uh-oh...

"Oh no... Dad is watching soap-operas in Spanish!!!"

I am Xenophilic...

I know, I know I am idiosyncratic in my search for unusual words. It all started when I was about 9 and my dad taught me how to use a dictionary. I found atypical words fascinating even though there was not always a chance in everyday usage for the words that peaked my interest. I still look up definitions and here is a list of some of the words I have come across in the past week.

xenophilia
n. an attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs.
xenophobia 
n. an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.
poppysmic 
n. refers to the noise produced by smacking the lips together.
sesquipedalian  
n. A person who uses long words.
n. A long word.
adj. long; polysyllabic.
adj. Pertaining to or given to the use of overly long words.
quidnunc
n. One who is curious to know everything that passes, and is continually asking “What now?” or “What news?” hence, one who knows or pretends to know all that is going on in politics, society, etc.; a newsmonger.
zedonk 
n. The hybrid offspring of a male zebra and a female donkey.

Alex...

Alex is a great kid! I love his humor and how he keeps us laughing, I would post more stories of things he says or does but he won't let me... This is the dilemma I face, when writing my blog how much should I respect others wishes and how much should I just post on my own??? WDYT?

Letter from Olya...

Dear friends,
I hope this note finds you well and happy!
I would like to ask you to pray with us for my visa. Maybe some of you already saw Gabe's post with an update about it. In short, we've been waiting for almost three months here in the border town. When Gabe and I had our last interview, the lady said that if everything checks out we will get our package in 1-2 weeks. It will be three weeks in couple days since then. So we went to the embassy to check on our case and we were told that it doesn't seem there's any problem and we probably will hear from them soon, they are just waiting on some info confirmation, I think from Russia. They told us that they usually update their site with approved/denied visas once a week and once our visa update is there it will be just 2-3 days before we get it in DHL. But if there's no update of my visa, that means we need to wait another week... Now, the most difficult part for us is that we are just waiting all this time here and it's becoming very stretchy for us financially. Gabe is staying with us now for the last three weeks, as supposedly we could get the visa any day, so he could travel with us across the border. Also on the embassy site it says that the medical exams (that I had to take before the interview) are valid for 3-6 months depending on the results. I do hope that my results were ok for them and it's valid for more than 3 months, but in a week it will be 3 months since I took them and I hope they won't require me to do so again, as it is expensive. So my specific prayer requests are:

-That the embassy does get the info they are waiting for in the beginning of this coming week
-That they issue my visa this coming week
-That they update their site early in the week with our updated case
-And that we do get the DHL package with my visa this coming week
-For our financial supply during this time

 Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and thank you for your prayers! We really appreciate it! Much love, Olya, Gabe and the kids

Cow in the news...

By Alice Baghdjian
BERLIN | Fri Apr 13, 2012 10:47am EDT
(Reuters) - Yvonne the German cow evaded helicopter searches, dodged the hunter's gun and even eschewed her calf and best friend for a life on the run.

Now the tale of the runaway cow, who captivated the nation last year when she bolted from her farm to escape slaughter and roamed free in the Bavarian countryside for three months, will provide fodder for a Hollywood animated film.

  "Cow on the Run," based on the daring dairy cow's escapades in the wild, will be produced by Munich-based film company Papa Loewe and American film producer Max Howard, whose previous credits include Walt Disney's "The Lion King."

Michael Aufhauser, founder of the Gut Aiderbichl animal sanctuary in southern Germany, which now looks after Yvonne, said the film was going to be "very romantic."

"Yvonne even falls in love with a buck," he said of the film which is set to hit the silver screen in 2014.

The farmyard fugitive broke through an electric fence on a farm near the Bavarian town of Muehldorf in May last year.

Yvonne lived happily off the land for three months until she landed on a "most wanted" list after bolting in front of a police car. Authorities deemed the runaway a security risk and gave hunters the go ahead to gun her down.

But Yvonne foiled numerous attempts to capture her, and thwarted plans by animal activists to lure her back to the farmyard using her own calf, her friend and a breeding bull named Ernst.

 The canny cow was eventually captured in September after receiving a double dose of tranquilizers and was taken to the animal sanctuary after more than 90 days in the wild.

"People thought she was a dumb cow and would not know what to do in the wild," Aufhauser said.

"But she was so clever, nobody could catch her and that amazed people."

  (Reporting by Alice Baghdjian, editing by Paul Casciato) Click here for original article.

Visa Update...

Olya and I just got back from standing in line for nearly two hours at the Consulate to try and get an update on the status of her case. Two weeks ago we were told that if everything checks out that within two weeks we would have her visa so since that didn't happen we went down there in person. Last time I stood in that line we got someone who was rude and had no idea how to answer our questions and gave us so much bad information I was really praying we would not get her again. By the time we got to the window it was a different person, we were so thankful. After explaining the info we were looking for she looked up our case and she told us everything seems to be in order they are just waiting on verification on some of her Russian data. She assured us it shouldn't be too much longer and that soon we should get the visa.

I am puzzled by this as the whole 20 month process has been to check and verify and recheck her data... most of the time from Russia as the US data we submitted was easy to verify. I guess it's good they are trying to keep the "borders secure" and now I am seeing why so many people try to get to the US without going through the proper channels... they make it so tough.

I am just glad it should almost be over. Please keep praying it comes through soon that all the info is verified so that it can be done.

So Close... Yet So Far...

Twenty months ago we started the application process for Olya's visa to the US. Right from the start we knew we would face obstacles as well as delays, mostly due to her being Russian and having gotten married in Mexico and applying through the Consulate here. We took this in stride and buckled down for the wait. We had no idea the ride we were in for.

We have had challenges along the way like waiting months for her police report from Russia, to her and the kids living in 4 different locations in the past 12 months. We have also been blessed by the help of many along the way, from finding a good and economical immigration's attorney to the people who have put Olya and the kids up in their home letting them live there and helping to take care of them while I was in the States.

 So we were very excited when the day came for me to join them in southern Mexico and all travel to Cd. Juarez, the Mexican border town across from El Paso Texas. All interviews for immigrant visas with applications originating in Mexico have to interview in Juarez.

Arriving in Juarez in late January.

Although we were thrilled and excited this trip was one of the hardest I have ever made. See I had thrown my back out in late December and had been completely immobile for the entire month of January. The pain I endured that day of travel was probably the worst I had ever had in my life, I was on very potent pain killers that would work only temporarily and due to my immobility learned what it was like traveling in a wheelchair.
God Bless Raymond and Esther who picked us up and let us stay in thier house for the 10 days we were hoping to be here.

Olya went to her interview and due to my being laid up in bed I did not go with her. The Consulate actually advises for the applicant to come alone so we thought it would be fine. I think the whole concept of a Russian living in Mexico marrying an American in Mexico then applying for a visa to the US was a little hard for them to comprehend. As they sent her case to Administrative Process saying it would be another 6-8 weeks before a decision would be made.

Looking at this photo right above you can see the brown fence running the length of the photo, that is the border fence between Juarez and El Paso, the sand in the front being the Mexican side and the mountains being the US side. This spot is 3 blocks from the house we are staying in. We are so so close... yet with no visa yet it still seems a world away. Please keep praying it arrives so we can go home.

Barker...

Yesterday I was walking with Julian to the store to pick up some things for dinner. About two blocks from our house there is a house that has a playful German shepherd dog; this dog runs back and forth along the fence line as you walk the sidewalk in front of the house and right when you get to the last corner of the property he begins to bark... it's the same every time.

As we were walking along I said to Julian, "Don't be scared okay, the dog always barks on the corner!" "I know Dad," Julian said. And as we got to the corner right at the same time the dog began to bark Julian jumps towards the dog in the position from the photo above and started barking and roaring at the dog. He then turned to me and said, "Don't worry Dad, I scared that dog!" I couldn't stop laughing.

Happy Easter...

If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen—nothing else matters.    
—Jaroslav Pelikan (1923-2006)

The thing that I like about this quote is that no matter what you believe, it applies to you.

Jungle Animals...

I went on a walk earlier with Julian and while we were out we picked up a small pack of animals for him to add to his collection. The pack was called "African Jungle Animals: Savage Edition!" Imagine my surprise that once we were home and opened the pack we found included in the set, a kangaroo, a moose and a polar bear.

Keep Going...

Anytime you're afraid to try something new...just remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic. -David Drake

Thursday Thought - Blogging...

"Orange phoenix" by Vitaly Alexius Samarin 

 ...has been something I enjoyed the few years I was consistent with it. I feel that I ran the gauntlet of public opinion in "the time before" Facebook here on this blog although that was not the intent of this blog. I created this blog back in 2006 at a very trying time of my life, a time of immense personal growth. The only commitment I made when undertaking this project was to myself, (yes I know you thought I was writing this for your benefit, Ha!) and that was that whatever was posted here would be positive. What better way to combat the negative than with something positive right?

 Well those of you who were regulars here may have noticed the diminishing posts and probably figured that life just happened and that there was more pressing things to do with my time. Which it did in fact happen. That sadly was not the reason I stopped blogging. I stopped because in my eyes my life situation became quite difficult to find something positive to post about. I went through a series of failures, legal battles and health problems during the past 20 months. For not having kept up with this blog, you can call it what you will, lethargy, self-pity, downright negativity and you would probably have me pegged.

 Recently a dear friend was telling me that the miss reading here and it got me thinking... that then led me to revisit here and I spent sometime reading through my archives and came back to the understanding of why I had blogged so fervently before... and I started to miss that part of me that had died. The desire to seek that positive moment in each day no matter how hard a day has been, and when finding it to take the time to write it down, to record it and to throw it up here on the site and send it out into the world, not knowing who it might find or what it might mean to them.

 I choose the painting above to try and capture the feeling I have as I try to regain that part of me that has been missing. The part that strives always to be positive. I have always had an easy time seeing the funny things in things and sharing them with others. I remember sharing with a group of my friends back on New Year's eve of 2000 that along with being known for the funny things I was going to make it my goal to be known for being positive as well. I truly did become that person... then lost that part of me these past two years.

 So at the core of this blog my promise to make it positive will remain. Since I am trying again to find the joy in myself that I used to have, I have decided to take up this blog once again. And although I am maintaining this blog for myself... I am doing it here to share with you in hopes that I can bring you a smile. And the only promise I will make to you... is that this blog will be like it was and hopefully that might bring you a smile.

 P.S. Don't forget to leave comments...

Valued Customer

Best Letter Ever Written to A Bank Manager

by R. MAK. on February 8, 2009

This is an actual letter written to bank manager by an old lady who got her check bounced by the bank due to lack of funds. It was first published in the New York Times in 2006.

Dear Sir,

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month.

By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it.

I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years. You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.

I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, — when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.

From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.

Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof. In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.

I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Let me level the playing field even further.

When you call me, press buttons as follows:

IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIALING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH

#1. To make an appointment to see me.

#2. To query a missing payment.

#3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.

#4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.

#5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.

#6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.

#7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.

#8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.

#9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.

#10. This is a second reminder to press* for English. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.

Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement. May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?

Your Humble Client

Sure you want to eat that?

By David Zinczenko

What's Really In …
NACHO CHEESE DORITOS (11 chips)
150 calories
8 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
180 mg sodium

The concept is, well, sort of brilliant: Nachos and cheese without the hassle of a microwave. Or even a plate, for that matter. You just tear open the bag and start snarfing. And as a parting gift, Dorito's leave your fingers sticky with something that looks like radioactive bee pollen. Now here's the question: Do you have any clue what's in that stuff? Here you go:

To create each Dorito, the Frito-Lay food scientists draw from a well of 39 different ingredients. How many does it take to make a regular tortilla chip? About three. That means some 36 ingredients wind up in that weird cheese fuzz. Of those 36, only two are ingredients you'd use to make nachos at home: Romano and cheddar cheeses. Alongside those are a cache of empty carbohydrate fillers like dextrin, maltodextrin, dextrose, flour, and corn syrup solids. Then come a rotating cast of oils. Depending on what bag you get, you might find any combination of corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, and sunflower oil. Some of those will be partially hydrogenated, meaning they give the chip a longer shelf life and spike your heart with a little shot of trans fat. (The reason you won't see this on the nutrition label is that FDA guidelines allow food manufacturers to "round down" to zero.)

And then, after the fats and nutritionally empty starches, there's a seasoning blend, which includes things like sugar, "artificial flavoring," and a rather worrisome compound called monosodium glutamate. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is the flavor enhancer largely responsible for the chip's addicting quality. The drawback is that it interferes with the production of an appetite-regulating hormone called leptin. A study of middle-aged Chinese people found a strong correlation between MSG consumption and body fat. What's more, the FDA receives new complaints every year from people who react violently to MSG, suffering symptoms like nausea, headaches, burning sensation, numbness, chest pains, dizziness, and so on. Talk about radioactive bee pollen.

Dreams...

... they come and they go. Dreams, as in goals for life, things you want to do and accomplish should be a prime requisite for humanity. Everyone should have one. Some people have multiple dreams, the fire which fuels their ambitions and actions.

Ever since I was young I had a dream... for years it has not changed. Funny thing is is is not a glamorous dream at all, no ambition. I even had someone from a previous relationship tell me that part of why they had to end it is that I wasn't ambitious enough for them and that I didn't have a real dream. It's a good thing I don't generally let what people think about me affect me.

My dream has always been to be able to help others with their dreams. Maybe it's because I am not creative enough to come up with my own dream, maybe it's because if I did have my own I might get disappointed if it didn't work. Whatever the reason, my dream is simple.

IN the past year of my life I have invested a lot of time in helping someone else's dream try to get past the idea stage, as I see my participation in their dream the vehicle in which will get me mine... a way to help others and sustain it. The Dream I have been invested in nearly fell apart and vanish this past week.

Right now it is living on life support and I am anxiously waiting the verdict, if it will come back to life or die. Can't say that I really mind either way as both have their benefits. If it does die then I will just have to work all the harder to get my dream.... I have never been afraid of hard work... it's time to roll up my sleeves and go to work.

I hope I don't wake up.