Thankfully Thursday

I’ve become the nosey old lady on the block

Well, someone HAS to do it right? I was just minding my own business watching Sex and the City last night (10 pm) when there was this very bright flash out the window. I didn’t think we were supposed to have a storm but ok, cool. So I look out the front window and FLASH! Only the flash was directly across the street – but very bright and very big. Ok, so maybe the neighbors house just got hit by lightening. Or maybe not. Maybe it’s just a neighbor screwing around with a camera. Yep, little red dot, yep, flash, yep, it’s a camera. But why is the person crouching behind a car taking a picture of the license plate? That’s kinda odd. And now he is crouching behind another car and taking a picture of a license plate, and then another, and then another. Ok, now I’m a little spooked. What the hell is he doing? Ok, the dogs are going insane. Good, he won’t be doing anything weird at THIS house. Hmmm, now he’s going up the street, crouch, FLASH, crouch FLASH. Alright, this is too weird. Dialing 911. Tell the police that someone is doing something odd in the neighborhood. Ok, they will check it out. Description: Probably male in a tan coat. Less than 2 minutes later the cop car drives by (good response time) cop car goes up the road, cop car goes down the road. Guy of course is gone. Cop car turns corner, leaving. No sooner does cop car leave but guy in tan jacket comes out from behind a house. NOW it’s very odd. Ahh, but sneaky cops send a second patrol car down street. And cop sees weird man in tan coat. Cop stops to talk to weird man in tan coat. The other cruiser now appears on our street. And they all start talking. Then cop cars both leave. Man in tan coat is still on the street. Hmmmm, ok, so I guess he is just a weird guy that gets off taking pictures of license plates. Then phone rings: “Hello, this is Sergeant blah blah blah, Mrs. Kowalski we just wanted to let you know that the man in your neighborhood is a police officer who just joined the vice squad. He has an assignment to photograph a “crime” scene at night.” “Ok, thank you Mr. Officer for letting me know what was going on. I very much appreciate that you checked it out.” So, I hang up and head up to bed. I feel safer. And then I lay wide awake in bed thinking that I have officially become the crazy nosey neighbor. Oh well, I guess it is a right that comes with age.

Flashback

While walking the mall the other day I came across something from the way back machine. A Swatch watch store. Yeah, go figure. I thought they had gone the way of the dinosaur but apparently not. And let me tell you, they had some cool watches. And not just the jelly bands we remember. It was a lot of fun to look at all the different styles.

Next up, leg warmers and big hair. Actually, if I put a swatch on my wrist all is ok. But if I come into work with leg warmers, shoot me. PLEASE just shoot me. Same with big hair. Some things we should never go back to. Well, ok, I admit, leg warmers in Minnesota would probably be quite nice.

***Non-bookworms skip ahead****
Anxious Dad


I also picked up The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Apparently it is a very good book. I am currently reading book three in the Cliff Janeway series by John Dunning called Bookman’s Promise. And Dad was SOOOO excited for me to read that book. But to my surprise he has called me almost twice each day to see if I have started Thirteenth Tale yet. For him to switch that excitedly from one book he really wanted me to read to a different one must mean it’s incredible. He’s not even asking me where I am in the Bookman’s Promise. Or how I like it. It’s all about the Thirteenth Tale now. I’m half tempted to stop reading the one and pick up the other. It’s been ages since he has been this excited about a book. Actually, the last time he was this excited was right after he discovered the John Dunning books. Go figure. I have had my share of nagging though too. The last one I pushed for him to read was Shantaram. And he LOVED that one. It’s not often that I walk away a changed person from reading a book. Shantaram was one of those experiences. I have talked about that book on and off since I started blogging. I have more sticky notes hanging out of that book than 3M normally supplies in a year. And every once in a while I open the book up and just read through the marked passages.

***Non-bookworms may continue the blog here: ****

Imagination – another great gift in life

With all the stimulating, simulated, and in your face technology I have to wonder how much imagination children develop today. I honestly don’t know the answer. I don’t have kids so I can’t say whether or not kids are capable of imagination these days. But I grew up in a bit of a simpler time. I’m not THAT old, we did have electricity, radio, t.v., hell, color t.v. for that matter. But we didn’t have the technology inundation kids have today. In fact it was forbidden to have a calculator in class. And all reports were done by hand or on a manual typewriter.

Where am I going with this? Well this morning I was walking across the bridge over the Mississippi to get to work and I had my Ipod tuning away in my ears. I was listening to a kick-butt “Ear Candy” mix from a friend. Anyway, as I was walking I was creating in my little noggin a music video. Ok, grant you, that is technology related. But as I was imagining dancing elephants and swirling clouds of butterflies I got to thinking about what kids can/can’t do today along those same lines.

The same thing happens when I read. With a good book I can be there, in the book. I can smell the “used book” smell. I can see row upon row of dusty shelves. Quiet midnight streets in a rural town.

So, maybe I’m not going anywhere with this thought. I guess I was just wondering. Do people still wonder?

Alright. I’ll stop now.

2 days till the hubster is home!

Cheers!