Have you Driven 90 MPH?

I was asked this question recently by a friend. "Yes, I said I actually have but it wasn't because I wanted to but I didn't realize I was going that fast". Sometimes I have been told I often have a lead foot, but in all honesty when you have learned to drive in one of the most traffic busy cities you have to go with the flow for sometimes the wrong reasons.

I learned to drive in a rather large 1964 Cadillac. I was one of the oldest driver's in my driver's education class at school. My parents would not allow me to get my license until I was 18 and could pay for my own insurance and buy my own car. Learning responsibility? Yes, it was a hard pill to swallow but looking back I probably wasn't ready to hit the LA roads at 16. Many of my friends did and they are still around to tell about it. I am thankful that I learned on the mean streets of California. I have to say I had a few fender benders in my time; 2 my fault, 1 I wasn't even in the car at the time and one hit by flying debris. I consider myself pretty fortunate since my commute was for a long time 80 miles round trip per day. I got myself into some pretty terrifying predicaments and some Indy style driving helped probably save my life a few times. I witnessed several life changing/driving style changing accidents too. Having said that I look to my now place of residence and state in which I live and shake my head in disbelief, again!

1964 Cadillac

 Our 1984 Corvette and Hadleigh helping wash. 2012

It has been a difficult couple weeks in our community. In the course of a couple weeks we had two young men die way to young due to car accidents.  I am sure as a parent these parents grapple with many things they wished they may have done differently.  Kids think they are indestructible, many push the envelope of life and end up with an empty piece of blood-stained folded paper. Hopefully, whatever the scenario was in these two incidents it will open the eyes of other children, parents and open up a dialog to change MO laws and also the way we drive as individuals.

Back in my horse and buggy days you were required to take driver's education in schools.  Yes, so having read this post I was one of the seniors in the car full of young teenage drivers. It was a part of the school programs at the time and a help to parents who didn't or couldn't or wouldn't teach their kids to drive. My dad took me briefly to quiet industrial areas and taught me but the majority was done by the instructor. Also many driving schools were dotted in my State so there was no option uncovered except maybe those who just didn't want to learn to drive, of which I knew a few. Still shake my head at that also.

A few days after the incidents I was talking to people from several groups and most came back with the same response. Why do they not make it a requirement to go through driver's education for people especially kids to get licensed? A day later an article suddenly appeared in our local paper (Sedalia Democrat) http://bit.ly/1QqvVjR

One of the consistent comments I have heard why parents don't have them take the course is: cost. In our school district it is $180.00. I understand the cost could be a hardship for some people due to economic reasons but my philosophy and I find I have not been alone is "IT IS WORTH IT" If it gives a little extra tools, practice and hours behind the wheel why not? Do without so that it gives you and your child a little extra knowledge of that crazy road out their.Putting an inexperienced person behind the wheel of a vehicle is a major milestone of sorts.

  Both of my kids took the course. I remember asking them having took a similar course if they thought it was worth it and both said yes. I almost think they should go a step further and require all drivers, yes all drivers to take a refresher course. We all tend to forget, the rules of the road and we should welcome it.

You never know when you get in a vehicle these days especially with texting, cellphones etc. what situation you might be faced with. Keep your hands on the wheel, and stay safe. Your life and those around you might depend on it. 

Are We Losing The Ability and Chance to Write?

Not a day goes by where I am not seeing the debate about technology and the true hand written word on the Internet or newspaper (for those who actually still read a paper you hold in your hand that gets delivered to your home).  A definite strong debate about the pros and cons is happening everywhere.

 I first wrote about this debate on this blog back in June, 2011. "The Written Word Changing How We Communicate? My last comment in that blog; "don't take away something that makes each person unique". In a time where we keep pushing individuality and non-conformity why are we still having this debate?

In just about every article I have read on the subject the first statement made is "schools don't have the time to teach due to constant-changing curriculum". Penmanship, a word most over the age of 20 know but those under probably need to Google should still be important as it is what makes individuals unique.

In both an article I read recently that a friend tagged on Facebook, written by Melinda Carstensen for the Lake Elsinore, CA-Wildomar Patch News and also this past weekend in our local Sedalia Democrat Newspaper by Bob Satnan was that computers are replacing the true written word.

I know it may seem strange as I am typing this blog that by doing so I have went the way of the computer, but I still do a good majority with a pen or pencil in hand. I personally still write and sign checks, I write my grocery list, I even write thank you notes. I take notes to even help with what I am writing on the computer.  Although my cursive writing isn't as clean as it used to be and my print gets sloppy (I got rid of the knuckle bump years ago) people that have known me for years say my writing still looks pretty much the same.

Mr. Satan told of a story in his article that went back to his school years in that a teacher accused him of having someone else complete an assignment he turned in. As it turned out after his mother accompanied him back to school and explained the difference was the first part had been done before he was told he couldn't go to basketball practice until after his homework was done. (remember those days of rushing through something just to get it done so you could do what you wanted to do?) If  he had done his assignment as they do today on a computer how do you verify it belongs to that person and someone else hasn't done the keystrokes?

Everyone has those days of rushing through something and not taking the time to do something presentable the first time. Is that where we have come to with regards to the hand written or cursive word? Are teachers, because of scheduling not wanting to take the time? Are parents not having enough time in the daily schedule to help children learn?

My oldest granddaughter is just starting to learn letters and numbers. I told my daughter why not use both. Let her use the computer/tablet to trace over the letters to learn but also have paper to actually put pencil in hand and get experience in writing it. I would not just want her or any of my grandchildren to just mark X as a signature or not know how to write. That will go back to the times of illiterate people who couldn't read or write. Wouldn't it?

Even learning keyboard functioning makes for a lot of room for errors. Since our local newspaper was purchased by a larger company in the Midwest and have let go many local writers I have noticed the proofreading practices are below acceptable. Not an issue goes by that I don't notice a proofreading error or a duplicate article written in the same paper with a different headline. Is this because someone is getting sloppy and doesn't have the time? It probably wouldn't matter if they were hand writing it or typing but its just another sloppy short cut.

Some sad statistics that were covered in the article by Melinda Carstensen are truly disturbing:

45 states and the District of Columbia have followed Common Core Standards since 2010 which gives schools the option to teach cursive but DON'T require it. (so far I am not a proponent of Common Core)

Many educators no longer feel cursive is worthwhile, as writing moves to tablets and computers and state tests dictate curricula

By grade 12, half of classroom assignments are written on computers. Many schools around the country are also assignment a computer to each child for the school year.

Most parents state children can not read their teacher's cursive handwriting.

States such as Georgia, Massachusetts and California have taken steps toward making cursive mandatory. Tennessee lawmakers are fighting to keep.

One sad look toward the future of why hand writing is detrimental to how our society will evolve is during the George Zimmerman murder trial, 19-year-old Rachel Jeantel testified she couldn't read a letter that a lawyer handed her. It was written in cursive. Sad and unacceptable.

I will continue to take pad to paper and will use my trusty computer and tablet. You can do both if you put your mind and hand to it. No one can take that away, unless you let them.

Tooth Fairy No Longer Leaves Spare Change--Say It Isn't So

I had a conversation recently with someone who had mentioned that their grandchild had there first experience with the Tooth Fairy. We both brought up stories of our experiences as kids. Both stories were pretty similar.

Mine was unfortunately by accident while playing on the bars at school. The accident didn't knock it out but did loosen it a bit and I ended up  going on a trip to the dentist who took it out the rest of the way.  That night I remember putting it under my pillow and the next morning I was happy to receive fifty cents. My friends story was similar but her tooth feel out on its own but she also received fifty cents.

Times they have definitely changed. Not long after this conversation, I read an article in our local paper

entitled, "The Price of Tooth Nearing $4, Tooth Fairy No Longer Leaves Spare Change". My first thought was I know the economy and inflation go hand in hand, but really? The first sentence in the article stated, "Days of finding a quarter under your pillow are long gone". Wow, do they really have to be?  According to the article kids today are averaging  $3.70 per lost tooth, up 23% from 2012. This was according to a survey by Visa, Inc. Ok my first thought was really, Visa the credit card company! Next you will tell me because change is becoming obsolete parents are giving Visa debt cards as payment.

Of course they also have an Tooth Fairy Calculator app that can give parents an idea by age group, income bracket and education level to determine what to give. Really, has it become that hard to decide? I really don't believe our parents spent that much time thinking about the situation. I am sure that they basically saw what small token they could provide. It wasn't necessary back in the day to break the bank and at the age you usually lose teeth I am sure the big topic of conversation of the day wasn't how much we got.

One good point in the article was that this is a good time to bring up if you do decide to rob Ft. Knox for the Tooth Fairy make it an opportunity to discuss smart money habits (save a little spend a little).

Demographics also comes into play with the Tooth Fairy according to the Visa study, Kids in the Northwest average $4.10 per tooth, West and South get $3.70, Midwest kids received $3.30. But, thank goodness there were a third of parents surveyed who said the Tooth Fairy left a dollar or less.

Really good parents also included a kids toothbrush and tooth paste with the money.

I guess what I took away and also shared with my daughter since it will be in her near future to deal with this is:  Don't try and keep up with the" Jones" and keep it fun. Don't let the times and inflation make a memorable experience into a big deal.

The other funny thing about this was that someone on my Facebook page posted a cartoon that said something to the effect of what would happen if an elderly person put there dentures underneath their pillow? I'm glad to say I am not in that category, so if someone wants to try this idea, let me know if the Tooth Fairy came and what she left YOU