Sunday, March 15, 2009

Bourgeois

Truth? The title of this post has absolutely nothing to do with its content. Like many Middle French words, it was running through my mind (much in the way I picture French soldiers (there's an oxymoron) running from the Germans. Or any other invading army really.) and since this post has no unifying theme I thought, What the Helvetica?

  • Let's get the writing-related stuff out of the way first. Here's a Web page with a whole lotta links to "Useful Web Tools for Writers." May you find something useful.
  • My wife and I had a discussion about chocolate milk last night. She announced that she was about to enjoy a glass. I said, "We still have chocolate milk?" She said that because she bought Hershey's Chocolate Syrup, we always had chocolate milk, provided we had white milk, which we always do because we have a two-year old. I said it wasn't nearly the same. She said she preferred it to store-bought chocolate milk because store-bought chocolate milk was "too thick." I was speechless, so I wrote the following in my journal:
The Wife (not her real name) thinks Hershey's Chocolate Syrup in white milk is somehow superior to actual, sent-from-heaven, store-bought chocolate milk, the kind they make from God's tears of happiness.
Poll: Which chocolate milk is better? (Hint: The Wife is so wrong on this one.)
  • I have parent-teacher conferences this week, otherwise known as conference-week-with parents-I-don't-need-to see-while-those-whose-kids-regularly-ruin-the-education-of their-classmates-stay-home-and-watch-Rock of Love.
  • As a teacher, I often feel like I get an early glimpse of the future of our fine country. Let me tell you, I'm not real confident. On Saturday night, I observed something that makes me believe things might actually be worse than I first thought. I went to my local Family Video to take back yet another late movie. Because I can't help myself, I walked around to see what was available. To my chagrin and to this country's great discredit, I saw three long rows of the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua. There were approximately sixty boxes and, here's where it really gets bad, all but seven had been checked out. It gets worse. The seven that remained were stacked behind three boxes, which means that although there were sixty boxes, it seems likely that there were over 100 copies of this movie at the store. Now, I live in a relatively small town and the movie was a one day rental, which means that on a Saturday night, 100 or so families thought that the best way they could spend some quality family time was to watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua (the italics are meant to emphasize my outrage, not the fact that it's a title). And we're worried about the education system?


15 comments:

Unknown said...

Anita, I beat you to the comment section!

PMM - what the helvetica is right! BHC? That's lame. Wonder if your town will soon be overrun with those little rat dogs.

Good luck with the P/T conferences. I have mine at the end of first quarter in November. Smile-nod-smile-drink water-nod-smile-shake hands. The parents at my school think very highly of their kids and usually do most of the talking. The drawbacks of teaching kids at a college prep school, where parents think college starts tomorrow.

later,

tew

Anonymous said...

Hate to sit on the fence on this one, but both variations of chocolate milk hold a special place in my heart.

Though, I have to say that my favorite type is the one that came out of the chocolate milk machine at the cafeteria in college. My god I miss that. I ate cereal with chocolate milk with a glass of chocolate milk pretty much every day for three years.

There was some weight gain.

Ben

www.benjaminesch.com

Monica said...

i always feel obligated to go to those P/T conferences, and for god knows how many years now, the exact same comments. "good students, not reaching their potential, should talk/socialize less"

i agree with the chocolate milk, PMM, your wife is deluded (no offense, Mrs. PMM)

Anita said...

Tracy, you dog! Any day he was going to send me Edgar Sawtelle!

Regarding chocolate milk: We spike our white with Ovaltine (made in USA and containing billions of vitamins).

Regarding America's future: I believe it is depending on the offspring of PMM and his followers. Go forth and teach your children something!

Kelly Polark said...

I love chocolate milk, so I'd take either. BUT I do have to say I am with your wife on this one. The chocolate syrup allows you to control the amount of syrup in your milk! And the last drops where the chocolate stuck are YUM!
And Ben, I also had chocolate milk in my cereal occasionally at the college dorm. The soft serve ice cream there too was delish!

Lily Cate said...

Sorry, I like the home-mixed milk. The store bought stuff is kind of sludgy, and the chocolate stays suspended because of some algae or seaweed product added in there.

Also, red food coloring is bugs.

We have our very first parent teacher conferences next week. I really want to hear how Sonny Boy is doing in his first sememster of school. (but only if he's a genius, and if not, I will complain. Loudly.) All the teacher has said to me thus far is "he had a great morning".

chris said...

Definitely store bought chocolate milk. While I appreciate the freedom mixing it yourself gives you to make it so strong you might as well leave out the milk, the flavor just can't quite compare.

Jacqui said...

Mixing your own chocolate milk, writing names with the dripping syrup, etc. is decidedly more fun. But ready made chocolate milk is oh so much better.

Anonymous said...

I just gotta weigh in on the chocolate milk "controversy"! Here's the compromise and the way I think it's best. Start with a BIG glass. Fill it 2/3 full with chocolate milk and top off the rest with white. Mix well and enjoy.

Ray Veen said...

I like conferences. Is that weird? Hopefully it means my family falls into the 'you-don't-really-need-to-talk-to-us-about-our-kid' category.

(Store bought all the way, baby)

Martha Flynn said...

syrup?? I actually melt down chocolate shavings.

Danette Haworth said...

I like your blog, Paul!

Yes, every chocolate milk drinker KNOWS you have to buy it already made in the store. I like mine with sugar listed on the label, not corn syrup. (It tastes different.)

But wives are right on everything else, just wanted to be sure you knew that. (Paul's wife--I got you covered.

Anonymous said...

Gotta agree 100% with the wife on this one...Store-bought choc. milk is indeed too thick. I prefer white milk with Hershey's syrup. In that manner, you have control of how chocolatey you want to make it! And the consistency if far better.

Anonymous said...

PMM--Could you fire me your email address + your mailing address? It just occurred to me I can't send you a copy with no address! -DY

Unknown said...

I'm voting for homemade so I can determine the exact ratio of milk to chocolate syrup.
No, I am NOT controlling!