OK, without doing a Google search, do you know what the Senate Sergeant at Arms office does?
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: What exactly does "doorkeeper" mean, and will it help Red understand why Black thinks the responsibilities of the Senate Office of the Sergeant at Arm are so interesting?
As much as Red loves history, she's the first to admit she doesn't know much beyond the basics of how Congress works and definitely doesn't know how the Senate operates on a day-to-day basis. So, when Black told her this is the first time since it was created in 1789 that the Senate Sergeant At Arms office leadership team was all women, Red thought, "Cool," especially given it's Women's History Month. But the reality was that she had no idea that the office even existed, let alone what it did. (If it hadn't been for Axios, Black might not have even learned about the historic event.)
Are you feeling the same way? Well, it turns out the Senate Sergeant at Arms and her (yes, not "his" any longer) office has an amazingly diverse range of responsibilities (and "doorkeeper" is part of the official description). It's not only the chief law enforcement officer for the upper chamber but "is charged with maintaining security in the Capitol and all Senate buildings, as well as protection of the members themselves," according to the Senate's website. And if that isn't enough, they're also in charge of protocol and administration for most support services, which would explain why the office oversees a staff of over 800 people!
So, once Red had a better understanding of the specific responsibilities of the office, she was impressed, but then started looking at it from a very different perspective,
Keeping the peace, making sure everyone remains safe, being responsible for things not only happening but happening in a certain way, coordinating people and assignments, and recognizing there are different personalities and perspectives. Wow, as a mom, I relate to so much of this, but obviously on a much, much, smaller scale.
And while Black was bemused at Red's description, especially as she often explained to Red that all her "Mom skills" were transferable to the workplace, she couldn't help but think about the "bigger picture" implications of the office leadership now being all women,
Neither Red nor I had heard of the Senate Sergeant at Arms office until now, but the fact it made history brought it to our attention. The bios of the leadership team, who have been in their respective field for decades, are extremely impressive. But, for girls and women, they represent three more role models with so many more to be found. In all walks of life. Making history is important, but leading the way for others is even more important …
Red started to write warm and fuzzy Christmas and holiday greetings, but Black said some things are worth repeating … like our simple Christmas post from 2023 (check out the movie clip) …
No matter what holiday you may celebrate, Red can’t help but quote a line from one of her favorite Christmas songs, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart be light. From now on, your troubles will be out of sight.”
And Black can’t help but point out that the song wasn’t introduced in a Christmas movie but in the movie "Meet Me In St. Louis."
Wishing you a merry everything and a happy always!
Sadie Hawkins Day … some may find it sexist. Some may find it inspirational. Others just nostalgic. Our take on it hasn’t changed since we first issued this post. But if you asked Black for a car analogy (she always has one), she’d tell you it’s about taking the wheel and leading the way …
Comic strip or reality show: A group of bachelors participates in a foot race, and whoever's caught by the single woman in the race will become her husband.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: We may be sisters, but except for growing up with the same parents in the same house in New York, that may be where the similarities end; especially in terms of dating "protocol" as Black never thought twice about asking boys (and later men) out on a date, while Red never gave it any thought, accepting the convention that boys did the asking. (She did make an exception for her senior prom but was shocked when he accepted.)
When it comes to Sadie Hawkins Day, we both agree it's a quirky holiday that makes it "acceptable" for girls to ask out boys, but of course, we have very different perspectives. For Red, it conjures up images of Sadie Hawkins Day dances, although she never went to one and doesn't even remember how she knows about them. While Black's fascinated by how it all began with the cartoonist Al Capp and his popular "Lil' Abner" comic strip and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon.
Now, over 80 years later, if you were to analyze Sadie Hawkins Day, you would probably find it outdated and sexist. But why not just laugh at its silly beginnings and enjoy the day. The funny thing is Red still thinks men should ask out women, while Black always believed that every day's Sadie Hawkins Day.“A Dictator & His Mistress” might have been a catchier title, but that doesn’t change the fact that the combination of history and food makes this one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites. While Black loves the leadership lessons (from a dictator?!). Curious? If so, read on …
Quick! If someone says "Julius Caesar," what comes to mind?
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Almost everyone has heard of Julius Caesar, but how many of us really know much about him, or at least that's what Red starts to wonder when she receives the usual flippant, but still accurate, reply from her sister, after feeling very proud that she knew that July was named after the famous Roman.
Which is what got Red to realize, much to her surprise (shock, if truth be told), that even as a straight-A student with a love of history, that when it came to Julius Caesar, a famous historical figure and possibly one of the greatest generals and statesmen of all time, she couldn't tell you dates or battles or anything "historical" associated with him.
Even as a theater major in college, she never read Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," although she knew just enough about the play to know that it was where the fortune teller warned Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March." Instead, her knowledge of Caesar came from her love of movies.
My first, and probably my most enduring, memory is of a brilliant general who not only commanded armies as he conquered lands far from home but was a great statesman who was also involved with one of the world's most beautiful women. And while he was Julius Caesar and the woman was Cleopatra, to me, they'll always be Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra, a movie almost as controversial as the general himself.
And Black? Besides knowing that Caesar Salad was invented by a different Caesar, she appreciates Julius Caesar's leadership skills and way with words,
There is much we can learn about leadership from Julius Caesar, whether on the battlefield, in politics, or in business (start small, take risks, communicate well), including what ultimately led to his death (always consider worst-case scenarios, never get complacent or arrogant). Many of his quotes speak (pun intended) to his powerful way with words, and the ability to not only deliver a message but to inspire (and story tell), with my favorite being, "I came, I saw, I conquered."
Staying Real … On Social Media?