Whining, Signing, and Mining in the Hodgepodge

 

I need a moment to whine, okay?  

It's 18 degrees here in my neck of the woods. 

I'm chillin'.  Just chillin'.  Chillin' to the bone.  

I am so cold that my thinker is frozen, so my answers will probably be shorter than usual.  (If you believe that, I really ought to sell ice to Eskimos!)  However, I did get a "perpective adjustment" in my email.  Friends of ours who live in Birobidzhan (far east Russia) are dealing with -46 degrees right now. MINUS FORTY-SIX.   That doesn't even register with me.

1. The popular saying, 'All is fair in love and war' is originally credited to English writer John Lyly. Is he right?

I'm going to say a kneejerk "no," but oversimplify my explanation because of  my aforementioned frozen thinker. 

Fairness makes me think of that which is 50/50, even, reasonable, and right for both parties.  Love is not fair in that it should never seek a 50/50 relationship, but a giving of 100%, no matter what.  Spiritually speaking, if we got  what was fair (that is, justice) from a holy, righteous God, we'd all be in hell. Fairness discounts mercy.  In war, it's "every man for himself." 


2. Are you a cereal eater? What's your favorite kind?


Cereal eater? Are you kidding? I'm a cereal KILLER! I love cereal-- just about every kind except chocolate.    My favorite cereal is LIFE.  I like the original and the cinnamon.  Not far behind is Cap'n Crunch. 

3. A five year old in Pennsylvania was recently given a ten day school suspension for talking with a friend about shooting one another with a Hello Kitty Bubble gun (the gun blows bubbles). She did not have the gun with her at school.

A psychological evaluation was also ordered and the incident was recorded on her permanent record. The suspension was later reduced to two days and her parents are suing to have the incident removed from her file. Your thoughts? (If you missed the story click here for details).

Ridiculous.  The girl is FIVE YEARS OLD and it's a BUBBLE GUN !!! 

Bang, bang, you're dead. Fifty bubbles in your head.

I think the school administrator ought to have a psych evaluation performed on himself (herself?) Clearly he (she?) is out of touch with the reality of a kindergartener's way of thinking.


4. Whatever happened to_____________________________?

adolescence coming to an end and adulthood being taken seriously by about age 18.  

I can't believe how many "kids" live with their parents well past college age and don't really start being independent till they're almost 30.  They get married and have kids of their own and get into debt--all those "adult things"--  while living in mom and dad's basement.  On top of that, they want everyone to support their choices in the name of love or "helping."   Mooch, mooch, mooch.

Gimme a break!   And the parents go along with it (even if they're complaining)  so it's authorized mooching!  In nature, mother birds kick their birds out of the nest and force them to fly off and make their own nest. Sometimes I think birds are smarter than people.  At other times, I KNOW they are!

Remind me of this rant when our "baby bird" (now 10) is 28 years old, going  three days at a time without a shower, working at Taco Bell, living in our basement, and whining that all the good women are already taken.



5. January 23rd is National Handwriting Day, billed as a day to reacquaint yourself with a pen and pencil. Do you like your handwriting? Do you prefer to print or write in cursive? This date was chosen because it's the birth date of John Hancock. What's the last thing you signed your name to?

Handwriting sample from my journal. 

 

My handwriting reflects my mood at any given moment.  Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. So I guess it's an accurate reflection of my personality! Inconsistent is the best way to describe it. Usually it's a mix of cursive and print within the same page.  My choice of cursive or printing depends on its content and recipient.

My signature varies, too.   I have a legal one and an artistic one.

The last thing I signed my legal signature to was a credit card slip. The last thing I signed my artistic signature  ON was my brand new Bible study book this morning.

 If I'm signing artwork it looks like this:

          The "Thank You" script is a stamp.  The rest is my printing and artistic John Hancock.

6. Speaking of John Hancock...ever been to Philadelphia? Do you have any desire to visit the city of Brotherly Love?

Yes and yes.  My first trip there was I was in fifth grade . Our  class went there for a field trip.  I shook hands with Ben Franklin himself, as a matter of fact, because it was that long ago.   It was that trip that planted deep seeds of love for American history in my young, impressionable heart.  I grew up to teach history to fifth graders of my own. 

Never underestimate the power of a field trip.

Nor underestimate just how little brotherly love can be shown by 5th graders after four hours of American history on an empty stomach.

It's enough to put another crack in your Liberty Bell.

But I digress.

I have been to Philadelphia a few times in my adult life for church-related things,  but have a particular destination in mind for a future trip: the Philly Museum of Art.

However, not until I thaw out a good bit. So...maybe in April.

7. Share something funny you've heard a child say.

Okay, this is from my Kidbits blog, where I've recorded years of funny things my youngest child said.  The funny post I chose "just so happens" to fit in with the question above.

This happened on...

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Special Wormie, Bad Dog, Founding Fathers

Our fifteen month old Golden Retriever can't be trusted not to pick stuff up that doesn't belong to him. Today he got hold of Wormie, an 18-inch white stuffed sock puppet that Joel made in second grade.

Reilly tore the eyes off, which made Joel understandably very, very angry and hurt. In his anger, he threw the eyes into the bottom of the trash.

He carried on and on. "Wormie was special to me! I hate Reilly. I'm never gonna look at him again. I'm never gonna feed him, never play with him even if he looks cute cuz he's not, he's ugly. He doesn't deserve anything he has! He only deserves to go back to his old owner that didn't take care of him!"

I asked Joel if he wanted to take the eyes out of the trash; he could glue them back on.

"No. He will never be the same!"

"How about if I sew the eyes back on? He'll look just fine."

"No, he won't, Mom. Even if you make me a brand new Wormie, I'll still be angry. It's like the Declaration of Independence."

I was stumped. Where'd that analogy come from?

"What do you mean, honey?"

"I mean a copy of the Declaration of Independence just isn't valuable. Only the original thing is!"

 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Our Ravens are going to the Superbowl !!!!  We're going up against the 49ers. For anyone who is not really into football for the sport, perhaps I could pique your interest with a "personal slant" to the news?


The Baltimore Ravens are coached by John Harbaugh.
The San Francisco FortyWhiners are coached by Jim Harbaugh.
Those men are brothers.
Yes, that's right.
Brothers.

I'm so glad I'm not their mom.   Who would I root for?
 .
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 PS.  Sorry, readers,  but my thinker warmed up.