Observations

Every time I go to the 20 items or less line at WalMart one of several things will happen. Maybe the cashier is speed challenged. She/he must look at every item and decide whether it is something she should buy. Then she has trouble scanning that item. Next the item has to go into the bag, but first she must open the bag just so and place the item tenderly in it. Repeat this process for the next 24 items (because the customer can't read, or doesn't understand 20 items means 20 items). Usually there will be one item from the housewares department that doesn't have a price tag. So a page is placed to the assistant in the housewares dept to call her extension. After five minutes with no answer, another page is placed. Five minutes passes again and the Customer Service Manager is paged. She strolls over. They have an involved conversation regarding the item. Is it really housewares? Maybe it belongs in another department. Finally the CSM leaves to go look for another same item so they can get the price. Five minutes later she returns. They ring it up. The CSM leaves. Now the customer chooses to pay with a $100 bill. The cashier, of course, does not have change. She pages the CSM...........and here we go again!

So I went to the doctor today. Just needed a refill on my high blood pressure medicine. While I was there I had him look at a toe I broke Sat and check out a pulled muscle. I had the nurse practioner instead of a doctor - it would be a little cheaper. To his credit, the NP was excellent. Very attentive, didn't belittle me (you know the attitude - I'm the doctor and you're not) and didn't make me wait. He agreed with me that natural cures are more effective in the long run. We determined that I should have my CBC, cholesterol and thyroid levels checked. So I had my blood drawn (twice) and went to pay my bill. $440!!!! The office visit was $150 (new patient visit) and I could live with that. The rest was for lab work. They took 2 vials for 3 tests. That is $96 for each test. Is there gold in that blood?

WHERE TO BUY YOUR USA-GAS WHERE TO BUY YOUR USA-GAS, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW. READ ON-- Why didn't George W. think of this? Gas rationing in the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. It might even be good for us! The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should return the favor. An interesting thought is to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis. Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and my friends. I thought it might be interesting for you to know which oil companies are the best to buy gas from and which major companies import Middle Eastern oil.

These companies import Middle Eastern oil:
Shell............................ 205,742,000 barrels
Chevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrels
Exxon /Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels
Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels
Amoco............................62,231,000 barrels I

f you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $55-$60 a barrel)

Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:
Citgo......................0 barrels
Sunoco...................0 barrels
Conoco..................0 barrels
Sinclair.................0 barrels
BP/Phillips............0 barrels
Hess.......................0 barrels
ARC0.....................0 barrels

All of this information is available from the Department of Energy and each is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.

New year .. again. So I'm 50 now. My grandmother passed last year a month or so short of her 101st birthday. So if I hold true to family history...I've got another 50 years to go. Somehow that is comforting. My sister turned 50 the 18th and decided this would be a FEARLESS FIFTY. Now I like that. When we went to Greece (my first trip there) is was a trip of no regrets (and I had none, I danced by myself on a stage in front of lots of people, stayed up all night on the islands, spoke to strangers all the time and some other things I've not regretted). So fearless fifty works for me. I've started my own home business and you've got to be fearless to do that.

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . you become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50
and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.
You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them "
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

Bumper Stickers You Would Like To See

If the "how to" for achieving success had to be summed up in just one single word, that word would be perseverance. It is the one characteristic shared by all successful people throughout history. Perseverance is the true essence of success.

There are three words in the English language that are often used synonymously, yet have slightly different meanings when referring to success. They are:

Persistence. The act of holding firmly and steadfastly to a purpose, state, goal, or undertaking despite obstacles, warnings, or setbacks.

Determination. The quality of mind which reaches definite conclusions; decision of character; resoluteness.

I find it quite ironic how similar persistence and insanity can appear from a spectator's point of view. Einstein said that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. When I think of insanity, I picture a guy in a straight-jacket banging his head against the wall, or Jack Nicholson in The Shining banging out on his typewriter, "All work no play makes Jack a dull boy" over and over. Then there is a story about Walter P. Chrysler who, in 1905, bought his first car, which he immediately took apart in order to see how it worked. After putting it back together again, he repeated the process - rumor has it several times. Chrysler's friends and family thought he had lost his mind. Needless to say, Chrysler's persistence allowed him to create one of the largest automobile manufacturing companies in the world and realize success beyond his dreams.

Persistence is NOT insanity. Giving up your purpose or goal due to obstacles - that's insanity! In the case of Chrysler, although assembling the car over and over did produce the same apparent results, there was a learning and thought process going on in Chrysler's head. As for Jack in The Shining... well, he was just plain insane.

The key to determination is the word "decision". You must decide what you want before you can get it. Despite the sanity and perfectly legitimate reasoning behind back up plans, I always admired those who refused to even think of a backup plan because they were so determined that their plan was going to work. Determination takes great self-confidence and decisiveness. You must be willing to completely disregard all alternatives to your decision and set it clear in your mind that you MUST and you WILL.

Perseverance is a great word that is defined by persistent determination. It is such a powerful word that once you experience true perseverance, simply reading, saying or hearing the word will energize you.