Hmmm.....

Random thoughts on a Wed AM--at 3 AM!!!!!!

I wonder why, when I type certain words, my fingers always--and I mean always--add an extra, unwanted/unneeded letter.  I was reminded of that as I typed "random" above.  It came out as "randome," as it often does.  And "numerical" almost always comes out as "numberical."  I do catch the mistakes, most of the time.

An article the other day indicated that this so-called "economic recovery" has been good, but only for selected people.  The folks who were hurt least by the recession are the ones "recovering" the best/most.  The little guys are the ones who are still struggling.  But we keep getting all the optimistic reports, from the Democrats in DC and from the Republicans in Lansing.  I haven't noticed much of a recovery at all.  And this article seems to support my anecdotal conclusions.  I just look at what I am paying for things.  OK, gasoline prices are down, but always seem to go up a dime or two when I need to fill up.  But other things are increasing.  Groceries, insurance premiums (both health and home owners, esp.) and restaurant tabs (OK, we splurge.) seem to be skyrocketing.  And, I haven't had a pay raise in quite some time.  Even my Social Security check next year won't see its cost-of-living increase, only the 3rd such time in more than 45 years (?).  I guess those rosy economic figures are like cholesterol numbers.  Looking at the overall cholesterol count no longer really matters.  It's breaking it down to LDL and HDL, along with the triglycerides.

I was talking to someone the other day, discussing the unexpected hurdles life can throw in one's path.  I don't remember the exact words, but she said another told her, "You never can tell, so you have to live for today."  I guess I understand that, but don't at all agree.  Always, always I think about the future.  Not planning can create some pretty rotten "todays."

Sort of thinking about aging.  I find myself tripping over things, unable to lift what I was once able to with ease, reach, etc.  OK, I understand the idea of "getting older."  But what is a bit more distressing is when I think, "Hey!  You played two college sports and now look at you.  You have trouble walking."  Of course, I exaggerate.  I don't have "trouble walking."  I still run a lot, bike a lot (when the weather cooperates), and do a little light weight lifting.  I walk and, in the spring and summer, help coach baseball, throwing BP, etc.  I'm pretty active, esp when I consider my age and what other 67 year olds (just about!) do.  As Matt once told me, "You're not like other old people, Dad."  I'm still not certain what to make of that, but......  I do know that I will not "go gentle into that good night."

Today, in class, we'll cover the Munich Conference/Agreement of 1938.  As I think about it I can't help but see so many congruencies with the Iran Nuclear Deal.  According to my Congressman, Iran has already violated the agreement.  As he noted, the deal is predicated on Iran changing its actions, behaving more responsibly. Yet, it has begun openly testing ballistic missiles, has convicted a US journalist (so much for freedom of expression/the press), and continues to hold a number of Americans prisoner.  I forgot who recently said (Gee, I hope it wasn't Trump!  I don't think it was.), "You can't make a good deal with an inherently bad person."

Speaking of Trump, no, I don't think he'll be the nominee for a variety of reasons.  But I think he's been good for the nation, at the least to get us thinking.  Several things seem to have become apparent along the way.  One, there are a lot of dissatisfied people out here.  Maybe a lot of them are the folks from a couple previous paragraphs, those still struggling economically.  Maybe a lot of them have finally woken up and discovered the rotten direction the Democrats and Republicans have been and are taking us isn't a bad dream after all.  Two, the Establishment Republicans are a large part of the problem.  That they continue to ignore that many of their own base line Republicans are fed up is a sign of their arrogant elitism.  Perhaps it's a sign of their greed, not necessarily financial, but in the lust for power or at least position.  If the Republican leadership doesn't wake up, I fear they will cost themselves the White House again in '16.

I heard on the radio yesterday a call for a third party.  Gee, I've been yammering for one for years, even decades.  The Republicans don't represent me or people like me.  The Democrats don't represent me or people like me.  No, it's not all about me.  (Those close to me understand that.)  It's like Ronald Reagan said years ago, "I didn't leave the Democrat Party.  The Democrat Party left me."  I'm not sure I ever felt like a Democrat or a Republican, but if I ever did, both/each have/has "left me."  I think that's the case with a lot of people.

How distressing to wake up on Mon and Tue and hear the same things on the boob tube (K watches those AM shows) and radio.  More killings took place in Detroit and the region.  Again I ask, where do people get the notion that it's OK to just shoot others??????  I don't comprehend the mindset. (Yeah, I used that word, "mindset," although it's close to being on my list of words not to use.)  If someone "disses" you, if someone has something you want, if someone makes you feel bad, etc. just shoot them?  What have we done in our culture to foster such behavior?  No, I don't blame the guns.  After all, shooters must consciously decide to use them.

I imagine the reasons are many.  Do we add far too much stress on lives?  Look what we do to our children.  They can't play games by themselves any more.  Baseball out in the backyard?  Nope, there has to be some adult-supervised league.  (Part of that blame lies with the kids themselves.)  Look at high school sports.  It seems each is a year-round activity, with kids pressured to pick just one.  Note the so-called "travel leagues" in baseball.  They have fall leagues and work out indoors all winter.  Might it not be equally beneficial, even better, to have kids play different/other sports or activities?  I think often it's more for the adults than it is the kids.  The other day, while running with Carrie, it was in the upper 30s or lower 40s, with a fine mist hanging around.  Out there on the ball fields, late October!, were some little kids, younger than 11 or 12, having a baseball practice.  Yes, they were out there shivering......  Now, how will that practice help a kid be a better player next April or May?

What about the stresses in schools?  When can kids be kids?  We expect them, now with all this Common Core Crap (and, yes, I understand why it's there and how people came to distrust the education establishment--often for good reasons), to grow up so fast.  Play time in school?  C'mon, "play time" isn't on the test.  Rush, Rush, Rush.  We have to get algebra in by 7th or 8th grade!  If these Bozos were really sharp and wanted more from K-12 education, might they consider making it K-13 education?  And, how many pre-school programs are there?  I know, I know......  Many kids are ready to read and learn and...at the earlier age.  I don't think we've ever really considered, however, Should they read and learn at the earlier age?"  And all this money spent on early development seems to ignore (or at least cherry pick) studies that show by age 9 or 10, early reading programs don't really make a difference.  Can't we let kids be kids as long as possible?  Being "grown up"isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

Of course, "being a kid" today might really just be playing more and more video games, watching television and movies, being on the cell phone, etc.  It might be dressing up like the sluts, er, hippy-rock singers and Hollywood-types.  (Check out some of the TV shows directed at kids.)

A few weeks ago, at parent conferences for Michael, I ran into a number of teachers with whom I once worked.  More than one, quite a few more than one, noted that I wouldn't like the changes going on in education right now.  A couple suggested I would go ballistic at some of their meetings.  I think that is right, from what they've and others have said--and what I have read and heard from outside sources.  If I thought the fools were in charge of education in the past few decades, I think they are even more foolish now.  Far too many people are far more interested in far too many things that aren't in the best interests of quality education.  And, I would submit, they are either too timid (OK, cowardly) or too ignorant to resist all the bad things happening.  I've heard some callers to radio shows wonder if it's "too late" to turn around our country.  I wonder if it's too late to turn around the schools, to get education out of the hands of politicians, corporate-types, and the traditional education establishment.