My East Coast family is watching the Ebay auction for Muhammed Ali’s training camp just down the road and around the corner.  Bidding is up to over 4 million for five acres in the Appalachian Mountains. Hurry, bidding ends in 17 hours!

In 1970, looking for a place to train in peace, Muhammad Ali chose Deer Lake, Pennsylvania for its beauty, breathtaking views, and tranquil settings for him to properly train for upcoming fights. Finding the country setting to his liking, Ali then sought to develop a real training camp in the countryside.

The terrain in this area reminds me of the Ozarks, with bigger mountains, nuclear power, and only a two hour drive to New York City or DC.

Looks like Hillbilly Heaven.

We’re still digging out from the remodeling project, tedious, but liberating.

Two customer service issues with Amazon and Alltel have taken their toll.

As an Amazon merchant, we’ve had some issues regarding payment and communication and recently terminated our seller account. Amazon is difficult to do business with on the merchant level. After digging down deep for a phone number, I was connected to a rep in India and then transferred three times to someone who would “put a note in my file”. That’s what they said a month ago. Hmmmm. Suspicions confirmed…..

Alltel: Second visit in four days. The phone store experience has become reminiscent of a visit to the DMV. Silly me, I went to one of the smaller “satellite” stores thinking it might be less busy than the main location. Bad idea. The reps are pleasant enough, it’s the clients that are surly. Saturday, get new phone and revise contract.

Today, I planned a weekday 10 am visit for a simple accessory exchange, should be in and out. Count on a minimum 30 minute wait. Both days, customers are stacked up with lots of huffing and puffing going on. Three agents to service the masses. Saturday, they had a greeter to take names and route the traffic. They don’t answer the phone, which rings incessantly, but the ring tones blend in with the hip hop dance club music they play overhead. The kids love it.

Prior to the first visit, I made several attempts to call ahead to get the store hours, the recording does not divulge that information. Today, I saw two people stomp out of the store swearing they’d never use AllTel again.

Maybe they should expand the lounge area and serve cocktails while people are waiting. Or hire a few more agents. Saturday, my rep was demonstrating the phone internet features and pron proceeded to download in my face. Whoops! Krazy Kids!

On a brighter note the folks at urngarden.com have added a wholesale module for funeral directors to log-on and order the cremation urn styles that families WILL BUY. We’ve mined the data to show you what customers prefer in your area and you can build around it.

Today we’ll examine Florida. Most funeral homes in the USA carry the two standards Birds in Flight (I call it “Free Bird”) and the Classic. Both have matching 3″ keepsakes and are the most popular cremation urns sold in the Sunshine State from 2005 to present.

Speaking of Keepsakes- From the 3″ brass standards to the cremation urn jewelry gold heart pendant, they all do well. Family packs of keepsake urns in quantities of 4-6 are a popular choice and we’ll mix and match if desired. Call me or call your supplier, but make it a point to stock the cremation urn styles that families prefer.

Celtic keepsakes- we have an exclusive line that we’ve added in the last year and they are hot.

Florida Families also purchased: Blue Swirl and Irish Rose .

Florida families are doing the tree dedications and adding a bench or statuary. Consider our new line of Grotto Cremation Memorials.

Quick customer service shout out to my boys at All-Pro Automotive! This girl loves a mechanic that’s quality, quick and courteous. I’ll pay you tomorrow!

Miss you already……

In another life we drifted off to sleep with Tom in the background.

Known for his improvised, casual style and robust laughter, Snyder conducted a number of memorable interviews as host of NBC’s “The Tomorrow Show.” Among his guests were John Lennon, Charles Manson and Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols.

On the print side of media, our friends at Embalmed to the Max introduced us on to an interesting online diary of an obituary writer.

The writer’s reference to her father struck a chord:

My father loves this garden. But he is consciously shedding it from his life, as he is shedding the house and all the accumulations of the years: the saucepans and chairs, the postcards and birthday cards, the blankets and stamp albums, the holiday ciné films. He is perfectly happy, he says, to move to a pleasant empty room for the rest of his days. He is stripping down, getting ready. Meanwhile, outside, Nature is slowly erasing his projects in creeping roots and seeds.

Today’s tip for better living: “Fire up a colortini, sit back, relax, and watch the pictures, now, as they fly through the air.”

Today’s tip for better living comes early in the show from the Archeress: Try to avoid O’Hare connections whenever possible. Here’s why:

that i got stranded and had to spend the night on the floor of the chicago o’hare airport last week. planes don’t fly when there’s lightning. and when scores of flights are cancelled, and it’s late at night, hotels are full, restaurants closed, and the “cots” provided by the city (otherwise used in homeless shelters i imagine) are all taken. so you lie down behind the baggage conveyor belt, with about fifty other people, and listen to annoying recorded announcements that continue all through the night. people go outside to smoke and then can’t get back in until 5am. it was very surreal. it’s not for the weak or the neurotic. i had some trouble with it.

f**k o’hare and all the overbooked airlines and their federal bailouts and their CEO bonuses and their brain-dead representatives, and their stupid recorded announcements “if you see something, say something…” …okay, i see a thousand people stranded like refugees, everything from japanese businessmen in expensive suits, to elderly people, all lying on the floor of the airport. that’s what i see. and i see an american woman crying over by the baggage conveyor.” hello? is anyone there?

i got to arizona, 30 hours (!) after leaving la guardia

We haven’t done three beautiful things in a while, here we go:

1. Good fung-shui
2. Clarity of Thought, finally…..somewhat
3. Hot cup of joe in the morning

Saturday morning. July has been a busy month, SRP (stuff reduction program) about to wrap. An ongoing project since 2001. It may be a life’s work. The constant shuffle.

Had the VH1 on the background this am and was intrigued by Sir Paul’s video and then stumbled upon The White Stripes Dead Leaves and Dirty Ground vid.

Also found out that Chachi gets his own show: Single and 45. From VH1’s site:

Over the past 25 years, Scott Baio has lived a life that all red-blooded American males’ would sell their big screen TV, car and soul for, boasting a jaw-dropping roster of erotic ex’s that would even make Warren Beatty blush. This extensive line-up of Hollywood honeys include: Heather Locklear, Pam Anderson, Denise Richards and Nicolette Sheridan.

But now, staring down the barrel of middle age, Scott has come to the end of his philandering rope. At 45, he finds himself at a mid-life crisis of mythic proportions, wondering why he’s still single, alone and still unable to settle down and commit to a substantial, meaningful relationship.

Scott Baio says it’s not a reality show and compares it to “Entourage” and “High Fidelity”. Hmmmm, two of my faves. Might have to check it.

And finally, Billy Ray Cyrus has morphed into Keith Urban.

Enjoy the weekend!

HOW TO FREE YOURSELF OF MEMORY CLUTTER

* Realize that if you let go of an item, you do not let go of that person. People do not live on through material items.

* Hold on to items that only bring back positive memories, not painful ones.

* If there are items that encourage you to keep up a ritual based on grief, consider letting it go and focus on the positive instead.

* Make sure your space has a great representation of the past but also leaves room for you to celebrate the present and plan for the future.

* Keep the items that truly represent your loved one. To help, use this three-step process:

Step 1: Place all items in another area.

Step 2: If you’re looking to renovate a room, decide how you want to feel in that space.

Step 3: Sort everything into three categories: charity donations, keepsakes and items for a memory chest.

After almost six years, one family began the process of letting go of their young son. They begin with suitcases of his clothes and find a T-shirt that brings back painful memories of the end of his life. “Three years of our life was pain, and that’s like a memory of him. That’s still him,” his mother says.

“You have to separate the pain from the memory of your son,” organizational expert Peter Walsh says. Slowly, she lets go. “The thing is now this will be used by kids who need clothes. It will be put to great use by others who are less well off than you,” Peter says.

When deciding to keep certain things, that were part of the family routine, Peter wants to make sure this ritual is not unhealthy for the family. “The big focus in this is that stuff has power over you,” Peter says. “My concern [is] that often in touching things or looking at things they [are] connecting to the grief of the experience.”

Five hours later, the family finishes with four boxes of joyful memories.

When they described what they wanted in a home office, the family told Nate they wanted it to be functional but still honor their son’s memory.

Nate turned Jake’s old bedroom into a cheerful, organized office for the entire family. The new space is inviting. Calming blue walls, one of which is covered in cork with family photographs and mementos from the past, but room for the future picture perfect moments.

Nate and Peter pulled out all the stops for a memory chest using a beautiful armoire from “Remember when we gathered everything that you wanted to keep into the memory chest pile?” Peter says. “It’s important to understand that those things that you wanted to keep can be stored anywhere as long as they’re stored with honor and respect. And in the case of the room, the armoire’s the perfect place for that.”

On the other side of the room is a matching armoire to organize office supplies. “There are two cabinets, one’s past, one’s present and future,” Nate says.

The family loves the tribute and says they are glad the room is no longer a shrine. “It’s more of a healthy room….it’s not stuck in 2001. Now it’s 2007 and forward.”

Our feeding, sleeping, and work schedule have been interrupted by home improvement projects. Tedious, but good to clear the clutter and transform the work space.

But what if you have a room in the house that needs attention and it’s just too painful to go there? The years pass, the room becomes an unintentional shrine and you are afraid to let it go?

Enter Nate Berkus. Oprah’s favorite decorator. Nates’ assisted families that are coping with the loss of a loved one, in transforming a room without losing the memories.

Memory clutter is a more common problem than most people realize. People are terrified that if they let go of the loved one’s objects, they will lose the memory. Clearing the emotional clutter can actually help preserve your loved one’s memory. Sorting through the things that remind you the most, that represent the best, you honor the memory even more. Instead of the fear of losing the memory, you actually move to a place where the most important memories are honored.

In 2004, Nate and his partner, Fernando, were on vacation in Thailand when the devastating tsunami hit. Nate survived, but Fernando did not. “One of the reasons why your story was very touching to me was that I lost my partner very dear to me very suddenly, and it took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that people aren’t things. They’re just not,” he says.

Nate says he held onto a voice mail Fernando had left on his cell phone for a year after his death. Not knowing his phone would automatically erase messages that were a year old, Nate was shocked to find it was gone when he went to listen to it on New Year’s 2006. “It forced me to realize that, that wasn’t Fernando, as sad as it was,” Nate says.

Nate tells the families that it’s a monumental day, “because we’re here to help represent the future and honor the past. And that’s really what we’re here to do.”

Next: Tips for freeing yourself from the emotional clutter.

By Sunita Menon, Gulfnews.com, Staff Reporter
Published: July 25, 2007, 22:58

Dubai: A workers’ accommodation has been turned into a virtual nudist colony.

Many workers at the accommodation walk around the premises stark naked, much to the annoyance and embarrassment of other residents of the camp.

Though the accommodation has air-conditioners, many workers walk around the premises wearing nothing after they get back to their accommodation from their work sites.

A visit to the grocer is done only in underwear.

When Gulf News visited the accommodation, the workers had no inhibitions – they went about the accommodation naked.

While some of them were walking naked to and from the makeshift shower to their rooms, others who went on a leisurely stroll around the premises, posed for a photograph.

A translator who spoke in broken English told Gulf News that one of the reasons the men walk naked is the sizzling heat.

On whether other workers living with them had complained, he said: “There is no problem. There are no women living in the vicinity. We are all men and so there should be no problem about how we carry ourselves on our premises.”

‘Embarrassing’

But many co-workers said they are disgusted with what they are forced to put up with. Many complained that they have lodged a complaint with the camp supervisor but nothing was done.

The camp supervisor said no formal complaint had been made. “The workers said they feel very hot and hence walk around naked. They do not make any trouble,” he said.

“We have a language problem. The workers who walk around nude do not understand our language and we do not understand anything that they say. Initially their nudity was shocking, but now we just leave them alone,” said a worker.

Another worker said: “It is very embarrassing. But the naked workers keep to themselves and do not mingle with the rest of us.”

Asraf who works in a nearby grocery shop said it is disgusting to see naked men roaming around the premises.

“They wear underwear when they come to our shop … I am so glad for it. The best part is that these workers are a peaceful lot and mind their own business,” he said.

How do men discreetly apply sunscreen to sensitive areas in public places?

Thanks to Chatter for introducing us to Oscar the Death Kitty.

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) — Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means the patient has less than four hours to live.

“He doesn’t make too many mistakes. He seems to understand when patients are about to die,” Dr. David Dosa said in an interview. He describes the phenomenon in a poignant essay in Thursday’s issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

“Many family members take some solace from it. They appreciate the companionship that the cat provides for their dying loved one,” said Dosa, a geriatrician and assistant professor of medicine at Brown University.

The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and other illnesses.

After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He’d sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.

Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. “This is not a cat that’s friendly to people,” he said.
Oscar is better at predicting death than the people who work there, said Dr. Joan Teno of Brown University, who treats patients at the nursing home and is an expert on care for the terminally ill

She was convinced of Oscar’s talent when he made his 13th correct call. While observing one patient, Teno said she noticed the woman wasn’t eating, was breathing with difficulty and that her legs had a bluish tinge, signs that often mean death is near.

Oscar wouldn’t stay inside the room, though, so Teno thought his streak was broken. Instead, it turned out the doctor’s prediction was roughly 10 hours too early. Sure enough, during the patient’s final two hours, nurses told Teno that Oscar joined the woman at her bedside.

Doctors say most of the people who get a visit from the sweet-faced, gray-and-white cat are so ill they probably don’t know he’s there, so patients aren’t aware he’s a harbinger of death. Most families are grateful for the advance warning, although one wanted Oscar out of the room while a family member died. When Oscar is put outside, he paces and meows his displeasure.

No one’s certain if Oscar’s behavior is scientifically significant or points to a cause. Teno wonders if the cat notices telltale scents or reads something into the behavior of the nurses who raised him.

Nicholas Dodman, who directs an animal behavioral clinic at the Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and has read Dosa’s article, said the only way to know is to carefully document how Oscar divides his time between the living and dying.

If Oscar really is a furry grim reaper, it’s also possible his behavior could be driven by self-centered pleasures like a heated blanket placed on a dying person, Dodman said.

Nursing home staffers aren’t concerned with explaining Oscar, so long as he gives families a better chance at saying goodbye to the dying.

Oscar recently received a wall plaque publicly commending his “compassionate hospice care.”

“Killed by a Line Drive” made me wonder, should the coaches wear batting helmets? Your call, but I’d put one on.

We sit behind the net. I’ve seen a couple of fans take it in the teeth. Splintered bats careening into the stands. You’re in the game. Keep your eye on the ball.

Today’s challenge for the road crews, Roadside Memorials. Several states have legislation governing roadside memorials and that number has doubled in the last five years.

Location, location, location.

Now people feel that it’s acceptable to publicly display their grief. They have a connection with the location. The memorial fills a personal need, but complicates the highways and byways according to the Department of Transportation.

Some say the memorials were created for you. A safety reminder on your journey.

Effective.

Tina Shockley of the Delaware DOT says their is no research that indicates that roadside memorials cause excessive rubbernecking and a lead to a higher rate of accidents. In Delaware, items cannot be placed in a road’s “clear zone”- 10 feet away from the paved edge or in the right of way. By law, they are illegal. DOT wants to educate the public and does not remove existing memorials.

Niki Reeves continues to maintain a memorial for her teenage son Chad, who was killed with three other teens on a two-lane highway in Delaware several years ago. She doesn’t know how long she’ll maintain the memorial, but says she feels a connection to her son and says, “It’s somewhere I prefer to go rather than a grave. I’m closer to him there.”

Today’s tip for better living: Practice your duck and cover.

Source: American Funeral Director

From the sports desk:

Associated Press
July 24, 2007

SAN ANTONIO – Mike Coolbaugh became a coach with the Tulsa Drillers earlier this month not so much for the job itself, but because his little boys loved to see him on the baseball field.

“He had just started,” said Coolbaugh’s wife, Amanda, who is expecting their third child in October. “We were going to be done with it, but his kids wanted to see him.”

Coolbaugh died Sunday after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first base coach’s box during a game in Arkansas. He was 35.

Amanda Coolbaugh, 32, said they planned to wait to find out the baby’s sex until the birth. The couple has two sons, Joseph, 5, and Jacob, 3.

According to a report on the Drillers’ website, Coolbaugh was knocked unconscious and CPR was administered to him on the field. Sgt. Terry Kuykendall, spokesman for North Little Rock police, said Coolbaugh stopped breathing as an ambulance arrived at the hospital.

The game between the Double A Drillers, a Rockies’ affiliate, and Arkansas Travelers was suspended in the ninth. Coolbaugh was taken to Baptist Medical Center-North Little Rock, where he was pronounced dead at 9:47 p.m.