Tag Archives: society

Welcome December!

1 Reply

Ah!  It is finally here.  I adore December.  Yes, there is my birthday and Christmas, but I love advent.  There is always so much to do in the lead-up to Christmas.  My instinct is to want to do it all, but I am so very glad when I don’t.  What really matters is spending time with all the people I love.  For me, all of the traditions and planning are half the fun!

This year, I am grateful for all I have in my life.  Is my life perfect?  No, but that said, I am far from where I once was.  I have a job I truly adore, and I didn’t give up on teaching, although it would have been so easy to do so.  I also have a man in my life I love and am deeply loved in return.  John and I both agree that we would not have done nearly as much over the past few years if not for each other.  I am grateful that I get along so well with my siblings and their families.  As frustrated as I can get with my parents at times, I am acutely aware of how lucky I am to still have them both in good health.  I could go on, but just know that I am well aware of how truly blessed I am.

As I move into 2025, I’ve been thinking about writing, blogging, podcasting, and so much more.  My issue here at Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde is not that I don’t have enough material, it is that I have too much.  I have a notebook full of ideas.  Right now, I am trying to decide which songs to write about next, which books to review and when, not to mention how to write a long piece on supply chain and its place in geopolitics, which is probably a series.  I’m not exactly sure how it fits here, but it explains so much as to who I am and what I believe.  How do I put all of this together?

I experimented with podcasting in 2020, and it remains something I am interested in. The issue is this:  How do I settle on a topic?  As far as I am concerned, the best podcasts are highly focused.  I have too many interests that would make for great podcast content.

I do know this:  I intend to write more in 2025.  I am not getting any younger.  I have more to say, not less.  It is a matter of establishing good habits.  I am happier when I write!  I am not one to get bored – at least not when I have a book to read or access to my writing materials.

So, once again, welcome December!  Happy Advent!  I hope that your holiday season is off to a great start.  2025 will be here soon enough.

Goodbye, November

1 Reply

Where did November go?  Seriously?  It seems as though we just went back to school, and now, we are well past the halfway mark for first semester.  I have to say, my November was packed with lots of fun.  So many new memories made!

At the beginning of the month, I attended a Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) game with my siblings and their families.  Go Cards!  After the game, we all spent time hanging out at my parents’ house watching even more football and eating pizza.  I think it has to become a new tradition.  Even though I don’t hunt, I enjoyed everyone else discussing and making plans for opening day (November 15th for firearm deer season here in Michigan).  I love that the tradition continues, even if Camp Russell is long gone.

The following Friday night, John and I attended the Barenaked Ladies (BNL) concert at Soaring Eagle Casino in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.  It did not go as planned, to say the least.  Somehow, we did not have the seats we thought we had.  I still have no idea how, why, where, or when the mixup happened, but it did.  First, let me start with the opening band, Toad the Wet Sprocket.  While not quite a one-hit wonder, Toad the Wet Sprocket had a couple of hits with “All I Want” and “Walk on the Ocean” in the 90s.  Honestly, pretty forgettable and comparable to dad yacht rock of the late 70s and early 80s.  Way, way too mellow, even for me.  The aesthetic of the set worked well, but if things were going to start off this slow, we were in for a long night.

Now before I discuss BNL, you have to understand that I waited 20 years to see them in concert.  BNL is a huge part of the soundtrack of both my high school and college years.  In 2004, during my senior year at Michigan State, I had the opportunity to see them at the Breslin Center.  Unfortunately, my firstborn intuitive sense of responsibility kicked in.  I had too much to do.  I shouldn’t spend the money.  It goes on and on.  As I have proven time and time again, I am my own worst enemy.  Buy the damn concert tickets!  Just go!

As much as I tried to lower my expectations for the BNL concert, it didn’t work.  Instead, I left disappointed.  In fact, we left after the first song.  It just wasn’t what we were expecting at all.  We’d looked up set lists from earlier concerts on the tour, and it looked great.  As one would expect, they opened with one of their monster hits and continued to mix their hits with their new, super mellow album “In Flight.”  I’d listened to the new album before the concert and enjoyed it for what it was.  Looking at the supposed setlist, I thought it would work well.  Wrong!

Mt. Pleasant happened to be the last concert on their tour, and for whatever reason, they completely changed up the set list.  They started with the new songs and continued the dad yacht rock vibe with a vengeance.  No telling when they would get to their back catalog.  Also, what really worried me is the fact that their hits could have been played in a more mellow, stripped down, acoustic version a la MTV Unplugged.  I enjoy that type of music at times, but that is the exact opposite reason why I wanted to see BNL.  I wanted the crazy energy of “One Week,” “The Old Apartment,” and the “Big Bang Theory Theme.”  Add in a BNL superfan who insisted on talking to me throughout the entire break between acts, in addition to continually bumping her purse in John’s side, we were over it.  We left.  Again, lesson learned.

Fortunately, the weekend wasn’t ruined.  We spent time at Michigan State on Saturday.  I showed John all my old favorite haunts.  It is surreal though.  In East Lansing, I constantly felt simultaneously back at home and flabbergasted on how much had changed.  I’m just glad that Crunchies, the Peanut Barrel, and the Pita Pit are still there.  Fun note:  Barstool Sports sponsored a pub crawl throughout East Lansing that Saturday.  We were trying to figure out why we were seeing groups of students dressed up as bananas all over campus and East Lansing.  At first, we thought it might be some crazy type of protest.

Now that Thanksgiving and deer season are behind us, bring on Christmas!  December, of course, never disappoints.  Advent starts tomorrow.  I hope to slow down and enjoy it!

Feliz Día de los Muertos

Leave a reply

Teaching the meaning behind Día de los Muertos was always one of my favorite parts of teaching Spanish.  Enjoy the ending of Coco, one of my all-time favorite animated movies.

November 1st – Happy National Author’s Day!

Leave a reply

I just found out today is National Author’s Day. How appropriate!  The creative writing club I started at school met this afternoon at the end of the school day.  There is never a dull meeting.  They are so passionate about their interests, including but not limited to writing.  I’ve watched as members have bonded over music and other media.  It is inspiring how they support one another, too.

In the online school environment, there aren’t quite as many opportunities to strike up friendships with classmates as in brick and mortar.  Personally, I think that is why school clubs are so vital in an online school environment.  Last year, my first year teaching online, I watched as students planned for weeks and even months for the in-person prom held at the Lansing Center.  Students attended from all over Michigan. The pictures, conversations, and friendships made that evening were discussed repeatedly as the school year came to a close.  I can only hope that that same can be said when I reflect on the creative writing club at the end of the school year.

In my first year as mentor and creator of the club, I sought to find the best possible resources for aspiring high school writers.  Luckily, my online classroom set aside for our new club allowed me to do just that.  It is now a place where students can collaborate, offer one another and seek encouragement, as well as find resources and inspiration.  I can only imagine if I had had such a resource in high school.  I admit, I’ve had too much fun setting things up.  So far, my entire experience with the creative writing club has underscored the importance of community as a writer.

Face it:  Writing can be lonely work.  Over the years, I’ve always enjoyed meeting other writers.  I can’t imagine where I’d be as a writer without Mid-Michigan Writers.  I’ve learned so much from other members over the years, and I would not have discovered Delta College’s general writing certificate program if I hadn’t attended MMW’s Gateway to Writing workshop with other writers who raved about the experience.  If my students take away anything from our creative writing club, I do hope that they realize the importance of community for writers.  Brainstorming works best with others!  At some point, we could all use a second opinion.  We all have to learn from someone.  I can’t imagine not having my very own community of writers and readers. Happy National Author’s Day!

Oh, and happy first day of NaNoWriMo. IYKYK.

Thirty-One – The One Where We Say Goodbye

Leave a reply

I found out that direct sales company Thirty-One, named after the Bible passage in Proverbs 31 that describes a virtuous wife, is closing at the end of the year.  Approximately a decade ago, I sold for a handful of direct sales companies hoping that one would stick and that I had inherited a few of the skills that led to Grandma Reid’s successful 40 year direct sales career.  She only stopped when she could no longer find a quality women’s clothing direct sales company to carry.  In fact, she outlasted several companies, namely Minnesota Woolen, Queensway, and Beeline.  I still happen to have an adorable small stained glass plaque advertising Beeline, bees and all.  I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it.  I had to at least try.

At the time, I tried selling Avon, PartyLite, and of course, Thirty-One.  Handsdown, Thirty-One is the one that captured my heart.  If it hadn’t become so oversaturated, I would probably still be selling it.  Avon needed no introduction and offered high quality products.  The problem became that they ran new catalog campaigns every two weeks.  If you are doing anything else, and I mean anything else, it quickly becomes unsustainable.  PartyLite offered great products too – I had done my homework – but nothing ever stood out as special to me.  As much as I personally loved burning candles, I stopped years ago due to the damage constant candle use can do to walls and ceilings.  Even candle and wax warmers can be extremely messy when you want to change scents.

That left Thirty-One.  By the time I decided to stop carrying PartyLite and Avon, I became undecided with Thirty-One.  I still loved the company and the products.  At the time, I also started substitute teaching several days a week while earning my teaching certificate.  Every single teacher’s lounge contained the latest Thirty-One catalogs, an open party, and the business card of a consultant.  How can you compete against that?  Not easily.  I knew I had to move on, not matter how much I loved and believed in the product.

Speaking of Thirty-One products, I have quite the collection.  After ten years of constant use, most of my items are still in near perfect condition.  I’ll have them for years to come.  I may have spent a chunk of change upfront, but in my case, I have no regrets.  I use them daily.  Thirty-One bags may have been at a fairly high pricepoint, but they were worth the money.  Oh, and adorable too!

They’re the same thing, right?

Here’s the thing:  Thirty-One knew – and still knows – their audience.  Their bags are functional and stylish.  They targeted busy moms of faith who needed the right tools to haul all the gear everywhere.  Of course, they wanted to look good doing it, too.  No wonder I saw teachers heavily targeted!  In the future, when I look back at the 2010s, Thirty-One bags will certainly be a part of the aesthetic.  In other words, if I were responsible for designing an American Girl doll representing the decade of the 2010s, she would certainly have Thirty-One bags as go-to accessories.  By the way, American Girl absolutely slayed their dolls representing the 80s and 90s, but that is another story entirely.  I could not have done a better job myself.

Sadly, I doubt that there will ever be another Thirty-One.  They knew their target market because it was created by a busy mom on the go for other busy moms of faith.  Whether we like it or not, women carry the mental load in our society – married, single, with or without children; it doesn’t matter.  Women are tasked for making a house a home, remembering all the things for everyone, not to mention organizing life in general.  As a woman and teacher, it is just true, and it is the reason why my Thirty-One bags have come in so damned handy over the years.  If I were still in business school, I’d love to do a case study on Thirty-One to see where it all went wrong. By the way, if you are under the impression that business is dull and boring, think again.

Book Review:  The Lyrics:  1956 to Present by Paul McCartney – The Beginning

Leave a reply

First, fair warning:  this is going to be a series of posts.  There is simply too much material, and the entire premise of the project means too much to me.  Before I get into the meat of the book, it is better if readers understand the background.  While John gave me a beautiful hardcover version for Christmas 2021, I am just now reading it.  I knew that I will get sucked in, and I wanted to give it the time and attention it deserves.  The entire idea of this massive memoir grabbed my imagination as soon as it was announced.

In his introduction, Paul McCartney discusses how he has been approached several times to write a memoir or autobiography.  With this idea rolling around for years, his former brother-in-law, Lee Eastman (the late Linda McCartney’s brother), gave him the idea to write a memoir using his song lyrics, explaining their backgrounds and inspirations.  Frankly, it is a brilliant idea.  In creating The Lyrics, Paul McCartney sat down with renowned poet Paul Muldoon to discuss the poetry behind the lyrics.  Paul Muldoon also served as editor.

I may be only through songs starting with C, but I am thoroughly enjoying the book.  The entire organization of the book is unique.  The Lyrics, of course, covers some of the earliest Beatles songs (back to the Quarrymen, actually) to Paul’s latest solo efforts, with Wings in between.  It truly covers 65 years of some of the best pop music ever written.  Some songs written were given to other bands or acts, such as Peter and Gordon and Badfinger.  The book is not in chronological order, but it is instead arranged by song title.  Throughout the book are dozens of historic photographs from McCartney’s personal archives.  Throughout, he explains his song writing process and inspirations.  Another cool feature of the book is that someone took the time to create a Spotify playlist that includes all of the songs in The Lyrics in order that they appear in the book.  You can listen along as you read.  In my opinion, it doesn’t get much better than that.

I look forwarding to sharing more about The Lyrics once I finish the book.  It may a bit, but it will be well worth it in the end.  As a writer, music lover, and avid Beatles’ fan, especially Paul McCartney, I’m obviously the target audience.  Yet, I feel as though there is something for everyone in the book.  Now in his 80s, Paul McCartney is still touring, still writing music, and still out there.  Supposedly, his shows are right around three hours long, without a break.  His work ethic, his passion for performing and songwriting, and deep appreciation for his fans is the only explanation.

Book Review:  The Wedding People by Alison Espach

Leave a reply

I’m not sure exactly what I expected when I started this book, but I did not expect to enjoy it so much, especially given the gritty nature of the subject material covered.  I don’t want to give too much away, but it does deal with such loaded subjects such as suicide, infertility, grief, and love.  Yet, it is witty and realistic as well.  There is definitely humor amongst all the drama.  It is well worth a read.

My favorite is the contrast between our protagonist, Phoebe, who inadvertently crashes a swank wedding week in Rockport, Rhode Island, and Lila, who is a bride-to-be about to kick off a week of wedding activities.  Phoebe has just left everything behind, including her husband, job, house, and cat.  Lila couldn’t be more different, and she is determined that nothing, including an uninvited guest, will ruin her wedding.  Intending to marry in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic and losing her father, Lila spared no expense or experience for her guests.  Will it be enough?

Much of the plot revolves around the emotional and social lives of these two women.  The characters, and I do mean all of the characters, are wonderful, even if the reader isn’t inclined to love them all.  They are deeply flawed and human.  One of my favorites is Juice, Lila’s soon to be step-daughter.  While I love the characters and many are highly developed, well beyond just the protagonists, I would not go so far as to say this is a character-driven novel.  It simply isn’t.  The plot really drives the action, and a lot happens in a week.

I’d love to say more, but I do not want to give away major plot points.  While the action certainly hinges on wedding events over the week, the title itself is a bit misleading.  The book is about so much more than just a wedding or even marriage.  It gets hilariously messy, but it is worth it in the end.  Check it out!

Classic TV Endings – Cheers (1982-1993)

4 Replies

At times, the ending of a TV series works, and at others, it doesn’t (I’m looking at you Seinfeld!).  When Cheers aired its final episode in May 1993, I watched.  I remember Shelley Long (Diane) returning and the cast partying as it aired (infamously so), but I do not remember it being so poignant.  The final scenes with Sam and Norm, and later, Sam alone in the bar, are now among my favorite TV series endings of all time.

Growing up, I adored Cheers.  I watched it with my parents every week.  As an adult, I rewatched the series.  The characters still hold up.  It wasn’t just the main characters – Sam, Diane, Coach, Carla, Woody, and Rebecca – that drew us back every week, but an entire complimentary cast of characters capable of anything – Norm and Cliff, not to mention Frasier and Lillith.  The episode in which we met Lillith remains one of the funniest.  Throughout the rest of the series, Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane developed into one of the funniest and quirkiest female characters on TV.  She is still one of my favorite TV characters after all these decades.

Who can forget Lilith? Enough said.

Aside from all of the laughs and hijinks throughout the series, the humanity of all of the characters (every last one deeply flawed) shined through.  Yet, the last scenes of the final episode hit me right in the gut.  It isn’t every day that a TV show can make you deeply and profoundly appreciate what you have.

It starts innocently enough.  Norm stays after everyone else heads out after welcoming Sam back to the bar after escaping marriage to Daine yet again.  He didn’t want anyone else to hear what he has to say, and he’s up for one last beer, of course.  He tells Sam that love is the true meaning of life.  He continues to state that people are always faithful to their one true love, that he’d be unable to be unfaithful to her.  When Sam asks whom that would be, Norm simply states “Think about it, Sam,” smiles, and leaves, setting up the final shots of Sam in the bar alone.

Alone in his bar, Sam slowly realizes that it is his bar that is the love of his life.  He recognizes just how much it, and all those in it, mean to him.  He even straightens Coach’s framed portrait of Geronimo before closing up.  In a clever twist, the final shot of Sam closing up and heading towards the back entrance of the bar mirrors the opening of the series in which Sam makes his way to the front of the bar as he is opening up for the day.

Nearly 30 years ago … Working with Grandma Reid at the canoe livery.

All I can say is this:  As someone who has spent her entire life watching her parents and grandparents build a family business – and as someone who will one day fully take over said business with her brother – I get it.  Boy, do I ever get it.  I can’t imagine my life without the canoe livery.  I hope that I never have to do so.  It is the people – employees (current and former) and customers – that make the business, along with the river and the land itself. I’m lucky, indeed.

I say it often, but we have the best customers.  I estimate that 99% of our customers are great.  The remaining 1% make for great stories.  We are currently winding down for the year, but when spring comes once again, I will be ready to start it all over again.

Dr. Fraiser Crane in one of the longest-running TV characters in history.
The reboot of Fraiser will soon start its second season.

Field of Dreams – James Earl Jone’s

1 Reply

After watching Reagan (amazing movie, by the way) on Sunday, realizing that we as a nation have argued over the exact same issues for at least 60 years, and the passing of James Earl Jones on Monday, I’m in the mood for nostalgia.  When I learned the news that he had passed away, Jones’ speech in Field of Dreams (1989) came to mind immediately.  After well over 30 years, it still holds up.  It remains one of my favorite movies, and quite possibly the ultimate baseball movie, aside from Ken Burns’ epic documentary Baseball (1994).  Enjoy!

More on baseball below:

For the Love of Baseball

Childhood Antics

4 Replies
July 1984 – Tawas, Michigan – Hamming it up with my Schneider and McTaggart cousins at Aunt Tara and Uncle Bill’s wedding. Thank you Aunt Amy for helping me locate this picture!

Sometimes, a picture can bring up a wide-range of emotions:  joy, sadness, nostalgia, and everything else.  Earlier this summer, I sent my aunts on a search for the picture above.  It had been on my mind for some time.  I consider it one of the definitive photos of my childhood; one that has always stood out.  First, Grandma Buttrick had it framed in one of the back bedrooms of her house for many years.  I always enjoyed coming across it during visits.  For that reason alone, the picture remains a favorite.

While I was too young to remember having the picture taken at my Aunt Tara’s wedding to Uncle Bill in July of 1984, I grew up hearing all about it.  I can’t tell you how many times I heard the story of how I, at three years old, took the instruction to smile at everyone as a flower girl walking down the aisle much too literally.  I stopped at every pew.  At the end of the ceremony, I cried and ran after my mom as she left the church in the processional as a bridesmaid.  I didn’t understand that I just needed to follow my older cousins.  My only memory from that day is a hazy notion of playing at the beach on the animal-shaped play equipment at the Tawas City park during the reception.

July 1984 – Smiling for the camera right after the ceremony …
Thank you to Aunt Tara for locating this gem.

In the picture, I see myself as a little girl full of personality and character.  There is no doubt that I was a ham like my mom, an extrovert.  When I look at this picture, I see “before.”  Before self-doubt, before losing self-confidence, before I realized that my body is, and always has been, all wrong; in other words, before kindergarten.  Prior to kindergarten, no one – not my parents, grandparents, cousins, other adults, other children, or preschool classmates – made me feel inferior in any way.  No one asked me to be something that I wasn’t, no one called me fat or ugly.  I could be myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved school.  I would not be a teacher today if that wasn’t the case.  I loved learning, I had some great teachers, and most of my classmates were great.  Yet, I dreaded gym and recess all throughout elementary school.  In gym, always picked last for any game, I just wanted to be good enough.  During recess, other students started picking up on just how different my body is and was.  When you hear that you are fat and ugly on a daily basis at that young of age, you start to believe it.  It becomes a part of you.

1985 – Playing @ The Cottage on Sage Lake with McTaggart and Schneider cousins.

Oddly, things improved a bit during junior high.  I cared about my grades, others didn’t.  Suddenly, I didn’t care so much about peer pressure.  I began to see it for what it was, even though I would have given anything to be what was then considered “normal.”  Keep in mind that this included the era of grunge, emo, and heroin chic.  Any “normal” adolescent felt inadequate when faced with the popular culture of the time. While I finally did come into my own in high school and college, this picture makes me wonder what I missed all those years in-between.  What if I hadn’t had to work so hard for self-confidence?  What if I could have kept that early childhood enthusiasm and creativity?  What if I hadn’t turned inward in the face of constant bullying in elementary school?  What could I have accomplished?  What if?  That is what this picture represents:  possibility. Unadultered possibility.