Rise and Shine --- The growth of No

Good Morning and how many out there has not torn up their basketball bracket?

Anyway, when the children were young and learning to talk, I didn't pay too much attention to the word "No."
After all, they would say it all the time.
Do you want some more peas?
"No."
Do you want to some cake?
"No."
Do you want to go outside?
"No."
Most of the time, they actually meant "Yes," but were just getting the language down. A lot like that annoying baby in the Jimmy Fallon credit card commercial.
As they got older, "No" started to be used less frequently. More often, they would just ignore me when I asked them to do something.
Now, though, as the oldest is reaching those dreaded teenage years, "No" is becoming an act of defiance.
Clean your room?
"No."
What?
"NO!"
I SAID Clean your room!
"NO. NO. NO."
It goes on like that until they realize I am serious about cleaning the room and they walk away.
Maybe I should try that the next time they want pizza.

Rise and Shine --- Don't eat there

Good Morning and what a nice one it is today!

So, a big story earlier this week was about a Pittsburgh restaurant that banned children.
From some corners of the world, the owner garnered all kinds of praise. "Way to go!" they said. "We don't want to be bothered looking at children while we eat."
To me, this smells like nothing more than a publicity stunt. In this economy, restaurants are getting hurt worse than any other business. You have to differentiate yourself from the competition.
It's really no different than that wahoo down in Philadelphia who demands his customers speak perfect English. He needed a boost and, boom, got national publicity.
Look, if the site and sounds of children in a restaurant bother you so much, than stay away from the Friday's, Applebees and the like. There are plenty of places people just don't take their children to eat. Choose one of them.
Oh, wait, it's easier to just complain. I forgot about that.

Rise and Shine --- Some good things about the Internet

Good Morning and, yes, we are still here!

I was reading a story the other day about the birth and death of a publication called "The National." For those who don't know, The National was a sports newspaper that had bold ideas, but not the technology (or business mind) to pull it off.
At the time, I thought it was a cool idea. It was supposed to be like getting Sports Illustrated every day with the added bonus of having last night's games.
The beauty of it is if The National started now, there would be no reason to worry about those scores. If I go to bed before the Phillies game is over, I can check the score right after I hit the snooze button (for the 15th time) on my phone.
Also, thanks the the Internet I didn't miss this: