This is the house I finished growing up in. 2 summers ago I went back, not sure what I expected to find. I’m not one to take a stroll down memory lane. My husband on the other hand, is one to go back to all the old neighborhoods of his childhood every time he has taken me to his home town. I always found that a bit tedious, so when I did it, I came away with the same detached emotion. Personally, it’s better to reminisce about the past in my mind and forget about going to the actual places.Things change true enough; however there are things that remain intact and when I showed up at this house, I felt like I did back then, nothing. I meant nothing to the people I lived with in that house, and I still am nothing to them. Hence my lack of emotion for the place.
I took this picture of my daughter in the spring. The cat she’s holding is Ladie, our family pet. Ladie just wandered into our back yard one day and rubbed herself up against my oldest daughter. She picked her up and then Ladie never left our home again. It’s been a few years since then, and Ladie has turned out to be the best pet we ever had. We suspect that she might have been one of those pets that people are forced to abandon when they have to leave their homes in a hurry after the bank has foreclosed on their property. Abandoned pets on foreclosed properties is a big problem here in Nevada. Ladie also could have been raised with a dog because she behaves more like a canine. By the way, she is a Scottish Fold, hence the small ears.
NOTE to all of my GREAT teacher friends: This EXCLUDES YOU! So if the shoe doesn’t fit, please don’t wear it
I have observed this particular phenomenon for a while now. My youngest daughter attends a dance studio here in town. She’s been taking dance classes for 5 years now and we’ve changed studios twice. I see in today’s topic a disturbing trend and one that not too many people want to discuss. Did you know that as teachers we have the potential to mentor our students? Let me define the word mentor-
MENTO’RIAL, a. [from Mentor,the friend and adviser of Ulysses.]
Containing advice or admonition.
Mentoring
When I went to school there were a few teachers that I still remember well. They were not only interested in doing their job to impart knowledge to me. They went a step further and mentored me. Yes, I understand that in the large classroom sizes of today, that is difficult. Back then, our class size ranged around 25 kids per teacher, and some of these fine teachers I had took the extra time with me .
The one characteristic that stands out the most of my teachers that I remember with great affection is that they were there to set the right example for me. So naturally I was under the notion that a good teacher can be a great role model. And I see this quality lacking in a lot of the teachers at my daughter’s dance studio.
The students are required to adhere by a strict dress code and yet the dance instructors shows up in whatever they felt like wearing to class that day. Many times I’ve wondered if they even ran a comb through their hair before they left the house. Why bother with the dress code then? That was what all 3 of my daughters asked me when they were all taking classes. I could hear the frustration in their voices and I saw how the teacher not following her own rules demoralizes her students.
Another great quality that all of my favorite teachers possessed was that they respected me not only as their student but also as a human being. They never talked down to me or made me feel less than the child I was. I have lost track of the times my girls have come home from a dance class, completely discouraged because of a callous tongue, icy disposition or indifferent attitude from their dance instructor. When I addressed this issue with the owner of the studio, she just blew it off and assured me that my girls needed to “toughen up” because this is how it goes in the the dance world!
I laughed at that because my girls are pretty tough cookies already who can hold their own. The owner proceeded to tell me about the credentials of the teachers there and that they were “lucky” to be trained by professionals with such clout. Really?
So it’s acceptable to be a nasty teacher with a mean temper just because you trained at Julliard and danced with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater? I was far from impressed and I let her know it. Folks, how can teachers demand respect from their students when they are not setting the right examples for them to follow. Children look to their superiors for guidance and if non is offered they turn a deaf ear.
Teaching is not just another job you show up to so you can collect your paycheck . If you don’t care a hill of pinto beans about children, if children repulse you and if you have zero tolerance for them, then perhaps you need to find your true calling. Teaching is a higher calling like that of being a parent; that’s why it’s so undervalued and under paid.
This post is dedicated to all the wonderful teachers I had throughout my school years:
Sister Margaret- St. Francis School- 1st grade
Ms. Mary Ellen McClellan- St. Francis School-3rd Grade
Today I’m posting some slang terms from the 1960’s. As I have worked on the last 3 posts, I have gained a new found appreciation for buzzwords and catch phrases of previous decades. We all borrow from one another and this is the case concerning slang words. I showed my post to my husband, who is a ’60’s child and we had a good laugh sharing this with our kids. Our kids are realizing that they aren’t as original as they thought they were. I hope you enjoy this and if you can come up with a few of your own, feel free to share them here.
A Gas A lot of fun.
All show and no go. Referenced to a car that had all the pretty chrome goodies, but wouldn’t get out of its own way.
Ape Used with “Go”, “Gone” or “Went”. To explode or go completely irate.Example: “When my parents saw my report card, they went ape.
Bag To Steal. Example: Who bagged my towel? ; also see Score
Also; “What’s your bag” meaning what’s your problem or where are you coming from. Thanks to Jerry Miles (HHS 66)
Bitchin(See also Twitchin’) Good, Exciting, Awesome.
I wore a dress like that in the '80's
Blast A Great Time. Example: “We had a blast at the Prom”.
Bone Yard Auto wrecking yard; Junk yard.
Bad Awesome.
Cat A guy
Cherry Pristine, Totally Clean. Example: “That rod is cherry”!
Thanks to David Williams (HHS 61) for this one.
Chick A girl or a woman.
Church Key Before pop tops, a Beer or Soda can was opened with one of these. Thanks to Ron Stowe for this one.
CootiesSomeone who wasn’t cool had them. No one ever saw them, but you knew who had them. Thanks to Jennie Quevedo HHS’67.
Crash Go to bed; go to sleep.
Dibs Most always used with “Got”. Example: I “got dibs” on that Coke bottle. Meaning you owned that Coke bottle. Thanks to Ron Stowe for another great word.
Don’t Flip Your Wig See “Don’t have a Cow”.
Dork See Dip Stick
A Drag Someone or something that’s boring or un-enlightening.
Dude In the 60’s, a dude was a geek or a panty waist.
Easy Another way of saying Goodbye. Example: “Easy, Man!!”.
Also a girl who was a sure thing, sexually. Example: That girl Bob took out last night was “Easy”.
Funky Neat, Cool; also gone bad. Example: I think that milk is funky. Thanks to Rachel Green for this late 60’s standard.
“F**kin’ A” This was simply the vulgar form of, “I concur”.
Gimme some skin Shake hands.
Go All The Way Have sex with.
Going Steady If you were “Going Steady”, you were dating only one special person.
GoldenSee Cherry.
Thanks to Bob Ferguson (HHS 65).
Gnarly Originally a difficult or large wave (He wiped out on a gnarly wave),later anything big or difficult (The Chemistry test was gnarly.), then later an expletive of approval (That custom paint job is gnarly!) Thanks again to Peter Schultz HHS66 for this great word.
Groovy Nice, “Cool” or Neat. Used commonly among hippies in the 60’s.
Hang Loose Relax; Take it easy.
Hunk What a girl would call a good looking guy.
Kiss up The proverbial “Teachers Pet”. This person who would do anything to please the teacher.
This great slang term is from “El Rojo” AKA: Russ Jacobsen (HHS 60) Thanks Russ.
Knocked Up Pregnant.
My Kid's Lego Sets Are So Different Now
Loaded Intoxicated.
Melvin See Wedgie; Example: “Jimmy the Fink was smarting off to Billy, so I sneaked up behind him and gave him a Melvin.”
Thanks to Tom Schell for this one….
Neat (Neato) Nice; Sharp
Old Lady Your Mother.
Old Man Your Father. A pair of classics above from Jeff Kain HHS ’72.
Outta Sight Fantastic, Awesome. Example: Hey Kathleen, that tie dyed top your wearing is “outta sight”.
This one provided by Kathleen Griffin (74). Thanks Kathleen… Great saying!
Pig Out Over eat.
Rap Talk.
Right On I agree; I concur.
Classic Vans
RighteousExtremely fine, beautiful. For us guys it was generally used when talking about the most important areas of our lives; cars and women.
Examples:
“John’s got a righteous new paint job on his ’58 Chevy”.
“Ron met this righteous babe down at 26th St.”. Thanks to Bob Melendrez (HHS 71) for this “Righteous” addition.
Scheming When someone is really interested in the opposite sex. Example: “Jim is really scheming on Jill” Thanks to Lillian McDonald Parra HHS63 for this one.
Screwed, Got Cheated out of something
Screwed up Made a mistake; messed up in the head; intoxicated
Mad Men
Shades Sunglasses
Swear to Buddha I guess we thought it was less irreverent than saying “I swear to God.” Thanks to Marsha Soares West (63)
Tough or Tuff Neat, cherry, great, bitchin’. – as in “Wow, she’s really a tuff chic!” Thanks to Bob Rierdan for this old standard.
Wet Willie A trick played when someone wets their finger and puts it in your ear. Thanks to Connie Jax Beverly HHS67
Woody Wagon A wood sided station wagon used to transport surfboards and surfers to and from the beach.
Day 26 Question 26: What is one buzzword or phrase that was highly popular during your teen years?
Answer: I’m not going to mention one phrase but several because how can we forget the 80’s were all about excess right? My favorite 80’s phrase was …No Duh! That sums it all up for me 🙂
A kicker is a hick; a cowboy. they drive trucks with grill gaurds and wear wrangler jeans
Head Banger
Fan of heavy metal music
Hella’
Jams (Songs, Music)
(1)Noun. a collection of songs. ie. “That radio station plays my favorite jams”. (2)Noun. a collection of music cassettes or albums. ie. “Are you brining your jams to the party”?
n/a
Jam
(1)Verb. To leave, usually abruptly. ie. “We’re running late. Let’s jam now.”
Bitch’n (Bitchin’)
Like rad something very cool, “That Cyndi Lauper Record Is Bitch’n!”
Fave
Short for “favorite”.
A teenage girl’s term. Used in teen fan magazines and magazines for teen girls (i.e. “Seventeen”, “‘Teen”, etc.)
Fine
(1)Adj. Cute or a hottie. Used like, “He is so fine.”
See Bodacious
Hardcore
Has 3 different meanings Hardcore punk. The punk of the eighties associated with mohawk haircuts and apocaliptic lyrics. – Extreme
Couch Potato
(1)Noun Someone who sits in front of the TV on their couch or sofa. With the boom of cable, MTV and home video, more people parked their butts on their couches. Hence the term couch potato.
Doy (Doi)
(1)Interj. Short for “No duh” or “no doy”.
See: No Shit Sherlock, Duh
Eat My Shorts
Phrase used as a comeback. Heavily in use in the 80’s and also used on TV’s ‘The Simpsons’. If someone was to put you down in anyway, you can reply with this phrase.
Phrase gained earlier popularity from it’s use by John Bender (Nelson Judd) in ‘The Breakfast Club‘ (1985) ~Editor
Butt Ugly
(1)Adj. Unattractive to the sight.
CD
Abreviation for “Compact Disc”. A disc that stores and plays audio information, music, or video games.
These came out in 1983, but really took off in the late 1990’s. Today, 2005, almost everything is on CD.
Chonies or Chones
Underwear. Short for “calzones”
Spanish origin
Big Time
As in “Did you get that raise you were looking for at work, Dude?” Oh yeah. Big Time! Also the title of a Peter Gabriel tune from that era.
‘Bag Your Face!’
whatever! Shut up!
I own a retro wholesale company and I recently came across a button that said this. It was definately from the 80’s. Thought you might enjoy!
Boy Toy
(1)Noun A word to describe a cute guy used as a toy for older woman. Madonna invented this one with her “Boy Toy” belt on her 1984 Like a Virgin album.
Burn/Burned
“Burn” is synonymous with “face”. “burn” was used to apply dramatic emphasis to the fact someone was proven wrong on an issue that had been hotly debated and contested. it was also used to annoying and harassing effect over trivial matters of the day to the point where it lost all meaning.
Usually preceded by “you got” as in you got burned or by “ooooooh” as in ooooooh, burrrrrn!!!
B.F.F.
Best Friends Forever.
How you would sign a note to a girlfriend. B.F.F
Airhead
(1)Noun A stupid or unaware person; moron, dim-wit.
Origin: term implies that there is nothing but air in the subject’s head. (“He’s confused again. What an airhead!”) Unrenounced to popular belief, Valley Girls did not invent this word. It was used to describe them.
Space Cadet
One who’s not with what is going on. Disoriented. Their head is in space.
See also: Airhead, Ditz.
Bite Me
Means buzz off or go away, ie. “You’re such a geek!” “Like, bite me, dude!”
Heard it the first time in the eighties, but then again, was a teenager and learned a lot of new expressions obviously…
Who Can Forget John Bender from The Breakfast Club?
Day 25 Question 25: In your opinion, what is the greatest comfort of home-tangible or intangible?
In my opinion the greatest comfort of home is a home cookedmeal. No restaurant can replace a meal made by your loved ones. When I was in college and money was scarce, I hated eating out because after a while, it all tastes the same. One day a co-worker invited me to come to her house for the week-end. Her parents were Cuban and I was treated to the first home cooked dinner in months. I was so happy eating black beans and rice; my friend’s mom made the best black beans ever!
Another time I was living with 3 room mates. I had cooked a big pot of beans and rice and when one of my room mates came home, she said I was eating “poor people’s” food. I laughed at her stupid insult because she didn’t know what she was missing. Beans and rice kept me fed and nourished through my whole college experience.
I love cooking because when you use the best natural ingredients available, it makes me feel good to give the best to my family. I must mention that buyiny organic ingredients will not cost you that much more than conventional. That is a myth friends.
We do venture out from time to time to dine, mainly to celebrate birthdays and special occasions. Still, no restaurant can market the one key ingredient found in a home cooked meal: LOVE!
Please refer back to my earlier posts and read what this challenge is about so that the later posts make sense
Day 22 Question #22: If you could choose only one famous quote that you would want your children to always remember, which one would it be?
Answer: This answer comes from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet: “Above all: To thine own self be true.” That is such an important and profound quote. We live in an age where our children are bombarded by the media to be everything else but who they really are. Children are sent to public school to learn to conform and fit the mold in order to further an elitist agenda that disregards the unique, amazing individuals that God created.
Just think for a moment, if God wanted us all to be cookie cutter forms of one another why did He create such a diverse human race? Clearly God celebrates individuality while we live in a society that tries to get everyone to fit in the box of conformity. Our young men and women watch TV shows Like CELEBRITY LOOK ALIKE where they pick someone to get a head to toe makeover so they can look like one of the famous Hollywood celebrities. Personally, I have always liked how I look and I’m not at all interested in looking like anyone else. Let’s turn that idea around and have a celebrity do a make over show where they look like the “Average Joe” or “Ms. Plain Jane” I guess that much reality would cause their precious TV ratings to plummet.
To thine own self be true: Thank you Mr. Shakespeare for having penned your words for a generation of people who are willing to sell out just so they can fit in with the crowd. It takes great courage to be yourself in a culture where uniqueness tends to be scorned. That’s one quote my kids have heard for quite some time and I hope they embrace it through out their lives.
Please refer back to my earlier posts and read what this challenge is about so that the later posts make sense.
Day 17 Question #17: What is the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you?
Answer: I read this and my mind immediately went to when I was in Bible College. I had come up with the tuition money for that semester but I was having a hard time coming up with the money for the required books. I went to the registrar to see what I could do about it and she said that my books were paid for. I was thrilled! I asked her how and she said that someone had paid for my books earlier that week. When I asked her who because I wanted to thank them personally, she said she had promised this individual complete anonymity. My eyes got a little misty and I thanked God for coming through for me through the kindness of a stranger.
This world has grown completely insane. A person tries to spread a little love around only to get slapped in the face. A while ago, my oldest daughter tried to be nice to a younger girl who was in line to buy some candy at The Dollar Store. The girl didn’t have enough for her purchase, so my girl gave her a dollar. The other girl was just about to take it when her mom stepped in and scolded her daughter for taking it. My daughter gave me a puzzled look and the girl’s mom gave us both dirty looks as if to say,” We aren’t charity cases, so keep your money ‘cuz we don’t need it.”
Then there was a time when I was at the grocery store and the young woman in front of me was short of money for her groceries; I had a few single bills and I offered them to her and with her snooty nose stuck way up high in the air she said in a chilly tone of voice,” No thanks but I got it.” Yeah right! She had to put some of her items back.
The whole world is upside down crazy. I was kind to a kid, one of my kid’s friends. Her mother went ballistic on me and she had her kid cut off all ties with my family. WTH? Love offends now probably just as worse or maybe worse than in the days when Yeshua walked with us. He told His followers that others would know they are His followers because of their LOVE. It seems like in these days people would rather that you cuss ’em out than you lift a hand to bless them.
Are these the days that try men’s souls? It seems so to me. What do you think?
We live in an age where our children are bombarded by the media to be everything else but who they really are. Children are sent to public school to learn to conform and fit the mold in order to further an elitist agenda that disregards the unique, amazing individuals that 
where they pick someone to get a head to toe makeover so they can look like one of the famous 
It takes great courage to be yourself in a culture where uniqueness tends to be scorned. That’s one quote my kids have heard for quite some time and I hope they embrace it through out their lives.
Eva Santiago 