312th Friday Blog Roundup

It will be so nice to have all of you with me at the rally (at least in spirit) on Saturday.  You can still add your name to the sign (it’s a pretty big piece of orange poster board) until tonight around 9 pm.  Then I need to finish it off and make sure it’s dry before we head down in the morning.  Will post pictures and stories on Saturday night.

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The Weekly What If: Even though this isn’t possible, if the elections next Tuesday came down to a single vote and YOU cast the final vote deciding the election (a la Swing Vote), would you want people to know this weekend that you have the deciding vote?  How about after the vote has been cast?  Or would you rather it remain a secret?

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The Creme de la Creme is coming, the Creme de la Creme is coming (like the Redcoats, but less violent).

The Creme de la Creme list will open on Monday.  Tuesday at the latest.  I’m giving you this heads up because some people want to be towards the top of the list.  So … take the weekend to read through your archives, pick a few favourites, ask readers to vote if you can’t narrow it down by yourself, and get ready to get your Creme on.

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The ChickieNob’s teacher asked to speak with me after school.  She told the children that since they were going on a field trip, they needed to bring their lunch in a brown paper bag.  The ChickieNob disagreed.

“Paper bags are bad for the environment,” she chirped, repeating one of the numerous lectures we make them sit through at the aquarium or zoo.  “I am going to bring my lunch box.”

“You can’t bring your lunch box,” her teacher explained.  “We aren’t bringing back the lunches from this trip.  The bag that we use to take down the lunches will turn into the garbage bag after lunch.”

“I have a perfect plan,” the ChickieNob informed us.  “I will bring my lunchbox inside a brown paper bag and then I will reuse the brown paper bag later.”

This went on for a bit and the ChickieNob was finally convinced that sometimes other factors trump being a good environmentalist, such as a teacher needing a system to smoothly cart 50 students on a field trip.  Sometimes, we just have to use something disposable and chalk it up to life getting in the way of our best laid plans (talk about environmentalist guilt).

I came on the field trip and sat across from the ChickieNob as she opened her brown paper lunch bag, which is why I got to hear the kindergartener mutter to herself: “my teacher, apparently, thinks it’s okay to use disposable bags.  When I know that it’s not.  But I’m using one and I’m going to throw it away.”

And the sighing.  For the love, the sighing.

The aquarium should be proud of how well she has internalized “Our Ocean Planet.”

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And now, the blogs…

Seriously, have you read anything funnier than Julie’s take on Facebook on A Little Pregnant?  I would say more than that, but I’m too busy reading about David Silver’s relationship with crystal meth.

On the other end of the spectrum — the way other side of the spectrum — Kir’s Corner has a moving post about losing her father.  But beyond that, it is a stunning tribute to her father and even if you never met him, you’ll walk away feeling as if you just spent time with him.

BigP and Me has a very honest, very moving post about her unique fears in having another child.  And frankly, that honesty is very very powerful.  Which is why I left the post thinking that her fears couldn’t come true because someone who is intuitive enough to have those fears would do everything in her power to not repeat the cycle.  It’s the opposite of denial.

Lastly, Dreams Recovered has a post about a pair of red shoes that make her happy.  I don’t know why — especially since they’re not my red shoes — but I kept smiling while reading it.  I love this thought: “I looked down at them today and I kinda feel bad about the shoes.  They never match the clothes I wear and I can just imagine what other people think when they see me in these crazy red shoes.  I was thinking maybe I should retire the shoes, but I stuck my feet in them again today and said, maybe not.”  Go read and tell her what inanimate object sums up who you are.

The roundup to the Roundup: Last chance to get on the rally sign.  Answer the Weekly What If.  Creme de la Creme is starting up next week.  The ChickieNob saves the environment.  And lots of great posts to read.