Maxine Monday

~ * ~


~ * ~

Tomorrow is a new day.

. . . and it's Friday. Breathe.

You knew I'd slip a kitten in there, didn't you?

Sticky Sticky Stumbo revisited

Those of us who blog generally know how many people read our blogs and how they found us. We know what countries they live in and if they read a lot or just now and then, and for how long. We have stats. One of my favorite stats is Keyword Search. Keyword search is a word or phrase that someone searched the Internet for, which brought them to your blog. And some of those searches appear again and again. I was surprised to find out that one of the top searches that brings people here is "Sticky Sticky Stumbo."

If you are someone who has read my 1oo things link, you may remember that #47 (because I'm sure you've read my hundred things over and over again) is about one of my very favorite stories when I was a kid. It was a story called "The Little Boy With the Long Name." I loved the story, not because it was a wonderful story, I mean, the kid dies, but it was his name. It was a name a kid would try to memorize and read over and over in a rhythmic sing-song kind of way. It was:

Sticky Sticky Stumbo
Nos E Rumbo
E Pro Pennyo
Hara Bara Brisko
Nicky Prom Po
Nish No Menyo
Dumbricko

It was always written that way, as if it were lines in a poem. And I can still recite it 40 some years later. Without the book.

I was contacted by a couple who were looking for a copy of the story and they emailed me. I told them I remembered it from a book I got from an uncle when I was 3 or 4 years old called Big and Little Creatures. I found it as a used book on Amazon and sent them the link. Recently, having seen the search come up in my stats again I thought I would get a copy of the book for myself. It arrived today.

It's magic! As I turned the pages I remembered every illustration whether I remembered the story attached or not. But I did remember many stories and nursery rhymes and poems. It was copywrite 1961, by Golden Press. 1961. So it was when the villains in children's books were scary and people really died and not everything was all sweetness and light. The story of Little Black Sambo was a story about a little boy with a loving mother and father and not a reflection of race relations in the world. And I remember devouring this book. Even when I got too old for it, I would pull it out and flip through the pages, every drawing a memory and even the smell of the pages would bring back the innocence of the years before.

So I share a bit. Click to make pictures bigger - indulge me in my memories of long ago. I hope you enjoy!

Still true today.

From The Three Little Pigs




The Story of The Three Bears




The Story of Little Black Sambo

~ * ~

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Little Red Riding Hood

~ * ~


~ * ~

And finally - The Little Boy With the Long Name

. . . who fell down a well

. . . and was quite, quite dead. He had died while they were saying his name.

~ * ~

We played outside summer and winter, we watched a little TV (3 stations) and when we had nothing to do - we used our imagination. Nobody wrapped us in cotton. We were allowed to learn to distinguish between right and wrong and real and make believe and we read books that were not PC'ed to death and completely sanitized.

And we're all right. For the most part.


For those of you looking for your "Sticky Sticky Stumbo" memories, you can find them if you try.

My line in the sand.

Took the crabby old man cat to the vet tonight, getting his thyroid meds increased because he's lost more weight and still thinks I'm starving him to death. They took blood and then took him in the back for some mat removal, yikes, poor guy.

Interesting stuff to write about, I know, right? Cause that's my life. And - because I'm not going to write about politics. I may want to, I may have strong opinions, but I will keep my thoughts to myself except when commenting on some of the political blogs I read. That's my outlet. And that's my choice.

But I want to say something. There are those of you whose blogs I read who have very different political ideals than I do. But I like you. And I like your blog. I just won't engage in the discussion so if I opt out, or I just don't comment, I am respecting your opinion and moving on, hoping for a non-political post next time I visit.

I like your blogs for what they normally are. I understand this is an election year and it's a huge topic and on everyone's minds here in the U.S. Believe me it's on my mind too. But if your blog is not usually about politics and you are getting more political lately - please understand I am not avoiding you, just the discussion.

There was a blog I read early on when I first starting searching and looking for interesting sites to read. I enjoyed the blog, it was kind of popular, and I started to comment regularly. Until the author said one thing. One thing and I deleted her from my reader and never went back. So if I avoid some of your political discussions it is because I want to keep reading you - regardless of whether we agree politically or not.

What was the one thing she said? The one thing she wrote that turned me off to the degree that I never went back? She said "I am so ashamed to be an American."

I can read political opinions and understand different sides of an issue, but when someone is born in this country which has more freedoms and incredible opportunities than any other place in the world and does not appreciate it? Not for me.

Everybody has to draw the line somewhere.

Maxine Monday

~ * ~


~ * ~

Where's Emily Post when you need her? Or maybe the cops?

It's totally amazing to me which things my mind decides to totally drop. I forgot to mention this to ANYBODY. Yesterday I saw my BF at lunch. We had gone to a convenience store, parked, and he had gone inside. Sitting in the passenger seat I was just kind of staring into space until something on my right caught my eye.

There was a taxi parked there, right in the center in front of the doors which really isn't supposed to be a parking space. I wasn't sure what about this taxi caught my eye so I turned my head.

The door to the driver's side of the taxi was open and the driver was standing between the door and the inside of the car. He had a pack of cigarettes in his right hand and was smacking it against the palm of his left. He was an Asian man with a slight build, and he was looking straight ahead while he packed his cigarettes and peed.

Did you catch that? He was peeing! That's what caught my eye, the stream sparkling in the sunlight while it was bouncing off the pavement.

UGH!!!!!

I was so taken aback I looked away and doubted that's what I really saw for a second. It was bizarre, that's the only way I can describe it. We've all seen guys standing against a bush or a tree with his back to you and we know what he's doing. But generally they tend to go to a somewhat secluded spot, do their business and get on with it. But I have never seen a guy (we are discounting living in a college town where copious amounts of alcohol were involved) park in a highly trafficked area in broad daylight - whip it out and just pee - regardless of who was around, or who might see him!

He obviously was not aiming - in the traditional way - because his hands were in plain sight. How he was avoiding peeing on his legs and feet, not to mention his car, is beyond me. I would say this was something he was very practiced at and very comfortable with.

My BF came out of the store just as this guy was zipping up and getting back in his car. BF didn't notice anything, and I waited until the guy had gotten back in his car and pulled out of the parking lot before I said anything. To be honest, I was totally offended and was a tiny bit afraid of what the BF might do if the guy was still standing there with his willy out of his pants. BF is big. Peeing guy, very small.

I may be a conservative in some areas but I've never been a prude. But isn't there a certain amount of decorum that can be expected when you are out in public anymore? I mean, I know everybody pees, everybody has emergencies, but what about being a little discreet? Does this reflect a change in accepted behavior, or maybe it's a cultural thing? What do you think?

Because to me it was disgusting behavior and certainly disrespectful to anyone who was nearby, not to mention crude and just plain nasty. I'm sure the store wouldn't have wanted that to be happening right in front of their doors either, if the worker inside had noticed. But since it was about 12:30pm in the middle of a week day - he was pretty busy with customers.

So yeah, that slipped my mind yesterday but I'm curious. Am I overreacting or would you have found it bizarre and disgusting as well?

Just askin'.

Tongue clucking too!

Do you work with someone who drives you crazy? I am sure the fact that I may be PMS-ing has nothing to do with it okay maybe a little. But she drives me crazy on a daily basis, this made up *cough cough* person does.

The problem is, I like her. For the most part. But she has the attitude that - she does what she does and if other people don't like it - too bad. That goes for her work, as well as her noise level.

"Oh I'm sure I have hearing loss from working in the really loud *cough cough* room all those years."

She knows what that means - SHE'S LOUD.

Her volume makes me crazy along with her habit of narrating everything she does all day long, swearing under her breath (if you're going to swear just DO it) and praying every 20 minutes or so.

"OH GOD."

There are the burps now and then with the exagerated "EXCUSE ME" just in case anybody missed it they will know she apparently just belched and had no control over whether she did it out loud or not.

If it's cold in the office, which it often is, we hear about it.

"BR-R-R-R-r-r-r!!!!!" Long, loud and drawn out.

"AGH-H-H-h-h-h ..... !!" Which can mean general dissatisfaction, coldness, and maybe 'pay attention to ME!', I'm not sure.

Did I mention her laugh? She laughs IN, not OUT. And it's like she's one of those nervous laughers, she laughs after almost everything she says either as an exclamation, an apology or a hedge against someone being offended or confrontational.

"If it's raining too hard tomorrow I'm just not coming in (wheezelaugh)."

There are also the annoying habits like sucking her teeth, tapping her pen on her desk and singing or whistling tuneless snippets of songs, real - and made up. Oh, and lets not forget listening to her conference calls on speaker, even if she is the only one from our area on the call, and also proclaiming her inability to do anything and everything to management's satisfaction every time she is given a new task.

"Oh I won't be able to do THIS (wheezelaugh)."

"I'll NEVER remember THIS part."

"Fine. Whatever, I'll do what I can do (wheezelaugh)."

If there is free food for whatever reason, she is right there, earlier than anyone else, oohing and ahhhing over the choices, and making 'nummy' noises while she eats it. And of course she's a tiny little thing. If the fat chick (me) did that it wouldn't be the same thing, let me assure you.

People have said - you should say something. Maybe she doesn't know she bothers people. Well, that's partly true. I'm sure the noises she makes are not something she is really aware of. If I bring it to her attention she will definitely become overly self-conscious which in turn will make her mad. We have to work together in the same area. And honestly, as stupid as it sounds, I don't want to hurt her feelings.

Plus, there are so MANY things she does that drive me nuts, it would be like a laundry list and then I would feel bad. Besides, then what would I have to complain about?

Honestly, knowing how she would react stops me from saying anything. When she makes me nuts I moan to one of my other co-workers and I'm better for a while and we keep the peace. Because really when you look at the amount of things she does, it's kind of absurd.

And sometimes I think that the amount it bothers me is absurd as well because I only know one other person (who will admit it) who is bothered by even SOME of the things she does that bother ME.

Today it may be magnified due to hormonal issues, just like my feet and my ankles. But I can't blame her 'habits' on water weight EVERY day. So it's really nice to be able to come here and whine and complain and not have to apologize later.

She doesn't have a computer and doesn't use the internet. All Al Gore's work is lost on her and my annoyances are safe with you. Right?

*blink blink*

Right?