(no subject)
Be praying for Dan and his family...he lost his local grandpa on one side of the family and his great-aunt on the other this weekend within a day of each other. It's going to be a hard, long week for them.
Our Bible Study had a great Super Bowl party last night. Tons of good food and good people to be with. It more than made up for being snubbed by our old our-age group--we weren't invited to lunch with them but discovered they were meeting where we intended to eat; then they sat in a group across the place from us and ignored us. Christians shouldn't behave like high school cliques. It was sad. It hurt and made me wonder how many times they've gone to lunch and not invited us that we haven't seen.
Another sad discovery we made this weekend was how much Purdue sports fans have degenerated into a raging mob of sore sportsmen who think they know better than the coaches and refs. We were given tickets to the Purdue / IU game. We went, only you couldn't hear anything when they introduced the IU people because the entire stadium was booing and cursing and screaming at them to get off the floor. Whenever the refs ruled in favor of the IU team, or if the fans thought an IU player or coach shouldn't have done something (even when a legal part of the game, which was a LOT) the whole place erupted in a rage of boos, screams, and curses. Whenever Purdue scored, they broke into a chant like "we hate IU" and "IU sucks" and, I wouldn't be surprised if there was one after we left that was "IU f*** you". I knew the football fans did this at every game they play now, but it was sickening to see that even the basketball fans have degenerated. I'm ashamed to call myself a Boilermaker. Purdue used to be known for its hospitality, good sportsmanship, and respect toward other teams, coaches, refs, and players. I used to work concessions at football games, and the opposing side's fans would thank us for how well they were treated and said they didn't mind losing to us because of it. I became aware of the degeneration when I attended Winter Welcome when I started my schooling at Purdue--they were dead-set to drill into us Purdue was the ONLY good school, everyone else was beneath them, and we HAD to know the fight songs and attend the games to show our support, etc, etc, etc. I had also seen it in KINDERGARTEN, when we were chanting stuff about Purdue beating IU. Since when have GAMES become the focus of school? A school shouldn't hold itself above others. Their courses may have a different focus than another, so it's comparing apples to oranges. If you want to brag about something, it shouldn't be about how many games you win, or how many people you graduate, or how many people you have enrolled. In this world, in this economy, it should be about HOW MANY OF YOUR GRADUATES YOU HELP GET JOBS. The focus should be on getting your students into successful careers. Sure, you graduate thousands of people, but out of those thousands, how many actually make it anymore? And sports...don't get me started. There is NO EXCUSE for the behavior I saw Saturday night. Yes, IU is Purdue's ultimate rival. But there is no reason to behave only a little better than animals. I watched people my PARENTS' age in on the screaming rage-fest...in fact, I sat next to a respectable, well dressed, well groomed, distinguished asthma doctor who degenerated into little more than a spoiled child, screaming at every little thing IU did he though should be called and fouled. He would stand up and wave his arms and yell, then huff back into his seat--and sit down hard ON ME in his anger since it was packed so tight in the row. He'd whip out his phone and I'm assuming text someone about the ineptitude of the refs. Your job is to cheer your team, not demoralize hard-working, hard-playing CHILDREN who have just come out of the difficulties of the high school scene to play a game they love to play for the school they chose--or the only one they could afford or was the local one (such was my case with Purdue). You should support the kids on both sides--their lives in this economy will be hard enough. Games are GAMES, not life and death like so many people seem to treat them. This obsession, and this behavior, needs to stop.
Okay, rant stopped. I was so embarrassed over the behavior we left at halftime and I was on the verge of tears. I can't understand how people can behave like that over just a game. Or at all, actually. It was so offensive. I'm glad IU beat them.
Now, just by saying I'm glad IU beat them and the fact that I schooled at both Purdue and IU have gotten people calling me a hypocrite. That's not the case. Had the game been at IU and their fans behaved the same way, I would say the exact same thing. There is NO EXCUSE for ANY fan to behave that way. It's disgusting and should reflect badly on the school. They're setting a horrible example for future generations.
That said...
Dan bought me the newly-released DVD of the Charlton Heston / Christian Bale Treasure Island the other day. I grew up on that version of the movie along with the wonderful classic book (think I pretty much wore out the first copy I was given to read, which belonged to my neighbor). We watched it Friday night, which is the first time Dan had ever seen it. It has some pretty famous people in it, and I was stunned when Charlton Heston died they didn't release it...or have it come out on DVD sometime in the span between the VHS and when DVDs started picking up in popularity given its cast. They released it just last year, back in September. I still like it as much now as I did then. It's a little gory, but oddly enough still unrated.
We nearly have a second puzzle done. We've been working on an art puzzle done by Bev Doolittle of a group of her Paint horses hidden among matching rocks. The puzzle's 600 pieces, but 300 of those are big pieces, and the remaining 300 are tiny pieces cut out of the centers of the big ones. We have all of the big pieces set, and now most of the tiny ones. Our next puzzle is a bunch of technicolor butterflies.
I have to go into town and order a planter for Dan's family this afternoon at the greenhouse where I work during the spring, summer, and fall. They might even let me make it, knowing the employees there. While I didn't know his great aunt, I really liked his grandpa. The man was a stitch. I feel so sorry for his grandma--this is the second time she's been widowed. I really like her, too. She and her first husband (Dan's Dad's father) ran a greenhouse in West Lafayette until he died. Dan remembers running up and down the aisles there as a little kid. His father used to work there to help his mom after his dad died, but they eventually gave up the business because it was too much work for them. Dan's grandma married his step-grandpa when Dan was about eighteen. Over the past two weeks his Parkinsons really started to hit him hard. I was shocked when Dan told me yesterday morning his grandpa had died Saturday night. Totally unexpected and really fast.
I'd better get cleaned up to go get that taken care of. Apologies for the rant.
Our Bible Study had a great Super Bowl party last night. Tons of good food and good people to be with. It more than made up for being snubbed by our old our-age group--we weren't invited to lunch with them but discovered they were meeting where we intended to eat; then they sat in a group across the place from us and ignored us. Christians shouldn't behave like high school cliques. It was sad. It hurt and made me wonder how many times they've gone to lunch and not invited us that we haven't seen.
Another sad discovery we made this weekend was how much Purdue sports fans have degenerated into a raging mob of sore sportsmen who think they know better than the coaches and refs. We were given tickets to the Purdue / IU game. We went, only you couldn't hear anything when they introduced the IU people because the entire stadium was booing and cursing and screaming at them to get off the floor. Whenever the refs ruled in favor of the IU team, or if the fans thought an IU player or coach shouldn't have done something (even when a legal part of the game, which was a LOT) the whole place erupted in a rage of boos, screams, and curses. Whenever Purdue scored, they broke into a chant like "we hate IU" and "IU sucks" and, I wouldn't be surprised if there was one after we left that was "IU f*** you". I knew the football fans did this at every game they play now, but it was sickening to see that even the basketball fans have degenerated. I'm ashamed to call myself a Boilermaker. Purdue used to be known for its hospitality, good sportsmanship, and respect toward other teams, coaches, refs, and players. I used to work concessions at football games, and the opposing side's fans would thank us for how well they were treated and said they didn't mind losing to us because of it. I became aware of the degeneration when I attended Winter Welcome when I started my schooling at Purdue--they were dead-set to drill into us Purdue was the ONLY good school, everyone else was beneath them, and we HAD to know the fight songs and attend the games to show our support, etc, etc, etc. I had also seen it in KINDERGARTEN, when we were chanting stuff about Purdue beating IU. Since when have GAMES become the focus of school? A school shouldn't hold itself above others. Their courses may have a different focus than another, so it's comparing apples to oranges. If you want to brag about something, it shouldn't be about how many games you win, or how many people you graduate, or how many people you have enrolled. In this world, in this economy, it should be about HOW MANY OF YOUR GRADUATES YOU HELP GET JOBS. The focus should be on getting your students into successful careers. Sure, you graduate thousands of people, but out of those thousands, how many actually make it anymore? And sports...don't get me started. There is NO EXCUSE for the behavior I saw Saturday night. Yes, IU is Purdue's ultimate rival. But there is no reason to behave only a little better than animals. I watched people my PARENTS' age in on the screaming rage-fest...in fact, I sat next to a respectable, well dressed, well groomed, distinguished asthma doctor who degenerated into little more than a spoiled child, screaming at every little thing IU did he though should be called and fouled. He would stand up and wave his arms and yell, then huff back into his seat--and sit down hard ON ME in his anger since it was packed so tight in the row. He'd whip out his phone and I'm assuming text someone about the ineptitude of the refs. Your job is to cheer your team, not demoralize hard-working, hard-playing CHILDREN who have just come out of the difficulties of the high school scene to play a game they love to play for the school they chose--or the only one they could afford or was the local one (such was my case with Purdue). You should support the kids on both sides--their lives in this economy will be hard enough. Games are GAMES, not life and death like so many people seem to treat them. This obsession, and this behavior, needs to stop.
Okay, rant stopped. I was so embarrassed over the behavior we left at halftime and I was on the verge of tears. I can't understand how people can behave like that over just a game. Or at all, actually. It was so offensive. I'm glad IU beat them.
Now, just by saying I'm glad IU beat them and the fact that I schooled at both Purdue and IU have gotten people calling me a hypocrite. That's not the case. Had the game been at IU and their fans behaved the same way, I would say the exact same thing. There is NO EXCUSE for ANY fan to behave that way. It's disgusting and should reflect badly on the school. They're setting a horrible example for future generations.
That said...
Dan bought me the newly-released DVD of the Charlton Heston / Christian Bale Treasure Island the other day. I grew up on that version of the movie along with the wonderful classic book (think I pretty much wore out the first copy I was given to read, which belonged to my neighbor). We watched it Friday night, which is the first time Dan had ever seen it. It has some pretty famous people in it, and I was stunned when Charlton Heston died they didn't release it...or have it come out on DVD sometime in the span between the VHS and when DVDs started picking up in popularity given its cast. They released it just last year, back in September. I still like it as much now as I did then. It's a little gory, but oddly enough still unrated.
We nearly have a second puzzle done. We've been working on an art puzzle done by Bev Doolittle of a group of her Paint horses hidden among matching rocks. The puzzle's 600 pieces, but 300 of those are big pieces, and the remaining 300 are tiny pieces cut out of the centers of the big ones. We have all of the big pieces set, and now most of the tiny ones. Our next puzzle is a bunch of technicolor butterflies.
I have to go into town and order a planter for Dan's family this afternoon at the greenhouse where I work during the spring, summer, and fall. They might even let me make it, knowing the employees there. While I didn't know his great aunt, I really liked his grandpa. The man was a stitch. I feel so sorry for his grandma--this is the second time she's been widowed. I really like her, too. She and her first husband (Dan's Dad's father) ran a greenhouse in West Lafayette until he died. Dan remembers running up and down the aisles there as a little kid. His father used to work there to help his mom after his dad died, but they eventually gave up the business because it was too much work for them. Dan's grandma married his step-grandpa when Dan was about eighteen. Over the past two weeks his Parkinsons really started to hit him hard. I was shocked when Dan told me yesterday morning his grandpa had died Saturday night. Totally unexpected and really fast.
I'd better get cleaned up to go get that taken care of. Apologies for the rant.