Humorous | Paddock Post

1

Jan

Adieu to 2011: The Year of AARP and Paul Anka

2011 is going to remain in my memory for a long time because two significant things happened: I joined AARP and went to a Paul Anka concert – yes, the Peter Frampton groupie of 1975 admits to attending a Paul Anka concert. These events may seem quite normal to some people but for anyone that knows me, joining a club for “seniors” and attending a concert that isn’t considered “rock and roll” borders on breaking the faith of my rebel generation. Read more

30

Dec

The Photo Christmas Card and Family Letter

It’s December and the annual “Christmas Card” has not been created or mailed. Every year our family has sporadic conversations throughout the year about what our Christmas photo card should be. We’ve recreated musicals, historical events, period pieces, and spoofed ourselves all in the name of fun and enjoying the holidays.
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16

Dec

The Christmas of ’51

On the way home from school a few nights ago, my daughter was admiring all the bright multi-colored holiday lights on the street poles and houses remarking how festive the area looks. When we returned to our dark home, my daughter said “Mom, we are a family with no holiday spirit” as we had nary a decoration in sight. Read more

8

Dec

The Impasse at Home

For the past week, my husband has been playing Mr. Mom taking care of our daughter (and animals) while I spent some time in Florida getting acclimated to the humidity and preparing to run a half marathon. Last night, my husband called and there was silence at the other end of the phone. The conversation went like this: Read more

30

Nov

The Changing Role of Motherhood: Life With a Teenage Daughter

My 15-year old daughter recently asked me if I missed the old days when she was little and although my brain was screaming “YES, YES, YES, ” I calmly admitted to sometimes missing those days we spent together running errands, seeing Disney on Ice, having lunch together, and reading a book before bedtime (6:30 pm back then). Right now I would go so far as to admit that I would welcome seeing “Barney’s Big Adventure” again (and I’ve seen it at least four times and each time was more painful than the previous). Read more

14

Nov

Microsoft and Apple….The USA and Switzerland

Microsoft and Apple remind me of the United States and Switzerland. Each has their place front and center in the world market yet no two modern companies or countries could be more different in how they operate and what they produce. All four entities tend to evoke strong opinions among admirers and detractors. Read more

31

Oct

Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few months ago, I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies from a Neiman Marcus recipe that has been passed along on the internet for years. The story of the recipe isn’t important as any person reading about its origination (a woman having lunch at Neiman Marcus ordering a chocolate chip cookie and getting a bill for $250 for the recipe) would question why the woman even had a credit card. And, who has ever seen a recipe for sale on a lunch menu? But, that’s not the point. The issue is: are the cookies good? I thought so because they contain ground oatmeal and I love oatmeal but that’s not what my family and friends think. Read more

21

Oct

An Open Letter to the President of Bloomingdale’s

Dear Mr. Lundgren:

News Flash: Your company call centers in India are awful and are in desperate need of an overhaul. The employees need to be trained to speak and understand English better in order to effectively communicate with customers. If your company doesn’t want to provide training, then close your call centers in India and bring the jobs back to the United States and train the employees here. Really, your customers will be happier and you will be commended for creating jobs in the country in which your company is based. 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

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