Reminiscing...

I can honestly admit that I watch way too much tv. But lately, thanks to the Game Show Network and RTN (the Retro Network) on our "expanded" cable, I've been watching shows from my youth. These are shows that I remember watching after school and during summer break. GSN offers me such guilty pleasures as The Match Game, Let's Make A Deal, and even Press Your Luck ("Big Bucks - No Whammies!"). RTN gives me Emergency!, Adam-12, Quincy...and occasionally, when in an 80's mood, Magnum P.I., or the A-Team.



Summers were spent watching The Price Is Right and Gilligan's Island as well as CBS soaps with my mom. (That's in addition to the shows listed above.) Any and all game shows. (Password, $100K Pyramid, Card Sharks, and many more!)

Nowadays, pretty much the only shows on in the after-school time slot are talk shows featuring dysfunctional families. There are more cartoon networks that any child could possibly ask for.

Speaking of cartoon networks...I will say, my youngest (W-Man), enjoys Boomerang. Some of his favorites are Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound and Pink Panther. Makes a tear come to my eye to know that the cartoons of my youth are still appreciated by my offspring.



I won't deny, there are some of the kids' shows that I do watch. I enjoy Spongebob Squarepants. There, I've said it. I enjoy Spongebob Squarepants. There are a few "reality" shows that we'll watch together as a family - Survivor, The Amazing Race. I can't think of any drama or comedy shows that we sit down and watch together.

It's certainly not family tv anymore - like back in the 80's. (Those of us who watched Family Ties and The Facts of Life the first time around have had their fill. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't watch those on RTN!) Times change, values change, I get that.

But, I'd like to say "thanks" to GSN and RTN for giving me the opportunity to reminisce - a half hour game show or one hour drama at a time.

Angry Music

I'm not a big fan of "angry music" but I'm kinda angry right now and this song speaks to me...

Knowledge is Power

I think I have a problem....I LOVE SEVERE WEATHER!

I was awoken this morning...about 0500...to the sound of the county tornado siren. Instead of rolling over and going back to bed, I quickly got up to check things out.

I don't think people are supposed to love severe weather. You are supposed to be wary, dare I say scared, of it; dread it heading your way. Sure there may be a chance of large hail which could really dent the crap out of your ride...Sure there may be strong wind which could bring down a tree limb, or God forbid the whole tree, on top of your house...Sure there may be flooding and your humble abode is turned into a castle by the rain moat. I don't care. OK, I do care, but my adrenaline starts to flow and I'm much more excited at the chance to go outside and look at the sky, get online and check the weather radars, and check the tv to see if the weatherman is telling me to go to my "safe place."

See, I may be a stay-at-home mom in real/everyday life, but deep down I'm a scientist. After 4 years (yes, I graduated "on time") and thousands of dollars paid to Iowa State University I walked away with my B.S. with a major in Meteorology and a minor in Math.

I wanted to be a meteorologist as long as I can remember. I used to watch the tv weatherman point at his maps with the long, telescoping pointer - it looked like an antenna he had broken off the nearest transistor radio - and think, "Yep, I can do that." It was well before green screens, computers and the handheld "clicker" they use now to advance the map screens.

This was also well before there were any "weather-women" on tv. To this day, I hold female weatherwomen to a higher standard. They had better be true meteorologists, not just a pretty face to say "It's gonna rain." If they are meteorologists, they had better be good on tv. Make me believe that you truly know what you're talking about. If you look or talk ditzy, I will turn the channel. But I digress...

At ISU, most of the professors' desires were to work on their research rather than be good or helpful in the classroom. Despite this, I learned to derive crazy long equations. I learned how to read the charts and forecast products. I learned how to ask the senior meteorology students for tips and techniques. I spent 2 semesters working (they call it a "co-op" - work there for college credit, not money) at the local TV station. That was a good experience. Knowing how it all works behind the scenes and learning the tips and techniques from a professional is very helpful. By my senior year, I actually won the student forecasting contest one semester.

But, being a devoted military spouse, any career hopes I had in the meteorology world have long since flown. Most places don't want to employ a young, new meteorologist when they know you're leaving in 2-3 years. Now I'm just old and have been out of the field for too long. There's no way anyone would hire me for that job now. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even know how to turn on the equipment now, let alone use it to make a forecast!

Thankfully, there are many weather related web sites that are easily accessible. My favorite is the National Weather Service page. NWS are the folks who really make the forecasts. (The TV guys use the NWS guidance and products! Bet you didn't know that, did you?) They work in tiny buildings, usually near airports, and employ perhaps some of the smartest people you would ever know. (A classmate/friend of mine from ISU works at the NWS office in Des Moines...we were pretty equal in the classroom...I'm extremely proud of his success.)


So although I don't have access to all the bells and whistles of the weather world anymore, I will continue to pull up what I can on my home computer and tv. I will go outside and watch the clouds. I will turn on my weather radio. (If you don't have one - get one!) I will let my neighbors know if the storm is not headed for us, even when the siren is going off. (This can be incredibly important for my military neighbors who may have never lived in tornado country before.)

I will continue to do these things because, once upon a time, I had the knowledge, and the degree to prove it...and as they say...knowledge is power.

Quiet Revelations

It's that time of year again, when everyone in the neighborhood puts out their Christmas yard decorations. Some have lights and garland around the railing, some have those "nets" of lights over their bushes, some have the lighted plastic nativity, some have the inflatable decorations that have become so popular for every season/holiday. Of course, there are also the indoor decorations placed in front of a window so that passers-by can enjoy as well as the residents.

To make the point of this post, I must explain that I love anything "Snoopy" and I love the movie "A Christmas Story".

There are folks down the street who have inflatable Snoopy Christmas decorations. I only wish they weren't so far down the street so I could enjoy them.

Fortunately, the 2 houses up the street from me apparently enjoy "A Christmas Story" as much as I do! One has the leg lamp in the window. One has an inflatable leg lamp in the yard.



We're friends with the family right next door - the ones with the inflatable leg lamp; the other family we don't really know at all. But, it was when I saw the leg lamps that I realized that the decorations you put up can say a lot about you.

YEA!! MY NEIGHBORS ARE COOL!!

My lighted garland will be staying in the box again this year...I'll spare you the long story about my attempt to put it up 2 years ago...Let's suffice to say the lights didn't come on. I put the wreath on the door and called it good. The wreath is probably all the further I'll get on outdoor decorations again this year. I have a couple of Christmas Snoopy yard signs - if I can find them - that I may try to stick in the rock hard Alabama clay. (I may have to wait until after it rains!) Maybe I'll have to put the tree in front of the window this year so my neighbors don't have a quiet revelation about my "Bah Humbug-ness" lack of outdoor decorations!

Deadlines, Suspenses, and being Prompt

Sorry, it's another popcorn post. This job wasn't supposed to be this frustrating! (But somehow, deep down, I knew it would be.) It's time to collect money...granted, never an easy task. Why is it so hard to meet a deadline? The deadline was clearly stated. I'll be tracking people down all week! I'm irritated by people who can't get things in on time...or who choose not to...or those who plead ignorance...or those who just think it doesn't matter...or those who truly have no clue (nor a bag to hold that clue in).

Maybe being a military spouse for 19 years has caused this. Husband is always meeting suspenses. It is frowned upon if he doesn't meet them. Any military spouse can confirm. He's spent many late nights at the office so things can be turned in on time. Any military spouse can tell you the same story.

But, no, this can't be the issue. "Why?" you ask. BECAUSE EVERYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PACK IS MILITARY!

Maybe that's why it makes me so angry. All of these people should know about deadlines and suspenses. It shouldn't matter if it's a suspense for your job, or for a friend, or for scouts, or for whatever organization you belong to. Being prompt is part of having integrity and courtesy and I believe those things should be a part of everyday life.

Thanks to those of you who turned in your popcorn money on time!

8 Year Olds Crack Me Up

It's Thanksgiving break here at our house. That means at least 5 days of "Mom, can I play on the PS3?" Which will probably get a "yes" response unless there's something good on tv. (Good is a relative term.)

Yesterday, the 8 year old (previously referred to as "Nuke") is having his fill of PS3. He likes the Star Wars games and the Lego games, but when it comes right down to it...the game he appears to get the biggest kick out of is "Call of Duty - Modern Warfare." (For you grammatical folks, I'm not sure if that should be in quotes or underlined. I could ask my geek student husband or my geek student 7th grader, but I'm not going to...you're just going to have to live with it!)

Yes, CoD is rated "M" for Mature. Probably because of all the shooting!? There's no flying blood splatter or guts or anything like that though, so...that a "good" thing, right?! Most of the time he doesn't even have the sound of the game on. He leaves the audio set on whatever cartoon channel he was previously watching...usually it's Spongebob or Drake and Josh. (Grammar fiends, I apologize again for just leaving those titles naked altogether.)

This idea came to him when I was watching him play "online" one day. There were a lot of people apparently playing with those bluetooth headsets/microphones. I heard quite a bit of profanity - not from the 8 year old - not from the game - but from the online gamers who get pretty peeved when their dude gets shot! So, anyway, I asked him to turn down the sound so I didn't have to listen to that. I guess he decided that "tv" audio was better than no audio.

But, I stray from the reason for this post...

Back to yesterday...Nuke asked his dear ol' dad to play CoD with him. This is not new. They frequently play against each other; some two-player mode, probably called "team deathmatch" or something like that, I'm not really sure. He agrees and the fun begins.

There are few things that bring endless giggles to Nuke like shooting the crap out of his father! (Not for real people...video game!)

It doesn't matter the scenario, good guy or bad guy, which gun he's using...none of it matters...he can beat his dad almost every time. If he gets him 3 times in a row, he gets to call in an airstrike! That apparently rocks! Every time his father loses, his father says "NO WAY!? HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" (Yes, every time!) I'd say it was probably after about an hour of this when after one of those "NO WAY" comments, I heard the jewel from the 8 year old's mouth... (No it wasn't profanity!)

"Yeah, well...that's the way the W-man rolls."

Yeah, you read that right! From the 8 year old! It's not like we speak that way around the house. I'm really not sure where he came up with it. But, I think it might be one of the funniest things I've every heard!

So, from now on, "the 8 year old formerly known as Nuke", shall now be "W-man!"

Third Grade Science Projects...

Last week I got a notice from my third grader's teacher asking for each student to bring in a 2-liter of Diet Coke and a package of Mentos. Yeah, I was scared too. Well, today's the day!! I'm pretty sure I saw the outcome of this on Mythbusters or YouTube.



Thinking about 20 third graders doing this reminds me why I'm not a teacher.

Note: My third grader shall be known from now on as 'Nuke'. (His initials are WMD!)