MISCELLANEOUS
AND A BIT OF INSPIRATION, TO BOOT!
Some stuff simply cannot be compartmentalized, so that stuff is going right here!
Added October 5, 2009:
Josh "Rizzo" Sacco
You've got to read the story first, then watch the video of Josh - and after that, watch the video of Kurt Russel giving the Miracle speech. I bet you go back and watch Josh again right after that. This kid is terrific. Enjoy.
The next 4 items were added on September 8, 2009:
One can never get too much
of these Chinese acrobats.
16 on 1 bicycle!
Hans Klok & Divas on Stage
Meet Bruno Kammerl
I STILL think Kevin Richardson is crazier...
but I'm not sure by HOW MUCH!
You'll notice the above four videos were all from the same source.
Here's a great site that posts the most popular videos on the web:
The following item was added July 16, 2009
Why can't humans be a little bit more like...
________________________________________________________________________
Arthur Benjamin calls himself a "Mathemagician!" You'll see why, and marvel at his extraordinary if not uncanny talent if you click on his picture below:
Amazing, simply amazing talent...or whatever you call it!
And, he has a terrific sense of humor too.
AND...if you'd care to see some really heady stuff, videos of all different sorts of intelligent people; practicing mind-boggling feats of brainpower, you can always visit...
A Tribute to America
This was received in an email and was supposedly written by an Australian dentist. Even if it was written by an American dental patient, it rings absolutely true, and it gives me a swelling sense of pride to reproduce it here at my site:
You probably missed it in the rush of news last week, but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan had published in a newspaper that offered a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American.
So the Australian dentist wrote an editorial the following day to let everyone know what an American is; so they would know when they found one.
"An American is English, French, Italian, Irish, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian, Arabic, Pakistani or Afghan.
An American may also be a Comanche, Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navajo, Apache, Seminole or one of the many tribes known as "native" Americans.
An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist or Muslim.
In fact, there are more Muslims living in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.
An American is also free to believe in no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not to the government or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government and for God.
An American lives in the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God-given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.
An American is generous. Americans have helped out just about every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking a thing in return.
When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to enable the people to win back their country!
As of the morning of September 11, 2001, Americans had given more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan.
Americans welcome the best of everything...the best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the best services. But they also welcome the least.
The national symbol of America, the Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America.
Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of September 11, 2001, earning a better life for their families. It's been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different countries, cultures and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.
So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo and Stalin and Mao Tse-Tung and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world. But, in doing so you would just be killing yourself; because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere...is an American."
The following picture is how I choose to remember the Twin Towers. I will not dignify anyone by showing the "aftermath" photos.
This next one is just plain cute: Singing the babes to sleep!
__________________________________________________________________________________________
I think the next series of pictures of waves is beautiful, awe-inspiring, powerful and serene all wrapped up in a single definition. Mother Nature at her very finest. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. That being the case, enjoy the following 8000 words worth:
Speaking of inspirational - pay a visit to the site Lois Jarvis from Madison, Wisconsin erected. She's made a quilt, pictured below, and, once you click on it and land at the site...keep clicking on it for a rather chilling, yet necessary reminder. It is a beautiful and moving tribute to those who lost their lives on September, 11, 2001.
If this video doesn't inspire octogenarians and everyone that aspires to be one someday, I don't know what will.
I don't know if this next video will inspire anyone, perhaps inspire a little awe, but I don't think there's enough money for me to tackle this job/hobby/passion:
And now...an American who is a tribute to mankind. Kaziah Hancock is a well-known and respected landscape painter who, a few years ago, turned her life's work into painting portraits of soldiers that lost their lives in Iraq. The video link contained in her picture below tells the beautiful story of this talented artist that truly "gets it!" I am so happy when I come across people like this and can share their humanitarian efforts; it reinstills my faith in the society of man. There are many fascinating written stories about Kaziah that are worthy of conducting a Google Search over as well.
Why can't man be as humane as animals?
Watch Mother of the Year here!
................................................................................................................................................
On November 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him.
He was stricken with polio as a child, and so he has braces on both legs and walks with the aid of two crutches. To see him walk across the stage one step at a time, painfully and slowly, is an awesome sight.
He walks painfully, yet majestically, until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down, slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps on his legs, tucks one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and proceeds to play.
By now, the audience is used to this ritual. They sit quietly while me makes his way across the stage to his chair. They remain reverently silent while he undoes the clasps on his legs. They wait until he is ready to play.
But this time, something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few bars, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it snap - it went off like gunfire across the room. There was no mistaking what that sound meant. There was no mistaking what he had to do.
We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage - to either find another violin or else find another string for this one. But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to being again.
The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. And he played with such passion and such power and such purity as they had never heard before.
Of course, anyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. I know that, and you know that, but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that.
You could see him modulating, changing, re-composing the piece in his head. At one point, it sounded like he was de-tuning the strings to get new sounds from them that they had never made before. When he finished, there was an awesome silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium. We were all on our feet, screaming and cheering, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done.
He smiled, wiped the sweat from his brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said - not boastfully, but in a quiet, pensive, reverent tone - "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."
What a powerful line that is. It has stayed in my mind ever since I heard it. And who knows? Perhaps that is the definition of life - not just for artists but for all of us. Here is a man who has prepared all his life to make music on a violin of four strings, who, all of a sudden, in the middle of a concert, finds himself with only three strings; so he makes music with three strings, and the music he made that night with just three strings was more beautiful, more sacred, more memorable, than any that he had ever made before, when he had four strings.
So, perhaps our task in this shaky, fast-changing, bewildering world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.
I wish there was video footage of that performance available, but there is not. However, here's a phtograph of that incredible night, and if you click on it you'll have a taste of one of Perlman's master-classes for your enjoyment. What a musician. What a teacher. What a human being. Ladies and Gentlemen...
Itzhak Perlman
What is most amazing about the video link below is that these performers are ALL deaf and dumb; therefore all of the movements had to be synchronized by timing only. Truly, truly amazing!
To enjoy this remarkably talented troupe,
It's a sad commentary on our society, to be sure; but at least the parody is creative. Just click on "Old Blue Eyes" below:
I'm wondering if my son just broke up with his girlfriend and that's why he sent this:
THE FOLLOWING IS OFFERED AS A PUBLIC SERVICE
If you click on the above question it will bring you to a test that has supposedly been used to supplant the old-fashion IQ Test. Your brilliant host scored a laudable 9 out of 10, being tricked by the one incorrect response. Legend has it, however, that Bill Gates only got 3 right. I still wish, at times, I was Bill Gates, dumb as he may be!
Speaking of SMART...technology sure has come a long way in the last fifty years, hasn't it?
They certainly had the vision; even though they weren't what you could term "right on" from their size or feasibility perspectives.
From the above to the below in 60 or so short years...imagine!
Check out the following political satire by the good people at...
BEST LAWYER STORY OF THE YEAR...MAYBE OF ALL TIME!
Dateline: Charlotte, North Carolina - USA
A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars; then insured them against, among other things, fire.
Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars, and, without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy, the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company.
In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires!"
The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason: The man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.
The lawyer sued...and WON!
(Stay with me)
Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The judge stated, nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be "unacceptable fire" and was obligated to pay the claim.
Rather than endure the lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000.00 to the lawyer for his loss of cigars lost in the "fires."
(Now for the best part:)
After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!
With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000.00 fine!
Don't you just love happy endings?
All I Can Say Is She's 11 Years-Old!
This next link is pretty cool. You can, by entering your state and then county, pull up some authentic memorabilia about your town in...
I want you to really study the following two billboards!
Let's figure this out together, shall we? Does Heineken really think a beer ad practically touching a Don't Drink & Drive public service billboard with a casket carrying a former drunk driver will steer more customers their way? Makes you wonder which billboard went up first, doesn't it? If Heineken's went up first...was it a brilliant counter-attack made by the Don't Drink & Drive people? Or, was the billboard salesman drunk when he sold the second one; regardless of which one came first? And was the buyer of the second one drunk when the drunk billboard salesperson sold it to them?
Food, I mean drink for thought, isn't it?
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups; porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:
"If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive, and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups...and then you began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain LIFE, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee!"
The coffee is brewed, not the cups...
"ENJOY YOUR COFFEE!"
The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.
Live Simply.
Love Generously.
Care Deeply.
Speak Kindly.
MORE FOOD FOR THOUGHT
In ancient Greece (469-399 BC) Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.
One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?"
"Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me, I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?" replied the acquaintance!
"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No, the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter; the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?"
The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.
Socrates continued. "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Socrates "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"
The man was defeated and ashamed.
This is the reason Socarates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.
It also explains why he never found out that Plato was banging his wife.
Barry Bonds is about to become the All-Time home run hitter in Major League Baseball. Tonight is Monday, July 20, 2007 and, having smashed 754, he's just one shy of the record.
Having said that, amid the swirl of controversy that has followed his every move this season, and, considering the accusations of his "alleged" steroid use, I, for one, want to weigh-in in Bonds' camp. I've followed his career, and, true he has bulked up in recent years, but I've always thought he was a tremendous power hitter, capable of what's known in baseball vernacular as "moonshots!" even before he muscled up a bit.
And, being the holder of his rookie baseball card, I can't help but think that it will fetch a much higher price once this watershed record is eclipsed by the man. So, I'm placing it on sale here at my website for anyone who would like to bid on it. Who knows, you may just be the lucky winning bidder.
Below is a picture of the Barry Bonds rookie card in my possession. It is in "mint" condition, for those of you knowledgeable collectors out there:
And remember...if you've never SEEN him take steroids, if you've never HEARD him take them, you cannot possibly SPEAK to convict him. Sort of like our cheerful pal below:
UPDATE: Bonds has long-since broken the home run record, although it appears that eventually it won't count as his "date with destiny" as far as his steroid usage is concerned is mere months away. Today is May 10, 2008. This story, unfortunately for Mr. Bonds, just will not go away!
Other than its annoying "forward to friends" requirement, (which I never do; but hope enough people access it through this site so I don't go into a coma or something in five days) this is a pretty interesting test.
BILLY JOEL'S "WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE"
And now for a light little send-up of the famous Billy Joel song above...it's sad, but funny; and true.
I call it...
IF THIS ONE DOESN'T BRING A TEAR TO YOUR EYE, WELL...
CHECK IT OUT..."THE TEDDY STALLARD MOVIE"
by Mary Robinson Reynolds
Somebody asked me if I felt old after seeing the following picture.
I said "No, because I look a lot younger than all three of them, and I'm not!"
Eddie Haskel, The Beeve and his big brother, Wally
At first I was going to add this next entry to the SOME FUN STUFF section, but because of its concept I figured some folks might not consider it exactly hardy-har-har FUN! I suppose there's some intrinsic good that can be had by heeding certain health suggestions that are made, but...according to this next link...
I am scheduled to DIE on September 28, 2044, which would be exactly two months before my 90th Birthday. It IS a bit creepy, but if you're at all curious, like your host, I KNOW you'll want to check this out: What can I say, it's called the DEATH CLOCK! EEK!!
OFFERED AS A PUBLIC SERVICE: KNOW YOUR FACTS!
(A) The number of physicians in the United States is 700,000.
(B) Accidental deaths caused by physicians per year are 120,000.
(C) Accidental deaths per physician per year is 0.171.
STATISTICS COURTESY OF THE U. S. DEPT. OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
NOW, THINK ABOUT THIS:
(A) The number of gun owners in the United States is 80,000,000. Yes, that's 80 MILLION!
(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, including all age groups, is 1,500.
(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is 0.000188.
STATISTICS COURTESY OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION.
So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.
REMEMBER, GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE, DOCTORS DO!
FACT:
NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR!
PLEASE ALERT your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!
Disclaimer: Out of concern for the public at large, we have withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear that the shock would cause people to panic and then...seek medical attention!
ENJOY THE FOLLOWING SERIES OF SPECTACULARLY PAINTED HANDS
Weren't those fantastic works of ART?
When I look at something creative and pause to reflect that...try as I may, I would not have the capability to recreate either the image or the viewed three-dimensional work; I call that ART!
Thursday, February 15, 2007 - I just noticed this at lunch today.
The word SWIMS is the same upside down and backwards as it is forwards.
Now I bet you just did one of two things. Either you stood on your head to see if I'm right, or at least tried. Or two, after you lost your balance, you wrote it down on a piece of paper and then turned it upside down. SEE? I AM RIGHT!
I'll give it a long, hard think, but I'm pretty sure that's the only word that does that. I know desserts is stressed backwards, but that's a different word altogether. Even the name Otto doesn't work upside down or backwards, although it's spelled the same.
Check this out...
A good friend of mine, Ryan Becker, asked my opinion of this guitar instructor. He's considering taking lessons from him. Adding this YouTube clip to my site should tell you a little something as to how I feel about his playing. Check him out by clicking on the dude's name: ALAN WILLIAMSON
Those aren't stuffed, folks. For that matter, they aren't stuffed pandas either!
Actually, here's the story behind the photograph:
In Sichuan, China - The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection & Breed Center is dealing with the results of a breeding boom. 16 pandas have been born there since July, 2006. The brood includes 5 sets of twins (maybe YOU can tell which ones are the twins; I am not that talented). They are weighed and measured every five days. The heaviest tips the scales at just over 24 pounds and the lightest weighs about 11 pounds. They are due to stop suckling in February '07, just about the time they'll start learning to walk. Now THAT'S a job I wouldn't want...imagine trying to breast feed 16 pandas; between nursing and applying vaseline to your nipples, you'd scarcely have time for anything else. The wonderful thing for the cubs, however, is that once weened, they'll attend panda kindergarten. Now THAT'S a teaching job I WOULD consider! The Center is expecting more panda cubs very soon; since 38 giant pandas were artificially impregnated for this experiment!
A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.
4 worms were placed into four separate jars.
I know, I know...there are only 3 cans! But work with me, I didn't draw it.
The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.
The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.
The third worm was put into a container full of chocolates.
And the fourth worm was put into a container of good, clean soil.
At the conclusion of the sermon, the minister reported the following results:
The worms in the container of alcohol - all DEAD!
The worms in the container of cigarette smoke - all DEAD!
The worms in the container full of chocolates - all DEAD!
But the worms in the container of good, clean soil - all ALIVE!
So the minister asked the congregation - What can YOU learn from this demonstration?
Maxine stood up in the back, raised her hand and said:
"As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate...you won't have worms!"
NOT THAT'S WHAT I CALL PERSPECTIVE!
If I'M smart, I'll include this item on every single one of my web pages. This incredibly gifted young lady has already made her mark in the world of art and poetry, but to say she's an "Amazing Binary Prodigy" would be an astonishing understatement. Look in on the amazing world of Akiane by clicking on the picture below. You'll thank me for providing the portal!
NEXT UP...
I received this in an email on 1/19/07 from my Dad.
WHAT TEACHERS MAKE
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.
He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?
He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach!"
To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest, what do you make?"
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?"
(She paused for a second, then began)
Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an iPod, Game Cube or movie rental...
You want to know what I make?
(She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
I make my students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, because we live in the United States of America.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.
(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued)
"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make...I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make?"
"I MAKE A DIFFERENCE...what do you make?
What more can I say than bravo, Bonnie, BRAVO!!
Indeed, there is much truth in the statement "Teachers make every other profession!"
I touch on the subject in my poem Doctor of Dunk, but Bonnie nails it right on the proverbial head, doesn't she?
I also received the following in an email, and it doesn't fit under any of the other nine categories - but I really like its sentiment and figured I'd share it with you here.
I have an appreciation for the softness of the words that are, at once, rhymeless and timeless.
Written by Michael Josephson...
Live A Life That Matters
Ready or not,
someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises,
no minutes, hours or days.
All the things you collected,
whether treasured or forgotten,
will pass to someone else.
Your wealth,
fame and temporal power
will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned
or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations,
and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans,
and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses
that once seemed so important
will fade away.
It' won't matter where you came from,
or on what side of the tracks you lived,
at the end.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.
Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.
So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought,
but what you built;
not what you got,
but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success,
but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned,
but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity,
compassion,
courage or sacrifice that enriched,
empowered or encouraged others
to emulate your example.
What will matter most is not your competence,
but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live in those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered,
by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters!
Click on the logo below for more productive thoughts by
Mr. Josephson at his inspirational website.
I received the following in an email on December 9, 2006:
TWO WOLVES
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between "two wolves" inside us all.
ONE IS EVIL:
It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
THE OTHER IS GOOD:
It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
I just love this picture. Maybe it's because I love this man!
My T-Shirt reads: DETROIT Where the Weak are Killed and Eaten
People laugh at it even when I wear it downtown at the Casinos.
We really do have a good sense of humor about ourselves here!
I LOVE DETROIT!
Bank Account
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, inlcuding the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.
"I love it," he stated with the enthsuasm of an 8 year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait!"
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied.
"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life! Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you is to deposit a lot of happiness in your bank account of memories! Than you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. I am still depositing!"
" Remember the five simple rules to being happy!"1. Free your mind from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
Role Model, plain and simple! Lance Armstrong is the embodiement of perseverence, determination, dedication, relentlessness, focus, sheer athletic dominance, intimidation, glory, composure, aggression, physical commitment, accomplishment, reverence and invincibility!
While I do not know the man, his spirit is one I deeply admire!
Want to see the most useless logo in American business?
This MONSTER.COM earns such distinction out of over three year's worth of personal frustration.
He isn't scary. He isn't funny. He isn't helpful.
At least a thousand Detroiters will concur!
An hour and forty minute wait to get into an expo that had less than a dozen exhibitors left hundreds upon hundreds of business-professionally dressed job seekers bitter and depressed on Thursday, April 19, 2007 at the Holiday Inn at 26555 Telegraph Rd. in Southfield, Michigan.
The line to get in to the Detroit Job Fair snaked around the hotel, however, once inside there was over an hour wait to go.
Thankfully it was a decent day outside, otherwise there would have been a revolution - once people finally got into the TINY room that housed the few companies represented.
All the hype, all the build up, all the people that thought this was going to be a real opportunity, and it turned out to be what felt like a bad practical joke played on the nation's worst-off economic community.
Rather than wasting my time writing to the folks who put on this putrid shindig, I'm using my site to go on a little rant, after which...I'll feel much better, I'm sure.
Then again, perhaps I will write to:
National Career Fairs
1291 Galleria Drive, Suite 170
Henderson, NV 89014