With props to Texas Grey:
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the
"Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions.
Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday and yet, these
are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the
applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades
and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the
ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They
are the ones that care.
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already
tomorrow in Australia ." (Charles Schultz)
August 25, 2005
August 19, 2005
War stories:
This is a war story of a sort and is about an event that happened about 2 months ago.
It was a Tuesday evening and I was on duty as a volunteer at my fire station. The station I volunteer with is a Special Service Unit, meaning we provide a support services to the Engine Companies that make up the bulk of most if not all fire departments. Our unit is a Truck, a Tractor Drawn Arial unit to be technical. When I am there, or any other volunteer for that matter, the unit is up staffed to a crew of 4 Driver, Officer, Tillerman and Firefighter (me).
We had already run one call earlier that evening for an automatic alarm at a local manufacturing facility. It was as usually is a malfunctioning alarm…a smells and bells as some old timers call it. The neighboring unit was out front getting their cascade system refilled and was just pulling away when the alarm came in for another Automatic Alarm. “Engine 3, Truck 4 due, for an Automatic Alarm ….” We donned our protective gear, climbed into our positions and pulled out of the station. Two minutes later we were pulling up in front of the 3 story apartment/condo, while the single Engine on the call went to the side of the building. The residents were standing out front and water was rushing out the front door. None of the residents seemed excited and in fact they all thought it was rather humorous that water was coming out of the wall in the stairwell. I got off the truck and met Daniel and Jeff, we continued to grab our gear and then we walked into the building. Someone said it’s coming from the 3rd floor so off we went to the stairs. It was about 80 degrees that evening so I was sweating by the time we made it to the third floor carrying my hook and can and wearing my turnout gear and air pack.
We pulled open the door to the 3rd floor and could hear the sound of the sprinkler in the apartment to the left, flowing a lot of water. Randy from the Engine Company, who had entered the building before us had already, forced the door to the apartment. When he saw us come through the door he looked at us and said, “Hey I have fire in here.” Looking into the apartment the smoke had already banked down about a foot from the ceiling and the sound of the sprinkler was very loud. Jeff looked at Daniel and told him to get on the radio and let dispatch know of the fire. While Daniel did that we entered the apartment. The sound of water was coming from the room to our left so looking in we could see a man sitting in a chair beneath the working sprinkler and it looked like he was actually smoldering some. Jeff and Randy got to him and asked him what was going on, it was then that we could see that his legs from his knees down and most of the lower part of the chair he was sitting in had been on fire. The sprinkler had done its job though controlling and extinguishing the fire, confining it to this one room. We got the man up out of his chair and removed him from the apartment. Daniel and I then began a search of the rest of the apartment, only finding one very scared Golden Retriever. By then the man’s wife had returned and we turned her dog over to her while Jeff and Bobbie worked on treating the victim, in the hallway. When Jeff and Randy removed the man they called down for an aid bag and Bobbie had brought it up.
By then the full assignment was arriving bringing another Truck, two more Engine Companies and an Ambulance as well as a boat load of white shirts, staff-officers. The newly arriving crews took over other tasks, controlled the water flow and secured the utilities. We continued treating our patient and then carried him down the stairs to the waiting Ambulance crew. He was eventually Med Evac’d to a burn center. 2 hours later…we backed into our quarters, put the unit back into service, and got ready to do it all again when the next call came in.
It was a Tuesday evening and I was on duty as a volunteer at my fire station. The station I volunteer with is a Special Service Unit, meaning we provide a support services to the Engine Companies that make up the bulk of most if not all fire departments. Our unit is a Truck, a Tractor Drawn Arial unit to be technical. When I am there, or any other volunteer for that matter, the unit is up staffed to a crew of 4 Driver, Officer, Tillerman and Firefighter (me).
We had already run one call earlier that evening for an automatic alarm at a local manufacturing facility. It was as usually is a malfunctioning alarm…a smells and bells as some old timers call it. The neighboring unit was out front getting their cascade system refilled and was just pulling away when the alarm came in for another Automatic Alarm. “Engine 3, Truck 4 due, for an Automatic Alarm ….” We donned our protective gear, climbed into our positions and pulled out of the station. Two minutes later we were pulling up in front of the 3 story apartment/condo, while the single Engine on the call went to the side of the building. The residents were standing out front and water was rushing out the front door. None of the residents seemed excited and in fact they all thought it was rather humorous that water was coming out of the wall in the stairwell. I got off the truck and met Daniel and Jeff, we continued to grab our gear and then we walked into the building. Someone said it’s coming from the 3rd floor so off we went to the stairs. It was about 80 degrees that evening so I was sweating by the time we made it to the third floor carrying my hook and can and wearing my turnout gear and air pack.
We pulled open the door to the 3rd floor and could hear the sound of the sprinkler in the apartment to the left, flowing a lot of water. Randy from the Engine Company, who had entered the building before us had already, forced the door to the apartment. When he saw us come through the door he looked at us and said, “Hey I have fire in here.” Looking into the apartment the smoke had already banked down about a foot from the ceiling and the sound of the sprinkler was very loud. Jeff looked at Daniel and told him to get on the radio and let dispatch know of the fire. While Daniel did that we entered the apartment. The sound of water was coming from the room to our left so looking in we could see a man sitting in a chair beneath the working sprinkler and it looked like he was actually smoldering some. Jeff and Randy got to him and asked him what was going on, it was then that we could see that his legs from his knees down and most of the lower part of the chair he was sitting in had been on fire. The sprinkler had done its job though controlling and extinguishing the fire, confining it to this one room. We got the man up out of his chair and removed him from the apartment. Daniel and I then began a search of the rest of the apartment, only finding one very scared Golden Retriever. By then the man’s wife had returned and we turned her dog over to her while Jeff and Bobbie worked on treating the victim, in the hallway. When Jeff and Randy removed the man they called down for an aid bag and Bobbie had brought it up.
By then the full assignment was arriving bringing another Truck, two more Engine Companies and an Ambulance as well as a boat load of white shirts, staff-officers. The newly arriving crews took over other tasks, controlled the water flow and secured the utilities. We continued treating our patient and then carried him down the stairs to the waiting Ambulance crew. He was eventually Med Evac’d to a burn center. 2 hours later…we backed into our quarters, put the unit back into service, and got ready to do it all again when the next call came in.
August 11, 2005
Doomed in Education
I came across this little tidbit and a related story yesterday and well couldn’t resist,
What at first I had mixed feelings over, the suspension of students for not completing an assignment suddenly turned to disgust. This is where it really gets my goat!
"....Lewis said. "And the kind of things that are in the book, adults should not even read.'"
EXCUSE ME?! What the fuck over! Who is he to decide what is appropriate for other adults to read? I agree the book may not be appropriate for junior High Students but to go on and say something stupid like this shows a complete lack of judgment!Since when is reading about someone's experience unsuitable material? Is it because in 1960's America the country as a whole still treated blacks like second class citizens and used terms like colored and nigger to describe them? Or is it because this book is about the Vietnam War that the parents find it so objectionable? This is a historical footnote in American History and to white wash it, no pun intended, is to forget what it was really like. Furthermore, if foul language is a problem for younger children, then maybe the school districts and the NEA should be boycotting the Music Industry and the hip hop singers instead of Wal-Mart. Give me a break!
Apparently, the school district in question is predominately black, and that is meaningful in what sense? Why does it matter if the school district is 90% black...do blacks in this country have the soul right to be offended by anything or everything? If the language offends the parents they should talk to their children about why it’s offensive. This is the problem in my mind with the liberalization of America. In their effort to revise history and clean it up so no one is offended they fail to accurately teach history and provide our children with a frame work for the freedoms they have now and how tenuous they are.
George Santayana was right when he said, "Those who fail to remember the past are doomed to repeat it." We are falling into the same traps now that we fell into in years past because no one is willing to confront the hypocrisy of it all.
August 8, 2005
Valhalla
What is a friend? Technically the definition is somebody emotionally close. With that in mind, I have a lot of friends. Many I never talk to but there is still an emotional attachment to these people that will never be lost and some of those friends I see every day of my life. There are others still that I consider friends and have never met but through their words via the internet. Surprisingly these friends provide me with a greater emotional attachment than any I have ever met.
These friends are members of a brotherhood I left along time ago, but to which I still feel a pull to belong to. This pull is so strong that recently I’ve even considered re-joining this brotherhood. However, federal law or possibly DoD regulations, I’m not sure which, prevent me from doing so at this time so I continue to train and keep my body ready incase that day comes when I could re-join them.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, these friends are all in the military, and they are all soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some are Special Forces Soldiers and some are simply Infantrymen, but all of them are serving their country. Like those members of the “Greatest Generation” before them they have put aside their daily troubles with work and family and life in general to place themselves in harms way so that we can sleep peaceably at night.
One of my friends in Iraq says that my job here is just as important as their job over there and he sleeps better at night knowing that men like me are here protecting their loved ones; however I can’t help to think that their job is inherently more important than mine. I wait for an emergency to occur and then I rush towards it to mitigate the disaster, whether it is a fire, vehicle accident or even a citizen in need of medical care. But they go out and look for trouble. Placing themselves at risk just to ensure that trouble does not come our way. In my mind, they have the greater and definitely the more dangerous job than I.
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said “Here am I! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8
My friend has received his wish and will be heading back to a line company. No longer will he spend as much time behind the wire as out of it for he will be out looking for the enemy on a daily basis. He will be beyond the wire, beyond the relative safety of life on an FOB and far beyond the warmth of hearth and home and loved ones by your side. My brother will be out there looking for the enemy so I can sleep safely at night.
Thank you Capt B., thank you for sacrificing all that you have for us. Take care my friend and I shall see you in Valhalla.
These friends are members of a brotherhood I left along time ago, but to which I still feel a pull to belong to. This pull is so strong that recently I’ve even considered re-joining this brotherhood. However, federal law or possibly DoD regulations, I’m not sure which, prevent me from doing so at this time so I continue to train and keep my body ready incase that day comes when I could re-join them.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, these friends are all in the military, and they are all soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some are Special Forces Soldiers and some are simply Infantrymen, but all of them are serving their country. Like those members of the “Greatest Generation” before them they have put aside their daily troubles with work and family and life in general to place themselves in harms way so that we can sleep peaceably at night.
One of my friends in Iraq says that my job here is just as important as their job over there and he sleeps better at night knowing that men like me are here protecting their loved ones; however I can’t help to think that their job is inherently more important than mine. I wait for an emergency to occur and then I rush towards it to mitigate the disaster, whether it is a fire, vehicle accident or even a citizen in need of medical care. But they go out and look for trouble. Placing themselves at risk just to ensure that trouble does not come our way. In my mind, they have the greater and definitely the more dangerous job than I.
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said “Here am I! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8
My friend has received his wish and will be heading back to a line company. No longer will he spend as much time behind the wire as out of it for he will be out looking for the enemy on a daily basis. He will be beyond the wire, beyond the relative safety of life on an FOB and far beyond the warmth of hearth and home and loved ones by your side. My brother will be out there looking for the enemy so I can sleep safely at night.
Thank you Capt B., thank you for sacrificing all that you have for us. Take care my friend and I shall see you in Valhalla.
"taco shells and silver bells"
Even though my kids frustrate me to no end many days, there are plenty of times in which they just make me stop and laugh. This weekend was no exception.
Sunday morning my youngest is running around the kitchen table singing Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, unfortunately for him and beneficial to me, he got the words all wrong.
What came out was:
Mary, Mary Dysentery,
How does your garden grow?
With taco shells and silver bells
And pretty maids all in a row!
I have to admit it was the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while. And he was all happy that he had a new song to sing as he played in the family room. Kids are amazing, even when they frustrate you.
Sunday morning my youngest is running around the kitchen table singing Mary, Mary Quite Contrary, unfortunately for him and beneficial to me, he got the words all wrong.
What came out was:
Mary, Mary Dysentery,
How does your garden grow?
With taco shells and silver bells
And pretty maids all in a row!
I have to admit it was the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while. And he was all happy that he had a new song to sing as he played in the family room. Kids are amazing, even when they frustrate you.
August 3, 2005
Look the part. Please!
Okay, so last night I go into my local GNC to stock up on my illegal steroids. (Just kidding but the NO2 and CE2 combo seems to be working, I hope.) And the woman that is there every time I go in is working the register. She is the nicest person I’ve ever met. Very helpful and can usually answer any questions I have about a product. Only problem I have is that she looks like she hasn’t done a healthy thing for her body in years. Okay, she has a sweet looking tan, but other than that it’s not all that good. Now I’ll be open and give her the benefit of the doubt and go along with the line of reasoning that maybe she is doing good things for her body and health and she is looking very good compared to where she was say, 5 years ago, but I’ve been going in there for a couple years now and I see no change. See here is where I get lost about this. If I am going to a health store to purchase supplements to make me look better and fit, I want the illusion that the money I'm throwing in the toilet is actually going to make me look like a pro body builder. Not just a poor schmuk throwing his money away. Money that could be spent in Victoria’s Secret!
Which leads me to the rest of my evening, with GNC bag in hand I head across the concourse to the Vic Sec store. Thanks to a wonderful promo from them I can go in and pick up a free pair of panties for my wife. Of course being the conniving bastards that they are, they know I can’t get away with just picking up the free pair, oh no, I have to buy a matching bra otherwise the wife will never wear them. It all has to match incase you aren’t aware. Anyway, the real reason for this post, it’s all about looking the part. So I walk in and there are three women in the back of the store, two are obviously shopping, but the other is all in black and wearing a head scarf. I'm thinking, okay so Miss Muslim wears Vic Sec underneath. That’s cool then I have that momentary thought all men have, I wonder if it matches her outfit and then...is it a thong? But, then I think, wait a minute, she is working here! Isn't that against the rules of Islam? How can she be so devout that she wears a hajib and yet still be able to work in the most obvious outlet of American decadence? It’s clearly one of those, WTF moments. Is that allowed? Well I was so confused about that juxtaposition that I had to find a different saleslady to help me out.
As it was, those conniving bastards knew exactly what they were doing, not only did I purchase a matching bra, I bought a second pair of panties and I renewed my Angels card. Which I found out the wife can also use at Bath and Body Works, and all this before a yell-fest, i.e., meeting, at the fire department.
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