Do you ever have memories of people, songs, things, or events that no one else remembers? That drives me crazy. I know these things were real. I can remember them as clearly as if they were a part of my life just yesterday. All I can think is that they must have meant more to me than to anyone else. What other reason could there be for no one I know to remember them? Well anyway, I decided to post them on here to see if anyone out there on the World Wide Web might remember these forgotten memories. Here they are:

1. Shenanigans was a board game put out by Milton Bradley in the sixties. It had booths where you tried to win money like at a fair. I played it many times, but no one remembers playing it with me. I have looked for it on eBay several times and finally tonight I see it listed. However, some of the walls are missing, so I will not be buying it. Even though my comic daughter said that no one would miss the two walls because they don’t remember the game in the first place. I also Googled it tonight and found it there, but no one in my family remembers it. How about you; do you?
2. “Graduation Day” was a song. When we did our sixth grade play, we learned the words to this graduation song and performed it. At the end of each year, they would play it over and over on the radio for the seniors who were graduating. I moved and graduated from high school in a different state. As the end of my senior year approached, I commented to my friends that I had not heard them playing the “Graduation Day” song for us. No one knew what I was talking about. They all said they had never heard of it. I tried to find it on youtube.com, but everybody and their mother is singing another song entitled “Graduation Day.” Well, here’s a novel idea. Maybe the name of my song wasn’t “Graduation Day.” I wish I could remember all the lyrics, but I can only remember the last line of the refrain. See if you recognize the song and can tell me its name and the group who sang it. Here’s the line: “When we stop to look back, we will surely say, ‘The best day of our life was graduation day.’” Alright, now name that tune.
3. The third item is a book, and I don’t remember the name. It was many years old when I checked it out of the library as a young adolescent girl. And you know that was a long time ago. But the main character was a young teenage girl who goes to Rio de Janeiro for the summer. She meets a young man who I believe is going to be a doctor. He shows her Rio, both the exciting and the poor areas. They fall in love, but it’s a doomed relationship. His family has arranged a wife for him. She leaves Rio broken hearted, and so was I. It was a great book, but I never met anyone else who had read it. Did you by any chance?

That is some of my forgotten memories. No, I haven’t forgotten them. But I can’t find anyone else who remembers them. If you remember them, please comment below to let me know. And if you have any forgotten memories that you want someone to remember, post them here please.

I just returned from Ken Armstrong’s blog at http://kenarmstrong.blogspot.com/. He was playing a meme and invited his readers to play. Well, I love a good, clean, fun game. So I’m taking him up on his offer. If you want to play, join in. Just answer the following questions:

1) List one movie that made you laugh:

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I laughed at “Airplane” the first time I saw it. I can only blame it on the fact that I had been working really hard on my school work and desperately needed a laugh at the time. Maybe I would have laughed at anything.

2) List one movie that made you cry:

“E.T.” made me cry when he was dying. LOL. Come on. You know you cried, too.

3) Name one movie you loved when you were a child:

“Cinderella” (not the animated version) was my absolute favorite.

4) List one movie you’ve seen more than once:

The list of movies that I’ve watched over and over could go on forever. But since I can just pick one, I’ll choose “Hook.”

5) One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it:

I would have to choose the “Goonies.” It’s a really good movie. The embarassing part is how old I am. I loved it, and my own kids weren’t into it.

6) One movie you hated:

“The War of the Roses” was such a disappointment. I loved Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas in “Romancing the Stone” and “Jewel of the Nile.” I thought “The War of the Roses’ would be a continuation of the couple’s adventures. Instead, it was an intense, dark comedy? with a bizarre ending.

7) List one movie that scared you:

“Jaws” scared me. I’m still scared to go into the water sometimes.

List one movie that bored you:

The most boring movie I have seen would have to be “A Room With A View.” I think that was the name of it. My friend loved it in an artsy kind of way. The only thing I can remember about it is that I was bored.

9) List one movie that made you happy:

“While You Were Sleeping” made me happy. It had a cute ending.

10) List one movie that made you miserable:

“The Outsiders” was a good movie, but it had a depressing ending.

11) List one movie you thought would be great, but it wasn’t:

“The Lion King” is the only thing I can think of right now.

12) List one movie you weren’t brave enough to see:

I’m too afraid to say. Heeheehee. Actually, I don’t go to scary movies. I like comedy, adventure, and romance, especially when they are combined.

13) List one movie character you’ve fallen in love with:

That would have to be Harrison Ford. I fell for him when he starred in the Star Wars series, and he’s still hot. That is my adult choice. When I was around ten, I fell in love with Elvis.

Well, that’s it. That’s my answers. Now, tag; you’re it! It’s your turn to play “The Personal Movie Trivia Meme.”

Life would be so much simpler if we all liked the same kind of music - duller but simpler. There would be less conflict and compromise moments for my family. We could enjoy each other’s music instead of torturing each other with it.

Every time my kids and I get in the car, the battle of the radio begins. My son wants to listen to the new dark themed music of the day as it paints the bleakest picture of the world possible. My daughter wants to crank it up with a fast-paced, full of attitude, country song. I want to put on Rod Stewart’s “It Had To Be You …… The Great American Songbook.” It’s Rod Stewart singing the best of the Oldies. I love that tape. It’s like therapy to me, like slipping into a bath of Calgon. The music ‘takes me away.’ But I’ve played it so much, the kids can’t bare to hear it again.

It’s not that we don’t ever agree on a song. Some of their music is catchy, and I like to sing along if I’m in the mood. But often, it is pure torture. The overall affect of total discomfort is magnified by the fact that we are all stuck in the small space of the car while being force-fed someone else’s taste in music.

For short local trips, we just have to endure. But for long trips lasting several hours, we have had to take steps to ensure we survive. We have purchased 3 portable fifteen dollar MP3/CD players and a ton of batteries. Each person uses their device with a pair of earphones. The kids each listen to their own choice of music, and I usually enjoy an audio book on mine. No one has to suffer, and everyone gets to listen to their favorites. It works for us to wipe out the battle of the radio on our vacations. That means no more conflict - just an easy compromise. Give it a try on your next long road trip. And by all means, get you a copy of Rod Stewart’s “It Had To Be You” CD. Even your teens will like it if you don’t play it hundreds of times for them.

Click on the picture below to listen to the different songs on this album. And thank your lucky stars that you can’t hear me singing along. And before you go, don’t forget to drop me a comment. I want to know what you think about this album.

I went to see the new Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I liked it. I thought it was a fun movie.

That being said, I have to admit it had several flaws. After seeing the other Indiana Jones movies, too much of what was meant to be surprising was utterly predictable. This last movie in the series had the same enemy as two of the other movies. And as usual, this enemy always arrived just in time to steal the treasure from Indy after he figured out all the clues.

The romantic angle also failed to surprise me, and it was thrown in like lightning. If you have heard of flash fiction, then maybe you will understand when I say this movie had flash romance. It was instant. There was no effort spent in the pursuit of love.

Some of the adventure scenes were a little too corny and unrealistic. And the fate of the bad guy, which happened to be a girl, was also predictable. It was not too different from the fate of the bad guy in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

So how could I possibly say I liked this Indiana Jones movie? Well it had redeeming qualities. The method Indiana Jones used to find the missing box in the beginning of the movie was ingenious. The action was fast-paced and continuous, so you never felt bored with the movie. And the actors were fun. They did a good job portraying their characters. The female antagonist was an interesting character and a refreshing change from the usual German bad guy. And I never would have imagined Shia LaBeouf as the next ‘rebel without a cause” character, but he pulled it off.

But Harrison Ford was still the driving force in this movie. His Indy character was still in good shape both mentally and physically. He was fast on his feet in a crisis and always up for an adventure. This older Indy was still attractive and charismatic. I don’t feel he lost anything with age.

Overall, I found this Indiana Jones movie to be entertaining and fun. It was definitely worth the price of a ticket. And if another Indiana Jones movie comes out, I’ll be there.

Don’t forget to leave a comment and tell me what you thought about the movie.
 

Are you lonely? Do you wish you could meet new friends? If so, then you need to join a Meetup group. Meetup.com is a social web site designed to let you hook up with people in your local area that have the same interests, hobbies, or goals as you. Once you sign up for a free account at their web site, you can use their search tool to look for people based on your interests and location. If you can’t find a Meetup group for your topic or location, you can start a new group.

This site is not a dating site, even though they do have singles groups and party groups. But those groups are just a small part of this web site. You can use this Meetup.com site to meet new friends of the same or opposite sex. Most activities are done as a group, so it is relatively safe.

If you want to find walking partners, friends to practice a foreign language with, business networkers, and people with all sorts of interests, this is a great place to start. And you can join as many of the Meetup groups as you want. The more you join, the better will be your chances to meet new friends that share your interests.

Join Meetup.com Today to Meet New Friends!

And don’t forget to come back here and leave a comment to tell me which group you joined. I am very interested to know what my readers find interesting. (Share only the family oriented ones, please.)

I wanted to share a site with you where I get free software. Actually, I can get a new free software download every day. These are legal, full versions of the software. Some of these software products normally sell for up to $100. The name of the web site is Give Away Of The Day.

I have gotten some really useful titles at this site. I have received a free software download that helps me get rid of all the useless files on my computer. Another product helps me defrag my computer. I know you may be able to do these tasks without the software. But for someone like me who is not tech wise, these programs have really made life easier. And they have kept my computer in running order.

When I log onto the web site, my McAfee advisor flashes a notice. It says that they have found downloads on this site that some people consider to be spyware or adware. I have downloaded a lot of products, and the only one I have found that might have had an adware was a checkers download that I got for my kids. Still, I do proceed with caution. I always read the terms of service. If I’m not comfortable with the terms or where the product comes from, I hit the magic delete button before ever installing the program. I also run the file through my Norton Security Program. Better safe than sorry.

The other important thing to know is that the free software download of the day is only available for 24 hours. Before the 24 hours are up, you have to download the program, activate it, and install it. After that time period, you will no longer be able to activate the program. If you have a slow computer, make sure you start your download well in advance of the 24 hour deadline.

This program has allowed me to get software that I would not have been able to afford. You can get some great products, too. Use caution in choosing a free software download and run the files through your security program. Then enjoy your free software download.

If like me, you’ve been dieting for a long time, I’m sure you probably read that you should avoid empty calories. Empty calories are calories that you consume that have no nutritious value. Examples of empty calories are calories you get when you eat candy or drink soda. A regular soda has about 120 - 150 calories, and it contains no vitamins or nutrients to help fuel your body. A nutrition conscious person would consider these empty calories a waste. They would encourage you to substitute a glass of juice for your soda and a piece of fruit in place of that piece of candy. And that would be good advice. You should avoid empty calories, especially when you are on a diet.

But there is another type of calories that you should avoid, too. I call them wasted calories. Wasted calories, despite whether they are nutritious or not, are calories from foods that do not satisfy your cravings. Everyone cheats on their diet occasionally. And that is okay as long as you get right back on your diet the next day. But make sure the food you allow yourself is worth the calories it will be supplying your body. Let me give you an example of what I am talking about:

Our local fast food restaurant makes a delicious milk shake. Well, I was craving a milkshake last week, so I went and ordered a chocolate one. Only this time, it was not very good. But I drank it anyway. Afterward, I felt sick to my stomach and angry that I had wasted my calories on that shake.

Similar situations have happened recently. I ordered a food that I was craving, and it wasn’t very good. I ate it anyway. Since it was not pleasurable, I consider those foods I ate to be wasted calories.

But I have made up my mind not to do it again. I will not eat wasted calories anymore. If the food is not satisfying, I will not put it into my body. It has to be really good for me to eat it because eating it will delay my achievement of my weight goals. And I will not do that for nothing.

So here are my new dieting rules: Avoid eating empty calories. But if you are going to indulge in empty calories occasionally, make sure you do not eat wasted calories.

When I go home to visit my family, I usually take along several audio books to listen to in the car to help pass the time and to keep me awake. I have often gone to amazon.com to check out the audio books. But the last time I went there, I could hardly find any audio CDs. They had been replaced by a new technology.

Amazon.com has released a portable wireless reading device they call the Amazon Kindle. It sells for $399. That’s pretty steep.

On the Amazon web site, there are pictures of people sitting around reading their kindles. They hold them just like they would a book, so I asked myself what is the big deal? You might as well just hold a book.

“Don’t be so negative, Kel; check it out first,” I told myself. So I went and took a closer look and did find some nice advantages to the Amazon Kindle.

• The Kindle is lighter and thinner than your average paperback book.
• From anywhere, your car, your kitchen, your bathroom, you can access the Kindle store through your Kindle device to shop for books, newspapers, or magazines. There are over 120,000 books that can be read on the Kindle. Over 80% of the current New York Times bestsellers are available. You don’t have to get dressed and drive to the bookstore. And you don’t have to shop online and wait a week for delivery.
• You can sample before you buy. Amazon will let you download chapter one of a book at no cost. This can help you decide if the book is right for you.
• The bestsellers and new releases carry a price tag of around $9.99 and can be delivered in less than 60 seconds.
• Several of the top newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal and several international newspapers, can be delivered to your portable wireless reading device.
• You get free access to Wikipedia.
• Over 300 of the top blogs are available to be delivered to your Amazon Kindle.
• Two really nice features are the ability to adjust the font and bookmark your pages.

There are other features that you can check out on the Amazon web site. And they have many accessories for the portable wireless reading device, such as different colored skins and LED lamp lights.

Kindle: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device

It certainly sounds interesting. I cannot buy one right now. My family has had a lot of medical expenses lately that I have to pay off. But if you have an Amazon Kindle or are going to buy one, I would love to hear what you think about it. Please post your comments and let everyone know your opinion of this new portable wireless reading device.

I read this list of funny things to say to telemarketers that was posted on Digg.com . It really made me laugh. I am always getting calls from telemarketers trying to get the few bucks that I have. I probably wouldn’t mind them so much if I could just say, “No thanks,” and that would be the end of it. But that’s just not the case. First of all, you can’t get a word in. They start reading their script and are virtually unstoppable. Then if you just burst in with your “I’m not interested,” they always have a comeback. They just keep going, going, going. Does that remind you of a familiar pink bunny?

Anyway, here is the link to go read the list of funny things to say to telemarketers: http://the-smsjokes.blogspot.com/2008/05/10-ways-to-stop-all-those-irritating.html . My favorite is #8, where you tell them all your problems. That might save me some money on therapy.

Reading the funny things to say to telemarketers really did make me laugh, but I don’t know that I would do any of these. I mean these annoying people are really just average joes trying to make a buck. Some of them can hardly even read the script they have been given. And they do take a lot of abuse. I read online where one woman had someone blow a horn through the phone that really hurt her ear. It can be a really difficult job.

I know that from my own experience. When I was much younger, I worked for one week for a photography studio. I was selling photo packages over the phone. That job was painful. Some of the pros in the room could talk up a storm with anyone. They sold package after package. I don’t even know if I sold a single package. I think I did. It’s been a long time. Fortunately, no one did any mean pranks on me. A few hung up on me. But it is the constant rejection and the pressure to make a quota that creates one major nightmare of a job.  At the end of the week, that company and I were eager to part ways.

So don’t declare war on the telemarketers. You can always go to https://www.donotcall.gov to be placed on the National Do Not Call Registry. Telemarketing companies will then have 31 days to take your name off their call lists. (This does not include political or charitable telemarketers. There may be others that are exempt, also.) If the telemarketers continue to call pass the 31 days without your permission or a previously established working relationship, you can ask them to put you on their do not call list and to send you a copy of their Do Not Call policy. If they continue to call you or do not send you the information, you can sue them in small claims court. One man has done this several times. You can read about it at http://killthecalls.com/ .

So if you cannot deal with continued telemarketer calls, take one of the above two actions. Please don’t blow a horn into the phone. I added myself to the Do Not Call list tonight. For the ones that will not stop (the exempt ones), I choose to deal with my irritation by having a good laugh over these funny things to say to telemarketers.

One of my new goals: there will be rest! I have been participating in The Blog Classroom with Anik Singal and Rosalind Gardner. I am also tuning into the Cowpetition, which is a blog case study. I am trying to learn everything I can about blogging. Right now, I have four blogs that I am building.

During the week, I am running my two teens wherever the urge takes them. And we go to umpteen appointments each week. I usually don’t get around to working on the internet until late in the evening or sometimes in the early AM hours. Sometimes, I just can’t find the time to work on my projects. So when the weekend comes around, I don’t feel like I can take the day off to rest. For the past many weekends, I have worked every Saturday and Sunday. But no more. I am going to burn out at this rate.

I tuned in today to the second day of the Cowpetition on the JohnCow.com web site. You can read the lesson yourself at http://www.johncow.com/the-big-picture-day-2-of-cowpetition . The lesson included some specific information for setting realistic goals for your blog. It also emphasized the need for a day of rest. This rang true to a thought I have been having as I pushed myself the last several weekends. So I have decided to make this a definite goal: there will be rest!

I am going to choose Sunday as my day of rest. This Sunday, I will go to the beach. It will be hard for me to break away from the work habit because of the pressure I feel to get things moving. I may even cheat a little. I may bring my camera and take some pictures to sell on istockphoto.com . I have tried to get started there, but I need to improve my skills. It is hard to resist not taking pictures at the beach because it is so photogenic and beautiful. But at least, I will be away from the screen of the computer. And I will spend some time just resting as I look out over the waves. Okay. I know I will be cheating a little, but the pressure is great. And I will not be taking pictures for more than about twenty minutes. Then it will be relaxation time. I tell you, “There will be rest!”

Please comment below if you have trouble taking a break from the computer. And join me in my “There will be rest” quest, if you have a similar need.