Bandit’s Corner

Hi there,

I apologize for for the time that has passed since my last post, but I’ve been really busy. Guarding this house, playing with my owners daughter, sniffing out tidbits here and there, and just taking care of all the responsibilities of being a dog. I watch this place day and night and I’m serious about it.

I did get down to the Pet Expo in Timmonium MD a couple of weeks ago. And I enjoyed myself. I sniffed until my sinuses started acting up. Food, other dogs, vendors just giving away treats like there was no tomorrow. I met a Yorkshire Terrier, that was too fine! She was groomed wearing a pink bandanna, and had the cutest brown eyes. My owner started this come on Bandit nonsense, tugging on my lease while I was trying to get my introductory sniff on. He would have done well if he had followed the lease from the Yorkie’s neck up to who was holding it, that wasn’t bad either, but he didn’t see all that. Something to do with being married.  Any way, I reluctantly watched this beautiful terrier wag an oh so fine hind quarters away from me. That’s okay, there were hundreds of dogs there, I saw a Great Dane I tried to set up a future date in a dog park with, but my owner started again, “She’s too big for you” Maybe I like big women dogs, he doesn’t know. Next year I leave him home!

You know, people wear some run-over shoes. Other people can’t see like I can ( being two feet high and the ability to sniff super low). I saw a man with a pair of shoes where the soles were so thin, if he stepped on some bubble gum, he was sure to taste the flavor. And I saw this lady, in heels, so worn, they looked like flip flops. (Who wears heels to a Pet Expo anyway?) People with too tight shoes, too loose shoes, just interesting observations from my angle.

All in all I had fun. My owner an I have moved our blog from google to this location. More features and they are all free.  So now that we’re somewhat settled in we can begin posting regularly  again.

For now, I’m gonna go, I have to get back to my guard duties. I’ll be back soon………..stay tuned.

Bandit

The Presidential Race

The current presidential race is surely one of the most interesting and intriguing  one we have seen in years. It contains none of the “usual suspects”, as the line up has an African American, a female,  there was an actor, there is the millionaire governor, and some participants no one knew before.  This has all the makings of a good drama on any campaign night. They all have contributed to a fresh face lift to what was a stodgy good old boy private club.

Most refreshing, however is the platforms and agendas they are presenting, and how they are presenting them. Some of the debates were real sparring sessions  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD9F1t9GQzA  at times no holds barred, but yet not low down and dirty. There are several life lessons to be learned from the candidates and this race in general.

• The main one (politicians themselves seem to forget this one everytime),  watch what you say, and what agendas you embrace through life, someone somewhere may hold you to it someday. Be ready to defend your life’s decisions, and positions whether they are popular or not.
• Study your adversary, and attack the weak and ambiguous positions (this is exactly what the Giants did to win the Superbowl by the way). Don’t get mad, get ahead.
• Back and believe in people based on their character and sincerity, not their ethic origin, gender, or religious preferences. If ethinic , gender, and religious traits genuinely blend into the recipe that works, accept it with the total platform. They should never be the single and only reason for any decision making process. Ask yourself,  are they who they say they are and , are they who I need them to be? 
• Don’t be forced into your allegiances by popular pressure or media influence. It’s your life you are living, and what works for you isn’t supposed to work for everyone else and vice versa.
• When competing, don’t expect the opposition to always play fair. You are in for you, if you are prepared, you won’t have to resort to back bar room tactics. You can succeed and maintain your integrity along with the success.
• Last but not least, deliver on anything you committed to or promised. The same road that got you where you are, will be the same one to lead you away if you had no intentions of following through on any of your agenda.

Sit back enjoy the presidential race, but most of all, vote. If you don’t vote, don’t complain. 

Privacy: Cops Can Search You…and Your Phone’s Memory

Who Knew?

Read About it ! -> Privacy: Cops Can Search You…and Your Phone’s Memory

Another New Year

2007 came and went with some pretty interesting content. Some sad, some bizarre, some good, some mundane, and some just downright wrong. The usual showcase of just when we’ve think we have seen it all……

But so went 2007 and we should leave it at 2007. If you are reading this, thank your God for one blessing, you lived another year.

And a good start to the new year would be not to waste any energy that can be applied to 2008 dissecting 2007. I think we all should assess our accomplishments of the pass year be proud of them and focus on some concrete goals for the upcoming year. The things we fell short on, if they are worth pursuing, decide what we need to do to make them work. Outside of that, throw the trash out and get on with it.

Make it a break out year. Clean up any loose strings, detach yourself from restraining baggage that’s not adding any value to your life and set your sights on enhanced self development aimed at improving your quality of life. It’s not too late to achieve that dream you have been claiming you couldn’t have. Self defeatist never achieve any thing but what’s given to them, and nobody gives you anything.

Draw your own map, don’t concern yourself with the path others are taking. You have to live and answer for your own choices and decisions so make the ones that beneficial to you. Be considerate of others but concerned with yourself.

Take an inventory of what’s left in your life’s stockroom from the previous year. here are some ticklers to get you started. I would suggest answering these question on a piece of paper and investigating your honest answers. If you find you have made the strides you planned map out how to keep the momentum going. If you find you have been marinating in excuses and self constructed obstacles, map out how you plan to jump into the frying pan and get things cooking.

Are the current contents helping you achieve your life’s mission or hurting?
Are some of your dreams gathering dust on last years shelves?
What have you tucked away in the drawers of your mind to avoid dealing with?
How have you improved yourself in a year?
What do you want most to accomplish this year and why?
Do you have a list of goals written for this year? If not why? Don’t you want anything?
How do you plan on achieving the things you want most and are you working toward them?
Where do you see yourself next year this time?
Are you capitalizing on what you do best?
What’s on that shelf that has little or no value to your quality of life?

I have a philosophy when it comes to challenges and all my teammates hear it the day they join the team.
” Any laid back soul with no ambition can submit a million reasons why something won’t work, I’m looking for that firm believer that submits one reason why it will work.” That’s what will get you where you want to go, entertaining why it can be done when presented with challenges as opposed to submitting to why it won’t. Take the will option an build on it and you find things falling in line.

And use reverse engineering when solving a problem, children do it all the time. Keep asking yourself why until you can’t answer any more….the answer to that why before the one you could not answer is your starting point, your one in many reasons why it will work.

The only thing stopping you is you. Think about it.

Sidewalk Congestion Rivals Traffic Jams

On the sidewalks of New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Miami, and just about every major metropolitan city there are walkers, runners, standing and gazing in awe tourist, squatters tying walking shoes, readers and texters, groups creeping at a snails pace, impaired staggers, the occasional toddler stumbling. Then there are some that’s just sitting, or laying whatever their preference or state of mind demands at the moment.

Hundreds of different people traveling the same real estate without the aid of signs and traffic control. It can get messy frustrating, and at times downright frustrating. Road rage has nothing on some incidents of sidewalk rage when the to many bumps, grinds, stepped on heels, creeping groups blocking any forward progress reaches the boiling point.

Here is a wonderful article published in 2002 By Marc Santora that give a delightful yet beneficial quick course on navigating city sidewalks a little bearable for all. If you live in or will be visiting or moving to a major metropolitan city you will find this a good read………

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9403E4D71739F935A25754C0A9649C8B63