Artistic Ability

I have been fooling around with colors and fonts on this blog.  It is fun (for me, low threshold) to mix up the various colors.  However, it is obvious that I have no or little artistic ability.  I like greens as might show in the colors that I have at the moment.

My wife and daughter have artistic abilities.  Both can sing, create, and write.  I am very lucky to have them; but am too lazy to get any help with the colors.  I hope they are not too glaring for the few visitors. 

Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere. Gilbert K. Chesterton 

Bad artists always admire each other's work. Oscar Wilde 

Good art is in the wallet of the beholder. Kathy Lette 

Any work that aspires, however humbly, to the condition of art should carry its justification in every line. Joseph Conrad 

Abstract art? A product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered. Al Capp 

The immature artist imitates. Mature artists steal. Lionel Trilling 

ART, n.This word has no definition. Its origin is related as follows by the ingenious Father Gassalasca Jape, S.J. 

    One day a wag -- what would the wretch be at? -- 

    Shifted a letter of the cipher RAT, 

    And said it was a god's name! Straight arose 

    Fantastic priests and postulants (with shows, 

    And mysteries, and mummeries, and hymns, 

    And disputations dire that lamed their limbs) 

   To serve his temple and maintain the fires, 

   Expound the law, manipulate the wires. 

   Amazed, the populace that rites attend, 

   Believe whate'er they cannot comprehend, 

   And, inly edified to learn that two 

   Half-hairs joined so and so (as Art can do) 

   Have sweeter values and a grace more fit 

   Than Nature's hairs that never have been split, 

   Bring cates and wines for sacrificial feasts, 

   And sell their garments to support the priests. (DD)

Filling Up

While I was filling up my gas tank today, I noticed that the dollars gauge was going very fast vs. the gallons of gas pumped.  I remember when the gallons went much faster than the dollars, the lowest gas price I remember paying was 19¢/gal (i.e., over 5 gallons per dollar).  It used to be hard to carry $10 worth of groceries; but now I am much stronger and can carry $10 in one hand (in part of a bag)!

I remember when $10,000 a week was a fortune!  I remember paying $500 for my first car (used Pontiac Tempest when it was really a compact car).

Sometimes it is not an advantage to remember things! 

A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen.~Edward de Bono

Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food.  ~Austin O'Malley 

There are lots of people who mistake their imagination for their memory.  ~Josh Billings 

“Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions. You may have a heart of gold -- but so does a hard-boiled egg.”

“When I was younger I could remember anything, whether it happened or not.” Mark Twain 

“When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.” Mark Twain 

memory (n) 1 a person's power to remember things • the power of the mind to remember things • the mind regarded as a store of things remembered  • the capacity of a substance to return to a previous state or condition after having been altered or deformed. See also shape memory .
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French memorie, from Latin memoria, from memor ‘mindful, remembering.’

Unexpectedly

It seems that every week a headline comes out that "-x- has unexpectedly -y-." This week it was again about unemployment numbers (unexpectedly high -  Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment insurance rose by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 496,000. Wall Street analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a drop to 455,000).  Where do the expectations come from?  Is it that only right on numbers are not unexpectedly?


If I expect taxes to rise under P.O. by 25%; if they actually raise 27% or 23%, is that unexpected?  Is there no randomness in unexpectedly?



“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.” Charles F. Kettering


“Anger always comes from frustrated expectations”  Elliott Larson


“I am not in this world to live up to other people's expectations, nor do I feel that the world must live up to mine.”  Fritz Perls 


“The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations.” Eli Khamarov


“The expectations of life depend upon diligence; the mechanic that would perfect his work must first sharpen his tools.” Confucius




expectation (n) a strong belief that something will happen or be the case in the future  • a belief that someone will or should achieve something • ( expectations) archaic one's prospects of inheritance

ObamaCare

If you limit the profit of an organization then there is less of an incentive to perform the business well.  P.O.'s "new" "improved" health care bill's newest trick is to limit the ability of Insurance companies to raise their rates (who doesn't want something for nothing).

The rest of the bill sounds an awful lot like the failed bills that "passed" the house and senate.  I don't understand why they are so committed to passing a very unpopular bill.  They will lose several Senate and House seats over it (I personally would be happy with that result!).

Since P.O. basically has told Reid and Pelosi to write bills with no direction from him; why is he surprised by the public outcry when the bills come from those far left legislators.

Fortunately I will still have my lovely wife and kids grandkids, even though they (kids and grandk's) will end up paying for it.

“Any 20 year-old who isn't a liberal doesn't have a heart, and any 40 year-old who isn't a conservative doesn't have a brain.”

“If you want something said, ask a man...if you want something done, ask a woman.” Margaret Thatcher

“Politics is the art of postponing decisions until they are no longer relevant.” Henri Queuille

“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.” Earnest Benn

“Politics is for the present, but an equation is for eternity.” Albert Einstein

“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” Plato

POLITICS, n.A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.(DD)

Sundays' Dinner

On Sunday, we leave early for Church so we can lead a Bible study starting at 8 AM.  It seems that we don't get back before noon due to various other activities at Church.  So I have been using my lovely wife's crock-pot to make dinner; so when we come home we can eat.  My first 2 meals were Beef Stew, my last one was Chicken Stew.


GDad's Chicken Stew
3 chicken breasts (half breasts skinless and boneless)
1 medium to large baking potato  (can use 2 baking or 4-5 red)
3 red potatoes
1 cup of onions (cut up)
1 cup carrots (sliced / cut up)
1 cup green / red peppers (cut up)
1 cup celery (cut up)
1 T parsley
1 can Hunt's spaghetti sauce (used Herb and Garlic)


Directions:
Cut up Chicken into small pieces.  Microwave chicken for 3-4 minutes (half way thru mix up so uncooked parts are revealed).
Put sauce and parsley into crock-pot.  Put in Chicken into sauce and coat with sauce.
Add all rest of the ingredients and mix up.
Cook in pot for 7 to 8 hours.


Notes:  
Used 4.5 qt. crock-pot and it was too small during cooking.
Anyone who knows my type of cooking knows that I don't use exact measurements so above cups are +/- some (probably +).
Any type spaghetti sauce would probably be OK, but Hunt's is the cheapest and has flavors we like.
Cut up sizes are not that important; I have a generic size that works for me.
I cook the Chicken before putting in because that way I am sure it is cooked.
Have fun!


I don't even butter my bread; I consider that cooking.  Katherine Cebrian


Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat. Jim Davis


Once, during prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.  W. C. Fields


I don't like food that's too carefully arranged; it makes me think that the chef is spending too much time arranging and not enough time cooking. If I wanted a picture I'd buy a painting. Andy Rooney


McDonalds announced it’s considering a more humane way of slaughtering its animals. You know they fatten them up and then kill them. You know the same thing they do to their customers, isn’t it?  Jay Leno


cook (v)   1 [ trans. ] prepare (food, a dish, or a meal) by combining and heating the ingredients in various ways  • [ intrans. ] (of food) be heated so that the condition required for eating is reached  • ( cook something down) heat food and cause it to thicken and reduce in volume ORIGIN Old English cōc (noun), from popular Latin cocus, from Latin coquus

Electoral College

Various states are introducing legislation that would require the electoral voters for the Presidential election to vote for the candidate who has gotten the most votes in the nation.  As you probably know when we vote for the presidential candidate we are actually voting for electors who then vote for the candidate that they are pledged for (though they are not required to vote that way as has happened in various elections) most states do not split the votes so the person who has won the majority of the votes in a state gets all that states electoral votes.

I am against this since I want even small states to have a vote in the election of a President.  A few corrupt states (IL. NJ,etc.) with widespread vote fraud could determine the election; whereas, now they just corrupt their states.

There are various videos that show that most people don't know anything about politics or the government (many people asked who controls congress thought the Repub's do, even though the Dems have been in power since 2006 and this year with vast majorities).  A famous video (in conservative circles) shows a woman saying now that P.O. is elected she would not have to pay for her mortgage or food another asked about where P.O. will get the money for her says from his stash!  These people are deciding our future, hopefully the Good Lord will protect us!

The President has kept all of the promises he intended to keep. George Stephanopoulos

If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one? Abraham Lincoln

To those of you who received honors, awards and distinctions, I say well done. And to the C students, I say you too may one day be president of the United States. George W. Bush

Never vote for the best candidate, vote for the one who will do the least harm. Frank Dane

If elected, I will win.

I've upped my standards. Now, up yours

If Iowa is the 'heart' land, what part of the human body is Los Angeles?  Pat Paulsen

ELECTOR, n.  One who enjoys the sacred privilege of voting for the man of another man's choice.(DD)

Genesis

I have decided to lead a Bible Study on the Book of Genesis for the next several weeks.  It is a very interesting book.  It starts with the Creation story, followed by the fall of man, Noah and the Ark, Babel, Abram, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.  It has the first murder, first marriage, first my wife is my sister, etc.

I have ordered some books from Alibris.com and Amazon.com to help me (hopefully give me a entire study without work; so far it still requires a lot of work on my part with 2 more books to come).  The first book that came was Thru the Bible Vol. I (Genesis to Deuteronomy) at least that is what I ordered.  What came was Vol. IV (Matthew to Romans);  I told the people that I ordered from that Vol. IV was not as useful in a Bible Study on Genesis.  They emailed me back saying that they were sorry for the mistake, but they did not have Vol. I any more so they were refunding my money.  They said to donate the Vol. IV to my favorite charity since the postage to send it back was more than the book was worth.  Even though my favorite charity starts at home,  I will probably donate to the Church library.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

“In Genesis, it says that it is not good for a man to be alone; but sometimes it is a great relief.”  John Barrymore

“And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9).”

It is not good that the man should be alone.  Genesis, 2. 18

Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age.  Genesis, 18. 11 

genesis (n)  the origin or mode of formation of something 
Genesis the first book of the Bible, which includes the stories of the creation of the world, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, and the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.
ORIGIN late Old English , via Latin from Greek, ‘generation, creation, nativity, horoscope,’ from the base of gignesthai ‘be born or produced.’ The name was given to the first book of the Old Testament in the Greek translation (the Septuagint), hence in the Latin translation (the Vulgate)

Banners

One of my fun duties at our church is changing the banners.  I am one of the young people at our church so  I don't mind going up on a ladder and changing the banners (mainly in the altar area though sometimes on the sides, I don't understand how we decide to put up the side ones ( that is known to Betty)).


I went to the Y this morning and since I was 70% of the way to the church (cheap me not wanting to waste gas), I went to the church and changed the White Banners (Transfiguration Sunday) for the Purple Banners (Ash Wednesday(should be black but we don't have black banners) and Lent).  Before getting into the banner changing profession I never noticed that much the banners or their color.  Below is the ELCA colors and meanings:

The Meaning and Use of Liturgical Colors


In the Christian tradition colors are used for vestments and paraments, but a unified system of colors developed only gradually and haphazardly until and through the Middle Ages. Today, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America provides a system of colors for use by its congregations; for the most part, the same system is also used by Roman and Anglican churches, at least in the United States; and by many churches around the world, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.


The colors serve to adorn the worship space, and to call attention to the nature of the season or festival being celebrated. A brief summary of their usage, according to the church year, follows.


Advent: Blue is used for its references to hope. It originated in Scandinavia, probably because purple dye was too expensive for churches to use. The alternate color for Advent is purple, the royal color of the coming King (note that this is a different meaning than when it is used in Lent; see below).
Christmas: White is used, as a reference to the purity of the newborn Christ, and to our light and joy in him.
Epiphany of Our Lord: White (see Christmas).
Baptism of Our Lord: White (see Christmas).
Sundays after the Epiphany: Green is used for its symbolism of our growth in Christ. Green, in a sense, is a "neutral color," used when more festive or more somber color is not appointed.
Transfiguration of Our Lord: White (see Christmas).
Ash Wednesday: Black is the preferred color, since it is the color of the ashes to which we will all return. Purple is the alternate color for this first day of Lent.
Lent: Purple is indicated, as the stark color of repentance and solemnity.
Sunday of the Passion: Scarlet is the preferred color of this first day of Holy Week, as it suggests the deep color of blood. (Scarlet is to be distinguished from the brighter color of red, which is appointed for the Day of Pentecost, martyrs’ days, and certain church celebrations). If a parish does not have scarlet vestments, purple may be used.
Days of Holy Week: Scarlet or purple may be used for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week.
Maundy Thursday: For this fourth day of Holy Week, celebrated as the institution of the Lord’s Supper, scarlet or white is used.
Good Friday: No vestments or paraments are used on this day, after the stripping of the altar on Maundy Thursday night.
Vigil of Easter: White as the color of joy in the Resurrection is used on this night.
Easter Day: On this one day of the church year, gold may be used. White is the alternate, perhaps with gold running through it. The gold color indicates that this day is the "queen of feasts," unique in the entire church year.
Sundays of Easter: White (see Vigil of Easter).
Day of Pentecost: Red as the color of fire is used on this day when we remember the tongues of fire descended on the crowd in Jerusalem. In contrast to the color of scarlet, Pentecost’s red is a bright color.
The Holy Trinity: White is appointed, the expression of joy in the mystery of the Triune God.
Other Sundays after Pentecost: Green is used, to indicate our growth in faith as we follow the teachings and ministry of Christ.
Christ the King: The final day of the church year uses white, a festive color of light, joy, and the celebration of our Lord.
Lesser festivals and commemorations are white, unless a martyr is celebrated, in which case bright red is used.

So I will go as far as I can into rock and roll carrying my Christian banner.  Cliff Richard


He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. - Song of Solomon 2:4.


Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner;  Exodus 17:15


We will sing for joy over your victory,And in the name of our God we will set up our banners May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. Psalm 20:5


banner (n)  a long strip of cloth bearing a slogan or design, hung in a public place or carried in a demonstration or procession • a flag on a pole used as the standard of a monarch, army, or knight.  • figurative an idea or principle used to rally public opinion  
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French baniere, ultimately of Germanic origin and related to band

Spam

My son's blog had a post on spam.  On our church blog, I had to get rid of some forms since I was only getting spam for various unmentionable items.  Also since I moderate the comments, recently spammers have used the comments as a means of generating emails to the site.

I don't understand the logic of sending spam to a church blog; do they really think that I would actually buy anything from them after the irritation they have caused?

The Rules of Spam: Rule #1: Spammers lie  Rule #2: If a spammer ever appears to be telling the truth, consult Rule #1

Speech is not free when it comes postage due.— Jim Nitchals

Spam is not a technical problem. Spam is a social problem. — John Mozena

Like almost everyone who uses e-mail, I receive a ton of spam every day. Much of it offers to help me get out of debt or get rich quick. It would be funny if it weren't so exciting.  Bill Gates

spam (n)  1 ( Spam) trademark a canned meat product made mainly from ham. 2 irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of recipients.
(vt) [ trans. ] send the same message indiscriminately to (large numbers of recipients) on the Internet.
ORIGIN 1930s: apparently from sp(iced h)am

Thanks Grandkids

Our P.O. has proposed a deficit for the next fiscal year of $1,600,000,000,000.  With a population of approx. 308,663,076 this means each person will owe an extra $5183 without considering the interest which will compound each year.


The budget is $3.6 trillion so 44% of it is not funded.  The estimated median income for a family of 4 is $70,354 (10/08 to 9/09 with the unemployment it is probably much less now).  So P.O. has spent  $20,732 out of the $70K+ or 29.5% for that family.  I really don't want my Grandkids to pay for this!


Of course, P.O. has a solution tax the rich!  Tax the small business owners who create the majority of the jobs in the US.  P.O. get a CLUE!


A $1.7 billion average increase in electricity costs is estimated to result in a $1.3 billion decrease in personal income and a loss of 13,000 more jobs in the region.  Greg Walden 


A broken heart is a very pleasant complaint for a man in London if he has a comfortable income. George Bernard Shaw


A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of. Jane Austen 


All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income.  Samuel Butler


An income tax form is like a laundry list - either way you lose your shirt. Fred A. Allen


INCOME, n.
The natural and rational gauge and measure of respectability, the commonly accepted standards being artificial, arbitrary and fallacious; for, as "Sir Sycophas Chrysolater" in the play has justly remarked, "the true use and function of property (in whatsoever it consisteth -- coins, or land, or houses, or merchant- stuff, or anything which may be named as holden of right to one's own subservience) as also of honors, titles, preferments and place, and all favor and acquaintance of persons of quality or ableness, are but to get money. Hence it followeth that all things are truly to be rated as of worth in measure of their serviceableness to that end; and their possessors should take rank in agreement thereto, neither the lord of an unproducing manor, howsoever broad and ancient, nor he who bears an unremunerate dignity, nor yet the pauper favorite of a king, being esteemed of level excellency with him whose riches are of daily accretion; and hardly should they whose wealth is barren claim and rightly take more honor than the poor and unworthy."(DD)

Brilliant Women

The above is a picture of a 1000 piece puzzle that my lovely wife put together. The three women who are the most relevant (my lovely wife, daughter and daughter-in-law) are all brilliant!  It is my opinion that a man should marry a woman who is smarter than he is.  I did it and am very happy with that choice!

My daughter and daughter-in-law are very smart & great mothers (as is my lovely wife)!


Marrying for love may be a bit risky, but it is so honest that God can't help but smile on it.  Josh Billings

When a man opens the door of his car for his wife, you can be sure of one thing: either the car is new or the wife is.

Do not marry a man to reform him. That is what reform schools are for." Mae West

Love is temporary insanity curable by marriage.Ambrose Bierce

“My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.” Winston Churchill

“A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.” Lana Turner

“One should choose a wife with the ears, rather than with the eyes” French Proverb

WEDDING, (n) A ceremony at which two persons undertake to become one, one undertakes to become nothing, and nothing undertakes to become supportable. (DD)

Us or U.S.

The Senate health care bill must be a good bill after all only a few Senators had to be bribed : 

• Nelson of Neb (Nebraska Democrat sellout’s special Medicaid expansion subsidy will initially cost an estimated $100 million),
• Vermont and Massachusetts will get similar (though less generous) special treatment by the feds in covering Medicaid expansion costs, 
• $100 million item for construction of a university hospital was inserted in the Senate health care bill at the request of Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn ; 
• nonprofit insurance companies will be exempt from a new, nearly $7 billion tax to pay for Demcare. Democrat Sens. Ben  Nelson and Carl Levin of Michigan,; 
• increase in Medicare payments to hospitals and doctors, the NYT reports, — “where at least 50 percent of the counties are ‘frontier counties,’ defined as those having a population density less than six people per square mile. And which are the lucky states? The bill gives no clue. But the Congressional Budget Office has determined that Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming meet the criteria" ; 
• Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., scored a big victory, too, with the inclusion in the amendment package of $10 billion to expand community health centers across the country — including at least two more in Vermont; 
• “Three states – Pennsylvania, New York and Florida – all won protections for their Medicare Advantage beneficiaries at a time when the program is facing cuts nationwide.”; 
• MARY LANDRIEU AND LOUISIANA: $300 million.

The congressmen take an oath when they are sworned in : I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.


It seems to me that the congressmen are only looking out for the "us" in their own states. I think they should look out for the entire country the U.S.A.. They are trying to fix what they see as bad deals for their states which are bad deals for everyone not just them.

“He's mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse's health, a boy's love, or a whore's oath.” William Shakespeare

“It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath” Aeschylus

“A liar freely gives his oath”

“If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared not only to retract it, but also to deny under oath that I ever said it" Tom Lehrer

OATH, ( n) In law, a solemn appeal to the Deity, made binding upon the conscience by a penalty for perjury. D.D.

No Blogging

I have not blogged for a while.

One of the reasons was that I was discouraged by the political landscape with the Dems running roughshod over the nation and the Constitution. But Scott Brown was elected in MA & it looks like the country understands the danger of the country going toward Socialism. If the liberals in MA can realize it maybe there is a chance for the country.

Another reason was just plain laziness. I often have these great thoughts to share in my blog but unfortunately they occur on my dog walks or while at church or in the car. And as is obvious I forget them and hence the rambling thoughts that end up in this blog!

“You can't teach people to be lazy - either they have it, or they don't.” Dagwood Bumstead

“Progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things” Robert A. Heinlein

“Lazy people are always eager to be doing something” French Proverb

If you have a difficult task give it to a lazy man, he will find an easier way to do it. - Hlade’s Law

Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy.- Charlie McCarthy

lazy (adj) ( lazier , laziest ) 1 unwilling to work or use energy • characterized by lack of effort or activity • showing a lack of effort or care

2 (of a livestock brand) placed on its side rather than upright : a logo with a lazy E.

ORIGIN mid 16th cent.: perhaps related to Low German lasich ‘languid, idle.’