Friday, October 18, 2013

Random Thoughts on a Friday

It's not yet 6 AM and I'm still working on coffee number 1. I was out at a board meeting until late last night, the Catbird needs a ride to school around 7, i.e., well before the bus, and I have a charter dinner to attend right after work. So, yeah, we're on a random thoughts Friday thing.

*Heard a song on the radio yesterday where the singer was singing about 'rolling down the windows.' Do any cars come with hand-cranked windows anymore? Yet we still say we're 'rolling down the windows' not 'buttoning down the windows' or 'gliding down the windows.' I wonder what we might call it if the first cars had had power windows....

*After attending a couple of big, invitational-style cross country meets over the last few weeks, I have to ask: In all the history of recorded music, have we really not gotten anything better to play at the finish line than We Will Rock You and the theme from Rocky?



*That scene from Rocky may have been the birth of the 'sports training montage' so perfectly skewered by the guys at South Park.

*Speaking of cross country, I saw some very nice things happening at a couple of those races. Long after the bulk of the runners had crossed the line, I saw two girls out on the course, separated by about 10 feet or so, both obviously struggling, but one in worse shape than the other. The second girl stopped. The lead girl looked over her shoulder, stopped, and started encouraging her. "Come on," she said, waving her forward. "You can do it." And the second girl pushed on. They were from different schools. A few minutes later, another girl came struggling along. She was surrounded by girls--from a different school--who had competed in an earlier race. These girls were cheering and encouraging her to move on. It was so nice to see this sort of behavior in a competitive environment.

*Board meetings are really interesting places for looking at interpersonal dynamics, let me tell you.

*Depending on where you live, you may be seeing a sudden increase in ladybugs. They may be all over your house, or flying around in great numbers. Do not be alarmed! There is a species of ladybug that overwinters en masse, and they're looking for a good place to do it.

*And as a public service announcement, autumn is a big time for deer-car collisions. Be careful out there!

*Congratulations to Carrie Butler, on the release of her second novel, Courage--good luck, Carrie!

Well, it seems the first cup of coffee's done and I need to knock on a door to wake someone up, and since I have to be out of the house in about 45 minutes, it seems like I'd better get on with my day. Feel free to share your random thoughts below, and have a great weekend!

6 comments:

  1. It's so true about the "champion" music. They've been playing those songs since I was in high school. Please, someone write a new song about winning. :P

    And I wouldn't mind a ladybug invasion. Well, not in my house, but they are great for the garden. I've bought bags of them before to release in areas where I had a particularly bad aphid infestation. Did the job. :)

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    1. Of course, it's also possible that it's because all the people picking music for these events are our age....

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  2. Hmmm... Is that lady bug part directed toward me, maybe??? At least those bugs don't bother me. Shocking, I know!

    As for rollin' down car windows: our 2003 Ford Ranger has manual windows (I think it has manual everything!). So, not so rare after all.

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    1. I confess, your recent posts did cross my mind! And I think you're right about the (lack of) rarity of hand-cranked windows. I saw a guy in a newish (10 years old or less) Subaru today who was very clearly rolling down a window.

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  3. Happy weekend, Jeff. I used to be obsessed with ladybugs, but now I hardly see them no matter what time of year it is. It's always great to see people encouraging each other, even when they're under no obligation to such as when they're competing. That's one of the reasons I never liked running; I was always the slow one and no one bothered with me. Enjoy the busy day :)

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    1. I think the spectators cheer on the slower kids even more than the fast kids, thought it may be because the fastest kids go by and everyone says "Holy s**t, how'd they come around so fast!?"*

      *I do not generally endorse the use of the Interrobang, but it fits.

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