Archive for category: Friday Afternoon

Isn’t it groovy baby, how certain slang terms define periods of time?  The other night, Jackie and I were watching an oldie movie, and the women were called “dames” and the men were “on the lam from the coppers” and needed to “lay low from the heat”. Our language has always been a reflection of its time, sort of a snapshot of culture, trends, music, and the attitudes of each generation. As a barely!! Baby boomers (born 1946–1964), growing up in one of the most transformative periods in American history, we enjoyed some of the coolest phrases of the ’60s and ’70s (“sock it to me baby”, flower power,” and “keep on truckin’”).  Many of these slang phrases were incorporated into TV shows of the era. But slang didn’t start there, and it certainly didn’t end, as the younger kids continue to develop a whole language of their own, along with acronyms they use on social media and texting. Here’s a list of classics, and just some of today’s lingo. And as I like to say, “Alright fam, that’s the skinny – stay snatched, keep your rizz strong, avoid the mid vibes, and remember: if it’s giving groovy energy, no cap, you’re living your main character era – Word!” FYI, if I did use any of this slang, my children would be less than happy with me!   Enjoy, and thanks to Google and Jennifer Freeman, Senior Editor of Word Smarts and Word Daily, for the inspiration and descriptions. Chill out and Enjoy! Read more

We are so lucky to have enjoyed so much great music over the years – blues, pop, country, hip-hop, soul, R&B, rock, funk, punk, and so much more. I was driving the other day and heard one of my classic favorites from Earth, Wind & Fire. Something about their joy for music and fun got me singing out loud (no, you don’t want to hear that) and bopping around in the car, always fun to see people looking at me while driving past! The song is called “September”, and I just had to dig in and learn more about the band and the era. To really enjoy this post, just click on the link below, and if you can, turn up the volume – I’m sure it will put a smile on your face and make for a great Friday kickoff to the weekend – you can certainly appreciate the horn sections!  If you have more favorites like this, shoot me an email so I can boogie along (Boogie Nights, anyone?) Here’s to all the great bands and especially Earth, Wind & Fire. Be sure to pencil in Sunday the 21st and have a dance party at home or just boogie a little bit in the car. ENJOY!

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Recently Jackie and I were driving back from a trip up to northern Michigan (it has amazing landscape, water, quaint little towns and shops – you need to go!). During our drive we kept encountering these beautiful farms, often featuring amazing red barns. Of course, our conversation led to barn design, what it must be like to live on a farm, and wondering why barns are still painted red, and of course the history of when it all started.  This of course led to Jackie laughingly knowing there was going to be a blog coming out of this conversation!  So…, after a little digging, here is some cool stuff about barns, barns design and the story behind the red color. 

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Yep, it’s that time of year when the little munchkin’s head off to another exciting school year – some have started already, and some do not go back until after Labor Day.  I can remember the excitement I had, seeing old friends, going to a new classroom, finding my seat, and getting to use all of those “new’ back-to-school supplies. One, of course, was a new box of crayons.  I’ll bet you can agree – especially the 64 pack with the built-in sharpener!! (never went for the 96 or 120 pack – anyone who has seen my coloring skills would understand!!) There’s something magical about opening a brand-new box of crayons – the waxy scent, the pristine tips, the rainbow of possibility – it’s a small ritual that signals the start of a new school year, full of hope and creativity.  I have to admit, using the crayon sharpener was always a bunch of fun, my friends and I would have contests to see who could have the sharpest crayon or biggest pile of shavings (unfortunately for my parents/teachers – the shavings ended up everywhere!) Here’s some fun trivia on crayons in the US, and a cool “how they’re made video. Enjoy, and thanks to Google, Wikipedia, and Smithsonian.com for the info.

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Curiosity is a great word. For me (and for the gang here at KHT), it’s our never-ending pursuit of wonder, knowledge, exploring, testing, and problem-solving. There are so many people throughout history who were driven by curiosity, from the mundane to the amazing discoverers. I love reading about remarkable adventures – those who “headed West” with a wagon and bunch of horses, or the folks grinding away in the lab. Over the past few weeks, I’ve really enjoyed some clear skies at night, causing me to “look up” and ponder the stars – it’s fun to find the satellites circling the earth. Today, August 8th, marks a historic achievement in the amazing discovery life of Galileo Galilei, known as just Galileo (think Tiger, Oprah, and Lebron, Michelangelo). When Galileo Galilei pointed his rudimentary telescope at the night sky on this day in 1609, there is no way he could have imagined that centuries later, humanity would be observing the universe from spacecraft and mountaintops with instruments so powerful they can see galaxies billions of light-years away. Here’s a little history about Galileo, along with a list of milestone astronomy achievements, as gradual technology improvements and good old “know-how” bring us to today’s far-seeing telescopes.  (Be sure to watch the YouTube video below on the newest billion-dollar telescope in Chile – it’s truly amazing!!) The “know-how” and engineering that went into it is mind-boggling. Enjoy! And, feel free to dig deeper on each one with the links – amazing!!) Read more