Tuesday, January 31, 2017

"Comfort food"

You would think the term "comfort food" would be older than what it is.  The Oxford English Dictionary added the definition for "comfort food" only in 1997.  It traced the term's etymology back to just 1977 to a Washington Post magazine article about Southern cooking: "Along with grits, one of the comfort foods of the South is black-eyed peas."

Seems the that Oxford English Dictionary was wrong.   "Comfort food" has been around at least as early as 1966.   1966? 

That makes sense to me.  One of my favorite "comfort foods" is good ol' frugal ham and beans with a side of cast-iron skillet cornbread.  The taste and aroma bring be back to 1966 and dinners and Grandma and Grandpa "Louie." 

Ham and beans with a side a cornbread.  I don't need anything else for "comfort food" (except copious amounts of black pepper and some hot sauce-- just the way Grandpa liked it!).

What's your "comfort food"?

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com




Monday, January 30, 2017

Today's story is a lesson on continuing . . .

A Buddhist monk was walking through his village. . . .
This weekend, I traveled north to the "village" of Linton, Indiana, for a pre-1840 Historic Reenactors' Trade Fair.

The monk was carrying his only precious stoneware pot, filled with soup--his only meal of the day. . . .
 
I go to this annual every year to visit old friends and support the craftsmen who provide some of the wares we use.  Last year, for example, I picked up a historic stoneware reproduction tea cup from J. Henderson Artifacts.


While the monk was on his path, he stumbled on a rock. . . .

I used my unique and beautiful mug at our club's next Spring Rendezvous.  Everyone around the morning campfire loved it.

While trying to keep his balance, the monk dropped the pot.  The pot and hit the ground, shattered into a hundred pieces, spilling all the contents. . . .

After my event, I traveled home and was unloaded my truck.  When I opened my back gate, my precious stoneware mug dropped out onto the driveway-- smashing into a hundred pieces!

The monk looked down at the pile of stoneware pieces and the evaporated meal.  A young boy who witnessed what had happened was puzzled when the monk just smiled and continued on. . . .

I did not smile!

The curious boy ran up to the monk and asked, "Master, your precious stoneware pot and your meal for the day is all gone.  Why do not get upset?" . . .

This year I purchased another "historic stoneware reproduction" tea/coffee mug.

The monk replied, "The pot is broken. The soup is gone.  There is nothing to do but walk on."

Hopefully, I've learned my lesson.  Frist, I will try to pack my belongs better. Second,  when I eventually break my new mug, I will immediately let it go.  Until then, I will enjoy each cup of coffee or tea our of my precious mug, realizing that all things are impermanent.

There is nothing do today but walk on.


Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com



Friday, January 27, 2017

The Greatest Story Ever Told!

Every year at this time I start watching episodes of The Greatest Story Told.  Each year's episodes included familiar themes such as "Birthdays," "Dance Recitals," and "Holidays."  Every new season also includes random episodes like, "Annabeth Learns to Fly a Kite," and "Owen Learns to Walk, Then RUN!"  Joyfully, new characters arrive; we watch familiar characters grow up; sadly, some characters we've loved for years exit.

Though the episodes change each season, there is one constant:  I'm not starring in them.  Oh, if you watch carefully, you might catch a cameo of me-- usually a reflection in a mirror. They are the stars of the show.  They are my wife, daughters, grandkids, family, and friends.

The Greatest Story Told is my yearly editing and dubbing of our family videos from the previous year.  All and all, there are now 30 years of video.  And because I know that there are fewer and fewer seasons left for me, each one more precious than the last. 

So, here I'll be for the next several nights, watching the greatest re-runs of The Greatest Story Told.  Even though I'm not in front of the camera, I hope that all the stars in my videos know how much I loved recording their lives and being a part of it.

As sentimental as I get watching these episodes, there is also the anticipation.  Each year at this time I have the opportunity to insert a blank media card in my camcorder and blank pages in my journal to write new episodes for the new season.

What's your Greatest Story Ever Told?  Choose to write the best season ever-- one episode at a time.

Carpe Diem Live,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com








Thursday, January 26, 2017

I Was Reminded of Harry Chapin . . .



My favorite musician of all time is Harry Chapin.  He was a folk-rock singer who wrote what he called ''story songs.'' The subjects of these songs were often common people with poignant or even melodramatic tales to tell - tales of lost opportunities, cruel ironies, and life's hypocrisies. Most people have never heard his songs because, as Chapin used to joke, they were too long for radio.  A couple of exceptions are “Taxi” and “Cats In The Cradle.”

Another one of his fan favorites was “Thirty Thousand Pounds of Bananas,” based on a true story of a tragic truck accident.  On March 18, 1965, a 35-year-old truck driver, Eugene P. Sesky, was on his way to deliver a load of bananas to Scranton, Pennsylvania, when he lost control and crashed. 15 people were injured and Sesky was killed.

Tragic, I know.  But, if you’ve never heard the song, it’s worth a listen-- especially on the live album.
Chapin, by the way, was killed in 1981 when the car he was driving was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer on the Long Island Expressway.

Though I haven't heard that song for many years, it started to play in my head the other day after I read this headline:  A Truck Driver Has Lost His Marbles — All 38,000 Pounds Of Them

A truck carrying 38,000 pounds of marbles lost its trailer on I-465 in Indianapolis this past Saturday morning, causing the contents to spill onto the highway and shoulder near Pendleton Pike.

No injuries were reported, and, as one reporter wrote, "the lost marbles brought a pop of color to an otherwise bleak winter’s day."

Indiana State Police public information officer Sgt. John Perrine tweeted a photo of the accident.

Out driving today?  Put on some Harry Chapin and don't go bananas or loose your marbles.

Carpe Diem Life and Drive Safe!

David Kuhn
CarpeDiem-Life.com

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Jumbo Mess

Built a bonfire for my 5-year-old granddaughter the other night. We made our standard fare:  S'MORES.

According to Wonderopolis.org, "Where the wonders of learning never cease":

A s'more is a traditional camping snack that has been popular with kids — and their parents! — for years and years. Although many different varieties of s'mores have developed over time, the s'more is basically a sandwich of roasted marshmallows and chocolate between graham crackers.

This sweet, warm, gooey, delicious treat always leaves kids wanting more. In fact, that's probably how they got their name. S'more is thought to be a contraction of the phrase, “some more," as in “I want some more of those s'mores!"

No one knows for sure who invented the s'more. However, the first published recipe for “some mores" was in a 1927 publication called Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. Loretta Scott Crew, who made them for Girl Scouts by the campfire, is given credit for the recipe.


This time, grandpa decided to up his game by purchasing JUMBO marshmallows the size of my granddaughter's head. The result?  A jumbo mess.  What was grandpa thinking?  Where was all that molten lava gooey mess going to go?  Hands, chin, coat . . .
Carpe Diem Life Lesson:  Too much of a good thing, even as delicious as roasted marshmallows, can create a huge gooey mess. But in this case, a fun mess that I wouldn't trade for the world!).

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Alternate Euphemisms

 The hot topic at work the Sunday night was the latest, greatest political euphemism that had just been born that morning:  Alternative Facts!

Evidently, the outrage over “alternative facts” began Sunday, when President Donald Trump's adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared on “Meet the Press” and defended press secretary Sean Spicer’s statement (being reported as inaccurate) about the size of inauguration crowds.
“Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts,” Conway said.
“Wait a minute,” host Chuck Todd countered. “Alternative facts? ... Four of the five facts he uttered were just not true. Alternative facts are not facts. They are falsehoods.”
The debate quickly sparked mockery on social media.






I found this article by Elizabeth Koh

If you’re of a certain age, Little Golden Books were a childhood staple for learning how to read, featuring the tales of characters like Scuffy the Tugboat and the Saggy Baggy Elephant.
But after President Donald Trump’s adviser, Kellyanne Conway used the term “alternative facts” in reference to misinformation, internet user Tim O’Brien decided to project how young kids might learn about such “facts” through the iconic children’s book.


Boing Boing’s Facebook page shared a Little Golden Book parody mocking Conway’s use of “alternative facts.” Boing Boing, via Tim O’Brien Facebook








Personally, I try to stay out of the current political swamp.  But, I do find this new political euphemism interesting.  It's got me immediately thinking how Saturday Night Live writers are going to elevate it into laughs.  It also has me missing the brilliance of George Carlin.  Wouldn't he work wonders with today's fodder?

Sometimes, the best thing we can do is to find ways to laugh!   

To paraphrase Carlin, "Actual facts may be the best policy, but it’s important to remember that apparently, by elimination, "Alternate facts" is the second-best policy.

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com


Monday, January 23, 2017

An Exotic Hike!


Whenever I get a chance, I hike around the 35 acres that make up the North Words Forest and Nature Trail on Evansville's North Side.

In the early 1950's, Mrs John L Igleheart donated to the city 52 acres that is now Igleheart Park, which also includes baseball fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, and Lloyd Pool.
Prior to the donation, the land served as a reclusive site for the Igleheart family's summer home. The rural retreat situated on a cool hilltop setting, an important attribute in the days before air conditioning and in the days when higher elevations were thought to protect residents from Malaria.

First avenue was still a gravel road when the family spent summers in the log house. It boasted a stone fireplace and was surrounded by several out buildings., The family kept cattle, sheep, and chickens. Here the Igleheart grandchildren played and learned a bit of country life.

It’s nice little hike with a plenty of trees and plants.

One plant that you can’t miss is what’s commonly called the multiflora rose.
Though pretty, it’s actually an exotic plant (not exotic in a good way).  Multiflora roses were introduced from Japan in 1886 as a rootstock to cultivate roses.  In the 1930s, the United States Soil Conservation Service touted the plant to curb soil erosion, to provide thriving fence rows, and to create barriers along highways and in medians to curb headlight glare from on-coming traffic.  All that seemed like a good idea at the time.

There was just one growing problem.  As with other exotic plants, multiflora is very invasive.  It has escaped cultivation, spreading into private and public lands to the point that it has been classified as a noxious weed in many states.



A plague at the park quotes John F. Kennedy:  “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it is attached to the rest of the world.”

My first hike in woods in this new year:  A time to reflect on the beauty I have in my life and a poignant reminder to take the time to notice and eradicate the exotic plants I've cultivated in my garden! 

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn


CarpeDiem-Life.com



Friday, January 20, 2017

"A Song For Trump!"

I’m wrong . . . a lot! 

For example, I remember the evening of September 22, 1994, and Suzanne and I watching the premier of a sitcom. Other than the obnoxious, wonted laugh-track, there wasn’t even a giggle on our side of the screen.  “This show will never make it!” I said. 

That show went on to receive acclaim throughout its run of 10 seasons, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time.The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002 for its eighth season. The show ranked no. 21 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time!

You think that I would have learned my lesson about making doomsday predictions, but . . .

On August 6, 2015, we were watching another premier sitcom:  The Republican Presidential Debate.  My prediction?  “This Trump guy can never be elected President of the United States!”

You think that I would have learned my lesson about making doomsday predictions, but . . .

January 20, 2017. 

I'm not watching the inauguration and I’m not making any predictions.  For the sake of the country and the world, I really hope that President Donald J. Trump has a successful run. 

Oh, and back to that TV show?  It had a pretty successful theme song that somehow seems appropriate today.  Hope President Trumps sings it to us:

So no one told you life was gonna be this way . . .
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but
I'll be there for you! 

Hopefully, when this is all over, he'll be there for us and we’ll somehow all join tougher as FRIENDS!

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com




Thursday, January 19, 2017

"I protest!"


These days, you can replace Will Roger’s “Democrat” with (fill in the blank).  My goodness, what disorganized times we live in.  And tomorrow, they are apt to get . . . well, probably not any more organized.

However, there are groups that are getting organized.  Dozens of groups have announced rallies and protests leading up to tomorrow’s historic Donald J. Trump inauguration (isn't every presidential inauguration “historic”?).  In fact, there have already been some very nice protests in Washington, including, but not limited to:
 
January 14: March for Immigrants and Refugees
Immigrant and refugee rights groups organized this day to show solidarity for immigrants and other vulnerable communities and to stand up against hateful rhetoric against immigrants.

January 14: We Shall Not Be Moved March on Washington
Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network.

January 15: Our First Stand: Save Health Care
Led by Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), Democratic members of Congress and other health care groups.

January 15: Writers Resist rallies

Launched by poet Erin Belieu, a national network of writers "driven to defend the ideals of a free, just and compassionate democratic society."

January 19: Reclaim Our Schools Day of Action

Several teachers unions and education groups, including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, have organized under a newly-formed group called the National Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools.

One of tonight’s caught my eye: The Busboys and Poets Peace Ball
Described as an alternative to anti-Trump protests, the Busboys and Poets Peace Ball will be a "gathering to celebrate the accomplishments and successes of the past four years" at the new National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.  Notable attendees include celebrities, authors, and organizers. The event had room for more than 3,000 people and has already sold out. 

The group uses the following quote to help promote the event.  It’s by Howard Zinn, an American historian, playwright, and social activist (1922-2010):

“To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. 



What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.



And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory.” - Howard Zinn

We'll see how the drive-by (whatever that is), mainstream (whatever that is), news (whatever that is anymore) handles this.  Let's imagine we can all just get along today, tomorrow, and going forward. 




Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn


CarpeDiem-Life.com


Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Motivation II

I read something last night while we were in a lull before our Basketball Production.  I found it particularly interesting because I've sometimes worked with directors who, from time to time, focused so much on what we've just done "wrong" and on what he projects that we're probably going to do "wrong" that we miss the current action.

The quote from that brilliant writer Anonymous:  "If you have one foot in the past and one foot in the future then you're shitting on the present"

Crude, I know.  And I really don't know if it has anything to do with motivation; I just like the sound of it.

Need to get motivated?

Choose one goal that you want to accomplish today.  One!
Write it down.
Bribe yourself by picking the reward you'll receive for accomplishing it.
Get off the pot and stop shitting on the present with meaningless tasks that are distracting you.
Just do it.
Reward yourself.
Repeat!

Again, folks, I'm not preaching to you.  I'm trying to teach myself.

I hope that there is a turd of wisdom in there.

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com


Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Slow Draining Motivation

The drain in our shower has been slow to drain.  Very slow.  Oh, it does drain-- eventually.  So, no need to take any action, right?

I was thinking that (again) yesterday morning when I was reminded of a question a friend of mine asked me the other day:  "What motivates you to take action?"

I found myself trying to bluff my way with an analogy about tea steeping until it's the perfect time to drink (even I wasn't swallowing that bullshit), I went to my stock answer of, "I don't know, but I believe in my ability to find the answer-- at least study it."

What motivates us?  Interesting.

So, I'm pondering of all that as I'm standing in an inch of soapy shower water.  That's when I simply decide today is the day I CHOOSE to take action.

I create my ACTION LIST (pretty basic in this case), check my RESOURCES (either call a plumber or go buy some drain cleaner), take PERSISTENT ACTION (buy drain cleaner and use it), wait 30 minutes and EVALUATE THE PROGRESS (it worked).  Had it not worked I would have changed DIRECTION and worked to IMPROVE the results.   Simple as the task was, I ENJOYED the process by feeling satisfied that the job was finally done and I did it.  All that because I realized that it was MY LIFE and that I could continue to watch the water  s l o w l y  drain each morning and think, "Someday I'm going to do something about that!" or actually CHOOSE to take ACTION.

So you see, MOTIVATION is like a CLOGGED DRAIN . . .
 
okay, bullshitting again.  I still don't know what the answers are to life's big question are.  But, I'll try to continue to dump industrial strength drain cleaner into my brain until it becomes clear.

Oh, and it helps to go to one of those hardware stores that serves free popcorn to and offers merchandise such as Moneky Butt Powder look at you head to the plumbing aisle only to find that the drain cleaner is actually on a shelf on the other side of the store.  Enjoy the process!


Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life

 

 




Monday, January 16, 2017

"Hoosier"


I volunteer at several Indiana Historical Living Events throughout the year.  It's a chance to dress up in early Indiana clothing and demonstrate a few pioneer skills.   One of the most common questions I’m asked— especially from folks from out-of-state— is,  “So, what is a ‘“Hoosier’” anyway?”

My answer?  “It’s a mystery.  Nobody really knows for sure.” 

The Indiana Historical Society says some often-told stories about the term's origins are false. Those include the tale that it was used to describe Indiana employees of a canal contractor named Hoosier and that "Who's yer" was how early settlers responded to a knock on their cabin door. A tale spun by popular 19th century Indiana poet James Whitcomb Riley attributed the name to people asking "Whose ear?" after finding the body part on the ground after vicious fights among early settlers.

I like the fact that the mystique makes us unique.

Even though the mystery may never be solved, last week the U.S. Government Publishing Office made it official.  I’m officially a “Hoosier”  (HOO'-zhurz).  Check it out, we’re the only state (except Hawaii) that has a demonym* that isn’t some form of the actual state name with -er, -an, or -ite
attached.

So now it's official, if you're an Indiana resident, you're part of the great mystery.  You're officially a "Hoosier" (even if you're a Purple Ace, Screaming Eagle, or even a Boilermaker, you’re also a Hoosier).

Carpe Diem Life, Hoosiers!
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com

* Yes, demonym is a word I had to look up:  A demonym or gentilic is a word used for people or the inhabitants of a place.

Friday, January 13, 2017

"Moonlets"

Celestial body news reported this week: 

The formation of the moon wasn't the result of one massive cataclysmic clash of planets — rather, researchers say our moon formed when small "moonlets" came together.

That means the moon was formed over millions of years, not in an instant, said the scientific journal Nature Geoscience, which published a study on the revelation earlier this week. The prevailing belief has been that the moon was a piece of material that broke off when Earth slammed into something the size of Mars.

But a trio of researchers ran a number of simulations of large, but not giant, bodies hitting Earth. They found the impacts produced small discs, which formed small moons or "moonlets." Those moonlets migrated outward and formed together to create what we know as the moon.

Moonlets.  A great lesson that philosophers have been teaching for centuries: 
"Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together." 
                                        -- Vincent van Gough

Have a great and difficult project that's got your "reaching for the moon?"  Remember moonlets!
If you only work a little at a time, every day a little, suddenly the work will finish itself.


Carpe Diem Life
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Brainstorming

Brainstorming

                     Unexpected

                                   U n p r e d i c p r e d i c t a b l e


Wild

Ideas 

F
a
l
l
i
n
g

Freely

R
    o
       a
           m
                  i
                        n
                                g

                                              Wild
                                                                         
Connecting>Creating>Fresh ideas

     Putting us in touch with our seemingly unfathomable selves!



Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life





Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Winners never . . .

In yesterday’s post, I offered a few short words about Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers coming back from a two-touchdown deficit to take down the kings of college football.

I ended the post with the anonymous quote, “In the game of life nothing is less important than the score at halftime.” (That anonymous sure did say a lot of smart things!).

That got me thinking about an inspirational quote that I had posted in my football locker my senior year of high school:

Part of this Carpe Diem Life experiment is to discover new inspiration, even if it comes from long ago forgotten sources. So, without further ado, I present a few more of my favorite sports quotes:

Success is not measured by what you accomplish but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.

- Orison Swett Marden

I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

- Michael Jordan

Victory isn't defined by wins or losses. It is defined by effort. If you can truthfully say, "I did the best I could, I gave everything I had" then you're a winner.
- Wolfgang Schadler

In life, we choose whether or not we want to be a winner or a loser. To be a winner, we must devote time and hard work. To be a loser you do nothing, and that's exactly what you will get, nothing.

- Patrick Boles

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime.
- Babe Ruth

Training is what you are doing while your opponent is sleeping in.

- Brian Owen

Every time you compete, try harder to improve on your last performance. Give nothing short of your very best effort.

- Elgin Baylor

Champions keep playing until they get it right.
- Billie Jean King

My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.

- Hank Aaron

It doesn't take talent to hustle.
- H. Jackson Brown

Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

- Vince Lombardi

The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses. It is won behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.

- Muhammad Ali

To me, a winner is someone who recognizes their God-given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills, and uses those skills to accomplish his goals. Even when I lost, I learned what my weaknesses were and I went out the next day to turn those weaknesses into strengths.
- Larry Bird

Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision.

- Muhammad Ali

The race isn't over until you cross the finish line. You'll be surprised at how much can change in the last twenty strides.
- Jackie Dugall

Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.
- Dan Gable

- - -

I hope you glean something in those that will help you get through the day.  Feel free to comment and share your favorite sports quote!

Have a dream or passion?  Don’t quit!

Carpe Diem Live
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

WOW! All I can say is . . .

Football teaches us a lot of great life lessons.  Two of the most important are to never stop believing in yourself and never give up!

Things started out pretty bleak last night for Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers, but he lead Clemson back from a two-touchdown deficit to take down the kings of college football.

Clemson beat Alabama 35-31 on Monday night in a game for the ages, and it was Watson's 420 passing yards, 43 rushing yards and four total touchdowns (three passing) that ensured the Tigers won the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship.

In the game of life nothing is less important than the score at half time.

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com

Monday, January 9, 2017

Happy Cold, Flu, and Dabbing Season

It's that time of year when we're seeing more and more cough- and sneeze-related dabbing going on.
Thanks ifunny.com for the image

I grew up with a "Cover your mouth!" whenever I sneezed or coughed.  Later, it evolved to "Cover your mouth with the back of your hand!"  Now, it's "Cover your mouth by shoving it into the crook of your elbow like you're dabbing!"  Dabbing seems to have its roots in the Atlanta hip-hop scene and later popularized NFL's Cam Newton.  Must be a lot of sneezing and coughing going on there.

Speaking of roots . . .
Having German roots, the automatic response to a sneeze was "Gesundheit!" which simply means something like "healthiness" (Gesund = health.  Heit = iness.  Okay, actually state) or "good health."

Now, more than not, I hear "God Bless you" or "Bless you."  Other cultures have their own sneeze responses.  The Greeks wish each other "long life."  People in Arabic countries say "God be praised."
Others are "Live well," "Be Healthy," and in China when a child sneezes "May you live 100 years."

Why did people start wishing each other "good health" upon sneezing?  According to several sources, including the book An Uncommon History of Common Things, "It was mainly because in ancient times people thought that the force of a sneeze could propel a person's soul right out the body.  By uttering kind of incantation or invocation, bystanders believed they could stop evil spirits from taking the sneezer's soul, as well as protect against spirits entering the body."

So, this cold and flu season, it's okay to say "Gesundheit!" or "Bless you" when someone sneezes -- even if they're looking as if they're dabbing while doing it.  But, when you see someone dabbing to be dabbing, perhaps the better response would be, "Bless his heart!"  That's what my Granny Kuhn used to say when she saw someone doing something ignorant.  Sort of a passive-aggressive way of insulting someone.  

I don't know if "Bless his or her heart" will stop evil dabbing spirits from taking the dabber's soul.  I'm thinking our society needs some sort of dabbing exorcism. 

Gesundheit!

Carpe Diem Life
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com
 
 

Friday, January 6, 2017

History of Texting LOL!


A conversation with some old friends at dinner last night and a “This Date in History” story this morning got me thinking . . .

Imagination a communications tool that uses the fewest and shortest words possible to communicate a thought or idea.  One that “old timers” say will surely ruin future generations’ ability to speak or write the English language.

Texting, right?
Sometimes it’s fun to reverse engineer current technology to see how we got here. 

On this day in 1838, Samuel Morse’s telegraph system is demonstrated for the first time. The telegraph, a device which used electric impulses to transmit encoded messages over a wire, would eventually revolutionize long-distance communication. He demonstrated his invention using Morse code, in which dots and dashes represented letters and numbers.
GR8, right?

In May 1844, Morse sent the first official telegram over the line, with the message: “What hath God wrought!” (Today, that would probably read: “WHGW!”).

L8R, private companies, using Morse’s patent, set up telegraph lines around the Northeast. Then came Western Union, the first transcontinental line across the United States, the first successful permanent line across the Atlantic Ocean (imagine the logistics of laying a permanent line across the Atlantic).  By 1870s, world news could quickly spread worldwide.

Because telegraph companies typically charged by the word, telegrams were known for their succinct prose “stop”

"stop"?

Here’s a bit of trivia:  The word “stop” was used in place of a period because, for some odd reason, the word “stop” was free and there was a charge for the period.  WTF?

Of course, time and technological innovation marches on.  Over the course of the 20th century, telegraph messages were largely replaced by long-distance phone serve, fax, email, and now texting.  Western Union delivered its final telegram in January 2006 “stop”

At this point some of you may be thinking DILLIGAS  (Do I Look Like I Give A Sh**), so I’ll just wrap this up.

We can thank Mr. Samuel Morse’s telegraph system (demonstrated for the first time on this date) for laying the foundation of this epidemic that is texting.  But, if you’re one of those who people who believe texting is “penmanship for illiterates” and will ruin future generations ability to speak or write the English language, you can thank Samuel Morse for being able to send out the International Morse code distress signal of SOS (· · · – – – · · ·) stop

TYVM for reading today’s post stop  TTYL stop HAGW stop

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com






Thursday, January 5, 2017

First Snow Of The Year

Gazing out my window
The year's first snow 
Whispering through the glass
Inviting me back
To my childhood

Memories
Drifting down to the ground
Snowman and Snow Angels
Snowballs and Snow Forts 
Maybe E.E. Cummings was right,
"The show doesn't give a 
soft white damn
whom it touches."

But I do!

Snowflakes
Like family & friends
Unique 
Fragile
But look at the beauty
Created
When they stick together!
  
                                                                    David Kuhn 2017                       


Carpe Diem Life
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com








Wednesday, January 4, 2017

"Do you have gas?

One winter night, many years ago when we were over for dinner, I asked my Father that question:

"Dad, do you have gas?"

"That's a personal question, but yes.  And I'm taking Beano, which contains a natural enzyme that are supposed to help digest the complex carbohydrates . . ."

"NO! Gas service to the house.  For your heat!?"

"Oh," embarrassed.  "That, too!"

He had taken for granted that I was asking about the health of his intestinal tract; I had taken for granted he knew I was talking about gas heat.  I thought of that embarrassingly funny memory
around 3 A.M. this morning as I got up and wandered the house.  No, not searcing for Beano!

We have electric heat  -- a "heat pump."  And when temperature plunge below freezing, it's more like a "lukecool heat pump."  After I took care of business (need not say more), I climbed back into our warm bed and began to take notice and be thankful for a lot of the things I take for granted.  Things like an insulated house, insulated windows, warm carpeting, indoor plumbing, heat (even if it isn't gas), and . . .

My god, it's 2017.  Dad's been gone almost a decade.  Still, I'll never take for granted all the things he did for me-- and all the wonderful-- and even sometimes embarrassing-- memories he gave me.

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com








Tuesday, January 3, 2017

"Day Of Purging"

I made yesterday my official “Day of Purging” day (usually January 1, but we were out of town).

“Day of Purging” is traditionally the day I get in my closets and drawers and purge items that I haven’t worn or used in the past year.  It usually goes something like this:

First, I take out everything out of the cesspool that is my closets and drawers (I’m a bit of a sentimental hoarder).
Next, I gather up the dozens of empty hangers that have somehow gurgled up to the surface. 
I then start the process of purging.

“Hmm.  Didn’t wear this last year.  In fact, haven’t worn it for years.  However, I do remember when I got it.  It’s still in perfect condition.  Hmm.  I’m sure I’ll wear it this year.  Yes, I think I’ll save it.”

And so it goes.

Every once in a great while I’ll actually throw something away or put in the donation pile.  More times than not, it makes its way back into the closet.  After all, it’s all nice and neat now so there’s plenty of room for . . .

I know that I pledged this year “A place for everything, everything in its place.”  But, now that I’ve organized the closets and drawers (a.k.a. “the place”) I have plenty room for everything.

And so it goes.

Besides, who in their right mind could depart with every softball jersey he’s ever had-- even though I haven’t played for 20 years.  Oh, and there’s a Harry Chapin concert T-Shirt from the 70s.  And then there’s my grade school letter sweater.  And what about . . .

And so it goes.

Or, more precisely on “Purging Day”:  And so it DOESN’T GO!

Another “Purging Day” in the books.  Speaking of books . . .

Carpe Diem Life,
David Kuhn
CarpeDiem-Life.com 


Monday, January 2, 2017

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific!


Lily Tomlin is famous for the joke: I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific. 

I can relate. I think, at times, we can all relate. 

So, when it comes to CHOOSING a goal (i.e. New Year’s Resolutions), being specific is no joke.  That's why I’m making “SPECIFIC” one of my mantras this year.

For example, “losing some weight” is a good goal, but “Losing fifteen pounds” is better because it's more specific (okay, okay.  More like twenty pounds would be better, but you get the idea). 

The “Specific” Carpe Diem Life Lesson:

CHOOSE specific goals.

Think about the specific ACTIONS you’ll need to take to reach your specific goal.

The more specific and measurable your goal, the more quickly you will be able to identify, locate, create, and implement the use of the necessary resources for its achievement. -- Charles J. Givens

What specific RESOURCES (people and knowledge) will help you achieve your goal?

Having a clear picture in your mind what success looks like will motive you take PERSISTENT ACTION.

Seeing what the specific success looks like will help you EVALUATE your progress and decide whether or not you’re heading in the right specific DIRECTION.

If you see that you're not heading in the right direction, how will you specifically IMPROVE?

And what about rewards along the way?  What specific things will you do to ENJOY THE PROCESS?

Remember, there is only one person who is responsible for your success.  Specifically, you must never forget that it’s “MY LIFE.”

Wishing you a SPECIFIC 2017!

For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment. Viktor E. Frankl

Carpe Diem Life,

David Kuhn

CarpeDiem-Life.com