Update 1-2-07

Hi,

Home again, after ten days on a hilltop near clear-aired Reno.  Unfortunately, that air was sometimes sixteen degrees.  But I learned the value of flannel-lined jeans.  And with all the storms, I hope all of you who were traveling got home as safely.
    And what do we have here?  New Year's wishes, a birthday conversation, a question, a correction, a poetry discussion, a fable, and a poll, in that order.
    
    From Barbara Blitfield Pech:  May the coming of this new year bring renewed, continued faith, knowledge, contentment, and assurance that this year will be one of many joys and rewards.  Good fortune, bountiful recognition for good deeds done, appreciation from the people that you have offered and reached out to, with heart-shared commitment in knowing that there are close people in your life, who listen, care, and will offer an extended hand or shoulder in a time of need.
        May all your successes and laugher be big, your hurdles and sorrows small.  May you be given the time to appreciate and share with good friends, and visit or renew family ties.  Much to smile at and more to laugh over.  May your health be excellent, your outlook and prospects even better.  May the smallest of problems quickly resolve in equal favor.  May a friendly nod be retuned in kind.  May the road ahead be paved with fulfilled dreams.  May this year be all that you wish for and deserve.
        Also, funny, every time I say "hey, back at ya..." especially to "us," I have no choice but to snicker at the South origins of our English studies.  As we are approaching a big birthday, perhaps we can offer some discussion on a late spring / early summer informal weekend to really celebrate the 60s.  By that time, most of us will have gotten there, with the rest on the way.  I still loved the weekend of the 40th reunion.  A very relaxed, equally comfortable time on Long Island.  Any one interested or have suggestions?
        Personally, I'm on my toes.  Literally!  I have progressed to prancing through physical therapy.  It's amazing, and the amusing exercises keep me movement friendly.  I can now walk up on my toes and return on my heels.  25 feet -- that's 2 of mine -- and 23 for the room length.  I told ya, I have plans for Baryshnikov.
    
    From Marc Jonas:  I just got real old.  Yuch.
    
    From Rich to Marc:  Your birthday?  If so, hope you spent it happily.
    
    From Marc:  Yup.  The big 60.  I survived and still have my health, to my knowledge.

    From Rich to Marc:  Neat.  Congratulations.  I suspect you'll be around for a while.  All that clean living.
    
    From Marc:  Thanks.  Happy New Year.
    
    The question, about Jerry Bittman:  I'm guessing Jerry is still in the hospital for tests.  Can someone who knows him well, please call and see what's going on?  Thanks.  Again, his phone number is:  914-610-1513.  And say "hello" for the rest of us.
    
    From Barnet Kellman:  Could everyone please keep using my old e-mail address:  bkkellman@aol.com.  Thanks.  That makes it easier to sort business from friends.
    
    From Ryki Zuckerman;  I laughed when I saw the "all-poetry edition."  Thanks for the exposure.  Though I know it's just filler.
    
    From Rich to Ryki:  It's not just filler.  It raises the class of all the updates.  And no one's complained.  We've had all-sport editions, and all-Andy Dolich editions, and all-Emily Kleinman Schreiber editions.  People just like to know what other people are doing.
    
    The fable, sent by a friend, but this has seemingly been around for years and might have originated in the Reader's Digest or the old Saturday Evening Post:
        The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings.  Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work.  Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
        A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other.  What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.  Let me tell you about it.
        I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net.  Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice.  You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business.  He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles."  I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.
        "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job.  I'm sure they pay you well, but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much.  Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet.  It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital," he continued.  "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities."
        And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
        "You see," he said, "I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic.  The average person lives about seventy-five years.  I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.  Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.  Now, stick with me, I'm getting to the important part.  It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail, and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays.  I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy.  So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had.  I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1000 marbles.  I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.  Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.  I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.  There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.  Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast.  This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container.  I figure that if I make it until next Saturday, then I have been given a little extra time.  And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.  It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band.  This is a 75-year-old-man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
        You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off.  I guess he gave us all a lot to think about.  I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.  Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss.  "C'mon honey," I said, "I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast."
        "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
        "Oh, nothing special.  It's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids.  And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out?  I need to buy some marbles."
    
    And the poll.  These are among the findings of an Associated Press-AOL News poll that asked people in the U.S. to contemplate what 2007 holds for the country:
        70 percent predict a major natural disaster in the country.
        70 percent expect worsening global warming.
        60 percent of people in the United States think the U.S. will be the victim of a terrorist attack.
        35 percent predict the military draft will be reinstated.
        35 percent predict a cure for cancer will be found.
        29 percent think it likely that the U.S. will withdraw its troops from Iraq.
        19 percent think scientists are likely to find evidence of extraterrestrial life.
    But, the reality check here is that, in 2007:
        25 percent anticipate the second coming of Jesus Christ.