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Well, I saw the headline of this post on Yahoo! this evening & couldn't wait to express my two cents worth on the topic.
What makes a marriage work? I'll divulge right into this tender topic & can think of a couple of ideas right off the top of my head. How about communication? Believe me, talking things out, putting it all out on the table is one great way to make a marriage work. Two people can have different opinions, different feelings about a plethora of
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Apologies
Posted by: Jack on Friday, May 02, 2008 - 03:02 PM |
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I believe I owe all readers who come to this web site a sincere apology. You see, it seems that I haven't finished the last few articles I've started. If you could just give me another
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As you probanly know, I have this propensity for starting a blog that piques the interest of readers, and put at the end of it (To Be Continued). Then you come back to this web site to read how the piece ends and there it sits, as incomplete as Hillary Clinton's effort at solving the US health care problems back in the '90s. (Surely you remember that debacle, don't you?) This seems to have created a meaningful point at which I can segue into the topic I wanted to touch upon today...
Lately I've been hearing that the former First Lady has a plan to solve the medical crisis here in the USA. I haven't wasted my time yet to se exactly how she's going to fix a problem that's grown in intensity and complexity since she first tried her hand at it nearly 20 years ago, but I'm sure her rhetoric is repleat with promise, commitment and a visible tenacity to get the job done.
Right.
And why, pray tell, is Ms. Clinton now able to solve the ills of the country when she couldn't accomplish this when her spouse was in the White House? Could it be that she's merely espousing some diatribe her campaign managers and speech writers feel will fan the hopes and desires of folks who need said medical coverage? I wonder...
And how about another candidate, the one who says that he, too, can provide health care for the nation, keep jobs in this country and bring the troops home from Iraq? How is it that this person who has never been privy to the inner secrets and workings of our nation's government able to place solutions to its most pressing problems? What does he know that folks who've been in Congress for term after term have failed to bring forward? Are these career politicians so inept or callous that neither they or their staff would put forth some
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In the post immediately below this one, I briefly mention coincidence and the part it recently played in my life. Occurring at a time when I was under tremendous pressure, I could have quite easily mistaken how these seemingly random events blended together in a tapestry of comfort, guiding me gently through a period of anxiety that almost seemed unbearable. Only, I thankfully recognized that these "coincidences" introduced peace, tranquility and calmness because I stopped to listen, think about what they meant, how they influenced my life. I'll relay a few of these "random events" and let you deide what you think of them.
It was, if I recall correctly, a Wednesday in February. You know, one of those days that makes one put a certain quickness in their step, trying to stay ahead of a bitter winter wind. I had left my office where in addition to a myriad of other duties pressed down upon me, a very specific time-sensitive project I needed to accomplish loomed ever larger over me, the consumate straw that was going to break the camel's back if you will. And, the camel was me.
I rarely left my office because I preferred to eat lunch at my desk. I usually had the common sense to use my lunch hour to surf the 'Net, read some light news stories or otherwise divorce myself from the requirements of my job. But for some reason, I had recently started to work through my lunch period, vainly hoping that this additional effort at getting more work done would somehow ease the pressure in my life.
On the Wednesday in question, I left the safety of my office with trepidatio that I was "wasting time." But, since I desperately needed a haircut, I had to take the time to tidy up a bit. Driving to a small unisex place I'd discovered near my job, I went in, gave my name to the receptionist and waited to be called for my turn in one of the chairs. I happened to notice that a couple of other folks came in after me, but really didn't pay too much attention to their presence.
After about five minutes or so, I remember leaning forward in my chair and resting my elbows on my knees, head in my hands. Thinking about the work that was piling up on my desk as I sat here wasting my time, I slowly shook my head from side to side in the unmistakable universal sign of an individual who was in deep, deep trouble.
Softly, ever so softly, I felt a tapping on my shoulder. Taking my head out of my hands, I saw that a woman who had come into the shop after me and was also waiting for a haircut was smiling at me. When my eyes met hers, she said to me, "Here, take this. You might want to read it." Looking at her hand, I saw she was offering me a track, one of those small handouts that you
(To be continued...)
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If you collect a paycheck, your job may put demands on you that are, at times, quite unreasonable. For instance, you may be responsible for several task that are due at the same time. Or, a project might need to be done and you simply don't have the resources to finish same. Perhaps you're asked to conduct an ad hoc meeting for which you have no idea how to lead? What's one to do? I'll spend a few moments roughly detailing the monster project that I was in charge of, how it nearly consumed me and the method I discovered on how to solve the stress, anxiety and sleepless nights that were commensurate with this assigned responsibility.
I was required to obtain raw numeric data from vendors that deal with my employer. The numbers had to be "massaged" into a very specific format for the recipient. The eventual reward for our endeavors was a certain dollar amount, which of course was very enticing to our organization. I noted that the reward was eventual very deliberately, folks. That's because the scope, cryptic instructions from the sponsoring entity and (granted) self-imposed pressure I put upon myself to complete this project practically brought me, both physically and mentally, to a virtual standstill.
Now, that's a fancy way to state that I was just about paralyzed with mental and physical fatigue. My situation became so pronounced that I was forced to seek the services of a physician. Why? My ability to concentrate seemed to be non-existent. I was forgetting things, missing deadlines, not speaking to family members once I got home from work. What the f___!
So, I needed to take a day off from work and take a little sojourn to the family physician. He spent a significant amount of time with me. In fact, my bride who had accompanied me said that the waiting room was filled solid with bodies, all waiting to see the white-coated, Porsche driving professional whose time I so selfishly garnered for myself. By the way, I easily spent over an hour with this guy in his office. Granted, this was my first visit to the guy. No more than about ten months ago we had moved to this new area and I had recently selected him as my PCP (primary care physician); I needed to relay to him family history, allergies and specific problems I was now experiencing. And so I splayed my saga out to him, specifically detailing the stress and anxiety I was under on my job.
Guess what he attributed my problem to? Right...the aforementioned monster project I was in charge of! He predicted that as soon as the project was over, the stress and anxiety I was experiencing would dissipate, also.
And now, flash forward to about a week or so ago. I finished the project, the job seems to be going better, and my thought process somehow is so much the clearer, But, how did I get through this trying time? Well, it wassimple meditation...in Church.
You see, I go to work early in the moring, mostly so I can beat the rush hour traffic that builds and builds until it looks like a giant swarm of honey bees, buzzing and diligently performing their respective chores around their perfectly constructed row after row of hexagonal hive. I would make a very slight detour and stop at the Church, making my way to one of the last rows. It really made no difference where I sat, as there was only one or two other people in the place at that time of day.
I'd settle down, zip up my coat 'cause I don't think the heat had been on too long by the time I arrived and closed my eyes. I'd then make peace with my Maker, acknowledging my place in his world, all the time letting myself relax into a very peaceful, very quiet state of mind. I wouldn't let anything disturb me, nor let my mind wander into such inane topics like follow up at work that was due or a certain monster project that was drowning me, slowly but surely.
It was at that point I would simply remain in a "blank" state of mind, no letting extraneous thoughts filter in & destroy my peace. Somehow, my daily trips to the Church made my mind clearr, my thought process more precise, my ability to do my job a little easier.
And, there were several "coincidences" that I believe were directly attributable to my visits to Church in the morning. But that's a topic for another day, folks.
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Dr. Wayne Dyer is the author of "Your Erroneous Self," "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life," Wisdom of the Ages" and numerour other self-help books and tapes. I've read several his works, listened to his tapes, and recognize him as a person who has a lot to offer to individuals who want to understand (and, perchance to improve) their lives. In one of his works I perused, I honestly can't recall which one, Dr. Dyer mentions his relationship with Harvard-educated Dr. Deepak Chopra, a speaker, author and self-helf guru much like himself. Interstingly enough, in one particular instance Dyer called Ch0pra on the phone and apparently asked him for some advice. Chopra's answer to Dyer's request? Dyer, slightly exasperated, states that Chopra gives him the same suggestion he always gives when querried on some important manner..."meditate." And this segues me toward the topic I want to focus on, that will undoubtedly lead me to ruminating on various other areas...meditation.
A few years ago, I happened to notice that many of the newer methods and procedures leading to wellness after an illness or injury advocated some form of meditation. It seems quieting the mind, making oneself calm and entering the meditative state is fast becoming mainstream. But, note I used the term becoming mainstream. This carful choice of words means that it's been around for a while. In fact, if I recall correctly, Dr. Chopra in his books mentions that the concept of meditation finds its roots in the country of India, home of his ancestors. However, as I'm about to relate, one doesn't necessarily need deep metaphysical research, a personal guide wearing a tie-dyed shirt sitting cross-legged on a hand-woven mat and honey suckle scented candle to stare into to clear the mind. You see, meditation only requires one to clear the mind of extraneous thoughts, thereby creating a clear path on which to concentrateon a single, solitary thought, idea or concept. How does one do that? Let me share with you my method of meditation.
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Yesterday, 2/3/08, I had an interesting experience I can share with you. As some readers may know, my other web site, Prestodog.com, is for and about our best friend, the dog. In that perspective, we entered our newest Shetland Sheepdog, Maggie, in a dog show in Wildwood, NJ hosted by the Boardwalk Kennel Club. Now, if you're a frequent visitor here at Netscrapes.com and are also familiar with geography, you'll quickly realize that I currently reside in a rural area in PA and that Wildwood is "down the shore" in NJ. As a matter of fact, it's south of Atlantic City and just a wee bit north of Cape May, the southern-most point in the Garden State.
To get from the mountains in PA to the Jersey Shore in NJ, we had to drive 150 miles...each way. And, since Shetland Sheepdogs were scheduled to make their entry into the show ring at 11:00 a.m., since they had to be groomed and prettied up before they entered the ring, and since we had to cart all the "stuff" (grooming table, powders, implements, etc.) from our van into the show area to prepare for the previous two eventualities, we had to leave our home, or what we call the Presto Dog Phunny Pharm, at 6:00 a.m.
Arriving at the Wildwood Convention Center where the dog show was held after traveling a mere 2 hours and 45 minutes, we immediately set up all our equipment and began preparing the dog for her entry at 11:00 a.m. Well, I lied a bit. My bride is the one who actually prepares the dog for her show appearances...to date, I've been the transporter, driver and first string moral supporter of her endeavors. So, after hauling all the necessary equipment up a long ramp & into the building, I was able to go for a walk outside. Here's where my observation relative to the title of this post shall commence.
First, I went onto the boarwalk. In the event you're not familiar with the area, Wildwood is right on the Atlantic Ocean. And, a boardwalk is a walkway usually made of wood that traverses the ocean front. So, I was walking along the waterfront enjoying the ocean air, sand and sea. The boarwalk took me past the parking lot where many of the out of town dog show participants had parked their vehicles. The were the usual Chevys, Fords, Toyotas, etc. Vans, sub-compacts & luxury vehicles also were present. But the eye-cathers were the huge, monsterous motor homes that spread their huge bulks over two-to three parking spaces and across multiple rows as well. These behemoths, when parked, also expand out from the sides, thereby giving their owners even more room inside. We've walked through a few of these mansions-on-wheels and to say they're "finely appointed" is a gross understatement.
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Dog Stories
Posted by: Jack on Monday, January 21, 2008 - 02:15 PM |
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Well, I've recently made a number of updates to one of my other sites, Netscrapes.com.
If you're ineterested in a site that's geared toward our canine companions, click HERE.
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A freind sent me this story about an incident in Montana...
Two illegal aliens, Ralphel Resindez, 23 and Enrico Garza, 26, probably believed they would easily overpower home-alone 11 year old Patricia Harrington after her father had left their two-story home.
It seems the two crooks never learned two things: they were in Montana and Patricia had been a clay shooting champion since she was nine. Patricia was in her upstairs room when the two men broke through the front door of the house. She quickly ran to her father's room and grabbed his 12 gauge Mossberg 500 shotgun.
Resindez was the first to get up to the second floor only to be the first to catch a near point blank blast of buckshot from the 11- year-old's knee crouch aim. He suffered fatal wounds to his abdomen and genitals. When Garza ran to the foot of the stairs, he took a blast to the left shoulder and staggered out into the street where he bled to death before medical help could arrive.
It was found out later that Resindez was armed with a stolen 45 caliber handgun he took from another home invasion robbery. That victim, 50-year-old David Burien, was not so lucky. He died from stab wounds to the chest. Ever wonder why good stuff never makes NBC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, CNN, or ABC news.
(Slightly embarrasing) UPDATE:
Snopes, verifier of urban legend, has a slightly different take on the above account. Click anywhere in this sentence to shoot over to snopes to get the low down.
Just be sure to come back...O.K.?
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Like most families, we do our shopping for groceries on the weekend in a large supermarket. Convenience and competitive pricing acted as incentives for these huge, one-stop food shopping canters. We as consumers demanded, and we got 'em.
So, we dutifully made our weekly trek to the store a week or so ago, intent on stocking up for the week. At the same time, local weather authorities predicted snow...about 5-8 inches. With the typical knee-jerk reaction accompanying the onslaught of weather, many, many people vacated their residences and joined us at the supermarket, gathering necessities before the cataclysmic weather event that would soon visit upon us.
And that's when we heard, with our own ears, what proved to be a statement that we have decided to adopt for ourselves whenever a weather event will decend on us.
My bride & I wereeach sauntering down separate aisles, she with the actual shopping cart, me with one of those two-handled plastic baskets that'll hold 10-12 items. Traveling through the store & selecting those "special" delicacies I enjoy, I occasionaly have to track the bride and empty the contents of my plactic basket into her much larger, four-wheeled metal push cart. While I was separated from her, she was at the meat counter when she overheard some guy, apparently trying to alert the shoppers, make his now famous statement:
"GET YOUR BREAD, MILK AND TOILET PAPER; DOPPLER'S COMING!"
Now, his words probably won't wind up in any dictionary of quotations, or be memorialized on Jay Leno's show or any other media. But it surely will live on in our family as a favorite, treasured saying for years to come.
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Now, perhaps the web sites I'm linking to below aren't weird...they might be just off the beaten path a bit. In any event, you can click on the links and make your own decision on their existence.
Enjoy!
Everyday Mysteries: Things we take for granted are explained HERE.
Functions of Google you might not know about. Click HERE to see what else the quintessential search emgine can do.
Coffee, mud, joe, java, etc...how does caffeine work? Click HERE to see how it works.
Here's a great classical music web site. Clcik HERE.
Traffic flow around the USA, including live web cam shots!. Click HERE.
Convert anything to any other thing. Click HERE.
Urban legends? Go to Snopes! Click HERE.
Need help with homework? Click HERE.
Famous...and infamous...speeches. Click HERE.
Info on US Presidents. Click HERE.
Ever hear a song & wonder who first recorded it? Click HERE to find out!
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If you've read posts on this site from this past summer, you'd have learned that we moved to a very rural area last spring. Sure, it's an hour's commute to where I earn the greenbacks to pay the mortgage on the new place. But when I come home in the evening, I pull into a driveway overlooking a view of trees, hills, deer and assorted other niceties of nature.
Then, there's the contentment of the area itself, perhaps best evidenced by what occurred this moring. But, a little background information first. This past week, my work days were consumed with a massive P/C-based applicationn that affected the paychecks of practically all of our 1,600+ employees. It was an assignment that required my absolute attention, so I was thankful there's a door on my office I could close so I could maintain my concentration.
The job went off well, basically without a hitch, but the stress I placed on myself was telling to my family. I had spent a night or two tossing & turning, undoubtedly due to my daytime responsibilities that permeated my attempts at sleep.
One last scintilla of background information: around mid-week there was a wind storm that knocked down a tree in our yard. Now, a brief diversion so I can explain that our yard must be at least ten times larger than the postage stamp we called out yard where we used to live. As a point of reference, it took me about 45 minutes walking back & forth with a Craftsman mower to cut the lawn at the old house. The new one takes about two hours, but we now use a Cub Cadet riding mower with a 50" cutting radius!
So, I get up this morning & take a walk outside. Sure enough, the mid-week wind storm had toppled a dead tree onto our split rail fence down at the bottom of our property. I grabbed my trusty hand saw & proceeded to cut the offending tree to portable-sized logs that can be used some point in the future when we install a wood buring stove in our abode.
And, yes, we have a chain saw I could have used for this project. But it's a well known fact that heavy physical activity is a great reducer of stress. After today's exersize, I beleive I can confidentally state that I'm un-stresseed as hell!
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Contact me!
Posted by: Jack on Monday, January 07, 2008 - 06:31 PM |
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If you want to reach me, then send an e-mail to me by clicking HERE.
Now, I don't bite & certainly would love to hear from you. Believe it or not, I've had this web site up & runnin' for over five years and have yet to hear from one of my readers.
Is my drivel really that bad? Are my participles dangling too openly? What's wrong with me?
Please drop me a line by clicking HERE.
Come on, you can do it! As one Ed Koch, former mayor extraordinaire of NYC was wont to say, how am I doing?
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In addition to Netscrapes.com, I also jot down a word or two at my other web site. You can click HERE to be transported immediately to the Presto Dog web site. As you can imagine, this site's for and about our best friend, the dog.
We have five (yup, f...i...v...e) dogs - four Shetland Sheepdogs and a tri-color Collie. The Shelties, by age, are Lyric, Lily, Declan and Maggie; the Collie is named Dougie. All of 'em are great, each possessing a unique personality.
A bit about the dogs. Lyric (pictured here) is the mother of Declan (shown here) & grandmother of Maggie (pictured here). Lil'l Maggie is a show dog & has already earned a couple of ribbons in the ring. Lily (shown here) is a sweet dog, and usually gets whatever she wants by being so afectionate. Dougie is a clown, and probably thinks he's merely an over-sized Sheltie; click here to see a picture of him. When we take Maggie to shows, of course we hang out with the Sheltie crowd. So Dougie's thought proccesses are probably reinforced: he's an over-sized giant Sheltie.
As an earlier post down below this one alluded to, I'm gonna find out how to post pictures via html coding in a little while. In the meantime, if you wanna see a few digital pictires of the dogs or read about their antics, follow this link to be amused, laugh a bit and learn more about the Presto Dogs.
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Ol' Time TV
Posted by: Jack on Saturday, January 05, 2008 - 06:51 AM |
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Well, it's Saturday morning, and before I start with my day's activities I turned on the TV. On the TV Land channel, the old-time TV show Leave It Toeaver was on. In case you don't recall, it's about the antics a young lad gets into during his elementary/high school years while living in a small US town. Accompanying the Beaver on his journey through life are his Dad (Ward), Mom (June) and older brother, Wally.
Dad is always dressed in a suit, usually even when he sits down to dinner. Mom is similarly attired (not in a suit but rather) in a dress, finely appointed with pearls around her neck. The house the family lives in is always impeccable, the lawn perfect and the two boys always addressed their father with "yes, sir;" other formalities were extended to adults the kids would occasion with during their daily activities.
Now, this TV show took place during the early '60s, certainly a time when the US was quite innocent. And, I'm not espousing that kids should use a perfunctory"yes, sir" when speaking to adults men. But is it my imagination or does this old show point out that something is missing in our society today? Sure, I guess it could be considered a semi-situation comedy, but check it out & see if the innocence portrayed, the respect shown to adults, the ease with which everyone gets along is a veritable indictment against the society we live in today.
Life imitating art? I think not, but perhaps we could learn a lesson from "the way it used to be."
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Link
Posted by: Jack on Friday, January 04, 2008 - 03:47 PM |
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Want to see a site set up by my son? Then click HERE. Here's a picture: <img src="http://www.prestodog.com/images/stories/backyard_8_6_07.jpg" align="left" hspace="6">
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Great Pictures
Posted by: Jack on Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - 03:32 PM |
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A couple of years ago, I used to post pictures along with the drivel I posted here at Netscrapes.com . Wonder why I haven't done that lately? Well, it's simply 'cause I've been too darn lazy to look up the htlm coding that lets me insert 'em where they belong!
Is that the epitome of sloth or what?
Anyway, one of the resolutions I've made is to dig up the code in question so I can entertain you with my view(s) of the world. It's really not a big deal. As a matter of fact, I can just look up how I did it in a prior post, copy, find a new picture and insert it where I want.
In any event, come back as I'm gonna get this thing under my belt. And, of all the things in the world I could have chosen, are you wwondering why I selected conquering html coding as one ofmy new year's resolutions?
Some would say I gotta get a life. But, rest assured the afore mentioned resolution is but one I made. I'll share others with you in a future post.
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Yup...it's that time of year again. As a matter of fact, it's the first day of the year, and that usually means one thing to most people...the time of year most folks take the time to make those infamous, herart wrenching, thought provoking commitments-otherwise known as resolutions...that are just as usually broken within a week...if not sooner. So, my tome this morning will deal with that topic-resolutions.
One web site I visited while researching this article (about.com) lists the top ten new year's resolutions people make each year:
- spend more time with family and friends
- get in shape lose weight
- stop smoking
- enjoy life more
- stop drinking
- get out of debt
- learn something new
- help
- others get organized
But, folks seem to need some help in these endeavors. Here are a few ideas that can help people keep the resolutions they might make:
Avoid perfectionist thinking. While we certainly always want to better ourselves, it is healthier to think in positive terms than it is to focus on how much we fall short of our aspirations. In other words, students should view the grade of an A- as better than a B, rather than not as good as an A.
View setbacks as lessons for growth. Mistakes can be and usually are opportunities for learning. If you fall short of your goals, ask yourself what kept you from achieving them and then try to make corrections. People who like to sail understand this navigational concept. You almost never go directly from point A to point B. You set a course and periodically take readings of your position then make adjustments as you go along.
Don't make absolute resolutions. Keep them realistic. For example, Dubin suggests that instead of saying you won't yell at your kids anymore, resolve to yell at them less often.
Don't keep your resolutions to yourself. Tell someone you trust about your resolutions. Dubin said that it helps to share your goals with friends, who can gently nudge you in the right direction when you veer off course.
Give them some meaning. According to RachBeisel, people sometimes make goals that aren't necessarily meaningful to them. Your goal should be something you really desire to change or achieve, not something that society says is good for you to do or your family members would like to see you do. If you don't have strong, internal motivation within yourself, you won't be successful.
Take baby steps. Set realistic goals that are attainable and then take small steps that are likely to be met with success toward those goals. Don't try to lose 10 pounds in a week or quitting smoking cold turkey with no preparation. Instead, try joining a weight loss program and try to lose a pound a week, or join a smoking cessation group.
Fine-tune your spirituality. Dubin said that it is important to add a spiritual dimension to your goals. For example, if one of your goals is to get fit, you may also resolve to get outdoors more often instead of going to the gym. Time outside will help you get in balance with nature, and will honor both the physical and spiritual sides of yourself.
(Thanks to the Univ. of MD for those tips.)
And, here are some resolutions made by some top entrepreneurs:
Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad
"To be a better communicator—vs. a 'better curser.' I keep blaming the Marine Corp. for the fact that I curse a lot...and in the new year, I'll work on swearing less and communicating better."
Alex Tew, creator of MillionDollarHomepage.com
"My New Year's resolution is to have more time to think. It's really easy to get bogged down in day-to-day issues and not have perspective or freedom to think creatively."
Jen Bilik, founder and owner of Knock Knock
"For business, my resolution is to move further ahead in our development cycle by starting to develop products earlier and give longer lead time. I'd also like to spend less time on administrative matters, and more time on creative development and strategy. On a personal level, I'd like to minimize my own crankiness and exercise regularly, regardless of my workload. I'll try to walk my dog daily--she deserves it, and it's good for me, too. I plan to eat healthy meals more consistently and work on reviving my personal life."
Joseph Einhorn, co-founder and CTO of Inform Technologies
"My resolution is to become a better listener and to listen more closely to our customers."
Mark A. Emalfarb, president and CEO of Dyadic International, Inc.
"To continue making great strides to further our scientific discoveries and to commercialize them into products that will improve health care, reduce the world's addiction to oil and ultimately provide a healthier, cleaner, brighter future for our children."
Sona Mehring, founder and executive director of CaringBridge
"To take compassion, technology and CaringBridge to new heights. To reach out and help more and more families going through a health crisis. I want to have a minimum of 250,000 CaringBridge sites created, connecting 2.5 million people."
Gerald Prolman, founder and CEO of OrganicBouquet.com
"To do all I can every day to make a positive and meaningful difference"
David Roth, president and CEO, and Rick Bacher, CCO, of Cereality Cereal Bar & Café
"We both have the same New Year's resolution: to take back Saturday morning! As you probably know, our whole business is built on the promise of delivering a Saturday morning experience to each of our customers, no matter what time of day or week they visit us. So we make it our mission, personally and professionally, to instill the spirit of Saturday morning in everything we do--especially when it comes time to make New Year's resolutions!"
Donald Trump, chair and president of The Trump Organization
"My New Year's resolution for 2007 is to make 2007 the best year ever!"
Greg Ubert, founder and president of Crimson Cup
"To get 100 percent of Crimson Cup's employees involved with Junior Achievement."
Debbie Weiner, co-founder of Sugar Sweet Sunshine
"Everyday I read a passage from my Angel Wisdom book. There was one passage that seemed profound to me even though I'm sure I've read it before. It seemed so simple, it's titled, "Happiness": Live in the now and be awake to new experiences. See events as interesting and instructive instead of good or bad. Accept people as they are. Give up suffering and worrying. Be generous with my love.
"One more resolution is to get myself ready for MORE magazine's half-marathon for women age 40-plus. Forty rocks so far."
Tina Wells, CEO of Buzz Marketing Group
"My resolution is to take six trips outside the United States next year. London and Zurich are at the top of my list!"
Lena L. West, founder and CEO of xynoMedia Technology
"I don't really believe in New Year's resolutions. In the past when I've set resolutions and didn't quite stick to them, it made me subconsciously doubt my inner resolve and that didn't feel good. So, I started working with one of the top wellness coaches in the country, Cheryl Miller, and she helped me to shift my thoughts and plans for the incoming year to a New Year's evolution.
"My New Year's 'evolution' is to make going on silent retreats an annual tradition. For the past two years, I've been saying I want to go on a silent retreat--this year, I made it happen. Alone, with no books, music, magazines, radio, internet, computer or TV, I spent three days at a women's retreat center in bucolic Cornwall-on-Hudson. The first day-and-a-half was pure hell, but I stuck with it and the remainder of my stay was pure bliss. I got unprecedented clarity about my business and my life. I made a list of everything that was no longer serving the business and transitioned those relationships and agreements immediately upon my return to the office. The results? A stress-free annual strategy session, and now we're only involved in projects that are in alignment with the direction of the company. I'm inching way up to two weeks of total silence which is a huge stretch, so in 2007, I'll up the ante slightly to five days."
(Thanks to Entrepreneur magazine.)
Are yout goals money-orienteds? Here are four good tips from about.com on setting financial goals:
Step 1: Identify and write down your financial goals, whether they are saving to send your kids to college, buying a new car, saving for a down payment on a house, going on vacation, paying off credit card debt, or planning for retirement.
Step 2: Break each financial goal down into several short-term (less than 1 year), medium-term (1 to 3 years) and long-term (5 years or more) goals.
Step 3: Educate yourself! Read Money magazine, or a book about investing, or surf the Internet's investing web sites. The stock market is not voodoo. With a little effort you can learn enough to make educated decisions that will increase your net worth many times over. Then identify small, measurable steps you can take to achieve these goals, and put this action plan to work.
Step 4: Evaluate your progress. Review your progress monthly, quarterly, or at any other interval you feel comfortable with, but at least semi-annually, to determine if your program is working. If you're not making satisfactory progress on a particular goal, re-evaluate your approach and make changes as necessary.
Good luck in the new year in whatever resolutions you may make!
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My family & I are heading out the Christmas Eve Mass in just a few minutes. It's certainly a time of joyous praise, but I'll undoubtedly spend a moment or two reflecting on other famly members who are no longer with us...at least on this side of eternity.
For, when it's my turn to leave this life, I will see my Mom, my older brother, my younger sister, beloved aunts and uncles, other relatives, friends and acquaintances when I'm no longer on this dear planet Earth. Where, you may ask, will I be?
Well, friend, if you don't know where I'm gonna be after I die, you've certainly got some serious leg worth & learning ahead of you. What the heck think happens when you're no longer alive? What have you been doing all your life? Why have you been granted the gift of life, anyway?
But, it's Christmas. For anyone who doesn't know what this holy day is all about, I revert to that saying that Mt. T (a.k.a. B.A. Barakas) on "The A Team" used to espouse years ago: Pity the Fool!
Have a Merry, no, make that a Holy Christmas. Be safe, and bless you and your on this special day.
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As visitors to this site probably already know, we moved to a rural area about seven monts ago. The summer seemed to be as warm as it was in the old area we lived in, about 85 miles or so east from our current residence, but it seems the winter is a bit colder than what we'd previously experienced.
And then there's the sky. About a week or two ago, as I travelled home from my day job, I glanced up at the sky & saw a beautiful pink and blue canvas, with puffs of billowing clouds punctuating Mother Nature's attempt to mimic Van Gough, Degas and other mere humans. Nolo contendre, she won..
We'll shortly be heading out to continue our Christmas shopping. Yesterday, I took of from work & we performed in a simiar manner, making a huge dent in our attempts to support the U.S. economy.
But, I make those statements with a smile on my face. Our van is nice and roomy, there's money in our checking account and it's really not necessary to make any overt efforts to squirrel away our purchases from prying little eyes.
So, I'll sign off for now, get my wallet and venture out into the wilds of the mall and other stores to finish shopping. My bride will be with me, and we'll probably even stop for a pleasant lunch while we're out.
Are you done with your shopping yet?
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Chicken Soup
Posted by: Jack on Sunday, December 16, 2007 - 01:50 PM |
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Looking out the double rear doors in our living room, I'm presented with a scene that Ol' Man Winter spent hours creating. Trees are sheathed in a coating of crystal clear ice, the ground has been covered with glistenng snow and the sun, for a few minutes at least, broke through the clouds and spread its late afternoon radiance as a finishing touch. Spectacular? Yes, I admit it was something to see.
Taking our dogs out, I found that underneath my feet crunched as I waited for them to do their business. See, for a while it was raining, and then it froze, so a thin layer of ice had formed over everything. The dogs were light enough to walk over the ice without a problem, but my bulk just couldn't be supported by the thin veneer. I needed to excert a very deliberate gait to simply walk around with my pack.
BTW, we do have a large expanse of land. I usually let the dogs, all five of 'em, simply run around in the backyard that's all fenced in. But earlier in the day our big Collie named Dougie somehow received a small laceration on his right-rear paw. I noticed it as I was playing in the snow with the other four dogs we own; all Shetland Sheepdogs.
Anyway, as I was kicking around a ball for my crew, I happened to notice red stains on the ground. Looking more closely, I saw it was blood! Inspecting the feet of the pack, I saw it was coming from the aforementioned Dougie on the foot noted. So we had to trudge back into the house to affect some repairs. It was no big deal, but I didn't want him running around, opening up the cut any more so our trips out for the rest of the day were at the end of a leash.
It's getting dark out now and I've turned on our Christmas decorations. A large, smiling snowman can be seen waving to passers-by; traditional multi-colored lights are attached to our rain gutters; Santa's sled with two reindeer are off to one side and a Manger is near where we enter/exit our home. I just returned from putting a spotlight to illuminate this hand-made cut-out; it's the one we consider our nicest decoration.
After all, His birth is what this season is all about...remember?
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As some of you may know, one of the passions that I engae in with my bride is to attend dog shows. And, we recently upped the ante by acquiring a real, honest-to-goodness show dog.
She's a Shetland Sheepdog, is nine months old and has already entered three dog shows. More importantly, at least for those who keep score of these kind of things, is that she's taken a first and second place in two of those shows. Granted, the one she didn't take any "honors" in was sobering, 'cause the judge walked right past the little dog, not even glancing in her direction or acknowledging her very existence. Such are the visisitudes of the dog world.
The event we entered today (12/15/07) was held at Lehigh University in PA. It was crowded as all heck, with dog crates, grooming equipment, owners and handlers all over the indoor field house where the event was held.
My bride has the responsibility of brushing, trimming, combing and actually showing the dog in the ring. This latter responsibility consists of walking the dog in a pattern that'll entice the judge to see her best qualities. This might be the dog's left side, its right side, straight on, etc. Accentuate the positive, if you will.
Our dog, Maggie, apparently did something right as she now owns a Second Place ribbon for her most recent efforts in the ring today. Someday, we hope to garner enough first-place winnings that will, in turn, bestow upon her the coveted title of CHAMPION.
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My Heritage
Posted by: Jack on Saturday, December 08, 2007 - 08:18 AM |
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I was sitting around Saturday morning, 12/8/07. The TV was on & this girl around 15 years old or so was singing Christmas songs. Now, these weren't your run of the mill "holiday" songs; they were hymns that mention Christ, Jesus, the Son of God, etc. You know, the ones that various businesses, governments & local municipalities are abhorant to mentioning. The reason for their reticence? Why, they might offend someone!
This got me to thinking...doesn't our coinage (i.e., paper bills) clearly state"In God We Trust?" Aren't citizens sworn in when they perform jury duty with a pledge ending with "...so help me God?" In times of crisis such a Columbine, Virginia Tech, the WTC disaster, person after person are seen praying, mentioning God, and all in all attesting to the fact that they're placing their faith in God during this terrible time...and their attestations are duly reported by the news. And, aren't Christians the majority religion in this great country?
I, for one, am taking a stand and declaring that I'm a Roman Catholic. In fact, I spent 16 years in Catholic schools obtaining in what most circles would be considered a fine education. Until our move to a new home, I was a lector at my Church for, best as I can recall, ten plus years. Kids have received sacraments, will undoubtedly raise their own children in a similar manner and are fine folks.
Don't like this? Get off my site and don't come back.
When you unbelievers or protesters against those of us who want to praise God in our Christian heritage tradition are on your deathbeds, make absolutely certain that you maintain your conviction. And as that Bright Light such as you've never seen before is cast upon you and you enter His presence, stck to your guns. Tell Him you're a man or woman who's stood by his/her beliefs and kept prayer out of schools, assisted in prohibiting the exhibition of a manger on your local town hall's front lawn at Christmas time and/or otherwise defamed His name. Then be prepared to whither under His gaze as the reality of your horrendous error becomes so apparent.
Shame on you.
But for the rest of us, peace.
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Well, we got up this morning and when we looked out our back door, saw that Mother Nature had provided a spectacular wintry scene for us to behold.
Instead of the drab browns and denuded trees one would expect to see one a late Fall Sunday morning, we beheld snow-encrusted tree branches, a white wintry carpet of snow on the ground and big, fat snowflakes slowly floating down out of the sky. Small animals had already scurried over our pasture land, evidenced by the little tracks they left behind in their haste to avoid any human contact.
As you can guess, avoiding human contact is NOT a trait our five (yup, I said five) dogs are known to express. They're firmly attched to our homo sapien ways, especially since we feed 'em , take care of 'em and love 'em as much as any other bi-ped loves his/her animals on the face of this ever-loving, God-created planet Earth.
After they had their breakfast, the entire pack of five dogs joined me out in our fenced in pasture land for a brief and intense period of activity. This generally consists of me rounding up one or both of the big, huge play balls (each around 48" or so in diameter) and repeatedly kicking 'em around the yard so the pack can chase after them. The stars of the show, Lyric, Lily, Declan, Maggie and Dougie simply love the game! This went on for 10-15 minutes and then we called it quits for a while...at least.
Three-four hours later, we were at it once again...me kicking the balls and the pack chasing after them. Those darn canines are gonna wear me out, but what great fun we have running around!
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A few posts ago (or, perhaps it was a few months ago!), I wrote ad nauseum about the problems I thought I'd anticipate when I finally got around to hanging up our new microwave oven in our new kitchen in our new home. I peseverated about the weight of the darn thing and how ever was I going to place the thing on the wall? Or, that the cabinet it was to be afied to was too low; how was I going to raise it? Or, would the whole project need to be abandonded because the thing simply wouldn't fit in the space provided?
Fast forward to just a weekend or two ago. Take a walk into our kitchen & you'll see the aforementioned microwave hanging up just fine, thank you very much. The cabinet was raised with practically no effort at all; just needed to unscrew it from the ones to the left & right, shove the thing up 8" or so, and then screw it into the 2x4s at its new height. The oven hung at the rear via two screws drilled into 2x4s as well as two molly screws that expanded as they were tightened (screwed) into the sheetrock wall. Now, don't worry, these were used per the specs on the manufacturs instructions that I follwed to the proverbial "t."
It looks great!
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I guess the easiest definition of procrastination is the tendency to not do things when they're supposed to be done. Seminars, books, audio tapes/CDs and other paraphenalia abound for individuals that discuss, claim to cure or otherwise get one to recognize that you just shouldn't keep putting things off until another day.
I don't buy it. I revel in the fact that I just can't seem to get anything done in my life. Whether it's taking out the garbage, cleaning my house, paying bills or even shopping for food, I always seem to wait until it's too late.
As you can imagine, I'm also late for every single event, meeting, church service or social gathering I'm supposed to attend. I can't remember the last time I saw the beginning of a movie; dinners at friends' homes are always well in progress by the time I manage to saunter in.
So why, you say, do people put up with me? The answer is my ability to predict the future. No matter what time I show up late, friends and collegues alike welcome me with open arms. After all, when one can forecast weather reports, stock market clsong figures, which horse will finish in what place in a race or my favorite, lottery number, how could one not like me?
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Ideation
Posted by: Jack on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 04:27 PM |
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The thoughts bounced around my head, sloshing and splashing from side to side like a pot of thick soup in the back of a careening pickup truck. I felt overburdened, as if a dark, ominous black cloud was hovering overhead, darkening the sky and speading its ominous hue for as far as the eye could see. But more than that, my very life had come to a halt, not suddenly, but gradually, like a car coming to a stop as it pulled into a parking space at a mall.
Things I once enjoyed now had no relevance in my life. Friends, parties, weekend frivolities were all cast aside. Instead, I spent my free time sitting at my kitchen table with a glass in one hand and bottle of scotchin the other, staring out the window at nothing in particular. After that, I would head off to bed, alone, knocking off anywhere from 12-15 hours each day with no problem at all. Surprisingly, I'd wake up exhausted, ready to try it all over again.
But the thoughts that scared me, or at least should have scared me in retrospect, were the ones that contemplated, embraced, and then carefully planned, the final solution-suicide. Some say it's the ultimate selfish act, but when you life has ceased, when all that you ever cared about has melted into a smoldering heap of worthless ash, there just insn't too much to look forward to. And so the suicidal ideation begins.
I can't remember specifically when my thoughts began to consider ending my life. Perhaps it was when a relationship I had nurtured for over twenty years cooled. Conversations became shouting matches, laughter became derisive, trips to the store welcomed absences from our tension packed home. The loss of my job mounting pressure from bill collectors and constant bickering with the neighbors didn't do anything to bolster my sence of self worth, either. The day we left the courthouse after the foreclosure of our home was most certainly a prime motivator in my consideration of self destruction.
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A guy at work sent me some AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES:
1. When choking on an ice cube, simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat. Presto! The blockage will instantly remove itself.
2. Avoid cutting yourself slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold while you chop.
3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.
4. To treat high blood pressure: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.
5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.
6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you will be afraid to cough.
7. You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.
8. When confused remember.....everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
See? Life doesn't have to be so difficult!
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Funny Quips
Posted by: Jack on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 05:38 PM |
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Here are some funny things folks have said over the years:
Sometimes, when I look at my children, I say to myself ~~"Lillian, you should have remained a virgin." -- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
I had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalog: "No good in a bed, but fine against a wall." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
Last week, I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. I have since been visited by her sister, and now wish to withdraw that statement. -- Mark Twain
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible. -- George Burns
Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
-- Victor Borge
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
-- Mark Twain
By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. -- Socrates
I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
-- Groucho Marx
My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe. -- Jimmy Durante
I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.
-- Zsa Zsa Gabor
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat. -- Alex Levine
My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying. --
Rodney Dangerfield
Money can't buy you happiness... But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery. -- Spike Milligan
I am opposed to millionaires... But it would be dangerous to offer me the position. -- Mark Twain
I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap. -- Bob Hope
I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it. -- W.C. Fields
We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress. -- Will Rogers
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. . As you grow older, it will avoid you. -- Winston Churchill
Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty ... But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out. -- Phyllis Diller
By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go
anywhere. -- Billy Crystal
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A few years ago, I wrote several (numerous?) posts here at Netscrapes.com concerning my brief working stint at the World Trade Center in NYC. It was for all of about two years but I can recall my work experience as if it was yesterday.
My employment was at a certain engineering consulting company that had leased floors 78 through 92 from the Port Authority of NYwhen the building first opened for occupancy. I understand that the express elevators that whisked one from the ground to floor 78 were made available to my company just because they negotiated the lease in question. On just about a daily basis I would make my way from the PATH train in the bottom of Tower #2 (I think that was its terminus, anyway), up an escalotor that must have been about 100 yards long, past numerous stores & shops that catered to the commuting crowd to the banks of the high-speed elevators.
Although it might have been the rush hour, after waiting no more than about a minute or two the doors to one of the numerous silver-enclosed transport vehicles would open its doors and about 40 people would rush in. The doors would close silently and with almost no perceptible sound we'd all be swooshed up to floor 78. Doors would open and the masses would egress to their destinations...mine would be the floor we landed on; other would make their way to other elevators that would take 'em from the upper eighteen floors.
My office overlooked the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan. The view? Simply spectacular. I can recall one day I had taken ground transportation to work for a change of pace. The day in question was cloudy & overcast but when I got to my office in WTC Tower 2 I looked out the window & saw the sun was shining. I was actually over the cloud cover! It was if I was sitting on a giant tuft of white cotton.
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