Tuesday, July 19, 2011

A 'Beautiful Day' in the Wednesday Hodgepodge Vol 36

Welcome to the Wednesday Hodgepodge....is it just me or does the summer seem to be flying by? Here are my answers to this week's questions. Add your answers in a link at the bottom and then go see what the neighbors have to say. After you see what I have to say of course.


1. July 20th marks the anniversary of the first time man stood on the moon. Flash forward 42 years to July 8, 2011 which marked the start of the final Space Shuttle mission. Should we continue to explore space? Should nations devote more or fewer of their resources to exploring space? Would you want to go into space if the opportunity arose?

We've learned a lot thru space exploration, and not just about space so yes, I think it needs to continue. Things like invisalign, scratch resistant lenses, global positioning satellites, cordless phones, weather and security surveillance, Kevlar, carbon dioxide filters...all of these products have NASA connections.

I will go into space when I can be transported there in the blink of an eye. If I have to zoom there in a rocket type contraption that involves spinning in a small confined space then you can forget it.

2. What are three things in your freezer?

Ice, because every drink needs some. See question 4. I recently bought a box of NY Strip steaks and a box of ahi tuna steaks from a well known company that sells door to door. We had some of the tuna on Sunday and it was delish.

3. If you could see any band/artist perform live tonite who would it be? It has to be someone living-no Beatles, Elvis, etc.

This one...seeing them perform live has been on my wish list for a long long time.


4. Ice-cubed or crushed? Or are you one of those people who don't like ice?

This ridiculous question is the kind I can spend far too much time thinking about. If there's a choice make it crushed but really, as long as there is ice of some sort I'm happy. I like a lot of ice in my drinks and six+ years living in a country where that is not the common practice did nothing to change my opinion. True story-daughter1 and I were in a restaurant in the UK one time and she asked for a coke with ice and the waitress said, "We're out" and daughter1 said, "Out of coke?" and the waitress said, "No, out of ice" to which daughter1 said in an incredulous tone-'You're out of frozen water?" Daughter1 never got used to the no ice thing either.

So funny how you can miss even the little things that bugged you about a place too.

5. The owner of a small restaurant outside of Pittsburgh recently announced he was banning children under six, saying they regularly disrupted other customer's meals. You can read the story here in more detail but isn't this a perfect topic to discuss in our Wednesday Hodgepodge? Have at it friends...what are your thoughts?

We always took our girls to nice restaurants, starting from the time they were very young. I think this is how children learn to behave in civilized eating establishments. By eating in them. If you only take your kids to venues like the Golden Arches then they are never going to learn that running and shouting and eating while playing are not the accepted form of behavior in most public places.

The thing is, if you're in a restaurant you have to be prepared to deal with whatever your child dishes out. That might mean that sometimes you pick up and leave before you've gotten your meal. If Johnny isn't getting with the program then no, he shouldn't be ignored by his parents. He should be taken out of the restaurant as a courtesy to the other patrons. There are seasons to parenting and having young kids means that sometimes we don't get to do what we want. I love children and have worked with children in some capacity or other most of my adult life. I have a lot of patience when it comes to kids of all sorts and variety. I have less patience for parents who pretend they don't notice that their child is disrupting all of life around them in a public venue.

6. What was your first car? How did it come to be yours?

My first car wasn't really my car but our family's second car that I was allowed to drive. It was a Chevy Nova, kind of an ugly rust color and it had brakes that when barely tapped had the potential to catapult you through the windshield. Perfect for a brand new driver.

You're jealous I know.

My real first car was a Toyota Celica and it was a great car. My parents surprised me with it my senior year of college just before I was to begin student teaching.


I had never driven a stick shift before but my brother taught me on some pretty steep Tennessee hills which, as it turned out, was a good place to learn.

7. If I had a nickel for every time I vacuumed up the dog's hair I'd be rich.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Regarding question #3-
tonite my wish is coming true.


26 comments:

  1. My friend (and resident antique dealer) Laurie just saw U2 at Busch Stadium over the weekend! She said it was incredible!

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  2. Regarding number 5 ~ I couldn't agree more. Children musch be taught how to behave in public places and as a parent you have to be prepared to walk out if they don't.
    Have fun at U2!

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  3. We've always taken our kids to nice restaurants, too, and they learned the acceptable behavior. There are many adults who don't know restaurant etiquette, and I think it's a generational shame. Anyway,I am jealous that you got a Toyota Celica. That was my dream car! I got a Chevy instead. Friends don't let friends drive Chevys, but my parents let me sign for one on the dotted line. Hmmmm...:) Glad you get to see U2. How fun to do something on your bucket list!

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  4. We had U2 here in Montreal last weekend. It was loud. No I didn't have tickets, but heard the outdoor concert from my house it was that loud! I loved it!!!

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  5. I love ahi tuna - I'm very jealous! :) And I do love U2 too. Would be great to see them perform.

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  6. Love the pic of you and the Celica. You reminded me of my best friend. She had long brown hair and drove a Corolla. I don't think Celica's were out yet. Karen's Korner

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  7. Have a great time at the concert :)
    Yep, couldn't agree with you more on question #5 children need to be taught how to behave.

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  8. Oh how exciting for you to see U2!!! Protect your ears....wear earplugs. Seriously. You can still hear the music just fine but you won't have that annoying buzzzz in your ears for hours after. Fun questions this week. Blessings, SusanD

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  9. Totally agree with you on #5. Indiana and I recently requested a different table at a restaurant because the one they tried to seat us at was right next to a screaming child. Kinda thought the hostess should have noticed and steered us somewhere else to begin with. It was THAT disruptive. : )

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  10. Hope you have a ball at the concert. Great questions this week.

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  11. Every single week you are both cracking me up and making me think!

    I'm the same way on nearly every one of your answers!

    So glad you're getting to see U2! You won't be disappointed!

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  12. Oh wow...in a lift with Barry Manilow?! I'm sooooo jealous!! I have seen recordings of his shows and think to see him live would be the best thing ever. Your Hubs is a lucky man!

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  13. U2 was just in concert in St. Louis on Sunday. Hopefully it won't be as hot for you as it was for the concert-goers here. ;-)

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  14. I totally agree--a drink needs some ice! One of my sons doesn't like ice in his drinks, and I just can't understand it!

    Enjoy the concert!

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  15. You can't beat U2. I really enjoyed reading your responses, particularly about children and restaurants. You are a gifted writer.

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  16. Now I see why you asked that question. Have a great time tonight. Enjoyed reading all of the answers to your questions!

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  17. 3 things in my freezer:
    strawberries
    deer
    elk

    Jealous?
    That picture of you is so cute!

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  18. Oh my! Learning how to drive on a steep hill.
    That gives me the chills just thinking about it :)

    When we lived in the mountains, I drove either barefoot or with flip-flops.

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  19. Hi Joyce,
    I tore out my hubby's transmission trying to learn how to drive a stick shift. But I learned. Love your #7. Have a great day!

    Sherrie
    Food for Thought
    http://100sweets.blogspot.com/2011/07/wednesday-hodgepodge_20.html

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  20. My grandma had a Chevy Nova. Lovely cars. :)
    Have a great time at the concert. Oh, and watch who you're calling your boy George! Love him!

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  21. The Hubby was with me at the purchase of my second car which was a stick that I didn't know how to drive.
    Let's just say he's not the most patient when it comes to teaching so his brother stepped in and I'm pretty darn good at it if I say so myself. I managed to impress my kids anyway with my prowess so I must be good at it. Right?

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  22. Pepper sheds like crazy. Had a nice day with your MIL today! :)

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  23. So happy for you that your dream came true :)

    When I was younger, we had a white dog, and even though my Mom was constantly sweeping, there was always white dog hair everywhere. My dog doesn't shed, and I LOVE it!

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  24. Oh, man, I am so jealous of the ahi tuna. I have been ordering it almost everywhere we go lately. I don't feel confident in my ability to cook it quite right, so I'm going to do some research and fill my fridge, too.

    re: question you asked in comments on my blog- early start kindergarten for us is - our daughter is 4, will turn 5 in November. The cut off in our district is turning 5 by August 31. Some districts make you test in, ours does not, it's a room-available basis. Our kid is super smart, like rocket scientist smart, but has a severe articulation delay, so it's a tough call. She'll be bored senseless in another year of pre-K, but may have a hard time with the kids in kindergarten. Luckily, the district provides twice-a-week speech therapy on our tax dollars, so that'll be one less thing we're paying for. We'll see how it goes.

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  25. My first car was 1978 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme-- so ugly the kids I babysat made fun of it. So jealous about U2!Awesome!

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