GBE 77- Why Am I Here?

Why am I here? Hmmm??? What a loaded question. At the age of 47, I still don't really know.

Awww, what the heck. Let's just listen to some music and let it make us smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Why Am I Here?"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

On my ipod...

This morning, driving to work, I heard this on my ipod. Don't we all, at one time or another, feel this way? We all need someone to talk to.

Either way, whether you agree or not, it is a good song and video. I just wanted to share.

What Old People Do For Fun

For a laugh on Monday morning...

Am I sensing a theme here?

I love THIS Metallic, back when they were selling out stadiums mostly by word of mouth because radio airplay was hard for them to get.

Just 4 talented guys and their instruments.

In my opinion, they are so over produced today, it has caused them to lose that "edge" their music once had. Allow me to provide a little background to the song and then, give it a listen... watch the video (excellent quality vid I might add). Even if metal is not your thing, come on, branch out, because... Let's all say it together....

MUSIC IS MUSIC.

*** My favorite line from this song ***

"Emptiness is filling me"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Fade to Black" is a song by thrash metal band Metallica from their second album, Ride the Lightning (1984). It was the first musical ballad released by the band, and is considered to be the precursor to "One" and "The Day That Never Comes" due to strong similarity in sound, structure, and subject matter. It was ranked as having the 24th best guitar solo ever by Guitar World magazine readers. It is one of Metallica's most famous songs. Since its release, "Fade to Black" has been a fixture in Metallica's live performances. It was also the last song that Metallica performed live with former bassist Jason Newsted. Jason's last gig was at the VH1 Music Awards on November 30, 2000. It was one of Newsted's favorite Metallica songs, and was said to be of great sentimental value to him, although it had been written before he had joined the band. Jason Newsted's previous band, Flotsam And Jetsam, performed a song called "Fade To Black" on their 1986 album Doomsday For The Deceiver before Jason left to join Metallica, although it bears no resemblance to the Metallica version.[1]

[1] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hurt - Johnny Cash's cover

I came across this just now. Listen to and watch the video. It is Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt", written by frontman Trent Reznor. It brought tears to my eyes, so be forewarned. Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" was released on his 2002 album, American IV: The Man Comes Around. Rick Rubin, producer of Cash's American series and a friend of Reznor, suggested the song to Cash. The line "crown of shit" was changed to "crown of thorns", not only removing profanity from the lyrics, but also more directly referencing Christ. The cover was released on a single with the B-side "Personal Jesus", a cover of the Depeche Mode single.

Reznor said that when Rubin first asked if Cash could cover his song, he was "flattered" but worried that "the idea sounded a bit gimmicky." He became a fan of Cash's version, however, once he saw the music video.

"I pop the video in, and wow… Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps… Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore… It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning — different, but every bit as pure."[1]

[1] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

GBE 76 - Illusion

This week in the GBE, the subject is Illusions. I know, I'm probably taking the easy way here, but I hope you enjoy the songs I pulled together about illusion.

Do you know any songs about illusion? Feel free to post them in your comments. I want to hear you guys. Doesn't matter what genre, because with me, MUSIC IS MUSIC. Plain and simple.

The Grand Illusion - Styx












Life Of Illusion - Joe Walsh



Sometimes I can't help the feeling that I'm
Living a life of illusion
And oh, why can't we let it be
And see through the hole in this wall of confusion
I just can't help the feeling I'm
Living a life of illusion


Pow! Right between the eyes
Oh, how nature loves her little surprises
Wow! It all seems so logical now
It's just one of her better disguises
And it comes with no warning
Nature loves her little surprises
Continual crisis


Hey, don't you know it's a waste of your day
Caught up in endless solutions
That have no meaning, just another hunch
Based upon jumping conclusions
Caught up in endless solutions
Backed up against a wall of confusion
Living a life of illusion










Illusion - Benny Benassi



Chorus:

I wanna be your illusion, be your illusion
To make you happy tonight,
Enjoy this trip with me

I wanna be your emotion, be your emotion
Why don't you turn off the light,
Imagine how we could be leavin

(Beats)

Sometimes I won-der why we have no limits
Everything we do is timed, just find out who we are
we wont stop playing, the special game of love
and when we get together the time is running
I'll be your dream that you'll remember over and over
If only you tried me, If only you touched me

Chorus:

I wanna be your illusion, be your illusion
To make you happy tonight,
Enjoy this trip with me

I wanna be your emotion, be your emotion
Why don't you turn off the light,
Imagine how we could be leavin

I wanna be your illusion, be your illusion
To make you happy tonight,
Enjoy this trip with me

I wanna be your emotion, be your emotion
Why don't you turn off the light,
Imagine how we could be leavin







Black illusion-Ozzy Osbourne



You load the dice and paint the smile upon your face

With fingers crossed you switch the perfume with the mace

What kind of dreams do you enjoy inside your bed?

Ill face the lies that take the evil from your head



Black illusion is all I ever see

Black illusion, Ill bring you misery

Oh yeah

Yeah


You always seem to know the answer to it all

You seem to cheat the truth and never take the fall

Your life is hollow and you simplify the rules

The time will come when you will join the other fools


Black illusion is all I ever see

Black illusion, Ill bring you misery

Oh yeah

Yeah


I load the dice and fake a smile upon my face

With fingers crossed I switch the perfume with the mace

What kind of dreams do I enjoy inside my bed

Youll face the lies that shake the evil from my head


Black illusion is all I ever see

Black illusion, Ill bring you misery

Oh yeah

Yeah

Yeah

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Illusions"


The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.


If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.


Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

Do You Know Jack Schitt?

Women Drivers... Okay, not all, but this is funny as f**k!

The Rain Song written by Robert Plant

This is the springtime of my loving-


the second season I am to know


You are the sunlight in my growing-


so little warmth I've felt before.


It isn't hard to feel me glowing-


I watched the fire that grew so low.


It is the summer of my smiles-


flee from me Keepers of the Gloom.


Speak to me only with your eyes


it is to you I give this tune.


Ain't so hard to recognize-


These things are clear to all from


time to time. Ooooh...



Talk Talk-



I've felt the coldness of my winter


I never thought it would ever go


I cursed the gloom that set upon us...


But I know that I love you so


but I know that I love you so.


These are the seasons of emotion


And like the winds they rise and fall


This is the wonder of devotion-


I see the torch we all must hold.


This is the mystery of the quotient-


Upon us all a little rain


must fall, Just a little rain?


ooooh, yeah yeah yeah

Awesome card trick - Sam the Bellhop

Just press "PLAY" and enjoy.

HOW TO KNOW WHEN SHE'S PISSED! - GBE - 75

I received this in an email. It shows the "something went wrong" side of love and romance. Or the "husband f'd up" side. Hopefully, it will make you smile. I will answer the GBE question at the end, so scroll down.

So, the choice, between love or romance. Call me selfish, but I want both; I want it all. I never have had both at the same time, so darn it... As was once asked:

"Can anybody find me, somebody to love?" ~ Freddie Mercury

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "LOVE OR ROMANCE?"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

GBE 74

The subject this week for the GBE is a question: WHO/ WHAT INSPIRES YOU?



Okay, for me, it all depends on what it is.



Everyday, I am inspired by my mom and what she went through and how she came out of it. I admire her so much.



Although I struggle, as we all do from time to time, God inspires me to be the kindest and the best person I can be.



In life, hands down, music inspires me. It brings me up when I'm down; gives me the extra kick in the pants when I need energy or when I'm pissed, and it can calm me down. It is always there offering so many different genres; so many inspirations.



At my job, seeing actual product can inspire me. (I work at a catalog company, where I am one of the merchandisers of our catalogs, meaning I choose product). My coworkers inspire me. Not naming names. ;)




Lately I have been trying my hand at blogging. I used to be one of those infamous lurkers, but there has been a group of bloggers (Group Blogging Experience, aka GBE) who has inspired me to stretch myself to my limits and actually blog. I suggest you check them out. Alicia is the leader.



There have been others not in the group, and they have inspired me as well. But there is one in particular... Here I will name names, because if you haven't read her, you are really missing out.



Just Kate was the one who originally said "I know you can do it." and gave me that little push to try. Her blogs still inspire me today.


Thank you to Katy and all the other writers; too many to name separately. As Katy, Chris and Mish are all fond of saying, all of you guys helped me begin to "SHINE". :D



"It is wonderful how much time good people spend fighting the devil. If they would only expend the same amount of energy loving their fellow men, the devil would die in his own tracks of ennui." ~ Hellen Keller





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "WHO/ WHAT INSPIRES YOU?"



The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.



If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.



Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

Follow-up to The Assignment from BellaDonna

The man who was the teenage boy looks in the mirror. He remembers those words that were said to him back in the seventh grade. He hears them again.

Here he comes. 

It's fat boy.
 

Look at his clothes.  

You're ugly.

As he silently says each phrase, he thinks of himself now...


He is not fat; He was never so big that he'd have been a candidate for the Biggest Loser. He was a husky size till about the 12th grade. Now he is an average size man whose work has him at a desk. This had caused him to gain a little. But he is content. He is healthy. He is happy with his job.


His clothes. That makes him laugh. Nowadays it is jeans and polo shirts. Back then it was the mid-seventies. Need he say more?


He stops himself at the next phrase. Again, he looks in the mirror. Ugly? No. Granted, he is no Brad Pitt, but there is something... Then it hits him. It is the man's face in the mirror, yet it is the teenage boy's eyes looking back at him now.


He thinks he has found why he feels like he does at times. How when friends ask him to join them, he makes excuses why he can't when he desperately wants to. It is what he did in the seventh grade. It was survival. It is how he is and probably how he will be for the rest of his life. It is why he always worries about saying too much, and ends up not saying enough.


He knows the clown still likes to make appearances. He always will, but the man never knows exactly when. His friends are always surprised and a little shocked, as is he. Many times he is misunderstood when he is playing the clown.


He wonders about the cheerleader. And he wonders why.


He thinks of a song he heard today in traffic. Billy Joel's "And So It Goes". The lyrics could be his. So he turns away from the mirror and gets his ipod. He sits down, puts his ear buds in, and presses play. As he listens, he wonders if the teenage boy will ever leave and let the clown be. And a tear rolls down his face. He wipes it away, remembering how good his life is right now compared to others. Along with other events in his life, he knows that time long ago shaped the man he is. So he has quirks; he doesn't think he'd change a thing. He smiles as he leans back and floats away with the music.

In every heart there is a room 

A sanctuary safe and strong 

To heal the wounds from lovers past

 Until a new one comes along

 I spoke to you in cautious tones 

You answered me with no pretense

 And still I feel I said too much 

My silence is my self defense
 And every time I've held a rose

 It seems I only felt the thorns 


And so it goes, and so it goes

 And so will you soon I suppose
 But if my silence made you leave

 Then that would be my worst mistake 

So I will share this room with you 

And you can have this heart to break
 And this is why my eyes are closed

 It's just as well for all I've seen 

And so it goes, and so it goes 

And you're the only one who knows 
So I would choose to be with you

 That's if the choice were mine to make 

But you can make decisions too 

And you can have this heart to break
 And so it goes, and so it goes 

And you're the only one who knows

The Assignment from BellaDonna

My new friend BellaDonna challenged me in her comment regarding my blog The Power of Words. Maybe challenged is a little strong. Always the professor, this is what she said:



Words are powerful because they have the ability to create or to destroy.



Think about that. What examples spring to mind?



Here's a prompt: Write a poem (or piece of prose) on the creative -- or destructive -- potential in words, using specific examples.



Well, here goes:



The teenage boy sat in the back of the classroom. He was three months into seventh grade and things were so different at this new school. Always before, in elementary school, he had been the class clown; the outgoing one. Now, in this new environment, he found himself the target of abuse. Verbal and physical abuse.

Here he comes. It's fat boy.


Look at his clothes.


You're ugly.

Taunts all day long. His books would disappear, only to be found hidden away.


Homework would be stolen, then grudgingly returned.

The outgoing little boy was disappearing, and a shy, introverted young man was taking his place.



Sometimes, that class clown would come out. The cheerleader made the class clown come out; the boy liked the cheerleader. So one day between classes, at her locker, the class clown asked her to go to a dance. After she got over the shock, what came next was not words, but laughter. Her friends joined in with her. The laughter cut just like well used words can cut. After that, the clown followed the advice of the Beatles. He hid his love away.



The teenage boy grew up to be a man. A quiet man. He became friends by graduation with all that originally bullied him. Even the cheerleader, who actually apologized.



He lives a quiet but happy life now. Most of the time. I see him every morning.








How do I know all this?








The teenage boy was me.

A repost from 12/08/2007 ~ Thoughts and musings on the Power of Words

I added some. It is in red

Sometimes I think that we don't know, or we forget, the power of those little things we string together to form sentences. They can bring a smile to someone's face or a tear to their eye. Also, what isn't said can sometimes be just as powerful; mainly hurtful. The forgotten "I Love You" all the way down to saying nothing at all.

What really sucks is when you say something and it is misunderstood. When I say something, it is only meant in a good way. When I offer advice, albeit unsolicited, it is not in a malicious manner. You can mean well and .....

SONG TIME!!!

I'm just a soul whose intentions are good. Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.

QUOTE TIME!!!

Henry Brooks Adams said

"No man means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous."

What got me started thinking on this? It was lyrics I heard from the song "Sing For The Moment" by Eminem.

"Yet everybody just feels like they can relate, I guess words are a mothafucka they can be great. Or they can degrate, or even worse they can teach hate''

Surprisingly profound. *note "degrade" was intentionally misspelled to rhyme*

What got me re-thinking about the power of words? Things. Mainly, I posted a blog last night, which after some thought I deleted. It sounded cryptic, which was not my intention at all. Words can bring you up or down for sure. Certain words can bring you down even further. Take my word for it.

How powerful do you think words are?

No Title Needed

Don't go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore

I could not leave you in times of trouble
We never would have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are

Don't go trying some new fashion
Don't change the color of your hair
You always have my unspoken passion
Although I might not seem to care

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew
What will it take till you believe in me
The way that I believe in you.

I said I love you and that's forever
And this I promise from the heart
I could not love you any better
I love you just the way you are.

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

GBE 71 - Simple Pleasures

The subject this week is "Simple Pleasures." Here are some that I thought of over the past couple days, plus some I've heard over the years.

Receiving an unexpected compliment.


Helping someone in need.


Making someone smile.


Daydreaming


Finding money you didn’t know you had.


Receiving a real letter or package via snail mail.


Making the yellow light.


Hearing the right song at the right moment.


Catching a glimpse of bare skin on the opposite sex.


People watching.


A beautiful view.


Relaxing outdoors on a sunny day.


Listening to good music.


Taking a long, relaxing shower.


A good novel.


The smell of fresh-cut grass.


The smell of the earth.


Watching the sunrise.


Watching the sunset.


Walking on the beach.


Laughing till your sides hurt.


A long conversation with a good friend.


Being lazy on a Sunday.


An uncluttered room.


Fries and a milkshake.


Singing in the shower.


Fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.


Homemade pie.


Laying back and watching the stars.


Laying back and looking up at clouds.


Watching a lightning storm.


Reese’s peanut butter cups.


PB&J sandwich.


Seeing your savings account grow.


Watching your debt shrink.


A gentle breeze.


Checking something off your to-do list.


A clear desk.


Watching animals in nature.


An empty email inbox.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Simple Pleasures"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

GBE 70: Optimism

I saw the subject this week and knew it was a time for me to take a walk in the Garden of Quotes. I never know what I'll find.

This weeks subject is Optimism, which Merriam-Webster's defines as:

Pronunciation: /ˈäp-tə-mi-zəm/
Function: noun
Etymology: French optimisme, from Latin optimum, noun, best, from neuter of optimus best; akin to Latin ops power — more at opulent
Date: 1759

1 : a doctrine that this world is the best possible world

2 : an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome

“An optimist is the
human personification of spring.”
~ Susan J. Bissonette







“Smile when it hurts most.”



“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” ~ Maria Robinson



“May the love hidden deep inside your heart find the love waiting in your dreams. May the laughter that you find in your tomorrow wipe away the pain you find in your yesterdays.”







“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a clearer view again.” ~ Alex Tan



“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.” ~ John Heywood (English Playwright and Poet, 1497-1580)



“If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” ~ Peace Pilgrim (American Teacher and Spiritual leader and Peace Prophet, 1908-1981)







“May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.”



“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise” ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)



“Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!” ~ Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)







“An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half-empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass is twice
the size it needs to be”


“A pessimist is a man who thinks all women are bad. An optimist is one who hopes they are.” ~ Chauncey Depew (American Industrialist and Politician, 1834-1928)



“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” ~ William Arthur Ward (American dedicated scholar, author, editor, pastor and teacher)



“Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. And you can do it when things are tough.” ~
Richard M. DeVos







“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” ~ Helen Keller (American Author and Educator who was blind and deaf. 1880-1968)



“Optimist: Day-dreamer more elegantly spelled” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)



“It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right”







“Optimist: Person who travels on nothing from nowhere to happiness” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)



“For myself I am an optimist - it does not seem to be much use being anything else” ~ Winston Churchill (British Orator, Author and Prime Minister during World War II. 1874-1965)



“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose” ~ Kahlil Gibran (Lebanese born American philosophical Essayist, Novelist and Poet. 1883-1931)







“I'm a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will” ~ Antonio Gramsci (Italian intellectual, Politician and Founder of the Italian Communist Party whose ideas still greatly influence Italian Communism. 1891-1937)



“In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.” ~ Daniel L. Reardon







“A pessimist only sees the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all--he's walking on them.” ~ Leonard L. Levinson



“Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power” ~William James (American Philosopher and Psychologist, leader of the philosophical movement of Pragmatism, 1842-1910)






“A pessimist is an optimist with experience” “One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself.”






“An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while a pessimist sees only the red stoplight. . . The truly wise person is colorblind.” ~ Albert Schweitzer (German medical Missionary,Theologian, Musician and Philosopher. 1952 Nobel Peace Prize,1875-1965)


“Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can't be done.” ~
Bo Bennett







“Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success. Always be on the lookout for ways to turn a problem into an opportunity for success. Always be on the lookout for ways to nurture your dream.”~ Lao Tzu (Chinese taoist Philosopher, founder of Taoism, wrote "Tao Te Ching" (also "The Book of the Way"). 600 BC-531 BC)



“May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism.”



“If I could turn the hands of time, I'll turn it forward to tomorrow. I want to move beyond with optimism and growth, taking the past which has gone by as my lessons in realizing the future with hope, courage and determination.”






“Great leaders are pragmatists who can deal with difficult realities but still have the optimism and courage to act.” ~ Nitin Nohria



"I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present." ~ Rabindranath Tagore



"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams." ~
Dr. Jonas Salk



"I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy... you can't build on it; it's only good for wallowing in." ~
Katherine Mansfield

“The man who is a pessimist before forty-eight knows too much; if he is an optimist after it he knows too little” ~ Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910) “Teaching is the greatest act of optimism” ~ Colleen Wilcox

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do you have a favorite quote about optimism?
I'd love for you to tell me.
Please feel free to share any that I didn't list,
as I am always interested in quotes.
I guess you could call me a
Quote Collector.

~Peace~


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topic is "Optimism"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private, although it's not a necessity. It just makes it easier for everyone to read your submission.

GBE-69 - I Resolve To...

I haven't really resolved to do anything. After some soul searching at Christmas, I decided that I don't need to change myself to be liked. I will be me, I will not conform. You know me and quotes. One that came to mind was "To thine own self, be true." - Shakespeare (Hamlet) inspired by Socrates (Know Thyself). I have always loved that quote, but it was not something I aspired to do. Now it is. I am who I am.

Right now, I am smiling.

Here are a few other quotes. Then, enjoy this video. Great song and more great quotes. :D

"Conform and be dull." ~ James Frank Dobie

"I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I've always been a freak. So I've been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I'm one of those people." ~ John Lennon

"The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself." ~ Rita Mae Brown






I wish everyone Peace, Love and Happiness as we move on into 2009. ~ Kevin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is my submission to the GBE. This week's topics are

"I RESOLVE TO..."
-or-
"MY BEST/WORST LIST FOR 2008"

The GBE, or Group Blogging Experience is great fun. Each week (usually on Tuesday) we are given a general topic by our fearless leader Alicia and we have until that Saturday to blog about it. Say whatever you want. Silly, serious, true, fiction, debate.... whatever. It's up to you.

If your interested just go to Alicia's Blog and and check it out. If you want to participate comment her blog saying "I'm in", that's it. No big sign up or anything. You blog and she'll link to your blog and everyone else's on Saturday.

Make sure you're not private so that everyone can read your blog.

Blast from the past.- Strap in, shut-up, and hold on. We’re going back.

When I saw this, I just had to repost it.

This was
originally posted by Johnny Virgil on 10/12/07 on the blogsite
15 Minute Lunch.

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

Last weekend I put an exhaust fan in the ceiling for my wife's grandfather. After a bunch of hours spent in The Hottest Attic In The Universe, he had a ceiling fan that ducted to the side of his house.

While my brother-in-law and I were fitting the fan in between the joists, we found something under the insulation. What we found was this:



A JC Penney catalog from 1977. It's not often blog fodder just falls in my lap, but holy hell this was two solid inches of it, right there for the taking. I thumbed through it quickly and found my next dining room set, which is apparently made by adding upholstery to old barrels:



Also, I am totally getting this for my bathroom, because obviously nothing absorbs errant pee like a nice, thick shag:



There's plenty more home furnishings where those came from, however I'm not going to bore you with that. Instead, I'm going to bore you with something else. The clothes.

The clothes are fantastic. Imagine if you wore them today.

Here's how to get your ass kicked in elementary school:



Just look at that belt. It's like a boob-job for your pants. He probably needed help just to lift it into place. The belt loops have to be three inches long, for god's sake. And way to pull your pants up to your armpits, grandpa.

Here's how to get your ass kicked in high school:



This kid looks like he's pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15.

Here's how to get your ass kicked on the golf course:



This "all purpose jumpsuit" is, according to the description, equally appropriate for playing golf or simply relaxing around the house. Personally, I can't see wearing this unless you happen to be relaxing around your cell in D-block. Even then, the only reason you should put this thing on is because the warden forced you to at gunpoint.

Here's how to get your ass kicked pretty much anywhere:



I'll bet these guys do ok with the ladies. If you look at that picture quickly, it looks like Mr. Bob "No-pants" Saget has his hand in the other guy's pocket. In this case, he doesn't, although you can tell just by looking at them that it's happened - or if it hasn't happened it will. Oh yes. It will. As soon as he puts down his color-coordinated coffee cup.

Here's how to get your ass kicked at the beach:



He looks like he's reaching for a gun, but you know it's probably just a bottle of suntan lotion in a holster.

How to get your ass kicked in a meeting:



If you wear this suit and don't sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fined and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you'd be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit; which, frankly, is a step up.

How to get your ass kicked on every day up to and including St. Patrick's Day



Dear god in heaven, I don't believe that color exists in nature. There is NO excuse for wearing either of these ensembles unless you're working as a body guard for the Lucky Charms leprechaun.

In this next one, Your Search For VALUE Ends at Penneys.



As does your search for chest hair.

And this -- Seriously. No words.



Oh wait, it turns out there are words after all, and those words are What. The. Fuck. I'm guessing the snap front gives you quick access to the chest hair. I think the little tie must be the pull tab. If you look closely, it says, "In case of chest hair emergency, pull tab quickly and back away."

Also, judging by the sheer amount of matching his/hers outfits, in 1977 it was apparently considered pretty stylish for couples to dress alike. These couples look happy, don't they?





I am especially fond of this one, which I have entitled "Cowboy Chachi Loves You Best."



And nothing showcases your everlasting love more than the commitment of matching bathing suits. That, and an appreciative blonde with a look on her face that says "I love the way your junk fights against that fabric."



Then, after the lovin', you can relax in your one-piece matching terry cloth jumpsuits:



I could go on, but I'm tired, and my eyes hurt from this trip back in time. I think it's the colors. I will leave you with these tasteful little numbers:




Man, that's sexy.

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