I have been told many times in my life that I am a dork, but I think I have finally proven it. I sat here and watched Mythbusters Co-Host Adam Savage talk for almost sixteen minutes about his obsession with sculpting an exact replica of the Maltese Falcon. I really didn’t even know what it was about or why I was watching, but when it was finished, I was happy I did.
So, hold that thought for a moment and consider this other piece of dork-hood.
The day after Christmas, I read ‘The Giving Tree‘ by Shel Silverstein to my sons, which I was not previously familiar with. In fact, when I bought the book, I thought it was another compilation of poetry. It was a memorable moment in the sense that we really did not sit down to read it. Instead, both of my youngest sons were running about the house playing with their new Christmas toys, and I just stood and spontaneously began to read the story out loud. I became so engrossed in the story and its beautiful simplicity, that either my kids thought I was finally losing my mind, or they were as inspired as I was, stopping in their tracks and giving ‘The Giving Tree’ their full attention.
I could not help but think that this was exactly the type of emotion Silverstein hoped to pull from his readers - and here we were, the anonymous family from St. Louis, nine years after his death, having a memorable moment because of his storytelling genius. My wife, who was apparently listening while putting on her makeup in the bathroom, came out wiping tears from her eyes, and said, “That was sad.” She then turned back around to go and fix the mascara job that Silverstein had just wrecked.
Later that day, we were at my father-in-law’s house and I was telling him the story of our memorable moment from the morning and he said, “I have that book!” Sure enough, within a few seconds, he had pulled it from his library in the den and began to pass it around the room for others to read, and it became a good memory for even more of us.
A little later, my father-in-law grabbed yet another Silverstein book, titled, ‘The Missing Piece.’ Being a big fan of Silverstein’s poetry as a child, and now as a father, I was pleasantly surprised that I was going to read two of his books that only hours before I did not even know existed. He whispered, “Here. This one is just as good, but a little weirder.”
So, I read it and liked it, but I did not really understand it. The story was about an almost complete circle that had a missing piece, which it searches for and later finds. (I hope I didn’t ruin it for you.) But, the story ends without the circle being very happy with its newly found piece, and the two parts eventually go on their own way.
To many, the moral of the story was really pretty obvious, but it was not so for me…at least, not until I saw the following, seemingly unrelated, video lecture from Adam Savage: (If you plan on watching the video, now is the time to do it before reading further.)
The point that Adam Savage makes in the story about his journey to develop an exact replica of the Maltese Falcon was that in the end, it was not about the end product all, but the journey that he would take to get him there. It was the journey that contained all of the fun, as was the case for Silverstein’s circle with a missing piece. It turned out for the circle that it was not finding the missing piece that brought it the most joy. It was simply the journey, or the many experiences it had along the way that brought it the most happiness.
But that is not the end of this story, because it was not until the circle found its missing piece that it realized what really made it happy was playing with the butterflies and rolling in the tall grass. Fortunately, for the circle, it had realized early enough in its ‘existence’ that it still had time to go back out and experience more of what really made it happy before it was too late.
Of course, if the circle did not have the goal of finding its missing piece to begin with, and if Adam Savage did not have the goal of replicating the Maltese Falcon, they would not have had the journey that helped them identify the source of their happiness to begin with. So, perhaps the real moral to the two stories should be that while it is not the attainment of goals that ultimately leads to happiness, the journey would not happen without them. Or, at the very least, knowing that in the end, all that is left of us is our legacy, or our journey, we should spend more time evaluating our goals in life with the an emphasis on the journey that we will take to get there.
And finally, in the case of Shel Silverstein and his gift of ‘The Giving Tree,’ we know that some journeys never end at all. As long as there are new people to read and listen to ‘The Giving Tree’ for the first time, Silverstein’s various adventures, cunning insights, and quest for meaning will continue to stand the test of time.
Actually, I’m lying, I lie to my sons all of the time, and I presume that I will lie to my daughter when she is old enough to understand what I am saying. It’s the Santa Claus conundrum that is causing me this angst. Here is the reason why:
My number one goal as a parent has always been three-fold:
Create an environment for my children to grow up where they feel relatively safe.
Provide opportunities for my children to build their self-esteem.
Build a relationship with each of my children based on trust.
As you can see, it is number three that is challenged by the Santa Claus tradition. In every other case I can think of, I tell my children the truth, and when they ask me difficult questions, I usually do not beat around the bush with the answer; however, I will try and soften the blow with a euphemism or two when one is available. (There is the other death/religion thing that has come up several times already, but I just take the safe route with heaven and God and spirits and all of those chestnuts. Perhaps that is another topic for another day. Unlike Santa Claus, if there is a “final disappointment,” [see “Is That All There Is” by Peggy Lee] they won’t know it. )
…It is amazing how difficult this actually is for me. I am not sure why I have such a hard time lying to them (other than that I tend to over-analyze some things,) but I think I might be on to something.
The problem with Santa Claus is that at some point, my children, one by one, will get to an undetermined point in their young lives when they will discover that he does not exist.
There are several movies that have addressed this issue over time. The most popular being ‘The Miracle on 34th Street.’ Of course, Hollywood being what it is, Santa Claus turns out to be real and stumbles across the one girl in New York whose mother does not want her to believe such nonsense, so that movie is no help.
There are also famous scenes in movies like this one from Shirley Temple’s ‘Bright Eyes’ where the bratty rich girl pontificates that her psychoanalyst told her that there is no Santa Claus.
So, what is a parent who values truth, logic, AND imagination to do?
I posed that question last year at a Rotary Christmas party to some people who also had children. I was just throwing it out there for some fun, post-eggnog discussion, but everyone looked at me like I had three eyes. One person said, “Why do you think of such things, Karl?” Another said, “Have you ever tried just to ask them what they think?” (I am not sure they were going with that one.)
The next day, I searched the internet and found the following article titled, ‘The Delicate Matter of the Truth of Santa.’ You can read it yourself, but the following excerpt calmed my worries a bit:
“Forcing an elaborate Santa Claus story on children serves no good purpose for child or parent,” he said. “On the other hand, following the child’s lead in fantasy play about Santa Claus is likely to do no more harm than imaginative play surrounding Elmo or Mickey Mouse. Parents can respond to direct questions honestly with answers appropriate to their children’s developmental levels.”
The Los-Angeles Times reported on the British Medical Journal’s latest edition which debunks many myths, including those related to the holidays. It turns out that poinsettias are not toxic to people, suicides do not increase over the Christmas holidays, and Coca-Cola is not an effective contraceptive. <—what? I cannot say that I have ever heard that last one.
They also say that sugar does not make children hyperactive. If that is the case, then there is something else in that Snickers bar that makes my children go wild. Perhaps it is the radiation of their joy and happiness as they take in that scrumptious chocolate and nuget.
Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not toxic to people or animals, suicides do not increase over the Christmas holidays, and sugar does not make kids hyperactive. Also, Wales winning the rugby grand slam does not influence the death of popes, and douching with Coca-Cola is not an effective contraceptive method.
Those are some of the conclusions of reports in the British Medical Journal’s annual Christmas issue, a compilation of the weird and lighthearted papers its editors accumulate over the year. In a related vein, a report in the journal Lancet details the curious case of a woman who fainted every time she ate a sandwich.
All I want for Christmas is a whole bunch of these cookies.
And here is the recipe:
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
By rolling the dough balls in plain sugar first, the confections’ sugar does not soak in so much and stays on the surface better. Corn syrup in the dough helps prevent crystallization to produce the soft chocolate center. Oil greases flour proteins to produce a tender to the point of gooey chocolate center.
Makes 3 to 5 dozen, depending on size
1 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8.2 oz/232 g) spooned and leveled bleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3 g) salt
8 ounces (227 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 3/4 cups (19.3 oz/547 g) sugar, divided
1 cup (79 ml) canola oil
2 tablespoons (30 ml) light corn syrup
2 large eggs (3.5 oz/99 g)
1 large egg yolk (0.65 oz/18 g)
2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (4 oz/120 g) confectioners’ sugar
In a medium bowl, beat together well the flour, baking powder, and salt, and set aside.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave on 50 percent power for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for 15 seconds more and stir.
In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together 2 1/2 cups (17.5 oz/496 g) of the sugar, the oil, and corn syrup to blend. Beat in the eggs, egg yolk and vanilla. Then on low, beat in the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture and beat in on low speed.
Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake, arrange a shelf in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F/163 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with Release foil (nonstick side up).
Take out about one-quarter of the dough at a time to shape. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 to 2-inch (3.8 to 5 cm) balls. Pour the remaining 1/4 cup (1.8 oz/51 g) granulated sugar into one bowl and the confectioners’ sugar in another bowl. Roll each cookie dough ball lightly in granulated sugar first, then very heavily in confectioners’ sugar. (By rolling in plain sugar first, the confectioners’ sugar does not soak in so much and stays on the surface better.)
Arrange cookies 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the foil. For crisp cookies, bake 12 to 14 minutes. You can have several sheets of foil covered with cookies ready.
When one sheet is done, you can pull off the foil and move cookies to a cooling rack. Rinse the baking sheet with cold water to cool and then slip the sheet under another sheet of foil with cookies on it and get it right back into the oven. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
The Salvation Army is one of the great charitable organizations in the country. They help everyone from children learning music to homeless men and women who abuse alcohol. I grew up attending a local Salvation Army church, and this is where I learned music and how to play the Trombone. Now my children attend the church with my mom and stepfather, and they are receiving many of the same benefits that were afforded to me.
If you can spare that quarter, or dollar, or ten, you can feel safe that your money will go to a worthy cause. Drop it in the red bucket…because, if for no other reason, you too may look to the Salvation Army for food and shelter.
If the Salvation Army is a charity that you usually support, they could really use your help this year. Donations are down and, according to a press release issued Tuesday, former donors are now “clients.”
“Not only are those in greatest need asking for help today, but those who have newly fallen victim to the economic hard times are at our doors,” said commanding officer, Lt. Colonel David E. Grindle in the press release.
“These are people who once were donors, and now are clients, seeking help with groceries, utility bills and other services as they struggle to meet their family’s needs.”
Santa’s magic may go far beyond merely traveling across 200 million square miles (322 million sq km) to visit hundreds of millions of homes of believing children in just one night, Silverberg said.
“He understands that space stretches, he understands that you can stretch time, compress space and therefore he can, in a sense, actually have six Santa months to deliver the presents,” Silverberg told Reuters.
“In our reference frame it appears as though he does it in the wink of an eye and in fact there have been sightings of Santa, quick sightings, and that’s in our reference frame, but in Santa’s reference frame he really has six months”.
This is probably also the last day that I would feel even close to comfortable getting them in time for Christmas. This is probably also the first year that we will be buying more than 50% of our gifts online.
You would think that by now, you could feel relatively safe buying products in America. Upton Sinclair changed government regulation of private industry with his book “The Jungle” over 100 years ago. The Jungle was an exposé on the Chicago meatpacking industry that lead to major changes in food and drug legislation.
Regardless, somehow unsafe products and food still find ways to end up on our shelves. Here are sixteen toys being recalled due to unsafe levels of lead:
About 9,200 of the “Groovy Fashions” line of “Sassy Jammies” doll clothing has been recalled by the Manhattan Group of Minneapolis, Minn. because of excessive levels of lead in paint on the surface of the doll clothes.
Lead can cause permanent brain damage if ingested, and is particularly dangerous for children aged six years and under.
The recalled doll clothing set features a two-piece pajama set, eye mask and slippers. The pajama top is pink satin and the pants are dark brown with multiple-colored flowers printed on them. Made in Indonesia, the clothing was sold via mail order, on the Internet and at specialty gift stores nationwide from January 2008 through October 2008 for about $12.
Parents can claim a refund or store credit. Contact Manhattan Group at (800) 541-1345 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit www.manhattantoy.com.
Well, it is 9:00am here in St. Louis and I am happy to say that so far I have survived Black Friday. Mainly because I was not one of those guys in a tent outside of Best Buy at midnight last night. I thought it was kind of strange that the day largely regarded as the first day of the Christmas season was named, “Black Friday.”
Like always, when I want to know something, one of the first places I check is Answers.com. And here is what they have:
The earliest uses of “Black Friday” refer to the heavy traffic on that day, an implicit comparison to the extremely stressful and chaotic experience of Black Tuesday (the 1929 stock-market crash) or other black days. The earliest known references to “Black Friday” (in this sense) are from two newspaper articles from November 29, 1975, that explicitly refer to the day’s hectic nature and heavy traffic. The first reference is in an article entitled “Army vs. Navy: A Dimming Splendor,” in The New York Times:
The article also mentions that ‘Black Friday’ is not the busiest shopping day of the year. It ranges between the fifth and tenth most busy shopping day of the year.
What did you get this Black Friday, and was it worth it?
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=cfc0f301-f163-4861-8a73-558787060c03)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=ed5d8cbc-6c0d-4991-97f0-49904bc427d8)
The Los-Angeles Times reported on the ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8cdd27ac-361a-46b7-ad26-fad5bb14ce05)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=c4f3e1d1-e7f5-433a-a1e2-e9e132174658)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=4c875f7f-2c75-4c74-bad1-c3b544e9de58)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=bba8f83c-0ed0-447e-aed7-17eecd028a59)
You would think that by now, you could feel relatively safe buying products in America. Upton Sinclair changed government regulation of private industry with his book “The Jungle” over 100 years ago. The Jungle was an exposé on the Chicago meatpacking industry that lead to major changes in food and drug legislation. 
Disney accused by Catholic cleric of corrupting children’s minds
Recent Comments