Can I Go Now? - The Weekly Hodgepodge

Shout out to From This Side of the Pond for the Hodgepodge questions.

The USA will mark Columbus Day on Monday, October 14th this year...what's something you need or want to explore (literally or metaphorically speaking)?

I really want to travel and explore the world.  Starting with all the lovely places here in Alabama and on to the rest of the world.  I've pinned some the places I want to go on Pinterest.

The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, Ursula from The Little Mermaid, or Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty...who do you most love to hate?

Out of all of those, I've only seen The Wizard of Oz, so I guess the Wicked Witch of the West.  I don't really know...or care.

 Is open-mindedness a virtue?

It depends.  If a person is so closed minded that he sees no wrong in himself or no need to be open to the ideas of others, then open-mindedness is a good thing to cultivate.  However, if a person is so open minded that he is extremely gullible and naïve, then open-mindedness is not a virtue at all.

 How often do you weigh yourself?

I used to weigh once a week, but when the numbers aren't going the right way, it was hard for me to look over a whole week and see where the problems were.  I now weigh daily for a while.  This will show me what affect certain things have on my body.  For example, this last "m" cycle, I put on 8 pounds of water weight in 4 days !  (I've already peed out 4lbs of it--whew).  If weighing daily starts to make me paranoid, I will go back to once a week.  So far, so good.

Costa Rica was recently named the happiest country in the world on The Happy Planet Index.  What's the happiest country in the world to you, and what makes it so?

Let's see...um Hawaii...no that's NOT a country!  Let's see, Scotland has the Fairy Pools at Isles of Skye, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo Festival and Craig Ferguson...but I've never been there, so that doesn't count either.  Ask me a Bible, music or grammar question!  I'm good at those.

Besides The Bible, what is one book you think should be mandatory reading for every high school student?

Just one? Are you kidding? It's a toss up between two books I mentioned a while back in a blog post. 

Unchained by Mac Gober.  Gober is a Vietnam veteran and former outlaw biker who starts life in a violent home devoid of a real father figure and ends up starting a ministry (Canaan Land in Autaugaville, Alabama) to bring the love of the Heavenly Father to the hurting.  I met Mr. Gober many years ago and I actually have an autographed copy of the book.  My second favorite biography is American on Purpose by Craig Ferguson.  Ferguson is a Scottish-born actor, comedian, and the host of The Late Late Show.  His road to success and U. S. citizenship was paved with many, MANY potholes including alcohol and drug addiction, a couple of failed marriages, and the perils of trying to “hit it big” in show business.  I like this book because it’s not “Hollywood” at all.  Both of the authors are very honest about the good, the bad, and the VERY ugly.  They should meet.

These two books teach many vital lessons.  They show the realities of addiction and that anyone can be tempted to screw up their lives.  They both show that redemption and recovery are possible and necessary to live a full life.  

I went shopping at some nearby outlets last week, and while I was there, I picked up a couple of Christmas gifts. How about you? Have you started your holiday shopping yet?

Shopping?  No.  Crafting?  Yes.

Insert your own random thought here

A few posts back, I said I was tired of writing about bad memories and hard times.  Well, I got some more bad news today.  However, I'm not going to curl up, turn in to a hermit, and start eating like there's no tomorrow.  I'm going to win this one! 

Psalm 112:7 - He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.