Rites of Passage

This evening P and I are going to the Granddaughters "graduation" from middle school (eighth grade for those who aren't used to that particular system of school divisions - I went from kindergarten to grade school directly to high school. There was no middle about it). I put the graduation in quote marks because, technically, she will not be getting a degree or diploma. She will be receiving a certificate of completion if I am not mistaken. A small detail, but the cause of a lot of discussion, especially when it came to whether or not the term "Graduates" could be used on banners to decorate the school for the ceremony and dance after. (It was allowed.) Heady times for both mother and daughter. We will be taking the station of doting grandparents along with the rest of her extended family. So, graduation and dance this evening and tomorrow she leaves on a class trip to Washington DC/New York for four or five days. This is very big doings! Her mom reported that preparations included pedicure, manicure, hair and what else I don't want to know about. It's obviously different for a young woman. For my eighth grade graduation I had to take a shower, polish my Sunday shoes and wear a tie . Took me all of 20 minutes, probably. Of course, I was the fourth child in the family to go through this particular rite, so it may have been special for me, but I knew the routine. Besides, it meant getting out of school! The beginning of Summer Vacation! Being able to stay up later! Not having to try to weasel out of doing homework. Baseball, hanging out at the public swimming pool, hanging out with buddies at the corner store, riding bikes all over the city. And meeting girls....

My next oldest brother was going into 12 grade the next year, a senior. I was going to be a Freshman. He was co-captain of the Cross Country Team. That summer he mapped out a one mile course through the neighborhood to run to start getting into shape. I remember going with him on late night runs (10:00 or so because it was cooler then and also dark and late: most people were inside by then). I ran because I was going to try out for the Cross Country team. It turned out that only two or three freshmen tried out for the team that year.
And, by the end of the season I had managed to progress from being last on the team to second last. Not much progress, but progress none the less. Being on the team with mainly upperclassmen gave me a different set of people to hang around with that first semester of high school. I earned some acceptance with a wide range of people in that little society called high school.

Saturday Morning/Evening

Woke up to the sound of the squirrels banging the lid of the new feeder. They push it up with their heads, reach in for some sunflower seeds and then pull back out to eat the seed. And do it all over again. It takes 'bout 3 seconds for this cycle. A nice wood on wood "clap". At 6:00 in the morning. I'm sure the neighbors are REAL happy we put that feeder up.

I started this post this morning, obviously. Well, now it's dusk on Saturday evening. It was my turn to get the mid-evening snack, ice cream. We live on a cul de sac in a tri-level. Our kitchen window overlooks the cul de sac. There isn't much that goes on that we can't see. Well, as I was rinsing the ice cream scoop I noticed some flickers in the house across the way. When their front room drapes are open we can see right thorugh to their kitchen. There are at least three candles that I could see, lit and flickering. No other lighting that I could see. Never having noticed this sort of thing before, just off hand, I'd say someone was in for a romantic evening. And if they don't close the curtains.......

Too much information!

Busy, Busy, Busy......

Been quite busy lately. A good thing, I guess. This is just a quick note about a conversation I had with a co-worker..... he was looking at a book I have at work while I made some data entry changes for him. In our subsequent talk while the computer did it's thing, he told me that he's a reader too, that he doesn't have a TV. A strange comment. At first I thought he ment himself personally. Like I call the tv in the family room, where my computer is, one of the 5 tvs we have in the house, the one I watch while doing my 2 miles on the treadmill every morning, I call that tv mine. That's what I thought he ment. But he went on to clarify: His parents had a tv when he was growing up. He apparently was not real impressed. His wife did not have one when she was growing up. When they they got married and set up household, they decided not to have one around. So they don't! (is that legal? should I be notifying someone about this? (Max Headroom??))Not having met their children, I can't gauge the affect it has on them. No doubt they adjusted to it long ago, so it's no big deal now. I didn't think to ask him if his children expressed any inclination as to their preference once they move out on their own. And it's not as though they're technophobes. He does have a computer. Just no tv.

Very interesting.

I know the Receptionista at Hammer and Peg joined in the Turn Your TV Off For A Week campaign (see link... I have to figure out how to embed these things in here one of these days). She went through withdrawal but found she got a lot of other things done that she'd been meaning to do for a long time.

I don't think anyone would salute that flag if it were run up the flagpole at home....

Come Together!

Found this at 2hrlunch. I agree, it's pretty cool. Thought I'd use it here, propagate it a little further into the world.

Rain, rain go away. Come back another day. Little Johnny wants to play......