As I've mentioned before, part of my job involves working in various local schools for short periods of time. This is nice because I get to see a wide variety of environments. You might recall, at one point I wanted to work in a school setting (or at least with kids).
ANYWAY... In the latest school that we're working in they recently gave all the students a compatibility test. The results were then sold to the students as part of a fundraiser for FBLA. Ok. Nice idea. Great way to make money. But... I have an issue with such a survey. Are you surprised?
The school isn't that large. A mid-sized, small town school for the area, about 500 kids. What we witnessed was high school drama at it's best. Friends laughing at who the computer picked as compatibility matches. Many kids 'grossing out' over having a geek or dork ranking high on their list. Boyfriends and girlfriends questioning relationship stability over a test. A test! A survey more appropriately...
I'm sure the intention is way different from what I see. Yet, it seems like just another way to reinforce cliques and stereotypes. Liking someone (friend or otherwise) for who they are as you get to know them, having been replaced by a simple 40-question survey. Saves you the time of possibly making a new friend.
Granted, I'm probably a bit more worked up over this than might be rational, but I don't think it is a good message to really send out. "Don't be friends with this person... Instead be friends with whom you've been selected by a lifeless emotionless computer algorithm."
It even happens in the dating world. There are several personals sites that offers compatibility matching. To a certain extent I can understand a desire for such a thing. Why waste your time one someone for whatever your reasoning might be? Yet... I think there is a certain amount of close-mindedness in only going by results. And this is what saddens me. High school kids seeing this in school and not fully appreciating the 'entertainment' value of it. Going on to possibly use dating sites and once again not fully appreciating the 'entertainment' value.
It's like believing in horoscopes. At the risk of sounding hypocritical I will admit to having read and compared horoscopes of the Cute Teacher and myself. The difference is, I don't take it to heart. I don't believe that just because it's written in the stars that it is true.
To all this I just have to laugh. As I hope others do. I hope the majority of the people who take any such compatibility survey not only realize that results aren't written in stone. Just because a computer says you're a good match with someone doesn't mean you actually will be. Vice versa... You might be passing up a gem of a fella just because you don't have the same taste in music.
I posted this @ 2/22/2007 01:14:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
2/16/2007
I COULD BE BROWN. I COULD BE BLUE. I COULD BE VIOLET SKY.
This song isn't new, per se, to people who might have a hip friend or somenoe with their finger on the pulse of the music scene. I know I've seen this video on a couple blogs. In much of the same way that the terms "hot yoga" and "magic mouthwash" have been following me around in conversation... this video has been popping up in places that I wouldn't expect. So I've finally succumb to the pressure and I now pass this song on.
Give it two listens and you'll be humming it the rest of the day.
I posted this @ 2/16/2007 08:01:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
2/14/2007
I FEEL LOVE
I have been thinking about this topic for sometime, but I thought I'd save it til I had a clearer thought fleshed out in my mind. Valentine's Day seems like the perfect time for such a thought.
Boyfriend. Girlfriend. Lover. Hook-up. Steady. Main Squeeze. There are a lot of terms and terms of endearment that a person might be called. Some people don't like such pet names. Some people see them as labels, ineffectual ones at that. Some people do nothing but exist to be someone's boyfriend... girlfriend... husband... wife...
Personally, I don't mind the term boyfriend. While I admit it does have an immature feel to it. Thirty-two years old and calling (and being called) someone boyfriend? Seems silly, right? Is the term boyfriend a label, a title, a term of endearment?
When you think about what two people, who are exclusively dating, there are many terms that you might apply to them. Using my own situation here... Saying "a couple" seems fine, but non-descript at the same time. A couple of what!? Life Partner is too politically correct. Too sanitized of feeling and emotion. Significant Other falls in the same category as Life Partner, no emotion. It's what you say about someone and the person their dating when you aren't sure what exactly you might properly refer to them as. Husband comes with some legal implications and while the term is fine, I think it really should be used carefully and not easily tossed around. Someone I Have Strong Feelings For And Enjoy Spending Lots Of Time With... is a mouthful, but accurately gets the point across. Which brings us back to boyfriend. Is the Cute Teacher a boy? Hardly. But Guyfriend doesn't really sound right. My best friend, Mike, is a 'guy friend'. That is more of a term for friends. Manfriend sounds like you're speaking Caveman-ese. "This Cute Teacher. He Cris Manfriend."
So we're back to boyfriend. Which I'm perfectly ok with.
I think it's similar to how we feel towards public affection from our parents as we grow up. There is an awkward middle age where most people shy away from such overly sappy type displays from our parents in front of friends or relatives. Similarly, I think there is a middle age that the same thing happens with the term boyfriend. It's cute when a child has a boyfriend or girlfriend. It's also kinda cute when someone who is retired, perhaps widowed, has found a boyfriend or girlfriend. But that area in between... not so much. I guess you can either embrace it or shun it.
As for Valentine's Day itself, I once was a hater of it. Mainly in high school and early college. At some point I just didn't care anymore. I wasn't a big dater back then anyway. So being single on Valentine's Day wasn't an issue I really gave any thought about. I could be just as depressed about being single anytime of the year. I didn't need a special day to remind me.
Conversely, being un-single on Valentine's Day is nice, but not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I don't need a special day to remind me of my feelings for someone. I can say how I feel any day of the year, and typically do. Having said that, I will say that it is nice to be thought of though. It's not hypocritical of any previous statements I just made. Simple put, whether you are single or not, it is always nice to know that someone is thinking about you. Hopefully it doesn't take presents or flowers or chalky candy hearts with trendy sayings. Hopefully someone is thinking about you on other days besides holidays. Or let someone know that you are thinking of them. It doesn't have to involve romance. It could be something simple as a card or a phone call or a surprise visit. So while I'm not a flowers and presents type of guy, I really do think it is the thought the counts. Be thankful for those people in your life that you care about and the ones that care about you. Let them know it.
I posted this @ 2/14/2007 12:51:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
2/07/2007
ONE KISS
While I love music, I'm not prone to posting lyrics here a lot. When he gave me this song... I just had to pass it along. *blushes*
SOON MY KNIGHT MAY FIND ME SOFTLY STEAL BEHIND ME PUT ME ON A HORSE AND CARRY ME AWAY LAUGH ALL YOU LIKE AT ME I’LL FIND MY MAN – YOU’LL SEE ONE KISS, ONE MAN TO SAVE IT FOR ONE LOVE FOR HIM ALONE ONE WORD, ONE VOW, AND NOTHING MORE TO TELL HIM I’M HIS OWN ONE MAGIC NIGHT WITHIN HIS ARMS WITH PASSION’S FLOWER UNFURLED AND ALL MY LIFE I’LL LOVE ONLY ONE MAN AND NO OTHER MAN IN THE WORLD
I posted this @ 2/05/2007 02:55:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?
Not ready for football? Well, fine. This is about the other big game night. At least around here. After MONTHS and MONTHS of planning (i.e. I finally nailed down a day and stuck with it) a game night. The cast; Me, Cute Teacher, Jay, and His own cute teacher, Susannah.
It started out with making a run to Toys 'R' Us to buy another game to add to the options that would already be present. Can you believe Toys 'R' Us didn't have regular Trivial Pursuit? WTF?! They had every spin off known to mankind. Well, almost every spin off. They didn't have the Pop Culture version that we were looking for. The original plan was Scene It, and we ended up sticking with it. CT and I felt very confident in our ability to kick some trivia ass at this game. Between the two of us, we were feeling pretty confident about our knowledge.
Dinner was nice. It's fun to meet someone new over dinner because you get to see everyone's personalities a lot sooner. Food has that tendency to make us more relaxed. At least it does me. I had been on kick where I was eating at so many different places and trying new places that something simple like Chili's is almost exotic. I had unintentionally avoided it til a recent dinner with CT, where I rediscovered some of the things on the menu I liked.
Moving on...
We get to Jay's house and take the tour (for the new people) and visit the attic that I'm pretty sure once housed an evil twin of a previous owner. I love the house, Jay, but your attic is creeping me out from here.
CT and I both consider ourselves to be competitive. Susannah admitted she was, which leaves Jay as the least competitive, by his own admission.
Game night started off simple with Clue. What I found interesting was everyone had a very different style of keeping track of their clues. I took the first game on a fluke, with a little help from Jay. CT took the second handily. I think the four of us are a very brainy bunch (that the way they became the Brainy Bunch). The level of concentration at playing Clue was entertaining. I think if a pin dropped at one point we all would've jumped when we heard it.
Moving on to Taboo, this was a bit more of a challenge. I had never played the actual rules with buzzers and timers and such. I think it's safe to say CT and I felt more comfortable when I was giving and he was receiving. The challenge came in having so many things to concentrate on. Getting someone to guess a word without using 5 of the most common words associated with it. I found myself talking very slowly as I repeatedly looked over the words. Then having someone from the other team ready to buzz you if you fucked up. Then watching the timer and knowing the score. No pressure. it definitely is good when you can relate the word to something personal that you have experienced and not even need to tabooed words at all. CT had a couple moments where he goes into what he calls "idiot savant mode" and he is just 'on' and guessing everything correctly. Fun game! In the end Jay and Susannah won in a tie breaker. But I maintain that is was slightly unfair because CT and I were unable to get a chance to tie the tie breaker. Sour grapes? No. Just competitive. :-) I'm sure there will be a rematch.
Finally, it was Scene It's turn. I was definitely over-confident going in to this game. CT and I started out with a good lead on the game board but came to a screeching halt when we couldn't answer the final question. What I love/hate about Scene It is, when you are giving a movie scene to watch and answer a question about... there is no way of knowing what you might get asked. It might simply be the title of the movie. Sometimes it's something obscure like "How many times did the cash register ring in the background?" You REALLY have to be paying attention. A photographic memory and some ADD is good. Pay attention to a little bit of EVERYTHING.
Jay & Susannah held their own quite well. Like I said, we were over-confident, but that's fine. It was still fun. There were definitely some questions that no one had any clue on. Which is good! Then it's not a run away for anyone.
Two things I'd say... 1) Get more people involved! Anyone up for it? 2) Various games to add to the collection. Rummikub. Mah Jongg. Life.
I posted this @ 2/05/2007 09:43:00 AM.............Need a link?..........
2/01/2007
CAN YOU PICTURE THAT?
Growing up I had a couple years of piano lessons. I took enough to be consider qualified to join the school band. For the most part I taught myself to play piano. I was never good at reading music. I would play by ear. I'd hear a song and take time to pick out the notes til what I played sounded like I heard. As I grew up the songs became more complex. Adding bass lines to the melody. Harmonies. Chords. Intros instead of just a verse or a chorus.
While perusing You Tube I realized that a lot of my music I learned was coming from The Muppets. This is just one of my favorite songs that I'd learned to play. Still is.
I posted this @ 2/01/2007 01:01:00 PM.............Need a link?..........
I'm a 30-something student of human nature. A music-lovin', groove-shakin', laugh-inducin', dish-cookin', gossip-slingin', type of guy. This is my diary of sorts...
