Life Is What We Make It

"Life is what we make it. Always has been, always will be." - Grandma Moses

Decisive

"Some persons are very decisive when it comes to avoiding decisions." - Brendan Francis

Guns N' Roses

We went to the Guns N' Roses Concert at the Allstate Arena last night. The Loop had a last minute special on tickets. The concert started at 8:00 p.m. but Guns N' Roses didn't come on stage until 11:00 p.m. Modern Day Zero and Sebastian Bach opened for them. Their first song was "Welcome To The Jungle" They played "Live and Let Die", "Knocking on Heavens Door" and "November Rain" They ended with "Paradise City." The concert ended at 2:00 a.m. The boys really enjoyed it

Wisdom

"Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting into situations where you need it." - Doug Larson

Most Damaging Phrase In The Language

"The most damaging phrase in the language is: 'It's always been done that way.'" - Grace Murray Hopper

The Things You Didn't Do

"As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do." - Zachary Scott

Duane Hopwood

We watched the DVD "Duane Hopwood."

Synopsis

Duane Hopwood (David Schwimmer), a down-on-his-luck divorced father, works the night shift as a pit boss at Caesars Palace in Atlantic City. Heartsick about the demise of his marriage to Linda (Janeane Garofolo), Duane does nothing much in his daily life but work and drink. When his visitation rights are threatened after he’s caught driving while intoxicated with his daughter in the backseat, Duane confronts the realization that the time has come to get his life back on track before he loses everything.

Thank For Little

"Who does not thank for little will not thank for much." - Estonian proverb

Give Thanks

"When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself." - Tecumseh, Shawnee Chief

Like People

"If you make it plain you like people, it's hard for them to resist liking you back." - Lois McMaster Bujold

Recommend It Daily

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing that's why we recommend it daily" - Zig Ziglar

Nature Girl

I finished reading "Nature Girl" by Carl Hiaasen. I think I was the first one to check it out from our library. I can't wait for the next book by one of my favorite authors.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Honey Santana - impassioned, willful, possibly bipolar, self-proclaimed “queen of lost causes” has a scheme to help rid the world of irresponsibility, indifference, and dinnertime sales calls. She’s taking rude, gullible Relentless, Inc., telemarketer Boyd Shreave and his less-than-enthusiastic mistress, Eugenie, - the fifteen-minute-famous girlfriend of a tabloid murderer into the wilderness of Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands for a gentle lesson in civility. What she doesn’t know is that she’s being followed by her Honey - obsessed former employer, Piejack (whose mismatched fingers are proof that sexual harassment in the workplace is a bad idea). And he doesn’t know he’s being followed by Honey’s still-smitten former drug-running ex-husband, Perry, and their wise-and-protective-way-beyond-his-years twelve-year-old-son, Fry. And when they all pull up on Dismal Key, they don’t know they’re intruding on Sammy Tigertail, a half white–half Seminole failed alligator wrestler, trying like hell to be a hermit despite the Florida State coed who’s dying to be his hostage . Will Honey be able to make a mensch of a “greedhead”? Will Fry be able to protect her from Piejack and herself? Will Sammy achieve his true Seminole self? Will Eugenie ever get to the beach? Will the Everglades survive the wild humans? All the answers are revealed in the delectably outrageous mayhem that propels this novel to its Hiaasen-of-the-highest-order climax.

Final Cut

I watched the DVD "Final Cut" with Robin Williams and Mira Sorvino. Will this be the future?

Synopsis

In a world where people are implanted with a chip that records their lives, one man has final cut on the recorded history of his clients. Alan Hackman (Robin Williams) is the best “cutter” in the business, his ability to grant the corrupt absolution of the sins of his clients, has put him in high demand. However, his talent for viewing life without emotion has shaped him into a cold distant man and has made him unable to experience life in the first person. He believes he is a “sin eater” and his work provides him with the ability to absolve the dead of their sins. While cutting a Rememory for a high-powered colleague, Alan discovers an image from his childhood that has haunted him his entire life. This discovery leads him on a high intensity search for truth and redemption.

First Basketball Game

We lost our first basketball game of the season 28 to 19 against St. Peter & St. Paul of Naperville. The game was at 10:00 a.m. The other 8th grade team won a close one by one point. The boys played a good game for their first game. They kept hustling the whole game and never game up. My youngest son only scored 2 points with 13 attempts. We need to work in rebounding and shooting. Our next game is next Sunday at home.

Derailed

I watched the DVD "Derailed" with Jennifer Aniston.

Synopsis

Charles Schine (Clive Owen) and Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston) have noticed each other on the commuter train before. One morning their conversation leads to a flirtation which turns into an evening drink and then, before either one can stop it, a passionate one-night stand. But suddenly a stranger explodes into their world, threatening to expose their secret and lures them into a terrifying game with more surprises then they saw coming and more danger then they may survive.

Have You Been Kind Today?

"Ask yourself: Have you been kind today? Make kindness your daily modus operandi and change your world." - Annie Lennox

If You Love Life

"I have found that if you love life, life will love you back." - Arthur Rubenstein

A Real Friend

"A real friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be on the way down." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

Jarhead

I watched the DVD "Jarhead."

Synopsis

Jarhead (the self-imposed moniker of the Marines) follows "Swoff" (Jake Gyllenhaal), a third-generation enlistee, from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty, sporting a sniper's rifle and a hundred-pound ruck on his back through Middle East deserts with no cover from intolerable heat or from Iraqi soldiers, always potentially just over the next horizon. Swoff and his fellow Marines sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy on blazing desert fields in a country they don't understand against an enemy they can't see for a cause they don't fully fathom. Sergeant Sykes (Jamie Foxx) a lifer who heads up Swofford's scout/sniper platoon, while Swoff's friend and mentor, Troy (Peter Sarsgaard), a die-hard member of STA-their elite Marine Unit.

The Ideal Life

"Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life." - Mark Twain

Love

"It’s no trick loving somebody at their best. Love is loving them at their worst." - Tom Stoppard

Let Go

“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” - Lao Tzu

Be Flexible

"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." - Anonymous

First Basketball Practice

We had our first basketball practice of the season. We have two new players and one returning player. We're practicing with the other 8th grade B Team again this year. Our first game is Saturday November 18th at 10:00 a.m. against St. Peter & St. Paul at 10:00 a.m.

Do Things For Them

"Nothing makes you like other human beings so much as doing things for them." - Zora Neale Hurston

The Break-Up

I watched the DVD "The Break-Up" with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. It reminded me of "About Last Night."

Synopsis

Pushed to the breaking-up point after their latest "why can't you do this one little thing for me?" argument, art dealer Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) calls it quits with her boyfriend, Gary (Vince Vaughn), who hosts bus tours of Chicago. What follows is a series of remedies, war tactics, overtures and underminings suggested by the former couple's friends, confidantes and the occasional total stranger. When neither ex is willing to move out of the condo they share, the only solution is to continue living as hostile roommates until somebody caves.

Turn Your Face To The Sun

"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you." - Maori proverb

Happiness Is The Key To Success

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." - Albert Schweitzer

Never Be Idle

"Determine never to be idle. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing. " - Thomas Jefferson

Hundred-Dollar Baby

I finished reading "Hundred-Dollar Baby" by Robert B. Parker

ABOUT THE BOOK

April Kyle, the damsel in distress that Spenser rescued in two earlier books, "Ceremony" (1982) and "Taming a Sea Horse" (1986), again turns to the iconic Boston PI for help in the 34th entry in Parker's popular series. Cynical yet romantic, Spenser easily handles the immediate threat of some men trying to muscle in on the high-class Boston whorehouse April is running. Unfortunately, that isn't the real problem, and Spenser without much surprise finds that April, the thugs and everyone else involved is lying to him. Instead of walking away, Spenser continues to probe, following trails that lead to New York, a con artist, mob connections and other complications. This is vintage Parker, with Spenser exchanging witty dialogue with the faithful Hawk, sexy dialogue with his beloved Susan and smart-alecky dialogue with cops and villains. The old pros can make it look easy, and that goes for both the author and his hero as they deliver the goods smoothly and with inimitable style.

Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Benchwarmers

I watched the DVD "Benchwarmers."

Synopsis

Three guys (Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder) try to make up for their lack of athleticism when they were younger by forming a three-man baseball team to challenge a full squad of elementary school baseballers. They develop a large following of left-out kids as they head into a high-stakes, winner-take-all game with the best team of kids in the state.

All Kids Are Gifted

"All kids are gifted; some just open their packages earlier than others." - Michael Carr

Your Future

"Your future depends on many things, but mostly on you." - Frank Tyger

Soap

"What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." - Yiddish proverb

Shower Power

Practice Shower Power. Water is a powerful spiritual symbol. As you soap and rinse in the shower, pray to be cleansed of any feelings of anger, bitterness, resentment, or regret. Recall the words of Isaiah (58:11): "The Lord will guide you continually… You shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail."

Football Awards Ceremony

My oldest son received his freshman football letter ('10) from his coaches in the high school cafeteria. The coaches had nice things to say about the players attending. He got a chance to visit with some of his teammates. The season flew by. We had Subway sandwiches afterwards.

The Bancroft Strategy

I finished reading "The Bancroft Strategy" by Robert Ludlum.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Todd Belknap, a legendary field agent for Consular Operations with a reputation as something of a cowboy is cut loose from the agency after an operation goes wrong, his best friend and fellow agent is abducted in Lebanon by a militia group with a vicious reputation. When the government refuses to either rescue him or negotiate for his release, Belknap decides to take matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, hedge fund analyst Andrea Bancroft gets a surprising call, she is to receive an unexpected bequest of six million dollars from a cousin she never met. With one condition, she must agree to sit on the board of the Bancroft family foundation, a charitable organization that is run by the family patriarch, Paul Bancroft. Having never been involved with, or even met, the family, her mother was briefly married to a Bancroft and cut off all contact many years ago, Andrea is intrigued. But the foundation, which is dedicated to doing strategic good deeds, appears less and less benign the more deeply involved she gets. What exactly is their involvement with the “Genesis” a mysterious group working to destabilize the geopolitical balance at the risk of millions of lives? As events escalate, Todd Belknap and Andrea Bancroft come together and must form an uneasy alliance if they are to uncover the truth behind “Genesis” before it is too late.

The Secret Of Success

"The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes." - Benjamin Disraeli

Alarm Clock Alleluia

When your alarm goes off in the morning, open your eyes and repeat this line from the Psalms: "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad." Commit to living in gratitude for the day, and you'll soon notice how much happier your days can become.