Random musings...

I confess to being at a small loss for words - hence not much blogging recently. Just a few thoughts on my mind....

Are you tired of the political TV ads, computer generated phone calls, and the mega-conglomeration of signs posted at street corners? What an honor to be able to vote and live in the U.S.A! But, shameless campaigning for propositions that have hidden agendas and meanings, along with the smear campaigns by the competing candidates leave me anxious for the entire process to be over. We voted early, by mail, after spending several hours one evening pouring over the ballot and assorted campaign literature. 20 propositions are up for vote in So. Arizona, along with heated races between the candidates for Congress and the state legislature. Voting is sort of like investing - past performance (good or bad) is not a guarantee for future results (good or bad).

Are you looking forward to the new season of 24 in January? You can watch the trailer at http://www.24trailer.com/ . Scary! What will happen to Jack Bauer?! Some of the conservative radio talk shows have new lingo - people calling in saying they're a "Jack Bauer Conservative." Interesting thought, although I confess I'm not sure exactly what that means - perhaps having the ability to assess a situation quickly, act decisively without remorse, while all the while putting yourself in harm's way? Thoughts?

A Christian brother of ours is currently serving in Iraq and his newsletters home bring the far-away war to a sobering reality. Whether you agree with the war or not, the fact remains that we have many brave men and women serving overseas with honor. Here I sit at my computer, quietly drinking a cup of coffee. Our friend asks that we pray for peace.

There was another obituary in the paper the other day of yet another person who died of melanoma, at the young age of 46. Last month there was someone who was only 31. Keep wearing your sunscreen! I guess you don't have to deal with too many needless deaths to understand why my dermatologist is aggressive in removing suspicious growths.

We are enjoying our study in Biblical Archaeology - learning about places where Jesus, Abraham, Herod (the Great and Agrippa and Antipas), Pontius Pilate, and Paul lived and walked are enlightening. It is interesting to note that many places have been recently (in archaeological terms) excavated. The only known physical evidence of Pilate's existence was found in Caesarea (Maritima) in the 1950's, a reused stone plaque in the theater that was remodeled in the 3rd century C.E. (Common Era, replaced the old A.D.). The inscription reads "...the Tiberium, which Pontius Pilate, the Prefect of Judea, gave and dedicated." The stone plaque measures 32 by 27 inches. Pilate held the office of Prefect of Judea from 26 to 36 C.E. and lived in Caesarea. To build the harbor at Caesarea, the Herodian builders utilized hydraulic concrete, invented by the Romans. It was comprised of mortar, volcanic sand, pumice and lime, and because it was 3 times denser than water, it had the capability of hardening beneath the ocean surface - quite an accomplishment 2000 years ago. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem stands over the temple that was destroyed in 70 C.E. How do you suppose they moved 200 ton blocks to build the temple, of which now remains part of the Wailing Wall? Moving 200 tons is a challenge in this day even with huge earth moving equipment.

Just a few thoughts on my mind. What's on your mind?

Habitual Tendencies

Do you have any habits?

Thinking of that question, did you immediately think of a good habit or a bad habit? I thought of a bad habit.

What makes a good habit? What makes a bad habit? And, how do they start?

A definition of habit (among others) according to Webster - a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior; a : a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance b : an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary.

Now I can think of some bad habits that are almost completely involuntary, but it is harder for me to think of some good habits in that light. Perhaps our good habits don’t create guilt or negative feelings, so we can just consider them part of our daily routine?

Related words, according to Webster’s Online Thesaurus: addiction; disposition; bent, inclination, proclivity, tendency, turn; convention, form, mode, style; usage; manners, mores; groove, rote, routine, rut; affectation, airs, pose; attribute, characteristic, mark, trait; oddity, peculiarity, quirk, singularity, tic; strangeness, weirdness.

What do you think of the related words routine and rut; characteristic and trait; and, how do they fit into your habits?

Skidboot the dog

A friend from work sent this link. If you have a few minutes, I recommend watching this video about Skidboot the dog. It is a special story.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5249518974978628334&q=skidboot&hl=en

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

There is something to be said for laughing.

Friday evening a friend and I surprised another friend to celebrate a birthday that ends in ZERO, and whisked her off to dinner and a campy audience-involved mystery theatre. Four actors, improvised script, great imaginative lines and music, and just plain fun. (The actor in drag turned out to be an alumni of my high school that I remembered. Although he did not remember me, it was perfectly fine because he was almost scary!)

The 3 of us have been friends for more than 20 years - through kids growing, houses moving, jobs changing, and more. As always, we had a wonderful time together. And we laughed.

Maybe you've heard the phrase "laughter is the best medicine." On a whim, I did a search on 'laughter' and found more than 15,000 websites dedicated to laughter. Did you know there is laughter yoga? To find out how laughter works physiologically, visit http://www.howstuffworks.com/laughter.htm. Whatever the effect, we just had fun. I came away from the weekend feeling lighter, and less bogged down.

I hope my friends had as much fun as I did. Happy Birthday!

I wish we'd ______ more while you were still here...

I've just finished reading the new book by Mitch Albom, "for one more day." In case you've never read one of Mitch Albom's books, he also wrote "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven."

They're an easy read, yet somewhat thought provoking.

With his newest book, the author is asking the question - if, for one more day, you could go back and spend a day with a person in your life who has died, who was special to you, would you do it? Could you do it? The main character in this novel is a man who has an opportunity to spend one more day with his mother.

Who doesn't desire the chance to make a wrong, right? To utter once more the words "I love you" or "I miss you" or "I'm sorry?"

What an interesting concept.

My mother died of lung cancer a month to the day I was married, when I was 23 years old. I have now lived more years without her than I lived with her - a sobering thought. I have regrets. Having your parent die when you are just out of college and haven't yet really lived leaves a whole litany of "what ifs".

I believe the whole point of the book is really to live your life in such a way as to not have regrets, but I'd still love the opportunity for one more day.