"The definition of 'stupid' is knowing the truth, seeing the truth, and still believing the lies." That is a quote Maddie put up in her last post. She rarely marks down who said it, so I can't give you any background on this one. What I can say, though, is that this person was absolutely right.
We see this all the time in our everyday lives. Think about the people who say they are going to vote for Hillary Clinton. Why? The FBI is currently investigating her for criminal charges. Why would anyone want to vote for her? These are serious charges folks. She was sending top secret file over her own unsecure server and she lied about it. Does that make her presidential material? Not in my book it doesn't. And there are lots of other things floating around out there about her. Does Benghazi ring a bell? What about White Water? Aside from these, there are other rumors floating about about her and her husband. An options play that netter her $200,000 when she admittedly stated she knew nothing about options? Here's something else that seems stupid to me. How is it that two jet planes that hit two towers, can take down three towers? Even though one of those towers was not hit by a plane, and was not hit by debris from the first two towers? To bring that a step further. No other towers have ever been brought down by fire, and the twin towers were designed to be able to survive after being hit by a plane? Note too, that the Empire State building had one been hit by a plane and is still standing to this day! How stupid does someone have to be? One more little oddity and then I'll leave the twin towers alone. Did anyone else find it unusual that although the evidence pointed to Saudi Arabian citizens as the instigators of 9/11, we chose to attack Iraq instead? There are other things about the twin towers too, but I'll leave those for another day. Anyway, I'd say there are many other examples out there as well, I just don't want to pick something that will piss off my readers. Think about alcohol, sugar, nicotine and asbestos though, and you'd have a good idea where you can find more stupid people who read the same things that you and I do, yet still think its okay to go overboard with these types of products. I'll leave it there for now, as its getting close to midnight. Good night, readers.
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I'm going to go to a karate tournament tomorrow I am so excited! I hope i win a trophy.
I will be sparring and competing in forms. The tournament will be at Franklin Pierce University, in the bubble. Stop by and if you can! Ashleigh Right now, I don't really feel too inspired to write... despite having been reading quotes for the past hour. I have two bath bombs calling my name that I really want to try out. However; I don't want to leave everyone with no blog post- so here is a small handful of thought provoking quotes.
"And those who were seen dancing, were thought to be insane by those who couldn't hear the music." "A river can cut through rock; not by force but by persistence." "The definition of 'stupid' is knowing the truth, seeing the truth, and still believing the lies." "Some people are so poor, that all they have is money." "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil; but by those who watch them and do nothing to stop them." "I gave you $10, and he gave you $20. You felt he was a better person; because he gave you more. What you didn't know is that he had $200, and I had just $10." And my personal favorite- "Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place." - Maddie Today I read a new book called ''Rabbits' Habits''. One little rabbit had a happy and sharing
habit. Another one was a helpful and caring rabbit. A loving rabbit is a nice and a friendly one. A healthy rabbit likes to hop. Ashleigh I really believe this quote is truthful. I agree with it 100%. Whatever stresses you out the most (or matters the most to you, I guess) is the defining bit of your life that shows what will trigger your emotions; whether happy, sad, anxious, whatever. And if you observe people long enough... you can figure out what it is that consumes their mind and makes their lives either a misery or a peaceful calm. For myself? I'd have to say that I spend a lot of time thinking about my friends and how to help them. That's how I am; I am very empathetic and I like helping others because in a way, it brings down my stress levels too.
But enough about me. Let's examine YOU, reader. When you get happy, what is often the cause of it? Are those around you happy? Did you just receive a new item? Did you just take a long walk and see a gorgeous sight? Did you get promoted at work? Did you hear your favorite song on the radio? What was it? Was it something little, or something big? Something that can happen every day; or something that takes time to come around? How we value what makes us happy ultimately defines how happy we will be; and while we can talk the talk and say we appreciate the little things... we need to sit back and see if we actually do. Now forget about the happiness, let's talk about anger. What pisses you off? When something doesn't go your way? When your car breaks down? When a bad song comes on the radio? When you're behind on work? When those around you are in negative moods? What. Is. It? Because the same thing that applied to happiness... applies to anger, too. These questions can be re-applied, in fact, to any emotion in your range. I find that they really help reveal what your mind centers on. Give it a try. Find yourself. I dare you. - Maddie Today I read a new book called ''Nanny Goat's Boat''. Nanny was going to sail but her
boat sank. She wend to the doctor's because she had a sore throat. Her friends came to visit her while she was sick and brought her gifts. She bought a new boat with money that the bunny gave her as a gift. Ashleigh No quotes today folks. Just some thoughts on the old counter culture and what happened to it. In a nutshell, a lot of it was misunderstood, and much of it went mainstream. There were many parts to the counterculture, though, and to say that it all died or went mainstream would be incorrect.
When I think of counterculture, I think of the hippies. Not all hippies were the same though. There were anti-war rallies, acid heads, free love advocates and those who just reveled in the music and the lifestyle. Nowadays, my daughter is teasingly called a hippy, because she prefers natural cures for medical problems rather than pharmaceuticals. That really makes me laugh because it is so obvious that her friends really don't know much about hippies. In fact, the term hippy was usually used as a derogatory to label someone who traveled outside of usual societal norms. Overtime, many of those distinctions were embraced by the popular culture so that they were absorbed by it. Here are a few "hippy" ideas that are not part of the mainstream. Now, I am not saying whether any of these things are good or bad, just that they were at one time fringe hippy ideals (and keep in mind, not ideals for all hippies) that are now part of the popular culture.
To me, the loss of freedom is the one that bothers me most. It is unbelievable how many rules and regulations restricting our freedoms have been enacted just in the past decade alone. Parents have been charged with child neglect just for allowing their children to walk home from school! Others receive tickets if their child rides a bike without a helmet. Adults receive tickets in most states if they do not wear a seat belt. Thank God I live in New Hampshire, the one state in the nation that doesn't enforce that law. Now, don't try to justify it... "well it saves lives" it is still a taking of our freedoms. I wonder what the founding fathers would think of our current society? I think they would cry! They would cry about the sacrifices they made for our freedoms... not fighting in some made-up corporate war, but fighting their own government to free the people from oppression. Now, their prodigy embrace the loss of their freedom and actually cheer it on! Finally, hypocrisy has always been a part of the mainstream culture and it still is. Again below are areas where I see hypocrisy. I am not saying whether the underlying ideal is good or bad, just that the way it is being legislated is hypocritical.
In the end, I guess the counterculture was absorbed by the mainstream. There are still some bastions of counter left in the counter culture. It is just hidden away now. To me, we are all a little bit hippy now. Some more, others less. Just remember, "hippy" wasn't about the dress, or the music, the drugs or the war. It was a label that people used to point out what they were afraid of. Now, the hippies run the show, and things are no better. So be a hippy, it's chic now. As for the counter culture, some of it is mainstream now. Unfortunately, the parts that were interesting are not, and likely never will be. So take it from an old hippy wanna be: live in peace, Do unto others as you would want done to yourself, and make happiness, not discord. I'd use the old adage make love not war, but I am 50 and single and making love has been missing for about three years now, so make happiness not discord will have to do for now. Today I am going to write about my Karate class. Later I'm going to my class. I have
seven friends there. We practice together. We have a lot of fun! Ashleigh “For the sole thing of which any man can be deprived is the present; since this is all he owns, and nobody can lose what is not his.” That's another quote by Marcus Aurelius. While I usually agree with the man, and I get where he is coming from here, I just don't agree with him. Yeah, I get it, nothing you have is really yours because when you die you lose it... blah, blah blah.
Obviously this man had never lost a loved one. My wife died. I did not. I lost my wife, my friend, my companion. Even worse, I lost potential. For while no man owns the future, we all plan for one anyway. My wife and I were no different. We had our plans and dreams. When her illness took a turn for the worse, and we had to separate, a lot of our ""potential" was taken from us. Who knows what we would have done, or if we would have had another child. Where we would have gone or what we would have done. When my wife died, I lost much more than my present. I lost a number of potentials. Now, not all of the potentials I lost were good. As in anything, there is the good and the bad. When she died, I lost the opportunity to do something differently with her. Unless you know you are dying tomorrow, the loss of potentials is devastating. Have things gotten better for me since my wife died. Yes, the only constant is change and with time, all things change. But I still miss my wife and sometimes, when I have absolutely nothing to do, I think back on the might have been. Although new futures have opened to me, I was forever deprived of the future I had been actively building. As for the present, the only way you can deprive someone of the present is to kill them. As long as they are alive (and, I would argue) conscious, they have a present. It may not be exactly what they expected, but they still have it. To me, losing my future is much worse than losing my present. It's worse, because every time I think of it, it comes back to haunt my present. This is one of those quotes where I'm not sure whether I agree with it or not. A part of me believes that our reactions to situations are crucial; and do change the situation a bit... how we remember it; how it influences others, etc. But at the same time, some situations have an expected reaction, or are so severe that our reaction to them doesn't change things or help make it better all that much. For example... death. I don't think a change in reaction would help or change that situation too much.
I do see where the quote is coming from, however. What you make of situations is what counts. In my opinion, life is one big situation! When you wake up, you have a choice. You can either be happy and make the best of whatever comes your way, or be miserable and sulky all day. I guess this would tie in with reactions; yes? I myself try very hard to react positively to most situations; and for the most part I succeed... I do however get bitter at times, which I sincerely apologize for. In the end; I think that blaming someone's perspective of a situation on how they reacted to it is a little childish... to certain extremes. As I was saying earlier, most situations have expected reactions and people who know this usually react in that preset way. It really depends on the person. React naturally, and react wisely. That's all I'll say. - maddie Today I read a new book called ''Let's Make a Snowman.'' Max and Mo were best friends.
They lived in a cozy cage in the art room. They made a snowman with paper, glue, and white circles. They taped their circles to a tube so it could stand up. They glued seeds for eyes and a big smile. He got a hat and scarf and arms too! Ashleigh "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." That is a quote by Edith Wharton. Best known nowadays for her book The Age Of Innocence, few know that prior to her marriage she was known as Pussy Jones. Get your mind out of the gutter! Back then, Pussy had no derogatory meaning. Still, I thought it would be good to add that for a modern chuckle. I guess I watched too much Beavis & Butthead when I was younger. "huh, huh, huh... he said pussy!"
Anyway, to get back to the quote, there are obviously more ways to spread light than candles and mirrors. In her day, these were the two best ways to spread light. But I think the light she was talking about was happiness. Happiness is something we can all spread with a little practice. A smile, a kind word, a little extra effort in anything you do. All can help to make life a little happier for the people around you. So many people go through life spreading discord, stress and grief. How much better would life be if everyone tried to spread happiness? My daughters symbolized the discord today in the car. Both girls sat in the back of the car today on the way back from church. Ashleigh would say something and Maddie would jump on her, telling her to shut up and that she was silly. Ashleigh would then do and say things to annoy Maddie. How much nicer the ride would have been if Maddie would have found something nice to say to her sister. Instead of trying to bring happiness to her young sister, she is subconsciously teaching her that she has nothing of value to say and that if she continues to speak Maddie will make her unhappy. In a way, Maddie is teaching her sister to be unhappy, as she is, rather than to chase happiness. Overall, Ashleigh is an innocent child, and very happy. Sometimes, happiness can be threatening for those who are not happy since it threatens their view that the world is overall an unhappy place. For me, it is the little things in life that make happiness. While no one can always be happy, we can look for happiness, and if we cannot find it for ourselves, we can always try to help others find it. A comment like "I like the way you did your hair this morning", or even just a smile or a tap on the hand can bring happiness to people. I guess what I am trying to say is that if we can't find happiness for ourselves in a given moment, isn't it nice t know that maybe we have helped someone else to attain it? I know that in those times when I actually know I made someone else happy, I usually feel a little better myself. I also know that when someone goes out of their way to say something nice to me, I remember it for a long time. Here is a good case in point. Back in April of last year, I met a woman to sell her one of my wife's old pocketbooks. We stood and spoke for a few minutes and then both went on our way. I had told her about what happened with my wife and how me and my daughters were dealing with it, home schooling the girls, and working from home. When I got back from the trip there was a message for me from the woman. it said: " You are one of the most inspiring, endearing and interesting people I've ever met! Good luck to you and your family! Sounds like everyone is on the right path!! Have a blessed day!!" I must say that that message made me feel good. I always get a bit down speaking about my wife, so I was feeling a bit down by the time I got back, but that message was enough to make me feel a bit better. The message was unexpected but gave me a nice pick me up! How much better I felt after reading it. It was unexpected, and I am sure that that woman couldn't know how much that little text message lifted my spirits that morning... and at other times when I remembered about it. Indeed, I remembered it just now as I was writing this post and went back and found it to quote it here. A kind word can go a long way towards making someone's day. That text only took that woman a moment to write, and yet it did so much to make me feel better that week. It was so much nicer than telling someone to keep quiet because they have absolutely nothing to say that you want to hear! Words have power folks. Think about what you say... and how you say it. If you are unhappy, tired or hurting, does it in anyway make you feel better to make someone else feel that way as well? If you say yes, then you are trying to defend the defenseless. Be a light to others in your sphere of influence. If you can't be a light, then be a mirror. Just don't, whatever you do, be a well of darkness. Life is just too short. If you can't say something nice, then just say nothing at all. Sometimes silence can suffice. Today I read a new book called ''Just keep Swimming!'' Nemo has a dream to be on the swim team. But he has a little fin. His friend Dory teaches him to go,go, go and race and chase! He keeps swimming and he keeps trying. Finally, Nemo made the swim team and then he won a first-place prize!
Ashleigh I have 4 blog posts to write tonight so... bare with me if a few seem a little odd. Today, I got to thinking about how everyone likes songs for different reasons. Some people like songs for their beats, and some people like songs for their lyrics or simply because they find the voice of the singer to be soothing. But with each of these differences; comes so many other differences... favorite instrument, and the varying meanings to songs. I'd like to give an example of a song with lyrics that have multiple meanings- not just to me but to others and just in general. That song was one given to me by my dad; and it is Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. Here are the lyrics - "Wish You Were Here" So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell? Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts? Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze? Cold comfort for change? Did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? How I wish, how I wish you were here. We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year, Running over the same old ground. What have we found? The same old fears. Wish you were here. Now, I have NO idea what kind of message my dad gets from this song... to me; it is a song about confusion and living in a constant shade of grey. It isn't something I relate too much to. My life is either black or white, happy or sad, good or bad. There is never just grey. And I think the song is about getting stuck in the cycle of life to the extreme that you no longer distinguish between good and bad and just... exist; not live. I can only imagine that living in constant grey must be awful. For others; maybe the song is just a metaphor for missing someone so greatly that you lose yourself. Maybe people enjoy the haunting beat of the song; or the guitar-work. Maybe others still take the song as the title is. I have no idea... I can't read minds. All I can do is give my own opinion. And in my opinion; music that stays popular for many generations is popular because it can be related to so many different situations. People love relatable music; and I find it remarkable when a song can be so deep as to have 3 or more meanings. What is your opinion of Wish You Were Here? Do you have any other deep songs to talk about? By all means; leave me a comment. I'd love to read your thoughts. - maddie I read a new book today called ''Strike Three Marley''. Cassie went to her first baseball
game with Daddy and Marley. During the game Marley got away and ran onto the field. He knocked over the second baseman, and didn't stop until he caught the ball. Then he grabbed the bat and finally home base. The umpire yelled ''you're out of the game!'' Ashleigh I'm a little late to the party with this post and I'm sure all of you have already read my dad's phenomenal post about the concert we went to on Monday. It was quite honestly one of the best things I have ever experienced in my life. I've listened to this group growing up (much like my dad did when he was younger) because of my dad; and while the band isn't entirely complete OR youthful anymore; they still sounded absolutely amazing and not a bit off key. For guys over 70; they performed excellently and I'd put them level with Papa Roach and FFDP.
While the show was amazing, the music loud and rocking, and the atmosphere really cool... I think my favorite part of the day was being able to spend quality time with my dad while doing something we both take great enjoyment in. My dad got to revisit his youth a bit and it amused me to see him revert into his younger self; if only temporarily. I shouldn't say that. To be honest; my dad is a kid at heart and acts about 30 years younger than his age to begin with. So; thank you dad for taking me with you to this concert. I had an amazing time and I think it's so cool that we both got to experience these legends before they stop performing. I also think it's awesome that we both got to grow up on the same band. Anyway, it's late and I want to shower AND watch funny videos before bed- so I'll leave this here. Peace; Maddie Today I am going to write about playing outside. I went outside and it was beautiful
I could not believe my eyes! I rode my scooter up and down the driveway. Then I blew bubbles in the air. Ashleigh “You should always look on human life as short and cheap. Yesterday sperm: tomorrow a mummy or ashes.” That is a quote by Marcus Aurelius. While I can see his point about the shortness of it, compared to say the age of the earth etc, I would beg to differ about the cheap part. Sure in his day, life was cheap, People were bought and sold as chattel. Life was short and oftentimes brutal. But at the same time, there is a beauty to life... particularly ones own that can make it priceless.
Aurelius often wrote about living in the moment. He believed that life was short and that there was no guarantee that anyone would be here tomorrow. Enjoy the moment, for tomorrow you die! At the same time, he believed in honor and helping people as well. Life is short versus the age of the pyramids. Yet can seem brutally long when you are missing someone. Memories of when I was young are as fresh today as when they first happened, and yet changes occur daily so that nothing is as it once was. The only constant is change. For instance, I remember walking to the junction when I was a kid to play video games and to get a bite to eat with my friends. While the junction is still there, all of the stores have changed. Middletown Pizza is a great example. When I was young, the pizza place was in the middle of a row of stores. It was small and mainly for takeout. When I became a teen, the pizza place moved to a free-standing location near the far end of the junction (the junction, by the way. was a collection of stores at the junction of three roads). It was more of a sit-down type restaurant then and we would go and hang out and eat pizza. After about fifteen years, Middletown Pizza moved again. It is now back in the middle of a row of stores, and the free-standing location was torn down and turned into a CVS. Meanwhile, CJ's Deli is long gone as is Wasserman's Variety Store... that was turned into a Dunkin Donuts! It is the same all over my hometown. Landmarks I thought would be there forever are gone and replaced by places others think will be there forever. Rickels has closed up and was replaced by a staples, Cloth World was replaced by an Applebee's. Shop Rite is still in the same shopping center, but is now in a different building. The changes aren't only in the locations either. The other night, I went to see The Who with my daughter. Two members of the band remain and are now in their seventies. And yet, I still picture them as they were in their prime. I am gray and heavyset now... yet I still like to try and do my karate as if I am young. We all change. It seems like no time is going by, and yet twenty years go by in a moment. My eldest daughter is now 14. In ten years, she may have a family of her own. My youngest is now six. It seems like only yesterday that I was singing her to sleep and feeding her with a bottle I am fifty years old. Where did the time go? I was too busy living to notice it. And that, I believe, is what Marcus Aurelius was speaking about. Life flies by. We start as a gleam in our parents' eyes and the next thing you know, you are burying them. A newlywed one day and in the blink of an eye, a widower. Yes life is short... But cheap? I think not. Some of my memories are priceless. And as well as I can, I plan to pass some of the more pleasant ones on to my daughters. Many of my favorites involve them anyway. Memories are the currency of life folks. Life can be cheap or dear. It depends what you make of it. When I get ready to leave this world, I want to look back and feel that my life was priceless. But the memories that die with me, I hope will be dwarfed by the memories I leave behind with my children. Today I read a new book called ''Unicorn Wings''. It's about a Unicorn with a magic
horn. It could fix cuts and broken bones. But he did not care about his horn; he wanted wings. He found a castle. He fell asleep near the shore, and met a horse with wings that was injured. He healed it and was given wings in return. Ashleigh This picture is by Maddie Maddie and I went to see The Who last night at TD Garden in Boston. And boy, did they put on a great show! I was a little concerned heading into the show because a friend of mine saw them playing the Superbowl and said they sucked. I decided to go anyway, since I have been listening to The Who for over forty years and I love their music. I am so glad that I did! I thought they did a great show. Both Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend are over seventy years old, and while they have lost a step in old age, and don't move around as much as they once did, they both still sound great. Keith Moon and John Entwistle had both died years ago, so others have taken their place and did a great job as well. This wasn't my first time seeing The Who, so I have some basis for comparison. I saw them rock Giants Stadium back in 1989, when John Entwistle was still the bassist. My history with the band goes back even further though. Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy was one of the first albums I ever bought back in 1976,.The Doors' LA Woman was the other. Both albums had already been out for a few years before I got them, but to be honest, they both came out when I was five, so I wasn't buying anything, let alone music back then! I still have both albums too! These bands and their albums, have been a huge part of the sound track of my life. Tell me, what was playing in the background during important moments during your life? For me, oftentimes it was bands like The Who, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors and Jimi Hendrix. In fact, "Thank You" by Led Zeppelin was My Wife & I's wedding song. The singer for our wedding couldn't really get it, so we did not play it at our reception, but we did dance to it before we left the house on the way to the church.
Last night, it felt so good to share such a large part of my life with my daughter. She doesn't know how much it meant to me that she actually enjoyed it. My daughter and I have gone to concerts before, but this was the first one where I likely had a better handle on the music than she did. I caught myself a few times leaning over to tell her something about the song coming up after I heard a note or two of the opening and recognized it. The memories I had while listening to the music, and being able to share some of that with her while she was experiencing it for the first time truly made my night. What's more, one of my daughter's friends also went to the concert with his parents and she ran into him there. Now, she will have her own memories from the show that he too will be able to relate to. He was in a different section than us, but he stopped by to see Maddie, which I think helped to make the night a little more memorable for her as well. There were so many songs I knew and loved played last night that I had a tough time picking just one favorite. I remember singing along to Love Reign O'er Me and Join together, as well as You Better You Bet and Won't Get Fooled Again. Pinball Wizard was done really well and Eminence Front (one of my favorites) was a first for me, since they didn't play it at the show I went to in 1989. Oddly enough, Maddie's favorite song of the night was called The Rock and is a purely instrumental piece. She liked it for what they dedicated it to and for the scenes they flashed up on the screens as they played it. Her next favorite was Baba O Riley. Maddie loved the concert too, by the way. One song that they didn't play that I remember from the 1989 concert was Magic Bus. Before the concert even started, they had a little film on the screen talking about the band and one of the things they mentioned was that John Entwistle used to hate playing that song in concert since he really only got to play one chord and that the song would usually go on for six to eight minutes and he would be really bored. When I read that, I knew we were not going to get Magic Bus... and I was right. Another song that was rightfully absent was Summertime Blues. In 1989, the concert I went to was on the July 4th weekend, and The Who played that song as one of their encores.Well, March is still winter in New England, so there was no Summertime Blues. Well, I think I have rambled long enough. I am happy that I got to share one of my favorite bands with my daughter. These guys were good in 1989. After so many years, I think these guys were GREAT in 2016. Now that they are in their seventies, I am not sure if they will be able to tour much longer. I hope they do. I would love to bring Ashleigh to see them one day when she is old enough. My thanks to The Who ... for making music I could grow up with. What amazing memories. Thank you. |
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