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2013-05-17 18:41:33 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Daily Life - 17 May 2013 - Here are some photos from the new bathroom that I helped install at my parents' house this week.

2013-05-17 18:32:46 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Food for Thought -  This was my food adventure from my Mother's Day lunch earlier this week.  More information about each item is provided with the photos. Stay hungry foodies.

2013-05-12 00:45:29 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Random Thought - I'm always amazed at the powers of music. I was just sitting in the car, listening to the radio, when an old song by Reo Speedwagon came on. It instantly took me back to my old hometown, checking out cassette tapes from the library, and going to sleep with headphones plugged into my boombox. Hehe.

=d

2013-05-08 15:41:42 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Daily Life - 8 May 2013 –

I encountered an interesting gentleman this morning.  This man was playing the accordion and requesting money for some charity that I honestly didn’t look closely at when I gave my dollar.  He and I started talking about languages, and I learned that he could speak a little bit of at least 53 different languages.

I’m not sure why, but the question of what language he dreams in came up.  This got me to think, do we even dream in languages?  If we spoke fluently in multiple languages, what language would we actually dream in?  Do the parts of our brain that decodes languages work when we dream, or do we just understand because it is a dream?  Maybe what I think is language, isn’t really language at all.

~ponders~

=d    

2013-05-07 18:35:12 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

In Other Words - “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” ~ Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 1855)

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States.  He was a lawyer, a political leader, and legislator.  Mr. Lincoln was known for many things, including the Lincoln-Douglas debates on 1858, being president during the American Civil War, and his work involving the emancipation of slaves.  

In such a turbulent time in American history, I feel that Mr. Lincoln truly showed his character as a leader, and not as a tyrant. Through his actions and his words, he kept a nation together and redefined the country’s soul.  One of my favorite speeches is Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.  In just a few words (272), the speech covers so much information and conveys so much meaning.  I only wonder if (in the future)today’s leaders... more »

2013-04-24 21:34:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

In Other Words - “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” ~ Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869 – 1948) 

Mohandas Gandhi is better known as Mahatma Gandhi.  He was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement (which spanned decades) and is known of his non-violent protests for freedom and civil rights. He was an avid writer, with his collected works totaling several volumes of text.  “Mahatma” is not actual a name, but rather a title meaning “Great Soul”.  It was reported to have been given to him by the author Rabindranath Tagore.  According to his autobiography, however, Mr. Gandhi was not particularly comfortable with that title.

There are individuals in our lives that can be extremely frustrating.  They may be an ex-spouse trying to use your children asleverage during you... more »

2013-04-24 20:03:44 (6 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Daily Life - 24 April 2013 – I have discovered a new guilty pleasure to replace my mini-addiction to pretzel sticks and mustard.  Nutella and pretzels.  Yum!

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2013-04-24 16:46:23 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Quick Survey - What songs are on your must-listen-to office playlist?

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2013-04-24 16:29:48 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Tiny Tip - Vacation souvenirs are great, but sometimes they can become quite expensive.  So to remember my journeys, I prefer making a trip journal (physical or electronic) instead.  Not only is it usually cheaper, but engaging at the same time.  

Look for interesting and memorable moments and capture them with photos or with words.  Collect business cards and signatures from people that you have interacted with.  Add businesses brochures and take-home menus from places that you have visited.

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2013-04-18 23:29:51 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Daily Life - 18 April 2013 - Had my fill of expensive sake from the bar, got my bento box ready with teriyaki beef, and an exciting Richard Castle novel starring Nikki Heat.  I think I'm set for the night.  I hope all of you have a fun night as well.  

=d

2013-04-18 18:03:26 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Daily Life - 18 April 2013 - Having a delicious salad for lunch today.  So...does putting a pound of bacon on your salad invalidate the point of having a "healthy" salad?  Hehe

=d

2013-04-17 18:35:10 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Random Thought - I always knew I was a space cadet.  

But apparently most of the people I know are from space too.  Hehe.

=d

2013-04-15 21:21:43 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Tiny Tip - Today, one of my friends asked what I suggested for congestion.  Here is the tip that I offered.

Place boiling water in a basin.  Cover you head and inhale the steam that comes off.  Adding essential oils like lavender, peppermint, or eucalyptus may help.  The oils make the room smell nice at any rate.  Hehe.  Drinking chamomile tea can be helpful with congestion, as does using “ginger tea”.  Don’t forget to gargle several times with warm salty water.  

I personally think that coughing is good.  It means that the phlegm is breaking up.

=d

2013-04-12 19:29:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

In Other Words - “Determine never to be idle...It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.” ~ Thomas Jefferson (1743 – 1826)

Thomas Jefferson was an American writer, statesmen, diplomat, governor and President.  He was Minister to France from 1785 - 1789 and was eventually the first “official” U.S. Secretary of State from 1790 – 1793 (under George Washington).  Mr. Jefferson was busy with intellectually endeavors as well, learning and speaking five languages.  He also studied philosophy, science, and religion.  And it was his love of architecture that led him to design his own mansion called Monticello.  Among his many achievements, he is also known for being one of (if not the) principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence.

I’m very much a victim of my own procrastination.  It’s very easy just to avoid taking action. Often, we disguise o... more »

2013-04-10 20:19:48 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Tiny Tips - Here’s a tip that I got from one of my friends regarding what to do with the water left after boiling pasta or potatoes.  Instead of throwing it down the drain, cool it down, and pour it on your household plants.  It is a wonderful treat, because of the nutrients left in the water.

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2013-04-10 20:07:32 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Daily Life - 10 April 2013 - Lunchtime lovin'  with meatballs and spaghetti.

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2013-04-10 16:05:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Daily Life - 10 April 2013 - Curry with Chinese pork dumplings on rice.  Yummy!

2013-04-10 13:54:48 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Random Thought -

I tap three Frozen Tundra for 2 white and 1 blue mana and summon...

Greetings from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin.  Hehe.

=d

2013-04-10 01:43:05 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Tiny Tip - Here’s a writing tip from dailywritingtips.com regarding business correspondences.  The website suggests maintaining a professional tone by avoiding slang words as well as stuff that we often use in text messages.  They also suggest keeping your salutations and sign-offs simple and businesslike. 

=d

2013-04-10 01:25:32 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Random Thought - So does anyone have this feeling that you're being watched more than usual tonight?

#eyeWars

2013-04-10 00:23:58 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

In Other Words - “The speed of communications is wondrous to behold. It is also true that speed can multiply the distribution of information that we know to be untrue.” ~ Egbert Roscoe Murrow (1908 – 1965).

Better known as Edward R. Murrow, Mr. Murrow was an American radio and television journalist.  He was born the son of Quakers in Polecat Creek, North Carolina, U.S.A.  His family lived in a log cabin home without electricity or plumbing during his early years.  Mr. Murrow is probably best known for his radio news broadcasts during World War II where he would start his reports with the phrase “This is London”.  And many will also know him for his signature closing, “Good night, and good luck.”  Despite his reservations toward television, he eventually moved his radio show to this new medium, and renamed his radio show, “See it Now”.  The show is best known for itscriticism of Joe McCart... more »

2013-04-08 19:58:11 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Tiny Tip - Here’s an interesting tip that was mentioned to me earlier.  One of which I plan to test out tonight.   

But it is reported that we can make candles burn longer by placing them in the freezer several hours beforehand.    

=d

2013-04-08 18:54:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Daily Life - 08 April 2013 – As mentioned in a post last week, I helped some people fit a new bathtub for installation.  

Here are some additional photos of us finishing up the project this last Friday.  It turned out great.  Now we move to the cabinets.  And oh, I finally got to play with cement. 

=P 

2013-04-08 19:03:47 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Paul's Pantry - This weekend I had shabu-shabu at my mother’s.  Shabu-shabu is a Japanese dish based on a Chinese meal called shuan yang rou.  It is named after the sound that the ingredients make boiling in the cooking pot.  Often these ingredients are brought to the table with the serving pot.  

Shabu-shabu was reportedly introduced in Osaka by the restaurant called Suehiro.  Though other meats can be used, most often you will find thinly cut rib eye steak used, which is served along with tofu and vegetables such as Chinese cabbage and shitake mushrooms.  The cooked items typically are dipped into a sauce such as Ponzu before being eaten.  The broth in the pot afterwards is then poured into your rice bowl and eaten like a soup.  

=P 

2013-04-05 03:54:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Daily Life - 04 April 2013 - Here's something I hadn't expected this morning.  I just spent a good portion of the evening helping "rough in" a bath tub.  It was surprisingly fun, but stressful on the fingers.  I was helpful enough that they may even let me play with cement tomorrow!  Hehe.  

Oh...and I've never been so glad in my life that I actually paid attention in class when we talked about fractions.  Who would have thought it would come in handy?  I'm sure only a fraction of us.  ~wink~

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2013-04-05 03:37:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

Shared Link - The following comes to us from the American band Looking Glass off their self titled debut album.  The song is called, “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”.  It was written and composed by the band’s lead singer Elliot Lurie and was released in 1972.
 
The song tells of the barmaid named Brandy, who is adored by all the sailors at her port town bar.  She is unable to return their love, however, because she deeply loves another—a sailor who had given her a braided chain (with a locket that has her name).  Sadly, her man is unable to commit further to his relationship with Brandy, because he tells her that his true passion and love is and always will be the sea.  

It is rumored that the song was inspired by a spinster from New Brunswick, New Jersey, named Mary Ellis, who met and fell in love with a sea captain who promised they would wed on his return. Every day, Ms.... more »

2013-04-04 19:22:39 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

In Other Words - “The deeper sorrow carves into your being the more joy you can contain.” ~ Kahlil Gibran (1883 - 1931)

Mr. Gibran was a Lebanese-American poet, writer, sculptor, theologian, and philosopher.  He was born in Bsharri, Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, Ottoman Syria.  Gibran wrote both in Arabic and English.  He known for his book The Prophet, and according to The New Yorker Magazine in 2008, is the third best-selling poet of all time.  He died at age 48 in New York City, United States.

Unfortunately, sadness cannot always be avoided.  Throughout our lives, we have probably experienced sorrow in one form or another.  Sometimes we can get through the pain unchanged and unbroken; and sometimes we are altered irreparably.  I suppose that I have mixed feelings regarding this quote.  I mean, I understand the need to be optimistic and hopeful.  But itreally shoul... more »

2013-04-04 14:39:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Tiny Tip - To remove dark stains from your aluminum pots and pans, try filling it with water and adding the juice of a lemon.  Simmer the liquid until the stains disappear.  

For copper, make a paste of vinegar and equal parts flour.  Rub it over the metal with a soft rag until it shines.  Rinse and dry afterwards.  

=d

2013-04-03 13:25:56 (13 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Quick Survey - When playing video games like Fable, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect, what path do you usually take?  That of the principled hero or the scoundrelous evil-doer.

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2013-04-03 13:02:36 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Random Thought - Happy Fish Fingers & Custard Day to all you Whovians!

Anyone have any special plans for the Eleventh Hour? 

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2013-04-03 12:52:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Tiny Tip - Love smoothies?  Here's a tip from our friends at the USDA.  Try freezing your fruits beforehand.  This allows us to skip the crushed ice.  Simply blend with your favorite healthy yogurt or milk.

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2013-04-03 00:16:39 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Random Thought – It’s time again to revisit my Goggle Plus Word Cloud. 

It appears that the word “you” strongly remains my word of choice.  

From some quick glances, I can see that a lot of the words from the snapshot 6 months ago still appear in my posts.  Words like “other”, ”can”, and “have” have increased in usage.  I’m sad that “dragon” didn’t make it.  Whereas words like “Mike”, “Betty”, “dance”, and “tip” seem to have disappeared.  

Hmmm…I used to do a daily tip.  I think I will need to get back to that.

Some promising clouded words from this run include: words, dream, live, shared, because, and great.  I look forward to possible growing those by the next snapshot.  

My Google Plus Word Cloud is from http://timc.idv.tw/wordcloud/en/

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2013-04-02 23:39:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Daily Life - 2 April 2013 - For those Halo fans out there...We proudly present the Chupathingy.  Hehe.

I got this Mega Blocks kit as a gift last December.  I finally got around to putting it together with my nephew this afternoon.  It was a lot of fun.

=d 

2013-04-02 02:06:19 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Daily Life - 1 April 2013 - On Saturday, my family got together to do soon cupcake tasting.  Way too much sugar, but was still greatly delicious!

My favorite was the French Toast with Bacon Cupcake. Yummy. 

=d

2013-03-30 16:57:35 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Random Thought - Hope everyone is having or will be having a great holiday celebration this weekend; no matter what holiday you are looking forward to: Easter, Passover, and National Doctor's Day, Dining Car Day, national Clams on the Half Shell day, Tater Day, and let's not forget Oranges and Lemons Day.

=d

And...ah...Daylight Savings for Europe?  We can celebrate that too, right?

2013-03-25 23:15:46 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Daily Life - 25 March 2013 - Another cheesy post from me.  One of the great things about living in Wis"cow"sin is having access to all that wonderful cheese.  

This weekend I was persuaded to try some really expensive cheese.  It was absolutely yummy!  

=d

2013-03-22 23:45:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

In Other Words - "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." - Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835 - 1910)

Samuel Clemens was an American writer, satirist, and lecturer.  He is best known by his nom de plume Mark Twain, though he also used the pen name Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass.  His name, Mark Twain, comes from what riverboatmen used to shout to denote deep enough waters ahead (two fathoms).   He was born in Florida, Missouri, United States, on the same year as one of Halley’s Comet's visits.  Mr. Twain's works include: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Prince and the Pauper, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and my personal favorite (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court).  He was also a supporter of abolition and emancipation.  

Then I read this statement, I immediately think aboutconservat... more »

2013-03-22 22:55:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Daily Life 22 March 2013 - I bought a new shredder to play with today, and  like a child, I went on an all-out shredding spree.  Old menus, notes, and even holiday cards become victim to my reign of crosscutting terror.  All documents beware!!! Muhahaha.

Hehe.  The rest of the office has decided to label this baby, "Oroku Saki".  Okay.  Okay.  It was just me and the other IT guy.  But what can I say?  We are TMNT fans.  

You don't suppose I would accidentally shred a foot in it.  ;)

=d 

2013-03-20 19:51:25 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Random Thought - Happy Vernal Equinox everyone!

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2013-03-20 00:16:45 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Quick Survey - I think I’m addicted to Hawaiian Sweet Rolls now.  Anyone else like them too?

=d  

2013-03-19 05:11:49 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 9 +1s)

Random Thought - Someday my ship will come in. 

Here's hoping that ship turns out to be a Gunstar, 'cause Death Blossom would rock (especially on those morning commutes to work).  Hehe.

=d

2013-03-19 00:42:49 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Daily Life - 18 March 2013 – I finally got around to canceling my cable subscription a while back.  I think it's taken me nearly a year to finally make the choice.  

As you can imagine, it's opened up a lot more time for me now.  So I spend a lot of that time in the gym.  To be honest though, one of the reasons is that my gym has personal televisions connected to the running machines.  So as I’m running along, I can catch up on the shows that I cannot get from Internet streaming alone.  

It gives me a chuckle to each week to find myself watching The Walking Dead while actually walking on a tread mill (or dread mill as I call it).  I even sometimes imagine that I’m running along with the cast of the show or that the guy or gal next to me is a zombie.  

I wish I would have done this a lot sooner.  Hehe.

=d 

2013-03-18 20:04:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Random Thought - I was once told that greatness, true greatness, comes from talent, hard work, and sacrifice.  

I suppose that greatness is like the flame on a campfire then.  

Your talent is that tiny spark that you need to get the flame started.  And like a spark, talent will only take you so far when building a flame.  You also need wood to burn.  That is where hard work comes in.   It is the fuel that you use for your flame.  And you need a lot of wood to keep the flames of greatness burning.  This leaves us with sacrifice.  Sacrifice is the oxygen that feeds the flame.  But you have to be very careful with it.  Not enough, and your flame will die out.  Too much, and you could end up in a rather explosive results or a fire that you no longer control. 

=d

2013-03-18 19:49:00 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

In Other Words - “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr. (1929 – 1968)

Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Nobel Peace Prize recipient, an activist, a civil rights leader, and a clergyman.  He was born on January 15 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.  He and his father were originally named Michael, but Michael Senior changed his name to Martin Luther in honor of the German reformer.  Afterwards, Michael Junior adopted the name of Martin Luther as well.  Rev. King Jr. graduated from Morehouse with a B.A. degree in sociology in 1948 and from Crozer Theological Seminary in 1951.  He got hisPh.D in 19... more »

2013-03-15 22:18:44 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Daily Life - 15 March 2013 - OMG!  It's been over 4 months since I last posted...Okay, technically I posted a few minutes ago, but It was four months since that post that I had posted...wait...are we allowed to use the word "post" that many times in one sentence (run on as it may be).  

Since then, there have been many interesting changes in my life.  Hopefully, I can eventually say they have been positive life affirming improvements.  Mostly because that's my lame excuse for being away from Google Plus so long.  Okay, that and general laziness.  But I've still thought about my friends here (well I hope we are friends.  I'd like to think we are friends).  

And I've been wanted to get back into writing again.  I really missed and love my keyboard...in a non-romantic sort of way of course.  It's like that pair of shoes which areall beate... more »

2013-03-15 22:01:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

In other words - “To acquire knowledge, one must study; but to acquire wisdom, one must observe.” ~ Marilyn Vos Savant (1946 -)

Ms. Vos Savant is an American columnist, lecturer and author.  She is known for her column “Ask Marilyn” and her entry in the Guinness Records for highest IQ.  She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, United States and currently lives in New York City with her third husband Robert Jarvik.

Knowledge vs. wisdom is something I’ve been thinking about a lot these past few days.  Knowledge is supposed to be information which someone has "learned".  It’s an understanding that they can apply for a specific purpose.  Wisdom is similar, but is much less tangible.  It says that experience gives you the ability to make proper decisions and choices--that is wisdom.  So I wonder if it’s better to have education or experience.  Can learnedthought lead to exper... more »

2012-11-06 13:48:17 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Daily Life - 6 November 2012 - I was Voter Number 9 in my ward this morning.  Yay!

My candidate may not win, but I'm proud to have participated in the U.S. election.  It was great to see people lined up early outside the voting center.  Usually I expect to see that sort of stuff when people are  waiting for tickets or trying to get into a store on Black Friday.  Certainly not during an election.  

I also saw that some parents brought their kids along.  I really hope that those children see the excitement in voting and decide to do the same in the future. 

There are so many people around the world struggling for a chance to vote.  So it boggles my mind that there are people in my country that don't exercise their voting right.  Why silence the one guarenteed and most powerful voice we have?

=d

2012-10-25 23:04:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

In Other Words - “Ability will never catch up with the demand for it.” ~ Malcolm Stevenson Forbes (1919 – 1990).

Malcolm Forbes was an American publisher of Forbes magazine.  He was the son of Bertie Charles Forbes, who founded the magazine back in 1917.  Mr. Forbes was also father to Steve Forbes, who currently runs the publication.  Malcolm Forbes was born in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A., and graduated from Lawrenceville School and Princeton University.  He was well known for his lavish lifestyle as well as his passion for motorcycles later in his life.  Mr. Forbes died of a heart attack in New Jersey, U.S.A in the early part of 1990.

It seems that we are always looking for "ability" in those around us.  The actors, writers, athletes become our role models and our heroes.  But I think we also expect ourselves to accomplish things…to have an ability tomeet our own e... more »

2012-10-25 22:32:54 (4 comments, 3 reshares, 7 +1s)

Random Thought - Cthulhu for President!

It's the candidate willing with take on the deficit, unemployment, or...well...anything...and truly devour it.

Say it with me…NO MORE YEARS, NO MORE YEARS!

=d

2012-10-25 22:01:44 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Daily Life - 25 October 2012 - Pictures from lunch.  Yummy.

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