marlen

WHO KNOWS BETTER THAN YOU? JUST BE CAREFUL.

MARTY

BESIDES THE PHRASE 'the check is in the mail", THE NEXT MOST COMMON PHRASE IS "don't worry". WE ALL HAVE A LITTLE PART OF US THAT WASTES SO MUCH TIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WILL BE THAT WE FORGET TO FOCUS AND ENJOY OURSELVES. I ONCE HAD A MANAGER WHO LOVED TO WORRY. IF THINGS WERE RUNNING SMOOTHLY, HE WOULD STIR THE POT AND CREATE A PROBLEM SO HE COULD WORRY. AFTER 3 MONTHS OF THIS, I GAVE HIM SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT. FINDING A NEW JOB.

WHAT WILL BE WILL BE. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU WORRIED ABOUT SOMETHING, AND WHAT YOU THOUGHT MIGHT HAPPEN, NEVER HAPPENED?

ENJOY TODAY. TOMORROW WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF.

MARTY (USED TO BE A WORRIED MAN)

I DON'T THINK SO. HYPERTENSION, STRESS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE RELATED TO RAISING THE BLOOD PRESSURE IS A CURSE. WHEN YOU'RE LYING FLAT ON YOUR BACK, AND SOMEONE ELSE IS DOING YOUR JOB, YOU CAN ASK YOURSELF IF IT WAS ALL WORTH IT.

SORRY TO BE SO BLUNT, BUT I'VE BEEN THERE. HAVING A STROKE IS REALLY A WAKE UP CALL AND TIME FOR A LIFE CHANGE. SAD AS IT MAY SEEM, IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. IF YOUR HEALTH GOES TO HELL, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT?

COME ON, TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOURSELF. YOU DESERVE IT.

MARTY

THERE'S A COMMERCIAL ON TELEVISION THAT PUTS A PRICE ON MOST EVERYTHING. SOM THINGS ARE PRICELESS. THAT'S WHERE OUR CAREGIVERS COME IN. IF I LISTED HOW MY WIFE HAS PUT UP WITH ME THROUGH THIS WHOLE SCENERIO, I'D BE HERE FOR THE DAY.

I THANK HER EVERY DAY FOR BEING THERE FOR ME. I DON'T KNOW WHERE I WOULD BE WITHOUT HER.

MARTY

JEAN,

YOU GOT THAT RIGHT. MY WIFE AND HER YOUNGEST SISTER HAVE THEIR MOTHER'S DISPOSITION. THE MIDDLE SISTER IS SORT OF A CARBON COPY OF HIM. HE WAS A DIVORCE ATTORNEY. NEED I SAY MORE?

MARTY

PHYL,

HE RARELY GETS OUT OF BED IN HIS AIR-CONDITIONED APARTMENT. IT'S HIS DISPOSITION. I COULD WRITE A BOOK ABOUT MY 50 YEARS OF KNOWING HIM.

PIT BULLS CAN SOMETIMES BE NICER.

MARTY

HEY KIDS,

THANKS FOR THE PROPOSITION, KIM AND JEAN. LOVE YA BOTH.

CHEF DENNY, I HAVE FOUR, ONE GALLON BAGS OF BLUEBERRIES IN THE FREEZER. $.85/LB. WHEN YOU PICK THEM YOURSELF. I'LL MAKE GOOD USE OF THEM.

I GUESS I HAD A PANIC ATTACK. EVER BEEN SURROUNDED BY BUNCHES

OF BLUEBERRIES STARING AT YOU?

MARTY

OK, DO YOU WANT THE GOOD NEWS NOW?

SHOP FOR BRAKE WORK. WHEN I WAS IN BUSINESS, WE BOUGHT GOOD PADS FOR A MAX.OF $25. MOST WERE AROUND $15. TURNING ROTORS WAS $15 A PAIR. OF COURSE THAT WAS WHOLESALE. SO ADD SOME PROFIT, AN HOUR'S LABOR, AND IT STILL WON'T COME CLOSE TO $262.

MARTY

WELL PHYL, I FOUND A BAD JOB IS WORSE THAN NO JOB AT ALL. TO GET UP AND FACE SOME OF THE EGOTISTICAL IDIOTS WHOSE DADDY LEFT THEM A BUSINESS TO RUN WASN'T WORTH WHAT THEY WERE PAYING ME. EVEN TRYING TO MOVE UP THE CORPORATE LADDER IN MY YOUNGER DAYS WAS A CHALLENGE. I HAD TO STEP OVER THE BODIES OF THE KNOW-IT-ALLS.

I'VE WORKED FOR OVER 50 YEARS, HELD MANY DIFFERENT POSITIONS AND NEVER MISSED A PAYDAY. GOOD LUCK. SOMETIMES THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE.

MARTY

AREN'T AUDITS FUN? I HAD ONE YEARS AGO ON MY BUSINESS. MY WIFE KEPT THE BOOKS, SO I KNEW ALL WAS OK. THEY CLAIMED I OWED $600. AFTER 5 HOURS WITH A NOVICE AGENT, WE RESUBMITTED AND I RECEIVED A CHECK FOR $1800. A COMPUTER GLITCH THEY CLAIMED.

MARTY

PAM,

SHE DOES EXIST. WITH MY LUCK SHE IS A GYNOCOLOGIST.

MARTY

HEY KIDS,

I'VE HAD THE PROCEDURE DONE A FEW TIMES. IT'S NOT BAD. I HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING WITH THE DENTIST. YOU DON'T TOUCH MY MOUTH WITHOUT NUMBING ME UP FIRST. NOW WHEN PEOPLE TELL ME "I HAVE A SCREW LOOSE", THEY ARE PROBABLY RIGHT.

MARTY

OH, SCREW IT JEAN. OK, I'LL CHANGE IT TO WEE-WEE.

MARTY

CINDY,

YOU CAN TALK DIRTY TO ME ANYTIME. I'M SURE MY WIFE HAS FELT THE SAME WAY MANY TIMES. JUST LET IT OUT...................IT'S BETTER TO BE *beep* OFF THAN *beep* ON.

MARTY

PHYL,

YA GOTTA TAKE CHANCES IN LIFE. NOTHING LIKE YOU'RE WORRYING ABOUT IS WRITTEN IN STONE. 9 YEARS AGO, MY WIFE AND I MOVED TO GAINESVILLE, FL. FROM INDIANA. NO JOBS, NO HOUSING, NO NOTHING. IT ALL WORKED OUT, AND WE HAD A GREAT YEAR. BUT FINANCIALLY,I COULDN'T GET AHEAD. SO WE CAME BACK NORTH, I RESUMED THE BUSINESS I HAD, AND I ALWAYS WONDER WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF WE HAD STAYED. LIFE IS A CHALLENGE.

GOOD LUCK,

MARTY

SHUCKS, VICKY, BEING A TYPE A PERSONALITY ALSO, I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A SEXY TOPIC. HOW ABOUT LISTING THE 14 PROJECTS YOU HAD GOING, PICKING ONE, AND CONCENTRATING ON IT? THE DO ANOTHER AND ANOTHER.

HAPPY PASSION.

MARTY

ATTA WAY TO GO, GUY. KEEP THAT BRAIN MOVING. IT ALL PAYS BENEFITS

MARTY

SCOOTERMAN,

IF YOU READ MY POSTS, I TOLD YOU WATER THERAPY IS THE BEST. I'VE GONE 3 DAYS A WEEK FOR OVER A YEAR, AND I DON'T PLAN ON QUITTING. ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE DONE.

MARTY

PAM,

BLUEBERRY WAFFLES FOR BREAKFAST, BLUEBERRY SOMETHING FOR LUNCH, AND BLUEBERY SUNDAES FOR DESSERT AFTER DINNER. THAT SHOULD TAKE CARE OF 3 POUNDS OUT OF THE 12.

MARTY

AMY,

ENJOY! ENJOY! ENJOY!

MARTY

WECOME BACK, DUCKIE

MARTY

HEY CHEF DENNY,

NOT EVERYDAY IS PERFECT. NOT EVERYDAY DO WE SEE ANY IMPROVEMENT. NOT EVERYDAY ARE WE REQUIRED WRITE, READ, OR RESPOND TO BLOGS.

BUT IN THIS COMMUNITY OF OURS, WE LISTEN, ENCOURAGE, AND TELL EACH OTHER SOMETHING ABOUT OUR LIVES. WE GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER JUST A LITTLE BETTER. SOMETIMES THINGS ARE NOT VERBALIZED HERE, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN WE DON'T CARE. WHERE ELSE CAN YOU GET SO MUCH CARING AND ENCOURAGEMENT FROM PEOPLE YOU NEVER MET, AND WILL PROBABLY NEVER MEET?

REGARDS,

MARTY

PAM, THERE ARE ONLT YWO UGLY PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD AND THEY LIVE VERY CLOSE BY. MY INBRED NEIGHBOR AND HIS BULLDOG WIFE.

MARTY

HEY MARY,

EVERYBODY, INCLUDING YOU, MAKES A SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION ON THIS NETWORK. I FIGURED WE WERE PUT HERE BECAUSE WE CAN RELATE WELL TO EACH OTHER. I HAVE SOME CASUAL FRIENDS WHO ONCE I GET TO "AND HOW ARE YOU?" I DRAW A BLANK. CAN'T THINK OF A THING TO SAY EXCEPT "IT'S HOT", "IT'S COLD", "IT'S RAINING", "IT"S DRY", OR "KISS MY A**". AT LEAST HERE WE ARE BOUND TO PROVIDE THE SMALLEST PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT MAY CHANGE SOMEONE'S OUTLOOK AND LIFE. NEVER SECOND GUESS YOURSELF.

MARTY

CHARLES,

NOW YOU KNOW WHAT IT REALLY FEELS LIKE TO GET SH** UPON.

MARTY