5 Minute blog

Unlike most, my blog will be sporadic. Heck, When I went to start a blog, I found out I had started a blog back in 2003, then promptly forgot about it. Isn't that the worst criticism? Forgettable, even by me!

It's also some online WeirdWideWeb version of talking to myself. You may have noticed you're the only one reading this, and THAT is mostly support for pity's sake... but thanks for being here.

I'm sure at some point I'll let someone besides you know about this Blog, but probably not 'til I write something interesting.

Well, I gave myself 5 minutes to blog, and now I must go.

Adieu.

Was that your celebrated summer?

Labour Day brings my mind to the Hüsker Dü song "Celebrated Summer". (go here for lyrics)

It's back to school for the kids, and the end of what was essentially freedom. In remembering what it felt like to be as free as our children, it occurred to me that our kids are more blessed than I initially felt. The relative freedom our children enjoy in the summertime is not shared by all children in the world. Some kids work year-round to contribute to their family's survival, and they would even envy our children the opportunity of going to school. Yet some are proposing the elimination of vacation time in the summer.

I recently saw a blurb on the news about some parents who think summer vacation is an outdated and unnecessary custom. It was originally implemented to release kids from school during the busy farming season so they could contribute to the labour pool at the family farm.

Most of us are far removed from our collective farming roots, and this news piece revealed a line of thought proposing kids be kept in school all summer. After all, more is required to further one's education nowadays. After that, more is required to be a good employee, and more still to further one's earning power so one can have more and better stuff (material opiate of the masses) than we have now. Surely we all want our kids to be good little consumer drones to further the capitalist dream!!

"Then the sun disintegrates between a wall of clouds"

Memories of my early summers shine with innocent freedom... Hot days spent fishing the shady areas of the local creek... Bike riding with friends with no direction but exploration... Hot sun balancing cool water at the beach, jumping in the waves my only challenge... Lying in the grass looking at clouds...

These are some of the freedoms in a child's summer vacation. Though I realize the importance of schooling, and a parent's responsibility to teach responsibility...I owe my children those feelings of freedom, those golden-age times so archetypally important to our humanity. Kids grow while enjoying summer.

I don't feel we should be obscuring the sunbeams of childhood with the clouds of responsibility. Instead, we should let our children enjoy the warmth of freedom's sun while clouds float by in a blue sky.

Heck, I'll even take some time to lie in the grass beside my li'l ones.

Bare foot, of course.

Peace.

Humiliating Defeat

Korey left us yesterday. Good riddance! (whined the sore loser)

We stayed up playing Yahtze the night before his departure; our last activity of our year together consisted of Korey soundly trouncing our butts. Way to go, Korey!

At least we have a while to lick our wounds...

We already miss him, while being glad he has a chance to enjoy his dad, too.Bonne chance in the coming year, Korey!