Has it really been 2 years since I posted here? Where did the time go? Where did I go? Has anybody seen Margie?

It's quite a sobering thought to consider that all that time just passed and...all that time just passed.

I didn't appreciate it. I was here then. I'm here now. And I did nothing meaningful with my life in between. Routine. Autopilot. Asleep through life.

Dear Reader, are you witnessing Margie experiencing a personal epiphany?

No, I'm merely making an observation. I do know myself well enough to realize that this "wake-up call" will only last long enough for me to finish typing these few sentences. Then I'll shut the computer off and start getting ready for my shift at work.

After that, well, it's all just routine from there.


"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
--Henry David Thoreau

The Significant Paul Potts

"By day, I sell mobile phones. My dream is to spend my life doing what I feel that I was born to do."

-Paul Potts

It's been awhile since I've posted something worthwhile on this website. Today I'm here because there's a story that I feel needs to be told.

Like many Americans, my first exposure to it came from YouTube. But this one is different from other items presented on that website. It's not just about a song or a video. It is those, yes, but it also tells a very touching story--a Cinderella one, of sorts. Maybe you've already heard this man's story, but if not, I think you should.

Paul Potts was a cell phone salesman from South Wales. He had a low self-esteem and no confidence. His physical appearance was unimpressive--his clothes were shabby, teeth were chipped, hair was sloppy. And he was deep in debt.

With the support of his wife, Julie, this man tried out for a talent contest on a British t.v. show. One of the judges asked, "What are you here for today, Paul?" His reply, "To sing opera."

Opera? The judges later said they didn't expect much from him. In an interview one of the judges, Simon Cowell, said his thoughts at that time were, "Oh God, here we go again!"

But they gave him a chance and let him audition. And when Paul started to sing, everyone in the audience listened in astonishment! This guy had extraordinary talent--an amazing, powerful voice! People didn't just hear the music of Paul Potts, they felt it; and it brought tears to their eyes.

Not surprisingly, Paul was accepted into the competition, which, of course, he went on to win. That was just a few months ago! Since that time he has become famous world-wide, performing in front of large audiences, appearing on U.S. talk shows, and...producing a CD, "One Chance", which has so far sold at the number one spot in 12 countries!

This new Paul Potts has had his teeth repaired, dresses nicely, no longer works at Carphone Warehouse, and perhaps most importantly, feels good about who he is.

"All my life I've felt insignificant. After that first audition, I realised I am somebody. I'm Paul Potts."

-Paul Potts

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NESSUM DORMA

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TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

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NESSUM DORMA

"I'm just so grateful that I'm able to gain a bit of confidence. Um, I should have more faith in myself, and I'm working on that, and it's really shown me the way. Hopefully, it's a start."

-Paul Potts

If You Ask Me...

...I'd say, "I dunno!"

Because that's the mood I'm in right now. Maybe it's just too early in the morning for me. but I don't know what to write. I have nothing to say at this time.

But be forewarned, there will come a time when I'll have so much to say, I won't stop! There are those issues that I tend to get passionate about. At this moment, the only thing I'm passionate about is hitting that big bowl of leftover Halloween candy.

So if you'll excuse me, I hear someone calling me. It's the sound of...chocolate! Yup, I recognize those familiar voices: Kit Kats, Raisinets, M&M's, Nestle Crunch Bars and, my favorite, malted milk Whoppers! But then, of course I recognize them--I picked them!

Nothing Left

Just a few hours before, this was someone's home. The people who lived here didn't go to bed the night before ever thinking that this was to be the last time they would sleep in this house, that when daybreak arrived, everything they owned would be burned into ashes! What they didn't know, was that they were about to become homeless. However, taken into perspective, it's not all bad news. Everyone made it out safely, including the families' pets.

Southbridge Fire

Hi Everybody, (All one or two of you!),

I was wasting time, as I so often do, and I decided to play around with this photo program. I threw these pictures together, not assembling them in any particular order. This could be a really fun little online toy for my fellow shutter-bugs out there!

First Day of Spring

I took this video last Tuesday (March 20, 2007). Spring officially arrived that evening.

Their Job is Done

The t.v. still works

They should make our cars using whatever material those satellite dishes are made with.

Next time, Dial 911!

It takes a lot of 1/2 litre bottles of water to put out a 3-decker house fire! So the next time your house burns down, don't reach for the water bottles, reach for the phone instead, and call the experts!

Actually, the firemen kept drinking these bottles of water, then tossing the empty containers into the pile of burned rubble. It will all be cleaned up soon.

Barbecue Gone Wrong

You're supposed to cook the food on the INSIDE of the grill!

Tonight When I Go To Sleep...

I'll lay there in my own bed, still in my own home, surrounded by everything that's familiar to me...thankful that during that day that had just passed, my entire world didn't turn upside down, taking everything I owned. I'll lay my head on the pillow, grateful with the realization with something that I take for granted every other day...I'm not homeless.

I woke up yesterday morning to the sounds of my neighbor shouting, "Oh, My God! Oh, My God!" What I saw when I rushed to check on her frantic yells, were flames shooting out from the roof of the house across the street. The view from my living room window has just changed forever.

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Car Website

A really GREAT site for all kinds of car information (fixing them, buying them, etc...) is Samarins.

You Have No Idea...

...why I'm posting a photo of a dirty car parked near an even dirtier snow bank.

I'd promise to explain the reason for this photo in a future message, but, hey, let's not fool ourselves. So please don't waste time waiting for me to return with an update. That just makes me feel guilty. And besides, we both know you only use me as an excuse for not getting that laundry washed!

Okay. Just so you're not totally kept in the dark...that is my car, and that's the apartment building that I live in. So much for privacy on the internet. Maybe I should have checked out this site before exposing the details of my life to the world. Want my credit card account number, too?

"Do I Look Fat in This Picture?"

This squirrel stopped gathering acorns for a minute to pose for this photo. It was taken on some church steps on Harvard Street, Brookline. I took a lot of photos there last Tuesday, and planned on updating my Coolidge Corner, Brookline webpage, but I didn't make much progress!

I thought the squirrel was cute. Some people don't like them because they are "rodents". I like them anyway.

Oh, there's a lady in Boston who sits on a bench in the center of the city every day. Her name is Florence. She brings a big bag of almonds to feed to the squirrels there. I'll tell you, Boston has some very fat squirrels in that area!

Also, Florence brings water in a cup, and the squirrels go right up to her and drink out of the cup. She has names for each one of them, too!

Florence told me she can't miss a day of going there because she knows they'll be waiting for her. So rain or shine, sick or well, under all conditions...Florence shows up with her bag of almonds and the cup of water.

Somebody ought to tell this guy to head on over to Boston Common. Not only will he get some almonds, he'll even get a name! (Maybe I could pick one for him.)

In the Jungle

Hamachi thinks he's a tiger in a jungle
when he lurks around under my house plants!

What's that you say? You didn't know I have a cat? Well, until a few days ago, I didn't know either! But in a spontaneous moment, my daughter decided to move in with me, bringing her troublesome little menace with her. Now, take a guess who's the boss of the house. I'll give you a hint, he's got whiskers and black fur!

Okay, I admit it, I'm guilty of spoiling him. What Hamachi wants, Hamachi gets! My house sure has changed a lot in just a few days, though. I forgot what it's like to sleep at night without someone attacking my toes if I move them. Like I said, Hamachi does what he wants, when he wants, where he wants! Typical Cat!

Did Somebody Have a Bad Day?

This guy doesn't look very happy. He should be. Just a few minutes before I snapped this photo, he swooped down from the sky and took this prime resting spot away from another pelican (whom, as you have already guessed, I was in the process of photographing!)

My friends who live in Florida told me that they (my friends, not the pelicans!) sometimes go fishing at a place called The St. John's River (I haven't been there.) They said that just as they start to reel the fish in, pelicans often fly down from the air and try to steal the fish right off the fishing poles!

I suggest the pelicans go out and hire themselves a good P.R. agent. They're getting some bad publicity down in "The Sunshine State".

In the meantime... I still have a lot of photos to sort through. I took 400+. Yeah, you read that right! Many are of my friends and "family". Others are scenic views and wildlife shots. There are a lot of birds that I photographed that I still have not been able to identify.

Birds don't seem the least bit shy down in Florida. Here in Massachusetts, as soon as a great blue heron spots a view of my camera, he spreads his wings and he's gone before I get the lens cap off. Down south, they pose. Come to think of it, that's probably why this pelican knocked the other one off this sign. He wanted his share of the spotlight. Aggresion sometimes works.

Interesting creatures, these are!

Way Over Yonder

Happy New Year!

I'm going to make this really short, because it's now 2:30 in the morning here. Almost time to wake up.

I wanted to type something here earlier, but this website (blogger .com) is changing the way it works. I didn't want to mess around with that, so I just started a new one with the new program they offer.

I have to get some sleep, but if you want to pop over there, you're welcome to. I didn't plan on having anyone seeing that tonight. And, in fact, I kind of wrote it with my eyes half shut. Tomorrow morning I'll read it and shout, "EEEK!!!"

Good night, Everybody!

Margie

http://the-music-inside.blogspot.com/

Something to Think About

If you stand very still
in the heart of the woods
you will hear many
wonderful things
The snap of a twig
and the wind in the trees
and the whir of invisible wings


If you stand very still
in the turmoil of life
and you wait for a voice from within
you will be led to the path
of wisdom and peace
in a world of chaos and din


If you stand very still
and hold on to your faith
you will get all the help that you ask
and you will draw from the silence
the things that you need
Hope and Courage
and strength for your task.

--Author Unknown

This is how I write at 4:00 in the morning.

Here's a little secret of mine. I don't post on this blog very often.

That's not the secret. I have 13 pages to this website--each a blog with its own specific theme (except this one, which never did quite pull itself together.) I didn't plan on showing anyone my website blog. (The link is below.) I was just going to use it for myself to store links & lessons about making websites. And I was going to practice html or whatever else. But, since people don't hear from me very often, I thought I'd show you what I've been up to (obviously, not much!)

The truth is...and truthfully, this is the truth (I MEANT to say that!) Over the past year or so, I've started approximately a dozen, maybe more, messages to post here. But for one reason or another I wouldn't be able to finish them just then, so I put them away with the intention of "finishing it later." I still have all those partially written messages.

Someday maybe I'll tack a few lines onto the end of them, and you'll think that I just wrote a fresh piece. :-)

I will be back. Really. Don't know when. But I will be back here.

But right now, it's 4:00 in the morning. I really have to get in sync with the rest of the world! ZZzzzz

Welcome to November! Did I just say that? Is it really November?

The Website I Never Made

There are trillions (or something like that) of websites on the internet that teach about, well, making websites! I'd like to make a list of them so I'll have a place to refer to when I want to get started or if I get stuck (or if I get stuck when I want to get started.)

When I planned on making "that" website--you know the one, The-Website-I-Never-Made, I wasn't sure where to begin in finding online help. I mean, what search term do you type into Google for "website"? (Try it and be surprised! I'm not talking about the sponsored ads. Educate me here, and tell me, just how do, "Avis Rent-A-Car.com" and "BestWesternHotel.com" appear at the top of the results list when you do a simple search for "website"?)

Okay, so here I was fumbling around looking for a place to get started. Luckily for me there were lots of distractions, interruptions & favorite t.v. shows, which enabled me to partake of my favorite pastime: procrastinating!

But as it always does, stress came a poundin' on the front door. And it delivered to me a crushing reminder of the imminent deadline for finishing this project. Yup, there's nothing like a little pressure. Or heaps of it.

With that gentle prodding (beating on the head), I finally sat down at the computer to get this thing moving along. I didn't know anything about making a website, I was starting at Kindergarten level. However, the very first lesson came to me very quickly. That lesson was this: I was doomed! How does a person with no experience whatsoever just start doing this? I didn't even know what terminology to type into the search engine so I could find the sites to teach me, well, things about that terminology! Yeah, folks, I was as clueless as a rap singer trying to follow sheet music!

I did have one thing working in my favor. I knew exactly what I wanted on this website. Mine would have a clear focus, an exact purpose. That's often a challenge for some people. They know they want to make a website ('cause, you know, making websites really is fun!), but they don't have a clue about what to put on it! Heck, I recently came across a site that had been worked on for a year and a half, but the dang thing still had no central theme! Oh, uh, come to think of it, that was MY website!

Well, ah, would you believe me if I told you that I did that on purpose to use as an example of what NOT to do when making a website. Yeah, that's it! Please keep it a secret. I'd prefer not to see it at the top of the list, the next time I surf on over to www.websitesthatsuck.com

So, guess what I just did. It's 3:00 a.m. and I was supposed to be learning about beginning this website! Could this blog entry be...just another distraction? Hey, I'm weak, what can I say? Is there a procrastinator's support group around? I'll start going next month.

For now, I have to get some sleep. I have big plans for tomorrow. With money in hand, I'm going to be waiting outside the local high school at closing time, watching for the first techie-looking teenager that comes out of that building. We can't all be great webmasters, you know--delegating is a skill too!

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Debt. It's the American Way.

The good news is...you're not the only one in debt. And, your personal debt seems meager by comparison.

The bad news is...this is your debt too! (Your share = $28,506.23)

Today's National Debt

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