Random thoughts that are pointless and too dumb to say anywhere else thread: 2021

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

PSA: I spend a ton of time with my 5 year old son and 8 year old daughter doing various outdoor activities while we are enjoying our beautiful summer in Wisconsin. Those activities often include swimming.

 

Often, it is me watching both alone. Neither are swimmers, so this can prove difficult to watch both at times, especially when they both have different things they like to do. We had them in swim lessons at the Y, but like we so many other things, COVID ended that and they haven't got back in yet.

 

Had one incident with my daughter at our local acquatic center. She swims in the 3.5 foot area (where she can stand), but there is an area where the pool goes from 3.5 to 4.5 feet where she can no longer stand. At a recent trip I was with my son helping him hop on the lilly pads in the pool, only to turn around and see my daughter desperately trying to keep her head above water as she tried to yell for help. People were everywhere. The lifeguard was about 15 feet away and never noticed. Fortunately, I waded over there quickly, grabbed her and she was OK.

 

Last week, I was with both at my mom's outdoor pool in the yard at her place in Oconomowoc. The pool gets as deep as 9 feet deep on one end and shallow on the other where they swim. Other relatives were there. My 5 year old son was standing outside the pool, squirting people with a squirt gun. I told him to make sure to stay away from the edge and he assured me he would. My daughter wanted me to help her with a kickboard, so I was momentarily preoccupied with that. The next second I turned around, my son was in the middle of the 9 foot deep area, his head nearly submerged. He never made a peep. He could not call for help. No one ever noticed. I frantically swam over to grab him and carried him to the edge of the pool. He was shaken up, but okay.

 

These kids are my world, and I am grateful that I still have every day to enjoy with them. Sometimes I ask myself how many more seconds I had left in that hourglass, and it terrifies me. Drowning is so quiet. Even in broad daylight with many people around. You always assume someone is going to see it happen. But they don't. It often doesn't look like anything.

 

Watch your non-swimming (and heck, even your swimming kids) closely. I wouldn't wish the moments of terror on anyone.

 

I totally get where you are coming from. I'm a former lifeguard and summer camp aquatics director, and I cannot stress enough the importance of getting kids into swimming lessons. Because I've seen plenty of near drownings, and assisted in the aftermath of a drowning death. It is excruciating for everyone involved. I cannot imagine what it is like on a parent.

 

My 12, 10 and 8-year olds are all very strong swimmers, and we regularly have my 6 and 4-year-olds in lessons. But we live in an area of northern Wisconsin where there is a lake around every corner, and we have a large pond less than 100 yards behind our house. It's always been a priority for us to make sure the kids are comfortable around and can navigate the water. Sure, odds are that if your kids are never strong swimmers, they likely will not be involved in a drowning incident. They are rare. But all it takes is one time. I urge you to continue to take the necessary precautions to avoid it by getting those kids swimming. Good work having them in lessons so far.

[GAME05]

I was a lifeguard for a long time as well as a swim teacher for a decade+ (I'd be happy to give tips on teaching swimming if anyone wants). The kid drownings I've seen are usually from them wandering away from the main, groomed lake area and then getting stuck under a log/debris. The adult drownings have largely been from good swimmers who made mistakes (like a backflip from a moving boat) or overestimated their ability (like going into deep water while wearing long preacher robes).

[greeg35]

... overestimated their ability (like going into deep water while wearing long preacher robes).

 

This should not have made me laugh!

[GAME05]

... overestimated their ability (like going into deep water while wearing long preacher robes).

 

This should not have made me laugh!

 

Oh man, you better hope the day you show up at the Pearly Gates isn't the same day he's subbing in for Peter.

[LouisEly]

Am I the only one who doesn't get the Nike "Play New" commercial?

[owbc]

I was a lifeguard for a long time as well as a swim teacher for a decade+ (I'd be happy to give tips on teaching swimming if anyone wants). The kid drownings I've seen are usually from them wandering away from the main, groomed lake area and then getting stuck under a log/debris. The adult drownings have largely been from good swimmers who made mistakes (like a backflip from a moving boat) or overestimated their ability (like going into deep water while wearing long preacher robes).

 

It's a complicated story but my wife's cousin has a 9-year-old daughter who doesn't have a father because he killed himself trying to dive off of a cliff in Hawaii. The guy was no saint but it's something to think about when doing risky/dumb stuff around water.

[logan82]

I carry root beer barrels and striped mints where ever I go. The striped mints were in my pocket for a while but if you pick the lint off it's just as good.

[NeedMoreFans]

I was driving the other day and crossed I-41 in Fond du Lac and this random thought popped up. When they decided to upgrade 41 to a full interstate, why did they route it along 894 and 94 down to the Illinois state line? Why not end it where 41 meets 94 at the Zoo Interchange? 94 and 894 are already known, established interstates, and I don't see why adding 41 to them was necessary.

[MrTPlush]

I was driving the other day and crossed I-41 in Fond du Lac and this random thought popped up. When they decided to upgrade 41 to a full interstate, why did they route it along 894 and 94 down to the Illinois state line? Why not end it where 41 meets 94 at the Zoo Interchange? 94 and 894 are already known, established interstates, and I don't see why adding 41 to them was necessary.

 

Because it is an interstate. If that interstate stopped at 94 in Milwaukee, it wouldn’t be an interstate. That would be my first thought.

[Samurai Bucky]

I was driving the other day and crossed I-41 in Fond du Lac and this random thought popped up. When they decided to upgrade 41 to a full interstate, why did they route it along 894 and 94 down to the Illinois state line? Why not end it where 41 meets 94 at the Zoo Interchange? 94 and 894 are already known, established interstates, and I don't see why adding 41 to them was necessary.

 

Because it is an interstate. If that interstate stopped at 94 in Milwaukee, it wouldn’t be an interstate. That would be my first thought.

 

Yeah, but I-43 doesn't cross state lines. That might be an instate highway...

 

I think there are a bunch in Texas, too.

[NeedMoreFans]

I counted 20 interstates that are intrastate.

[Baldkin]

I counted 20 interstates that are intrastate.

 

Did you have to take off your shoes?

[Thurston Fluff]

I think anger should be spelled angrrr?

[DHonks]

I counted 20 interstates that are intrastate.

 

When I was in college traveling with our school’s women’s tennis team to Hawaii, one girl asked how they have interstates in Hawaii. We told her there was a tunnel to the mainland

[homer]

"Though the system built major roadways that run through multiple states, the “interstate” term refers to the fact that the highways are funded federally with money shared between the states."

 

https://www.nbcdfw.com/local/q-interstates-that-dont-travel-between-states/2088873/

[DHonks]

Speaking of the interstate system and the highways, anyone else remember the bridges to nowhere over 894 near Layton? I once found a map online of what the original Milwaukee freeway system was supposed to look like and it would have definitely made for different traffic patterns with the Miller Park freeway being properly completed and a northern east-west corridor parallel to 94.

[homer]

Jamaica, Queens is named for the Lenape word for "beaver" (yameco) and evolved from Dutch to English. Jamaica the country is named for the Arawak word for the island (Xaymaca) and evolved from Spanish to English. Totally unrelated!

[rickh150]

You can sing “Amazing Grace” and the theme to Gilligan’s Island to each other’s tune.

[Thurston Fluff]

Jamaica, Queens is named for the Lenape word for "beaver" (yameco) and evolved from Dutch to English. Jamaica the country is named for the Arawak word for the island (Xaymaca) and evolved from Spanish to English. Totally unrelated!

 

Dutch and Spanish are both from Indo-European languages and written with Latin alphabets. Sooo, not totally unrelated.

[jjgott]

On the Cards broadcast the announcers just wondered if young pitchers are "intimidated" pitching to the legendary Yadi Molina so they request to pitch to the backup. My eyes nearly rolled out the back of my head.

[Underachiever]

On the Cards broadcast the announcers just wondered if young pitchers are "intimidated" pitching to the legendary Yadi Molina so they request to pitch to the backup. My eyes nearly rolled out the back of my head.

The Cardinal announcers know who their audience is, and they make these kind of statements all the time. Sports radio as well. I remember them talking about Rick Ankiel making his comeback as an outfielder after he yipped out as a pitcher. Their take was that it was good that he was doing it in St. Louis, because the fan base was sophisticated enough to understand his struggles.

[Jimbo]

Speaking of the interstate system and the highways, anyone else remember the bridges to nowhere over 894 near Layton? I once found a map online of what the original Milwaukee freeway system was supposed to look like and it would have definitely made for different traffic patterns with the Miller Park freeway being properly completed and a northern east-west corridor parallel to 94.

 

And a secondary bypass outside of 894 that would have gone through the Brookfield business district, most likely used only by Illinoisans getting around Milwaukee.

[adambr2]

PSA: I spend a ton of time with my 5 year old son and 8 year old daughter doing various outdoor activities while we are enjoying our beautiful summer in Wisconsin. Those activities often include swimming.

 

Often, it is me watching both alone. Neither are swimmers, so this can prove difficult to watch both at times, especially when they both have different things they like to do. We had them in swim lessons at the Y, but like we so many other things, COVID ended that and they haven't got back in yet.

 

Had one incident with my daughter at our local acquatic center. She swims in the 3.5 foot area (where she can stand), but there is an area where the pool goes from 3.5 to 4.5 feet where she can no longer stand. At a recent trip I was with my son helping him hop on the lilly pads in the pool, only to turn around and see my daughter desperately trying to keep her head above water as she tried to yell for help. People were everywhere. The lifeguard was about 15 feet away and never noticed. Fortunately, I waded over there quickly, grabbed her and she was OK.

 

Last week, I was with both at my mom's outdoor pool in the yard at her place in Oconomowoc. The pool gets as deep as 9 feet deep on one end and shallow on the other where they swim. Other relatives were there. My 5 year old son was standing outside the pool, squirting people with a squirt gun. I told him to make sure to stay away from the edge and he assured me he would. My daughter wanted me to help her with a kickboard, so I was momentarily preoccupied with that. The next second I turned around, my son was in the middle of the 9 foot deep area, his head nearly submerged. He never made a peep. He could not call for help. No one ever noticed. I frantically swam over to grab him and carried him to the edge of the pool. He was shaken up, but okay.

 

These kids are my world, and I am grateful that I still have every day to enjoy with them. Sometimes I ask myself how many more seconds I had left in that hourglass, and it terrifies me. Drowning is so quiet. Even in broad daylight with many people around. You always assume someone is going to see it happen. But they don't. It often doesn't look like anything.

 

Watch your non-swimming (and heck, even your swimming kids) closely. I wouldn't wish the moments of terror on anyone.

 

I totally get where you are coming from. I'm a former lifeguard and summer camp aquatics director, and I cannot stress enough the importance of getting kids into swimming lessons. Because I've seen plenty of near drownings, and assisted in the aftermath of a drowning death. It is excruciating for everyone involved. I cannot imagine what it is like on a parent.

 

My 12, 10 and 8-year olds are all very strong swimmers, and we regularly have my 6 and 4-year-olds in lessons. But we live in an area of northern Wisconsin where there is a lake around every corner, and we have a large pond less than 100 yards behind our house. It's always been a priority for us to make sure the kids are comfortable around and can navigate the water. Sure, odds are that if your kids are never strong swimmers, they likely will not be involved in a drowning incident. They are rare. But all it takes is one time. I urge you to continue to take the necessary precautions to avoid it by getting those kids swimming. Good work having them in lessons so far.

 

You don't happen to have some degree of OCD, do you? 5 kids all spaced exactly 2 years apart is quite remarkable!!

 

And congrats! 3 is more than enough for me, lol. Thanks for your feedback as an aquatics director. We'll keep on getting them in lessons.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

PSA: I spend a ton of time with my 5 year old son and 8 year old daughter doing various outdoor activities while we are enjoying our beautiful summer in Wisconsin. Those activities often include swimming.

 

Often, it is me watching both alone. Neither are swimmers, so this can prove difficult to watch both at times, especially when they both have different things they like to do. We had them in swim lessons at the Y, but like we so many other things, COVID ended that and they haven't got back in yet.

 

Had one incident with my daughter at our local acquatic center. She swims in the 3.5 foot area (where she can stand), but there is an area where the pool goes from 3.5 to 4.5 feet where she can no longer stand. At a recent trip I was with my son helping him hop on the lilly pads in the pool, only to turn around and see my daughter desperately trying to keep her head above water as she tried to yell for help. People were everywhere. The lifeguard was about 15 feet away and never noticed. Fortunately, I waded over there quickly, grabbed her and she was OK.

 

Last week, I was with both at my mom's outdoor pool in the yard at her place in Oconomowoc. The pool gets as deep as 9 feet deep on one end and shallow on the other where they swim. Other relatives were there. My 5 year old son was standing outside the pool, squirting people with a squirt gun. I told him to make sure to stay away from the edge and he assured me he would. My daughter wanted me to help her with a kickboard, so I was momentarily preoccupied with that. The next second I turned around, my son was in the middle of the 9 foot deep area, his head nearly submerged. He never made a peep. He could not call for help. No one ever noticed. I frantically swam over to grab him and carried him to the edge of the pool. He was shaken up, but okay.

 

These kids are my world, and I am grateful that I still have every day to enjoy with them. Sometimes I ask myself how many more seconds I had left in that hourglass, and it terrifies me. Drowning is so quiet. Even in broad daylight with many people around. You always assume someone is going to see it happen. But they don't. It often doesn't look like anything.

 

Watch your non-swimming (and heck, even your swimming kids) closely. I wouldn't wish the moments of terror on anyone.

 

I totally get where you are coming from. I'm a former lifeguard and summer camp aquatics director, and I cannot stress enough the importance of getting kids into swimming lessons. Because I've seen plenty of near drownings, and assisted in the aftermath of a drowning death. It is excruciating for everyone involved. I cannot imagine what it is like on a parent.

 

My 12, 10 and 8-year olds are all very strong swimmers, and we regularly have my 6 and 4-year-olds in lessons. But we live in an area of northern Wisconsin where there is a lake around every corner, and we have a large pond less than 100 yards behind our house. It's always been a priority for us to make sure the kids are comfortable around and can navigate the water. Sure, odds are that if your kids are never strong swimmers, they likely will not be involved in a drowning incident. They are rare. But all it takes is one time. I urge you to continue to take the necessary precautions to avoid it by getting those kids swimming. Good work having them in lessons so far.

 

You don't happen to have some degree of OCD, do you? 5 kids all spaced exactly 2 years apart is quite remarkable!!

 

And congrats! 3 is more than enough for me, lol. Thanks for your feedback as an aquatics director. We'll keep on getting them in lessons.

 

Ha ... maybe a little. Not quite two years apart, though. May, March, November, February and April birthdays.

[Baldkin]

Speaking of the interstate system and the highways, anyone else remember the bridges to nowhere over 894 near Layton? I once found a map online of what the original Milwaukee freeway system was supposed to look like and it would have definitely made for different traffic patterns with the Miller Park freeway being properly completed and a northern east-west corridor parallel to 94.

 

And a secondary bypass outside of 894 that would have gone through the Brookfield business district, most likely used only by Illinoisans getting around Milwaukee.

 

In case anyone would like to read more: http://wisconsinhighways.org/milwaukee/system_map.html