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Little Goody Two-Shoes

Hello and welcome to the second Saturday of August here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is August 8th, or 8/8.

Boy, was this a wonky week. Time flies overall, but this past week, there just wasn't much going on over here. But hey, I'll take it. A little downtime never hurt anybody.

Last weekend, I ventured out of my little geographic comfort zone and drove to Brainerd, MN to visit my mom. Our family jokes that when we drive south we slowly re-enter civilization. Well, I gotta tell you, it's totally true.

According to my Google calendar, the last time I traveled beyond the Wannaska region was on March 2nd to Winnipeg. (I even blogged about it!) I have been sheltering in place for five months and driving south really felt like coming out of hibernation. Driving past bars and restaurants on a Friday night, I was surprised to see parking lots and decks filled with maskless patrons. (At least, I think so? I wasn't about to stop and get up close to confirm.) I must be a heartfelt rule follower because I was genuinely surprised to see people not wearing masks in a crowded area. Granted, it was outdoors. Perhaps that's the loophole. But it did make me wonder: Am I a nerd for following the rules? Am I an aberration? So, I googled "How well do adults follow rules?" and found these three articles. You be the judge. (And comment below or on Facebook!)

Why the Brain Follows the Rules

Why Entitled People Will Disregard Rules That Others Follow

Adults love breaking the food rules they had to follow as kids

Coincidentally, related to the topic of rule following, the Oldest got to see the content of Article #2 in action this past week. We watched a live webinar about all the anticipated rules associated with moving to, and living on, her college campus in the time of covid-19 (or “the ‘rona”, to borrow the term used by the teen who bagged and carried my groceries). For every rule, there was a request to be the exception.


Rule: Only one person can assist the student during their move-in time slot.

Question: Can we bring two if one of the two people PROMISE not to get out of the car?

Answer: If that person doesn't mind not being able to get out to pee or breathe fresh air or stretch their legs, wellllll, I guess if you're okay with that. But you absolutely under no circumstances are allowed to get out of the car.


Rule: The recreation center will be open by appointment only. Check the website to reserve a time.

Question: Can athletes still have access to the recreation center?

Answer: Yes. By appointment.


Rule: You must move-in during your allotted half hour slot. No exceptions.

Question: Can we come early? Can we come late?

Answer: *eye roll, but only after the staff person switches off their video.*


Rule: Due to the pandemic, you can't change who your roommate is.

Question: Yeah but, what if...

Answer: No buts! (In a nice university staff way.)

After awhile, the Q&A moderator transitioned from responding with fifty versions of  "No, you may not," to an automated response: This question was addressed live.


On the other hand, maybe I'm not such a Goody Two-shoes after all, because when it comes to treats and sweets, I will be the first to raise my hand and confess grown-up cheating as per the third article about adults and food rules. Ice cream for dinner? Of course. Cereal three times a day? Hello! Double yes! I do, however, insist on a side salad when serving up frozen pizza. I can eat on the couch, but the kids can't. And we have two stashes of chocolate in the house and anyone with any amount of experience with kids knows why.



On This Day

Historic Highlights (credits)

1988 - 8888 Uprising in Myanmar Begins
The pro-democracy uprising began as a student protest in Burma’s capital city, Yangon. Hundreds and thousands protesters came out on the streets to protest against the one-party rule by General Ne Win. The protests lasted for over a month and were violently put down by the government. They ended after the State Peace and Development Council, a group of senior military officers took over the government in a coup and installed a military junta. The uprisings get their name from the date the protests began - August 8, 1988.

1974 - Nixon Announces His Resignation
The 37th President of the United States, Richard Nixon’s resignation came as a response to the Watergate Scandal. The scandal erupted after it was revealed that the Nixon government was involved in the cover-up of a break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Complex. The revelations prompted the Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against Nixon. His resignation made him the first president in American history to resign while in office.

1969 - Photographer Iain Macmillan Takes an Iconic Photograph of the Beatles
One of the most recognizable images of the 20th century, the photograph was taken in the middle of Abbey Road in London and showed all the members of the popular rock band, The Beatles crossing the road on a zebra crossing. The photograph was used as a cover for their 11th album, Abbey Road.

1967 - ASEAN is Founded
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an economic and political organization which was formed after the heads of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand signed the Bangkok Declaration. The purpose of the organization is to promote regional peace and stability and encourage economic development in the region. Today, ASEAN has 10 member states.

1908 - Wright Brothers Publicly Show Off Their Flying Machine For the First Time
The human air flight pioneers displayed their flying machine and its capabilities at a racecourse at Le Mans, France, 5 years after they made their first successful flight in 1903. The flight piloted by Wilbur lasted only 1 minute and 45 seconds captured the imagination of their audiences, and silenced their critics and doubters.

Happy Birthday to You!🎶 

1981 - Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player

1981 - Harel Skaat, Israeli singer-songwriter

1969 - Faye Wong, Chinese singer-songwriter, actress

1953 - Nigel Mansell, English race car driver

1937 - Dustin Hoffman, American actor

Remembering You

1985 - Louise Brooks, American actress, dancer

1909 - Mary MacKillop, Australian saint, co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart

1827 - George Canning, English politician, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom


Make good choices and make it a great Saturday!

Kim


Comments

  1. Love the rules "discussion." I should make up my own list for doctor visits. Ha! Thanks for this post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Move in in a half-hour time slot? WHAT? It takes at least that long to find a friggin' parking space close enough to the door! Does that include going up three flights of stairs both ways? Finding the right room in the right building on the right side of campus? Meeting your roommate -- at all?

    "Ma, What kind of name is 'Ima EndMaker'? That's an awfully big bed. Can't be regulation? Has there been a fire in this room? Look at the walls and ceiling -- Look at the curtains . . . er, curtain!"

    ReplyDelete

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