Monday, March 29, 2010

Choices

Good or Bad choices can effect history.

When the Detroit Pistons had the second choice in the NBA draft, they chose Darko Milicic a 7 foot center from Europe.  He was very young and raw and the Pistons thought he might be Dirk Nowitzki type player.  It turned out that he was a bust and eventually the Pistons got rid of him and he is now at best a journey player not a star.  Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were the three picks taken after him.  All are stars approaching super star status.  Right now the Pistons are near last place due in large measure to that decision; with any of the other picks they would be right in the thick of things.  Bad Choice!

When I was in college I met a lovely girl.  She was (and is) smart, kind, and beautiful.  I met her on a date with a friend who would later be my roommate.  She was his date on a double date with me and my date (I don't remember who was my date) to a movie.  Later I got to know her better, I even helped her with a Calculus exam for Social Science.  She eventually was a roommate with the girl that my friend (above) ended up marrying.

I asked that beautiful girl to marry me and she said YES.  This is the woman that I have been married to for over 41 years.  We have had 3 children and now have 5 grandsons.  She is a wonderful mother and helped raise our kids who married excellent spouses (ones who are worthy of them).  Good Choice!

“There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.”



“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”  Joanne Kathleen Rowling



“If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise.” Robert Fritz


“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.”


“When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels”


The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice.  George Eliot


It's choice - not chance - that determines your destiny. Jean Nidetch



choice (n) act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities
• the right or ability to make, or possibility of making, such a selection 
• a range of possibilities from which one or more may be selected 
• a course of action, thing, or person that is selected or decided upon 
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French chois, from choisir ‘choose,’ of Germanic origin and related to choose

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Brand Name

A lot of the time, we shop at ALDI's for food items, ALDI's brand name names are things like Grandessa, Fit n Active, and Cambridge.  In general, I tend to buy the generic items.  The quality is not bad and of course they are cheaper.

I was thinking on my morning dog walk about what items that I only buy Brand Names.  In computers, I usually buy Apple which is not a generic since it is more expensive and (in my opinion) elite than a PC.  Clothes, I buy things like Basic Edition.  Cars, I usually buy American last 2 were Voyagers; sort of a generic vs. BMW or Lexus.  Our House is very generic, very uninspiring 3 small bedrooms and a basement.  For Food, my lovely wife likes Lipton Black Tea and a Organic Yoghurt, but meat, milk and vegetables are from local stores and generic.  Our TV is a Panasonic.  Our bikes are Nashbar and Performance; not the Brand Name Cannondale, etc..

I find that Brand Name items are often higher quality but not enough to overcome the price difference.


As a child, I was always playing some generic child. Susan Olsen



I think there's something great and generic about goldfish. They're everybody's first pet. Paul Rudd



A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well. Jeff Bezos



Your premium brand had better be delivering something special, or it's not going to get the business. Warren Buffett



Our success is a direct result of knowing how to market a brand and having the right people representing the brand. Greg Norman



generic (adj)
1 characteristic of or relating to a class or group of things; not specific
• (of goods, esp. medicinal drugs) having no brand name; not protected by a registered trademark
2 Biology of or relating to a genus.
ORIGIN late 17th cent.: from French générique, from Latin genus, gener- ‘stock, race.’

Thursday, March 25, 2010

30 or 60

Do you think the non-30 or 60 increments of time feel slighted?  Almost all TV shows begin at the 1/2 hour or the hour.  Most people's work begins on them also!


When you make arrangements to meet someone, do you ever say I will meet you at 8:07 PM?  The 15 minute increments also get some play but not the lowly 3 or 7 or 9 or etc.. Actually the prime numbers seem to be even more prejudiced against (1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, 37, 41, 43, 47, 53, 59 - though sometimes 5 gets some play, do you think is because most of them are odd?). 


It is just like money,when anything is $19.99 we think oh $20.  All of the lotto games seem to have a whole million $ prize.  How often do you use pennies?  (Actually we tend to use our credit card so I don't carry any change with me.)  There was a recommendation that the Treasury stop making pennies (one reason is that it costs more than a penny to make a penny), but there was a great outcry (one reason was due to the inflation built into going to $.05 increments) even though most people do not use pennies anymore!


I guess we will leave for choir practice at 1923, showing that I care about the poor unused minutes!


To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 
-- Ecclesiastes 3:1-8



2 is not equal to 3 - not even for very large values of 2. Grabel's Law



Women have a passion for mathematics. They divide their age in half, double the price of their clothes, and always add at least five years to the age of their best friend. Marcel Achard



In Vegas, I got into a long argument with the man at the roulette wheel over what I considered to be an odd number.  Steven Wright



number (n)
1 an arithmetical value, expressed by a word, symbol, or figure, representing a particular quantity and used in counting and making calculations and for showing order in a series or for identification
2 a quantity or amount 
ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French nombre (noun), nombrer (verb), from Latin numerus

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Census

I just heard a commercial for a reason to fill out your Census Form.  In the commercial. they talk about only having only 3 buses, but what happens if there are more people wanting to ride the buses, the buses would be crowded.  I (and my lovely wife), of course, feel that a better measure would be to count the people actually using the bus!


Various organizations are telling us to fill it out the form because the US government divvies out $400,000,000,000 to the various states depending on the number of people in the states. Why do people think that money "from Washington" is free money?  First the Feds tax us then they take their percentage then give a portion back to us.  This is not free money, it is an overtax that they give some back.


I saw a cartoon where a woman is telling her husband to fill out the Census form because they could lose a US Representative if they don't and he says "Win-win!"


I don't like that the form requires our phone number and name.  They also ask for your race, it is my opinion that very few really known their actual race; since intermarriage has occurred.  Their are very few pure breeds anywhere.


Another thing that I don't like is that the date it is supposed to be for is 1Apr10, which is not here yet.  They also sent a letter about a week before the Form arrived telling us that the Census Form was coming; another great use for the money the Federal Government takes from us!


I did fill it out and we will mail it tomorrow.



The true test of civilization is, not the census, nor the size of the cities, nor the crops, but the kind of man that the country turns out.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson


“I just want to know how people with multiple personalities fill out their census papers”



census (n) an official count or survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals
ORIGIN early 17th cent. (denoting a poll tax): from Latin, applied to the registration of citizens and property in ancient Rome, usually for taxation, from censere ‘assess.’ The current sense dates from the mid 18th cent.

DST

Daylight Savings Time is here.  It seems like it occurs sooner and sooner each year.  It is suppose to reduce energy use (the reason given by Congress for increasing the time it is used) and add time for various activities.


I do not like DST.  We like to bicycle places and we go to the YMCA early in the morning since we have other things to do later (there is a Bible Study on Mondays and things that occur on Wednesday and later in the year in summer activities on Friday).  It is convenient to go early and get the workout and shower out of the way early; but just as it is getting light enough to bike to the Y the clocks spring forward.  Some research has shown that more gas is used due to the increase in later daylight.


During his time as an American envoy to France, Benjamin Franklin, author of the proverb, "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise", anonymously published a letter suggesting that Parisians economize on candles by rising earlier to use morning sunlight. This 1784 satire proposed taxing shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells and firing cannons at sunrise. Franklin did not propose DST.  Modern DST was first proposed by the New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson, whose shift-work job gave him leisure time to collect insects, and made him aware of the value of after-hours daylight



Time is what prevents everything from happening at once.  John Archibald Wheeler



Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.  Hector Berlioz



A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.  Segal's Law



When I give a lecture, I accept that people look at their watches, but what I do not tolerate is when they look at it and raise it to their ear to find out if it stopped.  Marcel Achard



Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. Mike Tyson



You know, sometimes, when they say you're ahead of your time, it's just a polite way of saying you have a real bad sense of timing. George McGovern



Time and Tide wait for no man, but time always stands still for a woman of thirty. Robert Frost



daylight saving time (also daylight savings time)  (n)  time as adjusted to achieve longer evening daylight, esp. in summer, by setting the clocks an hour ahead of the standard time.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Sleep

I read an article (probably just the first paragraph of an article on Yahoo!) which said that kids under 10 years old need at least 10 hours of sleep, adults 8  hours and older folks only 6 hours of sleep.

Seems unfair older adults usually have more time that they can spend on sleep; whereas, young kids have so much more energy they could effectively use the extra time.  Young parents (of young children / babies) don't really get enough sleep.  The babies (in particular) seem to use the night as crying/ feeding time, so the parents are up all night followed by work either at a off site job or home (dishes, cleaning, cooking, etc.).

I think all of my grandkids (except one) seem to sleep the allotted time; when I visit them I am usually up before them.  The one tends to get up before the other kids every day I am around.  Sleep for me usually is at least the amount that is required but is broken up into 2-5 hour segments usually by bathroom breaks.

“I wasn’t really asleep I was just meditating on unconsciousness.”


“Sleep is like the unicorn - it is rumored to exist, but I doubt I will see any”


People who say they sleep like a baby usually don’t have one.


It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards.


Problems always look smaller after a warm meal and a good night’s sleep.


Some people talk in their sleep. Lecturers talk while other people sleep


The good people sleep much better at night than the bad people. Of course, the bad people enjoy the waking hours much more


Laugh and the world laughs with you. Snore and you sleep alone



sleep (n) a condition of body and mind such as that which typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the nervous system is relatively inactive, the eyes closed, the postural muscles relaxed, and consciousness practically suspended  • chiefly poetic/literary a state compared to or resembling this, such as death or complete silence or stillness  • a gummy or gritty secretion found in the corners of the eyes after sleep 
ORIGIN Old English slēp, slǣp (noun), slēpan, slǣpan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch slapen and German schlafen

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Rumors

When I go to Yahoo! Sports, I always look at the rumors and the headlines.  It seems that the rumors are always about someone might join some other team or someone is going to be traded to who.  If you check the headlines a few days later almost all of them are wrong; instead of player A going to team B, it is player B going to team A.

When I go to political sites, it seems that most of the articles are also rumors.  Pelosi has only 200 votes of the needed 216 for the health care bill or the next day she has over 216.  Obama will push for immigration this year and the next day he will wait for after the election.

It seems to me that Rumors are actually Opinions and vice versa.  How much of what you "know" are actually rumors?


Trying to squash a rumor is like trying to unring a bell.”  Shana Alexander



“Nothing is swifter than rumor.”  Horace



“Rumor is not always wrong”  Publius Cornelius Tacitus



“Nobody believes a rumor here in Washington until it's officially denied.” Edward Cheyfitz



RUMOR, n.  A favorite weapon of the assassins of character.
    Sharp, irresistible by mail or shield,
        By guard unparried as by flight unstayed,
    O serviceable Rumor, let me wield
        Against my enemy no other blade.
    His be the terror of a foe unseen,
        His the inutile hand upon the hilt,
    And mine the deadly tongue, long, slender, keen,
        Hinting a rumor of some ancient guilt.
    So shall I slay the wretch without a blow,
    Spare me to celebrate his overthrow,
    And nurse my valor for another foe.
                                                           Joel Buxter

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Birthdays

I have 5 grandsons.  The first birthday in the year is Tyler's.  Every year, it catches me by surprise.  I put it in my calendar on my laptop so it would popup at me a few days ahead of time.  It popped up a few days ago and I promptly forgot it.  Today my son's blog had pictures and videos from Tyler's birthday party; this was my wake-up call.  I don't love Tyler any less than the other grandkids but his birthday is first and for some reason I think it should be on March 24 (there is no reason for this but that is how my mind works); so I tend to send the two April birthday boys' cards and checks soon after Tyler's birthday so I don't forget.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!

I promise that next year I might get it right.  I guess I should just blame the post office for delivering the mail late.

Ignore all the above, it must be the Post Office's fault!

Birthdays are nature's way of telling us to eat more cake.


Last week the candle factory burned down. Everyone just stood around and sang, 'Happy Birthday.' Steven Wright


Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest.  Father Larry Lorenzoni


A friend never defends a husband who gets his wife an electric skillet for her birthday  Erma Bombeck


A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age.  Robert Frost



Inside every older person is a younger person - wondering what the hell happened.  Cora Harvey Armstrong



To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.  Bernard Baruch



birthday (n)  the annual anniversary of the day on which a person was born, typically treated as an occasion for celebration and present-giving  • the day of one's birth • the anniversary of something starting or being founded

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Vote your Beliefs

The latest bribe from P.O. is giving the brother of a Congressman a judgeship (appointed Scott Matheson to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals at the same time Barack Obama hosted his brother, Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT) at the White House to convince him to switch to a yes vote on ObamaCare).


If you believe in ObamaCare vote for it (I don't) but don't fill the bill with bribes.  It seems to me that any bill that has as much pressure via bribes or strong-arming to pass might not be in the best interest of the citizens of the U.S..


On a separate subject, why are the left and the main street media (which is not main street in its views and slants) so into trying to destroy Sarah Palin.  She may not be perfect but many times she speaks as many people believe and don't hear anywhere else.


There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking.  ALFRED KORZYBSKI


Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it. ANDRE GIDE


The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality. GEORGE BERNARD SHAW



"In Mexico an air conditioner is called a politician because it makes a lot of noise but doesn't work very well."   Len Deighton


"Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason."



Never believe in anything until it has been officially denied.   Otto von Bismarck



I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. Bertrand Russell



I don't believe it. Prove it to me and I still won't believe it.  Douglas Adams



belief (n) 1 an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists :• something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction  • a religious conviction
2 ( belief in) trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something 
ORIGIN Middle English : alteration of Old English gelēafa; compare with believe

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Next Blog

I have been clicking on the Next Blog button above.  It is interesting in that the next blog changes each time I use it from this blog.  There are a lot of picture sites.  Some are very good and thoughtful others are in foreign languages, so they may be good and/or thoughtful but I can't tell.

One thing that enthuses me, is that there are other blogs as bad as this one.  In general the blogs I visit are my kids' blogs which are in general better written and more relevant (especially if you like beer (my son's)).  I like that I get up to date pictures of my grandkids and kids.

A random trip to blogs is fun, try it sometime!

Some quotes from Blogs:


Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.
I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying that I approved of it.
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.
The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.
“Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?”  all Mark Twain


“Many bad policies are simply good policies taken too far.”
Thomas Sowell


“The quickest way to end a war is to lose it.” George Orwell


“The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first.”
Thomas Jefferson


blog (n)  a Web site on which an individual or group of users produces an ongoing narrative

ORIGIN a shortening of weblog

Haircut

Yesterday, I got a haircut.  Looking at the cut hair I noticed that there was a lot of silver (some incorrectly call it gray) hair pieces.  When I was working, some follow workers told me that by cutting my beard I look much younger.  At that time, I figured looking older was a good idea.  My job was evaluating the job performance or training of nuclear operators; so I figured that looking older would give me an advantage in that they would either look on me as a father figure or figure that I was not as sharp as I was.

I looked at a picture of me with my lovely wife and youngest son and noticed that I did not have as much silver (actually none).  Some people might think from this spotty evidence that I was getting older!  Since I feel that you are as old as you act, I can't be older that 25 or 26.  Interesting that I have a 40 year old son; it is amazing the wonders of creation. Plus I have a sexy wife who looks young!


You know you are over the hill when:
You find yourself beginning to like accordion music.
You're setting on a park bench and a Boy Scout comes up and helps you cross your legs.
You light the candles on your birthday cake and a group of campers form a circle & start singing "Kumbaya"
Someone compliments you on your layered look --and you are wearing a bikini.
Your insurance company has started sending their free clendars -- a month at a time.
At cafeterias, you complain that the jello is too tough.
One of the throw pillows on your bed is a hot-water bottle.
It takes a couple of trys to get over a speed bump.
You notice that you are using words like "whippersnapper","scalawag" and "by-cracky".
The waiter ask how you'd like your steak and you reply,"Pureed."
You realize that a stamp costs more than movie(picture show) did when you were a kid.
You're asleep, but others think you are dead.
You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.
You find your self singing along with elevator music.
Your'e on a game show and decide to risk it all and go for the rocker.
You believe that 8 miles a hour is fast enough for anyone to drive.
Your ears have more hair than your head



OLD, adj.  In that stage of usefulness which is not inconsistent with general inefficiency, as an old man. Discredited by lapse of time and offensive to the popular taste, as an old book.
    "Old books?  The devil take them!" Goby said.
    "Fresh every day must be my books and bread."
    Nature herself approves the Goby rule
    And gives us every moment a fresh fool.   Harley Shum  (DD)