Factoids and Snippets

Sharing a few pieces of life

Maya Angelou

Quotes worth living by

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.
I've learned that "making a living" is not the same thing as making a “life."
I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.
I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just afriendly pat on the back.
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. -

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 When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem.

Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses? What do you see?What are you thinking? When you're looking at me?

A crabby old man, not very wise, Uncertain of habit with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food and makes no reply.When you say in a loud voice ‘I do wish you'd try!'

Who seems not to notice? The things that you do and forever is losing a sock or shoe?

Who, resisting or not lets you do as you will,with bathing and feeding, the long day to fill?

Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?Then open your eyes, nurse, you're not looking at me

I'll tell you who I am. As I sit here so still;
As I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.

I'm a small child of 10, with a father and mother, brothers and sisters, who love one another.

A young boy of 16, with wings on his feet,dreaming that soon now a lover he'll meet.

A groom soon at 20, my heart gives a leap.Remembering the vows that I promised to keep.

At 25 now, I have young of my own.Who need me to guide, and a secure happy home.

A man of 30, my young now grown fast, bound to each other, with ties that should last.

At 40, my young sons have grown and are gone; but my woman's beside me, to see I don't mourn.

At 50 once more, babies play 'round my knee.
Again, we know children my loved one and me. Dark days are upon me, my wife is now dead.

I look at the future shudder with dread.For my young are all rearing young of their own.

And I think of the years and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man and nature is cruel.’Tis jest to make old age, look like a fool.

The body it crumbles, grace and vigor, depart.There is now a stone, where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass, a young guy still dwells, and now and again my battered heart swells.

I remember the joys I remember the pain and I'm loving and living life over again.

I think of the years, all too few gone too fast and accept the stark fact that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people, open and see. Not a crabby old man, look closer… see ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within. We will all, one day, be there too!

__________

If your day isn't going well, then think again!

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For those in Western MA 

1. You don’t speak with a Boston accent, but you can spot a fake one a mile away.
2. You get upset when Worcester is referenced as being “west”.
3. You refer to anything in the Ingleside section of Holyoke as being “by the mall”.
4. You have never been to the new Basketball Hall of Fame, other than to go to the restaurants.
5. You took at least one elementary school field trip to the Quadrangle, Symphony Hall, Laughing Brook or Old Sturbridge Village.
6. You know all four seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter & road construction.
7. You have used the heater and air conditioner in your car on the same day.
8. You refer to something cool happening as "wicked awesome".
9. You used to drive to packies New Hampshire on Sundays before they were allowed to open in MA.
10. You know what a “packie” is.
11. You think everyone from Connecticut (and Longmeadow) is a snob and everyone from Vermont is a hippie.
12. You have enrolled in at least one class at Holyoke Community College.
13. You know at least three people that work for Baystate Health System.
14. You always call it Western Mass. (or WMass in writing), never Western Massachusetts.
15. You don’t really consider the Berkshires to be part of WMass.
16. You had Staties bust your high school keg party in Russell, Blandford, Granville or Otis.
17. You know what a Statie is.
18. You've grown tired of telling people from outside WMass that you're from Ware and they say, "where"?
19. You still call the local Fox affiliate, “Channel 61”.
20. You watched your friends compete on As Schools Match Wits.
21. You will watch all four local TV stations' weather reports and the Weather Channel the second anyone mentions the possibility,however slight, of inclement weather. 22. You have never been to a Starbucks but you know the location of the nearest Dunkin Donuts no matter what city/town you’re in.
23. You went to Bright Nights when it first started but haven’t been back since.
24. You don’t pronounce the “h” in Amherst.
25. You know when somebody says UMass, they mean the one in Amherst and not Lowell, Dartmouth. 26. You have tried nine different “shortcuts” to avoid the Coolidge Bridge traffic on Route 9.
27. You still call Six Flags, Riverside.
28. You still call the MassMutual Center, the Civic Center.
29. You still call the Republican, the Union News. (Or the Morning Union and the Daily News for that matter.)
30. You still call Tower Square, Baystate West
31. You have been to the “Whately Ballet”.
32. You or somebody you know holds a tag sale every spring or fall.
33. You know what a tag sale is.
34. You drive 80 MPH on I-91 at all times; rain, shine, sleet or snow.
35. You consider anything that is more than 15 minutes and/or two towns away to be “far”.
36. You have been to Connecticut’s state capital, Hartford, more than your own.
37. You say to yourself “It’s not that bad out” while driving through a Nor’easter.
38. You know that the MassPike is some sort of strange weather line of demarcation.
39. You've entered one of the MassPike's service plazas from the back gate late at night because there was nothing else open nearby.
40. You won't see a movie until Sy Becker reviews it. (Another loooook at the movies.)
41. You wish Mountain Park & Mt. Tom was still open.
42. You have never been on a PVTA bus but when you’re in Boston, you ride the T because “it’s fun”.
43. You know where the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in New England (and second largest in the country) takes place. 44. You have a love/hate relationship with downtown Springfield.
45. You leave at 7:00 AM on a Sunday to come back from vacationing on the Cape to beat the traffic at Exit 9 on the MassPike.
46. You will drive to the Yankee Candle flagship store in South Deerfield even though it’s 45 minutes out of your way and there are three other Yankee Candle stores that are closer to your house.
47. You would order an Awful Awful with your dinner at Friendly's.
48. You know what an Awful Awful was.
49. You had never been to a Chinese food chain restaurant until you left the area.
50. You know the best hamburgers are found at the White Hut.
51. You know the best hot dogs are found at Nick's Nest.
52. You know the best doughnuts are found at Mrs. Murphy's (or maybe the Donut Dip).
53. You call Riverdale St., Riverdale Rd.
54. You give directions using where places “used to be” as points of references. (e.g. Go down Riverdale Rd. past where Abdow’s used to be…).
55. You let people know how far away something is in units of time, not distance.
56. You can think of at least one drive-in that you went to as a kid that is now a shopping center.
57. You reference the Purple Onion whenever giving directions to Westfield or Southampton.
58. You “know someone” who will let you park for free on their property during the Big E.
59. You know what the Big E is.
60. You left work early to catch an afternoon post time at the Three County Fair racetrack.
61.. You or someone you know has owned one of those blue Western Mass Recycles bins for at least 15 years.
62. You let your car idle for 20 minutes on a cold winter morning to defrost the windows instead of taking 20 seconds to scrape them.
63. You have bar-hopped at golf course clubhouses.
64. You know of a fraternal club (American Legion, Elks Lodge, etc.) that will keep serving alcohol after 2:00 AM.
65. You don’t think twice about seeing black squirrels in your yard.
66. You felt a sense of pride when Snoop Dogg wore a Springfield Indians jersey in the Gin & Juice video.
67. You have attended a function at Chez Josef.
68. You shopped at Steiger's.
69. You can navigate the crazy East Longmeadow rotary/intersection with no problem.
70. You spend hot summer nights waiting for the Ding Dong Cart to come by your neighborhood.
71. You know what the Ding Dong Cart is. 72. You go to Subway to order grinders.
73. You know Richard's Grinders is better than any Subway
74. You say, "I'm all set" instead of " no thanks".
75. You've attended at least one airshow at Westover or Barnes.
76. You locked yourself out of your car and called Serv-U Locksmiths
77.You miss Ruby Vine and his Railroad Salvage commercials 78. You know you can go to Florida and Peru without leaving the region.
79. You refer to the neighborhood that you live in, rather than the city/town (e.g Feeding Hills instead of Agawam, Thorndike instead of Palmer, Willimansett instead of Chicopee, etc.).
80. You know that Northampton is full of lesbians, Ludlow is full of Portuguese, Holyoke is full of Irish and Bondi’s Island is full of shit.