From the Headlines ...

Man Trapped In 23-Year 'Coma' Was Conscious

This is just a fascinating story. A guy from Europe was thought to be in a coma for 23 years. However, he was misdiagnosed, and was actually conscious.

Check out the story here.

It does make you wonder, in a small number of cases, if life support has been terminated prematurely, when a patient has been fully aware of what was happening. Almost sounds like something out of a Stephen King novel.

Via E-Mail ...

2% or 98% of Population?

Just follow these instructions, and answer the questions one at a time and as quickly as you can! Again, as quickly as you can but don't advance until you've done each of them .... really. Now, scroll down (but not too fast, you might miss something).

THINK of a number from 1 to 10



MULTIPLY that number by 9



If the number is a 2-digit number, ADD the digits together



Now SUBTRACT 5



DETERMINE which letter in the alphabet corresponds to the number you ended up with (example: 1=a, 2=b, 3=c,etc.)



THINK of a country that starts with that letter



REMEMBER the last letter of the name of that country



THINK of the name of an animal that starts with that letter



REMEMBER the last letter in the name of that animal




THINK of the name of a fruit that starts with that letter





Are you thinking of a Kangaroo in Denmark eating an Orange?

Isn't that FREAKY!! If not for you, you're among the 2% of the population whose minds are different enough to think of something else. However, 98% of people will answer with kangaroos in Denmark eating oranges when given this exercise.

Random Thoughts

Call me sentimental, one of my favorite parts of the whole Christmas season used to be all those old Christmas variety shows - you know ... Andy Williams, Bing Crosby - hey, I even liked the Osmonds (except for the "Donnie and Marie" phase). I wonder if just one of the seventy-five cable channels that never gets watched will decide to put on old Christmas programming in the next few weeks that would draw this viewer for an hour?

Speaking of Christmas, I'm working on a sermon where I am going to attempt the concept of "home" to the Christmas holiday. It has spurred me to take a trip down memory lane as I remember some of the Christmases I had as a kid.

Some of things I remember fondly:

My grandmother's fruitcake - I absolutely HATE fruitcake. But my grandmother is gone now, and I know how much she loved to make it. I tend to associate Christmas to her fruitcake.

The silver tinsel Christmas tree - again, this tree belonged to my grandparents. It was theirs and that's what made it special!

Family gatherings - this usually took place at my other set of grandparents' house. All the uncles and aunts and cousins would show up, and man could they cook!

Worst Christmas as a kid: I had figured out the whole Santa thing, and knew that our Christmas gifts HAD to be hidden somewhere in the house. I found them ... in the attic. With the surprise ruined, so was my Christmas! lol

Got any Christmas memories you'd like to share? Feel free to comment. I'll add to this list as the season progresses.

Student Driver

My oldest daughter will soon be joining the ranks of those who can legally drive a vehicle on a public road ... by herself!

A little backstory: My daughter just turned 18, which puts her behind age-wise to other new drivers. However, my insurance agent strongly advises that all teenagers wait until they turn 18 to get their license because their insurance will be lower than if they get their license at age 16. Since she is paying for her own insurance, she thought that was a good idea, so she wisely chose to wait. And, since I feel she showed a little bit of maturity in making that decision, I feel more at-ease with her abilities to make good decisions in other matters as she grows older ... and ultimately on her own.

Over the last couple of years, she has had her temporary license and we have let her drive some. The very first time I ever let her get behind the wheel, we went to a huge empty parking lot of a store that had closed. Before she started, I first lectured her - like any good Dad would - explaining that she was to listen to me and that she should obey me immediately - none of this asking "Why?" to everything I told her. "Obey first, and THEN ask questions!"

After we went through the typical car safety rules such as adjusting mirrors, seats, and safety belts, I took a deep breath and told her to start the car. She started the car and immediately the radio blared to life to a local Contemporary Christian station.

I kid you not ... the song that was playing the moment my daughter started the engine for her first driving lesson, was Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take The Wheel."

Who said God doesn't have a sense of humor?

Strange Sighting ...

A few weeks ago we were out, and in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart, we saw this sight:



Someone wanting to get a leg up on their Christmas shopping?

Test ...

This is a test blog sent via my cell phone. If it works, I am smarter than the machine. If not ...

Facebook Junkie

In case you are wondering where I have been the last week or so, I have been on FACEBOOK.

You need to be a member of Facebook in order to see my page. Simply send me a friend request.

How To Clean the Toilet

Via E-mail:

How To Wash A Toilet

* Put both lids of the toilet up. Then add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.
* Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.
* In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close the lid. You may need to stand on the lid.
* The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.
* Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a power-wash and rinse.
* Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.
* Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift the lid.
* The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.
* Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

Sincerely,

The Dog

The Charlie Schulz Philosophy

Found this here.

The Charlie Schulz Philosophy (This is marvelous!! Scroll thru slowly and read carefully to receive and enjoy full effect.)

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip. You don’t have to actually answer the questions … just ponder them.

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 pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners 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. 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 simply are the ones who care the most.

Five Favorite Old Shows

I thought I'd list my five favorite old TV shows that no longer air, but sometimes you can catch on a cable channel.

1) Andy Griffith Show - To me, there has been no finer comedy made. It's pure small-town Americana at its finest. Great characters, but I think they were based on real people who probably were more like the ficticious characters than most folks would care to admit. My favorite episode was the one where Barney joins the choir. And I also love the episode about Aunt Bea's pickles. I never tire of this one.

2) Star Trek: TNG - Yes, I am a closet Trekkie. Not a fan of the original series, but this new show got me hooked. Star Trek: DS9 was a disappointment. Voyager was OK, but it wasn't TNG. Plus, it taught me cool words to throw around in some of my college physics classes. Say stuff like: "Quantum transducers" or "ionic plasma anti-matter" and folks think you're smart. Just don't tell them you learned those words off Star Trek!

3) Jericho - Short-lived show that really wasn't given a fair chance. It seems to me that lousy shows with worse ratings, especially those making some political statement or pushing an agenda seem to be given chance after chance in various timeslots. But Jericho aired on Wednesday nights - usually up against American Idol or Lost, and what do you expect? But I digress ... I hated to see Gerald McRaney's character killed off, but felt this show was cut short and the plot never really explained - even with the additional episodes that were supposed to bring closure to the story.

4) The Pretender - A great show that few people watched. A genius is trained by a super-secret think tank to be able to assume any identity and assume any vocation needed. Only, the genius discovers he's being used for nefarious purposes, so he escapes the think tank and proceeds to go around helping people. The plot twists in this show were GREAT. Unfortunately, the story line was forced to be wrapped in a couple of TV movies, and what could/should have been a good seven season series got cut into three seasons and a couple two hour movies.

5) Alias - This is the only series I own on DVD - I have the complete five season run. Again, there's a lot of plot twists: the heroine's dead mother isn't really dead. The lingering question of who Sydney's (heroine) REAL father is. Then there's that whole Rambaldi plot. And a sister pops up outta nowhere. And then Sydney marries Michael, her CIA handler, only to discover that Michel isn't who he says that he is, but he is killed before he can explain anything - only to find out he's not really dead, but in hiding.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Mission Impossible - Loved Jim Phelps and the IMF team; Babylon 5 - Actually, this was pretty good sci-fi show, but it kind of leaves you afraid of shadows (You have to see the show in order to appreciate that "shadow" comment); J.A.G. - Loved the navy ships and planes. I keep hoping one of these characters will drop in on the spin-off show, NCIS, sometime.