May 31, 2016
2 0 8 4:M i s s i v e 4
Hello again from 2084. As you may recall, I am able to take advantage of a loophole in the Vitalnet that opened up a portal to the past via the status update feature of Facebook only available on the last day of the month (as discovered recently on Leap Year Day). In my last message, I had started to explain the current structure of East and West America (split in half by the 2023 New Madrid Quake), but I hadn't yet explained the border changes to the north and south. For instance, the section you called "New England" in your time was sold off to Quebec when it broke away from Canada and was looking to expand and the government needed money to repair the infrastructure after the quake. That led to the northernmost border of Pennsylvania then becoming what all referred to as le maçon-dixon ligne. Of course, some of what you would have called northeastern PA is under water as the Great Lakes overflowed and merged into one (now known as Lake SuMiHuEO). That is the same long discussed climatological event that led to the creation of the Florida Isles as was mentioned last time -- and it's also how we lost the entirety of Michigan. Then there's the southern border ... but once again, I find myself out of time. I dare not risk an update that would highlight what I have uncovered, so I will have to hold off on the fate of the great state of Texas until the last day of the month next. As always ... I remain ... t1a7n72.lif.
L V C || C L Memory 129
In 129 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #129: my college ID (and a mystery that goes along with it).
The ID is straightforward enough ... the mystery is that it's the only one I have, yet the last sticker on it was from the Spring of 1992 (we used the same ID over and over again, just getting new stickers). And I'm guessing that bright yellow one was for the Arnold Sports Center (although I was more academic than athletic, so that might have been superfluous).
So my question is ... did we no longer have IDs after 1992 (I was a student up until 1995 ... and then again from 1998-2000)? Was it just a small enough campus that we all knew each other after awhile? I feel like I would have remembered if we had been micro-chipped in our sleep.
[Note ... my hunch is that the main purpose of the ID was for meal planning ... and that meal planning went electronic that year ... but I'm not 100% sure of that conclusion (the back of the ID does have another chart sticker on it).]
Random Tune for Tuesday 5/31/16
As for the tune to choose from '#1s' -- the *first* compilation album from Ms. Carey (formerly Mrs. Cannon ... formerly formerly Mrs. Mattola) ... not to be confused with the similar sounding '#1s to Infinty' -- the *last* compilation album that is practically identical ... I'm going with the duet between Whitney and Mariah ... the one that won an Academy Award.
Growing up when I did, it's a song that reminds me of what once was for both of these performers ... before the declines and identity crises and breakdowns and fatal baths (you'll have to decide who belongs to which category). If nothing else, listen to it again for how competitive the divas were in trying to get the last note in to end the song (you can't tell me all those runs were "arranged") ... or also for the uplifting message.
THERE CAN BE MIRACLES WHEN YOU BELIEVE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKaXY4IdZ40
May 30, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 130
Not pictured: roommate number one (James) OR roommate number two (Jim?) from that freshperson year. But instead, you get the bonus of Stace and Darcy who stopped by one day to visit (sadly, we only seemed to have one chair), and they are better to look at.
I only had this specific address for that first year (although I stayed in the same building for a few more semesters ... with a few more roommates -- but those are tales for other days). Indeed, it all started here ... surrounded by many things Bat and a Cher reference or two.
Random Memorial for Monday 5/30/16
In their honor, I turn my post over to the oh-so-eloquent Oliver Wendell Holmes:
So to the indifferent inquirer who asks why Memorial Day is still kept up we may answer, it celebrates and solemnly reaffirms from year to year a national act of enthusiasm and faith. It embodies in the most impressive form our belief that to act with enthusiasm and faith is the condition of acting greatly.
To fight out a war, you must believe something and want something with all your might. So must you do to carry anything else to an end worth reaching. More than that, you must be willing to commit yourself to a course, perhaps a long and hard one, without being able to foresee exactly where you will come out.
But grief is not the end of all. I seem to hear the funeral march become a paean. I see beyond the forest the moving banners of a hidden column. Our dead brothers still live for us, and bid us think of life, not death — of life to which in their youth they lent the passion and joy of the spring.
As I listen, the great chorus of life and joy begins again, and amid the awful orchestra of seen and unseen powers and destinies of good and evil, our trumpets sound once more a note of daring, hope, and will.
The missing million ... indeed ... you are missed.
THE SOURCE OF THE QUOTES:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/columnists/ginniegraham/ginnie-graham-take-a-moment-to-read-the-best-memorial/article_5915e573-851d-5a2d-b0f8-12d90f758193.html
MORE QUOTES (FROM PRESIDENTS):
http://www.bustle.com/articles/163151-15-memorial-day-quotes-from-us-presidents-that-remind-us-why-this-holiday-is-important
SEEMS FITTING:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WChTqYlDjtI
May 29, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 131
In 131 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #131: IN MEMORIAM: Alyssa Joy Neidermyer.
Wrapping up my mini-set of "in memoriam"s for Memorial Day weekend, it turns out that I wasn't the only Neidermyer to attend LVC. My father's brother's son's daughter (my first cousin, once removed) was also attending my alma-mater in the mid-naughts.
However, tragedy struck and she was killed in a car crash on the way home from class. My family is a bit scattered all over the corners of the earth ... so I was shocked by the news, which I learned from reading the summer 2005 edition of the alum news 'The Valley' (archived online in the image). After all, I had moved across the country to Chicago at that time, and just simply wasn't in the loop.
She is missed by family members, and forever remembered as a life gone too soon.
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 5/29/16
... this story (actually out of Wisconsin) that made it to the local newscasts this holiday weekend.
And if you haven't yet heard the news, it celebrates a group of first graders that got together to arrange for a new doll for a member of their class with cerebral palsy ... and they got American Girl to create one that exactly matched the girl's situation (glasses, wheelchair and a matching outfit [all the way down to the special footwear]) -- which ultimately led to the smile in the accompanying photo.
To which all I can say is "yes please -- more of THIS is exactly what the world needs". Would that we all were as accepting of others as this group of first graders.
THE STORY MAKING THE ROUNDS:
http://www.wqow.com/story/32086189/2016/05/27/mondovi-girl-with-cerebral-palsy-blessed-by-classmates
NOTE THAT THIS SEPARATE PETITION HAPPENED A FEW YEARS AGO ...:
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20771032,00.html
... GETTING THIS CORPORATE RESPONSE:
http://www.ibtimes.com/american-girl-responds-melissa-shang-who-wants-girl-year-doll-disability-1525416
May 28, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 132
In 132 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #132: IN MEMORIAM: President John Synodinos.
Continuing my mini-set of "in memoriam"s for Memorial Day weekend, President Synodinos and I basically went to school at the same time -- except I went to classes and he went into the president's office each day. He served from 1988-1996, which covered the entirety of my first tour of duty from 1989-1995.
Classy ... visionary ... personable ... he was all those things and more -- and I'm not just saying that because he made a point to come to our student run theatre productions and compliment us afterward.
He passed (all too young) during the holidays in 2002 ... and he will always be the LVC president of my memories.
Random Soapbox for Saturday 5/28/16
... this is wrong.
So wrong.
And I feel it's my duty to warn you.
I get it. You like deals. You are fond of bargains. You are thrifty. You are the type of person who makes menu decisions based on a calculation of "calories per dollar".
To be clear, I'm not trying to be classlessly classist either. I get it that you might be someone who struggles to feed a family on a budget. You might be dealing with long term unemployment, or short term cash flow issues. You might be responsible for feeding the mouths of many. You might be shopping at a store where "everything's $1" out of need and not by choice, 'cause ... you know ... disappearing middle class and all.
But still.
PLEASE put down the $1 "steaks" and step away from the frozen aisle at the Dollar Tree.
I firmly believe that you get what you pay for ... and the "steaks" that only cost a dollar are highly suspicious. I'm not saying for certain from what animal they are cut ... and neither is the Dollar Tree. (I checked and double checked the ad ... and although it says "ribeye", I fear that many an animal has a "ribeye" ... or at least a "rib" and an "eye".)
IF you are tempted to purchase these items against my advice, PLEASE consider stopping by ye old homestead instead for a bite to eat (just give me notice first).
That is all. You may go back to your start-of-summer picnics.
THE BEST DEALS (STEAK IS NOT MENTIONED) AS PER THE EXPERT:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/08/get-the-best-dollar-store-deals/index.htm
BECAUSE I'M SENSITIVE TO THOSE WHO NEED TO STRETCH A DOLLAR:
http://strongertogether.coop/food-lifestyle/cooking/meat-your-top-5-affordable-steak-cuts
TAKE THE WORD OF SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY BOUGHT AND ATE ONE:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M5aOBMvsPk
May 27, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 133
In 133 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #133: IN MEMORIAM: Maria (Mria) Fenty [insert version of infinity sign here].
Continuing my mini-set of "in memoriam"s for Memorial Day weekend, Maria/Mria was my orientation leader (she a senior and me a freshperson). Then we started in on the letters, and, for me, the poetry that she wrote for me. It was a little heady being someone's muse back then, and our friendship was bumpy ... and mostly existed in words -- including the ones she wrote about how I confused her because "I had happy actions and sad eyes" ... which, come to think of it, should maybe be the title of my autobiography: 'Happy Actions and Sad Eyes'.
My last memory of Maria/Mria (I feel certain she dropped the first 'a' at some point) was when she surprised me with a baked-from-scratch birthday cake at the beginning of the second semester when I finally turned 18 ... and I was shocked to read that she passed away from an infection she got whilst doing a service mission in Africa years later.
Oh to have been able to reconnect with you again on the Facebook ... at least I still have the poetry.
Random Flashback for Friday 5/27/16
So a few are clearly from a summer picnic ... and then a few more of the old homestead in springtime (although, with black and white photos, I guess only those that were in attendance can remember how things really looked this time of year).
#51 - my dad (a younger version of him) with what I can only assume is chicken from the food line ... the lady in the background behind him with the funky sixties sunglasses looks to me like my Aunt Margaret ... and might the guy all the way at the end be my Uncle Carl (he sure likes like Carl's boys)?
#53 - homestead with bird bath in spring/summer
#54 - porch and trellis (with pretty colorful flowers I'm guessing)
#55 - flower garden in black and white
May 26, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 134
In 134 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #134: IN MEMORIAM: Dean Greg Stanson.
Exactly four years ago today (on 5.26.12), a memorial service was held for the man I'll always know as Dean Stanson (What can I say? My archives game is "on point"!) so it seems only fitting to start a mini-set of "in memoriam"s for this Memorial Day weekend within this countdown with memories of him.
Greg Stanson was the Dean of Enrollment at the time I was accepted to LVC ... and so in many ways, I ultimately have him to thank for the time spent at my alma-mater. Little known fact -- one of his daughters was the same age as I was AND I met her (and therefore him) because she represented her high school at the HOBY seminar for tenth graders in 1987 -- just like I did.
Funny how things all come together ... and how seemingly unrelated events connect ...
Random Thought for Thursday 5/26/16
Establishment: The Alchemist
Location: in the Eucalyptus Gardens in Wilton Manors
Meal: Sunday Brunch
Drink: Hot Chocolate (deconstructed)
Appetizer: n/a
Main: Breakfast Croissant
turkey, egg and avocado
Side(s): Homemade Toast
with fresh strawberry jam
Dessert: n/a
Server: unknown (kind of counter style)
Nestled in the corner of a compound ... which itself is tucked away behind a super old strip mall and a nondescript big parking lot ... sits The Alchemist -- just one of several businesses sharing space in what is called the Eucalyptus Gardens which includes a few other eateries, an antiques store, an "art walk" and a farmers' market (warning: not all nooks and corners are open every day of the week). It's a "coffee shop PLUS" kind of place known for its freshly ground coffees (and iced coffees replete with coffee ice cubes) ... and is cutesy and trendy (enough so that some elderly folks seemed confused by the concept) with a unique hot chocolate that I simply adored. To whit ... here's the way it scored:
AMBIANCE: 10/10 (it's telling that there are more pictures about the surroundings than there are of the food ... because one of the big reasons to find this little corner of the world is for the people-watching and the surroundings-watching -- where you can look every which way and see something new and interesting with every glance ... it's exactly what you want an outdoor brunch spot in sunny Ft. Lauderdale to be)
FOOD: 9/10 (who cares about the food when the hot chocolate arrives as steamed milk and a swiss roll type hunk of chocolate that you make yourself by dunking it into the mug while you wait for it to melt [the longer you wait, the more your patience is rewarded because the chocolatey-er it gets] ... but yes, the fresh strawberry jam is the perfect topping for the toasted homemade bread ... just one point lost for the croissant sandwich that could have used a bit more heft)
SERVICE: 8/10 (the person taking the order was very chatty and cheerful [although she didn't give her name] with a great line -- "take your number and go sit somewhere and look hungry" -- and every other employee along the way was similarly pleasant ... but a point lost for not providing paper receipts and a second one lost for not having a more manageable line for the rush [a good problem to have ... but one that could use a little attention])
BACON: 3/10 (not a single piece of bacon for breakfast? I know that there's a preference toward the healthy side of things at this place, but really? no bacon choices at all? ... out of deference to the "crunchy" and "granola-esque" vibe, I'll grant just a few points)
BONUS: 10/10 (+3 for that deconstructed hot chocolate [which is already a contender for best drink of the year], +3 for being full with a line of people waiting but NOT moving the sleeping cat from his [or her] perch in the sun, +3 for the coolness factor and +1 for being a place to which we will most definitely return -- just maybe not at the height of Sunday brunch)
TroyScore: 40 out of 50 -- aka 80, a low B (but that hot chocolate gets its own 100!)
May 25, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 135
In 135 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #135: the events behind *this* set of photos.
Specifically how Michele K and I attended the holiday party (likely called the Christmas party back then in 1989), with Helen and JP and then came back to the lobby of Mary Green late at night and how we all toasted at the front desk ... and then how I kept on toasting the tree (and look at my cool late eighties cardigan!) ... etc etc ... until Bob, the RA on duty, came out and reminded us to be quiet (for which he was photographed, likely without his permission).
Although you might think that alcohol was involved ... I was still only a baby at 17 (I turned 18 in early January of the spring semester). I believe that all the excitement was just because we were all excited. At least -- that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Random Wordplay for Wednesday 5/25/16
Used in a sentence: "My rapper name is now officially known: I am (Neidermyer) Nymph-killa!"
In other news, the annual putting out of the roach traps has occurred (in Florida, there are bugs ... you gots to be prepared, yo).
In other other news, baby roaches are called nymphs ... in case you wondered about the etymology of my entomologic nickname.
In other other other news, that's a double set of wordplay for today.
In other other other other news, you're welcome!
CATCH THEM IN THE NYMPH PHASE:
http://www.orkin.com/cockroaches/cockroach-nymph/
NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH *THESE* NYMPHS:
http://mythagora.com/bios/nymphs.html
FIND *YOUR* RAP NAME:
http://www.myrapname.com/
May 24, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 136
In 136 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #136: the oh-too-frequent all-nighter.
I should mention that the accompanying image is a stock photo that smacks of anachronism. After all, energy drinks weren't such a popular thing back in my day ... and Starbucks wasn't so accessible ... but to the extent that the picture captures the spirit of what went on, it will suffice.
What DID go on almost always happened in the lounge in the basement of Mary Green ... usually initiated by a multi-page paper due the next day that hadn't been started or a major test that was a high percentage of the semester grade ... and it usually included a fellow study buddy or two ... and the coca-cola was in cans 'cause that's what the vending machine dispensed ... and there was a nearly mandatory break to run out to Funck's for a sustenance boost ... which was followed shortly after by a "oh I can just take a quick nap with this book on my head" situation ... and it all ended with that moment of lightheaded joy when the sun came up and the project was completed (or panic if things didn't go so well).
All in all, it was great preparation for working the third shift later in life ... or bar-crawling later later in life ...
Random Tune for Tuesday 5/24/16
(There's a whole hour after the performances of checking in with each and every country [including some that I don't think I learned in high school geography twenty five years ago] where everyone practices their English in awkward exchanges as they report scores.)
Apparently, the contest has been around forever (it was started to try to rally the war torn countries around a unifying distraction) ... and although this entry didn't win, the Russian multi-media presentation was something to be seen (even if this video was filmed a little too close to the action and missed some of the spectacularity of it all). Had I voting rights (Americans could watch, but couldn't participate), I might have just texted/tweeted/called in for Sergey's entry ...
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, IT'S GETTING EXCITING:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x238oxBxg2E
May 23, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 137
In 137 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #137: Thanksgiving break with friends from high school.
One of the perks of going to college in central PA is that there's a college or university in just about every damn town ... and so when you go away to school, it's still quite easy to pal around with your friends from high school -- especially on the holidays.
And when your friends from high school are also spending a lot of time at your college on nights and weekends for reasons of their own ... it's also quite easy to get together and head over to a restaurant in nearby Lancaster where I apparently had never been before. It's only oh so fitting that "my first time" as part of a threeway (meal) at Chi-chi's was with Holly and Kerri.
Random Memorial for Monday 5/23/16
'Cause the Supreme Court says no!
Not the Supremes who are currently down a member (don't forget -- go vote!), but the STATE of Florida Supreme Court ... who decided that it was wrong for the state regulatory committee to give permission to add a surcharge on the FPL bills to fund a fracking project ... all the way over in Oklahoma!
I'm not so fond of fracking -- I'm pretty sure that it's why the New Madrid fault is gonna split the country in half during my lifetime -- but I sure as frack don't want to have to pay something on my electric bill for some experiment a few states over. (Florida has other fracking issues ... an attempt to ban any local bans recently failed ... and they are eyeing up the Everglades as we speak.)
The chance of my good money almost going toward what I think may start one of the apocalypses, you will not be missed.
NOT MY MONEY:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/consumer/fl-ap-court-says-fpl-cant-charge-for-oklahoma-gas-drill-project-20160519-story.html
OTHER FRACKING TROUBLES:
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/03/01/3755280/florida-fracking-bill-dies/
FRACKING IS EVIL!:
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/26367-9-good-reasons-to-ban-fracking-immediately
May 22, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 138
In 138 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #138: the MGO.
This screen shot is the "official" blueprint of the basement of the Mary Green dorm as it currently exists from the LVC website. However, a select few individuals know that there is ALSO a Mary Green Underground (and those select few individuals would have to explain why it's the MGO and not the MGU). The portal to that world is indeed in this basement, but it's not pictured here. Because portals to the underworld should always be kept secret to protect the innocent.
And those who know ... know that there are crypts below the basement (we're certain that they contain the bones of Mary herself, but we couldn't lug the necessary equipment down to prove or disprove our theory). Also those who know may one day all die from asbestos poisoning ... but so far, so good.
Random Scandal Sheet for Sunday 5/22/16
Bathroom stuff.
No, not *that* bathroom stuff. (That was yesterday.)
*This* bathroom stuff. The front page of one of the Sunday sections (truth be told, it was a few Sundays back, but today's the day for the posting about it) included this news-worthy article entitled "When nature calls you and your boss at the same time." I sh!t you not!
The "career" advice suggested that you pause and analyze the situation, using these questions to guide your actions: "What do you have to take care of? How badly do you have to go? How well do you know your boss?" And if nature's call was too strong for you to stop and pull out a flow chart to help you maneuver such a delicate situation AND you ended up eliminating waste together, then the best possible outcome might be "you and your boss may just begin to view each other as a little more human".
Lookit, I will take "oh no, my supervisor is in the stall next to me -- what do I do?" breaking news over ... let's say ... a terrorist attack ANY day of the week. Transparently, it is also true that the only chance I have to worry about this since moving to being a remote workforce employee in 2010 is at the annual live meetings in Vegas (and what happens in Vegas bathrooms, stays in Vegas bathrooms). But front page news? Really?? Are bathroom scenarios really the only thing people want to discuss any more???
THE SOURCE OF TODAY'S SAGE ADVICE:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/sc-social-graces-bathroom-boss-family-0419-20160413-story.html
OK FOLKS ... LET'S GET ETIQUETTAL:
http://thoughtcatalog.com/john-lefevre/2015/06/20-essential-rules-of-workplace-bathroom-etiquette/
OK FOLKS ... LET'S GO ALL IN ON AWKWARD URINAL STORIES:
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMen/comments/1gp9qy/for_guys_most_awkward_urinal_moment/
May 21, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 139
In 139 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #139: the sprite bottle that almost sent me to the hospital.
So yes, I still have a (glass!) bottle from the fall of 1989 in the corner of my memento cabinet that I got when my grandmother passed away. And yes, I have a whole shelf of mementos (and yes, maybe something memorializing the time I spent with *you* might just be on it). Also yes, it looks like I have to dust the items on that shelf.
The story? We were sitting in Dr. Kearney's English class freshperson year (see memory 143), and I was passing the time on a long lecture day playing with the bottle of the soda I had emptied in class. Like the child I practically was, I slipped a finger in the opening ... and it got stuck. As I recall, I was able to keep my panic to just myself and the few people next to me (Stacy G was one I believe), and after class, I had to walk back to my dorm room with it still inside. Luckily, before I could figure out how to get to the hospital on my ten speed, my digit finally slipped out. So I kept the bottle. For decades. Because I'm "special" like that. And also because no one's committed me yet.
Random Soapbox for Saturday 5/21/16
Shut up and pee already!
I'm talking to you. Go in the bathroom, do your business, wash your hands, and get out of the bathroom. Don't worry about the person next to you (ahem, North Carolina.) That's what's creepy about all this -- everyone is sooo concerned about the equipment on the person *next* to them. Spoiler alert: it's none of your damn business.
For the sake of argument -- and boy have I seen a lot of people who like to argue about other's people urination strategies of late -- if a male-to-female transperson is using the ladies' room, then guess what! Ladies' rooms have STALLS in them! Which means, unless you are teaching your daughters to climb over or crawl under an actual wall built for privacy to see how the person next to them is eliminating waste (and then again -- who's the creepy one?), no one's going to know whether the urethra in use in that same bathroom is a long one or a short one.
Similarly, if a female-to-male transperson is using the mens' room, then guess what! Unless they paid big money to have something constructed (i.e which resulted in the lengthening of a urethra) or small money to buy a funnel like piece of equipment (i.e. the Whizzer or the pStyle), then he is ALSO headed to a stall to do his business. Which means, again, unless you are teaching your sons to climb over or crawl under an actual wall built for privacy ... you know the rest. And if he is standing next to the urinal with the aid of surgery or equipment -- just shut up and pee already and stop looking to see what the person next to you is packing. Stare straight ahead, read the paper if you're lucky enough to be in a classy enough joint that offers that perk, shake it off in a non-suggestive manner, wash your hands and go about your day.
Note: and let this be the death knell for those trough style urinals. They were obviously designed for the lookie-loos, and we're trying to get to the point where peeing is a private instead of a communal activity.
Oh and everyone's suddenly worried about the sexual assaults that are guaranteed to happen unless the big government steps in to play genitals-checker at the bathroom/restroom/washroom/water closet door (I have readers in every region) -- let me tell you something. If you're really worried about those assaults -- maybe focus your energies on the pedophiles in your church, or coaching gymnastics, or sponsoring at risk youth who don't have strong parental figures, or grooming kiddies online. When it comes to evaluating risk, I can assure that there is lower hanging fruit than these hypotheticals about scary bathroom activities.
I know scary stuff happens in bathrooms. But as a reminder, it's more likely to be George Michael and an undercover cop or your conservative gay-hating Republican senators practicing the wide stance than an individual who has fought his or her whole life to be able to represent the "his or her" that he or she was born to be. His or her self actualization whilst urinating is likely so much more meaningful at that moment than his or her worry about the creepy person next to him or her trying to figure out the mechanics of his or her urinary act.
By the way ... bathrooms have always been the place where fear tactics were used by politicians to rile up the uneducated masses. White girls were frightened into thinking that they would catch the venereal diseases of the black girls (note: not the descriptor word used in the south) when integration happened. And when the ERA was being bandied about, the bathroom was one of the places used to scare people into a world where the law might make it equal for men to pee right next to women (oh the scandal). I know it's hard to realize that everything old is new again ... but gain some perspective on your reality please.
We may have miles to go before everyone can be all Ally McBeal in the bathroom ... but until then, teach your kids to shut up and pee (and lead by damn example) and let's move on to the *real* problems in our society.
Down with the urethra police! Overturn HB2! Shut up and pee already!
SURPRISE! BATHROOM POLITICS ISN'T NEW!:
https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2015/11/10/protecting-white-women-in-the-bathroom-history/
COMMON SENSE SHOULD PREVAIL AND THERE ARE MORE PRESSING CONCERNS:
http://bartow.allongeorgia.com/column-shut-up-about-bathrooms-already/
YOUR REAL CONCERN SHOULD BE ABOUT WIDE STANCE POLITICANS:
http://wonkette.com/562118/larry-wide-stance-craig-is-back-and-guilty-again
May 20, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 140
In 140 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #140: my first 'La Vie Collegienne'.
I imagine at some point in the future, the kids nowadays are going to stop publishing school newspapers like this one in favor of tweeting the school news at everyone, but every time I return to campus, I still manage to pick up a copy of the latest edition to see what qualifies to make the paper in modern times.
Back then, the important stuff was clearly about how I was one of the 262 "students join[ing] LVC" and "experienc[ing the] new orientation program" -- including an evening with the Up with People group (long after they had shed their cult image, of course).
Random Flashback for Friday 5/20/16
I attended the Central PA one in 1987, representing my high school, and then I returned for a good part of the nineties in assorted roles, including counselor. This group picture was from the 1996 gathering (twenty years ago) -- which actually was the last time I HOBY'd (I resigned at the last minute a year later when my life was in a bit of upheaval and I was shedding commitments).
However, during this particular long weekend two decades ago (actually held at my alma mater LVC), things were all kinds of ... let's just say ... outstanding.
May 19, 2016
L V C || C L Memory 141
In 141 days, I'll be back on campus at my alma-mater at an extra special homecoming as Lebanon Valley College continues celebrating its 150th birthday. In honor of that countdown, here's memory #141: "my" press releases.
In yet another sign of exactly how old I am, look at this quaint practice circa 1989 -- individual press releases for students and their hometown newspapers touting their participation in special programs. Of course, not that I'm complaining. I was a runaway with no parental financial support looking for a college education -- were it not for the Presidential Leadership Awards (a scholarship program of that era), there would have been absolutely no way I could have matriculated at a small private liberal arts school.
Of course, whether these blurbs ever appeared in the Lebanon Daily News that fall, that I just don't know ...
Random Thought for Thursday 5/19/16
Establishment: Shinju Japanese Buffet
Location: Coral Springs
Meal: Dinner
Drink: Sapporo!
Round 1: Assorted Sushi
Round 2: Soups
egg drop, wonton
Round 3: Cold plate
seaweed salad, calimari, shrimp cocktail, raw oysters, raw wahoo and more
Round 4: Hot plate
mongolian beef, bbq ribs, teriyaki salmon, shrimp tempura and fried rice
Round 5: Soup Reprise
wonton
Round 6: Dessert
sugar free cookies and cream ice cream and assorted sweets
Round 7: Sake!
Server: Me! ('cause it was buffet style!)
For the first time in this series, it's buffet time! And yet again this location ended up being a bit of a happy accident (which, comes to think of it, sounds like it might be the name of one of the sushi creations), because the original Japanese buffet choice was closed for renovations Luckily, there are multiple Japanese buffets within a few miles (who knew?)! Lookit -- no judgement about the multi-course approach to this meal. It's a buffet. You're *supposed* to go back again (and again [and again {and again}])! Here's how all those trips added up:
AMBIANCE: 10/10 (with plenty of seating and what seemed like endless rows of food in the middle of the space, the most amazing thing may just have been how sparkling clean the buffet area was ... and with it not being super crowded on the weeknight, it was perfect for being able to pause between rounds for conversation with good friends)
FOOD: 9/10 (admittedly, I'm not so sophisticated to truly appreciate the varieties of sushi [the plate I had was one of everything on just 1/3 of the line -- the other 2/3s went unsampled by me], but the soups were so delicious I actually went back for seconds just before dessert ... and I barely scratched the surface of all that was available ... a point lost for the cold plate [which may have been more about my choices and personal preferences about cold vs hot food])
SERVICE: 9/10 (those tasked with removing the plates so that passers-by didn't know [and judge] anyone who might have gone seven rounds in one evening were right on top of doing so ... and she who got the drinks was nice and friendly ... just a point lost for the hibachi man looking too intimidating for me to ask him to do anything [a missed opportunity for what could have been an EIGHTH round])
BACON: 5/10 (I have to stop going to these places that don't have a speck of bacon anywhere ... but I guess the pork in the dumplings will have to count for something)
BONUS: 10/10 (+3 for playing the extended dance remix of the happy birthday song on the audio for the poor customer celebrating, +3 for serving me Sapporo again [a drink from my youth that I liked because of how the "flavor used to disappear in my throat as I swallowed"], +3 for not making us feel rushed despite being one of the last tables still buffet-ing at closing time and +1 for being a place to which we will return, if only to get the hibachi action started on the next visit)
TroyScore: 43 out of 50 -- aka 86, a solid B
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