Each Individual Counts

Rich and Poor

I got this over at EarPhone's site. It was too good to pass off.

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"
"It was great, Dad."
"Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked.
"Oh Yeah" said the son.
"So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father.
The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them."
With this the boy's father was speechless.
Then his son added, "Thanks dad for showing me how poor we are."

Moody Hanging On - Thank You People

Bunch of people came and went recently. Crashed in during the holidays and made it merry. Now I'm flopping around with a hole in my insides. I've hung "Gone Fishing" signs in my other sites and I'm a little strung out having to take it off. I'm verging on sappy but don't you worry - we've got that under control.

Paperlilies said a lot of things about being thankful for having an online community of friends. She probably will say it better in many ways than I ever could. She said it exactly as I've wanted to from 1:00 to about 3:00 minutes into her video clip.

If you never get around to watching it, the nutshell of it all is that: I really appreciate all the traffic and the people who've come around and hung around this site. There is a special thank you to people who matter more than expressed, and you guys know who you are. I've said it before and let me say it again:

Thanks for dropping by and giving me a read. It's really humbling that people give me notice. Google Analytics tell me I get about 200 pageviews and 80 visits a week - there are a lot of silent readers out there. I'm still trying to find my voice and couldn't make up my mind what sort of dignity or lack thereof should be presented. That said, your comments (even silent ones) are appreciated. Do come back soon. Have a great year ahead.

Thank You For the Warm Memories

Momofuku Ando died last January 6th. He was the inventor of the cup noodle and the founder of Nissin. If you don't know what I'm talking about, shame on you and I pity your probably stale gastronomic life.

Let me just say that his invention brought tremendous joy into my life. The Pure Magic in the styrofoam cup with a foil lid has been a permanent prop in the background (and sometimes foreground) of my life. There are only two warm things about me -- coffee, and this. The rest of me is made up of doritos. (Some people might claim motor oil and battery fluid better describes my composition and they maybe right).

Reading about Momofuku's life and longevity has also given me tremendous hope and courage. I have long been plagued by misguided detractors and miscreant spammers who do not believe monosodium glutamate is the ultimate super nutrient. IN YOUR FACE YOU FOOLS!

And so, Mr. Ando, thank you for making my life instant and beautiful. Rest in peace, O Great and Noble One.