News Details (Posted: December 20, 2004):

A Holiday SEASIDE SCOOP By Peggy Fisher

Full Description:

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home! —Charles Dickens December 20, 2004, Welcome! Welcome to Seaside Scoop, strengthening our word power and memories incrementally while linking friends and wildlife supporters across Florida and the globe. Seaside Scoop readers span Florida, 35 states, Guam and 15 countries abroad. (Your email address is safe. Seaside Scoop will never sell, rent or disclose your email address to third parties.) ******************************­************ Word-a-Day perpend per-PEND verb 1 : to reflect on carefully : ponder *2 : to be attentive : reflect [http://www.merriam-webster.co­m/sound/p/perpen01.wav] Example sentence: Perpend: if you let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away, you will regret it. Did you know? "Perpend" isn't used often these days, but when it does show up it is frequently imperative, as in our example sentence. As such, its use can be compared to the phrase "mark my words." "Perpend" arrived in English in the 15th century from the Latin verb "perpendere," which in turn comes from "pendere," meaning "to weigh." Appropriately, our English word essentially means "to weigh carefully in the mind." "Pendere" has several descendants in English, including "append," "compendium," "expend," and "suspend." "Perpend" can also be a noun meaning "a brick or large stone reaching through a wall" or "a wall built of such stones," but that "perpend" comes from a Middle French source and is unrelated to the verb. ******************************­****** Lights! Camera! Action! Are You Ready…for 2005? New Year’s is coming! Are you ready? Are you perpending on your New Year’s resolutions? New Year’s is my favorite holiday. It is a time of new beginnings, fresh hope, a changing of the guard when you can be as hopeful and wonder-struck as a child. Everything is new and possible again, if you believe. Naysayers who don’t believe in New Year’s are truly worse off than those disbelievers in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, hope and magic. You skeptically protest very few people ever fulfill their resolutions. As Management loves to taunt: “It doesn’t matter.” Without resolutions, missions or objectives, we will never make much progress in life. Studies show people with written goals have an 80 percent better chance of achieving them than those without. If that statistic doesn’t send you scurrying to your PC to start recording your goals, what will? A 1960 Harvard Business School study found the top 3 percent of graduates accomplished more and made more money than the other 97 percent combined. The only difference between the two groups was the top 3 percent had written goals and reviewed them regularly; the other 97 percent did not. So why are you waiting? Believe and start drafting your wishes, desires and hopes for 2005. The power to change ourselves and our world is always in our hands, minds and hearts. As a believer in all holidays, we celebrate as many as possible with joy and eager anticipation. Just imagine how many hosannas there will be for welcoming New Year’s–our all time favorite…except perhaps Valentine’s and that delicious, sensuous heart-happy dark chocolate….or perhaps St. Patrick’s when we gleefully don the green…then, of course, Halloween….bottom line, find reasons to Celebrate and Dance to the Music in life and on life’s every beach. Share your resolutions with Seaside Scoop if you dare. I’m working on four: #1 can never share ;-); #2 - 4 testing stage as your guinea pig. Rest assured you’ll be the first to know when there are grand successes; article inquiries, publication and Seaside Scoops guaranteed to follow. Don’t you love a mystery! Goal #5 is about my quest to be a syndicated columnist—still sculpting, trying to determine most succinct way to transform into powerful action steps. Five goals is probably too many. Some authorities advise a max of three so your subconscious can truly focus and achieve that laser-beam intensity needed give your dreams, wings. However, the alternative school says strive higher and cast your net wider to increase your odds of a fuller catch. Try different methods to determine what works best for you. Resolutions should be regularly reviewed, and like a radar guidance system, adjusted to meet changing circumstances. News at 11; also more to come re the story of the lucky cat graphic above; Japanese readers already know the lovely Maneki Neko Legend. ******************************­****** Seaside Scoop Web News On patrol with Seaside Scoop readers/Disney Owners Lynn (pictured) and Paul Chevalier from Albany, NY. In the background, you can see Disney’s new clean post-hurricane look which many beachgoers admire. Loaded down with usual beach-walking gear: trusty, multiuse parasol, sun-protecting pareo, camera, dictation unit, water bottle, sun glasses, Seaside Scoop email labels for new subscribers, flip flops and plastic bags for litter patrol: ready for anything. The Lady’s the Boss: It’s always an adventure when you walk by the sea. Beach walking all alone at high tide, I was bundled up this December morn like a Pillsbury Dough Girl against rare 50° temps and strong NE winds, which made it feel more like the brrr low 40°s. High winds, high tide, high waves and soft sand were my undoing. Suddenly a strong surf came crashing shoreward right where I was negotiating in search of the firmest sand, and down I toppled in a heap, like a beachside Humpty Dumpty. All those layers don’t work well when they are sandy and sopping wet. That was just Mother Nature, like a playful tigress giving me a gentle swat as a reminder who’s the boss. As if all Florida doesn’t know the Lady has claws after this horrific, historic Hurricane Season! This Seaside Scoop adventure will give JCI readers a special laugh as they are so familiar with my falling record round the world. The best was ogling those gorgeous sea lifesavers in Sydney one lovely morning, and down the stone stairs I tumbled. One of the hunky fellows came over and asked with concern: “I say, are you ok?” With blood streaming down arms and legs, I stuttered, I was fine. Even the hairline fracture to my arm, which hurt badly for weeks making stapling and even biking pure torture and scarred knees I bear to this day like a kid who has fallen off her bike too often, were worth this lifetime memory of those stunning Aussies. Bottom line: Always stay alert at the beach and in life; conditions can change in a flash. Keeping your balance is a challenge, especially when you are euphoric with distracted delight. To put our record temps in perspective—predicted tonight to be coldest in two years on Treasure Coast, from Virtual Agent Gayle in Wisconsin: Brrrrr…..cold here too – we have 10 degrees now with wind chills below zero. —Even the chilling thought is enough to make a hot-house Floridian’s blood turn to ice! For Seaside Scoops online, check: http://glgs.org/themes/Custom/­1/glg_articleView.asp?pid=68&t­id=14&articleid=29 ******************************­****** Mail Call: Congrats Suddenly Senior Frank From mentor Suddenly Senior Frank in Clearwater, FL : THANK YOU FOR HELPING PUSH SUDDENLY SENIOR PAST 1.5 MILLION READERS IN 2004 We now have 36 newspapers syndicating the column - ranging in circulation from 12,000 to 355,000 - from the Florida Keys to Vancouver, Washington. Each month, the Suddenly Senior site gets about two million hits from some 107 countries. It adds up to about l.5 million Suddenly Senior readers every month. May all the miracles and joys of this Season be yours. You have Carolyn's and my fondest wishes for a healthy and happy 2005. Love and hugs to you all, P.S. If your annual income is below $12,569 ($16,862 for couples) you have only 15 days to sign an approved Medicare drug discount card and receive $600 in free drugs, (and another $600 worth as of January 1, 2005). It's the only good thing about the new Medicare Drug Bill. Take advantage of it. Happy Birthday Cheers, Alex! Super Seaside Scoop correspondent & WWII Vet Alex in Vero Beach, FL, was 81-years-young this weekend; Kudos! From the Birthday Boy: Thank you Peggy-Now being 81 will be fun. There aint no other daffy-nition for Birthday Cats B& C told me. From Virtual Agent Gayle re Pasta Diet from Bill/Judy Wilson in Ocala, FL: I think I shall take your advice and eat and drink whatever I like ;-) ******************************­******************* Peggy’s Pet Parade From Carl Peterson in Guam: Pets bring love and wonder: They look out for the smaller ones From Geri in Ft. Pierce and Laura in Atlanta (Seaside Scoop readers in sync!): OVERDOSE VICTIMS I'm sending these graphic pictures of overdose victims not for shock value, but rather in the hope that you will have a frank discussion with friends and family about respecting moderation, understanding limits, and knowing when to just walk away. Remember... This did NOT have to happen. [Fw Have you smiled today2.jpg] Right from Linda Sue in Sebastian, FL: Have you smiled today? Let us show you how. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Left from Lydia Sacher in Miami: Always try to help a friend in need If you have digital pics of your pet stars, please email them; Seaside Scoop stardom awaits via Peggy’s Pet Parade. ******************************­********************** Attachments/hyperlinks From Bill/Judy Wilson: Christmas Poem by a Marine Perfect Christmas Joke from Suddenly Senior Frank. ******************************­***************** Georgina’s Movie Review Spanglish: Adam Sandler's come a long way since The Waterboy. Pair him, Tea Leoni, Cloris Leachman, and Paz Vega with James L. Brooks (of As Good As It Gets fame), and you get a bilingual, bicultural melodrama full of poignancy, pathos, tears, laughter, understanding, and acceptance. Brooks is a master at depicting the human condition through many eyes at once. This ensemble cast is no exception: Sandler's calm to Leoni's manic; Leachman -- as superb as ever -- is a wise old soul who rocks and shakes you at the same time; and Paz Vega, as the Mexican who comes to live with the gringos, evolves, yet remains the same. The children in the cast also add enormous depth to the movie. Shelbie Bruce, as Vega's daughter, has a marvelous scene in which she serves as a translator for her mother: gesture for gesture, word for word. How -- and why -- can she do this? Because she is her mother's daughter. Does anyone ever really win the battle of relationships? Brooks both leaves us in limbo, yet answers the question, in a disturbing -- yet comic -- way. One to think about. By the way: no subtitles. ******************************­*** Holiday Cheers from Vero Beach Peggy Writing by Fisher Vero Beach, FL (772)388-4920 Turn the wheel of your life. Make complete revolutions. Celebrate every turning. And persevere with joy. —Deng Ming-Dao Writer ******************************­************* Seaside Scoop (AKA Word-a-Day) Content Any content may be copied; please credit Seaside Scoop . I would also appreciate your publishing information on subscribing: To subscribe to free Seaside Scoop email: writingbyfisher@bellsouth.net