29.9.05

Do You Remember?

Boy this is a memory flogger for all us old farts that actually remember all this stuff; like me.  LOL   Do You Remember???
Sit back, relax, read, and for heaven’s sake smile. It will kind of remind you to stop and smell the roses of life, and to give thanks to God for life and memories.  Your memories may be quite different from these, but one day, you will reminisce your good old days… today.

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN...? All the girls had ugly gym uniforms?  

They were heavy and clunky, but we didn’t care, cause we all hated gym then anyway.It took five minutes for the TV warm up?  

Ours was the size of a small chest freezer with a tiny 6-inch screen in the center and several knobs in front below the screen.  We called it the redwood stump with the big knothole in it.  Ah…and everything was in living black and white.

Nearly everyone's Mom was at home when the kids got home from school?  

Mine took in laundry, ironing, and did sewing and mending for everyone.  She also made special Irish-lace trimmed hankies and sold them at the town beauty shop.  Another way mom made money and still stayed home for us kids; she grew African violets for the local nursery.  This was all done from home; because she didn’t need a business license to make some extra money from her own skills like today.Nobody owned a purebred dog?  

Oh yes they did, my grandfather ran a string of pedigree beagles in competition and one of my uncles had pedigreed standard bull dogs.  I even had a pedigreed collie that could have given Lassie a run for the money in shows if it weren’t for 1 flaw in her markings; she had 2 black hairs in her beautiful white ruff main around her neck.

When a quarter was a decent allowance?  

Nah! It never was, but we didn’t care because the storeowners treated us to candy and gum; because they liked us and we didn’t vandalize their stores.  We would never have dreamed of defacing someone’s property…. our parents would have killed us.  You'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny?  

Yep! And for a bus token too, they were worth five cents cash in Canton, Ohio when I was a kid.  That’s way better than a penny. Your Mom wore nylons that came in two pieces?  

Only on Sundays to Church or to School functions; concerts, PTA etc.All your male teachers wore neckties and female teachers had their hair done every day and wore high heels?  

They could have been poster parents for the Ivy League any day of the week.  Talk about intimidating…. whew!  Ever watch the Christmas movie “A Christmas Story”?  That’s when I was a kid.


You got your windshield cleaned, oil checked, and gas pumped, without asking, all for free, every time?  And you didn't pay for air? And, you got trading stamps to boot?  

Ah! But sadly that was before the oil companies and the drug manufacturers owned our government.  Now that’s the good old days!Laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or towels hidden inside the box?  

Ya, and they had their factories in the United States. It was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents?  

We only went out on special occasions, usually on payday.  We went to get groceries and got shrimp baskets and ice cream for dinner at a local restaurant.  Man that was living.  The shrimp were larger than that tiny stuff you get now days too.  The ones we got could have passed for a chicken leg.They threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed. . And they did?  

Ya, damn it….I was one of them.  I was held back for being 2 points below passing.  Passing was 70 and I got 68 in English in the 8th grade.  All my grades averaged out together were well over the 70 for the year, but because I had one grade below the 70 I was held back that year.  Sucked.

When a 57 Chevy was everyone's dream car...to cruise, peel out, lay rubber or watch submarine races, and people went steady?  

Not at my house.  We had a 57 T-Bird…titty-pink with port holes on the sides..  Boy do I have some memories of cruising in that baby.  Mmmmmmm MMMMMmmmm
No one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the car, in the ignition, and the doors were never locked?  Not on the cars or our houses…No one would bother anything.  Lying on your back in the grass with your friends and saying things like, "That cloud looks like a.."   We still do that.

And playing baseball with no adults to help kids with the rules of the game?  
Or any other game for that matter, like kick the can and red rover and statue and stick ball and our version of football, volley ball and basket ball.Stuff from the store came without safety caps and hermetic seals because no one had yet tried to poison a perfect stranger?  We would have wondered why the manufacturer didn’t want us to get into it.And with all our progress, don't you just wish, just once, you could slip back in time and savor the slower pace, and share it with the children of today?

Got that right, the kids now days would have to learn to be kids first instead of rushing into being adults with sex and violence as their every day life.

When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited the student at home?  Basically we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat!  But we survived because their love was greater than the threat.

Do you remember Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Laurel and Hardy, Howdy Doody and the Peanut Gallery, the Lone Ranger, The Shadow Knows, Nellie Bell, Roy and Dale, Trigger and Buttermilk? How about summers filled with bike rides, baseball games, Hula Hoops, bowling and visits to the pool, and eating Kool-Aid powder with sugar.  Or how about shoving your gum into the sugar bowl so it would have a sweet flavor the next morning when you’d dig it out from the bottom.  I got a few whacks for that one, but it never stopped me.  LOL

I am sharing this with you today because I got hit with a double dog dare. To remember what a double dog dare is, read on. Remember that the perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too young to care. How many of these do you remember buying at the candy store for a penny or 3 cents?
Penny candyCandy cigarettes Wax Coke-shaped bottles with colored sugar water inside
These were all a nickel:Soda pop machines that dispensed glass bottles
Coffee shops with tableside jukeboxes Blackjack, Clove and Teaberry chewing gum
5 cent packs of baseball cards - with that awful pink slab of bubble gum
Home milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers (Now known as pogs)Newsreels before the movie (Movie tone News)
F. Fliers (I had a Western Flyer from the Western Auto Store.)
35 cent a gallon gasoline Jiffy Pop popcorn
Telephone numbers with a word prefix...(Raymond 4-601). (My first telephone number when I was a kid was 273-R)Party lines (Ya, what a pain in the butt; nib shit neighbors eavesdropping) Home made potato guns, sling shots, whistles, drums, carved toys and rubber band tanks made from empty spools of thread.
Peashooters Howdy Doody 45 RPM records (78’s)S&H Green Stamps Hi-Fi's
Wind up record players with the extra center shaft for 45’sMetal ice cubes trays with levers Mimeograph paper Beanie and Cecil Roller-skate keys
Sock hopsCork popguns Drive-ins
Snake dancesStudebakers, Model T’s
Trundle seats
Tinkers
Junk men who came around collecting junk.Washtub wringers The Fuller Brush Man Reel-To-Reel tape recorders
8-track tapes
view findersTinkertoys Erector Sets
Tonka trucksThe Fort Apache Play Set Lincoln Logs 15 cent McDonald hamburgers
Soda Fountains and Ice cream stores were where everyone met after school.   Going “eeny-meeny-miney-moe” made decisions? Remember when mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming "Do Over!"? "A race issue,” meant arguing about who ran the fastest? Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening?  Squishing them on fingers and wrists for jewelry and filling fruit jars for lanterns.It wasn't odd to have two or three "Best Friends"? The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was "cooties"? Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot? A foot of snow was a dream come-true? In Ohio it had to be a blizzard for me to not have to go to school.  Country kids were excused but the town kids had to attend.  We didn’t have extra make up days; you did the work for the days you missed and got graded on it or got held back.  We also had to pay for all our supplies, books and anything else we needed for school.  There weren’t any freebies.Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute commercials for action figures? TV was live, so anyone that made a mistake, you got to see it right then.  If you missed something it was because there was something more fun to do somewhere else to waste your time in front of that stupid box.  The radio had better stories to listen to at night.  G-men, Fibber McGee and Molly, George Burns and Gracy Allen, The Lone Ranger, The Shaddow, Gene Autry, Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Mystery Theatre and many more."Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense? Spinning around, getting dizzy, and falling down was cause for giggles? The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team? War was a card game? Playing canasta caused war at my house.  We played a lot of euchre.
Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle?  And sticks shoved in the spokes made the rider shoot out over the handlebars.Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin? Not at our house…it meant getting a shot from the doctor.Water balloons were the ultimate weapons? Still areIf you can remember most or all of these, then you have lived!!!!!!! Now if anyone needs a break from  "grown-up" living, make a list of things you can remember that brings you the joy and carefree thinking of childhood.  Cause that’s what life is all about!  I double-dog-dare-ya!

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28.9.05

Learning from Failures

We can learn a lot from failures if we allow ourselves.  Too many times we let our ego get in the way of helping us to grow in good ways.  Sometimes we have experiences that try and test our patience to the limit and we’re shown our shortcomings in not to pleasant ways.  It’s at these times we can take that criticism in a constructive way or we can shut off all hope of gaining something positive from the experience.  

I had one of those experiences today and I hope I’ve gained the skills to deal with future difficulties in a more positive manner.  Here are a few thoughts I gleaned from Rev. Dr. Schuller Sr. to help me keep focused in a positive direction; I hope they help you in the same way.

Failure means:
1. You haven't succeeded yet.  Yet is the big word here; I must keep Trying!
2. You have learned something.  If nothing else: don’t do the same thing.
3. You had a lot of faith.  Keep the faith flowing.
4. You were willing to try.   Good things come when I’m willing to try.
5. You have to do something in a different way.   I will be more creative.
6. You are not perfect.   No one is!
7. You have a reason to start afresh.   It’s ok; there might be a better way.
8. You must try harder.   Everything worthwhile takes effort.
9. A Failure means it will take a little longer.   There’s always time to do it right!
10. Failures mean God has a better idea!   Aren’t you glad God’s leading you to that better idea?

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21.9.05

Life is REAL good!

I’ve been so good it was beginning to scare me.  LOL  

No, seriously, I’ve exercised everyday without fail since starting my new lifestyle regimen on the 13th of September.  Then today it all went to hell.  NOT MY FAULT!  

I drove my normal route and returned to the school; parked the bus in the garage after my return inspection like normal, but instead of heading home and exercising I had to wait for the Tsunami drill for the school.  We drove up the closest hill and lined up waiting for the entire school from ELC (Head Start School) ECAP (and the baby daycare at the Early Learning Center across the street from the school) and K-12 to walk up the hill and load onto the busses for the return to the school.  

The exercise was the first our school has had and all things considered it went quite well.
We learned for future drills we need to notify the neighbors who’s driveways we block preventing their ability to get out to go to work, and that all busses should have radios in them that can pick up the emergency radio stations for any pertinent news of the impending disasters.  We are all equipped with radios for our terminal and local police contact but not all busses have the fancy types that can pick up weather forecasts etc.
We had plenty of busses that could have taken all the school to the next staging area in the event of an actual disaster evacuation; that was good to learn.

Once I was back at the barn and able to go to my vehicle, I then had to take my grandson to the chiropractor to have his football injury fixed.  In the last game, James, hurt his neck and back tackling an opponent.  Linebackers’ occupational hazard I guess, anyway, his coach has been ragging on him to get out there and quit wimp ping out.  James does not ever wimp out.  He only yells uncle when it’s real and he can’t hack it any more.  So when this asshole coach started this crap, James was ready to quit football; the young man lives for playing sports, and even wants to be a pro player.  He spends his summers at football camp and is friends with Jake Plummer of the Cardinals. (Jake used to be a neighbor when we lived in Idaho; that’s where they met.  Since then they’ve been good friends because James has the potential and Jake has been teaching him all he could.  That’s how much James loves the game.)

The Doctor gave him a note to excuse him from any and all practices until potentially Monday the 26th.  He! He! He!  Guess whose bank account is now left with only $10.00 to finish out the month?  Yep!  Grandma’s, and his next appointment is Friday, but the Doctor was nice and dropped the fees from $35.00 a visit to $20.00, so Friday we’ll only owe him $5.00 and then on Monday the Dr. will know more about how James’ neck is doing or if he’ll need more days off sports practices.

So now the jerk coach will have to do without one of his star players through practice and two games; maybe he’ll draw in his horns and learn to treat James better; if not, he’s just liable to loose him all together.  I hope James tells the bastard where to get off and takes him to the school board for mental abuse.  Browbeating kids to please the coaches and some parents is not right, and I don’t give a damn who does it, it’s wrong.  This is the same coach that penalized James for missing (with permission from the coach) 2 hours of 1 practice, so that he could go to visit his only sister in the hospital 100 miles away.

So here it is 11:20 and I still have to exercise.  Shit!  I’d rather do it early.  Oh!  Guess what greeted me when I got home…. LOL
I had to ask to be able to get into my apartment…. the carpenters are here building new bridges and stairs on all the apartments.  I now have to walk a city block to get to and from my car that is just outside my window.  LOL Talk about exercise!  LOL
So close, but so far away.  Ah!  Ain’t life grand?

I think I’ll crank up Led Zeppelin for the carpenters and exercise my ass off.  LOL Hay, one of those guys (you know what they call carpenters don’t you…gutter sluts…my my my-my-my) eye candy in a tool belt; and, just outside my window.  Hot Damn!  Life is real good!

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20.9.05

To Funny Not To Share! LOL

 
This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, State of Michigan.
This guy's response is hilarious, but read the State's letter before you get to the response letter.
 
(State's letter) SUBJECT: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Montcalm County
 Dear Mr. DeVries:
 It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property.  You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
 Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.  A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity.  A review of the Department's files show that no permits have been issued.  Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, annotated.
 The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations.  We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted.  The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel.  All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2005.  Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff.  Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action.
 We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter.
 Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.
 Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative, Land and Water Management Division
 
 This is the actual response sent back:
Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Montcalm County.
 Dear Mr. Price,
 Your certified letter dated 12/17/04 has been handed to me to respond in regarding to the above mentioned file.  I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget, Pierson, Michigan.
A couple of beavers are in the  (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood "debris" dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond.  While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials "debris."  I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose.  I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.
As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.
 My first dam question to you is: (1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers... or (2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?
 If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through The Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued.  Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Michigan Co implied Laws, annotated.  I have several concerns.  My first concern is... aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation?  The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation, so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.  The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event causing flooding is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect.  In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.
 If you want the stream "restored" to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers, but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter... they being unable to read English.  In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream.  They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond.  If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).  So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now.  Why wait until 1/31/2005?  The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to harass them then.  In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention a real environmental quality (health) problem in the area.  It is the bears!  Bears are actually defecating in our woods.  I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone.  If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! (The bears are not careful where they dump!)   Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.
 Thank You,
 Ryan DeVries & The Dam Beavers

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18.9.05

Eating Healthy IS NOT Cheep! Part 4

Choosing a Healthier Lifestyle.

Today is Sunday and like most Sundays I attended church, worshiped then almost whimped out on exercising, but didn’t.  I simply got off my butt and went into the bedroom to my gazelle, slipped on my shoes after adjusting them properly for my goofy foot, then proceeded to exercise.  I did five minutes with no problem; I didn’t get bored or even want to quit.  That’s great!  Along about the 8 ½ minute stage I began wearing out and caught myself rationalizing in my thoughts, “I’ll just match yesterday; after all it is the day of rest.” I chewed myself out mentally, “Your programming yourself to fail. Already!”.  “You can at least try to make it through the same time you did yesterday, or just one minute more; so that means you will be doing 13 minutes; set your mind to it.”

Well I completed my 13 minutes and got off the machine exhausted, but satisfied that I didn’t quit like I wanted to do from the very beginning.  I told myself “Your comment was that you eat 7 days a week so you’d exercise 7 days a week well that’s just what your going to do, either you exercise today or you fast.  There comes a time when you have to be honest with yourself and put out some effort; this is that day”!

As I said before I have papers with encouragement all over the place trying to motivate me, well while on the gazelle I noticed another one.  It’s really small and I had to strain to read it through my giggling vision.  It’s about the size of a business card and taped to the lower side of the one from Dr Dyer; both are on the side of my CPU on my desk.  I cut it out of O Magazine.  It says, “I will try a new lifestyle, not a new diet”!  Beneath that is a line with my signature on it.  Beneath that is the statement:
You have joined the movement.  Keep this contract in a secure location.  Uphold the ideals of healthy eating.  Unite with fellow members and overthrow the bad-eating paradigm at http://www.golean.com/

I’ve never been there till now; that speaks volumes.  

So would you like to explore that site right along with me?  I’ll meet you back here.

Oh boy!  I have to give you a heads up on the Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal…IT SUCKS!  The only creatures that will eat it are my birds; and they eat most anything; even paper.  No thanks I’ll pass.  I’ve given it a fair trial already and it sucks as food.  It tastes like assorted pieces of corrugated box cut into unusual sizes and shapes AND it’s expensive.   So you do what you want with that information.  I’ll stick with whole barley mixed with whole oats and bran and cooked; with a little non sugar sweetener “Splenda”, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of can’t believe it’s not butter, or for a change ¼ cup of 1 or 2% milk.  If I’m going to eat cereal, I want to know it’s cereal and not expensive crap in a box.

Just a note: The American Diabetes Association recommends Splenda.  It’s made from real sugar and can be used just like real sugar.  It’s another product I found to have 0’s on everything on the Nutrition Facts box.  So you can eat it till it comes out your ears.  Can’t say I’d want to because it makes everything taste much sweeter than regular sugar, so the expense isn’t that bad when you consider you’ll use about half what you would have used of real sugar per serving.  I bought a bag about 6 months ago and still have over half of it; now that’s a bargain!
Jan

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17.9.05

Eating Healthy IS NOT Cheep! Part 3

Shopping…..

So here I am 6 days into my resolve to eat healthy and I’ve spent on healthy foods:  13th………… $38.18
15th………… $26.06
17th………… $21.87
                       $86.11
Who the hell in the normal world can afford this?  DAMN SURE NOT ME!

Come on now Health Professionals; were talking get real now!  Just because you make money coming out the ass off every person you see, doesn’t mean that’s how the rest of us live.  We live on pasta’s and soups, on breads and sweets, on chops once in a while and chips.  Who can afford fish anymore; even if we love it?  
Let us see how well you’d eat on what was left after the bills were divvied out their allotment of the paltry monies available to us.  And especially woman’s so called equal pay for an equal job done.  GOD what a joke that one is!  But lets get back to the subject here and now.

South Beach Diet Phase One meal plan calls for two weeks of intensive regimented eating:  Breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack, dinner, and desert.
Sounds great don’t it.  Ok, check it out.
Here’s a shopping list for just 2 days of eating like this.
Day 1…
Vegetable juice cocktail
Vegetable Quiche cups
Decaffeinated coffee ($5.75 bags) or tea ($3.45 bags) with nonfat milk ($1.75 ½ gal) and sugar substitute ($9.80)
Part-skim mozzarella cheese sticks ($4.60 package of 6)
Grilled chicken breasts  ($6.99 / 6) on romaine ($.99 per #)
Balsamic vinaigrette ($4.65)
Low-sugar prepared dressing (I used roses lime juice and olive oil or powdered ranch dressing no mayonnaise or oil, just powered dressing which has nothing in it; no calories, carbs, sugars etc, nothing, zip, zilch, nada, nothing and tastes like a million bucks.)
Sugar-free flavored gelatin dessert (I already had a couple boxes but they run $1.50 for the small boxes and $2.50 for the large.  But I’ve learned to buy the boxes of unflavored gelatin ($8.00+ per box and mix 2 extra packets of unflavored gelatin into the flavored stuff and make Knox blox.  Cut the gelatin into finger portions and eat like a treat.  Knox the sugar urge and satisfies the sweet tooth, lasts a long time too.)
Celery (cheep right now @ .49 a #) stuffed with laughing cow light cheese  ($4.00 I don’t think sooooo!)
Grilled salmon (nearly $10.00 for a filet FORGET IT!) with rosemary steamed asparagus ($1.99 per #)
Tossed salad (mixed greens, ($2.89) cucumbers (3/$1.00), green peppers (2/$1.00), cherry tomatoes ($1.99 box)
Olive oil ($9.80 small bottle or I bought a tin for $20.00 that will fill my bottle 4 times.  I use olive oil all the time anyway and only olive oil.) And vinegar ( I never use, but bought a bottle distilled white vinegar because it was the cheapest $.89)
Low-sugar prepared dressing
Vanilla ricotta crème ( I can’t see wasting good cheese on making a desert mess; I’ll use it for eggplant lasagna instead, the eggplant takes the place of the noodles and I use lean meat no fat or skin if I use chicken…LOL)

Day 2…
Tomato juice ($3.25)
Liquid egg substitute (Another forget it!)
Canadian bacon (I gave up about here on the shopping list from the South Beach Diet, and decided to use what fit into my budget and forget the rest until I become a multimillionaire.)
Decaffeinated coffee or tea with nonfat milk and sugar substitute
Turkey roll-ups (I don’t like cold cuts of any kind)
Cilantro mayonnaise  ($.79 per bunch) and (don’t ruin the cilantro with mayonnaise)
South beach chopped salad with tuna ( I ignored the south beach foods and bought 2 heads of iceberg lettuce and a couple cans of cheep tuna packed in water)
Sugar-free flavored gelatin desert
Celery stuffed with laughing cow light cheese
Baked chicken breast
Roasted eggplant and peppers  (this sucked as a meal without some help…I prefer my eggplant recipes to theirs.  Stick to vegetarian recipes and they will taste better and still be healthy for you.)
Tossed salad (mixed greens, cucumbers, green peppers, cherry tomatoes)
Balsamic vinaigrette or low-sugar prepared dressing
Mocha ricotta crème.  (Calls for unsweetened cocoa powder (I’ve had a can of that on the shelf for over a year and never use it because I can’t stand bittersweet chocolate) and espresso powder (who the hell knows where to get that?) and 5 mini chocolate chips (know anyone that will sell me a tollhouse cookie so I can get the chips out of it?  On second though, forget it, they are semi sweet chocolate….bluck!)

Now I didn’t even eat all this stuff.  I lived on celery, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, and for the main meals eggplant fixed in different ways.  Broiled and baked with the veggies on the list.  No turkey, egg substitute, Canadian bacon south beach specialty foods, baked chicken breasts and no mocha ricotta creme deserts, yet look at the total on my bill for food.

So as you can see, “You better be wealthy if you want to eat healthy”.  

No wonders there are so many diabetics; between the politicians and the drug companies it’s a wonder we can eat at all.  I say it’s a government plot so they can eat well in their ivory towers.

Don’t give up though; I’m going to keep looking and reporting on the real world way to beat this dilemma; pass the hot dogs and canned beans.


  

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Eating Healthy IS NOT Cheep! Part 2

Setting the Background for Success.

I have some good motivational words tacked up to my wall surrounding my computer and in front of my exercise machine from Doctors Wayne Dyer and Robert Schuller Sr. I respect both men for their intellects.

As I exercise I face and must focus on and read Dr. Dyer’s words, “Spend your thoughts and energy on what you want; your infinite soul will make conscious contact with your source for it’s creation for you. These words not only make powerful sense to me since my source is God and I feel I’m being led by the Holy Spirit to accomplish what has been set before me. But these words also motivate me to think about what I want, which leads me to the other posted positive words.

On the first sheet, I’m paraphrasing, Dr. Schuller tells me to use my imagination. My “imageofgodinus” as he writes the word “imagination”…. the “image-of-God-in-us”! He says to revitalize my imagination! To light up my darkened mind in living Technicolor! To take Action! Sound! Energy! Enthusiasm! Drive! Determination! Zeal! Zest! Vitality! And let God shine through my dulled and distorted picture. The fatigue, frustration, failures and fears will clear out and leave me with a sparkling clear and clean vision to the horizon.

On the second sheet, the synopsis is, Dr. Schuller, tells me to budget my time and plan my days and work my plan. He says, “Never head into a day without a plan. Nothing could be more disastrous as far as your time budget is concerned.” Also, “ Be prepared to say “NO” to yourself and others who might want to spend your time unwisely. Learn to say “NO” in a fair, friendly, and frank, and firm manner.” This I’m applying not only to eating and living healthy but also to every part of my life; I have to be honest, I’ve never learned to say “NO” to people I love, nor to exercising regularly.

On the final sheet Dr. Schuller’s advice to people like myself who are contemplating a new career at the age of sixty+. And I quote, “Anyone who wants to can succeed. Success is building self-esteem in yourself, through sacrificial service to God.
Unless you achieve tremendous self-esteem in the process, all that the world calls success becomes ashes in your hands.
The secret of success is to find a need and fill it.
S U C C E S S Select your goal. Unlock your positive thinking. Chart your course. Commit yourself. Expect problems and difficulties. Sacrifice yourself. Yes, success always involves a cross! Stick with it. Yes, You never fail until you say, “I Quit.”
Whatever it is, you can succeed.”

I added at the bottom:
Believe that you can and will!
Jesus said so, and he doesn’t lie!

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Eating Healthy IS NOT Cheep! Part 1

Eating Healthy isn’t Cheep!

Part 1: In fact it can cause you to go broke.

I’ve been able to get up and move around again like a normal person after 4 months now exactly. I had my gall bladder removed two days after the last day of school let out for the Summer; and was released from the doctor’s care after two months and one week.
I still didn’t feel quite up to normal and was still medicating and cleaning the last two incisions of the four used for the laproscopic surgery procedure.

Even after the incisions were healed I’ve had a problem adjusting to what I can and can’t eat now. I’ve had more problems since the operation than I ever had before the one large and three small stones were removed. As a result I’ve chosen to use this problem as a sign to get serious about eating healthier. Shit! May as well…what else can I do?

I bought Dr. Agatston’s South Beach Diet book and began reading up on the most successful and realistic diet on the market today. After only one week of shopping almost daily for the fresh vegetables, spices and such that is in the book for the first stage of the diet, I find I’m broke.

That’s right! I’m left with a total of $50.00 to finish out fourteen days from September 17, 2005 and I’ll need food by next Tuesday.

Now you have to understand, I live on a very strict budget. Every penny is accounted for and earmarked for some bill or another outlay that is necessary. There is no room for frivolous things like fancy, healthy, foods. I’m like most Americans, get whatever is cheapest and stretches the farthest. So to keep this from becoming a book, I’m going to begin a series of what it costs to eat healthy and how I’m adjusting it to reality. If it works we can all benefit from it, but if it fails, others can see why and where it went wrong.

Day one exercising began on the 13th and I’ve slowly increased the amount of exercise time each day. I’ll be adding time only as it becomes easier for me to do the last time set. I try increasing the time by 2-3 minutes when I get tired. Then the next day I try to match that last time and keep on until it gets easy and I add the necessary minutes until I’m tired and add the 2-3 as before. Today I did 13 minutes on the gazelle after getting on for 1-½ minutes only to discover I couldn’t handle the shoes I had worn to start. So tomorrow I’ll set my goal at 15 straight minutes. And yes, I’m going to plan on exercising 7 days a week. I eat seven days a week, so I’ll exercise seven days a week. My intent is to begin my Tai Chi as soon as this body is in strong enough shape to handle it. Two full months of doing nothing takes its toll and then another two months of semi-activity only leaves a body extremely weak and in need of movement; just to stay usable. I’ve never been one to do nothing. Drives me totally nuts! To me, it’s worse than cabin fever.
So that’s it for today’s post. Stay happy and as healthy as you are able.

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15.9.05

They're Getting Their Own Christmas Stamp!

There is an e-mail circulating that just goes to show how some people can read hate into everything. This time I guess your not patriotic if you don’t agree with them. Well I love my country and I love mankind. I also have the greatest hopes for the world and all the people on it, but I cannot agree with hatred. My own mix of Nationalities had their share of individual hatred; it was wrong when it happened to my people and it’s wrong when it happens to the new kid on the block.
Here is a semi copy of the e, along with my comments. I hope you make up your own minds and don’t just buy into anyone spouting patriotic hatred.


How ironic is this??!! They don't even believe in Christ and they're getting their own Christmas stamp, but don't dream of posting the Ten Commandments on federal property?
USPS New StampThis one is impossible to believe. Scroll down for the text.If there is only one thing you forward today...let it be this!
The stamp has a deep dark blue background with gold Arabic lettering. The top left corner has EID. The bottom says GREETINGS. And the standard 37cent price in the upper right corner.
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of Pan AmFlight 103!REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the WorldTrade Center in 1993!REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marinebarracks in Lebanon!REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the militarybarracks in Saudi Arabia!REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the AmericanEmbassies in Africa!REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE!REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11/2001!REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that werelost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks!
Now the United States Postal Service REMEMBERS and HONORS theEID MUSLIM holiday season with a commemorative first classholiday postage stamp.REMEMBER to adamantly and vocally BOYCOTT this stampwhen purchasing your stamps at the post office.To use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all thoseAMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors.REMEMBER to pass this along to every patriotic AMERICAN you know

My Christmas stamp Commentary

I see this as a subtle way of saying Christ is being honored even if the Moslems don't realize it...after all it is being issued at Christmas, therefore it is a Christmas stamp. (Christ) mas is a celebration of Christ Jesus’ birth...a Christian Holiday. So I say, Go ahead ...celebrate Christ; we Christians do even if you non-believers don't believe. Christ did say, "Not all that say Lord Lord, are mine." Anyone that spouts hatred and claims to be a Christian should go back and read their Bible. Jesus teaches peace, love, kindness, forgiveness, forbearance and all things good. Hatred doesn’t fit into that picture at all.

So all those people that don't believe in Christ Jesus technically shouldn't be celebrating Christmas, but we Christians have such a wonderful time loving and showing that love it causes everyone to want in on the act.

The Post Office is just helping us celebrate our season. How do we win people for Christ? Through loving kindness and forgiveness, not through hatred!

Our country was founded on Christian principles that crushed and oppressed everyone from the Native People of this continent to the very people attempting to escape persecution. Lets not perpetuate that image by spewing hatred because someone does us wrong. Violence only perpetuates violence. Someone has to stop the insanity sometime.

Christ set the example. Turn the other cheek. Forgive.
If we are truly his followers, we will do the same.

May I be the first to wish you a Very Merry Christmas to all, and May God Bless us; every one!
Jan

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14.9.05

Alternate Meanings for Common Words

My sister Jill sent these to me; I just had to share.
PRICELESS!!
The ANNUAL NEOLOGISM CONTESTOnce again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings or common words.And the winners are:
1. Coffee n.)
The person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.)
Appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.)
To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach
.4. Esplanade (v.)
To attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.)
Impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.)
Describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.)
To walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.)
Olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.)
Emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are
run over by a steamroller.
10 Balderdash (n.)
A rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.)
A humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.)
The formal, dignified bearing adopted by
proctologists.
13. Pokemon (n)
A Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (n.)
A person who sprinkles his conversation with
Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.)
The belief that, when you die, your soul flies up
onto the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (n.)
An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by
Jewish men.

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10.9.05

Halliburton Lands Katrina Contracts, Stock Rises to One-Year High: "



Guess who's cashing in on the disaster! Our "VICE" President, or should I say the back up President.

It's beginning to look like the American people are getting suckered "AGAIN"! Damn! You'd think they'd at least give us some vasaline.

You have to check out this Blog....

You think the cronies aren't at it again, then I have a bridge I'll sell you.

Deborah White has quite an eye opener here people; a must read.
Jan

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9.9.05

I’m just sooooo happy!


Guess who’s NOT working for FEMA anymore?
Yepper! He’s outathere.

Don’t it just make you want to smile?

Now I hope the new one doesn’t suffer from cranialrectimitis.

That seems to be a selective disease; only affecting those in power.

Have a great day!
Jan

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8.9.05

Did God punish us with disaster?

I was upset by the comment made by a Rabbi in the news recently. He said God was punishing the victims of the hurricane. Well he’s entitled to his opinion, but I disagree and here’s why….

Praise the Lord, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagles! The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed his character to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious; he is slow to anger and full of unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us, as we desire. For his unfailing love toward those who love him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103:1-12 NLT

That’s the difference between believing in a loving God and a vengeful god. My God loves His children. He doesn’t promise us an easy ride in life, but He does promise us to be there for us and with us throughout our lives. He’s there through all the difficult times in our lives.

God set the laws of nature into motion when He created everything. WE humans have been messing with those natural laws of cause and effect from the time we learned we could. That is why there are such terrible storms now, and when we messed with the natural flow of the Mississippi delta we caused what eventually happened. It’s not God’s fault we messed things up again. It’s mankind’s mistakes, and it’s up to mankind to make them right again, but I’m afraid as long as we care more for money than we do for our planet and our people these things are going to continue happening. But! One thing you can count on…. God will be there in the midst of whatever is going on, and His people will respond just like they are responding and have been responding since hurricane Katrina hit the United States of America devastating so many in her wake; not just in Louisiana, but in Mississippi, Alabama, and outlying states.

If we can learn from our mistakes and rectify them, we can be proud of ourselves, but if we continue to pass the buck and ignore our parts. I’m not just speaking to all politicians. I’m speaking to everyone who should be voting; to everyone not doing their part to help make a better world for us all, including the poorest of the poor in USA. We will only be as strong as our weakest person.

We cannot shirk responsibility in any way, for if we do we should hang our heads in shame. Because we, NOT GOD, will be sentencing future Americans to the same devastation, and that is when God WILL step in and make us ALL sorry.

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7.9.05

FEMA Reminds me of an Old TV Series

Remember that old TV series called "Car 54 where are you?"

That's what's going on in the states ravaged by Katrina; where the hell is FEMA?

Everyday citizens from all over the country, and the Salvation Army are the ones getting in there and helping. Hell even as screwed up as the Red Cross is, they're helping. FEMA's excuse is they don't want to clog the roadways.

Wake up assholes!

The roads are already clogged...that's what they need help with.... getting the people out to safety, food, clothing, and some resemblance of normal. Your suppose to be there cutting them a check to help them help themselves, but instead your miles away out of their reach. DAH! They don't have any means of transportation dummies; they lost EVERYTHING! You know...EVERYTHING? That means they don't have anything. Tell you what go look up nothing in the dictionary then look up destitute, then victimized, then ravaged.

For Christ's sake, Rhuanda and Taiwan is sending money to help them, and your dragging your heals.
What? You in bed with the millionaires that aren't concerned either; the oil companies raised the prices in that area.... you getting a cut? Is this just another Katrina-gate?

Them that have keep theirs and let them that are doing without die.
Sounds like time to clean political house to me.

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5.9.05

Oil Shortage ?????

Thanks to my e-mail I have this choice morsal to offer and I agree whole heartedly.....


A lot of folks can't understand how we came to have an oil shortage here in our country.

Well, there's a very simple answer.

Nobody bothered to check the oil. We just didn't know we were getting low.

The reason for that is purely geographical. Our OIL is located in Alaska, California, Oklahoma, and The Great State of TEXAS.

Our DIPSTICKS are located in Washington DC


Need we say more?????


Isn't this just the best!
Jan

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2.9.05

YOU CAN HELP VICTIMS TOO

The people left in the disastrous wake of hurricane Katrina are struggling to survive.  These are our brothers and sisters, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles, cousins or distant family and friends who have been ravaged and left with only the clothes on their backs.  They have no place to go and no provisions for survival.  


Take up collections anywhere and everywhere and donate them to these reputable organizations that will use those donations for the people in need.

Be very careful of scam donation drives right now.  That is why it is better to go through one of these organizations that are recognized worldwide.

I’ve compiled a list of reputable places where you can help.  Find some way to help the victims of hurricane Katrina.  Please!  

1.  Salvation Army Katrina Help Information

How You Can Help: Financial Donations:
Financial contributions are greatly needed, and provide The Salvation Army with the funds to purchase what storm victims need. They also allow The Salvation Army to assess the unique needs of individuals and families, as well as put money back into the economy of those communities affected by the disaster. Click here to donate online... To donate by phone, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY To donate by mail, send checks, earmarked 'disaster relief,' to PO BOX 4857 JACKSON, MS 39296-4857. Visit your local Wal-Mart or Sam's Club to donate to The Salvation Army's Hurricane Katrina relief effort.


Salvation Army National Headquarters

Donate now...Victims Needing Assistance: Please call 1-888-363-2769.Connect with Loved Ones: SATERN - The Salvation Army's Team Emergency Radio Network has been activated. Click here to send a health and welfare request regarding family and friends you otherwise are unable to locate... If you receive an error page when asking for a 'health and welfare request,' please click 'refresh' until the page appears. We thank you for your patience!

2. Goodwill International
     Goodwill offers this list of organizations where you can help right now with money donations.






  • Christian Reformed World Relief Committee(800) 848-5818www.crwrc.org








  • Southern Baptist Convention - Disaster Relief(800) 462-8657, ext. 6440www.namb.net



Salvation Army National Headquarters

Goodwill International

Red Cross

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