Annoying Crap

I'm only human, and as such, there are things in life that I find frustrating.

Because I'm human, I am compelled to share these frustrating things with anyone who will listen (or read) them.

• Opening a surprise package from a favorite auntie and discovering that the video game box contains no DVD.  Apparently, someone in Amazon.com's shipping department needed that World Tour Band Hero DVD that someone else paid for a whole lot more than my kids, who were agape with, first, awe and amazement over their good fortune, and then entirely crestfallen that there was nothing within the package to actually play.
• Spending good money on a decent brassiere (at least $20, and the garments in question were on sale at half-price, so I consider this "good money" for a "good deal") and having a strap on said garment that never wants to stay up.  What the hell.  I didn't get anything that comes in a plastic, ziploc-style bag or some $5.98 dealie from K-Mart.  I actually went to a real department store and found a known brand and took advantage of the sales and the stinking strap won't stay in place?  Even after adjusting?  Oh, and does anyone out there think that "Maidenform" could be renamed "MaidenFOAM"?
• Cable/Internet/Telephone companies who package all three services, yet give you the run-around every time you call with a problem.  The person on the phone always makes it sound like it's YOUR problem the service isn't working correctly, it's never something wrong at THEIR end, or with THEIR equipment.  Recently, I loaned my phone to someone who had no internet/cable/telephone for four days.  The customer service person said they couldn't (wouldn't) be out to service for a few days.  Huh. That's weird, because I see that particular company's truck in the neighborhood about once or twice a week, normally.  The poor guy was feeling desperate, because everyone else in the neighborhood had service except him. He took the box off the wiring out in the front yard, by the curb, and discovered the interior of that box was blackened and sooty.  Customer service then recommended he call the fire department.  Within minutes, the cable service van was in place to repair the cable/internet/telephone. 
• "DO NOT CALL" lists are wonderful.  I really enjoy being able to use my telephone and answer calls that I deem are worthwhile (thanks, caller ID).  Some people though, just can't get a clue.  Why is it that politicians are exempt from "do not call" lists?  Our household gets up to 3 phone calls, sometimes daily, from "Public Survey."  This automated voice always wants to tell me about some important political thing that evidently warrants an opinion from me.  If I don't answer, I have to delete this annoying voice mail because of course, the automated voice must leave a message.  Instead, I answer, wait for the voice to begin, and then hang up.  My husband's alma mater calls frequently, too.  I almost feel that we should be on a first-name basis with them - they always ask for money.  One donation, years ago, and now we get the pleasure of regular phone calls even though we've asked them to stop calling.
• Barking dogs.  Yes, dogs bark.  I know that. I expect that will happen.  What annoys me is when the dog owner is in the yard while the dog barks, continuously. 

"BARK! BARK! BARK!" 

(owner) "BELLA!  Do YOU want to go INSIDE?" (said in the sort of voice that parents use for very young children)

"BARK! BARK! BARK!"

(owner) "Bella? (BAARK!) Bella.  (BARK BARK BARK!) Bella!  Now, you be QUIET!" (again, said in the sort of voice that parents use for very young children).

Ok, dog owner.  Your dog needs you to keep the directions short and simple.  Your dog does not understand every nuance and cajoling note in your voice, and isn't going to answer yes or no to "do you want to go inside." So knock it off, already. 

In this case, the owner is definitely more annoying than the dog - if I had to interact with someone that stupid on a daily basis, I'd probably bark, too.

Ok. That's it.  It's a short list, for certain, though if I thought about it more, I'm sure I could fill lots more space.  I should be thankful that my life is so danged simple, right?  I am, truly.

So what, besides people who complain about annoying things, is on your list of annoyances?

If you can't think of anything, hooray!  Think instead of things that make you feel peaceful.  (by the way, that's a picture of a rather flattened out cat, taking a snooze)

illustrations.com, Braza Magic (http://www.jms.com/), spark museum.com, http://www.privacycouncil.org/ do not call, kopitiam83.com, companionsforlife.net; fototime.com

Slumber Parties: To sleep, or not to sleep?

Any season is the right season for slumber parties, but seems like summer is the best time.  Energetic kids can get outdoors rather than being cooped up inside, pestering parents for activities that will keep them occupied for all of five minutes before they demand something else to do.

I went to a few slumber parties when I was a kid.  Usually, around 4th and 5th grade is when the yen for inviting a cluster of your closest friends to cozy up in sleeping bags on the floor of your living room would strike.  The slumber party usually was accompanied by someone's birthday.  Invitations would be covertly handed out at school, or simply mailed to the recipients' homes.                           

The procedure we went through at home usually went like this:

• Face alight with undisguised glee:  "Mom, Jane invited me to a SLUMBER PARTY!"
• Mom would check the date and say that she and dad would talk about it.  Mom knew who my friends were, and since Jane was someone I played with, she knew that this wasn't just some random girl who was looking for extras to fill out the invitation list.
• Sometimes, there was a minor grilling session.  Questions:  Does Jane have brothers and sisters? How old are they? Will her mom be there? Where does she live? Usually, if mom hadn't been to this person's house before, she would drive by and check the place out. What time is the party over?
• When I was dropped off, mom would accompany  me to the door and do a brief meet & greet with the parent who opened the door.  I don't recall that she ever came inside, but making face-to-face contact with a parent was necessary.

Now that I have a pre-teen, I wonder how my parents let me go anywhere or do anything. 

My daughter's first slumber party invitation came when she was in kindergarten, and came from a girl she barely knew, who invited the entire class.  I called with regrets, thinking to myself, "IS THIS NUTS, OR WHAT?" Because what parent, in her right mind, would have a slumber party in kindergarten, for a group of kids who are largely unknown to each other?  

Another mom, whose children played with the child whose party it was, said her children were the only two in attendance.  She says she felt so bad - but understood that kindergarten is really, in her opinion, too young for a sleep-over.  Her children stayed and played for several hours before calling it a night and returning to their own home to sleep.  Mom stayed too, to visit with the other parent.

Slumber party invitations followed regularly from that point, onward. 

Like me, my kid was about 5th grade before she was allowed to go on a sleep-over.  I felt I had a little advantage; working at the school allowed me to get to see and know the kids a little bit more than just occasional glimpses at school events or a now-and-then get-together.  Plus, this allowed me to meet some parents, or grill the staff about the homes of the kids in question.  I mainly wanted to know if there would be supervision by a responsible adult, and not a teenager left in charge. 

My daughter had a few disappointments, though.  Some parties she could attend until about 10 p.m. or so, and then I would pick her up.  There was usually one other child who was picked up at about the same time - and this one was not allowed to attend a slumber party ever, except to go for a few hours and then return home.  I didn't feel so bad, then, because I could always tell my daughter, "Hey, not even Sharla ges to stay over all night, so don't complain."

Sometimes, you don't get a feel for the atmosphere of the home until you drop your child off.  I admit I was really worried about the most recent invitation.  We reached a compromise, and it ended that my daughter would attend part of the scheduled activities that started with the "slumber" part.  When I took her to the house, I met the parent and the parent's partner.  I got a glimpse of the home, the demeanor of both adults, the other girls who were in attendance.  A lot of my worry dissipated in that fifteen-minute meet-and-greet.

I still didn't feel guilty about keeping my child from the afternoon events, but had no serious qualms about leaving her in the care of her friend's family for the remaining time of the party.  I left her with the cell phone, in case she wanted to call and come home at any point - but I really didn't expect a phone call!

What do you do, when your child has been invited to spend an extensive amount of time at a friend's house? 

• 
  
  Do you demand to know what the activities are, or do you only find out, after the hospital calls and asks you to sign a release form for medical treatment? 
• 
  
  What activities would you automatically say "NO" to, if you knew about them ahead of time? 
• 
  
  Would your response depend upon the age or the sex of your child? 
• 
  
  Under what circumstances would you say 'NO' to an overnight visit, or any visit at all? 
• 
  
  What is your criteria for allowing your child to be in the care of another family? 
• 
  
   Do you do "the parent check" (see Dalia, at Generation Xmom - click the link!)? 
• 
  
  How young is too young for a slumber party?

photos:
mallorymiaflickr.com                          
 addams family, haroldbakker.com            
crying boy, clipartof.com                     
pom pom girl, clipartof.com
pets webmd.com                                 
 brady bunch, care2.com                             
slumber party purpletrail.com           
4-wheeling, Bryan & Phil, flickr.com          
bungee jumping, personeelslog.nl

A Little Kindness can go a Long Way

It's time to dust of an earlier writing from my first gracious host, Spanitz Consulting.  This post originally ran in 2004 (sans photos).

Father Mikulski, aka Father Mike, died last year.  I hope he got a good chuckle out of this piece, which I sent to him several years back.

In a world that often seems too abrupt and rude, it can be difficult for us to remember to just be kind.  What will you do to encourage kindness in your day, today?  How will you model it for the kids in your life? 

Isn’t it odd how sometimes a person you barely know is the one to make you feel most at home?

It is a rare individual who can make such mannerisms second nature.

I know only one person with a gift for making one feel so at ease, and that is our parish priest’s helper, Father Mike. I don’t know Father Mike’s last name—in the years I’ve attended this particular church, he has just always been Father Mike. The trend toward dropping a priest’s last name began in the late 1970s, I believe; perhaps the hope was to make priests more accessible and ‘people friendly’ to the parishioners. Whatever the reason, this semi-retired priest is known just as Father Mike, and now and then he helps with services over the course of the weekend, when our regular priest is unable.

It’s hard sometimes, to form an opinion of someone you see once a week for the space of an hour, especially when the setting is not exactly social. Church is a gathering of any number of people, and certainly there is socializing before and after, but during church, there is a structure adhered to that is not interrupted for conversation. That would go for any service in any faith. But Father Mike has a way of making this a personal experience, being in church.

There are the usual prayers and hymns, but there are other people involved in the service besides just the priest. In the old days, there were altar boys. Now we have altar girls too, so we just say ‘servers.’ Father Mike always has a kind word for that group of kids, who are sometimes inexperienced at their jobs. "You do good work," I hear him say quietly and with a smile, as the young person opens the Bible, or brings the wine and water to him. And what a boost that must be to the child who is trying so hard not to make a mistake, to be complimented in that way.

Sermons are always a mixed bag, I think. I’ve attended services where the priest has literally droned on with his use of flowery language, the like of which has not been heard since the Victorian age. Then there are those who are long-winded and never seem to quite reach the point of it all. Then there are those who can make their point concisely and using language we can all understand. A

parish I used to belong to had such a rare gem. We always knew when Father Nicholas had Mass that we’d be out the door fifteen minutes early because he

could give a sermon and make his point in five minutes or less. This was a          blessing on those hot summer days before air conditioning.

I admit I have never sat with a stopwatch and timed Father Mike’s sermons. There really isn’t a need to, when the sermons are peppered with a good dose of humor, and something to tie the modern experience to the ancient text that has been read to us that day. His tone is conversational, and though he’s addressing the congregation at large, if you listen carefully, he speaks to each individual. Hard to feel fidgety when you’re in a conversation like that.

After the service is through, people file out and some will pause to greet the priest, while others will dash for the door. Father Mike has a greeting for one and all. Did he retire from this parish? I don’t know—but he sure seems to know everyone. Even though I have not been a parish member for very long, he even seems to know even me. Imagine my surprise when he shook my hand warmly, and said, "You look good today." It was not an automatic remark, like "have a nice day," he truly seemed to mean it. Another Sunday he greeted me with, "I missed you last week."

I’m sure he makes such remarks to everyone he sees, and perhaps after so many years of service, Father Mike has acquired a sure-fire repertoire of personalized comments for the general congregation. Even teachers do this. How often has a parent heard the ubiquitous remark, "He’s such a good kid, I truly enjoy having him in class"? But the fact that I was not in attendance the previous week, and Father Mike noticed, threw me for a bit of a loop.

You may be thinking that a remark like that is easily true for ¼ of the congregation. It is much like shooting fish in a barrel, and surely with so many fish in the congregation, there are a large number who didn’t attend mass the week before. Maybe so. My point is that a comment given with such simplicity and directness makes it very sincere. And a person feels at home when someone else takes such time to speak personally to him. What a nice feeling that is. Ordinarily it is far too easy to be anonymous in a congregation, a crowd. How nice it is that someone takes the time to single you out for a kind word.

What is it that makes a person feel at home? A sense of belonging. Being able to participate on any level in what is going on around him. Being able to relate to what is being said or done. Interacting with other people in positive ways.

Now, this is not something that relates just to church attendance. This also relates to your workplace and your home life. Do you feel that you belong? Do you participate and relate to what is being done, in reaching whatever common goal has been set? How are your interactions with other people?

It seems that the people we’re most drawn to are those who pay attention to us. Is there someone you know who always makes it a point to speak to you, sometimes going out of the way to do so? Is there a person in your life who always has a kind word for you?

If it means something to you, and you haven’t reciprocated, then do so. Even if you turn the compliment to a stranger—just say something nice to someone. It is contagious, being kind, and it really takes such little effort. The key though, is to be sincere. Make eye contact, and give your full attention to the person you speak to. It’s a small thing, but meaningful. And tell that person who always has a kind word for you just how important that is.

When we so often feel browbeaten by life, how refreshing it is to experience kindness. So, thank you for the kind words, Father Mike. You do good work.





Photos:
infolanka.com
Fr. Mikulski, dioceseofmarquette.org
jesuittampa.org
sermons are boring, Grocer787, flickr.com
smiley, secfanatics.com
fish, farael, flickr.com
hug, primuscare, flickr.com
good job, grusskartenfreunde.de













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Tuesday Miscellaney

I suppose for the sake of alliteration this post should be titled "Monday Miscellaney," but let's face it - I'm not that organized!  All that aside, here are a few random things I've been thinking about:

roadstuff.co.uk

• Here's a great commentary about the benefits of turning off the air conditioner.  In my post "Sweltering Summertime" I reminisced a bit about what it was like in the days before air conditioning.  Here, Washington Post writer Stan Cox gives a few reasons why the air conditioner should be turned off.  Just a few are posted, for the complete article, click the link: "In 1978, 50 years after air conditioning was installed in Congress, New York Times columnist Russell Baker noted that, pre-A.C., Congress was forced to adjourn to avoid Washington's torturous summers, and "the nation enjoyed a respite from the promulgation of more laws, the depredations of lobbyists, the hatching of new schemes for Federal expansion . . ."   Home utility bills plummet.
  Rather than cowering alone in chilly home-entertainment rooms, neighbors get to know one another. Because there are more people outside, streets in high-crime areas become safer
  Children -- and others -- take to bikes and scooters, because of the cooling effect of air movement.

cooperheritage.com

 

Why do stores start advertising back-to-school-supply sales in July?  I'm not in such a fantasy world that I think the start of the new school year isn't ever going to come.  But - supplies on sale for 1-cent, in July, really disturb me.  Not so much because of the excellent price, but because I don't have my kids' school supply list yet.  At prices like 1-cent for a pocket folder and such-like, I am compelled to spend money on supplies my kids likely won't need at all (and which will collect dust at home) rather than getting the items they'll need for certain.  Some suggest emailing the teacher and asking for the supply list - but, it's JULY and I'm thinking the teacher probably doesn't want to deal with supply lists yet, either!  If I miss the 1-cent sales, then I'll be paying full price for school supplies in another month.  Which leads me to another point: why can't the supplies be reasonably priced year-round, instead of just in July? 

the accidentalpm.com

• On a similar note, why does it cost so much to go green?  My eldest is especially in tune to helping the environment, and requested school supplies made of recycled goods.  We priced notebooks and paper, and discovered they cost roughly over a dollar more than the non-recycled goods.  I'm willing to go green if I don't have to spend more green to get there.

Adam Lambert,

lovelylivtyler.com

• I can't, in my wildest dreams, imagine what it must be like to be chased down a street by drag queens.  Adam Lambert can, though.  He says, "Lansing is adventure," in Jessica Nunoz's article.  Lambert, a former American Idol runner-up, is performing his Glam Nation tour at the Chesaning Showboat this summer. I've always thought of that place as being rather stodgy, though I could be wrong. I wonder what the stodgy crowd will think of Lambert, though, replete with guyliner and sequins.  Adam Lambert was my favorite contestant, I'll admit.  More power to him!

Rush tickets flickr.com

• When was the last time you attended a concert?  Are the ticket prices holding you back? John Sinkevics of The Grand Rapids Press thinks this is part of the problem. "If my math is right, it costs an average of $266 a week to buy groceries for a family of four. . .Four tickets for good seats to see "American Idol Live" at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids last weekend would have cost that family of four $282, not counting those outrageous Ticketmaster fees, parking and concessions. . . just two tickets to see last week's Eric Clapton/Roger Daltrey concert at DTE Energy Music Theatre would have set you back as much as $350. . ."  Sinkevics suggests supporting the local music scene, and checking out the "Blues on the Mall"  evenings (this likely translates to free concerts in the park for other towns). 

g01pycoma.com

• On a related note, ticket prices for movies are expensive, I think.  I know, depending on the area you live in, ticket prices can be exorbitant.  In mid-Michigan, a 3-D ticket for an adult at our local theatre is $8.75, children's admission is $8.25.  I'm sure some readers pay that much for a film that isn't 3-D.  This summer, a plethora of releases are in 3-D, though, and I'm looking forward to when 3-D is no longer the flavor of the month.  I speculate the increase in ticket price is due in part to cover the cost of the 3-D glasses, which they always ask you to recycle after the show.  I have six pair at home. I'd like to recycle them by bringing them to the next 3-D offering at the movies, in exchange for lowering the price of admission, but I'm betting the powers that be aren't going to go for that. 

rosamondcsd.com

• Why is it more people don't use the community pool? Here in Bay City, we have a really terrific, outdoor pool with an equally terrific staff as lifeguards (and swimming instructors).  The pool was always filled to capacity when I was a kid.  Nowadays, there are perhaps 20 people at most in attendance on the hottest of days.  Do more people own swimming pools?  Do more people have air conditioning, and less need of a public pool? Is it just plain "uncool" to hang out at the pool, and better to be a sweating, sweltering, hot mess, hanging out at the local 7-11, drinking slurpees?

http://microsuede.blogspot.com/2009/11/movie-review-twilight-saga-new-moon.html



• Twilight: New Moon - if you don't get to see the film, do check out the movie review courtesy of Microsuede blogspot and the LOLcats.  You really will get an excellent synposis, and I had to laugh out loud (that's LOL for you Icanhascheezeburger fans) when the film showed Bella in front of her window, watching the kids trick-or-treat (mope), then Thanksgiving day passes (mope), and then Christmas (mope).  Actually, the cat in the photos has more expression than Kristen Stewart, who seems to have the emotional range of a corn cob.  She seems to exude more chemistry in scenes with on-screen hottie Taylor Lautner, than with vampire soul-mate Robert Pattinson, who looks like he's suffering from a constant case of pink-eye and intestinal disorders.

Well, those are my random thoughts for the day. What's on your mind?

Homer Simpson's brain, flickr.com

 

Sweltering Summertime

Kids are spoiled these days.

I know, I've become my mother - she said the same thing about my generation.  Likely, every parent has said this about their child since the beginning of time.  Even Adam and Eve must have said of Cain and Abel, "Oh quit fighting! When I was your age - and I was never your age - I didn't have anybody to play with!"

I'm betting the temperature in the Garden of Eden was at a nicely controlled 80-degrees Fahrenheit, though, warm enough to grow things during the day, and dipping down to a nice 72-degree Fahrenheit at night, for sleeping.  I suppose the temperature got too warm one day though, and after demanding air conditioning, Adam and Eve were banned from the Garden.

Most kids where I live have air conditioning.  They can't imagine a life without the air conditioning running from the first hot day of summer until the first cool blast of fall.  Even the schools have air conditioning now.  Remember in the dark ages, when schools had air conditioning only in the office, if they had it at all?  In elementary school, we'd spend time on hot days making accordian-pleat fans out of lined paper.  We'd flip and fold and flip and fold, no doubt driving our teachers and fellow classmates to distraction in our efforts to dispel the heat.  All the same, we couldn't wait to get outside in that heat for after-lunch recess.

My kids can't imagine a life without air conditioning. I'll admit I'm spoiled, too, and don't want to imagine a life without it. 

As a kid, though, air conditioning was something you encountered at the stores, or rich people's houses.  Nobody had central air in their home.  A few people might have a window-unit air conditioner, but most of us depended on open windows, screen doors, and box fans. 

Smart people would follow the sun around the house (no, not literally!) and close curtains or pull shades to keep out the sun, thus cooling that part of the house just a little bit.  As the sun moved, the curtains would be opened. 

In early morning, windows would be thrown open to let in the cooler morning air.  By mid-morning, shades and curtains would be pulled, fans would be running.  Anything that required an appliance to run would be done early in the morning, so as to avoid heating up the house.  About the only exception was if it was a birthday - then the oven would be on to bake the cake. 

In the evening, as the sun lowered, windows would open again to let in cooler air.  Your box fan would be placed in the window, and if the air was cool enough, you pointed it inward so it would pull in cool air from outside and cool off the room.  If it was hot in your room, you'd point the fan outward, to pull the hot air outside.  If it was raining though, you had to take the fan out of the window or risk electrocution. 

Anyone from the generation pictured on the right remembers it being hot enough to roll down your stockings.  Some of you might remember grandmas who wore nothing but dresses, ever, even after it became fashionable for women to wear slacks and shorts.  My grandma was one such woman.  I doubt she'd have ever rolled down her stockings, either, even if it was 95 degrees with a 100-degree Fahrenheit heat index. 

I'm sure, though, during a private moment in the course of the day, the ladies of the generation pictured at the right may have paused for tea. They'd need a break after washing clothes with the wringer-washer, and hanging them on the line.  Baking bread and putting on a meal without the help of boxed foods or frozen foods was a real chore - or labor of love!  Scrubbing floors and ironing were jobs better left for a cool day, but who knew when that would happen?  Quick - the kids are outside and busy. Maybe there are five minutes just for me!  They'd have sat with their dresses slightly above the knee, stockings rolled down, with the rotating fan placed strategically so their legs could be cooled. 

It's no wonder many women of a certain era  had "the vapors" and had to rest during the day.  Can you imagine wearing as much fabric as the woman on the right, on a 90 degree day?  Oh, and don't forget the corset, either, and the multiple petticoats.  And don't you dare show your ankles.

Of course, today's women can dress much more casually for hot weather, like our bathing beauties in the left-hand photo.

Regardless, my kids have a hard time imagining a home without air conditioning.  They barely remember our first house, which had a window unit for the summer.   That was placed in the master bedroom, and fans were placed strategically in the hallway to blow the cooler air throughout the rest of the house.  I followed the sun, closing curtains and creating a cave-like effect indoors.  A dehumidifier completed the summer ensemble, and gradually our home would be a few degrees cooler than the hot outdoors.  Ceiling fans helped circulate the still air.  Still, doors would swell, tempers would be short, and sleep would be but a fleeting dream during the really hot days.

Anyone old enough to remember riding in the back seat of one of these, pictured at left, as a kid?  Remember those vinyl seats?  Most cars "back in the day" didn't have air conditioning, either.  When the car was locked, we left the windows rolled down a crack to let air in, but when it was time to leave the parking lot, there was no fast way to cool down the car except to roll the windows down all the way.  This didn't do much for those wonderful vinyl seats which were heated to just the right temperature to scorch bare legs.

There was also no such thing as "keyless entry," or automatic locking and unlocking of doors, or automatic popping open of a trunk, either.  Nor could you start the car from a distance - you actually  had to be sitting in the seat, turning the key in the ignition, and pushing down on the gas.  What a concept.

My husband and I always laugh about car trips when we were kids, in the days before air conditioning.  If there were more than two in the back seat, it was an extra sticky trip because not only did you stick to the vinyl seat, but you stuck to each other.  Yes, cars were roomier "back then" - ok, 1970s - but you know how kids are:  "SHE'S ON MY SIDE!"  we'd whine, if a sibling crossed that invisible line we drew down the seat in order to keep from touching each other.

We could unroll our windows a little bit, with permission, but most car windows in the back seat didn't open more than half-way, anyway.  Up front, though, the windows had these little triangular windows that could be tilted outward to let in air.  If you look closely at the car on the left, you can see the triangular-shaped window (still closed).  As the car sped along at 55 mph, all you could hear was this "fffffffff   ffffffffff" sound of wind through the gap of that triangular window.  Then, my husband and I laugh, it wasn't cool enough, so the window would be unrolled just a crack and along with "fffffff" we'd hear "FFFFFFFF    WHoooooooshUFFFffffffffff WHOOOOOOshUFFFFffffff."  Inevitably, dad would turn on AM radio to hear a game, and because AM radio rarely comes in clear, there would be lots of static to go along with the "ffffFFFFFFfffff" of the windows.   

Regardless, car trips in the summer were hot.  But, not ever having had air conditioning, we didn't know any different.  We didn't know any different when it came to sleeping in hot rooms with box fans in the window, either.

One day though, air conditioning became more affordable (I'm guessing) and pretty soon everybody had it.  We didn't need to escape to shopping malls or to the beach for relief from the heat.  Cars got air conditioning as just a normal part of a basic package deal, no longer one of the expensive options. 

About the only time we experience any great degree of discomfort is if the power goes out, and we can't use the air conditioning.  Should that happen this summer, I hope you remember how to make your pleated fans out of paper - it's a life skill you might have to teach your kids.

PHOTOS:
Fleeing Eden scene - bible-codes.org

handheld fan - ideco.com

box fan - doitbest.com
unroll your stockings - SamFam, flickr.com
cat and rotating fan - Romair, flickr.com
hoopskirt woman - Belle Epoque, flickr.com
four bathing beauties - MR38, flickr.com
green Plymouth - autoalbum.ni
blue car - glenister193, flickr.com
beach - uroboe.seewee.net

This post, and many others,  is also available at http://www.spanitz.com/artman/publish/index.shtml, the home of Spanitz Consulting, Inc.   Come over and visit!

Oh just put some clothes on!

How old is too old to be wandering neighborhood streets in your bathing suit?  In the last week, I've seen a cadre of pre-teen girls leisurely sauntering the neighborhood, sucking on popsicles, barefoot or in flip-flops, wearing bathing suits.  

These aren't girls in the aged 5 - 9 category. These are girls who look to be about twelve, perhaps thirteen at the oldest.   They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, wearing one and some two-piece suits, a cluster of about eight to a dozen, all told.  Their hair is wet as though they've just stepped out of the pool somewhere close by, and they are eating popsicles or ice cream, making a couple of loops around the street in the hot, hot sun.  They disappear after the second trip around, not to be seen again for perhaps another hour or two. 

I couldn't help but think of the poor clerk in John Updike's short story, A&P the first time I saw this spectacle heading down the street:

In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits. I'm in the third check-out slot, with my back to the door, so I don't see them until they're over by the bread. The one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece. She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it, where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the backs of her legs. I stood there with my hand on a box of HiHo crackers trying to remember if I rang it up or not. I ring it up again and the customer starts giving me hell.  (A&P, John Updike)

Our narrator continues the story, following the progression of the three bathing-suit clad girls as they wander up and down the aisles of the store, searching for a jar of Fancy Herring Snacks. They're barefoot.  One girl has floppy bathing suit straps, and her shoulders are bare. Our young clerk is in near ecstasy seeing these fresh young girls in the midst of old hag shoppers. And then, the boss man comes out and says,

"We want you decently dressed when you come in here."

. . .

"We are decent," Queenie says suddenly, her lower lip pushing, getting sore now that she remembers her place, a place from which the crowd that runs the A & P must look pretty crummy. Fancy Herring Snacks flashed in her very blue eyes. . . .

"Girls, I don't want to argue with you. After this come in here with your shoulders covered. It's our policy." He turns his back. . . .     (A&P, John Updike)

Well, our intrepid young clerk quits his job over what he perceives to be the injustice of the bathing-suit clad beauties being hustled out of the store.  Of course, the girls are impervious to this deed done on their behalf - they've already departed by the time the clerk gives his notice.

Either way - it's obvious in the story that some feel the girls are inappropriately dressed, and had they been toddlers the bathing suits would have been overlooked, I'm sure.  Shirtless babies are not denied service when in the company of a responsible adult whenever they're out shopping, after all.

I can't help but wonder, though, at what age girls in bathing suits should quit wandering the streets?  How old is too old to be sauntering about, wearing a bathing suit? Does it matter what type of bathing suit you're in? Does it matter what age the girl is?  Does it matter how far up the street she's going?

Am I being incredibly old-fashioned, ridiculously disgruntled, overly concerned, etc. with regard to what walks down the street in front of my house?  You tell me.  What do you think?

CreativeMomm, flickr.com - toddler bathing suit
blueskyswimwear.com - pre-teen bathing suit
pettipond.com - retro bathing suit