Smelly people

Looking around the house the other day and I realized we had about a dozen of those electric air fresheners plugged in the wall, a few scented candles, and some wick things with some kind of liquid.
 They all smell nice, but are we really that stinky a family that these things are necessary? 
Went to the store to check on what these gadgets cost and found the plugin things are around $3.00 each. A rough calculation came up with an annual cost of @ $400 just for the plugins, not counting all the other candles and stuff.
 Never thought we had a problem in our house, but if were spending that kind of money to cover up bad smells, maybe we just need to shower more! Just Say’n


While we go shower, why not take a second to join our blog family. We will smell better soon and you’ll be glad you did. Just Say’n

Relax

The older I get the more I notice how uptight people are. I am aware that New York is more uptight than a lot of other places, but in general, it seems that as a people we are all a bit stressed out. Personally, I think a lot of that comes from making too many demands about things over which we have no control. 


I mean, why get all bent out of shape if it rains? Can't change the weather. So what if someone doesn't agree with you? It is just an opinion. So what if gas goes to $6.00 a gallon? Will being angry make it cheaper? What is, is!


Let's go back and be a small baby. This picture made me laugh and also showed me the best way to appreciate life. Think I will join him in his nap. Just Say'n.

Lost in the supermarket

For the last couple years I’ve often done the food shopping for the family. It isn’t a chore as I memorized most of the isles and can move smoothly through my list of items. 
That is until the last month. For some reason, known only to God (and I’m not sure He even understands) the store decided to change things around. Bread is now at the end of the store not the beginning. Soup is where bread used to be. Frozen foods are now all locked up in cages. I have yet to find coffee. 

I mean, isn’t life complicated enough! Do we have to rearrange the isles of the food store?

Today a woman was so lost and so angry she literally ran into my cart and drove it back several feet as she screamed, “Don’t Block the isles, don’t block the isle.” I wasn’t blocking the isle, I was just lost and so was she. The good thing is, when I saw how angry she was, made me become a little more rational. Just Say'n

Let’s make our Democracy a Democracy

Democracy - Government of the people or their elected representatives.

Great concept except when I vote for a president, my vote doesn't count as my state will send electoral votes based upon the mix of Senate and House representative my state has. I can vote, the majority of my fellow citizens can vote and we can elect a President by a majority of our combined votes. However, as happened in the Bush/Gore election, the Electoral College can then elect whoever they want, which may not be what the majority of the people want.

In my home state of NY, we don’t hear much about what the Republican Candidate stands for, as it is a forgone conclusion NY will go Democrat in the Electoral Vote. Therefore, we are ignored by the Republican candidate.

The Declaration states “We the People” not “We the Electoral College”. Doesn’t seem right. Just Say'n

9 1 1

My wife worked in Tower 2. My office is a half block away. We survived, thank God, but the memories still are painful. I think John Lennon said it best:

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace

You, you may say 
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

JUST SAY’N.

Vinyl Records

We were at my mother-in-law’s house the other day, helping her get ready to move, when we came across a large number of vinyl record albums. A lot of people don’t even remember the old vinyl albums, but I spent many an hour listening to Elvis, Kingston Trio, and other on those albums. Then we also had the 45rpm on which you could get individual songs.

Next we went to the 8 track stereo, which was a real treat, unless it didn’t work, which was most of the time.

Then, wonder of wonders, the cassette player came out, and was an instant hit. You had to rewind the cassette to find the songs you wanted, and most of the time the tape player ate the tape, but it was fun.

Then the CD player. Next the Digital player, and now it is all on my telephone. 

Technology is wonderful, but the days of snuggling up on the couch with your girlfriend, listening to the record player play a vinyl hit by the Lettermen, was a lot more fun than listening to my telephone play music. Just Say'n

For better or

Met with a couple the other day who are really nice people - - just not to each other. The wife wants the husband to do things and see things the way she does. Problem is, he wants her to do things and see things the way he does. Obviously, this isn’t going to work well.


When we marry, I don’t think we say, “I really want to be with this person because they do and think the wrong way.” Most of the time we marry because we like things about the other person. 
So my question is, why do we spend so much time focused on what we don’t like about our partner. Let’s spend all our time focused on what we do like, encourage these positive aspects, and enjoy the person we married.
If all we focus on is how terrible our partner is, seems like our partner will think we are also terrible. My wife and I spend a lot of time being positive toward each other and we really like being married. Don’t think we’re lucky, I think we’re just happy. Beats being unhappy. Just Say'n

Look it up

When I was growing up and had a question, my parents would tell me to go look it up in the encyclopedia. I guess the point was to make me go through the effort of finding something out so that I would appreciate and remember the answer. Not sure if it worked, but it was how we did things.
Today with the internet, if a kid doesn't know something, he or she just hits a button and there's the answer. That is really progress. However, I read the other day that student loans are higher because it is taking more students 5 years to get through college instead of the normal 4 years. Maybe they are hitting the wrong button.

The whole internet concept has truly changed how all of us see life. Heard the other day that a teacher asked her 4th grade class where the nations capital was located. A student raised his hand and said Washington D.C.. The teacher then asked if he knew what D.C. stood for and the student confidently said Dot Com.


Maybe we need to go back to looking things up in the encyclopedia.
Just Say'n


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Fine Wine

I am told that wine improves with age, and I have discovered that fact is true. The older I get the more I enjoy fine wine. I remember even the Apostle Paul recommended that Timothy take a little wine for the stomach, so I guess he also knew the benefits of fine wine.
A friend of mine said he liked to cook with wine and sometimes he even put some in the food. 
 Our country's wise man, Ben Franklin, told us that in wine there is wisdom and in water there is bacteria.
Someone, I think Mae West, once said, "Men are like a fine wine. They start out as grapes. It's our job to stomp them, and then keep them in the dark until they mature. And hopefully they'll turn out to be something we would like to have dinner with".
So lift a glass and enjoy, like fine wine, may we all age well. Just Say'n.


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over 50

Most of my friends are over 50 and going through many different changes. I have the comfort of looking back on those years and realizing they were a time of tremendous shifts in understanding. 
For many it’s a time of pain as they consider all the life that has taken place and how short the future may be. In reality, during the first 50 years, we really only have a productive time of about 20, as we don’t comprehend life until we reach 30. Up till then it’s trying to simply grow up. 
From 30 to 50 we attempt to live our life, using the information we accumulated and building something worth while. That being the case, imagine what we can accomplish the next 20 years after we turn 50. We have a lot more understanding and maturity, so let’s build something we truly enjoy. 
If your chair is turned around so all you can do is look back with regret, then turn the chair around so you can look forward with confidence and excitement. Life is good, don’t let stupid thoughts rob you of all the fun. By the time you hit 90 you won’t really have anything to worry about! Just Say’n

Signal 30 on Audio - FREE

Winner of the Reviewers Choice 2011 Book of the Year Award now available on Audio. Signal 30 my mystery/thriller book about a mad serial bomber is now an audiobook available on Amazon.com, iTunes.com, and Audible.com. Click here to see how to get it for free!  Summer is a great time to LISTEN to a book. Keeps your hands free to put on suntan lotion. Just Say'n

Conversations with God

Read a book the other day called “Conversations with God.” The premise of the book is that God came to the author and had a long conversation about everything in the world. I don’t know if God really came to the author or not, but the book had some very interesting thought provokers. 
The one that really made me think was the concept that God isn’t judging our activities, He is simply observing them. If you consider that God has “unconditional love” toward the creation, then this thought makes a lot more sense than the professions of our highly judgmental religions. 
If we took judgement out of the concept of God, then we would have avoided:
1. Bloody crusades in which millions of “heathen” were killed.
2. Bloody inquisitions in which millions of “heretics” were killed.
3. Hundreds of bloody wars fought in the name of God.
4. Bloody battles in the middle east over God’s holy land.
5. The distruction of life on 9/11
6. Etc. etc.
Heck we might even see 5000 Christian denominations actually get along with each other. 
If God is only observing our actions, I hope he has a way to change the channel. Just Say'n

AM / FM

Pushed a button in my car to listen to a program on FM radio.
What came on was definitely not what I wanted.
I looked down and saw that I had pushed the AM button by mistake.
Obviously, what was playing on AM wasn't going to be received on FM


Dont need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out.


Nevertheless, how many times are we so messed up in our communication with each other that it is like one person broadcasting on FM and another receiving on AM. It just isn't going to work.


Next time I feel like somebody doesn't understand or agree with what I am saying, think I'll check to see what band I am broadcasting on and what band they are receiving. It may be worth the effort.


Just Say'n


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A WONDERFUL MOMENT

In our marina we have a new addition. A turn of the century paddlewheel boat that’s three decks high. Yesterday had a great party on the boat enabling to see the entire waterway around us. Good sun, good friends, great boat; life just doesn’t get any better - Just Say'n