The End

There's a blush of melancholy over this moment for me. I have enjoyed writing this blog, and it has been great to exchange ideas with you. I'm sad that it's ending (unless one of you wants to take over the daily posting?).

I was thinking about the reasons I started this blog, and went back to the first post, where I saw this:

My goal is to share some informative, humorous, and thought-provoking ideas each day, and to encourage candid communication between you, my readers, and me.

I think I met my goal, and I enjoyed having you along with me. I hope you'll remember the important things like "...happiness is trying to catch you" and "enjoy yourself...it's later than you think." I also hope you'll keep looking for funny sayings like this one from Mike Myers: "My theory is that all of Scottish cuisine is based on a dare."

Thanks for being here with me. Enjoy yourself, keep doing right, have fun, and be candid...it's the ultimate compliment.

Nearing the End

I've been thinking lately that I should probably shut down this blog because I'm finding myself with less and less to say these days. My business is beginning to take off and right now it seems to be sapping me of entertaining, thoughtful things to write.

So it's official. Tomorrow will be my last post on this blog. I'm grateful that you've come back each day to read, think, and laugh with me. Enjoy your day.

The Alchemist

I've been re-reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Here's a passage that struck me.

"When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream," said the alchemist, echoing the words of the old king. The boy understood. Another person was there to help him toward his Personal Legend.

"So are you going to instruct me?"

"No. You already know all you need to know. I am only going to point you in the direction of your treasure."

"But there's a tribal war," the boy reiterated.

"I know what's happening in the desert."

"I have already found my treasure. I have a camel, I have my money from the crystal shop, and I have fifty gold pieces. In my own country, I would be a rich man."

"But none of that is from the Pyramids," said the alchemist.

"I also have Fatima. She is a treasure greater than anything else I have won."

"She wasn't found at the Pyramids, either."

They ate in silence. The alchemist opened a bottle and poured a red liquid into the boy's cup. It was the most delicious wine he had ever tasted.

"Isn't wine prohibited here?" the boy asked.

"Its' not what enters men's mouths that's evil," said the alchemist. "It's what comes out of their mouths that is."

Regardless of the excuses we make for not seeking our Personal Legends, sometimes all the great things in our lives are merely that--great things--not the treasure we're supposed to be seeking.

Funny Headlines

I like quirky news stories, and here are blurbs from several on AP news at Yahoo!.

Man calls 911 to save him from police Mon Jul 16, 6:08 PM ET
LARGO, Fla. - A 38-year-old man was arrested after he called 911 and told a dispatcher he was surrounded by police officers and needed help, authorities said.

Do you suppose he really thought he'd be helped?

Snake surprises Pa. man pumping gas Mon Jul 16, 4:39 PM ET
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - A snake slithered out of the engine compartment of a man's SUV when he stopped to get gasoline, causing a bit of commotion at the station. Scott Naylor was at a Wawa convenience store in the city on Friday morning when a woman at the gas pump next to him began yelling, police said.

Monkey steals tourist's glasses in India Tue Jul 17, 6:29 AM ET
LUCKNOW, India - A South Korean tourist has filed a formal complaint against a monkey he says stole his reading glasses during his visit to the Hindu holy city of Varanasi in northern India.


I think this is the best one. Do you think they have court-appointed attorneys for monkeys? Or maybe they have exotic lawyers? Does the tourist really think he's going to get a settlement or his glasses back? Too funny.


Police find cocaine in off-key piano Mon Jul 16, 5:45 PM ET
CARTAGENA, Colombia - When a grand piano played an off-key note, drug police in this Caribbean port opened it up and found some 560 pounds of cocaine stuffed inside.

Who'd have thought that the drug police have perfect pitch?

Reunions

Summer is the time for reunions, isn't it? My mother's side of the family just had their annual reunion in Minnesota (which I was unable to attend), and today I attended a reunion with a few of my classmates from the photography workshop I attended in Breckenridge back in May.

Five of us got together at one of the photographer's homes and had a great time comparing notes on what we've been doing/not doing with photography and marketing since our class. It was interesting to see that some of the people were really on a roll and some (including me) had yet to really apply some of the knowledge we gained from that week.

That made me think about how often I get excited about something which I'm sure will work really well, but then I let the busy-ness of life get in the way. I'm working really hard to change that in both my personal and professional lives, and today was a good measuring stick for me. I still have a long way to go, even though I have made some good strides.

The best thing (to me, anyway) is that we can change. I'm looking forward to the upcoming changes. Happy Monday!

End of Puzzle Week

I know, I know. The Japanese number puzzles are getting old. No puzzle today, just a cartoon. Happy Friday the 13th and enjoy your weekend.

Kakuro for Thursday

Today's puzzle is also a Japanese numbers puzzle.

It's called Kakuro and it's solved by using only numbers 1-9 (and not the same number twice in one block). The total of both numbers in each block must add up to the total entered in the box above or to the left of it.

Enjoy. Oh, and here's the solution.

Hump Day Puzzle

Here's a number puzzle for Wednesday. This one is called Futoshiki and is a variation on Sudoku.

To solve, each line across and down must contain the numbers 1 through 5. The greater than ">" and less than "<"symbols tell you what the number in the square is, relative to the number next to it.

The solution is below. Enjoy!

Puzzle for Tuesday

Some of you know I'm a big fan of Sudoku puzzles.


They are number puzzles composed of 9 blocks of numbers from 1-9. Within each block (and each column and each row) the goal is to solve for numbers 1-9 without repeating any numbers in either direction or within the same block.


Have fun, and here's the solution if you're like me and want to know how you did.

New Words

From a recent Reader's Digest:

Abdicake: to give up the last piece of cake to someone else.

Flabbygast: to be overcome with astonishment that despite excessive dieting, you haven't lost a pound.

Manorexic: characterizing a male who eats an extremely large amount of food yet gains no weight.

Nostralgia: a reminder of one's past brought on by a familiar or more recently unfamiliar smell.

Happy Monday!

Strange News for the Weekend

As the weekend approaches, here are some funny, strange news blurbs found during my visit to Yahoo! Underground today.

A Melbourne, Australia company that makes condoms is advertising for unpaid volunteer testers of their products. Here's the funniest statement of the whole piece:

"Who wouldn't want to have a chance with an actual authorized professional?" Durex marketing manager Sam White asked.

You can read the whole story here.

Another blurb: China has built what they hope Guinness Book of World Records will acknowledge as the world's largest public restroom. It's four stories of toilets, 1,000 total. Seriously. Here's what I thought was really funny:

"We are spreading toilet culture. People can listen to gentle music and watch TV," said Lu Xiaoqing, an official with the Yangrenjie, or "Foreigners Street," tourist area where the bathroom is located. "After they use the bathroom they will be very, very happy."

You can read the whole story here.

Have a super weekend.

The Day After

How was your 4th of July?

We had a nice day; ate some good food and watched all the fireworks over the city of Denver from our ridge elevation. Some good shows, though it wasn't quite the same as being close enough to feel the booms that accompany each beautiful display.

Yesterday I also moved my office into the second bedroom. Have you moved your workspace before? Then you know what I mean when I say that I'm getting adjusted to where things are again. It will be nice to be able to close the door on it when I'm not working.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Puzzling

Here's a puzzle for today, from the most recent Reader's Digest.

The goal is to find five cards that form a cross pattern (3 across by 3 down), with each card having a different symbol. Time yourself, and check your score at the bottom. This took me a little while.

I won't be posting tomorrow, so I'll wish you a happy 4th of July one day early. I hope you take some time while you're grilling or enjoying some corn on the cob to remember what your freedom cost, and that the veterans and men and women still fighting for it today deserve to be thanked. I also hope you find a great fireworks show and have a great holiday.

Integrity Complete

I finished re-reading the Integrity book yesterday, and was thinking about all of it this morning.

The whole concept is centered around integrity as meaning integrated character, and how people with fully integrated character manage their lives in several areas. It was helpful to revisit the concepts this morning, and sort of put the lid on it for me.

Fully integrated character, the kind that has the courage to meet the demands of reality:

1. creates and maintains trust
2. is able to see and face reality
3. works in a way that brings results
4. embraces negative realities and solves them
5. causes growth and increase
6. achieves transcendence and meaning in life

Something for me to think about as I begin a new week.