Being Just

Photo: Aztech New Media

We do not have ... power over our parents -- over their feelings, or over the course of their lives. We do not have to allow them to have this kind of power over us. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 27 August)

You cannot be completely just. One time you do too little, the other time you do too much. There is only one way not to sin against justice; always to change things, to improve things, to make them better. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 26 August)

You should live in such a way that you can confide anything on your mind. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 28 July)

******

It's an interesting experience when we have to learn to operate another computer. Sometimes the program settings are different. Sometimes the same programs aren't installed on every computer. Sometimes the versions of the software are not the same. And, the feel of the keyboards is never the same.

Yesterday I found a way to add a "visitor counter" to the Google Sites website I am working on. It was the first time I ever added generated HTML code to a page that I created. It was neat to see how that works.

I spent lots of time yesterday watching television. I watched the Formula One race and parts of both Little League finals. Last night I watch part of the 1935 movie, "Munity on the Bounty" that I recorded from the TCM channel. Today the U.S. Open tennis starts. I'll be busy helping Melva record the matches.

Mr. Dickie

You Are Absolutely Unique

If I stay out of others' affairs and become more aware of my own, I have a good chance of finding some serenity. (Courage to Change, 21 August)

In order to get what we want, we must say what we mean. In order to say what we mean, we must know what we want. When we know what we want, we can think and speak postively with great expectations. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 230)

What you experience is a reflection of what you need to learn. What you need to learn will show up in your life as an experience providing you with an opportunity to demonstrate a new attitude. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 231)

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. (Margaret Mead in 365 Ways to Change Your Life, by Suzanne Somers, Days 244-45)

******

The old desktop computer runs slowly even though it is now using the the high speed Internet connection. I check to see if there is disk fragmentation. It wasn't too bad.

Mr. Dickie

Life is a Journey

Photo: Aztech New Media

Exploiting the role of "sick person" is one behavior I need to guard against. I will accept this as a personal challenge. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day)

What we hate most in another person may well be what we are hating in ourselves. Knowing this can be useful. (Touchstones, 12 August)

Freedom from despair and frustration can come only from changing "in myself" the attitudes that are maintaining the conditions that cause me grief. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 11 August)

Life is a journey you can't plan ... (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 263)

The Purpose of Life

Photo: Mr. Dickie in front of a LARC at Fort Story, VA

The purpose of life is the fulfillment of the law of God, not the acquisition of ever more knowledge. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 27 July)

If you really want to be wealthy, prosperous, or abundantly blessed, take your focus off of money and put it on your spiritual self. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p.244)

[Have you] ... "dropped out?" - never sending cards, returning calls, being there for other people, or taking part in their lives. (Daily Reflections, 16 August)

There's no reason to make our days miserable with unrealistic goals. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 12 August)

******

I'm trying to adjust to using my Gateway desktop computer. There are many differences between the laptop and the desktop. The biggest frustration is that both computers don't have the same software installed. I'm grateful that the desktop even works. It would be very inconvenient if I couldn't access the Internet and Email.

Mr. Dickie

Things Are Going to Happen

Photo: Aztech New Media

Things are going to happen, and you have a choice: you can be a witness or a participant. A witness observes and learns. A participant creates drama and stress. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 257)

To create a balanced life, I must exercise some self-discipline. (Courage to Change, 14 August)

Spend time alone in objective thought as you consider the direction of your life. (I Ching (The Reflective) in Acts of Faith, Iyanla Vanzant, 17 August)

*****

I was able to connect my Gateway desktop computer to the Internet using the high speed FIOS connection for the first time. I'm still working on a problem with the CD drives on this computer. I was able to sign on to AOL and to attend the Family Treehouse chatroom last night. I was also able to use the Internet Explorer without going through AOL. I'm grateful because I'm not ready to rush out to buy another computer. I know it will be a long drawn-out process to learn a new operating system and to install new software. For now, I'm able to receive and send Email and post to my various blogs. I'm content with that.

There was a photo CD in the laptop when it failed. At first I didn't have a clue on how to open the door when the computer won't boot up. I tried the old paper clip in the hole trick this morning. It worked. That's a relief.

Barry was able to post the computer club minutes and to post the link from the "Meetings" page to the the minutes PDF file. He didn't need my help. After the laptop stopped working it would have been a big headache for me get FTP installed on the desktop computer. Thanks Barry for making that unnecessary.

Mr. Dickie

Life Is Not Promised To You

Life is not promised to you. Nor is it promised that it will go the way you want it to, when you want it to. (Rosalind Cash in Faith in the Valley by Iyanla Vanzant, p. 249)

******

Yesterday my laptop computer stopped working. Another computer disaster which will be far worse than it should have been due to my own short-comings. Much to my surprise I was able to get my already damaged desktop computer to work on the high speed Internet connection. In the past I connected this computer to the Internet using a telephone line. There are serious issues with this computer too, but for the moment, I'll be able to check my Email if I'm not in a big hurry. Even though the Internet connection is high speed the computer seems to have some response problems. I've already posted messages about my computer problems and written some Emails about it. In the past when this kind of thing happened I have rationalized and said, "Maybe it is time to take a break from computing." Perhaps that's how I will deal with it this time. Needless to say, I'm not happy about this turn of events.

Clarity

Clarity eliminates confusion. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 241)

Many situations can be clarified by the passing of time. (Theodore Isaac Rubin, in Touchstones, 21 August)

Clutter doesn't have to be physical; I may also find areas of my mental, spiritual, or emotional life that are in disarray. (Courage to Change, 10 August)

"The horror of the moment," the King said, "I shall never, never forget." "You will though," said the Queen, "if you don't make a memorandum of it." (Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass," in One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 18 August)

*******

Yesterday I skipped a day of posting to my Mr. Dickie's and Arrow Prayers blogs. I was busy and needed a break from my malfunctioning computer.

I stopped at the Bowie library to check out a copy of Frank McCourt's, "Teacher Man." The copy at branch closest to the house was checked out. By bedtime I'd read all but the last twenty pages of this 258 page book. It's the last of the three I'm reading.

Mr. Dickie

My Henthorn Website Google Group

We are so accustomed to masking our true feelings that we often lose touch with them. (Food For Thought, 3 August)

It makes sense to apply a grace period to our intimate relationships. We may need time to assess behavior, true intentions and performance history of the prospects. The fine-print issues such as habits, motive and background cannot be seen with closed eyes. (Iyanla Vanzant, Acts of Faith, 31 July)

When I catch myself feeling overwhelmed, or not being able to get anything done because there is so much to do that I don't know where to start, I'll stop for a moment and remind myself to take it one step, one task, one day at a time. (Courage to Change, 31 July)

Freedom from despair and frustration can come only from changing "in myself," the attitudes that are maintaining the conditions that cause me grief. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 11 August)

******

Last night, after a tedious twenty-one mile drive on the Washington, DC beltway in the rain of Hurricane Bill and bumper to bumper traffic with lane changing, texting and talking on cellphones we made it safely to Cyndi's apartment. We went there to deliver her birthday gifts and eat our supper. We watched a DVD movie after we ate.

I've been making some changes and additions to my Henthorn Website group on Google. I updated the homepage with a list explaining the rules of using the site. I also created a page with links to my other blogs and to my bookmarks on Delicious. There doesn't seem to be much interest in the group. So far there are only eleven members and I do most of the posting. Oh well, it's fun to learn how a Google group works, or doesn't work.

There are problems with AOL on my laptop computer. It's locking up. I probably need to run a defragmentation. After that I'll try to install a working copy of version 9.1 if I can find it. I also can't use my printer right now. I need to conduct a search for the CD because I can't find the printer driver on the computer. I've probably already written that I don't have any idea what happened. I suppose it might be said, "The house of cards just fell down!" I hate when this stuff happens. I really don't have the mental disposition to deal with it.

Mr. Dickie

Our Computers

Photo: Aztech New Media (Yosemite, CA)

It's sickening how dependent we are on computers. Our lives revolve around what's in our computer's memory. Have you backed up your files? How do you know your computer doesn't have a virus? It could be eating all your files right his second. Pretty scary, huh? (Andrew Frothingham and Tripp Evans, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, 22 August)

******

Facebook friend and fellow computer club member, D. Edgington, of Bowie, MD, has a question featured in the Personality Parade section of tomorrow's edition of Parade magazine.

Last night I finished reading Frank McCourt's book, "'Tis." If you read "Angela's Ashes," and wondered why he gave the first book that title you can find out if you read 'Tis. As the McCourt brothers became adults and returned to America their lives improved. I enjoyed reading "the rest of the story."

Mr. Dickie

Upsetting Situation

Photo: Aztech New Media (Yosemite, CA)

Cooperate with the flow of life and with life's events. Surrender the urge to control and stop demanding to have things your way. (after Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 247)

Today, if I encounter an upsetting situation I will ask myself, "How important is it?" before I react. I may find that it is not important enough to sacrifice my serenity. (Courage to Change, 15 August)

Today I am devoted to knowing that I am getting better and better as I pass through the testing situations in my life! (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 10 August)

******

Yesterday I attended the computer club meeting in Bowie. One of the members described the project to remove the computer lab from the City of Bowie network and attach it to the Comcast Network. This was necessary if the club wanted to continue to offer classes in how to use Email. As part of the project they also moved the WiFi router into the wiring closet in the computer lab. This should improve the response when someone wants to use a wireless computer from the meeting classroom. For the meeting they set up the projector and the center laptop in the meeting room. Everything went well with one exception. No one seemed to know how to make the display appear on the big screen and on the laptop screen at the same time. The laptop screen was blank.

I continue to discover more serious issues with my own laptop computer. I have no idea what happened. The printer is no longer recognized and the Adobe Flash Player disappeared. I was able to install the Flash Player again. This morning I confirmed that the printer won't work and that the driver probably isn't present on the hard drive. When I have problems like this my level of knowledge is quickly exceeded. I'm not happy and I'm stressed out about it.
When I've had this type of problem in the past I often just walked away from the computer, sometimes for months at a time. These disasters remind me just how much control this technology has over our lives. I've asked myself many times, "Is it worth it?"

Mr. Dickie

Computer Issues

Detachment involves present-moment living -- living in the here and now. We allow life to happen instead of forcing and trying to control it. We relinquish regrets over the past and fears about the future. We make the most of each day. (Melody Beattie, in Codependent No More, found in The Language of Letting Go, 18 August)

Often we convince ourselves by rationalizing that all is well when it is not. Our emotional and spiritual health require that we examine honestly our behavior and our relationships. When they are not right we need to take action to correct them. (Food For Thought, 14 August)

I am free to act or not to act, to take a chance, to hold off on a decision, to make choices that feel right. (Courage to Change, 6 August)

******

Yesterday I learned how to link Pages in my Google Group. This allowed me to link some pages together in sets. I also wrote two pieces that I posted to the group. So far there are only eleven members. I made most of the postings. I wrote encouraging them to share their genealogy information with others. That's the neat thing about the group, members can interact.

I continue to have computer issues. I suspect the problem was caused by recent attempts to install new software on the computer. There's always a big risk involved whenever we want to try something else. In my experience I have never found it easy to go back to the way it was before the changes.

Another neighbor and I think that one of our neighbors ran his pickup truck into the front corner of his house and into the porch. Last weekend there were some Latinos there putting the brick veneer back in place.

Mr. Dickie

Computer Issues

Yesterday afternoon I started to have what appear to be serious computer issues. The problems continue this morning. I'm finding ways to get around the issues in order to post a couple of Emails and this entry to Mr. Dickie's Blog and Facebook. I want everyone to know that, for the moment, I'm not ill. I'm just trying to accept, and deal with, computer issues. In the past when this happened I often took a long break from the Internet and computers. I'm inclined to do the same thing again. I can always go to the library and to the Senior Center to get access to the Internet. That's not very convenient and the time on the computers is limited. Stay tuned for further developments.

Mr. Dickie

Economic Crisis

Photo: Aztech New Media

I have the power to set myself free by conquering the personal shortcomings that chain me to my problems. And not the least of these is the short-sightedness that has made me refuse to accept responsibility for the way I am. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 11 August)

There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice. (Joseph Addison in One More Day by Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, 30 July)

By taking time each day to withdraw from the distractions of the external world, we grow in spiritual knowledge. When the chips are down, this spiritual strength which we developed by daily prayer and meditation is what will see us through. (Food For Thought, 31 July)

Immediate negative reactions to people are reflections of those things you like or dislike about yourself. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 242)

******

Today a house in our neighborhood is to be sold at the county courthouse. There have been issues at this property for several years. The last occupant was the son of the owner. As far as we could tell he never did get the power company to turn on the power. Rather, for months he ran a generator in the backyard where the noise annoyed many of the neighbors. This morning I learned from the real estate agent who lives on 76th Court that two houses are "short selling." One of them is the former house of Melva's friend, Lil. The agent sold this home for Lil and got $306,000 after two Hispanics got into a bidding war for it. Which reminds us of the value of listening to the warning, "Let the buyer beware!"

Mr. Dickie

True Leaders Still Listen

Photo: Aztech New Media

True leaders still listen carefully to others, knowing that this quality does not signal weakness or indecision but the greatest sort of wisdom. They invest the time and effort to understand before they speak. They embrace friends who can offer many different perspectives. Their greatest reward is not personal power but the opportunity to hear ... (Larry G. Jent in The Upper Room Disciplines - 2006, 16 August)

******

I continue to study Google Sites. I found several more tutorial videos that were quite well down and very informative. A series produced at Radford University in Radford, VA wer particularly helpful.

If I decide to create a genealogy website with Google Sites I'm leaning towards making the website accessible by invitation only. This would allow me to be certain I know everyone who has access to the information. I think this might be a good idea because in the past some people have objected to finding information about their family on the Internet. I'd like to avoid such issues in the future.

I posted another Yoho obituary to my Obituary Blog. My friend, Betty of Wheeling, WV sent me an envelope of clippings. Thank you Betty.

Mr. Dickie

Silence

Photo: Aztech New Media

"All profound things and emotions of things are preceded and attended by silence," says Herman Melville. "Silence is the general consecration of the universe." And Thomas Merton: "A man who loves God necessarily loves silence." And Jorge Luis Borges: "Absolute silence is the creative energy and intelligence of eternal being." And prickly, crusty, brave Job, who says to the Creator, "I put my finger to my lips ... I will not answer again." (Brian Doyle in Daily Guideposts - 2006, 15 August)

Computer Club Website

Photo: Aztech New Media

Make it a daily practice to review your character. Review it in relation to your daily life, your loved ones, your friends, and your work. Each day try to see where God wants you to change. Plan how best each fault can be eliminated, each mistake corrected. Comparisons to others will not work. Strive for a better life as your ultimate goal. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 13 August)

Man can do much for himself as respects his own improvement, unless self-love so blinds him that he cannot see his own imperfections and weaknesses. (Martha Wilson in One More Day by Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, 8 August)

Many of us hide within negative behaviors which become habits. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 8 August)

Make something happen in your life and for your life. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 6 August)

******

The computer club at the Bowie Senior Center provides two Comcast computers which allow visitors to the center access to the Internet. Part of the Comcast package is 1Gb of website space. The computer committee moved the club website from a site where a fee was being paid to the free space that came with the subscription to Comcast. The new website is simple in structure. However, new people needed to get involved with website maintenance to insure that updates would be accomplished in a timely manner. As the project got underway there seemed to be a perception that maintaining the site would be difficult. I had a hunch that there wasn't much to it. Recently I asked some questions and then offered to help. Yesterday, Eric the club member who created the website, called to let me know that the committee wanted me to get involved. I put on my telephone headset and he turned on his speaker phone and we went right to work getting my computer set up. We installed Mozilla Firefox with FTP for the purpose. Everything went smoothly and I think I got the hang of it. My main job will be to post the link to the bi-monthly minutes to the "meetings" page. Barry writes the minutes using Open Office and saves them in a PDF file. I may need to review one of my HTML books if I need to post punctuation to the test in the link.

Mr. Dickie

Google Sites

Photo: Mr. Dickie

Send for some free government booklets, it gives you a sense that you're getting something back. (Andrew Frothingham and Tripp Evans, Wake Up and Smell the Coffee, 12 August)

It is interesting to recognize how the most innocent behavior has the potential of becoming ... addictive. (Ric Engram, Pace Yourself, 8 August.)

A man must spend his life, not hoard it. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, p. 121)

Today is all the time I have. Nobody can keep me from using it well. If I make this a good day, tomorrow can be even better. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 6 August)

*****

Yesterday, Melva and I went for an hour walk at Schrom Park. We walked four and a half laps and worked up a good sweat.

I learned how to use the page Table of Contents option in Google Sites. On a hunch I installed a Table of Contents at both the top and bottom of the page. It worked! This made it possible to move around in the document from "heading" to "heading" and to jump from the bottom of the page to the top of the page and vice versa. I also created a short "List" page. I'm not quite sure how people use that option. I created a Dashboard page and included calendar and map widgets. This is another option that I still don't have a good understanding of how it could be used. I created a File Cabinet and uploaded both a "text" file and a "PDF" file.

My friend, Betty, sent me some obituary clippings from the Wheeling, WV Intelligencer. I added one of them to my Google obituary blog. I hadn't done any posting to this blog in a long time.

Mr. Dickie

Being On Purpose

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Melva's amarylis)

If you do not understand that character development is an important process of life, you may be tempted to give up when things get tough. ... What you do when your back is against the wall speaks volumes about the nature of your character. (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 1 August)

Wealth reminds me of manure in the field. When it is in a big pile it makes a bad smell. But when it is distributed everywhere across the field, it makes the soil better. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 31 July)

It is not the experience of today that drives us mad. It is the remorse or bitterness for something that happened yesterday or the dread of what tomorrow may bring. Let us therefore do our best to live but one day at a time. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 31 July)

How can we expect life to bless and support when we stay one thing, think something else, and feel a completely different way. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 230)

Stopping to Think

Photo: Aztech New Media

Some people live and act according to their own thoughts and some according to the thoughts of others; this is a crucial distinction between people. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 6 August)

Sometimes we take a course of action without stopping to think about the consequences. We don't look ahead to the sense of defeat, failure, and shame that will plague us. We forget that our escape route may lead only to greater trouble. (Kay Arthur, Search My Heart, O God, 5 August)

When your life and affairs are not in order, nature has no place to put the blessing. (Iyanla Vanzant, Faith in the Valley, p. 233)

******

Yesterday afternoon I was channel surfing when I discovered a program called, "The Writing Life," produced by the community college in Howard County, Maryland. The guest was Frank McCourt, the author of, "Angela's Ashes," the book I'm reading right now. The program was shown on the cable channel of our county community college. This was the second interview with Frank McCourt that I have watched. I enjoyed both.

In the evening I watched part of an outstanding program titled, "Drain the Ocean," on the National Geographic Channel. Using computer animation they showed what the ocean floor looks like.

In the 11 Aug 2009 Style section of The Washington Post there was an interesting article about the website BookCrossing.com. The purpose of the website is to track used books that people leave for others to find. I think I like the idea. I visited the website and read several of the pages. I posted information about the site to both Facebook and Delicious.

In the evening I spent more time trying to master how the Google Sites works. I put my profile photo on the homepage. I added a "text" file. I changed some of the display colors. And, I tried to understand why the words "Attachments" and "Comments" appear at the bottom of some pages. I need to do more work on that question. At this point I don't have any plan for what I am doing. I'm just creating pages just to learn how things work. Later I will need to delete pages when I'm ready to add "real" content, if I decide to use the facility. If I can master how it works, Google Sites has potential as a place where I can post some of my genealogy information.

As I try to learn I'm constantly dealing with memory issues. Often I can figure out how something works and believe I have a good understanding. Then if I don't practice what I learned I soon forget and need to start the process all over again. I recall having this problem when I was younger. It's just more evident as time goes by.

Mr. Dickie

Learn to Focus

Photo: Aztech New Media

For our peace of mind and emotional serenity, we need to keep the mechanics of our lives as simple as possible. If the spirit is to be free, it cannot be shackled by overconcern with material things. (Courage to Change, 7 August)

I can simplify my life by letting go of decisions and problems that aren't mine to handle. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 7 August)

We can learn to focus on the solution rather than on the problem, and maintain a positive attitude toward life and the inevitable flow of problems and solutions. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 6 August)

Expecting

Photo: Aztech New Media

One source of frustration we seldom recognize is in "expecting" too much of others, or "expecting" too specifically what we feel they ought to be, say, give or do. ... I ... often fail to live up to the expectations of others. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 4 August)

The person who seeks to change another person in a relationship basically sets the stage for a great deal of conflict. (Wesley Snipes in Acts of Faith by Iyanla Vanzant, 8 August)

Dare to be unique, for from this uniqueness you will contribute greatly to the people around you and to life itself. (Colleen Zuck, et al., Daily Word For Healing, p. 195)

Video on Demand

Photo: Aztech New Media

I will work hard to remove myself as a victim, whether that means setting and enforcing a boundary, walking away, dealing with my feelings, or giving myself what I need. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 26 July)

There is nothing you can say in answer to a compliment. I have been complimented myself a great many times, and they always embarrass me - I always feel that they have not said enough. (Mark Twain, in Touchstones, 15 July)

The people who come into our lives are a reflection of who we are. They reveal to us those things we cannot [see] or refuse to see about ourselves. (Iyanla Vanzant, Acts of Faith, 7 August)

As rules go, "You should behave as other people behave" is among the most dangerous; it almost always results in your behaving badly. (Jean de la Bruyere in A Calendar of Wisdom by Leo Tolstoy, 7 April)

******

I didn't watch the first episode of season eight of Mr. Monk on Friday night. I taped the show as the last show on a marathon tape I recorded earlier in the day. On Saturday night I used the Verizon Video on Demand (VOD) to watch the show on the TV in the basement. This works better because they leave out thirteen minutes of commercials.

Mr. Dickie

Things You Could Have Done

Photo: Aztech New Media

Certainly, it is painful to recall all the things which you could have done in the past but did not: some charity, for example; a time you denied to those who expected help from you; or when you blocked the joyful understanding of completing an action you should have finished. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 21 July)

Make it a point today to allow nothing to disturb your inner peace. (Alan L. Roeck, Look To This Day, 23 July)

Keep on taking care of yourself, no matter what. Keep on plugging away at recovery behaviors, one day at a time. Keep on loving yourself, even when it doesn't feel natural. Act "as if" for as long as necessary, even if that time period feels longer than necessary. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 25 July)

Do not be afraid to get rid of things which distract your attention - everything material, everything which can be seen or can be felt. The more you purify the spiritual core of your faith, the firmer your faith will be. (Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom, 26 July)

Four-step Win/Win Process

Four-step Win/Win Process

First, see the problem from the other point of view. Really seek to understand and to give expression to the needs and concerns of the other party as well as or better than they can themselves.

Second, identify the key issues and concerns (not positions) involved.

Third, determine what results would constitute a fully acceptable solution.

And fourth, identify possible new options to acheive those results.

(Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effectived People, p. 233)

******

Yesterday there was a "denial of service" attack against both Facebook and Twitter. I noticed that something was wrong when I tried to sign on to Facebook. In my opinion this kind of behavior is a form of terrorism and should be dealt with accordingly if the authorities can track down the culprits.

We went to the thrift store for the Monday 25% off sale. I "hit the jackpot" again. I bought eight, like-new, CDs for $4.05. I paid forty-five cents each for five of them and sixty cents each for three of them. All were classical except the Medusa album by Annie Lennox.In the evening I sat in the living room reading from two books and listening to the one of the CDs on my little portable player.

Mr. Dickie

I Could Be Wrong

Photo: Aztech New Media

I could be wrong. In fact, I am willing to be wrong, but if my recollection serves me, I seem to remember that you have been talking about doing "this" or "that" for quite some time now. Perhaps I am mistaken. Maybe I have you confused with someone else. There are so many people who talk and never move, who wish and never act, who tell stories and never take risks, who wait until they are so "weighted down" that they never get anything done. I admit that it is quite possible that I thought that you were one of them. "Forgive me!" (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 6 August)

Picasa Online Photo Albums

I will remind myself ... that I am powerless over anyone else, that I can live no life but my own. Changing myself for the better is the only way I can find peace and serenity. (The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage found in Courage to Change, 21 July)

Peace of mind comes when your life is in harmony with true principles and values and in no other way. (Stephen R. Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, p. 298)

I will visualize what it is I want from my life and will not compromise. I will set my standards high and focus on them. (Suzanne Somers, 365 Ways to Change Your Life, Day 235)

The possibilities of my life are endless when I am willing to see them and act on them. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 28 July)

******

I'm using three ways to upload photographs to the Internet. I have albums on: Facebook, Picasa and Bebo. Four of the Picasa albums store photos that I posted to my four Google blogs. This is done automatically by Google. The other day I checked to see if any Picasa album was set to "public." None were. It took a couple of days for me to figure out how to make an album public. I thought there would be a switch in the "Settings" menu. I was wrong. After doing several searches in Picasa Help I finally found the page of instructions for Album Privacy and learned that the switch is in the "Edit" menu. Go figure. Yesterday afternoon I made the album for Mr. Dickie's Blog public. There are over three hundred photos in the album. Some photos I took, some came from the Internet, and some from royalty free photo albums that I own. Captions on the photos must be added after the photos are stored in the album. Therefore, all of the photos don't have captions. BTW all three applications offer free photo storage. Also, there is something about Picasa that is a little confusing. You can install a free copy of the program on your own computer to use for managing your photos at your house.

Here's the link to the photo album, in case you want to take a look.

http://picasaweb.google.com/DickiesPhotos

Mr. Dickie

Another Book to Read

Photo: Aztech New Media

This day belongs to me. I can do wonderful things with it, creative things, including the creation of order in my surroundings and in my mind. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 30 July)

Giving is the highest expression of potency. ... This expression of heightened vitality and potency fills me with joy. I experience myself as overflowing, spending, alive, hence as joyous. Giving is more joyous than receiving, not because it is a deprivation, but because in the act of giving lies the expression of my aliveness. (Erich Fromm in "The Art of Loving," found in The Art of the Possible by Alexandra Stoddard, p. 232)

It is always love's greatest tragedy to look upon some loved one who has taken the wrong way and to see what might have been, what could have been and what was meant to have been. That is life's greatest heartbreak. (William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke, p. 91)

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A week or two ago I went to the Monday 25% off sale at the thrift store. I found a hardback copy of Suzanne Somers' book, "Keeping Secrets." When I got home I didn't have the book. I didn't know if I decided I didn't want the book or I just set it down to look at something else and never picked it up. Yesterday we went to the Monday sale again. I looked at the books for quite a while before I found the same copy of the book again. I got it for sixty cents. I also found a, like new, copy of Lorrie Morgan's CD - Greater Need, for sixty cents. How can they sell a CD for sixty cents.

I urged my friend in Atlanta who recently had heart surgery to post a message on his Facebook page to let his friends know what happened and that he is at home recovering. It was nice to see how quickly his many friends responded by posting messages to his wall.

Last week I made several new Facebook friends. More of my Wichita, KS, Class of '57 classmates joined our Facebook group and some posted to The Wall and to the Discussion Boards. It's lots of fun when they post.

I learned from the September issue of Smart Computing that there is a new Google "profile." I spent time yesterday trying to learn how that application works. I made a good start but didn't learn everything I want to know about how it works with Picasa. I'll have to go back for more experimentation. It seems that none of my online Picasa photo albums are public. I can't remember whether that was my intention or not. When I checked the switches I didn't understand the "text" beside the little check-off boxes.

Mr. Dickie

Reward & Punishment

We expect rewards for goodness, and punishment for the bad things which we do. Often, they are not immediately forthcoming. Both evil and good exist in the life of the spirit, though, which is outside time, and though we may not see clear indications of reward or punishment, nevertheless, we feel reward or punishment with our conscience. (Anon. in A Calendar of Wisdom, by Leo Tolstoy, 3 August)

You should be in a hurry to do good works, even small ones, and to avoid sin. One good thing leads to another, and one sin causes another. The reward for virtue is virture, and the punishment for vice is more vice. (The Talmud, in A Calendar of Wisdom, by Leo Tolstoy, 3 August)

Do not expect some tangible reward for your goodness; your actions are their own reward. In the same way, do not think that you can hope to avoid punishment of your evil acts, for your punishment already lies in your soul. You are mistaken if you think that the pain in you soul was caused by anything else. (Anon. in A Calendar of Wisdom, by Leo Tolstoy, 3 August)

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Last night while in "the other genealogy chatroom" I listened to an NPR broadcast of The Del McCoury Band (Bluegrass) playing a long set at the Newport Folk Festival. I think they performed earlier in the day (2 Aug 2009) I wish I had a program on my computer to record streaming audio. They exist, I just don't have one.

I made Facebook friends with three more of my Wichita class of "57 classmates. I'm not certain that all of them have joined the group. I wrote on my own Wall about how to use the Search box to find the Class of '57 group.

I tried to make some Bebo friends. Two accepted the invitation. Another friend told me "I'm not into that." It's kind of funny because he has a Bebo profile and it is marked "private" so no one can see it unless he accepts them as a friend. I wonder what it would take to delete the profile entirely. That's what I would do if I "wasn't into it." Oh well, I really don't care one way or the other how other people use, or don't use, the Internet.

Mr. Dickie

This is Life

Photo: Corel

I will not resist the impact of a new idea. It may be just the one I've needed without being aware of it. I will make my mind more flexible and receptive to new points of view. (One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, 18 July)

This is life, not a funeral service. Have some fun with it. Enter into it. Participate. Experiment. Take a risk. Be spontaneous. Do not always be so concerned about doing it right, doing the "appropriate" thing. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 29 July)

I have come to terms with where I am in my life. (Sefra Kobrin Pitzele, One More Day, 20 July)

It is not always appropriate to reveal my every thought. (Courage to Change, 25 July)

Today, I am devoted to the elimination of all self-abusive, self-negating thoughts and behaviors! (Iyanla Vanzant, Until Today!, 27 July)

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I'm grateful for friends and relatives who take the time to stay in touch by calling or writing an Email message. For many years my mother and her sisters kept a snail mail "round robin" letter going. I always admired them for making this effort to stay in touch with each other. Today we are blessed to have unlimited long distance, free Email and online social networking that allows us to keep in closer touch.

I still don't have a good understanding of graphic images. I know the difference between a JPEG image and a GIF file. What confuses me is that sometimes when I purchased some images on a CD I wasn't able to use them. Once I bought a Kodak CD. I think those images were in the PNG format. I never did get a handle on how I could read them on my computer. Once I displayed a few of the images and later I wasn't able to remember how I did it. Some CDs have images in the WMF format of Microsoft. I've never found that very useful because it seems they can only be viewed in documents prepared with MicroSoft Word. I suppose I need to undertake a project to see if I can find a book at the library on this topic or information on the Internet to help me gain more understanding.

Here's something I find curious. It's very easy for people to make comments about the blog or Facebook postings we make, but they seldom do so. When you post a comment you provide feedback to the writer, letting him or her know that someone is reading what they've written. The comments may open the door to further comments and discussion by others who are reading the postings. That's what makes it interesting to post thoughts on the Internet. What I find curious is how seldom people comment on what their friends and relatives are writing about.

I belong to four "groups" on Facebook. Most group members don't seem to "get the idea" of groups. The group is formed by someone who wants to provide a place where folks with a common interest can communicate. The groups usually start off with several people showing interest for a week or two. When most of the group members fail to comment or post any original thoughts the interest in the group soon wanes and before long, no one is posting.

Mr. Dickie

Genealogy & Bebo

I can concentrate my energy where I do have some control - over my own life. (Courage to Change, 17 July)

Addictions and dysfunctional systems make people lie. (Melody Beattie, The Language of Letting Go, 22 July)

It is not your duty or responsibility to change the minds of other people. (Iyanla Vanzant, Acts of Faith, 23 July)

Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things ... I am tempted to think ... there are no little things. (Bruce Barton in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey, p. 287)

Yesterday I sent out a request on Bebo.com to some of my contacts to see if they wanted to become friends. I received two quick responses which I appreciated because this allowed me to see how it works when you have friends and to see their profiles. Thanks, Vickie and Bill.

A new friend contacted me about Hinthorn(e) genealogy. I was able to find where he fits into the family tree. I added him and his parents to the file. Then I prepared a nine-page register report in the PDF format and sent it off to him. Now I'm waiting to see if he will be willing to provide information to fill in the details.

Mr. Dickie