll believe 50% of what comes to school if you, the parent, believes 50% of what comes home." Don't get me wrong: Putting children in a padded room is not an acceptable form of discipline. Still it leaves me to wonder: what recourse does a teacher have these days to discipline a disruptive child? Teachers are caught between "you can't make me" and parents who defend their children to a fault. Love and Logic calls them helicopter parents--ones who swoop in and save their children whenever times get tough. Forget your homework? I'll fax it to you. Tardy again? I'll make your excuses for you and tell your school how they should understand how it is difficult to get to school on time. Get in trouble? It must be because your teacher is mean. Sorry if I sound exceedingly cynical, but the 50/50 rule (see above) is exceedingly applicable.
I suppose it could be worse: A train station in England has posted "No Kissing Signs"to avoid traffic congestion. No smooching your sweetie goodbye. . .
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Happy Balemtime's Day.
Rating: MS
It’s strange—I’ve been told I’m a romantic, yet I dislike Valentine’s Day. I mean that over-commercialized, wear red, created-to-sell-cards holiday which falls just before the ides of February. Maybe my bad attitude stems from elementary school when all my classmates gave out paper valentines AND boxes of conversation hearts or the cool Lifesaver suckers while all I gave out was paper valentines because we couldn’t afford more. Perhaps my negativity comes from junior high when we were no longer compelled to give out valentines equitably. We still gave to all, but some people got “better” valentines. Possibly my dislike of Valentine’s Day comes out of my high school experience of “Val-o-grams” where, for a minimal cost one could buy a carnation tied to a pre-printed card and it was delivered to a recipient in the school. It was quite obvious who had friends and who did not. The teachers hated them because they were a disruption; I disliked them due to my lack of receiving them. (Sore Loser Alert!) I suppose it’s silly to dislike a harmless day due to what happened when I was younger. Maybe it is because I am a romantic and yet never had a romantic Valentine’s Day. All I can say is this year, at least we get a Friday the 13th first!
It’s strange—I’ve been told I’m a romantic, yet I dislike Valentine’s Day. I mean that over-commercialized, wear red, created-to-sell-cards holiday which falls just before the ides of February. Maybe my bad attitude stems from elementary school when all my classmates gave out paper valentines AND boxes of conversation hearts or the cool Lifesaver suckers while all I gave out was paper valentines because we couldn’t afford more. Perhaps my negativity comes from junior high when we were no longer compelled to give out valentines equitably. We still gave to all, but some people got “better” valentines. Possibly my dislike of Valentine’s Day comes out of my high school experience of “Val-o-grams” where, for a minimal cost one could buy a carnation tied to a pre-printed card and it was delivered to a recipient in the school. It was quite obvious who had friends and who did not. The teachers hated them because they were a disruption; I disliked them due to my lack of receiving them. (Sore Loser Alert!) I suppose it’s silly to dislike a harmless day due to what happened when I was younger. Maybe it is because I am a romantic and yet never had a romantic Valentine’s Day. All I can say is this year, at least we get a Friday the 13th first!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Those Were The Days
Rating: NSS
I’m not close to retirement age yet, but I still find myself bugging my students with “back-in-the-day” reminisces. Of course, they remind me of my age sometime. Just try singing “California Girls” to a bunch of 5th and 6th graders. A plethora of blank looks (and not because of my singing, mind you).
The other day Radio Heartland’s blog “Trial Balloon” had a post on TV and its humble beginnings. I don’t remember when television was new, but I vaguely remember getting a color set. I remember having 5 channels from which to choose—ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, and one independent. Most of the time the independent station and ABC came in clearest. The other three, not so much.
This got me reminiscing some more about the time I was in elementary school. Lutheran Schools have and have not changed a whole lot over the past 20(!) years. The school I went to is now down to about 5% of the student population it was in my day. Still, the education was good, and my teachers taught me much more about the Lutheran faith than I realized they were.
Technology has changed, but the struggle for Lutheran schools to keep up hasn’t changed. Our school had purchased two computers—Apple 2Es—and put them on carts so that they could be rolled around to classrooms. We could use them during free time. Our favorite game was “Oregon Trail.” The point of the game was to get from Independence, MO, to Oregon without dying or starving. There were no graphics; a player actually had to read the screen to figure out their progress. To hunt, one had to type the word given. It’s amazing how quickly I learned to type “blam.” Ah, the good old days.I’m not close to retirement age yet, but I still find myself bugging my students with “back-in-the-day” reminisces. Of course, they remind me of my age sometime. Just try singing “California Girls” to a bunch of 5th and 6th graders. A plethora of blank looks (and not because of my singing, mind you).
The other day Radio Heartland’s blog “Trial Balloon” had a post on TV and its humble beginnings. I don’t remember when television was new, but I vaguely remember getting a color set. I remember having 5 channels from which to choose—ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, and one independent. Most of the time the independent station and ABC came in clearest. The other three, not so much.
This got me reminiscing some more about the time I was in elementary school. Lutheran Schools have and have not changed a whole lot over the past 20(!) years. The school I went to is now down to about 5% of the student population it was in my day. Still, the education was good, and my teachers taught me much more about the Lutheran faith than I realized they were.
Technology has changed, but the struggle for Lutheran schools to keep up hasn’t changed. Our school had purchased two computers—Apple 2Es—and put them on carts so that they could be rolled around to classrooms. We could use them during free time. Our favorite game was “Oregon Trail.” The point of the game was to get from Independence, MO, to Oregon without dying or starving. There were no graphics; a player actually had to read the screen to figure out their progress. To hunt, one had to type the word given. It’s amazing how quickly I learned to type “blam.” Ah, the good old days.
I’m not close to retirement age yet, but I still find myself bugging my students with “back-in-the-day” reminisces. Of course, they remind me of my age sometime. Just try singing “California Girls” to a bunch of 5th and 6th graders. A plethora of blank looks (and not because of my singing, mind you).
The other day Radio Heartland’s blog “Trial Balloon” had a post on TV and its humble beginnings. I don’t remember when television was new, but I vaguely remember getting a color set. I remember having 5 channels from which to choose—ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, and one independent. Most of the time the independent station and ABC came in clearest. The other three, not so much.
This got me reminiscing some more about the time I was in elementary school. Lutheran Schools have and have not changed a whole lot over the past 20(!) years. The school I went to is now down to about 5% of the student population it was in my day. Still, the education was good, and my teachers taught me much more about the Lutheran faith than I realized they were.
Technology has changed, but the struggle for Lutheran schools to keep up hasn’t changed. Our school had purchased two computers—Apple 2Es—and put them on carts so that they could be rolled around to classrooms. We could use them during free time. Our favorite game was “Oregon Trail.” The point of the game was to get from Independence, MO, to Oregon without dying or starving. There were no graphics; a player actually had to read the screen to figure out their progress. To hunt, one had to type the word given. It’s amazing how quickly I learned to type “blam.” Ah, the good old days.I’m not close to retirement age yet, but I still find myself bugging my students with “back-in-the-day” reminisces. Of course, they remind me of my age sometime. Just try singing “California Girls” to a bunch of 5th and 6th graders. A plethora of blank looks (and not because of my singing, mind you).
The other day Radio Heartland’s blog “Trial Balloon” had a post on TV and its humble beginnings. I don’t remember when television was new, but I vaguely remember getting a color set. I remember having 5 channels from which to choose—ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, and one independent. Most of the time the independent station and ABC came in clearest. The other three, not so much.
This got me reminiscing some more about the time I was in elementary school. Lutheran Schools have and have not changed a whole lot over the past 20(!) years. The school I went to is now down to about 5% of the student population it was in my day. Still, the education was good, and my teachers taught me much more about the Lutheran faith than I realized they were.
Technology has changed, but the struggle for Lutheran schools to keep up hasn’t changed. Our school had purchased two computers—Apple 2Es—and put them on carts so that they could be rolled around to classrooms. We could use them during free time. Our favorite game was “Oregon Trail.” The point of the game was to get from Independence, MO, to Oregon without dying or starving. There were no graphics; a player actually had to read the screen to figure out their progress. To hunt, one had to type the word given. It’s amazing how quickly I learned to type “blam.” Ah, the good old days.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Important Notice
We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog to inform you that one of the ads on my email today was for a french fry Spam casserole. Out of curiousity, I looked at the recipe, which included the following ingredients: frozen french fries, cream of chicken soup, cubed Spam, and crushed corn flakes. Don't get me wrong, I like all of those ingredients, but I can't picture them concerrently as a casserole. Sounds like an excerpt from the Jeff Foxworthy cookbook. . .
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
How Did It Get To This?
Rating: MS
So I've been trying to lose weight. I've done pretty well, so far, but I've found that now that I'm down to where people notice and I feel rather impressed with myself, the motivation starts to slip. I've blamed it on the holidays (see previous post); I've blamed it on the weather. Who wants to get up and exercise that early in the morning when the choice is a cold house or a warm bed? It's a classic battle of will power. Which will win? Laziness or Fitness? I'm rooting for fitness, mostly because I like the way I look and I gave away all the other clothes!
So I've been trying to lose weight. I've done pretty well, so far, but I've found that now that I'm down to where people notice and I feel rather impressed with myself, the motivation starts to slip. I've blamed it on the holidays (see previous post); I've blamed it on the weather. Who wants to get up and exercise that early in the morning when the choice is a cold house or a warm bed? It's a classic battle of will power. Which will win? Laziness or Fitness? I'm rooting for fitness, mostly because I like the way I look and I gave away all the other clothes!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas Dinner
I think I gave up the diet for Christmas--at least this, I believe, is the reason I put pencil in hand and composed this little poem to the tune of Jingle Bells.
Turkey, turkey, ham,
Green bean casserole
Pickles, olives, yams,
Butter on my roll,
Gravy on my mashed
Potatoes, if you please,
Darling, pass the cranberries,
And the bowl of peas.
Gingerbread, gingerbread,
Peanut butter kiss
Raisins in persimmon bars
These cookies never miss
Now some mincemeat pie,
And the apple too.
Pumpkin with fresh cream
Whipped up with love by you
I am really stuffed
I won’t eat for a month!
That was Christmas breakfast—
I wonder what’s for lunch. . .
Green bean casserole
Pickles, olives, yams,
Butter on my roll,
Gravy on my mashed
Potatoes, if you please,
Darling, pass the cranberries,
And the bowl of peas.
Gingerbread, gingerbread,
Peanut butter kiss
Raisins in persimmon bars
These cookies never miss
Now some mincemeat pie,
And the apple too.
Pumpkin with fresh cream
Whipped up with love by you
I am really stuffed
I won’t eat for a month!
That was Christmas breakfast—
I wonder what’s for lunch. . .
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Radio Unexpected
Rating: NSS
More than once I have found myself staying in the car in the driveway to hear the end of the song on the radio. I have even stayed in the car listening to a song I own on a CD--to this I could listen anytime. Yet, there is still something pleasingly unexpected about hearing a favorite song on the radio. Radio will not lose its appeal for me for this very reason--never knowing what one may hear next. CDs are a little too predictable.
More than once I have found myself staying in the car in the driveway to hear the end of the song on the radio. I have even stayed in the car listening to a song I own on a CD--to this I could listen anytime. Yet, there is still something pleasingly unexpected about hearing a favorite song on the radio. Radio will not lose its appeal for me for this very reason--never knowing what one may hear next. CDs are a little too predictable.
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