Category Archives: What I Learned This Week

What I Learned This Week – 12/28/14

Posted on December 28, 2014 by funnygurl2

This week I learned that the children’s game Candy Land has changed a lot in the last 35 years.

My mom bought my son, M, the game Candy Land for Christmas. I realized it has changed a lot since I played it as a child. I still had my childhood version, sans box and directions, which have been gone for years. My classic Candy Land board and pieces live in my Chutes & Ladders box. I brought it downstairs and laid the two side by side.

Candy Land: Early 1980's vs. 2014 boards

Candy Land: Early 1980’s vs. 2014 boards

The new board is smaller. And definitely not as sturdy. The first time I opened it and tried to lay it flat, I ripped it into two pieces. I had to tape it back together (don’t tell my mother). I understand why Hasbro makes it that way. So they can package it in a smaller box, and sell it at a lower price. I still liked it when game boards for every game were all the same standard size (Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Monopoly, etc.).

Classic Candy Land of my youth

Classic Candy Land of my youth

The new game features a spinner instead of cards to tell you where to move your piece to. I get this too. Half the kids out there probably don’t know how to shuffle cards. The other half probably lose the cards, then cannot play the game. Although I did notice on the Hasbro website where they sell a refill you can buy to replace your missing cards. I always liked the cards, because then I could study the candy ones and imagine how delicious they would be to eat.

Candy Land circa 2014

Candy Land circa 2014

I think that the 2014 Candy Land has been girlie-fied. The game board, but also the game pieces, suddenly look very feminine. Candy is a generic thing that kids love. The old game board even featured a picture of both a girl AND A BOY happily setting off on their sweet adventure.  I wonder how many little boys are turned off by this makeover.

I think I am saddest that they got rid of the classic game pieces, that looked very much like gingerbread men. I am thinking my son and I might have to play on the old game board now and then. I really hate change.

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What I Learned This Week – 12/21/14

Posted on December 21, 2014 by funnygurl2

This week I learned that “Last Christmas” seems to be the song of Christmas 2014.

The last few years, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas is You” has been clogging up the airways. I REALLY do not like that song. It grates on me. It makes me want to go kill an elf on the shelf every time that it plays.

But it seems this year, “Last Christmas” is being played all the time. I am not in the love with the song, but it does have a catchy hook that is easily stuck in everyone’s head. Even my 4 year old son M busts out singing it now and then. (Except, his version is “Last Christmas, I gave you my poop…”)

And any excuse for radio to play more George Michael I am all on board with. The man has a beautiful voice.  Plus, he wrote and produced it.  He must get a nice royalty check every year come January.

I find it impressive that a 30 year old song is having such a resurgence.

And all versions of “Last Christmas” are being played to death, not even just the original version from Wham. I hear the versions by Taylor Swift and the cast of Glee on the radio as well. The Taylor Swift one is very surprising because while she isn’t one of my favorite artists, she usually puts lots of emotion into her singing. Her version of “Last Christmas” is very flat and bland. Very unlike her. Hard to believe it is from the same person who sings “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space”.

I wanted to include the video so that everyone would know what song I am referring to. I was afraid the original video would frighten everyone with it’s 1984 fashions and hair, so here is a lyric video instead…

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What I Learned This Week – 12/7/14

Posted on December 7, 2014 by funnygurl2

This week I learned that on the right day of the year for only a donation to Toys for Tots, I could get to drive my car around Michigan International Speedway!

It was awesome!

Because I had to take my mom to the bank on Saturday anyway, I asked her if she would want to ride along out to the speedway with me. We both used to watch NASCAR racing for many years. It was the perfect activity for her–no walking.

She kept saying there would be tons of people and there would be a line.

There wasn’t.

We had a little trouble finding the right entrance to go in, but then we got to drive through a very narrow tunnel that made me nervous. Then everyone in the car had to sign a disclaimer. I even had to sign one for my son, M.

We went to enter the track on pit road.

I said, “Look! It’s pit road.”

My mom said, “Where?”

I said, “We are ON it!”

Then she was impressed.

I said, “Take pictures!”

She said, “I don’t have a camera.”

I said, “Use your cell phone.”

She forgets that there is a camera on her phone.

She got nervous when I went high in the turns. They are banked so high that my everyday vehicle seemed like it would roll over any second. It was very strange to see minivans and SUVs driving around the track together.

For your donation, you were supposed to get one time around the track at 25mph. We went more than one lap and more than 25mph, but not as many times or as fast as anyone else.

I felt a little closer to Jeff Gordon that day.

Here are our pictures:

The view from the track

The view from the track

Me gritting my teeth as I approach the steep banking

Me gritting my teeth as I approach the steep banking

The view of the track through my windshield

The view of the track through my windshield

The biggest surprise was the text I received the next morning from my mom:

Riding around the racetrack was one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life. Thank you.

Hmmm… If she is going to be that grateful for a change, I just might have to start dragging her out more often.

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Do Divine Forces Communicate To Me Through The Radio?

Posted on December 1, 2014 by funnygurl2

I don’t believe in God. Although I do think there might be some sort of higher force affecting our lives on a daily basis. That force might be Fate. I also believe that Fate can play cruel tricks on us at times.

GOD RADIO-music prayer

All that aside, do you think that it is possible that God communicates to me through my car radio?

Because after this week, I think that maybe he just might. If he existed.

This week I was on my way to work, wondering why I was going in when the job clearly makes me miserable. So much so that there was an anonymous vote at Thanksgiving dinner saying that I should not head into work that night. But I did anyway. Not really sure what is wrong with me in that respect. I usually blame my freakishly responsible nature on being a Capricorn.

Anywho, while on my way to work Friday, there was a radio ad. For the very shopping location that I work at. It said,”[Enter Shopping Location Here] wants to give YOU the gift of MORE TIME this holiday season.”

This was my sign.

Now, the commercial actually goes on to try to impress customers by talking about the extended shopping hours available on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

It was not meant for employees at all.

But I took it as my sign that I should terminate my employment soon, in order to return to some semblance of sanity and to enjoy the holidays with my family.

The irony of all this? My boss most likely arranged and paid for those commercials.

After this, I was pretty certain of my course of action, but worried about how my family would manage with less income.

Then on Sunday morning, as I went to the grocery store in my pajamas and slippers to buy more pop, the local station had on some religious programming. Usually I change it right away, but this time I didn’t. The pastor was talking about moving to a small town and trying to find an office job right as the recession hit. I don’t remember his exact words, but it came down to that he was fretting about if they had made the right decisions or not. He worried that they should move to the city.

Then he realized that he should just stop and be grateful for what he did have. The jobs that he and his wife had, even if they were not ideal. The friends who touched their lives every day.

I don’t know much, but I do know that gratitude works. I was always grateful for my Pontiac Aztek, even after it died. The Universe provided me with a Jeep Patriot to purchase that I am very happy with. I do fret that committing to the loan may have been an error. But my asbestos friend would tell me to not turn down gifts from the Universe. But the Universe is not always clear on what decisions I should make.

Unless I hear them on the radio…

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What I Learned This Week – 11/23/14

Posted on November 26, 2014 by funnygurl2

I know this is terribly late, but real life got in the way, which is always a bummer.

But I didn’t want an important milestone to go buy without at least a little bit of fanfare.

My little tiny goofy blog reached 50,000 all-time views this week!

I started this blog because I felt I had things to say. The same type of things I used to email to my coworkers all day at work, such as mix tape reviews, pet obituaries, poems, goofy pictures, and favorite songs, I now share with the world.

He looks like he is on the toilet

He looks like he is on the toilet

Sometimes I feel that technology complicates the world more than it helps. (And Facebook is definitely a time suck.) But I am never sad about the time I spend on my blog, and usually wish I had more time to spend here.

Stay tuned for my next few milestones: my 400th post, and publication of my first novel(la).

I was also going to write about what a great product Pedia-Lax glycerine suppositories are, as it got my almost 4 year old son pooping again. But then the next time we used it, it wasn’t effective for him. But, prune juice might be the new pooping miracle.

Stay tuned.

Crap, I already said that.

(Ha, ha.  I said, “Crap…”)

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