IT'S BEEN A SAD WEEK HODGEPODGE!

     
     Something happened this week which hasn't happened for four years. February has an extra day. Why do they call this a "Leap" year anyway? Are people jumping up and down more than they did last year?  Inquiring minds want to know. 
     Well, it is of course Wednesday which means that it is time for another Wednesday Hodgepodge. Welcome back Joyce. Thanks for another series of questions.

1. February ended with an extra 24 hours in 2016. What did you do with your bonus day?
     We did what we normally do every Monday. It is just another day.

2. What's something in your life that's grown by leaps and bounds in recent days, weeks, months, or years? I'm giving you lots of room to come up with an answer here, so no fair passing on this one.
      What has grown in leaps and bounds over the course of my adult life is my appreciation for God. As I look back over my life I see episodes where doing things His way would have saved me a lot of grief.  Doing things His way has made me a better father, a better husband and a better man.

3. Do you read reviews about a film before deciding if you'll see it? Did you watch The Oscars this year, and if so your thoughts on the program? How many of the Best Picture nominees had you seen prior to the broadcast? (Spotlight, The Martian, The Big Short, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road, Room, and Brooklyn) If you watched The Oscars who gets your award for 'best dressed'?
     I do read movie reviews but I seldom base my decision to see a movie exclusively on them. I watched some of the Oscars. I flipped channels back and forth. I thought Chris Rock's comment about the In Memoriam segment showing black men who were shot by cops going to a movie was gratuitous and not funny at all. I also do not like the political posturing of some of the winners. I think that they should thank whoever they want to thank but they should leave their opinions on the issues of the day for a more appropriate venue such as a talk show or news program. I have not seen any of the Best Picture nominated movies.

4. When did you last have overnight houseguests? Give us your top three tips on being a good houseguest.
     It has been quite a while since we've had overnight guests. The top three tips on being a good house guest (1) Clean up after yourself (2) Be considerate of your hosts, don't make excessive noise  (3) Leave a thank you note.

5. March 2nd is Peanut Butter Lover's Day. Will you be celebrating? If so, would you prefer a home made peanut butter cookie, a Reese's peanut butter cup, an old fashioned peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or shall I just hand you a jar and a tablespoon?
     I'll take a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup please. I also like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I'm okay with just a jar of peanut butter and a spoon.

6. Why is failure important? Or isn't it?
     Failure is very important because we almost always learn more from our failures than from our successes.  Good examples of this would be Thomas Edison invention of the light bulb, NASA's Space Program and many scientific advances.

7. Share with us one fun thing on your March calendar.
     There are two things on the calendar. Our granddaughter turns seven years old in March. SWMBO turns ???? years old in March! I get to live a bit longer for not revealing that number!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

     It has been a sad week last week. New Hampshire State Police Lt. James Geraghty lost his valiant fight against cancer last week. Lt. Geraghty was the type of police officer who was exemplary. His character was above reproach and he rose through the ranks to command the State Police Major Crime Unit. He served the State of New Hampshire for 24 years. He leaves a wife and four children.
     Officer Ashley Guindon, PrinceWilliam County, VA, Police Department, was killed in the line of duty during her first shift after graduating from the police academy. Officer Guindon grew up in Merrimack, NH. She dedicated her all too short life to service. Before being sworn in as a Prince William County Police Officer she was a Marine Corps Reservist, and she served as an intern with the Prince William County Police Department before being hired and going to the Police Academy.
    To date, there have been 13 police officers killed in the line of duty in 2016. The sacrifices of these fine men and women increases the utter contempt that I have for the aforementioned comments (Question #3) that Chris Rock made during his Oscar's monologue.