The ***Official*** Weekend Singles Thread (Aug. 25-27)

August 25, 2006 | WFTR and Rightwingintelligentsia

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Back to School

Well, it's that time of year. We're finally throwing away Fourth of July leftovers in our refrigerators; the stores are starting to put out Christmas decorations; and school is starting. (Okay, the stores don't have Christmas decorations up yet, but complaining about how early holiday decorating starts is everyone's pet peeve.) For lack of a better seasonal topic, this week's singles' thread topic will be back-to-school. We want to talk about your school experiences in general and back-to-school experiences in particular.

We'd like people to share any memories that they have of going back to school. Please feel free to post anything that comes to mind when you think of this topic.

Here are some questions to kick us off.

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Does back-to-school this year have any special meaning to you? Are you taking any kind of classes in the fall semester or quarter? If so, what are you taking and why are you taking it? How do you think you'll do? How close are you finishing whatever schooling you're doing? Do you have children in school?

When you think of going back to school, do you think of experiences you had as a child, as a teenager, or as a college student? Were you one of those people who looked forward to new friends and new challenges or were you one of those people who hated to lose the carefree days of summer?

What did you wear to school? Were you a jeans and T-shirt kind of person or did you wear the trendiest fashions? When you started back to school in the fall, were cool, crisp days just ahead or was the weather going to continue to be hot for a few more months?

Whom did you hang out with? The jocks? The artsy crowd? The nerds?

Did you go to football games in the fall? basketball games in the winter? Did you go to your prom or formal dance? If you didn't go to these kinds of events, what did you do instead?

What was the most popular song in the year that you graduated?

What was your favorite subject and why? Who were your favorite teachers and why?

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If you are heading back to school and have any subjects that scare you, please let us know. Within Free Republic in general and within this group, there are some very intelligent, very educated people. If there's some subject that could be a problem for you, maybe we can help.

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[Gordongekko909]

You can start now, and I probably know more than you do. I've been dishing them out and taking them on FR ever since I came out of the closet and admitted my law-studentness.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Homeschooling wasn't the "thing" in my generation (and I won't tell you what that was ;-)), but we have a lot of kids in our church who have been homeschooled.

It sounds like a great experience.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Hey, Phil. How 'ya doin'?

[WFTR]

I have a buddy at work who was "homeschooled" for two years when his mom was a diving instructor in Mexico. I think she was on the Yucatan and was taking tourists diving almost year-round. She sent away for materials to "homeschool" him, and he could pretty much go at whatever pace he wanted. He says that he'd typically go through all of the materials and pass all of the tests in about two months. He'd spend the other ten months selling sea shells and coconuts to tourists on the beach.

Are you in college now? If so, how has it been for you? In some ways, the life you are describing sounds more like the college life. I'm not completely sold on homeschooling, but I'm glad that you enjoyed it so much.

Bill

[darkangel82]

School. *Shudder*

I'm with you on that, although high school was over for me six years ago.

[RosieCotton]

There weren't nearly as many in my generation as there are now. My parents were pioneers and had to do a lot of learning as they went along. ;-)

Now there are internet groups that help one another, full on-line courses for some subjects, tons of homeschooler groups in every location...it's a whole different ballgame. I think that's pretty nifty!

[WFTR]

We're already starting to get 'em in!

Ouch! I really hoped that I was just kidding.

[RosieCotton]

I'm a computer support tech now...so my homeschooling days are pretty far off.

If you think about it, it's how things were before the idea of modern schooling came along. It just doesn't really take six or eight or ten hours a day to teach basic subjects. Not to mention I'm not sure how I feel about putting people into little boxes by age group, and calling that real-world socialization. :-\

But I don't want to sidetrack the thread...

[Rca2000]

There was a VERY intense thread going on this week (and it still IS going on, BTW)about "not marrying a career woman". On this thread, a FEW men there made it CLEAR-- that women MUST get married as SOON as they become of age, or graduate from college, or NEVER get married. Don't wait to try and find the best, most decent example, just 'grab one", and "settle down and make babies."

"And a woman is NOT supposed to get any decent job until then-- it makes her a raging femilezi if she does." Such was the thoughts of some on that thread.

I made it CLEAR that single women have to have jobs nowdays--and SHOULD have a "back-up" plan (some sort of skill) to fall back on, should something happen to their partner, in a marriage. I do agree that if there are preschool-age children in the home, the mother should be ther with them(if at all possible) but have no problem with women worknig otherwise, unless it is all that women(OR MEN, for that matter) care about in life--their career.

But still-many here think I am the loser, neandethal, and out of touch.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Here's one:

A lawyer named Strange died, and his friend asked the tombstone maker to inscribe on his tombstone, "Here lies Strange, an honest man, and a lawyer."

The inscriber insisted that such an inscription would be confusing, for passersby would tend to think that three men were buried under the stone.

However he suggested an alternative: He would inscribe, "Here lies a man who was both honest and a lawyer.

"That way, whenever anyone walked by the tombstone and read it, they would be certain to remark: "That's Strange!"

[RosieCotton]

I stopped posting. Couldn't take the insults anymore. Thanks for sticking up for me, by the way.

[pcottraux]

I couldn't believe it myself. It's still August!

[bannie]

Weekend = grandkids.

Sorry about the washer.

It's good to not stink at work, though.

[pcottraux]

It was over for me four years ago, but I still don't like it!

[WFTR]

Dolly pinged me to that thread. I think she wanted to get me in trouble, and for the most part, she succeeded. LOL

[pcottraux]

Doing good. Yourself?

[rightwingintelligentsia]

I do recall that thread and the controversial article that spawned it (Forbes has pulled the article off their website, BTW.)

I'm glad to hear that you took the stand you did. I think women should have choices, since--and you're right--you never know what will happen down the road.

[bannie]

Well, you could buy yourself a mate, too. I guess some of the guys on here like to go to Russia for "take out" orders.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

I'm just wonderful. Have to work much this weekend?

[darkangel82]

Me neither. At least it gave you material for the Dinklemeyers (sp) though lol.