I stole these (sort of)

Okay... so I was on the web looking for something to illustrate a Ramblings that I want to write, and in the process, I ran across this blog that had a post "Someone Once Said." Well, I'm sure the author didn't come up with these on their own, but I figured the least I could do was tell y'all where I got them, and pay some small tribute to the person who had them there to help me entertain you. So... here goes.

Someone once said:

• If you must choose between 2 evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
• There is always one more idiot than you counted on.
• Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
• Never, ever take a laxative and a sleeping pill on the same night.
• Sittin' in church on Sunday doesn't make you a Christian, any more than sittin' in a chicken coup makes you a chicken! **
  
• It's easier to tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
• If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
• Never kiss a boy or girl with cooties.
• Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
• To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else, is a great accomplishment.

**Note: I actually changed this one from the site I just visited, to this modification I'd heard some years ago from a speaker named Charles Jarvis.

I guess that pretty much says it all, doesn't it?

Have a great day.

Kelvin

What's Cookin' Doc?

I live alone (and some of you are saying "good thing !" We'll tend to you later.)

Have you ever heard people --particularly women -- say, "Hmph. I go out to eat, because there's no one there but me, and...well... I hate to cook for just me."

NEWSFLASH! I love to cook for just me. Not that I'm a gourmet chef or anything (ha!) but there is something soothing and refreshing to me, when I cook -- even if there's no one here but me. You know? I cook what I want, how I want, to my taste -- no one else to appease right then, and no one to complain if it's "not right." A totally self indulgent experience!

Maybe it's because I haven't had to cook for people all my life, or maybe it's just because I'm a man, but cooking makes me feel better, especially when I'm in a funk, and I usually figure about about the time I notice I've got a bunch of food on the counter and a couple of pans heating up on the stove... like tonight :-)

AND.... THE MESSIER THE BETTER!!! Man, pull out the pan -- two or three pans! Grab the chicken, or steak or whatever (not fish...ugh)... Get the bag of flour -- I love those little flour mushroom clouds when I sit the bag down to hard. Turn the heat up, throw some Canola oil in there, slice up some onions and throw them in (it doesn't really matter what's coming in next. LOL). Slice up whatever meat I took out, sprinkle some seasoning on it. BE ADVENTUROUS! Don't look until after you've sprinkled!!!! - okay; maybe I'm just kidding about that one. Put some string beans in the other pan -- oh heck, add some corn -- get it all heated up, serve it up on my plate... and sit down and....relaxxxxxxxxxxxxx and enjoy my creation. Yup, just for me.

And if I'm really on a roll, when I'm done cooking and eating I've already cleaned up the counters and the dishes (at least hidden them away in the dishwasher, but I usually wash them by hand!), wipe down the cabinets being careful hunt down all that flour I mushroomed out earlier, and... ease my now full tummy down into the chair of my choice (either my computer chair or the couch to look out my sliding glass doors or, if I'm in the mood, my nice, soft leather arm chair that's situated perfectly amidst the surround sound to listen to some smmmmooooooth jazz) with a nice bottle of room temperature Poland Spring water and... aaaaaahhhhhhhh. Life is good. Yup... just for me.

And then I sit here and write this blog entry so my friends know..."yup... he's weird." But it's okay. I feel better, and that was that was for anyway.

Have an awesome day. I'm going to go pay some bills now, and have some REAL fun! LOL.

See ya.

Kelvin

Commencing... everything!

Wow... an incredibly busy month for me. THREE trips to Maryland from Upstate New York! and I'm sure I put 5000 miles on my car!

The first trip, we celebrated birthdays and Mother's Day in May. HA! Sister's birthday May 10th (she turned 50), Mom turned 79 on the 11th, my oldest grandson was 12 on the 12th, and Mothers Day was on the 13th. HELLO! That's a lot of celebrating ! (unfortunately grandson got the short end, but his mom threw a party for him the next weekend.)

A week later I was back for a graduation ceremony -- 9:00 a.m. on a Thursday morning? -- and the party wasn't until Saturday, and I could NOT leave before the party! Back home for 3 days, then BACK to Maryland for my baby boy's wedding. Man, when did he grow up? From knucklehead high schooler to cool grown up to.... husband! Whew? But it was fun. His wife is awesome and her parents were awesome and we just had a great time. Photos here if you're interested :-)

I'm a photographer, and I used to photograph a lot of weddings, so I got to hear the wedding vows every weekend or couple of weekends, and it used to keep those words fresh in my mind. I believe it helped hold my (last) marriage together, as long as it did. Spaced repetition -- you've heard me say it before.

Well... part of my many travels last month was my niece's high school graduation. Not just any niece, mind you, but my baby sister's ONLY child, so you know there's no way on the planet I would miss that one. Besides, I'm her favorite uncle -- not that she ever actually said that... exactly (cough), but I just "assumed the position" :-) and she was kind enough not to contradict me (see? still respect for one's elders out there. LOL.)

Anyway, it had been a couple of years since I'd attended a commencement, and while I was sitting there listening to the speakers speak, I got pretty jazzed, listening to them telling all those young people about achieving their dreams and goals and working for humanity and don't let anything stop you and remember your strengths and you can do it! It took me back and made me remember other commencement ceremonies and other dreams and ... well, I just started thinking how nice it would be if, like hearing those wedding vows every couple of weeks, we could all hear a commencement address every few weeks or so, and stay plugged into that incredible HOPE and enthusiasm and fervor that graduating seniors have for conquering the world! Wouldn't that be awesome?

Once we get out in the world, sometimes it's all too easy to forget; get the shine taken off our apples, have our lights dimmed by the someone else's idea of reality, and by the day to day things that try to slow us down, just to see if we're tough enough to step over -- or climb across -- them to keep going. Some of us do and... some of us get bogged down or disillusioned, and if we just could hear that commencement message one more time, we'd realize... it's all part of winning; you don't appreciate a victory unless you had something to overcome! Do you? So much more fun when had to snatch that victory from the jaws of defeat. Yeah!

So how long's it been for you? Go back in your mind and remember the last commencement exercise you attended. Remember the feelings; remember that sense of "we can accomplish anything", remember that "we're gonna make a difference in the world" mind set that those graduating seniors -- your graduating seniors -- had... and replay that speech, refocusrekindle that fire and... go kick some butt !

Next time you have a chance to go to a commencement ceremony... get a ticket; go, listen, re-energize, live your dreams. Of course, don't wait for a commencement, just remember... and pick up where you left off that energy, (if you left off).

Have an awesome day.


Kelvin

The Year of the Internet Friend!

I get emails all the time saying, "this is National Friendship Week..."; so often, in fact, that I wonder when -- or if -- National Friendship Week really is! And, of course, there's always these peppy sentimental things to do, messages to say, to repeat, to pass on, and often ruined -- in my opinion -- by one of those guilt messages that says, "if I don't get this back, I'll take the hint." Well we'll pass on my opinion of that particular practice for the time being, but it's nice to be thought about during Friendship Week... in a mass email... that went to people the originator probably doesn't even remember they put ON their jokelist to begin with (I'm smiling, by the way).

It's quite a different story, however, when you an email from a friend who says "hey, I'm going to be at the airport on Wednesday between 9:30 and noon and it would be grrrrrreat if we could meet up.... so we can finally meet each other in person!" Such was the case this week with my friend LInda from "up north" who came through. We've tried unsuccessfully for years to meet at one time or another but life circumstances on both our parts just kept getting in the way, but this time... it worked. Kewwwwwllllllll !

You've heard me speak of the woman I've been friends with for years and whose family sent my son care packages in Iraq and I couldn't remember how long we'd known each other. Well last week, she told me.... "because you were the first person to send me an email on my new computer and I got it in 1993... so 14 years!" Met via email, mother of a friend of a friend of my brother... ended up corresponding accidentally because of a darned jokelist (probably something I received during National Friendship Week in 1993...) and here we finally met 14 years later... and it was cool. So now I'm making it a point to go visit her and her whole family in June. I think we're making it a state holiday and giving everyone a day off. I'll get back to you on that one.

BUT... as in last post, maybe this IS the Year of the Internet Friend! Two down and... hmmm.. how many to go? Gotta see if I can get to St. Louis to see Dan and...California to see Sue and....heck, there's Steph in Chattanooga and Roger in Dallas and... heck! why don't I just make out a goal's list. Ya think? Hmmmmm. I'll let ya know how it goes.

Have an awesome day.

Kelvin