There is a little bit of time on my hands, just before tasks are due…   It’s a good moment to sit at the friendly computer and try to tap out a few words. Never mind if they make sense or not… this isn’t always necessary or, for that matter, the case. What does matter is to once again regain the writing habit; like any other activity in life, it is very easy to lose when not practiced.   So you become my willing or unwilling partner in this process. This blog now spans some four years of existence; yet a lifetime of happenings. It is very easy to know when I was laid up from treatments or surgery… the postings increased in size and numbers (quality and content…???)… well over one thousand pages of … stuff … The reaction has been interesting; readers from South America to China and many stops in between. This has surprised me quite a bit… almost 10,000 reads from over 15 countries. Some apparently one time only ( I guess they didn’t like what they saw) yet many r...

Well… it’s that time of the Year… Again… …when, as we look sideways into the mirror, that “oh-so-familiar” wistful cry comes to our lips once again… OMG!!!! … When did I get into this stranger’s body...? … And THAT hair…!!!! GADS!!!! ( well, for those who have hair to sport…) Or, as we look at time slipping away through our clenched fists, we begin to question every action we may have taken during the year… New Year resolutions were probably invented by someone who definitely did not like the results of whatever he or she did during the year; had these been positive, there would be no more resolutions other than… Keep it Going!! Just remember this basic truth, as voiced by Quino's Mafalda: "Saying to oneself that the New Year will be better is ignoring the fact that what has to become better is the person, not the year." We may promise to do many things differently but unless they actually get attempted, these are naught but empty promises. There have bee...

Every year, when we come to its end, the review is almost a requirement. So this year is no different. What happened in 2013; what should’ve perhaps happened… what shouldn't have… Sort of ... “what happens in 2013… stays in 2013…” Not. Let’s start by saying that all that did or did not happen… wasn’t by “happenstance”… It was caused by each and every one of us, by our action or inaction at a specific point in time. Whether individually or collectively. In this, our country, it is the general buzz that there are 3 primary topics of discussion/division: The Great Political Divide… Those who support the current President and his policies and those who do not. This particular issue is an ever growing battleground; some trying to expand what is a political efficiency discussion into a race based argument; not justified under any circumstance.  Health and economics… Perhaps good bedfellows, perhaps not. Yet, these two seem to go together...

A couple of days ago, there was an entry that was titled.. “Life isn’t Fair” and a dear old friend who actually takes the time to read and comment, sent me these… Thanks Doug... 1.Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. 3. Follow the three R’s:           - Respect for self,           - Respect for others and           - Responsibility for all your actions. 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. 5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. 6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship. 7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 8. Spend some time alone every day. 9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your value...

We are a buyer’s nation. Probably invented the concept of marketing but, like an unruly child, this gets out of hand every so often.. . ... and the holidays are just the perfect season for this to happen, since it is the time when most people will, greatly aided by sales and marketing folk, let go of any amount of money (whether needed for something else or not…) in order to “give great presents” which, for the most part, will probably be forgotten after a while. I spent some “quality” time at a major mall a couple of days ago. My wife had a hair/nail/etc. appointment and after dropping her off, my car ( yes, by itself!!) took me over to the nearby mall, a fairly good size and well established buying center. There being not much money in my cards or, for that matter in my wallet, my time was spent looking around at all the goodies which were being offered ( especially in the electronics world, today’s starchild of the gifting universe )… fascinating stuff; even when you know ...

This is the most common excuse we hear (and utter) every day, whenever something happens not according to our wishes … Actually, when all is said and done, life is much fairer than most of us would be, were we in a position to wield that unforgiving power of fate. Of this I am sure… A virtual reality check comes in to play whenever I feel inclined to use the above mentioned excuse for self pity… Invariably, it tells me that whatever it is that is happening, it is happening because I –yes, I ( or you, if you prefer ) and none other- brought it about. A decision made or one not made along the way, conveniently ignoring warnings which are sent on a regular basis into all our seemingly dulled receptors during our happy way to the mishap. If you, who are now reading ( I hope ) this, have also read a number of entries along the way, you do understand that often my rambles take on a life of their own and go into different directions… and I do not try to say or even imply they are...

Clouds gather… on one side we see dark skies and on the opposite side the promise of light… How often do we find ourselves in the midst of a “swerve” moment… when forces of nature ( whether mother nature or personal nature ) can, in a moment’s swing, define an outcome which will probably impact our very lifestyle and future. The worst feeling, at least for me, is that of impotence; of not really being able to take charge and do our own definition. To have to watch, as a simple bystander, how these forces play upon themselves and perforce, on us. I have learned over the years to observe and to absorb; these are not easy tasks, for they require inaction at times when action seems to be called for. Yet, in some of these very moments, any action at all would bring very negative results. Some, perhaps most, people would probably say: “Well, it’s better to die trying than to do nothing”… Perhaps so…but, then again, perhaps not. In the same strait is the person who speaks simply ...