Each of us needs to find and fulfill our destiny in life. I have always been determined and committed to NEVER be one of those people that life passed by. Instead, my desire was to live life as fully as I possibly could. Wasted days and wasted nights were not for me...well...sort of...At least now, finally, that's so very, very true for my life. No more Gin and Juice!
This good looking guy to the right is me! Well...was me a few years ago. In many ways I'm exactly what you would expect, yet in other ways I'm not what you would normally expect of someone at this stage in their life. I'm a pretty interesting blend of traditional, contemporary and of the eclectic. Some of my interersts are unlike those most of my contemporaries enjoy! They wouldn't understand, they're too old! Yeah Yeah Yeah, we all like The Beatles, and never heard of the Dave Matthews Band or even .moe. Geeze, is my age 50 something or 20 something? I still really, really like this kind of music, and yet the style Evelyn prefers, like most Filipinas, is the music of romance, the great love ballads. I've come to appreciate them much more. We often listen to Radio Delilah. But hey, Dave Matthews, get a grip, coz you're too full of yourself. You're not even an American yet you're trying to influence OUR 2004 ELECTION by supporting John "Blowing In The Wind" Kerry. Give it a rest. Maybe we should not have supported changes in your native South Africa.
Sometimes, I wonder and I guess I often know that I'm much more progressive (NOT liberal), just more willing to try to think outside of the box, and at the same time, I'm much more conservative, at least politically than both of my kids, Steph and Jon who are both in their 20's! These two great kids of mine I love, respect and admire more than they will ever really know. But it's not because I don't tell them, maybe they just don't want to listen. I felt this way about them when they were little kids, and now even more so as adults. Despite having me as their Dad, they've turned out rather well! We know and love Jesus as our personal saviour, and if nothing else in life ever worked out for us, that's the one that matters for all eternity.
If you have the courage to face reality, take a peek at a political viewpoint and worldview I generally share with a lot of other people YOU SICK FREAK! (You'll have to hit the back button several times to come back here because they use flash which is a little sticky.) You might finds this guy is not only amusing, but also right!
This picture here on the left is me with my family as I was growing up! There are my Mom, Dad, and sisters Sue and Sheryl! Dad just turned 81, and is generally doing well. Unfortunately, on November 4, 1988, we lost Mom. There is not a day that goes by I don't think of her. How I wish she could have enjoyed my kids growing up and had the chance to know Evelyn. I know she would really love her and they'd be good friends. It was in part because of Mom's interest in Asia & Hawaii that I also developed a strong interest in that area of the world and the people there as well. I wish Mom could have seen me after I got my act together, got sober and got serious about life and who I am.
Sometimes, when men get to my age they go through some sort of mid-life crisis. This was not what happened in my life. The facts reveal anything but that sort of conduct. Each of us get a hand dealt to us in life that we have to play and do play only if we're real men. How we face the traumas in our lives is the test of REAL manhood. You can either face it or run from it, and if you run it can be to other people, to a bottle, or away from those you need to draw near. I didn't plan on being a single parent when Stephanie and Jonathan's Mom, Vicki, died. I did everything I could humanly do to keep her alive, to give her a chance for a miracle, an chance to live and for the rest of us to try to find a way to say good bye. After Vicki was gone, I did the best I could for my kids because I wanted to give them the best chance at a "normal" life, whatever norman was to become. Despite my mistakes and one short term bad choice that was eventually corrected, we survived and moved on.
So many people I speak with after a divorce or death of their spouse are to eager to have another person in their life to replace the one that was lost. The judgement you will have will be clouded and not where it should be and you will make bad choices for your life. You can easily avoid even more pain by not getting remarried to soon to ANYONE your family, especially your kids (who know you the best and love you the most) says is wrong, or defective, or someone that will manipulate you and FALLS SHORT OF YOUR IDEAL. If you do, you'll be miserable, more miserable than you can imagine, more miserable than being alone, because essentially, you will be alone. You'll isolate yourself from those you need to draw close. Life won't pass you by, and even if it does, it's a better situation to be in than to be miserable and married to the wrong person. Believe me, I know.
A book that had one of the most profound impacts on my life is one called, "Finding The Love Of Your Life" by Dr. Neil Clark Warren. The following information is from his book and is rich with Godly wisdom and insights. I read this book, and wrote out specifics about what I believe, what I am like and what I was looking for in a future mate. I took all of this a step further and wrote out an exact description of what I wanted in a future wife. Here is The Love Of MY Life.
If you want to accomplish great things in your marriage life there are certain things you should do. My advise is to write your descriptions of what are essentially your core values in as great a detail that you can. After I had this written description of myself and what essentially became a written description of what I wanted in a wife I took the part of what I wanted in a future wife to an even greater detail. For me, it was important to have a clearly defined image and personality profile that I could compare the real thing to. This is not something you will accomplish in an hour, a day or a month. It takes time to be complete. Next, I spent the next several months refining my descriptions of myself and what I was looking for as things would come to mind. I easily spent a couple of hundred hours on this. As I was refining my descriptions and insights about myself, I also spent this time in prayer seeking Gods will for my life in this matter. Do this and you will recieve GREAT dividends for this investment of time in your life.
NOTE: This article is a handout from a Seminar conducted by Dr. Neil Clark Warren
SESSION 610
FINDING THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE
by NEIL CLARK WARREN, Ph.D
Founder, of eHarmony
SELECTION OF A MARRIAGE PARTNER
29 Critical Matching Variables
INTRODUCTION
To no one’s surprise, marriage is in deep trouble in our society. Consider these five statistics:
(1) Of all first marriages, only 25% both endure and are happy.
(2) In over half of all marriages, at least one person has been married before, and in about 15% of all marriages, at least one person has been married three or more times.
(3) Twenty percent of all first marriages fail within five years of the wedding date. Thirty-three percent fail within ten years. And forty-three percent fail within fifteen years.
(4) Seventy percent of all persons in our society have been impacted by divorce – either the divorce of their parents or their own.
(5) While a majority of persons choose their marriage partners on the basis of appearance and chemistry, the fact is that seventy-five to eighty percent of all chemistry evaporates within six to eight months unless the relationship is significantly undergirded by deeper and more durable compatibility.
THE RADICAL IMPORTANCE OF SELECTION
Selecting a marriage partner is the MOST important marital decision any person will ever make. When this decision is made well, with full regard for its complexity, marriages end up being satisfying a high percentage of the time. But when it is made too quickly, with too little information, even by well meaning persons, the marriage will be tested – early and frequently.
Our research indicates that seventy-five percent of all marriages that end in separation, divorce, or unhappiness were in trouble the day they began. The two people involved simply married the wrong marriage partners. Could they have done better? Without question!
There has been little attention focused on the complex task of choosing a marriage partner. The empirical research on the subject is vastly inadequate. Federal and state legislation has been directed at premarital counseling and marriage mentoring.
Unfortunately, as well meaning as these programs are, neither of them stands much chance of reversing the marital deterioration epidemic. If a man and woman get married, but they are poorly matched across a wide range of critical dimensions, this match can seldom be corrected by willpower and learning a few skills. The marriage may endure, but the lack of compatibility is likely to result in a low level of fulfillment for both partners.
Our research has isolated 29 variables that need to be screened, matched, and managed for a couple to feel that they have a “soul mate” relationship. The following list of factors is the result of eharmony’s research involving some 5,000 married persons.
GROUP NUMBER ONE -- SCREENING DIMENSIONS
(1) “Good Character” – No marriage will ever thrive if one of the partners is not of “good character.” Character, as used here, relates of one’s integrity; it has to do, primarily, with honesty. A “character disorder,” for instance, refers to the tendency of a person to “lie, cheat, and steal” in an effort to gain personal advantage. The first matter that needs to be screened is the character of both persons.
(2) “Quality of Self Conception” – All emotional health begins with a well-developed self-concept. In a marriage, if both persons know themselves will as individuals, even in their deep places, and if each of them takes ownership of all the parts of themselves, their individual “self strength” will provide a strong foundation for building a life together in partnership under even difficult circumstances.
(3) Absence of Emotional "RED FLAGS" – No addictions, no neuroses, no thought disorders, and no affect disorders. The presence of any ONE of these “pathological conditions” can jeopardize marital success. No marriage should ever be initiated until all of these red flags have been fully dealt with. To expect that the marriage will cause a person to e.g., “get over their drinking problem,” is an expectation long on fantasy and short on reality.
(4) Anger Management – More marriages break up every year because two people do not know how to manage their anger in relation to each other than because of any other single reason. Since literally everybody has anger, and since it can easily be mismanaged in an intimate relationship, careful attention should be paid to the level of mastery each person has over this area. If either partner has any history of anger mismanagement (explosiveness, somatization, turning it on their own psyche, or underhandedness), this will cause major problems in the marital relationship.
(5) Obstreperousness – One quality that can destroy a marriage is a critical attitude. Even if this attitude is largely independent of the other person’s actions, it can become a constant source of marital stress. One quality that should be looked at for both potential partners, prior to marriage, is the tendency to find fault, to attribute blame, to make the other person wrong, and to need to portray oneself as always “right.” This quality is highly related to one’s score on an “optimism-pessimism” scale. The more pessimistic a person is, the more likely they are to be obstreperous.
(6) Understandings About Family – the parenting of children requires a deep and lasting commitment. The urge to do this, or not do it, usually emerges from a central and highly personal inner place. It is absolutely crucial for matching partners to have this dimension well discussed and decided prior to any serious dating relationship, let alone a committed marriage. If one person has a strong desire to be a parent and the other has none, the match will likely be a poor one, however well the other dimensions are harmonized. In this day of so many second and third pairings, the question of whether one party is willing and eager to share in the parenting task, perhaps as a stepparent, is equally critical. The corresponding matter of how much authority the new parent will have is a vital factor as well. Finally, if it is a given that children will be involved in the family, careful attention should be given to preferred styles of parenting.
(7) Family Background – If one or both of the persons has been raised in a dysfunctional family atmosphere, there needs to be adequate evidence that the impact of this emotional atmosphere has been recognized and worked through. Moreover, each person needs to come to their contemplated partnership with the support of their primary figures–or a full understanding of why that support is not available. Finally, each person needs to ascertain whether their “in-law” relationships will be positive influences, and if not, whether they can be managed effectively.
GROUP NUMBER TWO – CORE PERSONAL DIMENSIONS REPRESENTING CHARACTERISTICS RELATIVELY DIFFICULT TO ALTER
(8) Intellect – There is a considerable body of clinical and empirical data that indicates the importance of intellectual equality in a marital partnership. There is no evidence that two people do better in marriage if they are extremely bright, but there is evidence that they need to be at a similar intellectual level, whatever that level may be. Technically, there is a general rule that there should be no more than a standard deviation of difference in the intelligence level of the two persons.
(9) Energy – Marriages tend to be more successful when the energy levels of two partners are similar. If one person is highly energized and the other person is considerably lower energy, there is bound to be difficulty. Although the amount of energy a person has is often indicative of emotional health, two people with relatively low energy can form a positive relationship if both of them are quite accepting of the other’s energy level.
(10) Spirituality – Perhaps no dimension is more in need of matching for any couple than this one. However, it is at the same time one of the most complex dimensions. First, the specific faith of each person should be the same. For example, in the case of Christianity, this includes attention to Protestant versus Catholic, denominational preference, degree of involvement, etc. Furthermore, it is good to attain “belief alignment” on the role of the church, the nature of God, the place of prayer, the function of Biblical authority, and in relation to specific theological matters. If the two persons have no spiritual faith, even this needs careful matching.
(11) Education – As important as intelligence is, our research indicates that for a large sub-sample, more women than men, a generally equal amount of education for each partner is critical factor. For instance, women who have finished college or graduate work often prefer to be matched with men who have accomplished at a similar level. There are many marriages that work well without educational equality, but if education has received heavy stress during a person’s growing-up years, this dimension must be given appropriate attention.
(12) Appearance – In the culture at large this is, without a question, the most frequently monitored dimension. We have determined that it is not possible to match for chemical attraction, but matching on the dimension of simple appearance is more possible. Most persons are comfortable being matched with partners within the same “grade-level” on appearance. For instance, when persons are rated on a seven-point scale on appearance, and when thy are matched with persons receiving their same rating – or even at one point above or below – they are generally satisfied. It should be noted that spouses who are in love with each other typically rate their partners as two to three scale points higher on appearance than a jury of objective persons rate them.
(13) Sense of Humor – Beyond the fact that “sense of humor” contributes significantly to a person’s overall attractiveness, it is a key dimension in the building of a marital bond over the course of a marriage. Laughter is highly therapeutic in every intimate relationship, and there is evidence that marriages in which there is little laughter tend to suffer considerably more during trying times. Having a “sense of humor” in common does not require that both people be able to generate humor equally. One person may do this unusually well, while the other person serves as an appreciative audience. Research indicates that the key criterion in this regard is for both persons to experience the freeing, lightening, and enlightening effects of shared laughter. There is a strong correlation between “happy” partners and partners who are thought to have a highly developed sense of humor.
(14) Mood Management – It is critical that two people be well matched with regard to their moods. If one person has wide mood fluctuations, the other person needs to have a high degree of tolerance for this. It is essential to assess each person’s mood management to ascertain that this area will not become provocative in the marriage over time.
(15) Overall Traditional vs. non-Traditional Personality Orientations – If two persons are highly traditional in their approach to life, they will tend to get along well. If one person is quite untraditional, it will be important to find another person who is similarly non-traditional. For instance, if one person likes life to be highly predicable, engages in a significant amount of planning about future events (events transpiring during the next day, the next week, or months ahead), this person will likely be unhappy with someone who prefers a high degree of spontaneity, who chafes under too much “obsessiveness” about planning.
(16) Ambition – Our research indicates that two well-matched partners need to have approximately the same amount of life ambition. When they do, and assuming they are equally ready to back their ambition with a commensurate amount of hard work, they will have a common quality that will contribute substantially to the harmonizing of their relationship. On the negative side, if there is a large discrepancy between the amount of ambition the two partners have, there will be considerable stress between them. One person will be intent on pursuing advancement, and the other person will resent the amount of time and energy this requires.
(17) Sexual Passion – Interpersonal chemistry is assessable by the individuals involved in a pairing, and by them only, but the degree of “generalized passion” that a person possesses can be measured. The passion we are talking about here is sexual passion, and our goal is to match two persons who have relatively similar levels of sexual passion.
(18) Artistic Passion – Some people are, right to the center of themselves, artistically inclined. This is for them a primary personal trait. Sometimes, these persons are skillful as artists. They may play an instrument, write music or poetry, paint, sculpt, or sing. Other people cannot perform, but they have a strong interest observing, listening, reading, and feeling. If one of these “artistically inclined” persons is matched with someone who has none of these skills or passions, they are like two strangers with little “soul” compatibility. Most people with strong artistic feelings and interests simply must be paired with partners who have some of the same. Otherwise, their marriage seldom works.
(19) Values Orientation – It is critical for marital partners to have similar values about the essentials of living. For instance, their values about social issues, political issues, and environmental issues are highly important. Also, they need to be in strong agreement about money issues. Their views about saving money and giving money away should be similar. When two persons in a marital relationship have values that are highly congruent, the marriage almost surely works out better.
(20) Industry – This dimension has to do with one’s orientation toward work. If one person is a “hard worker” and another person is a “shirker,” there will likely be feelings of resentment and guilt. For instance, if the woman gets up earlier, works more intensely during the day, and still has work to do at night, while the man gets up later, works only moderately hard, and stops in the late afternoon for a round of golf, this will put considerable strain on the relationship. When one party complains about the other being “lazy,” and the “lazy” partner complains about the other as a “workaholic” or “obsessive,” you likely have a mismatch on the dimension of industry.
(21) Curiosity – This dimension was a latecomer to our list of critical matching qualities. It has to do with a need for stimulation, along with a personal strategy to pursue additional information through inquisitiveness. If one partner is “regularly satisfied” with relatively limited information about anything, while the other partner has a pressing “need to know more,” this will typically pull them in two very different directions. Curiosity is not always healthy (e.g., “curiosity killed the cat”), but the degree of health represented by curiosity is beside the point. In a marital match we are looking for two partners who “harmonize,” who relate easily to one another’s style. While complimentarity can occur in relation to some of these discrepancies, our research indicates that similarity on dimensions like curiosity leads to greater marital satisfaction over time.
(22) Vitality and Security – In seventeen cross-cultural studies, the number one quality cited by men in choosing a partner is the general quality called “fertility,” and the number one quality attended to by women is security. Men apparently look for healthy and vital women, and women look for men who can provide economic and physical security, especially during their childbearing years. These qualities, extremely important in matching, must leave both partners feeling that they have a “gotten a good deal” and “provided maximally in the area of their most fundamental need.”
(23) Autonomy vs. Closeness – If one partner desires a significant amount of autonomy to be alone and do their own thing, and if the other partner wants considerably more closeness and relational involvement, the match will be difficult. It is crucial to discover the amount of required autonomy and closeness for two individuals and to match them on the basis of their scores in these areas.
GROUP NUMBER THREE – NECESSARY SKILLS WHICH CAN BE DEVELOPED IN THE BUILDING OF A STRONG MARRIAGE
(24) Communication – Two life partners need to have a similar level of interest in communicating with one another and a similar ability to communicate. While this may be a dimension which can be altered over time (largely because men in our culture receive so little early encouragement and training in the area of communication), the matter of how much and how well two people communicate is currently one of the two or three most frequent complaints when marriages get into trouble. The fact is that the vast majority of women want more communication than their male counterparts, and they are also better able to communicate well. When one partner is not interested in or good at communication, and especially when the opposite partner is very interested in it and good at it, the marriage will tend to stagnate and prove frustrating for both of them.
(25) Conflict Resolution – Both partners need to be good at conflict resolution for a marriage to both survive and thrive. There will be conflict in every relationship, and if it is not promptly resolved, the relationship will suffer. Conflict resolution is an example of a premarital variable that is both an attitude and a skill. If a couple’s attitude is positive about the need for conflict resolution, and if they are willing to work at it, the skill can be developed quite easily. But if one or both persons seem unwilling or unable to compromise, to talk things through, to entertain each other’s positions, their relationship will suffer greater and greater strain over time.
(26) Sociability – The degree to which two people both desire interpersonal relationships, and excel at them, needs to be similar for their relationship to thrive. For instance, some persons demonstrate high attraction to other people, while others prefer to spend significantly more time alone or in just one relationship. Over time, this variable will be tested over and over. It is a matter about which premarital matching needs to be carefully concerned.
GROUP NUMBER FOUR – CRUCIAL QUALITIES WHICH CAN DEVELOP AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE CAREFUL MANAGEMENT OF ONE’S EMOTIONAL LIFE
(27) Adaptability – When all is said and done, this may be the most important dimension of all. In a society in which change is so prominent, in which there is growing differentiation and individuation, the need for adaptability is crucial. If every other dimension were perfectly, or almost perfectly, matched for two people, we could accept a low adaptability score. But where there is some difference between them, it is to adaptability that we look to see if change to unforeseen circumstance can occur over time.
(28) Kindness – In the seventeen cross-cultural studies referred to above, both men and women rated kindness as the second most important quality to look for in a mate. When a prospective marriage partner has a well-developed capacity to treat other people with kindness, whether it is kindness for their partner, their children, their friends, or even for strangers, this quality will always enrich and deepen the marital relationship. Although kind people can often maintain their kindness over time without reciprocation from their mate, the truly great marriages are those in which kindness is matched by kindness.
(29) Dominance vs. Submissiveness – If one partner is highly dominant, a marriage will work better if the other partner is significantly more submissive. Research indicates that matching two persons who are high on dominance – or who both are high on submissiveness – leads to problems in the relationship. While it is clinically preferable to find two persons, neither of whom is unusually dominant or submissive, a satisfactory relationship can be developed by pairing high scores on one trait with low scores on the other.
Neil Clark Warren, Ph.D.
eHarmony
300 N. Lake Avenue, Suite 1111
Pasadena, CA 91101
626-795-4814
Also, please consider the following FACTS:
Marriage Is The Second Most Important Decision Anyone Ever Makes
- 90% of Americans marry at least once
- Our society basically teaches to rely on your natural instincts when selecting your spouse. How does it work?
- Every year more than 200,000 American marriages divorce before their second anniversary. That is about 40% of all divorces per year.
- White children born in America have a 30% chance of living with both their biological parents to age 18.
- Black children have only a 6% chance.
- That is bad news.
- The good news is that marriage can be wonderful and that choosing a spouse is a skill that can be developed!
Finding the Love of Your Life: 10 Principles for Choosing the Right
Marriage Partner
by Neil Clark Warren
Your choice of whom to marry is more crucial than
everything else combined that you
will ever do to make your marriage succeed.
Principle 1: Eliminate the Seven Most Prevalent Causes of
Faulty Mate Selection
1. The decision to get married is made to
quickly. When a couple is ready to commit themselves
forever after a couple of weeks or months of dating, the decision is long on fantasy and short
on reality. The relationship might grow into the commitment, but it is extremely risky.
Couples who dated at least two years have increased levels of marital
satisfaction. Choosing
a marriage partner is much more complicated than in the movies.
2.The decision is made at too young an age.
The divorce rate for 21- and 22- year olds is
twice as high as for 24- and 25 year olds. You can't select a marriage partner very well until
you know yourself as an adult. I thought I was very mature when I was18. Today, at 51, I
wonder why I'm so immature.
3.One or both is too eager to get married. Someone is overeager if they are running from
something (bad home life, recent rejection, loneliness, etc).
Overeagerness can be easy to
spot, and it is a major warning sign. Watch out for marriage on the rebound.
4.One or both may be choosing a mate to please someone else.
To make a good decision,
you must base it on your own needs, dreams, and life objectives. Sometimes other people desire
to have you make them happy. It's your decision, and you need to make it on your own.
On the other hand, if everyone who loves you thinks it isn't a good
match, that's also a major
sign of trouble - especially if you have to defend him or her too
much. If your parents think he
is a jerk, and your friends think he is a jerk, and the teachers think he is a jerk, but you think
caring, sweet inside, and sensitive, you could be mistaken and in denial about his true
character.
Another sidebar note from me from PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. If EVERYONE you know, your friends, family,
coworkers and even your kids think he/she is a jerk, then he/she probably is a jerk. Don't get stuck on that
bad river in Egypt, DENIAL, because you'll be rowing upstream ALONE.
5.The experience base is too narrow. You need to be together in a variety of circumstances
and situations. You may have spent a lot of time together but it is always doing similar things
(school, work, church, etc). When a couple is in love they
don't analyze themselves. They think
all of life will be beautiful all the time. It is
good to experience a variety of relationships with quality people.
*MY NOTE - I HAVE HEARD THAT YOU SHOULD EACH HAVE THE FLU ONE TIME BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO MARRY
A PERSON. WHY? TO ALLOW FOR ENOUGH TIME FOR THE RELATIONSHIP TO FULLY DEVELOP AND TO SEE HOW
THE OTHER REACTS TO THOSE AROUND THEM DURING ILLNESS!
6.The couple has unrealistic expectations. If you think you can change someone else by your
love, you are naive, presumptuous, and foolish. You are setting
yourself and your family up
for major heartache. On the other hand, if you understand
that life is difficult and life for
two people brings three times the problems, you can be aware and not taken
by surprise.
Couples that think life is filled with ivy-covered cottages, walks on
the beach, and nonstop
fun, are all headed for trouble.
7. One or both have unaddressed significant personality or behavior
problems. Jealousy,
temper, irresponsibility, dishonesty, stubbornness, moodiness, etc.
If you don't like it now,
don't think it will change after marriage. Drug and or
alcohol problems are a major warning
After you announce that you will stay with them forever:
your leverage (their
motivation to change)is gone, and the stress of marriage will tend to magnify the problems.
Never commit your life to someone with a major personality problem. You might as well line
your heart and your family members hearts up and mulch them!
8. Sexual involvement clouds our decision making process. Guard your purity and your virginity
will take care of itself.
*One important principal to remember on this topic: If you've previously been married or you're not a virgin, that is
NOT an excuse to ever be promiscuous.
Only after you have walked through the fire can you truly embrace the changes life has in store for you, but rarely until then. Some people never embraced the changes that are happening all around us. But more importantly, most of these changes are happening TO us and we embrace them. Things like new and different interests, raising families, changeing houses, jobs, careers and even spouses. Change keeps life interesting! Most change is good. I promise you that marrying the wrong person, or the most CONTENTIOUS person you have ever known, will leave you wondering What was I thinking?
My advise to anyone is to never accept mediocrity as the norm or face the future with complacency, doubt or fear. If we stop learning and growing we are wasting the precious gifts and opportunities that God gives to us every day to be all we can be and become all He intended for us. Life has taught me to live my life to the fullest and to live our dreams, because this life we have here and now, is NOT a dress rehersal.
Hope you enjoy this partial list of some of my favorites and interests, those special things that say "I AM UNIQUE...JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!"
Beyond the Blackstump
This is one of my very favorite sites on the internet and probably one of the verhy best. I like it because it is interesting, informative, funny, challenging and always different!!! That helps for those of us that have short attention spans!
Jamaican Blue Mountain is the worlds finest coffee. Unfortunately, the best of it goes to a location other than the USA. The best goes to Japan. Also unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina severely dammaged a significant amount of the crop and it will be years before production and supply is to where it was before Katrina hit. I've heard if you could find it the cost would be around $100 an ounce. This National Geographic site is really informative about coffee. Wish I had a consistent, inexpensive line on 100% pure Jamaican Blue Coffee. I need a straight shot of coffee from Jamaica to me, not by way of Japan who buys it all. Send me some PLEASE!!!
Despair.com :-( This one, if you don't like it, then just go away...You're a flat-liner in the personality department. I hope you enjoy the site as much as I do because it makes me laugh, sometimes almost hysterically! If you think about it, way to many people take themselves to seriously. Those misfits overestimate their value and importance to society, themselves, and all around them. If you can't laugh at these parodies then you're one sorry person. So give it up, sit back, relax, and laugh!
Some samples of my favorites from Despair.com :-(
Think about it, these pictures, quotes and sentiments that they express (which are lampooning Successories which is a fine company), if we're really honest about it with ourselves, each of us can see a little of ourselves in them and a lot of those we know, live with or work with in them as well. We need to be able to laugh at those areas of "idiocentric weaknesses" within ourselves. Good God, enjoy life! You only get one chance to and this one is not a dress rehersal.
Batter Up!
Baseball is one of the best things about summer. For those of us living in an area like Ohio where we get winter, and sometimes with lots of snow and bitter cold, baseball is another reason to really like summer! Even though I live in Ohio and like the Cincinnati Reds I also follow the Atlanta Braves. This is another fine baseball organization.
Just for the record, the media made Marge Schott look like a fool. I believe she had her own problems and issues like we all have to deal with, but I don't believe she was anything like the liberal media elite tried to portray her. She was not a Nazi sympathizer or anything like that. She loved baseball. It's sad she's gone and will never be able to redeem herself publically. She never deserved any of the meaness that was directed towards her.
One thing I believe very strongly is Pete Rose deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Look at ONLY his record as a player. Pete is baseballs all-time hits leader with 4,256 and games leader with 3562. He led NL in batting 3 times and was the regular-season MVP in 1973. He also was the World Series MVP in 1975 and he had 44-game hitting streak in 1978. Who else among the greatest players ever is more deserving? You know, Pete said it best about those he competed against, "Somebody's gotta win and somebody's gotta lose and I believe in letting the other guy lose."
Go Bucks! There's no way to live here in Columbus and not love or follow the Ohio State University Buckeyes! You know, most recently the 2002 Big Ten Champions and 2003 Fiesta Bowl National Champions! It's hard to believe what much of the national media was saying about this team, the lies, the prejudice, the spin...They are the real trash talkers. You remember, the team that was to slow for the speedy University of Miami (who for some strange reason recruited many of those SLOW guys)!!!
What can I say...OSU again WINS the 2004 Fiesta Bowl. You just can't keep those down. USC, stop your whining. You're a bunch of cry babies. You don't deserve the National Championship, unless it's in whining. You didn't play anyone really until you caught Michigan still basking in their win over OSU.
Look at those OSU Buckeyes who have the pre-season #1 ranking and by humiliating UT in their house, still has it, and I hope will finish on January 8, 2007 as #1. We're on our way back to Tempe!!! Hey, we're #1 all the way!!! How good can it get? We continue to beat the University of Michigan. Lloyd Carr, you should retire, but I'm glad you don't. Just like you had John Cooper's number, Jim Tressel has yours!
Sorry you retired Lloyd. We love you as Michigan's coach. Fortunately, we believe that Rodrigaz is just like you. I doubt he lasts that long there.
Well at least the 2007 season was an undefeated season until the National Championship game. Troy Smith, after winning the Heisman Trophy, believed the press about him and didn't show up to play, uh, football that is. Teddy Ginn got a boo boo, and Daddy said you can't play any more. You two clowns are more loyal to the paycheck you'll get not the university & team that gave you the opportunity to shine. MORONS.
While we're on the subject of sports, OJ Simpson has been in the news recently. Juice, you're a sorry excuse for a human being no matter what color you are and you deserve the maximum number of years of prison you can get. Cutting your head off, like you did to Nicole, would be to easy. You'll become a bad mans' boyfriend for your remaining days, I hope.
Barry Bonds, you're an asshole! If those that love baseball are luckey, you'll choke to death on a ball or bat or maybe the steroids you have cheapened the record an sport with will RALLY and kill you. There's not much difference between you and OJ. Hey, my best to the both of you low-lifes. Enjoy the life of the cockroach, maybe together.
RADICAL ISLAM
Radical Islam is America's ENEMY, and the enemy of all men and women who love peace. I really don't care what anyone thinks about my views on this, especially, you, Mohammed, that is as I will now forever call you "Little Mo" because you are a little, shallow demigod without any values that represent descent. I'm very POLITICALLY INCORRECT (and proud of it) so maybe you'll understand my position...maybe not. But I really don't care what anyone else thinks about my views on this. You do have a right to be wrong if you disagree with me. Know this with 100% certainty that Radical Islam IS the ENEMY of America.
If Islamic militants ever believe that they will convert America, or force their false religon from Hell down our throats, you are SADLY MISTAKEN. We would rather die than convert to your FALSE BELEIFS. The reality is simply this: Mohammed, Bin Laden and his followers as well as all those sad fools who believe like them are really the GREAT SATAN, NOT AMERICA.
Forget political correctness, it’s both naïve and passé. We need to act and do what is in the best interests of America, NOT individuals or even individual rights. If we are to survive as a nation and culture we must use every tool that is available, specifically profiling both racial and behavioral.
I would rather be safe than sorry, alive not dead. Those that object to these practices are part of the problem, NOT the solution and are defacto agents for bin Laden and all those who pursue the destruction of America.
"Some people live their dreams
