Culture | Paddock Post

17

Oct

Watching From The Sidelines

Yesterday, Hartford hosted the ING Marathon/Half Marathon and I watched from the sidelines – on my couch, eyes glued to the televised race. Three weeks ago, I had to pull out of the race because I was still building my mileage and couldn’t increase the miles too quickly without possibly re-injuring the foot I fractured in late May. Reminding myself to be thankful for being able to run, I focused on watching the race and set my sights on the Palm Beach Half Marathon in December. Read more

9

Oct

The Never Ending Calendar of Standardized Tests

My daughter is a sophomore in high school and to date has taken the following three standardized tests: Read more

3

Oct

The Right Gift For Kids: On-Line Resources

Finding the right gift for a child is sometimes harder than choosing a gift for an adult as children are always changing so the fascination with a toy, game, or book can be fleeting. To complicate matters more, each child is different so focusing on the age of the child and his or her interests will serve as a guide in choosing the right gift. Read more

1

Oct

The Right Gift: On-Line Resources

Giving a gift is easy but giving a gift that the recipient will truly enjoy takes time, thought and effort. Gifts are delivered with a message: Happy Birthday, Thank You, Congratulations, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah – and the message is best conveyed with a thoughtful gift. Read more

29

Sep

High School Reunions

Chatter from classmates.com, a message on Facebook or a phone call from a long-lost friend lets you know your high school reunion is coming up and volunteers are needed to organize this nostalgic event. Organizing a high school reunion is definitely on the top ten list of “The most unselfish things you will ever do” – along with “having a child” but there is a big difference….the rewards of parenthood increase significantly with the effort put forth – not so with organizing a high school reunion. Read more

23

Sep

The Judicial Circus Surrounding the Petit Family

On July 23, 2007, Steven Hayes, 44 and Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26 broke into the Cheshire, Connecticut home of the Petit family: Dr. William Petit, Jr., 50, his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and their two daughters: Hayley, 17, and Micaela, 11. After beating Dr. Petit and tying him up in the basement, the two intruders tied the two daughters to their beds. Read more

17

Sep

We All Pay For Public Schools

Public education is universally available in our country and approximately 85% of students enter the country’s public schools, largely because they are tax-subsidized, while 10% attend private schools, nearly 2% are home schooled and the remainder are in other programs or don’t attend. Read more

13

Sep

Fleeing Hartford, Connecticut

Last year the Wall Street Journal ran an article about dying cities in the United States and Hartford, Connecticut was one of the cities included on the list. Once known as the “insurance capital of the world,” Hartford had fallen victim to flight: loss of industries and the vital population that keeps a city thriving. Read more

7

Sep

My Favorite Sportswear Companies

Most women talk about their favorite designers but I prefer to talk about my favorite sportswear companies and where I can find comfortable good-looking clothes that can be worn for both sports and day wear. No baggy sweatpants and tee shirts ; instead tailored pants, shirts, and jackets that allow you to move freely and also look great. Read more

3

Sep

Summer Lessons

My daughter had her first job this summer working five days a week from 9:30 – 5:00 at a museum. At first, she was excited about the prospect of working and earning money but the honeymoon was over by the second week when she realized there weren’t many young people at the museum. In fact, she came home one day and sadly told me that the people she worked with were so old that their kid’s kids had kids – meaning many of her co-workers were great-grandparents. Read more