is it just me?

this morning I was listening to NPR and they were talking about housing prices, or something like that. and then they played a little song that went "little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky tacky and they all look just the same." And somewhere from deep in my memory, I realized I knew every word to the song. And this is why I love the internet: I can come in to work, with that silly song still stuck in my head, find all the lyrics, find the story of it, and listen to several versions online. technology is amazing.

Anyway, if you don't know that song, it's interesting. I really only remembered the first part about the houses. But then they say they "And they all go to university and they all come out the same. And there's doctors and there's lawyers and business executives and they're all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same." I thought it was a nice little kids' song, but no. That's not a nice little song. But now I think it's even better. And I can basically guarantee that it will stuck in my head for the next three weeks. If you would like to listen to it, Pete Seeger does a decent version.

so, I probably learned that song from my parents. I don't remember being taught the song, per se, but my parents like to sing. The funny thing is that I also know all the words to all the songs that my parents used to listen to when we would drive from virginia to massachusetts every summer to see my grandparents. It's not good songs, necessarily. Carole King. Judy Collins. That kind of stuff. But I learned it all by heart, and can, when properly prompted, have quite a 60s singalong. I am sure now kids can listen to their walkmans (sorry, IPods) in the backseat and never be tainted by their parents music, but that is a real shame. One day I want my kids singing along to my favorite songs without knowing why they know all the words.

yogurt

I love dairy products. A lot. I drink milk by the glass, can't get enough cheese, and eat cartons of yogurt. So Dannon is making a big deal about the fact that they are getting rid of their plastic lids on their small yogurt. This is good. It's a waste. The tagline is "What would you do with 3.6 million pounds of plastic?" First, I find it astounding that that is how much plastic is used for those stupid lids. But then they say, "Dannon is making a major donation to Toys for Tots enabling them to give lost of plastic toys to kids this holiday season." I guess the idea is that plastic toys for poor kids is a better use of all that plastic than yogurt lids, but it's not really working for me. You've got me thinking about waste and plastic, and I would prefer to think that the elimination of the lids would result in less plastic, not just be melted in to a different shape for some kid to destroy. Sorry. I was an environmental policy major in college and every once in a while it gets the better of me.

tough, but not too tough

I was walking down the street in Madison yesterday, and these teens are walking towards me. I would call them goth, though perhaps that is outdated. (If you know the new name please tell me. I like to be current.) The girls have black and pink hair, extreme amounts of eye makeup, small shirts and giant pants. The boys are the same with big shirts and big pants. All black, of course. So there are these two college kids riding in a BMW. It is stopped at a light and the aforementioned teens cross in front. The driver reaches over and locks his door, and then yells "Gimme some of what YOU got" just as the light changes and he peels off. I mean, you're gonna yell at people but lock your door first? Come on. And what does that mean, anyway? The funny part was he peeled out, but one block later he had to stop again. I bet then he rolled up his window. The best part is that the teens didn't even blink. I mean, one of em might've raised an eyebrow, but other than that the guy got no satisfaction.

On a slightly related topic, for anyone reading who is thinking of some body art, a word of caution. Don't get tattoos anywhere that is not easily covered by regular clothing. I have been seeing young people with tattoos on their necks and chests. This is a bad idea. I am just saying (and I know it makes me seem old) you might want to put em somewhere you can cover them in case you change your mind. Pierce whatever you want, but the tattoos are risky. And you know those things you put in your ears that make em stretch? (Again, if you know the name, send it to me.) Don't do that. It's a bad idea. It can't be fixed. And I really, really think the day will come when you will regret that. Among other things, you know how old people all have giant ears? Apparently your ears never stop growing. This is a troubling enough fact on its own, but just think about it in the context of stretched out ears. So, don't do it. It's nasty. And you will be sorry. This is your brain on drugs.

Do you remember that great old anti-drug commercial where the dad comes in to the kid's room with a box of pot and says "Who taught you how to do this stuff?" And the kid screams "YOU, allright? I learned it by watching YOU!" What a great ad. I still say that. It cracks me up every time.