Famous? Really?

My wife and I have had this discussion a few times. How do people become famous when they've done absolutely nothing to merit such accolades? This topic first came up when one of the Kardashian girls was in the news for no other reason than being famous. Famous for what, I'm not sure. Paris Hilton is another person of superstar status, and the only accomplishment she's had are amateur sex tapes. Other people do that and they're arrested. What makes these people so desirable to the public, that launches them to stardom, outside of a name they've inherited? They have no talent, they've done nothing of special merit, they haven't participated in any type of philanthropic work, they haven't even rescued a cat from a tree. I just don't see the enthrallment. People like this would be treated like a middle class citizen in my presence. There would be no special treatment, and I would demand respect from such individuals. I wouldn't be harsh, but definitely firm. And whining and crying just turn me into a cold piece of granite. There would be absolutely no sympathy on my behalf if complaining were part of the equation. I understand certain people need their ego stroked from time to time, and some actively pursue rock star status, but until you've proven yourself a genuine human being with something tangible to offer mankind, please step to the back of the line, and wait your turn.

Annoyance?

My wife, oldest daughter, and myself, make it a point to pick up on things people say incorrectly, and misspellings wherever they may be found. I'm sure we've all been corrected at one time or another on our use of grammar or spelling. In our house, we try to correct the wrongdoing, and make it a point to not err in the future, AND make jest at those who do. One of my favorites (and this is not directed at one single person, but several abusers), is the word 'unthaw'. "I think I'll take the turkey out of the freezer to unthaw it". The word 'thaw', means to become liquid, or soft as a result of warming. By adding the prefix 'un', by definition, one is reversing the process of thawing by freezing. So what you're basically saying is, "I'm going to take the turkey out of the freezer and freeze it". Doesn't make much sense, but it is fun to laugh afterwards.

Boys vs. Girls

Growing up in my neighborhood, there was always plenty of kids to hang out with. There was an endless supply of mischief to get into. In a three block radius of my house, there was enough boys to put together two baseball teams, and we didn't even have to invite the kids who were no good. Of course they came along, we weren't heartless, and 'yes', we even let them play. But girls were another story. As one of the older kids on the block, I had to set the precedent, and make sure girls were not invited to mess up our game. Chances are, they didn't even know how to play the game, and we didn't have time to stand around and teach them. Had to be home before the street lights came on, you know. Everyone knows they throw like a girl and hit like a girl. Well duh, they're girls. Every once in awhile, a girl, who also happened to be a good athlete, would catch our attention. When I was very young (kindergarten & first grade), I lived in the Benson area. There were two buddies I spent most of the daylight hours playing with. Trevor, who happened to be the fastest kid in our class, and Bill, who happened to live across the street. There was one house I had to pass on the way to Trevor's, and a girl named Christine lived there. She was one of the exceptions. She happened to be the third fastest kid in class, and she had a tree in her front yard we would occasionally climb. So she was allowed to join the 'He-man Woman Haters Club' for about 98% of our activities. We didn't invite her to write her name in the dirt with urine. But she could kick, throw, and run. All good qualities a young boy is looking for in a girl. But then I reached an age where girls were no longer shunned for being a girl. All of a sudden, you wanted girls to throws like girls. How else were we males to impress the opposite sex, if the girls were as good as we were? There came a day, when I left the neighborhood gang of 'boys only', and wanted to hang out with girls too. They were prettier, and didn't smell nearly as bad as the boys in the neighborhood. Dynamics changed, and I relenquished my title to the younger boys on the block. I guess it's all part of growing up. To this day, I still witness the competition between boys and girls. Having daughters, I see them challenging themselves, and boys, to do whatever boys are allowed to do, but would like to keep it among boys. It's rather amusing to see this develop, and the kids don't even realize that someday the girls won't care about the competition, and the boys will be allowed to emerge as boys, and try to impress the girls. You can't really observe this ritual, until you've gone through it yourself, and then know what you're looking for.

Inspirational

We visited the Hot Shops over the weekend, to check out the local artists, and support their craft. It's amazing to see the different art forms and different styles. You can really see what inspires people to create by viewing their artwork. Some are moved by nature, the seasons, man's creation, religion, and other people they find interesting. Then they interpret what they see in their mind and transfer that vision to another medium, whether it be paper, wood, bronze, glass, fabric, etc., etc. Obviously famous people inspire artists to create, but interesting people also inspire, i.e. Mona Lisa. I am neither famous, infamous, or apparently that interesting. The only artist inspired to draw me, happens to be a cartoonist. What does that tell you? He's portrayed me as a carrot, the moon, and Charlie Brown. I'm so flattered. If he's famous someday, maybe those cartoons will go for lots of money! Maybe even a hundred dollars!

I'm Bored

I'm not really bored. I just happen to be quoting my children more often than I like to hear. What happened to imagination and entertaining yourself? Why do children need to be entertained every waking minute of the day? I can see the effect it has on their schoolwork due to our being lenient on entertaining our children. Growing up in northwest Omaha, being the child of blue collar parents with no money management skills, the entertainment provided by my parents took the form of chores. It kept me occupied and out of their hair, and taught me to not whine about having nothing to do. I remember one occasion where my stepfather salvaged lumber from an old garage that he planned to use to build a shed. I was taught the joy of pulling nails at about the age of seven. What seemed to be an eternity, was actually a weekend. I was in a safe environment, supervised by a parent, and occupied my otherwise wasted time, learning how a hammer works. At the time, the chore is grievous. Looking back, the experience was invaluable. My hard work did not go without reward though. After the shed was built, my stepfather made me a pair of stilts from some of the remaining wood. I got several years worth of enjoyment from those stilts. To this day, hard work is part of my make up. As an adult, I can't remember a time where I was bored. Life continually requires my full attention and effort. There is just no time to be bored. If there was an opportunity, I would probably take it. I feel the need to be doing something for fear I waste more time than usual, and feel guilty afterward. I guess that's why I have stuck with a trade for over 25 years now. I would go absolutely insane sitting at a desk, day after day, staring at the same scenery. Chances are, I would be bored.

First Snow

I always appreciate the first snow of the year. Yesterday didn't really count. That was just a dusting - a teaser, so to speak. I like a significant amount, the kind of snowfall that requires snow removal. It comes to earth so gracefully and forms a beautiful blanket. Maybe you've noticed, after a good dose of snow, it acts like a sound deadening device. I notice this because we live within a mile of the interstate, and can hear a constant drone of traffic in the spring and fall when there are no leaves on the trees yet. But when it snows, the noise goes away. It may be from less traffic also. Either way, I welcome it. Some memorable winters growing up were the blizzard of 1975. I believe we received 18" of snow that year. The drifts were amazing! Our garage happened to be situated close to our lot line and our neighbor had a chain link fence between the two yards. There happened to be a drift from the roof of our garage sloping into our neighbor's yard. After a few days of frigid temps and the sun baking? a hard crust on the snow, I was ready for some real adventure. I was 10 at the time, so I didn't weigh a whole lot. I started in the neighbor's yard and carefully walked up the snowdrift, stepping as light as I could, so as to not break thru the crust of the drift. My goal - the roof of the garage! It had never been done before, and naysayers said it could not be done. I made it about halfway when the snow gave out from under my feet, and I shot down into the drift. I have a vivid memory of looking up out of the fissure, and the rim of the snow was about 6 to 12 inches above my head. There was no panic, I thought this was the coolest thing ever. So I had to dig my way out. Now the perfect drift was no longer perfect. I tried a couple of more times further down the drift, but with no success. I would break thru the snow and sink to my thighs. So the naysayers were right. Another year (happened to be my junior year in high school), we had 30 days of below zero temps, for the high! A couple of friends happened to enjoy ice fishing, so I thought this would be another incredible adventure. The ice was so thick, everyone drove their car out to their destination. I remember sitting in the front seat of my buddie's Chevelle, watching our tip ups from the warmth of the car. Prior to that though, we had to drill holes for our tip ups. We had only a spoon auger, powered by Kevin. After three holes, and an hour later, Kevin had had enough. The shallowest spot was 36", the deepest 42"! That sucked! Sorry, no nicer way to put it. Another year, after being married, but before children, I went inner tubing with friends at Suicide Hill in Spring Lake Park in South Omaha. It was a blast! I came home with the biggest black eye you've ever seen! Remember how Rocky Balboa looked after getting pounded by Apollo Creed? Ditto. My eye hit the back of another person's head while launching down the hill, over a killer jump. Those are just a few of the memorable years of playing in the snow. I have a few more, but I'll save them for another entry. Winter doesn't seem quite so long if you get out there and play in the snow:)

Naturally Funny

Everyone enjoys a good laugh once in awhile, or least they should. And there's nothing funnier than something that occurs at the spur of the moment. Many people forget that it doesn't have to be vulgar to be funny. For instance, the first time a toddler eats a bowl of spaghetti. We've all witnessed that, and more spaghetti makes it into the hair, the lap, the floor, than into the mouth, not to mention the beautiful saucy red complexion the child is donning. Get the picture? Some other favorites that deserve honorable mention are, giving the dog a spoonful of peanut butter, when an old person lets out an audible stinker in the grocery store, when someone slips and falls (provided they're not hurt) with some form of liquid in their hands. These are gems that should put a smile on our face. Spontaneous combustion is not planned or forced, neither should spontaneous laughter. What fun is it if you know it's coming? It all amounts to being in the right place at the right time. It also helps if your friends or family members are a bit accident prone. So get out there and live life, and when someone steps in dog doo, or little kids run into one another and topple like bowling pins, recognize this as 'funny', and don't forget to laugh.