Jingle all the way

Jingle all the way and other random notes from the depths of my cobwebbed brain.


Happy Veterans Day dear fellow veterans. You would think in 14 years I’d have published 14 Veterans Day posts. A search for “Veterans Day” turned up three. I don’t believe it. I am sure I wrote more than three. I am also sure I’m not to go looking for them all. I think I’ve earned a year off the seemingly required uttering of the, pardon my frankness, trite “Thank you for your service.” What started as a beautiful sentiment is now a mere platitude of the sort as “have a nice day.” Yes, some people are sincere, very sincere. Most are not. As a veteran I’d rather you return the favor and start serving those who served. You surely know someone who served. Look to them as examples. Phone calls, meals, random cards, offers to cut grass, shovel snow, rake leaves made to the older vets. In today’s Moment of Motivation at the ROAMcare site we will just the millions who pay tribute today. Our thought for the day, “They came from all over for all different reasons. They served for only one. Look to their example. Find your reason to be of service.”


Now for some positive news from Jingle’s dog house. Actually, he doesn’t have a house. He has his own room at my daughter’s house. I figured it was time you had an update to how the little tri-pawed is doing. When we last left our hero, he was adapting nicely to life on three legs. You will recall due to an osteosarcoma he had his left front leg and shoulder amputated. That was just over a month ago. Since then he has started chemotherapy. He goes once every 3 weeks for 6 treatments. His first was 2 weeks ago and after being a little groggy from the sedatives, the very next day he bounced back to normal in all his Jingle-ness. He even is back to 1&1/2 to 2 mile morning walks every day. Their regular route takes them past my house and occasionally he stops in for water and to have his ears scratched. Daughter is doing well also. He has impressed us all so much over this month that he will be featured in this week’s Uplift when we talk about resilience. Mark your calendar to read that one.


Thanksgiving is still on, right? I notice all of last last week’s food centered supermarkets had ads that featured turkeys and fall foliage to highlight their ample supplies of frozen turkeys, fresh cranberries, and the sweetest sweet potatoes this side of Marshmallow Fluff. But walk into the store and you are greeted with 8 foot tall candy canes, fake fireplaces with fake snow, sparkly lights, and tree shaped peanut butter cups. The mega-mart sized stores where food is just a sideline skipped the pretense and went straight Christmas in their ads. Ten foot skeletons were replaced with ten foot snowmen in the store displays and Jingle Bells (the musical kind) played through the PA systems. I like the season. But it should start after Santa rolls up during the Thanksgiving Day parade just like Mr. Macy planned it.

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Here we are again. That place where I say go look at the latest Uplift blog post. We’re confident you’ll like this post about self-help.

But before you go look, have you still not thought about joining the ROAMcare community and have the weekly Uplift blog delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website? In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly a Monday Moment of Motivation, and our email exclusive Friday Flashback repost of one of our most loved publications. All free and available now at  ROAMcare.org.



 

 

 

 

 

Corrected: Take a peek – Heal Thyself

Darn, did it again  A bad kink in the first email  and I checked them too!

Hi dear readers. It’s time again to take a peek at the latest ROAMcare Uplift post, Heal Thyself.


When we suffer a scrape or cut our bodies heal themselves. When we suffer a disconnect from positive feelings and emotions, we can still heal ourselves.

Heal Thyself

Posted November 6, 2024
3 minute Read

The day after Election Day in the U.S. is probably a good time to talk about healing. No matter who won and lost, there will continue to be anxiety and divisiveness, and people will look to others for hope and healing. They will be looking in the wrong place.

True healing comes from within. We previously quoted Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous words, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” There is a corollary to that. No one can make you feel whole without your participation. …


Read the full blog at Heal Thyself, on Uplift at ROAMcare. As always there is no fee to read, nothing to join, no catches, no kidding.

While you are there, consider joining the ROAMcare community and have Uplift delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website. In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly our Monday Moment of Motivation and the email exclusive Blast from the Past repost of one of our most loved publications every Friday. All free and available now at ROAMcare.org.


A word of caution: Some physical injuries are too severe for our bodies to repair themselves and require the attention of healthcare professionals. If you are suffering significant emotional or psychological distress, please consult a mental health professional to help with your healing process.


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Take a peek – Heal Thyself

Hi dear readers. It’s time again to take a peek at the latest ROAMcare Uplift post, Heal Thyself.


When we suffer a scrape or cut our bodies heal themselves. When we suffer a disconnect from positive feelings and emotions, we can still heal ourselves.

Heal Thyself

Posted November 6, 2024
3 minute Read

The day after Election Day in the U.S. is probably a good time to talk about healing. No matter who won and lost, there will continue to be anxiety and divisiveness, and people will look to others for hope and healing. They will be looking in the wrong place.

True healing comes from within. We previously quoted Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous words, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” There is a corollary to that. No one can make you feel whole without your participation. …


Read the full blog at Heal Thyself, on Uplift at ROAMcare. As always there is no fee to read, nothing to join, no catches, no kidding.

While you are there, consider joining the ROAMcare community and have Uplift delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website. In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly our Monday Moment of Motivation and the email exclusive Blast from the Past repost of one of our most loved publications every Friday. All free and available now at ROAMcare.org.


A word of caution: Some physical injuries are too severe for our bodies to repair themselves and require the attention of healthcare professionals. If you are suffering significant emotional or psychological distress, please consult a mental health professional to help with your healing process.


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The very last, Last Minute Voting Guide

Greetings all. I see some of you out there are still undecided. How that can be I don’t know but all the major news media say there is still a chunk of folk who can’t decide for whom to vote. Here’s some help for you.

First – If you find reading sentences with the word “whom” in them difficult, please do not vote.  You are too stupid but may be suited to keep the line of intelligent voters straight and free of stragglers.

Second – If you find yourself saying, “I don’t know if I really like him/her/it,” remember, you are NOT voting for a best friend or someone to take you home after you made a fool of yourself at the local watering hole’s Halloween Party for Drunk Adults. You’re voting for the President of the United Frigging States of Goll Darn America. Act like it.

Second and a Half – If you find a political advertisement too outrageous to believe, don’t believe it. Remember, we’re voting for President. Leave creativity balloting to the Oscar and Emmy voters.

Third – The President’s job description includes important things. A clear understanding of and ability to articulate the issues is essential.

Fourth – If you find reading sentences with the word “articulate” in them difficult, please do not vote. You are marginally less stupid than those heretofore mentioned.

Fifth – If you find reading sentences with the word “heretofore” in them difficult, please do not even go out on Tuesday in case your stupidity rubs off on intelligent voters.

Bonus Tip – Please review this previous post. If the post reminded you of anyone, then you know what to do. If it made no impression on you at all, please do not vote. You are way too stupid. Period.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled commercial.

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Here we are again. That place where I say go look at the latest Uplift blog post. We’re confident you’ll like this post about self-confidence.

But before you go look, have you still not thought about joining the ROAMcare community and have the weekly Uplift blog delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website? In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly a Monday Moment of Motivation, and our email exclusive Friday Flashback repost of one of our most loved publications. All free and available now at  ROAMcare.org.



Next slide please

Last week was a strange one for me. I nearly posted a blog everyday filled with rage about the various goings on that are going on and how or why people don’t, or perhaps can’t see it. Instead, I’m going to post a treatise on presentation software and trust me, you will be better entertained by it.

But first, a rage release. Today, October 28, 2024, is the sixth anniversary of the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, the deadliest antisemitic attack on U.S. soil, when 11 members of 3 congregations sharing space in the same building were murdered by a radical who only a year ago finally was convicted of 63 crimes of violence stemming from that incident. Five years to bring to trial and convict a man who admitted to the shootings. Yet today, not only do we not have saner control over weapons of violence, we hear people wanting to be high ranking government officials and local dog catcher level officials accuse opposing candidates of being too dangerous. Really? If you want to read my feelings about the heinous acts committed at the Tree of Life you can go back and read the posts No Exceptions and No Exceptions Still!


And now, the treatise. No, not treatise. That suggests a long, formal, systemic discussion of a topic. This is just going to be long. Let’s call is a disquisition. Yeah, that’s better. And now, a disquisition on presentation software.

First, some history. (Hmmm. Maybe it could be a treatise.) (No. we settled on disquisition. No turning back now!) I do a lot of talking. Some of it I’m front of (willing) audiences. Rarely am I behind a lectern. I’m usually one more to wander about on stage, unencumbered by any connection to a video accompaniment to my words

It was not always like that. At my first ever professional (or perhaps ”professional”) presentation, I could not move any farther than 2&1/2 feet from the designated speaker area or the wireless remote control would be out of range of the projector holding the slides that (hopefully) illustrated the points I was (hopefully) making.

Yes, slides. Those same things that Uncle John and Aunt Jane pulled out after Thanksgiving dinner to show you all they did on their vacation from last August when all you wanted to do was go downtown to see the parade and watch Santa come to town. Oh those slides were so difficult to deal with. Umm. The presentation slides, not the vacation slides. The vacation slides you simply slept through. Anyway …

Oh, those slides were so difficult to deal with. When I was teaching, the college had an entire section of their AV department who would take our presentations whether for class or for an outside lecture that we saved into a floppy disk and do whatever magic they did to get them converted to slides. Provided we gave them a 4-6 week lead time on when we needed them, and ideally for class slides, that we have our disks to them a semester in advance. I can’t count the number of times I said in a lecture or at a conference, “now this information is just a little out of date but …”

When I “graduated” (hehe) from the college and moved on to my job in staff development for a for-profit company I also graduated to computer generated slides and the then latest and not quite greatest thing, webinars. Our company had locations in 46 states. We were one of the first to embrace distance learning and I was in charge of it. To make a long story short (I know…too late), it wasn’t the best of things to be one of the first to embrace.  You know all those things they say will work a lot better once they get the kinks out of? I was the “they” doing the de-kinking in that thing.

Eventually, the technology caught up with the desire and computer generation presentations whether live in person, live online, or recorded became as professional looking as the professionals behind the information presented. All at about the last time I ever used “slides” with a presentation.

I had and still have nothing against visual aids in a lecture. I merely moved on from that. In the last 10 years I gave one presentation accompanied by slides. The others have been more of a straight stand-up style like a keynote or after meal remarks, freed from worry over whether my words match whatever is projected on the wall behind me. And as such, I’ve quite lost touch with, and likely my touch with, presentation software.

As fortune has it, next week I am doing a short presentation and have been asked if I would please bring slides and handouts. Oh where oh where are those AV guys now?


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And now we are at the place where you typically see a blurb about the latest Uplift blog post. In that post we tell a story about telling a story.

But before you go look, have you still not thought about joining the ROAMcare community and have the weekly Uplift blog delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website? In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly a Monday Moment of Motivation, and our email exclusive Friday Flashback repost of one of our most loved publications. All free and available now at  ROAMcare.org.



Take a Peek – Tell me a story

Hello fellow bloggers! I again invite you to take a peek at another ROAMcare post, Tell me a story

Much of what we know is from stories told to us by storytellers. Often truth is optional. When you become the storyteller, you owe those looking to learn from you an honest story.


Tell me a story

Posted to Uplift, October 23,2024
3 minute read

When you take a novel from your bookshelf you expect a work of fiction. Whether the latest Grisham or a classic Tolstoy, the common ground is that the story is just a story.

Our lives are not a work of fiction, yet we still enjoy a good story, and many of us enjoy hearing and telling tales from “back in the day.” We recognize much of the remembrance includes a little exaggeration and we are okay with that.

Stories are much more than just the retelling of family lore or to entertain and enjoy. We learn from stories.


Read the full blog at Tell me a story, on Uplift at ROAMcare. As always there is no fee to read, nothing to join, no catches, no kidding.

While you are there, consider joining the ROAMcare community and have Uplift delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website. In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly our Monday Moment of Motivation and the email exclusive Blast from the Past repost of one of our most loved publications every Friday. All free and available now at ROAMcare.org.

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Animal Magnetism

For those wondering, Jingle seems to be adapting well to life as a tri-pawed. I could stop there but I also could get an entire post out of that thought. Let’s roll with it!

Animals adapt. That’s not an original thought. Animals adapt to their environment. We have not when we ought to have been.

Animals respond. Animals hear you. They may not always do what you want but they hear and they listen. We talk far too more often when we should be listening.

Animals love. It’s not unconditional as everyone would have you believe (try not feeding your pet this week and see how much they love you on Saturday), but it is constant.

Animals like. More important than loving each other, animals like even more. Treat an animal kindly and it will respond in kind. And in kindness.

Animals are honest. They always tell you exactly how they feel. You don’t hear a dog telling you the cat is dangerous while firmly clamping down on your hand with they teeth and jaws.

Animals think for themselves and got their own way. Enough said.

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Yes, we are at the place where you typically see a blurb about the latest Uplift blog post. That post is about how you can achieve wealth beyond your dreams, and it might surprise you how.

But before you go look, have you yet thought about joining the ROAMcare community and have the weekly Uplift blog delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website. In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly a Monday Moment of Motivation, and our email exclusive Blast from the Past repost of one of our most loved publications every Friday. All free and available now at  ROAMcare.org.



Take a peek – Wealth Beyond Your Dreams

Hello fellow bloggers! I again invite you to take a peek at another ROAMcare post, Wealth Beyond Your Dreams.

Life’s riches are laid out right in front of you. Reach within yourself and collect them by being the best version of yourself for yourself. Your wealth is in your well-being!


You have most of the riches one might ever expect to collect. A sound mind and a sound body are more than just the requirements for drafting one’s will. They are the cornerstone of health, physical and mental, and key components to your well-being.

It is unfortunate that many people discount the idea of self-worth, claiming it is a silly concept and that others determine your worth. Pardon our frankness but that is a bully’s approach to life. Self-worth has been a key to personal fulfillment since long before the term even existed.


Read the full blog at Wealth Beyond Your Dreams on Uplift at ROAMcare. As always there is no fee to read, nothing to join, no catches, no kidding.

While you are there, consider joining the ROAMcare community and have Uplift delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website. In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly our Monday Moment of Motivation and the email exclusive Blast from the Past repost of one of our most loved publications every Friday. All free and available now at ROAMcare.org.

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It’s That Time Again

Yep, it’s time again to clear some of the cobwebs and other unwanted things and thoughts rattling around in my brain.

I’m happy to report to you this week that Jingle, aka the yointer, had his surgery last week and is recovering nicely. You will recall due to an osteosarcoma he had his left, front leg and shoulder amputated. The surgery was last Tuesday and by Sunday he is bounding up and down stairs (against his vet’s wishes for a quiet, and not overly exerted rehab. Try telling “don’t do that” to a dog.)

In other news, I hope everyone who has has hurricanes and tornadoes pass through their yards over the last couple weeks is well, not injured, and can take a few deep breaths while working on restoring life to normal.

The weather along the east coast reminded me of a favorite gripe of mine. Why are airlines so freaking stupid. There were flights from Nashville to Dallas delayed because Tampa was closed. What genius decided “we’re going route all our flights through and park all our planes at airports all along the coast so that at the first hint of weather, whether hurricanes in the south or ice storms in the north, we can cripple the entire country’s air traffic. [evil laugh].” There are perfectly good airports at Pittsburgh Cleveland, Cincinnati, Nashville and other inland cities that are relatively weather safe and could serve as eastern hubs, but no, they have to pick an airport within sight of the ocean. Delta made a little more sense sticking with Atlanta. If only they weren’t Delta they might actually be able to keep an on-time schedule going.

Speaking of airlines, has anybody seen jeenie.weenie on either Instagram or YouTube? She’s probably on other sites too but those are the two I know for sure. (Hey, I don’t make up these peoples’ handles, I just write what I see). Jeenie is a current or former flight attendant and has some of the most “scratch your head and say dayam, if they ain’t right” posts about stuff, mostly air travel, but other things too. It really makes you think about how we really do that crap. Here’s a link to a random YouTube video.

That’s all I have for this week. It’s been a a little crazy but slowly getting back to normal. What would really help is if all the particularly stupid people running for office would stop sending me text messages about how dangerous, extreme, and radical their opponent is, I’d have lots more time to get things back to normal.

Oh, that reminds me…I put this little news nugget out there every couple of years and nobody believes me, but this year I have proof. Do you know political ads do not have to stick to the truth? Yes, not only can politicians lie, they are allowed to lie. Below is a little snippet from the paper (a real news newspaper) to a television columnist’s weekly Q&A column. Yes, politicians can lie, and stations must run it, if the ad is from the politician’s campaign. Third party ads can’t lie. Politicians themselves can. How can you tell the difference? If the ad includes the words “I’m [an old guy with a bad fake tan] and I approve this message” or something like that, it is a politician’s own political ad and it is also a good chance that it is a lie.


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See you next week, same approximate time, same equivalent channel.



Here we are again at the place where used to seeing a blurb here about the latest Uplift blog post. That post is about how you can Make Me Happy, and it might surprise you how.

But before you go look, have you yet thought about joining the ROAMcare community and have the weekly Uplift blog delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website. In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly a Monday Moment of Motivation, and our email exclusive Blast from the Past repost of one of our most loved publications every Friday. All free and available now at  ROAMcare.org.



Take a Peek – Make Me Happy

Hello fellow bloggers! I invite you to take a peek at another ROAMcare post, Make Me Happy.

You can’t make anyone happy. Only you can make you happy and you can make only you happy. And therein lies how you can make anyone happy.


Make Me Happy

Originally posted October 9, 2024
3 minute read

Recently Michael scrolled by a meme on social media that read “You’re not a pierogi, so you can’t make everyone happy.” You can substitute your favorite comfort food and you still won’t make everyone happy, yet we humans still try. Maybe it’s because we are still confused about what makes happiness.

The most positive thing you can do to offer happiness to someone is to be happy for yourself and to be happy with yourself.


Read the full blog at Make Me Happy on Uplift at ROAMcare. As always there is no fee to read, nothing to join, no catches, no kidding.

While you are there, consider joining the ROAMcare community and have Uplift delivered to your email as soon as it hits the website. In addition to an Uplift release every Wednesday, you will also receive weekly our Monday Moment of Motivation and the email exclusive Blast from the Past repost of one of our most loved publications every Friday. All free and available now at ROAMcare.org.

Uplift 2024