There are small annoyances....

in life that may not warrant a second thought,but I would not be truthful if I didn't confess to more than just occasional flashes of vexation when confronted with some of these. So, as suggested in some "How to..." book self-help chapter, one is to make a list of stuff, sort of taking out the sharp edge of, for example,"annoyances" and ,if so inclined, "deal" with them as they occur. Easier said than done. The list will be easy to prepare, dealing with individual items will present difficulties. Here it goes.

1./Having been preoccupied with being physically active all my life and particularly when I was at the height of my own "self-importance", career-wise,I have often complained about the lack of time and space for working up a good sweat. Whenever I have felt bad enough and lethargic enough, I could always find a half an hour, for at least a strenuous walk, or taking the stairs for several flights, until time and space was available for a workout. So, here is one of my earliest and most persistent annoyances:meeting and watching overweight, out of shape sport coaches, trainers in charge of young or not so young sport lovers,aspirants. I always felt embarrassed in their place and I'm sure in some cases there may have been legitimate reasons for being such a poor example to their pupils. For the rest there is just no excuse, none.

2./The ease and comfort of shopping in today's supermarkets compared to the weekly produce market in my hometown many years ago is such a pleasure. On entry you have a huge cart or a smaller basket, stroll through the isles and pick out your your products, go to the cashier pay and wheel out your cart, find your car, transfer the stuff and...what do many people do with their carts? Some leave them by the side of their cars, some wheel them up to the nearest curb and may manage to leave them securely behind, or not. Very few people take the time, probably less than a minute,to wheel the cart to its designated "parking pad". Some supermarkets employ cart collectors whose job is to find and arrange these wayward carts from huge parking lots. The carts left idly behind are a real menace to people, cars, children.
Still, many just seem oblivious to the potential damage and just leave them anywhere. So thoughtless,impolite,dangerous.

3./ You are walking on a busy sidewalk and all of sudden you come upon a small gathering of people, anywhere from 3 to several who are literally blocking the whole sidewalk. They may have just met, or stopped as a group for a short meeting, whatever.You try to go around them, maybe even step off curb and still, they don't move and are oblivious that others are blocked. So thoughtless, rude.

4./ Do you have small annoyances? Perhaps something that I may be guilty of...

A picture...

from the 50th Anniversary of the Hungarian Uprising, 1956-2006

I was honored by the University of Toronto...

the other day, by inducted into U of T Sports Hall of Fame.

This was quite a surprise, since the reason given for this honor were my fencing results in my rookie year, 1962/63. I was the intercollegiate champion in saber that school year.

During the induction ceremony I had the privilege of meeting former truly great champions, olympic medallists and the Dean of the Faculty of Physical Education, Bruce Kidd, a Canadian sport icon. He presented me with the certificate.

It was required of the inductees to say a few words at the time and there is a YouTube video here you might like to watch, it's only 3 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9dFRBxS3k8

A personal note on the events in Iran...

During the spring of 2007 I have spent some time with young fencing coaches from various countries at the University of Budapest,Faculty of Physical Education. I was helping the instructor with the translation from Hungarian to English ( the common language of all participants). I got very close to the personable Iranian fencing coach, A. He and I have spent some meals together after the classes. Never having any intimate knowledge of Iran I have been given a comprehensive review of Iranian society of the day (2007), the aspiration of her very young people. It was an eye opener. I was assured that the vast majority of Iran's population hated the oppressive theocracy that they were forced to live under. That her people, especially the young, some 65 % of the population just wanted a secular, free society and friendship with the world , including the USA.
The recent popular uprising against this oppressive regime bore out this notion I was privileged to hear from my new Iranian friend.

The year 1959

Consider: It was the year when the microchip was introduced, the Food and Drug Administration held hearings on the birth-control pill, IBM marketed the first business computer, a passenger jetliner took the first nonstop trans-Atlantic flight, and America joined the Russians in the "space race." It saw the rise of free jazz, "sick comics," the New Journalism, and indie films; the birth of Motown, Happenings, and the Generation Gap; the Lady Chatterley trial that overthrew the nation's obscenity laws; the U.S. Civil Rights Commission's first report, which sparked the overhaul of segregation laws—all this bursting against fears of a "missile gap," the fallout-shelter craze, and the first U.S. casualties in the war in Vietnam.

From the book: 1959,The Year Everything Changed, by Fred Kaplan

Love all of these one liners:

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland ,Ohio
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.. It is the most-requested column I've ever written." My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't s crew up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood.. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give it time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

About my book...

Find it here:

http://eurobird.blogspot.com/2009/02/i-should-say-something-about-my-book.html