Helicopter Parent Pushes Flight Envelope

Mind If We Play Through?
Robert Kadera didn't want his son to miss a vital tennis lesson. Junior Varsity tryouts were just 2 days away. To show well at tryouts, Isaac needed to refresh his court skills, but father and son were running late on Saturday.

Rather than make the 45-minute drive to the club and risk missing the match and lesson, Kadera, a licensed pilot with 40 years experience, flew his son there in his twin-prop. The flight took less than 15 minutes.
He landed on the seventh fairway at Marriott Lincolnshire Golf Course, which is across the road from the tennis club.   (Read the article...)

Son Isaac never made it to his match, and without his friend's cell number, was unable to tell him why. At school Monday, friends treated the tale of a plane landing on a golf course and subsequent police action as an outlandish excuse, he said.
"I left my friend hanging," Isaac said. "He still doesn't believe me when I told him why."

The investigation is continuing. Both Kaderas could face trespass charges. The Federal Aviation Administration is also involved. The F.A.A. could assess regulation violations and revoke Kadera Sr.'s aviator license.

No word on how the JV Tennis tryouts went.

Ironic Flight Trivia: The International Aviation Voice Radio word for the letter G is golf.

Tags: [Robert Kadera]  [Isaac Kadera]
[Marriott at Lincolnshire Golf Course]
[F.A.A.]

Post Viral Snow Fatigue

I didn't see a doctor this Monday. That's almost a reason to celebrate. I'm still toxic with infections, but have these these new symptoms: muscle aches, cold in the extremities and an ache between my shoulder blades that radiates into my neck from scrunching my shoulders to my ears in the wind.

I have Post Viral Snow Fatigue. I definitely have it - the infections coupled with a dread of fluffy white stuff that's been falling from the sky.

Except the stuff that's been falling hasn't been fluffy; it's been heavy snow. One shovelful weighs 7 lbs.

The report is that more than 60 cm of snow fell. Forecasts call for another 20 cm overnight tonight.

One snow day during the exam-week; two more snow days last week and some are betting on sleeping in tomorrow, too.

Last week, Matt and I pushed 3 cars out of the snow in less than 1 hour...one guy twice! "It's surely a sign to stay home," Matt told him. Between rescues, Matt and I were each carting snow across the road to the ravine, because there's just no other place on our side of the street to put it. Jessica, home on the snow day, was clearing the other neighbor's driveway - rent for the shovel I borrowed - but was oddly absent when the cars were stuck.

We live on a bus route, so our street is among the first to be plowed. It's plowed twice as often as the side streets. It's good that we can drive on our street...that is, after we clear the drifts left behind by the plow...which are left twice as often as anyone who lives on the sidestreet. The mess left by the plow is even heavier than the regular stuff, thanks to having been packed down by the traffic, including the buses.

On the roads, I'm tired of driving behind the person who is obviously not comfortable driving in the conditions. On the highway, drivers of those oversized SUV's racing past on the shoulder are sometimes too confident in their driving ability.

Thirty-eight days until spring. I'm taking two more aspirin...I'll call you in the morning.

Tags:  [Weather]  [Snow Fatigue]
[Driving in Poor Weather Conditions]

Home For The Holidays

A neighborhood feud in Sonning-on-Thames, Berkshire, England shows no signs of easing after Vic Moszczynski was acquitted of damaging his neighbors' properties.

After 18 years enduring Moszczynski's over-the-top Christmas light displays, his neighbors were successful in restricting his decorating. Moszczynski was served with an injunction last year.

(click to enlarge)

His display could include no more than "four 7ft tall inflatable cartoon characters, eight 30-ft strips of rope lighting and two light moulds in the ground in his front garden", in addition to his lights. It was alleged that Moszczynski caused a total of £600 damage to 3 homes on the street in retaliation.
The Prosecutor's only evidence against Moszczynski was security videotape provided by one of the victims, Gordon Jones.
Ruth Paley, lawyer for Moszczynski, said "it was impossible to tell the ethnicity, height, build and age of the man in the video."

District Judge Terry English agreed.

Hope those are LED lights, Vic.

Tags: [Vic Moszczynski]  [Gordon Jones]  [Berkshire, England]
[Ruth Paley]  [Terry English]
[Christmas Vacation]  [Chevy Chase]  [Clark Griswold]

Philadelphia - The Ugly Duckling

Travel and Leisure Magazine has completed its survey to rate 25 major U.S. cities based on various criteria including citizen attractiveness.

"According to 60,000 respondents to the magazine's online survey, Philadelphians are slightly more repulsive than Washingtonians (24), Dallasites (23) and San Antonions (22) but way uglier than Miamians (1), San Diegoans (2) and Charlestonians (3)." Read Hey! We're Not Just Fat - We're Ugly, Too

Philadelphia City Councilman Frank DiCicco had this to say about Miami: " 'Most people are walking around in thongs so everybody looks good there. But who can tell who lives there and who's just visiting? We have cold weather here so we're walking around for months with our noses running and our cheeks red and fur caps on our heads. How can you see what we look like under all that clothing?' "

Resident Fred Glick suggested that an editorial bias against brunettes and redheads figured in Philadelphia's low rating. "I hope we're closer to the top of the list for brains. It's more important," he told Dan Geringer of PhillyNews.

Philadelphia was ranked 14/25 when it came to intelligence. Miami came in at 23.

It's OK, Philly. You're the City of Brotherly Love and you've got a good personality.

None of us is as smart as all of us - Phil Condit
Never pick a fight with an ugly person, they've got nothing to lose - Robin Williams

Tags: [Philadelphia]   [Travel & Leisure Magazine]
[Miami]   [Dan Geringer]

Star Signs?

Phil Booth Astrological Forecast for Taurus - Aug. 31, 2007:

"Be prepared to be unprepared. No matter how you try to cover yourself for every eventuality, an unexpected development is likely to catch you off guard. The sky suggests there will be a smart way to turn a tricky situation to your advantage."

Two days ago, I asked to have one really routine day; no more surprises, I requested. Well, maybe tomorrow will be plain.

Tags: [Phil Booth] [Horoscope] [Taurus]

The Changing Climate of Parenting

Parenting Through the Decades

Decade	Theme	Expert	Reward	Conse- quence
1950s	Strong Values/ Firm Leadership	Dr. Benjamin Spock	Allowance	Extra chores like wash out the garbage cans
1980s	Put children first	Saul Scheidlinger	Psychotherapy	Psychotherapy
1990s	The child's sense of self	Dr. Barbara Colorosa	Spend quality time together recog- nizing the accomplishment	Reward the effort made attempting to meet expectations
2000s	Nurture Nature	Dr. David Suzuki	Select from list of ethical / green choices++	Deduct/Withhold Carbon Credits

⁺⁺ Green Choice Rewards may include:

Jewelry from natural beads	Organic cotton clothing
Clothing purchased second-hand	Eco Jeans (organic material)
Shoes with treads of recycled tires	Anything from Bono's fair-trade-focused fashion label
School bag made from recycled inner tubes

Some suggested music: Dave Matthews, Alicia Keys, Melissa Etheridge, Jack Johnson, The Beastie Boys (especially Mike D), John Legend, Ludacris, Sting, U2


Tags: [Parenting] [Dr. Spock] [Barbara Colorosa]
[David Suzuki] [Climate Change] [Carbon Credits]
[Brushfire Records] [Tibetan Freedom Concert] [Fair Trade]
[Bono] [An Inconvenient Truth]

Summer TV Going to Hell?

There was a time that the Summer TV Schedule was a wasteland - reruns and Harlequin movies. After the solstice, networks roll out more uninspired reality TV (Age of Love) and feed some fan's guilty pleasures (Big Brother 8) . Cable, understanding that no matter the weather, viewers will watch quality programming, air new episodes of hits like Entourage beginning in July.

Ever-mindful that American Idol debuted as summer filler and has become the most popular TV show in America, network execs continue the quest for the next breakout.
Don't Forget the Lyrics and Singing Bee , two Karaoke game shows hosted by Wayne Brady and Joey Fatone respectively, look like passing fancy...no endurance.

Here's one we're eating up. Andrew and I are setting the clock to watch Chef Gordon Ramsay berate the candidates on

	Twelve aspiring chefs are vying to become Head Chef at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Las Vegas. Ramsay never says it, but if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, is an essential premise. It's compelling TV.

We occasionally watched episodes over the past 2 seasons of the show, but this season, we're hooked! The opening sequence promises viewers that "one contestant has had enough and takes on chef Ramsay"; cut to an ambulance pulling in; cut to a chef running out of the kitchen into the dining room; cut to Ramsay yelling, "You almost killed him!" Flash a shot of flames from a pan on the burner jumping to the ceiling. "He would've died!" Ramsay yells at one hopeful.

Chef Ramsay's not all huff and gruff, cuss and criticism. Instead of sending Melissa home in Episode 5, he moved her onto the Blue Team, offering her a second chance. He saw that she had adequate kitchen skills, but her dictatorial leadership style was an obstacle her team couldn't overcome. She was a weak link after switching teams and was sent packing in Episode 6.

Flipside Those Karaoke shows may generate a little more interest now that Korea Banned Karaoke Bars (Reuters, July 11, 2007) . North Korea's security agency has ordered all karaoke clubs to close because they represent a threat to society. From the Ministry directive, this measure is required: "to squarely confront those who threaten the maintenance of the socialist system."

Andrew and I are both pleased that Julia's in the final 6. In the early episodes, she was put down by others because she lacked fine-dining experience (before Hell's Kitchen, she worked in a pancake house). She won't make it to final cut, but Julia has a positive attitude, works hard for the team and is willing to learn.

We both pick Rock and Jen to be in the final two.

Hell's Kitchen -

Monday at 9:00 p.m.

Tags: [Hell's Kitchen] [Fox Broadcasting] [Citytv]
[Food Network] [Reality Television] [Chef Ramsay]
[Karaoke] [American Idol] [Big Brother]
[Wayne Brady] [Joey Fatone]

It's A Smaller World

Researchers at the University of Bonn used a system known as VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) to measure the earth. They have found the diameter of Earth is 5 mm smaller than the previous measurement estimates.

Scientifically, this is significant. One factor used to determine satellite launch and orbit positions is the diameter of the earth. With LiveEarth performances ready around the globe (July 7/07), there are some who will be quick to interpret the results of Dr. Axel Nothnagel's study as The World is Shrinking. In fact, the study doesn't report that the size of Earth has changed over time, but that the diameter of the planet is about 5 mm smaller than the original estimates.

I don't want to be one to say I told you so; but in fact, I already knew that the world was smaller than original estimates. Here's how:

It's a Small World
Four years ago, Jessica joined the Etobicoke Dolphins BB hockey team. A talented left-winger on that team was Kim Selke. Since joining the Dolphins, it has been our privilege to mix with Kim and her parents, Debby and Gary Selke.

Kim has 2 sisters who are accomplished equestrian riders. My niece, Shannon is a gifted equestrianist too. She no longer competes, but for several years, Shannon has worked as a groom at a barn north of Toronto. Besides her responsibilities at the home barn, Shannon transports the horses to shows and prepares them for competition. It's very hard work, but she does it because she loves horses. Shannon knows Leanne and Kathleen Selke from the shows. At these levels, the competitions are their own community.

It's a Little Bit Smaller
The school Jessica goes to is not in our city. Her program is available at just one secondary school in our district, which happens to be in a different city. During her freshman year, we discovered that Kim Selke has two cousins who attend the same high school as Jessica. Rebecca played on the school hockey team with Jessica; Maggie and Jess played together on the school soccer team.

This proves to me that it's not just a small world, but that Earth is smaller than we used to think. Thank you Dr. Nothnagel for providing the science to support our theory.



Tags: [University of Bonn] [LiveEarth]
[Measure Earth's Diameter] [NASA]
[It's A Small World] [Etobicoke Dolphins]
[Ontario Equestrian Federation] [Dr. Axel Nothnagel]

Sadly Mistaken

Mistakes happen. If a first step is to admit the mistake, a next step must be to make changes so that the error isn't repeated. Making mistakes and learning from them can be empowering. In ancient times, it was thought that fixing one's mistakes cultivated virtue.

From the Even Bookmarks Have Expiry Dates file:
Bessie Ellison Elementary School in Missouri distributed HIV/AIDS - awareness bookmarks to the grade 6 class. A student dialed the number printed on the bookmark and it connected to a hardcore sex hot-line.
The toll-free number was once owned by Teens Teaching AIDS Prevention, part of the Kansas City-based nonprofit Good Samaritan Project. However, the AIDS hot line has not been functional since last year and a sex hot line has since taken over the number.

From the Always Check The Source of the Fax file:
Officials in Kentucky mistakenly released a prisoner from a facility after receiving a phony fax that ordered him freed, and it took them nearly two weeks to realize it.
The fax contained grammatical errors, was not typed on letterhead and was sent from a local grocery store. The fax falsely claimed that the Kentucky Supreme Court "demanded" Timothy Rouse be released.
Rouse, 19, is charged with beating an elderly man and was at the Kentucky Correctional & Psychiatric Center in La Grange for a mental evaluation. He was released after officials received the fake court order.

From the Good Fences Make Good Neighbors file:
A 2 1/2-kilometre barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border was designed to keep cars from illegally crossing into the United States. It was accidentally built on Mexican soil. The barrier was part of more than 24 kilometres of border fence built in 2000.

	Here's hoping a teacher checks the phone number on bookmarks next time; prison officials verify release orders every time; and border officials will measure twice.
(Click to enlarge)

"If you know that you made a mistake and you don't correct it, that's truly a mistake." (Confucius)


Tags: [Despair Incorporated Satirical Products]
[Good Samaritan Project]
[U.S. Customs & Border Protection]
[Confucius]

What's That Again?

There's a free service from Google™ that provides information about keyword searches conducted where the user clicks through to this site. Two things I've learned about online searches, is that Google™ gets asked some very odd questions, and people follow the results links at random.

Today, I was notified that the following phrase brought a visit:
Do Italians wear Espadrilles?

Of course Italians wear Espadrilles!

My Mom wears Espadrilles.
My Mom's Italian.
Therefore, Italians wear Espadrilles.

As far as I know, there are no restrictions based on culture or ethnicity on wearing Espadrilles...I guess you probably shouldn't wear white ones after Labor Day.
[Espadrilles] [Italian Shoes] [Shoes of Spanish Origin]

Word Processor

Words. I love them. Always have. It's not that I used to read the dictionary, but I am fascinated by words. We played word games in the car; our parents encouraged us to read and demonstrated an appreciation of language that we picked up.

Sometimes, from time to time, now and then, occasionally, at times I wish I'd never been given this thesaurus.

When I was young, we used to drive by a Realtor's sign with a word on it that was new and fresh. It was always exciting to discover a mint morpheme.
I wanted to know the word, use the word, be the word. Each time we passed the sign, I would silently work on the word. I wanted to surprise Mom by using it.

One day, we came around the curve and the rotating sign was facing us with the word. Sure that I had mastered it, I announced proudly, "We Are Yoo-ni-kyoo!"
"We are what?" Mom asked.

The sign was behind us now, but I repeated, "We are yoo-ni-kyoo." I explained about the sign at the office on the corner.

"Oh, I know that sign," Mom said. "It's yoo-neek. We are unique." She went on to explain it's meaning to me. For days, I strutted around showing off my new word. The importance of it was completely lost upon my 6-year old friends.

The point of this story is not to disclose OCD (again!) ... I got a tip to the site How Will You Be Defined in the Dictionary?

With very little else to do in these post-surgery days, I visited the site. I just knew that it would define me as a caring, honorable person of high intelligence and integrity. (OK, that high intelligence part of me recognizes that a java script random field generator is responsible for the answers, but a person can dream, can't they?)

Here's the result:

As Chris - [adjective]: Benevolent to a fault

As Christine - [noun]: A person of questionable sanity who starts their own cult

My friends call me Chris...benevolent, yes, but to a fault?

In Other Anthropology News

Headline from LiveScience and MSNBC:

Residents of Ancient Pompeii Liked Fast Food

Quick history lesson:
Pompeii was destroyed by a violent eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. It was accidentally re-discovered in 1748. Pompeii is one of the richest anthropological sites because it was destroyed so quickly. Scientists are focusing on the relics in one neighborhood to better understand day-to-day living in the 1^st century.

Back to the story -

Archaeologist Penelope Allison (University of Leicester) describes some of her team's findings:

There was an absence of formal dishware sets but an abundance of small
grilling vessels (like barbecues) found in the residences studied, indicating
that people were eating-and-running on the go.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Everything old is new again.
[Pompeii]    [Penelope Allison]     [Archaeology]

Stumbling on Melons *

Dug up from The Canadian Press (June 1, 2007) :

Archaeologists in Japan unearthed the world's oldest melon. It was intact, the flesh still attached to the rind, after 2100 years. The Research Institute for Humanity & Nature in Kyoto used radiocarbon testing to determine the age of the fruit.

Researcher Shuji Yamazaki explains: the melon might have been so well-preserved because it was in a vacuum-packed state in a wet layer below the ground, an environment hostile to micro-organisms that might otherwise have broken down the remains.

The ancient Shimongo settlement was built near water and protected by moats, circa 300 BC to A.D. 300.

So, it looks like even 2100 years ago, people liked to have melon after they swim...Wayne didn't start that!

All I can say is that my life is pretty plain....

* Andrew Marvell (1621-1678): "The nectarine, and curious peach, / Into my hands themselves do reach; / Stumbling on melons, as I pass, / Ensnared with flowers, I fall on grass."


[Oldest Melon Discovered] [Blind Melon]
[Shuji Yamazaki] [Melon Salad]

¡Viva!

Cinco de Mayo is widely thought to be the Independence Day of Mexico. Mexico's official Independence Day is in September. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the day of Mexico's Great Battle at Puebla.

Napoleon III's French troops occupied Mexico for five months in 1862. On May 5 the Mexican military overcame the French soldiers at Puebla. In defeating the French Foreign Legion, supplies to the Confederate Rebels in the U.S. Civil War were cut off. The U.S. rebuilt their own forces and beat the Rebels at Gettysburg the following year.

The French recaptured Puebla on May 8^th but were finally expelled from Mexico in 1867.

Así que qué, you ask?

A while ago, my brother and I were talking about Cinco de Mayo. Our sister, who was with us, said, with much disbelief, "Like you guys know when Mexico's National holiday is."
"It's the fifth of May," we replied together.
Joe turned to his son David, 4, and asked, "David, do you know when Cinco de Mayo is?"
"Yep," David answered. Maybe he did know, but he was preoccupied with removing the pepperoni from his pizza slice.

She wouldn't believe that we knew the celebration takes place annually on May 5^th.

We explained that Cinco de Mayo translates literally to May 5.

In her most scholarly voice, our sibling declared, "Well, the national holiday of Norway is November 3^rd."

"No it's not." Joe and I laughed. In fact, it's May 17^th.

So - ¡Viva Cinco de Mayo!
Today, celebrate a battle you've won.

[Cinco de Mayo] [Napoleon III] [Norway]

Random At Work

Helicopter parents need to lower their landing gear!

This article,
from U.S.A. Today, states "As Generation Y enters the job force, parents of new hires are calling employers to negotiate salary and benefits, and some are even showing up at job fairs."

Parents are interfering to the degree that Hewlett-Packard has 'specially-trained recruiters' to deal with parents.

When I was in a position to hire staff, if faced with two equally-qualified candidates, I would offer the position to the one who completed his own application over one whose parent filled it out. I rarely had ads targeted to college graduates. The article refers to post-secondary grads and their parents.

To me, the distinction is clear: one applicant shows that she wants to work; the other shows that her parents want her to work.

If I was a helicopter parent myself, I'd give you the definition of the term. You need to go look it up yourself.

(By providing the link, I think I have a Limo to the Airport parenting style.)

[Helicopter Parent]   [Student Job Fairs]

Tuesdays

Tuesdays with Beth have come to an end. Beth is on contract with CCAC. I didn't see her every Tuesday, but when she came, it was always on a Tuesday.

"Let's review," she says. I didn't know there was going to be a test!

During the discussion, I offer this:
"When we met, I felt a responsibility to display a normal life for the comfort of others. Today, I have made it the responsibility of others to accept the different ways that my illness affects daily living. In essence, if my illness makes you uncomfortable, that's your problem, not mine."

We agree that taking responsibility and putting it back is a cycle. It is part of dealing with a chronic illness. This is not news to me. It just so happens that in November, I was at the 'taking responsibility' phase. She says that she'd like to take credit for offering something that returned me to the-responsibility-is-yours-phase, but doesn't think there is.

Near the end of the session, she wants to play a game of Finish This Sentence. I know what she's doing and it's obvious where this is going, but I play along until the last phrase in her game:

Life without challenge.....
Response: ...would be a very refreshing change.

She tells me that she has had fun, leaves me the titles of a couple books I might want to read then looks at the struggling hibiscus. "That gardening thing doesn't seem to be working out," she says. "Maybe you should reconsider knitting."

Noise Filter

John's been driving his newer car for over a week. I asked him if everything was OK with it. "Yeah. It's OK." He paused.
"It sounds like there's a but coming," I said. "Well, it's just that there's this noise. It's not all the time. It's there when I back out of the driveway. And then it's just intermittent. This sounds stupid, but the noise reminds me of a creaky spring. I don't know what it is," he finished.

Two years ago, I drove to meet John to switch cars. I got into his car, pulled out of the parking lot and heard a noise. A clunk and a screech. I took my foot off the accelerator to see if I could hear it again. BAM! The car stopped and dropped at the right front corner. "What the..." I got out to see what was up. The wheel had fallen off. I looked at the angle of the wheel to the ground and surmised a broken ball joint. There had been a noise in the car that he hadn't mentioned. He's improving.

When we went to the store later, John drove. He turned off the radio so we could listen for the noise. I heard it. It was coming from the right rear. It did sound like a spring. Hmmm. We listened some more. I missed it one time because I was relating this story:

There was a time that I was the Manager of Automotive Parts and Service at a retail outlet. A customer called me, concerned about a noise she was hearing after having front and rear brakes replaced the previous day. After the repairs were completed, she drove the vehicle home. Her husband then drove the car. She was driving it for the first time this day. The noise wasn't present yesterday. I asked her to describe the noise. When did she hear it? Did it ever change or go away? I invited her to come to the store so I could take it for a test drive with her. On the drive, I heard the noise too. It was an odd rattling sound. Not quite a rattle, and not a rumble. We drove to the next block. I leaned forward and touched the brakes. I heard it louder. I did it again but went harder on the pedal. I reached down, opened the ashtray and removed a golf ball. No more noise.

John pulled into the driveway and I heard that 'sproing' clear as a bell. "You know what that sounds like?" I asked as I got out of the car. "Yep, here's the noise," I said from the rear of the car, as I tightened the antenna.

No more noise.

Jeeper Creeper

We're selling the Concorde in The Auto Trader. The last time I sold a car in The Auto Trader, it sold in 12 hours. That time, the ad was posted at midnight and I had cash from the buyer by noon. That car was a beater. This one's not.

I almost had the car sold before the ad was even posted. Once the ad was on the site and in the 'zine, the phone calls began. One call in particular creeped me out. I answered his questions about the vehicle and asked when he wanted to see it.
"Is the car at your home, at..." he stated my address.

I hadn't given him my address. I paused. He said that he had done a Reverse Look Up on my phone number and that's how he knew my address. He also had directions to the house, courtesy of Mapquest. For all I know, he was already looking at the car using the internet and Google Maps - Satellite. OK, you can't see the driveway on the satellite shot, but it's creepy.

Reverse Look Up gets its information from the telephone directory. As long as our phone number is published in the local book, our number is available to be Reversely-Looked-Up. Even if we requested an unlisted number, our number would still be available on the Reverse site. It's only if we change our status to unpublished that we could be excluded from their database, sometime in the next 3-6 months.

I did a Reverse Look Up on our telephone number, which is silly, because I know where I live. Then I clicked on the 'Find Your Neighbors' option, which, is also silly, because I already know our neighbors. The displayed results did not include our neighbors. It listed people who live on our street, but not the families who are really our neighbors. Which is odder, considering neither of our neighbors has an unpublished telephone number.

Imagine if I chose one of my new-found neighbors and knocked on his front door, (or maybe I should go to the side door? We're neighbors, after all.) and asked him to water our plants while we're away. Then I could explain that I found out he was my neighbor from Reverse Look Up on the internet. Then he could go to his computer and do a reverse look up and find some of his neighbors...

It's like that one Auto-Creeper set in motion a new version of Pay it Forward.

This version encourages Random Acts of Oddness, instead.

A neighbor is someone who can get to your house in less than a minute, and takes 2 hours to get back home. - O. A. Battista


[Reverse Lookup]   [Creepy]   
[Used Cars]   [Pay It Forward]

Apple Pie Order

Nobody can tell a story the way my Uncle Angelo can. Recently, he related the following story. I hope I have done it justice.

In 1953, a strapping high school graduate named Angelo Pellegata, left his hometown of Detroit, Michigan to attend Adams State College in Colorado.

Angelo had offers to play football from some Big 10 schools, including Michigan and Michigan State. But it was Adams State College that courted him best. It was clear they wanted him. He wore # 48 for the Grizzlies.

Angelo was the Freshman Class Representative at Adams. This is a position of some prestige. In the fall of his freshman year, Margaret Mundy invited him to be her guest at the Sadie Hawkins Dance. Angelo thought it would be a white tie affair and was impeccably dressed in his finest suit. Off to the dance they went.

Upon their arrival, Angelo was surprised to see that dungarees was the dress code. He was the only student dressed formally. This did not dissuade him from entertaining his date and the other students. Uncle Angelo has a good time wherever he goes.

Partway through the evening, the emcee called 4 young men to the front of the hall. Angelo was among Gino, Donny and Tom, three upperclassmen. They were seated behind a table, facing the crowd. The emcee announced that a pie-eating contest was about to commence. The students gathered around to watch and cheer on the participants.

You have to understand that Angelo is a competitor. Today, at 70, he says: "I'm a better football player than Carl or Kenneth or Dean." These are his children. Adults now, they are tremendous athletes. Each of the Pellegata boys has played football at elite levels: from City Championships through State Finals and a few NCAA National Championship games.

Back to the story:
As the only freshman at the pie-eating table, Angelo felt he owed it to his class to eat more pies than the others in this contest. He knew he could do it.

Several pies were laid out before him. A blindfold was carefully placed over his eyes. "Go," the emcee roared to start the competition. Angelo dug in. Using his hands, he shovelled through the first pie. Then another. Then another. Even now, he describes the pies as "very tasty". He managed to eat some of the pies, wore some, and dropped some more. It wasn't important. What mattered was getting through more pies than Gino and Tom and Donny.

Angelo could hear the students cheering. "C'mon, Gino," someone yelled. "You've almost got him, Tom," hollered another student. Angelo, determined to win, dug into his fourth pie. The emcee called out, "Stop!".

The crowd was roaring its approval. Sure of his victory, Angelo slid the blindfold off his head...

..and discovered that he was alone at the table. The only one wolfing down the pies!

The whole thing was a set up. Gino, Donny and Tom had conspired against him. Margaret Mundy had been in on it the entire time. He could have lost his cool over the prank, but he didn't. Angelo could take it. And he could give it, too.

Uncle Ange always gets even. I have a strong suspicion Donny, Gino and Tom got their just desserts. Well, maybe not Tom.

Photo top right: Angelo Pellegata, 1953, from
The Conquistador (ASC Yearbook)

Photo at left: Angelo Pellegata, March 2007.

Photo credit: Michelle Henderson

Tags: [Adams State College] [Pie Eating Contest] [Pranks]

Justly Compelled

I'm reading a book about enlightened living. Get over your surprise on that one. I usually keep 2 books on the go - one upstairs and one downstairs. It's something to do when I'm infusing.

I try to live an enlightened life. I'm not talking about zen-meditation. To me, it's about accepting the challenges you face and overcoming them by facing them. It's deeper than that, but respecting the power of challenges is a cornerstone.

The author states the more enlightened you are in life, the more compulsive you are. My first thought was Wow! I know some incredibly enlightened people! The more I considered it, the more I believe that the author's statement is incorrect.

An enlightened life is about acceptance, not control; sustaining a ubiquitous higher level of awareness; reacting with solutions. Believe in the good, see the good, do the good, be the good. Not good versus evil, but goodness. Decency.

Compulsions are acts that are beyond one's control; but one does not necessarily accept them. In fact, a good compulsion should be deniable. For instance, I did not notice that this posting, so far, contains every letter of the alphabet save the letter 'x'.

So, I have to disagree with Shambhala. I believe that as one achieves enlightenment, he would more easily recognize compulsive behavior. Once identified, he would modify his response to the compulsion. I suppose then, it's possible to eliminate the acquired reflex altogether.

Whew! That feels better. Setting this straight has satisfied my neurotic need for accuracy.

Warning: Reviewing the post, looking for the usage of 'x' is compulsive behavior.

Tags: [O C D] [Buddhist Wisdom]