Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers...

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.
The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

LIFE ISN'T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS...
...IT'S LEARNING HOW TO DANCE IN THE RAIN !

OK, this is interesting!!! Be afraid, be very afraid!

"We're Not Alone, Ex-Astronaut Says; CNN Science News. (April 21) -- Earth Day may fall later this week, but as far as former NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell and other UFO enthusiasts are concerned, the real story is happening elsewhere. Mitchell, who was part of the 1971 Apollo 14 moon mission, asserted Monday that extraterrestrial life exists, and that the truth is being concealed by the United States and other governments."

I have been asked to present a Medal and Certificate of Appreciation to this year's outstanding Sea Cadet, United States Sea Corps and Navy League Cadets. This is an honor and privilege. Below is the letter of introduction from our Regent:

"I would like to introduce you to Bonnie .......

Bonnie has graciously volunteered to present the award on behalf of the ..... Chapter, .....

Bonnie is held in the highest esteem within our chapter (as well as other chapters), and shared a wonderful presentation last weekend with all of us. I think it it befitting for me to mention that Bonnie's father was ...., who joined the Navy as a Seaman and Midshipman. He became a pilot in 1941 after completing Flight School in Pensacola. He received Navy Ensign, and Navel Reserves Certificate on March 3, 1943. On January 3, 1951 he reported to duty as a Lt. Commander. He was in WWII and survived a couple of plane crashes. I could not begin to do justice to telling of all of his accomplishments, but as you can tell we are very proud of Bonnie and know you will enjoy her presence at your wonderful event."

I was honored to present information about my father's military service at an Patriotic Organization I belong to. Attached are a couple of pics.

Marley Marie

Happy Easter!

OK, now I really can't wait to see it!

"Star Trek Premieres in Austin, Texas and Film.com is There!
C. Robert Cargill, Apr 07, 2009
There's no way to prepare yourself for something like last night's now infamous hoax screening of Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan. I mean, many of us certainly tried. Walking into the Alamo Drafthouse something seemed amiss. I mean, everyone was thrilled to be seeing a restored print of Wrath of Khan, so much so that people were going to be turned away. And that excitement was tempered by the promise of 10 minutes of J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek movie.

But something was wrong. Security was really heavy for just that 10 minutes of a sneak peak. But hey, studios are paranoid, right? Especially since that whole Wolverine thing. So we took our seats. Wait ... then I thought to myself, Why does Paramount have a whole row reserved? They really sent down all three writers to introduce 10 minutes of footage? And ... is that the president of Paramount?

Oh crap! I said to my wife, We're seeing Star Trek! "I know," she smiled. "The second one, right?" No. Like the new Star Trek! The lights went dark, the intros pumped us up for Wrath of Kahn, and James Horner's familiar score came to life with those giant blue space-age letters announcing that we were in fact in for Wrath of Khan. I smiled like a little boy. I LOVE Khan. It's one of my 10 favorite films. But then, just as the Kobeyashi Maru was starting up, a green scratch ran down the screen .... Wait, this is a restored print .... OH CRAP! More scratches, fuzzy sounds ... The frame split with top on the bottom and the bottom on the top, and then it burned, melting with the fuzzy pop of heartbreak.

Tim League, local film-god and owner of the Alamo Drafthouse, ran to the stage promising to kick some tail up in the booth. He asked the writers to entertain the crowd. They stood up, unsure what to do, and pretended to start taking questions. One of the writers did his impression of the original theme song. And then the unthinkable happened. This.

Disguised in a trench coat and hat, Leonard Nimoy slowly made his way to the stage, at which point I yell out an expletive I cannot repeat here. The crowd went nuts. You can watch the whole exchange in the link above, but sadly the camera doesn't capture the un-distilled excitement of the crowd. We were pumped. But did the film live up to the expectations after an intro like that?

Yes. Yes it did. In short: The film is incredible. A loving, riveting return to a series long crippled by spinoffs, studio meddling, budget restraints, and a slavish adherence to continuity. This is a reboot of the series, complete with a huge budget, some big-name actors and special effect sequences that dwarf anything you've seen before in a Trek film. But this is a lot more than a summer blockbuster remake. It has heart, a lot of heart. This movie loves the series and its character so much that it strives at every turn to ensure that the characters are represented as they were intended to be.

Everyone is great here, from the Bruce Greenwood-acted Captain Pike to Eric Bana's menacing Nero. But it is the new, young cast that steals the show. Heroes' Zachary Quinto simply IS Spock. There's no question. He nails it. Chris Pine embodies everything that was great about Shatner's Kirk without trying to imitate it. Simon Pegg is hilarious and captures Doohan's Scotty. And Karl Urban proves to be the biggest surprise of all, after putting us to sleep with films like Pathfinder and Doom. He turns in a masterful performance as Dr. "Bones" McCoy. I gave this cast a LOT of flack in a jokey piece titled "Who the Hell is Casting Star Trek?" in which I opined that it was actually two squealing 14-year-old girls. Well, give those girls a promotion. They rocked it.

This film has presented itself as the film to beat this summer. It's fun, it played just as well to Trek fans as it did to first-timers, and it never for a moment slows down to take a breather. Get yourself excited for the very first A+ movie of the summer. You are now free to get very, very excited.

As the credits rolled and the crowd stood to its feet, a visibly choked up Leonard Nimoy came to the stage and gave a wonderful thank you, making the lives of a roomful of geeks who all felt 8 years old again as he said, "I can't leave without saying it: Live long and prosper." We traded gestures (you know which one) and there were men reduced to sobbing, having just shared an incredible experience with a lifelong hero. I mean, really. Does it get any better than ending with a salute from Spock himself?"

We rec'd a surprise visit from my nephew and his son. Another cutest baby in the world, and Mr Personality! Resisted having his picture taken .... at first!

But got busy working on the gravel, etc!