Friday, July 24, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Hot Dogs With Love
Rick Swyden runs a production company during the week and on Sundays he scours Oklahoma City for hungry homeless people who would love a hot dog lunch and a hug.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Change Your Thinking
Change Your Thinking
It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room's only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.
She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
0A
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.
It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.
His bed was next to the room's only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks and months passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.
She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
0A
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.
It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.
She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Merriam-Webster Adds 100 New Words to its Dictionary
Merriam-Webster (a subsidiary of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.) has just released the list of the some 100 new words added to its Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition.
“Our language evolves in many ways,” says John Morse, president and publisher of Merriam-Webster. “As we’ve seen from our Open Dictionary feature on Merriam-Webster.com, people enjoy blending existing words, like combining ‘stay’ and ‘vacation’ to make staycation. Staycation is a good example of a word meeting a need and establishing itself in the language very quickly. Our earliest record of use is from 2005, but it seems to have exploded into popular use in 2007.”
Many of the new additions reflect the importance of the environment (carbon footprint, green-collar), government activities (earmark, waterboarding), health and medicine (cardioprotective, locavore, naproxen, neuroprotective), pop culture (docusoap, fan fiction, flash mob, reggaeton), and online activities (sock puppet, vlog, webisode).
Listed below is a sampling of these new words, all linked to their Merriam-Webster definitions:
1. acai
2. carbon footprint
3. cardioprotective
4. earmark
5. fan fiction
6. flash mob
7. frenemy
8. goji
9. green-collar
10. haram
11. locavore
12. memory foam
13. missalette
14. naproxen
15. neuroprotective
16. pharmacogenetics
17. physiatry
18. reggaeton
19. shawarma
20. sock puppet
21. staycation
22. vlog
23. waterboarding
24. webisode
25. zip line
“Our language evolves in many ways,” says John Morse, president and publisher of Merriam-Webster. “As we’ve seen from our Open Dictionary feature on Merriam-Webster.com, people enjoy blending existing words, like combining ‘stay’ and ‘vacation’ to make staycation. Staycation is a good example of a word meeting a need and establishing itself in the language very quickly. Our earliest record of use is from 2005, but it seems to have exploded into popular use in 2007.”
Many of the new additions reflect the importance of the environment (carbon footprint, green-collar), government activities (earmark, waterboarding), health and medicine (cardioprotective, locavore, naproxen, neuroprotective), pop culture (docusoap, fan fiction, flash mob, reggaeton), and online activities (sock puppet, vlog, webisode).
Listed below is a sampling of these new words, all linked to their Merriam-Webster definitions:
1. acai
2. carbon footprint
3. cardioprotective
4. earmark
5. fan fiction
6. flash mob
7. frenemy
8. goji
9. green-collar
10. haram
11. locavore
12. memory foam
13. missalette
14. naproxen
15. neuroprotective
16. pharmacogenetics
17. physiatry
18. reggaeton
19. shawarma
20. sock puppet
21. staycation
22. vlog
23. waterboarding
24. webisode
25. zip line
Friday, July 10, 2009
Hareless in Gaza
There once was a guy with no hair
Oh his pate was completely bare!
He never used a comb.
That utensil had no home.
It definitely had no use up there!
Oh his pate was completely bare!
He never used a comb.
That utensil had no home.
It definitely had no use up there!
June Down The Drain
Oh when will the rain ever wane?
One would think that God would abstain
from taking a tinkle.
I’ll bet that’s a new wrinkle!
Until the water goes down the drain!
One would think that God would abstain
from taking a tinkle.
I’ll bet that’s a new wrinkle!
Until the water goes down the drain!
My Advice To Spammers
Dear spammers, I wish you’d take heed
to stop sending messages that prove
to us your greed!
You fill me with malice
because your sends are so callous!
To my spam filter I wish you godspeed!
to stop sending messages that prove
to us your greed!
You fill me with malice
because your sends are so callous!
To my spam filter I wish you godspeed!
Agency Ode
There once was an agent, quite tough
who made feel like I never got enough.
When I negotiated with him
my brain would begin to spin
and now it’s turning to fluff!
who made feel like I never got enough.
When I negotiated with him
my brain would begin to spin
and now it’s turning to fluff!
A Crotchety Ode
Crotchety Ode
A crotchety fellow named Rich
Was diagnosed with terminal itch
He searched for a way
that he’d feel okay
But he decided his life was a bitch
A crotchety fellow named Rich
Was diagnosed with terminal itch
He searched for a way
that he’d feel okay
But he decided his life was a bitch
Friday fillin
1. The last thing I ate was ___sunflower seeds__ and ____water_.
2. ___A monitor__ is something I recently bought.
3. When it rains, it _____pours
4. ____I_ was the first person I talked to today.
5. Hugs are ____great_.
6. ____Tucks_ extra comfort.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _watch films on netflicks.com____, tomorrow my plans include ___watch TV__ and Sunday, I want to ___see grandkids__!
2. ___A monitor__ is something I recently bought.
3. When it rains, it _____pours
4. ____I_ was the first person I talked to today.
5. Hugs are ____great_.
6. ____Tucks_ extra comfort.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _watch films on netflicks.com____, tomorrow my plans include ___watch TV__ and Sunday, I want to ___see grandkids__!
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