Googling Former Classmates
The 10-year reunion talk has got me thinking about the people I graduated with and what they’re doing now. So I googled a few and found a few on facebook. I figure if I can find out what everyone is doing before the reunion then I shouldn’t have to go, right?
This won’t be as hard as it sounds. I only graduated with 18 other people. One classmate died last year so that leaves only 17 to track down. And there’s 5 to 6 that I stayed in touch with directly, or I stayed in touch with someone they stayed in touch with, so I already know about them, too. Maybe by the third weekend in October (the date I’m supposedly holding wide-open for the reunion) I’ll have everyone figured out.
On the other hand, it would take a lot more time to search various web sites for folks than it would to just go the reunion and get the scoop there. And there’s bound to be that one person who has no virtual presence. Heck, I doubt if my classmates could even find me since they would probably search using my maiden name, which I haven’t used in 8 years.
So 1 vote for ‘Go.’
I Don’t Want To Go
I got a postcard in the mail last week about my 10-year high school reunion coming up. It was one of those trendy “save the date” cards. Upon reading it, I felt more like “quick, find something else to do that date so you can regretfully miss the reunion.”
More on this as events are announced and I struggle with Go or Don’t Go. As of now, I don’t want to go.
Isn’t It Ironic?
The daycare where my 4-year-old has attended since he was 6 months old has a policy (like most daycares) that you have to pay even if your child isn’t there. However, they also had — notice the past tense “had” — a policy that after your child had attended for one year you could take a one week vacation where you didn’t have to pay if your child wasn’t there for the entire week.
I never had the opportunity to use this benefit because we’ve yet to take an entire week off, and now it’s too late. Since the daycare has decided to close the week of Christmas, they are not going to charge parents for that week of care but will also not allow any other “free” week. Here comes the ironic part: the week after the new policy takes effect is when my oldest has a virus that keeps him out of school all week. I had to pay as if he was at school all week. If he’d been sick like this two weeks ago, it would have been under the old policy and I wouldn’t have had to pay for him this week.
I am not opposed to the policy of having to pay even when your child isn’t there and I am not at opposed to using the free week at Christmas. I just find it ironic that when I finally have the opportunity to use a “benefit” it’s not offered anymore. It’s like having expired coupons, especially a $5 coupon or a buy-one-get-one-free. (I hate it when I have expired coupons, by the way.)
Or, in the words of Alanis Morissette:
“It’s like rain on your wedding day
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take
Who would’ve thought … it figures.”
Target & The New Yorker Pair Up Again
Two years ago this month Target pulled a first: they bought all the advertising space in The New Yorker magazine. They solicited graphical representations of New York that incorporated the red Target logo and ran about 10 full page ads and several smaller one-column ads. I don’t read The New Yorker but I made a special trip to Barnes & Noble to buy this issue because I couldn’t find any of the ad images online and I just had to see what the artists had come up with.
Now Target stores are partnering with The New Yorker again, but instead of Target 
buying ad space in the magazine, the magazine is selling The New Yorker board game in Target stores. The game is based on the magazine’s popular cartoon caption contest where readers submit caption ideas for a cartoon. In the board game version, it looks you like pass the same cartoon to all players who write a caption for it and then you try to guess which player wrote which caption. Sounds like fun. Only $24.99. If someone gets it, invite me (& the hubby) over to play. It takes 4 players and we only have the two of us. Or better yet I’ll get it and invite you over!
Sick Days
My oldest has been sick since Sunday so I’ve missed work yesterday and today to be home with him. I remember sick days as a kid involving lots of laying around and watching TV shows that I never got to watch because I was in school. They’re pretty much the same when you’re an adult, too, whether you’re the one that’s sick or if you’re caring for a sick child. Of course when it’s a child that is sick, the TV shows are usually animated and the laying around is a little less.
Thanks to our laptop and wireless network I can work from the bedroom with my child right next to me. As much as I hate that he’s sick I’ve actually enjoyed the downtime and the extra time to spend with him and take care of him. We’ve watched some movies and talked or read books when he felt like it. As much as I want him to get better and need to get back to work, we’re making the best of our “sick days.”
I Pledge Allegiance …
Watching a child learn is so amazing! I’m reminded of this every time one of my children learn a new word or a new concept, as was the case last night. My 4-year-old was jibber jabbering away on the couch and I heard snippets of the Pledge of Allegiance. When I asked him about it and we said it together, I was surprised at how much of it knew! I’m assuming he learned it at Pre-K but he’s only been in Pre-K for one week! That’s pretty good memorization (and pretty good teaching by his teacher) for just a week!
I Finished A Book
I finished a book this weekend. My husband picked up the book in the airport in London between flights. He finished the book by the end of his trip and suggested I read it because it would be neat to read the same book and then talk about it. Kinda like our own mini book club.
It took me a little longer than him to read the 320-page book because A) I didn’t have long ocean-crossing flights to read on and B) he had no family obligations, no Internet and no English speaking TV in Germany leaving him nothing else to do but read!
Nonetheless, I groaned about the book the whole time because it’s written in a very “stream of conscienceness” style in parts and includes details that weren’t necessary and were actually distracting. As a writer and editor myself perhaps I’m too hard on non-fiction books. But I endured (and skipped and skimmed the disinteresting and distracting parts) and can honestly say it turned out to be a good read. The story was a good one and the end brought a small tear to my eye. The way it was told is not exactly my style, but the end result was the same.
So now you wanna know the book, right? One Red Paperclip by Kyle Macdonald. It turns out the book has not even been released in the U.S. yet! However, it goes on sale in the U.S. tomorrow, Tuesday, August 21. The book traces this guy’s journey of trading one red paperclip up to a house through a series of trades from July 2005 to July 2006. The trades were facilitated by his blog so if you can’t wait to get the book, check out the blog: oneredpaperclip.com.
Yet Another Toy Recall
Another — yes, another — toy recall has been announced today. First it was 1.5 million Thomas the Train toys, then 1.5 million Fisher-Price toys. Now a whopping 9 million Barbies, Batmans and Polly Pockets. Like the first two, the latest recalled toys were manufactured in China. (Anyone seeing a trend here?) Also like the first two this latest recall involves at least one toy with excessive levels of lead paint. But it also involves small magnets that if more than one are swallowed could be harmful to children.
Here’s the CNN article.
Here’s Mattel’s site with more info about the recall including a letter and video from the CEO about the recent recalls and what they’re doing about it.
My advice: Buy toys made in America (if toys are even still made in America!)
