KathyHargisBlog.com

Great Quotes

Kathy — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 04:01:42 +0000

In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.

– John Adams

If you don’t read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.

– Mark Twain

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself.

– Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.

– Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.

– George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.

– G. Gordon Liddy

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.

– James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.

– Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.

– P.J. O’Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.

– Frederic Bastiat, French economist(1801-1850)

Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

– Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don’t make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.

– Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free!

– P.J. O’Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.

– Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you!

– Pericles (430 B.C.)

No man’s life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session!!!

– Mark Twain (1866)

Talk is cheap… except when Congress does it.

– Anonymous

The government is like a baby’s alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.

– Ronald Reagan

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.

– Winston Churchill

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.

– Mark Twain

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.

– Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

There is no distinctly native American criminal class … save Congress.

– Mark Twain

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.

– Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.

– Thomas Jefferson

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

– Aesop

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Change Yourself

Kathy — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 03:44:53 +0000

Be yourself the change that you look for in the world around you, and do not vacillate or wait for someone else to take up the challenge.

-Mahatma Gandhi

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RAVEL’S BOLERO @ COPENHAGEN TRAIN STATION

Kathy — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 04:48:53 +0000

This is a fun 5 minutes. Very creative project and very well executed. The looks on the people’s faces are the payoff. Smiles all round. Enjoy!

On May 2, 2011, the Copenhagen Philharmonic amazed commuters at the Copenhagen Central Train Station, as they created a kind of orchestral “flash mob” performing Ravel’s famed Bolero, with the musicians gradually assembling in place as the work progresses. The video which shows not only the assembling orchestra, but also the delighted faces of the commuters has generated overwhelming interest, and indeed has exceeded the orchestra’s expectations. I hope you enjoy it.

Technorati Tags: Bolero, copenhagen, Ravel, train station

Colonoscopy

Kathy — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 02:47:44 +0000

Dave Barry, Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

Colonoscopy Journal:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy.

A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis.

Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner.
I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn’t really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, ‘HE’S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!’

I left Andy’s office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called ‘MoviPrep,’ which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America ‘s enemies..

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous.

Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn’t eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor.

Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons). Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes – and here I am being kind – like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, ‘a loose, watery bowel movement may result.’

This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don’t want to be too graphic, here, but, have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep.

The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, ‘What if I spurt on Andy?’ How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked..

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep..
At first I was ticked off that I hadn’t thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point.

Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand.

There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, ‘Dancing Queen’ had to be the least appropriate.

‘You want me to turn it up?’ said Andy, from somewhere behind me.

‘Ha ha,’ I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling ‘Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,’ and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood.

Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

On the subject of Colonoscopies…
Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous….. A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

1. Take it easy Doc. You’re boldly going where no man has gone before.

2. ‘Find Amelia Earhart yet?’

3. ‘Can you hear me NOW?’

4. ‘Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?’

5. ‘You know, in Arkansas , we’re now legally married.’

6. ‘Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?’

7. ‘You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out…’

8. ‘Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!’

9. ‘If your hand doesn’t fit, you must quit!’

10. ‘Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.’

11. ‘You used to be an executive at Enron, didn’t you?’

12. ‘God, now I know why I am not gay.’

And the best one of all:
13. ‘Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?’

Technorati Tags: colonoscopy, Dave Barry

Key Lime Cheesecake

Kathy — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 04:18:59 +0000

Look for bottled key lime juice at your local grocery store. Cream cheese needs to be at room temperature. Leave out on the counter for several hours.
Preheat oven to 350°

Graham Cracker Crust

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Crumble one packet of graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor. Process until you have fine crumbs. Add the sugar and pulse to mix. Pour the butter through the feed tube while the machine is running. Press crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Key Lime Filling

24 ounces cream cheese
¾ cup sugar
5 tablespoons sour cream
5 teaspoons flour
4 extra-large eggs
1 egg yolk
½ cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
¼ cup lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and flour. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed till smooth. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in limeade concentrate, lime juice, and vanilla extract. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust.

Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200° and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or till the center no longer looks wet or shiny. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the inside edge of the pan.

Honey Lime Glaze

½ cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
4 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel

Pour all ingredients into a microwave-safe bowl and stir with a whisk. Microwave for 2 minutes at 75% power. Stir. Microwave for another 2 minutes at 75% power. The mixture should be thickened, bubbly, and translucent in appearance. Pour over the cheesecake. Chill till serving time. Makes 12 to 18 slices.

Technorati Tags: cheesecake, graham cracker crust, honey lime glaze, key lime

Sweet and Tart Cucumber Salad

Kathy — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 21:28:02 +0000

Serves 4

2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon dill (1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ cup rice wine vinegar
3 scallions, sliced thin
3 medium English cucumbers

Stir sugar, dill, salt and pepper into the vinegar in a medium bowl until dissolved. Add the scallions and stir.

Slice your cucumbers in half lengthwise. Run a small melon baller along the inside to remove the seeds. Lay each half flat side down and slice into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Add the cucumbers to the bowl and stir.

Serve chilled.

Technorati Tags: cucumber salad, sweet and tart

Tips for Simple Living

Kathy — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:16:37 +0000

guest post by Tracy Sitchen

We all need to simplify our lives. For some of us, this means cutting back on our commitments and reducing stress. For others, it means learning to live more frugally. Not surprisingly, learning to live simply often means to do both, as the impulse to over commit and to overspend often come from the same place. The basic philosophy behind living simply is to identify what’s important in your life and to eliminate everything else. Here are some tips for how to do exactly that:

Plan Your Meals

Don’t wait until you’ve come home exhausted and don’t have the energy to plan or cook a meal. Sit down at the beginning of each week and plan all your meals. This way, you can plan around busy days or even cook ahead of time. You can also plan your shopping strategy so that you don’t overspend at the grocery store and aren’t as tempted to eat out — which will lead you to quickly overspend on your food budget.

Learn to Garden

Gardening ensures that you have a food supply that you can trust is all-natural and organic. You can also save money on produce and reduce your carbon footprint (food that you get from your own backyard doesn’t have to be driven across the country to arrive at your kitchen table). In addition, working in a garden is a great way to reduce stress.

Eat Healthy and Exercise

Doctor visits, a daily regimen of vitamins and pills, and stress and worry brought on by ill health are not conducive to simple living. Though some illness is beyond our control, there is plenty that you can do to help ensure your good health. Eat a balanced diet and get regular exercise. You’ll feel better, have more energy, be able to better manage stress, and spend less time in the doctor’s office.

Start an Emergency Fund

The economic recession and rising unemployment has taught us that nothing is guaranteed. Even those who were working for years at the same company found themselves without work. Make sure you’re ready for these situations so that your family will still have what it needs. Start saving to build an emergency fund to cover at least three to six months of expenses. It will bring you peace of mind.

Don’t Use Credit

Learn to save for the things you want. Not only will the practice help you to limit impulse purchases and to learn to identify what you really need, but it will also help you save money by not spending needlessly on high interest rates. You will also ensure that you don’t overuse credit and rack up more debt than you can handle.

Limit Toys

Children’s toys have a way of multiplying until they take over the bedroom and spill out into the rest of the house. And most of the toys fall out of favor after only a few uses. Limit toys to what can fit in a toy box. It will also teach your children to appreciate what they have. Donate old toys to neighbors or a charity.

Limit Books and DVDs

Take a look at all the books and DVDs on your shelf. Now ask yourself honestly: How many of those will you actually read or watch again? Sure, you may intend to read and watch all of them. But how much time do you really have to do so? Get rid of all but your favorites, and you will significantly simplify your room and your life. If you ever decide you want to re-read or re-watch one of the stories you donated, know that you can always do so by visiting the library.

Simplify Your Wardrobe

Look in your closet. How many of the clothes that you find there do you plan to wear “some day” or when you “lose that last 10 pounds?” Get rid of anything that you can’t comfortably wear right now. Focus on basic pieces that won’t go out of style, and don’t buy into trends.

Buy a Smaller House

The bigger your house, the more stuff you will buy to fill it. The bigger your house, the higher your mortgage payment, your taxes, your electric bill, and your water bill. The bigger your house, the more work you have to put into it to maintain it. Simplify your life by buying a smaller house — one that is only as big as you really need.

Bio: Tracy Sitchen is a veteran coupon clipper, stay at home Mom, and aspiring writer. While she loves shopping, she loves the chase of the deal even more! She’s recently been writing about Logans Roadhouse coupons along with Folger Coffee coupons over at her blog where she shares deals and discounts to help every day people save money.

Technorati Tags: buy a smaller house, eat healthy, exercise, simple living, simplify your wardrobe

Words of Wisdom

Kathy — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 05:07:26 +0000

image credit Kym Vohsen

1- Prayer is not a “spare wheel” that you pull out when in trouble; it is a “steering wheel” that directs us in the right path throughout life.

2- Do you know why a car’s WINDSHIELD is so large & the rear view mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on.

3- Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4- All things in life are temporary. If going well enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong don’t worry, they can’t last long either.

5- Old friends are like Gold! New friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, don’t forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a base of Gold!

6- Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, “Relax, sweetheart, it’s just a bend, not the end!”

7- When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn’t solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8- A blind person asked St. Anthony: “Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?” He replied: “Yes, losing your vision.”

9- When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10- WORRYING does not take away tomorrow’s TROUBLES; it takes away today’s PEACE.

Technorati Tags: faith, keys to success, prayer, ten commandments, wisdom

Maya Angelou Quotes

Kathy — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:56:30 +0000

Maya Angelou said this:
‘I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.’

‘I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.’

‘I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.’

‘I’ve learned that making a ‘living’ is not the same thing as ‘making a life.’

‘I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.’

‘I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back…’

‘I’ve learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.’

‘I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.’

‘I’ve learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back…’

‘I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn…’

‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’

Technorati Tags: maya angelou, quotes

There is a Season

Kathy — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 02:34:03 +0000

To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal …
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance …
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.

ecclesiastes 3:1-8

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