Eraser heads, unite!
We writers tend to wax eloquent blather on about our binders and assorted writing implements. But as it turns out, our passion for school supplies is just about universal. In fact, according to an article in the Chicago Tribune, we’re all eraser heads.
School supplies are a multi-billion dollar industry; the article points out a few reasons this is so.
- School supply lists give us a guilt-free, relatively inexpensive reason to shop.
- They represent potential and possibilities; at the same time, they evoke a sense of nostalgia.
- We can create, copy, cut and paste just about everything on our computers. Certainly, technology makes our lives easier, but it also makes us yearn for activities and instruments that are multi-sensory and hands-on.
Since this is back-to-school week, I thought it might be fun to take a trip to Staples down Memory Lane. What was on your elementary school supply list? Here are a few things I remember being on mine.
In many ways, school supplies are just as important to a child’s educational experience as parental involvement and a full tummy. Many of us remember how difficult it was to borrow from others or, worse yet, do without. So if you’ve got a little extra cash on hand this fall, would you please consider donating a few items to those who need them?
The spin I’m in
I love Elvis Presley’s uptempo performance of Run on For a Long Time (God’s Gonna Cut You Down), a pithy, preachy song I remember hearing often when I was a little girl.
Which version gets your vote: Elvis, Johnny Cash or MaryAnn?
Another option I just found: Blind Boys of Alabama. Bill Landford & The Landfordaires riffed on the traditional folk song version, way back in the late 1940s. And may I just say, Moby‘s techno stylings are about the worst fit for this song that I’ve ever heard.
If you like gritty, controversial poems about cause and consequence, you might be interested in the lyrics.
Remembering Katrina
As I child, I learned to live with uncertainty and to do without; I knew what it meant to be homeless. It’s sometimes hard to recall those difficult times, especially given the comfortable circumstances in which I now live. But as I watched this video last night, I remembered.
Please help commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by signing this petition, urging the United States Senate to pass the Gulf Coast Recovery Bill of 2007 (S1668). This proposed legislation would help provide affordable housing to those who affected by the hurricanes of 2005.
Our military involvement in Iraq currently costs us $3 billion a week. A week! The resources allocated to our own citizens and infrastructure over the past two years are meager in comparison — and woefully inadequate by any measure. It’s long past time for Congress and the President to play a meaningful role in restoring hope and homes to our fellow Americans from the Gulf Coast region.
Go here, if you want to communicate your concerns to the President. While you’re at it, you may have a few choice words to share with the Vice President. Also, to get in touch with your senators and representatives, clickity-click here and here.
Saints be praised!
I got THE CALL!
No, it wasn’t an offer from someone with a 212 area code. Even better — for now, all things considered — we’re getting our new kitchen next week!
Six weeks ago, our kitchen was destroyed by a flood. But starting Monday, we’ll have a parade of contractors marching through our house, bringing with them our new kitchen cabinets, countertop, appliances, flooring and fresh paint.
Brothers and sisters, can I hear an amen? How about a hallelujah echo? In fact, let’s give those contractors their own theme song.
Louis Armstrong, “When the Saints Go Marching In”
Reading between the lines
You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.
— George W. Bush
Some book ideas almost write and illustrate themselves.
“First Lady Laura Bush and daughter Jenna Bush have agreed to write an, as yet untitled, children’s book for HarperCollins, it was announced today. The book centers around a mischievous little boy who has little interest in reading.”
Ahem.
Memoir-ish, much?
