Kickin' it Old Skool: The Weekly Hodgepodge

Want to join the party?  Go on over to From This Side of the Pond  for the Hodgepodge questions.

 

What's something you wanted to do this summer that you never got around to actually doing?

Swimming.  I wanted to spend the summer improving my swimming strokes.  The problem is the not only has the price gone up from $2.00 to $3.00 (and it's a longer trip), but I also felt kind of weird about going alone.  Most everyone there is with their children or families.  I also wanted to get outside more.  Maybe this Autumn will be when I get more fresh air.

Share a favorite memory of your own back -to-school days as a child.

My favorite back to school memory is the beginning of my Junior year.  Hey, teens count as "childhood" when you're over 40!  It was my first marching season in the drumline.  I enjoyed all the pep rallies, ball games, and competitions.  My junior and senior years were my best school years.

What's one chore or daily task you prefer doing 'old-school' ?

Cleaning the floor.  I'm a firm believer that Swiffers are a rip off.  Brooms, mops and soap are much cheaper and quite frankly, easier to use.  I can get a lot more cracks and crevices clean with a wet string mop than a Swiffer (ever tried to clean behind a toilet with a Swiffer?).  In the event of an accident, who's got time to fuss with putting the stupid Swiffer together? 

Share something you've learned in life through the 'school of hard knocks'.

There's no shortage of hurtful, hateful people in the world.  If I let them control my life, it will be shallow and fearful.  I also learned that debt is a terrible way to live (thanks, Dave Ramsey).

As a child, did you mostly bring or buy your lunch for school? What was your favorite thing to find in your lunchbox?

I always ate the school lunches.  Before I went to high school and could eat burgers and pizza every day, I always loved it when we had mashed potatoes and green peas (we call them English peas).  Yes, this was before Michelle Obama's "I hate fat kids" campaign.

Football season is upon us which has me wondering... how big of a sports fan are you (not just football) ? On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being 'I scream at the players through my television screen' and 1 being 'is knitting a sport?' where do you fall in fandom? 

Probably an eight.  I love to cheer for my favorite teams, but it's not a life or death situation.  Plus, I crochet while listening to the game so I'm relaxed and not so strident about it.  My favorite sports are college (American) football--Roll Tide--and professional baseball--Go Braves.  Winter and spring are lonely, dark times for this sports fan.

Share a favorite quote you think might inspire students of all ages at the start of a new school year. 

Mark Twain said, "A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read."  In other words, don't stop reading when formal schooling is over.  In fact, real learning starts when someone else isn't picking out what books you read.

Insert your own random thought here.

I am either relapsing or haven't gotten totally well yet.  I'll have one good day followed by several days of being weak and achy.  This is go aggravating and totally screwing up my fitness plan. You'd think I'd be stronger than this.  Anyway, I've been listening to this song to cheer myself up.  I know I keep posting it in different places, but it is so funny.