Hello again

We've been off line for a few days.  I thought it was for not paying our cable bill, but it turned out to be a general outage of charter's service.  We have a car in the garage for a rebuilt transmission and Brooke is training for a Census job this week.  Today is her last day of training.  We are having a house guest this week-end so we need to clean and straighten etc.  There are a lot of items that need attention, so it's a time of unsettled emotions.

I'm still waiting for my vitamins to arrive and I also found a book, Reversing Heart Disease by Dr. Dean Ornish, at the Holly Goodwill.  He outlines an entire program of diet, exercise, hypnotism and meditation.  He doesn't use the word hypnosis as far as I can tell.  I figured if I could get some good healthy recipes from it, it would be worth buying.

I'm not going overboard with my hopes but It can't hurt to be open to other possibilities. 



I've been walking Luke daily for about a week. He enjoys it and so do I once we get started. 

Gilmore just stopped by to take a jog and pick up the changing table for Gerard's use.  He said it's supposed to get up to 80F today. That's F-ing hot. I
better get my shorts on.  I'll finish mowing the lawn and get the kitchen and maybe the bathrooms cleaned today.  Then again, maybe I'll just watch golf.  I sure could use a big hug from Gabe...
As in the title, just wanted to say hi and update those of you who read this mainly to see what's going on here.  Thanks, Emma.

What's up

It's  Monday again.  I wanted to put something on here just so you would know I'm still here.  I'm lurking about.  The movie that was shot in our house was "Lurking Terror", so it is appropriate that I lurk here, though I don't think I terrorize anyone.  

The week end was quiet with me being home with only the animals.  No one showed up to party or play cards etc.  It took a full day to calm down from last week.  I've ordered some vitamins from a place in Fargo.  The vitamins are produced in Norway(the country).  I love our global economy.  If you really want to take control of your diet needs, I don't know where to go.  I'm sure one day we will have a blood test(?) that we will be able to take periodically and we can see what vitamins and supplements, or foods to eat for the next month.  Right now it's kind of general and in the category of psycho-babble. We think we should avoid fats and sugars and carbohydrates.

Last week I picked up a video from the library and thought I'd look at one of the old-fashioned books.  I had previously checked out a book on HTML just to see what it was about.  Now I saw another one on the subject, so I checked it out to see what it was like.  It also attempts to teach you to learn the language which is used to write web pages.  I have followed some of it and find it to be interesting.  It is much slower to learn this from a book than it would be from taking a class with a teacher.  When you run into a problem, a teacher could see the error in a minute whereas it may take you a half hour to figure it out.  I have progressed through the first two chapters and will do some more.  I don't need to be an expert on the subject but want to be able to write and maintain my own web page.

I am taking Luke for a walk now.  I've done this for two days now and found that he will heel now.  I watched the Dog Whisperer and used some of the basic ideas he consistently advocates.  Be calm assertive and Luke will be calm submissive.  But why does the pack leader pick up the dog-duty of the rest of the pack?


Caio

The Grand Experiment

Not much was accomplished from the list I had posted on the last blog.  Other things were done, though.  They were put at the top of my list and have been taken care of.  I had to get my checkup and that took the entire day.  I listed and sold our dog kennel  and dog house,on craigslist.  Brooke, Emma and Gabe left for Boston Yesterday.  So I have a few days to decrease my list and feel better about things.

I was disappointed with what I heard at the hospital.  For one thing I am not to play golf or do much strenuous activity for two more months.  Don't they know I like to strain?  J+ (this symbol will mean I think I was funny). Sometimes it's hard to tell.  Then I will have a different surgeon who will set me up for an apical-aortic conduit.  Not sure I have the terminology right but your search engine could guide you. J+  Hey, this is getting pretty funny.  Like they say,"If you go to a surgeon, they will recommend surgery."  I wondered if there was a possibility of reversing calcification in my aortic valve.  The doctors said no.  But good old google said maybe.  I say, It's worth a try.

I found some information about vitamin K2 that was intriging (especially when your valve is closing up). This is also associated with osteoporosis. So, I'm thinking I will change my diet to one of low carbohydrate plant sources.  I'll add the K2 plus the material suggests you may need D3?  If there is no improvement in a year, I will go ahead with the plumbing job.

This is just a first blush plan of attack.  I like the concept of self healing ie. the body's natural tendency toward healing and repair.  So maybe my results will help other people who have a tendency to atherosclerosis. If interested most of my info came from a blog named wholehealthsource.

Let your browser be your guide.

So long from the sidebedroom.

Keeping up

I dug out the mower yesterday.  It took awhile to find the key for it and then I had to charge the battery.  Just the minimum stuff to get it started, and I mowed the yard.  I'll do the hand mowing part today. 

We have too many seedlings started in the bay window so I brought up the cold frame and assembled that.  With some insulation plus heaters (light-up candy canes work well) we'll be able to transfer some of the more advanced plants outside.

I've also made a list of some of the items needing doing on the cars.  That's progress. Plus I bought a 30 pack of Busch yesterday.  There always has to be a little something to keep you feeling like a man (or woman) and not just a machine.  So we've moved from the contemplative state to the planning state.  If I pass my physical tomorrow, I'm treating myself to golf on Thursday or Friday, dammit.

I read this months Clean Team letter and it gives step by step instructions on cleaning windows.  Since I need to do this I'm looking forward to following those.   The windows will glisten, the seedlings will burgeon, the automobiles will humm and even the birds will sing.  Just like a Walt Disney movie...one of the old ones. And I'll have a beer.

Now if no one says anything...... 

A Funeral

A friend called to see if I wanted to go to a funeral this week-end. Yes, yes anything to get out of the house for a while.  The father of another one of the high school friends had passed away.  The friends name is Ross W. (I'm getting a little shy about using full names) and his father was Charles.
His dad was a self-made millionaire.  He had worked hard probably in the 50's to establish a bottling business making M&S Soda.  We call it pop in the Midwest.  He also bottled 7-up.  He was a friendly guy usually wearing slacks and a golf shirt.  It was great stopping by Ross's house. They had air conditioning and a T.V. room.  If you wanted pop there was a supply in the basement.  
Ross had a younger sister and an older brother.  One day we were coming back to his house and noticed fire engines in the neighborhood.  The fire was at their house.  A guitar was damaged from the heat and flames and had been set out on the front lawn.  Ross said I could have it so I took it home and eventually repaired it.  I still have it. 


The family always had the latest cars and usually one of them was a convertible.  Ross loved to drive fast and now, that the old man is dead, I can tell you that he would go out and drive the cars well over 100 mph.  They were play things.  Luckily no one got hurt.  Ross is super intelligent and had stamp collections and coin collections.  If he was in need of some cash he would visit a collector in (I believe) the Kresge Building in downtown Flint.  Reynolds Stamps as I recall and being too lazy to research I'll leave it at that.  Ross talked to Mr. Reynolds and knew what he was talking about. He would sell some of his items and we'd leave with a bit of cash.  Ross is a doctor.  I'll see if he's retired today.  We want to see Ross today and pay our condolences.  It was a previous life that my wife and family didn't know about but now, If they read this they will be able to connect some dots.

Things worked out well at the funeral. We were able to see and speak to Ross beforehand and didn't have to sit through the service.  Ross gave me a hug when I told him who I was.  He was glad we had come out.  He is retired (for medical reasons) but happy with his situation right now. He looks good.  Still has that same smile like the cat who just ate the canary.  It was nice to see you, Ross.Adios

Now we're monetized!

I thought I'd try the monetizing of the blog just to see if I made any money, liked the way it looks and didn't run into any headaches.  If it works out I'll keep it.  I was also thinking of having some t-shirts made up.  They would be black with Gabe's picture just like it appears on the blog page.  I would find the lowest price(you know what a cheapskate I am) with best quality shirt.  If you are interested in preordering, let me know. Maybe navy blue would be better.

Emma and family are coming over tonight.  Brooke and I just, "Speed Cleaned" the house for an hour so when the toys and food etc. get left around, it will be clean underneath.  Maybe we should just spray everything with an even coating of Pam to facilitate clean up.  This isn't true Speed Cleaning but Brooke calls it that,to get my participation.  Valleys Of Neptune Well, I just linked to that book.  Looks interesting.  Why don't you give it a try? Ha ha.

Our plants that we are starting from seeds again this year are doing great.  The hops are doing very well and from what I've read the one that was in doubt is well known as a late bloomer.

So the desperate house husband isn't quite so desperate today.  Next week is my return visit to the hospital.  We'll set up Surgery II and until I go in for that I will probably be able to play some golf and get some things done around here.

Thanks for checking in and take care of yourself.

About Nothing

The first true title for my blog. A few years back I was doing what I do best, daydreaming. I thought how great it would be to get a nice sized sailboat and start out on Lake Michigan and sail all the way down to Florida. I would bring along Curt and Jman. Oh, oh, first problem better invite Emma. Now that Kevin is grown up, he should come along too. As the line from Jaws goes, "We're going to need a bigger boat." That's the beauty of daydreaming, let's say we have the perfect boat for everyone who would like to come along. This includes you, because it wouldn't be the same without you. Welcome aboard! The boat is beautiful, comfortable and fully equipped. The captain is Albin. He is a wonderful sailor and also provides information as to what ports and points of interest are coming up. We all have duties aboard the ship/boat though. We are all trained for emergencies and participate in drills. There is wi-fi on-board so you can check your email, blogs etc. There is always someone interesting to talk to. If you want to read or nap or whatever, you are completely in control.

Lake Michigan has a beautiful shore line. White sand beaches all along. We anchor now and then to swim and cavort in our bikinis (no skinny dipping on this blog, Karen or Lynda). We notice almost immediately that the wonderful healthy meals plus the exercise we get with training and Zumba, our bodies are toning and slimming.

Every day we feel better about ourselves and closer to our shipmates. We find common interests. Play cards, experiment with recipes, play golf and even some scrapbooking.

Time to go, hope you enjoyed our little trip. Let's pick it up again sometime. I wonder what Mackinaw Island would bring. We may never make it but our final destination is Key Largo.

How are you doing?

How do you like those Clean Team Rules? I think my favorite is #4 If it isn't dirty, don't clean it. We do things that are unnecessary sometimes. If you want a clean mirror, and only a couple of spots are not clean, all you need to do is clean those two spots. There is no guilt because you didn't spray and clean the entire surface. Another similar rule is #? When you are done cleaning, stop. You have accomplished your goal. Any further scrubbing is something other than cleaning!!? Plus it's wasting time.
Take a look at those rules. You may apply them in other areas.

If you were to peek into the windows at the Benjamin Bangs house some early morning you might see a hooded figure moving about. Letting the dog out, feeding the cats and making coffee. If I can't sleep, I don't fight for more than an hour or so. Then I come down to a cold house(thermostat down) so the hooded sweatshirt is perfect. The animals can't tell time so when a human comes down they want food etc.
They have no idea that taxes are due on Thursday.

Around here a main concern is cleaning up the yard. There are branches to be trimmed and disposed of. We may level some areas so they conform to the "lawn" more. It's more of a problem this year because I'm still recuperating from surgery I. It would be nice to have some servants. Anyway that's what I'm working on. Not much to complain about, eh?

By the way, for those of you familiar with the house and yard(which includes a vortex) the blossoms are out on the cherry tree; beautiful.

Hope you are doing well. Thanks for stopping by the sidebedroom.

THE CLEAN TEAM

It must have been when Jake and Emma were about five or six years old that things got pretty desperate around the Lamson household. We lived at 816 E. Third Street in Flint. The house was pretty small, Brooke was full-time at the Journal, I was delivering The Detroit News by car early mornings and the care of the children plus (apparently) the cleaning of the house fell to me. The house was a horrible mess. I even took pictures just in case anything ended up in court, I'd have some evidence.

A family member had heard a cleaning expert on the radio and ended up sending me a copy of the expert's catalog. The expert was Jeff Campbell and the catalog was the Clean Team Catalog. Maybe Jeff Campbell's book, Speed Cleaning, was sent also. This was perfect for me. If I find a carefully laid out plan to accomplish something I see it as very valuable, All the leg work has been done.

Jeff Campbell had worked for the phone company in California and started a business of cleaning houses. He developed a team approach in which each member of a three man/woman team had specific responsibilities and tools. They were able to clean an average home in San Francisco in Forty-one minutes! The main idea is, you get your cleaning done and then you have time to enjoy life...movie, reading etc.

At the heart of the system is the cleaning apron. Since much time is wasted in cleaning by having to go back and forth throwing things away, getting cleaning solutions or tools, etc. with the apron you have all the basic tools with you plus a bag to throw away small items you come across...once around the room and you're done. Then the vacuum person comes through and finishes up. There is a list of Clean Team Rules to be followed also. 1. Make Every Move Count. 2. Use the Right Tools. 3. Work from Top to Bottom. 4. If it isn't dirty, Don't clean it...Beyond getting done fast, I thought it would be great for our family to work together as a team. It would be fun! Then we'd do something fun together!

WRONG! WRONG and WRONG! This plan was not written for this family. I was devastated. The clean team had turned into an Army of One, and that was before the U.S. Army had started using that phrase. The total plan had been a failure, but I had all the cleaning solutions (mainly Blue Juice and Red Juice) plus the tools and cleaning rags. I use them to this day. When it comes to cleaning, I have a plan and the tools to carry out that plan. Ask Lisa about it this Summer.

I recommend you to thecleanteam.com ...maybe your family can do it. Just do what they say.

I called up to order some supplies and none other than Jeff Campbell answered the phone. I was flabbergasted. It was totally unexpected. Enough said. If you try them let me know.



1. 
   

Bad things happen to good cats

On occasion I have gone over to East Lansing to visit the MSU Surplus Store. At times you can find some interesting and useful items at a decent price. Lately though I haven't had much luck and the prices are higher. I did buy a nice classroom type chair over there this Winter. It has wheels and is quite solid. The seat flips up so if you had several of these they could be stacked for storage. I didn't want to leave the store empty-handed so I bought it for $15.

Last night Brooke was working on her computer and the new chair was nearby. I noticed, from the side bedroom, Sophie cleaning and preening herself close to her most beloved person. Apparently Sophie's weight had moved too far back on the chair and the seat flipped up to the vertical position. This happened in about a tenth of a second. There wasn't even time for a scream. I heard a commotion and think I saw Sophie's white paws extended up as she came crashing down to the wood floor below. Sophie scrambled away trying to grasp what had happened to her. She is such a careful cat. Such indignity. Such embarrassment. Life does that to you, Sophie.

I guess we'll have to keep that seat in the up position when not in use. That will be one up and two down (two bathrooms).

Just when I have peace of mind...

...someone has to say something. I've been a little down lately so I wasn't going to write anything. If you can't write anything positive, then don't write anything. I think the problem with humans is, "We talk too much." These days with cell phones, blogging, twitter etc. We're just buried in opinion, supposition, gossip, angry rhetoric... If you want peace of mind you need to block this out. I heard an interview with a former nun who had been serving at a monastery in which the 19 nuns had to be silent 22 hours of the day. She said, "You couldn't believe how much talking there was for those two hours." The interviewer then said, "yes, but then 22 hours of peace." It's really hard to get away from it. I think if we could just not be connected, for three to four days minimum, we might regain some peace of mind. Don't talk just to say something. Trust your instincts. Be calm. Come to the sidebedroom and turn on the gentle ocean waves. You can be happy and fulfilled and it doesn't cost any money either.

Brooke and I went down the street last week to a friend's house. They were having a garage sale and we hadn't seen them over the Winter. They are an older couple(not as old as me) and we met them through a school friendship between Jake and their twin sons Jeremy and Rory McBroom. Phil is a big man with a strong voice. He has an interesting past which included time with the Marine Corp. , working at a VW repair shop and photographing weddings. Marge is a truly charming person. She's from Austrailia and has an accent you want to listen to. If she told you to eat excrement and die, it would come out beautifully. This couple have gone through some difficult years health wise and now are ready to do some traveling around the United States in a fifth wheel trailer. I hope they blog. Best wishes to a wonderful couple.

Peace and serenity to all...Enjoy the Masters.

H.S. Tennis part 2

The next Spring, when I showed up for tennis practice, we had a new coach. Mr. Rowe had some family problem with a sick or elderly Mother-in-law(?) So he gave up the coaching job to a young guy who was also the basketball coach named Stan Gooch. Gooch was more of a physical fitness guy than Clem was, but not too much more. We did some running drills across the courts a couple of times but when some of the guys kept falling down he gave up on that. However, we were all expected to increase our stamina by running a circuit of approximately three quarters of a mile each day. The entire circuit was visible from the tennis courts so if anyone tried to cheat Gooch could have them run again. Tennis players in general, at that time were not athletes, so this was a challenge. The thing we discovered was that after about three times your stamina was noticeably improved and after a week you could easily run the circuit, with the exception of Stuart Osher. Just kidding Stu. I think after two weeks we didn't run any more just the practice and play itself kept us in shape.



It was great practicing and playing out there on the old courts in the bright spring sunshine. There were several large oak trees in a grassy area on one side of the courts, some students walked home in that direction and all the spring sports teams would be playing or practicing there except golf. We had a fair team that year. I don't recall any championships but we weren't humiliated. The third year I was voted Captain of the team and we again were average. I played number one singles and lost every match. Numbers two and three didn't do too much better but at number four and five singles we were pretty strong with Osher and a kid, named Rick Moore, who Gooch brought over from basketball. The guy had never played tennis and looked it, but he could run around and get in position and kept the ball coming back. We discovered it was a great way to win. Doubles wasn't bad and we won quite a few matches 4-3 or 5-2. We had some great times as team mates and,we cared, but the rest of the school didn't as far as winning or losing. For many years after, every spring when March rolled around there was a strong desire to get out and hit the tennis ball and maybe even run a bit. Stuart plays in tournaments to this day and is one of the top singles players in Arizona. He has an uncanny ability to hit the ball in the sweet spot nearly every shot. Great for your game but you wear out your strings fast that way. I rarely wear out any strings. We have had a long friendship through the years.

Stuart lived in the Court Street area of Flint as did several of his friends. I met some of them in German Class and they let me in to their group. They already had a long history of playing on teams together and just neighborhood inter action, some going back to kindergarten. I was a bit of an outsider but I think Osher wanted me to be around so he could play me in tennis and eventually beat me. We, in the group, got together many times through the years for tennis or golf and then beer and cards. Several of those guys became doctors and one a lawyer. I remained a bum but we all started getting back together a few times,in recent years, and more great times. I'm the best fisherman of the group. You gotta have something.

High School Tennis

I had started playing tennis when I was 12 years old. A kid from Lewis Elementary had wanted to learn to play and suggested we try it. His name was Gary Anderson. We weren't good friends or anything so I was suspicious as to how this had come about...possible adult meddling? The upshot was that I got a Wright & Ditson tennis racquet and a can of tennis balls at Knobloc's Hardware and was ready to go. Never played with Gary that I remember distinctly but I did have a friend on the next block named Leonard Graves and he and I would go over to the Whaley Park tennis courts and try to keep the ball going over the net as much as we could. There were no lessons so we were doing it the hard way. In the summer we would go over in the morning, come home for lunch, back in the afternoon, dinner and then back in the evening when other people would show up. By watching them and emulating some of what we saw and finally learning from them, our games progressed. I had the confidence to try out for Central's Tennis Team when the opportunity came up. The coach at that time was Clem Rowe. Sounds like a hick name but he was no hick. He was a great coach. He gave you his time. He took me to Mullins Sporting Goods to get me a proper racquet. He took me down to the Counselors Office to get me a part-time job at the Flint Journal. It was a co-op job so I could leave school at about 1 PM and walk down to work then take the bus home. I remember when I said I wanted to get a car Clem said, "What do you want to do that for? The first thing you know is they need tires or a battery." He treated me with Kidd gloves. Thanks, Clem. Rest in Peace. Turns out he was an excellent chess player and speed reader.

The team that first year had a lot of Seniors on it. Coach Rowe kept me and I think about three other Sophomores down at the bottom of the line-up so there would be something for next years team. I played number two doubles almost all the time but I was thrown in to a singles match(as a strategic move) in one match. I remember losing but three times in that match my opponent thought my shots were going long so he would stand to the side and leave his foot there(on the line) and each time the ball hit his foot! One of those things you remember.

One of the other kids in my Class was Paul Matz (we were rivals of a sort) and in our Junior Year we played one doubles and won a lot. We were both jerks and would like to do things to piss off the opponents. Not proud of that but it seemed like fun at the time. I'm not sure of who else was one that first team. I think it was Burt Southard (party animal) and I'll have to get the rest later. When the end of the season came around the Tennis team and the Golf team would have a joint picnic at Coach Rowe's house. Softball game, which the tennis team always won, grilled steak and handing out of "Letters". Coach gave me a Varsity Letter. Trying to build my confidence, most likely. When we had an away trip to Bay City, Saginaw or Midland, the rest of the team (Seniors) left the seat in the middle front, by Clem for me to ride in. The coach had a habit of constantly speeding up and then slowing down. He never drove at a steady speed. I never asked him why he did that but I have seen other drivers so something similar.

By the way, I graduated in 1962 and was hired as a teacher at Central in 1968. I think it was while I was teaching there that the military people rappelled down the tower.

I know this is fascinating but I'll finish later.

High School

As alluded to earlier, there is just too much information to put out in one blog about high school. I'll just blather along about some of the particulars of my high school experiences and one day my children or grandchildren might say, "I didn't know they had school back then."

I remember having "locker check" at Lowell Jr. High in about 1958 and one of the girls in my home room was worried about something she had in her locker. I was curious and when she showed me a picture of someone named Elvis Presley that had been torn out of a magazine, I wasn't impressed I remember the picture was of Elvis in a T-shirt with his arms up and his hands hanging over a bar or pipe. His arms were skinny and I wondered why the girls were so crazy over him.

I attended Flint Central High School from 1959 to 1962. I was very naive, shy and awkward. I haven't changed. We were assigned home rooms based on the alphabet. Being a Lamson, my twin sister Kay and I were in with Lemieux, Larsen, Lang etc. One day we were standing in line to get a TB test or something and as was talking to Charles Lang. I noticed his eyes kind of glaze over and the next thing I knew he fainted dead away. He went straight back and hit the floor hard. He was OK, but I thought I should have grabbed him.

Flint Central was the original High School in Flint. First it was just Flint High School (FHS). Later, when a second school was built, they named it Northern and my school was named Central. The FHS was grandfathered in, probably because a lot of equipment and school uniforms already had it on them. Back then people felt good about their schools. I know I did. High school seemed serious. The college preparatory track had harder classes and you had to choose some classes to fill qualifications for graduation. A lot of students attended Central, quite a cross-section of Flint.

The building itself had an interesting architecture. The building was built into the side of a hill. The lower part of the "hill" was the flood plain of Gilky Creek which ran through the campus. It was called Oak Grove Campus and had other buildings including Whittier Jr. High, Junior College Buildings, The public library and later the Flint Institute of Arts and a Planetarium. If you went out the back of the school there were five or six tennis courts. Beyond the courts was a one lane dirt path, a fence and then the ground sloped down to the track and football field. On the other side of the field was Gilky Creek. I may not have felt "Good enough" to be there, but I felt I could get a good education there. It was up to me. There were three main floors with wings on the two lower floors. One of the stair cases rose beyond the third floor to a small fourth floor and up once again to an even smaller fifth floor. These floors were located in the tower. Not unlike a castle. Some Army recruiters came one day and rappelled down from the tower. I may add to this later, but you can compare it to toady's attitudes and schools. Several of my present day friends, I met in high school. My best friend, John Werle, will be correcting me on this subject, so there may be editing on the way. Call me, John.

What If?

Let's say you are 60 to 160 pounds overweight. You decide to lose the weight. It is causing health issues. You're thinking about bariatric surgery. None of the diets have worked for very long. You are sick and tired of the situation, desperate. You see a "Mind Coach". (more palatable than a hypnotist?) In one session of an hour. Maybe longer or maybe two or three sessions. You are a changed person! Food is no longer a problem for you! You have tremendous energy and enthusiasm for life and the pounds start disappearing.

You're a smoker and you have a health scare. You really want to quit but you have tried before and it never lasts. You are worried that you may not see your daughter graduate from MSU. You could try some of the new drugs. Go with the patch. You make the decision to see a Hypnotist(that's what these people are). After one session of 90 minutes. You are no longer a smoker! You feel so great about yourself you're bursting at the seams with joy! The body starts healing and you start saving money.

You are afraid to go over bridges......You want to be a better salesperson.....You want to study more effectively......You want to quit biting your nails........

The change has to come from within. A hypnotist can help you get in there and make the changes you want, to be the person you want to be. It isn't cheery, positive thinking happy talk. It is changing ideas that have been implanted in you. Once there, they are believed by you. Wrongfully so! You were told that you were ugly, that you were dumb, that you were worthless. Many other harmful ideas can get in there by a careless comment or words spoken in anger or simply by a misunderstanding. These stay unless they are changed or supplanted. Then the new ideas persist.

No one has the right to make you feel like you need to smoke. No one has the right to make you feel like you will be happier if you eat cake. There is really no need for you to have negative or debilitating ideas about yourself. If you have seen a great or even very-good actor play two different roles and thought, "Is that the same person?" You can imagine yourself playing a different role.

Hope I haven't turned off too many readers with this, but maybe it will do someone some good. Hypnosis, pure and simple, is a powerful and overlooked and misunderstood tool.
Doctors and nurses use it all the time. It isn't alternative; It's complimentary. Just think, only words, no drugs, no needles, no cutting.

How do you catch a unique duck?........You nique up on it.

Dexter

I just watched another episode of Dexter, the TV series about a serial killer who works as a blood spatter analyst and only kills bad guys. The series is very well done. The setting is Miami so there is a lot of cuban/spanish cultural influence. Nice scenery and interesting music.

I really like watching these episodes on my laptop. You get HD and with headphones the sound is perfect.



The first series I ever watched like this was Alias with Jennifer Gardner. That was great too. All the changes of location. Well done intrigue. The nice thing though, beyond what I've mentioned, is no commercials. If you want a break hit pause. Watch one episode, two or go for an Alias marathon. I didn't do it.hehe You can get these DVDs free at the library. I've also watched the Sopranos...Great. If you've never tried this it's a wonderful form of entertainment. Also, all the episodes are there it's hard with our busy work and social schedules to catch all of the episodes of our favorite programs.


I would also recommend the English series Midsommer Murders. These follow police investigations in Midsommer County where there are many murders and much mischief also.

The homes are very old but well kept and the gardens and scenery are worth the watching. Many times I fall asleep in the middle of these but still enjoy them. What am I turning into?



I don't do it, but if you can't sleep at night you could watch a show or a movie without disturbing your life-partner. Just be sure to have the laptop on a hard surface so it doesn't over heat.



It's amazing to think that when I was 10 years old we only had radio and a wind-up Victrola(device for playing records). The Victrola used no electricity. Think it will make a come-back?



The Ipad comes out Saturday.

Dialing up a rainy day

I awoke at about 3:30 AM and lay in bed thinking until about 5AM before I started falling asleep. I had thought of writing about my old high school and my old high school friends. A book could be written on that subject but it will have to wait.

Some days I just wish it would rain. I want to look out and see wet sidewalks and streets. To see water drops on the windows, water running and dripping off of of things. To see car lights on later in the morning and earlier in the evening. To me it's calming and soothing. Fortunately I have, in the sidebedroom, a Homedics Sound Generator. When I use it I almost always set it on ocean waves. One can imagine oneself in a beach bungalow. It is set on spring rain right now and as long as I don't look out the windows I 'm having a rainy day. I think I'll put on a little Johnny Mathis...

"Chanc-es are 'cause I wear a silly grin, the mo-ment you come in - to view,

chanc-es are you think that I'm in love with you. _______________

Just be-cause my com-pos-ure sort of slips, The moment that your lips meet mine...

Chances are you think my heart's your valentine...


Ah, I feel better. Thanks for indulging me.