Experiences

"If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we'd all be millionaires." - Abigail Van Buren

Ashes

"People who fight fire with fire usually end up with ashes." - Abigail Van Buren

Lynyrd Skynyrd and Peter Frampton

We went to The Drive's www.wdrv.com 5th Anniversary Concert - Peter Frampton and Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Rosemont Theatre. We won 7 free ticket's from two ticket drops in Oakbrook Terrace and Crete. My oldest son brought one of his friends and we gave two tickets to my brother and sister-in-law. They had a John Lennon tribute band Instant Karma playing in the lobby. They were pretty good. Both Peter Frampton and Lynyrd Skynyrd played full sets. The closing song "Free Bird" rocked. We got out of there at about 11:10 p.m and home just before midnight. We saw Jim Peterik from Ides of March and Survivor in the parking lot and I talked to him. He doesn't live to far from us and he belongs to my brother's health club. I use to play on a softball team with his cousin.

Not To Be Hurried

"Nothing can be more useful to you than a determination not to be hurried." - Henry David Thoreau

Secret To Success

"The secret to success in any human endeavor is total concentration." - Kurt Vonnegut

Miracles

"Don't believe in miracles; depend on them." - Lawrence J. Peter

Happiness

"Happiness is the delicate balance between what one is and what one has." - F. H. Denison

Hope

"Hope is the dream of the waking man." - Aristotle

Imitate A Champion

“The best and fastest way to learn a sport is to watch and imitate a champion.” - Jean-Claude Killy

Don't Let Life Discourage You

“Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.” - Richard L. Evans

WDRV Ticket Drop

We drove to the Crete Harley Davidson for the WDRV www.wdrv.com 5th Anniversary Concert Ticket Drop. We won 5 tickets to the Lynryrd Skynryd and Peter Frampton Concert June 29th at the Rosemont Theatre. We met disc jockey Phil Manicki. It was a long drive but it was worth it.

There Will Never Be Another You

I finished reading the book "There Will Never Be Another You" by Carolyn See

ABOUT THE BOOK

Accomplished author Carolyn See triumphantly returns to fiction-seven years after her last novel was published-with this provocative, vibrantly written new novel. Set in a security-obsessed world that eerily mirrors our own, "There Will Never Be Another You" captures the paranoia and propaganda of a volatile time and place in which humanity's divisions run deep and society sits on edge-and one Southern California family faces profound crises from within and without. It is a moment in the near future when the global threat of terror has cultivated rage, apathy, and panic across the country. People fear that anybody could be armed, or have a bomb, or a disease, or all three. For Phil, a dermatologist at the UCLA hospital, it is a time of unease and uncertainty, in stark contrast to the days when he coasted through life on his good looks, a modicum of charm, and only haphazard effort. Now Phil must deal with his mother, Edith, who's been grieving over the death of her husband for several years and only recently has thought to reconnect with a family that seems to have other priorities. Phil's energies are already divvied up among his belligerent children, his wayward wife, and his unreliable mistress. Then Phil's life takes a dramatic turn: He is recruited for a top-secret team whose task is to act quickly in the event of a biological or chemical attack. The assignment just may provide him with a renewed sense of purpose. Yet dire circumstances force Phil to make profound decisions that will affect not just himself and his loved ones but the entire country. It is a chance for an ordinary man to rise from mediocrity to heroism-and at which failure would prove to be catastrophic. Foreboding and all too plausible, "There Will Never Be Another You" is a cautionary novel of family and society, where a naive past is replaced by a menacing future in which distinguishing between reality and imagination proves to be more challenging than ever.

War Of The Worlds

I watched the DVD "War of the Worlds" directed by Steven Spielberg.

Synopsis

Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise), a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father is about to get his kids for a rare weekend visit. Soon after his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) and her new husband drop off teenage son Robbie (Justin Chatwin) and young daughter Rachel (Dakota Fanning), a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down. Moments later, at an intersection near his house, Ray witnesses an extraordinary event that will change all their lives forever. A towering three-legged war machine emerges from deep beneath the earth and, before anyone can react, incinerates everything in sight. An ordinary day has suddenly become the most extraordinary event of their lifetimes - the first strike in a catastrophic alien attack on Earth. Ray scrambles to get his children away from this merciless new enemy, embarking on a journey that will take them across the ravaged countryside, where they become caught in the desperate tide of refugees fleeing from an extraterrestrial army of Tripods. But no matter where they run, there is no safety, no refuge - only Ray's unconquerable will to protect the ones he loves.

The Crisis Of Yesterday

“The crisis of yesterday is the joke of tomorrow.” - H. G. Wells

Aim At Something High

“In the long run, men hit only what they aim at. Therefore, they had better aim at something high.” - Henry David Thoreau

To Those Who Can Dream

“To those who can dream there is no such place as faraway.” - Unknown

Too Soon

“You cannot do a kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Kindness

"No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted." - Aesop

Pleasant Thoughts

"The pleasantest things in the world are pleasant thoughts: and the great art of life is to have as many of them as possible." - Montaigne

I, Robot

We watched the DVD "I, Robot" with Will Smith. It was set in Chicago in 2035. Not too far off. I was entertained and the movie makes you wonder.

Synopsis

In the year 2035, robots are an everyday household item, and everyone trusts them, except one, slightly paranoid detective (Will Smith) investigating what he alone believes is a crime perpetrated by a robot. The case leads him to discover a far more frightening threat to the human race. Inspired by the classic short story collection by Isaac Asimov.

Airheads

I watched the DVD "Airheads." I got a free DVD from eating cereal.

Synopsis

Chazz (Brendan Fraser), Rex (Steve Buscemi), and Pip (Adam Sandler) are a band known as The Lone Rangers, and all they're looking for is some attention. But when they take over a radio station with fake guns in order to get their song played over the airwaves, they get a little more than they bargained for.

Your Work

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it." - Buddha

A Mighty Wind

We watched the DVD "A Mighty Wind" similar to "Spinal Tap" but about folk music.

Synopsis

Three folk groups from the '60s reunite for a memorial concert in New York City following the death of a legendary folk manager. When folk icon Irving Steinbloom passed away, he left behind a legacy of music and a family of performers he has shepherded to folk stardom. To celebrate a life spent submerged in folk, Irving's loving son Jonathan has decided to put together a memorial concert featuring some of Steinbloom's best-loved musicians. There's Mitch and Mickey, who were the epitome of young love until their partnership was torn apart by heartbreak; classic troubadours The Folksmen, whose records were endlessly entertaining for anyone able to punch a hole in the center to play them; and The New Main Street Singers, the most meticulously color-coordinated neuftet ever to hit an amusement park. Now for one night only in New York City's Town Hall, these three groups will reunite and gather together to celebrate the music that almost made them famous.

Music

“Music is what feelings sound like.” - unknown

It's What You See

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." - Henry David Thoreau

Folk Music

"All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song." - Louis Armstrong

This Book Will Save Your Life

I finished reading "This Book Will Save Your Life" by A.M. Homes

ABOUT THE BOOK

From the author of "Music For Torching" an uplifting and apocalyptic tale set in Los Angeles about one man's efforts to bring himself back to life. Since her debut in 1989, A. M. Homes has been among the boldest and most original voices of her generation, acclaimed for the psychological accuracy and unnerving emotional intensity of her storytelling. Her keen ability to explore how extraordinary the ordinary can be is at the heart of her touching and funny new novel, her first in six years. Richard Novak is a modern-day Everyman, a middle-aged divorcé trading stocks out of his home. He has done such a good job getting his life under control that he needs no one — except his trainer, nutritionist, and housekeeper. He is functionally dead and doesn't even notice until two incidents — an attack of intense pain that lands him in the emergency room, and the discovery of an expanding sinkhole outside his house — conspire to hurl him back into the world. On his way home from the hospital, Richard forms the first of many new relationships: He meets Anhil, the doughnut shop owner, an immigrant who dreams big. He finds a weeping housewife in the produce section of the supermarket, helps save a horse that has fallen into the sinkhole, daringly rescues a woman from the trunk of her kidnapper's car, and, after the sinkhole claims his house and he has to relocate to a Malibu rental, he befriends a reluctant counterculture icon. In the end, Richard is also brought back in closer touch with his family — his aging parents, his brilliant brother, the beloved ex-wife whom he still desires, and finally, before the story's breathtaking finale, with his estranged son Ben.
The promised land of Los Angeles — a surreal city of earthquakes, wildfires, mudslides, and feral Chihuahuas — is also very much a character in "This Book Will Save Your Life." A vivid, revealing novel about compassion, transformation, and what can happen if you are willing to lose yourself and open up to the world around you.

Wonderfalls

I watched the DVD of all the episodes of "Wonderfalls." I enjoyed it and it was wonderful. I have to go to Niagara Falls now.

Synopsis

Jaye Tyler is a loner living in Niagara Falls who, after graduating college, has fallen into a care-free comfortable rut living in a trailer park and working as a retail clerk in the Falls souvenir shop of Wonderfalls – that is until the souvenirs, and anything in the world with an anamorphic face, starts talking to her, insisting she do things in cryptic single sentence messages or there will be dire consequences (or at least lack of sleep). When followed, the resulting ping-pong effect appears to be the work of a divine plan, but soon Jaye becomes smitten with a local bartender and the figurines are telling her to do things that go against every fiber of her being. A reluctant savior, Jaye's hand is forced into the lives of others and befuddles her family in a fight that may not just cost her comfortable life and a budding romance - but her sanity.

Decide How You're Going To Live

"You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now." - Joan Baez

People Travel To Wonder

"People travel to wonder at the height of the mountains, at the huge waves of the seas, at the long course of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars, and yet they pass by themselves without wondering." - St. Augustine, Early Christian Priest, Author

The Average Person

"The average person thinks he isn't." - Father Larry Lorenzoni

Hoodwinked

I watched the DVD "Hoodwinked." It was an elaborate animation of the story Little Red Riding Hood.

Synopsis

In the re-telling of the classic fable Little Red Riding Hood, the story begins at the end. Chief Grizzly (Xzibit) and Detective Bill Stork (Anthony Anderson) investigate a domestic disturbance at Granny’s (Glenn Close) cottage, involving a karate-kicking Red Riding Hood (Anne Hathaway), a sarcastic wolf (Patrick Warburton) and an oafish Woodsman (Jim Belushi). The charges are many: breaking and entering, intent to eat, wielding an axe without a license, but these unusual suspects have their story to tell first.

If There Are No Stupid Questions

"If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?" - Scott Adams

A Purpose Of Human Life

"A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved." - Kurt Vonnegut

Confirmation & Graduation Party

Today is my oldest son's confirmation and graduation party. We expect about 50 people mostly family and a few of his friends from school. We're having beef and chicken. Hopefully the weather will hold out. It cooled off and the temperature will only be in the low sixties.

A Gift To The Next Generation

"If I were given the opportunity to present a gift to the next generation, it would be the ability for each individual to learn to laugh at himself." - Charles Schulz

Find Something You Can Enjoy

"To find something you can enjoy is far better than finding something you can possess." - Glenn Holm

Inspiration

"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working." - Pablo Picasso

If You Can Dream It

"If you can dream it, you can do it." - Walt Disney

Thank You

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." - Meister Eckhart

You Cannot Shake Hands

"You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist." - Indira Gandhi

Happiness Of Pursuit

"It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in the happiness of pursuit." -Denis Waitley

1,000th Post

This is it. I never would have thought I would have posted that many times. Good thing Blogger tells you how many times you posted or I wouldn't have known. A lot of the posts are just quotes. It's been an excellent place to collect thoughts, memories, movies seen, books read and more. My 'internet filing cabinet.' I still don't have a digital camera and I'm not sophisticated enough to post pictures. Hopefully soon. It's been a great experience.

God Loves Each Of Us

"God loves each of us as if there were only one of us." - Saint Augustine

Eighth Grade Trip

My oldest son went on his eighth grade trip. I dropped him off at school at 6:15 a.m. It was an early start after the graduation party last night. They had a beautiful day. The went downtown to Chicago and had breakfast at ESPN Zone. Then they spent about an hour and a half on Navy Pier. Then they went on a lunch cruise on the Odyssey on Lake Michigan. They said it rained while they were out on the lake but it stopped. They finished up at Shedd Aquarium and then came back. The busses got back to the school at 6:30 p.m. He then went over to his friend's house to spend the night. Some of his classmates he may never see again. They are all going to different schools.

The Biggest Human Temptation

"The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little." - Thomas Merton

Eighth Grade Graduation

My oldest son had his eighth grade graduation ceremony and Mass in the church. It was a beautiful ceremony and a beautiful night. The graduates brought roses up for the gifts. He received a couple of special awards for choir, math and honor roll. We are so proud of him. My youngest son was one of the alter servers. Grandma and Papa, Grandma Nash and Uncle Steve and Aunt LeAnn came. They had a nice buffet dinner party in the school gym afterwards. We didn't get home until after 10:30 p.m. It was wonderful evening.

Know How To Learn

"They know enough who know how to learn." - Henry B. Adams

Smile Because It Happened

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)