v45.0 :: Back to School

It's that time of year again folks, our children are heading back to school to learn all the things we, as parents, are incapable of teaching them.  Pretty soon we'll have a new generation of little people learning about the Pythagorean theorem and the events of World War II.  They'll be learning how to use the proper words like "Which witch is which?" and "They're there over there!".  Of course school isn't all about fun and games, there are also important social interactions and life lessons to be learned that most children wouldn't normally be exposed to at home.

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As parents we need to go through the hassle of figuring out the school supplies and fees.  I don't remember how much my parents spent on me when I was a wee lad, but school these days seems awfully expensive.  Take my eldest son for example, there is no published school supply list so I went out and bought the things I remember having when I went to school.  You remember, things like ink and quill and the good ol' slate board with chalk; life seemed so much simpler back then.  In addition to the supplies, my son also needs $55 to pay for his school fees and locker.  When you add it all up, you're looking at close to $100 to send him to school; that doesn't cover the additional costs of year books, pictures, field trips and any number of activities he may want to get involved in during the year.  To add to my situation, I have three other children entering the world of public schooling this year.  Thankfully the youngest only needed $40 which is supposed to cover the school supplies; the other two cost me close to $75 in supplies and that doesn't count the fees.  When did going to school get so expensive?

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At least I can write on my blog for virtually nothing.  All I need is something to write about, a few minutes of my time and Columbo streaming on my television.  Yes you read that correctly, I am streaming Columbo on my television.  For those of you who don't know what Columbo was, it was basically a crime drama show about a detective named Columbo played by Peter Falk.  One thing I really like about Columbo is he comes across as absent-minded and inattentive but never misses a detail.

As a child my father used to watch Columbo and back in those days I thought it was boring (as most kids would).  As I got "older" and more nostalgic, I like to revisit those old shows to see what all the fuss was about.  One thing I noticed about Columbo was how many well-known actors and actresses are in it.  People like Leonard Nimoy and Martin Sheen who are young and quite possibly just starting their acting careers.  A lot of the names and faces I see have gone on to be quite famous.

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Well folks, if you have kids I hope they have a great back-to-school.  Be careful out there on the roads and keep an eye out for the little Einsteins as make their way to and from their places of higher learning.

Until next time...

Cheers,

Al