KETCHUP WITH THAT?

photo by Hakan Dahlstrom

The most exciting thing to ever happen to me in a drive-thru was extra fries.  (And I didn't give them back.)



"A New Hampshire woman got a surprise Friday at a Burger King drive-thru in Rochester:  not food, but a bag full of cash.  Janelle Jones discovered on the way home that the bag did not contain the sweet tea and  junior spicy chicken sandwich she had ordered.  Jones called her husband and they decided to return the $2,631 --  a Burger King bank deposit."  story link 

Principle in the type:  "A good reputation is more valuable than money."  Publilus Syrus

GET YOUR KICKS . . .

photo by Curtis Perry

 . . . on Route 66.  (You knew the rest of the line, right?  No??  -- Come on, bro!)


My local paper (article link) wrote about that mother road, as it is sometimes called.     

"It is the means upon which so many came to Los Angeles before me and after me because people are still doing it now.  So it's the means to bring everybody to their final destination.  And, for me, Route 66 is still very much a living and breathing highway . . ." Richard Schave, a Route 66 business tour company owner was quoted as saying.  

Life's path is living and breathing too.  A route is like that.  Yup, many pass by before you and after you.  Make the pathway bright.  Leave directions to a happy destination.  Help those who cross your path.  Life is a highway.  What better way to get your kicks? 

Principle in the type:  "We read in Proverbs the admonition, “Ponder the path of thy feet.” (Proverbs 4:26) . . . With the account of the good Samaritan . . . teaches us to love and to serve our neighbors.  (Luke 10:30-37) . . . parable of the talents . . . teaches us to improve ourselves . . . (Matthew 25: 14-30)  With the parable of the lost sheep . . .  instructs us to go to the rescue of those who have left the path and have lost their way. (Luke 15: 4-7)  . . . let our lights shine . . ."  Thomas S. Monson.   

WHAT'S A POOR GIRL TO SAY?

photo by Farrukh

The gig is up for our USA, Miss. Universe contestant, Nia Sanchez.  She finished runner-up in the competition.   Some believe it was her answer in the Q&A portion that ultimately put her just below pageant winner Miss. Columbia.  I've read tidbits about it everywhere.  Her simple question?  "If you were given 30 seconds to deliver a message to global terrorists, what would you say?"  And that ladies and gentlemen, is not an easy thing to answer.  Or at least not in 30 seconds with depth or insight or charisma or influence.  She came up with, "I can always spread a message of hope and love and peace."  No that was not a Saturday Night Live caricature of her, but how she indeed answered.  Bless her heart.  But what the heck else is she supposed to say, off the cuff?    I probably would have pulled out a Rodney King, "Can't we all get along?"

Well if anyone does know the most cerebral, effective, and correct answer to that question, cough it up!  The Universe calls!!

Meanwhile let's pounce on that love stuff she brings up.

Principle in the type:  "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."  Martin Luther King Jr.

EMO LOVIN' IT

So, yesterday's  post reminded me of the most touching commercial I saw, mid a televised football game last month.  Around the house now I am considered an utter sap because of a McDonald's commercial, but I don't care!  I have feelings!!
True the commercial is in video form not type, but there is type in it and those are the words that get me so emotional.  Go ahead and watch, then we will reconvene:
      

                     



Aah the humanity of it!!  Publicly expressing Hope?  Caring for others?  Long marriages?  Praying for a stranger?  Celebrations?  Patriotism?  Just, somebody get me a tissue . . .

Principle in the type:  "Earth's crammed with Heaven. . . . "  Elizabeth Barrett Browning

LOVIN' IT?

photo by Mike Mozart

McDonald's had a rough few quarters . . . and I'm not talking about the quarter pounder.  I'm talking about those spaces of periods that a business measures finances by.  It reports here (article link) :  "The worlds largest hamburger chain reported falling earnings and sales for its fourth quarter on Friday and says it is going to take action to save money and bring customers back, including slowing down some restaurant openings."  I'm not exactly going to shed crocodile tears for them, because you want to talk 'slowing down?!'  McDonald's has done nothing but slow down my metabolism for years!!  But yah, okay, hopefully they can work it all out and be in the money again.  Poor babies.  Being in the money can take a while, as many of us know (Lol Lol Lol) .

Here's what I'm really trying to get to -- "The fast-food giant said its problems won't be fixed overnight."    True that.  You'all know problems are rarely fixed overnight?

 Principle in the type:  "I learned that patience was far more than simply waiting for something to happen—patience required actively working toward worthwhile goals and not getting discouraged when results didn’t appear instantly or without effort."  Dieter Uchtdorf

THE DIVINE MISS M IN ALL OF US

photo by Sarah Ackerman

Bette Midler.  (Remember this song?  It OWNED the late 80's.  She sang it at the Oscars last year, and I mostly remember her at the Oscars because she wore this dress which I thought was crazy sick! (that means good in hipster talk). Just beautiful.  Anyways, I digress . . .  )

In this article she spoke about "what I know now," and I enjoyed it immensely.  In fact it may have to be a two-part'r post.  Married, for over 30 years to Martin von Haselberg, and mother to one child, daughter Sophie von Haselbert, 27, she's gathered some wisdom (and flaws? Because I'm assuming she's like all of us?) through the years.   

About marriage, she said this:  "A good marriage isn't for divas. . . . It's best to pick your fights wisely and just meditate.  Stay calm.  Don't go from zero to 60 in two seconds.  Don't diminish each other.  Don't try to make each other wrong all the time.  The blaming is the worst part.  Honestly, you have to learn not to do that."

 

Principle (literally) in the type:  "Time passes in a flash, and as they say, it's not a rehearsal."  Bette Midler

LOS ANGELES 'TICS

photo by Thomas Hawk

(Okay, I had a picture of downtown L.A. ready for this post, and yes, I went with a picture of a giant donut instead.  Listen Randy's Donuts is in L.A., and after all, come on!  It's a big donut!  How can a big donut ever be wrong?)



This piece in the Los Angeles Daily News, goes in one big circle from 'all is well,' to 'we need help!' to 'actually we're making headway.'  See the article quotes below.  That's politics for you, no? 


Sunny skies:  “ 'I can’t think of anything where we have had a major problem,” Wesson [council president] said. “The mayor [of Los Angeles] came from the council, and he knows how we operate around here.' ”

We should tweak things:  " 'Los Angeles needs to think about being L.A. again, instead of trying to be a sun-drenched Portland.  L.A. just doesn’t have its swag back,' Kotkin [Chapman University fellow] added."

We're racing down Progress Avenue:  "Garcetti is an improvement over [former mayor] Villaraigosa . . ."



Later there was this: "proactive agenda."  

That phrase caught my eye.  It's right in the following commentary, where Dan Schnur from USC--director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute--shared,  “With an improving economy, you can have more of a proactive agenda."   Proactive work is a great principle!        article link

Principle in the type:  "Let us realize that:  The privilege to work is a gift, the power to work is a blessing, the love of work is success!"   David O. McKay

HOCKEY FOR THE MASSES

photo by Galatians Designs

Another afternoon, let's talk about all the fighting and grown-up timeouts at a hockey game, okay?  But for today:


 "Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin climbed the stairs the other day in El Sugundo.  They weren't playing well . . . The young defensemen sought the counsel of Rob Blake. . . . Blake, 45, has 

photo by Noah Graham - Getty Images

skated a mile or two in the skates of Doughty and Muzzin, so he 
knows what's troubling 
them . . ."  Presently Blake is the Kings' 
assistant general
manager, and their 
vice president.  He's a star 
former player, and since 
that makes him able to 
talk the walk, he serves
occasionally as mentor to 
younger and new players.  
Been there done that wisdom?
It's the best. 
article link



  

Principle in the type:  "Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?"  Voltaire

BASS'D ON WHAT?

photo by John Fischer

Growing up Meghan Trainor didn't have an anthem to repeat like "All About That Bass," from her debut EP Title.  The September 22nd, 2014 issue of People Magazine reported that as a teen she was hard on herself.  Trainor had friends, but struggled for self-esteem because of body image. "Her mother, Kelli, would remind her 'to not worry about size and love myself,' " Trainor told People.   In adulthood she's landed on her feet.  "I'm beautiful and happy," said Trainor.  A woman-sized pop star?  Say what??  Now her anthem exists for anyone who cares to listen, and a lot do according to "Bass" YouTube hits and Top 40 success.   article link


There were a lot of good leads in this article, but I have a favorite, mentioned above.

 Principle in the type:  "In all events, a mother can exert an influence unequaled by any other person in any other relationship."  D. Todd Christofferson

 

NEW YEAR NEW YOU?

Well in my case new year, new blog. We'll see how long it lasts, because according to this January article there's a 24% chance I give up on it. (On the bright side there's an 8% chance I ride it all the way home!) The point is, it says here starting small may be the trick to ultimate new year resolution success. After all big things come in small packages, right? From little issues to the larger, "the call for self-improvement and growth still beckons even the weakest among us," says author Donna Littlejohn.  "Simply put, it's important to keep on keepin' on." article link

Principle in the type: "The more often [a person] feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and in the long run, the less he will be able to feel." C.S. Lewis

BLOGTOPIA!