Questions. I have questions.

When the Coneheads cue the jingle and sing “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there,” does Barry Manilow get royalties?

What would life be without rhetorical questions?

Do Tarek and Christina El Moussa ever make anything simply stand out, or does everything have to “pop”?

Does the super El Nino mean we might not have a white Christmas?

Do I work in an office of chocolate hoarders?

The last one deserves explanation. Halloween was a rainy night, and many folks in our area had leftover candy. I brought leftovers to work and dumped them on a tray in the closet that functions as a teachers’ lounge. Less than an hour later, another staff member had doubled the size of the pile. By lunch, there were two flavors left: Whoppers malted milk balls and Dum Dum suckers. By the end of the school day, even the Whoppers were gone. The only piece of candy left on the tray was a Dum Dum succker – Mystery Flavor.

One solution is this: we’re teachers. We get enough surprises in a normal day. Mystery flavor? Like Bertie Botts Every Flavor beans, it might be ear wax or vomit. It might be bacon – or it might be chili pepper. I wonder how long the Mystery Flavor will sit in the closet-lounge before someone either takes it or throws it away? We could almost have an office pool on the topic. Heck, I’m losing the office football pool. Maybe I could win this one.

But in the meantime, I’ll wonder and ponder these oh-so unimportant questions.

What was I talking about, anyway?

Readers, what are the irrelevant questions in you lives at the moment?

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And still another key to comprehension: questioning

I kept thinking of the George Carlin quote about reading and questioning, but it didn’t quite fit. I went with Jack Prelutsky instead.

Meanwhile, I shared this post with the online world.

“Don’t just teach your children to read…
Teach them to question what they read.
Teach them to question everything.” — George Carlin, comic genius

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Civics Test for High School Graduates

It was a test – only a test, but a test that could have mattered. I’ve taught science for many years, perhaps to the detriment of my knowledge of social studies including geography, history, and you guessed it, civics. When we started a day of staff development and meeting with the New Required for Graduation Civics Test, I worried. What if I didn’t do well? What if my teacher self couldn’t handle a test we’ll administer to all high school freshmen starting this year?

I passed. Heck, I more than passed. Out of 100 multiple choice questions, I got 99 right. Maybe I haven’t taught a lot of United States history and government units, but I’m politically active and reasonably well informed. I read (and write for) The Broad Side. I contribute to, among others, Emily’s List.

I passed the test and discussed a few discrepancies with the teacher sitting next to me. We looked at the question asking us to identify the Speaker of the House, and asked “Isn’t the new guy (Wisconsin’s own Paul Ryan) getting sworn in today?” The question asking the students to identify their Representative in Congress will need to be open ended; our virtual school students live all over the state of Wisconsin. We also identified a few poorly worded questions that, while far from being par for the course, really needed updating.

What did I get wrong? I thought I could avoid answering that. Deep sigh. Oh, all right. I did not identify James Madison as an author of The Federalist Papers, a collection of essays that supported the ratification of the Constitution.

Readers (and voters), could you pass a 100 question civics test? What do you think?

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Pumpkin Artistry – Encore

This post takes me back to La Petite’s college days. If you’re celebrating, have a happy and fun Halloween!

On the left is Captain One-Eyed Joe.

On the right is Hugo.
They were created by two college roommates.
Can you tell which student is an art minor?
(Just kidding, roomie, yours is cute, too!)

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Scary Credentials

Chuck has a collection of lanyards and credentials from special events he’s attended for his job. He is often the one pulling cords, making sure the satellite uplink will work, and in general, preventing chaos. Sometimes his special events are Packer games at Lambeau Field, golf tournaments at Whistling Straits, or political campaign events. In 2012, the security folks for both parties knew him by name.

In the theme of Halloween, he came home with a scary credential.for an upcoming event.

My gardening glove is masquerading as a paperweight.

My gardening glove is masquerading as a paperweight.

Can you read it? He’s working at the November Republican Debate. Scary? My reaction was a shudder and a very loud “Ew!”

It’s sure to be a shiver and shudder type of event. Frankly, I’d rather watch Jeopardy. At least the contestants on Jeopardy demonstrate common sense and intelligence.

And I’d better stop right there. Readers, would you work an event like this if you had the chance? Or would you run, screaming, in the other direction? If you had a choice, that is.

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I try. Really. I try.

We have a small football pool at work. We call it “Wings” because when all is done, we’ll go out together for wings, and the winner will not have to pay. So far, I’m only in the running for the longest losing streak.

It’s a good thing I’m doing better in the home picks. The irony here is that I’m tied for the lead with (wait for it) the rabbit. The rabbit “picks” based on the team name – the mascot, mainly. Bunny prefers teams with names/mascots that are friendly to (you guessed it) rabbits. Packers play the Vikings? Packers, of course. Seahawks play the 49ers? San Francisco. Falcons play the Eagles? That one is difficult. No rabbit in her right mind would like an eagle or a falcon. For that matter, no rabbit would truly enjoy NFL football. So what is my pet rabbit doing in the family football pool? Never mind. Don’t ask.

I spent time on this beautiful day with no Packer game tending to the fall garden chores. Took down tie strips from the tomatoes, pulled up tomato and pepper plants, stashed the tomato support poles next to the storage shed. Tripped over a board, skinned one knee, and now the other knee and ankle are throbbing. Took ibuprofen. Held ice pack on joints.

To top it all off, laundry is still thundering through its cycles. I managed to combine everything into four loads, and I enlisted Amigo in helping move loads from washer to dryer. With his help, I might actually be done by the time he throws his own laundry in on Monday.

Time to look forward. To really prep for Monday, I should check my emails and grade tests and quizzes online. Should. I’ll give it my best effort, though. I try. You know I really try.

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Like Minded People – an encore

First posted in July of 2012 – the memories are positive, and the sentiment is still true.

Imagine a busload of people who like Car Talk, get the jokes on Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, and know the difference between Michael Feldman and Michael Perry.* This is a bus trip of people who are polite to each other, make friends readily, and enjoy intelligent conversation about issues that matter to you, er, them. Amigo and I took just such a trip a few summers ago. Sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio, the trip goes to tiny Bayfield, WI, where the group takes in a show at the Big Top Chautauqua.

A summer City Council meeting seemed like it was ripe for conflict. People attended to speak for the trees, speak for the right to raise urban chickens, and support an up and coming project that will turn a former country club and golf course into a large community garden. Despite the differing opinions, all in attendance had something in common.

Last, but never least, I attended two meetings at the local Organizing for America office. One was simply a monthly update of the citywide group, and the second a training in canvassing techniques for the upcoming campaign kick-off weekend.

What do these three have in common? I’ll give you a moment to think. Take a look at the OFA office windows from summer 2012 while you’re contemplating.

How can you resist? Pose with the cardboard cut-outs!

Remember the question? I asked you to consider what these three examples might share in common. It’s the people.

In each example, you’ll see a group of like-minded people. The Public Radio bus trip was thoroughly enjoyable because of the camaraderie. In the second example, all three issues had to do with sustainability and the city environment. In the third, all of the meeting attendees were motivated to help re-elect the President of the United States to a second term.

Seeking out like-minded people is one way to stay calm and focused during difficult times. We share experiences, we share attitudes, and we share priorities. These groups will meet again, I’m sure. Trees, chickens, Public Radio, and elections are topics that inspire passion. Finding focus for a passion can lead to making a difference in the world.

Go ahead, readers. Find like-minded people. Talk. Then come back here and tell me: what will you do to make a difference?

Michael Feldman hosts a Saturday morning show on WPR called Whadya Know?. Michael Perry hosts Big Tent Radio on Saturday nights. Good enough?They’re both comics, hosts, and fascinating people. 

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Elvis Endorses –

I almost feel like I should jump into Grandma Daisy voice for this post, but it’s not necessary. I’m old enough to remember and explain it myself.

It was a long, dark, and stormy campaign. We Wisconsinites were getting tired of the negative ads, the name calling, the nasty back and forth in the race for one of our Senate seats. In fact, I don’t remember the two candidates who were throwing their campaign war chests into battle. I just remember wishing I had a television that had a newfangled remote control with MUTE button.

Then there was Russ Feingold. He wasn’t wealthy. His supporters were the everyday middle class folk who could donate small amounts. Russ did have a major advantage: a sense of humor.

Feingold’s commercials were made with a home video camera. His script was largely improvised – opening a closet door and saying, “Look, no skeletons” was one highlight. While the front runners tore each other to pieces, Russ found an endorsement that people would remember. He held up a tabloid style newspaper that proclaimed “Elvis Endorses Feingold.”

I remember when Russ Feingold was the only member of the Senate to actually read hte Patriot Act – and the only Senator to vote against it.

I remember when Russ Feingold created a truly bipartisan bill with none other than Republican John McCain. When someone refers to McCain-Feingold, people still recognize the names behind bipartisan campaign finance reform. If you doubt me, ask Alex Trebek.

Who is Russ Feingold, of course.

Who is Russ Feingold, of course.

Russ is a man of integrity and intelligence. If he’d go on Jeopardy himself, I predict a win. In fact, I look forward to helping him win in November of 2016. Blue suede shoes or basic Oxfords, Senator Feingold is on his way back to Washington.

 

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Eating the Opponent: St. Louis

If the Packers play the Rams often enough, I might be convinced to invest in a small home fryer for making fried ravioli. This time, though, we stuck with what we know we can make.

The neighborhood meat market had pork steaks on sale (coincidence? we think not), so Chuck grilled up a batch of St. Louis style pork steaks with an amazing marinade. He boiled up fresh corn from the farmers’ market and some of my freshly harvested carrots and parsnips. Oh, those veggies were good.

I made a St. Louis Mississippi Mud Cake – delicious. Absolutely delicious.

Frankly, between our menu and Aaron Rodgers’ arm, the Rams don’t stand a chance.

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