Thank God, I'm a City Girl

There's a reason we don't live in the country. We're not country people. This past weekend is proof. We had a nice weekend planned. Saturday in Canton, shopping at First Monday trade days, and then hanging out a resort/ranch for some R&R.

Everything went fine in Canton--it's still urban enough that we were in our element, plus it's shopping. What an experience. Part carnival/part flea market times 1000--everything is bigger in Texas. We mostly looked, but found some good bargains.

Getting to the ranch was another story. We got hopelessly lost, spending nearly 90 minutes on what should have been a 15 minute drive. It wasn't totally our fault. Blame Google maps; blame the lady at the ranch; and blame the fact that the county apparently renamed all the little backroads that we needed to take to get to the ranch.

The county renamed all of the roads, ostensibly to make it easier for emergency personnel to find their way around (wonder how that's working). Of course, that screwed up Google maps, but that doesn't fully explain why Google maps was so off. When we googled the name of the ranch, sure nuff, Google brought up an address, with driving directions to get there. Unfortunately, the address was wrong, and the instructions landed us in some back woods some 20 miles from where we needed to be.

Determined to get there, we finally called the ranch to get directions. She gave us directions alright. They would have been perfectly correct if we'd been coming from the opposite direction! Although we told her we were coming from Canton, she gave us directions as though we were coming from Dallas. When she told us to turn right, we should have turned left. She gave us the same [wrong] directions a second time when we called back, still lost.

Finally, BoilerHusband sought directions from some shirtless old guy (he should have kept his shirt on; it wasn't pretty). I was a little worried when BoilerHusband disappeared into Scratchy's garage for a time, since Scratchy (my name for him) could have been typecast in a movie on lynching. But BoilerHusband indeed returned, armed with directions that turned out to be correct.

Voila! Scratchy to the rescue! We found the ranch.

We should have left well enough alone thereafter. Swimming in the pool was fun, but we can swim at home. We wanted to go fishing in one of the many ponds at the ranch. All was well until BoilerBaby2 found a perfect specimen of a praying mantis. The younger BoilerBabies were intrigued, and so was I, until I felt the little stings that signalled that I was standing in a fire ant pile. Aaagh!! I was covered. "Put your feet into the pond," I was advised. Unfortunately, I understood that to mean, put your shoes into the pond. In went one shoe, where it proceeded to float away from the edge, beyond my reach. Now what? No one could reach my shoe easily and I wanted my shoe back. So, into the muddy pond I went, with a big stick, to retrieve my shoe. Success, but I expected to go fishing for fish, not shoes. And my shoe was the only thing we caught.

I'm not even going to recount the golf cart incident. Suffice it to say that it involved a decline, a big bump, and two members of the Boiler Family who were on the golf cart, ending up on the ground.

The whole trip started to feel a little surreal--like we were in some weird show where Candid Camera meets reality tv.

We had a fun trip when it was all said and done, but it's good to be home.

Is this child abuse?

I saw snippets of the new reality show--did we really need another--called The Baby Borrowers. What an interesting premise, a twist on the old high school project where you you had to care for a sack of flour as though it were a baby, ensuring that your bag wasn't damaged and was otherwise cared for according to various assignments. In the show, they used real babies! Imagine that!

As expected, the teens found that caring for a baby is hard work. But as the babies cried and looked distressed, I couldn't help but wonder if this was fair to the babies. Their parents were near by so maybe it was no different than a night out for the parents, but I'm sure if the babies could have talked, they might have said, "Are we having fun yet?"

What a talented child

"You should have heard me. I burped like a dog!" So Boiilerbaby 4 announced.

I'm not sure I've ever heard a dog burp, but no doubt they do. What was just tad astounding was his clear pride at his accomplishment.

Yep. That surely earned him his apprentice Guy Card.

Must do better, must do better

I have been such a slacker about keeping up with this blog. Must do better; must do better. This is supposed to be my musings and record about what's happening at any given time. Must do better; must do better.

So here goes.

I was just reminded about how the circadian rhythyms of a college-aged child differ from those of real adults. Last week, I suggested that since one of the Boilerbabies would be out of the fold on Father's Day, we get up early and all go to breakfast before the official day (key word, "early"). Boilerbaby 1's response, "I have to be at work at 11 a.m.!"

To be that age where 9 a.m. is the equivalent of the crack of dawn.

The best mother's day gift this year

Having a 4 year-old in the house at gift-giving time always makes for a memorable holiday. First, there's the challenge to "keep the secret" about what my gift was. BoilerBaby 4 was about to burst with the secret he knew. He came close to telling me, but managed (just barely) to keep it in. It only took a reminder an hour to not tell. But to make Mother's Day especially special,


BoilerBaby 4 picked the best gift, Frosted Mini-Wheats. My own box! Oh yeah, I'll be living large, enjoying my Frosted Mini-Wheats. Every mom should be so blessed.

The real me???

If you don't know me and wonder what I look like, this is me! If you already know me, this is what I look like without make-up. Didn't know that I wore so much make-up, huh?

I was rather surprised when I found this picture on ZoomInfo, allegedly of someone who shares my name. My name's pretty common, so that wouldn't even be noteworthy except that part of the information provided about this person is my information. According to the listing, she has my degrees and my job, and has served on some of the of the same professional and community boards as I have. There are some "facts" that don't describe anything about me. In fact, if it were describing one person, this would be a very busy person--she has two jobs! According to the site, this info was gathered from 20 references.

Does that mean I shouldn't believe everything I read on the 'net?

Geez, I didn't know that

Schools are generally proud of their alums who enjoy success. So I was rather surprised to learn that Jerry Springer was a Northwestern Law alum. Jerry Springer, that icon of tabloid TV.

I don't know if the Jerry Springer Show is still on the air, but it never ceased to amazed me that people so craved their 15 minutes of fame that they would allow it to be announced to the world that although everyone thought Becky Sue's baby had been fathered by her husband's best friend, with whom she'd been having an affair with the full knowledge and consent of her husband, the child was really fathered by Becky Sue's mother's ex-boyfriend. Everyone should aspire to host such a show.

Maybe that's why Northwestern Law never bothered to send out any updates about Jerry in the alunni news. And maybe that's why the 2008 graduates are less than pleased about Jerry being their commencement speaker, as reported here.

The commencement speaker for my graduation was former Senator Dale Bumpers, also a Northwestern alum, and he gave a very good and inspirational speech. Perhaps the only blight on the day was that somone failed to plan for the fact that my class had 25 more graduates than in past years requiring that there be 25 more hoods. As we approached the end of the alphabet (with me only three or four away from the end), there was a mass commotion on the stage as someone was literally ripping hoods from the faculty and guests who were seated on stage to make those hoods available to the graduates. I am convinced that I actually got Senator Bumpers' hood.

But all that aside, what is going on at Northwestern?

Mildred Loving 1939-2008

By all accounts Mildred Jeter and Richard Loving were madly in love. They had grown up near each other and fallen in love at an early age. First comes love, then comes marriage, so the saying goes, and that's what followed for them. Nothing particularly unusual about that--just an old-fashioned love story. Except that their union was illegal.

Until 1967, the Commonwealth of Virginia had the audacity to criminalize interracial marriages. The so-called Racial Integrity Act made it a felony for blacks and whites to marry, as Mildred and Richard discovered. Mildred, black, and Richard, white, had married in Washington D.C., but returned to Virginia, and the Commonwealth just wasn't going to have any of that race mixing. Police officers invaded the Lovings' home in the dead of night and upon finding them in bed, arrested and convicted them. They were sentenced to 1 year in prison, suspended, if they would leave the Commonwealth. The U. S. Supreme Court overturned their convictions, finding the statute unconstitutional.

Mildred and Richard didn't set out to make history or even to make new law. They just wanted to be married and to live in the community in which they had grown up. That's not much to ask.

Mildred died several days ago. Richard has been dead since 1975, killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.

Red letter day

A beautiful day for a jog? Yes it was. And BoilerBaby 3 completed her first 5k, taking first place in her age group. It helped that she was the only female in that age group, but, it was still pretty special for her, especially since our time wasn't too bad. It was a rather tough route--rolling hills with lots of wind.

Finishing the race meant we deserved a good breakfast. Cafe Cappuccino. Mm-m-m.

Not again!

Like everyone else, I anxiously awaited the news of the fate of the Baylor men's basketball team. Would they get a bid to the Big Dance? The suspense mounted as the teams for the other three brackets were announced. When Purdue was announced, I was excited, but it was to be expected. Everyone knew Purdue would get a bid. Nonetheless, a big cheer escaped my lips. And then. . . the news that Baylor would be going also! YIPPEE!!! But then the reality sunk in. My Boilermakers would be playing the Bears. Who should I cheer for?

As BoilerBaby 1 lamented, it's too bad that one of our favorite teams will be out after the first round. Drats!

Too pretty to fly

These two 18-year olds claim that Southwest discriminated against them because they're "too pretty." Southwest has already been guilty once of wrongful conduct. And one only needs to fly Southwest to know that it hires no pretty, young flight attendants.

There's a clear gap in the antidiscrimination statutes--that there's no liability for discrimination against the young and the beautiful.

I'm sure that Southwes's decision had nothing to do with the girls' conduct which, according to the story, makes them seem snotty, with a sense of entitlement. That couldn't be it at all.

What's in a name?

What's in a name? When it comes to the names of people, plenty.

After the 9/11 attacks, hundreds of new parents in the Mideast named their babies "Osama" in some perverse, demented tribute to bin Laden. After Hurricane Katrina, the popularity of Katrina plummeted. We once fostered a little girl named "Passion" which always evoked interesting reactions.

So when Bill Cunningham, in warming up the crowd prior to John McCain's appearance in Cincinnati, repeatedly referred to "Barack Hussein Obama", (as reported here) it is either naive or disingenuous to suggest, as some have, that Cunningham was simply using Obamas complete name. We know what he meant, in his anything-but-subtle way.

To McCain's credit, he was unaware of Cunningham's statements before he took the stage, and when he learned of them, he immediately and repeatedly apologized to Obama.

Cunningham's conduct demeans the political process, but may be a taste of things to come. Maybe it's better to get this kind of stuff out of the way now so that if Obama is the Democratic nominee, it has lost any sting it may have.

Either way, it's been only little more than a month since the country celebrated Martin Luther King's birthday, and we were reminded repeatedly of King's dream that one day his children would be judged by the content of their character, rather than the color of their skin. Maybe Dr. King's statement should be modified to add name as another irrelevant consideration.

Oops, I did it again

Once again, I attended a Baylor-Purdue athletic contest--the baseball game this weekend. And once again, BoilerHusband and I were clad in our Boiler-wear. What a fun way to spend Saturday afternoon. The weather was perfect. The kids enjoyed sitting out on the grass, where they were free to roll down the big hill or run around. There were lots of hits--in the game that is. The only thing that could have improved the afternoon would have been Purdue winning. Unfortunately for us Boiler-people, the Bears swept Purdue in the three-game series.

The last time a Purdue team came to town, BoilerHusband and I went out to support the Lady Boilers, who won a preseason basketball team tournament, beating the Lady Bears. I still occasionally get grief about sitting in the Baylor section, cheering for my alma mater.

So I don't get to gloat this time. It's alright. Wait til next time. Go Boilers!

I hate when this happens

Nothing is worse than having a good idea, implementing it, watching it take hold, and then having that idea stolen. And so it goes with the Naked Cowboy, who can be found in New York City. All those years of walking around Times Square. On the one occasion I saw him, it was cold outside--it was November! Neither Rain, nor Sleet, nor gloom of night--oh, that's the mailman. Either way, a little weather doesn't seem to faze the Naked Cowboy.

Now comes M&M/Mars, dressing an M&M as a naked cowboy. Stealing a man's underwear--how could they. Either way, as reported here, the Naked Cowboy, aka Robert Burck, has filed a trademark infringement in federal court. Not the typical IP case.

And the answer is . . .

Of course, the answer is Stand by Me. Good job Operalawguy!

I love that movie. It has many great lines, including one that always cracks me up, "Did your mother have any children that lived?"

And now, the family law trivia. Stand by Me has a soundtrack straight from the late 1950s, including the song, Come Softly to Me, by the Fleetwoods. The male vocalist and co-writer of the song was Fleetwood member Gary Troxel. Troxel is petitioner in the case Troxel v. Granville, a case that went to the Supreme Court on the issue of a grandparent's right to have court-ordered visitation with a grandchild. Troxel is assigned for Family Law students later this week.

Law trivia to impress your friends and family!

Famous first and last lines--Name that movie

Can you name the movie that starts with this line:

" I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being. It happened in the summer of 1959 - a long time ago, but only if you measure in terms of years."

And another hint--the last line:

"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone? "

You're welcome to put your answer in the comments or to keep it to yourself. Either way, I'll post the answer tomorrow evening, along with a bit of Family Law trivia to start the new quarter off right.

Race

Is there any doubt that African Americans can compete with whites on the basketball court?

It seems odd to think that just a generation ago there were those who seriously believed that whites were naturally superior in basketball, chief among them, Adolph Rupp. The movie Glory Road was a good reminder. The show that we watched today on ESPN evidenced even more clearly the racial divide in sports that existed in 1966 when Texas Western started five black players in the NCAA championship game and ultimately beat Rupp's Kentucky team. I was just a child at the time, and had no idea of the significance of that game.

Now, only the most ignorant would suggest that race is determinative in any way of the likely success of a particular athlete.

Yet, we're still caught in making judgements about people based on their race. That's becoming clear in the Democratic primaries and caucuses. Some blacks will choose Obama simply because he is black; others will not consider him because he is black.

I don't yet know for whom I'll vote in the primary. What I do know is that Obama will not get my vote simply because he is black--nor does he want it for that reason. Rather, I believe that Clinton or Obama are both accomplished and both are capable of leading this nation, notwithstanding their race or genders. I would have considered Edwards if he hadn't dropped out. Which one of the remaining Democrats will get my vote will be decided on issues other than race or gender.

Wouldn't it be nice if race weren't an issue.

My take on the New Baptist Covenant Celebration

As Osler noted in his blog, the New Baptist Covenant Celebration was truly something special. I'm not sure what I expected, but I found the past three days more inspirational, more affirming, more provocative than I ever imagined. President Carter and Mercer President Bill Underwood are to be congratulated for having conceived the idea of a convocation, where the goal was to unite black and white Baptists, as well as Baptists of other races, while celebrating the diversity in worship traditions and looking for ways by which we all might actively do the work of God on earth. They are to be commended for bringing their idea to fruition and inviting preachers and other speakers who challenged us to be more Christ-like.

And for those who criticized the Celebration as a political event for liberals, they would have been disappointed at the distinctly non-political character of the Celebration. That someone might characterize an issue like the environment as political doesn't make a discussion on the environment necessarily so.

Finally, the special interest sessions I attended were conducted by knowledgeable people who offered fresh perspectives on their individual topics. It comes as no surprise that Osler did a wonderful job as one of the speakers on the Engaging the Criminal Justice System panel--and I'm not just saying that because I'm his deacon (and responsible for his spiritual development, as he likes to remind me).

The challenge will be to translate the good feeling into action. I look forward to the next steps.

Us too

My first impression on reading this story was, "cool idea."

My second impression was, we need something like that here. Instead of water pumps, can't we hook up a few kids directly to a generator? Slap a few ads on the kids to generate some revenue, just for the heck of it, and send them out to play.

I think this idea has potential. Cheap, renewable energy and maybe a solution to the childhood obesity problem to boot.

I like it.

A Better Invocation of Reagan

Last week, Barack Obama invoked the memory of Ronald Reagan. Big mistake. Not because of what Obama said, but because no matter what he said, it was sure to be misconstrued.

Either way, if Obama was going to raise the spectre of Reagan, he would have done better to quote Reagan's 11th amenmdent, appropriately modified: Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Democrat.

He might have done Reagan one better and added, "Stick to the issues!" Hillary's and Barack's back-and-forth jabs are silly and distracting. Stop it already!

And while we're on the topic of distracting, the former prez needs to banish the orange tie to the back of the closet, or better yet, the trash bin. Orange is for clowns, jack-o-lanterns, and traffic cones.

Hillary's stock would go up immediately if she would show some leadership on this issue.