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September 2007
Stuff your face
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My daughter came home from college this past weekend and since she is a dietetics major, food is always a topic of conversation around our kitchen table. Even if she wasn’t studying dietetics, we’d still be talking about food simply because we love it.
And we love all kinds, savory and sweet, Chinese, Mexican and Italian. You name it. We love it.
But my daugher posed an interesting question to all of us that I’d like you to ponder. If you could enter a food eating contest, what kind of food would you like it to be? I had an answer immediately.
“Cookies!” I said. “No wait. Let me change that. I think I would like to be in an ice-cream eating contest.” Then I did a miserable impression of Homer Simpson. “Mmmmmmmm. Ice cream.”
My daughter just rolled her eyes. By the way, her food of choice was also ice cream although pizza was also up near the top of her list. I’d get filled up too quickly eating pounds of pizza.
What about you? What kind of food would you choose for your contest?
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What, like, um, bugs you, you know?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My husband and I had a conversation the other day regarding the words we use in our every day conversation- and in particular, words we hear a lot in each others’ conversations.
“You say ‘oh my G_d a lot and really,’” my husband said half seriously and half kiddingly.
“Oh yeah? Really?” I said.
At this point my feathers were starting to get a bit ruffled so I let him have it.
“Are you aware that you use the words ‘you know’ a whole lot in the middle of your sentences?”
“Do I? I wasn’t aware of that.”
I could see we weren’t getting anywhere so I tried to make an agreement with him whereby each time either one of us used the word or words of annoyance, we’d give some kind of hand sign. But that could lead to other problems.
So, I think we will just learn to live with each others’ verbal tics. Which brings me to the point of this whole thing.
There are plenty of people you know, friends, husbands, wives, siblings who have lots of verbal tics. You know, (whoops) they use words like…oh my gosh, you know, and one that my teenager uses frequently-like.
Words can be powerful tools or can annoy that heck out of people. What verbal tics bother you and have you ever said anything to that person about it?
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Teens and their spending money
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Calling all parents of working teenagers. I’m hoping that opener will get your attention because I’m looking for some feedback on a recent situation.
My 15-year-old daughter makes a decent living as a babysitter and through other activities. She saves her money wisely and every once in a while spends it on something that really rattles my financial nerves.
Regardless, it’s her money. Right?
Well, here’s what she decided to purchase this past weekend: a iPhone. A $400-plus purchase for something that admittedly has a lot of talent. Yes it has text, phone, e-mail and a gazillion other capabilities. For that kind of money, I was hoping it would brush her teeth for her too.
When she decided to buy it and before we left for the store, I could feel my heart racing, my blood pressure rising, all because I thought it was a frivolous purchase. I realize she is part of the technology generation and that it was her money. But the amount of money she was spending was killing me.
Once we got to the local AT&T store I successfully lowered my heart rate and blood pressure and simply reminded myself, there really wasn’t anything I could do to stop her from using her money to buy the must-have item.
Maybe you can tell by this little story that I’m still having a bit of a struggle with this one. By the way, she’s also paying the $20 a month fee needed to own an iPhone.
Would you allow your teen to make a purchase like mine did? Do you think she was justified to buy whatever, since it’s her money?
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The “suicide lane”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you happen to be one of those drivers that tools down Ga. 85 in the center of Fayetteville, there is a lane smack in the middle of the road I refer to as “the suicide lane.”
I think the name I use is fairly apropos because there have been times when I really feel like I’m taking my life into my hands when I use that lane. I believe its purpose is to provide motorists in both directions a lane in which to make a left turn or right turn, depending on which direction you are driving and by doing so, helping the flow of traffic.
Is everybody with me so far? I don’t know about you, but the older I get the more I try to avoid that particular space.
Let me see if I can explain my fear. There have been plenty of times when I get into that lane only to find that someone from the opposite direction is also barreling down the same lane. That’s when I have to make a quick decision to either get back into the flow of traffic or just stop the car all together. So I’m making more right turns to order to avoid that lane that sits in the middle of the road. Does anybody have another name for that lane? And do you avoid it all costs? Or is it just me?
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Where everybody knows your paycheck
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A person’s salary is a very personal and private subject for just about everyone, except people who work in the government, including public school systems.
Just ask Melinda Berry- Dreisbach, Fayette County’s public information officer, whose salary was made public last year in a local paper.
“I think it’s uncomfortable for anyone to have their salary published, but when you work in government you know your salary is an open record. Anybody at any time can make a request to find out your salary because your salary is paid with taxpayer’s dollars and taxpayers have a right to know where their money is going. I might not like it, but I knew the rules going into this job. If I ever decide I don’t like it and want my salary kept private, then I will go to work for a private company, where it will be private.”
In August, the Fayette County Superintendent’s salary and contract was also made public. The Fayette County School Board members approved a base pay of $180,000 for Dr. John DeCotis.
Don’t get me wrong, I think Dr. Decotis is worth every penny. I just kind of squirm when I see his salary or anybody else’s for that matter. I know I have a right to know as a taxpayer, but it still makes me uncomfortable to hear the number.
“I don’t think a lot of people who take government jobs realize that their salary is public,” Berry-Dreisbach said. “I’ve known some people personally who were shocked to learn their salaries were public information. “
I don’t know if I could accept a job knowing that everyone could access my yearly wage. What about you? Do you care if your salary is made public or not?
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Swearing an oath to historical accuraacy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve been giving a lot of thought to a conversation I had last week with a retired minister, who also happens to be private pilot.
I told him I saw the movie “The Aviator,” about Howard Hughes, which I thought was pondered nextfascinating and sad at the same time. In the movie, Hughes was portrayed as a brilliant man overcome with obsessive compulsive disorder. He would wash his hands incessantly, repeat words over and over again and, here’s the kicker, cursed-a lot, using the words G— d. many many times during the movie.
And that, for my retired minister friend, was the deal breaker. When I asked him if he ever saw the movie, it was an emphatic “no, because there are too many curse words.”
From his point of view, I completely understood his reasoning for not seeing the movie. But what I wondered was how many movies about history would he miss because the language was offensive?
I understand that many people don’t see movies with fictional story lines because the language is too harsh. But when a film is about something from our past (for example, war) and bad language is a part of the facts, can’t some people put their discomfort aside?
I don’t know about you, but I’m painfully curious by nature and especially about historical events. While some words make me bristle, I can take the language if the lessons I learn enrich my life.
Would you go to a movie about an historical event even if the language was offensive? Or would you find another way to learn the facts?
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To (almost) everything, there is a season
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve got to vent about a traffic problem I encountered yesterday.
It has to do with people’s inability to use their blinkers when they have to turn left or right. Tell me if this has happened to you.
I was at the Fayetteville Post Office and trying to pull out of the parking lot on to Georgia Ave. Specifically, I was at the entrance closest to Jeff Davis Drive. Another car directly across the street was also trying to turn on to Georgia.
Problem was, she didn’t have her indicator on so I had no idea if she wanted to turn left, right or drive directly across the street into the post office parking lot.
Finally, once traffic cleared, I let her make her right turn and then watched as she headed to a stop sign. Once again, she didn’t use her blinker. I was so irritated.
I was always taught a blinker is as important as the brakes. You’ve got to communicate with other drivers and blinkers are an important tool in the driving communication process.
So, here’s the question. Why don’t more people in Fayetteville or for that matter, all of Atlanta, use their turn signals more often?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Abby Brunks
The end of summer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today is Labor Day!
Many of us know this as the day that really signals the end of summer. And with all the excessive heat we’ve been having, that’s probably a good thing.
I know I for one am looking forward to the fall. It’s my favorite season here in the South. I love how the leaves change color and the air is nice and cool and crisp. I even think drivers seem to settle down as the weather temp drops a bit.
What about you? Do you have a favorite season?
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