Loaded Questions

On one of my many clicks over the last few days (honestly I cant even remember how I found this) I found these questions, and I thought I would just share, and answer:

This week's questions with my answers below them:
Hypotheticals: If you created a new flavor of ice cream, what wold it be?
Do you think they would ever have a meat and potatoes flavored ice cream? LOL

Anything Goes: What celebrity makes you glad you are not a celebrity?
Paris Hilton - I cannot STAND her...sorry if you like her. But if you went out, had a DUI, had an accident, then ran away, I doubt the judge would let you stay at home an extra couple days to "prepare". Yeah, obsurdness to the Nth degree

No-Brainers: Besides a cat or dog, what animal would you want as a house pet?
Fish - I would love to have a huge aquarium.

Personals: Which of the following do you feel yields the greatest benefits - extraordinary wealth, strong friendships, true love, or a loyal, loving family?
Wealth can get you certain things that otherwise you would not be able to do or afford. With wealth can come more problems.
The benefits of a strong friendship are numberous. They can even lead to something more.
Love is tricky since there are different types of love. There are benefits and consquenses to each. Love can come from a strong friendship, which gives you a great foundation for a relationship.
A loyal and loving family can be your backbone and structure when you have nothing left. However, if you have nothing left, then you never had a true love, or a friendship strong enough to weather the storms that enter into each of our lives.

J-Dawg

Thursday Thirteen -- 06/28/07

HELLO! And welcome to another edition of the Thursday 13 -- Yeah, another hiatus, but dont fear...I am hoping that will be the last one for a little while.

Alot has happened to me over the last year, and there have been some real struggles. But this week, I am going to focus on 13 things over the past year that have been really positive in my life, and I hope it inspires you to create positives in your life too:

1. In no particular order, I am thankful for Elisa, Valerie, Rick, Bill, Mary Anne, Dawn, Ed, Kim, Kelli, Tom, and a whole host of other people I know I am forgetting...thank you for getting me through this past year. Whether it was by phone, text, email, or whatever method, it was appreciated.
2. I have spent more time with my kids recently. I have decided not to work as much as I was working (also helps that the OT hours arent there as they used to be). So this gives me more time with them. The other day, I got to go see my daughter's soccer practice. I am so happy to see her wanting to do sports too!
3. Little man and I got to spend time chasing each other around the playground that same day (more like me chasing him everywhere). He has no fear of anything - where ever he decides to walk, whether there are stairs there or not, he is safe. He thinks he walks on water :)
4. Chicago trip - I got to go to Chicago in May for work. Had 5 days in Chicago with a GREAT bunch of people. Great group outing -- Just a blast to start off a new "Me" (see below)
5. Even though my divorce is finalized, I can move on and still be happy. I cant change what happened. I can only say that I did my best, and nobody can ever say I didnt.
6. No more crappy feelings of guilt or whatever....I am focusing on the positives in my live which as of today have allowed me to lose 5 pounds in the last 2 weeks. :)
7. I got a HUGE compliment at work today. At work, we have been going through changes in how we dispatch our drivers. I have been one of the folks involved with this change. It is a major change, that has been almost a year in the making. With this change, I asked if I could roll this change out to the people I would be working with in Chicago, which was monumental. While in Chicago, a driver came over and said "Hey, sorry I wont get a chance to work with you (meaning me)" So I asked him why. His miles were down. He wasnt getting home on time. So after almost 45 minutes of talking to him, I convinced him to give me 60 days to work with him...He called me on Friday of last week and said that he had recinded his resignation, thanked me for taking care of him, and was so glad he stopped in that last day to see me. But the story gets better. My manager hears what is going on, he passes it on the to Vice Pres of Customer Service. He sents the story on to the President of CS, as well as the VP of Operations (who deals with all the high-level driver managers and Operating Managers). Today, on the Upper Management Conference Call, my name was mentioned with my story of this driver, to every Operating Center Manager and Team Operations Manager in the entire company, as well at the Senior Corporate Leadership. So there was only one person that wasnt on that call that will hear about it tomorrow, the CEO of Schneider!! HOW IS THAT for a happy thought! Talk aout humbling. I know they put on their pants the same way I do every day, but to have your name mentioned to so many High Level Managers....it just shows that my hard work and dedication to my job are being recognized by so many leaders.
8. 5732 more songs have been added to my server at home. I am at about 35% complete, bringing the total to almost 11,800 songs from my CDs I have cataloged onto my server.
9. Yogurt isnt a yucky thing! I have found 3 so far that I actually like! Although, you can keep the whipped chocolate one -- one word -- ICK!
10. Healthiness is a state of mind. Right now, I am hoping my mind is still somewhere in this state LOL One day at a time
11. Inspriations come in many forms. They made be little quips about yourself, a quick email from someone, or from a life events. I have been inspired this year to write from all of these experiences.
12. I have a new drink of choice -- Bacardi Razzzzzzz :) MMMmmmMMMmMMMMMmmmmm delish!
13. I am happy to be a regular TT13er...maybe next year, I can actually meet a few of you in my travels!

May ALL of you out there, have a wonderful week! Thank you for continuing to stop by here. And please, if you do, leave a little tidbit or comment or something! :)

J-Dawg

A New Realm

As of today, The Realm has taken on a new look -- a look that was well overdue. A friend of mine when "archive diving" as she put it, and came across an old post of mine begging for a Blogger Makeover ... and she heeded the call! Basically she transformed a template that was OK at best (but it was the only one I had ever used really) to one that I am proud of! SOOOO! Please let me know what you think of the new digs, and at the same time, say thank you to my friend Dawn for helping me out! Let her know what a great job she did!

Dawn, I can't thank you enough for all that you did! :)

J-Dawg

Seize the Moment

I know this one has been around a time or two, but it makes you think. To all of my friends, this one is for you :)

J-Dawg

READ THIS VERY SLOWLY... IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect! We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Roller blades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process.

The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-Decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day.

Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list.

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head?

Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'? When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away....

Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

It's National Friendship and FAMILY WEEK Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends. To those I have sent this to... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all you do.

'Life may not be the party we hoped for... But while we are here we might as well dance!

An inspirational thought

A person I am glad to call a friend once said Don't underestimate the value of what you have to say, yourself. =) So here I am writing...because I am not going to underestimate my own writings!

SOOOOO .... I got the results back from my VisualDNA (See my fun little thing below)...and here is what it said:

PERSONALITY
MOODS: EASY RIDER
EASY RIDER - Always taking life how it comes and living in the moment. They dont get phazed by life. They just breeze through
You are a bit of a romantic and have a taste for the exotic. You love feeling the sea breeze in your hair and sun on your skin...Slip those shoes off... You like to kick back. When it comes to art, you apprciate flair and precision. highbrow and in the know, you've got an eye for fine detail. As for music, you're a focused listener and always on the look out for something new. Your music collection is your treasure. Your choice of treat reveals either real exhaustion, or maybe a bit of laziness? Either way you're never happier than when you are rugged, and snuggled up, eyes shut.

FUN: THRILLER
THIRLLER - They can make the best of any situation - always alot of fun to be around. They love to laugh, and have a bit of a naughty side.
Always the first to take the leap, you never look back - you try not to have regrets. You like to take the plunge: this attitude will give you a wealth of experience. For kicks you like to indulge in your great passions. You are happy to live life's highs and lows; you are fiercely loyal and passionate. You like to be part of something big. When it comes to holidays, you like to be immersed in a completely different world. It's a chance to explore activities that you don't have time for in day-to-day life. What grosses you out? Nobody is perfect but some bad habits aren't acceptable; you realize that health is wealth.

HABITS: JUNKIE MONKEY
JUNKIE MONKEY - They dont have rules, and they dont like restrictions. They make their own choices, and do as they please. For them, pleasure always comes first.
Even if you have a healthy approach to life, you still have your voices, and a craving for hunger drives your needs. So you'll supersize it, you love convenience, and that taste ... Ah yes, the old glass of wine or two - nothing beats it. After a long day, you like to curl up and unwind. Nothing beats relaxing the shoulders, loosening that tongue, and letting the day go by. As for the home, you are traditional: you invest in quality and history. You like your home to be stylish as you are.

LOVE: LOVE BUG
LOVE BUG - They are the type to fall in love 1000 times a day. Their feelings snowball quickly, and they are full of passion
A strong friendship is the basis for any loving relationship. You like to be able to share your whole life with your friends, family, and your partner. When you think of freedom - you think of being in charge of your direction. The open road and a full tank of gas can take you pretty much anywhere!

It's amazing how they know me so well!

J-Dawg

A fun little thing :)

Thanks Dawn! :)

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Saturday Thoughts to Ponder

It's been almost a month since I have posted, and alot has happened to me. Alot of it has been really good :) You know who you are. Thank you! (and just so you don't walk down the deviant path, it ain't like that!).

Tonight, the movie Hitch was on, and it is amazing the number of quotes from that movie that make you think - in the famous words of Arsenio Hall "Things that make you go Hmmmmmm!"

• 60% of everything you say is non-verbal
  30% is tone
  That means 90% of everything you say ISNT coming out of your mouth!
• You know what it's like getting up every morning feeling hopeless? Feeling like the love of your life is waking up with the wrong man? But at the same time, hoping that she still finds happiness... even if it's never gonna be with you?
• Basic principles: No matter what, no matter when, no matter who... any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet. Just needs the right broom.
• Life is not the amount of breaths you take
  Its the moments that take your breath away

A great movie with a few great lines. Lines that I feel are really true to life.

Have a wonderful weekend :)

J-Dawg