| OCR Text |
Show The Salt Lake Tribune UTAHLIVING Sunday, January 24, 1999 Living in the Androgynous Zone With 3 Tomboys and Liberace , Wilen all the children in a home are i J Should Have Heeded Inner Voice When It Said ‘Save That Credenza’ @e Straight Edge is not about gangs and violence. It is about a personal choice to remain drug-free. Weshouldnt let a few people give the rest of Straight Edge a bad name. B.J. Freeman,| Sandy PARENTHOOD can surroundtheir daugh- fers with a feminine worldoffrilly dress3, furnishings and miniature kitchens. th families that have all boys, the —_my2cents a piece of utah's mind leans toward primary colors and o dirty socks. But when brothers and sis- ters live under the same roof, they are » &xposed toeach other’s clothes and What has happenedto basic courtesy from store clerks? When a transaction is completed, instead of a “Thanks,” many clerks will say “There ya go.” If you wantto see a puzzled look, respond items are theirs, a boy mighttry out his 7~~ |, sister’s lipstick, and little girl will F with “You're Welcome.” : Park City shopper JANET KONTTINEN strap on her brother's holster and go Oo Gunning for anybody she suspects of Tipping the sequins off her best head1 don't mind when mychildren exPerimentwith each other's things in the ' privacy of our own home,butit’s a different story when I’m forced into the Public eye as the escort for an androgyhous groupofsheriffs in chiffon. Fortunately, when we're out, my kids don't seem to mind thatinstead of being : asked how old they are, people wantto and tool belts. These gals seem liberated and self-confident, and they've taught me that boxer shorts are a good way to avoid pantylines under a snug leather mini. But you'll rarely see a guy in leggings and a beaded tunictop, at least not in suburbia. Since myhusband andI are nearly a quick errand. Of course, there are some itemsof his clothing I'd never touch until they’re laundered, but society would frownon him if he borrowed dals), her son begged for a pair of his own. He wears them every day along look ridiculous in my clothes since they’re geared toward an autumnpalette, and he’s a true summer. with his Little Mermaid necklace. We were relieved when oursonselected the black Darth Vader sandals. He thinks they look great with his macho “Jurassic Park” T-shirt and red toenailpolish. For somereason, we're all morewilling to accepta girl in cleats than a boy : in ruffles. When my daughter struts : around like a linebacker in her broth- | er’s football gear, people sometimesap‘ proach me, and we chuckle in agreementthat the world is a better place with another tiny tomboy. But when my son zips himself into his sister’s leopard-print dress and purple suede boots, I’m seldom congratulated on gracing this Earth witha little Liberace Manyof these attitudes carry over into adulthood,andit's OK for women to wear whatever Sears hastooffer. Ladies can walk aroundin everything from tuxedos and neckties to hard hats any of mythings. Besides, he would tion to toy manufacturers and advertis- ing agencies whodo-their best to teach Gov. Leavitt seems determined to leave us his “Legacy” one way or another. Sugarcoatit with “Enlibra,” ram it through the next Congress, tie it to the our children whatis appropriate for their own gender. Television commercials routinely show girls gathered indoors, braiding Barbie’s long hair, and gigglingin delight when her teeny bangle bracelets match the vanity in the doll house. Progressive girls can select the new Paleontologist Barbie, who comesoutfitted for a dig in the desert with a small excavating tool, low-cut crop top and khaki hot pants. These same TV ads feature boys running around outside, snarling and drenching each other with water blasters. Dolls are marketed to boys, too, as longasit’s GI Joe and he’s armed with enough firepower to wipe out his sister’s entire Beanie Baby collection. Forget Ken; even Barbie and Joe don’t wantto play with him. her on. have learned to make use of odd mo- ments. Being on a 10-minute please-hold is a blessing of sorts as I gather elastic bands and toss an empty plastic battery container and a few spent staples while waiting for someoneto get back to me. Instead of my regular key search every morning — “Where are Mommy’s keys?” was each child’s first complete sentence WhenI get down to twosets, I go back to the key shop. Mail is opened over thetrash can; I attempt to address each piece of paper cloaked in yellow smog and strewn o Howabout a tax credit for people to get up every day and do an honest day’s work for an honest dollar? I’m sick of these people that have all these kids whileit still is in my hands. But the biggest difference is my attitude. Instead of whining, “This year I am going to be more efficient,” I marvel at how muchI get done. Odd.It seems to methat I had more timeto do stuff years ago, even though three or four members of the GOSH homeandtake careofthe little beasts. Jane Q. Public, West Valley City group (Grown-Children-Still-Home) were around. That may be why I had more time. I could curl up and read the newest mystery andnotfeelguilty if I did not Mypet peeve is working families who er peopleto play with them.If I needed something at the market, someoneelse getting tax credits. Now on top ofthat, they give thema tax credit to stay have dogs andleave them outside all day so the neighbors canlisten to a chorus of barking dogs all day. Salt LakeCity 99 Send your 2 cents, along with your placeof residence, one of three ways: Call the 2 Cents hot line, 237-2079. @ £-mail tofeatures@sltrib.com. @ Mail to Salt Lake Tribune, c/o Debbie Hummel, P.O. Box 867, Salt Lake City, UT 84110. take the dogs for a walk; there were othcould run outto doit. Ah, yes. In those time-filled days, I had neither computer nore-mail ... nor cable. Suddenly, I am spendingan inordi- nate amountoftime in frontofthetele- vision. It is part of my health regimen. Would I joke about that? For years I have had to check the TV log to see what time I could walk the treadmill and ride the bike. My attention span is about an hour — good exercise time. Then myyoga teacher told me to “hang out on the floor. Stretch yourlegs. Janet Konttinen is the mother of a son, 5, and triplet daughters, 3. You can write her c/o Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 MainSt., KansasCity, kk instruction @ Free Pre-Qualification @ Ist & 2nd Mortgages @ Construction Loans @ Debt Consolidation @ 100% & 125% Loans @ Purchase & Refinance @ HELOC @ Credit Problems OK ‘ 273-3300 SALT LAKE CDA eee 225-9757 pst retsarbt) OPEN SAT & SUN 8-5 AT MARKET RATE NO POINTS SALT LAKE CITY ALL OT HER AREAS ~ 947-8977 1-80 O- 411-4977 SOLUBOLTED 943-1999 a Funding The American Dream Pre-Qualification Today! bt Consolidation ograms Cea, TYmola FIRST. CENTURY MORTGAGE ir *15 Year Fixed wos Any size mortgage donefor *30 Year Fixed five minutes and switch back to see Ava Gardnerandherfavorite bullfighter. Then I can find our family friend, “Dr. Ned,” an emergency veterinarian on Ani- mal Planet. Theold clickeroo trick. That is how I got hooked on Antique Roadshow. As I stretch my legs and try to touch my head to each knee — probably not possiblein this lifetime — I watch folks in Texas, Vermont and Maryland wait in breathless anticipation as experts from Sotheby's and other auction houses discuss their possessions.It is a learning experience. I was thrilled for a woman when an expert uncovered a painting worth thousands that had been hidden under an inexpensive poster. I am sad for people who have treasured forgeries for generations. I now know the back of a piece of jewelry is as importantas the front; “old” does not always mean valuable. T also have discovered I havenotaste. SomeTiffanyglass is ugly. When a family proudly presented a gorgeous American-Revolution era highboy, I was impressed. Beautiful lines, shiny wood. It could have been made yesterday. On cue, there was myinnervoice. “Look at your grandmother's lacquered desk. Color uneven, dents you made as a child. You should be ashamed. But you are too busy to haveit refinished.” It is not for sale. But I was bathed in guilt as the expert said the highboy was worth $50,000. “Of course,” the expert added,“if you had notcleaned and refinished it,it would be worth $250,000.” Maybe that will teach my innervoice not to be so critical. provides valuable services Many people are awareof the services Realtors provide buyers andsellers in the sale of rea! estate, yet few are aware of the services the Realtor organization provides its members. The Realtor Association exists onthree levels: nationwide, Statewide and local. The local association, the Salt Lake Board of Realtors members. Each year, a volunteer board of directors elected by the members convenes to assess the results of the past year and establish a direction for the year ahead. It's a collaboration with one goal in mind — to recognize the best wayto meetthe needsofthe Salt Lake Board's members. Identifying the responsibility the Association has to membersis thefirst step. It's the basis for the Board's Vision and Mission statement: “Support the professional 25% Savings on Orig. Fee. for Prémium Loans CET melee am CiCheleme-Rema UaSiig cn Gio VALLEY IORTGAGE LAC, 5 YR. FIXED 6.25% APR 6% % 30 YR. FIXED 6.58% APR 6% % 15 6.62% 8/9 6% Te 30 6.83% YR. JUMBO APR YR, JUMBO APR inet bt LAKE AND DAVIS CO. Magazine. Mainly member-written, it covers educational and human-interindustry. Services to members include lock boxes that allow them accesstolistings all along the Wasatch Front — from Cache County to Utah County, Realtors helped drive a continuing education requirement through the JANUARY: SALE! 1999 the only Board publication on paperis the monthly Salt Lake Realtor est topics and current issues in the 263-9998 or 1-800-574-3947 JORTGAGE COMPANY, FRIENDLY PROFESSIONAL munication affects the Salt Lake Board of Realtors. A new addition to the family of services is www.saltlakeboard.com a resource that reflects the Association's need to remain flexible and up to date. On the Web site, members can obtain the latest information on events; register for classes or special events; browse the inventory ofreal estate supplies at the Board Store; or review the Code of Ethics. In 1998 the Board introduced on-line voting. Members logged on to www.saltlakeboard.com to choose 1999 officers — and saved thousands ofdollarsin the handling costs associated with traditional paper ballots. In Communication and Service." All new SECURITY WEST FAST changing emphasis to paperless com- Realtor through Education, Advocacy, goals and the strategies for achieving CLOSING COST AVAILABLE *® FREE PRE-QUALIFYING * CLO! WITHIN 7 BUSINESS DAYS (" Loans up to $240,000) AndI do. Queen of the remote for the first time in mylife, I can watch James Cagneydance down flight of stairs for Salt Lake Board of Realtors (SLBR), has nearly 4,200 aon aye) GUARANTEED LOWEST RATES AND CLOSING COSTS © INTEGRA FUNDING MUSINGS Makea realfoot. Tighten the knees.” ‘Supplement provided by NAC. MO64111 UT 84047 °479 lam, I prohably would comeout swingGradually, I have accepted that no matter howefficiently I organized drawers, they did not stay that way long. I — I hadfive sets made. 562-1100 6925 S. Union Park Ctr. Ste. #600 Call for details them is what makes the difference.” If someoneelse were as hard on meas budget? We don't want or need yet an- across our once-beautiful valley, MYR07s * PERSONAL SERVICE eyee aia Midvale, While I have learned to tone it down, other ribbonof asphalt scar tissue torn with the bodies of our run-downchildren. Thomas Anderson, Herriman our best to find a tutu that goes with his idea of a fancy dancing outfit: commando fatigues. And should one of our daughters choose karate, we'll all cheer @Debt Consolidation oO the meager, already bookless education Maybe we shouldall pay closer atten- andif our son selects ballet, we'll do © Conv/VA/Purchase/Ref. Ken Malone, Salt Lake County Olympics. What's next? Rip it out of This spring we'll let each of our kids sign up for one extracurricularactivity, @ Lowest Rates in the State doinga traffic stop. the sameheight, I can grab almost anything from his closet and wearit to run whatthey are. T've noticed that ours is not the only family wheresiblings cross-dress. My friend said that when she got her daughterpinkjellies (girls’ plastic san- If [Salt Lake County] Sheriff [Aaron] Kennard is so concerned about his budget, why doesn't he have his officers start enforcing thetraffic laws in areas they are supposed to patrol? I can‘ tell you thelast time I sawa sheriff's car JupyMAGID Myinner voice is a nag. sometimes it is hard to ignore. This time of the year,it usually says, “If you organized your time better, you could get more done.” Notsatisfied with generalities, the voicelists specifies: “The top drawerof every set of drawers in the house is full of junk. And the closet. How many short-sleeved T-shirts are you wearing this winter? What did you do with thatslick travel umbrella you took to London? Lookat that desk!” Then the coup de grace: “Everyone has the same numberof hours. How you use them mustalign with this statement Education has always been a priority with Realtors. The Salt Lake Board of Legislature. Through its Education Committee, the Board offers continuoustraining to members to increase their knowledge and competency in real estate. Members have 12 continuing education classes each month to choose from, as well as classes to keep them up to date with changesin the industry. Advocacyis anotherpriority. The Salt Lake Board of Realtors is actively involved in political issues that impact the real estate industry. Members volunteer time to monitor local issues, such as zoning and impact fees. They participate in community council and planning meetings, and interview candidates for local and state political office to determine their views on private property rights and industry issues. The Mission Statement includes a focus on communication, and the Bus tours offer members the opportu- nity to showcasetheirlistings and view properties throughout Salt Lake County. The most familiar resource is the Wasatch Front Regional Multiple Listing Service, an on-linelisting of real estate on the market. Members also find market statistics and county assessorinformation on the MLSsite. Volunteer service is a key element of Board membership. Education, advo- cacy and service volunteers have been mentionedalready, There is also the Professional Standards Hearing panel, which enforces the Code of Ethics, The Board's mission statement is a declaration of support for the professional Realtor. It reflects the Board's belief that a well-educated, informed Realtor will best serve the community and the sellers and buyers who rely on his or her expertise. Hilea Walkeris president of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors. |
