Words

 

Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.

~ Rudyard Kipling

- - - - -

Recently I was reading a book. It had several words I had to look up because I wasn't sure what they meant. One of the words was "prevet." The protagonist was a college student and talked about classes they were taking and said they had to drop pre -

vet (it was split on two lines). 

As I was entering it to look up the word, I realized she was dropping pre-vet. If it had been hyphenated on the same line I would have understood it the first time.

I blame the publisher and the page layout choices they made for this.

 

Catch

If you run fast enough, tou can still catch those dreams.

~ Charmaine J. Forde

- - - - -

Some people chase dreams. Other people wait for their dreams to find them. 

(pause)

As it is with dreams, so it is with ice cream trucks.

Power

Because my one superpower as a teacher, and I only have one, is the absolute adoration for the stuff I teach.

~ Tabitha Carvan

- - - - -

My superpower as a teacher is that I get to assign people grades.

 

Basket

Put all your eggs in one basket and then watch that basket.

~ Andrew Carnegie

- - - - -

Leslie came home from a walk with Lily the other day and said they were doing an egg hunt at the park down the street from our house. She added, "You know, Easter egg hunts aren't as great as you think they might be. I've been to a few of them. Kids will kill each other over eggs during those things."

(pause)

She surely must be exaggerating, right? 

Barn

Old barn, what is it that draws me to you?

~ Linda Crist

- - - - -

Well, if the barn is hiding a giant magnet and you are a robot made out of metal, what draws you to the barn is magnetism. If "Old Barn" is a nickname for a person and you are also a person, then it is still magnetism, but this time it means that Old Barn likely has some charisma, confidence, and charm. 

Of course Old barn could also have a huge magnet in his overalls (I imagine he wears overalls a lot) and you could still be a metal robot. In that case, I refer back to my first response.

Recipes

And I sometimes crave her lamb chops even though I not longer eat red meat. I was well into adulthood before realizing it was her tangy and sweet marinade I liked more than the actual cut ofd meat. She took that recipe to her grace. A few years ago I called a cousin and said, "I'm trying to make Mama's lemonade." He responded, "Then you are trying to make a cup of love." Later in the conversation he said, "I've been chasing her flavors my entire adult life." In our own way, all of us have been trying to hold tight to something she gave us.

~ Farah Jasmine Griffin

- - - - -

I like when people say they add love to their recipes. If it's a typo, though, and they are actually adding "clove" - I don't like that so much. Cloves aren't my favorite.

Doors

I've been blessed to play these great parts that just open another door and another door, is I guess how its worked.

~Margo Martindale

- - - - -

If you did autopsies on Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger, and John Densmore, that would be another way of opening Doors. 

Fools

Any fool can criticize, complain, and condemn--and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.

~ Dale Carnegie

- - - - -

I know some foolish people, however I won't criticize them or complain about them or condemn them. 

(pause)

Out loud.

Joy

The woman had no feeling for children's joy. She could take the joy out of ice cream, dirt, fishing with bait, you name it.

~ Barbara Kingsolver

- - - - -

Leslie is the kind of woman who has a feeling for children's joy. She can put it in lots of things - like getting children to do all the work around the house.

Complaint

One bar may hide another bar in the same way that one complaint usually hides another.

~ Jeffrey Rendered Allen

- - - - - -

I found this to be true when I worked in residence life. The complaint from one roommate against the other was almost always about doing dishes or taking out the trash. The real complaint was never about doing dishes or taking out the trash.

It was about writing threatening messages on the mirror in the bathroom. 

Or maybe that was just what my roommates used to complain about.

Goslings

I don't really have that much angst to get rid of. 

~ Ryan Gosling

- - - - -

Angst is a sense of dread or anxiety - typically unfocused. I would say that geese have angst, but it tends to be focused on their goslings. I'm not so sure goslings have angst. Well, I guess I know one that doesn't, at least. Allegedly.

Jasmine

The smell of jasmine makes people tell their secrets.

~ Jandy Nelson

- - - - -

When Jasmine grew old, she smelled like Gold Bond powder. 

RUN

I seem to remember that at eleven my brood were howlers and screamers and runners in circles.

~ John Steinbeck

- - - - -

I guess maybe they figured out who Banksy is. They could have let it be, I suppose. The Reuters article was pretty good. It is hilarious to me that in trying to catch the artist, a bunch of news outlets published photos of a builder from London rather than photos of Banksy. That seems perfect. 

Whatever. I love that guy's work. 

 

Grandma

Memories of grandmas often center on cherished moments with family, favorite foods, shared activities like reading or swimming, and the wisdom or kindness she imparted.

~ Artificial Intelligence

- - - - -

I guess robots have grandmas, too.

Wandering

Sometimes when you lose your way, you find yourself.

~ Mandy Hale

- - - - -

I don't care if you are wandering and not lost, but I do care if you are zig-zagging back in forth when you're driving in front of me and I'm trying to get around you.

Dog

If you can step on a dog and kill it, it's not a dog. It's a rat.

~ Kate McKinnon's Mom

- - - - -

This is perhaps the best quote I have ever used on a blog. The message is pretty solid regarding dogs, but also the quote's presence on my blog implies that I might actually know Kate McKinnon's Mom. I shall neither confirm nor deny.

Wash

Life is a daily cleansing. Negativity must be washed away, if you wish to attract positive experiences to your life. 

~ Leon Brown

- - - - -

Leslie: Here. Your earphones went through the washer, but they also went through the dryer, so they should be fine.

Privacy

It's Facebook, Dad. It's all defamatory.

~ Helen Tudor-Fisk

- - - - -

When we try to pry into other people's business, there isn't a lot of good that comes from it. It takes our time, we get distracted or drawn down rabbit holes, and we rarely find exactly what we are looking for. Just let others do what they need to do. It's not our concern.

But if you do find out things that are scandalous, tell me. That way I will know what you know without doing the work and then I can be all judgmental of you for poking your nose where it doesn't belong. 

I'm just kidding. I really don't like to be in the loop. At all. 

Daybed

A dog on the bed is worth two on the couch.

~ Michelle Boettcher Proverb

- - - - -

One day we found a dog running around in Betty's yard. At first I was very excited that maybe Betty got a new dog. Then I realized she was gone and the dog had come in through the open gate. We got the pup to come into our yard. Lily was excited at first but quickly grew bored of the other dog.

The dog had a collar but no tags. We called the police who couldn't take the dog at the time and then we posted in a neighborhood social media outlet. It was cold at the time, so we brought the dog in - watching it closely in case it wasn't house trained (it was). We sat down to watch some TV and Lily took her place on the couch and the pup climbed up on the back of the couch to relax with us. The pup kept a paw on Lily as much as it could.

It made me think, "What would it be like to have two dogs?" I was picturing it and how it might complicate some of the travel we did and adventures that we had with Lily. Just as I was moving to problem-solving how we would navigate things with a second dog, the owner called us.

I was relieved, ultimately.

Anyway, I like dogs. 

 

Stories

(Photography by Richard Boettcher)

Our stories are the greatest legacy we will leave to our friends. A life story is the longest-lasting legacy you will leave to future generations.

~ Steve Saint

- - - - -

Kirk: Have you looked through the slides of Mom and Dad's honeymoon?

Me:   I skimmed them. I didn't look at them for detail.

Kirk: I'm going to send you one right now.

(He sent me the image above)

Me: Yes..?

Kirk: Look closely at the name of the place up the street...

Me: Oh. Wow.

Kirk: RIGHT?! 

Turns out there was a Glory Hole mine and this was the Glory Hole hotel. 

Semantics. Context. Language is hilarious.

Also, I bet they might name it something else if they discovered it today.

Town

Towns are like people. Old ones have character, the new ones are interchangeable.

~ Wallace Stegner

- - - - -

I don't know if I believe that new people are interchangeable. I do believe that their names are sometimes interchangeable because I usually forget people's names when I first meet them. That's part of my character as an old one. 

(pause)

A medium old one.

 

Giving

Our politicians should recognize that because children are our future, ensuring every child has access to quality education is an investment that pays dividends for future generations.

~ Laura Numeroff

- - - - -

Aurora: You want cake now?

Me: Yes, please.

Aurora: You want a glass of milk?

Me: That would be wonderful.

Aurora: If you give a Mimi a pice of pineapple upside down cake, she's gonna want a glass of milk.

Dreaming

Why does the mind see things more clearly in dreams than the imagination when awake?

~ Leonardo da Vinci

- - - - -

The other night I had a dream that I was in an Irish pub. Lily was there, though she was not drinking. No one had an issue with me having a dog in the bar. What was stranger is that no one had an issue with me ordering a wheat beer in an Irish pub. 

Bobbing

Keep bobbing, and we'll come right by and by.

~ Louisa May Alcott

- - - - - -

I like how these photos of bobbers turned out. I took them on a trip at the end of the spring semester last year.

(pause)

Good thing I liked these photos because I sure didn't catch any fish.

Chair

At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child's success  is the positive involvement of parents.

~ Jane D. Hull

- - - - - -

Zak: (working on a treasure hunt) Papa, I need your help.

Kirk: What is the clue?

Zak: This is a place I know you have been

         People sit here to type on a screen.

Kirk: Where have you looked?

Zak: The computer.

Kirk: Where do people SIT at the computer?

Zak: Um... a CHAIR!!!

Flamingo

What the flamingo teaches a child, at that subliminal where animal encounters work, is that gravity is not just a limitation, but also a possible partner in an intriguing, potentially joyful game.

~ John Burnside

- - - - -

"Why is it so hard to catch a flamingo," you ask?

Because they're called "flaminGOs" not "flamingCOMEOVERHEREs".

Also, why exactly are you trying to catch flamingos?

Energy

 

It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

- - - - -

I don't waste my time wishing harm on others. I plan for it.

Surroundings

Before you diagnose yourself with depression or low self-esteem, first make sure you are not, in fact, just surrounded by assholes.

~ Debi Hope

- - - - -

This is really wise advice. If you think you may be surrounded by assholes but you're not sure, you are. I really very probably am sure that you are. And if you have to ask, don't ask them. People get really touchy when you ask, "Are you, in fact, an asshole?"

 

Hands

It is in your hands to create a better world for all who live in it.

~ Nelson Mandela

- - - - -

Last fall I was teaching on the first day of class. I like to try and learn a few things about students when I first have class with them. I wondered how many introverts and extroverts were in the class. I asked them to raise their hands. I started to say, "Raise your hand if you're an introvert," but I realized that was not the way to go. Instead I said, "Stand up and sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' if you're an introvert."

(pause)

I'm just kidding. I asked the extroverts to raise their hands. I might try this other thing next time, though.

Ethics

Lying and stealing are next door neighbors.

~ Proverb

- - - - -

If we say that shoplifting is okay if the shop owner is awful, that's a slippery slope. Well, it's a slippery slope if the shop is on a slope and it's icy out.

 

Tired

Life is one long process of getting tired.

~ Samuel Butler

- - - - -

When you are tired, you should rest. When you are tired of certain people, you should get away from them. A good thing to do is to tell them you have to leave because you have to go take a nap.