I hear it all the time on the radio. Prospective contestants can phone in to win a "family four pack" of tickets to some attraction or event. I notice that it is so often a "family four pack", and although not usually explicitly stated, it must mean 2 tickets for adults and 2 tickets for children. Hmmm. Mom and Dad, two kids - how average!
I'm happy for the winners, of course. I also realize that an unlimited number of tickets just wouldn't be possible. However, being single myself I have to wonder about individuals or families who don't fit that mold. If I won a "family four pack" for example, I couldn't treat 3 adult friends. I could only treat one, and if he or she had no children, we'd have to borrow some kids or give away the tickets meant for children. An only child might be able to invite a friend. A family with more than two children? Well, at least they'd be subsidized.
Do I hear the sound of a cookie cutter? Truth is, families now do not all fit the same pattern. There are lots of singles in society now - probably more than ever. There are single parent families, families with many children, and some other very non-traditional families. I just think it would be nice if there were more acknowledgement that everyone isn't in the same family mold now. It's time that our notion of family broadens in our communities and in our national life.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Beeps!
Don't get me wrong, I love my car - except for the beeps, anyway. Those beeps drive me crazy. It beeps is you leave the door open while the key is in the ignition. It beeps if you don't have your seat belt fastened (and if I do forget, it tends to startle me, then starts going faster - very disconcerting). It has a horrible, high-pitched whine if you leave the lights on one nanosecond after the car is turned off. Hey, give me a full second to react!
The copy machine in my building at the college also has its beeps, quite resounding ones. It beeps when you push its buttons. It beeps when the job is finished. It REALLY beeps if you leave an original on the glass.
There is one appliance whose beeps I do like, though - my microwave oven. The beeps as I push the spaces on its numeric key pad let me know I've really made contact. They're also not too high-pitched or loud. The beep when time is done is a bit loud - but not hearly as bad as those of my car.
It seems everything beeps. Recently someone left his granddaughter in a car. The news report mentioned that there are now car seats that beep if an adult forgets and leaves the child in the car. Not a bad idea, I guess.
I think I know why these beeps annoy me. I'm just stubborn enough to not want to be conditioned by my car. I don't want a copy machine that's smarter than I am. I just can't help thinking that if all these machines do our remembering for us, will we humans lose our capacity to do so?
The copy machine in my building at the college also has its beeps, quite resounding ones. It beeps when you push its buttons. It beeps when the job is finished. It REALLY beeps if you leave an original on the glass.
There is one appliance whose beeps I do like, though - my microwave oven. The beeps as I push the spaces on its numeric key pad let me know I've really made contact. They're also not too high-pitched or loud. The beep when time is done is a bit loud - but not hearly as bad as those of my car.
It seems everything beeps. Recently someone left his granddaughter in a car. The news report mentioned that there are now car seats that beep if an adult forgets and leaves the child in the car. Not a bad idea, I guess.
I think I know why these beeps annoy me. I'm just stubborn enough to not want to be conditioned by my car. I don't want a copy machine that's smarter than I am. I just can't help thinking that if all these machines do our remembering for us, will we humans lose our capacity to do so?
The W's
Hello! In Journalism class back in high school we learned the 5 W's of article writing: who, what, when, where, and why. So as an introduction to my new blog, let me fill you in:
Now you may wonder how I came up with the name of "Daisies and Diamonds". I like daisies, although they're not my number 1 favorite flower. Marlo Thomas (who I really like) always said daisies were good luck for her. Good enough for me! As for diamonds, well, they're always in good taste.
So please visit often and leave comments!
- Who - me, cinnamonblue, a South Jersey native and educator
- What - my new blog Daisies and Diamonds
- When - moved here Aug. 24, 2008
- Where - Wordpress - http://d2power.wordpress.com
- Why - Just for the heck of it; I wanted a place to write some of my random musings for others to read
Now you may wonder how I came up with the name of "Daisies and Diamonds". I like daisies, although they're not my number 1 favorite flower. Marlo Thomas (who I really like) always said daisies were good luck for her. Good enough for me! As for diamonds, well, they're always in good taste.
So please visit often and leave comments!
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