Talk of the Town

Pick-up party

In an effort to trick the kids into thinking they might have fun, we started to host ‘pick-up parties’ at our home.  It lasted about three minutes until they realized we were doing nothing more than putting toys, books, clothes, and anything else scattered about our home back where it belonged.  Also, no matter how many times we’ve tried to pull this party theme, friends from the neighborhood don’t just stop by to join in the fun. 

Their reaction doesn’t surprise me.  I don’t like to pick-up, put-away or clean the house either, but I do like the way it looks when it’s all done.  You might think that would inspire me to clean more often, however that has yet to happen.

The other day, half way through yet another sparsely attended pick-up party, I was making piles of things to be carried upstairs, downstairs or to the garage to be put away.  The pile strategy works best for me because I tend to get distracted by a new task in the room I just walked into.  It seems cleaning the house doesn’t capture and hold my attention in the way it should. 

I picked up a Minnesota Twins headband our daughter wore during the equally unsuccessful play-offs.  There wasn’t a pile for the headband, so I put it around my neck with plans to drop it off in the headband drawer on my way past the kid’s bathroom. 

I did pop it in that drawer later in the evening AFTER I wore the headband as a necklace to a library foundation board meeting.  It seems no matter how old I get, I’ll never be able to pull off the got-it-all-together image I wish to portray.  Oh well, maybe I’ll start a necklace fashion trend.   

I do have a plan for ramping up the pick-up party though.  A cake and some balloons may be just the thing to inspire the troops.

Junk drawer

Is there a more futile task than cleaning the junk drawer?  I think not, but that didn’t stop me from digging in to do just that the other day.  I pulled it open with the intent of finding one item that most likely was in the junk drawer and the next thing I know the whole thing is pulled out and sorted into little piles all up and down the kitchen counter.  From keys to birthday cake candles, chair pads to un-sharpened pencils handed out during parades or office visits, there is no lack of stuff to take up real estate in the junk drawer.

Of course the item I was looking for was no where to be found!

The problem is that there really is no other spot for these things in the house.  So I’m taking another tack at the junk drawer and letting it be.  If a well kept home means there is a place for everything and everything has a place, then some of those things place is in the junk drawer!

 After  all, what do I need an extra kitchen drawer for anyway?

It's *free* to me!

For generations, Heloise has advised us to always launder our coats before putting them in storage each spring.  I know that's what I'm supposed to do, but at my house it doesn't always happen that way.  Besides, if I followed her lead each spring, I wouldn't get to experience the Free Money Pocket in the fall. 

You know what I mean, right?  You put a coat on for the first time in six months, stick your hand in the pocket and there is a free five dollar bill!  Of course it's my money, but it's new to me, so it feels like free money! 

So far this autumn I've only found 36 cents in a dress coat pocket, but I've got my fingers crossed.

Last Saturday I was making my way to the Civic Center when a dollar bill blew across my path.  As I bent down to pick it up, I took a look around to see who might have dropped it, but the street was empty.  This dollar was free-range! 

Then I looked to see if there was a hidden camera somewhere and the dollar was about to squirt me.  Honestly- who thinks this way?  Welcome to my world.

I stuck the dollar in my pocket and continued on my way.  Happy Birthday to me!  The snap that dollar put in my step lasted for at least a block or two.  It's a good thing it wasn't a twenty, I don't know if I could handle the excitement!

 

I see you!

Just when you thought it was time to pack up the sun dresses, shorts and sandals, along comes a hot spell in October!  Of course the thing we have all learned about this time of year is by the time this blog makes it to newsprint, there could be five inches of snow on the ground. 

The constant threat of winter's early arrival causes us to rejoice when the above average temperatures surprise us.  I don't know about you, but I just couldn't turn the air conditioning back on after switching to the furnace just last week. 

Out to the deck we went for dinner on the picnic table, more S'mores ingredients were scrapped together for another campfire, and the hammock was called back to duty for a Sunday afternoon nap.  The only thing missing from this wonderful 'summer' day was a Twins game on the radio...but that is a different problem.

No, the only problem with all of our outdoor activities was an uninvited guest; the no-see-ums.  What kind of name is that anyway? Ladybugs, dragonflies and woolly bears; these are bug names I can appreciate. 

When your name is your lot in life, you're not left with a lot of career options, Shorty.

As I sat on the deck, I would feel a bite, look down and not see anything until I looked a bit closer.  The dang thing was the size of a poppy seed, which proved to be a good thing at supper time.  The right bottle of dressing helped the bugs to blend right in with our salad.

 

Nap time!

“Just lay still and close your eyes” is what my mom used to tell me.  The task at hand was taking a nap and I remember thinking it was a physical impossibility for me to do that.  Of course I was five years old, however I believe since that time scientists have proven it actually IS impossible for a five year old to be still long enough to drift off. 

As a teenager, I would watch in amazement as my parents would sit down in the Lazy Boy, kick up the foot rest and close their eyes.  It took a good two or three minutes, but usually they would fall asleep and be snoring before the commercial break was over.  I thought it was because adults were always tired, but now I understand it was even simpler than that. 

It feels good to lay still and close your eyes!

This past weekend, when the weather gods sent us the lovely warm temperatures, I spent time in the hammock, enjoying the summer’s refrain.  I must have laid there for twenty minutes with my eyes closed, enjoying the breeze and thinking about my mom’s order. 

Just like I used to do, my kids try to trick me into thinking they just woke up from a long, restful nap.  I want to tell them, “Do you realize I am letting you to lie down AND close your eyes?!  It’s the most wonderful thing you’ll get to do all day!” 

They couldn’t care less of course.  Most times when they sneak out of their room, they’ll find me on the sofa, resting my eyes and loving every minute of it.

That's entertainment?

In the days since the death of a Rutgers college freshman, I have been thinking about the situation that led to the end of Tyler Clementi’s life.  Tyler killed himself after his sexual encounter with another man was broadcast over the internet without his knowledge. 

Can you imagine his despair? 

I have been trying to.

When I was a college freshman, there were no camera phones, no streaming video and no internet.  The worst public humiliation we could face was somebody telling a story you wished wouldn’t get out.  Or maybe someone would take a picture, but there was nothing instant about it as a trip to the drug store to get the film developed would be part of that whole business.

Tyler’s roommate streamed a video of Tyler in a most intimate and private situation.  I couldn’t imagine what his roommate and a friend had been thinking.  Why would he do that to him? 

As the days have passed and everyone from celebrities to local bloggers has weighed in on the situation, I wonder if there isn’t one more thing to consider.

What is it about us, about our culture that loves to watch that public humiliation and bullying?  So much of reality TV that serves up the biggest ratings are the shows that feature the humiliation of the contestant or participant.  The juicy public humiliation just seemed to be too much for this roommate to pass up.  He even sent out a text message to tell everyone to tune in and watch Tyler. 

Of course I’m not saying reality TV is to blame for this young man’s death.  Tyler Clementi’s death is a sad example of a young adult feeling like there was no way out.

It’s just that for quite awhile now I’ve wondered when bullying became entertainment and how long it will last.  The next time you settle in for the “losers” episode of your favorite reality show, read anonymous on-line blogging, tune in a celebrity expose’ program or a browbeating talk show host, maybe give it a second thought. 

Is that really entertainment?