A Lesson Fom My Dogs

I have two dogs. Rusty is a golden retriever/lab mix and Bob is a shar-pei/retriever mix. Each dog has their own distinctive personality.

Rusty loves to play and have fun. Even though he just turned 11 years old, he is very active.

Bob is more serious. He has a stoic expression, like most shar-peis. He will play, but only after Rusty has encouraged him.

Their personalities are easy to observe when I take them for a walk.

I usually keep Rusty off his leash because he is slow enough that I can catch him if he starts to chase something. When I walk Bob, he is on a mission. He wants to get from point A to point B as fast as he can. In his haste, he misses things that Rusty notices. He definitely has a purpose and a mission that he wants to accomplish.

Rusty is the opposite. He takes a few steps into the field and then he starts rolling in the grass. He repeats this process at least 10 times before he catches up to me and Bob (I have to hold Bob back, or Rusty would be left behind). As Rusty is rolling in the grass, he is smiling and having a lot of fun. Rusty eventually gets to point B, but he has fun on the way.

I guess the lesson that I take from this is that it is good to have a purpose in life and to have a mission, but we also need to have fun along the way as we strive to meet our goals.

Lost Wallet

A funny thing happened today at the movies. My wife and I went to see the 3D movie Avatar. It was pretty good. I may write a movie review in a day or two.

It was chilly outside, so I wore a hooded sweatshirt that had the pockets where you can warm your hands.

After paying for the tickets, I placed my wallet back in the pockets of the sweatshirt. That was a mistake.

During the movie, some bratty kid kept kicking my seat. It wasn't a light tap. It was getting on my nerves. After the tenth time, I turned around and asked him (politely) to quit kicking. He was too engrossed by the movie to even hear me.

It was probably at the time of turning around that my wallet fell out of my sweatshirt. The wallet was jam packed with gift cards, credit cards, cash, and all that other stuff you gotta have.

I didn't realize that I had lost it until I had returned home.

As soon as I realized what had happened I called the theater and started to drive back to Muvico. The theater manager said that nobody had turned in anything and that the theater was filling up for the next show. I was starting to get worried. So, I prayed.

After arriving at the theater, my wife went in and proceeded to search where we were sitting. Fortunately, she was able to locate it (with the help of a flashlight). All the contents were intact.

Answered prayer!

Next time, the wallet goes into my pants pocket.

Merry Christmas

Hope everyone has a special Christmas with family and friends.

God Bless
Dave

Giving Back (World Vision)

I believe that God has given each of us unique gifts that we are to use to bless others. One of the gifts that I have is the ability to create Crossword Puzzles.

I have used this gift to create hundreds of puzzles over the years. A few years ago, I found a website BestCrosswords that allowed me to upload my puzzles and share them with thousands of people who love to solve crosswords.

To my surprise, based on statistics, my puzzles have been downloaded millions of times. When I was the most active in submitting puzzles, I was probably the most viewed crossword constructor in the world (on a daily basis).

The website allows me to earn a few dollars a day (on average) by way of Google Ads. I have decided to use this monthly income to 'adopt' a child via World Vision.

World Vision is an international aid Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision works in nearly 100 countries around the globe, combating the root causes of poverty and responding quickly when disaster strikes.

They partner with communities to find lasting ways of improving the lives of children and their families while providing international disaster relief.

I encourage my readers to find that 'gift' that God has given you and to use it to serve others. It will bless you as much as you bless others.

Christmas at GTE

It's funny to think back on how things used to be.

When I first started at GTE in the 1990's, there was not any political correctness. Each year, we had a great Christmas party. They would be at Temple Terrace country club. There was a band, plenty of food, and an open bar.

That lasted a few years. As the years went along, we would be taken to a nice restaurant where everyone would receive a nice gift.

After the GTE/Bell Atlantic merger which formed Verizon, the days of the fun Christmas events became a thing of the past.

First, we could not use the word 'Christmas' and second the budget was severely cut. So, we had to make adjustments.

No more Country Club buffets. At first, the department would supply the turkey to our "Holiday Celebration" and we would bring the sides, to eventually ...

Employees just got together and brought in their favorite food and we just met in the conference room.

But the food was good and we still had our "Christmas" memories.

How to Gain Weight

Earlier this year, I reported that I had reached my goal of losing 40 pounds. I had reached that goal with the help of a medically supervised weight program. I actually went on to lose an additional 12 pounds for a total of 52 pounds lost!

My new weight of 178 pounds was exciting. I went out and bought a bunch of new clothes and I felt great.

However, in the past month, I have regained about 10 pounds. The reason for the weight gain was the following:

1) Thanksgiving
2) Stopped playing basketball at the YMCA
3) Stopped other exercising at the Y
4) Started to eat a bunch of sweets and chips and soft drinks
5) Started to eat bigger portions at lunch and dinner
6) Started to eat the wrong kind of foods
7) Visited Mom in Pittsburgh

So, I have decided (in the midst of the holidays), to go back to the things that helped me lose weight. Check back in a few weeks for an update.

Back to Blogging

Loyal Blog Readers,

After taking some time off, I am back to updating my blog.

All the pressure from my many(?) fans has forced me out of retirement.

So, get ready for more stories from my past and also current events happening in my life. And most importantly, my hopes for the future.

I hope that I can entertain you. Check back tomorrow for my next installment. I will try to have a blog at least 4 times a week.