Tuesday Rant – Halloween porch lights

Ok, so this is a little late, but you know, I had to go tell you to vote last week:

50% of the houses we went to on Halloween who had their porch light on didn’t answer their door. When I was a kid, that was the international sign for whether you had candy or not. If the light was on, come on up. If the light was off, we’re not home or too cheap or too Christian (well, I guess you can’t be too Christian, but you get the point, we’re not celebrating ‘cuz its against our religion) to give out candy. Why the heck am I schlepping my kids all the way to your front door and standing there waiting for you to answer the door when you’re not going to? Is it really that hard to turn off your light. And while I’m at it, why haven’t you told your older children about this long held meaning; we turned our lights out around 8:30 as we were trying to get the kids to bed, but your teenagers still felt compelled to ring our doorbell.

When over the last 23 years did the porch light on/off loose it’s meaning? Or is this just a Northern California thing? Maybe I should go make it into a Wikipedia entry or something.

Stepping down.

Do you have something that you’d like to share? I’m sure I don’t have enough readers to start my own meme, but feel free to post a rant on your blog and link back here any Tuesday, and maybe you’ll get a few new readers to share your opinion with.

 

Tuesday Rant – People who don’t vote

GO VOTE NOW!!!!

Seriously, I don’t care if you’re a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, Socialist, Independent, or one of the other many parties, it’s your duty to vote today. So, go vote right now.

OK, so now that you’ve voted, I won’t offend you: I don’t understand people who don’t vote. Actually, the worst is people that don’t vote, but then complain about things the government does. If you don’t like it, you should probably do something about it (like vote or, better yet, run for office). But complaining to me isn’t really going to change anything, is it?

Apologies to all my foreign readers (if I have any), you shouldn’t vote today, unless you have an election in your country, in which case, you should go vote. And to the felons and non-citizens.

Stepping down.

Do you have something that you’d like to share? I’m not sure I have enough readers to start my own meme, but feel free to post a rant on your blog and link back here any Tuesday, and maybe you’ll get a few new readers to share your opinion with.

 

Tuesday Rant – “Your Children are Beautiful”

We probably get that comment half the time we are out and about with our children. I’m just not sure how to interpret the comment. If they were my biological children, I guess they’re saying, “Nice choice of a mate, your genes really work well together.” But what’s the point in telling me I have beautiful children; I had very little to do with it (except maybe the hair styling and Susan picked out the clothes). Maybe I’m not obsessed with beauty enough (although I know they are beautiful). Maybe I’m self-consciously worried the commenters are racist and saying “Your children are so beautiful….for black people” since more often than not it’s a white woman saying it. Perhaps I’m just conscious of the fact that they are adopted and I’m afraid they’re saying, “Well, you lucked out in the adoption lottery.”

I don’t know, but in case you hadn’t guessed by now, it kind of bugs me.  But alas, I just reply, “Thank you,” and move on.

Stepping down.

 

Tuesday Rant – Children in church

Tuesdays seem like as good a day as any to rant, so here it goes:

We moved from the main church to the crying room (a room to the side of the alter with plexiglass between us and “them”) when Yordie started babbling uncontrollably. Actually I’m sure she could control it, she just doesn’t quite understand the request, “Be quiet”, and does it at the most inopportune times. But I digress…

Now, just because the priest and most of the members of the congregation can’t hear you, doesn’t give you the right to let your children do whatever they want. You’re still in church for heaven’s sake! There’s still adults around you trying to listen to the sermon. If your baby starts to cry, take them outside. And, perhaps most important, you can’t let your older kid just play uncontrollably.  If they can’t/won’t pay attention to the priest, have them sit quietly.  Read a book, color, anything but driving a Thomas the Train all over the pew.  Please remember that your seat back is also our kneeler and it’s a little hard for me to convince my kids to pay attention in church when your son is driving his train right past their faces yelling, “It’s mine, don’t touch it, you can’t have it”.

Stepping down now.

Feel free to tell me I’m full of it, or that you agree, just please, say something (comment), so that I know you’re there.