One of my favorite movies of all time is The Legend of Bagger Vance.  Directed by Robert Redford based on the novel by Stephen Pressfield and starring Matt Damon, Will Smith and Charlize Theron.  But above all of that, the core of this movie is about redemption and how you have to put some bad experiences behind you to move on and enjoy the future.   The Legend of Bagger Vance does this well, and it uses golf as the medium to do it.  This movie was never a run away success at the box office, and I admit the first time I saw it, many years ago, I thought it was O.K..

But now when I see it, having my own life colored by the brushes of more life experience, I am moved every time.  They did such a great job of capturing the feeling of finding your true self.  “your own unique swing”, that if everyone had the depth to truly understand this phrase, our world would be a much better place.

First you have to start with Hardy.  The narrater of the story who is just a kid at the time the story starts.  He is able to tell the story of Captain Rannulf Junah, the pride of Savannah, Georgia.  He was once the greatest golfer in the South, but he volunteered for the army in World War I and tragically every other person in his outfit, all from Savannah, were killed.  Junah was the only survivor and his feelings of guilt and remorse haunted him.

“Confused, broken… and unable to face a return to a hero’s welcome… Junuh just disappeared… Hopin to forget… and to be forgotton…” 

I have felt like this before and I am sure I am not the only one.   When something traumatic happens to you, one of your base instincts is to just hide.  That is what Captain Junah was doing.

They haunted him so badly that he even forsook his beautiful fiance’ Adele Invergordon, the daughter of a rich southern gentleman who sank all of his money into Crew Island, the premier golf resort in the south.  When the stock market crashed and it appeared like he would lose everything, Adele’s father committed suicide.  Leaving Adele to try to save Crew Island and her father’s legacy.  She comes up with a scheme to hold a golf match between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagan, at Crew Island for the sum of $10,000.  The local officials say there needs to be someone to stand up for Savannah, Hardy suggests Captain Junah, but nobody knows where he is.  Hardy does and he sets off to find Junah and drag him out of the past.

Hardy finds Captain Junah drinking and playing cards, and that is where the redemption begins.  It starts with the question, “How drunk is drunk enough.”  Junah explains: “That’s right Hardy. You see every drink of liquor you take kills a thousand brain cells. Now that doesn’t much matter ‘cos we got billions more. And first the sadness cells die so you smile real big. And then the quiet cells go so you just say everything real loud for no reason at all. That’ok, that’s ok because the stupid cells go next, so everything you say is real smart. And finally, come the memory cells. These are tough sons of bitches to kill. “

Junah is then visited by the townspeople who tell him he is playing in the tournament with Jones and Hagen and then he is visited by Adele herself to try to convince him.  He says he isn’t going to play.  He swears he has lost his swing.   However he gets out his clubs in the middle of the night and starts hitting balls by himself, in the dark,  trying to find his swing.

The rest of the story is all about redemption.  Junah begins the tournament by getting 12 strokes behind after the first round, but slowly chips away at the lead of Jones and Hagen.  Finally in the end it ends up a three way tie.  On the way, though, is the part of the story that I like, the meaning of it all.  You see, comparing golf to life is pretty simple to do.  As Bagger says, “Yeah the rythm of the game just like the rythm of life…” and “What I’m talkin about is a game… A game that can’t be won only played… “

The many ideas of redemption and comebacks allowed this movie to develop into more than it’s parts.  There is not great dialogue or character development, if that what you are looking for you need to look somewhere else.  What there is here, is a whole lot of meaning and understanding about the game of life.

Many people can and do criticize The Legend of Bagger Vance, but I think it just goes to show their own  shortsightedness.  If you have been feeling like life has taken a wrong turn for you and you are looking for the road that will lead you back to the light.  This movie is for you.

Quotes and thoughts:

This is the climatic conversation between Junah and Bagger where Junah finally faces his demons.

Bagger Vance: What I’m talkin about is a game… A game that can’t be won only played…
Rannulph Junuh: You don’t understand…
Bagger Vance: I don’t need to understand… Ain’t a soul on this entire earth ain’t got a burden to carry he don’t understand, you ain’t alone in that… But you been carryin’ this one long enough… Time to go on… lay it down…
Rannulph Junuh: I don’t know how…
Bagger Vance: You got a choice… You can stop… Or you can start…
Rannulph Junuh: Start?
Bagger Vance: Walkin…
Rannulph Junuh: Where?
Bagger Vance: Right back to wehre you always been… and then stand there… Still… real still… And remember…

Rannulph Junuh: It’s too long ago…
Bagger Vance: Oh no sir it was just a moment ago… Time for you to come on out the shadows Junuh… Time for you to choose…
Rannulph Junuh: I can’t…
Bagger Vance: Yes you can… but you ain’t alone… I”m right here with ya… I’ve been here all along… Now play the game… Your game… The one that only you was meant to play… The one that was given to you when you come into this world… You ready?… Stike that ball Junuh don’t hold nothin back give it everything… Now’s the time… Let yourself remember… Remember YOUR swing… That’s right Junuh, settle yourself… Let’s go… Now is the time, Junuh..

Conversation between Adele and Junah about why he left her.

Adele Invergordon: Ten years and not one single, solitary word from you? You don’t do that to someone you love! I deserve better, I deserve some correspondence of some indication of how you felt! Junuh, I don’t know what happened to you… but whatever it was… it couldn’t have been as unbearable as a woman waitin’ with no end in sight… Wonderin if she’s, remembered or forgotton by the man she loves… You never even said you were sorry… And now I’m supposed to just run into your arms and melt like butter on a hot muffin?
Rannulph Junuh: I’m sorry Adele… I am, truly sorry…
Adele Invergordon: It’s too late for ‘I’m sorry’ Junuh!
Rannulph Junuh: But – Then – Well, tell me what to say… It was too long ago…
Adele Invergordon: No it wasn’t… It was just a moment ago…

 

When Bagger and Junah met:

Rannulph Junuh: What were you doing out there? I could have killed you.
Bagger Vance: Nah, actually, I positioned myself right in front of you, ’cause from the way your swings were goin’, I figured that was the safest place.

Junah and Bagger during the first round of the tournament:

Rannulph Junuh: This is getting embarassing.
Bagger Vance: Oh no sir, this has been embarassing for quite some time.

Why you should Watch The Family Guy

I am sure there are a million reasons to watch the Family Guy, but I just don’t have time right now to write them all.  I had to choose five reasons why everyone should take some time out of their busy day to keep up with the Griffin family and their unique brand of humor and social satire it is all because of The Family Guy Characters.  Each one appeals to you in a different way.

Peter Griffin

 He’s fat, kinda lazy and is not afraid to attack any pop icon. From Michael Jackson, (when he was still alive) to Bill Clinton, Peter Griffin Attacks them all.   Peter will show you exactly how people from my generation think, yet would never say out loud.  Often times Peter is selfish, sometimes Peter is stupid, many times Peter is not politically correct.  All of the time Peter is funny.  He is the true voice of the show that really allows white guys over the age of thirty five to be able to relate.  Many of the things Peter loves, we love.  Beer, sex and music all stuff we like.  Sometimes Peter gets a little carried away with circumstances, just like normal people do.

Peter Griffin on Drugs:

 

Lois Griffin

She’s hot, sexy and kind of a bad mother, (at least to Meg) and everybody still loves Lois Griffin, Peter loves her deep down, even though they have had some problems over the years.  Stewie initially really wanted to kill her, but that seems to have died down over the years. Quagmire really likes her.  Lois has her character broach subjects like infidelity, sex, marriage and parenthood in a way that most couples have thought about but would never verbalize because that would be the end of the relationship right there.  Somehow her honesty about all things makes her more real than many people.  The video below is of the time when Peter takes a pledge of abstinence and Lois is getting frustrated. Ear sex anyone?

Stewart Gilligan Griffin

 I Like To Watch Scrubs

Scrubs is a comedy television series that ran from 2001 to 2008 on NBC, and from 2008 to 2010 on ABC. It was created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-createdSpin City.

For whatever reason I became a huge fan  of the TV show Scrubs.  I have seen every episode at least once.  Even the lame ones without the real cast they churned out at the end.  The original series and cast was classic and they really make me laugh.   It is in my opinion one of the best comedic drama series ever produced.

If you like intelligent, (for the most part), comedic moments with a touch of drama, Scrubs is the show for you.  I highly recomend seasons 1-7, after that………….kind of lost their way.

Scrubs Cast of Characters

John Dorian (J.D.)

Zach Braff portrays John Michael “J.D.” Dorian, the show’s protagonist and narrator. J.D. is a young attending physician, who begins the series as a staff intern. His voice-over to the series comes from his internal thoughts and often features surreal fantasies.   Many of his fantasies provide some of the funniest moments in the show.  We all have that alternate reality playing in our head, J.D. just shows his to the world.  He also hates the Janitor.

Christopher Duncan Turk

Donald Faison portrays Christopher Duncan Turk, J.D.’s best friend and a surgical attending physician and later Chief of Surgery. Turk roomed with J.D. at the College of William and Mary and at medical school, and the two have an extremely close relationship, which is best described in the season 6 episode My Musical as “Guy love”. He is married to Carla Espinosa.  Turk is the perfect foil for J.D. , he is everything that J.D. is not, cool, funny, and in his mind athletic.  Turk and J.D. have a stuffed dog named Rowdie, this is important for no reason other than I like Rowdie.

Elliot Reid

Sarah Chalke portrays Elliot Reid, another intern and later private practice physician. Her relationship with J.D. becomes romantic on several occasions. its an on again off again, type of relationship.  In the end they ended up getting married and all true Scrubs fans knew this is the way it should be.  Elliot is often neurotic and annoying but who isn’t at some point.  It is her ability to look at herself honestly and accept all of the freaky stuff that make her who she is.  Elliot Reid, moment killer, Elliot Reid, had her boyfriend attacked by a bear, it goes on and on.  Frick and Double Frick, I miss Elliot Reid.

Carla Espinosa-Turk

Judy Reyes portrays Carla Espinosa, the hospital’s head nurse, who acts as a mother figure to the interns, often hiding their mistakes from their attending doctor.  Turk and Carla have a relationship that lasted throughout the show.  Even though he can’t seem to get her heritage quite right.  She is Dominican, not Puerto Rican!  Their relationship is one of the backbones of the show.

Perry Cox

John C. McGinley portrays Perry Ulysses Cox, a senior attending physician at Sacred Heart and the hospital’s Residency Director before becoming the new Chief of Medicine in season eight. J.D. considers Cox his mentor despite the fact that Cox routinely criticizes and belittles him. Cox likes to call J.D. by a new girls name or another perceived derogatory comment in every show.  Deep down though you see that the Dr. Cox likes J.D. and wants him to be a success.  There is the moment he is talking to the board in season one when he relates to them how good J.D. is as a doctor.  Also in the episodes where three people die, The Cox-J.D. relationship shows it’s strength and development.  

Bob Kelso

Ken Jenkins portrays Robert “Bob” Kelso, formerly Sacred Heart’s Chief of Medicine. Kelso is cold, heartless and cruel, driven primarily by the hospital’s bottom line rather than the well-being of patients. However, it is occasionally suggested that he has a softer side, and that his cruelty is a means of coping with the years of hard decisions. It has been noted by other characters he was burdened by the job.  Kelso provides the foil of darkness and greed that Perry Cox and John Dorian are fighting against.  Never more clearly shown than when in season one they are all playing golf and fighting for J.D.’s soul.  Kelso loves muffins and was rewarded with a lifetime supply when the coffe shop moves in.  Kelso has a heart deep down inside.  

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Janitor

Neil Flynn portrays the hospital’s custodian known as ” Janitor” (in the last episode of season 8 he reveals his name “Glenn Matthews”… which may have been another lie, as another character immediately refers to him as “Tommy”). An incident in the pilot episode establishes an adversarial relationship between him and J.D., which persists throughout the series. This tends to take the form of the Janitor pulling mean-spirited pranks on J.D., although he gives J.D. a pass after his father dies.  Janitor spends many hours thinking of ways to bother J.D. .  Like many people, who have experienced a co-worker who just seems out to get them.  This relationship is clearly an exaggerated example of that dynamic.

The Janitor is also an organizer, from his various “Brain Trust” groups to an army of stuffed squirrels.  (who wouldn’t want a squirrel army?).  Janitor was a constantly evolving character that brought a lot to the show.  Everybody hates the Janitor.  Why did you put a penny in the door?  Why did you take it?  Come here we want to mess with you.  All classic Janitor lines.

In the ninth season premiere, Turk tells J.D. that the day after he left Sacred Heart, the Janitor asked when J.D. was returning, either oblivious to, or in denial of, J.D.’s departure, and upon coming to the realization that J.D. no longer worked at Sacred Heart, promptly walked off the job and quit.

Ted Buckland

Theodore “Ted” Buckland, played by Sam Lloyd, is Sacred Heart’s lawyer. Ted is the hospital’s “sad sack”, with pathetically low self-esteem and frequent suicidal tendencies. He is constantly degraded by Kelso, who has slowly but surely broken him down. It is implied that Ted has never won a case and it took him five tries to pass the Bar Exam due to stress induced dyslexia; he also states that he took the exam in Alaska, where it is much easier to pass. Ted attended Ithaca College.  Through a conversation with the Janitor in season three, it appears Ted speaks Korean.

Ted shows a character that almost everyone can relate to.  Most of us have had days where we feel like Teddy Buckland.  Ted finally gets a girl towards the end of the series. Her name is Gooch and she plays the ukelele in the hospital performing for kids.  It’s great to see the “sad sack” get the girl and something good can happen for everyone.  Kelso even told Ted that he always appreciated him at the end of his tenure.  

Todd Quinlan

Dr. Todd Quinlan, often called The Todd, played by Robert Maschio, is a surgeon at Sacred Heart who often delves into rampant sexual innuendo. Despite hisfrat boy personality, lack of common sense, and inability to spell, Todd is a skilled surgeon, being ranked the best surgical intern and second best surgical resident. He is a friend of Turk, even believing that he is Turk’s best friend, instead of J.D. Todd was not given an official surname until season five. In the Season 1 DVD Commentaries, Bill Lawrence explained that they never gave him one on purpose. “Quinlan” was picked up by a fan from a prop tag on Todd’s shirt once in the first season. It was merely a prop and not intended to be an actual name; however, the name eventually stuck.

Todd’s sexuality is never explicitly stated, although in “My Lucky Charm” he states that “The Todd appreciates hot regardless of gender.” He pretended to be gayin “My Lunch”, believing that “chicks dig gay dudes.” He constantly makes sexual comments towards men and women alike, even admitting that he would sleep with a 68-year-old syphilis patient and stating that he “accepts all applicants, regardless of age or disability.” After talking with Dr. Molly Clock, Todd explained that his view on women was due to an unhealthy relationship with his mother in which they made out. However, it is also revealed in “My Tormented Mentor” that Todd’s father also influenced him to look at women as sexual objects.

Throughout the series, The Todd often refers to himself in third-person and has a variety of high fives, made by taking a word or subject and adding “five” to the end, for example “Moving-on Five” or “Slide Five” normally accompanied by a sound effect. Todd is also a member of the Janitor’s second “Brain Trust,” a group composed of Todd, Ted and Doug. In “My Soul On Fire, Part 1,” it was revealed that Todd went to medical school in the Bahamas and learned the “high five” from his professor.

Songs About Rain

It is another rainy fall day, we need some sun!  I enjoy the rain in most cases, but there comes a point that you just want to see the sun.  I was thinking about all of the songs that talk about rain.  As my thoughts ran through the playlist of rain songs in my head, I wanted to put them down before they left my mind.  Here is a quick list of my favorite rain songs.

Rain

First song is from 2005 by Breaking Benjamin, it’s called Rain.  It has the sad yet hopeful vibe I think we all get on gloomy, rainy days.

No Rain

No Rain by Blind Melon is another song about rain, great lyrics, great rhythm and a memorable bee costume.  We have all been that Bee girl at some point in our life.  Anyway, it’s memorable enough for me on this rainy day.  I like watching the puddles gather rain…………..

 

Rainy Night In Georgia

This song is one of my all-time favorite songs about rain.   Sung by Brook Benton,   it makes me remember that everybody feels like it’s raining all over the world, sometimes.  Love lost and memories carried forever, that is the gist of this one.  If you have never heard it, you should listen, put it on your Ipod and think about the one that got away.

https://youtu.be/pVQPGVIAgPs

Rain King

Rain King is a little more upbeat song by Counting Crows from the 90’s that if you remember it, you will not be able to stop yourself from singing along.  I belong in the service of the queen, I belong anywhere but in between, she’s been crying and I been thinking and I am the Rain King.

Like The Rain

Clint Black contributes this one to the list because it captures the feeling that I sometimes have about the rain.  The sound of rain falling outside the window, while I remember a special moment, and remember a love that is lost and gone, much like the rain.  I never liked the rain until I walked through it with you……………..

 

The Rain

This one is by Oran “Juice” Jones, one of my favorites from the mid-eighties, I really haven’t heard this song in years but it’s worth a listen.  I saw you and him, walkin’ in the rain.  You were holding hands and I will never be the same.  Classic rant in a song, ever ending with this line: That’s right, Silly rabbit, tricks are made for kids, don’t you know
that. You without me is like corn flakes without the milk! This is my
world. You’re just a squirrel trying to get a nut! Now get on outta
here. Scat!

Kentucky Rain

Elvis was the King, and you can’t have a “rain song” list without him.  Kentucky Rain is about searching for the girl that got away.  Looking at this list it seems to be a common theme for many of these songs and probably why they mean so much to so many.   Don’t know why you’re gone, what your running to or from, all I know is that I want to bring you home…………..

 

Raining On Sunday

Keith Urban got this one right.  Even though today is Tuesday, I think the feeling of  “Raining on Sunday” always seems pretty good.  What ever comes Monday can take care of itself.  We’ve got better things to do.   Memories………….

https://youtu.be/ei8wb8NIRzM

If you have any you think I should add, just let me know.

Life long  Red Sox Fan

One of my major interests in life is following the day to day trials, tribulations and victories of the Boston Red Sox.

My grandfather is to blame for this affliction.  When I was about 10 years old, my grandfather took all of my family to a Red Sox Game.  It was the first time I went to Boston.  I still remember walking up the ramp which emerged into the grandstands at Fenway.   Back then you didn’t get to see the Red Sox play every game, actually looking at how green the Green Monster actually was, and the Sox home uniforms looked so white against the contrast of the greenest grass I had ever seen in my life.  Top it off with the fact that I was watching Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Carl Yastremski and Carleton Fisk get ready for the game and I was hooked.

The Red Sox also appealed to me because it always seemed like fate was against them.  It’s easy to love the front runners, but it is more of a deep bond when you feel that no matter how good it looked for Boston to win the world series, you just knew that somehow they were going to blow it.   They continued to have close calls and the relationship grew.

In 1986, I had just moved to a new apartment in South Portland, Maine.  I had three roommates who weren’t there yet, so I was sitting in a lawn chair, (no furniture had gotten there either), watching game 6 of the World Series by myself.  I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, I can’t

believe I’m going to actually see the Red Sox win the World Series.”  No sooner did I think that than things started to go wrong.  Bill Buckner,  we all know where that one ended.  I would see the Sox win the series………………. but not for another 18 years.

The Red Sox have been a unifying force throughout my family.  Many of us may be separated by age or by geography or whatever else divides people.  Almost all of my family on both sides can carry on a discussion about the Red Sox.  We have all followed the ups and downs of Red Sox Nation.   Even my mother who has never been into sports at all can tell you about the virtues of Big Papi and how great it is when the Sox win.  At the time of this writing the Sox are currently 2-10 to start the season.  Ouch.  the date is April 16, 2011, as most Sox fans probably believe, this is the day it starts to turn around.

My favorite Red Sox Player of all time was Dwight Evans.  It was close between Evans, Fred Lynn, Jim Rice and Carl Yaztremski.  I have always been partial to Dwight because he worked hard every day, gave it everything he had and seemed to always come up big in clutch situations.  He was one of the steadiest players for the Red Sox throughout the 1980’s and although he is not a Hall of Fame Caliber Player he is definitely an all-time great.

The Red Sox Finally Win!!!!!

As we all know the previously unthinkable happened in 2004, a group of “idiots” took Boston and their fans on one of the wildest rides in baseball history.  Most people remember what happened, so I won’t spend a lot of time on the details.  The Red Sox winning the World Series was a watershed moment in my life.  I was convinced that I never would see that day.  My grandfather was born in 1921 and died in 1993, loved the Red Sox and never,  thats NEVER saw them win it all.   I was sure that would be my fate as well, but then there they are beating the Yankees coming back from a 3-0 deficit, and then destroying the Cardinals in four games!  Up was suddenly down, cats were friendly with dogs, left was right.  What was happening to our world?  If the Boston Red Sox could win the World Series than wasn’t anything really possible?  It was because they did it again just three seasons later.   Now there is a young generation of fans who never know the angst of knowing, deep in your heart, that no matter how good it looks, it will probably end up in heartache and disappointment in the end.  I am happy that the Sox won and I wish my grandfather could have seen it.  I also now kind of look at Cubs fans with sympathy.

My Dunkin’ Donuts Addiction

I am a coffee drinker and in my estimation the best coffee in the world is brewed and served at any Dunkin’ Donuts, anywhere!  I think it is one of the more addictive things  that I enjoy.  Every day that starts with a large hazelnut coffee, cream only has the beginning of a great day!   Surprisingly I am not a big fan of their donuts, or donuts in general, but the coffee is the best.

Where to Find A Dunkin’ Donuts in Maine

I have developed a sixth sense for locating a Dunkin Donuts, if you dropped me off in the middle of nowhere I would find the nearest Dunkin Donuts just by sense of smell.  In my opinion all other coffee franchises are second rate and ok if you can’t find a DD but having the choice I would take DD every time.  If you don’t have a sixth Dunkin’ Sense, I copied a list of all known Dunkin’ Donuts locations in Maine.

My Kindle

Once my life was simple, books were something I had to search for and then place on a dusty shelf when I was done with it.  Maybe someday I would venture back into that story again, but most of the time, I didn’t.  Getting new books to read was also hard, book stores are a shrinking business and the cost of books is shooting up all the time.  These factors finally drove me to purchase my Kindle.   It was the best thing I have bought since my first big screen TV.The New Kindle

I was nervous as I took it out of the box.  I mean, couldn’t anybody know what I was reading.  Then it dawned on me, that nobody was going to freak out if I was reading the latest book I found by William George Jordan.   So I plugged the new Kindle in and it was all charged up and ready to go, I hooked up to wifi and started to look for some Kindle PDFs to read.   I looked for free books first, and I have found that there are many free books for your kindle readers out there.  First just do a Google search and you will get sites that offer nothing but free books.  They are mostly PDFs and the only problem with them i  s that they can be difficult to read.   Amazon has a bunch of free books, but you have to really search to find them.  Even when you find free books available, most of the time they will cost at least ninety nine cents.   That’s Amazon for you, they provide this awesome service but want to suck as much money out of you as they can.   If you really search and are persistent you can find free books on Amazon.

Three Choices of Kindle

You currently have three choices for your kindle enjoyment. First is the most expensive model,

The Kindle 3 Wi-Fi Reader is the top of the line reader.  You don’t need to have a Wi-FI connection to manage your content with this sharp little baby.  It uses its built in 3G capability to communicate with the Amazon mother ship and get your latest reading delights to you.  It costs about $189, but with the freedom you get from Wi Fi it is probably worth it.

I like the Kindle Fire

This is Amazon’a contribution to the tablet market.  In the short time the Kindle Fire has been on the market, the response has been outstanding.  Not only can you read all of your books you can also browse the internet and use popular android apps like Hulu, Pandora and/or Netflix. You can even play Angry Birds on the Kindle Fire.  The am$200.azing color touchscreen will allow you to play movies, look at magazines or what ever you want on the life like 7″ screen that will provide the best entertainment value available in a tablet, all for less than

Visit Amazon.com to see if the Kindle wifi or 3G  will sufficiently fill all of your electronic reader needs, wants and desires.  The ability to learn great new things is the best thing about electronic reading.
The price of this Kindle is going down every day so you will not have to worry about it costing you a bundle to enjoy your favorite books.  You will also find that the great Kindle support team that I mentioned above will be right behind you all the way!  You will be reading great stories and learning new things without any worries at all!
The Kindle 3  reader is a great reader that is even bigger and easier to read than the regular Kindle, if that is possible.  It runs off wifi which makes it awesome for me at home to get all of my favorite books easily.

 

Kindle With Special Offers , It has ads on it!  No Effect on Reading Experience.

By far the cheapest option for a Kindle is to get one that is supported by ads.  The Kindle people upload paid ads that appear as screen savers, rather than the customary artists or authors they usually show.    The Great thing for me is that they only come on the screen when your Kindle is in the sleep mode, and they don’t change the experience of reading in any way.  I encourage anyone to explore this option because it is less expensive and really doesn’t change the reading experience in the least.

An Ad Supported Kindle is a great decision, lessening your cost  on the device and allowing you to spend more on the content that you read!  Win-Win.  The more you read, the more you’ll know and the more you know the more freedom you will enjoy!

 

The Kindle DX Reader, Rolls Royce of Kindles

If you want the ultimate Kindle experience then the Kindle DX Reader is the one for you.  It is way bigger than the standard Kindle which some people will like for the great reading experience.  It has 3G capability so you can use it just about anywhere.  The giant screen just makes reading so darn easy, and it would be just as enjoyable for a little old lady from Pine Point or a Kid from Passedumkeag, to read and enjoy.  Personally I don’t need all the bells and whistles, that this model provides, but if you want the best of the best for your electronic reading, the Kindle DX Reader is the one for you.  For those that want a 3G connection that works for free all around the globe (well in over 100 countries so far) and wants a massive 9.7″ display, the

I hope that you do investigate the market and find the electronic reader that will fit your needs.  The bottom line is that the ability to access information easily and at will is the cornerstone of democracy and freedom.  The easier it is for all of us to learn and expand our mind, the better place the world will be.  Having a Kindle has definitely changed my life, and I hope that you will have a similar experience as well.

 

The Road Not Taken Poem

I have always thought that this simple poem helped me understand and deal with many different situations and helped me to experience many great things.  When traveling on short distances or long, it is far more interesting to take the lesser traveled path.

Since all people living on the earth are faced with choices of what to do or where to go, it is no strange thing in life that we all also wonder, what if? What if I had taken that other road?  Where would I be now?  There are crossroads in everyone’s life where a decision needs to be made, a direction followed, a new task attempted.  All of us have this experience, we just pray and hope that fortune and God is on our side.  But having the courage to move forward on any path can make you a success in the end.  It will definitely make you more interesting.

I have included some other famous quotes by Robert Frost underneath my favorite poem here, Enjoy!  Be yourself and be BRAVE! Dedicated to my favorite traveling  partner, you know who you are!!

The Poem of the day

The Road Not Taken

By 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 on 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.

Some other well known  lines from Robert Frost that I like:

Lines from Frost

The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
– Stopping by woods on a Snowy Evening

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
– The Road Not Taken

The best way out is always through.
– A Servant to Servants

Ah, when to the heart of man was it ever less than a treason to go with the drift of things to yield with a grace to reason and bow and accept at the end of a love or a season.
– Acceptance

Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favour.
– The Black Cottage

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.
– The Death of the Hired Man

A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom.
– Preface to Collected Poems (1939)

A poem…begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness. It is a reaching-out toward expression; an effort to find fulfillment. A complete poem is one where an emotion finds the thought and the thought finds the words.
– Letter to Louis Untermeyer

No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader.
– Preface to Collected Poems (1939)

I never dared be radical when young for fear it would make me conservative when old.
– Ten Mills, A Further Range

We love the things we love for what they are.
– Hyla Brook

Earth’s the right place for love: I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.
– Birches

And were an epitaph to be my story, I’d have a short one ready for my own.
I would have written of me on my stone: I had a lover’s quarrel with the world.
– The Lesson for Today

We dance round in a ring and suppose, But the Secret sits in the middle and knows.
– The Secret Sits

Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee. And I’ll forgive Thy great big one on me.
– In the Clearing

You don’t have to deserve your mother’s love. You have to deserve your father’s. He’s more particular…. The father is always a Republican towards his son, and his mother’s always a Democrat.
– Interview

The world has room to make a bear feel free; The universe seems cramped to you and me.
– The Bear

Good fences make good neighbours.
– Mending wall

A man must partly give up being a man with womenfolk.
– Home Burial

Like a piece of ice on a hot stove the poem must ride on its own melting…. Read it a hundred times; it will forever keep its freshness as a metal keeps its fragrance. It can never lose its sense of a meaning that once unfolded by surprise as it went.”
– The Figure a Poem Makes. Preface to Collected Poems

The greatest thing in family life is to take a hint when a hint is intended—and not to take a hint when a hint isn’t intended
– Comment

Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down.
– Address

Take care to sell your horse before he dies. The art of life is passing losses on.
– “The Ingenuities of Debt” in The Poetry of Robert Frost

I’m not confused. I’m just well mixed.
– Wall Street Journal 5 Aug 69

I have never started a poem yet whose end I knew.
– Writing a poem is discovering. NY Times 7 Nov 55

Poets are like baseball pitchers. Both have their moments. The intervals are the tough things.
– NY Post 18 May 58

I am a writer of books in retrospect. I talk in order to understand; I teach in order to learn.
– Quoted in Daniel Smythe ed Robert Frost Speaks

Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat.
– Vogue 15 Mar 63

Talking is a hydrant in the yard and writing is a faucet upstairs in the house. Opening the first takes the pressure off the second.
– Vogue 15 Mar 63

A poet never takes notes. You never take notes in a love affair.
– Quoted in Edward Connery Lathem ed Interviews with Robert Frost.