Sparks

Story about a girl who has a classmate commit suicide posting about the bullying.  School becomes divided about whether it really happened or if girl was a drama queen but mc knows it's true because it happened to her too.

--
Tara Kennedy
~"Children already know that monsters exist. Fairy tales teach children that monsters can be killed." -- G. K. Chesterton

Colors Change

I recently encountered a knitter who was knitting a new sweater for her daughter, because the first, despite being ruffly and frilly and girly was blue, so some people assumed she had a baby boy.  Now the knitter (and the baby) were relatively unconcerned with this, but she thought having another one in red for her daughter might save a few confused side-eyes (because it does seem that the people who make these assumptions always think you have tried to trick them).  And, of course, our culture used to do the opposite, so not only is it relatively arbitrary it's not even terribly longstanding. 
So, it was with interest that I read that the color associated with St. Patrick's Day used to be blue, St. Patrick's blue even.

h/t to Factlets for the link.

That's a Thank You

I have memories of my mother sending us to our rooms to write our thank you notes.  It was hard because I was (usually) thankful, it's just hard not to sound like you're filling in a terribly boring mad lib.  I think they even make partially filled out thank you notes for kids, because sending someone a clearly formulaic letter is...special?  But, I think the fact that this letter, from a student to a weather person who showed talked to his class, is proof that jazzing up your thank you letter is worth the effort.  Kudos, kid, kudos.

h/t to ChaliceChick for the link

Things People Should Know: Information Dissemination

In this increasingly digital age, there seems to be confusion (perhaps simply among folks of my acquaintance) about information dissemination, but in an attempt to clarify this, here are the rules according to me.*
For news regarding engagements, births, deaths, etc:
1. People who birthed you or who you birthed should be in the first round of notifications.  Ideally, these folks get in person notifications, though obviously you may currently be separated by geography (by which I mean a state or three or a country, not, you're upstairs and they are downstairs.) In cases of geographic separation, then your normal mode of communication may be substituted.
2. Posts via email or social networking for others in outer circles are fine, but understand that this may negate any in person notifications you were planning to make.
3. Should you discover said news from a third party and choose to pass it on, please consider that the news originators may still be making their in person notifications, and it may not be up to you to blast it via email or social media.
4. Tagging or texting folks a picture of an engagement ring or baby (or casket although I have only seen that once) is one way to approach this, but keep in mind that depending on the settings of the social media, it may appear to the friends of your friends that they are the ones with the news, leading to many awkward conversations. 

*My rules should work everywhere and in perpetuity, but you may know weird people who do not (yet) accept my rules or, it seems possible that these rules may become outdated. 

It's Not That I Can't Change the Clock

Approximately twice a year I whine about daylight savings.  I am down to one clock that requires my manual intervention, so it's not the hassle, it's the change.  Now, in most areas of my life I try to embrace or at least accept change.  I also attempt to embrace and accept nostalgia and tradition.  But some things are dumb.  As this op-ed (from last fall) points out, the reasons that people point to that we still engage in this antiquated practice are all, as far as I can tell, entirely useless. (By the way, click the link, there's a line about vampire work life balance.)  I'm not even particularly attached to standard or daylight time, I just don't understand why we can't pick one.  I mean, really, twice a year we try to change what time it is, if that isn't the height of control freakitude, I don't know what is.  Here's the deal.  Early is still early whether the sun is there - or over there.  And yes, I spend much of the winter whining that there is too much dark outside (what, there is!) but shifting the time it becomes officially dark does not change the fact that until we hit the solstice, it gets more dark.  And I do have things like lights, so I have a plan for attacking or combating the darkness.  While I have heard rumors that farmers like getting up in the light (and who doesn't) I feel certain that no one tells the chickens about the time change, so the farmers can work that out however they wish.  And if the amusement parks get more people when we're on daylight time, then fine, let's just call daylight time the official time.  Or standard.  Again.  I don't care.  I just want us to commit to a time.  Is that too much to ask? 
Perhaps I will just move to one of the states that doesn't participate. 

h/t to DCist for the link.