Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE
1. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY10th May 1869: The Golden Spike CeremonyCompleting the last link in the US transcontinental railroad with a spike of gold was the brainchild of David Hewes, a San Francisco financier and contractor. The spike had been manufactured earlier that year especially for the event by the William T. Garratt Foundry in San Francisco. Two of the sides were engraved with the names of the railroad officers and directors. A special tie of polished California laurel was chosen to complete the line where the spike would be driven. The ceremony was originally to be held on May 8, 1869 (the date actually engraved on the spike), but it was postponed two days because of bad weather and a labour dispute that delayed the arrival of the Union Pacific side of the rail line.
On May 10, in anticipation of the ceremony, Union Pacific No. 119 and Central Pacific No. 60 (better known as the Jupiter) locomotives were drawn up face-to-face on Promontory Summit. It is unknown how many people attended the event; estimates run from as low as 500 to as many as 3,000; government and railroad officials and track workers were present to witness the event.
The golden spike was made of 17.6-carat (73%) copper-alloyed gold, and weighed 14.03 troy ounces (436 g). It was dropped into a pre-drilled hole in the laurel ceremonial last tie, and gently tapped into place with a silver ceremonial spike maul. The spike was engraved on all four sides:
Side 1: The Pacific Railroad ground broken January 8, 1863, and completed May 8, 1869.
Side 2: Directors of the C. P. R. R. of Cal. Hon. Leland Stanford. C. P. Huntington. E. B. Crocker. Mark Hopkins. A. P. Stanford. E. H. Miller Jr.
Side 3: Officers. Hon. Leland Stanford. Presdt. C. P. Huntington Vice Presdt. E. B. Crocker. Atty. Mark Hopkins. Tresr. Chas Crocker Gen. Supdt. E. H. Miller Jr. Secty. S. S. Montague. Chief Engr.
Side 4: May God continue the unity of our Country, as this Railroad unites the two great Oceans of the world. Presented by David Hewes San Francisco
A second golden spike, exactly like the one from the ceremony, was cast and engraved at the same time. It was held, unknown to the public, by the Hewes family until 2005. This second spike is now on permanent display, along with Thomas Hill's famous painting The Last Spike, at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.
2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
The bread run
Lawnmowing
Laundry
Business promotional work
Meditation
Me Time
Missus Time
Twitter Followers = 2,231 (up 2)
Never-followed unfollowers eliminated = 0-Followed unfollowers eliminated = 0-New Followers followed back = 2@SzebastianOnne, @QuizzersAppSpammers not followed back = 0-
3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATIONI woke this morning with a certain inexplicable zing! My knee feels better (though still far from healed), my mind is in the right place, and my primal appetites have settled back down to normal. Even on Twitter there was a zing - I had no spammers, bots or unfollowers - a rare event!
Plenty of challenges remain of course. A new generation of kids is on the street and need some lessons in respecting private property. There have been numerous encroachments of late. I suspect one of them has also scratched off a patch of coating from the garden gate. There will always be challenges anyway, and it's about how you respond to them.
Whilst my mindfulness is strong these days, there is always room for further development. My focus has of late been on intuition, but now I have intuition, firmly in command, I can return to a previous internal project - Total Internal Silence - no random thought whatsoever, putting my attention 100% in the moment.
I'm already well on the way - I can already consciously generate internal silence at will, in itself a fantastic achievement. I'm now aiming for the complete absence of internal dialogue at all times - I will then be at the point of Absolute Liberation - as free as a mind can be!
4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Are you developing and improving?
5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
In brief
Dry and cloudy in the morning, heavy rain therafter
Details
Moon
Weathertrack
Air Pressure
1011 millibars and static
6. TODAY'S ONELINER
Have you ever stood on a glacier? It's really cool! :D
7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
Jodi Miller on older adult dating
8. TRIVIA
The splash tetra is a fish that jumps out of the water and lays its eggs on the leaves of trees.
9. ZEN WISDOM
All considerations of position, wealth and reputation aside, the greatest and most enduring triumph as a human being lies in knowing that one is doing one's best.
Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE
1. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY9th May 1386: The world's oldest surviving alliance is forged by the Treaty of WindsorThe Treaty of Windsor is a treaty of alliance between England and Portugal and is still in force. The English had helped the Portuguese win the Battle of Aljubarrota the previous year, which secured Portuguese independence from Castille. The treaty was sealed by the marriage of King John I of Portugal (House of Aviz) to Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster.
The original treaty document is preserved in the Portuguese National Archive.
2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Housework
Business Promotional Work
Meditation
Supper
Me Time
Missus Time
Twitter Followers = 2,229 (up 5)
Never-followed unfollowers eliminated = 1@AdInServicesFollowed unfollowers eliminated = 1@ProNetworkBuildNew Followers followed back = 4@DIYActive, @HilariousLmaoo, @LymeNewsNow, @PaturienNkepdemSpammers not followed back = 3@hYwetcatIO, @CashNowLux +1 untraced
3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATIONOne of the greatest personal triumphs in my life has been Mindfulness - the elimination of the tyranny of random thought. This has allowed intuition to start running the show and make a better job of it. However, whatever seizes the throne then has to keep fighting to maintain it. There are many dark memories for my mind to get lost in if attention is not tightly leashed to the moment. A further threat though comes from the primal.
The primal has the ability to take the mind over and no amount of mindfulness can stand against it. It is therefore necessary to "buy off" the primal by meeting its various needs, like food, water, orgasms, comfort, pleasure and refuge. However, the primal must not be ruler as this leads to poor decisions, addiction and self-destruction.
There is clearly a flaw in the mechanism because my primal craves more food than it needs and this has been a lifelong struggle. It's not been a priority of late and this has resulted in bingeing. Slightly of concern is that I have NO GUILT about it - it's all been great! I've had a great time of yummy food and fabulous orgasms courtesy of my new artificial vagina, revitalizing a flagging libido.
However, primal management is now at the forefront of my consciousness and I need to restore some control. Over the next three weeks I intend to take advantage of routine to re-impose some order. With less distractions expected, it's an ideal opportunity to quieten and focus the mind and impose a balance that is unfortunately not inherent. However, the fact that I have to expend physical and mental effort to maintain wellbeing means that I can relate well to clients - I can teach them directly from experience.
4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Is your life balanced, ordered and focused?
5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
In brief
Fabulous!
Details
Moon
Weathertrack
Air Pressure
1013 millibars and static
6. TODAY'S ONELINER
I was kidnapped by a mime artist, and he did unspeakable things to me! :D
7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
Who's Line Is It Anyway (US) excerpt
8. TRIVIA
When a family cat died in ancient Egypt, family members would mourn by shaving off their eyebrows. They also held elaborate funerals during which they drank wine and beat their breasts. The cat was embalmed with a sculpted wooden mask and the tiny mummy was placed in the family tomb or in a pet cemetery with tiny mummies of mice.
9. ZEN WISDOM
Genuine happiness is found in courage. Courage is the gateway to happiness.
Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE
1. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY8th May 1886: The launch of Coca-Cola
Confederate Colonel John Pemberton who was wounded in the American Civil War, became addicted to morphine, and began a quest to find a substitute for the dangerous opiate. The prototype Coca-Cola recipe was formulated at Pemberton's Eagle Drug and Chemical House, a drugstore in Columbus, Georgia, originally as a coca wine. He may have been inspired by the formidable success of Vin Mariani, a European coca wine.
In 1885, Pemberton registered his French Wine Coca nerve tonic. In 1886, when Atlanta and Fulton County passed prohibition legislation against alcohol, Pemberton responded by developing Coca-Cola, essentially a nonalcoholic version of French Wine Coca. The first sales were at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 8, 1886. It was initially sold as a patent medicine for five cents a glass at soda fountains, which were popular in the United States at the time due to the belief that carbonated water was good for the health. Pemberton claimed Coca-Cola cured many diseases, including morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, headache, and impotence. Pemberton ran the first advertisement for the beverage on May 29 of the same year in the Atlanta Journal.
2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
The Milk Run
Laundry
Me Time
Lunch
Meditation
Business promotional work
Missus Time
Twitter Followers = 2,224 (up 1)
Never-followed unfollowers eliminated = 3All untracedFollowed unfollowers eliminated = 0-New Followers followed back = 0-Spammers not followed back = 4@BubbloUK @AdInServices, @aIprivsRh, @tWhomebound12t
3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATIONMy right knee is not going to fix itself any time soon! If money were no object, I could get it scanned and diagnosed pronto, but the good old NHS is rather crap at chronic conditions. At least, though it is complaining, it shuts up when fully rested (though there's still a feeling) and I can still walk on it. It doesn't like walking DOWNstairs.
I am inclined, while I can still walk, to apply time and mind-over-matter. Though we're into month 5, I know ligament damage heals only slowly anyway. I will also do some of my own research online. As with any challenge, it's about responding in the right way. This includes the loss of one's health. Whatever limitations there are on you, there's still a difference you can make. I shall therefore continue making the max difference with what I have.
4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Are you making the difference you want to make?
5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
In brief
Dry, warm and sunny
Details
Moon
Weathertrack
Air Pressure
1009 millibars and rising
6. TODAY'S ONELINER
My girl left me because of my pasta fetish. I'm feeling cannelloni right now.
7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
Jimmy Carr on soup -very funny!
8. TRIVIA
Childhood dreams are shorter than adult dreams and nearly 40% of them are nightmares
9. ZEN WISDOM
The courage not to bow to pressure, the courage to stand alone, the courage to maintain one’s determination, the courage to look deep into one’s heart and confront one’s own cowardice and arrogance, the courage to challenge difficulties—those who possess this kind of courage are true victors.
Read my book - ENLIGHTENMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
Also available - EMOTIONAL MANAGEMENT FOR ORDINARY FOLK
WISDOM, HUMOUR, AND LOTS OF OTHER INTERESTING STUFF CAN BE FOUND ON MY PINTEREST PAGE and FACEBOOK PAGE
TO FIND OUT WHAT I DO, CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE
1. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY6th May 1840: The Penny Black is introduced
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It first was issued in Great Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year. It features a profile of Queen Victoria.
In 1837, British postal rates were high, complex and anomalous. To simplify matters, Sir Rowland Hill proposed an adhesive stamp to indicate pre-payment of postage. At the time it was normal for the recipient to pay postage on delivery, charged by the sheet and on distance traveled. By contrast, the Penny Black allowed letters of up to half an ounce (14g) to be delivered at a flat rate of one penny, regardless of distance.
Hill was given a two-year contract to run the new system, and together with Henry Cole he announced a competition to design the new stamps. There were some 2,600 entries, but none was considered suitable; instead a rough design endorsed by Hill was chosen, featuring an easily recognisable profile of the former Princess Victoria. Hill believed this would be difficult to forge. An envelope bearing a reproduction of a design created by the artist William Mulready was also issued.
The portrait of Victoria was engraved by Charles Heath and his son Frederick, based on a sketch provided by Henry Corbould. Corbould's sketch was in turn based on the 1834 cameo-like head by William Wyon, which was used on a medal to commemorate the Queen's visit to the City of London in 1837. This portrait of Victoria remained on British stamps until her death in 1901, although by then she was 81 years old. All British stamps still bear a portrait or silhouette of the monarch somewhere on the design. They are the only postage stamps in the world that do not indicate a country of origin; the monarch's image symbolises the United Kingdom.
Initially, Hill specified that the stamps should be 3/4 inch square, but altered the dimensions to 3/4 inch wide by 7/8 inch tall (approx 19 x 22 mm) to accommodate the writing at the bottom. The word "POSTAGE" at the top of the design distinguishes it from a revenue stamp, which had long been used in the UK; "ONE PENNY." at the bottom shows the amount pre-paid for postage of the stamped letter. The background to the portrait consists of finely engraved engine turnings. The two upper corners hold Maltese crosses with radiant solar discs at their centres; the lower corner letters show the position of the stamp in the printed sheet, from "A A" at top left to "T L" at bottom right. The sheets, printed by Perkins Bacon, consisted of 240 stamps in 20 rows of 12 columns. One full sheet cost 240 pence or one pound; one row of 12 stamps cost a shilling. As the name suggests, the stamp was printed in black ink. A two penny stamp printed in blue and covering the double-letter rate (up to an ounce) was issued on 8 May 1840.
2. TODAY IN MY LIFE
Blogging
Business promotional work
Me Time
Shift 1 of the Weekend Job
Missus Time
Twitter Followers = 2,224 (up 1)
Never-followed unfollowers eliminated = 2@tweetergreeter1, @JustMgznFollowed unfollowers eliminated = 0-New Followers followed back = 0-Spammers not followed back = 3untraced
3. TODAY'S SELF-OBSERVATIONI went to bed last night DETERMINED not to indulge any boners, no matter how raging, overnight. Sure enough I had both urine boners and standard boners and ignored them all other than urinating overnight. I have also got into the habit of removing cat food overnight to discourage tomcats Both these moves were great successes - I slept better, didn't soak the bed with my own sweat and this morning the house didn't stink of tomcat piss. Our own cats have nevertheless taken to sleeping with us rather than risk confrontations!
I remain convinced that an orgasm-a-day is good for you, but not at the expense of sleep, so I have them in the evenings with Missus or daytime on my own - or both! For solo sessions I have now invested in an inexpensive artificial vagina - not because I am in any way frustrated or looking for new thrills, but purely to save my wrist! Everything takes longer these days and with declining muscle tone, fingers, wrists and arm were starting to complain.
The investment has proved sound. There is much less strain on the muscles as you thrust rather than stroke and orgasms arrive considerably faster, making the experience pleasant again after starting to become a chore. Unsure of what the reaction of Missus and Son would be, I haven't informed them of this new toy. They may ultimately find out, but for the time being I'm happy to be furtive.
4. TODAY'S QUESTION FOR YOU
Are you making yourself unhappy by repressing the real you?
5. TODAY'S WEATHER IN BRADFORD
In brief
Dry, cloudy, mild
Details
Moon
New Moon
Weathertrack
Air Pressure
1015 millibars and falling
6. TODAY'S ONELINER
She said she hates my analogies and wishes I would communicate like a normal person, which is like telling a samurai not to use his sword :D
7. NOW THAT'S FUNNY!
Mock The Week - Frankie Boyle's best bits - wonderful!
8. TRIVIA
In Ancient Times, people were very worried about the population declining. In ancient Greece, Solon (638-538 B.C.) once contemplated making marriage compulsory, and in Athens under Pericles (495-429 B.C.), bachelors were excluded from certain public positions. In Sparta, single and childless men were treated with scorn. In ancient Rome, Augustus (63 B.C.-A.D. 14) passed drastic laws compelling people to marry and penalized those who remained single.
9. ZEN WISDOM
When we have a genuine sense that, no matter how difficult our present circumstances, we are not alone - that we are vitally connected with others and with the world - we will, without fail, rise up to the challenge of living victoriously.
