Monday Musing: Good Advice from a Soldier

Since today is Memorial Day, I wanted to share something that I've had for the last 10 years on my bulletin board. Sometimes it gets so covered up by other things that I don't see it for weeks -- maybe months -- at a time. But eventually it always surfaces. These are General Colin Powell's 13 rules to live by. It's reported that he kept these written on a small white card. These rules seem to have worked remarkably well for General Powell. You might want to make up your own card and carry it or post it where you can see it every once in a while.

1. It ain't as bad as you think it is. It will look better in the morning.
2. Get mad, then get over it.
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that, when your
position falls, your ego goes with it.
4. It can be done!
5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
6. Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7. You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else
make yours.
8. Check small things.
9. Share credit.
10. Remain calm. Be kind.
11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
12. Don't take counsel of your fears or nay sayers.
13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Thank you to all the soldiers who have fought and continue to fight for the American way.

You Can Quote Me

You've reached middle age when all you exercise is caution.

~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~


(I haven't yet reached this and neither have many others I know! "Cautious" would not be a word I would use to describe my "tribe".)

Monday Musing: To Facebook or Not - What a Question

Over the weekend I read an article out of Newsweek about the "high price of Facebook"; namely, that you pay for it through your loss of privacy. It reported that last year when Facebook changed their rules (yet again), the company made it so that your city and profile picture and the names of all your friends were shared with anybody and everybody on the Internet. But (big but), you had the option to change it all back and make it all private again. Now, Newsweek reports that "Facebook is going even further by insisting that unless you agree to make things like your hometown, interests, and friends' names public, then you can't list them at all."

Facebook is fun and I'm glad I signed up for it last year. Although truth to tell, my sister had to talk me in to it. I stay in touch with friends and family and get to see pictures of everybody's kids, etc. etc. But on the other hand, Facebook is the biggest time waster in the universe......much worse than TV. All those little games you get addicted to and the constant checking to see who's doing what and where and with whom.........it's nuts. And not only does it waste time, but I also think it kills any spark of creativity you might have flickering. The whole Facebook exercise is mind-deadening.....you don't have to really think or do much of anything at all to be wrapped up in its very addictive world.

Newsweek reports that many techie-types are jumping the Facebook ship. Of course, there are more than 400 million Facebookers, so I guess it would have to be a LOT of them to make a blip on the FB screen. It does make one stop and think though. I don't know what Facebook knows about me or what it does with the information. I'm not savvy enough to be able to stop them even if I knew. But for right now, I think I'll hang around. Putting myself on a Facebook diet though probably wouldn't be such a bad idea.

You Can Quote Me

You would not exit if you did not have something to bring to the table of life.

~~~~ Herbie Hancock ~~~~

Monday Musing: And the Winner Is....

Okay, I have to admit:  I have a soft spot for beauty pageants.  I know that's not P.C. these days.  So, sue me.  Yes, in my (much) younger years, I was a beauty pageant contestant, so I kind of understand the landscape.  And, I had family members who were beauty queens.  I think maybe it's a Southern thing.

On Sunday night for the first time in a very long time, I watched a pageant:  the Miss USA pageant.  To say that these things have changed since my day would be a vast understatement.  But I guess they are still good entertainment.  (Although I can remember watching a Miss America pageant one year when I was in the 9th or 10th grade and writing a short story for English while I watched......one eye on the swimsuits and one on how many more pages I had to come up with.  As I recall, I got an A for that paper.  So, I guess I wasn't as "entertained" as I thought....just had my imagination fired up!)

I was happy to see the South well-represented..... as usual.  Hey, say what you will.  Down here, we know how to turn out a queen.  Miss Alabama came up with the Miss Photogenic trophy.  My pick for the win didn't even make the top 10:  Miss Mississippi.  What a knockout she was!  And Miss Maine..... wow... all 6 feet of her.  The judges I wasn't so enthralled with.  What in the world could Paula Deen have to offer as a judge?  Except, of course, she's Southern.........LOL.  Mrs. Donald Trump?  Johnny Weir?  Come on, y'all.  If you're going to have a pageant, have a PAGEANT....get some folks who know what to look for.  Not Donald Trump's ex-employees.

It strikes me that the Miss USA pageant has become a venue for "professionals"....girls who are looking for a job.  At least, the Miss America and America's Junior Miss pageants have been holding on to their scholarship base as a reason for being.  Lots of the girls last night looked a trifle "shopworn" to me -- kind of that "rode hard, put up wet" look.  Miss Colorado was the most fresh-faced.  Every other contestant had the same sprayed-on tan, the same Barbie-doll hair-do and the same set of implants.  Ladies, could you not be just a little bit more individual?  Although,there were a couple of fairly good answers to the questions presented to the Top 5 contestants.  (Shout out to Miss Oklahoma and Miss Virginia!)

I know..........times have changed and I need to change with them. (I'm not even going to bring up the Victoria Secret-type photo shoots.) Guess that's why I haven't watched many pageants in the last 20 years.  I knew they'd be a disappointment.  Boy, I'd hate to think I had to be in one now.

You Can Quote Me

Start where you are.  Use what you have.  Do what you can.

                        ~~~~ Arthur Ashe ~~~~

Monday Musing: A Long Mother's Day Weekend

Talk about peaks and valleys.  It's Sunday afternoon and I'm pretty much exhausted.

Friday delivered the kick in the head with Dosi's passing.  And even though she wasn't a human child, I "mothered" her for almost 14 years nonetheless.  So, in a sense, I lost a child of the fur variety.  I don't think that's really sunk in yet.

On Saturday, my wonderful neice graduated from college.  It was a full day of celebration.  She looked lovely and has a grand future ahead of her.  I couldn't help but think about what my future might hold in the coming years.  New beginnings and all that...........  Her life is changing and I think so is mine.  She has no idea what she's going to be doing (like all new grads) and basically, neither do I.  I just have this feeling.

Today, we celebrated Mother's Day with the MOTH's family which was nice as we just don't do it that often.  On the drive home, I catnapped.  The rollercoaster of emotions has caught up with me and I feel a hundred years old.

I think I feel a reassessment coming on..............