Remember concrete thinking
Sometimes as parents, we forget that children don’t quite have the ability for abstract thought that we take for granted. Thus the child in this video, who was obviously taught to call 911 when you need help, decides to use it to get some help with her (his?) math homework. Much to his mothers chagrin. A lot of credit must go to the 911 operator that did an excellent job of taking it all in stride.
Useless Tid-bits
The tid-bits of knowledge I gathered this weekend include:
That if I attempt to keep up with LatteGirl, and sing-along with her new High School Musical Karaoke disk for 3 hours, I will not be able to talk the next day.
That my inability to talk for a day is considered an early anniversary present by TheWife.
That when you call the local pizza place, he recites your order and address to you, then you probably are too predictable.
That at 3am, I would pay eleventy bajillion dollars for an asthma medication that doesn’t give LatteGirl Night Terrors as a side effect.
That the more elaborate I try to get with grilling vegetables, the greater the chance is that it will rain.
That reading MommyBloggers (yeah, I went there) can be a bit slow during BlogHer.
That somebody should really get Blog-a-thon moved so it isn’t the same week as BlogHer.
So what did you learn this weekend?
TVLN Music Club - Holding out for a Hero
In 1984 Bonnie Tyler released what would become her biggest hit, Holding out for a Hero. It was originally part of the soundtrack for Footloose. The infectious beat and uplifting sound of the song helped bring it to #1 on the Billaboard charts.
It would also go on to be part of the soundtrack of a number of other films including, Short Circuit 2, my personal favorite version in Who is Harry Crumb, Shrek 2 (not the Bonnie Tyler version) , Bandits, and last year’s Nacho Libre. It has also been used in a number of television shows as well including Lois and Clark : The New Adventures of Superman.
Personally, along with Survivors Eye of the Tiger, it is a regular in my workout and my new Couch to 5k playlists as well as anywhere I need more “energy.”
Friday Focaccia - TGIF Edition
Most people (except those that work weekends), are usually happy when Friday rolls around. But in our household this is definitely a week we would like to put behind us and not look back at.
It started with me getting a new laptop with Microsoft Vista. I guess I am getting old, because this “cool new interface” (some of course claim it is nothing but a Mac ripoff), is nothing short of annoying, and instead of making my life easier has slowed me down dramatically. Now from a sneak peek I had gotten, I already knew that I hated Office 2007, but until I started to actually use Vista, I had no idea how dumbed down they made it, which is slowing me and my production down immensely. Microsoft is very lucky that I am too invested in Windows to switch. Of course, as this week went along, it turned out my Vista issues were the least of my worries.
As I had already mentioned we had the the discovery that my step father-in-law has advanced Lung Cancer which has already spread, and was given “6 to 9 months.” What I have been avoiding talking about to this point was the TheWife had to go in for a biopsy on a “surpising large” lump that was found during her last breast exam. It was thought because of the size and speed it had grown that perhaps it was just a puss filled cyst. Well that was not the case, and it is a solid mass, so now we get the joy of sitting around a week waiting for results. In most cases this would not be a big deal, but considering the news we got earlier in the week, nerves are to say the least frazzled.
OK, perhaps it isn’t really all that much, but I still am quite happy to put this week “in the books” and move on. So let’s go to some less serous things shall we.
Idiot Savant - Week after week, I continue to be amazed that Helen Popkin continues to be employed as a columnist with MSNBC. What I can’t figure out is if this is MSNBC’s way of trying to be hip, to have a “blog like” column written by a complete idiot, or if they are trying to pick on bloggers in general by having such trash highlighted. Her latest piece, “How Technology has ruined life for our kids” really highlights her intellectual level as she laments that thanks to technology kids don’t have the joy of making crank calls anymore, or that thanks to “nannycams”, your poor babysitter won’t know the joys of being able to rifle through everything in your home while you are out. She does point out some more meaningful stuff such as that fall or embarassing momment that my have just gone unnoticed or at least forgotten relatively quickly in years gone by can now live in infamy on You Tube. But overall, this article is more proof than anything that she listed, since in today’s technology age, this is what can pass for news. I feel sorry for the kids of tomorrow.
Propaganda as News - Then there is this other brilliant story that the Associated Press picked up (but I guess I can’t blame them as they are just reporting it). According to a report to be published, a panel of “Medical Experts” concluded that Pot smokers are at a higher risk of psychosis. Now let me point out up front just to be clear, I do not nor do I condone smoking pot, so you can not say, “Well it is because he is ‘pro-pot’” as that is not the case. But this isn’t even a complete study. This is a panel reviewing other studies and pulling out what they want to “prove” a point. Now deep in the article it is admitted that they can not say if there are any “pre-existing conditions” that perhaps led to this. They can’t even rule out that this is because a certain number of people happened to go on to other drugs. They can’t even tell you what came first. Perhaps people that are at risk of psychosis are more likely to seek out pot as a way of dealing with their condition. None of these facts though was enough to keep them from making their declarative conclusion. Would anybody be surprised when I say that the study was funded by the British Health Deparment, which (like the U.S. health department) has a vested interest in “Just Say No”?
When does it happen too often to be called news? - After her lastest fiasco with a former Personal Assistant, I just officially give up on reading anything that contains the words Lindsay Lohan. She needs to be hospitalized, incarcerated or both. Not only for her own good, but for the good of the population in general. She really has just become a public menace, and she is going to kill somebody if they don’t put a leash on that animal.
News you can’t tell anybody - It has been a good year cheering the New Jersey Supreme Court, with the decisions that they have come down with (Abuse of Eminant Domain, Forcing equal rights for same sex couples), but that came crashing down yesterday when they declared unanimously that homeowners in “private communities” are NOT protected by 1st Amendment Rights, and things such as signs or displays on the lawn can be banned by the homeowners association of the community. It is widely believed that the New Jersey case will have implications throughout the country.
WTF News - Couple denied adoption of a child for being too fat. (CNN Video story can be seen here. News.com.au report can be read here.) Look, I understand obesity is a problem, but is bias against fat people the answer? This is actually becoming more of a problem (and not with just adoption) as people and officials seem to be developing definite discriminating tactics in dealing with overweight people.
Blogspotting - Give Hope, Give Help
It is that time of year again. Blog-a-thon is coming up this weekend. I unfortunately will not be participating this year, but there are some fine folks that are. Raising money for lots of good causes.
My partners from last years Blog-a-thon, Cathy, Doug, and Barry will be raising money for Star (Shangri-La Therapeutic Academy of Riding), which provides programs for special needs kids. You can go here to sponsor them.
And the ever vivacious Bunni of Bunniblog, will be raising money for Neuroblastoma Children’s Cancer Society. Since I can’t really do it justice, I ask that you go read her own story and why she is raising money for this cause. You can sponsor Bunni here.
Of course, you can also check out the other charities that bloggers will be raising money for at http://www.blogathon.org/. (But of course I am partial to those listed above :wink: ) And if you are also participating in the Blog-a-thon, please also list what you are raising money for in the Comments, and I will add you to this list.
My thanks of course as always goes out to those that take the time and effort to help raise money for these worthwhile causes, and all they ask is that we give what we can. Every little bit helps, you don’t need to choose between feeding your family and giving to a cause. Any amount that you can give will help. And 100% of all proceeds go DIRECTLY to the charity with no middle men involved. Your donation may even be tax deductible (insert the typical disclaimer to check with your tax adviser here).
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