In sporting events, the cheap tickets are always at the very top of the arena. As an underpaid member of the teacher profession, these are the only seats I ever occupy. I have learned to accept it, I have learned to not only accept it but embrace it as a metaphor. You see, you can see more from the upper deck, the entire field or court opens up from this vantage point. When you are too close, all you can see is wha
The slumber party represents one of the great mysteries of life. The mysterious qualities include the name, which of course suggests that someone actually sleeps, and the reasons that parents actually choose to allow their children to have one. This is sort of like allowing your child to be kidnapped by a band of wandering grizzly bears, it once again reflects that
Recently, while searching the Internet I encountered a very interesting web survey with the caption, “How to tell if you are the annoying one at work?” Right away I am intrigued, as I read down even further I found a very interesting paragraph which contained the following statement, “Remember, there are countless ways to aggravate coworkers -- you can even annoy the
Life on the Lakefront I am continuously asked, mostly rhetorically, about how to raise children. Raising children is a lot like raising cabbages except that it takes a lot longer, costs a lot more and involves cleaning up manure instead of spreading it out. It is probably the biggest single job anyone can do, and is among the most important, right up there wi
When you spend as much time on the road as I do you are sensitive to the price of gasoline. I have recently noted with alarm a great deal of apprehension about escalating prices. I have also noticed lots of other people who share my concern. Recently, I have been receiving lots of email calling for a boycott of gasoline on this date or that date. If I understand the
Well school in our fair city has resumed which means more meetings of various organizations, more fees, more activities to fill our overstuffed calendars, and of course school supplies. I remember many years ago the bittersweet excitement of new school supplies. There was something about a new notebook, the smell of newly sharpened pencils, and the taste of new
Life on the Lakefront Coming up on senior graduation this year had a special meaning for me since my son will be graduating this year. I remember back to my own graduation. It is true that I was not the most popular kid in my graduating class but I did manage to get my pants down from the flagpole prior to graduation. I don’t think my own high school experi
Life on the Lakefront This year marks a special year for the Carter household because our youngest child is now a senior. This means that soon we will be faced by that affliction known as empty nest syndrome while in the meantime we have a condition referred to as empty wallet syndrome. The latter syndrome is what happens as you have to purchase all the “
I am ashamed to say I have let my hair grow a little long lately. Part of the reason why is the inconvenience of going by a barbershop to get clipped. Another perhaps larger part, is my reluctance to part with my locks. I also got to thinking about the evolution of the barbershop, which is, of course, no longer called a barbershop. Now it is called a hair salon, and
Life on the Lakefront The past few weeks have been rather tumultuous. The turmoil has even reached as far as the usually placid Lakewood Village area where I live. The reason for the turmoil is clear, graduation. I had forgotten since my daughter graduated a couple of years ago, how much time, energy, and of course expense goes into the ceremonial pas
Life on the Lakefront This year marks a special year for the Carter household because our youngest child is now a senior. This means that soon we will be faced by that affliction known as empty nest syndrome while in the meantime we have a condition referred to as empty wallet syndrome. The latter syndrome is what happens as you have to purchase all the “mu
Life on the Lakefront I hate to admit it but I have not always been a very good orange. This may come as quite a shock, but for about a week now I have been contemplating my orangeness and I am afraid that I just did not measure up; perhaps I have even been more of a grapefruit recently. One of the things that happen to people over time is that they are squeezed
This past weekend marked a significant milestone in life on the lakefront. My youngest child attended his junior prom. Prom, of course, is an event unlike any other because it is ridiculously expensive, and because the process of going to the prom is far more important than actually being at the prom. Back in the stone ages when I went to school things were dif
There really is a magic of Christmas, joys that are there for the taking. As a kid Christmas is the singe greatest moment of the year, with a year’s happiness, compressed into a few hours or wonder and merriment. One of the true joys of Christmas is the unexpected gift under the tree. The thing that you really wanted but kept secret, and was sure no one knew about. T
I started thinking the other day about the changes we have seen in our society over the last 40 years. One of the greatest changes has been that we have lost our heroes. In the early 60’s prior to Vietnam and Watergate the president was revered it did not even matter so much what party you were with, and on television and movies were guys that you would not be afra
When you are ten years old flea markets are great fun, perhaps one of the truly great adventures. They were even better in 1965. For in that time at a flea market, five dollars could buy inestimable treasures. There were World War II army uniforms, comic books, sporting goods, hunting supplies, and even animals, all available for less that the money I was holdin
When you spend as much time on the road as I do you are sensitive to the price of gasoline. I have recently noted with alarm a great deal of apprehension about escalating prices. I have also noticed lots of other people who share my concern. Recently, I have been receiving lots of email calling for a boycott of gasoline on this date or that date. If I understan
Years ago my family started the habit of sitting around the dinner table talking about what we learned that day. I borrowed this from Leo Buscaglia who was also known as the mad hugger. The idea that he presented was that every day you must be open to new learning and that as human beings we are both learning and growing or we are dying. I prefer the former; the practice of always
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