"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset." Saint Francis De Sales

Saturday, February 11, 2017

Rangers, Chess & Valentines



1. “Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has asked the Texas Rangers to work with the Houston Police Department in the recovery of Tom Brady’s missing Jersey.” Don’t mess with Texas.

Texas Rangers

2. Our weather in Richmond, Virginia this week. Monday 64, Tuesday 74, Wednesday 74, Thursday 44 (Rain & Flurries), Friday 42, Saturday 63 and Sunday 72. A wee bit strange for the month of February. I’m not complaining.

3. On February 10, 1996, “world chess champion Garry Kasparov loses the first game of a six-game match against Deep Blue, an IBM computer capable of evaluating 200 million moves per second.” More details at This Day in History.

4. “When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength. Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.” Tecumseh, leader of the Shawnee 1811-1813.

5. Please pray for my good buddy Dave and his family. He is in the hospital recovering from heart surgery.



7. The Temptations, “I Wish It Would Rain.” 




Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Critics, Dee and Super Bowl



1. I have read Matthew Kelly's book, "Resisting Happiness." In chapter 35 he writes about critics and provides a quote from Theodore Roosevelt. 

"It is not the critic who counts;
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles,
or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;
but who does actually strive to do the deeds;
who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions;
who spends himself in a worthy cause;
who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high
achievement,
and who at the worst, if he fails,
at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those cold and
timid souls
who neither know victory nor defeat."

2. Dee is the basketball expert in our family. When we attend the games or watch them on television, she provides commentary and explanation of what is going on. Our Richmond Spiders played Duquesne at home last Saturday. One of her favorite players, T.J. Cline, "became the first player in Richmond history to record a triple-double ... as he led the Spiders to a 101-90 win over Duquesne with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists." It was one of her favorite games.

T.J. Cline

3. My PT sessions ended this week. The comparisons, from my first session to this last session, showed a definite improvement. I now have a series of stretches and exercises which I will continue to work on. 

The therapists and their assistants were supportive through the entire process. My thanks to Rachael and Tabitha and the support team Robin, Doug, Alesia, and Billy.  

4. I've gotten back to painting, there are two units of American Provincials on the painting table. 

5. On February 2, 1887, "Clymer H. Freas was the editor of the local paper Punxsutawney Spirit.," and he began promoting the town's groundhog as the official "Groundhog Day meteorologist." Read more over at Wikipedia.

Groundhog Vintage Image

6. Super Bowl LI, or for those who don't care for Roman numerals, Super Bowl 51. I been watching the odds, which vary depending what time of day it is, and the New England Patriots are favored. So, I'm going to go with the "underdog," Atlanta Falcons. I live in Virginia and they're a southern team. Makes sense to me. 




7. The Drifters, "There Goes My Baby."



Go over to "This Ain't the Lyceum," where Kelly is hosting more takes.