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Whirled Views 1.2
Good morning
Today’s quote is from a British author:
“I do think New Year’s resolutions can’t technically be expected to begin on New Year’s Day. . . . Since, because it’s an extension of New Year’s Eve, smokers are already on a smoking roll and cannot be expected to stop abruptly on the stroke of midnight with so much nicotine in the system. Also dieting on New Year’s Day isn’t a good idea as you can’t eat raionally but really need to be free to consume whatever is necessary, moment by moment, in order to ease your hangover. I think it would be much more sensible if resolutions began generally on January the second.”
Okay, everybody: Do-over!
Topic: Watercooler Chatter, WorldMagBlog
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back to top48 Comments to “Whirled Views 1.2”
Except when New Years Day comes in the latter half of the week in which case the official start of resolutions is the first day of returning to work, school or other “normal” aspect of life following the weekend. “Latter half of the week” may be interpreted to be any day other than Sunday if needed to excuse continued addictive behavior.
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Good idea, ODannyBoy!
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If you’re going to weasel out of your resolution, just do it. Forget this what would the reasonable person do?
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HSK shut it down, but a return to poetry is in order. Found this poem over at Ross Douthat’s, and it spoke so well of theme of remembering our days (a Ps 90, New Year’s sort of thing). I suppose too, it resonates because Wednesday would have been my father’s 90th.
So…
Encounter
We were riding through frozen fields in a wagon at dawn.
A red wing rose in the darkness.
And suddenly a hare ran across the road.
One of us pointed to it with his hand.
That was long ago. Today neither of them is alive,
Not the hare, nor the man who made the gesture.
O my love, where are they, where are they going
The flash of a hand, streak of movement, rustle of pebbles.
I ask not out of sorrow, but in wonder.
Wilno, 1936
By Czeslaw Milosz from “The Collected Poems 1931-1987″, 1988
Translated by Czeslaw Milosz and Lillian Vallee
© Czeslaw Milosz and Lillian Vallee
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I got off to a fairly good start. I only went over my diet by 100 calories, got in half my exercise and didn’t say any bad words out loud.
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Harris, I know you think of your dad everyday. Thank you for sharing the poem. Every time I see a red cardinal, I think of my mother and then look for the female because she always said they kept close to each other. It’s funny what makes us think of them.
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Harris, I enjoyed the poem. My mom is currently in the nursing home for recovery from hip surgery. Both she and my dad have always been so healthy that it is hard to process. They have lost so many friends and family lately. Another funeral for us all tomorrow. It makes one realize how brief life really is. It also makes me think about what really matters and will last.
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Kbells, I’ve said the bad words outloud. But you’re a better person than I am.
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8. NJL, I didn’t do a lot of driving yesterday.
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Kbells, I didn’t even have to leave home!
Seriously, Ree wrote something in the Magic Negro thread, and I want her to know she didn’t upset me. (The only thing I get upset about on this board is threads about child abuse, etc. I’m a hardliner of that, but there has to be at least one.) I wasn’t thinking of SteveG when I answered about the groveling. The leftys through their MSM always expect the conservatives to grovel, and we usually do. Sometimes, I think we should adopt the Queen’s “never explain” theory, because we fall into the trap very easily.
And RonD wrote to me: “That’s close, though dated, NJL,” — RonD, I’m pushing 60, not hard, but I’m getting there. So instead of “get it together,” would your prefer a sharp “pull yourself together?”
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On dieting as a resolution: It should definitely begin after all the college football bowl games, as it is impossible not to munch while watching all those overweight linemen running around. For that matter, the diet should wait until after the Super Bowl, because the SB parties always have those delicious, fattening treats. Of course, a few eeks later is Valentines day, so one must have the chocolate hearts. Then Eater rolls around with its chocolate and other sugary treats. So, New Year diets ought to wait until mid- April to early May to start. Wow, that is right around the time we start earning our own money instead of earning the taxes we owe. Whoda thunk it, that taxes owed are a parallel to dieting.
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Unintentional pun above: it should read “a few weeks later is Valentines day”. Sorry for the scare with the inadvertent “eek”, something which might be uttered in place of cursing when we stand on the scale.
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Peter L — as one in a liturgical tradition, I find that Lent has been a good time to break free of the candy & consumerist mode. (SB is my favorite time to go skiing – short lift lines!)
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I am reading “Same Kind of Different as Me” and it is fantastic! I’m not finished, but should be tonight. Well worth reading, if you haven’t read it yet. Great job, Lynn!
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Must See TV
Tomorrow (Sat 1/3/2009) at 10PM on Fox News there will be a special on Mosab Hassan Yousef.
He was born the son of one of the most influential leaders of the militant Hamas organization in the West Bank and grew up in a strict Islamic family.
Now, at 30 years old, he attends an evangelical Christian church, Barabbas Road in San Diego, Calif. He renounced his Muslim faith, left his family behind in Ramallah and is seeking asylum in the United States.
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How about something fun for a rainy afternoon in northern California?
Search millions of photographs from the LIFE photo archive, stretching from the 1750s to today.
http://images.google.com:80/hosted/life
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Peter L: Unintentional pun above: it should read “a few weeks later is Valentines day”. Sorry for the scare with the inadvertent “eek”, something which might be uttered in place of cursing when we stand on the scale.
And it’s followed quickly by Eater, according to your post.
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Got a great start to my resolution to sleep later more often: I slept in until 11am
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Funny story for the day:
Our 10 year old son–”Mom, remember when we heard that teenager say to that girl, ‘Hey S-E-X-Y?’” (he did spell it out)
Me–”Yes, why?”
Our 7 year old son–”What does S-E-X-Y mean?”
Me–how *do* you answer that? “Well, it’s hard to explain; let’s just say it is a *very* rude way of saying someone might be attractive, or pretty. But it is wrong to say and don’t repeat it.”
Our 6 year old son–”Oh, mommy…you sure are pretty; but I bet NO ONE ever dare call YOU S-E-X-Y!!!”
How do you answer that?…
Blessings!
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Our family is stepping out in faith financially. Because of my husband’s salary, our children have always been eligible for health insurance through the state. (He and I have none, though I could have the same insurance.) I have always felt guilty using it, even though we “qualified” for it. Yesterday we decided to cancel it and try out one of the Christian forms of healthcare. The two I know of are :Samaritan, and Christian Care Medi-Share (or something like that). Any of you out there have any advice on these?
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Harris – 4
That was lovely, thank you
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NJLawyer–Seriously, Ree wrote something in the Magic Negro thread, and I want her to know she didn’t upset me.
Good, and thanks for mentioning it.
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Have people seen this yet?
Uncle Jay Explains
It’s hilarious!
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Momoffour–
I’d love to hear about your experiences with the medical-sharing. We’re hoping to put together a series of discussions about finances at church and lack of medical coverage is a big deal. Unfortunately, I’ve never known anyone who has used this alternative, so I’m hesitant to suggest it.
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PLEASE ADVISE: I keep getting calls from organizations like “Helping Hands of Hope” and “US Vets Workshop” asking me to buy outrageously priced household items (trash bags, lightbulbs, etc). I would rather make donations to these organizations, but first would like to know that they are legit. Tried the Better Bus. Bureau with no luck. Any ideas on how to go about checking them out?
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Steve#17- Oops!
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AKMOM-
I once leased office space in one of my buildings to “The Handicapable People,” or something like that. Their business model was similar to your callers’ MO. Light bulbs, trash bags, and other household consumables. At the inception of their lease, I thought this to be a legitimate organization providing jobs to handicapped people, as this was how they presented themselves. However, after having first hand knowledge of their employees and day to day office practices, it turned out they were a scam playing on people’s good intentions. Yes, you got your products as promised, but you were paying too much, and the callers were just typical boiler room telemarketers. In the end, I evicted them for non payment of rent. Maybe they moved to Alaska.
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For those of you who pray, I have a serious prayer request. My mother had a severe stroke and is in the hospital, not expected to live.
As most of you know, I live in Africa, so I am trying to get a flight back to the U.S. I am going more for my dad than my mom, since there is a good chance that she will be gone before I can get home. The next flight out is Sunday night which will get me back to the U.S. on Monday evening.
Please pray that I will be able to get on that flight and pray for my dad. They have been married almost 60 years. As far as my mom, pray for God’s will to be done. She is a strong believer and eager for heaven (though she always said she preferred to wait for the rapture).
I need your prayers as well. I have chronic fatigue and was already having a bad day before this news. The trip and the stress could really put me in tailspin healthwise.
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Ajisuun,
That long plane trip (and the going and coming from airports) sounds very arduous for a person with chronic fatigue. I pray that God will bless you with strength, patience, and energy. May you experience God’s peace and rest. I pray for your mom, that God’s will be done, and your dad, that he may experience the comfort of being held safely by God. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run in to it and are saved.”
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Ajisuun,
I will surely keep both you and your parents in prayer.
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Ajisuun,
I am so sorry. I will pray for you and your parents. May you all know God’s peace and comfort and strength. Do keep us posted as you have the opportunity.
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Ajisuun – I, too, have prayed. May God lift you up & carry you through this difficult time, & may your dad sense God’s presence & comfort.
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If the first few minutes of the game are an indication, ‘Bama is in for a very long night
ROLL UTAH ROLL!!!
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Praying for you and your parents, Ajisuun.
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Ajisuun,
Praying.
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Ajisuun,
I too have prayed for you, and my heart goes out to you. My mom was in Nigeria, giving birth to my brother (or so my sister remembers the story) when she got a telegram that she’d lost her mom. (Her dad was already gone, but her mom was rather young, so it was totally unexpected–and she couldn’t go home.) May you and your father both find the Lord’s comfort, and may the doctors care well for your mom, easing her pain and helping her feel cared for.
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Ajisuun: I’ve walked down that road. You’re in my prayers, with your family
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Ajisuun, I am also praying for you.
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Thanks for your prayers. The sun is just coming up here in Africa so soon my co-worker will be able to start trying to get my ticket. At least my father has my 2 sisters and my nieces and grand-nieces with him. If he were alone, the delay in getting there would be much harder on me. Since I am at peace with the idea that my mom will most likely be gone by the time I arrive, I don’t feel frantic that I can’t go immediately.
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Ajisuun, I’m praying for you and your family.
Momoffour, I haven’t tried those insurance companies, but we do have experience buying our own insurance since we’re self-employed. We’ve bought high-deductible insurance that qualifies for a Health Savings Account (HSA). Since the insurance is high-deductible, the premiums are much less than other policies and we’re covered for major health expenses. Also, we pay the insurance company’s negotiated rate for all our medical bills, which is much lower than the standard billing rate.
If you can use tax deductions, you can open a HSA account and have all your medical expenses completely tax deductible. The government has made the HSA accounts increasingly more flexible as well as applicable to a larger number of taxpayers.
Hope that helps.
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Ajisuun
I pray you will arrive in the U.S without any problems. Know that those of us here will be praying for you. When my mom had her strokes just before Christmas in 2001 we drove for most of 24 hours with a six hour layover for much needed sleep – it was snowing and raining most of the way up north – it was not an easy trip, but I knew the LORD had a plan which I couldn’t understand – we arrived at just before 9PM the night before Christmas Eve – I was able to see my mother, she was waiting for me to come, (as she knew I would) my father had gone on earlier to be with the LORD.
You my friend are in my prayers. One passage of Scripture which I recited to myself over and over again, especially on the trip home was;
Mom lived about four and half months more before she went to be with the LORD.
GOD bless you Ajisuun, you have many who understand and love you and pray for your safety and comfort.
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Ajisuun: Remembering you and your parents this morning.
“Let not your heart be troubled…” He is in total control.
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Praise the Lord, my co-worker was able to get me a seat on the Sunday night flight. If all goes smoothly I should arrive in Atlanta about 2:30 Monday afternoon. Thanks for your prayers.
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I’m so sorry, Ajisuun, I just got around to your post. I will pray for you and your family.
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Ajisuun –
PRAISE GOD!
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Ajisuun– I, too, just saw your request–this sister adds her prayers…
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Ajisuun, I prayed earlier and will keep on. I suppose there are more of us who have prayed who may never write about it. Thanks to the Lord for his goodness in your getting your ticket.
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