motivation

I was once asked in a phone interview "What motivates you?"

I have struggled with the question, since up until then I had never thought about it. I only know that money is not what motivates me.

Maybe being able to contribute motivates me. To be someone who can add value, get results, and be effective in what I do.

Maybe success is what motivates me.

Finally I have decided that what I want to be able to say is "God's love is what motivates me." God's love is unchanging. It could be good times, it could be bad times, whether I am successful or unsuccessful, God's love is there. To be able to move forward, to put forth my best effort, to remain positive no matter what the circumstances ... because I know that God's love is there.

note to self

Note to self: do not wear wrist watch when painting.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I learned to value my holidays when I had a job that didn't give you holidays. So extra blessings to you folks who don't get holidays...

newspaper delivery folks
newscasters and journalists
law enforcement
hospital and healthcare staff
gas station attendants
network operations center folks

... and more. Shoot me a comment and add to the list.

Thank you!
 

looking for necklace

Here I go again. I'm looking for a crucifix pendant necklace for Gumby. I'm not satisfied with the craftsmanship I've been seeing ... I don't want a blob to represent the corpus. Please make it so that I can see bent knees, preferably two legs, preferably proportional features, preferably not looking like a woman, and so forth. The search continues...

spaghetti

I'm no cook. But I've encountered worse cooking than mine. Spaghetti is pretty simple. So simple that even I can do it.

I just use a jar of spaghetti sauce of choice.
If I like the sauce thinner, I add a can of seasoned tomato sauce.
I also add a can of mushrooms,
one chopped fresh tomato,
and one chopped fresh bell pepper.
Throw in any additional seasoning ... bay leaves, basil ... whatever you prefer.
If you want meat in your sauce, brown 1 pound of ground beef (I usually add Mrs. Dash to the ground beef), drain the fat and add the meat to your sauce.
Simmer the sauce until the fresh tomatoes are cooked.
Voila. Sauce is done.

As for the pasta, just follow the instructions on the package. I'm not thrilled about pasta that's all mushy (overcooked, chances are someone is not following the directions). After draining the pasta, I like to coat mine with margerine. Add margerine to the hot pasta; as the margerine melts, toss the pasta to coat. I'm sure there are healthier ways to keep pasta from clumping (olive oil, maybe?). I'm ok with margerine.

Catechism in e-book format

Catechism of the Catholic Church in e-book format:
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm

in search of...

I am looking for plastic cards with inspirational scriptural verses with some sort of artistic background (i.e. it's not just text). They might be known as pocket cards or wallet cards. It doesn't have to be that small, but somewhere around that size. I need them plastic like gift cards--not plastic-laminated paper. If you, my very few and loyal readers, can point me to a possible resource for these I would be most appreciative.  Thank you.

I stumbled upon these in my search (but still not finding what I seek)...

I have to admit, Scripture Memory Key Tags are a brilliant idea:
http://gosdm.org/sdmmaterials/devotionalresources/scripturememorykeytags/index.html

I like these too, but I prefer a Catholic bible:
http://www.christianforums.net/store/christian-gifts/verse-cards.html

8/11/2013:  stumbled across these; a good option
http://www.monkscorner.org/store/store_results.php?Category=13&Section=Desk+Table

Blessed

I am blessed to live in this U.S. of A. where, for the most part, my only concern is money (job). I live in relative peace and tranquility. Life here is not perfect, of course. (It's not heaven.)

God bless America. May we learn to live in peace with each other, respect each other's rights and boundaries, help one another as we are able, and try to be "slow to anger." Thank you God for the many blessings You have bestowed on me. May others be blessed as well.

what happens after death?

pants stretcher

This thing is otherwise known as the Wiffle bat. Stuff this thing down your skinny jeans pants legs for a minute (while you are wearing the pants) to stretch those jeans. Uh, do it in your private space, not out in public. No guarantees, but it's worth a shot. Try it at your own risk.

chaser

I just took some horse-sized vitamin pills. I had to chase it down with something. Usually liquid is not enough. I had some Gummi-Bear type candy so I used it as the chaser.

Here's a different chaser: folks who push kids to finish high school. Now that's some serious dedication.
http://www.npr.org/2012/06/24/155649344/former-dropouts-push-others-to-reach-finish-line

it seemed so harmless

The Lord God gave the man this order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die.  (Gen. 2,16)

But the snake said to the woman: “You certainly will not die!

It seemed so harmless. Just one individual eating good fruit from a good tree. There was no reason not to, other than that God said not to do so. Besides, God didn't say it to Eve, he only said it to Adam.

Indeed, they ate of the fruit and experienced no harmful consequence. In fact it was kind of good: Then the eyes of both of them were opened. Perhaps it was all a misunderstanding.

So what's it to you that Eve wants to eat from that tree. She's not doing anything to you. It's between her and God.

just relaxing

Just a relaxing Saturday so far. I mowed the lawn yesterday evening so that's out of the way. I just fertilized our trees and shrubs out front. Right now I'm taking a little break while the dishes are soaking, then I'll get to washing the dishes.

There's lots of time-consuming stuff that needs to get done when Gumby wakes up. Stuff that's been put off because I get home so late during the week. We'll try to catch up on that stuff this weekend. I had a good ol' nine hours of sleep last night. Gumby had some insomnia issues, I guess.

I'm sure there's lots of stuff that needs doing that I'm forgetting right now. Difficult to remember these things when I have a propensity to just relax. hmm...the cars need washing and the dog needs a bath. But right now the dishes are calling.

call for reform

Vatican calls for the reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.  More details at Whispers in the Loggia April 18, 2012. It made the news in The New York Times.

music

I don't often buy music CD. But I yesterday I did make an impulse purchase of Adele's 21 album, in hopes of finding more music gems. No such luck. The radio stations have already picked out the better songs.

I continue to appreciate The Beatles, with Michael Jackson a close second, who put out almost 100% likeable music.

update: Gumby listened to the CD and loved it. If it were an LP record, the tracks would be all worn out by now.

going overboard

I just finished watching Nightline's story about parents spending tons of money to prepare their preschoolers for the entrance exam to schools for gifted kids.

I find it rather irksome.
1. If there is one thing that life has taught me, it's that brain smarts isn't everything. I've seen geniuses fail miserably in life. Fail in relationships. Fail in emotional stability.
2. Aside from that there are a variety of intelligence, you might call it "talent." You only need one exceptional talent (and some marketing magic + drive) to do well.
3. We don't all learn the same way. Classroom instruction is not necessarily the best way to gain our education. I once heard on the radio some comment about how ridiculous it would be to put all the animals in the jungle in a classroom and expect them to perform equally well in the different tasks. Lions are not good swimmers and tigers are not good climbers, for example.
4. Finally, I don't believe in studying for tests that are meant to measure your general intelligence. I don't believe in studying for the SAT.

Formal education is good. I'm all for it. But please put it in perspective; it's not the end-all, be-all.

I have come to appreciate the marvelous talents, personalities, courage, creativity and various redeeming qualities of others. Yes, redeeming qualities. We all have some redeeming qualities don't we?

Happy Easter

Wishing everyone a most blessed and holy Easter season! May you experience more deeply the love, mercy, wisdom, power, and closeness of God.

the new keyboard

The new keyboard: Microsoft 4000 keyboard. On sale at Office Depot. Gumby said not to get a plain 'ol keyboard, so this is it.

keyboard died

I have a Microsoft keyboard. It's approximately 5 yrs old if memory serves me correctly. It died today. Well, not the whole keyboard: just the "g" key. The "g" key was on the blink for the past day or two. Today it's dead. So the keyboard will go out with the next call for electronic recycling collection. Right now I'm using an old PS/2 keyboard, which I keep around in the event that the BIOS is not set to recognize USB.

arrrrgh

I have an LG Phoenix P505 cell phone. Supposedly there is an update for it, available since November of last year. Today I am trying to do that update. I have spent at least tow hours fooling around with it to no avail. I'm dying of thirst and bursting with frustration. I'm fairly technically inclined, but this is impossible. I don't expect it to be as easy as for the iPhone, but I surely didn't expect it to be impossible.

LG support sucks. I can't even find the P505 in their knowledge base. I can't find basic information about the update, like the version number and how much free disk space it needs. Right now I'm constantly getting the "not enough free disk space" message. Well, how much do you need?!!! I've uninstalled almost all of the apps I had. Whether I get the update or not, I'm going to have to go back in and recover whatever apps I value ... another several hours. No consumer device should EVER be this difficult to update. ARRRRGGHHHH!!!!! I need a drink.

just another day

I had a hundred bucks. Not anymore. Grocery store for a few items: $50. Fertilizer for our trees: $20. Treats for the dog: $5. Breakfast: $5. So I have $20 remaining ... it will probably be gone tomorrow. I am fairly certain that Gumby needs a few more items from the grocery store.

Very nice weather today. I fertilized our young trees up front. Then I put the dog outside for a while so that I clean his crate. He didn't like being outside by himself. After cleaning his crate, I turned my attention towards curbing his demanding barking. He learned a few new things about me today, though I don't think one session was enough to curb his barking.

I ate lunch then went outside again to wash my car. I call it washing but it's basically just an attempt to knock off some of the dirt. Maybe one day I'll clean out the inside. My car is over ten years old and still faithfully taking me back and forth from work.

The job is good. The commute is further than I like but it is what it is. We're scraping by financially so far. I'm earning significantly less than what I did before and it's difficult to afford "extra" expenses -- those that are not the usual monthly bills. Property tax on the other property, home owner association fees, costs associated with maintaining our house or car, and new clothes come to mind. But God provides and in general, we have enough to meet our needs so far.

Tomorrow I'll do my usual church gig. Then have lunch, then attend evening mass and generally take it easy as we begin another week.

wishing everyone well

Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year!
Wishing everyone a safe and healthy Christmas season and new year. May we all grow closer to Christ, love God more and grow in holiness.