Paul's Corner

Paul, From my own extensive clinical trials and observations, I can conclusively prove that the bullshit and arse kissing factor will put most otherwise deficient individuals (read: lazy bastards and con artists) squarely at the top of whatever tree they chose to climb, at least for a time until some other monkey grabs a branch and gives it a shake, thereby abruptly dislodging the first monkey and causing them to come crashing down, often into oblivion.

It's even stranger how the second monkey will always seem to climb higher, even though it's in the same tree. The second monkey will be successful, because it can make more noise than the first monkey.

It's the same old story. Butter up some idiot's ego and they'll pave the way for you with gold.

The only catch is that you must be willing to sell a part of yourself along with the deal.
That's essentially why I quite corporate work some years back. I worked very hard, but I would not compromise my principles, so I suferred an extreme lack of support from above.
Now I do it all on my own, with nobody to blame save myself, should I chance to fall out of my tree. It's a good thing that I keep a tight grip.
I try not to climb too high, either. I can see quite clearly from here. This will do fine.

Here's my own close-to-the bone experience with arse kissing and rewards:
Back in the late 80's, my half-brother had a girlfriend who my dear BM simply adored, because she would agree with everything she said, and would simply sqirm with delight and marvel at her stories about how wonderful she was and how much she had achieved all on her own, without any help from anyone (truth: everyone knew that her late husband left her a fortune, and she never lifted a finger), and she would reward the girlfriend by often spending thousands on her during a morning's shopping for clothes and the like.
As for me, I never got as much as one pair of undies from K-Mart, but I do retain some very important and valuable things: my dignity and sense of truth. Who's the winner here?...Me.
Who are the losers?....both of them.
It's always sad, isn't it?

Being over the top is an illusion. Generally you end up sliding down the other side.

Now that I've got that off my chest, it's back to work for me. No super suit, just my K-Mart undies. Onwards and upwards.

Peter

Amen, Paul!

Personally, Peter, I get MY undies at Wal-Mart...

Peace and Love,

Mil

Paul,
"Bullshit and Ass kissing" may put you over the top, but do you get a good nights sleep and do you still respect yourself in the morning.

Peter,
I'm with Mil on this one!!

Paul,

Thanks for the serious laugh! LOL I say serious laugh because it is the fact that people seriously live their lives practicing BS and AK that makes the equations so funny.

I have heard/read that there's quite a lot of that going on in Hollywood (perhaps more than in other places) which is one of the reasons why I truly admire your decision to put your family first and not move there. :-)

Peter's analogy of the monkeys on the tree is right on the money. It makes me wonder... what kind of a life does one lead if one has to be constantly on the lookout for the other monkey that might shake you off your tree? I guess it would be a rich-ly malodorous one! LOL

I have a pretty keen sense of smell, so I can detect both from a distance, therefore I could never live wallowing in the stuff. Perhaps that's why I am not wealthy??? LOL

Nertha

Nertha,
I LOVED your explanation of things!! How wonderful to see the humor. I only saw the irony of it.

Jo,

One of the traits I am told I inherited from my father is his sense of humor. Thankfully both my boys have inherited, too. :-) Humor has come in handy when life throws me a curve ball.

By the way, I also love irony. My humor is a bit more sarcastic than I let on here. LOL

Nertha

haha

Definitely Paul, bullshit + ass kissing will certainly get you over the top but combined with knowledge, hardwork, charm, honesty and humility will get you over everyone else, keeping in mind money as an equal factor. That's life! Who said life is fair? I'm certainly not an ass kisser but on rare occasions, you do what you have to do.

Grandma Mil, I haven't forgotten! Been going to work mightly early these days because of the need for coverage this summer.

I'm totally with Peter about this. My ideals were dealt a few blows in rapid succession when I entered this profession of mine right out of highschool. I have what it takes to play certain games and climb certain trees, but in this world there are way too many compromises asked of us. Being young, I think there are situations entered into out of lack of experience which lead into loosening our grip on the core principles. My experiences were painfully disillusioning, but thank god it happened fast. Three years ago I chose to get out of it and shoulder the responsibilty of being self-employed. None of my peers can understand or appreciate what I go through at the age of 23 to do it, but that's acceptable because I don't do it for those reasons. I do it this way for my freedom and self respect.
That bit Peter said about not climbing too high and seeing perfectly fine is so important to hold to. It's like, How much do you need? Sure it takes a little out of you here and there to get settled, but if you really do 100%, you know where to stop. I see people who ass-kiss a lot as having some deep voids in their lives. Humans, and especially some Americans I think, have these territorial, hoarding tendencies toward having things that are more or better or mightier. You rarely if ever see people get recognition for living reasonably. We so often have our gaze fixed on some thing other, which we don't have and perhaps envy.

-Astrid

Hey you gotta do whatcha gotta do to move up and be sucessful. you gotta know how to play the game. cause thats all being successful is, a big game.

Astrid, 23 years of age is younger than most for going it alone. That's very impressive. Good on you.
Yes, you have to ask yourself "how much do I need?".
Actaully, I'm much better off financially than when I worked for a large company, but I do put in long hours. Still, I used to do long hours before and got absolutely nothing for it, except the expectation that I could keep doing it forever and perform miracles in the process, just because I'm a good bloke, or something stupid like that.
Now we're gradually gaining more financial security and it's allowed me to make modest investments in areas where I don't have to do very much at all to get the rewards.
One day I'll have a rest for a little while.
I think it's called "holiday". Fortunately, that day is on the horizon. Just a few more steps to go.

The best part about doing it on my own is that I do not have to compromise myself.

Gran Mil, We don't have Wal-mart here.
Actually, I think my undies came from Country Target. Wow.

Nice post, Paul.

Peter

Erika, If we asked a hundred people what they thought "successful" meant, do you think we would get the exact same answer twice?
I wonder! It would be interesting, wouldn't it?

Cheers,

Peter

Bullshit and ass kissing may well get you to the top and over but for how long. Do you and will you have to keep doing it to stay there.

Ah, good old ass kissing and bullshit. It never changes but sometimes it does work to your advantage. If you all promise not to laugh, I will tell you that I have worked at the same hospital for over 38 years and I have seen my share of both. I have always tried to do my best and I always take pride in what I do. I would like to say I am where I am today only because of my good work ethic, but I would be lying. Erika said it best, "you gotta do whatcha gotta do", and that's what I've done over the years. I haven't stepped on anyone's toes to advance myself, but I have done some ego stroking when it was needed. The funny part about the whole thing is that the people who required me to do all the fancy footwork have all come and gone and I don't know if it was my stupidity or my brilliance that kept me going to get to the point of where I am now. All I know now is, I am happy with the way things have played out.

Peter, good for you and Astrid too, to have the strength and courage to go it on your own. I am really happy for you that you have goals in sight that you so richly deserve.

This was a good topic, Paul. It made me laugh at first, but when I really thought about it, it gave me a chance to evaluate what I thought were wasted years trying to survive. I now realize that they weren't wasted. I was just paying my dues and working my way up to the professional I am today, and do you know what? I like it!

Smiles to all,
Sally C.

I CDNUOLT BLVEIEE TAHT I CLUOD AULACLTY UESDNATNRD WAHT I WAS RDGNIEG.

THE PAOMNNEHAL PWEOR OF THE HMUAN MNID

AOCCDRNIG TO A RSCHEEARCH AT CMABRIGDE UINERVTISY, IT DEOSN'T MTTAER IN WAHT OREDR THE LTTEERS IN A WROD ARE, THE OLNY IPRMOATNT TIHNG IS TAHT THE FRIST AND LSAT LTTEER BE IN THE RGHIT PCLAE. THE RSET CAN BE A TAOTL MSES AND YOU CAN SITLL RAED IT WOUTHIT PORBELM.

TIHS IS BCUSEAE THE HUAMN MNID DEOS NOT RAED ERVEY LTETER BY ISTLEF, BUT THE WROD AS A WLOHE!

AMZANIG, HUH????

Gran Mil Thanks a bunch for the FIF info. Sure sounds like we won't have very much spare time.

I watched the second half of "Salem's Lot" just to see Tata Morice. What a waste of time. I liked the original movie with one of the stars from the old Starsky & Hutch TV series. The blond one. I can't remember his name.

Did you happen to see the AFI's 100 best film musicals? It was wonderful. There were several clips of Baz Luhrmann talking about the different movie musicals.

Peter
As you seem to be the information garu for Australia, what are the winters like there, in Melborne, and Sidney? What part of the country gets snow?

Paul
I have never seen this before. Along with AK & BS I think Politics 16+15+12+9+20+9+3+19=103 should be included. I think I did it right. Very interesting. How is your work with "Annie" going?

Love to all and take care.
Marge

Marge, The winters in Sydney are not too cold. Daytime temperatures average around 12 - 15 degrees C, and fall to around 5 overnight, sometimes a bit cooler. You get the odd day where the daytime temperature reaches the low 20's.
Melbourne is a lot farther south than Sydney, so the days are usually a bit cooler (but don't dare suggest that to a Melbournian).

The snow fields are kind of half-way between Melbourne and Sydney and inland about 250kms.
Mt Kosiosko National Park has the main ski fields in New South Wales (that's the state where Sydney is!).

Peter

Sally, I guess there's arse kissing and then there's arse kissing. It's a blurry line!

Peter

When I posted that e-mail I thought we would get in to a good discussion about giving 100% and what that meant but instead we got into bullshit and arse kissing?! Very intersting. So I best jump into it!

Oh firstly I am really happy to see some more newbies jumping in and being a part of the site. So welcome Lyn B, Laura and Cindy and good to hear from Damaris again.

Yes, being an actor there is certainly plenty of bulshit and arse kissing around. Some times I wonder if one of the reasons I have struggled here as an actor is because I have not subscribed to any of that kind of activity. Ego stroking sure, flirting yep, arse kissing no, bullshit....... dont think so - bluff and bluster yes which may skit nervously close to bull shit but I dont think it is the same thing.

My position is if you cant be real then I am not interested. So to those that cant or dont want real usually wont hire me and thus I reackon I have lost work. It is a hard thing when you need the work but arse kissing and bullshit are a very bitter pill to take and dont leave me feeling very good or clean about myself.

Honesty if you add it up = 106%
Dignity = 88%
Be Yourself = 128%

So

Be Yourself with Honesty and Dignity = 382%

Now that is a whole lot better then ass kissing and bullshit dont you think?

Oh, I could read the mixed up spelling almost easily. Very clever and intersting, Thank you to who ever posted it.

It goes to show you dont always see what you think or think what you see.

This is interesting! I say so because I've often said when I write, or when I do anything, "I'll do my best! I'll give it 100% of my effort/attention..." whatever fits the situation, and people seem to like to say, "No, give it 110% percent!" And you do wonder, how do you give it any more than your best? It makes you feel inadequate, in a way, because if you genuinely think you're doing your best, there's nothing more to pull from. I love the mathematical equation you posted, because it gives a new approach, a new way to look at things...one that takes the literal meaning from that saying. (And it's funny!)

But I'm still too darn literal, because if you're doing something, and you think you're doing your best...then you step back, dig into your chest and pull up more, aren't you still doing your 100%? But perhaps, then, you were forced to push further, and that's where the whole idea becomes a positive, rather than a negative thing? Eh. It's too late at night to think.

Paul,
Personally, I'll go with the honesty and dignity 100% of the time. No question.

Very good stuff here--Bravo Paul!--There are way too many phoneys and B.S. artists out there now anyway. If you can't keep your dignity in your work, it's like selling your soul to the devil. My husband is a very straight forward person..he says that if people like him or not, he can't help that, but everyone respects him because they know he's honest and is always up front with the truth.
p.s. Thanks to all for the warm welcome!

Marge, Peter, "Salem's Lot" was filmed near Melbourne, so that could explain all the dark, chilling and snowy scenes.

Poor Tara Morice...she didn't give 100% of what she is capable of, because she was bumped off by a fanged vampire!

Marge, I was so busy taping "Salem's Lot" that I didn't even see the AFI Best Movie Songs program.

I should have known better, but I thought it was earthshaking that Tara appeared on American television for the first time! I wonder if she is aware of my sacrifice...

Paul, Tara is appearing in "Loot" on your ABC Friday night June 25th, at 8:30 p.m. Barry Otto also is in it.

I was nearly accosted by an eager woman who wanted to get a part in "Follies". Well, maybe "accosted" is too harsh, but she is very tall, very broad, and grabbed me by the arm to tell me she sings, belly dances, does imitations of Carol Channing, and tells dirty jokes!

Now, Paul, you know that could be 150% bull, but I promised her, if she just let go of my arm, that I would gladly audition her on the weekend.

I hope I am not too intimidated to say "take a hike" if she is tooting her own horn, and really has no talent.

I want the show to be PERFECT for my chickies, come February!

(Come to think of it, a little belly dancing might add some spice!) Stay tuned!

Peace and Love,

Mil the Meek

It would be impossible to give 100% of anything all the time - your time, your thoughts. When you are working that is 100%. Then you take a coffee break (no longer 100%). Back to work 100% again (men can do this easier than women because even when women are working they are still thinking about their families). When you are out with your spouse that is 100% (or should be). So when someone says they want 110% I have wondered before what they mean. I had a boss once, when I worked in registration at a university, that had us working 16 hour shifts during registration. He said that was giving 200%. So is it time they are talking about or your soul? I think most of the time it is about control. If you are willing to give more than what they call 100% then they have you in their control. Evil concept don't you think?

I am a HUGE overachiever, and I bust butt at work all the time. I always have since I was 16. My dad worked 7 days a week for 35 years, so you know I have a good and hard working work ethic. I tend to excell at work and often receive praise from supervisors and department heads, (which causes problems with co-workers) but it is because I am CONSTANTLY going above and beyond what is expected and desired, and certainily far beyond what many co-workers exibit as their work ethic, I know I am really pushing it alot of times but it is my nature to always burn the candle at both ends. Thats just the way I am. I feel that I give more than 100%. There is the 100% that means you have done your best and performed well, then there is "you have exhausted yourself and now you are sick!" I tend to do the latter, so I feel many times I really do do more than 100%. I know there is no way I could give this 110% ALL THE TIME, without killing myself.
But then, overexertion and burning the candle at both ends till I am sick is precisly why I now have an autoimmune disease. Go figure. My mom used to do the same thing and look at HER now! 7 deseises and counting. (I know I know, Paul, my spelling sucks)but I dont have the energy to fix it. (I am giving 50% of myself right now! hehe)

Anyway, thats my veiw on it.

Paul, enjoyed the new write up on the dingo story. Any way us in the states can get a copy without buying a international satelite dish?

Love to all,

Kelly

Kelly,
The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long.

In the late 60's I was working as a transcriptionist for the air to ground on the Apollo missions. At the time they did a complete background check of people and you had to sign a loyality oath to work there. Everybody gave their all (don't know if it was 100% for everybody, but it was all I had to give). On one of the missions a guy assigned to us came in to give us our "pep talk". I remember he said to us "until this mission is over, we own you body and soul." I thought at the time "screw you". When you have given everything you have to a job - that's it. I have been told I was "prostituting myself" as a transcriptionist because I could do so much better at something else and I thought what are you talking about. I'm good at my job! I used to get the "walks on water and talks with God" reviews at work too, but I could only give them 100% because that's all I had to give.

Maybe in my first post I didn't say much about the 100% topic because the way Paul presented it, I've just been reminded of all the shortcomings, failures and regrets I have, or think I have. So it's a lot easier to come up with how I feel about A.K. & B.S.!
It is most often always a choice to give it your all or do your best. I don't know if I should be more pleased with the outcome when I didn't have any choice but to step up to the plate, or those times I really commited and followed through to the end. Then in that case alone, am I more pleased with the outcome when I completed some thing that is a perfect vehicle for my inherent talents, or when I chose to keep the pressure on myself all the way through something challenging?
When you have the freedom to choose whether you'll put up 100% or,say 90%, you may belive 90 is 100 just because you're the only accountable one.
Like Kelly, I have a chronic illness, since the age of 7. I really do have to make a choice, or rather many choices every day, as to wether I am going to do 100% of what I must to stay healthy. Some days I can't imagine a harder job, others feel like no work at all, and every once in a while LIFE just gets in the way and I hover around doing maybe 25%. With this condition, I have, many times in my life, not given everything I've got when there has been a choice. I also have a bad tendency to overachieve at things when I'm struggling with controlling my disease. I live with a huge sense of failure or shortcoming all the time and I've found it oddly comforting to overachieve at some things. So I feel there are things in this life I'm good at. Also, to avoid attatching my identity to firmly to the disease. No, I am not a diabetic. I have Diabetes. I've had a full time job since I was a child of insulin shots, blood tests, doctor visits and dealing with the haywire immune system that gave it to me. But I am a lot of other things.
So I think that overall, if you add it up I am 100% alive, every day, by choice,and at this point for me, that's the most important equation.

Mil- I bellydanced for a handful of years, so I say yes to including them! Of course, I have no clue what this show you are doing is about, but almost any event can be well diversified by half naked women dancing around with veils. Did you ever see Rita Hayworth in Salome? Of corse, that wasn't real belly dancing she did, but it was certainly a snoozer movie without it. Me, I just watched it for the costume ideas.

-Astrid

Astrid,

I feel so, so, so, so OLD when I listen to all of you. There was a time when I had your energy, your enthusiam, your drive. I hope you keep it forever and ever. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

What is the old Indian saying about you must walk in someone's shoes for 30 days to understand their life. That is so true.

If you are feeling bad on one day and give 25% it is really 100% because that's what you can give that day. Several people in my family are diabetics and although I can not personally understand what you are going through I do know how hard it is. I have Hastimoto's disease and Manic Depression. Some people say they can control these without medication, but I can't.

Anyway, take care of yourself. Your attitude is very positive and good.

Astrid, when you belly danced, I'll bet you were a bit younger, so it would work in front of an audience.

This lady that is going to audition on Saturday is a senior also, and there are no Rita Hayworths
around here, for sure!

She definitely will not be half naked if she should get the part, (which I doubt.) I don't want the show closed by the cops..(Keystone, that is...)

I think she would be better off being in a group of dancers who are doing a comic routine, ala
Busby Berkeley, to the strains of "The Shadow Waltz", or part of a large group singing "Mame", or the chorus opening at the rising of the curtain, where one of the songs is from "Annie Get Your Gun" ("There's no people like show people,....let's go on with the show, let's go on with the show...")

Astrid, 14 years ago, I was lucky to have a wonderful 6th grade class, and in it was a lovely young girl who had juvenile diabetes. She did not dwell on it, and I knew she had to take shots. Her father had diabetes also, so it ran in the family.

I worried about her, but today she is about your age, and is planning to get married this year.

She always gave 100% in class, in her studies and in her contribution to class projects. She is today a teacher herself.

I am convinced that genes play such factors in our lives, but who knows. Maybe down the pike, with more funding in the medical field, the autoimmune diseases will be finally understood, treated, and maybe conquered for good!

Peace and Love,

Mil

AStrid, boy can you and I really relate! I have not been ill all my life, just the last couple years and the worst of it in the last 6 months or so. I like your attitude about living life 100%. I try not to let Sarcoidosis define me, too. I am pretending that it isn;t there, (trying to ) I go to the Rhumetologist (finally!) Aug. 2, and hopefully I will get some answers. Keeping you in my thoughts,

Love to you,

Kel

Jo-I have bipolar, too!! I don't mean to sound so excited about you having it, too but dag, sometimes, I feel pretty alone!!

Dear Millie-Viven Leigh is a personal favorite of mine. I often relate to her Scarlett character-with all of the hard lessons!!

Michelle-Best of luck with the house stuff. I work for Hopkins and they are doing expansion as well and displacing residents.

Hello and hugs to everyone here at PC!!

I used to be the 110% person, ass kisser but something happened at my previous job last summer that changed my life. I no longer kiss anyone's ass-it was never worth it. And, I give only what I can give. My job now equals paycheck-it no longer equals self-esteem or where I make my friends. I found out that people will simply step over you if you fall at work-so-I don't fall and I don't allow myself to care about a whole hell of alot.

I'm still going through some restructuring in my life and head about the hell from last year. I'm not the person I used to be. There's a saying and a song "Once bitten-twice shy". Well, that describes me now.

On a brighter note-my girls had their first dance class last night and they were besides themselves with joy!! I was excited for them! They were precious-little pink leotards, little ballet and tap shoes. Uh, oh-hormones coming on syrupy, again-best leave this topic alone!!

Sorry to have been so long in my post-I'm blaming everything, well-just about everything on the pregnancy!!

Again, hugs to all and thanks for listening to my ranting!!

Abeth

Hi to Astrid! (sorry i didn't say hi before...sometimes i just "lurk")
My little sis has type 1. I have learned a lot from and with her about life and about some of the things she is facing. She has a great attitude (as you do), and together we both are
learning to healthfully eat and approach life as relatively stress free as we can, and a little humor doesn't hurt along the way too.
Your energy and spirit are a joy to see here.

Latte luv,

katalina

Grandma Mil, just thought I'd ask..(or anyone here at PC for that matter..) have you ever heard of, seen or experienced the Tamborito? (Panamanian sexy, flirty, and yet very elegant - the ladies in their Polleros (spanish lace dresses)) I have a friend from Panama now living in States (Florida!!) who roused my curiosity about this dance.

Hugs,
Chickee Katalina

Abeth, quick, I think I will sign up your little girls for my show!

Two Follies ago, way back in 2000, I had two little grandkids of one of my star dancers do the Macarena with their grandma on stage..they too, were dressed in little leotards and ballet shoes, and could only sway and turn, trying to imitate their grandma...well, it brought the house down!

My Chickie Katalina: I will try to find out about the Tamborito.

The gal that is going to do the flamenco in Follies might know. She's Brazilian,
and she's a fabulous Latin dancer.

Peace and Love,

Mil

My dear Millie-It's funny isn't it how little ones don't really need to do a routine-they can get away with just standing there and/or swaying! Shall I send my girls now so that you may get the full benefits that a 5 year old and 3 year old (on 6/29) have to offer-ha, ha!!

HUGS!
Abeth

Gran Mil
I wished I had taped the AFI show. I will find out if you can purchase one somewhere.

Peter
Thanks for the update on the winter down under. I will have to get the C temp. converted to F.

I wanted to share the following with all you gals.
One for the guys later.

A WOMAN'S LIFE
Every minute, to and fro,
That's the way my hours go,
Bring me this, take me that,
Feed the dog, put out the cat,
Standing up I eat my toast,
Drink my coffee, thaw the roast,
Empty garbage, make the bed,
Rush to church, wash my head,
Sweep the kitchen, wax the floor,
Scrub the woodwork, clean the door,
Scour the bathtub. then myself,
Vacuum carpets, straighten shelves,
Eat a sandwich on the run,
Now my afternoon's begun.
To the soccer game I go,
When will I find time to sew?
Meet the teacher, stop a fight,
See the dentist, change a light,
Help with homework, do the wash,
Iron the clothes, put on the squash,
Shop for groceries, cash a check,
Fight the crowds, now I'm a wreck!
Dinner time it soon will be,
"What's for dinner?" Wait and see!
Dirty dishes fill the sink,
Make some popcorn and a drink,
Will they never go to bed,
Will I never get ahead?
Bring them water, get the light,
Turn off the TV, lock up the bike,
Where's my pillow, say your prayers,
Did you lock the door downstairs?
At last in bed, my spouse and I,
Too tired to talk, too weak to cry,
And in the dark I hear him say...
"WHAT DO WOMEN DO ALL DAY?"

I'm on my way to horse around.
Take Care & Love to All
Marge

Marge, take the temperature in degrees C, multiply by 1.8, and then add 32.
That will give it to you in degrees F.

I am cracking up over Strictly Mathematical. Now I know what I can say when people ask how much I'm willing to put into a project -- 100% plus a certain percentage of ass kissing, depending...! Jennifer from California

Marge thanks for the poem - I am looking forward to the one for men. I saw enough of me in that poem mostly because I have a lot of time at home and can do more of the at home stuff. Of course Andrea fits the poem perfectly.

It would seem to me that doing more than 100% takes you into the negative realm. The harder you go over and above 100% the more detrimental to your health and purpose in striving to do more. "Less is more" doesnt actually mean do less it means be happy and content in what you have done knowing you have done your best.

As a dancer I was expected to go to class 6 days a week when performing. Some days I couldnt, I was tired and wrecked and so instead I would go have a coffee and then go in to work and do my own preparation before rehearsal or performance. They used to threaten to fine me! Funny how they always want the more even if it is to your detriment which ultimately leasd to their detriment although they would never acknowledge that. So in doing "less" to the best of my ability I was ensuring that I could give them "more" and of course I could maintain a long and healthy career!

I always try ro keep in mind if I am going to do something I should do it right the first time. But I believe that everyone's ability is different. I try to to be understanding and not impatient. One person may be giving a 110% and another may view it as only 75%. So, I say if you know you are doing your best and someone else disagrees well, then, they can kiss your ass......
;)

Jo, Please do not let me make you feel old! I'd really rather have youth over with most of the time because it's such a screwy time. Now, childhood is different. That is worth something. Anyhow, I will restrain myself from all further references to my age, if possible. For everyone's benefit here I am sure! Better to relate by universal themes.
Thank you all for your encouraging thoughts. My heart goes out to all of you who are in similar boats. They have a research hospital here in Salt Lake City where they have panel discussions. I attend any that talk about diabetes or autoimmune issues and there are so many great things in the field today, especially with stem cells(but that was previous to the current administration putting the lid on funding). I have a firm belief things will change, but it can't happen soon enough, right?

Marge- Great poem! That's going up on the bulletin board at work.

Damaris- clever way to turn that one around!

I like CindyLynn's take on 100%. I think the idea of saying 110% ect. was to get people to realize that when they think they can't do any more they actually can. I believe it started as a corporate "pep talk" because your employer is always trying to get as much as they can out of you for their buck. Jo(texas) also has a point when she says some days giving 50% may be your 100% for that day, so there are variables. As far as work? I give 100% of what my check is worth, I do the work they want but I don't go above or beyond too often. The funny thing about that is I keep getting high praise and the full amount of allowed raise everytime I get a review. So maybe I'm giving what they consider to be 110%.

Hi Katalina! Hi Grandma Mil and everyone. And oh Peter, here is a Sydney/Melbourne joke I heard, A lady told her friend "I have three children, two living and one in Melbourne." I hope you thought it was funny.
Peace, Inn

My dearest Inn, I live in Melbourne???!!!:)

Inn, I'll just add my bit! My dear sister-in-law and her family also live in Melbourne. My lovely wife and children are going there in a couple ofweeks time, for a visit.

It's odd that you've heard Sydney/Melbourne jokes, because I've honestly never heard one until now.
Really though, I think the standing rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne has kind of faded.
I really like the Italian sector in Melbourne.
Fantastic restaurants, really good.
Melbourne also has a HUGE Greek population.
It's a nica place to feeda you face!
Melbourne is also a little more relaxed to get around than Sydney.

Marge, thank you for your offer to look around for the AFI presentation, but I found out my friend taped it the other night, and will give it to me! (That's what friends are for, right?)

Paul, "Salem's Lot" was filmed in a small town near Melbourne. I'm glad it was "near" and not "in".

I think the town was Cresskill, or something like that. CressKILL would be appropriate for that turkey.

Peace and Love,

Mil

Marge, thank you for your offer to look around for the AFI presentation, but I found out my friend taped it the other night, and will give it to me! (That's what friends are for, right?)

Paul, "Salem's Lot" was filmed in a small town near Melbourne. I'm glad it was "near" and not "in".

I think the town was Cresskill, or something like that. CressKILL would be appropriate for that turkey.

Peace and Love,

Mil

Marge, thank you for your offer to look around for the AFI presentation, but I found out my friend taped it the other night, and will give it to me! (That's what friends are for, right?)

Paul, "Salem's Lot" was filmed in a small town near Melbourne. I'm glad it was "near" and not "in".

I think the town was Cresskill, or something like that. CressKILL would be appropriate for that turkey.

Peace and Love,

Mil

Paul, Peter, a correction: The name of the town where most of "Salem's Lot" was filmed is called
Creswick, "a sleepy little town that people pass on the way to somewhere else..."

Apparently, the town had a renaissance, for after the hoopla of the filming, 2 new businesses opened and a 5 star resort hotel with a golf course was being built, giving employment to the young people who had to go elsewhere for jobs.

My information came from a woman who is like the local hostess of Creswick. She takes pride in the small town character of her town, and has invited Ellie and me to stop by if we ever get to Australia...(in my dreams!)

Peace and Love,

Mil

What can you do when you've given all you can give, whether it was 100% 0r 382%?

A few months back, the company where I worked went downsized, but the department I worked in was not supposed to be one. Our manager asked us to do 110% and more "to get our numbers up" so we would look good. They even hired more people for us and we trained them to "help" us with our jobs. Turned out that after we had shown the trainees what we did and how to do it, they fired us and hired the newbies at a lower rate!

So much for giving your all, huh?

Sorry I'm bitter, but thanks for letting me share.

Claire

melbourne!!!!?
you should move to the great usa! ;)

Astrid,
You are not making me feel old. Life is making me feel old. My 15 year old great nephew leaves today to go to Corpus Christi with his parents. So far while he has been here he has tried to steal Joe's motorcycles and cut up his own clothes with the chain saw (please don't ask me why because I don't know). Our telephone line has been busy 90% of the time because he is ALWAYS on the net. When stealing the motorcycles didn't work he tried to bribe Joe with money!!! When I told his mother about this she asked "How much did he offer you?"
We never had any children of our own, but together we have seven nieces and nephews, but this 15 year old really takes the cake!

Giving 100%? Nah...give 95% and then you have a bare thread to hang onto for yourself, just in case. (What's that saying..."You're no good to me dead."?)

'alo, everyone! Sheer hell at home lately (goes with the "I'm Tired" thread so I'll put it there) but I'm here.

On the topic: Giving 100% is inconceivable. You need to value yourself and your worth and figure the percentages of how you can give the most POSSIBLE without losing yourself in the doing. Ya know? For some people, that's 30/70. For others, it's 50/50, and for even others, it may be 98/2. But STILL, one must reserve a shred of ones' self for picking themselves back up by the (very thin, wavering and tremulous) bootstraps. Yes?

Kat, pour me a caramel latte', eh Dear Friend?

Kiss*kiss*,
Dhi

Just goes to show what happens when you hit a button. I posted what I hoped was a good contribution to the 100% topic and I hit a button (a little one) with the Melbourne joke. I know you live in Melbourne Paul. I am reading a book right now called "In a Sunburned Country" it is a very funny book. The author used the joke to illustrate the Sydney/Melbourne feud. He said at one point in time it was Melbourne that was the most popular city with the Olympics going there first and business used to center there but now its Sydney that gets all the attention. I guess there are a lot of places in the world that have to put up with these jokes. Locally we have Nanticoke which has a large Polish population and the joke is "how do sneak an elephant through Nanticoke? Give it a babushka (head covering scarf)and a purse" and we have Noxen considered the most rural (redneck) area and the joke is "why can't police solve crimes in Noxen? Because the DNA is all the same and there are no dental records." So gentlemen you are not alone. This is all a very long way of saying..it was just a joke. :-)
peace

Inn,
I guess I have to be with Paul on this one. I just don't "get" Bill Bryson's jokes. My husband has read all his books (most of them out loud so I could hear all the funny stuff) and I just don't understand them. A Walk In the Woods was my husband's favorite, but I put it down half way through. Notes From a Small Island had him rolling on the floor. Give me a Patricia Cornwell or Ann Rule book any day of the week - books my husband won't touch.

But I do understand the humor. My husband is a Texas Aggie so here is an Aggie joke.
How many Aggie's does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One to hold the bulb and three to turn the ladder.

Hey,hey Inn:

I'm from Johnstown and my husband is from Creekside. His sister lives in Naticoke. Is it true?? Are you my long lost cousin's sister's father's mother??!! Haaahaaa

Sally

Can somebody please explain the Sydney, Melbourne joke to me please, I'm trying to laugh and understand it but I can't, sorry.

Jo I am going to sound really thick now but what is a Texas Aggie? Is it an American thing?

Nertha I am wanting to set up my own picturetrail site, is it easy to do?

Hello to everyone, have a great weekend
Love
Kim

Hi Everyone
Today is another milestone for me It's my birthday and I am a young 65. Got a beautiful boquet of roses from Alana, Jeff & Logan. My cousin is taking me to see Cirque d' sole (sp) to see their new show with the dancing horses. Looking forward to this.

Paul
Glad you liked the 'for the Gals' poem. I thought about you doing a lot of those things.

Here is the "Guy's Rules" Kind of Macho.
Notice each of them is No. 1.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do.
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.
Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry,
we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how youÊ want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have
to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit.
We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched.
We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing,"
we will act like nothing's wrong.
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to,expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine...Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster trucks.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.

1. Thank you for reading this.
Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

The one about the toilet seat is best. There is nothing like going to the bathroom in a hurry and sit on the toilet with the seat up. Gets your attention right away?

Gran Mil
Glad you were able to get the AFI tape. I know you will enjoy it.

Peter
Thanks for the 'math' lesson. I didn't get the Azzie joke either.

Love to all & Take care
Marge

An "Aggie" is a student or alumnus of Texas A & M University (Agricultural & Mechanical).

Vicki (in California)

Marge,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Vicki,
You got the A&M right, but they do not have alumni. They have former students. Other universities have alumni. Once an Aggie, always an Aggie!!

Vicki,
A&M is sort of like having a relative that you don't like anymore. You don't like them, but they are still related.

Sally C it's true it's true!
Hey Jo, I just love Bryson. "..Sunburnt Country" is my favorite but I do often laugh aloud over other jokes.
Kim, the Sydney/Melbourne thing is a city rivalry like I assume go on all over the world. If Paul doesn't mind I'd like to hear anyone else offer up some stories.
Happy Birthday Marge!
Peace

Marge, Happy 65th! I think that is truly a milestone. It used to be the average age of retirement, but who wants to retire?

Peace and Love,

Mil

Jo:

When I was growing up in Texas, EVERYBODY told Aggie jokes. When I moved to California as a teenager, people told jokes about different ethnic groups (un-politically correct, I know), but they were the same as the Aggie jokes I grew up with.

(In a recent email I saw a photo of the back end of a car with a license plate the said "BLONDE" - it was upside down.)

Happy weekend everybody!

Vicki

Vicki,
They don't tell them much here anymore since A&M has passed the University of Texas in popularity. It is THE school to go to. Of course, my husband went there at the time because they had the lowest tution in the state, but not anymore!!

I was looking for a joke about Dallas/Houston and all I found was Texas trivia. So here it is.

Mil this one's for you,
Each year at the Academy Awards, winners go home with a shiny statue called Oscar,
that was named after Texan, Oscar Pierce. Oscar Pierce had a niece who worked for
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood. When she saw the
gold statue for the first time, she claimed it looked like her Uncle Oscar, and so it was
named.

Vicki & Jo thanks for explaining Texas Aggie to me.

Inn thanks for letting me know about Melbourne/Sydney. I still don't understand the joke though. Does anyone know what the rivalry was about?

Marge, Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Marge, happy birthday to you. You will have to imagine me singing that to you. I hope it's a good one.

Have a great weekend
Love
Kim

Atleast most of you have jokes that can be translated to different geographic areas or pejorative labels! Be thankful for this. In Utah we only have jokes about Mormons, polygamists and weird liquor laws. You can have the best arsenal of jokes among your friends when you are here, but take the fish out of water and there's no luck getting a laugh! Sometimes you just have to experience the weirdness of this place to laugh about it.

My husband says that Aggie jokes have been replaced by Bush jokes. I will not get into politics here, but you have to admit the man can turn a phrase. Examples:

"I'm the master of low expectations." —George W. Bush, aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003

"God loves you, and I love you. And you can count on both of us as a powerful message that people who wonder about their future can hear." —George W. Bush, Los Angeles, Calif., March 3, 2004

"I'm honored to shake the hand of a brave Iraqi citizen who had his hand cut off by Saddam Hussein." —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 25, 2004

Now don't beat me up. I didn't make this stuff up!

Wow again..missed so much. I love the topic. The old bitch I worked for years ago...her standard comment in any meeting was "I expect 120%" on this project. REALLY...how the hell were we supposed to do that.

Hope everyone is well.

Got to catch up on the posts so I can respond more.

Tim

Kim, let me try this...the woman has three children all are alive and well but because one lives in Melbourne it is like he is not alive because Melbourne is such a dead place, which I'm sure is not true. Here is another Noxen joke..What is the definition of a Noxen virgin...a girl who can outrun her brothers. Sorry for the crudness but there are millions of them.
Peace.

Erica Crystal, I really enjoy your concise comments! Hilarious at times!

why thank you jean! sometimes i like just jumping in with off the wall comments to break the seriousness but this time i really meant what i said. life is a game. you gotta do whatcha gotta do to move up!

btw..who here thinks paul is a fine sexy man? if you do press 1

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

woops did i just stretch out the thread with all those ones i made!!??? sorry didnt mean to!

The title song from the 1971 movie Kotch with Walter Matthau has the words "Life is what you make it and what you make it is up to you...."

Besitos for my Lady Dhi (consider the caramel latte poured, whipped and foamed..)and a great big shout out to the Amazing Blankeenie. kees kees! oh..saw HP lst nt. (couldn't wait!) It was the best movie done so far. I HAVE to own it when it comes out. hee hee

Latte luv to the PC gang today.
a lovely Saturday afternoon in Seattle. Was supposed to rain but so glad they were wrong.
It's off to the beach while it lasts.

Hugs,
Katalina

actually i lied my true real belief is that your destiny is already made. you cant change it your path is chosen

1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Thanks, Erika!

Gran Mil

Me, too, Erika! 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Vicki

Inn thanks for the explanation, I finally understand it now.
I'm not sure if this is true or not but is Melbourne the wettest part of Australia? I was just curious to know.

And me Erika
111111111111111111111111111111111111111111
[Many 111 deleted here. :) --Cat]

Kim

Oh blimey sorry about that I got a bit carried away with myself.

Interesting topic! My sister emailed me the “strictly mathematics” post a while back and I did find it VERY funny, but the posts here made me think about this a bit more. So who gets to decide what “giving 100%/110 % etc.” means? Shouldn’t it be myself who decides what my best is and how much I can and want to give? Is giving 100% always the same thing each and every moment / task / challenge? I don’t think it should be or can be, because each day is different and demands different things of me. And another thing, why do we demand giving 100% (or more) of ourselves in our jobs and thus leaving so little energy/time for the other things in our life, such as friends, family, hobbies, relaxation etc.? And how is it possible to give 100% in ones job, 100% to family, 100% to friends, etc. etc. how many 100% are we supposed to give on a daily basis? Well, as someone who gave way too much to her job and is recovering from that and working towards a greater balance in her life, I really get frustrated by what that kind of thinking does to me and how I end up focusing way too much on my work and not enough on the other aspects.
As to the ass kissing and bull shitting: well, I have a VERY low tolerance level for either one of them. I know that most of the conflicts and problems with my ex-boss (yeah for the EX part !!) arose precisely because I didn’t subscribe to either of them, nor did I do ego stroking with her. My dignity and honesty and conscience are not something I willingly “sacrifice.” I see a lot of ass kissing and bull shitting in my students (and faculty ... :( ) as well and there I really have to watch my responses, since it so pisses me off when they do that, that I can walk all over them and bite their heads off. Not a good way to go, but now I occasionally go to the other end of the spectrum that I’m so cautious that I let them walk all over me which is just as counterproductive.

Re. the Melbourne/Sidney and other regional/local jokes, they are so difficult to explain!!! A colleague and friend of mine and I went into a friendly banter the other day about the two cities we are from, they are quite close and people just stared at us and wondering what the hell was going on. Eva and I just laughed our heads off at their reactions and when they asked us to explain it to them, we sucked at it, not for lack of trying but it was nearly impossible to make it transparent to others who had not grown up with it what the joke was.

Okay, need to go, going out with friends to celebrate, looking forward to it. Hope you are all wel ... oh and Happy 65th birthday to Marge! And Erika, here's my "1" (sorry too lazy to put any more in, don't read anything into that ...) And love to everyone else!

Is this thread on steroids or something?? How did it grow so wide?

Cheers and Happy Birthday to Evelyn!

Erika, me too! 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Hope everyone has a beautiful weekend. It finally cooled down after a humid morning and afternoon so I am getting ready to hunt lightning bugs with the grandkids.

Smiles to all,
Sally C.

Sorry folks, but antidepressants suck all those 1's right out of you.

Maybe I should say sorry Paul. It's nothing personal, but antidepressants do make you lose your passion for life. I'm on three so triple the effect. Will a 1/2 do?

In Strictly Ballroom! 111111111111111! But , it has been more than ten years!!! What does he look like now?? Although he seems so...... well, I'll keep it a secret for now.

Oh, I got another joke (but this time for real), regarding Pres. Bush! Several months ago I saw him on TV so excited waving to Stevie Wonder!!

Jean- I just got back from seeing Farenheight 9/11 and if you want to have a laugh(and a cry) over Pres. Bush, go see it! Really, everyone ought to, and though Michael Moore is a bit of a propagandist, it gets a good argument going no matter what side you're on.

Sally- good to know the screen's a bit wide for you, too. I thought it was just me for a moment!

I'll throw in a 1 for Paul, too, just to jump on the bandwagon. That's the underlying fact that got most of us here anyway, right?

Hello EVERYONE!!!!

This is Helen, speaking. . .the real Helen. I, unfortunately or maybe fortunately, have been offline for the past three weeks. First I was in Kyoto for ten days, then after returning home to complete the end of the school year (I teach English at University), my sister's husband died and I decided to go to L.A. to help my sister.

Suffice it to say, I have been very busy. Tonight after returning from a baseball game--which MY favorite team won--I decided it was time to return to the fold (sp?) and catch up on the news in PC. I have been reading for hours and there is no way to catch up to everyone.

So I will say "Thank You's" to:

Kat for sending the email about the series that Paul will be in;

Paul for the wonderful news about Andrea and his daughters;

Grandma Mil for putting me in touch with Kelly,and to say that I wish I could be in Florida for the fest you are planning;

Kelly---I am thrilled to read your posts and to feel your strength;

Marge--congratulations

And, to everyone else.. it is good to be back online with you.

jean awww poor stevie...i heard he can see a little bit now.he got something done he can see colors and stuff now

Hey all! I HAVE FANTASTIC NEWS!!!

I got to meet Mohamad Ali this weekend! I don't know how many hear know how big a fan I am of boxing, HUGE . Heaveywieght mostly. We play his son's team all the time and I have gotten to know the boys on their team very well. Well..... I We had a huge tournement in Detroit this weekend (just got back) and I went to the fields 2 hours early to watch thier team play, and wouldn't you know it...... Mohamed was their watching Asad play! I about freaked when I went to the stands and said my normal HI's to all the parents and THERE HE WAS!! I got his autograph and my picture with him and my daughter. I got to talk to him for a minute about his som and my son and then I sat behind him to watch the game. He has a great sence of humor, He stayed for about half the game and then Lonnie, his wife took him back to thier motor home. She hasa always been a very lovely and kind woman and I have enjoyed getting to know her this ball season. I was very cool about meeting him, I didn't drool or go speechless like alot of people did, I just was kind and then took my seat to watch the game, some parents who know my love for the sport asked me how I could keep my cool but I guess I was just focused on the game I came to watch, I don't know. Maybe I just looked at him as a "NORMAL" person and got over that he was celebrity. It was just an honor to meet him.I was jazzed I was sharing the stands with him. His son called for me and just smiled a mile wide at me after I meet Mohamad. He is such a nice kid.

Anyway, enough of American Sports Hero's , Heaveyweight Boxing Champ of the world, the best boxer that walked the earth,, (well, MIkeTyson, pre Robyn Givens was a close second, only for power, not endurance)

On to Clay,,,,,,, He hit 2 balls 300 feet and hit the fence,,,, if only a another foot higher and they would have cleared the fence! It almost never happens in this league at this age. He WILL do it before the end of the season! If only he haddn't been hurt for 2 months, he would have done it several tmes, I think. Anyway, we didn't make it to Semis this time but we have the World Series next month. We have 2 more regular season games this week and then we are done for that leauge. Then we just have travel ball left.

Hi Helen, Marge, Astrid, Mil, Tim, Hanh, Diane, Sally and everyone else, I am off to do loads of laundry and recoop from the weekend. You just never sleep well in hotels. I am looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight.

Hi Paul !! I'm seeing trailors for I, Robot, now... can't wait.

Love to all

Kelly

Hi everyone! Back from a wonderful holiday. On the percentages theme - feeling 100% relaxed and refreshed & ready to go! I've just read Paul's last two posts and flicked down through this thread. So much going on! I'll have to go back and do a catch-up.

A few things I did pick up on ...

Paul, congratulations!! That's fantasic news about Annie! Best of luck - you'll be in your element. As for Elise reaching another milestone - good luck with that too! Having a good father will stand to her in this strand of her journey. Apologies - I know I'm now going back to three posts ago and everyone here has finished passing the smelling salts BUT.. the poem ....it's so beautiful. So sensual. To be able to capture moments, feelings, desires and pin them down in words like that is a wonderful gift. Thanks for sharing it.

As for this post, so many interesting slants here already. All I can think of adding is that I think giving everything comes from the very essence of who you are/could be. So if it comes down to percentages, B & A don't come into the 100%. That's made up of things like honesty, trust, dignity, integrity, committment, loyalty and love. These two are somewhere outside it in some other category. Like attachments. By their very make-up, they are false in nature. They are hollow and don't ring true. Also, I think ultimately that we are the only keepers of the truth of whether we're giving our all.

Peter - that rest will be well-deserved when it comes. Hope all is well. Love to you.

A big welcome to all the newbies. It's great to see so many new faces! Astrid, your post was an inspiration to read.

Marge, happy birthday!! (I'm probably late!) Also, thanks for the poem. Every line made sense!

Hi and love to Michelle, Millie, Evelyn, Dhi, Kat, Jo, Kelly, Tim, Inn, Monika, Kim and to all my lovely friends here. I missed you all!

Love to everyone out there,
Mary

Hi guys,

Have not posted for a few days because I was dealing with a virus, seems like I finally got it deleted.

>
Kim, yes it's quite easy to set up a Picture Trail site. I like the fact that you can add music, and create as many albums as you wish, so it's easy to organize the photos and for the guests to find them. Another thing I like is that you can choose to protect the photos in your public albums from being copied. Of course, you don't have to worry about that with your private albums, since it is a great way to share photos with relatives and friends. :-)

Kim, here are my 11111111111111111111111111111111 to add to all the others. :-)

Here in New York City we have ethnic jokes about every group ... so the joke about the Aggies and the light bulb we know it as a "Polish joke." We are truly a melting pot, so the longer you live in NYC the more you realize that the same jokes are recycled with a different ethnic group being portrayed in the negative light, so most New Yorkers don't find them funny any more. The Bush jokes, on the other hand, are very popular right now, and we find them quite funny. LOL

We are enjoying a beautiful day, sunny and clear, and temperatures are very pleasant. Hope the sun is shining wherever you are!

Nertha

Hello everyone, I must apologise as I think it was me that caused this thread to stretch. I didn't realise I had pressed the 1 button sooooo many times and that it would stretch it out, so sorry to you all.

Kelly you are so lucky to have met Ali, did you take plenty of pictures of that special moment? That will be something you will never forget. I often see that Prince Naseem, he lives very near to me, I often see him driving out and about in his Ferrari, alright for some!

Mary it is nice to see you back and that you had a nice time away.

Nertha thank you for the info on Picture Trail. I had a good look round and that was the best one of them all. So I have now set one up.

I would love it if you could all take a look and tell me what you think, Paul is on there! If you do could you sign my guest book so I know you have dropped by.

Cat thank you for removing so many 1's

Have a great week everyone
Love
Kim

Hello everyone, I must apologise as I think it was me that caused this thread to stretch. I didn't realise I had pressed the 1 button sooooo many times and that it would stretch it out, so sorry to you all.

Kelly you are so lucky to have met Ali, did you take plenty of pictures of that special moment? That will be something you will never forget. I often see that Prince Naseem, he lives very near to me, I often see him driving out and about in his Ferrari, alright for some!

Mary it is nice to see you back and that you had a nice time away.

Nertha thank you for the info on Picture Trail. I had a good look round and that was the best one of them all. So I have now set one up.

I would love it if you could all take a look and tell me what you think, Paul is on there! If you do could you sign my guest book so I know you have dropped by.

Cat thank you for removing so many 1's

Have a great week everyone
Love
Kim

Sorry I have doubled up on the above post, I don't know what is wrong with me today, too much computer has fried my brain!

You need to type in kimscrossstitch on picturetrail.

Nertha- I am so interested in the fact that you live in NYC! What part are you in? Are you a native? How do you like it? I am asking because I just went to Manhattan for the first time last month for various school related things and being there helped me affirm some long standing plans in that direction. Would you mind if I pick your brain on the subject? If it goes to great lenghts you are welcome to e-mail me separately from here.

Mary- It's nice to meet you. Thanks for the welcome.

Kelly- That's so cool that you got to meet him! I'm so envious because it's that one special notch up to meet someone who is not just famous but your absolute hero!

Kim UK- I'm gonna go check out your Picture Trail thing after this. I'll let you know what I think!

Kim,

How great to see Prince Naseem Hamed in person! Have you ever approched him? He used to wear animal prints and enter the ring by flipping over the top rope, I always enjoyed watching him fight as he had quite an attitude. very fast and light on his feet, but cocky. I also liked watching Angel Manfriedy, another lightweight, or cruiser weight, or whatever they were, Angel has the tatoo on his head and the scars on his forward from a drunk driving accident when he went through the windsheild. I never cared for De La Hoya much (golden boy) Heavyweight is my alltime favorite, I could talk about the heavyweight fighters forever. I have been following it since the 80's. Mohamed was before my time but I watch him on classic ESPN whenever it is on. It's interesting watching the older boxers, strange almost as it is so glitsy and "hollywood" now. I came on the scene in the Jerry Cooney era, Boom Boom Mancini killed that fighter in the ring. Then Sugar Ray made his comeback and then Tyson,,,, oh my Tyson ,,,,,got me hooked. Then you HAD to watch old man George Forman fight just to see if anyone other than Ali could get em down!
I think Ali is the best fighter over all in his day for endurance and speed, Tyson (pre Robyn Givens) for power, but not endurance, Holyfield for stamina and the ability to take a punch(but liked to headbut) Lennox Lewis for endurance AND strength (he has very nice big lips! not that I like big lips, just his... back to boxing.... I don't like how Lewis talks about himself in the third person (or is it first person)I mean Kelly from the corner would NEVER do that! Kelly from the corner only likes to talk boxing and baseball but never herself, no Kelly from the corner would never do that! :)
Roy Jones Jr. does that too, I hate that. It is very cocky. I would really like to see Vitali Klitschko fight more in this country. He should have won against Lewis. He got robbed. Anyway, I will shut up now... sorry, like I said I can about boxing about as long as I can talk about my kids.

Hey Mary, hey all, Love to everyone...

Kelly

Hey Astrid,

It was cool, very cool, and to actually have something in common to talk to him about, (his son) It was nicer than just an "can I have an autograph" kind of thing. Like if we were all to meet Paul someday, somewhere, in a land far far away, It would be nicer per we have all established a base with him other than his celebrity, it's more genuine, i think.

Lots of love to all,

Kelly

Kelly,
I understand that Paul's father is a former boxer in Australia. Unless there are two Gus Mercurio's it must be the same one.

Well I've had time to catch up on the blog. I didn't even read the last one.
Paul I can't wait till my daughter is old enough to talk to me about her boyfriends. I hope I live that long.
And the old southern saying is a traditional one in Atlanta. A son is a son until he finds a wife but a daughter is a daughter all her life. Something like that.
Glad to hear about the new gig Paul.
Love the two scenarios of women and men. Strangely enough...they seem true??
I took my two younger sons to see The day after tomorrow this afternoon. It of course was rainy and cloudy here. How apropos for the movie. Anyway they had a huge kiosk inside the theatre about I Robot. I explained to them that Paul (SB) was a part of it. They were like "wow that's cool." They remembered you Paul.
Today started off really crappy. Feeling sorry for myself, but I pulled myself up and started doing stuff.
Surprise Surprise. My dad whom most of you know has nothing to do with me or the kids. He paid a surprise visit on Fathers Day. He just showed up while I was opening the pool. He said he loved me and wanted to help. He left the next morning. We talked..I took 3 xanax and it went well. Then I find out he paid two mortgage payments for me. What the hell am I supposed to say...I did say Thank you. But how out of the blue huh?
Oh..this screen is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO wide...oops
may have hurt it there. Cat can you adjust somehow?
Nertha..I love NY. After the movie today my kids wanted to go straight away. And of course in the LA portion I kinda showed them where my apartment was located.
Claire..I've been there done that. As a controller for a large public company, I had to "do" that. Oh god how I hated it. But I had to go into companies that we acquired and squeeze my people in to learn the cycles of their business then merge their info on our computer and Bang they were gone.
It's a crude rude world out there. Kind of like going around the 285 here in Atlanta. The perimeter freeway that encirles Atlanta. Anyway someone put up a billboard that says..Atlanta is RUDE. I'm so sure related to the awful behavior of drivers here.
It's my birthday on the 6th...44 and running. I start class on the 5th. So begins my MBA. May it help me find my "rainbow." or no "parachute." whatever. some philosophic book on careers that succumbs to the theology presented in the blog...giving more than 100%.. Mmph.
I'm looking forward to the follies. It's going to be great to meet and talk in person.
Kel good to hear your positive sounding posts. Keep feeling great...just tell yourself youfeel great at the very least.
I guess that's enough for now.
Hello to everyone. Too many names to even type now. But as one newbie put it we are a tight little group..but only in the sense that we are friends...new friends are always welcome.
peace and love to everyone.

The Timmer

Astrid wrote:

>

Hi Astrid,
I'm in Queens, so I have the best of both worlds: we live close enough to Manhattan to take advantage of its museums, hospitals, etc. (10 minutes by train and you're at 59th Street), but live in a neighborhood that has mostly private homes and has more of a small city feel to it.

I am not a native, I am a child of the tropics (born in the Dominican Republic) transplanted at age 14 to New York City. Talk about culture shock! LOL But after all these years in the USA I feel as if I were a native. I have spent most of my life here, after all. :-)

I love NY! Love the fact that it is a global community where one interacts with people from around the world, can experience other cultures, sample different foods. Just within a ten block radius in my neighborhood there are various pizza parlors, Japanese, Chinese, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Greek, Italian, Irish, Spanish, Colombian, Mexican, Moroccan restaurants. Those are only the ones that come to mind right now, without thinking.

Sorry about that, I had dinner a little while ago and have food on my mind (and my stomach) LOL.

You are welcome to pick my brain (whatever little of it is left) LOL.

Nertha

Tim,
I saw the trailers for the Day After Tomorrow and it is a bit scary to see NYC being destroyed by the giant wave, so I'm not in a hurry to see the movie. I'll wait until it comes to video, I don't think I can take the impact of seeing it on the big screen ... same thing with Mel Gibson's movie about Christ.

Nertha

Tim,
Are you a native of Atlanta? My ancestors came from Troup county and Ogelthorpe so I was just curious.

Everybody MUST see Kim's site. There is a picture of Paul on there that you just will not believe. This girl is talented!!!!

Kim,

That is soooooo beautiful! You are very talented.
It loooks just like him.

Kelly

Kim-Pefectly wonderful job on the cross stitch. I took a look and signed your guestbook.

Tim-July 5th draws near-best of luck. I'm not sure of the history with your father but if he's willing to pay 2 months of mortgage-with no strings attached-take it and run. Key words-no strings attached.

Hellos and lots of hugs to my friends here at PC!!

Pregnancy is going well-week 10 and 29 to go!! I feel more of the morning sickness in the evening now. My biggest craving-iced tea, real iced tea and a cigarette. I drink the tea but I don't have the cigarette.

Tomorrow is my daughter, Kathryn's, 3rd birthday. Damn-where has the time gone! She's too cute-when she wants to take a nap she'll tell me-"hold me like a baby". Of course, I do it because my baby's a little girl now.

Hope all of my friends here are well.

Oh, Paul-congrats on "Annie". Finally-something to sink your teeth into-best of luck and keep us updated.

HUGS!
Abeth

Hi Tim. I'll be thinking of you over the next week or so and wishing for you to find that rainbow in the year ahead. I feel a connection with you at the moment, as like you I feel my birthday this year (soon after yours) has a significance for moving on in some way. I'm also heading into a year's study, hoping that it will lead on to new things. Every time you mention your hopes for the MBA, you reinforce that for me and give me a lift. Thanks.

Abeth, glad to hear that things are going well for you. Happy birthday to Kathryn! Children grow up so fast. My sons are well-grown at this stage and I love knowing them as young adults, but sometimes I wish I could have them back for just one day as babies! Love to you.

Hanh, I just caught up on the threads and saw where you talked about eyes meeting across the room at the PC party. That really touched me. We don't need to talk to be glad to see each other there. I'm always glad to feel your energy in the room.

Kelly, it's so wonderful to see you in such good form. Your zest for life is contagious! You do me good. Thanks. Love to you.

Nertha & Kim, you are two talented people! I was really impressed with both your sites.

Michelle, hope all is well with you. Sending love and best wishes to you.

Diane, thinking of you and missing you being around.

Lori, are you out there?

Whit, have you finished the portfolio yet? Hope you are well.

Peter, thought of another song when I was away - Nights in White Satin by The Moody Blues.

Love to Paul and to every one of you,
Mary

Help
I missed the "picture trail" website. Can someone send it to me please?

OOOPS! Did I start something with the "for the guy's" post with all of the subjects being No. 1?

I just received the 2004 "Darwin Awards"

Yes, these are all true. They are finally out again. It's an annual honor given to the person who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing himself in the most extraordinarily stupid way. Last year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out of it.

And the nominees this year in reverse order are:

7. A young Canadian man, searching for a way of getting drunk cheaply, because he had no money with which to buy alcohol, mixed gasoline with
milk. Not surprisingly, this concoction made him ill, and he vomited into the fireplace in his house. This resulting explosion and fire burned his house down killing both him and his sister.

6. A 34-year-old white male found dead in the basement of his home died of suffocation, according to police. He was approximately 6' 2" tall and weighed 225 pounds. He was wearing a pleated skirt, white bra, black and white saddle shoes, and a woman's wig. It appeared that he was trying to create a schoolgirl's uniform look. He was also wearing a military gas mask that had the filter canister removed and a rubber hose attached in its place. The other end of the hose was connected to one end of a hollow tube approx. 12" long and 3" in diameter. The tube's other end was inserted into his rectum for reasons unknown, and was the cause of his suffocation. Police found the task of explaining the circumstances of his death to his family very awkward.

5. Three Brazilian men were flying in a light aircraft at low altitude when another plane approached. It appears that they decided to moon the occupants of the other plane, but lost control of their own aircraft and crashed. They were all found dead in the wreckage with their pants around their ankles.

4. A 22-year-old, Glade Drive, Reston, VA, man was found dead after he tried to use octopus straps to bungee jump off a 70 foot railroad trestle.n Fairfax County police said Eric Barcia, a fast-food worker, taped a bunch of
these straps together, wrapped one end around one foot, anchored the other end to the trestle at Lake Accotink Park, jumped and hit the pavement Warren Carmichael, a police spokesman, said investigators think Barcia was alone because his car was found nearby. "The length of the cord that he assembled was greater than the distance between the trestle and the ground" Carmichael said. Police say the apparent cause of death was "Major trauma."

3. A man in Alabama died from rattlesnake bites. It seems that he and a friend were playing a game of catch, using the rattlesnake as the ball. The
friend, no doubt a future Darwin Awards candidate, was hospitalized

2. Employees in a medium sized warehouse in west Texas detected the smell of a gas leak. Sensibly, management evacuated the building, extinguishing
all potential sources of ignition; lights, power, etc. After the building had been evacuated, two technicians from the gas company were dispatched. Upon entering the building, they found they had difficulty navigating in the dark. To their frustration, none of the lights worked. Witnesses later described the sight of one of the technicians reaching into his pocket and
retrieving an object that resembled a cigarette lighter. Upon operation ofthe lighter-like object, the gas in the warehouse exploded, sending pieces of it up to three miles away.
Nothing was found of the technicians, but the lighter was virtually untouched by the explosion. The technician suspected of causing the blast
had never been thought of as 'bright 'by his peers.

AND THE WINNER.....
>

1. Based on a bet by the other members of his threesome, Everitt Sanchez tried to wash his own "balls" in a ball washer at the local golf course. Proving once again that beer and testosterone are a bad mix, Sanchez managed to
straddle the ball washer and dangle his scrotum in the machine. Much to his dismay, one of his buddies upped the ante by spinning the crank on the machine with Sanchez's scrotum in place, thus wedging them solidly in the mechanism. Sanchez, who immediately passed his threshold of pain, collapsed and tumbled from his perch. Un-fortunately for Sanchez, the height of the ball washer was more than a foot higher off the ground than his testicles are in a normal stance, and the scrotum was the weakest link. Sanchez's scrotum was ripped open during the fall, and one testicle was plucked from him forever and remained
in the ball washer, while the other testicle was compressed and flattened as it was pulled between the housing of the washer, and the rotating machinery inside. To add insult to injury, Sanchez broke a new $300.00 driver that he had just purchased from the pro shop, and was using to balance himself. Sanchez was rushed to the hospital for surgery, and the remaining men in the threesomewere asked to leave the course.
Note: This last one wouldn't normally count, because the idiot didn't die. But because he cannot reproduce as a result of his qualifying act of stupidity, we have allowed it.

I just know that you guys here on PC are MUCH smarter than any of the above. I don't know if there is a Darwin list for us gals or not. I will look into it.

Temps here have been in high 70's F.

Love to all,
Marge

Well, back to giving 100% as it applies to an artist's life. There's the 100% the ARTIST GIVES but then there's the matter of what is the percentage the AUDIENCE RECEIVES or perceives to be receiving. Having worked for a booking agent of classical artists in NYC many years ago, I believe that there is a difference between what is given by the artist and what everyone else (including fellow artists) receive. For example, my agency handled classical musicians and dance companies. I would occasionally visit the dance studios and what I always saw was 100% giving on the part of the dancers. I saw it in bandages, sweat, exhaustion, exertion, elation. But then, sometimes at a performance, something would be off, and sometimes it was something you could not even articulate, and I would see that the audience was not getting it, wasn't receiving or, maybe, wasn't accepting the 100% that was being laid out before them. So, I'm thinking that for the 100% to be experienced by both the giver of it and the receiver of it, there has to be a connectivity that doesn't always exist. It's kind of like electricity -- if the switch isn't in the "on" position, the juice just doesn't get through. Jennifer from California

Apologies for changing the subject completely for a minute but I'd appreciate some help with something that we're stuck with here. My son is on a restriction diet at the moment for allergies and is not allowed white sugar in any form. He can however have sugar cane. A common ingredient that he is coming across is raw cane sugar and he's not sure if this is another name for that or something closer to white sugar. As he is also off wheat and dairy products and a list of other things as well, he is quite restricted with what he can eat. So it would make a difference if it could be included. He has searched on the web but can't find anything conclusive. Seeing as there are a lot of food-wise people in the Corner, I thought I'd give it a go here. Hope you don't mind!

Thanks,
Mary

Marge,
Go to www.picturetrail.com/gallery/kimscrossstitch.
When the box comes up type in kimscrossstitch.
Somebody correct me if this isn't right, but it worked for me.

Mary, in my experience, some quality brands of organic, natural, unprocessed food items will literally mean unprocessed cane sugar when they list it on the label. However you are right to suspect it's just another name for the same old thing. If you are doing your shopping in a store whose specialty is health foods you may be able to get assistance from an employee in selecting foods that are made from unprocessed sugar. Luckily these are more avilable lately, especially with the popular advent of raw, organic foods and stores like Wild Oats(I'm not sure if they are in your neck of the woods). You may want to spend time looking for foods that are sweetened with alternate ingredients like fruit juice, honey or lactose(granted he is not also intolerant of that). If it hasn't allready suprised you, it will when you see how many things have sugar added to them! It's scary, but I wish you and your son the best of luck.

I actually find packaging labels deeply disconcerting. There are so many odd things out there we put in or on our bodies, not knowing what they are. A lot of skin creams contain urea as a peservative and softening agent, which is urine of animal origin. And just the other day I found out that Minute Maid brand pink grapefruit juice uses cochineal "extract" to make it that nice color. Cochineal is an insect and the bodies of the females are crushed up to produce an intense red dye that I used to paint on some silk a few months ago. So I was awfully suprised to find it listed on the carton of juice I bought recently! Come to find out, it's commmon as a food dye, but ick! I don't like the thought.
-Astrid

Mary,
Here is a pretty good web site that tells you about refined and unrefined, cane and beet sugars. Hope this helps. http://www.thewellnessdoc.com/resources/refined_sugar.stm
By the way I haven't said hello lately - hello to everybody on PC.

Jo(in Texas)-
I found out some interesting details pertaining to the photographs you sent. I am going to look into one more source tonight and will send you a nice long E-mail about it either a couple of hours from now or early tomorrow. Do you happen to know what year she married your great grandfather? It's very possible he took the picture from what you said, so I'm wondering if that date will mesh with her apparent age in the photo. No big deal if you don't know; it would just add to some of my educated guesses because there are some gaps between what we were thinking and what I've found.
-Astrid

Hello everyone, first of all I would like to thank Jo, Evelyn, Monika, Abeth, Astrid, Mary & Sally C for looking on my site and for signing my guestbook. Your kind words meant such a lot to me all of these compliments will make my head blow up like a balloon :) I'm glad you all liked what I have done on the Paul portrait so far. It took me a while to get it right but I think I have cracked it now.

Kelly, no I haven't approached Prince Naseem. I have only seen him drive by in his cheap ferrari! Yes he did wear the animal prints, maybe he still does :)I have never been all that keen on him as a boxer, yes he is very cocky and to me he seems to dance about a lot but I suppose that is what put bums on seats and it makes more entertaining to watch. The one I like most of all is Tyson, to me he has that animal about him, or he used to. I was on the edge of my seat when he was fighting Hollyfield especially when he had a nibble of his ear, he doesn't have very good table manners though because he just spat it out. I bet he wished he had of kept it now he could of auctioned it then it might of helped him with his money troubles!

Tim Happy Birthday for the 6th, I hope it's a good one for you.

Abeth Happy Birthday for your daughter, what a lovely age to be.

Well have a good day everyone
Love
Kim

Mary,
My son, Jonathan, has wheat, sugar cane, peanuts, soy, and other assorted food allergies, so we have been reading labels for quite a few years now. As Astrid mentioned, it's amazing how many products have sugar, so you can't let your guard down while shopping. We shop for his cereals at the health food store and have been able to find quite a few that are both wheat-free and sweetened with fruit juices and such.

Lately we have been experimenting and have been using SPLENDA, which is a sugar substitute, derived from sugar cane, but it has been genetically altered, so it is supposed to be processed differently than sugar. Haven't really reaserched it, but it seems to not affect Jonathan in the way sugar does, so it has been a good substitute. It comes both in packets and loose in a box, like white sugar. I haven't explored raw sugar because it is still sugar, so it is not good for Jonathan.

Best of luck with the diet. It is not easy to stay within it because there are so many products out there with hidden ingredients. Jonathan's food allergies affect his nervous system, so he had a good incentive to keep the diet. He didn't like the way it made him feel and how it caused him to lose control of his emotions and actions. Certain food allergies are believed by some scientists to be part of the trigger in autism (thankfully Jonathan has high functioning autism, aka Asperger's Syndrome) but changing his diet has made a world of difference in his behavior and general health. It was really tough going in elementary school, especially when he found himself in second grade with a very authoritarian, unyielding teacher ... it brought everything to a head and it was at that point that we had him evaluated and discovered that there was a medical reason for his behavior (you can't believe how many suggestions we heard from people about the need for strong and consistent discipline).

Sorry to go on so long. It's a topic very important to our family and I tend to want to share what we have learned along the way, which was quite rocky at times, but its looking so much more hopeful now. :-)

Nertha

Kim,

Just came from visiting your Picture Trail albums and just wanted to say that I enjoyed every minute of it! Your talent with cross stitching is fantastic. I especially love the pictures you have adapted, you did a wonderful job! The picture of Paul is a great choice because he has a great expression on his face that reflects his personality. :-)

Now I'm going back because I forgot to sign your guestbook. LOL You are a very talented lady! :-)

Nertha

Astrid,
Their wedding date was December 4, 1859 in Troup County, Georgia.

Marge,
Just put in www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view THEN you get the box and you put in kimscrossstitch

Thanks for the well wishes guys.
Jo, I know where Troup and Olgethorpe county are. NOT where I grew up. I was born and raised in Glynn county. Brunswick is the main town, with islands, Jekyll Island, St. Simons Island, Little St. Simons, Sea Island, and Blythe Island all connected...
Adjacent to Jekyll via a sailboat is Cumberland island...which gained a lot of recognition when JFK jr. got married there. ..So a native of Georgia, Yes. Proud to be a southerner NO. Moved to Atlanta in 1980 to attend Georgia State University (downtown) where I graduated in 1982.
I'm a gypsy at heart. I want to go and live different places..to get the feel of them. My wife simply likes to visit. I can see her point..but you only live once..and the incredible education it would be for my kids...Ahhh.

Love to all..

Tim

Tim,
We share the same birthday, so Happy Birthday to you.
I have never been to the south at all, much less Atlanta. My ancestors left Georgia before the Civil War so I sure can't say I am a southerner. I don't think Texas is considered the south.
Good luck starting your studies. I know you will do well and it will be worth it.

Hi guys,

Mary, thanks so much for visiting my Picture Trail web site and your kind comments about my work. :-)

Marge, your list of Darwin Awards is amazing, it does prove that we humans can be quite stupid at times. Scientists do say that we only use 10% of our brains' capacity and, obviously, some people are not using the full 10%. LOL

Brings to mind the discussion about giving more than 100% ... how can we give even 100% if we are not using our brains to its full potential? I cannot even imagine all that we could achieve once we get to using the 90% that is currently idle!

Nertha

since everyones advertising their sites i would love to advertise MUAH!!!!!!
GO VISIT WWW.ERIKACRYSTAL.COM everyone!
why? because im bored and its another lonely night and i just felt like posting this ok?

you know paul just to throw in when i was 13 i saw joseph and i wrote a song about you cause i was completely obsessed with you. yes weird huh having a 13 year old kid obsess about you. anyway the lyrics were something like this..dont laugh..

"thinking of paul tonight....thinking of his arms holding me tight..dreaming of his smile and his eyes...dreaming of love tonight...
ooo paul! how your name just echoes in my mind..why does it have to be like this tonight?
im here...your far......

ummm i dont remember the rest but anyway hey i was 13 so its not like you would expect anything better lol anyway just bored felt like posting!
ahhh those were the days...

love
erika

Kim(UK) Your cross stitch is wonderful. I too am a stitcher. I have been doing them for about 12 years now. I do mostly horses of course. I have the pattern for the "Equine Trio" but haven't gotten started on it yet. I am doing one right now for my friend who lost her horse last year to old age. He was 32. This patters is almost an exact likeness of him.

My daughter is a far better stittcher than I am. She does a lot of the patterns with the metallic threads and beads. They are a lot of fantasy pictures of Wizards, Unicorns, Medievel patterns.

Paul
Kim is stitching a wonderful picture of you. She had captured your drop dead grin.

Love and Take Care
Marge

Astrid, Jo & Nertha - many thanks for the info on sugar. What is needed is the unrefined stuff and it really isn't all that clear sometimes if this is what is meant. Jo, the website did clarify things a bit. Thanks. Astrid, you're so right about sugar being a 'hidden' ingredient in so many foods. My eyes have certainly been opened. I don't recognise the name Wild Oats but I will certainly check out some health food shops and see if they can help. Thanks.

Nertha, I'm so glad that things are looking more hopeful for you all. It sounds like you and Jonathan have been on quite a journey together. I wish him the very best. I can imagine how difficult it is avoiding all of these foods but as you say, if he sees the point, there's a purpose to it and it allows him to take control and help himself. It must have beeen really frustrating for him (and you) before the problem was identified. An unyielding teacher does not sound good even in the best of circumstances. But at least it brought the problem to a head when he was still quite young. Martin was very allergic to dairy products as a baby but eventually grew out of it. The issue has come up again because of a post-viral problem. A new doctor he came across now feels that the virus triggered the tendency to allergies again. Knowing how sick he was as a baby as a result of an allergy, I have no problem going along with the idea.

Take care all,
Mary

Hi everyone thanks to Nertha, Innussiq, Marge, Beth Ellen, Cat, Maile & Grandma Mil for your kind words. I'm glad you all liked them.

Nertha you also have a talent that you should be very proud of. It amazes me how you can work with so many small pieces and make something so wonderful.

Marge I still consider myself as a beginner to cross stitching as I have only been doing it for 3 years, I had to teach myself, I don't think I have done too badly. Give me a shout if you ever want any charts either for yourself or your daughter, I have hundreds. That is a shame about your friends horse, I am sure she will be thrilled with your finished piece and very touched knowing you have stitched it for her.

Grandma Millie I'm glad you was able to "get in" and I hope you liked what you saw. The 8 month wait until the Follies will fly by, do you still have a lot still to organise?

Jo HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you for the 6th July, I forgot to say it yesterday. Did you enjoy the film? I'm of to watch Strictly Ballroom :)

Hello to everyone else that I haven't mentioned I hope you are all having a great day.
Love
Kim

Kim, if you hadn't given Gran Mil the exact directions to your website, I would have remained
frustrated for not being able to enjoy the excitement!

You are very talented in what you do, and as Janice would say, your work is "eye candy for the masses", especially with Paul's handsome face slowly coming into view!

This special interest that you have will certainly enrich your life forever, and even when you are as old as I, you
can still be involved with this enjoyable pursuit that you can share with others. Just think of the possibilities...sharing this skill with other people who wish to learn!

Yes, "Follies" is 8 months away, but we are in good shape, and by October, most cast members that went away for the summer (to cooler climates) will be back. The weather these days is in the low 90s with afternoon showers once in awhile.

I will be meeting with the hotel manager soon about the final details of holding rooms for my chickies that plan to attend the FIF.

For those that may wish to arrive on Friday, Febr. 4th, to take advantage of a longer weekend,
there will be rooms set aside for that too.

We are getting a special rate of $109 a night for a double, (2 beds)or a king (one large). Our group is called "The Strictly Ballroom Convention"...isn't that unique????

The usual rate that time of year is $159 per room, and I think that is a real break for our group.

I will be sending more information later about transportation to and from the airport, and the activities that Julie and I are planning for the days before the performance of Follies, on Monday morning, Febr. 7th.

Peace and Love,

The Mil

Got this in my email today, thought it was cute thought I would share it.

Dear Tech Support:

Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0. I soon
noticed the new program contained the module Baby 2.0 which unexpectedly began
child processing. This module requires significant space and valuable
resources.

In addition, Wife 1.0 installed itself into all other programs and
now monitors all system activity. Applications such as Poker Night
10.3, Football 5.0, Hunting and Fishing 7.5, and Racing 3.6 no longer run
independently. When attempting to run the programs outside of Wife
1.0, the system crashes. How can I keep wife 1.0 in the background while
running my favorite programs?

I'm thinking about going back to Girlfriend 7.0, but I cannot find
the uninstall module for Wife. 1.0.

Please Help!

Thanks,

A Troubled User*

Tech Support replied with this:

Dear Troubled User:

What you are experiencing is a very common problem. Many users have
upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0, thinking that it is just a
Utilities and Entertainment program.

IT IS NOT...

Wife 1.0 is an //OPERATING SYSTEM// and designed by its creator to
run EVERYTHING!

It is also impossible to delete Wife 1.0 and to return to Girlfriend
7.0. Once the files are installed, they cannot be deleted.

You cannot go back to Girlfriend 7.0 as Wife 1.0 is designed to
block any attempts. PLEASE consult Wife 1.0 manual, Chapter 7 (Warnings)
sec.

9 (Alimony/Child Support).

We recommend you retain Wife 1.0 and work on improving the situation.

The background application called Yes Dear has proven to be very
helpful in alleviating software conflicts.

The best course of action is to enter the command C:\APOLOGIZE, as
ultimately you will have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the
system will return to normal function. Please note the Apologize
command does not always take effect immediately.

Wife 1.0 is a great program, but it tends to be very high
maintenance.
If you haven't explored the full benefits of Wife 1.0 we suggest
you load the support package which contains; clean and Sweep 3.0, Cook
It 1.5 and Do Bills 4.2.

Be very careful how you use these support programs. Improper use
will cause the system to launch Nag 9.5. Once this happens, the only way
to improve the performance of Wife 1.0 is to Purchase additional
software.

We recommend Flowers 2.1 and Diamonds 5.0!

One final note:

WARNING!!! DO NOT, under any circumstances, install Secretary with
Short Skirt 3.3. This application is not supported by Wife 1.0 and will
cause irreversible damage to the operating system.

Best of luck,

Tech Support

Hi Evelyn!

Love to all

Kelly

i'm so glad that i found this site, aspecially Paul's corner... i've fallen in love with a movie that i saw with U paul and i don't even know its english, or shall i say australian title... but it was great... i will read yours notes with pleasure...
greeting from Poland... Joanna (bydgoszcz)

Water Water Everywhere! A water main broke next door. Now they are digging up the street to get to the broken part.

I am sure glad this didn't happen in the winter. Fortunately I keep bottled water just for these occasions. I also keep the water tank in the RV full.

Like I used to say to my daughter, "Life's full of little inconveniences, Deal with it!"

Kelly
Love your "Tech Support thread" I will share it with my friends.

Take care & love to all
Marge

That was a such a cute note, Kelly!

I decided to go on with a quick post until I forgot and decided I didn't really want to write anything, anyways.

In an SB mood to-day. Perhaps some cross stitching too since everyone has been discussing that and it's on my mind.

By the way, is it possible to use 75% of our brain while giving a 100% effort? As Nertha said, I'm sure at Least 25% is perpetually inactive!

all my love,
Maile

"Nights in White Satin" is unlike any other for the mood.
I think "Stairway to Heaven" stands alone too.

How was the holiday? I've just returned from four days away.
Wow, what a lot of posts. Only managed to skim through quickly.

Peter

fly by Hi to the PC

forgot to add my 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Loved the Tech Support thread!

Latte luv,
Katalina

How could I have missed out on the fun with all the 1's? Must be getting old...

Speaking of maturing nicely, hard-bodied men on in-line skates (;-) I almost HIT one on my drive into work yesterday. He shot out of the canal path (that's the Erie Canal which I drive over every day without a glance or a thought to its history, mind, 'cause I'm a schmuck) and had I been driving the Mom-o-minivan instead of my husbands Piece O'Crap stick, I mightn't have been going so slowly as to avoid him.

He was older, greyer, but built just as...um, well, was very nicely put together and was wearing a black t-shirt and black skater pants and black wrist guards/gloves, and I was just VERY reminded of those skating pics of Paul.

That's all! Just pure physical adoration~ ;-) heeheehee, right...ya'll know me better than that! (shush, Peter!) ;-)

Leaving for camp (Adirondacks) tomorrow. Mom's on her way up from Florida as I write, and we're hiking one of the High Peaks. Our first together as a family--hope little Jonah-Ponah Pumpkin Pie can manage it (he's just turned 6) If not, there's always Plan B - Mom returns to basecamp with little angel-face and we go swimming and read in the sun. Bummer! ;-)

Cheers all. Hope all in Oz had a good holiday, and the Amerikanners enjoy their Independance Day festivities.

Smooch
**poof**
Dhi

Peter, I love 'Stairway'. Glad to hear you've had the chance of some time away. Are you still as hectic work-wise or has it started to ease yet? Eitherways I hope you are feeling good.

The holiday was everything I hoped it would be. Time for myself and time with my sons, separately and together. When I was catching up on the posts I saw something you wrote that reminded me of this place. You said that when you were working away from home and walking by the sea, that it was a good time to find answers but that sometimes the questions don't come to mind. Well it's like that and the better I become at falling back on my instincts and feelings and easing off the thinking and analysing, the more I just embrace the answers without trying to put my finger on the questions! The physical and spiritual energy by the ocean there is overwhelming. I think you said before that you had the video of Riverdance? Well, if you listen to the very first song - Reel Around the Sun - without looking at the dancing, you might be able to get a sense of what I'm talking about. The energy in th