Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Bristol on DWTS--there's gotta be a column in there somewhere!
Bristol Palin is gonna be one of the "celebrities" on this season's Dancing with the Stars. Pretty sure this might be the funniest thing EVER to this Sarah Palin-obsessed columnist. At least it is Bristol and not Levi--who makes my stomach churn. Just another reason to waste my life sitting on the couch watching television. More on this to come, I'm sure!
Friday, August 27, 2010
GUN STORY: HOW ONE ADORABLE BOY TURNED HIS PACIFISTS’ MOM HOUSE INTO AN ARMORY
You all know I am a left-wing, tree-hugging hippie, so it should be of no surprise that I hate firearms. I think most guns should be illegal and that bullets should cost $100 each (yet another reason I’ll never be elected to the US Senate). With this in mind, it might surprise you to know my house has its own personal arsenal. Stored in a huge antique trunk in my son Patrick’s room a person can find everything from a .357 Magnum to a bright orange gun used to shoot aliens. Yep—my youngest son somehow managed to become a gun enthusiast while growing up in the house of an avowed pacifist. Say it ain’t so.
I can take part of the blame for Paddy’s obsession with guns. With my first-born Cody, I was militant about banning all toy weapons from our home (get it? Militant—toy weapons—sometimes I crack myself up!). Cody wasn’t allowed to have any toy that even remotely resembled a gun. By the age of four, whatever primal instinct makes kids want to play with firearms kicked in and he was literally chewing his toast into the shape of a gun so he could go “shoot” his sister. Lego’s also became sub-machine guns and plastic cups were stacked to become anti-aircraft missiles. I figured at least he was using his imagination as he waged an imaginary war.
Josie was never into guns—the minute she attended her first t-ball game, sports were her number one priority. By the time Paddy came along, I was worn out from being a working mom and I guess I became a little lax. Patrick started trading his friends for their guns in about kindergarten. He’d take a cute little stuffed animal that I had bought him to the playground and come home with a Luger. At first I tried to make him either take it back or throw it away. “No guns on my property,” I righteously proclaimed.
Then the tears would well in my adorable son’s eyes and I’d relent—a little. “Okay,” I’d tell him, “you can keep them in the garage and play with them outside, but they absolutely, positively, in no way can come in the house.”
Yeah—that lasted about a month. Then the weapons slowly started creeping inside, although I will give Patrick some credit for trying to hide them. One day I was cleaning the living room and found three machine guns, eight handguns, and two light-sabers under the couch. I moved them to the garage and reminded Patrick, once again, about the gun rule.
This summer I finally gave up entirely and allowed Patrick to store his guns in his bedroom, as long as they are always returned to the “gun trunk” when he is done playing with them. This happened when I came home from a yard sale with a huge antique trunk and Patrick talked me into letting him keep it in his room. He explained that “real pirates” stored their guns in trunks exactly like the one I had purchased for $5. It seemed completely logical to his ten-year-old mind that the trunk should be used as a place to store his ever-growing arsenal.
At that moment, I conceded the gun war (get it?—gun war—I’m a punning machine today) and moved the trunk into his bedroom. I guess it was a good compromise: I no longer find guns hidden behind my refrigerator and Patrick is one step closer to being a “real pirate.”
Still, I wonder how exactly I went from “no guns in my house” to “what kind of gun do you want for your birthday, honey?” I guess it is all part of letting our kids be who they are—not who we want them to be. Just like letting Josie play football and putting up with Cody’s taste in music, Paddy’s love for guns is part of his personality and I need to embrace that, no matter how it sticks in my craw. Let’s just hope he doesn’t want to join the NRA next; I’m pretty sure I’d have to put my foot down on that one!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Veducation 2010: Amanas versus the Amish
One of the biggest thing I missed during my little break from writing a weekly column was telling readers about the Breitsprecher's annual "Veducation" (educational vacation). By my reckoning, this is the fifth year the kids and I have set out on a summer adventure to have fun and learn about local history. So--here is my recount of our annual trip--a little late.
This year we chose to go to the Amana Colonies and in the waterpark hotel located there. We had stayed in the hotel before (I had even written a glowing column about it several years ago) and always had a good time. I figured after a day of learning about socialism, my kids would be eager for water slides.
We visited several sites in the seven Amana Colonies, including the last remaining communal kitchen. It was emphasized over and over again that the Amana colonists were NOT Amish. It is easy to see how a person could confuse the two: The two groups both dressed in similar fashion, settled about 50 miles from each other in Iowa, spoke German, and had separatist views. They also have very similar names and both like saurkraut.
The Amana Colonies were based on a communal lifestyle--as many as five families lived in one home, most of which did not have kitchens. All eating (five meals a day!) was done in communal kitchen. Washing was also done (for a time) in communal was centers. At age 14, girls were taken from school and sent to work. Boys might get to go to school longer--even to professional training like dental college--if they promised to come back and practice in the Colonies. The people of the Amana Colonies--called Inspirationalists--were also pacifists. The Amana Colonies voted to "break up" in 1932, primarily for financial reasons.
The Old Order Amish Community located near Kalona descended from the Anabaptist religious movement of the 16th century. One big difference between the Amanas and the Amish is that the Amish still dress, act, and worship much as they did 300 years ago, while the Amana Colonies are no longer a functioning communal society. There are no horse and buggies in the Amanas and the Amish don't sell wine.
Cody, Josie, Patrick, and I took a tour of Amana, led by a history teacher from Clear Creek Amana Junior High School. Most of the old homes had trellises on the sides of their homes, covered in grape vines. It is from these grapes that much of the famous Amana wines are made. We then ate a HUGE German lunch at the Ox Yoke Inn and headed back into the heat and humidity to buy some souvenirs, including multiple bottles of wine for me.
We then headed to the hotel, which was much shabbier than when we last stayed there three years ago. It was no longer a Holiday Inn, but now a Clarion Inn and although we still had a lot of fun, it was obvious things were in a state of disrepair. From our television remote to hole number nine of the mini-golf course, items were broken. We still had a good time and Josie was thrilled she wasn't asked to leave the hot tub, which was for "16 and over" only. I didn't even finish dead last in mini-golf (that honor went to Patrick, who had 17 strokes on hole 12).
The next day we started our back-to-school shopping at the outlet mall in Williamsburg and then headed home to Dayton. It was an inexpensive trip and the kids learned a lot about the 1800's, socialism, and communal living. This is another trip I recommend to anyone interested in having a little mini-vacation close to home. I even still recommend the Waserbahn Water Park, even though it is shabbier than it once was.
Next year is the last year Cody will be going on the veducation and we want to make it special. I am now taking suggestions from readers on where we should go on Veducation 2011. It's gotta be close to home and it has to have at least nominal educational value. Any ideas??
This year we chose to go to the Amana Colonies and in the waterpark hotel located there. We had stayed in the hotel before (I had even written a glowing column about it several years ago) and always had a good time. I figured after a day of learning about socialism, my kids would be eager for water slides.
We visited several sites in the seven Amana Colonies, including the last remaining communal kitchen. It was emphasized over and over again that the Amana colonists were NOT Amish. It is easy to see how a person could confuse the two: The two groups both dressed in similar fashion, settled about 50 miles from each other in Iowa, spoke German, and had separatist views. They also have very similar names and both like saurkraut.
The Amana Colonies were based on a communal lifestyle--as many as five families lived in one home, most of which did not have kitchens. All eating (five meals a day!) was done in communal kitchen. Washing was also done (for a time) in communal was centers. At age 14, girls were taken from school and sent to work. Boys might get to go to school longer--even to professional training like dental college--if they promised to come back and practice in the Colonies. The people of the Amana Colonies--called Inspirationalists--were also pacifists. The Amana Colonies voted to "break up" in 1932, primarily for financial reasons.
The Old Order Amish Community located near Kalona descended from the Anabaptist religious movement of the 16th century. One big difference between the Amanas and the Amish is that the Amish still dress, act, and worship much as they did 300 years ago, while the Amana Colonies are no longer a functioning communal society. There are no horse and buggies in the Amanas and the Amish don't sell wine.
Cody, Josie, Patrick, and I took a tour of Amana, led by a history teacher from Clear Creek Amana Junior High School. Most of the old homes had trellises on the sides of their homes, covered in grape vines. It is from these grapes that much of the famous Amana wines are made. We then ate a HUGE German lunch at the Ox Yoke Inn and headed back into the heat and humidity to buy some souvenirs, including multiple bottles of wine for me.
We then headed to the hotel, which was much shabbier than when we last stayed there three years ago. It was no longer a Holiday Inn, but now a Clarion Inn and although we still had a lot of fun, it was obvious things were in a state of disrepair. From our television remote to hole number nine of the mini-golf course, items were broken. We still had a good time and Josie was thrilled she wasn't asked to leave the hot tub, which was for "16 and over" only. I didn't even finish dead last in mini-golf (that honor went to Patrick, who had 17 strokes on hole 12).
The next day we started our back-to-school shopping at the outlet mall in Williamsburg and then headed home to Dayton. It was an inexpensive trip and the kids learned a lot about the 1800's, socialism, and communal living. This is another trip I recommend to anyone interested in having a little mini-vacation close to home. I even still recommend the Waserbahn Water Park, even though it is shabbier than it once was.
Next year is the last year Cody will be going on the veducation and we want to make it special. I am now taking suggestions from readers on where we should go on Veducation 2011. It's gotta be close to home and it has to have at least nominal educational value. Any ideas??
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Do we need to go to Garage Salers Anonymous? You decide
Dean and I took our vacation this year along Highway 141. Much like Route 66 of old, Highway 141 has become something of a legend. Once a year people that live along this road from Grimes to Manning hold garage sales on a specified weekend and literally thousands of people flock out to hunt for bargains. This year the big event was August 6 and 7. Dean took a couple vacation days, we hauled the back seats out of the van, and were on the road to bargains by 7:30 AM. This year our friend Brad came too, which made the day even more fun.
The garage sales actually started before Highway 141 in Ogden, which had about a dozen. At the very first sale I saw a 9-foot tall blowup snow globe for only $35. I know, right? I decided to be a responsible garage saler and not buy something that large at the very first stop--it would have taken up a lot of room in the van and I wanted to be considerate. I'm a saint like that.
The next sale was located literally in a ditch right by Highway 141. Even though it was a somewhat hazardous place to have a sale, we stopped anyway. I bought an antique chemistry set and microscope. Cool.
After that we hopped on the highway and the headed towards Grimes. At the very next sale, my husband bought a huge tent. He obviously isn't as considerate as I am when it comes to conserving van space. At the next sale I said "screw it" and bought a recumbent exercise bike. And then the gloves were off. We bought turkey fryers, kids' clothes, Barbie dolls, musical CD's, a pair of Italian shoes--you name it, we purchased it.
Our friend Brad's wife Kim had to work that day, so we kept sending her photos of us having fun. She wasn't amused. We told her we would pick her up at 4:00 for Harcourt citywide sales so around 3:00 we headed home. This took us once again through Ogden and guess what? The big snow globe was still there. I offered the man $30 and he accepted. Now came the challenge--where were we going to put this big item as the van was pretty darn full. The only place open was Dean's lap--so he held the huge box the final few miles into town. By the time we reached Dayton, his nose was pretty squished, but it was so worth it to know we had something that would DEFINITELY win us the Christmas decorating contest this year!
We then switched vehicles (who has time to unload treasures when a whole new bunch of sales open in just ten minutes?), grabbed Kim, and headed to Harcourt for more garage saling fun. It is at this point we realize we just might need therapy. Dean, for one, is under the delusion that he is an American Picker and we had to keep reminding him that he is actually a counselor at a youth shelter instead.
Harcourt was so much fun that we decided that all four of us should hop on Highway 141 the next day as well, this time heading in the opposite direction. We promised we would only sale for two hours, as we all had many commitments that day. Yeah, right. It was a real challenge for me to get home in time for Josie's parade at 1:30!
A good time was had by all. We all agreed that heading towards Grimes produced better sales than the other direction. We also all agreed that the very best sale was in Granger, where they are trying to raise money for a new football stadium/track. The parents in charge of the fundraising had an "all sports" garage sale where parents donated used athletic equipment and all the money raised went towards to field. We bought 8 pairs of shoes, as well as bats, bags, batting gloves, softball gloves, and other "stuff" at this sale. Not only did we save a ton of money on athletic equipment for the kids, Woodward-Granger Schools raised some much-needed funds for their pet project. I think this would be a great fundraiser for the Booster Club during Dayton Garage Sale Days or even during Labor Day weekend. I know we could donate a ton of stuff. Anyone interested?
We've already decided to take this trip again next year--unless we are all in garage sale rehab by that time. Where else can you get a pink typing table for two bucks or a dinosaur costume that roars for only $3. Highway 141: it's addicting, but so, so much fun.
The garage sales actually started before Highway 141 in Ogden, which had about a dozen. At the very first sale I saw a 9-foot tall blowup snow globe for only $35. I know, right? I decided to be a responsible garage saler and not buy something that large at the very first stop--it would have taken up a lot of room in the van and I wanted to be considerate. I'm a saint like that.
The next sale was located literally in a ditch right by Highway 141. Even though it was a somewhat hazardous place to have a sale, we stopped anyway. I bought an antique chemistry set and microscope. Cool.
After that we hopped on the highway and the headed towards Grimes. At the very next sale, my husband bought a huge tent. He obviously isn't as considerate as I am when it comes to conserving van space. At the next sale I said "screw it" and bought a recumbent exercise bike. And then the gloves were off. We bought turkey fryers, kids' clothes, Barbie dolls, musical CD's, a pair of Italian shoes--you name it, we purchased it.
Our friend Brad's wife Kim had to work that day, so we kept sending her photos of us having fun. She wasn't amused. We told her we would pick her up at 4:00 for Harcourt citywide sales so around 3:00 we headed home. This took us once again through Ogden and guess what? The big snow globe was still there. I offered the man $30 and he accepted. Now came the challenge--where were we going to put this big item as the van was pretty darn full. The only place open was Dean's lap--so he held the huge box the final few miles into town. By the time we reached Dayton, his nose was pretty squished, but it was so worth it to know we had something that would DEFINITELY win us the Christmas decorating contest this year!
We then switched vehicles (who has time to unload treasures when a whole new bunch of sales open in just ten minutes?), grabbed Kim, and headed to Harcourt for more garage saling fun. It is at this point we realize we just might need therapy. Dean, for one, is under the delusion that he is an American Picker and we had to keep reminding him that he is actually a counselor at a youth shelter instead.
Harcourt was so much fun that we decided that all four of us should hop on Highway 141 the next day as well, this time heading in the opposite direction. We promised we would only sale for two hours, as we all had many commitments that day. Yeah, right. It was a real challenge for me to get home in time for Josie's parade at 1:30!
A good time was had by all. We all agreed that heading towards Grimes produced better sales than the other direction. We also all agreed that the very best sale was in Granger, where they are trying to raise money for a new football stadium/track. The parents in charge of the fundraising had an "all sports" garage sale where parents donated used athletic equipment and all the money raised went towards to field. We bought 8 pairs of shoes, as well as bats, bags, batting gloves, softball gloves, and other "stuff" at this sale. Not only did we save a ton of money on athletic equipment for the kids, Woodward-Granger Schools raised some much-needed funds for their pet project. I think this would be a great fundraiser for the Booster Club during Dayton Garage Sale Days or even during Labor Day weekend. I know we could donate a ton of stuff. Anyone interested?
We've already decided to take this trip again next year--unless we are all in garage sale rehab by that time. Where else can you get a pink typing table for two bucks or a dinosaur costume that roars for only $3. Highway 141: it's addicting, but so, so much fun.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Iowa Private College Week
My oldest son Cody has started the college quest: that search for the perfect college for him. Of course, if I had my druthers, he'd magically get a full-ride scholarship to my Alma Mater, Coe, and graduate in four years Phi Beta Kappa, after which he'd attend Harvard Law. However, it isn't that easy.
The only decision Cody has made regarding his college selection is that he wants to attend a liberal arts college. With this in mind, we decided to take part in this nifty thing called Iowa Private College Week. This was started twelve years ago by 28 private colleges and universities in Iowa. Each of these colleges receive about 400 visitors that week. Each college holds two sessions a day and each session lasts about 2 1/2 hours.
Cody and I started our tour in Indianola at Simpson on an extremely hot and humid Tuesday morning. In my opinion, the folks there were the most organized and put on the best "show." There were golf carts to take us from our car to the first assembly and then back to our car at the end. There were TONS of student and faculty volunteers, all very friendly and dressed in matching t-shirts so we could easily find them to ask questions. There was also tons of food and drink throughout the morning. During the campus tour, there were actually people stationed along the route to give us water, lest we were too parched from walking. Cody was bombarded with information and after lunch was given a Simpson t-shirt and a dilly bar from Dairy Queen.
Cody spent lunch talking to the cross country coach, who gave us the official track and field recruiting brochure. Imagine our surprise to see Scott Danielson on the cover. Kelsey Castenson was featured on a bulletin board in the gym for winning the coed pool tournament in intermurals. Our golf cart driver was Nate Sedlacek's roommate. Add to that SWG alum and Simpson baseball player Ryan Dahlstrom and it is clear that there is some sort of mystical connection between SWG and Simpson.
That being said, Cody was more impressed with our second school, Grandview, than he was with Simpson. He liked the small college atmosphere in the middle of the big city (Des Moines), which was one of the reasons I chose Coe so very many years ago. Grandview may be a better option for other reasons as well: the offer athletic scholarships and the other schools do not and they are cheaper than most of the others. Grandview also has a brand new, gorgeous art building and since Cody would like to major in art, that really impressed him. SWG alumni Jenn Jorgensen attends Grandview and my own brother received his BA from there. Grandview's theme was "Grand Old Fair" and we were treated to food on a stick and state fair-themed decorations. Grandview also gave Cody a t-shirt.
After the Grandview visit, we hopped in the car and headed to Cedar Rapids, where we spent the night. Cody was supposed to do most of the driving on this little adventure. Trouble is, the minute we'd get in the car he'd fall asleep and I couldn't wake him up to take his shift driving for anything. I let him sleep from Dayton to Indianola, considering we left so early in the morning, and only woke him when I saw hot air balloons in the distance. (Iowa Private College Week corresponds with the National Balloon Classic, which was cool.)
After Grandview, I told him I'd drive us out of Des Moines, as it was rush hour, and then I'd pull over and let him drive the rest of the way. No such luck; I couldn't even hear the radio over his snores.
Cody and I spent Tuesday night driving around CR with me pointing and exclaiming, "LOOK! That's where Mom used to (fill in the blank)" and Cody pretending to be interested. Bright and early Wednesday morning we headed to Coe.
I was SO disappointed by Coe's presentation. Their tour was the worst of the four we took and their discussions were . . . I gotta say it . . . boring. Cody fell asleep during the panel discussion. Our tour group had about 12 people in it, which made it big enough that sometimes we couldn't even hear the guide. Instead of showing us the brand new, apartment-style dorms, they showed us an uncarpeted room in Armstrong, that was old when I attended in the 80's. I had to ask to show him an art classroom, and we didn't even go near the new Clarke recreation center. The cross country coach was late to lunch and basically had time to shake Cody's hand before the music tour began.
I did make it to the bookstore, so I could stock up on Coe clothing and Cody was given yet another t-shirt. Still, I left the City of Five Smells almost in tears.
Our last stop was Cornell College in Mount Vernon. My Coe friends were very, VERY surprised that I even let Cody take a tour there. You see, Coe and Cornell have the "oldest college rivalry west of the Mississippi" and, as an alumn, I just have to hate Cornell. I remember going to Coe/Cornell football games and hearing the Cornell fans chant "Coe Sucks, Coe Sucks," to which we Coe fans charmingly answered "Cornell swallows, Cornell swallows." (See why I like the blog; I don't have to edit that like I do for the Dayton Review!)
Cody really wanted to visit Cornell to check into their "one course at a time" option. Cornell is unique in the nation is that students study only one subject for four hours a day for 18 days, then have four days off, then start another subject. They have 9 terms in a school year. When I was at Coe we had "J term" in January where we took only one class for a month and that was okay, I guess. I can't imagine doing that all year round, though. I had to take Intro to Sociology my freshman year during J term and didn't learn one thing!
Cornell is a beautiful, old campus situated on a hill in the small town of Mount Vernon. The entire campus is on National Historic Registry, which guarantees it will retain its charm and not give way to a lot of new construction. Much to my chagrin, Cody really liked Cornell, which also gave him the obligatory t-shirt. I took solace that the t-shirt was really ugly and I'm pretty sure Cody won't wear it.
On the trip home, Cody told me that he still thinks Luther College is the place for him to matriculate, if he doesn't start a band and tour the country in a van. *sigh* Still, I think the two days and four college visits were a success as they seemed to motivate Cody to at least start thinking about the future--when he can stay awake that is.
I highly recommend Iowa Private College Week for those of you with potential college students in your house. It is easy, efficient, and if you play your cards right you can come home with a whole new wardrobe, free.
The only decision Cody has made regarding his college selection is that he wants to attend a liberal arts college. With this in mind, we decided to take part in this nifty thing called Iowa Private College Week. This was started twelve years ago by 28 private colleges and universities in Iowa. Each of these colleges receive about 400 visitors that week. Each college holds two sessions a day and each session lasts about 2 1/2 hours.
Cody and I started our tour in Indianola at Simpson on an extremely hot and humid Tuesday morning. In my opinion, the folks there were the most organized and put on the best "show." There were golf carts to take us from our car to the first assembly and then back to our car at the end. There were TONS of student and faculty volunteers, all very friendly and dressed in matching t-shirts so we could easily find them to ask questions. There was also tons of food and drink throughout the morning. During the campus tour, there were actually people stationed along the route to give us water, lest we were too parched from walking. Cody was bombarded with information and after lunch was given a Simpson t-shirt and a dilly bar from Dairy Queen.
Cody spent lunch talking to the cross country coach, who gave us the official track and field recruiting brochure. Imagine our surprise to see Scott Danielson on the cover. Kelsey Castenson was featured on a bulletin board in the gym for winning the coed pool tournament in intermurals. Our golf cart driver was Nate Sedlacek's roommate. Add to that SWG alum and Simpson baseball player Ryan Dahlstrom and it is clear that there is some sort of mystical connection between SWG and Simpson.
That being said, Cody was more impressed with our second school, Grandview, than he was with Simpson. He liked the small college atmosphere in the middle of the big city (Des Moines), which was one of the reasons I chose Coe so very many years ago. Grandview may be a better option for other reasons as well: the offer athletic scholarships and the other schools do not and they are cheaper than most of the others. Grandview also has a brand new, gorgeous art building and since Cody would like to major in art, that really impressed him. SWG alumni Jenn Jorgensen attends Grandview and my own brother received his BA from there. Grandview's theme was "Grand Old Fair" and we were treated to food on a stick and state fair-themed decorations. Grandview also gave Cody a t-shirt.
After the Grandview visit, we hopped in the car and headed to Cedar Rapids, where we spent the night. Cody was supposed to do most of the driving on this little adventure. Trouble is, the minute we'd get in the car he'd fall asleep and I couldn't wake him up to take his shift driving for anything. I let him sleep from Dayton to Indianola, considering we left so early in the morning, and only woke him when I saw hot air balloons in the distance. (Iowa Private College Week corresponds with the National Balloon Classic, which was cool.)
After Grandview, I told him I'd drive us out of Des Moines, as it was rush hour, and then I'd pull over and let him drive the rest of the way. No such luck; I couldn't even hear the radio over his snores.
Cody and I spent Tuesday night driving around CR with me pointing and exclaiming, "LOOK! That's where Mom used to (fill in the blank)" and Cody pretending to be interested. Bright and early Wednesday morning we headed to Coe.
I was SO disappointed by Coe's presentation. Their tour was the worst of the four we took and their discussions were . . . I gotta say it . . . boring. Cody fell asleep during the panel discussion. Our tour group had about 12 people in it, which made it big enough that sometimes we couldn't even hear the guide. Instead of showing us the brand new, apartment-style dorms, they showed us an uncarpeted room in Armstrong, that was old when I attended in the 80's. I had to ask to show him an art classroom, and we didn't even go near the new Clarke recreation center. The cross country coach was late to lunch and basically had time to shake Cody's hand before the music tour began.
I did make it to the bookstore, so I could stock up on Coe clothing and Cody was given yet another t-shirt. Still, I left the City of Five Smells almost in tears.
Our last stop was Cornell College in Mount Vernon. My Coe friends were very, VERY surprised that I even let Cody take a tour there. You see, Coe and Cornell have the "oldest college rivalry west of the Mississippi" and, as an alumn, I just have to hate Cornell. I remember going to Coe/Cornell football games and hearing the Cornell fans chant "Coe Sucks, Coe Sucks," to which we Coe fans charmingly answered "Cornell swallows, Cornell swallows." (See why I like the blog; I don't have to edit that like I do for the Dayton Review!)
Cody really wanted to visit Cornell to check into their "one course at a time" option. Cornell is unique in the nation is that students study only one subject for four hours a day for 18 days, then have four days off, then start another subject. They have 9 terms in a school year. When I was at Coe we had "J term" in January where we took only one class for a month and that was okay, I guess. I can't imagine doing that all year round, though. I had to take Intro to Sociology my freshman year during J term and didn't learn one thing!
Cornell is a beautiful, old campus situated on a hill in the small town of Mount Vernon. The entire campus is on National Historic Registry, which guarantees it will retain its charm and not give way to a lot of new construction. Much to my chagrin, Cody really liked Cornell, which also gave him the obligatory t-shirt. I took solace that the t-shirt was really ugly and I'm pretty sure Cody won't wear it.
On the trip home, Cody told me that he still thinks Luther College is the place for him to matriculate, if he doesn't start a band and tour the country in a van. *sigh* Still, I think the two days and four college visits were a success as they seemed to motivate Cody to at least start thinking about the future--when he can stay awake that is.
I highly recommend Iowa Private College Week for those of you with potential college students in your house. It is easy, efficient, and if you play your cards right you can come home with a whole new wardrobe, free.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Coffee Break--Old School
The original Coffee Break may be returning to the Dayton Review August 11. What do you all think of that idea???
Tomorrow I plan to sit down and write about my experiences with Cody during Iowa Private College Week. I am too pooped to do it now!
Tomorrow I plan to sit down and write about my experiences with Cody during Iowa Private College Week. I am too pooped to do it now!
Monday, August 2, 2010
Let's give this a shot!
Since making the decision to take a break from my weekly column in the Dayton Review, I have been experiencing writer's withdrawal. All of a sudden, the lack of ideas I have had the last year or so has given way to more ideas than I can shake a pen at. Some folks have encouraged me to start a blog and so, tonight, while my Introduction to Theatre class watched Marlon Brando's Streetcar Named Desire, I am composing my very first blog post. I am predicting that I won't have to be quite so politically correct with this blog as I felt I should be with the local newspaper. I guess I'm saying--if my Review columns caused you to raise an eyebrow or two, you ain't seen nothing yet.
I am going to write my first column on the proposed fence around the Dayton school and playground. I have five reasons for opposing the fence.
First, why solve a problem that doesn't exist? As far as I can tell, there has never been an accident where a school child followed a ball into the street and was hit by a car. Never. The chains and the recess monitors are doing their jobs very well. I've lived across the street from the school for over 17 years now and have never even seen any close calls.
Secondly, chain link fences are unattractive. I tore one down in my backyard primarily because it was just so darn ugly. If we absolutely MUST do something about this non-issue, can we at least make it an attractive solution?
Thirdly, the park board is against it. These volunteers put a great deal of time, energy, and their own money into the park board and their wishes should be respected.
Fourthly, it is expensive and the money could be very easily spent to solve problems that actually exist.
Fifthly, no matter what the school board says, it sure looks like one woman threatened to pull her kids out of SWG if a fence wasn't erected and so, by golly, it was decided to put up a fence. She attended a few meetings, wrote a letter to the editor (where she quoted me incorrectly, by the way) and got her way. I have more kids than she does. Does that mean if I threaten to pull my kids if the school doesn't--for example--sign a contract to keep the softball field in Harcourt for another ten years, that the school will hop right on drawing up said contract?
That being said, I would still support a fence if a few things could happen. One--if someone could show me some hard evidence that it is needed (like statistics, etc) then I would certainly change my mind. The aforementioned woman promised to bring stats to the next council meeting--and then she didn't even come to said meeting, let alone present statistics. "All the other schools have fences" is not good enough for me at this point.
Two--If the school board and the park board would work together and bring a proposal to the city council. This entire process has been ass backwards. It started with a woman standing up at council and demanding a fence. There was no school board representative there. Then, two weeks later, the school board submitted a building permit to fence in the entire school and park area, with the city paying part of the cost. No school board members and no lady at this meeting. We voted it down. After this, the park board also voted to not erect a fence.
Then, the woman wrote a not-so-nice and not-very-accurate letter to the Dayton Review. At the next City Council meeting, three members of the school board attended (still no lady) and it was approved for them to fence in their section only, but leave the city section as is. The school board members agreed to go to the next park board meeting to work on a compromise.
The concerned woman finally returned to the next council meeting to inquire about the progress of the fence. We told her to go to the next park board meeting. She did not attend, but several people did stand up at the meeting and voice their opposition to the fence.
It looks like the school will fence in their property for sure and the city probably won't fence in theirs, although this is not 100% certain. You know--the proposed four-foot fence really isn't that much of a deterrent. Why not go all the way and put barbed wire around the top? That would certainly deter bad guys. Then we could change our city slogan from "Rodeo City" to "Dayton: We fence in our kids like cattle."
Okay, that was snotty. But, I do want to make the point that the entire "Fencegate" could have been handled much differently from the very beginning--going through established channels--and the hard feelings out there never would have occurred.
Yes--we all want to do what is best for our children and our community. I'm just not sure this is it.
I am going to write my first column on the proposed fence around the Dayton school and playground. I have five reasons for opposing the fence.
First, why solve a problem that doesn't exist? As far as I can tell, there has never been an accident where a school child followed a ball into the street and was hit by a car. Never. The chains and the recess monitors are doing their jobs very well. I've lived across the street from the school for over 17 years now and have never even seen any close calls.
Secondly, chain link fences are unattractive. I tore one down in my backyard primarily because it was just so darn ugly. If we absolutely MUST do something about this non-issue, can we at least make it an attractive solution?
Thirdly, the park board is against it. These volunteers put a great deal of time, energy, and their own money into the park board and their wishes should be respected.
Fourthly, it is expensive and the money could be very easily spent to solve problems that actually exist.
Fifthly, no matter what the school board says, it sure looks like one woman threatened to pull her kids out of SWG if a fence wasn't erected and so, by golly, it was decided to put up a fence. She attended a few meetings, wrote a letter to the editor (where she quoted me incorrectly, by the way) and got her way. I have more kids than she does. Does that mean if I threaten to pull my kids if the school doesn't--for example--sign a contract to keep the softball field in Harcourt for another ten years, that the school will hop right on drawing up said contract?
That being said, I would still support a fence if a few things could happen. One--if someone could show me some hard evidence that it is needed (like statistics, etc) then I would certainly change my mind. The aforementioned woman promised to bring stats to the next council meeting--and then she didn't even come to said meeting, let alone present statistics. "All the other schools have fences" is not good enough for me at this point.
Two--If the school board and the park board would work together and bring a proposal to the city council. This entire process has been ass backwards. It started with a woman standing up at council and demanding a fence. There was no school board representative there. Then, two weeks later, the school board submitted a building permit to fence in the entire school and park area, with the city paying part of the cost. No school board members and no lady at this meeting. We voted it down. After this, the park board also voted to not erect a fence.
Then, the woman wrote a not-so-nice and not-very-accurate letter to the Dayton Review. At the next City Council meeting, three members of the school board attended (still no lady) and it was approved for them to fence in their section only, but leave the city section as is. The school board members agreed to go to the next park board meeting to work on a compromise.
The concerned woman finally returned to the next council meeting to inquire about the progress of the fence. We told her to go to the next park board meeting. She did not attend, but several people did stand up at the meeting and voice their opposition to the fence.
It looks like the school will fence in their property for sure and the city probably won't fence in theirs, although this is not 100% certain. You know--the proposed four-foot fence really isn't that much of a deterrent. Why not go all the way and put barbed wire around the top? That would certainly deter bad guys. Then we could change our city slogan from "Rodeo City" to "Dayton: We fence in our kids like cattle."
Okay, that was snotty. But, I do want to make the point that the entire "Fencegate" could have been handled much differently from the very beginning--going through established channels--and the hard feelings out there never would have occurred.
Yes--we all want to do what is best for our children and our community. I'm just not sure this is it.
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