Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Thomas Gets Ready & Meanderings 6


As you can see, Thomas is getting ready for his big boy bye-bye trip down to Nannie Camp for the week! He is resting for the car ride to Mass, and he has packed most of his toys and books. He is very excited to stay with his Nannie and Sponge Bob, and he is even more looking forward to going to Newport on Friday! He loves the Brick Alley Pub!

The Goldsmiths are taking their blog "on location" this week, as we are heading down to Edgewater Park, New Jersey to stay with Amanda's family. Did you all know Amanda is originally a "jersey girl?" We hope to sit poolside and sip cocktails, visit Gaetano's sandwich shops, and get crabs---and going into Maryland for a crab boil would be great too!! (wah wah wah . . . .) The thing I am most looking forward to, however, is seeing Abby, Aunt June and Uncle Bob's giant Newfoundland Dog.

Here are some meanderings that have crossed my mind lately . . . .

1. How did Pirates and Pirate Ships become all of the sudden synonymous with mini golf? Have you noticed this? This seems to be the "theme" for putt putt somehow--having a waterfall and a fake pirate shop on top or on the bottom of this waterfall. Go mini golfing sometime . . . .you'll see

2. People think I am weird because I smell books. I dont care. After wood fires and unleaded gasoline, you just can't beat that "new book smell." They smell fantastic. I dont know if its the ink or the glue or the anthrax, but it sure is delicious. And old books are great too! I love walking into Lawrence library and taking a wiff.

3. Earlier in the summer, we visited Campabello island. We went to see "East Quaddy Head" lighthouse, on the tip of the island, but we couldn't see it because it was too foggy. Think about that. It was too foggy to see a lighthouse. Isn't that the whole reason there ARE lighthouses?

4. Public restrooms need to come clean about what kind of technology they are using in their bathrooms! This is only fair, and we deserve it. I am talking in particular about all the "automatic" toilets and paper towel dispensers (we as Americans are way too above flushing our own toilets!!). I get so used to the automatic-sensor paper towel putter-outers, that I expect that all will be like this. But then some conniving janitor in some other bathroom puts in ones where you have to get the towels yourself. I start waving my dripping hands frantically in front of the dispenser, only to realize I've been duped. Then I feel so used---like at the end of "The Sixth Sense."


one more thing about bathrooms . . . .


5. Everyone talks about how Fenway Park is starting to lose its true "appeal" and "authenticity" as more and more is done to modernize the stadium. People talk about the seats and walls, but what about the men's room? Fenway lost a part of its true self when it installed individual urinals with privacy shields in place of the traditional "trough" layout they had. Going to the bathroom used to be a rite that procured community in its truest sense. I can't tell you how many friends I have made whilst peeing beside them in the trough, and as a child catching a game with my dad, going to the bathroom was a true coming of age experience. And no one ever had to wait in those awkward lines in back of every individual urinator (lines are for ice cream stands and Goldsmith autograph sessions, not peeing). There was always "room for one more" at the trough. "Hey . . .come on buddy . . .we'll squeeze you in right here man," drunk, friendly fans used to say. "Hey you guys . . . .push down . . .we got a kid who needs to pee!" they'd yell. There was always a welcoming environment and room for one more. Yes there was. Not having to wait to go pee in public is one of the only true bonuses of being a guy . . .just about everything else sways in favor of the women-folk. Are we going to stand for this guys? This is why I love Colby college so much--the men's room in the fieldhouse, where Winslow graduates, has a trough. It makes all those nervous pee-pees I take before playing or speaking in front of 4000 people at graduation that much easier to deal with. BRING BACK THE TROUGH! Not only in Fenway, but also every other public men's room around!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You only like the trough because you like looking at other man's pee pee's. What man proclaims the desire to have troughs back? While they may be more convenient, standing in line to use a urinal is not that big of an inconvenience.

Anonymous said...

good thing you are not a cat or dog, you would be smelling other things