The Eyes Have It!!

It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul.  They are also the windows to your brain. I recently had my two year eye checkup, and  I was looking forward to it.  I knew that the doctor's examination would be an opportunity to check out my CPU [central processing unit...aka the brain] that keeps me going.  He had told me of a couple of instances where he was the one to alert the patient that there was something awry.  Nice to know.  Within my circle of family and friends,  there are several people who have glaucoma, and pay very close attention to the medications that keep it in check.  I think that you wouldn't want to find out in 'hindsight' that there was something needing attention that could have been fixed.

Yesterday I posted about how NATURE fascinates me.  The brain with its ability to multitask like nothing else is in the same category in my book...amazing!!

This reminds me of a book that I read and would recommend.  It is called, "My Stroke of Insight" by Jill Bolte Taylor.  She is a Harvard- trained brain scientist who had a stroke at the age of 37.  She recognized what was occurring, and her account of the eight year total recovery gives immense perspective to the brain...including the right brain/ left brain differences.  I loved it!

So, get your eyes checked.  It may seem costly, but it is actually...priceless.

All in favor...Eye!!

So you see...

The 'eyes' have it.

I'd like to use a lifeline: Call Perry Mason, please!

Here is a case of: Can you believe it?

One of my friends recommended a mystery book to read[published in 1952[!], and I went online to my library site and reserved it. My library did not have it, so they did an inter-library request, and the book was sent from a town 45 minutes away. I picked it up, and life got busy, and I didn't get to read it before it was due. I remember picking it off the shelf in my bedroom to promptly return it, and then it vanished into thin air. I looked everywhere for it. I asked my friends to look in my car in case I just wasn't seeing it. I searched on my porch, dining room, living room...garage ...everywhere! Damn! It made me crazy!

This really was a mystery!

And I figured the book wasn't even in print anymore[1952!], so I wasn't going to be able to replace it...regardless of paying its cost.

I thought that if I renewed it, I would have more time to find it, and so I pursued that route. The procedure is relatively easy to accomplish online, and as I pressed 'renew' , it said NO!

No?

Really!

Evidently someone else had requested it and that nullified the opportunity to renew it.

What were the odds that:

1- The book had to be an inter-library loan.

2- It was non-replaceable because of its publication date.

3- Someone else had reserved this 'dinosaur of a book'!!!!

And I couldn't flippin' find it!!!

It reached the point that I had to let it go. I would pay the fine, and it would be done. I could not spend the rest of my life with 'one eye always looking around for the lost book' .

I called the library to say that I could not find it, I could not renew it, and what did I owe.

The librarian said:"It isn't due until August 12th."

I answered, "The system wouldn't let me renew it because someone else has placed a hold on it."

She said:"I overrode it on the computer, thinking you could use a little more time to find it."

This woman is the parent of a former student of mine, and it was a very nice gesture.

But it also gave me another month of 'hell' trying to locate it.

Oh great...just when I had resigned myself to writing a check and being 'done with it.'

And then, a couple of days ago, in the process of decluttering my bedroom by removing an object or two. I lifted a rectangular porcelain box from the floor, and removed its lid, and there it was!

The inter-library loaned ...dinosaur of a book... that was published in 1952... and had someone waiting for it!
I have no idea how it got in there. I immediately brought it to the library along with some 'glads'[gladiolas], and began singing, "Glad all over! Yes! I'm... glad all over!
{That's a song from the 70's]

Well, all's well that ends well.

And, boy, am I ever relieved! And quite frankly, I've had enough mystery for a while!

Mom's kindling brings a blaze of 'Wahoo!'

I did it!
The tortoise has edged ahead of the hare, if only for a short time. My Christmas present to my son had him wondering when I mentioned that I was looking forward to seeing his face when he opened his gift. The surprise was said to be something that he wouldn't expect...or guess! That's a tall order!!

When I saw this advertised [at Amazon.com], I knew it was perfect for him.

It's a kindle. A technological wizard!! [a wireless reading device ]
About the size of hardcover best seller, it is a bookstore in a box!

For a fee of less than half the price of the best seller, you can purchase a book and it will be downloaded to the 'kindle' in minutes. And then you can read it now, or take it on the road with you. The pages are advanced by the push of a button, and if there is a word that you don't know, a dictionary is easily and immediately accessible to expand your vocabulary!! You can purchase books, magazines, and newspapers and not a single tree has been lost in the process. Not to mention that it also eliminates the need to recycle the newspapers and magazines. Jer has been traveling with a NY college's hockey and basketball teams, and has already experienced airline delays, weather related highway issues[when he was a passenger riding with the team on their bus], and other occasions where he's found himself with time to fill. Now, he can access that 'kindle' and...voila! a multitude of choices.


I was his first reading partner, and now I get to be a part of it again. Yet, I must say, that it was certainly fun, fun, fun, when he opened it...and for a nanosecond wasn't totally aware of what it was or could do. Within the hour, he had downloaded the book that he had left at his home and finished it before calling it a night. And so I sign off,


'the formerly computer phobic...I'll never be able to effectively use that stupid machine...now have my toes in technology... and once again his reading partner... 'Momma Bear'.

The Last Lecture

Today I read the book, "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. It has 5 parts: 'The Last Lecture', 'Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, 'Enabling the Dreams of Others', 'Adventures and Lessons Learned, and 'It's About How to Live Your Life.'
Randy Pausch recently died of pancreatic cancer at 47 leaving a wife and three kids. He was a college professor who provided insights about living life as a part of his computer classes.
The Last Lecture was recorded and can be accessed at You-Tube and is about 75 minutes. An upbeat presentation, I recommend it.
The book, written when he was alive, is not a sad commentary. It is a worthwhile compilation of some pretty good ideas.
Kinda makes you think.

Who'd have thunk it?

Within the last month, I was reading someone's blog and the idea presented itself that while our body ages over the passing years...why is it that we never feel that same age in our head? I left a comment that I have a refrigerator magnet that says,'We are all the same age inside.' I certainly can't believe that I have passed 29!
While listening to the radio one night, there was a guest speaker who related the experience of having a stroke. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor was 37 years old and a Harvard trained brain scientist [a neuroanatomist]. She had a massive stroke when a blood vessel in the left side of her brain exploded. Dr. Taylor shares her experiences in her book, "My Stroke of Insight."
I purchased the book for a variety of reasons. In listening to her radio interview, it became clear that the book was NOT a complicated science book. I have always been majorly fascinated by the right brain/left brain information and her book is a journey into the mechanics of the mind. And my mom[Flo] had a stroke on the left side of her brain.
That being said, I loved the book and have located the excerpt I was thinking about: [page 13]

"Most of the different types of cells in our body die and are replaced every few weeks or months. However, neurons, the primary cell of the nervous system, do not multiply [for the most part] after we are born. That means that the majority of the neurons in your brain today are as old as you are. This longevity of the neurons partially accounts for why we feel pretty much the same on the inside at the age of 10 as we do at age 30 or 77. The cells in our brain are the same but over time their connections change based upon their/our experience."
Pretty darn amazing!!! The rest of the book also gets a 'thumbs up' from me!
And there you have it.

Perspective is everything!

The following is an excerpt from , "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson". I have shared it many times with people, especially when events in their life are up in the air. It brings a new prospective...

Grandfather had told her[Shirley Temple Wong] many times.
"Things are not what they seem. Good can be bad. Bad can be good. Sadness can be happiness. Joy, sorrow."
"Remember always the tale of Wispy Whiskers, who did not cry when his beautiful stallion ran away. All his neighbors, though, were certain that it was a sign from heaven of his ill fortune.
"Later, when the stallion returned leading a herd of wild horses, he did not boast of his newfound wealth. This time his neighbors were equally certain that it was a sign from heaven of his good fortune.
"Later still when his son broke his leg taming one of the mares, the wise man did not despair. Not even when behind his back all his neighbors spread the terrible rumor that anyone with even one droplet of Wispy Whiskers' blood was forever cursed by the gods.
"And in the end, only his son lived. For the sons of all the inconstant neighbors, being sound of body, were forced into military service and one by one perished in a futile battle for a greedy emperor."
How wise Grandfather was, Shirley thought.

Sometimes the things that we perceive to be negative, unlucky, or sad ..hold some kind of positive results in the end. We just don't know it.

One day at a time.

Don't forget to smell the roses.
Be nicer than necessary.

Practice sharing acts of kindness.

Smiles are contagious.




`

Who wrote the book of...

I have just returned from running errands, the last stop being the public library. I had a couple of books reserved for me and I managed to come home with seven instead of two. And I placed a new request for an audio book that will be arriving from a library within The Finger Lakes Library System in the near future.
There's something about a library that fascinates me. Such potential within its walls. All kinds of info: fiction stories, how-to and nonfiction books, magazines, books on tape, newspapers, computers, classes, quiet places to read, and floors to explore. And free.
My grammar school didn't have a library. So, once a month we got to walk the four blocks to the public library and check out books. It was the only field trip we ever took. High school and college libraries had more extensive collections and larger buildings.
The library was always my favorite place in an elementary school. When there was no one scheduled, I would take my reading class there and the kids would inhabit every nook and floor space as we ventured through the pages of our current novel. It was great! I loved the excitement when the new books were put out to preview. Within reading class, I also had a room collection of 25-30 books[ that were hand selected]] and we sometimes began class by taking some time to 'smell the roses.' That was when everyone, myself included, chose one of the picture books and read it [silently and independently] from start to finish. [To debunk the myth that you had to read a long chapter book to enjoy a story.]It started a lot of kids reading for entertainment and took 10 minutes or so. Aside from my professional bias, I found it very upsetting when schools would downsize library staff and/or have one librarian travel between schools in an effort to save money and 'trim the budget.' How troubling is that!!

When my son began walking, we often went to the children's room and picked out cool books. Lots of them...every two weeks. Quite a fun and positive thing. In today's world, kids aren't reading very much on their own. Television, movies, computer games, play stations, etc. have taken a toll and sad to say-reading is becoming a lost art.
Oh well. I'm off to read my reserved selection,"The Everything Tarot Book...Discover your past, present, and future: It's in the cards!" Not sure exactly how or why I went in this direction, or for that matter...how long it will hold my attention. I guess the answer might just be in the cards. I'll keep you posted!!