THE TASTE OF 2016

photo by Ginny

Happy New Year's Eve!!  May your New Year be as wonderful as your first taste of bacon was!    (It will all make sense when you watch the video.)   
     
Bring it, 2016!






                                         

Principle in the type:  "To begin, begin."       William Wordsworth    

                                                                                             Happy Weekend, Peeps!

SAINT TERESA

photo by India7 Network

Mother Teresa whose life was dedicated to helping the poor in the slums of India, is on the road to be a saint.  "She will likely be canonized in September to coincide with the 19th anniversary of her death. . . .  She was beatified in 2003 as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta," but it takes two miracles to become a saint.  Record of those exist in the form of her healing the sick.  And don't forget the Nobel Peace Prize she was awarded in 1979.       news           

Principle in the type:  "Each of us, in the journey through mortality, will travel his own Jericho Road [as the Good Samaritan did].  What will be your experience?  What will be mine?  Will I fail to notice him who has fallen among thieves and requires my help?  Will you?  Will I be one who sees the injured and hears his plea, yet cross to the other side?  Will you?  Or will I be one who sees, who hears, who pauses, and who helps?  Will you?"                Thomas S. Monson

STEVE HARVEY FOR THE WIN

photo by Daniel Oines

"There was no teleprompter to blame when host Steve Harvey announced the wrong winner" at the December 20th Miss Universe contest, said pageant judge Perez Hilton.  It came down to Harvey reading his results card incorrectly.  Harvey is sorry, hopefully the girls are okay, and hey - next year there's room for improvement.      story            

Principle in the type:  "Become really, really good at forgiving. . . . Forgive everyone, everything, all the time, or at least strive to do so, thus allowing forgiveness into your own life.  Don’t hold grudges, don’t be easily offended, forgive and forget quickly, and don’t ever think that you are exempt from this commandment."      Jorg Klebingat

BING BOWIE

photo by 143d ESC

Merry Christmas Eve!  ---Of course you have already watched It's A Wonderful Life this month, right?  Good!   That said, enjoy an old'timey real beaut below.






                                  

Principle in the type:  "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store.  Maybe Christmas perhaps, means a little bit more."         the Grinch      

                                                                           Merry Merry Christmas Peeps and Peepettes!

GOOD CHEER

photo by Stefan

A New York college student has visited "the same Santa Claus for 19 years!"  Hey, it's what her mom wants for Christmas ---   " 'In high school it was really embarrassing, but now I think it's really funny,' "  said McKenzie Doig.     story 

                

Principle in the type:  "It is a glorious thing to have old St. Nicholas in our hearts and in our homes today, whether he enters the latter through the open door or creeps down the chimney on Christmas Eve.  To bring happiness to others without seeking personal honor or praise by publishing it is a most commendable virtue."   David O. McKay

MERRY HAPPY

photo by Disney / ABC Television Group

Mariah Carey's traditional "Christmas residency at New York City's 2,900-capacity Beacon Theatre" last Friday included a new song of her own creation and "freestyling . . . "  Carey said, " 'You guys know it's Christmas, and we make up Christmas songs when we're in a happy, jolly mood,' she told the audience."      story
             

Principle in the type:  "Happiness is the destination, but also the path."       Dieter F. Uchtdorf

TO BE

photo by Jim Simonson

Some people just have all the (Merry) fun:




                                 

Principle in the type:  "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players:  They have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts."                William Shakespeare  

                                                                                          Happy Weekend Peeps!

SAVED FOR LATER

photo by Humor Blog

65-year-old Dennis Haskins, the actor who played school principal Mr. Belding on popular 80s sitcom 'Saved by the Bell' just  "graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's theater and speech department--decades after"  he first started school there.   " 'And it's not honorary,' he added. 'I earned it.' "      story         

Principle in the type:  "It's a terrible thing, I think, in life to wait until you're ready.  I have this feeling now that actually no one is ever ready to do anything.  There is almost no such thing as ready.  There is only now.  And you may as well do it now.  Generally speaking, now is as good a time as any."         Hugh Laurie        

 

READY TO SEE

photo by Amy

The latest (greatest?) Star Wars: Force Awakens premiered Monday night.  A big deal, and around Hollywood "the movie was shown to VIP crowds in three separate theaters across L.A. . . " (story)  ---Original cast members were there, people are thrilled, and records will and are going to be broken.    Awakenings are exciting!   
    

Principle in the type:  "Many of us have a difficult time seeing ourselves as we truly are, and even successful people overestimate their own contribution and underestimate the contributions that others make. . . . Being able to see ourselves clearly is essential to our spiritual growth and well-being."    Dieter F. Uchtdorf

SMART DOESN'T GROW ON TREES

photo by Lanyap

"Police say a suspect had his first name stenciled on a sweatshirt he wore while breaking into a western Pennsylvania taxi company where he used to work. . . . State Police security video showed the suspect wearing a shirt with the name 'Josh' on it," hence 26-year-old Joshua Jording finds himself now facing a preliminary hearing on burglary, theft and other charges.       news             

Principle in the type:  "Thought I was close but on further inspection seems I've been running in the wrong direction."     lyrics . . .  Passenger's The Wrong Direction

MELE KALIKIMAKA

photo by Jeff Rowley

I mean, for real?!  Here's what folks are doing where there isn't any snow ... and there are giant waves ... and find themselves at the beach ... and there's a contest going on. 














                                  

Principle in the type:  "I just followed the advice of one of my favorite quotes:  'Jump and the net will appear!'  Sometimes you just have to take a risk without thinking through every potential scenario of what 'could' go wrong.  I think that if you begin letting that inner voice take over with every possible doubt, you will never take the leap."      Jocelyn Delk Adams

                                                                                           Happy Weekend Peep'olas! 

THIS ONE'S ON ME?

photo by Neon Tommy

"Former USC [football] coach Steve Sarkisian filed a lawsuit against the university on Monday saying he was 'kicked to the curb' instead of being allowed to seek treatment for alcoholism."   Sarkisian was let go Oct. 12th, a big to-do if you remember.   USC was "profoundly disappointed in how Mr. Sarkisian has mischaracterized the facts . . . "      news

Principle in the type:  "In matters both temporal and spiritual, the opportunity to assume personal responsibility is a God-given gift without which we cannot realize our full potential . . . " D. Todd Christofferson       

GO AHEAD, POP MY BUBBLE

photo by Izzy Smith

A Seattle landmark, "the famous 'gum wall,' dried onto the bricks of a corridor in the city's Pike Place Market," is coming down.  20 years of chewed gum plastered in wads will be "pried off the wall with powerful steam cleaners . . ."  The decision being made because, among other things, "the sickly sweet scent began attracting vermin" and well - reason enough?  Change can be good.     story

Principle in the type:  "We hold hands with our high school friends and swear to never lose touch, and then we do.  We scrape ice off our cars and feel like winter will never end, and it does.  We stand in the bathroom and look at our face and say, "Stop getting old, face.  I command you!" and it doesn't listen. . . . Your ability to navigate and tolerate change and its painful uncomfortableness directly correlates to your happiness and general well-being."          Amy Poehler   

LUNCH IS OVER

photo by anna Hanks

Former subway pitchman Jared Fogle, as you very likely already know, was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison "for trading in child pornography and having sex with underage prostitutes."    ---Leaves very, very much more than a bad taste in one's mouth.      news            

Principle in the type:  "Societies depend in large part upon religion and church to establish moral order.  Government can never build enough jails to house the criminals produced by a society lacking in morality, character, and faith. . . . It is impossible for government to control the attitudes, desires, and hopes that spring from the human heart.  And yet these are the seeds that grow into the conduct government must regulate."    Wilford W. Andersen