A Marshmallow World
Do kids still get into snowball fights?
I don’t mean throwing snowballs at passing cars and trucks – which you shouldn’t do! – I’m talking about a real, old-fashioned snowball fight, where you take sides and throw snowballs at each other, maybe from behind a fort (also made of snow).
I could sit here and lament about how kids don’t do old-fashioned things anymore, including snowball fights, because they’re too busy with their video games and smartphones. But what do I know? Maybe snowball fights are still a big thing (or maybe there’s a popular video game called Snowball Fight, where you can throw snowballs at your friends without having to put your boots on).
I remember exactly when and where I had my last one. It was 1985. I was 19, working at a pizza place, and four of us got into a battle in the parking lot out back after we attacked our boss (who is now my brother-in-law) with snowballs as he was getting out of his car.
Is it okay for a 59-year-old to start a snowball fight? The next time it snows I’m going to throw one at someone in my neighborhood and see what happens.
IYKYK
Every year, Lake Superior State University publishes a list of words that should be banned. And every year I agree with most of them but there’s always at least one I don’t.
This year’s list includes “cringe” (because it’s so cringe), “game changer” (overused), and “100%” (also overused). But I have to take exception with “era.” That’s a perfectly good word, even if it was overused by Taylor Swift fans.
I also think we should drop “dropped,” at least when the definition refers to an album or film that was just released. Whenever anyone over 40 uses that word I cringe shudder, because it just seems like they’re trying to be hip, and it’s painful.
As for “skibidi” and “IYKYK?” I guess I can’t stop using words I never knew existed in the first place.
Are You a Plogger?
Not to be confused with blogging, plogging is when a jogger cleans up litter as they run. At first I thought the word came about because it was a combo of the first letters in Picking up Litter and the word Jogging, but it actually comes from the Swedish terms “plokka upp” (pick up) and “jogga” (jogging), which creates the new word “plogga,” which was then turned into “plogging.”
That’s not a banned word (yet).
There’s Nothing Wrong with Wolf Blitzer’s Entertainment Center
I think most of us are Wolf Blitzer.
He’s getting a lot of flack for his TV setup. He posted a picture on social media, standing in front of his entertainment center, celebrating a win by the Buffalo Bills.
What I see is a regular TV set, with a cable box, several remotes, a DVD player, and a VCR. That’s what I have! (Though I also have a PlayStation.) I bet it’s what a lot you have, too.
Apparently, the scolds who spend all of their time on social media looking for things to be outraged about are, well, outraged! According to the New York Post story, one person said “5 remotes, cable box, dvd, vcr, and a 480p. What a world.” Others chimed in with “You can get something from this century at Costco” and “What year is this?”
Even the furniture that housed his TV got insulted: “Is that a home entertainment center or a portal to Narnia?” Others even doubted his VCR was plugged in.
How dare someone do something in a different way than I do it? I must go on social media and voice my opinion!
RIP David Lynch, Bob Uecker, Sam Moore, Anita Bryant, Claude Jarman Jr., Leslie Charleson, Nancy Leftenant-Colon, and Charles Person
David Lynch was the mastermind behind the cult TV series Twin Peaks and directed such movies as Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, Mullholland Drive, Dune, Wild at Heart, The Straight Story, and many other films, TV shows, and music videos. He died this week at the age of 78.
Bob Uecker was known as “Mr. Baseball.” He only played for six seasons (he did get a World Series ring as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964), but he turned that into a career as an announcer for the Milwaukee Brewers, a comic who became a regular on the talk show circuit, a spokesman for Miller Lite, and an actor in such movies as Major League and the sitcom Mr. Belvedere. He died yesterday at the age of 90.
Sam Moore was half of the iconic duo Sam & Dave, known for such hits as “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Coming.” He died last week at the age of 89.
Anita Bryant was a singer of such songs as “Paper Roses” and “Till There Was You” and had a long run as the TV spokesperson for Florida orange juice. But it was all derailed when she led a crusade against gay rights. She died last month at the age of 84.
Claude Jarman Jr. was a child actor best known for starring in the film The Yearling. He died Sunday at the age of 90.
Leslie Charleson portrayed Monica Quartermaine on General Hospital for almost 50 years. She also appeared in several other TV shows. She died Sunday at the age of 79.
Nancy Leftenant-Colon was the first black woman to serve in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps after it was desegregated following World War II. She died last week at the age of 104.
Charles Person was the youngest of the Freedom Riders, the group of civil rights activists who organized protests to integrate interstate bus terminals in the South in 1961. During one protest, they were nearly beaten to death by white Klansmen. He died last week at the age of 82.
This Week in History
Alexander Hamilton Born (January 11, 1755)
He was a talented guy: a statesman, a major general in the Army, a founding father, and the singer in a hit musical.
Today Show Premieres (January 14, 1952)
NBC’s original set was a little bit different than what they have now.
Uploaded to YouTube by TODAY
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Snowball Fight for the Fort” by Eugene Iverd (January 15, 1927)
I don’t think you could get that many kids to participate in a snowball fight today, unless it was a viral challenge.
January Is National Oatmeal Month
When those kids get inside they’re going to need something warm to eat.
Feel Good Foodie has a handy guide to making all kinds of oatmeal, using quick oats, steel cut, and old-fashioned oats, with various flavor combinations. If you like oatmeal but don’t want it in a bowl, here are recipes for Apple Oatmeal Squares from the Food Network, some Cherry Oatmeal Cookies from the Blacksmith Inn on the Shore in Wisconsin, and Grandma’s Oatmeal Cake from Tastes Better From Scratch.
By the way, I just checked and there are several snowball fight video games! Including this one, this one, and also this one, which I now remember playing years ago.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
NFL Playoffs (January 18)
Last week I should have mentioned the Wild Card playoff games. If you missed some of them, sorry! ESPN has the full schedule for the rest of the playoffs, championships, and Super Bowl.
Presidential Inauguration (January 20)
All of the broadcast networks and all of the cable networks will have live coverage of the transition from President Joe Biden to Donald Trump starting in the morning. Performers at the events include Carrie Underwood, Lee Greenwood, Kid Rock, and the Village People.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20)
After people thought that progress was happening too quickly in the country, King wrote this response for the November 7, 1964 issue of the Post.
Academy Award Nominations (January 23)
The nominations were supposed to be announced this week but have been pushed back twice because of the fires in Los Angeles. It will now be a virtual-only event, and it will be interesting to see if they postpone the award ceremony itself.
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