I heard this last night, as I was typing away, replying to a PM left by a friend at a message board.
"Huh?", I said.
Nelson says "I said, are you blogging?".
Me: "Nope. Just replying to a PM."
Him: "A what?"
Me: "A private message, left for me by (insert name here - someone he knows)"
Him: "Oh. I wasn't sure."
Me: "That's ok. I should put something up, but I don't know what. Since you brought it up, any suggestions? What did you think I was blogging about?"
Him: "I thought maybe you were blogging about football." (as the game chugs on in the background)
Me: "I appreciate the suggestion, however I don't have much to say about football - but thanks for trying."
I don't much care for football. This was made worse by my tenure in the band in middle school, high school, and college. As a sport, it doesn't hold my interest. I rate it higher than golf, tennis, basketball, and baseball on the interest-o-meter, but not by much. It does, however, rate much higher than NASCAR.
I just really am not much in to sports as a whole. I do enjoy Ice Hockey - it manages to hold my interest. I also enjoy figure skating. When I myself was skating, I was much more in to it, but I haven't been hardcore in to it in years. I just haven't found anyone I can really get behind in the last few years. When the next Brian Boitano comes along, maybe I'll change my mind. I adore the Olympics, but probably more for the ideals they stand for. When they're on, nothing else is at my house. I have a good functioning knowledge of amateur wrestling, but I need to know that for my job. As an aside, I have very minimal knowledge on certain cheerleading and gymnastics regs for the same reason.
For all intents and purposes, I am a football widow. There was a time when he only watched NFL. He used to tell me "Hey, be glad I'm not in to college football". That, however, was just a matter of time. I didn't think Sundays would be too bad when we first met, because we can't get a whole lot farther away than the team he roots for, so there wouldn't be a lot of games to sit through, but that never mattered. We had to watch this game because it was important if they won or lost. Another game didn't matter in that respect, but we watch because it's football, and it's on. Now my Saturdays are tied up too. He roots for a team that is frequently on tv, so no dodge ther, and with the complex BCS rankings thingy, all games are important. When he's in full effect of football withdrawal, he goes to......Arena Football. No disrespect for people who enjoy it - please feel free to do so - but it makes me wish for regular football back.
I usually find something to do to keep my occupied while the games are on, and last night was no different. One thing we do enjoy together, however, is ranking on what should be loosely termed as "Color Commentator Teams". Our favorite target is John Madden. Words fail me to describe him. He's all circular talk, Telestrator play, and Brett Favre references. We both adore Frank Caliendo (You Tube him sometime) and his dead-on take on Madden ("Brett Favre could lose both arms and both legs and he'd still be the best torso in football!").
Anyway, the commentary team that was on the game we were watching (don't remember who - it was college - that's all I remember) is one that he particularly doesn't like. There are two people in the group that seem to be ok, but one who just has absolutely no clue, and he seems to speak the most. He made a lot of glaring errors, and strange comments. As I have my head buried in my laptop, working on another part of the PM chain that was going on last night, I hear something that should never EVER come up during a football game (or anywhere else at this point in time anymore):
Weird Dude: "Hey! What the heck is Britney doing?"
Normal Commentator: "Who?"
Weird Dude: "Britney! What in the heck is she doing anymore?"
Other Normal Commentator: "Britney who?"
Weird Dude: "Britney Spears, of course! What's the deal with her lately?"
Normal Commentator: "Why do we care?"
THANK YOU NORMAL COMMENTATOR! And apparently we weren't the only ones who thought that Saturday Night College Football wasn't the appropriate place to bring up Britney Spears, as they hurriedly cut to commercial, and then never mentioned it again.
And on another note.......
College Football is an animal all it's own, and one I don't think I'll ever fully get. I can understand why people get hyped up about their Alma Maters (GO YSU PENGUINS!!) but around here, Penn State is a religion, and I know very few people who have actually gone there. My cousin, a co-worker - that's all I can think of. They are fanatics, but I understand. The remainder of the people who live around here? Not so much.
We fly the Buckeye flag (two of them, in fact) in front of our house. We have our reasons. A lot of them have to do with the fact that we are fans of their coach (going back to his YSU days - I've met Jim Tressel, and he's a great guy). Apparently, that's not cool around here. Apparently there's an 11th Commandment that states "Thou Shalt Root For Penn State" that I'm not aware of. The topic has been brought up in church. We've had people refuse to wait on us in stores. I'm serious. People: there are more important things in this world. Seriously. Church is not the place to air a football rivalry. But that's enough of that.
Wow. I guess I managed, in my rambly and disjointed way, to actually blog about football.
This one is for you, honey.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
I Never Thought I'd Find Myself Agreeing With Oprah
But I think she has hit the nail on the head with this one:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20773318/
First off, let me say that I sympathize with both the Brown and Goldman families. My heart goes out to them. In a million years, I couldn't imagine what they are going through. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
That being said, my personal opinion is that the Goldman family needs to start healing. Holding in all this hate isn't doing them any good. Mr. Goldman has been quoted as saying that he hasn't slept since his son was murdered. I can understand that. I just can't understand how he can, in good conscience, release this book.
When I see Mr. Goldman decrying the publication of this book, and then choosing to publish it himself, calling it gratifying that he was able to "snatch it away" from OJ makes me look at him with a hypocritical eye. Why was it ok in one instance, then not ok in the next? Ye olde double standard strikes again.
I was a bit puzzled when Mr. Goldman was just so passionate about it not being published. Under the Son Of Sam laws (and OJ was convicted in civil court, so I would think that would count), he should have been able to funnel all of OJ's potential profit toward the $30+ million judgement that I'm sure he has come nowhere near fulfilling. Instead, he will pocket the profits. Not to defend OJ in the slightest, but will he put any of the profits toward satisfying that judgement? Share any with the Brown family, or Nicole's children? I doubt it.
Instead, it's just something else for Mr. Goldman to be angry about. I shook my head when he said he wanted to buy OJ's Heisman himself just so he could smash it. I shook it just as much when he bragged about snatching the book away from OJ. It's the same thing. The Brown family has been more cool and collected. They also decried the publication of the book, but they disagree vehemently with the Goldman family and their decision.
Sadly, there is nothing, I repeat NOTHING in the world that can bring these two people back. In my heart of hearts, I believe OJ did it, but that he had help - I just don't think he's smart enough to pull it off himself. I also think he was deserving of having that judgement levied against him. The Goldman family had an opportunity to have more put to that judgement, but they chose not to. If satisfying it would give them some type of closure, it won't happen in their lifetime - they'll see to that themselves that they can hold it over OJ's head until he dies.
Again, I'm NOT defending OJ in the slightest, but I'm just confused as to why rational human beings wouldn't want to try and end this so they could move forward with their lives. You won't sleep until you let go of some of this hate. I don't think your loved one would want you to be acting like this in his name. I could be wrong, but I know I wouldn't want it in my name.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20773318/
First off, let me say that I sympathize with both the Brown and Goldman families. My heart goes out to them. In a million years, I couldn't imagine what they are going through. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
That being said, my personal opinion is that the Goldman family needs to start healing. Holding in all this hate isn't doing them any good. Mr. Goldman has been quoted as saying that he hasn't slept since his son was murdered. I can understand that. I just can't understand how he can, in good conscience, release this book.
When I see Mr. Goldman decrying the publication of this book, and then choosing to publish it himself, calling it gratifying that he was able to "snatch it away" from OJ makes me look at him with a hypocritical eye. Why was it ok in one instance, then not ok in the next? Ye olde double standard strikes again.
I was a bit puzzled when Mr. Goldman was just so passionate about it not being published. Under the Son Of Sam laws (and OJ was convicted in civil court, so I would think that would count), he should have been able to funnel all of OJ's potential profit toward the $30+ million judgement that I'm sure he has come nowhere near fulfilling. Instead, he will pocket the profits. Not to defend OJ in the slightest, but will he put any of the profits toward satisfying that judgement? Share any with the Brown family, or Nicole's children? I doubt it.
Instead, it's just something else for Mr. Goldman to be angry about. I shook my head when he said he wanted to buy OJ's Heisman himself just so he could smash it. I shook it just as much when he bragged about snatching the book away from OJ. It's the same thing. The Brown family has been more cool and collected. They also decried the publication of the book, but they disagree vehemently with the Goldman family and their decision.
Sadly, there is nothing, I repeat NOTHING in the world that can bring these two people back. In my heart of hearts, I believe OJ did it, but that he had help - I just don't think he's smart enough to pull it off himself. I also think he was deserving of having that judgement levied against him. The Goldman family had an opportunity to have more put to that judgement, but they chose not to. If satisfying it would give them some type of closure, it won't happen in their lifetime - they'll see to that themselves that they can hold it over OJ's head until he dies.
Again, I'm NOT defending OJ in the slightest, but I'm just confused as to why rational human beings wouldn't want to try and end this so they could move forward with their lives. You won't sleep until you let go of some of this hate. I don't think your loved one would want you to be acting like this in his name. I could be wrong, but I know I wouldn't want it in my name.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Just Say No To Hotlinks
Has this ever happened to anyone else? Or am I just a schlub?
I belong to a small, relatively private forum. We have a good time. A number of people were posting old local commercials. I went to youtube, looking for a number of oldies but goodies that I remember. I didn't manage to turn any up, but I did find one that I vividly remembered from my time in Northeast Ohio.
It was for a nursing home. The TV played it to death. It was constantly on. The woman who "narrated" the commercial looked somewhat like my roommate at the time. She walked through the commercial, very stiff and wooden, speaking slightly stilted, like she was reading a cue card. They talked about the luxury of their home, and how happy it was. The old people looked happy enough, but the whole thing was kind of laughable. On an off-note, this nursing home is still up and running - has been for a long time, and they get good marks from the state, so it's not "the crooked home from 60 Minutes" (ala The Simpsons), but perhaps you "had to be there" to find this commercial humorous.
Anyway, it was a reply to the post that got me to start digging. I wanted to see if they were still in business (hence I found the information mentioned above), and if I could find current pictures (no dice). It was then I saw a link to a report in the local newspaper, and thought I'd take a gander. I had misread the blip appearing on Google - I thought someone had walked away from the home, but it was different, and worse than that.
They told the story of an elderly man. His wife lived at the home. He came everyday for dinner, and then sat at her bedside. One day, she got sick, and they rushed her off to the local hospital. He followed in his car. He stayed at the hospital, and then left when visiting hours were over. His wife went back to the home, but he did not. He never returned. He never showed up for dinner at the home again. The article said the people at the home were concerned, and said that the last time he came in, he appeared a little confused. I began feverishly googling for this man. What became of him? Why did he just disappear? I found an obituary for a man with a similar name, but he died in another state. Then I found the follow-up article.
Turns out the man in the obituary was indeed the man I was looking for. His car was found down over the bank on a logging road TWO STATES AWAY. They think he got disoriented some time after he left the hospital, and ended up on this road that was like 250 miles from his home. They found him, deceased, outside his car. They think he was trying to find help. They believe he died from exposure to the cold. Just having had my grandmother diagnosed with Alzheimer's (who is in assisted living), it's an absolutely frightening thought, and I feel so sorry for his family.
But aside from the sadness, this is not the first time I started out doing a simple google search, and ended up off on a wild tangent, looking for something else, and in this case ending up bumming for the night, or more commonly up until 3am looking at the computer. I should just say no to hotlinks not directly pertaining to what I'm looking for. Will I learn any time soon? Nope. I've found some cool stuff just roaming around. This one, unfortunately, didn't have a happy ending.
I belong to a small, relatively private forum. We have a good time. A number of people were posting old local commercials. I went to youtube, looking for a number of oldies but goodies that I remember. I didn't manage to turn any up, but I did find one that I vividly remembered from my time in Northeast Ohio.
It was for a nursing home. The TV played it to death. It was constantly on. The woman who "narrated" the commercial looked somewhat like my roommate at the time. She walked through the commercial, very stiff and wooden, speaking slightly stilted, like she was reading a cue card. They talked about the luxury of their home, and how happy it was. The old people looked happy enough, but the whole thing was kind of laughable. On an off-note, this nursing home is still up and running - has been for a long time, and they get good marks from the state, so it's not "the crooked home from 60 Minutes" (ala The Simpsons), but perhaps you "had to be there" to find this commercial humorous.
Anyway, it was a reply to the post that got me to start digging. I wanted to see if they were still in business (hence I found the information mentioned above), and if I could find current pictures (no dice). It was then I saw a link to a report in the local newspaper, and thought I'd take a gander. I had misread the blip appearing on Google - I thought someone had walked away from the home, but it was different, and worse than that.
They told the story of an elderly man. His wife lived at the home. He came everyday for dinner, and then sat at her bedside. One day, she got sick, and they rushed her off to the local hospital. He followed in his car. He stayed at the hospital, and then left when visiting hours were over. His wife went back to the home, but he did not. He never returned. He never showed up for dinner at the home again. The article said the people at the home were concerned, and said that the last time he came in, he appeared a little confused. I began feverishly googling for this man. What became of him? Why did he just disappear? I found an obituary for a man with a similar name, but he died in another state. Then I found the follow-up article.
Turns out the man in the obituary was indeed the man I was looking for. His car was found down over the bank on a logging road TWO STATES AWAY. They think he got disoriented some time after he left the hospital, and ended up on this road that was like 250 miles from his home. They found him, deceased, outside his car. They think he was trying to find help. They believe he died from exposure to the cold. Just having had my grandmother diagnosed with Alzheimer's (who is in assisted living), it's an absolutely frightening thought, and I feel so sorry for his family.
But aside from the sadness, this is not the first time I started out doing a simple google search, and ended up off on a wild tangent, looking for something else, and in this case ending up bumming for the night, or more commonly up until 3am looking at the computer. I should just say no to hotlinks not directly pertaining to what I'm looking for. Will I learn any time soon? Nope. I've found some cool stuff just roaming around. This one, unfortunately, didn't have a happy ending.
Monday, September 10, 2007
"You'll Never Look At Music The Same Way Again"
-Original MTV Teaser Line
I haven't watched the MTV Awards, in total or earnest, since 1988. Seriously. That's the last time that I cared about it. I briefly tuned in a few years back to see Duran Duran pick up a lifetime achievement award, and due to technical difficulties, it ended up being a real bust.
I taped the whole evening back in 1988 (still have the tape, too). It was a good evening. Started out with everyone's (well, mine at least) favorite game show, Remote Control. They had a contest, and the winner got to be on Remote Control, and then go to the VMA's afterward. They had a one-hour show where it showed this guy trying to get to the VMA's with Colin Quinn and Ken Ober (I think - it's been a long time).
Then they had the VMA's. The big winner was INXS, winning a lot of awards for "I Need You Tonight". I seem to remember Guns 'N Roses singing "Welcome To The Jungle". The VJ's (when they were still good) were out in full force. It was the typical, glamorous MTV evening. The tape wraps up with Adam Curry in the bathroom (the only quiet place in the building) to recap the winners by showing the videos that took awards. What's not to love? I was about a month shy of turning 15. It was sheer heaven for me.
Then it all started to change.
Remote Control was no longer as fun as it once was. Music started to change. By 1989, there was a surge of hair metal - something I never could stomach, and the roots of what would later become grunge were starting to take hold. Metallica was finding a strong presence for their dark music. Groups that I liked were slowly fading away, or weren't turning out videos like they once had. There was a change in VJ's. MTV also first made the initial turn to being largely scheduled programming, as opposed to showing videos. To quote a favorite movie, "I preminiced no return of the salad days". Gasp - I started watching more......VH-1! (shhh - don't tell)
The daily viewings of "Yo! MTV Raps" ceased in the summer of 1989. I would enjoy hip-hop for a few more years, but rap was beginning to drift from the Old Skool that I loved so much. I stopped watching Club MTV around the same time. It had grown stale. I started watching Headbanger's Ball in 1992, when I met Nelson. He had been with it from the beginning, when Adam Curry and Kevin Seal were hosting. Then Ricki Rachtman took over. We stuck with it until the bitter end, in 1995. By that time, it was sucking large. We groaned every time that Rob Zombie came on to paint the walls. Beavis and Butthead were canceled in 1997, and that ended my MTV watching days, until The Osbournes were picked -up, and then we watched only long enough to catch the episode. And so, I bid Adieu to MTV - a mere shell of it's former, glorious self.
I was a true MTV junkie. I couldn't wait to get it on when I got home from school. I was glued to each World Premiere. When we finally got cable, we were on a different system from the kids I went to school with, and thus I was the only one who got MTV. For a while, everyone was jealous.
So what brought back all this waxing nostalgic? Last night's train-wreck. I'd heard the awards were on, but had no interest in watching. I saw the clip on the MSN page about Britney Spears being nothing short of embarrassing, and it sparked a thread on a forum I belong to. I listed my reasons for disillusionment with MTV, and the current state of the music industry in general. That brought up an interesting MTV discussion with some good points by a good friend of mine:
I haven't watched the MTV Awards, in total or earnest, since 1988. Seriously. That's the last time that I cared about it. I briefly tuned in a few years back to see Duran Duran pick up a lifetime achievement award, and due to technical difficulties, it ended up being a real bust.
I taped the whole evening back in 1988 (still have the tape, too). It was a good evening. Started out with everyone's (well, mine at least) favorite game show, Remote Control. They had a contest, and the winner got to be on Remote Control, and then go to the VMA's afterward. They had a one-hour show where it showed this guy trying to get to the VMA's with Colin Quinn and Ken Ober (I think - it's been a long time).
Then they had the VMA's. The big winner was INXS, winning a lot of awards for "I Need You Tonight". I seem to remember Guns 'N Roses singing "Welcome To The Jungle". The VJ's (when they were still good) were out in full force. It was the typical, glamorous MTV evening. The tape wraps up with Adam Curry in the bathroom (the only quiet place in the building) to recap the winners by showing the videos that took awards. What's not to love? I was about a month shy of turning 15. It was sheer heaven for me.
Then it all started to change.
Remote Control was no longer as fun as it once was. Music started to change. By 1989, there was a surge of hair metal - something I never could stomach, and the roots of what would later become grunge were starting to take hold. Metallica was finding a strong presence for their dark music. Groups that I liked were slowly fading away, or weren't turning out videos like they once had. There was a change in VJ's. MTV also first made the initial turn to being largely scheduled programming, as opposed to showing videos. To quote a favorite movie, "I preminiced no return of the salad days". Gasp - I started watching more......VH-1! (shhh - don't tell)
The daily viewings of "Yo! MTV Raps" ceased in the summer of 1989. I would enjoy hip-hop for a few more years, but rap was beginning to drift from the Old Skool that I loved so much. I stopped watching Club MTV around the same time. It had grown stale. I started watching Headbanger's Ball in 1992, when I met Nelson. He had been with it from the beginning, when Adam Curry and Kevin Seal were hosting. Then Ricki Rachtman took over. We stuck with it until the bitter end, in 1995. By that time, it was sucking large. We groaned every time that Rob Zombie came on to paint the walls. Beavis and Butthead were canceled in 1997, and that ended my MTV watching days, until The Osbournes were picked -up, and then we watched only long enough to catch the episode. And so, I bid Adieu to MTV - a mere shell of it's former, glorious self.
I was a true MTV junkie. I couldn't wait to get it on when I got home from school. I was glued to each World Premiere. When we finally got cable, we were on a different system from the kids I went to school with, and thus I was the only one who got MTV. For a while, everyone was jealous.
So what brought back all this waxing nostalgic? Last night's train-wreck. I'd heard the awards were on, but had no interest in watching. I saw the clip on the MSN page about Britney Spears being nothing short of embarrassing, and it sparked a thread on a forum I belong to. I listed my reasons for disillusionment with MTV, and the current state of the music industry in general. That brought up an interesting MTV discussion with some good points by a good friend of mine:
Ok. I get it now. It took the above to hit me with a wake-up call. While MTV has changed their format (and not for the better), I have simply outgrown it. Like it or not, I'm no longer their target demographic. I have officially become middle aged. I guess it was bound to happen. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch some VH-1............I think a big part of the problem with the VMA's is what MTV started out as, and what it has become in the last 25 years.
MTV was "cool" when it started out, back before everything in the entertainment industry went completely corporate. If you were a new artist and MTV and played your video, chances are you were going to be huge. I may be remembering this incorrectly, but I'm pretty sure MTV essentially made Madonna. It was a network for the younger generation, irreverent and sort of anti-authoritarian. I think the VMA's started out the same way -- a hip, cool awards show that was everything the old, stodgy Grammy's weren't.
But over the years it seems like the VMA's have become another established corporate awards show -- just like the Grammy's. MTV is nothing more than a set of offices at CBS/Viacom, and instead of being run by people who love music and know what's "cool", it's being run by recent college graduates who are simply chasing ratings and ad revenue. Their idea of "programming" is trying to capitalize on whatever the 18-34 demographic thinks is cool.
So in reality, MTV sold it's soul to the almighty dollar a long time ago. And because of that, I would say that MTV is essentially irrelevant today -- just another cable channel that used to be about music but somewhere along the line decided that crappy reality shows starring Ashley Simpson get better ratings.
Not helping at all is the sorry state of the music industry, where there are very few legitimate "stars" or even people with any demonstrable talent. Just a bunch of bands and pop stars created and manufactured by record labels, many of whom don't stick around long enough for anyone to care about them. And even a lot of the big names are "stars" only because they're on TV a lot, or because the kids think
they're "cool" -- not because they have any actual talent.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
To All The People I've Run Into In The Last Few Days
Thank you so much for trying to ruin my vacation! I say "try", because as hard as you pushed, we managed to push back harder and eventually get it evened out, but there was a lot of tense moments and complaining that did not need to happen. Let me preface this by saying that this does NOT apply to my friends and family - I have yet to see them fall in to this category. If you, however, see any of yourself in this, perhaps it's time for a heart-to-heart.
I'd first like to thank the parents of the two toddlers at the National Historical site - the ones with the heavy-duty anglo-saxon names. What a joy your kids were. For starters, I can't imagine why the thought that the kids would enjoy something like that ever seemed like a good idea. Their constant screaming and whining and throwing themselves down on the ground should have been the first red flag. Thanks so much for the entertainment of having to follow them around while they pitched a constant fit. How great it was to have them run around, being disruptive and destructive. And what fine role models you must be. The sign says "NO SMOKING"? Heck, that doesn't apply to you - just go for it. Let's forget for just a moment that you are surrounded by woodlands and highly combustible buildings hundreds of years old. Heck, I'd have respect for you as you threatened me and started counting (only to not do anything to back that up), cigarette hanging out of the corner of your mouth....... You owe me the cost of 3 admissions, plus something for aggrivation.
A follow-up kudo goes to the guy who took the toddler in to the high-cost gift shop, only to have the child accidentally destroy some stuff, and then take off without owning up to it - another fantastic role model. Why teach the kid to take responsibility for their actions? I'm not saying that the little one meant to do it - which just proves my point that perhaps taking them in there in the first place wasn't a good idea - but what a great opportunity to teach them that even if it is an accident, you have to make things right. Instead, you reinforced the notion that the current generation already runs rampant with that NOTHING is their fault. So let's instead blame the people who run the gift shop (in an effort to help fund the site) for putting out breakable things. How dare they?
My second big thanks goes to the parents of the "tween" at another place we stopped. How wise of you to buy your kid the sneakers that have those stupid little wheels in them. For starters, they're dangerous to the kids. Second, the kids use them at totally inappropriate times. It's no wonder that so many public places have banned them. I would be surprised if this place hadn't, but then again, following the rules is too much to ask for some people. Your kid thought it would be fun to wheel around (without being under your supervision) and when they ran into someone who was minding their own business, rather than just going on their way, they decided to make an issue out of it. Rather than just letting it drop or admitting they shouldn't have been doing what they were doing , they turned a simple reflex of putting a hand up to try and brace for an impact in to a "hit". Embarassed, the kid probably stomped off, found the parents, and fibbed that the person hit him, for attention or effect (the fact that they were tooling around on wheels in a busy public place tells me it's an attention thing). We were all kids. We've all done this. Problem is, my mom would not have believed me had I been making it up. She had that way of getting to the truth. Furthermore, she wouldn't have allowed me to get away with it without apologizing to the person I bumped into. She wouldn't have gotten into a screaming match with the person who was the innocent bystander in all of this. She wouldn't have lectured them. She wouldn't have continued screaming long after the other person walked away, not wanting to fan the flames further. I know the innocent party. They used to teach small children and they mentor abused children who were removed from their homes. They were an abused child themselves - they don't hit children. Perhaps you need to tell your kid the difference between right and wrong, and that lying is a bad thing that can get innocent people in trouble. In other words, TELL THE TRUTH. You owe me the cost of admission for 4 people, and the cost of 2 sets of cab fare for running out and back to this site, and big-time for having to watch your tirade.
A side thanks goes to all the reckless baby stroller operators out there. I'm sure your 3 month old baby woke up in the morning and begged you to take them to the museum, fair, etc. How fun for the kids to have to be shuttled around all day to things they can't comprehend. How great for them to be banged around all day when you continually push the stroller in to other people. I'm not saying you can't take the babies out, but how about something more age-appropriate? If you want to go, try a babysitter, and go by yourselves.
My last big thanks goes to the people who just can't resist showing off their vast knowledge in public - whether you want it or not. Thanks so much to the people who stood behind me at a display, telling me ahead of time what all was going to happen. I guess the fact that I hadn't seen it before didn't occur to you, or it did but you just didn't care. I also appreciate it when you take the time to tell me how you've seen this before, but it was someplace else, and it was much nicer. Not content with letting it drop after we asked you to stop telling us about it before we've seen it, you had to then go accost someone else in my party at another display and proceed to start all over again. I'd demand my admission back, but I'm already getting it from the lying tween, so I'll just take your promise to stop doing that - ever again.
I'm not anti-kid. Not at all. But I am anti-bad behavior, and there's so much of it out there, and not just from kids - you adults do your fair share too, and in all honesty, the kids just don't come into the world behaving badly. There was an excellent article on MSN once about how we're doing the current generation no service by holding them blameless or everything, but apparently, no one has read it. Also, apparently no one watches shows like "Shalom In The Home" where they show that kids want, need, and respect boundaries, and that they really want parents - not pals. That's been proven time and again - it's a shame no one listens.
I'm sure I'll get the usual hate mail. I've been told that since I don't have kids (the good lord did not bless me in that way), I'm not allowed an opinion where they are concerned, but that's crap. If I'm forced to have to spend time with them, then I'm allowed an opinion. Besides, as I've said before, the kids get the bad behavior from somewhere............
I'd first like to thank the parents of the two toddlers at the National Historical site - the ones with the heavy-duty anglo-saxon names. What a joy your kids were. For starters, I can't imagine why the thought that the kids would enjoy something like that ever seemed like a good idea. Their constant screaming and whining and throwing themselves down on the ground should have been the first red flag. Thanks so much for the entertainment of having to follow them around while they pitched a constant fit. How great it was to have them run around, being disruptive and destructive. And what fine role models you must be. The sign says "NO SMOKING"? Heck, that doesn't apply to you - just go for it. Let's forget for just a moment that you are surrounded by woodlands and highly combustible buildings hundreds of years old. Heck, I'd have respect for you as you threatened me and started counting (only to not do anything to back that up), cigarette hanging out of the corner of your mouth....... You owe me the cost of 3 admissions, plus something for aggrivation.
A follow-up kudo goes to the guy who took the toddler in to the high-cost gift shop, only to have the child accidentally destroy some stuff, and then take off without owning up to it - another fantastic role model. Why teach the kid to take responsibility for their actions? I'm not saying that the little one meant to do it - which just proves my point that perhaps taking them in there in the first place wasn't a good idea - but what a great opportunity to teach them that even if it is an accident, you have to make things right. Instead, you reinforced the notion that the current generation already runs rampant with that NOTHING is their fault. So let's instead blame the people who run the gift shop (in an effort to help fund the site) for putting out breakable things. How dare they?
My second big thanks goes to the parents of the "tween" at another place we stopped. How wise of you to buy your kid the sneakers that have those stupid little wheels in them. For starters, they're dangerous to the kids. Second, the kids use them at totally inappropriate times. It's no wonder that so many public places have banned them. I would be surprised if this place hadn't, but then again, following the rules is too much to ask for some people. Your kid thought it would be fun to wheel around (without being under your supervision) and when they ran into someone who was minding their own business, rather than just going on their way, they decided to make an issue out of it. Rather than just letting it drop or admitting they shouldn't have been doing what they were doing , they turned a simple reflex of putting a hand up to try and brace for an impact in to a "hit". Embarassed, the kid probably stomped off, found the parents, and fibbed that the person hit him, for attention or effect (the fact that they were tooling around on wheels in a busy public place tells me it's an attention thing). We were all kids. We've all done this. Problem is, my mom would not have believed me had I been making it up. She had that way of getting to the truth. Furthermore, she wouldn't have allowed me to get away with it without apologizing to the person I bumped into. She wouldn't have gotten into a screaming match with the person who was the innocent bystander in all of this. She wouldn't have lectured them. She wouldn't have continued screaming long after the other person walked away, not wanting to fan the flames further. I know the innocent party. They used to teach small children and they mentor abused children who were removed from their homes. They were an abused child themselves - they don't hit children. Perhaps you need to tell your kid the difference between right and wrong, and that lying is a bad thing that can get innocent people in trouble. In other words, TELL THE TRUTH. You owe me the cost of admission for 4 people, and the cost of 2 sets of cab fare for running out and back to this site, and big-time for having to watch your tirade.
A side thanks goes to all the reckless baby stroller operators out there. I'm sure your 3 month old baby woke up in the morning and begged you to take them to the museum, fair, etc. How fun for the kids to have to be shuttled around all day to things they can't comprehend. How great for them to be banged around all day when you continually push the stroller in to other people. I'm not saying you can't take the babies out, but how about something more age-appropriate? If you want to go, try a babysitter, and go by yourselves.
My last big thanks goes to the people who just can't resist showing off their vast knowledge in public - whether you want it or not. Thanks so much to the people who stood behind me at a display, telling me ahead of time what all was going to happen. I guess the fact that I hadn't seen it before didn't occur to you, or it did but you just didn't care. I also appreciate it when you take the time to tell me how you've seen this before, but it was someplace else, and it was much nicer. Not content with letting it drop after we asked you to stop telling us about it before we've seen it, you had to then go accost someone else in my party at another display and proceed to start all over again. I'd demand my admission back, but I'm already getting it from the lying tween, so I'll just take your promise to stop doing that - ever again.
I'm not anti-kid. Not at all. But I am anti-bad behavior, and there's so much of it out there, and not just from kids - you adults do your fair share too, and in all honesty, the kids just don't come into the world behaving badly. There was an excellent article on MSN once about how we're doing the current generation no service by holding them blameless or everything, but apparently, no one has read it. Also, apparently no one watches shows like "Shalom In The Home" where they show that kids want, need, and respect boundaries, and that they really want parents - not pals. That's been proven time and again - it's a shame no one listens.
I'm sure I'll get the usual hate mail. I've been told that since I don't have kids (the good lord did not bless me in that way), I'm not allowed an opinion where they are concerned, but that's crap. If I'm forced to have to spend time with them, then I'm allowed an opinion. Besides, as I've said before, the kids get the bad behavior from somewhere............
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