Hi ... do you remember me? I know I post WAY to infrequently here. I've been busy doing other projects and really haven't felt like I had anything interesting to say. I need to do better, I know, especially since I now have something to share. Forgive me for not doing a "cut;" I didn't want to hide it.
Motorcyclist fatally struck by car; cops say other driver painting nails (Daily Herald article)Driver Painting Nails Hits, Kills Motorcyclist (KDKA News Article)(this is international headlines due to the bizarre and senseless circumstances surrounding it)My friend,
Anita Zaffke, was an independent thinker, outspoken, an idealist, passionate, and a risk taker.
"Independent thinkers are analytical and witty people. They are normally self-confident and do not let themselves get worked up by conflicts and criticism. They are very much aware of their own strengths and have no doubts about their abilities. People of this personality type are often very successful in their career as they have both competence and purposefulness."
"Outspoken people are given to expressing themselves freely or insistently; they are characterized by directness in manner or speech and without subtlety or evasion."
"An idealist is a person who cherishes or pursues high or noble principles, purposes, goals, etc.; a person who represents things as they might or should be rather than as they are."
"Passionate people are characterized as having, compelled by, or ruled by intense emotion or strong feeling; expressing, showing, or marked by intense or strong feeling; intense or vehement, as emotions or feelings."
Anita had achieved many successes and pursued many goals, particularly in recent years. She earned her Bachelor's degree; she had begun writing a book; she learned how to ride a motorcycle; she pursued her hobby as an amateur photographer; and she took cross-country trips to fulfill her wishes to see and photograph some of the magnificence that this country has to offer. She was outspoken and idealistic about perceived political and social injustices in this country and the world, and passionate about her feelings about such issues.
Finally, "A risk taker is someone who risks loss or injury in the hope of gain or excitement." I take exception to this definition. Surely many people feel that those who choose to ride motorcycles are risk takers, but that's not the only thing that Anita did that I feel garners this distinction.
Ten years ago, there was this young man who was making a career change. He had years of restaurant and retail management experience and possessed self-taught computer skills, but he had no experience working in a corporate office setting. He went to four job placement agencies and tested well on the programs, but no one was able to find him a suitable position. He finally went to a fifth agency and, a couple days later, he received a call that someone was interested in interviewing him. That was ten years ago this week that I first met Anita, interviewed with her, and was subsequently hired for the position she was tasked with filling. Under Anita's wing, I learned the ins and outs of being an administrative assistant at a large company. For many years, I worked closely with her as our friendship grew. I still work for that same company, and I owe a debt of gratitude to my friend Anita who, ten years ago, took a risk on me and put me on the road to success.
Today isn't about me ... it isn't about the woman whose act of negligence took our friend - wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt - away from us too soon ... today is about Anita, whom many cherished and loved. "Life is short." We've all heard that over and over again ... but why do we need incidents like this to remind us? We should all take a lesson or two from Anita's life and maybe become a bit more independent in our thinking, more outspoken about our ideals, more passionate about our beliefs, and maybe even take a few risks. Life is for the living, after all. So live your life ... enjoy your life ... don't wait until tomorrow to do something you've always wanted to do. There may not always be a tomorrow.
-- Don
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homefryes's journal
chipper
sad
sleepy
in pain
We had an enjoyable time ... we did not come back "up," but that's just the way it goes I guess. We were upgraded to a Sebring convertible, though it was really too cool to bother putting the top down! We had a delay checking into the hotel (Palace Station), as our discount online travel agency (Hotwire) neglected to push the reservation through to the hotel! While I sat on hold with Hotwire (for probably 20 min. or so), R managed to get us upgraded to a tower room, which was a feat, considering we were staying through the weekend. The tower rooms were recently renovated, and come complete with a 42" flat screen TV ... not that we were planning on spending much time watching it! The alternative to the tower rooms are the garden rooms, which are cheaper and not as nice; they are on the east end, and on one level surrounding the pools.
The week was spent going to various casinos, some sightseeing around town, and visiting with R's kids. We didn't venture out of town this time. We'll wait until the bridge construction at Hoover Dam is done before going back out there. We went to a few different casinos, but by far our favorites were Suncoast and Sam's Town, both of which are Boyd Gaming establishments. Suncoast is near the western edge of the city, way off-strip, and Sam's is on Boulder Hwy. southeast of town. We found we prefer the off-strip places better than the fancy places on the strip. They just have a more relaxed feel. Both of these places have great buffets; Suncoast's was really beautifully done (and had some of the best New England clam chowder I've ever had). I had hoped to get out there Sunday for brunch, but we just didn't make it. We did have brunch Saturday at Sam's. We neglected to get pictures of the grandkids this trip (oops!); we met up with R's boys, Adam and Scott, and the grandkids, Cody and Jordyn, Friday at Suncoast for bowling; on Saturday, we met up with Scott, Adam and Nicole for dinner at P.F. Chang's; and Sunday, we all met at Nicole's place of work, GameWorks, for food and fun. Here's a link to the entire photo album for this trip.
bouncy
anxious
