When I Was In School ...

"So how was school?"

"Okay."

"Do you have a lot of homework today?"

"Yeah ..."

"Tough stuff? Or is it pretty easy?"

"It's not that big of a deal. But ... I need some colored markers to do one project. I have to color in some things for a history assignment."

"We have crayons at home ..."

"No. I need markers. Colored ones."

"Oh. Well ... there are colored pens you can use. I saw them in a drawer just the other day."

"I can't use those. I need markers. The big ones. And they need to be colored."

"Why do they need to be colored?"

"For my project."

"Did your teacher tell you this project needed to be colored?"

"No ... that's just the way I want to do it."

"Do you have money to purchase markers?"

"No. It's your responsibility as the adult to buy markers."

"No, it isn't! My parents never bought me markers! I never needed to 'color' anything for a project. Matter'n fact, we didn't have markers with colors back when I was in school. We only had crayons if we wanted to color anything. And they were pretty expensive at the time. A lot of us couldn't afford them. And those that couldn't afford them ... like me? They managed by creating our own primary colors."

"How did you do that?"

"Well ... we picked our nose and used the boogers for the color green. We poked our fingers with stick pins 'til they bled for the color red. And we peed to get the color yellow. Green, red and yellow ... primary as primary colors get ..."

"Dad ... !!!"

"Wow ... that trumps the walking two miles uphill to and from school story ..."

"Yeah ... I'm rather impressed with myself ..."

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP )

Parking Fun

I made a mistake recently.

(Hey ... I'm good at makin'em, you know? One of my pithy little comments has always been "Stick with your strengths." And making mistakes? One of my strengths.)

I was on my way to pick up my daughter from high school. The retrieval system the school has set up leaves much to be desired. Seeing it for the first time, I figured it was just a matter of time before there's a fender bender or five from folks seeking out a parking spot.

The area in front of the school is a no parking zone except for certain time frames of drop off and pick up during school hours. The pick up time is the more disconcerting of the two. Folks tend to park at a 45°  angle at the curb. Not a bad idea in and of itself - parking space is increased and it's easy to zip in and out of a space ... except ...

... it's not quite that easy.

The angle people park at is such they back in to spaces from the main thoroughfare; they don't pull directly up to the curb and parallel park. Instead, everyone stops in the middle of the street and backs into a space, creating 45° parking that is easily exited from once their kids are retrieved.

But this creates major stoppages in the middle of the street forcing drivers to be hyper-aware of what the car in front of them is doing ... not to mention making certain you have an eye in the rear view mirror to see what someone behind you might be up to.

In the very few times I've been to the school to do a pick up, I've seen more near misses than I care to mention. They're rampant. A fender bender is just around the corner, waiting to happen at any moment.

It was just yesterday I was hunting out a space in which to park and I needed to jam on my brakes suddenly. Some already nestled up to the curb yahoo wasn't happy with their particular parking job and decided to pull out in front of me without looking to see if there was any oncoming traffic, said oncoming traffic being me. I quickly braked to a stop, waited for the person to do their thing and motored on. As I slowly passed him to toss a dirty look his way, I immediately encountered a car in front of me. Again, I braked. But it was too late to have realized the car in front of me was attempting to grab a spot I was now blocking. I saw the hands of the driver fling up in exasperation. I was immediately and silently apologetic. The driver wasn't going to see me mouth an "I'm sorry" as s/he was too busy trying to find another spot in which to park. Fortunately I noted s/he found one a few spots up. Realizing this (and in the light of having blocked the car's originally proposed spot), I grabbed the one vacated one for my ownself.

Parked, I got out of my car to make nice with the person I'd flummoxed and to apologize face to face for being rude ... albeit inadvertently. I walked up to the person's car and noted it was a woman. I came around to her driver's side and tapped the window, startling her somewhat. She was on her cell phone texting or viewing something. She rolled the window down.

"I just wanted to apologize for nabbing your parking space back there. Maneuvering this place is trial of nerves ..."

She looked at me wide-eyed. "You came all the way over here to apologize for that?" she asked incredulously, but with a little smile on her face. "Who does that?"

"I do that. There are still a few good people in the world wading through all the boneheads," I told her. "Anyway ... I just wanted to say I was sorry. I didn't mean to appear the jerkwad."

"Thank you!" she stammered and I walked away.

After having practically killed a kid a bit earlier in the day, it was good to right a minor wrong and put a little balance back in the world, miniscule though it might be.

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP )

You Can't Flunk ... Only Your Teacher Can

During an evening dinner out not too long ago with a group of people, the conversation was as lively as it was all over the place. 

Fast-paced. Enjoyable. Interesting.

And then, at one point, it turned to the subject of school. That school "started so early this year" ... earlier than ever. About our personal experiences with school as kids. What school used to be for us. Why in the world has discipline been removed from schools? Things like that.

And then came "the bombshell" ...

"Well ... here's what I think: Every student that enters a class automatically has an A+. If their grades suffer as the year progresses, it's the teacher's fault. Their grades are a direct reflection on how a teacher teaches, not on how a student learns ..."

All of us just looked at her with our chins in our laps.

Agree? Or disagree?

Chime in, Folks ...

.......... Ruprecht ( STOP )

Walk To School

So ... what exactly was the mission here?

None, really. Reed and I just decided to hike to Riley's school and pick her up via foot instead of car. (Turn up your speakers and click that link!) Good opportunity to get out in the fresh air and get Bob The Dog exercised as well.

And, while we're at it ..... why not take the camera along? I decided it would make an interesting challenge to snap a shot every 30 to 60 seconds on the way there and on the way back. Get anything I could interesting and worthy of posting, if at all possible. So there was a mission after all.

Did I succeed? That's for you to decide. The results are below. (Click on any of the images to enlarge.)

Bob knew we were headed out. He was rarin' to go.

Mandatory sniffery.

Young tree proppage.

Back of the front.

On the main drag.

Fast moving Mexican on a mission.
(No. Bob did not growl.)

More sniffery.

Lost cat.

The unpacking of the kid.

Christmas lights still hung in the trees.
(Or, more likely, forgotten.)

Alley down there.

Electrical wires up there.

Crossing with care.

Bob's leading the way.

Ducks and rabbits in the shade.

See a penny, pick it up!
All day long you'll have good luck!

Here comes a paramedic.

Pumpkin? Still? Really?

Big dunk, obviously.

It must be margarita - thirty!

Freshly painted crosswalk.

Passing the grocery store.

Midget vehicle in wait.

Discarded.

Approaching the school.

The kids ... they're free!

Not the most conducive time for a delivery.

What in the world ... ?!?

"The Gathering Before The Crossing"

Seriously: What in the world are they wearing ... ?!?!?

Ready to venture home.

Kid throng at 2:45 p.m.

Texting ... waiting.

8th grader in coonskin cap.

There's that midget car again.

Approaching the main crosswalk.

Bob spies a friend.

Waiting.

The other side.

All together, now.

Shoes being moved by feet.

Mom patrol.

Trudging along.

Bob's anxious.

Still going.

Yet another alley entrance.

Time to get the mail
... and the paper ... and the flyers.

On the living room window
or plastered up and down the street,
the cat is still lost.

"Hey! You! With the camera!
Quitcher dilly-dallying and get a move on!"

Sign, sign,
everywhere a sign.

I know, I know ....
you wouldn't know what a road looks like
without this shot.

Nail ... asphalt.

Danger gate.

Thomas The (Entrapped) Train.

Not quite sure
what to do here in the park.

That lamp ... it seems out of place.

Obscure planter.

Type O Negative.

Bob's done.

Fresh water, anyone?

Relief.

..................... Ruprecht ( STOP )