40 years -can it be?

                                                        Some of the class of '73

Oh yes it can.  Our class reunion was held this past Saturday,  July 27th. Alas I was unable to go to the Friday dinner nor Saturday morning breakfast but I did meet with others for a tour of the old home town that afternoon.

As we walked down Merrick Rd (the main street) we played "what the hell use to be here?"  There were so many changes since we were kids/teenagers.

We also toured the small but nice historical museum. Later we had a dinner/dance consisting of all the classes that graduated in the '70's.

I know some people don't like reunions but I do.  I love the energy that bubbles through everyone.   I love how they smile and hug each other and how it's accentuated by squeals of surprise and delight. I love how they get up and dance, in couples or in groups so everyone can participate. I love how joy seems to permeate the air. You can almost feel its effervescence and breath it in.  I mean really, that's fun.  How can anyone not like all of that?

The only thing I don't like is they end.  You sit there the next day and say damn I should have gotten so and so's number and/or I wish I had talked to certain people more. Well you get the idea.  But it's still good.  And if I'm around for the fiftieth, I'll be there shakin' it on the dance floor (or at least trying to) and hugging my classmates. 

Do you like reunions?  Which ones have you gone to.  Do you feel there's a certain year to stop having them or to stop going to them?

Some of my classmates

Can  you tell Blogger wasn't cooperating with me on these pics. They're suppose to be side by side.

Note: I fractured my hand after I had come home from the reunion. (No, I wasn't drunk!  I'd been real good and had one drink for the whole night)  So, in the coming weeks, my posts will probably consist of more pictures or things I can copy and paste.  Sorry.

How Should We Talk to Little Girls?

How do you talk to little girls? According to Lisa Bloom, in a posting on The Blog (Huff Post), we should never compliment them on their looks.  Doing so teaches girls their appearance is the first thing you notice, establishing that looks are most important.  She states "that 15 to 18 percent of girls under 12 now wear mascara, eyeliner and lipstick regularly; eating disorders are up and self-esteem is down; and 25 percent of young American women would rather win America's Next Top Model than the Nobel Peace Prize". Because of society's emphasis on appearance, little girls are worried more than ever about their looks and suffering the consequences. 

What you should do is comment on something more meaningful, ask about their likes and dislikes and why.  For tweens and teenagers, you should ask their opinions on timely matters and what they think should be done. She states this helps to reinforce the idea that her intelligence is most important.  It makes her feel  her ideas have credibility and makes her think in different ways.

On the other hand  Carla Molina, thinks it's a load of "crap".  She feels girls don't have a bad body image because we compliment them on their appearance but it is the result of poor role models -women who are "obsessed in an unhealthy way about body image".   She says "I will not ignore their looks for the sake of making them feel smart. I do not believe brains and beauty are mutually exclusive. My girls can be both attractive and smart." She says complimenting a little girl doesn't have to be shallow if you do it in a constructive way. 

I can see Lisa Bloom's point.  An ABC news report stated that a "2009 University of Central Florida study found that nearly half of the 3- to 6-year-old participants said they worried about being fat".  That's alarming.  In my opinion, that idea shouldn't even touch that age group's minds. They should be more worried about whether they might not have the right color crayon to finish their drawing. 

Younger and younger girls are over occupied with with how they look.  This brings about peer pressure, who's "in" and who's "out" based on image and creates low self esteem.  It's definitely a problem - a big problem.  I think the media, advertising, corporations, and women who've bought into this are the biggest culprits and it should be stopped.  

However, I can also agree with Carla Molina. I believe both intelligence and beauty can reside side by side as long as the child relies more on intelligence as a measure of worth.   I don't think there's anything wrong with a simple compliment on a child's clothing, hair, eyes etc as  long as it's not the only thing you say to her. No gushing on and on about how pretty or cute she is or her  fabulous outfit.  Why can't you say they have a pretty dress, t-shirt, eyes or they look nice today and then go into a discussion of what they like, what they read, etc. or vice versa?  Does that hurt or undermine their value of themselves?  I don't know. I would think the longer conversation of exchanging ideas would leave a more lasting or better impression than the quick physical compliment.

What's you're opinion?  Should we or shouldn't we compliment little girls on their looks? How do you handle talking to little girls?

This ain't edgy

Sorry, I saw this on Buzzfeed and it wouldn't get out of my head.  After all these years of trying to get equality, of trying to achieve good role models, and trying to raise women above subjugation, I see this and have to ask how...why...what happened? I have so many thoughts and feelings about this, I'm finding it hard to write them down coherently. So bear with me, please.

How can these manufacturers think violence towards women would attract them to buy their products? How is this glamorous? They have the nerve to trash women then ask for their money.  Let's face it, they wouldn't dare put anyone of color or religion in the same situation because it isn't right and there would be such an uproar from around the world it would shake their walls down but yet it's okay to show a female in a degrading way.  

Oh, by the way, that Johnny Farah bag she has over her head costs $545.00. He demoralizes women then expects them to pay an exorbitant amount  for his damn handbag.

Notice the "relish it" in the lower right hand corner. Sickening,  Yeah I'm sure women would love to be brutalized and sexually manhandled.

Allowing this man to to kick or shove her shows women they should tolerate abuse.  Is this the lesson we want our children to learn?

This Dolce & Gabbana ad, suggestive of a gang rape, is tame compared to the October 2010 Calvin Klein (below) that was  banned in Australia.

  

It can be debated whether or not this type of advertising promotes violence towards women, but I feel it desensitizes society to these situations making it easier for them to happen and making it harder to report such actions.  Through these ads, the victimization of women becomes normal to both men and women.   The shock at such actions become dull.   It becomes accepted that men can do it and women have to take it.   

It shouldn't be that way.    It just shouldn't be.

Note: What we, men and women alike, should do if we ever see any kind of ad that victimizes women, go to that manufacturer's site and really bitch. Tell them you'll never buy anything of theirs until they get their act together and that you'll tell anyone and everyone about their disgraceful ads.

It made me do it

The human brain is incredible. It can take in data and process it at unbelievable speeds.  "In a study at the Children's Hospital in Boston,  "researchers were able to obtain data at extremely high temporal resolution – picking up signals as fast as 100 milliseconds after presentation of a visual stimulus -- and monitor activity in very discrete, specific locations". It's like a computer on steroids.  

But if it's so fast,  tell me how people can get into car accidents by listening to their GPS? Do  they blindly follow the instructions  without realizing what's in front of them or that something is wrong?  I guess so. GPS devices have caused an estimated 300,000 car accidents in the United Kingdom . (I was not able to find a number for the U.S.) People have driven onto train tracks, only to get stuck and have a train demolish their car. They've driven into rivers, bays swamps, made turns where no turn lane existed and driven down the wrong way on streets.  Why????  What happened to their logic, their common sense?  Their eyesight? Are they so ready to comply they hand over responsibility to someone else even if it's a sightless machine?   Then they blame the machine for their own lack of reason.

Jeepers. I read this stuff  and have to wonder what's happening to the human race?  Maybe one of you out there can shed some light on this 'cause, damn, I'm scratching my head over this.

Life's Little Surprises

Several weeks ago I purchased ten strawberry plants from my local home improvement store.   I diligently worked a bunch of compost into the dirt and lovingly planted each plant. Then gently watered them.  To be honest they didn't look great when they came out of the package but I had hope and visions of  huge, red, juice dripping strawberries nestled in rich, billowing whipped cream.

But reality hit when I came out to see how they were doing two days later, for it had rained during that time, and found that the local feral cats liked the nice soft soil to do their business in, unearthing my plants in the process.  So I cleaned out the mounds as best I could and replanted them.  Everything seemed fine for a couple of days, then it happened again.  Needless to say my strawberry plants never took. They were still  dried up, pathetic looking, blackened roots. Oh well.

I continued to have faith and checked on them a few days later to find something else had sprouted.  Pumpkins!  Yes, you read right, pumpkins. The seeds must have come from the pumpkin innards I threw in the compost pile back in October.  They were just waiting for the right combination to break free.

So I'll have to go to the farm stand or a U-pick for my luscious strawberries but now I can dream of carving home grown pumpkins for Halloween.

How's your green thumb?  Have you ever had something go wrong but something good came out of it?

What Does Your Sign Say?

                                      Chauncey in the partying spirit.  

You might remember my birthday was about a month ago.  No?  Oh well, it doesn't really matter. I enjoyed my day.  

As most of you probably have figured out, my birthday comes under the sign of Taurus.  The zodiac can be a fun and interesting read, seeing what fits and what doesn't.  Here are the  sun signs.  See what clicks with you. 

Aries - (fire element, March 21 - April 19)  - have a hard time relaxing if they are inactive. They need to do something, be involved in something.  Aries people also tend to be quite impulsive with actions, a strong believer in the principle that it's better to do something wrong than nothing at all. You are quite energetic.  creative, adaptive, and insightful. They can also be strong-willed and spontaneous.


Taurus - (earth element,  April 20 - May 20)  -  are stubborn by nature, and will stand his/her ground to the bitter end (sometimes even irrationally so).  It's a  loving, sympathetic, and appreciative sign.   They are usually relaxed, sort of laid-back even when involved in something.  It is natural for the Taurus to be slow, calm and conservative in the sense of being reluctant to change. When they agree to help someone, they go to any lengths to keep their word. They'll never let  others down and are extremely dependable.

Gemini  - ( air element, May 21 - June 20) - enjoys talking and exchanging thoughts with others, just about always. It's usually in a lighthearted manner, quicker to jokes than to arguments, more keen on agreeing than on being right and getting credit for it.
They have a great love of the written as well as the spoken word

Cancer - (water element, June 21- July 22) - is caring in a protective way and has a tendency to control, although with good intentions. They love home-life, family and domestic settings though they're apt to hide their moods from others.

Leo - ( fire element,  July 23 - Aug 22)  proud , with a strong sense of integrity and the importance of being true to themselves.  They are vocal about their opinions.  They are also brave, intuitive, and also head-strong and willful.

Virgo - (earth element, August 22 - September 22) - hard working, paying great attention to detail, scrutinizing just about everything. They are quite critical, the last one to be convinced or swept away. They're not much for improvisation, but need mostly to go to the bottom of things, and to be prepared.  They're known for their perfectionism and highly analytical minds.

Libra - (air element, September 23 - October 22) - a person of principles, striving for balance and order. They prefer agreements to orders, but do insist on what they are convinced is the right way. Sometimes it's hard to for them to make up their minds, and to decide between opposite alternatives.  Libras believe strongly in reason, and in solutions reached by discussions. They are all about balance, justice, equanimity and stability.

Scorpio - (water element, October 23 -November 21) - are  secretive , they enjoy strong emotions lived out through others - but are quite restrained, observing behind their withdrawn manner.   A key word for Scorpio is passion, but it must be understood that passion is so strong a feeling that it can hardly be expressed. They are capable of executing massive enterprises with cool control and confidence. 

Sagittarius - (fire element, November 22 - December 21) - independent and free nature,  it’s one of Sagittarius' biggest assets, could cause some difficulties.  A person with great integrity, going your own way, rarely following others - nor do you want others to follow you.   Personal growth and understanding is a key aspect of your personality. 

Capricorn - (earth element, December 22 - January 19) -have the drive and energy to reach results whatever they do.  They have the ambition and the perseverance to realize their goals.  Frugal, resourceful and hard working are traits associated with Capricorns. Commitment is natural to them.

Aquarius  - (air element, January 20 - February 19) - are a thoughtful and contemplative people, striving to understand things around them, no matter how difficult that might be.  They want to find their own way, do things the way they  think is the best.  They don’t want to be like others and take pride in the fact that  they're so unique. Pisces  - (water element, February 20 - March 20) - modest and self sacrificing,  searching tirelessly for what can make life truly meaningful and fulfilling.  They are compassionate and unconditionally loving and avoid making hard  decisions at times, especially if they feel this is going to undermine  someone else. Does your sign fit your personality? If so, in what way? If you want to see what famous people share your sign, you can go to http://www.thefamouspeople.com or http://www.psychicguild.com/psychic-articles/104 to find out. Sources:  www.astrology.com, http://www.completehoroscope.org, http://www.whats-your-sign.com

At the End of the Day

Memorial Day is almost over.  The barbecues are finished and night has descended.  In this quiet space, say a little prayer for those who gave all.  Honor them by keeping America strong and wise and by trying to be the best you can be.

In gratitude to these defenders we humbly say Thank You.

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Note:
If you have left a comment and it isn't up here, there seems to be a problem with Blogger.  I know my daughter tried twice and it never showed up to be approved.

So I'm not ignoring anyone. Please understand something wonky is going on right now. 

Thanks.