Words Hurt

Words are a tricky thing to mess with, especially when you are talking to adolescents.  Terms like "gay" or "retarded" should not be thrown around willy nilly.  When a person in authority, especially a teacher of professor uses language like this in front of adolescents, it teaches them that it is ok to use that language.  It IS NOT OK! I will repeat that until it is ingrained in everyone's heads.  It is not a proper environment for kids or students to be in when the adults in their lives use negative language to talk about other people.  Gay is technically a term that should be used for something that is happy and jubilant.  Now, it is also a term that is polite to be used when referring to a homosexual individual.  Retard or retarded is a term that refers to someone with a mental retardation, but it should never correctly be used as an adjective for a person.  Someone can have a mental retardation or be mentally-retarded, but they are not simply "retarded" and a situation is not merely "retarded" due to it being stupid or lame.

I always get extremely upset when someone uses this terminology, because they don't realize that it is a form of verbal abuse.  Ponder that! Every time you use a word improperly you are verbally abusing the person you spoke illy about, and you are verbally abusing a person who really does apply to that term you misused.


Websites like www.r-word.org are around to help combat the negative language.  Go online, and sign the pledge.  Be the Change! Change Your Language!

Easter -How are You Planning to Celebrate?

I am planning to head to Lake Tahoe for Easter with my dad.  It is about a 2.5 hour drive from my house right now, so he is going to fly up to see me, and then we will drive there.  My dad hasn't been to Tahoe in many years and neither have I.  So it should be a lot of fun.  I have the Friday before Easter off, so we are going to head out that morning to enjoy our trip to the fullest.  I am hoping it won't be snowing, but I think there will be snow on the ground (and I am hoping for it too!).  

Easter always brings with it so many memories for me.  I remember looking the for Easter bunny as a little kid.  And collecting easter eggs.  I also remember decorating my own easter eggs every year and getting to show them off to the family members who came over for Easter brunch.  We would go to easter egg hunts with my friends and take Easter pictures with the Easter bunny.  I also remember all the easter recipes.  In my house, Easter means hard boiled eggs, chocolate (LOTS of chocolate), fruit cobbler, salad, maybe a fruit salad, and a main dish.  Maybe pasta, to keep Easter brunch light.  Easter was a time for all of us to relax, because it was on a Sunday, and pig out on food, while spending time with family! Sometimes we went to church, but since I was raised with one Jewish parent and one Presbyterian parent, church was more fun for me, because it was something I wasn't used to, not because of what was actually going on.  

This year, I can't wait to take the weekend off, and spend the time relaxing, and remembering all those times with my family, and spending it with the family I have left now! Especially in a place like Lake Tahoe with so many beautiful places to escape to and explore.  I will definitely be doing my fair share of sightseeing and personal reflection time as well!