http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/ Total Format games movies and music reviews discussions galleries avatars, screen shots and wallpapers, film and game trailers, free to play online games and more. en Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:39:55 GMT vBulletin 720 http://www.totalformat.com/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/ http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/28-other-peoples-children.html Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:55:34 GMT Have you ever noticed that children behave differently when they are away from their own parents? And usually for the better.

I have been a soccer coach and a parent volunteer for the school drama productions, both for several years. These activities allow me to work with lots of kids aged 10-15. I know that there are problem children out there, and I haven't really had to deal with them yet, but most kids have been polite and attentive, and have focussed on the tasks at hand. Plus, I make sure we have fun.

Eventually, the parents come to pick up their kids, and some will say "I hope Johnny wasn't too difficult today." I'll reassure them that Johnny was fine, and then wonder what happens at home, and how much of any bad behavior is driven by the family dynamic. But their parenting can't have been too bad, as Johnny is well behaved around me.

Back before there was a USA, "fostering" was a common practice. And of course, back when debts could be inherited, running away from home at a young age was a good idea.

Today, parents seem to be very reluctant to let their children go out and explore the big bad world. I wonder if this is a good thing.

Of course, in my case, I wish my kids would stay home a little more..:doh: ]]> Laz http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/28-other-peoples-children.html http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/26-moving-not-fun.html Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:56:57 GMT If you've been following along, you know that I/we have just moved from Westport Connecticut (1 hr east of NYC) to West Chester PA (1 hr west of Philly).

We had lived in Westport for 12 years, and Connecticut for 20. We went from a small house to a bigger one, a small property to a bigger one - all for much less money. Escaping the NYC metro area has its advantages.

Anyway, packing and moving is a terrible chore, and then unpacking takes forever (years!). The kitchen layout is different, so which drawer does the silverware go in? Registering our new address with everyone is annoying. How come they can't figure this out on their own? Hmmm, maybe we just won't tell them we left.

The worst part has to be making new friends. We had the most wonderful goodbye parties before we left (why is that?) Our kids are mostly grown (16 and 20) to there are no playdates. We don't have time yet to start up volleyball and music jams (ref unpacking above). And our neighbors all seem to be on summer vacation.

So why did we move? The Wife got a fantastic job that acknowledges that she is really good at what she does. The past 5 years have been very tough, as her boss really didn't understand the situation he was putting her in, and himself as well. I was able to find a new job as well, which is similar to my previous place, so not too bad.

Stay tuned - hopefully happier stories soon. ]]> Laz http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/26-moving-not-fun.html http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/25-change-change.html Fri, 30 May 2008 22:42:07 GMT My family is moving for the first time in 12 years. My wife has accepted a new job about 200 miles from where we live now. We've bought a house, and are trying to sell this one. I just got a new job, which is a big relief. I've been the "trailing spouse" for 25 years.

We hate to move, which is why we have done it only a few times. In fact, my wife stayed at her current job about 2 years too long because she loves it here, and she hates to move. But her job was really making her miserable, which makes us all miserable, so away we go. Her new job is fantastic; she can already tell that it's going to be a lot better, and she hasn't started yet. We will miss being near the water, but we'll soon be up in the hills with a wonderful view.

I also tend to stay in one place. It takes a lot of effort to get me to leave - I've only quit on my own once in my entire career. Both of us are loyal to a fault.

But sometimes change is good. We don't really have many close friends here, and my daughter hates the school she is in. My current employer is going through some really tough times, while my new employer is still growing.

And soon we start the really tough part - sorting and packing. What to keep in, what to leave out. Arrggh!

Anyway, I'll let you know how it goes. ]]> Laz http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/25-change-change.html http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/14-politics.html Fri, 16 May 2008 01:04:13 GMT Here in the USA, we're in the middle of the presidential election race. In November, we will also elect all of our Representatives (House of Commons?) and a third of our Senators (House of Lords?).

When discussing almost every election, people always ask: "Why do we have to choose between these candidates? Why don't better people run for office?"

Well, being a politician is like being a B-movie actor. You work hard, you're underpaid, people think they might know you, and if you're recognized, people usually want something from you. Only a handful of these "actors" become A-list performers. Except that when you're a senior Senator or even the President, you get to work even harder, earn less respect, have a lot more stress, and then have to go out on the campaign trail to get re-elected. At least real actors have agents to campaign for them. On the plus side, eventually the money gets good, but not from your primary job. You earn extra cash from book deals, speaking tours, and insider knowledge.

Almost always, the best and brightest stay out of public office. Unless they're a Kennedy or Bloomberg, and have already made their fortune, smart and talented people go into business and make lots of money. Why didn't Colin Powell run for the presidency 8 years ago? He was smarter than that.

So next time you have the urge to complain about how the town/state/federal government doesn't get things done to your satisfaction, ask yourself: Would you run for office? I know I wouldn't. ]]> Laz http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/14-politics.html http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/13-first-blog-post.html Fri, 09 May 2008 16:52:15 GMT OK, this is cool.

It's been a crazy Spring, with our trip to Manchester UK, my 30th high school reunion, 25th wedding anniversary, and moving the family 180 miles to Philadelphia.

I'll try to post once a week about a specific topic. ]]> Laz http://www.totalformat.com/forum/blogs/laz/13-first-blog-post.html