Positive, Productive, Profitable Retirement News

Let's face it - to radio programmers, anyone over the age of seventy are the walking dead - not worth time and effort - and 60 year olds aren't exactly their prize target either. Ok, once in a blue moon a "Music of your Life" station may pop in Glen Miller's "Moonlight Serenade" but when was the last time you heard the music of Shep Fields and his Rippling Rhythms or Woody Herman's Thundering Herd or C.C. Rider by Jazz singer Bea Booze?

But senior radio is here - loud and clear and without a single commercial.

This is not a paid commercial and there's no affiliation payment - however, I can be as easy as a lap dancer if XM satellite radio wants to pick up six months of my subscription.

180 channels of music, sports, and news but it's channels four (40's) and five (50's) for senior radio - what memory machines.

During our drive back home from Florida, the miles flew by as recordings I haven't heard in over sixty years fired up long forgotten memories. Coming into Atlanta they played "the Umbrella Man" by Kay Kyser and his Orchestra and I was transported back to 1939 - I was ten years old when my mother decided I was going to be the next Eddie Duchin and forced me into taking piano lessons - calling me out a game of street hockey to practice the "The Umbrella man"

Driving west through Kentucky on I64, it's "All or Nothing at All" - Frank Sinatra with the Harry James band - 1940 and I was back in my cluttered bedroom with my buddies Paul Edmonds and Dave Kerr comparing our latest record purchases.

In rapid order - they played my first 12 inch record buy - Bunny Berigan's "I can't Get Started" followed closely by what I remember as a "two-sider" record - "Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing,"

Coming up to Pittsburgh I click over to channel five - "Because of You" Tony Bennett - 1951 - I was the program director, sportscaster and early morning DJ for the 250 watt station in Barrie and I would play that record at 8.15 nearly every morning - the time Audrey set her alarm clock for wake up. Johnny Ray's "Cry" - Audrey and I in our dating years standing in the rain outside Toronto's Casino Theatre to see Ray and the Four Lads in concert.

Making the right turn at Erie Pennsylvania, back to channel four - Bing Crosby -"I'll be seeing You" - 1944 - I was sixteen years old on summer vacation when the lady living four doors down from our house hired me to cut her front lawn every Saturday.
One August Saturday she invited me into her kitchen for a coke - she lived alone, her husband was overseas, a Captain in an armoured division - I remember how awkward I felt when she started to cry as she told me she hadn't heard from him in over a month - that was a monumental vacation the summer of 44

Try it - XM Satellite radio - millions of memories and no commercials - senior radio at its best.

Email this morning from Dan Dombroski - Just thought you'd like to know...

On Wednesday of next week, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.
Won't ever happen again.

You may now return to your normal stuff. (Go to URL)

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April 4, 2006 - Seniors Sing-a-long and Serendipity

Let's start off our day with a seniors sing-a-long
My thanks to Tom for sending me this.

JUST THINK, ELVIS WOULD BE 70 THIS YEAR! If Elvis had lived longer, he possibly would have re-written, "Are You Lonesome Tonight."
Here's how it might have turned out.

Turn up speakers and sing along Are You Lonesome Tonight (Senior Citizen Version)

---

Please understand this not to brag - I'm trying to get you to consider the possibility of publishing your own website as a creative retirement job and if just the benefits of the mental challenge won't do it perhaps the idea of making extra income will.

Last week I cashed another commission check from Google. Granted, not huge bucks but I've only been working this creative retirement job for eleven months and I now know that in this intriguing world of Ecommerce, I'm still in the building stage.
Yes, there were times when I was getting discouraged - it's like climbing a mountain - the difficult struggle to reach the top (researching, studying, all the trials and errors) - then that feeling of accomplishment that builds like a snowball gaining momentum as it rolls down the other side of the mountain.

That's what the home website is all about - How I and many others who knew zip about such matters discovered the fascinating world of Ecommerce - and you've got to admit the idea that your project continues to bring in a few loonies and twonies (that's Canadian money talk) even while your sleeping is kind of neat.

There is a new economy - it's built on information - information that you may be able to deliver - information that pays.

Remember a couple of entries back on this Blog about the joys of Serendipity - "The faculty of happiness upon fortunate discoveries when not in search of them" - As noted in my Retirement Journal my joy of serendipity came in an Email from a stranger thousands of miles away.

Maybe if you click here you will have the same kind of discovery.

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April 5, 2006 - Serendipity and Mike Weir's wine

Yesterday I talked about Serendipity - the joy of unexpected discovery here's a few serendipity notes I jotted down while scanning the internet and newspapers last night - likely nothing here of any real value but you might throw out a couple of them to impress the water cooler crowd.

• redheads can stand 25% more pain than brunettes - (mental floss)
• The longest attack of the hiccups lasted from 1922 to 1990 - 68 years or 430 hiccups. His name was Charles Osborne and he died the following year. (Guinness world records)
• Do you panic when you run into a teenager? You may suffer from - Ephebiphobia
• 14% of Americans believe that cheating on your taxes is not "a moral issue"

Canadian Pro Golfer, Masters Champion and all around nice guy Mike Weir says he set to go and is feeling a great deal better than he did last year when he was suffering from back problems. But I came across a headline the other day that caught my eye - Mike Weir hits another hole in one It wasn't about his golf game.

Apparently Mike owns 50 acres of prime vineyard property near Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario and according to Beppi Crosariol who writes the Wine and Spirits column in the Toronto Globe and Mail, Mike has scored big time with the wine experts. According to M. Crosariol -

"Mike Weir Estate Pinot 2004 is medium-bodied and delicate. ........It's expertly made, showing classic pinot flavours of red berries and beetroot and a hint of earth, carried on a silky frame with a subtle, slightly tannic backbone. Close your eyes and you can almost imagine you're drinking a decent red Burgundy (the benchmark for good pinot noir.

Wow - I love the way these wine guys talk even though my knowledge of good wine wouldn't cover the bottom of a whiskey shot glass.
Crosariol also hails Mike Weir Estate Chardonnay 2004 as a real winner.

I'm going to run out and grab a bottle and have it ready to raise a glass if Mike should win another green jacket - and in that regard, here's to retirement - you can watch the Masters every day.

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April 6, 2006 - A Canadian Senior helps people help themselves

I want to tell you about Canadaville.

Canadaville is a new community located on 912 acres of land near Simmersport, Louisiana a town of 751 households and 510 families.

Canadaville was developed by Canadian billionaire Frank Stronach, a hard nosed industrialist who quit school at the age of fourteen to apprentice as a tool and die maker. He left Austria for Canada in 1954 and started up his own business three years later in Toronto.
In 1969 his firm acquired its first automotive parts contract and merged with Magna Electronics which later became the auto-parts giant Magna International Ltd.

Stronach is semi retired and is now what they call the non-executive chairman - don't you believe it - the old guy still has the juice - during one noisy shareholders meeting Big Frank told those complaining of his tatics - "If you don't like the restaurant, eat someplace else."

As a philanthropist Stronach doesn't just write a cheque to some charity and walk away - he plans everything down to the last detail and to this observer, Canadaville is a classic example of the value of helping people help themselves - Canadaville ain't a FEMA project that's for sure.

After hurricane Katrina hit the US Gulf Coast and it seemed everyone was running around wringing their hands and accomplishing little, Stronach organized his people and had hundreds of homeless tranfered to his horse ranch in Florida. (one of his companies owns a group of major racetracks in the US including Gulfstream in Florida)

Later he purchased the Louisiana property that now has 75 mobile housing units, each1420 square feet in size - three bedrooms and two bathrooms, air conditioning, washers, dryers, and other amenities.

Residents will be able to stay rent-free for five years, with the requirement that (if able-bodied) they contribute to the community by learning new skills or using their existing skills.

Since many of the Katrina evacuees were extremely poor and generally not well-educated, it's hoped the Canadaville experience will help the evacuees gain self-reliance that they didn't have before.

As Frank h Stronach explained, "we would hopefully be able to put in an infrastructure whereby you would create a new life for them, a life of hope, spirit, so that they will be self-supporting and not on welfare. That's the idea."

Canadaville aims to help its residents integrate into a long-term holistic farming community. It will raise livestock and seafood which will be purchased by and served at Stronach's Gulfstream race track in Palm Beach Florida.

Now, here's an update -Stronach revealed yesterday he plans for an emergency center in Canadaville - a $3 million dollar structure that will have 300 beds and be capable of feeding 2,500 people per day.

When I heard this story I couldn't help but wonder why other major corporations didn't follow up on Stronach's concept - again, it just shows that the private sector, when it wants to, can accomplish a hell of lot more than governments can.

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April 7, 2006 - Grandpa at the wheel - WAHM's and WAHGRAM's

Now to Grandma - received an interesting Email from a visitor to the home website about the page dealing with the creative challenge possibilities for stay-at-home moms or as they are labeled - WAHM's - women who have found a creative business opportunity via the internet while staying at home with the kids.

According to the latest web census, the majority of the WAHM population is women in the 25 to 45 are group - but hold the phone - Janet A tells me there's another influential group working the internet while watching the kids - the WAHGRAM's - Working At Home Grams - Grandmothers baby sitting their grandchildren.

Gotta love it - the WAHM's using the internet for a creative challenge to take them to and through retirement and the WAHGRAM's using the internet for a creative retirement job.

Janet confessed that it's not always easy working the two at the same time - keeping an eye on the kids while at the computer, however, she points out the internet offers all the flexibility you need - after all it's open 24/7. Janet works on her internet projects in the early morning, during afternoon nap time and, if she's up to it, just before bedtime.

I came across this article the other day that fits right in here -

An online business is the perfect way to do something for yourself and get paid for it! The positive effects will last much longer than a one hour spa treatment. And only your child's laughter will thrill you more than the tens, then hundreds, then thousands of visitors to your site, daily.

Choose a theme that speaks to you, that engages your mind and soul. And then build your business around it. You may already know what you want to do or you may need some time to figure it out. Perhaps it's been so long that you have forgotten what it is that you actually love to do!

Once you have that building block, what else do you need?

• enthusiasm, motivation and creativity
• the ability to work hard, learning as you go along
• patience and forethought.

Just like raising a family, building a successful site takes time. Block by block, page by page, day by day. Slow and steady.

For those of you who would like to join the ranks of the WAHM's or the WAHGRAM's here's the place to start.

Have a great day and here are other retirement job ideas - (Go to URL)

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April 8, 2006 - Positive Writing for a better retirement

Robert Schuller once said that,

"It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts."

In a recent article, Sidney Reeves CFT asked the question -
"how do you maintain the motivation to attain the ultimate goal?"

His article dealt with weight loss but his basic idea can be applied to any assignment such as developing a creative challenge to take you into and through retirement - "you must change your thinking to change your behavior and writing makes that happen."

One more reason for you to look into the possibility of developing a website or publishing an E-book - it can be therapeutic and I can vouch for that.

Reeve's points out -

"Every successful athlete understands that his thinking process is either working for him or against him. The same holds true with weight loss. If your internal dialogue is negative, your results will eventually manifest the same result! You can't degrade yourself to a healthy new you! You must change your thinking to work for you, to build your resolve, and to maintain that all important motivational factor.

Writing is an exercise that will help your mind change its thinking! It allows you to process the negative emotions and helps to instill the positive changes"

Reeves suggests these start steps -

• "The Negative Emotions Daily Dump: Many success coaches advocate writing out your negative thinking on a daily basis. Simply spend approximately 15 minutes writing out all the frustrations, bad feelings, and discouragement. This helps you to process these bad feelings out of your system so that you can make room for positive affirmations. Do not reread the entries and do not keep them. Write it out, and then throw it out. We call this the Negative Emotions Daily Dump."
• "Affirm Your Goals: Prepare a list of affirmations that will help your subconscious work with your conscious brain to make those all important behavioral changes. Then write your affirmations at least twice a day" - Editors note: Be sure to take the time to read the entire positive thinking chapter on the host website.

Reeves also suggests that In order to stay motivated you must understand your real reasons for doing what you're doing - in our internet creative challenge example it could be the extra income, the mental stimulation, or just the personal satisfaction of creating an information project that will be viewed by people all over the world.

Again - "You must change your thinking to change your behavior and writing makes that happen."

For more on how to battle the negativity virus - (Go to URL)

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April 9, 2006 - Retirement humor - Here's to the ladies

My thanks to Bernice Dini for sending this - Ladies, this is for you I've seen two shows lately that went on and on about how mid-life is a great time for women. Just last week Oprah had a whole show on how great menopause will be... Puhleeeeeeeze!

I've had a few thoughts of my own and would like to share them with you. Whether you are pushing 40, 50, 60 (or maybe even just pushing your luck) you'll probably relate.

• Mid-life is when the growth of hair on our legs slows down. This gives us plenty of time to care for our newly acquired mustache.
• In mid-life women no longer have upper arms, we have wing spans. We are no longer women in sleeveless shirts, we are flying squirrels in drag.
• Mid-life is when you can stand naked in front of a mirror and you can see your rear without turning around.
• Mid-life is when you go for a mammogram and you realize that this is the only time someone will ask you to appear topless.
• Mid-life is when you want to grab every firm young lovely in a tube top and scream, "Listen honey, even the Roman empire fell and those will too."
• Mid-life brings wisdom to know that life throws us curves and we're sitting on our biggest ones.
• Mid-life is when you look at your-know-it-all, beeper-wearing teenager and think: "For this I have stretch marks?"
• In mid-life your memory starts to go. In fact the only thing we can retain is water.
• Mid-life means that your Body By Jake now includes Legs By Rand McNally -- more red and blue lines than an accurately scaled map of Wisconsin.
• Mid-life means that you become more reflective...You start pondering the "big" questions. What is life? Why am I here? How much Healthy choice ice cream can I eat before it's no longer a healthy choice?

But mid-life also brings with it an appreciation for what is important.
We realize that breasts sag, hips expand and chins double, but our loved ones make the journey worthwhile.
Would any of you trade the knowledge that you have now, for the body you had way back when?

Maybe our bodies simply have to expand to hold all the wisdom and love we've acquired. That's my philosophy and I'm sticking to it!

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April 10, 2006 - Take the time to research

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
Thomas Edison

There's a great quote to remember when you decide to investigate the possibility of creating your own website.

From my own personal experience and through hundred of emails exchanged with fellow webmasters, I've learned that in most cases the - "10,000 ways that won't work" - are the result of newbies taken in by the scam sharks or after an old-fashioned, Web hosting/Webmaster failure, or when they realize they just can't do ftp-based hosting. - examples -

• "I got suckered into a web hosting site with credit card machine and all kinds of stuff I didn't understand and realized right away it was going to cost me a small fortune to begin this 'free site." - (Sally from angel-healing-adviser.com)
• "I checked out hosting etc. I'd have to learn HTML, oh dear. And how to FTP, didn't like the sound of that and still don't!" - (Larry from best-cat-art.com)
• "Anyway, I built my first site this fall using Mozilla Composer, and 106 hours later (literally) realized I never wanted to see another HTML script for as long as I live." - (Richard from [NO DOMAIN YET]-[Winterville])
• "Few new folks found me! How on earth do you get into the search engines? I tried software submissions, websites who helped, but CONTENT had no part of it. How stupid can you be? (Pretty dumb, I admit now!) Worst part, I waited TEN YEARS -- don't make this mistake!" - (Wendy from friendship-by-mail.com)

So here we are - non techies, just ordinary folks - some older than others - who found the road map to internet success - Site Build It

This personal recommendation is supported by thousands of others who, at the beginning, knew nothing, zero, zilch about creating a revenue producing website -

• "I realized that since I live in a relatively remote place I could attract clients from around the world on the Net. The rest, they say, is history." - (Audrey from writershelper.com)
• "Instead of shifting (hosts), I decided to try with the SBI. It was one of the best decisions that I had made so far in my life." - (Saqib Ali from personal-development-success-secrets.com)
• "So I decided to research. BIG TIME! I had one weekend off, where I took all the time I had and researched the web about SBI. I looked for reviews, forum posts, testimonials,... " - (Tomaz from tennismindgame.com)
• "I liked all the free stuff that's there. I downloaded the Affiliate Masters course, printed it out to read while I was traveling on the train and I was hooked." - (Lesley from east-devon-guide.com)

Again, if you're retired - just the benefit of the mental activity in researching and producing a website is enough to justify the time and effort - if you're years away from retirement, this creative challenge keeps building so when you reach the retirement years you are in full command of your life, depending on no-one.
In both cases, the additional revenue is obviously welcomed

Just take the time to do the research - (Go to URL)

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April 11, 2006 - A sense of purpose and Sharon Stone

In case you didn't catch the news report this morning - a new study on retirement reveals that the majority of Americans - and I would suggest, the rest of the industrialized world - feel confident about having adequate funds for a comfortable retirement.
However, the same study also reveals that more than half of these workers have saved less than twenty-five thousand dollars toward retirement and that among workers 55 and older, more than four in ten have retirement savings under twenty-five thousand dollars.

"'Overconfidence' is the word that comes to mind," said Jack VanDerhei, co-author of the study for the Employee Benefit Research Institute.

He said that the poor savings performance was especially troubling because it comes as many of the nation's employers are eliminating the defined benefit plans -- better known as pensions -- that have buoyed the retirements of current workers' parents and grandparents.

Another retirement study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry, tracked men from disadvantaged backgrounds every five years from adolescence to the age of 75.

It turned out that happiness in retirement depended on their finding enjoyable activities, having a capacity for play and a sense of purpose. Their physical and mental disabilities and their economic security were far less decisive

And that dear friends is how it should be for all of us during the so called "senior years" - a sense of purpose plus a creative challenge

Bob Clyatt. Author of the book - "Work Less, Live More: The New Way to Retire Early" - puts it this way -

"Be bold. The biggest mistake people make is they fail to plan. When they retire, they think they are going to sit on the beach or play golf and don't think about whether that will satisfy them.
The financial side is one side, but the planning of what you really want to do, what interests you, should evolve."

Get on it today no matter what your age.

---

Should Sharon Stone retire?

While scanning the web to the other night, I was led to a Hollywood Gossip site that revealed the following about Sharon Stone's contract for the film Basic Instinct 2, that according to all reports, is the stinker of the year - perhaps the past decade.

• $14 million dollar contract.
• $3,500 per diem.
• Two personal assistants and three nannies at $1,500 a week each.
• A two bedroom presidential suite.
• A personal trainer.
• First Class travel for six.
• Final approval of catering (or have a personal chef provided)
• No oil based smoke to be used in the special effects - no cigar smoking on set.
• A Pilates Cadillac for her personal use
• Final Script approval, Final approval for marketing tie-ins, the right to retain all wardrobe.

Apparently that list was just for openers. How is your day?

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April 12, 2006 - Old Magazines

The waiting room at my Doctor's office is a great research center.
I purposely arrive well in advance of my appointment. That extra time added on to the usual waiting period gives me the opportunity to scan the pile of old magazines stacked on the corner table.

Some notes I jotted in my retirement notebook -

• Three Dale Carnegie quotes that fit right in for this retirement Blog and the host website -

"You never achieve success unless you like what you are doing."

"It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about."

"First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst"

• Yesterday, I listed some of Sharon Stone's contract demands for Basic Instincts 2 -How about this action - Tiger Woods received three million appearance fee for playing in the Dubai Desert Classic and he picked up another $400,000 dollars out of the $2.4 million dollar total purse.
• Tall people are more likely to take risks than small people
• In the hours before his untimely death 25 years ago, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham downed more that three dozen shots of vodka.
• A study reveals that infertility in Europe could double in ten years because of riding obesity, delayed childbearing and chiamydia infections.
• 156 BILLION dollars - Estimated global medical cost of dementia - primarily from Alzheimer's - 92% of which is spent by developed nations, which have less that 40% of the cases.
• An Amish boy and his father were visiting a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw but especially by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and then slide back together again by themselves.
  The boy asked, "What is that father?"

  The father, never having seen an elevator before responded, "Son I have no idea - I've never seen anything like it - I don't know what it is"

  While the pair were watching, a extremely obese lady waddled into the elevator and disappeared as the doors closed.

  The father and son watched as lighted numbers pinged to the highest number and started down again. Finally the doors opened again and a gorgeous young blonde woman stepped out.

  The father, not taking his eyes of the young woman, said quietly to his son - "Go get your mother."

Remember - "You never achieve success unless you like what you are doing."

Maybe you will find success before or during retirement with some of these ideas - (Go to URL)

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April 13, 2006 - A new quotation movie and an eBay quiz

Visitors to the host retirement jobs website know that the first chapter deals with the power of positive thinking and one of the main boosters in developing a positive mind set is using affirmations and inspirational quotations. - not just once in a while, but on a regular basis - repetition is the key to success

It occurred to me that if you combined inspirational quotations with the power of visualization it would produce a potent weapon in the battle against negativity.

All of this led this old geezer to learn yet another software program - frustrating at times but like all creative challenges, mentally invigorating.
Anyway, my plan is to produce a series of mini-movies that folks can download to their computers and view whenever they need a little motivation.
Hopefully by repeating the movie the pictures and the quotations will be remembered when feelings and attitudes are running on low.

This is a flash movie and if you don't have a flash player on your computer you can download the free software at Macromedia Flash Player

The mini-movie can be viewed and download at Quotation Movie - "It's your life" . - pass it on to anyone you think would appreciate a short visual pick-me-up

Another creative challenge featured on the host website centers on my experiences as a, eBay seller and buyer.

eBay has come with an interesting quiz dealing with keeping the ebay marketplace a safe place to shop. Unfortunately, as it is in any community, you will always have those who seek ways to cheat and scam. eBay has strict rules on how buyers and sellers have to operate - this quiz offers an opportunity to see how well you know what's OK and what's not - give it a try

Now, working stiff or retiree, let's get creative and make your life more interesting and challenging the longer you live - (Go to URL)

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April 15, 2006 - Retirement assignment - a musical intervention

I have a record by Peter Allan - "Everything old is new again" - musically speaking - don't I wish.

Most of the so-called music the kids are hooked on today has the appeal of a slaughterhouse waste bin.
I think those of us living in their retirement years should boldly go forth and bring our grandchildren back from the musical dark-side - show them the true meaning of the words - melody and lyrics.

Even now in my - near-the-end-of-the-line years, I consider myself musically broadminded. As a former radio DJ and program director, back in what my grandchildren think of as the dark ages, I programmed formats ranging from rock and roll top 40 - country - easy listening and God help me, sing-a-long - do you remember that brief period of Mitch Miller, the Kingston Trio?

Today, my record collection ranges from Muggsy Spanier to George Jones - Billie Holliday to Bill Haley - Sinatra to Springsteen - the Eagles to Engelbert - the Beatles to Beethoven - but with most of today's whatever - you have to draw the line

I'm not alone - in the Nation Post last week, Wayne Eyre, a journalist out of Saskatoon, wrote an article - "In my day, music wasn't this crappy"

Eyre writes -

How do you tell millions of rock fans that what they're hooked on is 90% noisome spectacle?
That for all its recondite permutations into hard rock, grunge rock, glam rock, garage rock, raga rock, Afro rock, glitter rock, post-rock, etc., its common denominator comprises a stupefying backbeat, dumbed-down lyrics and a wearisome sameness that addles the mind.

Eyre also notes a comment another journalist, Robert Cushman wrote several years ago -

The sad fact is that love songs in the classic American tradition can no longer be written. The older writers still trying it end up sounding like hacks and the younger ones like hicks."

As an XM satellite radio subscriber, I can plug in via the internet and my computer - as I write this Harry James and his orchestra and I believe it's Helen Forrest are offering up - "I'll buy that dream" - smooth hummable melody plus -

"Imagine me with my head on your shoulder
And you with your lips getting bolder
A sky full of moon and a sweet mellow tune
I'll buy that dream."

Compare - From the rock group Nickelback -

"Your mom don't know what you were missing
She's be pissed if she could see the parts of you that I've been kissing."

Last night Larry King was interviewing Barry Manilow - OK, I know what you're thinking - pleaseeeee - Manilow the Musak Maestro?

Hey, this guy must know something - he's one of us - at 63 he's junior senior status and his album - "The greatest Hits of the Fifties" is number two on the charts and his DVD - "Manilow Live in Las Vegas" is also a top seller.

Anyway, King asked him how come this kind of success? Manilow answers - "I guess there's an audience out there starving for lyrics and melodies."

So seniors unite - save our grandchildren from falling into a musical abyss.
This afternoon we're going to see the Antonio Banderas movie "Take the Lead" - a drama inspired by the true story of Pierre Dulaine, an inspirational Manhattan dance teacher and competitor who volunteers his time to teach ballroom dancing to a diverse group of New York inner-city high school students serving detention.

If the flick is as entertaining as many critics have claimed, I plan to herd my grandchildren back to the theatre and on the drive home, crank up my satellite radio to the 40's and 50's channels and keep driving until I see feet tapping and/or hear sing-a-long humming.

Back now to retirement stuff - (Go to URL)

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April 16, 2006 - Retirement assignment follow-up

Just a quick follow-up to yesterdays entry -
Yup, put "Take the lead" on your movie list. It's a heart-pleasing, warm and fussy kind of movie and even though you know what's coming next, you can't help but enjoy yourself.

The film is inspired by the true story of Pierre Dulaine, the swanky gentleman who brought ballroom dancing to New York's inner-city public schools and as one reviewer noted - "Antonio Banderas does Dulaine proud-the movie may be a bit dorky, but he is not."

I second that - Banderas is the movie as he teaches, by example, that good manners and respect of others can be "cool."
His character reminded me of Fred Astaire - and sure enough, I wasn't the only one. Roger Ebert was commenting on how public manners have degenerated in recent decades and when talking about this movie he said - "Antonio Banderas is reason enough to see the movie. There are some people who by their personal style can make us want to be better. "Whenever you're in doubt in a social situation," the director Gregory Nava once assured me, "just ask yourself, what would Fred Astaire do?"

Lessons on the importance of good manners, good music and good lyrics all wrapped up in a entertaining 117 minutes.
Side note - the matinee I attended was approximately ¾ teenagers and ¼ seniors, so, as noted yesterday, you don't have to herd your grandchildren to the theatre -they want to go and that's "cool."

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April 17, 2006 - A new mini movie plus lessons from the coach and the donkey

First, I have completed another quotation movie featuring a collection of outstanding pictures that serve as background for inspirational and motivational quotations dealing with "self and seeing."

I have uncovered a gallery of spectacular nature pictures and it's my hope to produce a series of these mini-movies to help promote the value of positive thinking and visualization - and yes, to also promote the host website. A new Quotation Movies Page has been added to the website that lists all available quotation movies ready for download.

Every morning, when I first fire-up the computer, I run one of these mini-movies. Even though I've spent a great deal of time with them during the production stage, the pictures always produce a positive feeling - hit pause and visualize - mentally put yourself in the picture - it's relaxing and you will find that your in a better frame of mind to face the day.

And on that note, I want to pass on how others have realized the value of visualization in developing a positive attitude.
I apologize for not giving full credit here - I ripped this copy from a newspaper and didn't notice that I had cut off the headline and byline, but obviously it was written by a track coach -

Now that your body is getting used to the training, it is time to take a moment and focus on a very important mental habit called visualization. Visualization is a fancy word for using your imagination. Imagine yourself doing something even before you do it. It's like a mental practice run.

This might sound funny, but most top athletes in the world make visualization part of their training. I had the honor of coaching Anna Stumbo, a top high school runner who taught me a great deal about the power of visualization.
Anna got nervous before running races and, as a coach, I told her to relax, be confident and think positive.

That was much easier said than done. Anna needed a strategy to deal with her nervousness.
So she would draw the running course on a piece of paper and visualize every tree, turn and landmark on the course. As she did this, she would imagine how she would feel running it. She would imagine herself running the course strong and confident. She did it again and again.

When race day came, she was prepared.

Your central nervous system doesn't distinguish between real and imagined events; it responds to all images as if they were real. If you imagine yourself running strong and relaxed, you will feel calm and confident - remember that you can control unhappy thoughts.

No matter what your age - child or senior - go in search of the Good and beautiful

One more fun thing - take a lesson from the donkey

Now, let's get creative - (Go to URL)

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April 18, 2006 - Dates -eBay and look what can happen

On this day April 18 -

• 1906 - The San Francisco earthquake - click here for interesting pictures and stats.

• I was 17 years old when, on this date 1946, in Jersey City New Jersey, George Shuba, of the Montreal Royals of the International league, extended his hand to teammate Jackie Robinson as he crossed home plate following Robinson's second inning, 335-foot home run in the opening game of the season - the first white/black handshake in major league baseball. 25,000 packed Roosevelt Stadium to see 27 year old Robinson finally break baseball's colour barrier.

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  As an eBay seller (who has been inactivate lately) I'm going to spend more time researching this, but the new eBay Express sound interesting - basically, This new service will offer a shopping experience much simpler and quicker than eBay's main auction service. With Express, the company delivers buyers to its best sellers accomplishing two important goals: broaden its shopper base and keep its star sellers happy.

  Buyers will be able to search for a particular item or items, deal with any number of sellers on one shopping trip, fill their shopping cart and pay one bill - Click here for more on eBay Express

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  My thanks to Carol Raycraft for this one -

  A man was walking down the street when he was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless man who asked him for a couple of dollars for dinner.
  The man took out his wallet, extracted ten dollars and asked, "If I give you this money, will you buy some beer with it instead of dinner?"
  "No, I had to stop drinking years ago," the homeless man replied.
  "Will you use it to go fishing instead of buying food?" the man asked.
  "No, I don't waste time fishing," the homeless man said. "I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive."
  "Will you spend this on greens fees at a golf course instead of food?" the man asked.
  "Are you NUTS!" replied the homeless man. "I haven't played golf in 20 years!"
  "Will you spend the money on a woman in the red light district instead of food?" the man asked.
  "What disease would I get for ten lousy bucks?" exclaimed the homeless man.
  "Well," said the man, "I'm not going to give you the money. Instead, I'm going to take you home for a terrific dinner cooked by my wife."
  The homeless man was astounded. "Won't your wife be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting."

  The man replied, "That's okay. It's important for her to see what a man looks like after he has given up beer, fishing, golf, and sex."

  Now, let's get creative - (Go to URL)

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April 19, 2006 - Seniors and computers

"Why in hell would an old coot like you have a website.?"
"Because it keeps me young you smart-ass twit."

That exchange never took place- I just imagined it did.
It was the look o the kids face - It was as if his world was not in sync.
I didn't tell him that Site Build It did all the techie stuff for me - I went on about web design and search engines as if I knew what I was talking about.

He's not alone - why is it that young people, (young -meaning anyone under the age of 55) believe that once you hit the so-called senior years you're incapable of using a computer let alone navigate the internet.

Now that I think about it, I know seniors who think that computers and the internet are for the young of age - they know nothing about the young at heart.

But attitudes will soon change I believe - note this comment in a newspaper "letters to the editor" submission -

"There are benefits for senior's health and well-being that are attributed to Internet usage. The more the senior online population grows, the more people see that the internet can help them. Many seniors use their email to contact their representatives and other government officials, and believe me; they are not afraid to voice their opinions. Additional benefits are the rewarding relationships that chatting can produce. Most high schools and colleges offer classes at reduced prices to seniors who want to learn how to use a computer. Hopefully more seniors will take the plunge and try out the internet."

I submit that it goes even further than that - that computers and the internet offer another major benefit to a senior's health - mental health.

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young"
Henry Ford

That's what computers and the internet can do for you if you are willing to take the time.
But hold on - if you're a senior and you're reading this, you already know about the joys and frustrations of computer life - so take the next step - really get involved - publish your own website - tell the world what you know.

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Don't know were to begin - (Go to URL)

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April 20, 2006 - The F-word and Julie Andrews

The F word - I use that F-word a great deal - I really learned to use it effectively years ago when I quit smoking. I use it even more today, in my senior years - Focus.

I've found that only by focusing on one task at a time can I truly reach my goals and I can tell you that's particularly true when you get involved with working the internet.

Here's a recipe for a wasted life -- just go about every day trying to do too many things all at once. Splitting yourself up into a hundred little parts leads to nowhere.
OK, there are some people who like to juggle a number of tasks, and they may be good at it, but for most of us the need to concentrate on one task at a time is imperative to getting the job done. It's not the amount of work you get done in a day or week or even a year, but it's your persistence in constantly moving forward that will get you where you want to go.

Learning to focus your efforts is the only way you will achieve the success you're capable of achieving.

Through this Blob and host websiteI urge you to take a serious look at creating your own website as a creative challenge that can take into and through retirement and to use, as I did, the best web friend any senior could hope for Site Build It.

First, just take the time to focus on researching and learning.
The need to concentrate on one task at a time is imperative to getting the job done. It's not the amount of work you get done in a day or week or even a year, but it's your persistence in constantly moving forward that will get you where you want to go.

Remember the F-word - FOCUS

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To commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she Performed was "My Favorite Things" from the legendary movie "Sound Of Music." However, the lyrics of the song were deliberately changed for the entertainment of her "senior" audience.
Here are the lyrics she recited:

Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.
Cadillacs and cataracts and hearing aids and glasses,
Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets, and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heat pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pains, confused brains, and no fear of sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames,
When we remember our favorite things.

When the joints ache,
When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad."

Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores

"The true way to render ourselves happy is to love our work and find in it our pleasure."
Francoise De Motteville

Here's some "work to make you happy" ideas - (Go to URL)

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April 21, 2006 - New mini-movie

Thanks to my son Gord, who patiently accepted a number of "what the hell do I do now" calls, I am beginning to master a new piece of software that allows me to produce my Quotation mini-movies.

Gotta to tell ya - if you want to keep mentally active during your retirement years, get involved with computers and the internet - true, there are times when you want to throw the damn thing out the window, but overall there's nothing like it to keep seniors sharp in mind and spirit.

Anyway, this series of motivational video, which I dedicate to our daughter Cindy, as explained here, is one of the most enjoyable creative challenges I've experienced in a long time, especially the search for the pictures - there are tens of thousands of spectacular pictures on the internet and I'm more than willing to pay the royalty fee.

When I rerun one of the movies, which is now the first thing I do after firing up the computer, I often hit the pause button and try to put myself into the scene - the power of visualization - tis a wondrous thing - I sincerely hope you will enjoy the tour - it's a beautiful world out there.

Now to the business at hand - Here is the new Quotation Movie In search of the Good and Beautiful - Part One

If you do not have a flash player - you can download the free software here

To house the quotation mini-movies series, I have built a small website - quotationmovies.com and also to list all the mini-movies, I have added a quotation movie page to the host website - (Go to URL)

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April 22, 2006 - Neighbours - great site - women are smarter than men

Just added some new stats on the Connect2Canada page dealing with trade, energy and investment between Canada and the United States - very impressive.

I may be a little late in passing on this valuable website - I understand it's been up and running for more than eight months - but I came across it last night while researching for the host website.

For seniors who are new to the internet, this site is an invaluable reference center on how to protect yourself from scams - how to shop safely - how to deal with spam and spyware - a whole library of "straight talk" advice to keep seniors safe online .

Microsoft helped develop the OnGuard Online branding and contributed a series of security videos for the site.

Just click and learn.
As an eBay power seller, one of the features I like is their Auction Action Quiz - by answering all the questions you can learn everything you need to know to bid and buy safely and how to handle any problems that may come up - an all around great site.

My thanks to Bernice Dini for sending this one -
When Dan found out he was going to inherit a fortune when his sickly father died, he decided he needed a woman to enjoy it with.
So one evening he went to a singles bar where he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away.
"I may look like just an ordinary man," he said as he walked up to her "but in just a week or two, my father will die, and I'll inherit 20 million dollars."
Impressed, the woman went home with him that evening and, three days later, she became his stepmother.

Women are so much smarter than men...

Now, let's get creative - (Go to URL)

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April 23, 2006 - To our fallen heroes

As the US networks gave this news story only one-line coverage on their evening newscasts last night, I write this entry with condolence's to the families of our slain warriors and to emphasize to those who may doubt our countries commitment to the war against terrorism, that we are there - we are your allies -

Four Canadian soldiers were killed on Saturday, April 22 when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device near Gumbad, approximately 75 kilometres north of Kandahar.

Killed in the incident were:

• Corporal Matthew Dinning, born in Richmond Hill, Ontario, stationed at 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters, Petawawa, Ontario;
• Bombardier Myles Mansell, born in Victoria, British Columbia, of 5th (British Columbia) Field Regiment, stationed at Victoria, B.C.;
• Lieutenant William Turner, born in Toronto, of Land Force Western Area Headquarters, stationed at Edmonton;
• Cpl. Randy Payne, born in Lahr, Germany, but stationed at CFB Wainright, Alta.

Bombardier Mansell and Lieutenant Turner died at the scene of the blast. The fourth soldier was evacuated by helicopter to Kandahar Airfield where he succumbed to his injuries after undergoing surgery.

A total of 15 Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have died since 2002 when Canada first became involved in Afghanistan following the ouster of the hardline Taliban regime.

"Heroes are people who rise to the occasion
and slip quietly away."
Tom Brokaw

For more on Canada's roll in the war against terrorism - (Go to URL)

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April 24, 2006 - The movie monkey - a retirees curse

There should be some kind of association for seniors who, like me, are movie addicts.

My flick addiction goes back to my teen years when, along with a couple of buddies, we would take in a couple of movies a day. Even when I was working I would grab a sandwich and spend an extended lunch break at the Imperial theatre on Toronto's Yonge Street.

Older flick fans are set in their ways - the majority seem to favor matinees - the 2 or 2.30 showing that allows enough time to get home and clean-up after the morning golf game and time after the movie to arrive at the all-you-can-eat restaurant before the end of the lunch price period.

Senior movie goers are a crafty lot - if you see a male retiree wearing an oversized windbreaker when the temperature outside is plus 20 Celsius, you know he's smuggling in a case of cokes for his buddies - if a senior female is lugging an oversized purse, you can bet the farm she's sneaking in several bags of homemade pop corn.

Theatre management pretends not to notice because if they made a fuss and demanded to inspect the jacket or purse there would be a riot and facing an angry crowd of seniors wielding canes, lobbing coke cans and shuffling forward behind a line of walkers can be a frightening sight.

But now I'm in trouble - I will never be able to watch a movie the same way again - and if I can't why should you - so I'm going to tell you what happened - and yes, it's because of the internet.

While browsing a few sites in search of movie information, I was directed to a site edited by a media studies professor at Concordia university in Montreal - Mathew Soar - he's upset by the growing number of commercial brand placement in movies - "It's escalating to a point where more and more movies are conceived or adapted to allow for placements in scenes and dialogues to work as advertising vehicles." Soar said in a recent interview.

According to Soar, product placement in the entertainment world is worth roughly $3.6 billion US annually and he suggests more and more movies are being written with products in mind - "If you put a product within the very fabric of a story, [the product] can't be avoided. … It's symptomatic of the need for advertisers to commune with the audience without any need for interruption."

Is Pepsi for gays and Coke for heterosexuals?
In an interview with the CBC - Soar talked about two scenes from Brokeback Mountain.
One scene he says shows the character Ennis, played by Heath Ledger, meeting up with an ex-girlfriend who is framed by a luminous Coke machine. Meanwhile, Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) is seen cruising through a Mexican town and eyeing hustlers who are standing near a Pepsi logo. Soar said he wondered whether it could lead people to unconsciously equate Pepsi with gay sex and Coke with heterosexual values.

After visiting Soar's site I spent most of the time at my next screening trying to spot the brand placements instead of just sitting back and enjoying the movie.

Did you know that in the movie - Failure to Launch - there were over thirty brand placements.

Now after reading this account - you, my friend are doomed - the next time you go to a movie you will start counting the brand placements - you can't fight it, you're hooked - you now have the movie monkey on your back.

(Go to URL)

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April 25, 2006 - Two clicks and the memorial stone

Have a couple of interesting clicks for you this morning - turn up your speakers.

First, a car trip down memory lane - retirees will get a kick out of this one - there's a couple of models that brought back some very pleasant memories for me - I tell you, those were the good old days

Next, take a few minutes to view the following power point presentation featuring the top photos of 2005 as selected by NBC.

Wish I could give credit for this but even though I goggled I couldn't find any further information. - it was sent to me in an Email from my daughter-in-law Julie - but I grade this "wow-level" material.

You can download it from my www.quotationmovie.com site.

If you don't have a Power Point viewer, there's a free download available at Microsoft.

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From the retirement humor chapter on the home website -

A woman's husband dies.
He had left $30,000 to be used for an elaborate funeral.
After everything is done at the funeral home and cemetery, she tells her closest friend that "there is absolutely nothing left from the $30,000."
The friend asks, "How can that be?"
The widow says, "Well, the funeral cost was $6,500. And of course I made a donation to the church -- that was $500, and I spent another $500 for the wake,food and drinks -- you know. The rest went for the memorial stone."
The friend says, "$22,500 for the memorial stone? My God, how big is it?"

The widow says, "Four and a half carats."

Now lets get creative - (Go to URL)

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April 26, 2006 - Over the hill at thirty and employee evaluations

To illustrate how old I am, when I started working, it was assumed that I would be with that one company until I retired.
Now, according to one statistical outfit, a worker, on average, could work at five different companies during his/her career.

I retired when I was 65 (bad move), several of my buddies packed it in when they turned 55 - but could it be that, in today's working world, when you celebrate your thirtieth birthday, you can consider yourself over the working hill?

LM Ericsson AB, the telecom giant, is offering buyouts (about 2 years salary) to workers between the ages of 30 and 50 - in order to clear the way to hire younger workers.

This outfit employs about 21,800 people in Sweden and about 50 thousand in 140 countries. According to the Financial Times of London, the company says the move - "is to correct an age structure that is imbalanced - we would like to make sure we employ more young people in order not to miss a generation in ten years time."

The FT article notes that it's cheaper for the employer to fund a buyout than to keep them on the payroll as they grow older and at a higher end salary - plus their pension costs keep climbing. Younger staff can be hired at less cost.
So, if they hire a twenty -something, that person can look forward to about ten years tops with this outfit - and to think I once bitched about what I thought was a low end contract offer - I was 58 at the time.

And finally this morning, as we are on the topic of employees and the workplace, these are allegedly actual quotes taken from employee performance evaluations.

• "Since my last report, this employee has reached rock-bottom and has started to dig."
• "I would not allow this employee to breed."
• "This employee is really not so much of a has-been, but more of a definite won't be."
• "It's hard to believe he beat out 1,000,000 other sperm."
• "When she opens her mouth, it seems that it is only to change feet."
• "This young lady has delusions of adequacy."
• "He sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them."
• "This employee is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot."
• "This employee should go far, and the sooner he starts the better."
• "Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thingy to hold it all together."
• "He doesn't have ulcers, but he's a carrier."
• "He's been working with glue too much."
• "He would argue with a signpost."
• "Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming."
• "If you give him a penny for his thoughts, you'd get change."
• "If you stand close enough to him, you can hear the ocean."
• "Works well when under constant supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap."
• "Some drink from the fountain of knowledge; he only gargled."
• "Takes him 2 hours to watch '60-minutes'"
• "The wheel is turning, but the hamster is dead".

  If you have any other suggestions please send them along. Now let's get creative - (Go to URL)

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April 27, 2006 - Imagination and grandparents

To imagine the unimaginable is the highest use of the imagination. - Cynthia Ozick

In a recent Toronto Star article, Andrew Chung details how little we use our imagination for out-of-the-box creative thinking because we are so caught up in living a routine existence - "Rarely do we actually use our imaginations to mind-stretch any thing more than what is already in our lives Instead we are a highly pragmatic lot. Wake up to the alarm. Think about a shower. Get in the shower. Think about breakfast. Think about commuting. Board the train. Think about work. Work. When was the last time you thought about a never-before-hear-of way of solving outbreaks of famine in Africa?"

Chung quotes Steve Joordens, a cognitive psychologist and professor at the University of Toronto, who puts it this way - "It's only a small percentage of our lives that we spend consciously considering things. We may go through 80 percent of our life without much conscious thought of what we are thinking and doing."

Professor Joordens, points out that when you're involved with your usual daily tasks, any effort to awaken your imagination for some creative purpose is "effortful and easily disruptable." - in other words, you have to take the time and make the effort.

I would submit that many carry this peculiarity into their senior years which is a shame. Our retirement years is when we should be taking the time and making the effort to fire-up our imaginations.

As promoted by the host website the internet offers unlimited opportunities for us to use our imaginations.

Obviously, if you're reading this entry, you've taken the first step - you have a basic knowledge of how to use a computer and how the internet works - now take the time and make an effort - use your imagination and search for ways you can benefit from using your computer and the internet.

Using your imagination is like an erupting volcano - you mentally brainstorm several ideas - it's not easy, you have to work at it - but then a possibility - and BOOM out pours a red hot flow of ideas and away you go.

What really interests you - what are you passionate about - take the time and make the effort - use your imagination.

There are no days in life so memorable as those which vibrated to some stroke of the imagination. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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My thanks to Bernice Dini for sending this -

What is a grandparent -
taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds

• Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of her own. They like other people's.
• A grandfather is a man & a grandmother is a lady!
• Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money.
• When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.
• They show us and talk to us about the colour of the flowers and also Why we shouldn't step on "cracks."
• They don't say, "Hurry up."
• Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes.
• They wear glasses and funny underwear.
• They can take their teeth and gums out.
• Grandparents don't have to be smart.
• They have to answer questions like "why isn't God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?"
• When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again.
• Everybody should try to have grandparents, especially if you don't have television, because they are the only grown ups who like to spend time with us.
• They know we should have snack-time before bedtime and they say prayers with us every time, and kiss us even when we've acted bad.
• It's funny when they bend over, you hear gas leaks and they blame their dog."

A 6 YEAR OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS GRANDMA LIVED. ''OH,'' HE SAID, ''SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT, AND WHEN WE WANT HER WE JUST GO GET HER. THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK TO THE AIRPORT.''

Now lets get creative - (Go to URL)

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April 28, 2006 - Here's to the child within us and to Brian the "doer"

I have signed up for numerous how-to newsletters from software companies in an attempt to improve my computer skills and this morning, I received a newsletter from learnflash.com that contained the following -

- 1 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000, that's a really big number - what name would you give a number like that?
It had no name until a mathematician had to use that number and instead of brainstorming with his intellectual friends, he turned to his nine year old nephew and asked for help.

Little did anyone know that the very nonscientific name that the boy would come up with would one day be one of the most recognizable words on the planet, albeit with a slightly different spelling. My guess is that you have typed in the common spelling into your computer at least one time this week, if not today.

You see, that nine year old didn't consult a Latin dictionary for his word. He consulted his childhood imagination. The word he came up with: Googol.

It's the same word that two enterprising entrepreneurs decided on when naming their infant search engine that they hoped one day would help organize the immense amount of information available on the web. Only they spelled it: Google.

No matter what your dreams are, you are the one best suited to make it happen. Don't be afraid to listen to the 9 year old inside of you. Who knows what he or she will help you to accomplish.

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Gotta love this guy. His story was on the front page of the Toronto Star yesterday. His name is Brian Roman - 42 years of age - married, four kids - built his own insurance business over the past twenty years but after seeing a Las Vegas stage show with his parents when he was eight years old, he always dreamed of becoming a singer - a crooner type like Sinatra, Neil Diamond, Tom Jones.

While selling insurance, he took singing lessons - worked charity fundraisers, the retirement communities and so-on. Then he read the motivational bible - Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich -

"A burning desire to be and to do is the starting point from which the dreamer must take off."

So, Brian sold his insurance business back in 99 to pursue his dream - "I'm a very, very strong believer in the power of the human mind and visualization and people living out their dreams and going for it."

So, with no manager, agent or promoter, how best to kick-start his new singing career? Mortgage the house and pay out $70,000 for the following:

• Rent Roy Thompson Hall for rehearsals and concert night
• 17 piece highly polished orchestra
• Book two high school choirs
• Book two opening acts.

According to the Toronto Star report, Brian played to a capacity crowd and was a smash.

So let us raise our glass of orange juice this morning to all the "doers" of the world - those wonderful, creative people who just do it. - God bless 'em.

PS - I goggled Brian and you can go to his website and and hear a clip from his CD

Now let's get creative - (Go to URL)

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April 29, 2006 - Ordering pizza four years from now

Have to be brief this morning - grandfather responsibilities take priority today.

However you have to view this video - My thanks to Bill Mckay for sending this - How you will order pizza in 2010

Now let's get creative - (Go to URL)

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April 30, 2006 - A retired soldier says thanks

As a senior who has lived through several wars and terror attacks, I wonder if the younger generation or even the middle generation, truly appreciate the bond of friendship and solidarity that exists between my country and the United States - that despite periods of political and trade bickering, when push comes to shove we are family - together against those who would harm one or the other.

An Email from an American friend led me to an American military website and, as a result, today I will be working on building a new page for the Connect2Canada chapter on the host website. This new addition features excepts from postings in the forum section of www.military.com As an example, David Meadows, a retired captain, posted a thank-you comment following the deaths of four Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan on April22.

"Canada is like a close uncle who constantly argues, badgers and complains about what you are doing, but when help is truly needed, you can't keep him away - he's there right beside you."

He also noted Canada sent ships and rescuers south the Gulf Coast in the wake of hurricane Katrina in 05 and to Florida in 04 after Hurricane Ivan.

Meadow's was working in the Pentagon on 9/11 - when the US closed all it's air space, aircraft had to be diverted - Canada responded - "No politics, No negotiating. No questions. They were just there. Canada would have fought any adversary that approached the United States that day."

I visited military.com and scanned their forum comments - several postings on Canada's participation in the war against terrorism were, for me, real eye-openers - (Go to URL)

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