Banned: Texting while walking

Posted by random olio

I keep meaning to write about texting. It came to me the other day – just a random thought while working – that kids today probably do not pass notes, they text during class. Someone told me that phones are not allowed in classrooms, but I know that most school kids know how to text without even looking at the phone screen or keyboard. So I imagine it is happening under desks and in pockets. Gosh, how that makes me feel old. The art and design of letters, color, drawings, and fold of the paper is lost. Now, the passed note is replaced with: “ROTFLMAO” – for those of you that need a translation: “Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off.” We have turned plain English words into acronyms. Why? Is it because it is easier? We are lazy? Who knows! I just hope that those who grew up sending 1000 text messages a day are still able to formulate real sentences.

Which is why I find the story about a town in New Jersey bizarre. Individuals walking in Fort Lee, New Jersey will have to stop to text, following the passage of a law that imposes $85 fines on walkers caught texting. I am not against a city putting such a ban in place. I just am fascinated that it is what was needed for those with texting addictions. What does that say about how engaged we are with our phones, apps, emails, and texts that we cannot even watch to ensure that we can make it safely across the street. What is interesting is that the ban is connected to texting, but really a person could be watching a YouTube video, playing Scrabble, updating Facebook all while walking. We are so connected to the Inter-world, that we cannot seem to disconnect in the outer world.

Be sure to look at the end of this Huffington Post article that has quite a few videos of individuals texting (we assume they are texting, maybe they just saw something funny on Facebook) while walking and what happens to them.

Do not even get me started on texting and driving. So I guess I will leave you by saying: *”SSEWBA”

Enjoy your day – and keep your head up!

*Someday Soon, Everything Will Be Acronyms

I Was a Biter

Posted by random olio

My mom used to have a day care in our home. Mind you this was the early 1980’s and there were not state regulations for day care centers in your home. For the most part I think everything my mom did was fine. I do remember an area in our house where there were rocks for decoration. I do not know why my parents left the rocks there, you would think that would be crack for the babies she took care of, but it must not have been an issue.

I was the issue. I would go to school and come home to babies sleeping in my room, and lots of kids playing with my toys, AND my mom was not mine. Well, she was my mom, but she was mine to share during day care hours. A recap in case that was not clear to you. I had to share my bedroom (even if I already shared it with my sister), my toys, and my mom. It drove me crazy. So did one of the kids my mom watched.

I wish I could remember her name. What I do remember was two distinct memories of her. She would taunt me and tell me that her boyfriend was Michael Jackson. I was naive enough to believe her. She would tell me that Michael was going to come pick her up at the end of the day, and yes I believed her. Not that I ever was interested in dating Michael Jackson, it was the idea that she knew him, (or I believed she did). The second thing that pushed me over the edge (if sharing so much was already not enough), it was that she had butterscotch disks and she would not share them with me. Now to preface this, we only got treats and candy at my grandma’s house, so if someone brought candy to my house and did not share, well that was too much for me.

As you might have guessed by the title of this blog, I took the problem into my own hands. I bit her. I, the daughter of the day care owner, bit one of the kids. I got into so much trouble, not with my mom, but with my dad. You did not want to get in trouble with my dad. It sucked. Nothing changed after my teeth did their thing. I got into trouble, and well the girl, she kept babbling about Michael Jackson and bringing those butterscotch disks to my house. I had to stay away from her, she made me so mad. In hindsight, I can see now what strength and resilience I had (remember I was sharing my toys, bedroom, and mom – she could not even share a butterscotch disk from her stash). I do think she is the one that turned me into a biter though. I have to say I understand kids that bite a bit more.

The moral of the story. If you are going to have kids and a day care in your home, make sure your kids have a space of their own and a few toys that they do not have to share!

Lip Dubbed Proposal – Must See Video!

Posted by random olio

Hope you had a relaxing holiday weekend! We had a good weekend of great food, people, and conversation. I decided to take yesterday off from blogging, my mind just needed a bit of a break!

I wanted to share an inspiring video with you that I think has been all over the Internet this past weekend. It is of a Portland couple and their Lip Dubbed Wedding Proposal. It is one of the most clever proposals I have ever seen. This is the background story connected to the video.

Hope you enjoyed it! It is another reason I love Portlanders. They are definitely a clever and creative bunch. It makes me think of all the ideas that could be out there that have not been discovered or shared.

Enjoy your Tuesday!

When I Shaved My Head

Posted by random olio

We decided together. I was a junior in college. We dared each other to shave our heads. To ensure that one of us would not chicken out, we took the electric razor down the middle of each of our scalps. A good insurance policy so that one of us would not walk out of the bathroom with no hair and the other a full head of hair left.

my shaved head…the beginning of the grow out process

Guess what? I actually enjoyed having a shaved head. I got tons of comments and it was fun to have no hair for a few years, but mostly I liked it because I did not have to get my hair cut each month. I was paying my way through school and that was one less expense. My only expenditure was to purchase a Wahl clipper set so each month I could continue to keep my head shaved. So easy. I no longer had to find a ride into town to get my hair cut. I just walked into the bathroom, shaved, showered and was done for the month. I kept it for about 2 years until I was working professionally and felt I should try to grow it out. That was the least fun part about the whole experience. Growing your hair out from a shaved head as a woman is an awkward time. I consulted with a hair stylist quite often so she could trim and sculpt a bit to make it look normal and not the oddly and strange-looking fro that was mine during the grow out process.

What I learned during those few years of no hair is that we can hide behind our hair. Hair can be a part of what we think encapsulates our beauty. We either love or hate our hair. The grass is always greener on the other side, right? If you have curly hair you want straight, and vice versa. If you have thin hair you want thick hair. I never enjoyed my hair growing up. It has always been thick and a bit unwieldy. A bit of a horse mane. Without the right hair stylist it is a thick fro regardless of the length. When I had a shaved head I never worried about what I looked like, or if the humidity that day would make my hair look nothing like it did in the morning. I did not think about if I needed a haircut, or if so what style I wanted when I got to the salon. I did not think about whether I could pull off the style once I got home (often I was not so savvy to duplicate what the stylist had done to my hair).

It has been almost 15 years since I have had a shaved head, and there are definitely days when I miss it. I try not to hide behind my hair, or spend too much time on it. Today my hair is the longest it has ever been in my life, and I love it. However, that does not mean I have not been tempted to pull out the Wahl and start shaving.

Rain, luggage, and Christmas lights

Posted by random olio

Coincidences. I love when you share something with someone and they say they found that same idea at the same time you did. Last week I posted a blog about a Maya Angelou quote. I was telling a co-worker about the quote yesterday and she told me that she had just shared the same quote with a friend that day. Was it a coincidence or were we both meant to be inspired by this same quote? She then asked if I had read the full quote. Usually I research that sort of thing before writing a blog post, but at the time of writing Thursday’s post I decided I liked the simplicity of that quote just the way it was shared. The co-worker then shared the full quote with me. I was stunned. I knew immediately I had to be sure to share the full quote on my blog. Here is in its entirety:

“I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou

Gosh how many times have you had those days when you feel like you cannot keep going. Whether it be a bad day at work, a day that started out on the wrong side of the bed and for some reason you cannot get over your grumpiness, or you get horrible news that you are not sure will ever have a happy ending. This quote is a great reminder that the day starts fresh when you wake up again, and that you do have a choice to be present each day. You do have a choice to connect with someone else. You do have a choice to share love. The most unselfish love there is, is not asking for anything in return.

What is great is that my co-worker is doing this right now for a friend. I have watched her share unconditional love with a friend in need without asking for anything in return.

How do you handle a “rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights?”