Distribution Of Coal

I was all set for a nice little holiday message. I'm really in the spirit this year, so it was going to be uplifting and warm.

Then I had to read this story from the Associated Press:

A Hagerstown father says his five-year-old son knows nothing about sex, but the boy was written up for sexually harassing a kindergarten classmate.
Washington County school officials told Charles Vallance that his son pinched a girl's buttocks earlier this month in a hallway at Lincolnshire Elementary School. The school says that meets the state's definition of sexual harassment. Vallance says his son was only playing around and had no sexual intent.
School officials say the incident will remain in the boys file until he goes to middle school.
Citing state data, the (Hagerstown) Herald-Mail reports that 28 kindergarten students in Maryland were suspended for sex offenses in the last school year. Fifteen of those suspensions were for sexual harassment.

First of all, coal in all the stockings of the Washington County school officials and Lincolnshier Elementary School. Can a 5-year-old really know what sexual harassment is and how to do it?

But what struck me as outlandish (if the story itself wasn't enough) was the last paragraph. Are you telling me 28 KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS were suspended for sex offense? KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS?

And 15 of those suspensions were for sexual harassment? What were the other 13 for? No, wait. I don't want to know.

PC isn't just that thing sitting on your desk or lap (you know, what you are using to read today's rant). PC is a disease, a virus, something people wave around because they are afraid to take personal responsibility.

If these kids really are guilty of sex offenses, why aren't we teaching them right from wrong about this in pre-school so they don't commit these acts as kindergarteners? Yes, that sentence is dripping with sarcasm.

But this isn't. How can we hold 5-year-olds responsible for something they haven't been taught is wrong? And if you think the conservatives hate sex ed in high school, wait until they deal with this.


Ok. I'm done spitting for now.

Back to the warm holiday message.

If you are traveling, be safe. If you are staying home, be welcoming. Whatever your holiday season, enjoy it with family and friends.

Yes, the season can be stressful, but only if you let it. Do what you can with what you've got and don't sweat the small stuff.

And I'll see you next year.

Oh, well imagine/As I'm pacing the pews in a church corridor/And I can't help but to hear/No, I can't help but to hear an exchanging of words/"What a beautiful wedding/What a beautiful wedding," says a bridesmaid to a waiter/"And, yes, but what a shame/What a shame the poor groom's bride is a whore." -- Panic! At The Disco

Sounds Of The Season

Have you noticed that as the year winds down that we all seem to speed up?

I’m not sure if it is the feeling of ending that comes due to another 365 days going by. Or maybe it is the crush of the holiday season and the feeling that there is so much to get done and not enough time to do it in.

Or as Willy Wonka said, “So much time, so little to do. Strike that. Reverse it.”

Why are we driven to jam the gas pedal down when we get in the car and curse those we fly by who dare drive the speed limit? Why do we cram our schedule with so many events that we barely have time to enjoy the one we just left?

As this year comes to a close, I find I am taking “forced” days off from work. These are days that are legitimately granted to me by my company, but that I neglected to take during the rest of the year. Use them or lose them – and next year, I’ll have even more vacation days.

These “forced” days off are giving me the time to really stop. I won’t say relax, but I have been taking the time to really feel what’s going on around me.

It is a daunting task indeed to force one self to really relax. It is somehow counterproductive to work at relaxing.

But stopping is different. It can be just a pause in the day to take assessment on where you are and what is going on at the moment.

Or it can be longer – to listen to the world around you and your own body. Really. It is talking to you but the hustle and bustle of life is drowning out the messages you are trying to send yourself.

Is this just all some Zen nonsense? Maybe. Except I never studied Zen. I have read The Tao of Pooh, which some say is Zen-like.

All I’m asking is that you stop and observe, listen, reflect, whatever. Enjoy the now. Then move on to the rest of your day.

Maybe you won’t hear anything right away. But if you stop often enough, perhaps you will hear something you’ve never heard before.

Oh, and thanks for stopping to read this. Many of you have touched my life in many different ways – some, obviously, more than others. But I value each and every one of you – whether we’ve never met and only “commented” on each others’ blog or whether you’ve been with me for many years.

Now, stop and listen. What do you hear?

"Maybe I caught you at a bad time/Maybe I should call you back next week/Maybe half the fault was mine that/The sun didnt shine on barrington street." -- Barenaked Ladies

I've Got The Music In Me

Burp!

How was your holiday? Travel was surprisingly light, but then again when you fly on Thanksgiving Day and come back after the weekend rush, what can you expect?

I am a big Monty Python fan. I love their series and Monty Python and The Holy Grail is in the top 3 of my all-time great movies.

I'm also a fan of their individual endeavors. A Fish Called Wanda was a hilarous movie. And while I have not seen Spamalot, I've heard it is definitely worthy of the Monty Python name.

Eric Idle (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more) wrote an outloud funny song that completely slams the FCC and their stupid rules on speech. Be warned: the language in the song may contain some objectionable lyrics -- but only to those who agree with the FCC pooftas.

Here is the link: http://www.pythonline.com/plugs/idle/. Enjoy at your leisure. And to those at the FCC, take it to heart.

Also on the musical front, we've all heard popular songs used on commercials. Even the Beatles music is being used to shill for the corporate giants.

However, this song was written specifically for a commercial. And it is one of the best songs I've ever heard on television.



Honestly, I cannot get this song out of my head. Help me!

Give it a spin/See if you can somehow factor in/You know theres always more than one way/To say exactly what you mean to say