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Editorials ----

7-2-02

Don't Fish in Lightning Storms -

Recently I had a reason to reflect on good luck (or the lack of). You see, last Saturday I was driving home from work and talking to my buddy Jerry on the cell phone. I know, I know. You shouldn't talk on a cell phone when driving..Blah, blah, blah! Anyway, I look over to my right and see about seven Sheriff's department cruisers parked along the freeway (I-75) and behind them was parked a Television News van. I see the deputies along the banks of the Tampa Canal standing there looking down at what appeared to be a person prone on the ground. Well, the next day I read in the paper that this poor guy was fishing and was surprised by the sudden thunderstorm that came rolling in. He was heading for his bicycle to make a hasty retreat out of there when...BAM! He was hit and killed by a bolt of lightning. All of which caused me to start thinking about LUCK.

This poor guy, whom I gather from the story and other people who knew of him, was a bit down on his luck. Which is one of the reasons he was on a bicycle in the first place. I was thinking, this poor guy has a string of bad luck through life and then he goes fishing and WHAMMO! -- A bolt of lightning strikes. Now the more I reflect on it I start to wonder... Do we make our own luck?

Sure we do. Or at least we have a certain degree of involvement in it. I mean, we have had severe thunderstorms with lightning (Tampa IS the lightening capitol of the US) every afternoon for the past 2 1/2 weeks. Surely, this guy realized it. Otherwise, he wouldn't be trying to haul it outta there when the storm came up. So my point is, that we all have an active hand in our own luck/destiny in one way or the other. It's kind of like a boat in that you can steer it around obstacles. The real secret is recognizing the obstacles in time. Sometimes we can't see the forest for the trees. Even when all of our friends can see the obvious path that we should take for our own well being and give us advice, we still don't follow the advice even though we get the same advice from different people over and over again. I am guilty of it too.

So, the moral of the story is..."Don't fish in lightning storms" and try to step back from your problems and take a look at them from a different perspective. You may be surprised to find out what you see. Sometimes bad luck is a blessing in disguise. Sometimes things could have turned out much worse than they did and it is just an opportunity to change directions for the better.

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7-2-02

A Lesson in Procedures -

Okay, enough of the belly button lint! The new site is up and some things from the old site are gone and some will return. By now most of you have realized that you must sign up for the site. Many people have not returned in a while and hopefully they will get an email from Dan prompting them to do so. The good news is that lots of people are coming back and signing up. Unfortunately there are those of you out there who just can't seem to follow instructions (I'm starting to sound like Mr. Mehfoud).

There are two problems that seem to keep cropping up. The first one is that some people want to deviate from the prescribed format we picked for the user names. This format is picked for a reason. The reason is that it allows the search feature to find you and for people to recognize who you are by your user name. Duh! Dan has been real hesitant to call people on this but, I don't mind being the bad guy. I've learned it's okay to do this from being a Sgt. for so long in the Marines. Somebody has to do it. Besides, you are all my friends or potential friends and if your friends can't tell what you are doing wrong then who can? Besides, It's our website and we get to make the rules! NYAH! NYAH! NYAH! (Just kidding!)

But, here is what is going to have to happen. YOU MUST USE THIS FORMAT FOR YOUR USER NAME: (First name by which people knew you)(Last Name in High School)(Last two digits of your Class year). EXAMPLE: JackAdkins73 No made up screennames. No married names. No full class year etc.

If you have failed to do this one of two things will eventually happen. Dan will either fix it for you, or he will delete your user name and email you that you will have to sign up all over again. I suspect it most likely will be that he will fix it as it will be easier on him in the long run. So, please read the instructions carefully.

Now the second problem..(I told you there was a second problem didn't I?) After people are signing up, they are not activating their account by clicking on the SECOND link in their confirmation email. YOU MUST DO THIS TO ACTIVATE YOUR ACCOUNT. Some people are just deleting the email without really reading it and then are not able to activate their account. Once again, this means Dan or I will have to do it for you. Please activate your accounts after signing up by clicking on the SECOND link in the confirming email you will receive after you sign up..

Last but not least. Several people have graciously asked about how much it is costing to keep this site up and what can they do to contribute to the cost of maintaining the site. First of all, this is a NON PROFIT SITE. However, since it also belongs to you the members, you are allowed to contribute to the cost of maintaining it's presence on the web. If you feel generous and would like to help, email Dan Zodun and he will supply you with the info on where to send any baubles and beads or stocks and bonds etc.

I'm done for this time. Great job on those reunions and I am glad to see the site is helping. Please continue to use it. That's what it is here for.

Luv ya...Mean it


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Previous Rants

 
Anybody who wants to Know Jack Better can check out his earlier rants here:

Lighting up is getting harder in South Florida >>

Living with Yankee neighbors>>

The Bug Got Me and Other Stuff >>

Lauderdale, Attack Show Dogs and Beanie Baby Millionaires >>

Driver Insanity, Cabinets and Typhoid Mary >>

Clean Pot Holders and Shiny Tools >>

What time is Oprah on? >>

Pink Flamingoes are keeping me Awake >>

I'm So Excited >>

Conspiracy Theory >>

Crying Towel >>

In With the New(year) >>

Blaming the Holidays >>