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Editorial ----

4-13-03

Taxes and Bikini Waxes --

April. It's the month where we become consumed with thoughts of Spring. April brings to mind other events and thoughts as well. April brings taxes, Easter, planting, budding flowers, thoughts of losing weight for that summer trip to the beach. This year, it brings continuing coverage of the ongoing but hopefully ending conflict in the Middle East. April also brings my 49th birthday, which commences my 50th year of life on this planet. I can't believe it! I still feel like the same person who walked out of Highland Springs High School as a student for the last time in 1973. I thought that by this time I would be older and wiser.

By this age, surely that wisdom should have come to me right along with the graying and thinning hair, and the ever-expanding waistline. But, you know what? It really hasn't. Oh sure, I've learned a few things over the years. But, most of these are the result of hard lessons. These were not the types of lessons learned by sitting back and thoughtfully rubbing my graying chin whiskers, contemplating my situation and arriving at some enlightened conclusion rivaled by Socrates.

No, I'm afraid I haven't improved much since high school, which should really scare the Hell out of people who know me well (you know who you are). So the question is, if we don't get any smarter (I'm not talking academically here), then what do we have to look forward to as far as age and self-improvement goes? After some careful thought and chin-whisker rubbing, I've come to the conclusion that the real reward of age is experience. This is what you have to share with your friends after all those years have passed. This is what passes off as wisdom.

The difference between wisdom and experience is: With wisdom, you can look at a situation for the first time and make the proper decision on how to deal with it and not take a hard knock. For instance, I know not to whiz on and electric fence because I know it has electricity running through it and the conductive nature of liquid will cause me to get shocked. With experience, you know not to whiz on the electric fence because you were stupid enough to do it once and got shocked where it hurts the most.

Given that line of thought…I have been thinking that it is my generation that is in charge of feeding the current generation of kids. When we were kids, our parents told us that we could not continuously eat junk food and fast food because it was not good for us. Here on the Springer Connection we reminisce about how great the school lunch food was.

With that said, where is the wisdom in replacing the great food programs in schools across the country with the likes of McDonald's and Taco Bell? When did allowing kids to drink Pepsi's instead of milk become okay? Where is the wisdom in the decision allowing corporations to come in and replace viable school lunch programs with junk food? Don't we care about the health of our kids?

I don't fault the schools themselves. Our teachers and school officials are smarter than that. This decision was made much, much further up the line and created an unwise but necessary fund generator because someone cut resources for the lunches and other programs, which now have to rely on these corporations for funds to run those selfsame programs.

I know how important a good meal was to my fellow students and myself and I would like to see the current situation reversed. I believe that we as parents should come together and make our voices heard. I'm sure Dan (who is always trying to be the voice of reason for my editorials) is going to have a cow thinking that I am blasting the high school about their lunch program, but such is not the case. As far as I know the same ladies are still at HS making those wonderful hot rolls like they were when I was there. I'm speaking from the experience (there's that magic word) of seeing what they dished up to my sons at their schools in California and what has been on the news lately. I actually went to their school and voiced my concerns to no avail. So, I just didn't allow my boys to eat that stuff.

I've noticed (and so have other people) that posting on the message board is way down. I think maybe the season has something to do with it as well as the current situation in the Middle East. I know everyone is busy getting bikini waxes and such for the summer and have not had as much time for the message board.

We are, indeed, going to be offering Springer Connection shirts for our members to obtain. A special place will be set-aside on the site for pre-ordering and it will have all the details. Besides the t-shirts, we will be showing some apparel items that the athletic department has for sale. All great stuff! Speaking of the athletic department, the post on the web by Coach Burton (regarding Maurice Reevey) bears reading by all members and I highly encourage people to participate.

Also, don't forget -- some of the Class Reunions are just around the corner, so send in your money for tickets soon. I am beating myself over the head as I type this because I am also a slacker in that regard (see the first paragraph above).

Until next time…see ya'll on the message board.

Jack



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Donna Gets it Right!

Now that you have heard from our cuddly Teddy Bear, check out the wit and wisdom of Columnist Donna Jenkins Monnin >>>
 
Previous Rants

 
Anybody who wants to Know Jack Better can check out his earlier rants here:

Late March potpourri>>>

Winter Doldrums etc. >>>

Telemarketers, ATMs and Raider fans >>

It Only Seems I've Gotten Mellow >>

End of the year Potpourri >>

Scrooge arrives early this year >>

Lighting up is getting harder in South Florida >>

Living with Yankee neighbors>>

The Bug Got Me and Other Stuff >>

Lauderdale, Attack Show Dogs and Beanie Baby Millionaires >>

Driver Insanity, Cabinets and Typhoid Mary >>

Clean Pot Holders and Shiny Tools >>

What time is Oprah on? >>

Pink Flamingoes are keeping me Awake >>

Don't Fish in Lightning Storms>>

I'm So Excited >>

Conspiracy Theory >>

Crying Towel >>

In With the New(year) >>

Blaming the Holidays >>