Mucilage--say, what?

I am really old.

I was looking at some great vintage clip art and came across this advertisement.

I looked at the word.  Mucilage.

Mucilage?

Mucilage.

Why does that sound SO familiar?

Then, I remembered.

When I was in public school (what Canadians call elementary school) we used to glue things with mucilage.

It looked like this.

I had almost forgotten how we would have to cram the rubber stopper onto the page to release the sticky, honey-like glue.

Then along came Elmer's.

And I forgot all about mucilage.

Got Gum?

I have recently been informed by my high-school girls that sharing gum in school is kind of like a drug deal.

Yes. You heard right.

Evidently gum is the hottest commodity in school
(back in the days when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was in school, gum was most definitely NOT allowed in school--even at lunch--which leaves my kids incredulous)

When sharing gum, it is not uncommon to palm it to a friend, pass it under the table, and to use phrases like, "Don't tell anyone you got it from me." Seriously.

You see, gum is expensive. The sticks are few. Everyone wants it. And NO one believes it if you say that it was your last piece.

STRIDE: The Contraband of Champions.

I'm Just Sayin'

Olympic Observations

Okay, so I am not usually a cynic; at least I don't think that I am, but sometimes things just make me wonder.
So, I am watching the amazing event of Triathlon yesterday; how grueling! These people run their bodies to the ultimate limit. First they swim 1500 m (in the questionable China water...,) then they bike 40k, followed by a 10k run. Unbelievable.

After the commercial break, they start showing PING PONG.

Now, I understand that this is not an easy game. I can very rarely hit paddle to ball. But Olympic? Not so much.

Having a tennis player in the family definitely spiced up our conversation. Have you seen these guys get ready to serve? Stephie, Maddy and I were practically rolling on the floor with laughter.

The clincher? One of the guys was wearing a knee brace.

Okay, ranting is over. I think I'm going to go play a little 'table tennis.' ☺

So There You Have It...

Loved everyone's insight on my random thought!

I guess that I am not the only one who has asked this question. Here's what I found out.

From the Oxford English Dictionary, which says the saying may come from "a barrel of laughs," and word historian Charles E. Funk, who wrote: "One monkey arouses a great deal of amusement. Two or more then double the...amusement. If one were to release a barrelful...of monkeys, we must suppose that their antics would become hilariously comical."

Anybody want to play a game?  It really is fun.  

A Barrel of Monkeys

So I was saying to my friend earlier...

"It's as much fun as a barrel of monkeys."

Then I got to thinking:

1. What does this mean?
2. How many monkeys fit in an average barrel?
3. Who was the first person to look at a barrel and say, "Gee, I bet this barrel would be a lot more fun if I filled it with monkeys." ???

A Brand New Year

I can't believe that it is 2008!

I remember when I was a little girl and using all of my math powers to figure out that I would be a whopping 31 years old in the 'Year 2000." It sounded so far out there, and I thought that I would be an old lady!

Now we are just 2 years away from the 'space odyssey' year of 2010. Unbelievable.


So, it is both comforting and disappointing to know that not much has changed, and then again everything has changed in the 'new milennium.'

I remember when the pocket calculator was invented. (my kids laugh at this)



I remember seeing the rooms full of computers on tv and being told that one day there would be a computer in every home. No one believed it, I mean who has that kind of room?


I remember going to the computer lab to type out papers in college and printing them out with the lovely dot matrix printer-- yes, I am aware that most of my audience isn't quite sure what that is... but maybe there are a few out there who are dinosaurs like me.


Our first video game system was ATARI and we absolutely loved PONG. I mean, get a load of those graphics!




I remember when the key fob was a novelty, no, a LUXURY.



When I was a kid, we just bounced around the car on road trips. There were no seatbelts in back seats.



Back in the Stone Age, we would run around the neighborhood for the entire day and our only rule was to come in when the street lights came on. If mom pulled out the whistle because you hadn't shown up yet, then you were in BIG trouble.



Our first cell phone was the thickness of a few decks of cards.



I think this might actually be it. It was the first 'flip phone'. Very cool. Our kids laugh at this, too.

But some things haven't really changed.

Kids still mimick daily life in their play. There are a few differences, though. When my older two girls played 'telephone', they would stand it up on the table or pretend to hang it on the wall when they were through. My younger kids, however stick it in their pocket or purse!

Kids still try to pull the wool over their parents' eyes, but now we are the ones with eyes in the backs of our heads. I didn't even notice them growing there!

Technology still dates us. I mean, Maddy's first cell phone didn't even have a camera, hello! Wait till she tells that one to her kids!

Girls still hang posters of hearthrobs in their rooms. They get giddy as they get ready for dances, and can talk and giggle into the wee hours of the morning. (can you tell that we just had a house full of giggling teenage girls here last night getting ready for the New Year's Eve dance and then talking about the results of said dance for hours?)

So the point of this post? None really. I am just amazed at the year. This is the year that I turn 40. The year that I would be really old according to the childhood me. And it is here.

Bring It On!

The Rain in Spain...

Oh, Eliza, you do it so well...

So I am contemplating the change of seasons, and thus the change of wardrobes. For me it goes from shorts and a t-shirt to jeans and a t-shirt, but it wasn't always that way. I used to always be dressed up-- I mean, someone actually had to tell me to buy tennis shoes to take to college because it hadn't occured to me! I don't know where that girl went... it seems like I don't get dressed up during the week, unless I have a lunch date or doctor's appointment. Just when did that happen?

Consequently, Friday nights and Sundays are my days to dress up- but I don't enjoy it nearly as much as I used to. I am out of the habit.

As I contemplate the new season I think, wouldn't it be great if hats, glorious hats, tremendous hats, flamboyant hats were in style? And how about this gown? I mean, tell me you wouldn't get a kick out of wearing this one.

In reality, however, this hat might stand out a little at Target, don't you think?

Thoughts on Edward

So my latest read has been the one that the whole nation is obsessed with. Or should I just say that I have finally met Edward.

Kind of like Madonna, Cher or Tattoo from Fantasy Island... everyone knows him by his first name. And everyone loves Edward. Giddy teenage girls, young singles, young marrieds, old marrieds-- I'd have to say that I am a bit amazed by the old-marrieds googling over this handsome young vampire.

He is a bit of a brooding hero-- I mean, face it, he sucks blood. But, as Edward's number 1 fan, my teenage daughter so adamantly challenges, "But, he is a VEGETARIAN vampire!" Could his overwhelming appeal be because he is the typical 'bad boy?' Ignore me, be mean to me, by the way, 'I love you.' Is it is amazingly sweet breath? His devastating good looks? Or could it be his sparkling skin in the sunshine?

The world may never know. But one thing is for certain. Edward, wherever you are, we love you.