Weekly Update - Saturday, October 06, 2007

Purple Dragons –
The Dragons were idle this week, only one practice. Our Thursday game was moved due to a Cross Country meet. Now, with all due respect to the World and National class runners in my family, it was tough enough when the Soccer people, of whom I am one, tried to declare that since more people around the world play football, soccer, that soccer is the real football. Okay, that may be the case in the rest of the world but not here in the Midwest. But, to be bumped by Cross Country, the world is beginning to spin off its axis. Fine, pause the game while the herd runs through then resume the game. Cancelling? Oh! Well.

Our finely tuned machine of flag pullers were in rare form last Monday evening. Coach B was working in a few new plays. The LSU fake field goal was cool as was the Tennessee Titan’s Statue of Liberty. We don’t get to kick so that play was pulled. The additions to the play book came after seeing the spread offense of a number of Saturday teams. We are still working on which is left and which is right. We did have a revelation that a couple of our players on offense when they learn in the huddle they are to get the ball raise their hands. We have always wondered how we seem to be playing these Mensa monsters of the midway that swoop in to get the flags within milliseconds. A parent on the sideline pointed out that tidbit. In the words of the comedian, Bill Englwald, there’s your sign.

Purple Dragons will be back in business on Tuesday, October 9. The cable deal is still pending. Thanks for asking!

Blog Etiquette and Acronyms
I have started to get into the world of Blogging. I have met some great people and had the opportunity to read some very creative and interesting perspectives of the world. Within a couple of days of Busy Dad Mumbles, going into operation I began to learn you are not just to read the materials on a blog but you are also to provide comment. Not commenting is called lurking. The name implies awful sounding things but it is just a way to get blog readers to provide some acknowledgement to blog writers. (Read my Creates a Hallmark Holiday on Lurking.)

There are acronyms that describe the writers, SAHM, are a Stay At Home Mom. SAHD is a Stay at Home Dad. (I have mentioned this to Lieber a couple of times this week as my next career move.) Lieber and I have qualified in the acronym world as SIMK’s. (Single Income Multiple Kids) There are also DINK’s (Dual Incomes No Kids). Lieber and I have figured we are NEIMCEAMW, (Not Enough Income Multiple College Educations and Multiple Weddings.) There are more acronyms than the Military.

There is one Blog called Wordless Wednesday. Being in a house full of young providers of words. I thought initially this site was a parents dream. Please note that I had to edit out any spouse type references here. But, the concept was right on. Once I learned it is a picture on your site and really is testing the old adage of a picture is worth a thousands words. I participated for the first time using a picture of my late dog and cat. Got lots of comments. The fuel of blogs. You should try it sometime.

Blogging has been lots of fun. I have met some great people all over the country that read and comment on the stories posted. I look forward to meeting more and providing worthwhile content. TEFN = (That is enough for Now)


School Fund Raisers
Climbing up on my soapbox. Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Taxation without representation! That is what I am calling the continued school fund raisers. I have three kids in public school. So annually they come home with packets of items to sell to friends, neighbors, co-workers, relatives, or anyone else that is within earshot. Now mind you we already provide paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, markers, snacks for that class, etc.

Now, don’t get me wrong. As a kid I pitched in for bake sales for someone’s band trip, sold Christmas trees and popcorn, car washes for school outings, donations for new uniforms, etc. The effort was for a specific one time event. Off limits in this discussion are Girl Scout cookies. This group is providing a community service, the annual allotment of thin mints! (Fill in your favorite cookie)

Back to the Soap Box. My fourth grader tells me about a 45 minute assembly at school to see the cool products and the big prizes for selling the most items. We can’t have outside games at school like dodge ball or exercise. But, a 45 minute sales meeting? The kids and the teachers will then get weekly updates on their sales progress. Oh! In the written materials it say, “We do not encourage door to door sales, sell to neighbors, friends, and relatives.” First, I behave poorly enough that this group of people barely speaks to me for any extended length of time. Now, to hit this group with 3 sellers of trinkets and trash from one household. Enough already!

But the way, the neighborhood kids don’t listen in the meetings or read the materials after seeing the prizes. We have had five pairs of kids at our door requesting we buy. When I or Lieber explain very nicely that we have 3 competitive sales associate in our homestead we get the look of oh! Sure! You’re just saying that.

What is the money going to? Who is making the money and who controls the distribution? Have these people heard of Child Labor Laws? Parents with youngsters unite! Those of you with pre-schoolers watch out. Juice box and stroller tickets are coming!

Who are these companies that, out of the goodness of their heart, are providing products for sale to assist our community? I’m in business. That doesn’t sound like a good return on investment. There is obviously a sales rep, there are marketing materials being printed, prizes being purchased, and there is a distribution process which can cost the sellers should the buyer not make good on the purchase or mover outside of the delivery area.

Another question. Are the tax dollars of these sales being returned to the community? People in this area got all exercised when a retailer was coming into town to take money for the pocket of locals. “The items in the pamphlets don’t say, Made in the Midwest. So I am guessing there is some large percentage of the sales revenue leaving the area.

When I have asked each of the sellers what the items are being sold for they say school, then prizes. There is not a consistently understood end result that this dubious work is being applied too. I did hear one answer that it was for overhead projectors? OH! You mean we are going to replace that fine Monk in the basement with the stone tablet and chisel? Are those overhead projectors still being used outside of designing the homecoming float or drawing the pre-game run through for a sports team?

We just had the honor of our taxes being raised first by a vote, then by a goofed up assessment system. (Another story, another time) The property taxes were raised to provide for education and the schools. You mean we are about to build a school that needs the kids to go door to door for the leading edge technology of an overhead projector? OH! Yea. We are going to be rocketing up the rankings of the international world in education once we have the dollars for equipment. Maybe we can convince everyone in the school system to play Monopoly at McDonalds. I’m sure we have just as good a chance of getting the winning ticket as the kids do in seeing the result of their sales.

Let’s begin asking the next candidate or political party that calls looking for money if they would like to buy some school fund raiser materials? Maybe there can be a debate on this topic? Down off the box.

Great football weekend both in live and Fantasy.

Also, I got to watch hockey on television the other night. There will be more on this topic as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ journey toward winning Lord Stanley’s Cup.