Welcome to Small Reflections


"Nothing is ever achieved without enthusiasm."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Duck photo source: Lisa's Chaos
I hope you enjoy your visit. If you're looking for something specific, check out the links to posts by category in my sidebar and down a ways. They'll assist with tracking down different types of posts found on each of my three blogs. You might also enjoy checking out the other sites: Sacred Ruminations, Blog Rolls, Bling & Blurbs, and Happily Retired Gal.

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then visit me at my new blog ...

Giraffe Journal

and/or website ... Labyrinth Journal
both self-hosted at WordPress
where I publish as myself
rather than under a
pseudonym.

I've not had much time for posting or blog visits, but if you're interested I hope you'll find time to check out my new blog, Giraffe Journal or my Labyrinth Journal website ... both self hosted at WordPress.

Thanks for your visit and have a delightful day ;--)
Hugs and blessings,

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Heads or Tails #9 and Ten on Tuesday #8

Hosted by Skittles at Heads or Tails

This week's theme/prompt is:
HEADS - Royal

Skittles encouraged us to 'think outside the box' for this one ... but with TENNIS on my mind, in light of today's matches, I'm feeling blue.

Monday the Bryan brothers (#1 'doubles' seeds who were expected to win) and Robby Ginepri (the 1st American since Andre Agassi to reach the round of 16 at the French Open) both lost their matches ... so there are no Americans left in the competition.

I thought I was BLUE when the Williams sisters each lost their matches in the 3rd round ... but today I'm ROYALLY blue!!!

blue

Click for others participating in Heads or Tails this week.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As for Tennis

Federer defeated the
Frenchman Benneteau and he
will play Gonzalez We'nesday.

On Tuesday Nadal will play
against Almagro of Spain ...
Hopefully it will not rain!
Djokovic and Gulbis will
likewise play their match with skill!
Gael Monfils of France takes on
David Ferrer ... could be long!

In the women's Quarters we
know Safina will play the
Russian Dementieva
and Suarez Navarro
against Jankovic will go.

Patty Schnyder who is Swiss
plays Ivanovic for this
coming match ... but waiting still
for the last two gals who will
finish up the eight in the
Quarter Finals ... we shall see.

~ ~ ~

The prompt this week is
10 Ways the World has Changed since
I've been in School

There are many ways to define 'being in school' ... at least from MY perspective as a 63 year old happily retired teacher. I'm currently in school taking a class on Photoshop Elements (so that would be hardly any change at all). I retired from teaching 7 years ago ... earned my Masters Degree 22 years ago ... my Teaching Credential 41 years ago ... my Bachelor of Arts Degree 42 years ago ... my High School Diploma 46 years ago. Methinks I'll choose the last as a referent for today's post and write whatever comes to mind in no particular order.

1. In 1962 (the year I graduated from High School) 'West Side Story' won the Academy Award for Best Picture ... 'Moon River' by Henry Mancini won 'record of the year' ... and The Beverly Hillbillies' premiered on TV ... so I'd say films, music, & television have changed significantly when compared with what's popular today.

2. I recall that 1962 was the year of the 'Cuban Missile Crisis' and the guidelines we were given to keep the children I was supervising on the playground safe in the event of a missile attack because this crisis brought us perilously close to war on American soil. Given the series of wars since that time, we've certainly not created a peaceful society yet.

3. 2008 is the 80th year of the French Open. In 1962 Rod Laver defeated Roy Emerson in the 32nd French Men's Tennis Tournament and the players wore long slacks to play their matches. The pace of the game has changed with the advent of new & improved materials from which racquets are made and with which they're strung ... surfaces have changed ... and players are stronger and more physically 'fit' than ever.

4. Minimum wage was $1.15 an hour and the average cost of a gallon of gas was 30 cents. Compare that to today's wages and gas costs!

5. Walter Cronkite took over as anchorman of the CBS Evening News, Johnny Carson replaced Jack Paar as host of the 'Tonight Show' and Sean Connery starred in the first James Bond film ... 'Dr. No' ... and although the Bond movies and Tonight Show continue ... the anchormen (and women), hosts and leads have changed over time. The language & subject matter (not to mention what passes for 'news' these days) is much different than in 1962.

6. John Glenn Jr. circled the earth three times as we all held our collective breath hoping he'd return safely. Today we've got a manned Space Station, Neil Armstrong (and other astronauts) have walked on the moon, and we've explored the surface of Mars with the use of technology.

7. I recall giving a speech in school about James Meredith becoming the first black student to enroll in the University of Mississippi. Affirmative action and integration have altered America so much that we have a black man and a woman vying for the Democratic Presidential nomination!

8. Perhaps the biggest changes have come with technology and miniaturization. Computers were so large they filled entire rooms and now they're small enough to be portable ... not only as laptops, but PDAs are as commonplace as cell phones ... (remember Star Trek and the electronic gadgets they used? Who knew we'd all own them in our lifetime?) When I was in HS we shared what was known as a 'party line' with 3 other families so we had to listen be sure no one was using it before we dialed the rotary phone. Today everything is digital and just about everyone carries a cell phone wherever they go ... talking and texting even as they drive cars. It seems a bit crazy to me that we (seemingly) have to keep in touch every instant without really being (meaningfully) in touch at all.

9. Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring was released and gave rise to the modern environmentalist movement ... eventually leading to Al Gore's book and film, An Inconvenient Truth. Lots of us are more aware ... reuse & recycle regularly ... buy & eat organic foods ... etc.

10. Single parent families were rare in 1962 ... especially when compared with today. Most women did not work outside the home to earn a 2nd income and extended family usually lived nearby ... providing a support system. We knew everyone in the neighborhood by name ... and if kids did anything 'wrong' ... adults corrected them and let their parents know what had happened ... punishment (discipline) was applied consistently so that kids learned to behave responsibly without making excuses and/or blaming others for their actions.

(Click for others participating in Ten on Tuesday)


Thought for Today
"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." Victor Frankl

22 comments:

Juliana RW said...

I love blue color but I don't like if i feel blue :D

Mine in here Thanks

Anonymous said...

Totally unmindful of all you have written here, I am totally taken back in time to Henry Mancini's Moon River and enjoying it all over again like it was new.

Also *sheepishly* I really enjoyed the Beverly Hillbillies.

Barb said...

Knowing I remember all those things too could make me "royally blue".. but it doesn't. :)

Thanks for playing. :)

ChrisB said...

You've certainly taken me on a trip down memory lane with your '10 on Tues'!

Anonymous said...

I love your take on the HoT theme this week. I do hope you don't stay 'Royally Blue' for long.

Hootin Anni said...

I'm sure you DO feel royally 'blue'!

And your ten on Tuesday brought back a lot of memorable days of yore for me too!!

Now I'm thinking about a poor mountaineer who barely kept his family fed!

Ivanhoe said...

What a great comparison on Tuesday Ten. There is a lot that changed since 60's. Lot of changed for me in early 90's as communism
"changed" to democracy. You can change the system but cannot change the people who grew up in it. So in late 90's I left for US hoping for better life... And I think I got it :o)

Mary said...

Storyteller,

I well remember all those things from 1962. I started work in 1965 and made 65 cents and hour. When I was laid off the next year I found a job that paid $1.19 per hour and thought I was rich.

1962 was quite a year. That is the year Marilyn Monroe died. The NY Yankees won the World Series and James H. Meredith, escorted by federal marshals, registers at University of Mississippi.

I enjoyed my visit, as always. Drop by sometime when you have a few minutes. I miss hearing from you.

Blessings,
Mary

Joyce said...

Your Ten on Tuesday was an enjoyable trip down memory's lane. It was so well done, though, that I will have to put more thought into what I'm going to say, lest I be embarrassed. :)

Linda said...

When I was young I played tennis 3 or 4 times a week. I was skinny too.

Love you 10's. They brought back a lot of good memories. I especially liked #10 where we all knew everyone in our neighborhood. I miss that sense of community. I haven't seen, let alone know, 99% of the people in my neighborhood,.

Anonymous said...

Aw, sorry you feel blue - nice idea for the theme, though!

Mike said...

That was a good list. I like all the cultrual changes you mentioned. It makes you think.

LA Nickers said...

Fun post. . . . you brought back some childhood memories of mine too.


Blessings,
Linda


TEN WAYS THE WORLD HAS CHANGED SINCE I WAS IN SCHOOL, at Practically at Home

Susan Demeter said...

I'm not a tennis fan, but I can sympathise. Hope you are not feeling so blue soonly! Happy HOT day!!

Jillie Bean (AKA Bubba's Sis) said...

You did a great job with your 10 on Tuesday list! I, too, thought of how profanity, sex, and violence are much more accepted today than even 21 years ago when I graduated from high school. The things I see on NETWORK TV (not always cable!) these days sometimes shock even me. And that's saying a lot!

Thanx for stopping by! Come back anytime!

ShannonW said...

I love the color blue and all the shades/hues of blue :)

I miss watching Walter Cronkite and Johnny Carson.

Teena in Toronto said...

I was born in 1962!

I played too :)

storyteller said...

Thanks so much to all of you for visiting my HoTs and ToTs post here today. I think I’ve been to each of your blogs and left comments there. Since it’s closing in on 7pm here and I’m hungry, methinks I’ll leave a group comment (in lieu of the individual ones I usually leave) because tomorrow is another BUSY DAY for me.

Hope you’re all having a wonderful week. I enjoyed seeing what everyone did with the ROYAL theme and the CHANGES in our world. Seems like there was lots of variety as is often the case. I’m about to turn off the computer because last night I was working until almost 11pm and that’s just too late for one who arises as early as I do.

Hugs and blessings,

Mary P Jones (MPJ) said...

The thing I noticed about the minimum wage and gas in 1962 vs. today is that in 1962, one hour of work would buy 3.83 gallons of gas. Today one hour of work buys less than 1.5 gallons.

Tina Coruth said...

Storyteller,

Your blue color post brought me back a few years. My grandson loved "Blues Clues". We watched it together almost every day.

Your meme sure brought me back, too! I graduated in 1968, your events were the memories of my later grammar school years and therefore, vivid in my memory.

I hope you have a great week!

Momisodes said...

Sorry you were feeling a bit blue :(
Loved your 10 on Tuesday list.
It's amazing how much gas and minimum wage has changed. Back then you could get nearly 4 gallons of gas with 1 hour's worth of work. Now, you can't even get 2 :(

storyteller said...

MPJ – You’re so right about that. I drive lots less than I used to … and walk more. I suppose that’s a good thing, but I notice the price of gas around here has gone up to more than $4.35! Yikes!!!

Tina – I’m glad to ‘bring back memories’ and appreciate your comments here. Thanks … I am having a great (if a bit too busy) week. Once the French Open ends, perhaps I’ll have more time to catch up on blog visits. I did stop by your blog this morning and enjoyed all your photos. Thanks for sharing.

Sandy – Thanks. The ‘blues’ passed fairly quickly because the tennis has been EXCITING (except for the disappointing effort of Kuznetsova in her match with Safina yesterday. I’m looking forward to the men’s semi-final matches today. They start in about 3 hours ;--)

Sorry it’s taken me a couple of days to find your comments and respond. All’s well with me, but my ‘to-do’ list is growing longer rather than shorter each day … and I’m having to cut back on ‘blog visiting’ just to keep my head above water (so to speak), but once the French Open ends … perhaps I’ll be able to catch up. My Google Reader count has been 1000+ for so long, I suspect there may be 2000 or more unread messages by now … and my unread email count is at 336 as I type this. YIKES!!!

I wish for each of you a peace-filled day, everyday ;--)
Hugs and blessings,

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