Neurotic Thinking and Neurotic Behavior

Healthy thinking is a habit, just like neurotic thinking is a habit. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying on the Path, p. 115)

The most effective weapon you have in banishing neurotic behavior from your life is your own determination. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying on the Path, p. 105)
30/Jun/2010 8:10

Today Stands Before Me

Today stands before me, awaiting my involvement. I will go peacefully, addressing only those situations that invite my attention, and I will give it, fully. (The Promise of a New Day, 2 June) 29/Jun/2010 8:20

Vacation In Panama

Anger makes us stupid.
(Toni Sortor and Pamela McQuade, The Word On Life, 30 May)

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Yesterday's plan to stop at the Cellphone Waiting parking lot at the airport didn't go as planned. I cut the timing on our trip to the airport too close. Just before we started to cross the bridge over the Potomac River my cellphone rang. Cyndi was already waiting for her two bags to arrive at the baggage claim area. As we rounded the curve and headed to the new terminal the phone rang again. Cyndi was at the sidewalk in front of the "C" doors. We arrived there in a couple of minutes and pulled to the curb directly in front of where she was standing. We loaded the bags, switched drivers and were on our way to Bethesda in a matter of minutes.

Cyndi showed us a DVD of one of those house hunting television shows. In the show the agent was the daughter-in-law of friends of ours in Panama. One of the three houses she showed the buyers from Philadelphia was the house of our friends.

Cyndi also started up her computer to show us all of the photos she took during her visit. She got some very good shots.

Mr. Dickie
28/Jun/2010 8:49

Something To Say

... we will be ... penalized if we presume in ourselves a perfection that simply is not there. (As Bill Sees It, p. 159)

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Yesterday I discovered that I can back up my Google blogs by exporting them to an XML file on my computer. Of course, I don't know anything about XML files. Apparently the main reason for doing the export is to get a copy of the blog when you want to move your blog from one place to another. I learned that I can read the downloaded file with Internet Explorer. To get started I backed up my Obituary file.

There have been several back-to-back days of temperatures in the nineties. It's so hot some of the weeds are burning up. Yesterday, for the first time this year, Melva hooked up a sprinkler to the backyard hose and we watered three different spots for twenty-five minutes each.

Today Cyndi returns from a sixteen day trip to Panama. This morning she called her mother several times from the airport in Panama. She will change planes in Miami and arrive at Washington National around 3:30 p.m. if all goes well.

Montgomery County, Maryland, where Cyndi lives, is just to the west of our county. They always brag about it being populated by affluent folks. Now one of the county leaders has announced that they have run out of money. They can no longer rent portable toilets for use in the parks. This reminds me of the old expression, "We were so poor, we didn't have a pot to pee in." This leader has suggested that citizens sign up to sponsor one or more porta-pottys. She stated that you can have a memorial plaque attached to the potty you sponsor. What would you like your plaque to say? I thought up a slogan for the sponsorship campaign, "Sponsor a Loo for a Poo."

Wages are down, jobs are lacking. In the Washington, DC area many people travel long distances on the busses and subway of the Metro system to get to and from low paying jobs if they have them. Starting today huge fare increases go into effect. Isn't this asking folks who most need public transportation to shoulder the burden of keeping this mismanaged and money loosing system running? Go figure!

We used the gas discount offer from Giant grocery and Shell Oil for the first time yesterday. After spending $200.00 at Giant we had 200 points. This could be used to get a 20 cents per gallon discount on a one-time gas purchase. I filled the Toyota Camry with $35.00 worth of gas and received a discount of $2.63. No wonder all eight pumps at the station were occupied. I wasn't too surprised when I wasn't able to make the system work at the pump. I went inside and the clerk didn't have any trouble helping me.

Mr. Dickie
27/Jun/2010 8:39

Think Differently

So when you think differently, you will act differently. (John Mac Arthur, Truth For Today, 4 Jun) 24/Jun/2010 13:15

A Brand New End

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new end. (Anonymous in As We Understood, p. 185) 22/Jun/2010 8:11

Summer - 2010

Don't try to avoid responsibility by saying you didn't know about it. (Proverbs 24:12 in The One-Year Mini For Men, 14 June)

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Summer is here. Is it hot enough for you?

I took quite a few photos while we were in Solomon's Island. It's difficult to compose a shot using the screen on a digital camera. Often there is too much sunlight. I can't see the screen. I miss the view finder on my Minolta SLR camera. I continue trying to take pictures of bronze sculpture. It's very hard to get a good shot. I've tried with and without flash. Without the flash you can't see the details and with flash you see glare.

Cyndi and her aunt, Aura, traveled to Volcan, Republic of Panama yesterday. It's a seven hour bus ride. Cyndi called her mother after they arrived at their destination.

Did you know that all of the photos I use on my Google blogs are stored in Picasa albums? I'd forgotten that. Funny how the memory works, or doesn't work.

Mr. Dickie
21/Jun/2010 8:18

Father's Day - 2010

Remembering my father, Edward Charles Henthorn, today and the blessings he passed on to me. May he rest in peace.

Happy Father's Day to all my friends who are fathers. Keep up the good work.

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Yesterday Melva and I returned from a two day vacation at Solomon's Island, Maryland. It's about sixty-five miles from our house. Cyndi made the hotel arrangements and paid for our stay in honor of our 43rd wedding anniversary.

I'm enjoying being in closer touch with my relatives in the United States via Facebook. In the last week we learned where Katie will go to school this fall and that Kristyna is engaged. I think it's more fun when the news is timely.

Mr. Dickie
20/Jun/2010 8:58

Big Vistas

It's not just the big new vistas that open up our lives. It's the daily little ones that also surprise. (Mary O'Roark in Daily Guideposts - 2008, 23 May) 17/Jun/2010 7:09

*******

Maybe I'll skip blogging tomorrow, Friday.

Mr. Dickie

Dr. Wayne Dyer Says

What we must recognize is that we exult in some of our defects. Self-righteous anger can be very enjoyable. In a perverse way we can actually take satisfaction from the fact that many people annoy us; it brings a comfortable feeling of superiority. (As Bill Sees It, p. 153)

Those who behave in ways that you dislike are sending out their disharmony toward you because that is what they have to give away. Hating them is akin to hating moss for growing on a tree.
(Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 69)

Those who seem to cause you the most anguish are those who remind you of what you believe is either lacking or wanting in yourself. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 47)

No one can depress you. No one can make you anxious. No one can hurt your feelings. No one can make you anything other than what you allow inside. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 79)

You do not have to be a person who is at the mercy of anyone who chooses to annoy you. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 80) 16/Jun/2010 9:09

Beginning and Ending

(Photo: By Miss Melva)
(Dick and daughter, Cyndi, 7 May 2010 birthday and Mother's Day Lunch)

A bad beginning does not inevitably lead to a bad ending. (Betty J. Eadie, Embraced By The Light, 4 June)

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There are two nice sets of webpages available on the Internet with information about the Okey family. They were shared by Janet and Michael Downing. I don't have all of their data in my Okey file yet. I'm not certain I am up for the task of comparing their work to mine. There are other ways to spend my time. I'm tempted.

Mr. Dickie
15/Jun/2010 10:28

Flag Day

Dear God, thank You for the symbols that remind us of what we hold dear.
(Daily Guideposts - 2008, 14 June) 14/Jun/2010 9:10

Hummingbird

A program of self-recognition and self-change "reads easy and does hard." (One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 3 Jun)

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Yesterday I installed the Facebook photo uploader application. This app displays thumbnails of the photos in a folder so you can pick which photos you want to upload in a "batch" upload. I'm not certain the photo display will work on my computer. I was able to get the "batch" upload to work.

I allowed Facebook to send too many posting notification messages to my Gmail account. I was, in effect, spamming myself. I reviewed which classes of posting I wanted to know about and turned off most of them.

The red monarda is blooming in the backyard. Yesterday I noticed the green hummingbird was out there enjoying the flowers.

Mr. Dickie
13/Jun/2010 8:49

Vacation In Panama

Riande Hotel near the Tocumen Airport in Panama

A continuous look at our assets and liabilities, and a real desire to learn and grow by this means are necessities for us. (As Bill Sees It, p. 161)

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Last night we drove to Bethesda to pick up Cyndi. We got back to the house about 9:30 p.m. Melva and Cyndi worked until midnight repacking the three suitcases. I helped by lifting the bags each time we wanted to weight them on the bathroom scale. The goal was to be certain that none of the bags exceeded fifty pounds. They left behind some of the bulky and heavy items. Each bag was full before we reached the weight limit. While doing some last minute printouts Cyndi noticed that there is a summertime embargo on extra bags and boxes to certain countries. We got lucky, Panama was excluded.

Cyndi set the alarm for 2:15 a.m. We left the house for National Airport by 3:00 a.m. There was heavy traffic on New York Avenue and we saw lots of flashing lights where there was police activity. We arrived at the American Airlines counter before they opened. Cyndi was the first one in line. She had to wait for one of the clerks to turn on the check-in machines before she could printout her boarding pass. I paid the extra amount to ship the third bag. We waited for Starbucks to open at 4:30 a.m. Melva and Cyndi each bought something. After they finished what they bought we went downstairs to the security check. Because Cyndi had a First-Class ticket she was able to move to the front of the line when she decided to go though the checkpoint.

We took a different route back to the house. We were already in the house before the airplane took off at 6:10 a.m. Cyndi called from Miami where she changed planes. She called again about 2:00 p.m. after she was in her room at the Riande Hotel near the airport. Melva had the portable phone in the basement, ready to take the call when it came. Cyndi will stay at the hotel for two nights before moving to the beach in the hotel van on Monday. She reported that she enjoyed the First-Class treatment. Maybe one of her cousins will come to the hotel to visit this afternoon.

Cyndi left her thumb drive with me. I copied the photos she took the day she took us out to eat at Edgewater, MD to celebrate my birthday and Mother's Day.

Mr. Dickie
12/Jun/2010 14:25

Purpose

A purpose is not something that you're going to find. It's something that will find you. And it will find you only when you're ready not before. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 68)

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The more we learn about the history of the BP oil company and about the failure of the government agencies and their leaders to regulate the oil industry the angrier we should all be. The only surprising thing is that this disaster in The Gulf didn't happen sooner. One politician, from Alaska claims, "it's a natural disaster." The thought occurred to me that he might change his viewpoint if he took a dip in that oil and some pelican feathers.

Mr. Dickie
11/Jun/2010 8:32

You Own It

Photo: Mr. Dickie (Monarda in our backyard)

Whenever other people are upset, always remember that they own the upset, and that you can refuse to join them. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 78) 10/Jun/2010 9:03

Beliefs

Our beliefs about ourselves are the single most telling factors in determining our success and happiness in life. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 75) 9/Jun/2010 9:51

Little Things, Great Things

We blame little things in others and pass over great things in ourselves; we are quick enough in perceiving and weighing what we suffer from others, but we mind not what others suffer from us. (Thomas a' Kempis, in One Day At A Time in Al-Anon, 9 May)
8/Jun/2010 9:26

Daily Effort

Daily effort is required to stay on course, but a whole new world awaits at the end, if we persist. (Betty J. Eadie, Embraced By The Light, 18 May)

You leave old habits behind by starting out with the thought "I release the need for this in my life." (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 68)

******

Yesterday afternoon we had a severe weather warning. I didn't do anything about it and left everything plugged in. I was sitting in the kitchen when the one and only huge lightning bolt struck. I just about fell off of the barstool. I went to unplug the computer and printer. By then the storm had passed. We got lucky, there didn't seem to be any damage.

Mr. Dickie
7/Jun/2010 9:05

Character Defects

... we have character defects as a society and ... these defects threaten us continually. (As Bill Sees It, p. 149) 6/Jun/2010 8:42

Home For Sale

A person who appears to be failing may in fact be learning more quickly than a person who appears successful. (Betty J. Eadie, Embraced by the Light, 16 May)

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Yesterday I heard that the owners of a long-vacant house about a block from our house have decided to let our neighbor, the real estate agent, list their house for sale. I think the asking price for this house is about 50% less than what houses sold for during the height of the real estate madness. Although there have been several vacant houses for a long time there are only two houses with signs out front, one for sale and one for rent. These two are next to each other on 76th Court behind our house. Life goes on!

Mr. Dickie
5/Jun/2010 7:44

Accumulate

Not only do we acquire ... we keep, we accumulate (Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom For The Way, p. 139)

The measure of your life won't be in what you accumulate; it will be in what you gave. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying on the Path, p. 52)

******

I didn't make it to the computer club meeting yesterday. Instead I watered the outdoor plants, went to the pharmacy to pick up a medication that I ran out of, and enjoyed a phone call from Library of Congress friend, Noel Peterson, in Florida, and rested.

Mr. Dickie
4/Jun/2010 6:52

Retirement Luncheon

You must become the producer, director, and actor in the unfolding story of your life. (Dr. Wayne Dyer, Staying On The Path, p. 78)

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I skipped blogging yesterday. Melva dropped me off at the New Carrollton subway station on her way to work. I used my new plastic SmartTrip card to pay for my trips. I went to The Library of Congress to visit with friends and attend the retirement luncheon for Kathy Loh. If I counted the number of tables correctly about forty attended. Al Banks, Katy Culp, Erlinda Del Rosario, myself and the guest of honor all worked for Dennis Chin at the same time and we all were there to help Kathy celebrate her thirty-one years of government service. After tomorrow Al will be the only one still working. He's in charge of Information Techology Services now. On the way home I took the T-18 bus for the mile ride up the hill from the subway station to the stop about a block from the house. Just like old times. Melva called me to see what I was doing when I was about a half block from home. We both thought that was funny. It was great to see and visit with my former coworkers. It's hard to believe that I retired about fourteen years ago in 1993.

Mr. Dickie
3/Jun/2010 10:37

Purpose

Purpose requires courage; you must confront yourself or the enemy, and have the discipline to say no to what distracts you from your purpose. (The One-Year Mini For Men, 23 May)
1/Jun/2010 9:08