It is fall, time for school to start again and time for me, once again, to be reminded of how old I am getting.  About this time each year Beloit College publishes their “Mindset List” noting events that have shaped the incoming freshman class.  About this time each year, I share some of my favorite items from their list.  This year I was struck by how many of the items deal with computers which were still shiny and new when I started my college career. 

In fact, I am so old that I remember my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. Youngerman insisting that we learn how to use a slide rule – a slide rule! (if you have to look it up, you are definitely younger than I).  

For the whole list visit http://www.beloit.edu/mindset

Enjoy!

Freshman entering college this year are mostly 18 and were born in 1999 and  they will be the last class to be born in the 1900s, the last of the Millennials. 

Peanuts comic strips have always been repeats.

They are the first generation for whom a “phone” has been primarily a video game, direction finder, electronic telegraph, and research library.

They have largely grown up in a floppy-less world. (Hey, I grew up in a floppy-less world too!)

There have always been emojis to cheer us up.

It is doubtful that they have ever used or heard the high-pitched whine of a dial-up modem.

By the time they entered school, laptops were outselling desktops.

Whatever the subject, there’s always been a blog for it.  

In their lifetimes, Blackberry has gone from being a wild fruit to being a communications device to becoming a wild fruit again. 

They have only seen a Checker Cab in a museum.

The Mars Polar Lander has always been lost.

The image of Sacagawea has always adorned the dollar coin, if you can find one.

Nolan Ryan has always worn his Texas Rangers cap in Cooperstown, while Steve Young and Dan Marino have always been watching football from the sidelines.

Thought for the Week

“I complain that the years fly past, but then I look in a mirror and see that very few of them actually got past ” ~ Robert Brault

Happy Friday!  I hope you have had a great week.  There is a lot of excitement over the much-anticipated eclipse next week.  So buy your special sunglasses and brush up on a little eclipse humor.

Enjoy!

How does the Man in the Moon cut his hair?  Eclipse it!

How do you organize an eclipse party?  You planet!

Some people can tell what time it is simply by looking at the sun.  I am impressed by that, I have never been able to make out the numbers.

I remember when I was a kid I stayed up all night to see where the sun went, it finally dawned on me.

I heard that they opened a restaurant on the moon.  They say the food was great but it lacked atmosphere.

I heard that a moon rock is tastier than an earth rock because it is a little meteor.

Is a light year like a regular year but with a third less calories?

I thought about majoring in astronomy when I was in college, but figured that I would just be taking up space.

With all the excitement about the upcoming eclipse I wanted to gain a better understanding of what was really happening, so I went to a show at the planetarium but I have to admit that the program was over my head.

I heard that NASA wants to send a wildebeest into orbit seems they want a brave gnu whirled.

Thought for the Week

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

http://www.quotegarden.com

Happy Friday!  Don’t look behind you, a zombie might be gaining on you!

Enjoy!

Q: What does it take to become a zombie?
A: DEADication!

Q: What did the zombie’s friend say when he introduced him to his girlfriend?
A: Good grief! Where did you dig her up from?

Q: What is a zombie’s favorite toy?
A: A DEADY bear!

Q: What did the zombie say before his fight?
A: Do you want a piece of me?

Q: Why did the zombie cross the road?
A: He wanted to eat the chicken!

Q: What has a dog’s head, a cat’s tail and brains all over its face?
A: A zombie coming out of the pet store!

Q: What did the zombie say to his date?
A: I just love a woman with BRAAAINS!

Q: Where do most zombies live?                                                                                                            A: On DEAD end streets! 

Q: What did the man say to his forgetful zombie wife?                                                                      A: You forgot your HEAD because it wasn’t attached!

Q: Did you hear about the zombie who tortured his victims with music?                                   A: His BACH was worse than his bite!

Thought for the Week

I am one of those people who just can’t help getting a kick out of life — even when it’s a kick in the teeth. ~Polly Adler

http://www.quotegarden.com

Happy Friday!  Another work week is winding down. So, here is a baker’s dozen of elephant jokes to brighten your day.  I know you will groan, but I bet you will tell at least one of them to someone today!

Enjoy!

Q: What do you call an elephant that rides a bus?
A: A passenger.

Q: Why don’t African elephants like to play cards?
A: Because of all the cheetahs.

Q: What kind of elephants live at the North Pole?
A: Cold ones.

Q: How do elephants talk to each other?
A: By ’elephone.

Q: Where do you find elephants?
A: It depends on where you left them.

Q: Why don’t elephants ride bicycles?
A: They don’t have thumbs to ring the bell.

Q: What weighs 5,000 pounds and wears glass slippers?
A: Cinderelephant!

Q: What did the cat say to the elephant?
A: “Meow!”

Q: How many elephants does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Don’t be silly, elephants can’t change light bulbs!

Q: What do you know when you see three elephants walking down the street wearing red sweatshirts?
A: They’re all on the same team.

Q: How do you fit 5 elephants in a Volkswagen Beetle?
A: Two in the front, two in the back, and one in the glove compartment.

Q: What do you give a seasick elephant?
A: Lots of room.

Q: What do elephants do for laughs?
A: They tell people jokes.

Thought for the Week

“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas.  How he got into my pajamas, I’ll never know” ~ Groucho Marx

Happy Friday!  We are definitely in the midst of summer.  The days are long and hot! Here a few tips you might want to try to help you beat the heat this weekend.

Enjoy!

Wear lighter color clothes, preferable made of cotton – try picking out your clothes before you go to bed and put them in the refrigerator over night.

If your feet are hot, your feel hot all over – so when you pick out your socks, put them in the freezer overnight.

While you are in the freezer, grab an ice tray and some food coloring and make some festive ice cubes.  In the morning when yo are pulling your socks out, make an ice-cube necklace or bracelet.  This is a great and cool way to accessorize your summer look.

Make a trip to the grocery store.  Most likely they are air-conditioned, so you can cool off as you shop.  If you are lucky you can find a fairly empty freezer in one of the aisles that will be empty enough for you to lie down in and take a quick, cool nap before management escorts you out of the store,

On your way out of the grocery be sure to pick up some frozen dinners.  It is too hot to cook.  If you like your food extra cool and crispy skip the over and the microwave and just eat the dinner frozen.  

Another item to pick up on your way out of the grocery is some dry ice.  This is perfect for a quick cool down for that hot cup of coffee.  As an added bonus, you drop just a little bit into your cup at work and it will look like steam rising from you coffee.  You can walk away from your office for hours and everyone who comes looking for you will think, “gee I just missed him/her because he/she just stepped away from a hot cup of coffee.”

Bring a sprinkler with you to the office.  It will cool everyone down and build camaraderie at the same time.  You might want to cover your computer with plastic first.

Remember as a kid how you loved a good water balloon fight to cool you down?  Take it the next level and leave the water balloons in the freezer overnight

Rent a Zamboni and get a nice layer of ice down on your driveway.  Slide, skate, just sit down on it or start-up a neighborhood hockey game.

Finally here is a great two-step process for a cool nights sleep.  First find that old water bed mattress that is gathering dust in the attic, then rent an Icee machine,  Fill the water-bed full of Icee and a cool, refreshing night awaits.

Thought for the Week

Then followed that beautiful season… Summer….
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

http://www.quotegarden.com