Friday Fragments: March 5, 2010

Friday Fragments come to you courtesy of Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissin’ Time (as if you didn’t know that already) and my semi-coherent brain.

• I found myself thinking about how school has changed over the years – or more specifically, how school supplies have changed. When was the last time you saw a jar of paste? Heaven only knows what ever happened to mucilage. Kindergartners use glue sticks these days. I can’t remember what grade I was in when they were new, but I remember them being new. Magic Markers and Flair pens were still new enough that having them was a big deal. Now, my kids use a dry-erase board & markers like a 21^st-century slate.

• And in talking to Beta's 2nd-grade teacher about Beta's math troubles, I told her that Beta had tearfully confessed to counting on her fingers sometimes. The teacher assured me that Beta was not the only one, and she was fine with the kids, as they were learning, using their fingers or tally marks or whatever. I said “chisenbop” – then I had to explain it to her, because she wasn't old enough to know. (For you young things: It's, essentially, using your fingers as an abacus. It was big in the 1970s.)

• When my friend’s mother-in-law was admitted to the hospital for tests, her daughter said, “Well, we know Grandma can’t have rabies; she doesn’t go outside enough.”

• Lacking anything to watch on TV (now that the Olympics are over), Mr. Sane put in our recording (OK, I’ll admit it – it’s a VHS) of “The Trouble with Tribbles.” I couldn’t get over how much DeForest Kelley reminded me of Gary Sinise.

So, Hollywood, wha’d’ya think? Gary Sinise as Bones McCoy?

• I knew I should’ve written this stuff down... I’ve got nothing now, and it was overflowing my brain before.

• What, pray tell me, is the point of sports broadcasts having a blimp at the site of indoor sporting events? Oh, look! There’s the roof of the Q!

• Spring training games have started; the chains are down at the Dairy Queen, and they’re starting to take the boards off; Alpha’s hockey championship game is tomorrow, and they’re predicting highs in the 40s for the next week. Soon the orange barrels will start sprouting, and we’ll know spring is really here!