Quotes

You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred.
Woody Allen (1935 - )

The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work.
Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)

I gotta work out. I keep saying it all the time. I keep saying I gotta start working out. It's been about two months since I've worked out. And I just don't have the time. Which uh..is odd. Because I have the time to go out to dinner. And uh..and watch tv. And get a bone density test. And uh.. try to figure out what my phone number spells in words.
Ellen DeGeneres

Only the mediocre are always at their best.
Jean Giraudoux (1882 - 1944)

We can't all be heroes because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.
Will Rogers (1879 - 1935)

You live and learn. At any rate, you live.
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

Now we sit through Shakespeare in order to recognize the quotations.
Orson Welles (1915 - 1985)

There's always somebody who is paid too much, and taxed too little - and it's always somebody else.
Cullen Hightower

Virginia Tech and Violence in Video Games

My heart goes out to all of the friends and families of the people killed and injured Monday at Virginia Tech.

I was watching the coverage Monday night and Dr. Phil McGraw was interviewed (I believe it was by CNN). Before the name of the shooter even came out, he was claiming that violent video games were to blame. Why should they be to blame if we don't even yet know if he played them? I didn't see the interview, but it's been written that Jack Thompson has said the same thing. Yes, it's true that some of the past school shooters had played violent video games, but how many of these games have been sold in the U.S. alone? If you take the percentage that played them compared to the percentage that go out and shoot/rob/etc someone...Taking away everyone's violent video game because they might go commit crime is like taking away someone's car because they might fall asleep behind the wheel.

Parents aren't as involved with their children as they used to be. My parents knew my brother's and my friends, what we watched on T.V., what video games we were playing, decided when we were mature enough to handle movies that had adult themes. If we really wanted to watch/play something, we could plead our point (because so-and-so gets to was never a good argument). Occasionally we changed their mind. It doesn't seem like parents do that anymore. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't want to overgeneralize. I know there are parents out there that still do, but it seems like more and more don't bother. I wonder sometimes why some people have children. They don't seem to want to have much to do with them. Will parent interaction stop all crime? No. There will always be those that were abused, are mentally unstable, etc, but I'd be interested to see how many could be prevented if parenting got back to being parenting instead of trying to just get along or be friends with their kids.

Interesting article on parents "bribing" their kids.

"The Road Not Taken" - Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Quote: Mother Theresa

People
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind,
People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, People will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Courage

Yesterday, Major League Baseball celebrated Jackie Robinson Day. It got me to thinking about all of the men and women who are "pioneers". Those courageous and strong enough to take on so much for the sake of those that follow. Those people that break the race, gender, etc. lines; those that speak out about things no one wants to talk about. To those people I say "Thank You". Yes, there are still many problems in our nation, in the world. But because of these people, knowledge is spread. One person that might have otherwise been ignorant is now passing down a new way of thinking to their children. Change doesn't happen overnight. It seems like the smallest change takes forever sometimes, but we can't give up hope and we can never stop working towards the day that everyone will be treated equally and with the respect they deserve.

Quote: George Burns

"You know you're getting old when you stoop to tie your shoelaces and wonder what else you could do while you're down there."

Lambing Season is Over

One other ewe had her lambs, twin boys, Thursday. Only one of them made it. We are past the point where they can have them, so I guess the other two didn't breed.

The second softball practice is today. Hopefully it will be warmer than last week. And hopefully be more fun/productive.

Easter

It looks like we're going to get our cold weather for Easter. I can only remember one Easter in my lifetime that was warm and sunny...and I was sick that year. My brother, Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa hunted eggs in the back yard. I could see them from the couch, where I was stuck. The cold weather is also going to make the first practice of summer softball less pleasant. I'm kind of nervous, but Mom has talked to some of the girls and they seem excited, so that helps. I'll be glad when we get past the shirt ordering business. There's definitely a benefit to being assistant coach if only to avoid that mess.

The three ewes still haven't had their lambs. I'd be worrying, but their eating and grazing habits haven't changed, so I think the lambs are still alive. They are just waiting to get here. Probably sometime between Friday night and Sunday morning, when it's raining/snowing and around freezing.

Baseball!

Baseball season is here. The first full day of MLB. My friend Reggie Willits made the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim team. He's a backup outfielder. GO REGGIE!! I have two fantasy baseball teams this year. One on Yahoo and one on MLB.com. So far I'm seriously under-impressed with MLB.com's.

There are still three more ewes that have to have their lambs within the next few days...or we have a problem. We have 21 live lambs. They all seem to be doing good. The bottle baby is starting to put on a little weight. She's cute as a button (I've always wondered why people say that. Buttons aren't all that cute.).

It's time for Little League summer softball. I'm head coach this year. My brother's going to assistant coach. My mom is taking care of all the paper and leg work. I'll be glad when we get that part over with and can concentrate on softball. The focus is going to be on learning the fundamentals. I figure, if we get those down, winning will come on it's own.