Just the Way You Are

This has got to be one of the sweetest things I have ever seen!  And the boy is pretty talented for seven!

Women are Angels

This is so true.  When I heard it, it made so much sense to me:

Women are angels.

Even when someone breaks our wings, we continue to fly…

On a broomstick.

(We are flexible like that.)



Real Friendship

     This is one of those messages that I received as an email, and had to pass it on.  I hope you laugh as much as I did:

"Friendship  ~ None of that Sissy Malarkey

Are  you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always  sound good, but never actually come close to  reality?

Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.

You will see no cute little smiley faces on this ~ Just the stone cold truth of great friendship.

1. When you are sad ~ I will take you for drinks and help plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

2. When you are blue ~ I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile ~ I will know you are thinking of something that I would probably want to be involved in. 

4. When you are scared ~ I will rag on you about it every chance I get until you're NOT.

5.  When you are worried ~ I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.

6. When you are confused ~ I will try to use only little words.

7.  When you are sick ~ Stay the HELL away from me until you are well again! I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall ~ I will laugh at your clumsy ass, but I'll help you back up.

This is my oath.  I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you may ask ~ because you are my friend.

Friendship is like peeing your pants, everyone can see it, but only you
can feel the true warmth.

Pass this to 10 of your closest friends.
Then get depressed because you can only think of 4!"

Mr. Green Genes

     Where should we stop with genetically modifying things?  Sure, it has its benefits, but where are the limits?
     Modifying food is difficult to have ethical boundaries, but what about animals?

Meet Mr. Green Genes.  This is what he looks like with the lights on:

And this is what he looks like in the dark:

He was genetically modified, and glows in the dark!  Well, you can never worry about losing him at night!

Blue Strawberries

If you can have square watermelons, why not other color fruits?

Now THAT is a blueberry!

Watermelons

Who says watermelons need to be round?

     These have been genetically modified to be rectangular.  In this shape, they are easier to ship, and there is less wasted space.  Someone was thinking outside of the box!

Why stop there?

Which would lead to:

And now they have put their "heart" into the science of modifying the melons:

These are all real watermelons that have been genetically modified.  Leads you to wonder what you are eating, doesn't it?

Pirates Of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides NEW OFFICIAL TRAILER

Pirates Of The Caribbean On Stranger Tides NEW TRAILER Official Disney HD

  

     I cannot wait for this movie! A lot of people are saying that it will not be the same without Will or Elizabeth, but that is crazy. They were subplots that ended in the third movie. It would not make one bit of difference if they never came back. There is room for them, but they are NOT necessary by any stretch if the imagination. They have served their purpose; now it is time to move on to the important characters...such as Captain Jack Sparrow.

     It has always been about him. Face the facts. There would be no Pirates of the Caribbean without him, just as there would be no movie without Johnny Depp. Think about it: in 2003, making a pirates movie by Disney was a death sentence. Only someone like Johnny would have the courage to take on the lead role, and only he would have the vision to turn it into the successful multi-million dollar franchise it is today.

     True, he did not PLAN to do that, but he possesses the talent to make a movie that was supposed to be a drama, (and a definite FLOP), into an instant classic that in turn inspired the Walt Disney ride that had inspired the movie.

     And fourquals are in right now. I can see them doing even more than four. There are so many pirate legends that they can go into. I am anxious to see where they take this.

     "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" hits theaters May 20th, 2011.

Two Choices

      This is a story that was passed on to mean, and the message was too powerful to not post.

     What would you do? You make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended.

After extolling the school and it
dedicated staff, he offered a question:

“When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.
Where is the natural order of things in my son?”

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued.

 “I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.”

Then he told the following story:

“Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, ‘Do you think they'll let me play?’

I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, ‘We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.’

Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less make connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the
plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly, so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, ‘Shay, run to first!’

‘Run to first!’

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, ‘Run to second, run to second!’

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball; the smallest guy on their team who now
had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, ‘Shay, Shay, Shay, all the way Shay’

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted,

‘Run to third!’

‘Shay, run to third!’

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming,

‘Shay, run home! Run home!’

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.”

“That day,” said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, “the boys from both
teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.”

“Shay didn't make it to another summer.

He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!”

AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:

We all send thousands of jokes through the internet without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.

The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.

If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message.

Well, I believe that we all can make a difference.

We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:

Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.

You now have two choices:

1. Forget about this
-OR-
2. Pass it on

May your day, be a Shay Day.

Is There an App for That?

     With the iPhone, iPad, and countless other pieces of technologies we so desperately cling to, no matter what sort of radiation they may be emitting, there seems to be an application for just about everything.  Everything except what you really need, of course.  I am sure you have heard of these, and most likely you have a few of them, but you can now turn on your Christmas lights from your phone, your house lights, your car…what is next?  Are you going to be able to turn on your spouse with the push of a button?

     Don’t even get me started on how crazy the idea of having an automatic car starter on your phone is.  So now anyone who finds or steals your phone can start your car?  That makes hot-wiring less of a concern.  Now there will be no damage because the thief will have the key.  Why don’t we just write our pin number on our debit cards and our social security numbers on our driver’s licenses while we’re at it?

     Now those applications, as stupid as they may be, actually have a point to them.  You can accomplish something with them.  There are quite a few apps out there that are completely pointless, and I am flabbergasted that they were created, much less anyone downloads them to use. 

     There is one which virtually fogs up the screen of your iPhone, and then you wipe the steam away.  Isn’t that what your breath does?

     The Wooo! Button.  You can download this button, and when you press it your phone will scream “Wooo!”  How can you avoid this stupidity?  Don’t download.  That was easy.

     The CalmCandle.  This one is a video of a candle burning in case you need to relax.  Guess what?  That is all it does!  It is a virtual candle that burns at the rate of real candle.  Relaxing?  Maybe if you get kicks out of that sort of thing.  Paying 5 dollars for the app?  Not so relaxing.

     So you get the point.  There are STUPID applications out there, people keep downloading them, so other people keep making more of them.  Someone needs to stop this insanity.  If one ounce of that creativity went into something productive, maybe we would have a cure to cancer, or have solved world hunger and poverty by now.  But no.  We just need to have that app in our pockets that tells us if it is dark outside, (there’s an app for that too).  I have an app like that.  It is called A WINDOW!!!

     I want a useful app.  Why don’t they invent one that transforms your iPhone into a mouse for your computer?  People have trouble with laptop mice all of the time.  There should be one where you put your phone next to the computer, and the screen becomes the mouse pad.  That is an app I would download. 

    Think outside of the box, and challenge the status quo!

Japan Tragedy

    What happened in Japan is a terrible tragedy.  An 8.9 earthquake reaps havoc on the area to begin with, and the tsunami afterwards is unimaginable.  When the quake is that bad to begin with, the aftershock can be like a decent earthquake itself.

     It is at times such as this when we all need to come together.  Mother Nature does not discriminate; the disaster could have as easily hit us.  For all we know, tomorrow it might be us.  We need to be there for one another, and offer any support that we can.

     Something to take away from a tragedy such as this, is to appreciate what you have, because it can easily crumble or be swept away tomorrow. 

An Epiphany

     I realized today how lucky I am to be here.  I could easily not be alive right now.  When you are diagnosed with something such as cancer, the prognosis is up to chance.

     As I celebrate one year clean of chemo, I also remember the one year anniversary of the passing of someone I had a lot in common with.  We were about the same age, from the same town, and diagnosed with the same disease around the same time.  There is no sense in the fact that I live while she doesn’t.  I never actually thought I was going to die, but now I see that I easily could have. 

     That is a powerful realization.

     I don’t want to put off till tomorrow what I want to do today.  If there ever comes a time when there is no tomorrow, I want to know that I made the most out of today.

     I just walked around outside for awhile.  It is one of those days that most people would consider “yucky.”  There is no sun; it is cloudy, drizzly, and cold.  I actually saw through all of that and saw how beautiful a day it is.  There were birds chirping in the distance, and there was the fresh scent of spring in the air.

      We need to stop seeing the ugly in the world.  We need to be happy with, and appreciate what we have, because there are so many people that have far less than we do.  Each day, no matter how “yucky” the weather may be, has beauty in it.  We need to start recognizing that.  When we do, we will all be a lot happier.  I know I am.

Facebook to be the New Blockbuster?

     Warner Brothers is testing an application with facebook in which people can pay to view movies.  Warner Bros. began offering “The Dark Knight” for $3, in which the viewer has to pay in facebook credits.  That payment allots you 48 hours to view the movie.

     Netflix is not thought to suffer from this application, especially since their low monthly rate allows unlimited view from their entire library, and there are much better quality internet services where you can view a movie.  Will it make a lot of money?  With over 250 million people on facebook, I think that is a “yes.”

     I just love how one of the reasons that this application would fail, is that people will not want to spend hours in front of facebook.  Do these people know how long the average person can spend on facebook?  At least now when you look at the clock and notice you have been on it for five hours, you can attribute three hours to the movie you were watching.

Rango

     This is the story about an identity-confused chameleon, (voiced by Johnny Depp), who becomes lost in the middle of the desert on a family road trip.  When he meets his new acquaintances in a peculiar little town, he has a chance to become anyone he wants, and assumes the name of “Rango,” and local tough-guy.  He quickly becomes this town’s only hope, as their only water supply is quickly depleting with no signs of more coming.  This reptile may have bitten off a little more than he can chew as everyone expects him to not only eliminate their enemies, but bring back the water.

     I would give this movie 8 out of 10.  If you know Johnny Depp and his movies, there are a few inside-jokes, (i.e. as Rango is flying around in the beginning, he hits the windshield of the convertible that was in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, with Johnny’s character at the wheel).  Rango also enjoys acting, and one of the characters he said that he could take on is the world’s greatest lover, (Johnny already did that in Don Juan DeMarco). 

     I thoroughly enjoyed how they made the animals live in a miniature town with proportional-sized props, and the special effects were interesting for an animated film.  The story line was slow at times, but well-developed.  I liked the cast, and what else do you need?  The movie was good, and well worth the money to see in the theaters.  When I hear “animated,” I am afraid that as soon as I relinquish my $10, I am only going to get a 20 minute Spongebob episode.  Rango is actually longer than most of the other movies out there right now.  If you have kids, or want an escape, go and see Rango.

     Rango has a running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes, and is rated PG.

Philosophy Gems

     Say whatever nice words cross your mind.  They may sound trivial to you, but you never know what they may mean to someone else.  You never know who may need that small bit of encouragement to get them through the rest of their day, or what will put a smile on their face.  Changing the world starts with one.

iPad 2

     I see the iPad 2 sometime in the near future.  They have stopped shipping out the original, and we are already on the iPhone 4.  I predict that this one will have a camera in the front as well as in the back, for easier video chatting and picture taking.  Stinks for all of you who just ran out and bought the old version!  When will you learn that good things come to those who wait?  Or as I like to think, those who are on the fence about something only need wait long enough until the better version comes out to decide.

     Although, this is a little ridiculous.  Eventually, (by like the iPad 4), it is just going to be a flat computer or a giant cell phone, and we would have devolved about 30 years.  Remember when cell phones were huge?  The bulkier it was, the more high-tech it was.  Now it is just going to be huge, but flat.  It will just be a giant iPhone.  (aka the iPhone 5).