Big Speakers. Not A Euphemism.
Mamacita says: Back when I was in college, one of my friends had a map of North America on a corkboard, hanging on his wall. When things were slow, we would take turns throwing a dart at the map, and wherever the dart landed, we would hop in a car and drive there.
A couple of times the dart landed in Canada or Mexico; with my supreme skill at the bad lucks I always had mono or strep then.
Eventually we made a rule that it had to be a place that we could reach and return from, over one weekend. That helped immensely. Mike cut down the map to show only those places.
Sometimes, we just had time to cross a state line before we had to head back to school. Why did we do this so often? I don’t know. We were in college. We were young. We were creatively silly. Do you really need a reason? We didn’t. It was fun. And we were young enough that going almost anywhere without asking permission first was a novelty. To cross a state line was a high that couldn’t be gotten any other way. I never mentioned this to my parents. Mom still doesn’t know.
Mom still doesn’t know lots of things.
I’m counting on you all not to tell her. Thank you very much.
Mike, the map’s keeper, was a great guy. Cute, too. He was an awesome dancer, and had the biggest stereo speakers of anyone I knew. (Back then, that was a plus, not a minus!) (This is not a euphemism.) (Then again, I wouldn’t know.) He could supply the music for an entire neighborhood with a flick of a switch, and often did. We used to go dancing all the time, a large group of us, at a club attached to a semi-sleazy motel on the far east side of town. It’s no longer there. I was always thankful that it never got raided when I was there; my parents would have removed me from college and put me in a convent school. And we weren’t even Catholic.
By “semi-sleazy,” I mean that it had a working neon sign. Truly sleazy motels don’t have neon. Or if by chance they do, it doesn’t work. At least one letter is blown out of a sleazy motel neon sign. It’s a rule.
And I never saw the inside of the motel, so I can’t enlighten you about that. Which is not to say that I was never ASKED. . . . .
I dated Mike for a year, in college. Several years ago, I got a call from one of the old ‘gang’ and was told that Mike had died. Of AIDS. His partner was calling people in Mike’s address book to let them know. I hadn’t even known he was gay. Everybody else did, and knew it even back then, but I never suspected. It wouldn’t have made any difference; I would have still liked him; but I didn’t know. Looking back, I can see it, but at the time, I didn’t.
Maybe that was why he was never pushy about the motel. He asked, but he never insisted.
Whenever I think back on college memories, his face is what I see first. I wish I could still see it. Somehow, wherever he was, everybody was happy, everywhere was fun, and everything was cool. He was so funny, so kind, so snarky, so witty. He also wore hilarious boxers. To dinner. When he was at our table, it didn’t much matter what the menu had in store for us; dinner was awesome when he was sitting with us.
Wherever he is now, I’m sure he is having that same effect. Big speakers and all.
P.S. Definitely not a euphemism. BIG speakers.
P.P.S. Shut up.
P.P.P. S. I really miss him.
Oscar Night
Mamacita says: I haven’t watched the Oscars for years. It’s not because I don’t groove on the host; that’s often the best part. It’s not because I didn’t enjoy any of the nominated movies, although I seldom go to the movies because it costs so much now. It’s not because I don’t admire the talent involved both in front of and behind the cameras. I do admire it; it’s fabulous.
It’s because I can’t deal with the fact that a disgraceful amount of money is spent on stupid stuff that might better have been spent on worthwhile stuff.
When I see a lovely celebrity wearing sparkling gems and a designer gown, all I can think of is how many children’s shoes and coats might have been purchased with that money.
I look at a hairdo and think of all the hot meals that kind of money could have provided for children.
I read about the goodie bags and think about how all that money could have been so much better spent on books and socks and mittens and pencils and teddy bears instead of being wasted on all that ridiculous unneeded swag.
I look at pictures of gowns and shoes and wraps and tuxes and hair and jewels and think of the children in each and every community who don’t even know if they’re going to have anything to eat before free breakfast comes around again. (Monday mornings are the saddest; some kids haven’t had any food since free lunch the Friday before. Believe me; these kids don’t look forward to snow days.)
How can we justify spending all this money on overpriced dresses, elaborate hairdos, ridiculous swag, borrowed jewelry, pinching shoes, and name brands? If I had this kind of money, I’d be dressing and feeding kids all over the place, not draping myself with designer nonsense I couldn’t even put on or take off by myself.
Am I the only person who sees these overpriced extravaganzas this way?
Don’t get me wrong; I firmly believe people deserve awards and rewards for their hard work and amazing talents; however, I think these elaborate displays would be so much better if they were perhaps a little less elaborate and the money were spent on our nation’s children. I love the singing and dancing, but I just can’t deal with the display of wealthy wastefulness. Why can’t we “notice” these people for their accomplishments, not their clothing?
I think our children deserve some awards and rewards and recognition for their hard work and amazing talents far more than these adults do.
Maybe if we concentrated our attention and delight and expectations on children, rather than on adults, and saved some of the attention, adulation, and swag for our talented & hardworking kids, we might end up with more adults who deserve glory, too.
I think focusing on marketing and glitz detracts from what the Oscars ought to be: public rewards for hard work and talent. A person doesn’t need to dress like a walking advertisement, an overpriced mannequin in a designer’s shop window, to be admired and remembered. How many Oscar winners are known more for their outfits than for what they actually won the award for?
Wouldn’t it be awesome if the celebrities started wearing their own clothes to pick up their awards, and donated the cost of the overpriced, often ugly, dress to a local school or hospital? That’s where the real winners are, remember.
Quite possibly I’m the only person in the world who views these presentations this way, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong. It might mean I’m alone, but that never stopped me from thinking.
“Shoehorn.”
Bonus points if you know the source of THAT one.
The Presidents Speak
Mamacita says: For Presidents’ Day, I thought I’d feature a quotation from each of our presidents. No matter what our personal opinion of a president might be, he is the leader of our nation and the position, if not the person, deserves some respect.
It’s not Saturday, but let’s dive into some presidential quotations!
1. To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. — George Washington (1789–1797)
2. I pray Heaven to bestow the best of blessing on this house (the White House) and on all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof! — John Adams (1797–1801)
3. That government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves. — Thomas Jefferson (1801–1809)
4. I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. — James Madison (1809–1817)
5. It is only when the people become ignorant and corrupt, when they degenerate into a populace, that they are incapable of exercising their sovereignty. Usurpation is then an easy attainment, and an usurper soon found. The people themselves become the willing instruments of their own debasement and ruin. — James Monroe (1817–1825)
6. If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. — John Quincy Adams (1825–1829)
7. As long as our government is administered for the good of the people, and is regulated by their will; as long as it secures to us the rights of persons and of property, liberty of conscience and of the press, it will be worth defending. — Andrew Jackson (1829–1837)
8. The less government interferes with private pursuits, the better for general prosperity. — Martin Van Buren (1837–1841)
9. A decent and manly examination of the acts of the Government should be not only tolerated, but encouraged. — William Henry Harrison (1841)
10. Let it be henceforth proclaimed to the world that man’s conscience was created free; that he is no longer accountable to his fellow man for his religious opinions, being responsible therefore only to his God. — John Tyler (1841–1845)
11. No president who performs his duties faithfully and conscientiously can have any leisure. — James Knox Polk (1845–1849)
12. I have no private purpose to accomplish, no party objectives to build up, no enemies to punish—nothing to serve but my country. — Zachary Taylor (1849–1850 )
13. May God save the country, for it is evident that the people will not. — Millard Fillmore (1850–1853)
14. The dangers of a concentration of all power in the general government of a confederacy so vast as ours are too obvious to be disregarded. — Franklin Pierce (1853–1857)
15. I like the noise of democracy. — James Buchanan (1857–1861)
16. America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. — Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)
17. If the rabble were lopped off at one end and the aristocrat at the other, all would be well with the country. — Andrew Johnson (1865–1869)
18. Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private school, supported entirely by private contributions. Keep the church and state forever separate. — Ulysses S. Grant (1869–1877)
19. It is now true that this is God’s Country, if equal rights—a fair start and an equal chance in the race of life — are everywhere secured to all. — Rutherford B. Hayes (1877–1881)
20. Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained. — James A. Garfield (1881)
21. I may be president of the United States, but my private life is nobody’s damned business. — Chester A. Arthur (1881–1885)
22. It is the responsibility of the citizens to support their government. It is not the responsibility of the government to support its citizens. — Stephen Grover Cleveland (1885–1889)
23. We Americans have no commission from God to police the world. — Benjamin Harrison — (1889–1893)
24. Officeholders are the agents of the people, not their masters. — Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)
25. Unlike any other nation, here the people rule, and their will is the supreme law. It is sometimes sneeringly said by those who do not like free government, that here we count heads. True, heads are counted, but brains also . . . — William McKinley (1897–1901)
26. The only man who makes no mistake is the man who does nothing. — Theodore Roosevelt (1901–1909)
27. Politics, when I am in it, makes me sick. — William Howard Taft (1909–1913)
28. If you want to make enemies, try to change something. — Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1913–1921)
29. Our most dangerous tendency is to expect too much of government, and at the same time do for it too little. — Warren G. Harding (1921–1923)
30. Character is the only secure foundation of the state. John Calvin Coolidge (1923–1929)
31. Absolute freedom of the press to discuss public questions is a foundation stone of American liberty. — Herbert Clark Hoover (1929–1933)
32. Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. — Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1933–1945)
33. We need not fear the expression of ideas—we do need to fear their suppression. — Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)
34. There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence and energy of her citizens cannot cure. — Dwight David Eisenhower (1953–1961)
35. If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. — John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1961–1963)
36. You ain’t learnin’ nothin’ when you’re talkin’. — Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963–1969)
37. Always give your best, never get discouraged, never be petty; always remember, others may hate you. Those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself. — Richard Milhous Nixon (1969–1974)
38. A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have. — Gerald Rudolph Ford (1974–1977)
39. We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging principles. — James Earl Carter, Jr. (1977–1981)
40. We are a nation that has a government—not the other way around. And that makes us special among the nations of the earth. — Ronald Wilson Reagan (1981–1989)
41. The United States is the best and fairest and most decent nation on the face of the earth. — George Herbert Walker Bush (1989–1993)
42. There is nothing wrong in America that can’t be fixed with what is right in America. — William Jefferson Clinton (1993–2001)
43. Recognizing and confronting our history is important. Transcending our history is essential. We are not limited by what we have done, or what we have left undone. We are limited only by what we are willing to do. — George Walker Bush (2001-2009)
44. My job is not to represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington. — Barack Obama (2009 – present)
Now, here are some trivia questions for you and your students:
Obama, our 44th president, is actually our 43rd president. Why?
Kennedy, at 43, was our youngest elected president, and the oldest was Reagan, who was 69. However, Kennedy was not our youngest president; who was?
Assassination attempts were made on nine presidents, but only four attempts were successful. Which presidents were were actually assassinated, and which presidents survived the attempt?
Four presidents died in office, besides those who were assassinated. Can you name them?
For which president’s wife was the term “First Lady” first used?
Has the U.S. ever had an unmarried president?
How many divorced presidents have we had?
What president was not elected by the people?
Have we ever had a president who was not a U.S. citizen?
Several 19th century presidents were not college graduates, but were there any 20th century presidents who never attended any college?
Let’s talk height: Lincoln was tallest at 6’4″, and Madison was the shortest at 5’4″.
How many of our presidents had also been vice president?
How many presidential wives gave birth while living in the White House?
We assume that most deceased presidents are buried in Arlington Cemetery. How many presidents are buried there?
Only one president was elected unanimously. Who was it?
Who was the first White House bride?
James Madison was the first president to wear a certain type of clothing. What was he the first president to wear?
Which president liked to go skinnydipping in the Potomac River? (He was also the first president to be photographed!)
Which president and first lady always spoke Dutch at home?
The first vice president to become president upon the death of a president never made an inaugural address, and never ran for that office. He also had the most children – 15! This presidents second wife started the tradition of playing “Hail to the Chief” whenever a president appeared. Which president was he?
Which president’s wife hosted the first annual White House Thanksgiving dinner?
Who was the first president to have a Christmas tree in the White House?
Which president’s wife taught him to read and write?
Which president held the first annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn?
Which president liked to answer the White House phone himself?
After the White House was wired for electricity, which president was afraid to use it?
The first president to campaign by telephone was also the first president to ride in an automobile. Who was he?
What was the original name of the White House?
Who was the first president to own a car?
Who put a flock of sheep on the White House lawn, and sold the wool to make money for the Red Cross? He was also our first president to earn a PhD.
Which president wore size 14 shoes?
Which president donated his salary to charity and approved “The Star-Spangled Banner” as the national anthem?
Which president served his entire presidency without the use of his legs?
Which president was first to travel in a submarine and first to give a televised speech? He used to get up at dawn to practice the piano for two hours.
Which president, while playing football at West Point, was injured when he tried to tackle Jim Thorpe?
Which president once worked as a fashion model and a Yellowstone park ranger?
This speed-reading president was the first president born in a hospital. Who was he?
Who was our first Rhodes Scholar president?
Who is our only president to have won a Grammy Award?
18 presidents never served in Congress. Who are they? Eight of our presidents have been left-handed. Which ones?
Fourteen presidents were once vice presidents. Name them.
Enjoy.
