As someone who was bullied a lot in school, bullying is a subject very close to my heart.  No child should have to go through what I went through.  Sadly, many kids go through not only the level of bullying that I encountered, but much worse.  I’ve heard some stories of bullying that make my own tales seem like a trip to the spa.  Is it any wonder why kids crack and kill themselves or inflict harm on others?  When your daily outlook for the foreseeable future is pain and torment followed by torment and pain, your sanity begins to strain.  Too much and you can snap.  No child (or adult) should ever have to bear this burden.

Luckily, there has been a growing anti-bullying movement recently.  In fact, there’s a movie headed to theatres March 30th titled "Bully."  The movie follows five families as they confront the ugly reality of bullies.  The makers of this documentary were not only going to release this movie to theatres, but wanted to screen it in middle and high schools.

There’s just one problem: The MPAA gave the film an R rating.  The movie was one vote away from getting a PG-13, but got the more restrictive R rating instead for language.   This might make screening it to younger kids troublesome.  (Of course, a movie with acceptable language but tons of violence will almost always get a PG-13.)

Now the film-makers have a Sophie’s choice.  Their first option would be to mute or bleep some of the bad language.  This might get them the PG-13, but at the cost of glossing over some of the ugliness of bullying (something that is important to show to people).  Their second option is to petition the MPAA to change their ruling.  They’ve lost their appeals so far, but a petition has been circulating which, as of this writing, has nearly 180,000 signatures.  Finally, they could release it unrated, but then theater owners would treat it like an NC-17 movie and ban it entirely from their theaters.

I will definitely keep an eye on what happens.  Hopefully, the MPAA will relent and give the film a PG-13 rating.  Either way, B and I will go see this movie in the theater.

In other news, a few schools got together to film an anti-bullying video to post to YouTube.  The video featured many students dancing to Lady Gaga’s "Born This Way."  Sounds like a nice sentiment, right?  Not to a parents group.  They complained that the video wouldn’t reduce bullying, isn’t accepting of overweight kids/anorexic kids/kids who can’t dance, and that the music is offensive to most religions as well as to atheists.

I posted a detailed rebuttal over on Google+.  In short, I respect what these kids (and teachers) have done.  I think that the parents group is, at best, nit-picking.  Any efforts to spread the anti-bullying message help.  Kids need to be taught early on that 1) they are perfectly ok just the way they are; they don’t need to change to suit someone else’s view of "normal", 2) other people are perfectly ok the way they are and shouldn’t be expected to change to suit your view of "normal", and 3) people who are different from you should be treated with the same respect you show to people who are similar to you.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Do you plan on seeing "Bully" in the theatres?

Also, while you’re at it, please head on over and sign the petition.

P.S. If you haven’t already, try out my Twitter applications: FollowerHQ and Rout.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #128

Over the weekend, we went to Cousin B’s second birthday party.  It was held in an indoor play area.  Waiting, the boys all but drooled over the long trampoline, foam pit, zip line, climbing net, balance beams, bounce house, and more.  As the boys removed their shoes and socks, they asked if I would go on everything with them.  I told them that grown-ups weren’t allowed on anything, that it was only for kids.

Then, the staff member corrected me and let me know I *could* go on almost everything.

As the kids raced to each item, I accompanied them from time to time.  NHL and I bounced on the trampoline together.  JSL buried me in the foam pit and I chased him through the bounce house.  (I did sit out the zip line, though, as that was one of the not-for-adults items.)

In all of the bouncing, foam-climbing fun, I worked up quite a sweat.  After the play portion of the party was over, I joked with the staff member that they should open the place up at night for adults.

As I thought about it more, I began to wonder.  How many grown ups, like me, hate the idea of a gym with lines of stationary bikes, treadmills, and other "boring" exercise equipment?  How many adults would love to feel like a kid again as they bounce along a trampoline, crawl through a foam pit, and climb up a rope bridge?

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Would you go to an indoor playground for grown ups?

P.S. If you haven’t already, try out my Twitter applications: FollowerHQ and Rout.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #127

Before Valentine’s Day, B purchased a Valentine’s Day treat for the boys.  Given their love of Disney, this treat hid a special surprise.  Can you see the special hidden character?

Yes, these are Hidden Mickey Valentine’s Day cookies!

My Aloha Friday question for today is: What special Valentine’s Day treats did you have?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #126

A couple of months ago, I began noticed something that B said "It is what it is" a lot.  To be fair, she probably wasn’t saying it *that* much, but, after I noticed the phrase, my brain would note every instance of it.  It wasn’t only B, though.  I began to note other people saying it.  It seemed that everyone was saying "It is what it is" all the time.  The more I noticed it, the more the saying annoyed me.  I can’t explain why it annoys me, it just does.

This isn’t the first saying to draw my ire.  Years back, "Not!" was the catchphrase bandwagon to be on.  I didn’t join in, though.  In fact, I would cringe a bit inside every time someone said "Not!"  ("Cool beans" also, but that didn’t seem to be uttered as often.)

My Aloha Friday question for today is: What phrases annoy you?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #125

On Tuesday, after work, I stopped by the local grocery store.  I needed a few items and was in a hurry to get in and get out.  As I walked to the store, a man approached me.  He apologized for bothering me and explained that he was laid off and has two kids.  He asked if I had a dollar or two I could spare.

Almost instinctively, I felt the urge to ignore him and walk on.  Perhaps mumble something about not having any money on me as I quickened my pace.  Then, for a split second, I thought to myself: What if I was in his position?  What if I was laid off and my family rendered homeless?  What if my best bet to put food on the table for my children was to ask for money from strangers?

I told him I didn’t think I had much cash, but fished a couple of dollars out of my wallet to give him.  I wished him luck and we went our separate ways.  As I did so, I felt a wave of sadness that I couldn’t do more to help him.

Sure, the guy could have been lying to me.  He could have taken my cash and gone directly to a nearby liquor store instead of buying food for his kids.  Maybe he doesn’t even have any children.  I’m a big believer of taking a person at their word, though.  A bit naïve?  Perhaps, but I’d rather assume the best about someone and be proven wrong than assume the worst of people from the outset.

I hope that, that night, his family was able to eat, in part, thanks to the money I gave him.  I also hope that his luck turns around and he is able to find work soon.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Have you ever had someone down on their luck ask you for money?  If so, what did you do?  If not, what would you do?

Don’t forget to enter my $25 EdenFantasys giveaway!

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #123

Disclaimer: The “Money – banknotes and coin” clipart above is from OpenClipArt.org.

When I was young, I kept a journal.  In it, I wrote about all of the private thoughts, fears, and feelings that I felt I couldn’t tell anyone.  Well, that was the general idea.  By "kept a journal", I really mean I wrote in it for about a week, rediscovered it a month later, wrote in it once more and then forgot about it for another three months.  I was never very good with writing things with paper and pen.  My love of writing only flourished when I was first introduced to computers.

Fast forward to the present.  Sometimes there things we feel the need to write about that we just can’t blog about.  Perhaps family members read your blog or perhaps the issue crosses a TMI boundary.  However, despite these misgivings, there might still be an urge to write about it, just not in a public manner.  After all, writing is a very good way of organizing your thoughts on matters.

At one time, I considered setting up a private WordPress blog for my son for this very purpose.  He could use it to express his thoughts on anything and everything.  The posts would not be publicly visible.  After all, he’s only 8 and doesn’t need a public blog.  However, B and I would be able to read it.  I actually got it all set up, but never showed him it.  Perhaps when he’s older he’ll use it.

As for me, I’m thinking of setting up a private blog for some of my thoughts.  They might be matters that I don’t feel comfortable shouting out to a random mix of strangers, friends and family.  They might be matters that I feel don’t interest my TechyDad.com audience (or my Twitter or Google+ followers).  Or perhaps it is something that has been on my mind that might be a blog post at some point, but hasn’t been fully fleshed out yet.  In any event, it would be nice to have a place to record my thoughts privately and a non-public blog seems ideal.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Have you ever had a journal or a private blog to record your thoughts?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #122

Disclaimer: The “Paper,Write,Pen” clipart above is from OpenClipArt.org.

On Tuesday, I went to the dentist.  As usual, my teeth were fine.  They just needed their semi-annual cleaning.  However, also as usual, came the awful question: "Have you been flossing?"  This was followed by my embarrassment-filled: "No."

Don’t get me wrong.  I don’t have anything against flossing.  I know that it is good for my teeth and gums.  I just can’t seem to work it into my routine, though.  I’ll floss for a few days after my checkup.  Then I forget about it completely until a few days before my next checkup.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: How good are you with flossing?  Do you floss every day?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #121

Disclaimer: The “open mouth” clipart above is from OpenClipArt.org.

Saturday was the day.  After a few weeks of looking, we had bought bunk beds a couple of days ago.  Now, it was time for the boys to say good-bye to their existing beds: NHL, his twin bed, and JSL, his toddler bed.

After saying goodbye, we took their stuffed animals off and packed them away in large bags.  Since these are the same bags we use for garbage, we took care to let the boys know that the garbage bags were simply the best storage method and by no means meant the stuffed animals were being thrown away,  Then, their sheets, blankets and pillows were removed.

I took apart JSLs toddler bed first.  It’s a converted crib and the only bed he’s ever known (at home at least).  After that, I leaned NHL’s mattress against the wall, put the box spring in a bag and stored it and the frame in the basement.  All this took me about two hours.  I was sure it would take much longer.

After cleaning the area up (dust bunnies love hard-to-reach areas), their room was ready.  Later that day, the Raymour and Flanigan truck arrived.  The kids could hardly contain themselves.

Two guys came and quickly set up the bunks.  Meanwhile, the kids were watching intently.  They loved seeing the bed get constructed.  The men putting the bed together were wonderful and didn’t seem to mind the boys over-attention.  Nor did they say anything when JSL asked "Daddy, why does that man not have any hair" or when he responded to my request to explain later with "But daddy, he’s got NO HAIR!!!"

Before we knew it, the beds were put together and the boys were all too eager to try them out.  That’s not to say that there hasn’t been adjustments needed.  NHL is a bit nervous sleeping on the top bunk.  JSL can’t see his night light.  I think once these adjustments are over, though, I’m sure they’ll love their new bunk beds.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Have you ever had bunk beds?  Would you rather sleep on the top or bottom bunk?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #120

Yesterday, I recounted how well I did with my New Year’s goals.  Short answer: Not that well on many, but very well on others.  Today, I want to know how you did.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: How well did you do on your New Year’s Resolutions/Goals?  Did you stick to them or were they tossed aside?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #119

This time of year, Christmas just seems to take over.  Christmas decorations go up in every store.  Christmas music blares 24/7 from the radio stations.  Television stations trot out the Christmas specials and movies.

Since we celebrate Chanukah, and not Christmas, this XMas overdrive can get tiring quickly.  We tend to avoid the stores (admittedly, partly because of the crowds), turn off the radios, and change the channel from the Christmas specials.  Once in awhile, we’ll find a Chanukah special, but they are few and far between.

However, in all of this Christmas hoopla, there is actually a Christmas movie that I love: The Nightmare Before Christmas.  I just love the tale of Jack Skellington kidnaping Santa Claus (or “Sandy Claws” as Jack calls him) so he can make Christmas in his own image.

Recently, I introduced the boys to this movie.  I was apprehensive at first, worrying that they would be scared of Halloween Town’s spooky residents.  Instead, my boys were instantly hooked.  Since then, we’ve all been singing “The Oogy Boogy Song” as well as the other tunes sung during the movie.  I think I’m going to have to buy the Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack so we can rock out to it more.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Do you have a favorite non-conventional holiday movie/special?

P.S. If you haven’t already, go visit FollowerHQ and let me know what you think of my Twitter application.

P.P.S. For a bit of fun, try my other Twitter Application, Rout. It’s a +F in Fun!

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #117