Lou Page

Time to Get Your Inner “Dog” On

Popular wisdom says that dogs have owners while cats have staff. That’s undoubtedly why dogs come when they’re called and cat’s take a message and get back with you later.

When I recently heard a speaker compare entries from a dog’s journal and a cat’s journal, I knew I had to do a little research so I could share it here.

Entries in a dog’s journal:

8:00 AM – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!

9:30 AM – OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!

9:40 AM – OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!

10:30 AM – OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!

11:30 AM – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!

12:00 PM- OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!

1:00 PM – OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!

1:30 PM – ooooooo. bath. bummer.

4:00 PM – OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!

5:00 PM – OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!

5:30 PM – OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!

Entries in a cat’s journal:

DAY 752 – My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another house plant.

DAY 761 – Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair…must try this on their bed.

DAY 765 – Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was…Hmmm. Not working according to plan.

DAY 768 – I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time, however, it included a burning foamy chemical called “shampoo.” What sick minds could invent such a liquid? My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.

DAY 771 – There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise. More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of “allergies.” Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

DAY 774 – I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant, and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait; it is only a matter of time……

In these stressful times it’s hard not slip into a “cat” attitude. To avoid it, we have to work a little harder to be truly grateful for what we have in life. Clearly our country has significant economic problems. As if these problems weren’t enough, media outlets magnify them and undermine consumer confidence with the constant drum beat of negative reporting. And this is a case where the reporting may be causing the problem to grow worse.

So it’s worth focusing a bit less on media hysteria and a little more on the things we can actually control. And most of all, like the dog, we must focus our thoughts on our “favorite” things – our spouse, our kids, our families, our friends.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Philippians:4:8

Face It – Some People Just Have “It”

Michael Caine once said, “Having talent is like having blue eyes. You don’t admire a man for the color of his eyes. I admire a man for what he does with his talent.”

Let’s face it, some people are just talented. Take a look at 7 year old, Anthony Gargiula sings our National Anthem at a Siena College Basketball game in Albany New York, and I guarantee, you’ll truly be amazed.

We can’t all sing like Anthony, but I believe we all have amazing talents within us. I love this encouragement from the Book of Romans.

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”

Five things I Love about the One I Love

Today is Valentine’s Day. And while I’m really not known as a person who shares my feelings easily, I think this would be a good time to tell a little about the woman who has been my valentine for thirty-six years. Of course, I will probably be in trouble since Charlene has never enjoyed being in the spotlight.

I could share a lot, but I’ll limit myself to five things I love about my friend, lover, counselor, and companion.

Five things I Love about My Wife

1. Charlene is a woman of integrity. What she believes, she believes strongly, and her actions are always consistent with her beliefs. She says what she means and means what she says. You can always count on her to do what she says she is going to do.
2. She is passionate about her relationship with God. She consistently seeks to grow spiritually by reading the scriptures, devouring books, and listening to recordings. (If they were on the computer we would call them podcasts, but she is still quite analog. I love that too. ☺)
3. Charlene loves our kids and grandkids. When they are here, everything else is on the back burner. She invests the time to teach, love, guide and pray with and for them.
4. Let’s put the cards on the table. You have to admit – she is really, really cute!
5. And finally, the thing that most amazes me – she loves me!

Google Says that ALL Sites May Harm Your Computer!

I’m SURE that the Google programmers will get this fixed, but… Google is currently flagging the entire Internet as malware!

If you go to Google and search for any site, you will get the message, ”This site may harm your computer.”

Of course the news is all over Twitter.

Bush Daughters Advice to President Obama’s Daughters

It’s got to be tough to stay grounded when you are growing up in the White House. Here’s a message from the Bush Daughters to the President Obama’s daughters, Sasha and Malia.

For me, the most moving part was what they had to say about their dad. See if you agree.

Can You Get a Virus from Facebook?

Can you get a virus from Facebook? The answer might surprise you. Recently a friend asked for assistance because she was having problems with her computer. As it turns out, her computer was infected with a virus called Koobface that has been spreading through the Facebook community. (If you didn’t realize it already, the word koobface is Facebook turned inside out.)

While Facebook itself doesn’t install any treacherous software onto your computer, you might be tricked into installing the software yourself. The typical scenario is for the virus to send messages from a friend’s compromised account. You receive a link from the person inviting you click on a link to a webpage with an interesting video.

When you visit the site, you are told that your Flash player needs an update before you can view the video. This sounds reasonable so you click the link. When you do, the page installs a virus on your computer.

What real harm can the virus do? Viruses can steal your personal information, including passwords. They can also send spam and viruses from your computer without your knowledge.

How can you protect yourself from virus infection? Here are easy steps:

• Whether on a social networking site or through regular email, suspicious links and attachments, even from friends, should be avoided. My rule of thumb is to never open attachments from someone I don’t know. And if I do know the person, I still don’t open the file unless I am expecting it.
• If you don’t have a virus program, get one. If you already have a virus program, make sure the the virus definitions are updated regularly. For free but decent virus protection software, check out AVG Antivirus that you can download here.
• Turn on phishing protection in your computer’s internet browser software. If you browser does not offer this protection, use one that does.
• Be wary of free programs that you can download from the web, especially those that offer to scan your computer for viruses.
• Think twice before you install Facebook applications that have access to your (and your friends) profile information.

For more information on the Koobface virus, visit the McAfee site here.