Gimme Gimme Gimme Gimme

First post of August when we start realizing that summer is coming to an end. Yikes! Of course, we could have nice weather until November. One can hope.

Anyway, Bradley Manning, the least athletic of the Manning brothers, has been in the news lately. We learn that Hillary Clinton could possibly maybe perhaps be thinking of running for President in 2016. I think that would be neat. Enough of the sons of Presidents also becoming President. It's time for a spouse of a former President to also be elected to that high office. If not Hillary, then maybe Barbara?

Remember how I talked about the humility contest going on between Ted Cruz and Stephen Colbert? Now there seems to be, I'm not quite sure, but perhaps a Bacon Eating Contest going on between Chris Christie and Rand Paul. Oh, wait, I have it wrong. It's about who gets more bacon and by bacon I mean money from Washington, from the Feds, in other words our tax money. Funny story. For every dollar that Chris Christie's state (New Jersey) sends to Washington, only 61 cents comes back to New Jersey. Rand Paul has it way better. Kentucky sends one thin dollar to Washington and whoa! gets back a whopping $1.51. Seems like Rand Paul is getting bacon and also pork.

Board Games are apparently now considered Bored Games and so they are being jazzed up, spiffed up, and toned down so that kids and families will play them. I think this is a terrible trend. Monopoly is going to do away with "Go to Jail!"  Or not as the case may be. Stephen went through a whole lot of games and how they are being ruined (my word, not his) by this constant updating and changing of stuff that works just fine so why do you have to go and change it anyway for crying out loud! Are we going to see a Checkers board with only 36 squares? I suppose they will do away with the Queen in Chess. (GOP War on Women????) Will Hopscotch become Jogscotch?

Some say this has to do with the shortened attention span of kids today. Well then, teach them how to play a board game that lasts for more than ten minutes. You are not born with an attention span, you have to develop it. If you only have thirty minutes, then play the game, leave it on the table in the dining room or basement until tomorrow. Or, put it away, keeping track of who had Boardwalk and who had Marvin Gardens, and put your money in a pile. Finish the Monopoly game later. It can be done.

I just had to join in with Stephen and talk about this horrible assault on traditional board game values. I'm glad I was able to clear the air on that subject.

The guest last night was Emily Matchar. She helped Stephen understand the new and yet traditional roles for women. What was old is new again. Her book is "Homeward Bound - Why Women Are Embracing the New Domesticity." Personally, I had hoped she would teach Stephen how to can tomatoes or at least how to knit a scarf. But they did talk about people, not just women, getting back to doing all sorts of tasks for themselves. I wonder if there is a pickle recipe in the book. That would be delicious.