My class is tiny compared to most - 27, 19 of us started kindergarten together. We lost one of our own in sixth grade to cancer. For some of us, it was our first experience with death, compounded by the fact that he was someone we knew well instead of some distant great aunt or uncle. My class planted two trees in his…

Yup, and then blame the Democrats for being obstructionists or some such nonsense.

I used to work as a caterer for a large Midwestern university, so I’ve seen more than my fair share of wedding dos and don’ts. The all-time best don’t was the wedding where the grandmother of the bride got wasted and puked in the potted plants outside of the ballroom. The ensuing argument between the mom of the bride,…

Your post make me miss Hollywood Bowl. My coworkers and I used to go there for dollar bowling and cheap beer after work.

Yeah, nope. My grandma had a wheelchair in her basement from her post-stroke recovery. That was bad enough.

My sister rented it when we were kids. I’m glad we watched on a lazy summer afternoon instead of at night.

Lower-end Gen-Xer here (1978): Bide your time. In a few years the next generation du jour will be on the scene, and we can all complain about them. By that time the Baby Boomers will be less of a force, and we can collectively rule!

Oldies but goodies: The Changeling (1980s version) and the original Children of the Corn. The latter was filmed not far from where I grew up. I played volleyball/basketball in the gymnasium of the school, and I have several friends who detasseled corn in those fields.

One of my cousins does aerial silks for her workout. She says it’s way more invigorating than any of the dance classes she’s taken. Good for you!

My old coworkers and I had this as our mascot for days.

Poll for the night: Who were the Tara Reids of the 60s, 70s, and 80s?

I am so thankful that my friend Natalie has a huge crush on Daniel Day Lewis during college. She made me watch The Unbearable Lightness of Being followed up with In the Name of the Father. She has great taste. I am also thankful my MIL is obsessed with The Last of the Mohicans. It’s a N. Minnesota tradition every…

I’ve been side eyeing that big closet for years. It’s technically for all of our math department stuff, but it turned into a dumping ground. Let’s just say that I hope my ability to purge and organize rubs off on the guy who was previous owner. I don’t know about you, but I need my room to be relatively neat and tidy.…

It was delicious on crackers with a bit of chevre.

Yum! A friend of mine gifted me a jar of rhurbarb rosemary jam a few years ago. It was to die for.

Hooray for the end of the school year! I’m moving rooms, again, but this time it’s a major upgrade! I get a door to the courtyard, an old science counter with a sink, and two closets! I spent all day yesterday gutting the one closet that held 30+ years of random teacher hoarding. I still have three small shelves plus…

All hail the Petersen Giraffe!

Thank you, Noble Renard, for fighting the good fight.

School is (almost) out for the summer! I was a good kid and went in today to finish all of the grading with the exception of a few kids I’m going to strong arm into doing some extra credit (too close to let them fail, too far to round up). The only sucky thing about this week is having to pack up my room again. I’m…

...but they’re so tasty!