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BLAINESWORLD
#567 8.13.2007 In this issue: 1. Reflections 2. FYI 3. Taken 4. Reviews . . . NO RESERVATIONS, etc. 5. TV alert 6. Guilt 7. Websites 8. Computer tip 9. Hurricane tips, part 1 of 2 10. A quote I like 11. Thought for the day 12. Advance planning department _________________________________________________________ 1. Reflections A. Cynthia, my beautiful bride, and I love getting the chance to celebrate happy occasions with friends . . . so when possible, we try to join them on their birthdays or close to that date . . . such was the case last Tuesday when we got together on our good friend Helen's special day . . . joined by her husband Ricardo, we went to one of their favorite places: Tropea Ristorante (908.638.3000, ext. 164) at the Bridgewater Manor in Bridgewater, NJ . . . my sole francaise was excellent, and Cynthia liked her pasta with shrimp dish . . . the service left something to be desired--actually, much to be desired--but since the food was so good, we'll probably return in the future. B. Several days later, we had dinner at the home of two other good friends: Berta and Tom . . . they did something nice that we should remember to do more often; i.e., they asked in advance if there was anything we particularly liked or disliked. They then prepared a delicious meal for us, including one of Tom's specialities . . . here's the recipe that he graciously has chosen to share: Tom's Chicken Delights 3 lbs chicken breasts Butter (2-3 heaping tablespoons, depending on taste) 2 1/2 packages cream cheese 1 lg. onion 6 packages refrigerated crescent rolls Cut chicken into tiny pieces Boil chicken until cooked thoroughly Cut onion into small pieces Melt cream cheese & butter until soft Mix with chicken Mix in onion Refrigerate Right before cooking: Pinch 2 crescent rolls together Put scoop of mixture in center Close all sides into one bundle Cook according to crescent roll package (typically 15 minutes) Serve immediately Best of all: Tom prepared more than we could possibly eat . . . so on the way out, Berta packaged up some of the leftovers . . . we look forward to soon devouring them! C. We were fortunate to be able to catch PARK YOUR CAR IN HARVARD YARD, an Israel Horovitz play at the Off-Broadstreet Theatre (609.466.2766) in Hopewell, NJ. It is a two-character drama--actually, two-and-a-half since there's a third voice offstage--about a teacher and his former student who has come to care for him. Parts of it are funny; others are most touching . . . Benjamin Lovell and Alison Quairoli were both superb in the leading roles, and Robert Thick ably handled the direction and design of the production. It runs through September 8, so you still have time to catch it . . . come early, too, because dessert is always served before curtain time. D. CONGRATULATIONS are in order to a whole bunch of folks we care a lot about . . . in no particular order: * Peter Dominick has been named Executive Vice President at Bucks County Bank. * The Dowburds, Chic and Joni, recently became proud grandparents of, to quote them, an "absolutely precious" grandson: Jaden Michael Young. * Meg Crawford starts on September 4th as Special Assistant to the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Holy Family University. * Carol Seufert has been named as an Assistant Director of Online Learning at Bucks County Community College. * And Scott Bradshaw coached the Bucks golf team to a very respectable 14th place finish in the final round of the NJCAA Division III national tournament. ***** BLAINESWORLD BEST AWARD ***** This week, it goes to Eneas Arkawy--a close friend of my mother who was the honored guest last week at the North Shore Towers 28th Anniversary Golf Tournament and Dinner Dance on behalf of the UJA-Federation of New York's 2008 Annual Campaign. Eneas is an amazing woman . . . she seems to know everybody at North Shore Towers, and she is an active participant in all that the building complex has to offer . . . aside from her work for the UJA-Federation, she serves as the first vice president of the Women's Golf Board and is on the Country Club and American Israel Public Affairs committees. Her life goal of making a difference is reflected not only in her involvement with the aforementioned, but also in her professional life . . . Eneas enhanced the lives of thousands of children in Queens District 26, where she taught for 25 years. She was recently listed in the QUEENS COURIER as one of the 20 people who are making a difference in Queens. Back to top _________________________________________________________ 2. FYI Don't give "goodies" to a loved one in a nursing home when you arrive. Give the "goodies" to them when you are leaving. By doing so, you see your loved one occupied and content when you are leaving. SOURCE: WHO CARES (see also Sections 4C, 10 and 11) by Dee Marrella FYI, part 2 * Cathy in Pennsylvania: I felt compelled to respond to Alla in New Jersey who decried gentile Ukrainians as descendants of murderers who took a concert to Israel "for money!" apparently because they were incapable of love for Jews. There are those who do not agree with bigotry in any shape or form--that is one thing I love about my Ukrainian father, who has always stood against bigotry, and I have always admired him for it. I have learned that when we do not have enough experience with a group of people, we can easily draw wrong conclusions about them. When I was in my early twenties, I had little money and no car, and I would ride the bus to prenatal appointments, tugging my 3-year-old daughter with me. Being very pregnant, I moved slowly and my daughter also moved slowly managing those big steps with her little legs. As we descended from the bus one day, a Jewish woman, apparently in a great big hurry, was irritated that we were not getting out of her way fast enough, and screamed loudly for everyone around to hear, "Look at her! And she's having ANOTHER one!" It was one of the most hurtful and humiliating moments of my life, at a very vulnerable time. It hurt so badly. I'll remember that wound till the day I die. For years after this, I thought Jews were cruel and heartless because of her cruelty (and that of others I had met out in the world), and, because I simply had no clue how many Jews I really DID know. I persisted in this illusion until one day, I came to know a marvelous Jewish woman whose friendship changed my life, and suddenly, my eyes were opened and I realized that not only did I know Jews, but they were the people I admired most in my world. I just didn't realize they were Jewish because they didn't advertise it (and I was too inexperienced to realize it) but there they were: a kind and wonderful neighbor, several of my children's teachers, and, their school principal. These were good and excellent people whom I loved and admired deeply. I never again made the mistake of judging a group of people by a few scumbags you meet in the street; the decent ones are at home or at work or at school, doing something worthwhile. I know a kindhearted and generous Ukrainian woman who will not admit to her true heritage because her elder residence has a large Jewish population, many of whom hate Ukrainians. And being a friendly, sociable person, she does not want to be hated. I also have found myself not volunteering that I am half Ukrainian to Jewish people that I don't know well because I am afraid they will stereotype me. I pray that their eyes will open to see they already know and love some Ukrainians, but never knew it, because they didn't advertise [that fact]. * Jeff in New Jersey: I see you and Cynthia are thinking about a 55+ community. Check "Living South" . . . they have magazines as well as shows that come to NJ. The show has seminars that can be helpful, plus a lot of developers. Joyce and I went to one about 9 months ago. It was interesting, although we are about 10 years away from retirement. We probably will go south since we hate the cold weather and the tax and cost-of-living. It seems like there is much going on in North Carolina. * Arlene in Pennsylvania: We just returned from our trip to The Villages [in Florida]. OMG and WOW! I want to move there tomorrow morning. What a happening place. I even took a few line dancing lessons and never had so much fun. My three favorite restaurants were booming and again created a lot of fun for us. The music and the free entertainment in the town square markets were phenomenal. My friends that own property there found an open house in one of the Villages. Drove us there and it was everything I've always wanted. Unfortunately, it was too large for me. At this stage of life, I don't need a 3-bedroom 3-bath home. The kitchen was to die for. I could go on and on. but this home is just typical. There are activities from morning until night. If you're a golfer, that's a plus. I'm not and still want to move there.
When you're close to your vacation there in December and you remember, I'll give you a hint on some of my favorite eating establishments. The prices are so reasonable. On this trip, I was able to visit the brand new temple they built. It still needs landscaping and parking for golf carts. Right now. they have 400 members. * Eric in Pennsylvania: Mozy looks like a life saver. It would be great for backing up code for my websites and programs. Definitely will give that a try. Thanks for sharing it. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT LAST WEEK: Eric is referring to this website that I mentioned last week: http://www.mozy.com I also gave my opinion that it looked like a real winner for backing up computer files . . . what's so great about it is that the backup is done automatically. Back to top _________________________________________________________ 3. Taken Our favorite restaurant has a waitress whose nametag reads “Beautiful.” “Is that really your name?” I asked her. “No,” she admitted. “But If people are going to holler at me all day, I can at least be called something I like.” Back to top _________________________________________________________ 4. Reviews A. Remakes of films are rarely as good as the originals . . . an exception is NO RESERVATIONS, a romantic comedy based on a German film (MOSTLY MARTHA) . . . I enjoyed both. This latter version is the tale of an uptight chef in New York City whose life is turned upside down when her sister dies . . . when faced with having to raise her niece, she is forced to learn that there's more to life than just what takes place in the kitchen . . . Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart make for a winning combination as the two leading characters, aided by Abigail Breslin (so fine in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) as the child who also must be worked into their lives. The accompanying soundtrack is great, which is no surprise considering it was scored by Philip Glass . . . and much of his music is in it, too . . . rated PG, and it is truly a flick that everybody in the family will like. B. FRACTURE, now out on DVD, is a cat-and-mouse thriller about a successful engineer who has shot his wife . . . though it appears to be an open and shut case, it turns out to be quite the contrary because of many legal loopholes that the engineer (Anthony Hopkins in another chilling role) has managed to find . . . the aggressive assistant DA (Ryan Gosling, proving that his Oscar-nominated performance in HALF NELSON was no fluke) risks both his career and his new love, attempting to put Hopkins away . . . this one kept my interest until the very end . . . rated R. C. Please read WHO CARES (see also Sections 2, 10 and 11) by Dee Marrella as soon as you can, particularly if you are now happy and healthy . . . it is a step-by-step handbook, in which you get to provide your future caregivers with information about your needs and wishes. Whether you like it or not, most of us will need assistance some time in our life . . . this book gives you the opportunity to decide what you want, as opposed to having somebody else make these decisions for you. It should be completed by those living alone in cities away from family, adults with children, older adults before serious illness, and anyone in the early stages of Alzheimer's or other serious and other potentially fatal diseases. WHO CARES will show you how to actually write a letter to your future caregivers and what to include in it . . . I liked the many suggestions it gave, including the one to give providers information on what you both like (including ice cream!) and dislike . . . instructions are even given on how to share what you have learned in life. There were many useful tidbits of information I gained from reading this book; among them: * When you come to visit, please don't tell me you can't stay very long. That tells me that you are there because of obligation. Truthfully, in that case, I would rather you stay away and get whatever is rushing you out of the way. Just come and see me when you can spend quality time holding my hand, talking to me seeing that I am okay. I say all of the above with love and understanding--not with anger. * In large decisions in life, decide what is in your heart. Do not just think with your head. * Do not do anything you would not be proud to have your children do in the future. They are watching * Never measure what you do for each other. Give with your whole heart when a family member is in need. Lastly, there's this idea that I wished I had thought of when my mother-in-law was alive: * Leave a few dollars to that a pizza can be ordered or some other special treat. (Some patients met as a group and did this weekly in the nursing home.) D. I got to revisit the 1996 presidential election when I listened to THE CHOICE, Bob Woodward's insightful account of the race between President Bill Clinton and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. It was a behind-the-scenes view of what took place in each camp . . . though the outcome never seemed in doubt, I still liked how it made me appreciate the ups and downs of what has become a two year trek to lead the nation. I also became more aware of Clinton's political brilliance . . . in addition, THE CHOICE made me think more highly of Dole--along with his wife Elizabeth (who methinks might have been an even better candidate for the top spot). The narration by Tony Roberts added to my enjoyment of this book. Back to top _________________________________________________________ 5. TV alert A. BACKCOUNTY BOOT CAMP, a six-hour reality show, debuts at 3 p.m. on Thursday on TRAVEL with three episodes and concludes tomorrow at the same time . . . for 35 days, 12 young adults traverse the remote Rocky Mountain wilderness carrying backpacks that weigh anywhere from 60 to 80 pounds . . . keep in mind that they don't have the use of bathrooms or toilet paper, only rations to eat . . . nor is there the $1 million prize that the winner of SURIVOR gets; all that's at stake is the satisfaction of having completed the challenge. B. SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE reveals the third season's top mover and shaker on Thursday at 8 p.m. on FOX . . . I like this show; however, that said, I'd prefer to see there be a top winning couple. C. Elvis Presley passed away 30 years ago on Thursday . . . to mark the anniversary, TCM airs a daylong marathon of his films--starting at 6 a.m. with STAY AWAY JOE . . . and MYTHS AND LEGENDS, a new 30-minute exploration of tall tales surrounding the King--is on TV LAND at 10 p.m. D. THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON is a 2006 documentary about how John Lennon became an activist for peace and why the Nixon administration tried to have the superstar deported . . . Saturday at 9 p.m. on VH1. Back to top _________________________________________________________ 6. Guilt Dr. Sam had slept with one of his patients and felt guilty for days. No matter how much he tried to forget about it, he couldn't. The guilt and sense of betrayal was overwhelming. But, every once in a while he'd hear an internal, reassuring voice in his head that said: "Sam, don't worry about it. You aren't the first medical practitioner to sleep with one of their patients and you won't be the last. And you're both single. Just let it go." And at times he would. But invariably another voice in his head would bring him back to reality, whispering: Sam . . . Sam . . . Sam . . . You're a veterinarian! Back to top _________________________________________________________ 7. Websites A. Pat in Pennsylvania: I came across this new website called airset.com. Basically, it's a free on-line scheduling calendar for groups. For example, you and Cynthia could have a group set up between the two of you to plan all that you two may have going on or coming up in the future. This way, each of you could access the site when ever you wanted and post what plans, events and parties that each of you have coming up and what events you have as a group like family parties, weddings, shows and dinners. And you can also create lots of other groups too-- such as for colleagues at school, those interested in Cynthia's dance programs, etc. Pretty neat. So check it out: http://www.airset.com B. For a somewhat humorous look at what your future holds for you with respect to work, please click: http://www.careerbuilder.com/age-o-matic You can even personalize your message with your own picture and when you're done with it, you can send it to others via your own voice (that can be recorded by phone) or using the text-to-speech option that's provided. C. BLAINESWORLD, the website, remains up and running . . . to view it, please click: http://www.blainesworld.net If you're a first time reader of this missive and want to get on the FREE mailing list, just go to the bottom of the homepage and see the "Special Offer" . . . as always, present subscribers are encouraged to forward this week's issue to their friends, relatives and colleagues--and also invite them to subscribe. Back to top _________________________________________________________ 8. Computer tip AOL and others have been clamping down on spam mail . . . that's the good news . . . what's not so good is that in doing so, certain "regular" mail gets blocked . . . even worse is the fact that some folks are getting labeled as spammers and, as such, are getting their service terminated. If you're an AOL user and you want to send a particular piece of email to a lot of folks, make sure you have your permission to get such correspondence from you . . . in addition, use a blind copy when sending to them; i.e., put their name in parentheses and separate it by a comma from the next person . . . see below for an example: (Mary Creamcheese), (Harry Finichi), etc. Other service providers have similar ways for doing this; just check help for instruction on how to send blank copies. This is just common courtesy, too . . . unless there's a specific reason for including all the names on a distribution list, it is nobody else's business as to who gets email from you. AOL now has something else in beta testing . . . go to keyword "groups" and try this approach; e.g., if you frequently send email out to a regular mailing list . . . another way to do the same thing (not using AOL) can be found by clicking: http://www.groups.yahoo.com Back to top _________________________________________________________ 9. Hurricane tips, part 1 of 2 We're currently in the hurricane season. Any day now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Atlantic Ocean and making two basic meteorological points: 1. There is no need to panic. 2. We could all be killed. Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to be--particularly if you live in Florida. If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one." Based on our experiences with such hurricanes as Frances and Jeanne, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan: STEP 1: Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days. STEP 2: Put these supplies into your car. STEP 3: Drive to Nebraska and remain there until Halloween. Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan. Most people will foolishly stay here in Florida. We'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items: HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements: 1. It is reasonably well-built. 2. It is located in Nebraska. Unfortunately, if your home is located in Florida, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place. So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss. Since Hurricane Frances, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies contact me. This week, I'm covered by the Bob and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bob and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys. (to be concluded next week) Back to top _________________________________________________________ 10. A quote I like Very often a little old lady sat in a wheelchair by the main entry to Grandmom's nursing home. I would give her a big greeting and hug each time I saw her. One day she grabbed my arm and pulled me back. She said, "I want you to promise to remember what I am going to tell you. When they put me in this nursing home, they took away my house, my car, my furniture-but they couldn't take away my memories. Go out and get as many good memories as you can."--Dee Marrella in WHO CARES (see also Sections 2, 4C and 11) Back to top _________________________________________________________ 11. Thought for the day Someone once told me to put cotton in my ears, Vaseline on my glasses, and heavy gloves on my hands and combat boots on my feet. This will give you some idea of how an elderly person sees, and feels. SOURCE: WHO CARES (see also Sections 2, 4C and 10) by Dee Marrella, a book I REALLY liked as can be seen by the fact that this is the fourth time I have mentioned it is in this newsletter Back to top _________________________________________________________ 12. Advance planning department A. Cynthia in New Jersey (see also Sections 1A and 12C): I have completed my training in another movement form called JourneyDance. It has some similarities to Move Your Body, and it has many possibilities for an expanded experience. I am very excited about it and would love to share it with you. Below are two FREE opportunities. They do require pre-registration, especially the one at Pike Run Associates as it will get booked up very quickly. Love to see you there. Live and dance with joy. * Pike Run Associates in Belle Mead, NJ: Sat. August 18: 10:30 a.m.-12:00 Call Cynthia at 609.731.0808 for details and registration. Or email her at: cgreenfield1001@aol.com. * Hillsborough Library, Hillsborough, NJ Wed. August 22: 7:00 p.m.-8:30 Call 908/369.2200 ext 13 for details and registration B. Experience the Campus Advantage: You're Invited to Community Day at Bucks County Community College's New Lower Bucks Campus FREE Fun for the Family! DATE: September 8, 2007 TIME: Noon to 4 p.m. LOCATION: 1304 Veterans Highway - Bristol, PA MEET Innovator "Ben Franklin" ENJOY Family Fun with Kids on Campus Activities CELEBRATE with Song and Dance MAKE and Fly a Kite LEARN about your new campus and BCCC's programs FREE Soft Pretzels & Rita's Water Ice FREE Health Screenings and Career Workshops WIN a Gateway Notebook C. Save the Date: September 23, 2007 at the Princeton Center for Yoga & Health GLOBAL MALA PROJECT Fundraiser for St Jude Children's Research Hospital We are excited to inform you about a special fundraising program we will be hosting on September 23 as part of the international Global Mala Project. It will run from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. Some of our instructors will be leading us in a series of 108 sun salutations/yoga poses, followed by 54 minutes of JourneyDance/Move Your Body--taught by and 54 minutes of Pilates. Rama Ramanathan offers a special workshop on September 23 from 10:30 am-1:30 p.m. on Sun Salutations if you'd like to learn in depth about the practice of this powerful yoga sequence. Every participant must find a sponsor or sponsors for participation in the day's events. For example: To donate $1 toward each pose the participant achieves in the yoga portion of the day and/or $54.00 for the completion of the JourneyDance/Move Your Body or Pilates portions. It all goes to St. Jude's, so it should be easy for us all to find sponsors to open their hearts and wallets for such a worthy cause. In addition to feeling good about raising money for charity AND feeling great about getting a good workout, we'll have healthy snack breaks between events with some time for socializing. So look for a special time in good company in support of body, mind, and spirit and raising funds for a good cause. The entry fee is only $10.08 per person, so you get quite a workout for less than the cost of a drop-in fee! You may sign on for any portion of the event or the whole thing as long as you find sponsorship for all the activities you've signed on for. It's going to be a good, wholesome, consciousness-raising day, and we'll do a lot of good for the children at St. Jude's hospital and around the world. If you are interested in participating or making a donation, please call the Center at 609.924.7294. Back to top _________________________________________________________ PS. Please join me in praying that we soon get our remaining soldiers back from Iraq and that peace resumes in Israel . . . also, make it a great week! ---------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBCRIBE INFORMATION If you or somebody you know wants to subscribe to BLAINESWORLD, have them drop me an e-mail to that effect . . . new readers are always welcome . . . my address is: bginbc@aol.com In the unlikely event you wish to unsubscribe, notify me at the same email address.
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