Humpday Happenings...

Welcome to the middle of a very FRIGID week here in he Heartland of America.
Got some temps outside this morning around -7 degrees.
As to the rest of our Hoosierland weather - well, don't expect much of a warm-up, as our high will ONLY be about 10-12 degrees, but it IS on the PLUS side.
Got some off and on snow showers with some forecasters saying another 1-2 inches possible...I am seeing near WHITE-OUT conditions outside, so travel will be dicey at best early on.
Be sure to take the appropriate precautions - the life you save might just be YOUR OWN, right?
So, since we're all going to be freezing our britches off, should we dare venture outside for any length, let's remain as "indoorsey" as possible and settle back with a hot cup of hump-day fortitude, as we take a look at what else is going on in our local part of the tundra...
*** First off of the skating rink is our first  WHO SAID THAT? quote of the week for 2015:
"Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it."
And on a day like THIS, I'm sure many of you would LOVE to do something about it, right?
So, WHO said this anyway? The answer at the top of tomorrow's post.
Meanwhile, back at the National Institute of Arts and Letters...
*** It's also time for our daily "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
January 7 - 
-- Today is NATIONAL BOBBLEHEAD DAY,
Now, with this cold weather, many heads are being mistaken for "bobbling", when in fact, they're SHIVERING.

Just thought you should know...lol.
--And, it's also NATIONAL TEMPURA DAY.

Here's some skinny of the battered and deep-fried dishes:
http://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-tempura-day-january-7/
Nice day to stay INSIDE and make some shrimp tempura...yum!
Moving on..
*** Watched Marvel's Agent Carter last night...EXCELLENT SHOW..
Love the flashbacks to the 1st Captain America movie, too. Nice continuity.

Hayley Atwell - nicely done.

And to see Howard Stark taken to court because his tech was stolen and that he was a collaborator is a great plot device.
The series, albeit a limited one, a LOT of promise..with a strong female lead in a post WW2 sexist era who can really kick-ass when needed.
*** FWCS is going to change up the school bus routs and starting times for students.
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/schools/FWCS-to-cutbus-routes-change-hours-4341103
The school system is doing this to close a $2.5 MIL budget gap.
I take this as a possible WIN for us at the "Fortress", as OUR intersection is NOT a good place to have a BUS STOP for kids.
I mentioned this before, and perhaps THIS will be one of the stops eliminated...because it SHOULD be.

Tricky enough to turn in the snow...

These particular streets were NEVER designed to have so much TWO-WAY traffic (we are not Pettit Avenue, folks), and getting a FWCS bus down such streets can be a REAL problem, especially the way some people park...if you can call it that.

Too much bus traffic for a RESIDENTIAL street!

Keeping bus stops on WIDER streets is (and always will be) the BEST possible course of action.
Some routes themselves will be eliminated altogether, and that's fine with me.
About time kids learned what it is to dress properly for the weather and WALK to school for a change.
FWCS is implementing "no transportation zones", and the article spells out what this means.
Middle schools will start first in this new "staggered" arrangement, with elementary starting later and high schoolers starting around 0900 hrs. Naturally, the school DAYS will be "longer".
Hell, in my day, high school started at 8:15 AM and went all the way (depending on your roster and after school activities) until 5PM.
Now, we just reinvent the wheel again...for the umpteenth time.
*** Also from FWCS - this just in...MOST EDUCATORS RATED DO JOBS WELL...!

How 'bout that...well, spank me rosy and call me anything but late for dinner.
Who'da thunk THAT one?
Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/schools/Most-teachers-in-FWCS-do-jobs-well-4337784
Yep...EIGHTY-SIX (that's 86) PERCENT of teachers are considered EFFECTIVE or HIGHLY-EFFECTIVE.
Wifey is DEFINITELY among that (highly-effective) crowd.
I told her this morning, she should get a t-shirt made up that says:
"I'm an 86'er"

Looks damn good, too.

It has the novelty of never having been done before, hmm?
*** Last back to the ice palace...with winter weather comes a change in habitual behavior...at least there SHOULD be. And this should carry over to ALL facets of our lives.
One thing real Americans have always been good at was ADAPTABILITY...and yet being able to still stand and deliver.

Since our inception, we have been such a people - strong as an oak tree, and yet able to bend in the wind like a willow and not break.
Can't say a lot of nations have followed in such footsteps, and certainly not in such a short time.
But there can be a trap behind this...we can ALWAYS adapt to any given situation...AS LONG AS we never compromise our values and principles along the way.
That is what one would call strength with resolve...and flexibility with purpose.
When you stop to consider WHY our "greatest generation" was called that...think about the circumstances that forged that generation, and then ask yourself..."could I do likewise if required?"

Personally, I think it's about time that we produced another generation JUST like that one, and in some ways, many of such a generation are all around us.
All THEY need is the proper motivation to get the ball rolling.
Strength...resolve...flexibility....purpose...ALL basic building blocks of any society.
Makes for some good cornerstones of a firm foundation...that we can build UPON.

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.