Bfth's Boring Blog

In my little piece of the world; AKA Northern NJ, it is time for some improvements in our physical school structure.  The "newest" school in my town was built sixty three years ago.  The oldest is over 100 years.  While updates and repairs have been made over the years, it's become obvious that some repairs and upgrades NEED to be made.  Even if I didn't have a kid in the school system, I couldn't argue that roofs and windows needs to be repaired/replaced.  Boilers need to be fixed.  And sadly, in the world we live in, the security and communication systems NEED to be top notch to keep our kids safe.  So while no one likes spending more/paying more, I can't disagree that these important items need to be addressed even though it may mean paying more (about $175 a year per household).  These are things that need to be taken care of.  It's not just a matter of scholastic pride, it's a matter of safety and I can't argue with that. What I C...

Here in NJ they can call you every three years for 2 days or one trial.  This was MY year.  And this is MY story. Day 1: Driving to the courthouse for jury duty stresses me out.  I think my drive to work is bad; this makes it look like cake (and it's not cake!)  Driving directly into the sun (like on work drive), but on a more crowded road where everyone is trying to get onto the GSP or the NJ Turnpike.  I put the address into Waze that the court website tells you to and it tries to send me some bizarro way.  I think sticking with the highway is best, so I tell it to take me to juror parking and Cookie Monster (my Waze voice) does a very nice job of getting me there, except that the final turn (which USED to be the turn that took you to the lot) is now closed.  (The street is permanently blocked off).  But being the intelligent woman that I am I just continue down the street, make a right and then another right and voila, I'm in the ...

I was talking to a friend who I have known since high school (so we're talking DECADES) who is having a problem with a toxic relative.  Besides being besties for eons, we both have had the (dis)pleasure of having to deal with people whose version of reality vastly differs from ours.  People who are so delusional they are on a different plane.  Or as my friend succinctly put it:  Bat Shit Crazy. But we both thought that the phrase didn't quite cover it.  It went beyond that.  We needed a better term.  And when you need a better term, you go to the internet and find something.  Hopefully something better.  And something better is what I found with "Guanopsychosis." What a perfect term!  Something you could use in polite conversation.  It certainly makes you sound intellectual.  My sister-in-law is guanopsychotic certainly sounds clinical and lacks insult.  And yet... The beauty of the word is that most people...

It's that famous phrase from Gone With The Wind:   "I'll think about that tomorrow; after all tomorrow is another day." (I hope I got that right.)  While it's never best to put off tomorrow what can be done today (there's another phrase for you.), tomorrow IS another day.   If today has been horrid, you have another chance tomorrow.  We ALL have the opportunity to start fresh tomorrow.  Tomorrow can be a clean slate and a chance to start anew.  Its all up to each of us as individuals.   Tomorrow is the opportunity for change.  Tomorrow is the opportunity to take a wrong and make it right.  Think of the possibilities! Each new day brings about an opportunity and we each have the opportunity to start anew.  Things do not have to be the same; we do not have to be stuck in a rut.  Tomorrow is another day.  It presents a fresh opportunity for each and every one of us. Were you mean today?  Were your cruel?...

I have nothing against dentists.  I've had dentists I've LOVED; I've had ones I've not liked that much.  I've had good experience and I've had badly.  (Probably more bad than good though...)  And while I've not had anything that major done to my mouth (other than wisdom teeth removal over 30 years ago which is a horror story unto itself), I have to say that I HATE going to the dentist. I don't say this to discourage anyone for going.  You've got to go.  You need to go twice a year.  You need to take care of your teeth.  (Heck, you need to take care of all of your body, but that's a whole other post/story.)  You need to brush your teeth.  You need to floss.  (I can't be the only one who HATES flossing, right?  Who came up with the idea of running thread between the spaces in your teeth?  Google says Levi Parmly, a dentist.  What was he thinking???) Let's get back to going to the dentist.  Is there anyo...

I have 445 days to lose 20 pounds...maybe 30, but I don't want my head to look too big on my body (which I think happens sometimes when people lose a lot of weight.)   I have 445 days to get the perfect shade of blonde and the just right hair style.  (So I'll need to get the cut a week in about 437 days so that I'll have time to perfect my technique.) I have 444 days to find the perfect outfit.  The one that accentuates all my assets (do I have any?) and hides all my flaws (I have many.) I have 444 days to find an extraordinary mani-pedicurist and the perfect shade of polish.  (Never mind that it will be December and no one will see my feet.) I have 445 days to find the perfect make up and figure out how to apply it flawlessly.  Wrinkles need to vanish (but no injections!) and teeth need to be white. (Or at least give the appearance...the right shade of lipstick can do that.) In 445 days I need to be the best looking, best sounding, be...

"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."  Fred Roger. Even in today's crazy world (and you know I want to use stronger language than that), there are people who are ready to step in and help.  And no matter how perfect the world might seem (does it ever seem that way?) we ALL need help at some point in our lives.  We all need to ASK for help.   IT IS OK TO ASK FOR HELP! I put that in bold because it's important to remember, especially for those who we might consider "helpers."  So let me say it again:   IT IS OK TO ASK FOR HELP! I know it can be hard.  I know it can be "embarrassing."  But the embarrassment, as horrifying as it may seem at the moment, WILL pass.  And the consequences of NOT asking for help can be dire.  (Just ask my son who has already screwed up in two classes because he was too embarrassed to ask for help.  And we're not talking major help; we're talking minor...as in...

Eighteen years ago, the world changed.  I could say America changed, but the events of 9/11 transformed not just one country, but reached every nook and cranny of the planet. A terrorist attack enacted by a group of extremists took place on American soil, but the lives lost and the lives affected know no nationality, race or religion.  I don't think there was a person alive on earth in 2001 who wasn't impacted by the events of that September morning. When child reaches the age of 18, he/she is considered an adult.  Eligible to vote and drive.  Eighteen years is all it takes for a baby to become adult. Putting the two together; for anyone under the age of 18 has no idea of what life was like before there were security checks at the airport.  The possibility of flying a jet into a building, which was once inconceivable, is a reality.  They never knew 9/11 as just a day.  And it was.  Before 2001, September 11th was just another ...

( Note:  so it's taken me a while to wrap this up...and realizing how much I am missing the relaxation...)  If you've missed any previous installments: https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2019/08/vacation-relaxation-part-1.html https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2019/08/vacation-relaxation-part-2.html https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2019/08/vacation-relaxation-part-3.html https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2019/08/vacation-relaxation-part-4.html Now, where were we?  Our final dinner  at the Windsor Dining room.  This vacation may have been a while ago, but I can still remember how good the meal was.  I started with the Brie Mixed Berry Chutney.  Mouth watering just at the memory.  Both of my guys tried cheese board which is actually served on a board that is shaped like Pennsylvania!  (It's those little touches).  Perhaps I should have tried something different for my entree, but the lamb had been so good on Saturday ni...

Every once in a while, if you are lucky, you might happen across an author who just grabs you with their storytelling skills.  There are several wonderful authors I've stumbled across in my lifetime.  From childhood on, I've "discovered" gifted writers on my own (without the help of friends’ recommendations or more recently the internet).  Back in 2000 I "discovered" Dorothea Benton Frank.  And in the 19 subsequent years I've had the pleasure of savoring a Dot Frank book every year.  My summer would not be complete without one of her tales.  I looked forward to them every year and saved them until the "right" time.  You didn't just read a Dot Frank novel; you devoured it with a gleeful pleasure.  I purposely would hold off until that "right time" and then there was no stopping me. Dorothea Benton Frank died on Monday after a brief battle with myelodysplastic syndrome, an insidious cancer that stole her from "us"...

It's that time of year again.  Even before the first day (which for us is tomorrow), I'm thinking about students and teachers.  I find myself in my early morning walks going past the schools that my son attended or attends (he started high school this week).  As I do these thoughts go through my mind and I send them out into the universe as a prayer. Nursery school/Pre-school:  The beginnings of your education.  A place of fun and place of learning.  I give thanks for the teachers who provide a safe space for all the pre-k set and give them a sense of well-being.  Who give a firm foundation for our youngest so that they, even at this young age, become prepared for what is next in life.  Bless them.  Bless their students; past, present and future. Elementary school:  Where your education took root.  I think back on your first day of kindergarten; that nervous face as you lined up to go to class and the look of elation whe...