Gino

It is my deepest regret to let everyone know, my Father died
peacefully in his sleep as dawn broke on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 with
his wife and sons by his side and was laid to rest Thursday, May 22,
2008.

Although you may know little of who he was except for what I've shared
of his later years of his life, Please remember him in your prayers as
the Loving, Kind, and Warm person that he was. It's hard for us to
accept right now, We have many warm memories and take great comfort in
knowing he's no longer in pain.

With a Deep and Heavy Heart,

Gino

My Father's been living on borrowed time since he was first diagnosed
over five years ago and I'm grateful we were given the chance to get
to know more about each other, and to make our peace with each other,
some people never get that luxury. I regret not learning more about
what he was like when younger.

Since the beginning, we faced his disease head on, we asked the tough
questions , we never gave up hope, and we won't for the duration. Dad
participated in a few clinical trials, Someday, someone will get the
answers they expect and be spared deep uncertainty, despair, defeat,
anger, pain and grief.

I haven't been participating much, my time and effort have been
consumed with other things, but I miss you and my time here.

Dad's Cancer stopped responding to everything they could throw at it,
and he made the decision to go the home hospice route, manage his
symptoms, let nature take it's course, and die with dignity, on his
own terms, at home surrounded by the people he loves the most. He's
been given maybe 2 to 3 weeks at most.

I have much to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for the little things I'd have missed if I had my health.

I am thankful for my family, friends, and strangers who've supported
me along the way.

I am thankful for my senses of resolve and humor, it's gotten me
through some very trying times, gifts from my parents. My mother and
father did their best to instill a sense of responsibility in me and
they taught me by example, that pain is inevitable and suffering is a
choice. Through patience and love, my parents gave me roots and wings
and let me face challenges in my own way, on my own terms.

It means so much when someone, or some thing, comes along and takes
your hand to help you find your way. For those moments, I am
thankful.

Letting Go won't be easy, but in a way, letting go is another way to
say "I Love You" .

Wesley Snipes, What were you thinking? You don't mess with the IRS,
especially if you're in the public eye. Leona Helmsley, Sophia Loren,
and Willy Nelson tried on their own, without the assistance of
others. They paid their dues and moved on. I hope Wesley does the
same.

He followed the advice of an organization that poses as a "religion"
called "American Rights Litigators and Guiding Light of God
Ministries" which helped him to not pay his taxes for three years.


The LA Times Article makes me want to cringe.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-et-snipes25apr25,1,1818905.story?t
rack=rss

It's just sad to see someone fall for this nonsense. The excuses he
gives are total denial. What hurts the most is bringing God into it.
Two things in life are unavoidable, Death and Taxes. I'm sure if he
was willing to make arrangements early on, the IRS would have worked
with him.

This isn't the end, there will be a legal battle, but from the looks
of it, it's a no brainer. This may cost him three years of his life
and a lot of money. I only hope his career can be resurected, he's
truly a gifted artist and actor with so much potential.

We've been ordering a dish from a local restaurant called "Chicken
Scampi" for years, and I've tried, with mixed results, to copy it at
home. There's an annoying cook on our local news called "Mr Food", so
imagine my surprise at finding his recipe came close to anything I've
tried. Apparently, lemon juice, the ingredient I added from "Shrimp
Scampi" was what was ruining it all along, although the restaurant
does use grated lemon rind as a garnish.

Give it a try!

Chicken Scampi
Air Date: 3/24/2008
4 to 6 servings


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------



In a large skillet, heat the oil and melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the chicken and saut for 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned on all
sides.

Add the remaining ingredients and saut for 2 to 3 minutes, or until
the garlic is golden.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
SERVING TIP: Serve over hot cooked linguine or rice.

I always associated that name with Leona Helmsley, the "Queen of Mean"
who left most of her vast fortune to her dog to spite her heirs.

Well, England's version of "American Idol", called "X-Factor" broke
that association pretty quick! It has catapulted a young, talented,
and extremely beautiful woman to the top of the charts.

Leona Lewis is the first female british solo artist, since Petula
Clark, to have a number one hit in Britain and the States.

I bought her album, Spirit, yesterday, and she's absolutely amazing.

Here's her fan site and wiki bio.

http://www.leona-lewis.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leona_Lewis

-----------------------------------------

So what's the connection to PFB?

She started out as a waitress, so the people who are complaining about
them today, may end up buying their albums tomorrow.

Well, despite the slow start, spring has sprung and a ritual as old as
consumerism has begun. Spring Cleaning. The new season's goods are
starting to show up in the stores, people are looking forward to
opening the windows, spending more time outside, and doing their part
when their tax refunds and those crisp economic stimulus checks hit
their hungry little paws (new clothes! new toys! new tools!, new
gadgets!) Everyone's going to spend this money and get this sluggish
economy going (right?).

It's a good time to do some physical spring cleaning

There's always garage sales, amazon.com, ebay, and craigs list for
those who want to raise more funds. I'm a big fan of recycling, and
I'd like to share some links that not only recycle things, but help
charities raise money to help others. If you go to Amazon.com,
consider seeing if your favorite website is an Amazon Associate and
will receive contributions from a portion of your purchase -



At the top of my list are www.goodwill.org and www.slavationarmy.com
Not only for the good they do, but they still offer to come pick up
your treasures at home.

If you're willing to schlep the stuff yourself, try churches,
synagogues, homeless shelters, schools, senior centers, and theater
companies (props!). They may need your artwork, cd's. books,
computers, furniture, rugs, kitchenware etc.

Also check with fraternal organizations ,local school, public library,
religious organization of your choice, Elks, Moose, fraternal orders,
etc. Many of them offer smaller-scale collection of items (like
eyeglasses!) to be donated to various charities.


www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com Recycles cell phones, accepted in any
condition, any type, any brand. The funds from the program buys
prepaid calling cards for soldiers to phone home.

www.giftsforsight.org will take almost anything, old cars, boats,
RV's, trailers, cycles - which it sells to fund medical research. Call
1-800-329-6441 to arrange for free pickup.

www.thenfba.org (The National Furniture Bank Association) routes your
donated furniture and whatnot's, to the Partnership for the Homeless
and other non profits that help people set up households. Donors pay
for removal, so use this if you can afford to donate the moving
costs.

www.glpinc.org (global literacy project, inc.), www.dba.darien.org
(Darian Book Aid), www.intbookproject.org (International Book Project)
send books to libraries, schools, prisons, hospitals, and communities
to promote literacy. Check each website for guidelines.

The Donation Center at www.geappliances.com lists national charities
willing to cart away old appliances, free of charge, as long as
they're in working order.

www.worldcomputerexchange.org (World Computer Exchange), www.c4k.org
(computers 4 Kids), www.pcsforschools.org (Computers for Schools) and
www.cristina.org (the National Cristina Foundation) will take your old
computer hardware, refurbish it, and distribute it to economically
disadvantaged youth in the United States and around the World.

Type your area code at www.inkindex.com, a free internet matching
service, and a list of goods requested by local non profits pops up.
If you have what they need on hand, you contact them and arrange to
drop it off or have them pick it up.

For a ton of other sites and physical stores, consider
http://www.escrip.com/. If you register with this site and select a
school or nonprofit that is in the program, they receive a percentage
back every time you shop with a participating merchant. I do it for my
sons' school and they got $45 last year just from my every day grocery
shopping! And it doesn't cost you a dime.

And remember locals veterinarians, animal hospitals, and animal
shelters, they can always use newspapers, bleach, cotton towels, pet
toys, pet food and a few bucks.


If you can't possibly part with anything but still want to give;

http://www.care2.com/click2donate/
http://www.clicktodonate.org/

Clicking links in these sites will donate to various environmental,
humanitarian, and social causes. You can pick and choose which appeal
to you most or click on them all! Donations are paid by sponsors based
on the number of hits a page receives - so hit your favorites daily!

I'm sure I missed a lot, so feel free to share yours!

One thing that I've convinced myself of is the fact that I have a
higher than most people's threshold for physical pain. I've been
dealing with chronic, unrelenting pain for a long time, and things
that once would have sent me into "high anxiety" mode, have become a
routine for me.

Whatever break they give my nervous system, is worth it. The pain
usually worsens, then plateaus to a level where fewer drugs are needed
for awhile. The headache eventually subsides and dissipates. The pain
always comes back eventually.

The trick, for me, has been a good doctor who explains exactly what to
expect and who listens when things get too dicey. This has helped me
avoid the risks of being put under general anesthesia every three to
four months. Yesterday was the exception.

I got a series of facet nerve blocks and something called a
sacroilliac joint injection. I've had them in the past, just not all
at once. My regular doctor felt that I could "handle" it with mild
sedation. They had to use dye because they needed x ray guidance to
position the needle exactly where it's supposed to go. And they needed
to ask me about my level of pain on a scale of one to five. You know
he made it sound so simple, that I fell for it.

Ever wonder what people did in the days before general anesthesia?

First they screamed "Five", then they came to in the recovery room
with a headache and some nurse asking what year it is and who's
President.
Oh well, for a second there, I forgot GW Bush. It can only get
better.

This quizz is part of a lesson plan for social class awareness. I felt
kind of neutral at first, but leaned more toward being happy that few
of the criteria applied to me. I'm reading it based on my own
experience, but when I saw "Anger" being mentioned as an expected
reaction, and it made me wonder-



Does anyone feel angry that a lot of these things don't apply?

http://wbarratt.indstate.edu/socialclass/step_into_social_class_2.htm

I read this article about Roget, the man who did the world famous
Thesaurus that bears his name. Apparently, his obsession with lists
and words was his obsessive compulsive way to deal with depression and
sadness. I'm amazed that something this ingenious came to be the
standard source for people to find other words to convey more
precisely what they are feeling.

If you're intersted, it's here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSN2628269520080328?feedT
ype=RSS&feedName=inDepthNews&sp=true


As humans, we place a lot of emphasis on language because words are
the first things that come to mind when we think about communication.
We read and interpret information according to a lot of conventional
rules that have been passed down for generations. But we also
communicate in many other ways, and sometimes language gets in the way
of communicating. Men and Women seem process information differently
and still manage to communicate.


We see deaf people using sign language, these quirky looking hand
gestures and what they communicate confound and confuse us, but it's
communication nonetheless. There is a big debate among the deaf
community over the use of cochlear implants, a form of "artificial"
hearing. Why should a deaf person have to leave "Deaf Culture" behind
in the first place? It works just as well as words, if not better.

I observed a family today interacting in a different way, and it made
me wonder even more about words and language. This young lady was
rocking and shifting her weight from foot to foot while flapping her
hands in the air. Her mother held a hand out in front of her, then
placed it on her (the mother's) cheek and made what appeared to me, a
random flapping gesture followed by a slight brushing of her upper
hand across her throat from the neck to the chin. (also, Italian for
"oofah")

The young lady stopped her rocking, paid attention to her mother's
motions, nodded her head and becoming visibly agitated. The mother
then reached into her purse and gave the young lady a bottle of
Aquafina. I'm not sure, but to my untrained eye, and without knowledge
of the details of this situation, this interaction conveyed
effectively that the young lady wanted a basic human need filled. That
gesture meant "I am Thirsty", and the mother's gesture meant "I
understand, would you like some water?". The similarity to the Helen
Keller "water" scene was undeniable.

Could some behaviors actually be a language that we don't yet
understand?

Every year, when the season changes from Winter to Spring, the devil
and angel on either shoulder have their little quarrel, and I am left
with the role of referee. The question is a simple one "To garden, or
not to garden"? The answer is exactly the same as every other year. A
resounding yes.
I've learned to just surrender, it's something that's in my DNA, and
giving up isn't an option.

Gardening is not only relaxing, but it's good for your health and
outlook.

It's in the planning stages. Easter came a bit early, and even though
Spring is around the corner, it's still too cold to begin. I've
already started some seedlings on the window sill, placed a few seed
orders, and made a crude sketch of what goes where. Having a vegetable
garden, with prices they way they are, never made more sense. There's
a certain level of confidence knowing where your food came from and
how it was grown.

Aside from the fruit trees already there, I'm going to try to stick
with two raised beds, about a square yard each.


"All through the long winter, I dream of my garden. On the first day
of spring, I dig my fingers deep into the soft earth. I can feel its
energy, and my spirits soar." - Helen Hayes

I got one of "those" phone calls. Last week, I was scheduled for a
battery of tests, and the one I was most anxious to learn about was my
Metabolic Assay/ A1C test. I blogged three months back about being
diagnosed with Diabetes and finding my A1C results off the 1 to 10
point charts. Since then, I've stuck to the advice my doctor gave me.
I've been watching my carbs carefully, and decided to forego
artificial sweeteners all together. I've managed, with some degree of
success, to balance my glucose levels and adjust my insulin, and
whatever physical activity I could muster, according to different
factors.

I know, I know, I said I didn't want to make this all about having
Diabetes, and I've tried not to mention it too often, but good news is
always worth sharing.

I got the phone call Friday, My ketones and albumin levels came out a
bit high, which means they'll have to keep an eye on my kidneys, I
have to increase my protein intake, no big deal. But the best news of
all, although it is still a bit high, my result was 7. This means my
insulin dose went down from four shots a day, to three. And I can now
increase my daily food intake a bit more. I've managed to maintain my
weight at 195 and not gain.

I decided to reward myself with one big splurge. Chocolate, for some
reason, came to mind first, but then the idea of pancakes slathered
with butter and covered with Maple Syrup, kept pulling me away from
Chocolate. And besides, I had everything to make pancakes on hand.

After giving it much thought, deep contemplation, and agonizing
deliberation, I came to the conclusion that French Toast was what I
wanted, and I'd have to wait until Saturday morning to have it. I'm
craving "My version" of French Toast. I soaked raisins in some rum,
drained a can of sliced pineapple, cut up huge chunks of brioche bread
and lightly toasted it under the broiler, I toasted some coconut, made
an egg and crme custard with a grating of fresh nutmeg and lemon rind,
let it cool a bit, added the bread and put all the ingredients in the
fridge.

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This....

Saturday morning, I sprinkled some brown sugar in the bottom of a
large cast iron skillet, added the pineapple and browned it on one
side, flipped the slices over, added the bread/custard mixture, topped
it with the plump raisins, coconut and a few dabs of butter, and into
the oven it went.

Once in awhile, if the stars line up just right, you're lucky and food
karma God smiles on you, everything turns out just right. This was one
of those times.

Huge Chunks of custard-soaked brioche served in the skillet.. The
tender, moist center was completely enveloped by what is (in foodie
lingo) called "the crunchies", dotted with strings of coconut, raisins
on a layer of perfectly browned pineapple, which meant it was
impossible to resist. A few sliced stawberries, a few thick slices of
applewood smoked bacon, more butter, and real maple syrup. A fresh pot
of brewed coffee.

Does it get any better than this?

Fox has a new show that's aimed at people's need to be voyeurs. Not in
the sense of "Big Brother" where scantly clad young lasses with
surgically enhanced upper frontals parade around and cavort with
equally fake and repulsive young lads with perfectly shaved,
athletically defined bodies competing for half a million dollars. At
least there's some kind of contest and strategy in the mix. There's
some satisfaction in winning. That may hold people's interest, at
least for a short time.

Fox's game show, "The Moment of Truth", has asked people questions
like:

"Have you ever stolen towels from a hotel?"
"Did you ever illegally download music off the net?"
"Who makes better meatballs, your mother or your wife?"
"Did you ever cheat on your wife/husband/significant other?"

While the contestant is hooked up to a lie detector machine. With each
truthful answer, you get to advance on a ladder of cash prizes. The
questions get increasingly difficult as the show progresses.

Answer truthfully, and win a reward at the expense of the respect and
dignity of the person you love. Decline to answer, and plant the seed
of doubt in the mind of the person you love.

Is greed ever an acceptable excuse to purposely humiliate and destroy
people one loves? Spitzer may have justified cheating in his mind by
thinking he wouldn't get caught, but these people know going in that
there's no way to avoid it at all.

Widdle Wabbits



A little girl walks into a pet shop and asks, "Excuthe me, do you have
any widdle wabbits?"

The shopkeeper's heart melts, he gets down on his knees so that he's
on her level, and says, "Do you want a widdle white wabbit or a thoft,
fwuffy bwack wabbit, or one like that widdle bwown wabbit over
there?"


The little girl blushes, rocks on her heels, puts her hands on her
knees, leans forward and whispers ...


"I don't weally fink my pet pyfon gives a phuk."

About ten or so years ago, a store called "Carrefour" opened in
several cities. The first of the "Mega Market" grocery stores to hit
our shores. The store took up three football fields and sold
everything from groceries to clothes to tires under one roof.

The clerks on the floor wore in-line skates and drove golf carts to
get from one side of the store to another. The hype made people flock
to the stores in droves from the tri-state area. The French owned
company adapted the stores to fit what it thought was the taste of
"The American Shopper". They opened a food court, had fifty register
lanes to ensure speedy checkouts.

But as far as prices went, they were competitive on most of the food
items, but more than made up for it in their dry goods and bare bones
warehouse type shopping. The one area they neglected to address was
families with small children and people who simply wanted to get their
grocery shopping done and over with in one hour or less. Having to
navigate a few football fields just to get dairy, deli, breads, and
other staples was exhausting and hard on the feet, people quickly
began complaining about the store layout and how nothing seemed to
follow any logic.

Carrefour worked well for the European market, and still does.
Carrefour felt no need to change, the complaints fell on deaf ears,
and the honeymoon was over. Within five years, their stores shut their
doors, and Carrefour hoofed it back to France.

But the "warehouse" mentality could work, and BJ's Wholesale and
Costco filled that niche and ran with it. Their set-up makes sense for
the American consumers and ,somehow they found that a consumer's need
to "belong" was key, so they implemented the membership fee.
Basically, they gave the idea of shopping in bulk with the bare
minimum of service per square foot, the cachet of exclusivity. The
consumers seemed to overlook long checkout lines, lack of bags in
favor of rummaging through bins of cut up cartons, and the sheer joy
of walking on bare concrete while reaching into bins to get at the
products they need.

Supermarkets have tried to get in on the action, with varying degrees
of success. The free value card gives the consumer the same sense of
"belonging", and we now can sip our Starbucks coffee drinks while
rushing to get our shopping done. We even have the honor of
robotically scanning and bagging our own while a machine tells us to
get our change and receipt before bagging our own purchases.

All that is about to change. Giant Food Market is launching the newest
in "superstore" philosophies. Megastores the size of two football
fields. They are opening these new stores with new concepts and
services not yet seen under one roof. You park your car and walk in.
Once inside, they have waiting for you: Day Care for kids 3 to 9 ,
free wifi access caf's, full service cafeterias, conference rooms, in
store cooking classes, on site nutritionists, health care clinics,
pharmacy and modern touches like using touch screen displays, texting,
and palm pilots to pre- place deli and baked good orders. Once your
shopping is complete, you pull your car up to the front, and a clerk
loads your groceries into your car for free, and off you go!

All services cost extra, except for the free wifi , electronic order
placement, and valet grocery loading. It remains to be seen how this
new concept takes off. The grand opening in our area is Wednesday, and
from people interviewed on the news, these services are things people
seem to be more than willing to pay extra for. Especially the Day Care
and Cooking Classes.

I'm not convinced "bigger is better" when food shopping. Are saving
time and one stop shopping "convenient" enough to pay more money to
accomplish? Are conference rooms and day care in a supermarket
setting viable options for today's career driven lifestyle?

Keeping a budget kind of forces me to track my spending, and anything
that raises a red flag, is worth getting on the phone and questioning.
I found a new fee on my gas bill five or so years ago, it came to
$1.70 a week, and I'm sure a lot of people just open their bills and
pay the total, but $1.70 a week comes to $11.90 a month, and $142.80 a
year. I'm on a plan, where the total yearly cost is averaged per
month, so unless one asks for it, the actual itemized bill with meter
useage in real time is not included every month. Guess what? There's a
$1.00 monthly surcharge for that as well.

That's $142.80 that could go toward something else. The problem is,
where I am, there is no competition, and we're at the mercy of
whatever they decide to charge. I always look to make sure it doesn't
appear. It's a fee to help cut their losses from people who don't pay
their bills.

While going over an itemized hospital bill this morning, I found
eleven questionable line items and one glaring error. The questionable
line items were mostly in the five to fifteen dollar range with a few
small, almost overlookable dollar and some change ones. The blaring
error was one that needed immediate attention, because the charge was
three times the $175.00 a day my insurance allows. Times that by four
days and we're talking a big chunk of change. After a 15 minute phone
call with the billing office, I managed to get that fixed, along with
four of the others.

So imagine my surprise, while doing some legwork on the net, I found
an interesting read (which happens to mention PFB among other sites):

http://www.newsobserver.com/business/story/968431.html

Note the odds of getting Your way listed on the right side of the page
and how it correlates to the ratings on our site.

Feb 28 Feb 29 buy a medium or large soft drink at Mc Donalds and get a
FREE, yes GRATIS Mc Skillet Burrito!

No coupons to print

No points to collect playing games

Nothing to fill out and waste a postage stamp to send.

No special codes.

No surveys to fill out.

For the cost of a medium or large drink you get a free Mc Skillet
Burrito. FREE!

here's the scoop:

http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/eat/features/mcskillet_burrito.html

Be sure to read the small print in the lower right hand corner. One
per customer (but you can go to many Mc Donalds in one day, or wear
disguises, get those creative juices flowing!)

Warning for the paranoid:

"Always remember that the "possibility" exists that
they may "do something" to the food if you send it back or
complain. People sweat in kitchens, and sweat follows the laws of
gravity. Not everyone always complies with the "Employees must
Wash Hands Sign" posted in the rest rooms. Just because you don't
see it, the possiblity is always there!"

As Rachel Ray says:

"It's DEEEEEEEEEEEEE- LISH!" "YUMMMMMERS!"

And anyone else who needs to get things off their chests.

People in all professional sports are held up as role models for the
rest of us, especially younger people. No matter what we think about
sports, I believe that if one chooses to compete professionally, and
is willing to take great risks, make personal sacrifices, display the
self discipline and determination it takes to become an athlete, then
they deserve the high salaries and endorsement opportunities all that
hard work makes possible.

Human Growth Hormones, drugs, and steroids have been in the news many
times, and almost every time the athlete vehemently denies
"knowingly using" these artificial means of gaining an edge
on the competition. And once caught, they show great remorse, in my
opinion, more because they got caught than for the deception they've
used to earn the "hero" status and all that brings.

Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and many others accomplished it fairly, on a
level playing field, and are worthy of the title "hero".

Reading this article shows me that the true spirit of sports still has
value. Andy Pettitte, is a true role model, he's doing the right
thing.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23174911/

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know
peace.

Jimi Hendrix










Spooky Valentine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxyITLELNZ8

Seems like the only difference is cost!

_____________________________________________________

"I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are,
it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20."

"Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be
long
before $2000 will only buy a used one"


"If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A
quarter
a pack is ridiculous."


"Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime
just
to mail a letter?"


"If they raise the minimum wage to $1, nobody will be able to
hire
outside help at the store."


"When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would
someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the
car in the garage."


"Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it
impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be
wearing their hair as long as the girls."


"I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since
they let Clark Gable get by with saying 'damn' in 'Gone With The
Wind,' it seems every new movie has either "hell" or
"damn" in it.


"I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible
to
put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some
fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas."


"Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract
for
$75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday
they'll be making more than the president."


"I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would
be
electric. They are even making electric typewriters now."


"It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few
married women are having to work to make ends meet."


"It won't be long before young couples are going to have to
hire& lt; BR>someone to watch their kids so they can both
work."


"Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more; those Hollywood stars
seem
to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat."


"I'm just afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to
a
whole lot of foreign business."
[] "Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the
Government
takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are
electing the best people to congress."


"The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I
seriously doubt they will ever catch on."


"There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a
weekend.
It costs nearly $15 a night to stay in a hotel."


"No one can afford to be sick any more; $35 a day in the hospital
is
too rich for my blood."


"If they think I'll pay $1.00 for a hair cut, forget it."

This was sent to me by my niece, apparently it's the new fad in High
School, but it's a fun way to learn.(if you read the articles)

Basically you go to the Wikipedia site and hit "random
article" That's your Album's name. The next click is your Band's
name, the third is your Music Label, each successive click is a track
on your album. (No cheating, it's supposed to be totally random). You
then get to pick an Artist who you'd think would make a similar
almbum.

Album Name: Yeniche language
Band Name: Eleutherodactylus discoidalis
Label Name: FSM

Track 1 :Conway's Bridge
Track 2 :Oki District, Shimane
Track 3 :Czech Crown
Track 4 :Egypt, Arkansas
Track 5 :London Buses route 141
Track 6 :Rul Tăieturii (Trnava Mare)
Track 7 :Wigry Lake
Track 8 :Kinloch Castle
Track 9 :List of ethnic group names used as insults
Track 10 :Lamont Reid

It looks like something "Sting" would write.

Don't know if anyone saw GMA the other day, it had a segment with
Robin Roberts, who is undergoing chemotherapy and was dared to model
on a catwalk with other real models.
I watched it in a cancer treatment waiting room, and she got a
standing ovation from everyone there.

I've seen courage and grace many times in my life, and people like her
are true role models.

Think of ten things that make you happy.


How many of them were material things?




Does buying things make us happy? I know the process of making a
purchase can be an enjoyable activity, and for some, an addiction much
like gambling, drugs and alcohol. I also know the law of diminishing
returns and buyer's remorse also are real things. We buy, say, a car
and we think we made a great choice. We get surveys shortly before the
"new car smell" begins to become a memory, and I am sure the
feedback, for the most part, is all good. But what happens in ten
years? We see new models on the road, and we've paid good money over
the years maintaining and repairing our car. It's still doing what it
was made to do, but most of our views would be less enthusiastic if
the company sends out a survey after the warranty expired and we've
paid good money to fix it.

So what happened to the "happiness" we felt in the
beginning?

The way I was brought up, the emphasis was placed mostly on being
grateful for what I have. Things weren't, for the most part, handed to
me. I had to learn to be content with what I was given, and if I
wanted something, we made a plan that involved earning what I wanted.
It often meant waiting and anticipation, so I was always content.
Sometime around my late teens, I bought into the notion that money
could buy things that made me happy. I was always sort of a
"magical thinker". "If only I had.... then I'd be
happy". The relentless pursuit of happiness has it's downside. I
went wild for awhile with credit, which quickly blew that theory out
of the water.


I took a lot for granted, but realized I was wealthy in a more
meaningful way than money and anything money could buy would
accomplish. By no means have I led a charmed life, I've succeeded
gracefully and failed miserably, and learned a lot along the way. And,
yes, I still play the lottery from time to time.

What made me happiest was counting my blessings.

I read this article on web md that gave me a different take

http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20080129/middle-age-a-global-bummer?
ecd=wnl_cbp_020108

Turning Fifty did make me wonder why I wasn't feeling any differently
than I had in the past. I was expecting some kind of mid-life crisis,
some feeling of regret, some kind of change. Reading this article made
me realize, no matter what it says about age, Some people are
exceptions to the rule. I already had my "midlife" crisis
years ago. Turning Fifty isn't the end of something and the beginning
of another. It's a time to look back and be grateful, to see today as
good and know that the best is yet to be.


Does being happy make us grateful, or does being grateful make us
happy?

Happy Day After Groundhog's Day, more commonly known as "Saint
Blaise's Feast Day"


Having read the story of Groundhogs day on Venice's blog, it joggled
my memory of having to get my throat blessed. I never knew the reason
why, so I wiki'ed it. Apparently he's the one to pray to if you get a
sore throat or a fish bone stuck in your throat. I suppose the
Heimlich procedure or Hall's Cough Drops would be a wise first
choice.


Saint Blaise (or Blasius
Βλάσιος
, Armenian: Սուրբ
Բարսեղ)
was a physician and bishop of Sebaste (modern Sivas), Armenia.
According to his Acta he was martyred by being beaten, attacked with
iron carding combs, and beheaded.

In iconography, Blaise is often shown with the instruments of his
martyrdom, iron combs. The similarity of these instruments of torture
to wool combs led to his adoption as patron of wool combers in
particular, and the wool trade in general. He may also be depicted
with crossed candles. Such crossed candles (left unlighted for safety
reasons) are used for the blessing of throats on the feast day of St.
Blaise, which falls on February 3, the day after Candlemas on the
Catholic calendar of saints, Blaise is traditionally believed to
intercede in cases of throat illnesses, especially for fish-bones
stuck in the throat. The blessing is: "Per intercessionem Sancti
Blasii liberet te Deus a malo gutteris et a quovis alio malo."
(May God at the intercession of Saint Blaise preserve you from throat
troubles and every other evil).

Indeed, the first reference we have to him is in manuscripts of the
medical writings of Atius Amidenus, the court physician of Justinian
I, where his aid is invoked in treating objects stuck in the throat.
He cured animals and lived in a cage. Before being killed, he spoke to
a wolf and told it to release a pig it was harming. The wolf did so.
Saint Blaise was going to be starved but the owner of the pig secretly
gave him food in order to survive. After a while, he was tortured
because of what he believed in but did not give up faith, he then died
in the year 316.

Here's the link with the whole story along with icons and statues:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Blaise


Amazing, I'm learning more about Saints now, out of curiosity, than I
can recall being taught about in 16 years of Catholic Schools. I
recall some good teachers, but I also remember lots of rules, strict
St Joseph's Nuns with the starched collar, black and white habits and
"killer" rosary beads that draped from the waste to the
hem's of those nasty habits. They were allowed to
"discipline" students with rulers, pointers, and chalk
erasers back then.

I suppose Barbra Streisand was right- "What's too painful to
remember, we simply choose to forget"

Some time ago, I found a site called "Fast Company.com" and it's main
focus is on business issues. I wish I had this resource years ago,
because it brings to light a lot of stategies people use in business,
good and bad. Every once in awhile, it sense of the obvious.

The link to the article is here :

http://blog.fastcompany.com/experts/dsundheim/2008/01/leading_ideas_ch
allenges_drive.html?partner=rss

The text follows:


Leading Ideas: Challenges Drive Creativity

""The things we fear most in organizations -- fluctuations,
disturbances, imbalances -- are the primary sources of creativity." --
Margaret J. Wheatley (author, organizational consultant)


Consider This:

One of the most misunderstood gifts that life gives a person or
organization is a set of challenges. While rarely welcome, they serve
the invaluable purpose of throwing you off of your game - usually when
you need it most. They force you to stop - reflect - dig down - and
get creative in order survive and thrive. You need challenges. They
are the seeds of your greatest ideas.

The biggest mistake you can make when you come face-to-face with a
challenge is to resist it. To beat yourself up for having gotten into
the situation in the first place. When you do, you're putting your
energy in the wrong place. Instead, get curious about how you got
there. See it as an opportunity to learn and grow. Talk it out with
others. Don't stay in your own head. Challenges themselves don't
determine your quality of life - your relationship to them does.

Try This:

1. Think about something you're feeling bad about right now.
2. When you think about this situation, what are you most afraid of?
3. Find someone to share your fears with. Make it someone you trust
and who you can be honest with (This is an important step as your
fears have a way of dissipating when they hit the light of day).
4. As you move past the fear, what do you see on the other side?
(hint, your creative mind will re-engage and you'll begin to see
possibilities that the fear was hiding).
5. Pursue those creative possibilities.
6. Repeat frequently as new challenges arise.

Doug Sundheim Executive Coach & Consultant New York, NY
www.dougsundheim.com.

Books and Learning were important things in our family. Teachers
weren't just the people who headed classrooms, but neighbors, friends
and even other kids we interacted with along the way. I was one of
those fortunate kids who had grandparents either living with us or who
kept up with our lives from far away. Those summer visits were always
something we looked forward to, because grandparents have a way of
paying extra attention and can get away with spoiling their
grandchildren. The stories they told filled in gaps in our family
history like nothing in any book possibly could.

But there were formal teachers along the way who mad a huge
difference, even if it didn't seem so at the time. Teaching is among
the most noble of professions, and yet, as a society, we seem to value
them less than other professions. I've seen the difference one good
teacher can make, and also the damage one bad one can inflict on a
child.

There's a proverb that goes "One generation plants a tree, the next
enjoys the shade"

Todays news has one teacher who's lesson prooves how true that proverb
is:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4171160&page=1

Just before the holidays, a company called "LA Weight Loss Centers"
changed their name to "Pure Weight Loss" and ran an aggressive ad
campagn with amazing stories and promises of finally reaching the goal
of making the resolution to lose weight. People paid about 4 to 6
hundred dollars for meetings, food and product orders and one on one
councelling. On Januaary 4 they closed shop and hightailed it out of
town, leaving distaught men and women high and dry and lighter by 4 to
6 hundred dollars.
This isn't the only business that did this, it's just the most recent.
Furniture stores and Bridal Stores have done this in the past as well.


The attorney general posted this story with helpful advice for all
consumers who find themselves in the same situation:

http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/press.aspx?id=3313

While driving the other day, I made the unfortunate mistake of being
pre occupied and being oblivious to my rear and side view mirrors,
which, according to Officer Lillith Crane, translates to "failure to
yield". Cue up the "Law and Order" "DUNK dunk" soundbite.

If lights aren't flashing, sirens aren't blowing, and she has the time
to pull someone over and "chat" for an hour, what the difference?
Everything turned out well and I was on my way without a citation. But
I did learn something new. My License plate, according to the officer,
is handicapped. Blew me away, it's been holding onto the car solidly,
even when going through the car wash. DUNK dunk.

Despite that, I made it to my destination on time, pulled into a
spot, and got involved in a cell conversation which continued while I
collected my things, closed the door and went on my way. An hour
later, I'm approaching my car, feeling around in my pocket for the key
fob. Guess who left the car unlocked, door closed, keys in the
ignition, idling in "Park"? I've heard of "Distracted Drivers" but
this took the cake!

Dysphoric Social Attention Consumption Deficit Anxiety Disorder

Explore The Link

Take The Quizz

A cure is available, a little blue pill, run, don't walk, and talk to
your doctor today!




http://www.havidol.com/you.html

Jan 7 was our official celebration of Christmas when the Three Wise
Men, Balthazar, Melchior, and Caspar followed a star, known as the
Star of Bethlehem, found Jesus, and presented gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh.

I always questioned the choice of gifts, and how truly wise these men
were.

Why?

As the song "Do you see what I see goes:

"A child, a child, shivers in the cold,
let us bring him silver and gold"


Someone once sent me a card of inspiration, the story of a wise woman
and her gift. It goes as follows:

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone
in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and
the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler
saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did
so without hesitation. The traveler left, rejoicing in his good
fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a
lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the
wise woman.

"I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable the stone is, but
I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more
precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me
the stone."

'The Wise Woman's Stone'
Author Unknown


Which leads me to wonder, who's better at choosing gifts, men or
women?

Office Max may be onto something big. I've been using their copy
center and purchasing products from them more frequently lately. A few
months ago, I went in to get a usb adapter to connect a backup drive
to Elise's computer. There is a sign prominently posted at the
entrance explaining that bluetooth technology was being tested as a
pilot program, and that conversations may be monitored in an effort to
improve customer satisfaction, which I thought was odd at first (Big
Brother is watching), but after seeing it in action, it really is a
win/win situation for both the customer and the business.

The associate who waited on me had a headset and microphone.
Apparently someone was prompting him as to which product I needed,
where it was located and what other options and products I might
consider. When I got to the register, the cashier mentioned she heard
our conversation, mentioned she had the same adapter and it worked
well for her. She told me they have a no questions asked return policy
with receipt etc.

What I liked most was the instant flow of information. They were able
to have people check stock for availability, answer pages, make
announcements, check if something could be transferred from another
store and when it could be expected, all at the point of service.

I saw another use for it that was really something I'd like to see
catch on. An irate customer was having a temper tantrum because he
wanted a hutch from one desk that is sold as a set instead of the
hutch that went on a different series. I understood totally what the
salesperson was explaining, he couldn't open a box and sell that hutch
as a separate item, but the man wanted things his way and wailed for a
manager. The associate was calm, cool, and collected throughout the
entire ordeal. The manager was paged and came over. The customer was
beyond livid, accusing the associate of calling him stupid, among
other things. The story was clearly not the way it went.

The manager stated that he heard the entire conversation, patiently
explained the features of both desks, explained the reason why one was
sold as a set, and the other was sold as a series with three different
hutch options made to fit exactly on the desk he originally wanted.
I'm not sure the manager could have done much else, he lost a sale.

What was crystal clear, there was no doubt what occurred, the
associate didn't have to explain a thing, but what's best, the manager
knew he could trust and back up his employee without any shadow of a
doubt I'm sure that alone boosts morale.

So, the last day of a strange and sometimes difficult year....

What to say that hasn't already been said?

Have there been some triumphs? Yes.

Have there been some regrets? Yes.

Have there been some disappointments? Most Definitely Yes.

Laughter and tears, teasing and frustration, wonderful hugs and
terrible loneliness.

Difficult choices.

Thill of Victory / Agony of Defeat

Missed Opportunities.

Prayers, answered and unanswered.

A Simple Miracle or two.

A handful of surprises sprinkled here and there.

Other things that were expected (though not necessarily wanted) also
came to pass.

In other words, a year like every other.


To everyone who's walked this path with me, for however long or short
a time, My "Good Cops"

I extend a heartfelt "Thank you."

I wish each and every one of you contentment, good fortune, and the
gift of fulfilling your deepest needs instead of merely your wants.
May the powers-that-be watch over you all.

Pine Nut Cookies (Biscotti Ai Pignoli)

1 1/2 - cups granulated sugar
1 - tablespoon almond paste
1/2 - teaspoon salt
4 - Large Eggs
2 - cups flour
1/2 - teaspoon baking powder
2 - teaspoons almond extract
2 - tablespoons pine nuts
2 - tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place a mixing bowl over hot but not boiling water, or use a big
double boiler. Put the sugar, almond paste, salt, and eggs into the
bolw, and beat for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is lukewarm and
looks like pancake batter. Make sure the almond paste is well beaten
also.

Take the bowl off the hot water and continue beating for another 5
minutes, or until the batter is cool and looks almost like frosting.
Sift the flour and fold it gently into the batter. Add the almond
extract and fold again.

Using a teaspoon, drop cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto buttered and
floured cookie sheets, decorate with pine nuts and sprinkle with
confectioners' sugar. Let stand about 5 minutes, and then bake for 15
minutes, or until toasty and crisp on the outside. Makes about 60
cookies.

Amaretti Macaroons

The Italian macaroon is made with hand - crushed sweet and bitter
(amare) almonds, but finding the bitter ones sometimes poses a problem
for the American cook. This adaptation of the traditional recipe uses
almond extract and canned almond paste to approximate the authentic
amaretti flavor and texture.

1 - 8 oz. can almond paste
1 - cup granulated sugar
4 - egg whites (approximate) at room temperature
1 - pinch of salt
2 - teaspoons almond extract
1 - tablespoon confectioner's sugar

Mash up the almond paste in a bowl with a fork, adding granulated
sugar as you mash. Add 1 egg white and, using an electric mixer, beat
until smooth (about 3 minutes).

In a separate bowl, beat 1/3 cup of egg whites (approximately 3 egg
whites, but it depends on the size of the eggs) until stiff but not
dry. Add pinch of salt about half way in the beating.

Add the egg whites to the sugar and almond paste mixture ad continue
beating (about three minutes) or until the matter is nice and light.
Mix in the almond extract.

Butter and flour 3 cookie sheets and drop the batter by the half
teaspoonful (demitasse spoons are good for this), leaving
approximately 1 1/2 inches between the cookies. Put the
confectioners' sugar into a sieve and sprinkle each cookie with a bit
of it. Let stand 1 1/2 hours

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then bake the Amaretti for about 20
minutes, or until golden brown in color. Cool before removing from
the cookie sheets with a spatula. Makes about 60 to 70 cookies.

______________________________________________________
Mine Should be Manipulating Electricity


You're highly reactive, energetic, and super charged.
If the occasion calls for it, you can go from 0 to 60 in a split
second.
But you don't harness your energy unless you truly need to.
And because of this, people are often surprised by what you are
capable of.

Why you would be a good superhero: You have the stamina to fight
enemies for days

Your biggest problem as a superhero: As with your normal life, people
would continue to underestimate you

______________________________________________________

Check it out-

http://www.blogthings.com/whatshouldyoursuperpowerbequiz/

As challenging as it's been to "squeeze" shopping trips into my
"normal" routine, I've done most of my shopping at Target and Kohl's
this year and have found that both stores have performed equally as
well as or better than Macy's as far as customer service and product
knowledge goes. Much to my surprise, the employees did go out of their
way to help, even find an answer if I had a question. I really
appreciate and admire people in retail, even the semi nasty ones, this
time of year. It's never easy dealing with the public, especially this
time of year when everyone's overstressed.

The one thing that I didn't encounter at ANY store, was a reluctance
on any employee's part to wish me "Happy Holidays" OR even *GASP*
"Merry Christmas". Yes! The workers at Target and Kohl's felt no shame
in saying the word "Christmas", and even within earshot of the head
cashiers and management. And in return, I had no problem whatsoever
saying "Happy Holidays" "Happy Chanukah and "Merry Christmas" if
visual cues or symbols were there, if not, whatever acknowledgement
they gave, I gave in return. This certainly cannot be "policy" nor a
"Philly" thing. Common Decency and the Spirit of the Season is alive
and well.

We've had to adjust our plans and let go of doing things we normally
do for the holidays. Instead of buying things for the many people
who've helped us all year long, we were planning on throwing a party,
but had to let that idea go as well. Instead, we made cold cut
platters, made potato salad, pasta salad, pickle and olive trays,
appetizers and minestrone soup, some home made sweets, donuts and
coffee from Dunkin Donuts. We delivered lunch to Dad's oncology center
and Mom's Dialysis team. All we had to do was pick up our crock pots
and platters at a later date. I'm doing a scaled down appetizers, tea
sandwich, coffee and petit four version for my Physical Therapy,
Diabetes Care, and Pain Management folks. The individual doctors and
caretakers we're still thinking of something meaningful to do or give.
Any Ideas?

Last week we visited what I call "Another World", The Italian Market
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Market_(Philadelphia)
We've made our annual trip to Fante's, Giordano's and ninth street to
get fresh spices, nuts, dried fruit and baking ingredients. It's one
trip I always look forward to because it brings back memories from my
youth. It's the place Rocky made famous, with open air fish mongers,
produce people, and butchers hawk their wares among the gritty streets
with barrels of burning wood to warm them and canvas awnings to
shelter them from the elements.

We always get "steak sangwiches wit whiz" at Pat's or Geno's before
heading home. Oh, and a stop at Termini Brother's for Italian
pastries.
It just isn't Christmas without Cannoli!

I know what I would do, but something to think about:

Say you're out shopping, aimlessly walking and looking down. Suddenly,
you spot a wallet on the floor. You look around and notice no one else
sees it or notices you. You Pick up the wallet, put it in your pocket,
and go about your business thinking what you should do next.

Say you find a bench and out of curiosity, you look inside the wallet.
First you notice what looks like about 120.00 or more in twenty dollar
bills. Your mind is racing, thinking how nice it would be to have 120
extra dollars to spend on a few extra gifts.

You nervously look around and notice no one is looking. Curiosity gets
the best of you. You look through the slots and see several credit
cards, maybe a spare key or two, and all kinds of I.D.

Then curiosity gets the best of you. You open the photos, and see
pictures of a couple, some photos of a few families, pictures of
little kids dressed in either their school uniforms or holiday cloths,
maybe a few with a dog or cat. Maybe a dry cleaning tag or gym
membership.

You have this wad of money and know where the person lives, what they
look like, the things that they hold dear in their lives. Would you
drop it in a mailbox? Take it to the house and put it in the doorway
or their mailbox? Would you expect a reward? Would you keep the money,
toss the wallet,and make believe you never saw the photos? Take it to
security or the closest store?


What would you do and Why?

We were talking about our "Food memories" at Thanksgiving this year,
and the odd thing was, no one in our family really has a connection
with "Food" when we think of "Thanksgiving". Perhaps it's because we
always count our blessings and everyday is a "Give Thanks Day" of
sorts. Our Thanksgiving Day memories revolve mostly around certain
items, games and the little stories tied to them. The table itself
connects us to people who've graced it in the past (and people some of
us never even met) with their presence. As kids, these stories were
boring, but the older we got, the more we appreciated the history they
revealed.

We have place settings that were passed down six generations from both
sides of our family along with others our wives, husbands, mates and
family friends blend their traditions with ours, but no one has a
"full" set of anything, because they were all split among the branches
of the family tree. No matter who's table we're at, there are
reminders of these people, and they remain with us in spirit at every
holiday. These things will continue to be passed down. The dishes we
serve do reflect our heritage to an extent, but no one food or recipe
is associated with someone in particular, unless it's a passing
reference to that perfect butter cookie Aunt Mary made, or the year
Aunt Angie mistakenly left the gizzard pack inside the turkey before
cooking it. Or my most recent mistake, dusting cookies with cayenne
pepper and powdered sugar instead of using cinnamon.

Every year at Thanksgiving, we look forward to watching the parade,
football, playing "Briscola", a card game from Italy with a special
deck of cards, and Bingo.

Christmas is the Holiday where food and memory are most tied in
Italian culture more than any other holiday. Maybe because in Italy,
they didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, and Christmas was the main holiday
when everyone gathered. They celebrate two Christmases there, the
commercial one is December when the gifts are given and the true
religious holiday is in January with Three Kings Day.

Do Traditions tied to your family heritage change your Thanksgiving
Holiday or do you just celebrate it as an American Holiday?

Thanksgiving Forecast
Turkeys will thaw in the morning, then warm in the oven to an
afternoon high near 190F. The kitchen will turn hot and humid, and if
you bother the cook, be ready for a severe squall or cold shoulder.

During the late afternoon and evening, the cold front of a knife will
slice through the turkey, causing an accumulation of one to two inches
on plates. Mashed potatoes will drift across one side while cranberry
sauce creates slippery spots on the other. Please pass the gravy.

A weight watch and indigestion warning have been issued for the entire
area, with increased stuffiness around the beltway. During the
evening, the turkey will diminish and taper off to leftovers, dropping
to a low of 34F in the refrigerator.

Looking ahead to Friday and Saturday, high pressure to eat sandwiches
will be established. Flurries of leftovers can be expected both days
with a 50 percent chance of scattered soup late in the day. We expect
a warming trend where soup develops. By early next week, eating
pressure will be low as the only wish left will be the bone.

Ford has a new commercial with that mentions the sync system coop
between Microsoft and Ford Motor Company. They're also staging an
event called "Ford Year End Celebration". The logo has the word
"Celebration" on a rainbow themed background with red orange yellow
green blue indigo and violet. I wonder if there will be a letter in
the near future in the top 25 vehemently opposing this logo because
it's eerily similar to the "Rainbow GLBT Pride" symbol and calling for
a boycott?

Stay tuned....



If you're curious, it's on ford's homepage directly below the uber
cool new Ford Focus.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/index.asp

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) -- The Virginia Tech community will create a
human thank you card to the world on Saturday for supporting the
school after the April shootings.

University staff, faculty and students and Blacksburg residents have
been asked to show up at the campus Drillfield Saturday morning
wearing orange and maroon to spell out the words "VT Thanks You."

Organizers are welcoming University of Miami fans, too, who will be in
town to watch the Hokies' final home game of the season against the
Hurricanes.

Tech geography researcher Peter Sforza came up with the idea for a
worldwide greeting that will be recorded from space by a satellite
that flies over town every three days.

He says experts have estimated that time to be 11:09 a.m., but it
could be anytime between 10:35 a.m. and 11:12 a.m., so he's asking
participants to be on time.

The one tradition we will always carry on for Thanksgiving is watching
this episode of WKRP.

[edit] "Turkeys Away"
This episode was named by TV Guide as the 40th greatest in TV
history.

Arthur Carlson, feeling left out of the everyday station business,
decides that he wants to get more involved. He goes around asking all
the staff if anybody needs any help. In one memorable scene, he goes
into the DJ booth while Johnny is on the air listening to the song
"Dogs" by Pink Floyd. Carlson finds out it is a Pink Floyd song and
wonders what "Pigs on a Wing" sounds like, to which Johnny replies, "I
don't do requests."

Without informing anybody, Carlson decides to stage his own promotion
for Thanksgiving, which involves dropping twenty live turkeys from a
helicopter to unsuspecting supermarket shoppers below. He expects that
the turkeys to gently flutter to the ground and be taken away by
delighted shoppers. The scene is reported live on the air by news
director Les Nessman, breathlessly describing the unseen birds
plummeting to the ground, in a parody of Herbert Morrison's famous
coverage of the Hindenburg disaster: "It's a helicopter, and it's
coming this way. It's flying something behind it, I can't quite make
it out, it's a large banner and it says, uh - Happy... Thaaaaanksss...
giving! ... From ... W ... K ... R... P!! No parachutes yet. Can't be
skydivers... I can't tell just yet what they are, but - Oh my God,
they're turkeys!! Johnny, can you get this? Oh, they're plunging to
the earth right in front of our eyes! One just went through the
windshield of a parked car! Oh, the humanity! The turkeys are hitting
the ground like sacks of wet cement! Not since the Hindenburg tragedy
has there been anything like this!" Afterwards, the shaken Carlson
explains, "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

In 1988, radio station WCSX in Detroit, Michigan hosted a "Turkey
Drop" in Hines Park in Livonia, Michigan. Richard Sanders was the
emcee of this Thanksgiving promotion in which paper turkeys were
dropped from a helicopter to participants in an open field. The
turkeys had coupons that were redeemed for prizes. This same contest
was mimicked in 1990 by oldies station KONO in San Antonio, Texas.

------------------------------------
Unfortunately, we may never see it on dvd (boo!)

http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2005/03/66696?currentPag
e=all

_______________________________________________

But there's always u- tube (Yay!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzRmwNwKVw8

This entire "You Are Special" concept that Fred Rogers started with
his program has a name. When I chose my avatar, it was borne of trying
to find a reason for the "Attitude" that rubs everyone the wrong way
in letters. I thought it fit, and now I find that someone else thought
the same way.

I was watching 60 minutes tonight and was intriqued. I'll post the
link at the end, but if you've read letters on PFB, you already see
the sad aftermath. In Theory, the "Baby Boomer's" zealous
indoctination of this new "ME" generation of people who believe they
are special and entitled to special rights and priveleges just because
they exist. They are called "The Millennials" and they are a force to
be reckoned with.

The meat and potatoes are here:

____________________________________________________

"I believe that they actually think of themselves like merchandise on
eBay. 'If you don't want me, Mr. Employer, I'll go sell myself down
the street. I'll probably get more money. I'll definitely get a better
experience. And by the way, they'll adore me. You only like me,'"
Saltzman says.

So who's to blame for the narcissistic praise hounds now taking over
the office?

Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow covers trends in the
workplace and points the finger at the man who once was America's
favorite next door neighbor: Mister Rogers.

"You have got a guy like Mister Rogers, Fred Rogers on TV. He was
telling his preschoolers, 'You're special. You're special.' And he
meant well. But we, as parents, ran with it. And we said, 'You,
Junior, are special, and you're special and you're special and you're
special.' And for doing what? We didn't really explain that," Zaslow
says.

"But isn't this generation, particularly of middle class kids, really
quite special? Aren't they, in some ways, much better than your
generation, certainly mine," Safer remarks.

"Well, except, when we were younger, you had a piano teacher who
expected you to practice your piano and work hard at it, and the
parents expected it. And now, the parents say, 'Have fun, learn the
piano, practice a little bit.' So, there's not the expectations that
they will achieve and work hard," Zaslow says. "It's not the same work
ethic."
______________________________________________________

The entire article, if you're interested is here:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/08/60minutes/main3475200.shtml

Was Fred Right?

Should businesses make radical changes to accomodate these people?

Should their demands be taken seriously?

What are the implications for society as a whole if this culture is
allowed to flourish?

Any Thoughts?

http://mytypewriter.com/

Anyone remember typewriters?

While reading an article in reuters about a repair shop in new york ,
http://www.reuters.com/article/inDepthNews/idUSN3159715220071107?feedT
ype=RSS&feedName=inDepthNews&sp=true

I found the link to this site about typewriters that's full of
interesting facts and history of these machines. We had to learn
typing in school, and the experience is a lot different than a word
processing program and keyboard (the notebook keyboard, especially is
difficult for me to use). Looking through the site made me appreciate
the art even more because it has a page of famous authors and their
machine of choice. I still type without looking at the keyboard (and
it sometimes shows). I owned an olivetti underwood manual and a
brother electric. Looking at the site, I wish I still had the
olivetti.

It's just an amazing machine that played a pivotal role in business
and history, and just one more "Thing" that is no longer.

Guess what *I* got in the mail today? No, not a free sample or rebate
check for 50 cents that cost me 32 cents to mail. Not a notice that I
won the Irish Lottery. Not an invitation to test drive a Mazda and
receive a 20 dollar Target gift certificate for the honor. No, none of
that fun stuff. I got a notice that there's a class action lawsuit in
the offing for people who purchased Kitchen Ranges from Sears and
opted for free delivery.

It comes at a very important time of year and it brings up a good
point.

Apparently there's a thing called a "tip over prevention device". The
problem is, when the oven door is open and a child uses it as a step
or someone places, say a Turkey on the open door, the entire stove's
center of gravity tips and there's a good chance that it may tip over.
Not one of Martha's "Good Things".

The general premise of this class action suit is this: Sears has an
ongoing promotion, as many stores do, of offering a rebate when
customers opt to use their delivery service. It's a nice thing they do
because, in essence, the delivery and basic installation is usually
done free The appropriate accessory is recommended at time of purchase
to make the intallation safe (A new flexible gas line,usually), the
old appliance and packing material are removed from the home for the
customer. Sears is happy, the customer is happy, the metal recycling
plant is happy and the service makes extra money so they're happy)
Everyone's Happy, so what's the big whoop?

The problem is, by extending this service, according to the class
action suit, Sears should ensure the safety of the customer and
install this tip over device as part of their installation process.
You can opt for a discount on a new stove, or a sears gift certificate
for a yet to be determined amount of money. No one will get cash for
their "mental anguish" and one can suggest another method of
reimbursement if the first two do not seem to apply. I haven't even
given it much thought, but I must confess, the idea of compensation
does sound appealing.

I know about these devices from purchasing appliances in the past,
usually they're an extra cost item and, Best Buys and a local
appliance store near me, actually strongly suggest it be purchased
(the cost is reasonable, approximately 20 dollars or less), so it's
good that I've been put on notice and included in this recall, I
wouldn't want anyone injured or killed for the sake of some company
either by design or omission, cutting corners or neglecting to inform
customers of the option to purchase one. Time is money, and insalling
one would certainly take about 3 minutes (by my conservative,
unresearched estimate).

As much as my experience with Sears Appliances in the past has been
fraught with angst and drama, I have to applaud the folks who had a
court order to get the names and addresses of customers who purchased
Kitchen Ranges from Sears customers who sent in warranty cards.

Here's my only Questions-

Why did I receive this notice when I never purchased a Kitchen Stove
from them?

Why did Sears give them MY name and address, since the last time I
got any response of any kind from any letter or phone call I made was
*NEVER*?

EVER WONDER ..

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin ?

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline "Psychic Wins Lottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid
made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why
don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

Well, the party went pretty well, we had to leave around 9 because of
an emergency, but everyone started leaving around that time anyway.
Halloween's always better when there's no school the next day.

The adults had fun eating, drinking and catching up on what's going on
in everyone's lives. It really seems that everyone's rushed and life
is more complicated than I suppose it really needs to be. I think
that's why we look forward to this gathering every year. After Labor
day, there really isn't an opportunity for everyone to get together,
so when we do, it seems to mean a lot more.

The kids had a good time, with the exception of a little expected
crankiness, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Not having kids, I
did seem to notice some adults "coaching" their kid's art work and
found it odd. Others with children noticed as well, so I suppose it
happens. But does it really matter if a six year old replicates in a
candy mosaic, an exact rendering of Mount Rushmore? And seeing the
parent bragging how "Little Jimmy" made this all on his own! just
makes me shudder.

I guess the whole point is to let the kids be kids, and as adults, we
have to take their word for it that their work is indeed a
hippopotamus and not a haunted house. It's amazing to see how much
they've grown, how they interact with each other, and how they
approach their world. Nothing means "Happy Halloween" more, in my
opinion, than seeing people enjoy each other's company, and the sounds
of children having fun.

One thing that seemed to come as a surprise was that a few of my
contemporaries have begun carrying pictures of their children's
children. When did THEY get old enough to become grandparents?

I'm hooked on this movie (Across the Universe) and the Beatles in
general. Seeing it has truly made me appreciate the Beatles even more
than I ever really thought I did.

I found this site that explains the songs "Blackbird" and "Eleanor
Rigby" from the point of view of a teacher, and a very good one at
that. I suggest you copy and paste the words to a blank document, the
way it's laid out on the page is very un nerving and does it no
justice whatsoever.

"Blackbird" is here :
http://entrypoints.com/RockLyrics/Blackbird.html


"Eleanor Rigby" is here :
http://entrypoints.com/RockLyrics/EleanorRigby.html

Thinking back on history and the movie, this makes so much sense.
These four artists were far more cerebral and in tune with the world
than anyone ever gave them credit for. I wonder what will be the
defining music of the next generation?

To the person with a yahoo address who popped up on my msn buddy list
and has been on there since 8:45 p.m.tonight and hasn't said a word:

STOP IT!

You've been permanently blocked and are uninvited. Any future attempts
will be declined without comment.

It's Over.

Gino dosen't do

"Anyone who truly knows me, knows I'm honest to a fault
:)==============".... ANYMORE!

Been There!, Done That!, Got the Tee Shirt!!!

Don't hate me,
Forgive yourself and move on.
I did and I'm much better off for it.

I don't want this disease to overtake my life and become THE DEFINING
topic people associate with me. I recall a skit on the original SNL
show, with Gilda Radnor and Lorraine Newman, where they introduce
someone sayiing "This is John with Cancer" and the other goes "Oh Hi!,
John with Cancer" This skit stuck in my mind for several reasons, but
the one thing that's true about human nature, is that people do think
these things. I choose to think, in a way, that it's appropriate,
because no matter what we have, we are ourselves first, and whatever
afflictions we have just happen to complete the sentence. I guess it's
always good to be yourself first, so if I come off as "Gino with
Diabetes", I just want you to know, that's ok because it's part of
what makes me, me.

This disease was a real revelation. It forces me to constantly think
ahead. Believe me, anyone with diabetes does not need to be reminded.
They count carbs, test their blood glucose levels several times a day,
exercise, watch every morsel they eat, take insulin injections or
pills and are reminded several times a day. The same holds true for a
lot of things.

They have to do stupid things like plan ahead if their activity level
rises, if they take a simple trip to the supermarket and don't eat on
time, they need to carry monitors,test strips, lancets, syringes,
insulin, snacks, medicines, food, glucose tabs and gels, and insulin
dose logs, they are fighting a battle and need to be prepared for any
possible scenario.. And even with the most stringent and exact
measures, there are times that their blood sugar level soars or dips
for no reason of their own, no fault of their own. There's stress and
feelings of helplessness, but seldom, if ever, self-pity.

If you or someone you know or love has this disease, it effects you as
well. I do understand it's coming from a good place, but "Gino" needs
a little slack when "Diabetes" throws him a curve ball. Just like the
millions of others dealing with this.

I know people mean well, but "Bad Cop" questions like "Should you be
eating that?", "Did you check your blood sugar?", "Why are you
swallowing two tablespoons of sugar, you KNOW it's POISON!", "Wow you
lost/gained a lot of weight! Are you eating enough?/Lazy and overdoing
the food again?" and my all time favorite, "Did you remember to "shoot
up"?" (No, I'm not addicted to insulin and crave a "fix", I NEED to
inject it to live, I don't WANT to inject it, it does not get me
high.) Don't help, and may even do more harm.

"Good Cop" questions may be more difficult to think of, but maybe it's
best to encourage the person, "I know you're trying very hard, it's
not your fault your body's betraying you", "You know what's best for
you, I'm here if you need me", "Today's a bad day, but there will be
better ones ahead" or "Can I help find a way to make (fill in the
blank) easier for you?". Even a pat on the shoulder, a smile, or a
thumbs up is enough because it says "I'm here if you need me"