Nice Day

"Cultivate a heart of love that knows no anger." Cambodian Proverb

"Self-realization means that we have been consciously connected with our Source of being. Once we have made this connection nothing can go wrong." Paramananda

It has been a nice birthday for me. I was surprised at getting a card and gift from the people at work. My mother got me a jacket with cats on it that I will wear tomorrow as well as a cake. My brother's gift is in transit from Amazon. He has discovered why you never let them ship media if you want it to reach its destination on time.

I got a phone call from an old friend that I haven't heard from in a while. He was the man who made this computer. It was nice to chat and get caught up on things.

All in all it has been a nice day. No big surprises like I got yesterday when I got back from lunch to discover that the person who is suppose to be doing the posting with me is going to Patient Accounts as of Monday and I will have someone else with me. I suspect the boss got tired of her not pulling her weight and decided to put someone in with me who will do her share. I am now the Senior Cash Poster. It should be a lot easier to keep caught up now.

I haven't spent too much time today looking back over my life so far. Like all lives there have been high points and low points with the highs vastly out weighing the lows. I think I have accomplished a lot so far and plan to keep on accomplishing as the years go by.

The picture is called Sunset Seas.

 

aoljurlAdd, aoljurlAdd_1

Happy Easter

"A mind that is burdened with the past is a sorrowful mind." Krishnamurti

"People once considered that religions were obsolete and that material science would solve all human problems. Now they have become disillusioned with materialism and machinery and have realized that spiritual sciences are also indispensable for human welfare." Dalai Lama

The mood is not only quiet but so am I as my voice is giving out completely. It is a good thing I'm no longer on the phones at work. It does make it a little difficult to tell Merlin to stop whining however.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and that it is a bit warmer then the 21 degrees with threat of snow coming in that we are seeing out here in the Midwest.

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1, aoljurlAdd, aoljurlAdd_2

Childhood's End

"Never lose hope. Your soul, being a reflection of the ever joyous Spirit, is in essence, happiness itself." Paramahansa Yogananda

"True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realized." Dalai Lama

When Arthur C. Clarke's 2010 came out I got it as a Christmas gift one year. I had had Christmas at my house and had finally cleaned up and thought I'd read a couple of chapters. Well 3 o'clock rolled around as I finished the book. I couldn't put it down. I had always loved science fiction and my favorite author was Clarke. He passed away yesterday at the age of 90. I was saddened to hear of his passing.

I have a great many of Clarke's books and he is one of the authors whom I will read over and over again. I also have some of his science books. The geo-stationary  communications satellites that we take for granted now were proposed by Clarke. In addition to being a science fiction writer he was also a scientist. He was like the great Isaac Asimov in that respect. They finally decided who was the best when Asimov dedicated something to Clarke as “the greatest science fiction author from the greatest science author.”

I discovered science fiction when I was eight years old and to this day I love it. Over the years I have had a chance to meet many of the greats in the field. I regret that Arthur C. Clarke wasn't one of them. I will continue to treasure his books and reread them over the years.

The picture was named after one of Clarke's most famous books Childhood's End.

The real counter is 6915.

aoljurlAdd, aoljurlAdd_1

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Here are some Irish saying for you to celebrate this day with. The picture is called Through the Mists of Time and is my St. Patrick’s Day picture for this year. The picture represents the Irish belief that our past is connected to our present as we look towards the future.

 

May your blessings be many.

Your troubles be few.

May the love in your hearts

Forever be true.

 

 

May your mornings bring joy.

And your evenings bring peace.

May your troubles grow few.

And your blessings increase.

 

 

May your home always be too small

To hold all of your friends.

 

 

Dance as if no one were watching.

Sing as if no one were listening.

Live each day as if it’s your last.

 

 

Bless us with good food,

The gift of gab

And hearty laughter.

May the love and joy

We share be with us

Ever after.

 

May your troubles be less

And your blessings be more.

And nothing but happiness

Comes through your door.

 

 

 

May the road rise to meet you;

May the wind be always at your back;

May the sun shine warm upon your face;

The rains fall softly upon your fields;

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

 

 

May you live as long as you want;

And not want as long as you live.

 

 

May you have warm words on a cold evening,

A full moon on a dark night,

And the road downhill

All the way to your door.

 

 

May the best day of your past

Be the worst day of your future.

 

 

May your neighbors respect you,

Troubles neglect you,

The angels protect you,

And heaven accept you.

 

 

May you have a world of

Wishes at your command.

God and his angels close at hand.

Friends and family their love impart.

And Irish blessings in your heart.

 

Sunday Sillies

Tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays, St. Patrick’s Day. Here are some of the more humorous Irish sayings to brighten your day. The picture is called Leprechaun Humor. In Chicago they dye the river green for their St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I doubt if the other animals are quite as amused as the leprechaun is about his contribution to the celebration.

 

May those who love us, love us

And those who don’t,

May God turn their hearts.

And if He doesn’t turn their hearts,

May He turn their ankles so we’ll know

Them by their limping.

 

 

The secret of the Irish is to live a long time without growing old.

 

 

The day God created the Irish

He didn’t do another thing except sit down and smile.

 

 

May you be in Heaven a half hour before the devil knows you’re dead.

 

 

May you live to be a hundred years,

With one extra year to repent.

 

May God bring good health to your enemies’ enemies.

aoljurlAdd, aoljurlAdd_2

Saturday Such As It Is

"When we die nothing can be taken with us but the seeds of our life's work and our spiritual knowledge." Dalai Lama

Isn't that just a wonderful quote from the Dalai Lama? It makes you want to rethink our attachment to material possessions doesn't it?

Other then doing the shopping for my Mom I'm not doing much this weekend. I promised my niece I would take some time and watch some of the Robin Hood DVDs that she sent me. I also plan on watching the Stargate one that I got on Tuesday. I'm interested in how they are going to wrap up the Ori stories.

I finally got the picture the way I wanted it. It is called Let Sleeping Dragons Lie. I had this wonderful model of a Medieval room and I experimented in lighting for the room. I discovered if I took my torch apart and just used the flames part that I could put the flame inside the lanterns and the fireplace and the room would be lit that way. It created marvelous shadows. I really have fun with my art.

The real counter is 6887.

aoljurlAdd, aoljurlAdd_1

Faking Out Computers

"Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion." Dalai Lama

"If objects and people evoke attachment in us, we do not understand the true nature of phenomena. We can only become detached by realizing the true nature of things." Dalai Lama

I figured out how to fake out the computer at work so I don't have to spend an hour downloading Medicare every day. We have the world's worst computer system and no one knows how to make the stupid thing work. Of course if they had bought a real computer system to start with they wouldn't be in the mess they are in now. You get what you pay for.

I also figured out how to fake out AOL and get the Journal up and running when it doesn't want to cooperate. One of my favorite programming books starts out with "a computer has an IQ of zero" and I usually add that is only on a good day. Most of the time it is in the negative numbers.

One thing about computers is that they are so literal. They will do exactly what you tell them to do and if you don't give them very specific instructions they won't do what you want them to do. They can't think. Sort of like the idiots who post in newsgroups without knowing what they are talking about. ;-)

I like the quotes from the Dalai Lama. He is certainly a fascinating man. I really don't know if there is such a thing as reincarnation but I have always thought that I would like to come back as my cat and someone else can come back as me. I really spoil my cats but then what is the use of having pets if you don't take the time to give them affection and care? I know Merlin is certainly spoiled and my Mom has Pixie spoiled rotten. It was my decision though to get a cat and I feel obligated to give Merlin the care he deserves. I picked him out although I must admit I didn't think that the little puff ball I first picked up would get quite as big as he has. If he gets any bigger the zoo may come looking for him.

I'm not one to get real attached to possessions but I found something the other day that I really treasure. It is my Dad's old Parker fountain pen. This pen is old enough that it doesn't take cartridges but has a refillable cartridge in it. I remember Dad using that pen a lot and it is very precious to me for that reason. It is the little things that have a history to them and bring back happy memories that are important in life.

The picture is called Shelter From The Storm since we are getting Spring storms now.

The real counter is 6875.

aoljurlAdd, aoljurlAdd_1

Too, Too Tuesday

"Nonviolence is the summit of bravery." Mahatma Gandhi

"The mind must be developed by you alone. There is no way for others to do the work for you to reap results. Reading someone else's blueprint of mental progress will not transfer its realizations to you. You have to develop them yourself." Dalai Lama

Have I mentioned lately how much I dislike AOL? Well they still suck big time. I thought briefly of changing to Comcast but they are even bigger losers out here. Heavy, heavy sigh.

My boss came back to work today and it was good to see her especially after considering how close we came to losing her. Just as a public service message if you don't have carbon monoxide detectors in your place please get them. I am making sure this weekend that we get them for our house here. They don't cost that much and the lives they save are worth it.

I have been on a dragon kick lately with my art work. I don't know why but all of a sudden I want dragons in my pictures. I had lots of fun doing this one called Sweet Dreams but the computer wasn't too fond of rendering it. Too many little points to do I guess.

Things are a little better at work. My coworker has been shamed into doing a little bit more work then she had been doing especially since the boss is back. It is a shame that people don't have more pride in their performance. My Grandfather had a saying that I always took to heart "an honest day's work for an honest day's pay." I have always wanted to feel that I could be proud of what I've done whether in the workplace or in my private life or in my art work. You have to be able to have pride in yourself. If you can't have pride in what you do how can you expect anyone else to?

I finally felt like staying up this past weekend and watching my shows. Stargate Atlantis had one of those make you scream cliff hangers. They manage every year to come up with a cliff hanging ending that leaves you very frustrated at having to wait months to see how it is resolved. I mean are they really wiping out the whole crew? Can't we just get rid of McKay? Not my favorite character obviously. As frustrating as Stargate was I must admit that it didn't leave me as totally puzzled as Torchwood did. I mean is Owen dead, alive, a zombie, or what? And what was Jack thinking? Was Jack thinking? My niece was as confused as I was. I'm going to watch this Saturday and see if they explain anything but considering that it is by the same people who make Doctor Who I kind of doubt it. If nothing else I can get a good dose of John Barrowman's dimples. I obviously watch TV for all the correct reasons.

The real counter is 6863.

 

aoljurlAdd, aoljurlAdd_1

Finally Friday

"To develop patience, you need someone who willfully hurts you. Such people give us real opportunities to practice tolerance. They test our inner strength in a way that even our guru cannot. Basically, patience protects us from being discouraged." Dalai Lama

"Only fools seek power, and the greatest fools seek it through force." Tao Te Ching

I am glad the week is over. It has certainly been a difficult week at work. Between coworkers pitching temper tantrums and our boss almost being killed it has certainly been stressful. We heard from our boss today and she is doing okay. I am so thankful she and her family are alright.

My mother had a real scare with the terrible weather. A UPS truck pulled in front of her and she had to step hard on the brakes to keep from hitting it but because of all the ice she spun out turning around a couple of times and ending up in the opposite lane. Thankfully no one was coming that way and an ambulance that was behind her put on its flashers to warm people until she could get back into her own lane. God was really looking out for her.

Today is the World Day of Prayer and I have a lot to be thankful for this week. My mother survived what could have been a fatal accident. My boss, whom I admire, and her daughter and grandchildren survived what could have been a tragedy from Carbon Monoxide.

I have been trying to practice what the Dalai Lama has spoken about above and being more patient. It is hard for me to be patient especially when I am dealing with the nonsense at work. I have a low tolerance of hypocrisy and cruelty and there is a lot of that where I work. I have managed to keep my mouth shut but sometimes it is hard. I know that I am not perfect and have no right to judge others. None of us have.

With snow coming in I will probably spend the weekend doing more art work. I will be very happy to see Spring come. In the meantime the picture is a remake on one I did ten years called Ice Planet.

The real counter is 6838.

aoljurlAdd, aoljurlAdd_3

Wandering Through Wednesday

"Every day a man must solve the problem of widening the field of his life and adjusting his burdens." Rabindranath Tagore

"Tomorrow's wind blows tomorrow." Koji

Merlin is in the hallway warming up his vocal chords. He is getting ready for Sunday which is "Panic Day" followed by Monday which is "Napping Day." Talk about two days tailor made for my cat. ;-)

It has been a long few days at work. As I predicted the two people who were the nastiest when our coworker was injured in an auto accident were the most vocal about how bad they felt that she had passed away. I think the word we are looking for is hypocrite.

We almost had a huge tragedy today and did have a disaster code black at the hospital. My boss had gone to check on her father-in-law and found him dead. Before the morning was out they had brought her, her daughter, sister-in-law, two grandsons, a firefighter and an EMT into the Emergency Room by ambulance with all of them suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. They are all in the hospital. Of course our two hypocrites had to be oh so concerned. It didn't stop one of them from trying to get the boss in trouble for something she has no control over however. The one who is supposed to be working in posting with me only managed to put in two and a half hours worth of work today. The rest of the time she goofed off. She also came in late and left early.

I am finding that I have a real low tolerance level for hypocrisy. I am so tired of the people at work and I have to bite my tongue to keep from telling them off. They take advantage of the boss like they did today because she is in meetings a lot and can not supervise their every movements. They bad mouth every body. Not a one of them bothered to think about our little receptionist who happens to be the bosses niece. This was a very difficult day for her. I offered to watch her little girl this evening if she needed to be out with her family. I was the only one in the whole office who bothered to think that the young lady may be having a hard time dealing with this today. She came close to losing most of her family.

Life is short and none of us knows how much time we or someone we love has left on this planet. People should stop and think about how they speak about others. Just because the person you are talking about can't hear you is no reason to be hateful. God can still hear you.

I redid the picture over the weekend. It is called I Can Dream. It is an illustration for my poem of the same name.

I Can Dream

Sometimes life seems so hard
That I just want to cry.
There are times that I feel
The parade has passed me by.
In the depths of the night
I wonder why I try?
Then I look up at the stars
And know the reason why.

For I can dream can't I?
I can reach up to the sky,
And as long as I can dream
I'll know what my life means.

I know life can bring such pain.
There is so much misery.
I wish there was no hate
And love would set us free.
While the stars shine overhead
I let my wishes soar,
To grant my dreams of love
Both now and evermore.

For I can dream can't I?

I can reach up to the sky

And as long as I can dream

I'll know what my life means.

 

I wonder if my words

Will reach someone in need.

As I struggle to show my love

In both words and in deeds.

Will the music soar?

Will it help to ease

Another heart in pain?

Will it bring them peace?

 

For I can dream can't I?

I can reach up to the sky,

And as long as I can dream

I'll know what my life means.

 

Even in my darkest hour

Deep in my heart I know,

If I will just believe

My dreams will live and grow.

If I just trust in me

My words will always flow,

And someday they will find

The hearts that need them so.

 

For I can dream can't I?

I can reach up to the sky,

And as long as I can dream

I'll know what my life means.

 

The real counter is 6829.

Sherlock Holmes

"Clay is formed into a vessel. It is because of its emptiness that the vessel is useful." Lao-Tzu

"Pearls lie not on the seashore. If thou desirest one thou must dive for it." Chinese saying

Today in the silly calendar days is Sherlock Holmes Day. I have read all of the Sherlock Holmes stories and do admire them. I think the best portrayal of Homes has to be the one with the late Jeremy Brett. I thought he was perfect. I am a great reader of mysteries. What I am not great at is figuring out who the perpetrator is. I usually guess wrong. I read mysteries for the pleasure of them and not because I think I can outdo the sleuth.

There is no mystery as to why this blog isn't updated as much as it should be however. When it takes almost 10 minutes for AOL to not only find the blog but to give me the add feature my legendary non patience level has been exceeded and I usually go away grumbling I'll do it later. AOL can find the ads for Match.Com without any problems though.

Garfield had a funny one yesterday with a mouse asking Garfield what its like to be a cat and Garfield responding that he didn't know he hadn't been awake enough to find out. My immediate thought was Merlin who spends most of his life sleeping. I have to admit though he has been cuddled next to me all day Friday and Saturday while I was recovering from intestinal flu and sleeping a lot myself. As much as we tease Merlin about his weight, laziness, and whining he is still my cat and I love him. He is a definite Momma's boy and wants me near him at all times. I know he is spoiled but since I spoiled him I can't complain too much.

The first quote today is from the Tao Te Ching, a book I have read and am still trying to grasp the concept of completely. I do understand the concept of space as it applies to my art. I had an art teacher tell me that I had the best sense of space of any student he had ever had. I know what to leave out and try not to crowd my pictures with things just for the sake of having something there. I try and incorporate "space" into my art.

The second quote is one that teaches us again that we need to look for the good things in life. We should not expect that the world be handed us on a silver platter. We need to make the good things happen by our own efforts.

Life is fragile and can end quickly. When I was a teenager one of my favorite groups to listen to was the Dave Clark Five. Mike Smith, the lead singer, passed away the other day and I was sad to hear that. He was a great singer and he will be missed. The same day one of my friends from work passed away from a sudden heart attack. She was in the hospital following a serious auto accident but was in great spirits and was hoping to be back at work within a month. I remember the vicious remarks from some of my coworkers following the accident and wonder if they regret their meanness now that she has passed away. It makes you think about what you will be remembered for. These ladies had a chance to be kind but chose cruelty instead and now it is too late to show kindness and respect.

The real counter is 6816.

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1