Author Topic: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life  (Read 157661 times)

Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #180 on: December 11, 2007, 10:18:26 am »
Sorry to hear the news, Phillip. Good thoughts and prayers comin' your way for all of you. ...
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Brokeback_Dev

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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #181 on: December 11, 2007, 10:46:31 am »
You and your dad are in my thoughts and prayers.  We can only hope and pray for the best.  Definitely get that second opinion.  Take good care of yourself too. 

Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #182 on: December 11, 2007, 11:03:46 am »
Thanks to everyone.  We may approach Sloan-Kettering if Roswell also wants to take a wait and see approach.  This whole thing is just crazy.  What is also evident in how much things have changed in my life since BBM is the back-of-my-mind consideration of Ennis' coping without both parents a lot earlier in life, sort of reminding me some people have it even worse than I.

My biggest fear is going through a year of declining health for him similar to what happened with my mom and the enormous stress that put on her as well as the entire family.  I'm doing reasonably okay with this right now because the situation isn't immediately dire.

Meanwhile, the police report for the car accident arrived and couldn't have been written more in my favor.  I didn't realize there were two witnesses to the accident who gave their info to the sheriff's deputy.  State Farm has settled for around $12500 after the $500 deductible which I'll likely get back in the spring after subrogation, plus a $150 inconvenience bonus (I didn't rent a car so they pay $10 a day to help you with gas/inconvenience for borrowing someone elses.) 

The biggest inconvenience in driving the land yacht my mother had - the 2001 Buick Park Avenue Old People Edition is the $52 it costs to fill it up.  After driving this boat around, it clues me in better why people who drive these things often irritate me because they are 10 miles under the speed limit and take forever to get up to speed.  That's because it takes a lot to get these things up to the speed limit, and the entire feel of the driving experience and the engine noise encourages people to drive slower.  A V6 Malibu has serious get up and go and is much more responsive than the Park Avenue.

The biggest thing I am missing, outside of the car itself, is the XM Radio, which I got hooked on and have managed to keep going in the car through their retention plan (when you threaten to cancel because it costs too much and you tell them you heard about a yearly plan for $77 they give to people to keep the service, they usually let you have that plan over and over again.)  I can't stand local radio.

BTW, State Farm pays nothing for a total loss for what used to be the add-ons XM Radio and OnStar (I only had XM) which they call "subscription services."  Both are now standard on all GM vehicles, so it's becoming a dead issue, but they encouraged me to take the XM Radio box out of the trunk and keep it/sell it.  I had managed, of all things, to leave the garage door opener in the Malibu after cleaning it out on Friday so yesterday we returned to the car dealer to collect both of those things.  The car will be towed to an auction house for scrap later today.  My father seems to think based on the lack of damage to the interior and rear that the car will likely live again through a technique they call "clipping."

Everything north of the windshield wipers will probably be sawed off on my car, and they'll find some totalled Malibu that got rear-ended and basically weld together someone else's undamaged front end to my undamaged passenger compartment and rear end and create a "new" car out of it.

What a concept.  I wouldn't own something like this, but for someone who wants something under $5000 with a refurbished engine and a perfectly good interior and rear (and six month old Michellin tires I just put on the thing which were completely undamaged), it might work for them.

Alternatively, they will simply take the thing apart and resell individual undamaged components as "salvaged parts."
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Offline CellarDweller

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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #183 on: December 14, 2007, 01:24:05 pm »
Phillip, I'm sending as much positive energy and prayers to your dad.

I can't believe they would take a "wait and see" approach with cancer.  Makes no sense to me at all.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
Will you play my record? One-track mind!

Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #184 on: December 17, 2007, 10:12:16 pm »
The Blogging Experience

BetterMost continues to experiment with the concept of independent blogging by our individual residents in threads they essentially own and control to report on their lives, experiences, challenges, and more.  It's a concept that can be liberating and maddening at the same time, because each person's blog is essentially their own home and property here in the community.

Sometimes things can get controversial in individual blogs, and it's always important to remember that these differ considerably from our other forums here because the owner of the blog can determine what messages can stay, and which need to go.  At first glance, this would seem to remove any concept of freedom of speech and expression within a blog, because the author can censor whatever he or she wants.  But actually this isn't the case, because any blogger here can raise any issue they like in their own blog.  As long as the first and most important rule of BetterMost is never violated -- no personal attacks, discussions can be free-wheeling and debates can develop over issues raised in different blogs.  And if someone wants a post or reply removed from their blog, they have the right to ask for that and you should avoid taking that too personally.  In fact, you can still voice your opinion on an issue removed from one blog by posting it in your own.  Just remember not to personally attack anyone in the process.

The freedom and power Our Daily Thoughts provides is a double-edged sword, because the community here can observe all actions, good and bad, and will often develop impressions of people based on how they conduct themselves in their blogs (and visiting and replying in others).  The best impression you can make is to be tolerant of diverse opinions, try to be respectful in presenting your own views, and know when to stop kicking an issue to death.  If I find someone's views intolerable and completely out of the realm of what I personally find acceptable, I'm not forced to spend time reading them, and nobody else is forced to either.  I think it's always important to spend your time here focusing on the things that provide you enjoyment and fulfillment, and to avoid those things that distract or prevent you from finding that enjoyment or fulfillment.
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Offline dot-matrix

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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #185 on: December 18, 2007, 01:09:31 am »
Wise words Phillip.   Thank You once again for being the voice reason in an emotional and volitile situation.
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Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #186 on: December 20, 2007, 01:10:20 am »
I am nearing my 3,500th public message here (it's actually been more than that when you consider I tend to delete my own expired administrative-oriented messages.)  That puts me above the average user, but hardly near the top of the pile with several folks well above 10,000 messages.

Christmas is coming fast this year and I am barely finished with Treezilla, the Christmas tree for 2007.  This is about the latest I have ever erected a tree, and I have a suspicion this particular holiday season will fly by mostly unnoticed.  I'm just not in the mood for it for some reason.  I'm not upset that I'm not in the mood - I just don't feel very holiday-giddy.  I suspect the car drama from a few weeks ago coupled with my father's medical issues are mostly responsible for this, but also just the busy-ness factor.  So much to do and not enough time to do it, especially after this past weekend's snowstorm which kept me outdoors shovelling repeatedly.

I am still shopping for others for Christmas, so I'm going to be obsessed with that for the next day or two, which is also why the banner this week was late.
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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #187 on: December 20, 2007, 01:17:12 am »
I am hearing from a LOT of people that it just doesnt' 'feel' like Christmas this year... :-\

don't know what the cure is...but it seems the blues have hit everyone all at the same time.

Offline ifyoucantfixit

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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #188 on: December 20, 2007, 02:56:44 am »



        Yes, i have the urge to just forget all of it but the Christmas dinner...make dinner and have
everyone just visit,, done deal..
             bah humbug... I am ms scrooge   :P



     Beautiful mind

Offline Phillip Dampier

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Re: Phil Skips Stones Across the Pond of Life
« Reply #189 on: December 28, 2007, 06:41:52 pm »
My rampage begins as I seek out who in what mall decided to give me a rotten cold which erupted on Christmas Eve of all times.  ARGH!!!!  I am sitting here with the Puffs Plus (the lotiony tissues) and hacking my head off.  I hate colds.

This sort of frosted the whole Christmas season cake for me.  I'm glad to be done with it this year.  I never got into it anyway.

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