This Saturday, May 19, is Armed Forces Day, a day to honor Americans serving in all branches of the military. Many communities will be hosting special events to show their gratitude to these selfless heroes who lay it all on the line for our country throughout the world.
An unusual insight into the history of those heroes was gained recently by one of our writers who visited Tucson, Arizona and toured the Pima Air & Space Museum, which is located there adjoining the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. This locale is also the home of the famous military aircraft “bone yard,” where retired planes are stored for parts. Among the thousands of planes on the grounds, one stands out from all the others– the B52 Stratofortress. These planes are huge, dwarfing all the others around them.
The B52 has been in active service with the U.S. Air Force since 1955. It celebrated its 50th anniversary of continuous service in 2005. B52s were active in all major U.S. conflicts for the last fifty years, including Vietnam, Operation Allied Force (1999 in the Yugoslavia), Operation Enduring Freedom (2001 in Afghanistan/Southwest Asia), and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003 in Iraq/Southwest Asia). After being upgraded between 2013 and 2015, they’re expected to serve into the 2040s!! In our present era of advanced technology and rapid obsolescence, the fact that an aircraft is almost 60 years old and still in service is incredible!
What does all this have to do with Armed Forces Day? This is the connection: due to its extremely long service life, the B52 has the distinction of being piloted today by men and women who are the grandchildren of the original pilots! In some cases, three generations of the same family have flown these planes. What greater devotion to country than to hand this flying tradition down from generation to generation? Our heartfelt thanks go out to these dedicated Americans (as well as to those who fly any other military aircraft which ensure our safety and security.)
The military personnel in your local Armed Forces day ceremonies might not be the grandchildren of B52 pilots, but each one of them has played his/her part in keeping our country safe and we’re grateful for each and every one of them! Go out and show them your support on Saturday!
Are you tired of looking at all the white walls in your apartment, but you don’t want to take on a big painting job? Now you can add color and life to your home without having to paint! You can quickly and easily add interest to your walls with wall stickers or decals. They go on in minutes and come off easily without leaving any residue, the perfect decorating idea for an apartment!
If you paint a wall, it’s usually all one color. With decals, you can choose almost any color and use as many colors as you like. And you can make your creation any size that you’d like – from one small, pale flower to a whole wall mural of bright designs.
Endless Themes Is there a certain theme or shape that you’d like? No problem. It’s safe to say that you can find a decal for almost any subject you can imagine. The range of themes is almost endless. Here is just a short list you can pick from:
Abstract art
Animals
Fine art Flowers Game characters Geometric patterns Glow in the Dark Kids’ Designs Music Nature images Quotations Sports figures Tattoo Art Trees Urban Scenes
Mirrors and Murals And if those topics aren’t enough, how about wall mirrors decals in the “normal” circular or oval shapes? Or would you like mirrors in all kinds of funky, artistic designs? How about a clock decal that you put on the wall? Do you need a chalkboard or white dry erase board, but don’t want to put holes in the wall to install one? Those come in easy to install decals too! Check out www.dezignwithaz.com.
Do you have a snap shot you’d like to have made big enough to hang on your wall? Just upload it on www.Wallhog.com and they’ll turn it into a full size mural for you!
Easy Installation and Removal
Decals are applied to the wall by either sticking them on, just like stickers, or rubbing them on. Normally, they just peel off the wall when you’re ready to take them down. If you used a very thick decal or the wall surface is delicate, you might want to heat the decal with a hair dryer to soften the adhesive and then remove it with a squeegee. The only limitation to decals is that once you remove them, they won’t stick again.
If you’d like to get an idea about what decals are available, just go online and check out the selection. You’ll be amazed at the choices! If you’d like to try decals, but are feeling a little nervous, these sites also include free video tutorials that will lead you through the process, one step at a time.
Wall decals are a quick, inexpensive, and fun way to add color to the walls of your apartment! Check them out and see if you don’t agree! Have you already used them? Did we miss anything important in our discussion? Write in and tell us about it.
Studies show that the most common sources of worry include many things over which we have no control, such as natural disasters and the economy, as well as a few things that we have at least some measure of control over, such as our relationships, our jobs, and our health.
The way we cope with worry and the accompanying stress can dictate whether we stay healthy or let the worry ruin our lives. There are self-defeating ways to respond to stress and positive ways to respond to it.
Rather than focusing on the negative, let’s talk about some positive ways to cope:
- Try to include a balance of activities in your life every day. If your job is sedentary, move around after work, either with a relaxing walk, a run, or some similar cardio-vascular activity.
- Build or maintain a strong social support system by having lunch with co-workers, staying in touch with friends via social networking sites, or sharing (within limits) the stressful parts of your day with a trusted friend or relative. Don’t make the whole relationship about “venting” though. Make an effort to create new experiences or share the activities you already like to do together without constantly discussing your work situation.
- Practice relaxation techniques. This can be as simple as getting up from your desk every hour and taking a stretch, or closing your eyes and picturing some particularly relaxing spot while deeply inhaling and exhaling. For many people, exercise is a great way to relax and it has the added benefit of your body releasing beneficial chemicals that soothe frazzled nerves.
- Increase the rewards you give yourself for accomplishing things. If you’ve tackled that big report bright and early, allow yourself an extra cup of coffee or a 5 minute walk away from your desk. If you finally got that walk-in closet cleaned out, treat yourself to take-out or a dinner at your favorite restaurant tonight.
- Set realistic goals for yourself. You will feel a real sense of accomplishment when you successfully complete them and can cross them off your list. Many times, breaking down a massive project into “bite-sized” pieces will allow you to tackle and complete it, feeling a sense of achievement with each completed step.
- To the extent possible, manage your job environment. Can you play soft, relaxing music? Is it possible to make your workspace more ergonomic? Maybe a picture of your family nearby would help you to keep your focus on what is important in your life.
Have you tried any of these coping techniques? How did they work for you? Do you have any other ideas on managing stress, both on the job and off? Let us know!
It’s been said that “A child can teach an adult three things: (1) to be happy for no reason, (2) to always be busy with something, and (3) to know how to demand whatever he wants with all his might.” There are so many other things that children teach us every day if we just pay attention to what they’re saying and doing. A friend recently pointed me to the blog purposefairy.com, where the writer came up with a list of things that a child can teach an adult. Here is a brief review of what we felt were 10 of the more important lessons.
1. HOW TO BE FEARLESS
Children are often fearless and usually oblivious to the types of fears we adults learn over a lifetime, such as, fear of the unknown, fear of being judged, fear of rejection, fear of what the future might bring, etc.…
2. HOW TO SEE OTHERS AS SPECIAL
Children usually see those around them through innocent and beautiful eyes. They see everybody as special and unique, and that’s exactly what we all are. It’s just that our lenses get dirty and we can’t see reality as clearly as children do.
3. HOW TO TRUST YOUR INNER VOICE
Children listen to their inner voices and are more likely to follow them trustingly. As adults, we’ve taught ourselves to abandon our intuition and instincts. We’re much more likely to follow the herd and teach our children that they should do so as well.
4. HOW TO BE CAREFREE
How many adults allow themselves to splash about in the rain, run through a sprinkler, roll down a hill, or conjure up a whole world of play around something as simple as a cardboard box?
5. HOW TO LIVE LIFE FULLY
As adults, we spend most of our lives chasing happiness, searching for meaning and balance, affirming that we want to live our lives fully, not knowing how to go about it. Children fill their days doing this instinctively.
6. HOW TO ALWAYS BE HAPPY
Children often make us happy as we simply watch them be happy. Have you ever noticed at what point they start to lose some of their natural joy? Too often, it’s when an adult begins to decide on the appropriateness of the child’s actions and thoughts, and enforces their line of thinking instead.
7. HOW TO FREELY EXPRESS FEELINGS
Children laugh when they feel like laughing and cry when they feel like crying. Compare that to how most adults handle (or don’t handle) their emotions. We tend to make everything a lot more complicated.
8. HOW TO LOVE UNCONDITIONALLY
Children show us how to give without expecting anything in return. That is what real and unconditional love is all about, and as adults we often forget that simple fact.
9. HOW TO GIVE FROM THE HEART
Especially when they are very young, children share everything freely with their playmates. It’s only when someone teaches them the concept of “possession” that this behavior begins to change.
10. HOW TO REALLY USE YOUR IMAGINATION
Children are masters at fully using their imaginations. As adults, we usually have to retrain ourselves in order to regain ANY of the imaginative abilities we used to love so much.
We can’t suddenly will ourselves to return to the days of our childhood and handle things in the same innocent ways, but we can certainly watch our children more closely and see what important behaviors we’ve forgotten. They really do have a lot they can teach us. We’ve given you some of the lessons we’ve gleaned. How about letting us in on a few you may have learned?
As always, Get Out There And Make It A Great Week!
Andrew Jackson once said of his mother:
“There never was a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness… The memory of my mother and her teachings were, after all, the only capital I had to start life with, and on that capital I have made my way.”
This particular quote from the former President reminds us all of just how much we really appreciate our mothers. From the simplest gesture to the hardest sacrifice, mothers never give up. Moms don’t ask for a pat on the back for what they do, but they certainly deserve it. As we celebrate Mother’s Day this weekend, instead of another article about what to do or buy for your mom, we’d like to encourage you to really think about your mother and how she has influenced your life.
We all have personal stories and moments with our moms. Even for the most famous and influential people, mothers have served a special role and inspired their children to be who they are today. And whether we are famous or not, young or old, we are the result of our mother’s love.
Ralph Waldo Emerson put it perfectly when he said that “men are what their mothers made them.”
Maya Angelou, who is a single mother herself, praises all that her own mother did to inspire her success as a poet, historian, film maker and civil rights activist. She said it best: “To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power.”
When you really think about it, our life was mom’s life in many ways. She did what she needed to do in order to keep us clothed, fed, and safe. And she did so much more, from being the doctor, the counselor, the taxi driver, and the disciplinarian.
Our 16th President Abraham Lincoln said of his mother “all that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.”
The famous pop star, Lady Gaga, talks about her close relationship with her mom and how her mother is her “rock.” Gaga was bullied by her classmates, but her mother always supported her and encouraged her to see the positive in all people and things. Now, Lady Gaga and her mother created a foundation, named after her hit song “Born This Way,” which focuses on empowering young people and inspiring bravery.
There’s no one quite like your mom! She sees you as special and instills a confidence that no one else can give. Picasso said that his mother always told him “…if you become a soldier you’ll be a general; if you become a monk you’ll end up as the pope.” Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.”
After all that our mothers have given us, we’d like to give them all a huge “Thank You!” We celebrate you and wish you a very happy Mother’s Day!
If you are like we are, you get tired of looking at the same old colors on the walls of your apartment, especially if they are all “neutral white.” Of course, once you decide you want to change the color, a whole new question arises: what color should you paint them?
High-Tech Help
Thankfully, the problem of choosing paint colors is getting a whole lot easier with a little high-tech help from the internet. A few years ago, you walked into the hardware store and were confronted with thousands of paper paint swatches. Besides being overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the color samples, you also knew they looked different under the store’s fluorescent lighting than they would on your walls at home. In some stores, it was a little easier because they sold small amounts of sample paints that you could take home and see what they would actually look like on YOUR walls in YOUR apartment. That’s still a good idea, but now you can do so much more (and with a whole lot less effort!). With today’s technology, you can actually see what your completely painted wall would look like along with your furnishings, and maybe even an adjoining wall with a matching contrast color. The “virtual painter” tool has arrived!
If you do an internet search for any of the “name-brand” paints, i.e. Sherwin Williams, Behr, Valspar, Pittsburgh, Benjamin Moore, etc. and go to their web sites, you will see a virtual painter tool available. Some are a little more sophisticated than others, some are trademarked (such as Benjamin Moore’s Personal Color Viewer®), but all of them share the same basic characteristics.
Three Simple Steps
Essentially, all you need to do is take a few digital pictures of the room you intend to paint and upload them to the virtual painter tool. Next, you pick your paint color. Most of the virtual painters will automatically present you with at least two complimentary colors which can be used either for trim or for an accent wall. You can place virtual “masking tape” on any of the room’s surfaces – furniture, windows etc. – that are not to be painted. A click of the mouse allows you to “paint” the walls and instantly see the result of your choices!
We took several of the virtual painters for a test spin, and found all of them to be fairly straightforward and easy to use. We heartily recommend at least playing with this tool prior to spending $30 or more per gallon on quality interior paint.
Have any of you had any experiences, positive or negative, using this on-line tool? Let us know how it worked out. We could all use some good pointers when it comes to saving time and money when decorating our apartments!
The motion picture industry has expanded dramatically over recent years. They can now make a movie and distribute it with just a few thousand dollars. It’s a great time to watch movies with all the choices, but it can also be confusing when you think about all the movie titles to sift through. How do you know which movie is worth your time? There are a number of websites that can help you sort through the choices and decide which movies you really want to see.
www.feedflix.com
Feedflix.com tells you what movies are going to be streaming via NETFLIX. Netflix’s expansion over the past few years has been primarily in their online streaming category and the streaming schedule can change month to month, week to week or almost anytime. Feedflix helps you track the upcoming titles that are of interest to you.
www.comingsoon.net
The sheer quantity of movies that are available now can seem daunting, almost intimidating at times. Comingsoon.net streams movie previews for upcoming films to give you a quick peek at the new films. Sometimes watching a movie’s trailer is the best way to tell whether or not a movie is worth your time. Comingsoon.net tracks ALL of the current movie trailers, ranging from the “teasers” that are usually only one or two minutes long to the standard advertising trailers that are released in the weeks prior to a movie’s release.
www.rottentomatoes.com
Do you like to read the critic’s reviews of movies? If so, Rotten Tomatoes (RT) could be perfect for you. RT assigns movies a percentage score based upon both the critics’ and the general public’s feedback. A movie is certified “fresh” when it gets above a 60% score. Additionally, RT can provide you with show times and nearby theaters that are showing the movies that you are interested in seeing.
The website also tracks new movies and DVD releases and runs weekly features, such as actor and director favorite films and breakdowns of the best movies in particular genres based on the RT rating scale.
www.imdb.com
Finally, the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) is one of the older entertainment based websites, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t still worth your time. IMDB tracks individual actors over the duration of their careers. It is a great site to use if you want to know how many episodes an actor was on during a particular show or if an actor is going to be in the cast of an upcoming movie.
Whether you’re looking for older movies to stream at home or you’d like to find out about a new movie that’s coming to your local theater, these websites are great resources for making your decision easier.
One of the toughest challenges of today’s business environment is the feeling that you need to constantly reinvent – today it’s refining the way you do business, tomorrow it’s upgrading the ideas and programs your business brings to the table.
Quite often the temptation is to unceremoniously empty your dance card (current business model) and replace it with the latest technological gem or business model that’s sweeping the industry. Sure, most people would pat you on the back and praise you for your vision and swift response. There’s even a belief that this type of action demonstrates how passionate you are about our business. But does this kind of zigzag course realistically inspire much confidence in your actions?
Now I’m certainly not against freshening things up a bit from time to time. After all, that’s usually part of a natural business evolution, especially in social media. We track the right internet resources, attend the right conferences, network with the right gurus or agents of change, and try to integrate their best ideas. But many times, we tend to jump in feet first and broadcast our newfound expertise far and wide – toss out the bait and see what fish we can attract.
But wait a minute! What about those existing customers that we currently serve? Has our package of products or services just become stale, unusable? Have we suddenly stopped providing them with the resources and programs necessary to their growth and continued existence? Now you’re caught in a conundrum. Is transition to a new model really required, or have you just gotten the itch to take that new concept for a spin?
In most cases, it’s highly unlikely that everything you and your business have to offer has become outdated overnight. And stop to think a moment – how much work is usually involved in abrupt conversion to an entirely different business model? In most cases, I think it’s rare that a new concept or process is so life-changing that it demands instant acceptance and incorporation.
For many reasons, it seems that the world of social media and business is especially susceptible to this kind of instant changeability – the grass always seems to be greener at that other Foursquare location! However, the more professional approach might be a comfortable series of small steps that consistently move forward towards the newly perceived goals and objectives. In other words, retain the best of what is currently being done, and add the new efforts a little at a time – making sure that everything is getting better as you go.
Now let’s fully recognize that no matter what business we’re in, our clients and end users many times expect us to be harbingers of change. And they expect us to aid them in creating a road map that will get them to their new location via the quickest, least painful, and most profitable route. It’s not an easy position to find yourself in when you constantly have to have your eye on the horizon, drive with one hand, and use the other to flip through the map to constantly make sure you’re keeping on course!
So don’t stop being “the visionary force,” if that’s how you see your role, but make sure that you’re still enjoying quality time with your present dance partners. Respect your instincts, respect and communicate with your partners, and see if you can dance your way into the future by wisely learning how to gradually add some new steps to your tried and true dance routine.
The thought of going to college for free sounds pretty unlikely, but all kinds of unusual scholarships are awarded every year to college students of all ages and backgrounds. In fact, as surprising as it sounds, there is probably a scholarship for everyone! Thousands of dollars could be awarded to you for your college expenses!
More now than ever before, there are a large number of scholarships that don’t necessarily focus on your grades or athletic accomplishments. Many scholarships are awarded just for being YOU! If you thought it was impossible to pay for college, think again! Here is a sampling of some of the unusual scholarships out there:
The Chick & Sophie Major Memorial Scholarship Duck Calling Contest- open to any high school senior in the United States who can call ducks. Each contestant has 90 seconds to make four calls: hail, feed, comeback and mating.
Tall Club International- annually, at the Tall Clubs International Convention, TCI awards student scholarships of up to $1,000 each to tall students (minimums of 5’10″ for women and 6’2″ for men) who are under 21 years of age and attending their first year of college the following fall.
Duck Brand Stuck at Prom Scholarship- enter as a couple and attend a high school prom wearing complete attire or accessories made from duct tape. Each couple must submit a color photograph of themselves in their prom attire. The awards for this contest range from money to Duck Tape brand sportswear.
The National Potato Council Scholarship- awards one $5,000 scholarship to a graduate student pursuing advanced studies in Agribusiness which enhance the Potato Industry. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership abilities and potato-related areas of graduate study.
The National Marbles Tournament- a tournament is held annually in New Jersey for one week in June. Local and regional winners compete to see who will be the new marble champions! The winners get scholarship money and national recognition.
Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation (CKSF) - take a quiz and show what you know about “common knowledge.”
The Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year (SAMMY) Award- This award is judged on five criteria: academic performance, athletic excellence, leadership, community service, and a milk experience essay. The first round of judging will be conducted by a group of educators and coaches. Then a panel of celebrity athletes from the Milk Mustache campaign will choose the 25 winners.
These are just a few of the unusual ways to get money for college. Consider spending some time this weekend and expanding your search. In addition to these scholarships, there are hundreds more out there with millions of dollars waiting to be awarded.
Do your own internet search and look up “available college scholarships,” or even go to sites like fastweb.com or collegeboard.com. These sites will create a profile about you, and then they’ll even search for scholarships that you qualify for! It doesn’t get much easier than that and you might even find yourself going to college with all, or at least part of, your expenses paid!
For the last three weeks we’ve talked about 1) the basics of eating right, 2) how to organize for eating on the run, and 3) how to keep on track when dining out at your favorite restaurant. Since eating out seems to be the most difficult time to stay on a diet, let’s discuss some of the other times when we might be eating out and could use a little extra help.
Aunt Maxine’s Desserts
At least a couple of times a year, most of us have to make that pilgrimage to the large family gathering. Too often you find yourself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of food, and whether it’s good for you or not, you’re expected to at least be polite – if not totally “guilted” into overindulgence. There are a couple of strategies you can use when faced with these gastronomic (and emotion packed) extravaganzas.
First, you can be proactive and announce that you’ll be bringing a salad or a healthy appetizer – then you’ve made sure there is at least one dish available that you can eat without remorse. If no one else has brought any healthy entrees, hopefully you can keep going back to your “safe” food throughout the meal.
Second, become the activity chairman and invite everyone to join you in a vigorous after-dinner walk!
Finally, when it’s time for dessert, make sure you keep your portions small. It will keep you out of trouble with Aunt Maxine – who everyone knows makes the world’s best pastries, and you can even praise her efforts loudly as you share your portions with another family member – “Mom, you have got to try this, Aunt Maxine’s done it again! “ Now we can’t promise that these tips will keep you in everyone’s good graces, but at least they give you a fighting chance to keep working your plan.
Vacation Bound
This can be one of the hardest tests for healthy eating. After all, you’re “on vacation” – this is your time to relax, kick back, and even indulge yourself. This is also the most likely place you’ll turn into your own worst enemy. It might also be the time when you’ll have to call on that inner reserve of self-discipline to get you through it.
Some of the basics to keep in mind are: instead of centering your vacation plans around eating, try to work more calorie expending activities into your plans. Get out and hike, bike, golf or swim. Build memories instead of excess pounds! Bring along healthy snacks for between meals and even for quelling hunger prior to a potentially devastating mealtime set-back. If you can, seek out local farmer’s markets or supermarkets where you can buy healthy foods instead of completely relying on the high calorie menu items in most restaurants.
The Well Fed Business Traveler
Here’s another big-time program killer! After a full day of nitty-gritty business negotiations, one of the supreme rewards (and most expected perks) is to treat yourself, your clients and business associates to the best restaurant in town. There’s really not much you can do except try to make the best choices you can under the circumstances.
However, you can keep the entire trip from being a disastrous dietary write-off. When you’re not socializing, make sure your hotel has a refrigerator and microwave, and then stock up on healthy snacks at a local grocery or natural food store. At breakfast, stick with the continental and fresh fruit offerings – and just like when you’re on vacation – check out regional “fresh” offerings that fit into your healthy eating guidelines.
We sincerely hope this extended series on “Eating Right” has been helpful and has at least given you a checklist for maintaining a successful eating program. Let us know if you’ve found any of this advice to be particularly helpful. And most of all, let us know if you have any suggestions of your own to add.
