Category — General

Check out this awesome song from Craving Lucy, a new band that is simply awesome.  My friend’s son is on accustic guitar…  Get them on iTunes, Rhapsody or Amazon!

I’m Alive!

Craving Lucy, I'm Alive!

Props to my Brother and his wife for this info…  Verified on Snopes.com.

I lost my Mom to a stroke so I hope that this helps you.

Perhaps you can save someone you love after learning this?

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters…. S.T.R.

My nurse friend sent this and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree.

If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..

Please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) …..she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid’s husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don’t die…. they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this…

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke… totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the “3″ steps, STR . Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke ——– Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another ’sign’ of a stroke is this: Ask the person to ’stick’ out his tongue.. If the tongue is ‘crooked’, if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.****

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

****  snopes.com reports that the tounge test may have too much room for interpretation and that sticking with the original 3 tests is best.

how to recognize a rtroke, stroke detection, stroke, prevent stroke damage

Hey!  Did you know that you can “upgrade” a book at Amazon?  I just purchased a book, and it gave me the option to upgrade to also own a digital version that is hosted by Amazon.  For only $3.99, I can access the full book text, take notes, annotate, copy and paste, etc. on anything in the book.  Even better, I can access it from any internet connected browser. 

Not all books are available, but they give you a list of stuff you’ve bought in the past that you can upgrade.  Pretty cool…

Amazon, Books, Electronic Reading

We were down in FL visiting H’s parents and we were able to take the boat out for a quick spin. Here’s a picture of Captain Emmy driving the boat - really. She’s pretty darn good!

I can get along with just about anybody.

Seriously, I’m not joking. In my entire life I can literally count on one hand the number of people that I’ve met that I didn’t like. And, if I’m honest, the number is really only one person that I just couldn’t get out from under my skin.

Its true. Only one person in over 3 decades. Isn’t that amazing? Oh, I freely admit that there are some people that I like spending time with less than others, but thats just natural. The other? Not so natural.

A very good friend of mine said to me today, “Andy, your greatest strength is that you love people very easily.”

He’s right, I really do. In fact, its easy if you know how to.

You can do it too.

Seriously! Wouldn’t you like to be able to take almost every annoying jerk in your life and somehow turn them into a New Them? A Them that you can get along with, learn to like and eventually, maybe, even one day love? Who wouldn’t want that!?

The secret is maddeningly simple when you know it.

When I start to get to know someone I simply think to myself:

What was God thinking when He made them?

I’m sure you’ve met some people that have made YOU think that too, right?! Seriously though, I really don’t mean that in a funny way. I mean it with all sincerity.

I picture the Master Craftsman sitting in His workshop with a handful of new clay, pondering the beauty of the raw material of life. As His hands start to mold the clay, all of His Love and blessing pours into the form as he works it into a shape unlike any other ever created. His thumbs mold the face, and his fingers set the nose just so. He places the eyes in the exact way that He means them to be and He knits the strands of their being in a way that make complete sense to Him. He even numbers the hair on their head, each one having its place and purpose for that which He has called them to be - for what He is creating them to be, right before my eyes! Then, when the outside shell is ready, His Word breathes life into them and makes their spirit in His image. He creates them just like Him - He the Father and they the children. He knows each challenge and fear they will face; each triumph that will make their spirit soar. In His awesome wisdom, He knows and Loves this new creation and desires nothing more than a deep relationship with it. He wants to be loved by it in return.

REVELATION!

That jerk is the object of God’s desire!

Have you ever worked with someone, or known someone that is a hard and tough person most of the time, but then you see them with their kids and a new person leaps out of their eyes? They smile, they joke, they goof around and make funny noises and for a brief moment, you can see the love that they have inside finally come out on the outside.

That’s what I’m talking about. I envision the Love that God has for that person and try to see exactly what it is that He loves about them. Is it their laugh? Their heart? Or maybe its the kind of weird way that they stick their tongue out when they are concentrating on something. How many ways does a Parent love His child? It is nearly immeasurable. All you need to find is just one. One will make a huge difference in how you see that person.

Sure, with some people it is harder than with others. Some people take a bit of effort, but the more that you do this, the easier it is. We are called to be more like Him, and He is love.

Would you like another small revelation? God Loves His children and therefore they are lovable! Isn’t that alone an amazing thought? The person that you can’t stand is LOVED by someone! Loved by God, if by no one else. If you try to see someone from His eyes, it is hard to not like them.

This attitude really can help in everything - in family life, with friends, with coworkers, with neighbors - everywhere!

I know, I know… Some of you probably think that this is a childish and stupid philosophy. That’s really OK with me. You can live your life however you would like. In fact, I believe that you have a God given right to choose to live with those jerks and hate every minute of it! The choice is really up to you. There will always be jerks in your life, but how you choose to view them can really change how you feel about them.

Me? I’m going to go spend some time with some of my other friends…

How to Like Anyone, friends, jerks, God's Love

My brother recently got the recipe for my Dad’s tomato sauce. He’s a graduate of the Culinary Institute and has been cooking for his entire adult life, so anything out of his kitchen is worthy of note. This sauce is simple to make and really freakin’ good - true Italian American cooking at its finest. If you guys are nice to me, I may just share his meatball recipe. Its absolutely out of this world!

But, you’ll really have to be nice to me!

Enjoy the “gravy”!

DAD’S SAUCE

Ingredient List

• crushed tomatoes 1 28 oz can
• garlic 8 large cloves
• onion 1 small
• fresh basil nice handful of leaves only
• tomato puree one-28 oz can
• salt and pepper to taste (optional crushed red pepper method)

Directions

1. chop onion and slice or crush garlic
2. sauté in olive oil til just starting to brown
3. add tomatoes and puree
4. rinse out cans with water and add about a half can to tomatoes
5. roll basil leaves together and slice
6. add to sauce
7. add crushed red pepper and salt and pepper
8. cook about a half hour and taste. Adjust seasonings and cook for another half hour
9. EAT!

to those who believe differently than I do about this topic.  I’m going to rant a bit…

I was just surfing a forum for some tech information and read a post by someone whose signature said:

__________________
The meaning of life? There is no meaning. You’re just a more complex carbon chain reaction than a dog, a tree, or an amoeba.

Now, I believe that God gave us free will and that this guy is entitled to his opinion.  No problem there.  I just think that it really must suck to live that way!  I mean, thinking that you are just an accident of chemistry, that there is nothing more to life than a complex happenstance of quirky molecular attraction.  How the hell can someone live like that?  How can you live thinking that there is NO meaning??  What keeps you from acting out every tiny whim?  Why don’t people like that stab their co-workers with a pencil when they whine during staff meetings?  How come they actually pay their taxes?  Why would you bother to do anythingother than exactly what you damn well pleased to at that exact moment?  See a hot chick?  Bend her over a barrel!  Like that guy’s car?  Hit him with a brick and take it!  It doesn’t matter! There is NO MEANING TO ANYTHING!

I can hear someone saying now - “Well, stupid, you don’t do that because of the consequences!  You’d get arrested, because in a civilized society people don’t do that to each other.  And those that do, suffer the consequences…”

Ok, good point, sounds good.  But think about it a bit more.  That means that society is the ultimate authority, the ultimate judge and the ultimate standard by which everything is measured.  We live our lives by society’s standards.  Isn’t that a “meaning” to life then?  Isn’t that what a “meaning” is?  If I say, “The meaning of life is to be happy” or “The meaning of life is to serve God” or “The meaning of life is to get rich” - aren’t those all things that one then judges himself by?  Am I happy?  Am I serving God?  Am I getting rich?  Meaning is a delineation - a mark in the sand whereby other things are judged.  So, if we say life has no meaning, but yet live in society, we are making society the ultimate authority and therefore the ultimate meaning.

Don’t you see how horrible that is?!  Society is the ultimate meaning!?  Are you kidding me?  All we live for is civil obedience?  Fitting in?  Keeping up with the Jonses?  Peer pressure is REALLY the best that it gets?

Society is the ultimate meaning???

How on Earth can that be?  Are you kidding me?  People really believe that crap?  Come on! Society produced these people:

And, even

I know, I know…  Not nice of me to throw that freaky drag-queen in with the picture of Hillary…  Oh, um, well um… Never mind.  *SNICKER*  (sorry, couldn’t help that! )

Anyway, my point is that society simply cannot be the paragon of existence and the ultimate achievement of life.  And, there MUST be meaning to life, because we all judge ourselves by something.  Even if you don’t believe in God - something is the lord of your life, and therefore it has meaning.  In fact, I really feel sorry for anyone who pretends that it doesn’t.  I think they are scared of reality with meaning, because they simply haven’t quite figured out what it is yet.  And, if they are wrong, there could be serious consequences.

In fact, I almost feel more sorry for them than I do for the goat pictured above.  No, not Hillary, the other one!  Ahem.  Really, I’m sorry. I’ll stop - honest, I will.  :D