Brookfield Wannabe

In my last blog, I wrote that I heard that the Oberweis ice cream store closed.  For those who might be concerned about unused subscriptions, balances on frequent buyer cards, or gift cards, a reader posted a comment with more information.  Click here to access my last blog, and then scroll down to the Comment on August 29 by "BrookfieldMomofTwo." 

I heard from a fellow ice cream lover that the Oberweis Ice Cream Store, located in the strip mall just east of the intersection of Moorland and Bluemound, has closed. The kids in my family loved to go there for the free balloons as much as the ice cream. Sorry to see it go. (I haven't heard anything about whether their dairy delivery services are continuing).

But don't despair, ice cream lovers. If you travel south on Moorland to Greenfield and then hang a left, you will find Maggie Moos ice cream store in the Brookfield Marketplace. Maggie Moos can mix your favorite ice cream with other favorite treats, like marshmallows or oreo cookies, similar to the way the Cold Stone Creamery stores do. They even have a few lactose free alternatives.

The staff of Maggie Moos was really great when my daughter's preschool went on a fieldtrip there earlier this summer. (Where were these ice cream field trips when I was growing up?).

Here's the address for Maggie Moos.

On the Thursday night news, I saw aerial footage of the damage done by vandals to East's football field.  (It reminded me of pictures of those farm fields where the corn is flattened out into strange, circular patterns.)  Someone drove a car onto the field and performed spinouts on the grass turf. It was an intentional act of vandalism; the perpetrator(s) cut through a chain in order to get access to the field.  As a result some of East's home football games will now have to be played at... Central! For the story, click here.

In the global scheme of things, high school football probably doesn't amount to much.  But when it comes to the world of East v. Central, it is a big deal.

When it came to extracurricular activities, athletics was the top dog when it came to the allocation of funds, even when I was at East  As a drama nerd in high school, I can personally attest to the fact that many drama/musical productions, instead of being held in an appropriate venue, were staged in the "cafetorium"  (the cafeteria that doubled as the auditorium).  But even us drama/yearbook/newspaper geeks loved going to football and basketball games, especially the East-Central matchups. 

There was always a mounting sense of excitement in the days before any of the East-Central football and basketball games.  With the basketball games, you had to come early; it was standing room only by game time.  School spirit was at a fever pitch.  Jocks and band nerds alike cheered with every cheer (remember "Boom, chic-a-boom" ? what did that mean anyway?), applauded wildly when the Spartanettes performed, danced in the bleachers in time to the pep band, and, of course, hurled insults at the Central side of the gym, mostly consisting of "Central sucks!" which the teachers dutifully tried to quash each and every time.  (Yes, it was poor sportsmanship, but it was a heckuva lot of fun.)

When I was a junior, because our homecoming football game was a night game, it had to be held at Central because that was the school with the football field lights (and yes, there was controversy about that). 

That game just didn't feel right. It was "homecoming" after all.  (I remember this game specifically because one of my good friends was elected to court that year, and we had to hustle her into a car after the traditional parade because she was shivering to death in her peach ball gown.)

So, I sympathize with all who are disappointed over this turn of events.

Is the rivalry between East and Central a "manufactured rivalry," as posited by Cindy Kilkenny in a recent blog?  Well, the school board may add fuel to the fire, but rivalry is inherent in competition.  Should "rivalry" escalate to the point where harm is done, whether to persons or property, then it is no longer rivalry but a crime.

Even after all these years, my husband, a Lancer, and I, a Spartan, occasionally rib each other about our respective allegiances.  I also admit to having an occasional immature urge to yell "Go East!" whenever I drive-by a Lancerette car wash.

It might be interesting to attend an East-Central game now, just to see if it is the same.

 We would of course need to sit on the East side.
 

As I've written before, we now have this new blog tool through which you, the readers, can comment on my blog.  I've had a question come up about this feature, so I want to clear a few things up.  In order to comment, you do need to "sign in," but you do not necessarily need to give your name.  You can remain anonymous. 

Comments do not automatically post to the blog; I need to approve them first.  However, the administrators of this blog have told all the bloggers that we should pretty much publish all comments -- good AND bad.  We have also been told in the strictest of terms that we are not to edit any comments in any way. 

When I review the comment, I only see the screen name that you are asked to provide.  I don't see your email address, and there is no way for me to obtain your email address.  The only actions I can take are either to approve (publish) or disapprove your comment.  If I approve your comment, the comments posts at the end of blog for which you are providing a comment. 

With this comment feature, you can praise, criticize, or add your own particular viewpoint to my blog. 

Readers can still email me though by clicking on the button that says "Email Author".  With this feature, I am able to see your email address and can reply accordingly.

ANSWER TO A RECENT COMMENT: 

Reader "Cheryl2jk" recently commented that she has had trouble reading some of my blogs that "go over one page."  I took a look, and it appears to be a problem with my archived posts.  If you are looking at some of my older posts either by the month or by the specific title, some of the content of a particular blog may be cut off.  I am guessing that a glitch may have occurred when we changed to the new blog tool.  I've informed the administrator of the blogs about the problem, so hopefully, it will be fixed soon.  In the meantime, if there is a particular blog that you are having a problem with, let me know, and I can probably get that specific one fixed for you.

If any other readers are experiencing other problems with the new blog site, please let me know either by comment or by email so that we can get the kinks worked out.

Today's quotes topic:  Worry

If you are anything like me, you probably worry a little too much about things that are too little.  I came across some great quotes recently that I use to remind myself not to sweat the small stuff.

Finish every day and be done with it...You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.  Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it...serenely,and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you have some fear of pain or suffering, you should examine whether there is anything you can do about it.  If you can, there is no need to worry about it.  If you cannot, then there is also no need to worry. -- The Dalai Lama
 

As you may have noticed, there is a new look to the blog sites. That's because we now have a new blog "tool."

With this new tool, among other features, readers can comment through the blog (you will need to sign in) and can sign up to be automatically alerted when I post a new blog.

You can also review many of my past posts by simply clicking on the title; the past titles appear in a menu next to the current blog. This new tool will also make it easier for me to provide links to outside information and will also make it easier for me to post photos.

Seeing as how I FINALLY got a digital camera, I am going to give that feature a try when the opportunity strikes. Just a note about comments. TPTB have set it up in such a way that comments do not automatically post on the blog. I must approve the comment first, but we have been counseled to approve almost all comments we receive.

I am experiencing a few technical glitches at the moment, so please bear with me, as I try out this new tool in the upcoming weeks and update the features on the blog.

This may come as a surprise, seeing as how I write a blog, but I am not particularly computer literate. It has been a slow process. Part of my self-taught computer education has been learning about message boards and deciphering the slew of acronyms that appear in the various posts. For the ones I can't figure out, I ask the The Spouse. For the ones that stump both of us, we ask the expert -- The Teenager. I had to go to her for the one listed above ("The Idiots In Charge").

So, today I address both TFIIC (The Federal Idiots In Charge) and the TIICAW (The Idiots in Charge At Work). On the Federal level, I am really tired of reading items about the passport crisis. Back in February, I wrote a blog about getting a passport and the the new passport requirements under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. So, they enact all these new regulations, people apply for passports, people follow the rules, and hold on... TIIC DIDN'T ANTICIPATE THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD APPLY FOR PASSPORTS?!! Big mess. So, TIIC have the rules go into effect in January, and now they are saying that there was a "huge, unanticipated surge in applications" in January, February, and March? Come on. My father sent in a passport renewal application in early April. He finally got his passport about two weeks ago -- a little shy of the four-month mark. Before the new requirements, I read the typical wait time was only about 6 weeks total. He was one of the lucky ones -- his vacation plans didn't get screwed up. By June, the backpedaling started. So, now, until September 30, if you haven't gotten your passport yet, you can present a passport application receipt and government-issued photo ID instead. By September 30, the feds hope to have the wait time back down to 6 weeks. I wouldn't hold my breath.

On the local level, I have a friend who is a nurse. This friend recently applied for a job that consists of sitting in a cubicle and answering healthcare questions over the phone. As part of the interview process, TIICAW made my friend lift a 50 lb. weight -- a routine test if the nurse in question is involved with patient care. Did I mention that the job is answering questions OVER THE PHONE?