Proud Mom in Ruidoso, New Mexico

Holding the Door Open or Not?

(Bay Area News Group, Thursday, March 4, 2010)

........My son --- a high school sophomore --- had a timely response in a similar circumstance. We had stopped at a grocery store for a couple of items and were walking toward the exit. Just ahead was a woman carrying three large bags. My son stepped up to open the door for her, and in a strident voice she said, "Listen, Sonny, I can handle the door myself"

My boy answered with a polite smile and a pleasant tone of voice: "I'm sorry. I'll excuse your rudeness if you'll forgive my courtesy."

Doggone Puzzle!

What am I missing?

I love my wife very much. I like giving her back rubs, massaging her feet, cuddling and kissing her. In return she does the same --- to her dog, "Barkley."

Barkley is the only one who benefits from her affections. The dog does nothing for me except allow me to pick up his droppings. What am I missing?

----------------------Anonymous from Cedar Rapids, Iowa

San Jose Mercury News, 26th February, 2010 (SV Life)

What's that again?

Family Circus

(by Bil Keane, The Dallas Morning News, February 10, 2010)

Cartooon Depicts:

A small boy, obviously very inquisitive boy, is looking into the photo album. He is going through the collection of photographs taken when he was a baby.

At some point of time, perhaps, something strikes him and he calls out, "Mommy, how old was I when I decided to be borned?"

Dennis The Menace

A Smile!

(by Hank Ketcham, The Dallas Morning News, February 10, 2010)

Mr. Wilson and Dennis are in a super market. Mr. Wilson is trying to buy hats. So he is standing in front of a large mirror and trying out different brands and sizes of hat.

Dennis is watching him with curiosity and is wondering at Mr. Wilson as he is not able to select a hat that fits him.

Dennis quips: " You should wear a smile, Mr. Wilson.....one size fits all!!

Accident, Great Loss or Tragedy?

Accidentally I came across this story in a blog!

Bill Clinton is visiting a school. In one class, he asks the students if anyone can give him an example of a "tragedy." One little boy stands up and offers that, "If my best friend who lives next door is playing in the street when a car came by and killed him, that would be a tragedy."

"No," Clinton says, "That would be an ACCIDENT."

A girl raises her hand. "If a school bus carrying fifty children drove off a cliff, killing everyone inside...that would be a tragedy."

"I'm afraid not," explains Clinton."That is what we would call a GREAT LOSS."

The room is silent; none of the other children dare volunteer.

"What?" asks Clinton, "Isn't there anyone here who can give me an example of a tragedy?"

Finally a boy in the back raises his hand. In a timid voice, he says: "If an airplane carrying Bill and Hillary Clinton was blown up by a bomb, *that* would be a tragedy."

"Wonderful!" Clinton beams."Marvelous! And can you tell me WHY that would be a tragedy?"

"Well," says the boy, "because it wouldn't be an accident, and it certainly would be no great loss!"

Niagara!

Niagara - Past, Present and the Future!

(A response to a blog)

Oh! Niagara!
Whither thee the original Niagara?

Nature sculptured, Oh! Niagara!
Men and machines changed your curves

And detuned your roar!

Where were you Niagara! Where?
Was it not painful
When men cut tunnels around you,
Took away waters to those machines

Which churned power out of your magnanimity
To feed those in Buffalo city!

The Buffalo rejoiced!
But Oh! Niagara! You went quarter of what you were!

Yet, you never lost the majesty!
The enchanting beauty!
Drew visitors aplenty,
Remained a distant dream to me and that's the pity!

Keep roaring Oh!Niagara!
Keep roaring!
Keep that wonderful rainbow!
Keep it for thousands to enjoy!

One day, Oh! Niagara!
When I make it to your sanctum,
I shall stand still to listen
To your roar, I shall stand still to watch your beauty,
I shall stand still to feel your strength
I shall, perhaps stand still, till the last droplet fall over thee!

Laughter, the best Medicine!

Dennis the Menace

By Hank Ketcham

Read on page, Comics and Puzzles, The Dallas Morning News, February 1, 2010

Dennis, as usual, walking along with his friend and class mate, probably after the classes.

He to his friend, " Teacher says I make recess the best part of her day."

Eighty Seven Years of Age

Carl Reiner, the author of the book, "25000 years of age", was in a program on Television to day, January 27, 2010

The anchor was wondering about his youthfulness at his advanced age.

Carl Reiner explains:

"I am 87 and I shall score one more year next month, being the month of my birth"

When asked, "What's the secret of you being so light hearted, youthful in mind and body and active so much?"

Reiner replies, " You should know when do I go for my morning coffee! When I get hold of the morning newspaper, I straightaway turn to Obituary columns and if i don't find my name mentioned there, I go and have my morning coffee!"

Frisco Explodes

The 35 Biggesgt Moments in Modern Dallas History

(An extract from D Magazine of Dallas/Fort Worth)

By George Purefoy

Preface:

For years, it appeared thta Frisco was located on the wrong side of State Highway 121. While its neighbors to the south flourished, Frisco had stalled. Families new to the area-many of them priced out of Plano and elsewhere- were starting to move to the city in the 1990s, but commercial development was slow to follow. Not from lack of effort; there is a story apocryphal, about the mayor hiring some to bulldoze a field to create the illusion that things were happening. (Depending on whom you believe he was actually driving the bulldozer.) But such theatrics were no longer necessary by the time Stonebriar Center opened in August 2000. The city was well on its way to becoming a dominant economic engine in the region.

What George Purefoy has got to say:

When I first started as Frisco's first City Manage on November1, 1987, Frisco's population was approximately 5,000, and the city had adopted its home rule charter in May of that year calling for a council-manager form of local government. I had just come from Columbus, Texas a town of 4,000, which is located approximately 70 miles west of Houston.

Much like today's economy, the stock market had just taken a huge tumble in October 1987, and the economy around Houston at that time was in a complete free fall. Within a few days of starting work in Frisco, a local real estate agent took me on a tour and pointed out two fairly large subdivisions being developed (Plantation Resort and Preston Vineyards), along with the Frisco Jetport. Compared to what had been happening in Columbus, Frisco looked like the promised land.

Within a year or so, Plantation Resort and the Frisco Jetport both ran into financial trouble. Though Plantation Resort would ultimately be developed out, the Frisco Jetport was never completed and eventually went away. So, though I was initially impressed that Frisco had the looks of immediately taking off, it became apparent that he impetus of development would go away as the Resolution Trust Corporation started taking over property after property.

In the early 1990s, the economy started coming back, and the biggest issue facing Frisco was to get major development to cross the State Highway 121 barrier. It seemed at the time that an invisible wall had gone up along the north right-of-way line of the roadway. The first crack in the wall occurred in 1995 when the Collin County Community College District Preston Ridge campus in Frisco opened.

The wall was completely torn down when Stonebriar Centre mall opened in August 2000. Though Frisco had been growing during the 1990s, the opening of Stonebriar Centre appeared to be the catalyst to confirm that Fricsco had indeed arrived as a major player int the Dallas economy.

Though I have a difficult time identifying only one event that destined Frisco's growth, there is no doubt that Frisco's success has been built upon a combination of being in the right location and having elected leadership with the patience it took not to settle for anything that happened to come our way, but instead demanding quality growth.

The result has been that Frisco is today a city of more than 97,000 with the the sixth-largest tax base in North Texas and is in the top 20 in sales tax receipts in the state.

Concluded

George Purefoy has been the city manager of Frisco since 1987.

Date of entry of this blog is January 24, 2010

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My introduction to this wonderful place was through Rajiv Jayanth and his wife, Rupa. They moved in to this area after Rajiv wound up his connections with University of Texas, Dallas on completing his Ph.D there. So they bade good bye to their little Waterview apartment and moved to a Double Bed Room Apartment in the community called Cool Springs. It was January, 2010, I came on a visit to them and had the opportunity to be in this wonderful locality. You name the shop and it is there in Frisco, and the attraction to me is that all of them are in walking distance and I need not always depend on Rajiv for moving about. Stonebriar Center is a wonderful Mall and houses an Ice Rink, AMC theaters and host of other stores. California Pizza Kitchen is my favorite place for Pizza that you get there; it is something different and is palatable even to me. Dakota soup is very Indian in taste, with Daal and spices in it.

Coca Cola's New Avatar!

How Coke Can help Your Engine Which Wouldn't start?

It was about 10 in the night and Rajiv had, as usual, picked up his laptop and retired to his bed for a final look up, may be the mails, may be weather, may be anything under this western sky! No sooner, his mobile rang out loud drawing his attention. He had just then took leave of his close friend, Jaideep, who would be away for the next 15 days, may be now he is giving last minute instructions about how to water the plants or feed the fishes during his absence. May be it is Rupa who would have liked to share her scare over the impending stormy weather there at San Diego. May be some one else in need of some urgent consultation.

But it was Jaideep again! It was a franctic call --- for his car wouldn't start. Rajiv was bit confused as he had seen him driving off little while ago. Jaideep had stopped at a Restaurant on his way home and the car would not start again! It was about 10-30 pm already and it was, of course, a S-O-S call. Rajiv with his usual cool, suggested Jaideep to have a look at the battery terminals and if he finds some sort of deposits, let him know. The cell rang again to convey, " Yes, it is!". Rajiv asked Jaideep, to get a bottle of Coke from the restaurant. Jaideep got annoyed, and cried out, "I am in agony and you are joking around! What would the blinking Coke do to my car! Or would a coke would turn me into an auto mechanic? Come on, stop joking and come around and help me out. I have to do lot of things before I leave for India next morning, you know that!"

Rajiv comforted Jaideep and said the he doesn't need to drink Coke but his car battery would! Confused, Jaideep yelled for clarification for this harrasement in the late hours. Rajiv with his cool went on to say, that Jaideep would pour Coke over the terminals little by little and watch how the green colored deposits are washed away by the Coke. Once done, Rajiv assured that within next few minutes Jaideep would be at home preparing for his trip to India.

Few minutes ran out. The expected call came up. It was Jaideep who was sounding great and lost no time to crown Rajiv, with a sincere Jai Ho!

"A dash of Coke on the battery terminals does wash away the deposits at least as an emergency bail out!" was the new mantra that I learnt through this episode!

May be it is useful to all my Car owner friends, if they had not known this alternate use of Coke!

RK Murthy
Personal experience while at Frisco, Dallas. 19th January, 2010

New Year Resolutions!

Good outlook begins with Golden Rules

by David Alley, core contributor and Richardson, Dallas Resident

"I really don't make New Year Resolutions. But I resolve daily to try harder to live by the Golden Rule: to treat others the way I want to be treated"

I find this works in family and personal connections as well as in business and community relationships. After all, we really all want the same thing, don't we? We just want to be treated wit respect.

Says, David Alvey in the section "Year Ahead", contributor's perspective pages of Richardson, a supplement to The Dallas Morning News published daily at Dallas.

January 8, 2010.

Cauliflower!

Came Across Casually!

"Cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with college education!"..........Mark Twain.

Note: I came across this quotation written bold on the walls of the section selling vegetables at Central Market at Dallas on 3rd January, 2010.