The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1357204
My So Called Millennial Life By Stephanie Hayes Things that were odd a year ago Editor's note: Katiedid Lan- grock has stopped writing a column. Our new colum- nist, Stephanie Hayes promis- es some levity for your reading enjoyment. As an anniversary gift to you, I will try to use the phrase "new normal" as little as pos- sible. What anniversary? You know what anniversary. We all felt an ominous breeze when the calendar turned to March, like a pilgrim poltergeist whis- pering, "You are going to learn to make sourdough, whether you like it or not." So much has changed, and most of the unusual things we do on autopilot have been life-saving measures. That doesn't mean they're not weird. Just the other day, I paused at the grocery store to consid- er a man shopping with a neck gaiter pulled up to his eye- balls. On this garment, a giant skull. Today, this is an edgy sartorial choice for respon- sible bread procurement. In February 2020, I might have run to hide behind the Toti- no's Pizza Rolls (they are in- destructible). Herewith, I shall list things that would have been alarm- ing just one year ago but are now the new normal: Using the phrase "new nor- mal," even though you prom- ised not to just moments ago. Masks littering trails and sidewalks in the manner of a "Grey's Anatomy" 5K. Masks pouring out of pockets and laundry and hiding in car crevices like bag fries. Pulling up a menu via QR code. What is this, the future? I was promised hoverboards! The sign outside the veteri- narian's office that says "stay in your car," as if the animals are on the loose and have staged a coup. Rolling out of bed, assess- ing your rapidly decaying body in the mirror and then shuffling to a laptop to start work in the same clothes you slept in. Seeing hundreds of peo- ple lined up in cars at a stadi- um, not to pay $20 for park- ing, but to have long swabs in- serted in their noses. Coinci- dentally, both acts produce the same feel- ing. Speaking of the stadium, how about those cardboard fans? This simply cannot "stand." We're not "cut out" for this. It's "flat-out" ridiculous. Getting emotional over a single 12-pound dumbbell on the shelf somewhere and lift- ing an atrophied arm to spend $ 35 on it. That thing when you're walking past someone but don't want to get too close so you both fan out, but then you're each in the grass with mud on your shoes, and you try to crinkle your eyes polite- ly, even though your life is a living hell. The sheer amount of hand sanitizer at entrances to stores and offices and schools. The streets run clear with alco- hol. Trying to help a kid use Microsoft Teams, only to have the child heave a sigh and pat you on the head because the children are the teachers, and we are the stu- dents. Yard signs that suggest we're all in this together, that we're going to come out stron- ger, that the sun will rise again and that, like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. Apologizing for saying "new normal" one more time. Stephanie Hayes is a col- umnist at the Tampa Bay Times in Florida. Follow her at @ stephhayes on Twitter or @ stephrhayes on Instagram. The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, March 31, 2021 A-5 GIL HODGES' Celebrate birthday Special Ball Park Lunch Ball Park Hot Dog, Chips, Salted In-Shell Peanuts, Cracker Jacks and a Drink * $ 8 99 Only FRIDAY SPECIALS CHICKEN NOODLE OR CHILI Roast Beef Manhattan $ 8.99 Roast Beef Smothered in Gravy on Mashed Potatoes and Bread with Green Beans or Corn and Drink * Parmesan Baked Tilapia $ 8.99 Baked Potato, Bread and Drink * Stromboli $ 8.99 Our Own Special Stromboli Served with Grippos (Plain or BBQ), Side Salad and a Drink * CHEESY CHICKEN BROCCOLI OR CHILI Chicken and Dumplings $ 8.99 Plate of Chicken and Dumplings, Green Beans or Buttered Peas and Carrots, Baked Apples, Roll and a Drink * WEDNESDAY Boneless Pork Chop $ 8.99 Tender Pork Loin Baked with Special Spices and Parmesan Cheese served with Baked Potato, Green Beans and a Drink * *Your Choice of Regular Coˆ ee, Tea or Coke Product. Specials and menu items are subject to food availability from suppliers. /RandysAmericanaCafe Like us on Facebook! 7TH & MAIN STREETS • PETERSBURG MARCH 31 - APRIL 6 MONDAY SPECIALS VEGETABLE BEEF OR CHILI Spaghetti $ 7.99 Cheesy Mozzarella Toast, Side Salad and Drink* Cheeseburger & Chili $ 8.99 Cheeseburger with a Cup of Chili, Chips and Drink* Pancakes $ 7.99 Choice of Side and Drink* CHILI Biscuits and Gravy $ 7.99 With Your Choice of Bacon or Sausage, Two Eggs and Drink* SATURDAY Stromboli $ 8.99 Our Own Special Stromboli Served with Grippos (Plain or BBQ), Side Salad and a Drink * daily Dine-in & Carry-Out THURSDAY CHEESY POTATO OR CHILI Ham Steak $ 8.99 Thick-Sliced Ham Served with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans or Buttered Peas and Carrots, Roll and a Drink * Meatloaf $ 8.99 Green Beans or Buttered Peas and Carrots, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Roll and Drink * TUESDAY Turkey Manhattan $ 8.99 Turkey Breast Smothered in Gravy on Mashed Potatoes and Bread with Green Beans and Drink * Polish Sausage $ 8.99 with Sauerkraut Served with Cornbread, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, and Drink * HAM & BEANS WITH CORNBREAD OR CHILI Fresh, Made-From-Scratch Cinnamon Rolls Friday Morning Large order? Call by Thursday evening, 812-354-2006. they ' re back! Roast Beef Manhattan $ 8.99 CHEESY POTATO OR CHILI Potatoes and Gravy, Green Beans or Buttered Peas and Carrots, Roll and a Drink * Fresh, Made-From-Scratch Cinnamon Rolls Fresh, Made-From-Scratch Cinnamon Rolls Fresh, Made-From-Scratch Friday Morning Large order? Call by Thursday evening, 812-354-2006. re back! Fresh, Made-From-Scratch Cinnamon Rolls Fresh, Made-From-Scratch Cinnamon Rolls Fresh, Made-From-Scratch Large order? Call by Thursday evening, 812-354-2006. re back! Mon-Fri 7AM-8PM Saturday 7AM-2PM 812-354-2004 • Easy to Maintain Flip-Up Deck • Up to 1 Acre • 48" or 54" Cut with Automated Deck Height Adjustment • SmoothTrack ® Steering • 23 HP Kawasaki Engine • 3 year / 300 hour Residential Warranty Mon-Fri 7AM - 6PM Saturday 7AM - 5PM Sunday 10AM - 4PM Hwy. 41 N. at Lyles Station Rd Princeton • 812-385-2641 Memmer's Hardware & Outdoor Power QUICK, CLEAN & EASY Optician Are calculators good for helping kids learn math? (StatePoint) If you remem- ber your teachers and parents telling you not to rely too heav- ily on calculators, you may be inclined to pass on the same mindset to your own children. Here are some of the pros and cons to using calculators to master STEM subjects: • Adaptation to a Chang- ing World: Tech tools are ev- er evolving, featuring expand- ed capabilities with each new update or model. Being able to successfully navigate these tools and platforms over time is critical, and calculators are no exception. In fact, in many math and science classrooms, calculators play a central role in lesson plans and are even allowed to be used during tests. Being able to comfort- ably use a calculator will give your child a leg up academical- ly. What's more, kids today are digital natives. Giving them a resource that feels familiar to them may help draw them closer to math. • Speed and accuracy: There is no doubt that actual- ly understanding how calcu- lations are arrived at is funda- mental, and this means some initial learning will need to take place calculator-free. This is especially true when a student is first grasping basic arithmetic. However, once a student has attained a certain skill or understands the rea- sons why a particular equation is needed for a given problem, there is no need to deny them a tool they would have access to "in the real world." Having a calculator on-hand can help them apply their knowledge, contributing to a broader un- derstanding of math and en- abling them to quickly check their work. • Expense and value: Cal- culators range widely in price, and you may balk at the price tag on some of today's mod- els. However, there are many high-quality options that can be obtained affordably. For the best value, consider a cal- culator that grows with your student, supporting learn- ing over a number of years and grade levels. For exam- ple, the graphing calculators from Casio, have all the math- ematical functions a student would need starting in grade school up through college. What's more, the brand has created an online calculator tool, ClassPad.net, which fea- tures the same wide range of functions and can be used for free on any device. Whether your student is working on the basics of ad- dition and subtraction or is tackling integrals and deriv- atives, a calculator can be a trusty tool that supports their learning and success. PAWS WEEK PAWS WEEK Pet of the JACK You can't change a dog's past, but you could rewrite his future. This week, PAWS is fea- turing a lovable little fellow named Jack, who has been at PAWS since September of 2020, due to having a se- vere case of heart worms when he came in. He had to have two treatments, which requires the long recovery period. He will be rechecked on April 12, and if he tests negative, he will be neutered and ready for his forever family. Jack is an extremely social Beagle/Jack Rus- sell mix, who is pleading for a new friend that prom- ises to keep him on heart- worm preventative. To in- quire about Jack, call 812- 354-9894. READER GUIDE Subscriptions: Change of address: subscribers changing addresses will please give old address as well as new one along with phone number. We cannot guarantee prompt change unless this is done. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Press-Dispatch., P.O. Box 68, Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 or e-mail to subscribe@pressdispatch. net. Subscription rates: One year: $35 for Pike County and all 475/476 zip codes; $38 in the state of Indiana; $55 elsewhere in the USA. Paid in advance. Subscriptions taken after noon on Friday will not receive a paper until the second edition after their subscription date. 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