That's what SHE said - Rage Against The Minivan

Here are some of things I read this week that made me think. (These are just snippets – click on the title to read the whole thing).

MAKING SEN$E – Do you live in a bubble? A quiz from PBS NEWSHOUR

“If you grew up in a working-class neighborhood, you are going to have a high score even if you are now an investment banker living on Park Avenue. Your present life may be completely encased in the bubble, but you brought a lot of experience into the bubble that will always be part of your understanding of the world.

Growing up in a middle-class neighborhood also scores points for you on several questions, and this too is reflected in the real-world experiences that people bring to their adult lives in the new upper class. But middle class covers a wide variety of environments, and the degree to which people who grew up in the middle class seal themselves off from that world after they reach the new upper class also varies widely, which is reflected in the wide range of possible scores.”

Celebrations: Thanksgiving Kid Table from Gabby at Design Mom

“If your kids are frowning about not getting to sit at the grownups table, I may be able to help you out! I made a little video with a few tips to make the Thanksgiving Kids Table the most coveted seat in the house.”

School is being remodeled, but contractors discover untouched chalkboards from 1917 behind the walls from Jenny Brown at Shareably

“When contractors started working on Emerson High School classrooms, they knew that the remodel would improve education. But they never expected the impact on local history.

Looking to upgrade the whiteboards in classrooms with new smartboards, the workers first had to remove the outdated, old chalkboards. That’s when they made a startling discovery.”

Walking lifts your mood, even when you don’t expect it to from Christian Jarrett at Research Digest

“The mere act of putting one foot in front of the other for a few minutes has a significant beneficial impact on our mood, regardless of where we do it, why we do it, or what effect we expect the walk to have. That’s according to a pair of psychologists at Iowa State University who claim their study, published in Emotion, is the first to strip away all the many confounds typically associated with exercise research – things like social contact, fresh air, nature, the satisfaction of reaching fitness goals, and the expectation of the activity being beneficial – to show that the simple act of walking, in and of itself, is a powerful mood lifter.”

How to Have a Fancy Dinner Party for 10 People With Only $50 from Amiel Stanek at Bon Appetit

“We get it: You want to have your friends over. Cook them dinner. Lay out the kind of spread you see in fancy magazines (ahem) and have everyone drunk and full and laughing at a long table and ‘gramming about how great of a cook you are. But also: You’re broke. Well, not broke-broke, instant ramen–broke, but, like, deeeeeefinitely not swimming in it. Well, friends, this menu is for you. Introducing the $50 dinner party. That’s right: Fifty bones, ten friends, one epic meal, courtesy of me, associate editor Amiel Stanek (who, full disclosure, once went into credit-card debt cooking his own birthday party). This is ballin’ on a budget.”

This is what happens when we stop paying for quality journalism from Asha Dornfest at Medium

“The American bubble has burst.

You don’t live in a bubble, you say? If you’re shocked, as I am, by the Presidential election result, you live in a bubble. If you feel OK and wonder why people are overreacting, you live in a bubble. If you’re jubilant right now, you live in a bubble.

I’m not judging you or your voting choice. It happens that my candidate lost, but had she won, my point would be the same. Division in America exists apart from the candidates. The Presidential race hardened that division and brought it into the naked light of day, but it has been there all along.

It no longer matters who you voted for. We’ve made our choice. Your job now is to step outside of whatever bubble you live in and educate yourself.”

Without Janitors, Students Are In Charge Of Keeping School Shipshape from Owen Phillips at NPREd

“For 30 minutes after lunch, students sweep, mop, take out the trash and even clean the bathrooms — but responsibilities rotate so no one is stuck scrubbing toilets more than two or three times a year.

De Costa says it’s easy to encourage students to respect their environment when they’re the ones responsible for preserving it.”

Things to do/see:

DISNEY ON ICE is coming to SoCal with their show WORLDS OF ENCHANTMENT Dec 15, 2016 – Jan 8, 2017. Lightning McQueen, Mater and the crew of Disney•Pixar’s Cars race across the ice in this thrilling adventure, which also includes Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, as she explores her undersea kingdom. The toys are back in town with heroic action when Buzz, Woody, Jessie and the Disney•Pixar Toy Story gang escape Sunnyside Daycare in a daring adventure to get back to Andy’s room. Plus, enter the wintery world of Arendelle with sisters Anna and Elsa and pals Olaf and Kristoff from Disney’s Frozen as they learn that true love comes from within. Shows are as follows:

STAPLES CENTER, Los Angeles on Thursday, December 15 at 7:30 PM
HONDA CENTER, Anaheim on Wednesday, December 21 at 7:00 PM
LONG BEACH ARENA, Long Beach on Wednesday, December 28 at 7:00 PM
CITIZENS BUSINESS BANK ARENA, Ontario on Wednesday, January 4 at 7:00 PM

Tickets can be purchased at www.DisneyOnIce.com.