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Greetings, Quotaholics:
In the US, tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. Other countries celebrate this
day, only not on the same date. But for me, tomorrow is the day set
aside to count the many things for which I am thankful. In order to
get a jump on the day, I thought I would create a list.
I am thankful for RGQ. I began reading this ezine back when Bruce was
the only person working on it and it came out five days a week, only
missing weekends. Back then, Bruce did it all and did it often. I began
helping out by formatting the comments for him many, many moons ago.
Then, about four years ago, I started writing and you, Gentle Readers,
have graciously allowed me to use this forum to present my writing ever
since.
I have written my history essays for four years now. I began putting
them online and offered 366 essays per year. I’m grateful for the technology
that has given me a voice and allowed me to entertain and possibly educate
along the way. The written word has always enthralled me and I’m grateful
for both the ability to read and write.
I was watching some TED talks recently and came across this.
This young man was raised in the system (in Britain) and has much to
say about the central role that family plays in one’s life. I’ve always
known I was blessed to have my family, but listening to this man made
me even more grateful for my husband, children, parents, sisters, in-laws,
extended family, and friends who have become as close as family.
Speaking of friends who act like family, I’m thankful for the RGQ staff.
We are abundantly rewarded for writing here. We are not remunerated
at all, but we get to have this space, this community, and this opportunity
which is something wonderful itself. I’ve been told that online doesn’t
create real friends, but I know that is simply untrue. I enjoy friendships
with my "coworkers" here and I miss Sied and Tim. These people
have become important in my life and I’m thankful I have had the chance
to know them, even if it is in a virtual realm.
I’m grateful for my job. It is just a little, baby job. It is only 20
hours per week and doesn’t pay squat. I’m woefully underemployed, but
it is all I wanted to do at this point in my life. I am not a nurse
anymore (unless someone is in need of life-saving intervention and then
that stuff is all still in there and I can use it). I appreciate having
a job that gets me out of the house, proves useful to our clients, and
gives me enough money each month to buy my health insurance.
I’m thankful for my health. I’ve ignored it for so long and let myself
get lost in the indolence of old age. But in the last few months, I’ve
taken up exercise again. I’ve improved substantially in that time and
I’m amazed at myself and what I, an old lady, can still do. Admittedly,
if I had never slacked off, I’m sure I would be farther along in this
adventure. But overcoming 18 years of idleness has been quite an undertaking
and I’m grateful for the coaches and my peers who have helped me along
and made sure I don’t hurt myself as I move forward.
I’m grateful for my country’s ability to weather the storms of elections
and keep us safe and secure from whatever lies outside. Or at least
to make me feel like I’m safe and secure. I’m grateful for the people
who work in the public sector, especially the police and fire departments
as well as all military services. I’m even grateful for those in Washington,
D. C., because as Will Rogers liked to point out, it is really hard
to find comedy like this elsewhere (or something like that).
I am thrilled to live in a land where I’m free to be me. I haven’t had
to become something I’m not to placate a dictatorial regime. I’ve not
had to hide what I am because of that, either. I’ve been permitted to
make choices, either good or bad, to suit myself. My career path has
been of my choosing as had my family life.
I don’t mean to say that my life, my country, or my world is perfect.
I could just as easily have written a list of things that I wish would
improve or be better. In fact, some day I might do that. But for today,
I’m going to live in the moment, get into the spirit of the season,
and be thankful for all the blessings that have been granted to me.
What are you thankful for?
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| Today’s
Quotes |
Men in no way approach so nearly to the gods as in doing good to men.
- Cicero
Although our intellect always longs for clarity and certainty, our nature
often finds uncertainty fascinating. - Carl von Clausewitz
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| Today’s
Chuckle |
Clocks
[Thanks dEE]
A man died and went
to Heaven. As he stood in front of the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall
of clocks behind him. He asked, “What are all those clocks?”
St. Peter answered, “Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on earth has a Lie-Clock.
Every time you lie, the hands on your clock move.”
“Oh”, said the man. “Whose clock is that?”
“That’s Mother Teresa’s,” replied St. Peter. “The hands have never moved,
indicating that she never told a lie.”
“Incredible,” said the man. “And whose clock is that one?”
St. Peter responded, “That’s Abraham Lincoln’s clock. The hands have
moved twice, telling us that Abraham told only two lies in his entire
life.”
“Where’s my congressman’s clock?” asked the man.
“It’s in my office. I’m using it as a ceiling fan!”
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| Life
Sentences |
Fashion is what you adopt when you don’t know who you are.
There is no need to do any housework at all. After the first four years
the dirt doesn’t get any worse.
My mother protected me from the world and my father threatened me with
it. - all from Quentin Crisp, British writer and actor, who died on
this day in 1999
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| Image’n
That! |
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| My
Most Embarrassing Moment
My Scariest Moment |
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Speak right up!
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| Cliff’s
Notes
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Family
It’s that time again. The extended family gathers together for
a large meal, then we have the annual family argument. It is as
anticipated as the upcoming visit from Santa, but, in a different way.
Our family gathers for a pot-luck meal. Each family brings some of the
parts of what will become a huge banquet with more food than this group
could eat in a week. As each sub-family has their own strengths
and abilities, we volunteer our contributions knowing what is needed
to complete the meal.
Once the repast has been consumed to the point even the most athletic
begin to waddle, we sit around chatting and catching up on the news
each group can provide about their lives since we saw them last.
Pregnancies, marriages, divorces, jobs, and all sorts of surprises are
shared. Some are so shocking, as was one pregnancy announcement
as we had seen them only a few months earlier, but the pregnancy was
obviously nearing term. OK, it really wasn’t an announcement.
It was more of a confirmation.
After the B.S. sessions wind down and excitement of "news"
wanes, it is time for the "family meeting". Although which
sibling is host has been determined in a rotational cycle, how the Christmas
gathering one month hence will be discussed. Gifting is the biggest
factor. Do we have a gift exchange for only the children?
Do we have a gift exchange of one gift per family unit? Do we
have a gift exchange at all?
The discussion usually gets spirited. Only the siblings of the base
family unit have a vote. Only they participate in the discussion.
Spouses, children, even grown ones, and guests are not included.
The sibling host usually gets their way, although economic situations
are considered heavily. Voices raise and the discussion can be
heard elsewhere even though the participants try to isolate themselves
for the debate.
Inevitably, someone comes away from the debate feeling their thoughts
and/or feelings were not given as much weight as it should have been.
Shortly thereafter the gathering disperses back to individual homes.
The goodbyes are sometimes chilly from those whose opinions are contrary
to the final decision. But, in about a month, we will again converge
to do it all again with a different attitude and a different theme.
Here’s your quiz:
Do you prepare your Thanksgiving meal, or do you use commercial establishments?
If you prepare your Thanksgiving meal, is it all you job, or do other
contribute?
Do you have the "family discussion" to plan for future holiday
activities?
Family - You Can Choose Half Of Them
Cliff (the High-Tech Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’)
Comment
on this article |
| BJ’s
Ponderings |
Paradise Lost
I have written many times about my home in Caldwell, Kansas and the
Norman Rockwell like status of the town. For close to three years
we have not had to lock our doors, people walk the sidewalks and visit
with us and children play in the streets totally safe. On the fourth
of July, people set off fireworks from their front yard on in the
streets, it is an amazing town where you can still charge your bill
at the local lumber yard or at the local pharmacy. However, try and
do business during lunch hour…forget it…everyone shuts down for at
least an hour. The post office, the banks, everyone shuts down for
lunch, except the local eateries. Now this all sounds fine and it
was until we came back from church and found our pain pills had been
stolen.
All it takes is one person to change things… So we now have to lock
our house. I ordered a wireless security system with cameras to hook
up to my desktop. I really hate to do this but I figure if they cannot
find meds, they will take money, if they cannot find money, they will
take ‘stuff’. I still live in Oklahoma five days a week and my wife
will not defend herself with the weapons I have at home, so this is
another quandary for me. Retirement is just a few months away but
until then Paradise is Lost…
BJ
Comment
On This Article
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Kirsten’s
Krazy Kaleidoscope |
Kirsten
wasn’t able to write today.
Comment
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| Lucille’s
Lunacy |
Oink! Oink! Tomorrow is my favorite holiday. I don’t have anything against
Christmas. In fact, after enough egg nog, I’m inclined to accept Santa
Claus’ existence as a scientifically proven fact. If I really work at
it, I even find myself petting the eight reindeer. They’re a little
like Cinderella’s pumpkin in that they assume the shape of a golden
retriever by morning, but when the eggnog is going down, I am always
sure there are at least two of them, if not eight. It doesn’t even strike
me as odd that they bark and express a preference for raw hide chews.
The reason I like Thanksgiving best is that it is a long weekend. You
don’t have to shop for anything special for it except for groceries.
I like to eat pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and
just about anything else that lands on my plate. In fact, my enthusiasm
is such that some things land on my plate several times before the feast
concludes.
This year, Mom and I are going to Chicago to spend the day with Chicagoann
and her husband, His Berber Highness. Chicagoann is even a better cook
than me, although I don’t readily admit it. So, I know whatever she
feeds us will be yummy. She never lets me help, which relegates me to
the pleasant task of sitting in her living room reading while she does
the hard work.
When people come to my kitchen and offer to help, they get an assignment.
However, few people are as good at managing a job site as I am. All
right, there aren’t too many who are as bossy or lazy, either.
This year, I thought I’d try an experiment in spreading holiday cheer.
I do, of course, wish all of my family, friends and readers a happy
thanksgiving. However, one of my favorite Thanksgiving wishes is to
advise people not to eat too much turkey. It occurs to me that strategic
placement of a comma can give the greeting a little more ooomph. Yep,
I think when I’m on my way out of Judgipoo’s courtroom Wednesday, I’ll
smile, wave and holler, “Happy Thanksgiving! Don’t eat too much, Turkey”.
But, then again, maybe I’d better not.
Comment
On This Article |
| Poet-Tree |
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Odds and Ends -
Math gone wrong!
The following is a "proof" that one equals zero.
Consider two non-zero numbers x and y such that:
x = y.
Then x2 = xy.
Subtract the same thing from both sides:
x2 - y2 = xy - y2.
Dividing by (x-y), obtain
x + y = y.
Since x = y, we see that
2 y = y.
Thus 2 = 1, since we started with y nonzero.
Subtracting 1 from both sides,
1 = 0
OK, math
people, what is wrong with this proof?
Thanks for your "awesome" limericks. Try this one -
I
once drank a gallon of beer/ale/wine…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
I once saw
my grandma in the buff…..
I saw more than enough…..
The view from the rear…..
To my mind was too clear….
Sho am glad I missed the muff.
- Skeeter |
I once saw
my grandma in the nude…..
I tried not to be rude…..
Turned my head very quick…..
And that did the trick…..
But the picture still sticks with me, dude.
- Skeeter |
I once saw
my grandma in the buff…..
Boy! was that really tough…..
On an impressionable lad…..
And it still makes me sad…..
That my head wouldn’t turn fast enough.
- Skeeter |
I once saw
my gramma in the buff.
She walked down the street strutting her stuff.
A cop saw her booty,
and made it his duty
to tell gramma enough is enough.
- Lucille |
I once saw
my grandma in the nude…..
And it gave me a new attitude…..
I don’t mean to be mean…..
But the things that I seen…..
Almost caused me to come unglued.
- Skeeter |
"There
is no straight line in nature. If you see one, it’s man-made."
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Reader Comments |
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Re: Clothes
I
only have comfortable clothes; the ones with no holes and a full set
of buttons get worn to meetings, until the day the paint or something
finds ‘em. I’ve only used costumes a little bit - a fresh white tyvek
coverall works as a fine credential to teach kayak repair, ferinstance.
It is more the neighbors than the weather that keeps me in shorts
some days; I need all the surface area I can expose to store up Vitamin
D in a short season. Of course, most days, the bugs keep me from getting
any tan. For years, I blended in pretty well, but all my outer garments
were particularly suitable for bicycling. I probably had several friends
wondering why I had a speedo, but it was the only reasonable option
for a bicycle tour, where every gram counts, and I try to wear out
anything I buy. - Bob of the North
Honest to God, Cliff, what
have been smokin’ or drinkin’ lately?? I thought I already expressed
my opinion on clothes, the wearing of, appropriate or not, several
issues ago? Six years at Wally, and quite a few more in other public
venues has made me a firm believer in people keeping clothes on, prefereably
as much as possible in some cases. Do I need to refer you to the website
“People of Walmart” as a reminder? That being said, I have one wardrobe
style as I’m old enough and doing the kind of stuff that does not
require a specific type of clothing. Believe me when I say it is both
comfortable and durable, mostly jeans, and tops that cover everything
else. (Hey, I’m short, and unfortunately, fat now) I did tend to wear
much the same thing at most of my jobs, when I wasn’t stuck in a ridiculous
uniform (I’m thinking of the one job that insisted on having me wear
ORANGE shirts, tucked in, unless I wanted to sweat it out in a sweatshirt,
which I did.) Clothes do make the person, but I also know enough about
fashion and clothing construction to judge who’s showing off and who’s
into serious frugality, and who’s just being lazy and or tacky. I
think that’s one of things I dread about moving back down South. Warmer
weather most of the year and many people in ugly clothes. It’s too
bad there aren’t courses in fashion and proper dress in school, along
with manners and morals. I think we’d all be better off for it. And
I would never be a nudist again, having children fixed that. My poor
husband thinks I’m sexy, but I maintain he needs new glasses. At least
he can take them off! - Ruth in WA
[ Sometimes I
have a thought and begin an article. While writing it, it forks
and I continue in one direction, but want to follow the other direction,
too. Rather than write a novel, I split it and make it a future
article. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it. The
fact I’m getting old and repeating myself isn’t a factor at all.
And neither is the fact I’m older and repeat myself sometimes. - Cliff
]
Woman’s view - clothes may “make the man” if he’s a salesman. Or maybe
a millionaire. Otherwise, he’s just a guy on the street or wherever
wearing clothes. Style today is dictated by a bunch of folks who create
sit-coms and soaps on TV, where All Women are dumb and sexy, and All
Kids are brats, and Men are extras. Sexy today seems to be defined
as anything extremely short, in loud clashing colors and shoes so
high foot doctors are writing articles about ankle damage. Retailers
fill their ads and windows with stuff a lot of us consider clothes
styled for teen kids, or inspired by homeless people who might combine
a ragged top with Good Will skirts and wind something found in a big
rubbish bin around their shoulders for added warmth. Modern Art sometimes
looks like that and it sells, too.
Fashion is a joke today. We occasionally see those runway clothes-hangers
( models) strut in a Creation By Someone Famous that gets a WalMart
version a few months later. But one thing about the original creations
is they have a unique factor - when the skirts go up, we are having
a bad economy. When the hemlines go down, we’re prospering. It’s been
happening ever since men got to see women’s ankles when they walked
down a street. 1930’s Depression = Flapper Era, WWII= mid-calf, Ike
in office = Mini Skirts, since “W” = short and shorter, except on
our First Lady! Plus Spandex. I think that fiber is all that keeps
a woman’s skirt from riding up to show off her undies when she bends
over. Men probably still wear a noose around their necks to display
that they are close to being bankrupt paying for all that crap. $90
gym shoes for kids who will outgrow them before they wear them out?
Designer labels on the outside advertising everything you wear? Ridiculous,
but that’s today’s world of Fashion!
Exceptions are a few catalogs that sell clothing that is what Real
People wear, and us folks who never want anybody to see our knees
again. You can also find patterns for making such clothing, too. I
make many of my clothes. I can choose the colors and fabrics, make
a neckline and hemline that is flattering to someone my age (stores
don’t sell them) with all my own un-enhanced parts, and can be worn
to church or a special event.
You guys may ogle a bustline that almost covers huge breasts, but
I knew a couple women who grew them naturally, and the problems they
had finding decent clothes to wear. When a bustline gets to be over
a 40, buying clothes off the rack is close to impossible unless you
get a garment a full size larger and end up looking like you’re wearing
a bag. I made one of those gals her wedding gown. Men’s shirts are
sold by the neck measure, women’s blouses by the bust size. A guy
with a “bull neck” and narrower chest also has a bad time finding
a well fitting dress shirt unless he never buttons the top button.
OR he buys tailored shirts. Or I tailor the purchased ones, as I did
my husband’s. It ended up easier to simply make his sport shirts.
- Nancy L in Ohio
If it was up to me, jeans
and a flannel shirt or T-shirt would be perfectly acceptable for all
occasions, including court. - Lucille
Re:
Archive Retrial
You
can’t really release Sirhan Sirhan without a retrial, or everybody
else would want the same deal. The trouble with a trial is that it
opens a rather gigantic can of worms, snakes, and worse. The U.S.
has not really convinced any majority of thinking people with any
of the big trials in the last fifty years. As for the hypnotic suggestion
angle, that applies to John Lennon’s assassin as well. Things have
gotten a bit more interesting since Dubya decided to let the FBI work
internationally, and let the CIA move in on their domestic turf. Police
forces are definitely an area that can benefit from some competition.
- Bob of the North
Let it be.
Respect the dead and stop contributing to the hatred and divisiveness
that abounds our world today.
Let it be! - Paul
Re:
Cooking
Amen!
Cooking is surviving, I thought, until I met a few of today’s young
families - I’ll be eating Thanksgiving dinner with a couple of them
- and am finding out I have a couple granddaughters who avoid kitchens,
too. One has a Significant Other who loves to cook. The other simply
slides onto a chair at a table of some relative for supper or does
Take Out. In her case, it might be she has emancipated herself from
doing dishes. In the other one, she has a mom who also didn’t like
to cook ( my daughter can shoe a horse but can’t bake chocolate chip
cookies unless the dough comes ready to shape and bake.) She’s improving,
though. Now she phones me and asks how to do this or that, and she
also has a husband who can cook. I think the problem begins in school.
They teach girls basic cooking. So you end up knowing how to make
white sauce. (That is all I remember of MY 8th grade cooking class).
If boys end up learning, it’s because they have a Chef’s Class after
hours at that school. I have a nephew who took such a class and prepared
a wonderful Christmas dinner for the family one year. He was 15. He
still loves to cook.
School systems need to have a Senior class titled Living On Your Own.
It would include budgeting your income, basic cooking that produces
actual meals, basic familiarity with a needle and thread (buttons
do fall off), apartment maintenance, laundering your clothes, and
basic tool use ( girls need to know how to use a hammer, screwdriver
and pliers,too). Whether a teen is heading for college or into a job,
they need to know some of the basics, which also are rarely taught
at home. - Nancy L in Ohio
Yep and please don’t let
your husband take lunch to work..Everyone wants his lunch and sendsmssages
back for you to send them the recipe . - dEE
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
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If you run across something really outstanding when perusing the archives,
I’d appreciate it if you’d mail me at TheBestOfRGQ@yahoo.com
and point it out to me. I’m in the process of compiling an e-book
called, not surprisingly, The Best of RGQ, and I’d like to hear from you
which pieces impacted you the most.
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