Life's an Interesting Trip on Facebook

For the past several months I have been re-connecting with old high school and college classmates from the '70s via Facebook. Some of these people were truly my friends, while others had very little to say to me back then because I wasn't a part of their "in crowd."

As I read through some of their posts I am somewhat amazed that these are the SAME people I knew back then. Back then some were ready to kick my butt over the smallest of things. Some just didn't like me because of my skin complexion or the fact that I made good grades while others were simply jealous over the fact that I made the cheerleading squad and they didn't.

These re-connections have made me realize a few things:

Kids really do grow up.

Thank God there is a God and some of my former classmates have discovered the Bible.

Holding on to old grudges serves no purpose--besides the other person has probably long forgotten what the dispute was all about.

Real maturity comes when you learn to start judging others from the inside out instead of vice versa.

Everyone deserves a second chance to be a better person.

It's still nice to be remembered.

Join me as a I take another trip down memory lane on Sunday, February 28 during my interview with a former high school school mate who went on to have a successful NFL career.

BlogTalk Radio 7pm EST.

Being From Ohio is Not All Good

I grew up in Ohio. I have always been proud of that fact until I read the list of America's Most Miserable Cities, as reported by Forbbes.com. It seems Ohio holds the dishonor of having not one---not two---but FIVE cities on that list.

1. Cleveland
9. Canton
12. Akron
15. Toledo
18. Youngstown

Although my hometown of Canton is known for the Football Hall of Fame and birthplace of President William McKinley, the city was cited for have a low population of intellectuals. According to Forbes.com, only 18 percent of adults living there have a college degree. I guess a lot of people followed my lead in the 1970s and migrated elsewhere after graduating from college.

Akron may be the home of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James but that's obviously not enough to keep it off the miserable list. Apparently Akron has some of the highest local income taxes in the state.

Youngstown was a miserable city when I was living there 30 years ago but it's apparently gotten worse. It was cited as being high in political corruption.

And then there's Cleveland. In spite of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a revitalized downtown waterfront, the mistake by the lake, according to Forbes.com, is touting high crime and high unemployment and beyond miserable winters.

To see the complete list of America's Most Miserable Cities, click here: Miserable Cities

The Storm Isn't Over Yet

Last weekend, a snowstorm swept across North Carolina. We got about six inches. Schools were closed and city services came to a halt for a few days. Most of the snow is now gone, but the storm isn't over yet. Right now I am storming mad over the fact that the City seems to be dragging its feet on a hazard created sometime after the snowfall.

OK here's the story.......

My daughter came home from college today and discovered the storm drain cover in front of our house had been removed. Upon further investigation, my husband discovered that the storm drain cover had broken in half. How could this be? It was perfectly fine last Saturday when he and our neighbor's friend, Ray, were shoveling snow.

We called the city to report the situation and were told the projected completion date would be April 26. OK, that's two and a half months away! My husband pointed out the fact that we have children who play in the area---children that include my three-year-old grandson. That didn't seem to give them a sense of urgency.

Now if I lived in an undesirable neighborhood, I might understand how and why the City would take so long to respond---but I live in a middle class community, where people actually vote so maybe it's time to use that as leverage.

Personally I think the culprit was the road grader the city sent to our street FIVE DAYS AFTER THE STORM, to scrape up the pavement.

Let There Be Light

About two years ago, I called City Hall to ask them to send someone out to repair a street light that had apparently blown a bulb. At that time, someone said they would take care of it---but never did. I called again several weeks later and was told they received tons of repair requests and would get to mine as soon as possible.

Time passed and I forgot about that light until today. Much to my surprise there was a repair truck in our neighborhood right in front of that light. When I approached the repairman I told him I couldn't believe it took them over two years to finally answer my call. He told me if wasn't MY call he was responding to. It was actually my neighbor, Kathy, whose call he was responding to.

When Kathy came home from work I made it a point to thank her for getting some action taken on that light---and much to my surprise again---she had no clue as to what I was talking about. She never even knew the light needed fixing. Imagine that!

Maybe she didn't remember because she called years ago like I did.

But here's the point of this story: When you contact city government, always be sure to get a NAME of everyone you speak to so you can always refer back to that person. And it wouldn't hurt to write down the dates and times you call. Had I done those things I would've had more ammunition for an argument.

Meanwhile, I'm just glad our street light is working again.

Whose to Blame When Children Fail?

This week a former principal in my community died from an apparent heart attack. Earl Pappy was 51. I met him once in 2008 when I brought actress Bern Nadette Stanis to his school to speak to the drama students. (pictured on the left of Ms. Stanis). My first and only impression of him was he was nice. But that's not what this post is about.

Mr. Pappy was forced to resign last year because of his school's continued low academic performance ranking. Of all of the high schools in the area, Hillside was dead last. The school had been on the steady decline for several years. Mr. Pappy was supposed to change all that when he moved from the same position in Richmond, VA. It didn't happen and parents complained LOUDLY.

Here's my question: If high school students can't read or perform academically on the high school level, is that the Principal's fault? If students came into the school with a behavior issue, is the principal responsible?

By the time students get to high school,they should have it pretty much together. I say try going back to grade school level--maybe an elementary teacher should've held the child back when she discovered he couldn't read, write or add. Or better yet, try going into some of the homes of these same parents who were doing all of the complaining. That's where you'll find many of the failures.

Parents want to blame teachers for their childrens shortcoming. Yes, I definitely think teachers should be held accountable, however, it's also up to parents to stay on top of things to make sure their children are getting what they need. If you wait to high school, that's way too late.

If a parent wants to blame one individual for their child's failures, maybe they should look in the mirror.

The Challenge of Raising a Black Male

My daughter returned to college this week after a three week holiday break. Having her home gave me a much needed vacation from her three-year-old son.

But now I am wearing the mommy/grandma hat again and dealing with a growing, inquisituve and challenging little boy. At three, he is now starting to test his limits and testing my nerves.

This means he is beginning to defy authority and assert his growing independence. Everything I've read indicates I should recognize that this is a developmental stage. Frequent eruptions and disobedience can be a sign of a strong-willed child, the experts say, and being strong-willed is not such a bad thing in today’s world.

Does this also apply if the child is a black male?

Some of my well-meaning friends don't take too kindly when I bring up race as a factor in how my grandson will be treated in the future. But when CNN does a story indictating that most employers say they would rather hire a white male who's a convicted felon over an African-American male with no criminal background, I have to wonder how my grandson's strong-willed manner will play out in society in the future.

Whether you want to admit or accept it, the playing field is not level for black males in this society, so it's up to me to make sure that strong will my grandson exhibits now, will be something positive and powerful in his future.

Ugly Sweaters at Christmas

It's that time of year again when we decorate our homes with a beautiful Christmas tree and festive lights. Then you have some of us who choose to decorate ourselves with some of the ugliest sweaters ever seen and then parade around town as if we were in a fashion show.

Today while shopping at Costco's I saw some of the most hidious looking sweaters I'd ever seen--and they were all worn by baby boomer women! I obviously didn't get the memo on this one and if I did, I'm glad I didn't read it.

One woman actually had on a sweater with blinking light bulbs. To top things off, another woman wore her reindeer sweater with a matching antler hat. Now I think if these sweaters had been worn by children, I might've been more inclined to say how cute they looked but when you're in your 50s and 60s, maybe it's time to give up that tradition---unless you're wearing it in the privacy of your home or just for family and friends.

I tried to find three similar sweaters to give you an illustration of what I saw today. Which one do you think is the UGLIEST--or have you actually seen worst?