Christmas Wishes

I am a Christmas baby.  There I said it.  It has plagued me for years and I have finally accepted that my birthday sucks!

WAIT, WHAT?!?

Anytime someone finds out that my birthday is indeed on Christmas Day they ask, "Do you like it? I mean, doesn't it suck?"

Well, no, actually, I LOVE IT!

Let me explain.  It has it's downsides. 

1. I get presents ONCE a year
2. Nothing is open on my birthday
3. There is almost always snow for my  birthday
4. It is freezing

Upsides:

1. I never have to work on my birthday
2. I got DOUBLE presents when I was little
3. There is almost always snow for my birthday (it's both a pro and a con)
4. I am always with my family

My parents and family made my birthday special even though it came at a very busy time of the year.  Christmas Eve was family Christmas present time.  Christmas Morning was Santa present time. and after lunch was my birthday.   It was completely separate.  I was able to celebrate with my school friends, my mom's side, and my dad's side (3 parties a year, hell yea!).  Yes, sometimes it wasn't as special as I wanted it to be, for example:

My "Birthday Cake"

 My 19th birthday - I didn't get to enjoy the day because I knew the next day I was getting my Wisdom teeth out.  Happy Freakin Birthday to Me! 

Or my 20th birthday - when we got caught in a blizzard on the way home from Minnesota and had to spend the night in a hotel.  My birthday cake that evening was 1/4 of a snicker bar with a gummy bear on top from the snack machine down the hall.

But, even those 2 birthdays gave me memories that I will have forever.  I am truly one of the luckiest people in the world.  My birthday is pretty special when you think about it -- for Christians it is the day that Jesus was born (unless you buy that "he was born in August" crap), and for non-Christians,  it is a time to spend with family and friends, reflecting on the past year and thinking about the future.

And who can forget the presents!! :)

~~Later 'tater. Alligator. Don't be a Stranger. Bye!~~

Independence Day

from Clipart

Many thoughts crossed my mind during the holiday weekend.  Thankfulness, patriotism,  and utter disgust. I know what you are thinking - how can a holiday disgust you?  Let me explain my feelings.

Thankfulness - I am thankful for the men and women who fight to protect me and this country.  There are people over seas away from their families and friends who put their lives on the line for my safety and freedom.  No words can ever express how truly thankful for these men and women (and the men and women who came before them.

Patriotism - I mean, duh!  It is the 4th of July!  The day that we celebrate our nation becoming independent from England.  Most days I am proud to be an American and I am proud of this country.  We have so many freedoms that other countries do not.  I don't have to watch what I say, I can practice (or not) any religion I choose, and I generally do not fear for my safety.  I love America!

Utter Disgust - It has recently come to my attention that someone in this community has decided that July 4 is no longer a day to celebrate our awesome country, but a day to disrespect our President.  For details read this article.  I am embarrassed to be from this community.  Mr. Konopasek stated that 95% of the community was not offended by the float.   To those 95%, you SHOULD be offended.

The Presidency has always been respected.  During FDR's time in office, the media never photographed or took video while he was in his wheel chair.  They waited until he was standing at the podium out of RESPECT.  Now all of a sudden, when we have our first black president, its somehow okay to be disrespectful? What the hell!?   I don't care if you agree with Obama's views or not, but he has done some amazing things while in office.  If you disagree, I challenge you to be the President.  Seriously, I'd like to see all the naysayers do a better job.  

Not only am I embarrassed to be a part of this seemingly-racist community, but yesterday I was embarrassed to be American.   How are we supposed to become great again, when citizens can't take pride in their own country?  

Street Harassment: Decent Guys Still Exist

Street harassment.

It's a big issue these days.  Being the subject of cat-calling, whistling, and other derogatory remarks is generally thought of as offensive by most females.  The "offenders" always try to play it off as a compliment, something we girls should be proud of receiving.  I can't say that I have too much experience with the problem of harassment for a few reasons.

1. I don't go out much.  Not that I'm a homebody (though some of my friends would disagree), I just don't feel the need to go out to bars and get drunk.  I drink socially a couple times a month but I don't know the bartenders in town by name nor do I have a favorite watering hole.

2. I'm from a fairly small town.  Only ~23,000 people here.  Not a huge calling for nightlife and generally people are polite, even when drunk.

3. I'm not a size 2.  Generally speaking the people I know that are the victims of street harassment are thin, naturally pretty, and -though I don't want to condemn their style choices- don't leave much to the imagination in terms of clothing choices.

Now, don't get me wrong, a girl who wears short shorts and a crop top shouldn't feel like a piece of meat. I don't think that what a girl wears should be an excuse for men to act like pigs. However, I tend to dress more modestly, which could attribute to my lack of experience.

On to the story.

While in Lincoln recently, a friend and I were walking back to the hotel after checking out some live music/DJ's.  The following is a scene we encountered.

2 girls and a guy (let's call him Joe) were walking in Downtown Lincoln.  The three of them walked past a guy on a cellphone who then decided to whistle at the girls.  The girls obviously weren't bothered and both hollered a "thank you" as the kept on walking.  Joe, however, didn't like it one bit.  He turned around and started to confront the guy but the girls pulled him away and begged him to keep walking.

I think more guys should be like Joe.  He was willing to put himself in danger to stand up for the girls he was with that night.  He couldn't have gotten in a fight with more than a couple guys, while he was most likely intoxicated.  Personally, I am grateful for Joe for showing those 2 girls that they are worth more than a whistle or a cat-call, and that there are still genuinely decent guys in the world, willing to stand up for others.

** Please note, Joe could be a complete jerk, I don't really know him.  But in that moment he was a true gentleman.**

~~Later 'tater. Alligator. Don't Be a Stranger. Bye!~~

What First Graders Have to Say about Suspension...

There was an incident at the Elementary school where I work that resulted in a student getting suspended for the day and in-school suspension the following Monday.   While at lunch duty that day I overheard some interesting comments from some of the first graders about the student's punishment.

Student 1: I heard he got exqualified for a few days
Student 2: Yea, me too.
S1: That means he has to stay in bed for 2 days and can only get up to eat and go to the bathroom. Then he has to get back in bed.
S2: I bet he can't come back to school at all.
Para: Actually, he is coming back Monday but has to stay in the principal's office all day.
S1&S2: oooooh. That's awful.
S2: I'm never gonna be bad.  I don't wanna eat lunch in the principal's office, that wouldn't be any fun.

While the other Para and I tried really hard not to laugh it made me think.  Did the teachers actually explain what happened to the classmates?

If not - why didn't they? This could be a learning experience for the other kids.  I know, learning at another child's expense isn't the best, but let's face it, those 2 kids in the lunch room will be making really good choices (I hope) because they fear the consequence.  That is how it should be.  Kids should know the consequences BEFORE they make a choice.

If so - maybe it should have been explained a little better, because these 2 kids did not quite grasp what was happening.

In either case, I hope the child's classmates have a better understanding of consequences for their actions.  And if nothing else, I got a good chuckle listening to them talk about the "exqualified" student.

Gotta love kids!

~~Later 'tater. Alligator. Don't be a Stranger. Bye!~~

An Argument for Country Music

Wait! I know, I know.  Country music is for hillbillies and rednecks and they only sing about trucks and dogs.  Trust me, I get it.  I'm from Nebraska and it seems that every radio station is a country station and it drives me nuts!

But, tonight I was watching the Grammys. Willie Nelson, Blake Shelton, Merle Haggard, and Kris Kristofferson took the stage to sing some of Country Musics best hits - when it hit me!  All four of these guys are playing guitar and singing.   How many pop/rap/r&b artists can do that?

These country artists are TRUE musicians.  They pour their heart and soul into their craft and don't rely on others to make it sound good.  Too often these days the top tracks are so auto-tuned that it makes my ears bleed.  Call me crazy, but I don't want to hear an electronic, altered version of a song - I want to hear a melody and the artist's voice.

I grew up listening to oldies from the 50's and 60's.  My dad was in a quartet and I knew all of their songs. "Silhouettes", "Standing on the Corner", "Barbara Ann", "Sherry", etc.   I love these songs (and still know most of them by heart) because they are perfectly imperfect.  I can hear every breath and every break, and to me that is how it should be.

Country has all that.  Yes, I'm sure they have some auto-tune and digital remastering, but in comparison it has less that most of the other genres of today.  I think it is time to give these honky-tonk boys and girls the love they deserve.  I think we can all look past the lyrics and enjoy some good ol', toe-tappin music.

And be honest - Who hasn't sung along with "Red Solo Cup"!?

~~Later 'tater. Alligator. Don't be a Stranger. Bye!~~