Friday, June 7, 2013
growing up/growing old
Today I picked up my Son from school for the very last time. It was the final day of 12th grade and because he inherited his sentimental side from both his parents he's awesome at tugging at my heart strings. Although I work 40 minutes from his school and I havent had to do this for years, he remembered how I always used to pick him up from school on the last day and we'd blast Alice Cooper's Schools Out. So the day before the "last day" he sheepishly said "so are you gonna pick me up so we can play schools out for the last time ever?" Score one for melting my heart.
So I took 2 hours off work and picked him up and we blasted the song and for one brief moment it was 2004 and we were driving away from his elementary school and he would never grow up. But it was shortlived and soon we were discussing college and his new job and I was old again.
I am blessed. I'll be the first to admit I have no idea what I am doing as a parent. My main course of action is "is my Son happy? Respectful? Knowledgeable? Social?" Its easy to think you've got it under control, but life gets in the way of being prepared and time flies by and all of a sudden you blink and your child is a grown up with grown up problems and grown up questions and you wonder "what the hell happened I was just picking him up from the last day of 5th grade!!"
I haven't had to think about growing old until now. I guess I buried the idea that he might not need me the way he used to so that I could focus on my importance to him, but now he is taking care of himself (to an extent) and I am forced to think about how I'm going to take care of MYself. One day picking him up from school turned into a lesson in self awareness.
So all you people with pre teens, toddlers, babies... enjoy it as much as possible. One day you're going to be congratulating them on graduating 12th grade and they'll be telling you about how they're going to be out all night celebrating with friends, and dont worry they'll make it to work ontime tomorrow and they'll text you to check in in a few days. And you'll smile and tell them ok, be careful, you love them. And then you'll notice how quiet it sounds and you'll wonder what you should do with the rest of your life.
So I took 2 hours off work and picked him up and we blasted the song and for one brief moment it was 2004 and we were driving away from his elementary school and he would never grow up. But it was shortlived and soon we were discussing college and his new job and I was old again.
I am blessed. I'll be the first to admit I have no idea what I am doing as a parent. My main course of action is "is my Son happy? Respectful? Knowledgeable? Social?" Its easy to think you've got it under control, but life gets in the way of being prepared and time flies by and all of a sudden you blink and your child is a grown up with grown up problems and grown up questions and you wonder "what the hell happened I was just picking him up from the last day of 5th grade!!"
I haven't had to think about growing old until now. I guess I buried the idea that he might not need me the way he used to so that I could focus on my importance to him, but now he is taking care of himself (to an extent) and I am forced to think about how I'm going to take care of MYself. One day picking him up from school turned into a lesson in self awareness.
So all you people with pre teens, toddlers, babies... enjoy it as much as possible. One day you're going to be congratulating them on graduating 12th grade and they'll be telling you about how they're going to be out all night celebrating with friends, and dont worry they'll make it to work ontime tomorrow and they'll text you to check in in a few days. And you'll smile and tell them ok, be careful, you love them. And then you'll notice how quiet it sounds and you'll wonder what you should do with the rest of your life.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Hey Facebook, make me a sandwich on the way out.
2/8/13
I closed my Facebook account a week or so ago (http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/2013/02/05/pew-internet-1-5-online-adults-broken-facebook/8151/)
and I survived. Feels nice, a little less encumbered, a little more mature (okay that's an outright lie). I want to say it was because of privacy issues, or not having enough to say, or maybe jealousy of everyone else's vacation posts, but the truth is I don't exactly know why I did it. There was no big "hasta la vista, baby" moment. I had been thinking about it because it seemed irrelevant lately. Yes I know I still Tweet, but that requires less involvement (hmmmm...note that for my therapist). 140 characters and boom I'm out. Don't need to have a photo library, "liked" pages, events...etc. just scroll through the list, see something I want to re post or comment on and, zip, there it goes.
Facebook always seemed a bit creepy to me deep down. It was something the kids started that the adults had to get in on so they could seem young and in touch with that generation. I will never be accused of being young, hip, in-touch with, or....well, lots of other things that are considered "cool" (which my Son constantly reminds me no one "cool" ever says...dammit! I did it again). I promise you, try having a teenager and a Facebook account and you will feel just this side of pathetic. Whats worse is trying to message or comment on Facebook, telling your child you did, and having them respond in monotone fashion that DRIVES YOU CRAZY "yeah, no one uses Facebook anymore." Ugh.
Every time I saw some article or news segment about privacy issues with using Facebook, I would think to myself "self, (yes, I really do say "self") maybe it's not the right idea to put all that stuff out there. It's not anymore embarrassing than what you do in person, but maybe you are past that type of behavior. Maybe it's time to become an a....a....adullllllt." NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. But yes. That seems to be it. I felt creepy all of a sudden, like I was stalking peoples lives. People I honestly would be not better or worse for keeping up with. I had cell numbers and email addresses of the people that really DO matter, and lets face it, my "hey lets all get together for drinks and party it up" days are behind me. With the exception of a ultra-fine group of nerd/cool kids (dammit!) I get to see in Vegas once a year (Yes Raffi, Chris, and Steph that means you!), my "partying" moments are pretty low key. Couple of bottles...I mean glasses...of wine and some good conversation. The way I would imagine real adults behave.
I thought I would back peddle and rejoin Facebbok. To read their little "you have 14 days before your account is permanently deleted" confirmation e-mail you can almost see that Cheshire grin that says "go ahead...try to quit....we know you'll be back" but I actually don't miss it at all. I thought I'd feel like Chandler in that Friends episode ("I want to quit the gym!") not able to actually make it happen, but it turns out I am more like my Son than I care to admit. When I got the final deletion notice from Facebook, I was all "Meh...whatever."
I closed my Facebook account a week or so ago (http://blogs.denverpost.com/techknowbytes/2013/02/05/pew-internet-1-5-online-adults-broken-facebook/8151/)
and I survived. Feels nice, a little less encumbered, a little more mature (okay that's an outright lie). I want to say it was because of privacy issues, or not having enough to say, or maybe jealousy of everyone else's vacation posts, but the truth is I don't exactly know why I did it. There was no big "hasta la vista, baby" moment. I had been thinking about it because it seemed irrelevant lately. Yes I know I still Tweet, but that requires less involvement (hmmmm...note that for my therapist). 140 characters and boom I'm out. Don't need to have a photo library, "liked" pages, events...etc. just scroll through the list, see something I want to re post or comment on and, zip, there it goes.
Facebook always seemed a bit creepy to me deep down. It was something the kids started that the adults had to get in on so they could seem young and in touch with that generation. I will never be accused of being young, hip, in-touch with, or....well, lots of other things that are considered "cool" (which my Son constantly reminds me no one "cool" ever says...dammit! I did it again). I promise you, try having a teenager and a Facebook account and you will feel just this side of pathetic. Whats worse is trying to message or comment on Facebook, telling your child you did, and having them respond in monotone fashion that DRIVES YOU CRAZY "yeah, no one uses Facebook anymore." Ugh.
Every time I saw some article or news segment about privacy issues with using Facebook, I would think to myself "self, (yes, I really do say "self") maybe it's not the right idea to put all that stuff out there. It's not anymore embarrassing than what you do in person, but maybe you are past that type of behavior. Maybe it's time to become an a....a....adullllllt." NOOOOOOOOOOOOO. But yes. That seems to be it. I felt creepy all of a sudden, like I was stalking peoples lives. People I honestly would be not better or worse for keeping up with. I had cell numbers and email addresses of the people that really DO matter, and lets face it, my "hey lets all get together for drinks and party it up" days are behind me. With the exception of a ultra-fine group of nerd/cool kids (dammit!) I get to see in Vegas once a year (Yes Raffi, Chris, and Steph that means you!), my "partying" moments are pretty low key. Couple of bottles...I mean glasses...of wine and some good conversation. The way I would imagine real adults behave.
I thought I would back peddle and rejoin Facebbok. To read their little "you have 14 days before your account is permanently deleted" confirmation e-mail you can almost see that Cheshire grin that says "go ahead...try to quit....we know you'll be back" but I actually don't miss it at all. I thought I'd feel like Chandler in that Friends episode ("I want to quit the gym!") not able to actually make it happen, but it turns out I am more like my Son than I care to admit. When I got the final deletion notice from Facebook, I was all "Meh...whatever."
Thursday, February 7, 2013
How can some little flakes create such havoc
02/07/13
Shhhhsh, don't look now (how do you whisper in a blog?) it's about to start snowing.
Yes people of the good ole USA, we in the Northeast are about to get walloped. Run, run fast. Clean out those supermarkets, get your 42 cases of water, your 25 gallons of milk, and whatever is left in the Hostess aisle. It's about to get KER-ayyyyyyzy.
What in the world is going on? I have lived here a long time, my whole life as a matter of fact (and if you ask a certain friends 6 year old daughter I am OLD!!) and I have seen some snow, in fact my memory seems to recall every winter up until the 80's at least where we'd have snow piled up from December until April. We'd have hills, ne' MOUNTAINS, of the stuff to sleigh ride on, tube down, and make snow angels in. In fact, Huntington NY even had a ski resort of sorts. I kid you not, we knew a thing or two about winter weather.
People, you live in the NORTHEAST, you had to kind of guess this could happen. Snow is nothing new. We wear our winters like a badge of courage. We proudly laugh at those southerners, "HA! We get change of seasons and cold wintry weather that WE can drive and survive in!" They reply "HA! We know, and so what, it's beautiful and sunny down here." to which we say "HA!..."just ha, because we know they are right and we lose.
But none-the-less, we prevail, because this wet, cold, pretty, slippery wonderland is not an anomaly, it is not a fluke, a ruse, or a complex mystery; it's just snow. When we were younger and a storm came along and knocked our power, we had little to worry about. This was pre-life affirming Internet folks. What were the consequences? Oh my, we might not be able to watch the three channels we got on our fuzzy imaged TVs?
The refrigerator would turn off? Guess what, it was 20 degrees out, you just put the perishables outside!!
As kids, it was the perfect excuse to go outside and be maniacs performing stunts that in today's age would light you-tube on fire! In fact on occasion (especially after a few Harvey wall bangers) even my parents would wander out to talk to the (gasp) neighbors and (double gasp) play with their kids. I vaguely remember hitting my dad in the back of the head with a snowball, then running for my life as if the devil was at my heels laughing all the way.
I guess what I am trying to say is, yes, nature can throw us some fastball sinkers (is that a pitch? I have no idea) but maybe we have just forgotten how to enjoy them a little. I'm not saying you shouldn't be careful, but if it's a weekend, and it's snowing like all get out, GET OUT, and do something with someone you love. Make it crazy and something a photograph will do no justice. Don't let the weather get you down, meet it head on and show it you can laugh in its face, but not too long because your kid may have perfect aim....
Shhhhsh, don't look now (how do you whisper in a blog?) it's about to start snowing.
Yes people of the good ole USA, we in the Northeast are about to get walloped. Run, run fast. Clean out those supermarkets, get your 42 cases of water, your 25 gallons of milk, and whatever is left in the Hostess aisle. It's about to get KER-ayyyyyyzy.
What in the world is going on? I have lived here a long time, my whole life as a matter of fact (and if you ask a certain friends 6 year old daughter I am OLD!!) and I have seen some snow, in fact my memory seems to recall every winter up until the 80's at least where we'd have snow piled up from December until April. We'd have hills, ne' MOUNTAINS, of the stuff to sleigh ride on, tube down, and make snow angels in. In fact, Huntington NY even had a ski resort of sorts. I kid you not, we knew a thing or two about winter weather.
People, you live in the NORTHEAST, you had to kind of guess this could happen. Snow is nothing new. We wear our winters like a badge of courage. We proudly laugh at those southerners, "HA! We get change of seasons and cold wintry weather that WE can drive and survive in!" They reply "HA! We know, and so what, it's beautiful and sunny down here." to which we say "HA!..."just ha, because we know they are right and we lose.
But none-the-less, we prevail, because this wet, cold, pretty, slippery wonderland is not an anomaly, it is not a fluke, a ruse, or a complex mystery; it's just snow. When we were younger and a storm came along and knocked our power, we had little to worry about. This was pre-life affirming Internet folks. What were the consequences? Oh my, we might not be able to watch the three channels we got on our fuzzy imaged TVs?
The refrigerator would turn off? Guess what, it was 20 degrees out, you just put the perishables outside!!
As kids, it was the perfect excuse to go outside and be maniacs performing stunts that in today's age would light you-tube on fire! In fact on occasion (especially after a few Harvey wall bangers) even my parents would wander out to talk to the (gasp) neighbors and (double gasp) play with their kids. I vaguely remember hitting my dad in the back of the head with a snowball, then running for my life as if the devil was at my heels laughing all the way.
I guess what I am trying to say is, yes, nature can throw us some fastball sinkers (is that a pitch? I have no idea) but maybe we have just forgotten how to enjoy them a little. I'm not saying you shouldn't be careful, but if it's a weekend, and it's snowing like all get out, GET OUT, and do something with someone you love. Make it crazy and something a photograph will do no justice. Don't let the weather get you down, meet it head on and show it you can laugh in its face, but not too long because your kid may have perfect aim....
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Wait, what?
2/6/13
Well, it just keeps getting better. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/florida-business-logo-sexist-152636699--finance.html
Florida tourism unveiled it's new slogan/logo today to entice companies to come to Florida to do business. The logo was pretty nice, it says "Florida" but the "i" is replaced with a tie. Cute. Or so you would think, but noooooooooo. That would be too simple. Can you guess what the immediate response was by some women's business groups in Florida? Yep, apparently ties are sexist, and men use them in advertising to purposely exclude women from the benefits that people bringing business to Florida might offer!
Yes, I kid you not. Several women complained that the tie was sexist and gives the impression that Florida does not want to do business with women. Forget the fact that thousands of companies in Florida are run or owned by women, forget that this is the 21st century and I think if you are an enterprising individual who is looking to start or expand your business you will not see a tie in an ad and think "well, looks like I can only contact the men of Florida," what really confuses me is why do these people think women can't wear ties??
Have they not watched Cinemax, or spike TV? Let me tell you, I have seen some women wear the HELL out of a tie. Granted that was ALL they were wearing but still. Did we go through a time warp back to the 50's and no one told me? Why are there people thinking that ties only pertain to men in this day and age?
So what does this all tell us? Okay, so apparently everything is offensive to everyone. We should no longer advertise, write or speak words, make jokes, write cartoons, leave our house, look at each other, breath too loudly, and support or oppose any idea because we might in some way upset someones delicate nature.http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/florida-business-logo-sexist-152636699--finance.html
To be fair, several women did come to the aid of normalcy and state that they thought the emotionally wounded were big cry babies, but still, it has come the attention of the world and the more the media gives it coverage the more people will feel they are entitled to be disgruntled about being left out, left behind, or left over somehow. It's all so painful, I think I should sue someone for making me think too much.
Okay, I'm done whining for now....off to read about the 2nd grader who was suspended from school for throwing a "make believe grenade" in to an "imaginary box of bad guys." Oh what a world, what a world indeed.http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/2nd-grader-suspended-over-imaginary-grenade-224740937.html
Well, it just keeps getting better. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/florida-business-logo-sexist-152636699--finance.html
Florida tourism unveiled it's new slogan/logo today to entice companies to come to Florida to do business. The logo was pretty nice, it says "Florida" but the "i" is replaced with a tie. Cute. Or so you would think, but noooooooooo. That would be too simple. Can you guess what the immediate response was by some women's business groups in Florida? Yep, apparently ties are sexist, and men use them in advertising to purposely exclude women from the benefits that people bringing business to Florida might offer!
Yes, I kid you not. Several women complained that the tie was sexist and gives the impression that Florida does not want to do business with women. Forget the fact that thousands of companies in Florida are run or owned by women, forget that this is the 21st century and I think if you are an enterprising individual who is looking to start or expand your business you will not see a tie in an ad and think "well, looks like I can only contact the men of Florida," what really confuses me is why do these people think women can't wear ties??
Have they not watched Cinemax, or spike TV? Let me tell you, I have seen some women wear the HELL out of a tie. Granted that was ALL they were wearing but still. Did we go through a time warp back to the 50's and no one told me? Why are there people thinking that ties only pertain to men in this day and age?
So what does this all tell us? Okay, so apparently everything is offensive to everyone. We should no longer advertise, write or speak words, make jokes, write cartoons, leave our house, look at each other, breath too loudly, and support or oppose any idea because we might in some way upset someones delicate nature.http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/florida-business-logo-sexist-152636699--finance.html
To be fair, several women did come to the aid of normalcy and state that they thought the emotionally wounded were big cry babies, but still, it has come the attention of the world and the more the media gives it coverage the more people will feel they are entitled to be disgruntled about being left out, left behind, or left over somehow. It's all so painful, I think I should sue someone for making me think too much.
Okay, I'm done whining for now....off to read about the 2nd grader who was suspended from school for throwing a "make believe grenade" in to an "imaginary box of bad guys." Oh what a world, what a world indeed.http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/2nd-grader-suspended-over-imaginary-grenade-224740937.html
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
When did the abnormal become normal?
2/6/2013
As I perused Google News today I was in awe of the "news" articles that I can't fathom anyone would consider actual news. Maybe I have a little more faith in the good people of this country, but I would like to believe that even the most gossip addicted among us would find a story about a college football player with a make believe girlfriend fleetingly awkward at best. But when the person who put the prank in motion is interviewed in a 2 part episode on Dr. Phil and then THAT interview prompts news outlets to run clips of said interview as lead stories, something is terribly wrong folks. I get the whole "can't look away from the train crash" scenario, but what about after the fire has gone out, the debris has been cleared, and grass has regrown over the site of the crash? I turned on my TV the other night and it was on NBC, access Hollywood I think. Mario Lopez was stoked, to say the least, for his interview with Dina Lohan. WTF?!!! Are you kidding me? Who is green lighting this stuff? Worse yet, who is WATCHING it? I couldn't dive for the remote fast enough. But it gets me thinking, which came first, the "not news" news or the "I want to see average people destroy their lives so I can feel good about myself" desire for "not news" news. It makes my head spin. Look, I'm a late 60's-early 70's kid. I remember the news being boring, monotone, and best of all NOTHING I was interested in. Now we disguise our checkout line trash rags as "you-need-to-know-this-stuff-to-be-popular" TV shows and internet headlines. Jodi Arias would have been considered pulp fact in my youth. tawdry senseless killing in and out of the court faster than you can say boo. But now it's a spectacle. And you know she'll have her 15 years of fame, with books, a Lifetime movie, and prison cell interviews because "people want to know." Nevermind that there was a pile of solid evidence against her so damning that you couldn't believe it was taking months and months to try her. It was news today that she admitted to the murder....FOR THE SECOND TIME!!! I don't know, maybe it's me, okay yes, it is me. I have a hard time accepting the people who laugh at the intelligence insulting commercials, the people who believe the spam emails they get, the people who think the government really cares about us. But this is so much bigger. They are lemmings following each other off the cliff and drooling over the opportunity to win the food challenge judged by the Kardashians and Honey Boo Boo while handing a rose to some women who are "just looking for the right man for once." I think I'll see whats on PBS....oh wait, whats Elmo doing to that kid??
As I perused Google News today I was in awe of the "news" articles that I can't fathom anyone would consider actual news. Maybe I have a little more faith in the good people of this country, but I would like to believe that even the most gossip addicted among us would find a story about a college football player with a make believe girlfriend fleetingly awkward at best. But when the person who put the prank in motion is interviewed in a 2 part episode on Dr. Phil and then THAT interview prompts news outlets to run clips of said interview as lead stories, something is terribly wrong folks. I get the whole "can't look away from the train crash" scenario, but what about after the fire has gone out, the debris has been cleared, and grass has regrown over the site of the crash? I turned on my TV the other night and it was on NBC, access Hollywood I think. Mario Lopez was stoked, to say the least, for his interview with Dina Lohan. WTF?!!! Are you kidding me? Who is green lighting this stuff? Worse yet, who is WATCHING it? I couldn't dive for the remote fast enough. But it gets me thinking, which came first, the "not news" news or the "I want to see average people destroy their lives so I can feel good about myself" desire for "not news" news. It makes my head spin. Look, I'm a late 60's-early 70's kid. I remember the news being boring, monotone, and best of all NOTHING I was interested in. Now we disguise our checkout line trash rags as "you-need-to-know-this-stuff-to-be-popular" TV shows and internet headlines. Jodi Arias would have been considered pulp fact in my youth. tawdry senseless killing in and out of the court faster than you can say boo. But now it's a spectacle. And you know she'll have her 15 years of fame, with books, a Lifetime movie, and prison cell interviews because "people want to know." Nevermind that there was a pile of solid evidence against her so damning that you couldn't believe it was taking months and months to try her. It was news today that she admitted to the murder....FOR THE SECOND TIME!!! I don't know, maybe it's me, okay yes, it is me. I have a hard time accepting the people who laugh at the intelligence insulting commercials, the people who believe the spam emails they get, the people who think the government really cares about us. But this is so much bigger. They are lemmings following each other off the cliff and drooling over the opportunity to win the food challenge judged by the Kardashians and Honey Boo Boo while handing a rose to some women who are "just looking for the right man for once." I think I'll see whats on PBS....oh wait, whats Elmo doing to that kid??
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